One For the Road

It's publication day

My new e-book, One for the Road, from Ellora's Cave, has hit the stands. 

I'm very pleased with the cover art, because of the lovely northern Ontario backdrop the artist provided.  Oh yeah, Lindsay and Cade look pretty good too, don't they?

When Lindsay Thomas gets caught in the rain in the middle of the night, taking refuge in a friend’s camper is the perfect answer. But the next morning, when she finds herself a long way from home, alone in the wilds with a total stranger, the lucky break turns into a whole different game. Especially since Lindsay, having just broken up with her straitlaced boyfriend, has sworn she’s ready to have sex with the first man to come along.

Cade McKenna's life is finally looking up. A pickup truck, the open road, nothing but freedom ahead. And with any luck, he’ll find a woman to put an end to the past year of enforced celibacy. As soon as possible. He has no idea just how soon, until his first stop, when he discovers he has a stowaway, a woman who’s equally deprived and equally ready to make all that deprivation history.

For three days and nights, the chance-met passionate strangers slake each other’s sexual thirst and stoke each other’s desires. Until they have to face the reality of their very separate worlds.

I had fun creating Cade and Lindsay and giving them some beautiful nights on the road north of the Great Lakes.  With summer about to slip into the hazy days of autumn, it's just the time to think about a road trip with the one you love.

click here to buy One for the Road from a choice of online vendors

read an excerpt from One for the Road, below.

Lindsay hadn’t a clue what time it was, but judging by the light outside the curtained windows, dawn was in the process of breaking.

At least she knew where she was. And why. In Dan’s camper, because sometime in the night she’d stopped trying to work on a relationship with Kevin.

And how do you feel about that? her inner analyst asked.

“Great.” And it was true. She just had to write off the six weeks with Kevin to experience. But other than that, she had to admit she felt more relieved than anything.

All right, even more than relieved, she was frustrated. Back to square one. Because really, sex only once in eleven months—without an orgasm—was not what she’d call a good time.

Simone’s suggestion of a dark and dangerous stranger sounded damn good right now.

Imagine, a complete stranger undressing you, exploring your body, unfamiliar hands roving all over your skin, and unfamiliar fingers working their way up inside you. You’ve never seen him before, and you’re never going to see him again. You never know his name. He does things to you you’ve never had done before, because there’s no inhibitions here.

A stranger. Excellent idea. The perfect way to avoid another guy with issues about her being Andrew Thomas’ daughter.

Okay, she was worse off than she thought if she was seriously considering Simone’s dare to take a walk on the wild side.

Lindsay sat up and glanced around the camper. First things first. Throwing off the covers, she swung her legs around and sat on the edge of the bunk, her feet finding the step. Time to get dressed, flag a cab and head home. Then take off for the cottage and just forget about men and politics. At least until Saturday night.

She stretched into a long, energizing yawn, but cut it short when she heard the sound of the latch on the door.

Oh shit! She looked down to ensure the t-shirt covered her adequately as the door swung open.

The man who stepped into the camper, backlit by the sun in the doorway, was of medium height and build and dressed in rough denim. He shut the door behind him. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable moment when his eyes would adjust to the dim light.

“What the hell…?” he said slowly, quietly.

Not Dan Talbot.

But certainly the first man to come along.

And definitely a stranger.

Cade McKenna couldn’t even begin to wonder who this woman was and how she’d got here. Despite her wearing only a t-shirt—a familiar one at that—she seemed remarkably calm in his presence.

She remained seated on the edge of the bunk. Almost as though she’d been expecting him.

“Um, mind telling me what you’re doing here?” he asked. A fair question.

“Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have just made myself at home like this but it was cold and wet last night.” But she didn’t look repentant.

“And you just happened to find my camper in the middle of the night, in the middle of downtown Ottawa and broke in and took a nap.”

“Well, actually, the lock was broken. Um, this is Dan Talbot’s camper, right?” 

"Yeah. He’s lending it to me for my cross-country trip.” He pulled in a long, calming breath and clenched a fist at his side. Whatever her story, she was in his space and wearing his t-shirt and, he suspected, nothing else. And it had been a long dry spell.

She nodded. “I see.”

“Look,” he said, “I don’t want to complain, but I’m a little uncomfortable to find you here at all, let alone dressed—or not dressed—like that.”

“Oh, this?” She glanced down at the ancient Nike t-shirt. Just Do It. Great. “I found it in here. Yours?”

He nodded and swallowed painfully as he caught sight of her nipples, taut against the thin cotton. Was she wearing anything beneath the shirt? He forced his gaze back up to her face.

“I suppose you want it back.”

 “Not yet. But I’d appreciate it if you could just get dressed and— hey, wait a second.”

A jolt of dismay mixed with hot yearning shot through him, right down to his gut and lower.

That text from Dan he’d picked up when he’d stopped for coffee. “Enjoy the trip, buddy. And enjoy the little surprise package I sent along. On the house. I know you can sure use it.”

He took another look at her, so calm in his presence. Almost as though she’d been expecting him. He was going to absolutely kill Dan when he got back. And right now he was going to get this woman out of here.

Just as soon as he’d had one taste of her.

After all, he was only human.

 *****

copyright Susanna Stone 2013.  All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc