A Bite of...Archangel of Mercy

This week, I'm proud to present the lovely Christina Ashcroft, with A Bite of... Archangel of Mercy!

Can you, in less than five words describe your book, Archangel of Mercy?
Bad ass Archangel, girl-next-door, eternal love (maths is not my strong point!)

What inspired you to write it?
A chance remark from our very own Eleni (pop back tomorrow for more on this!) The more I thought about writing an archangel book the more the idea appealed to me. It took me years of rewrites and shoving the half-finished manuscripts in a cyber drawer before I managed to get to the heart of Gabriel and discover why, despite my first vision of him flying at the edge of the universe, he didn’t possess wings. Once I understood that essential element, he began to slowly open up. The final spark of inspiration came from my editor who was keen for me to write an erotic archangel book. I took up her challenge J For some more details on the inspiration behind the world of my archangels, have a peek at the recent post I did for the Enchanted Orb segment.

And without further delay, here's the excerpt!

He was gorgeous. He knew it and had no compunction in using it to his advantage. She hitched in a deep breath, tore her gaze from his and glared at her clenched hands. To her relief the hypnotic imperative to plaster her body against him and offer herself like a sacrificial slave crawled back into the murky depths of her libido.

His sexual pull was frightening. Lethal. His past was probably littered with broken hearts and broken promises and if she didn’t get rid of him soon she’d willingly be his next conquest.

She almost had been his next conquest. She couldn’t quite figure out whether she was sorry or relieved she’d pulled back earlier. But no matter how much she still fancied him, the moment for mindless gratification had passed.

So long as she didn’t look back into his eyes.

“I think we should go back to the house.” She kept her gaze on her hands. “Then we can make plans on how you can get home.”

He didn’t reply. Didn’t move. Eventually she couldn’t stand it any longer and risked looking up at him. There was an odd expression on his face, as if he was attempting to process her words and finding it beyond him.

Somehow she couldn’t imagine there was much he found beyond his capabilities.

Still he didn’t respond. The silence stretched between them, taut and strangely brittle, as if the slightest wrong word might shatter the pervading peace.

“Don’t you think so?” She tried to ignore it, but his silence was unnerving.

“I think,” he said, looking at her as if she was a particularly exotic beetle he’d discovered crawling over his foot, “I could do with that whiskey.”

“Right.” Aurora refused to be insulted by the expression on his face. “Good idea.” She could definitely do with a stiff drink or three, that was for sure. She grabbed the framed flower, pushed herself upright and mentally winced when her knees began to shake. She hoped he didn’t notice. “Come on then.”

He shot her a look that suggested he wasn’t used to people telling him what to do. For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to move, but then he expelled a pained breath and stood in a sensuous, graceful movement without needing to brace his weight on his hands at all.

Desire curled deep in her belly. Standing, she could admire his sculpted pecs and taut abdomen to their best advantage. As if fully aware of her furtive scrutiny he stretched, panther-like, biceps flexing as he linked his hands over his head. Dark gold hair dusted his chest, arrowing toward his unzipped jeans, and Aurora swallowed a groan of pure unadulterated lust.

He could probably taste the sexually charged pheromones radiating from her deprived body. But even that mortifying thought wasn’t enough to stop her visual feasting.

The corner of his mouth quirked, as if he was fully aware of her regard, and he rolled his shoulders, muscles bunching and relaxing as if he was deliberately trying to tempt her.

Mindless gratification hovered on her immediate horizon, assuring her the moment could too easily be recaptured, and it was more than tempting. Mesmerized by the allure of his body she watched, helpless to tear her gaze away, as he turned to face the woodland that bordered the property.

Her ravenous gaze licked over his powerful shoulders and froze, unbelieving. Two deep gashes ran from his shoulder blades down the length of his back. Her breath stalled in her throat, unnoticed. Good god, what the hell had happened to him?

It looked as if an acid-drenched axe had sliced through to the bone, eating the flesh, distorting the muscle. Although the wounds were now healed and looked ancient, the passage of time hadn’t disguised how horrific the injuries must have been, or how agonizing.

Slowly he turned toward her, and despite how she tried to hide it she knew the shock ricocheting through her blood was clearly reflected on her face.

He caught her gaze, held it and she watched his mesmeric eyes darken with comprehension. And then he took one stride toward her.

Thank you for sharing Christina!

If you're interested in reading more, click below on the buy links.

The Book Depository

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Additionally, you can find Christina and discover her other books below.

Webpage: http://www.christinaashcroft.com

Blog:        http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com

Twitter:    http://www.twitter.com/ChristinaAsh_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinashcroft?ref=hl

Have a great Wednesday