Hi! Thank you so much for having me here to share an exclusive excerpt from Arctic Sun! I love foreplay almost as much as I love hot-and-heavy love scenes, and so I brought you one of my favorite foreplay scenes from the book. I promise the conclusion is indeed hot!
***
That wasn’t a no, so River laughed. “Best idea. Come here and tell me one of your fantasies.”
“Think you’re the creative one, not me. You’ve got quite the imagination.”
Still not a no. “Thank you. You want to hear another of mine?”
Long pause. Shuffling sound. Griff was closer now, but made no move to join him on the narrow bunk. “I should say no.”
“But you won’t,” River said confidently.
Another low groan, this one almost pained. “Tell me,” Griff whispered.
There was a rustling sound as he crouched next to River’s bed, almost, but not quite, close enough to touch. River took a moment to consider which of his vast collection of fantasies was most likely to appeal to Griff. He wanted to turn him on enough to saw through those reservations, maybe finally get him past guilt and doubts to enjoy the rest of their time together without more flip-flopping between avoidance and arousal.
“Cabins like this always make me think of being snowed in.”
Griff snorted at that. “Come up here for a winter, and I guarantee you’ll be cured of those fantasies by spring.”
“Hey now, no judging. I’m picturing a well-stocked cabin, no imminent danger of death, but super chilly. And we’re near strangers, but we need to huddle for warmth.” He’d chosen this fantasy because Griff had seemed to get off on warming him up the night before. Also, it was close enough to reality that he could toss in details that made it more personal. “We’re shy around each other, but there’s this crazy chemistry. And it keeps getting colder and colder. So we’re sitting by a fireplace, and gradually we move closer and closer…”
“You really do like the first-time thing, don’t you?” Griff’s voice was soft.
“Yeah. Wasn’t kidding about that.” River’s skin cooled, making him shiver. Admitting this truth stripped him bare—he might have fooled around with role-play before, but he didn’t usually reveal his most private of desires.
“I can work with it.” Griff’s tone was contemplative, as if he were getting into this despite himself. “So me keeping you warm, it’s a survival thing?”
“Partly. Like I said, I’m not thinking fuck-or-die, but more like…comfort. Like we need each other. And the storm just makes it worse.”
“Yeah.” Blowing out a breath, Griff seemed to let go of some of his tension.
“Come sit up here by me. It really is getting chillier. Not a blizzard, but we can pretend.”
There was a long pause where River started to resign himself to Griff gluing himself to the plank floor, but then he hefted himself up, coming to sit next to River. Not touching, but close enough that River could smell his woodsy scent, feel his warmth already. He tapped Griff’s leg with his foot simply because he could.
“We’ve got a fire, but it’s still cold. Wind whistling, even louder than this. And even though we’re strangers, we scoot closer…”
This time Griff moved quicker, sliding over so that they were hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder. And miracle of miracles, his arm came around River. “Better?”
“Oh, much.” River burrowed into his side, getting comfortable in the embrace. “Now for the fun part. Both of us want to kiss, but neither of us wants to make the first move. The tension is absolutely delicious.”
“You get off on the waiting?” Griff’s laugh felt as good as his arm holding River close.
“The moment that ‘will we or won’t we’ changes into ‘when will we’ is just the best. Like the air almost crackles. And yeah, it gets me hard. Even before our lips meet.”
“Yeah.” Griff made the closest thing to a happy noise that River had heard from him.
“And the beautiful thing is that we simply keep moving closer and closer and neither of us has to make the first move. It happens, almost spontaneously. Without us forcing it.”
“That easy, huh?”
“Yup.” River let his lips graze Griff’s collar, then shifted so that they were almost cheek-to-cheek, close enough to feel Griff’s breath, but true to his word, he didn’t close the gap, didn’t force it. Instead, he breathed slowly, cultivating patience.
The payoff was more than worth it, as after several long moments, Griffin’s lips brushed his cheek. Then his nose and chin. Little featherlight kisses almost as if Griffin couldn’t believe he was letting himself do this. Then their mouths met, soft and slow, Griffin showing that he remembered how River liked it. But unlike the night before when he’d let River do most of the leading, Griffin allowed himself to explore, little sips and tastes that had River squirming.
When their tongues finally met, it felt like coming home, an almost alien sensation for River, the rightness of this, the way his whole body relaxed into the kiss, let Griff have his way with him. And far from taking advantage like a lot of people would, Griff kept things painstakingly slow. It was like he had a direct line to River’s brain, knew exactly how he liked things to go. Their tongues slid together, making him tremble with each contact.
“Still cold?” Griff asked, voice so caring that River almost forgot about the fantasy for a moment.
“Yeah,” River said, mainly because he was curious what Griff would do.
“Here.” Griff hauled River into his lap, a show of strength that made River gasp. Mountain man indeed. “Let me warm you up.”
Series (name + # in series): Frozen Hearts, #1
Publisher: Carina Press (Harlequin)
Release Date (Print & Ebook): eBook: Monday, April 1, 2019 |Print (mmp): Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Length (Print & Ebook): eBook: approx. 95,000 words| Print: 384 pages
Subgenre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance, Male/Male Romance
Warnings: Publisher’s Note: Arctic Sun deals with topics some readers may find difficult, including sobriety and eating disorders.
Book synopsis:
Everything’s bigger in Alaska, especially the HEAs. Annabeth Albert kicks off the brand-new Frozen Hearts series with Arctic Sun, an opposites-attract romance between a rugged outdoorsman and a smoking hot former male model.
He’s built a quiet life for himself in Alaska. But it doesn’t stand a chance against the unrelenting pull of a man who’s everything he shouldn’t want.
Ex-military mountain man Griffin Barrett likes his solitude. It keeps him from falling back into old habits. Bad habits. He’s fought too hard for his sobriety to lose control now. However, his gig as a wildlife guide presents a new kind of temptation in superhot supermodel River Vale. Nothing the Alaskan wilderness has to offer has ever called to Griffin so badly. And that can only lead to trouble…
River has his own methods for coping. Chasing adventure means always moving forward. Nobody’s ever made him want to stand still—until Griffin. The rugged bush pilot is the very best kind of distraction, but the emotions he stirs up in River feel anything but casual, and he’s in no position to stay put.
With temptation lurking in close quarters, keeping even a shred of distance is a challenge neither’s willing to meet. And the closer Griffin gets to River, the easier it is to ignore every last reason he should run.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 95,000 words
Buy now:
Harlequin
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
kobo
Audible
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance series include the #OutOfUniform, #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat, #RainbowCove and #PerfectHarmony series.
To find out what she’s working on next and other fun extras, check out her website: annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.
Connect with Annabeth:
Website: http://annabethalbert.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477494.Annabeth_Albert
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annabethalbert?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabethalbertauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabeth_albert/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Nb9yv
Fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annabethsangels/
Enter to win 1 of 2 paperback copies of Arctic Sun + a fun-filled swag pack! Must be 18 to enter and win, open internationally.
