Hello my lovelies!

I hope your summer has been an excellent one. Mine has been way busy, that’s for sure, but it’s been productive.

Those of you that hang out in the Asylum know that I’ve made quite a few changes to the Calum Series, which is why book two has been delayed for so long. When Fiona Riplee posed this week’s RWW topic – What Are You Working On? – I just had to jump into the loop. Did you catch what A.S. Fenichel has on deck? I’m really looking forward to her next release, The Tainted Bride.

When I released The Calum, I thought it would be a three-book series, at most. As I finished the first draft of book two, I realized this universe is much bigger than I thought. Right now, it looks like there will be at least five books, and quite possibly more.

I’m super excited about this because I love Lovie, Duff and Jo, and also because I’ve come to adore several other characters in their world.

Of course, Jo will get her own book (book three), and so will another character that you’ve already gotten to know a bit. Hamish.

Yep! Hamish.

Yes, this is Hamish. 😉

Love him or hate him (okay, we all probably hate him right now, lol), Hamish has a story that really blew me away when I learned of it. Oddly enough, he wasn’t the one to whisper it into my ear, it was yet another character to whom I’ll refer only as “G” for now.

G…has a lot to say about a lot of things, particularly about Hamish. Their connection goes back years and is tumultuous, to put it mildly. Theirs is a complicated, nuanced relationship that’s largely been kept a secret…until book four. Haha!

So that’s what I’m working on right now, the Calum Series. I also have several other projects that I am juggling, including a Hockey Romance that’s set to appear in an anthology next spring. Dude. Hockey + Romance = happy, happy Xio. I’m ridiculously psyched to really sink my teeth into that one.

Anyway, here’s a quick teaser from Calum Me Maybe:

Calum James McDuff had his hand on her ass.

Correction, Duff’s hand wasn’t on her ass, precisely, it was on her thigh. But that was close enough, right? Lovie wasn’t about to argue over inches.

“I can hear you thinking from over here,” he said, his voice gruff from slumber.

Lovie shifted closer. She couldn’t help it. “Oh yeah?”

“Yep.”

The aforementioned hand slid lower, cupping the round of her cheek and giving it a squeeze.

“Hey, now, is that allowed?” She offered a soft laugh to cover the tremor in her voice.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted, surprising her, before pulling her into the curve of his chest. There was definite snuggling going on now. “I’m a little fuzzy on the details.”

Lovie wasn’t going to argue about that either.

It was too good, all of it. His touch. His scent. The feel of him all around her, strong and warm. No, strike that, hot. The man burned with a fire so hot it threatened to consume her, even through the denim of his jeans and the cotton of her pajama bottoms. But she couldn’t let it.

Duff’s light snore had returned, his breath brushing the hair atop her crown. She envied his ability to fall asleep so soundly and so fast.

Lovie settled into the warm, decidedly masculine body that curled around hers and sighed with a tempered sort of joy. She smothered the girly giggle that wanted to bubble up in her throat, but did indulge in a secret smile.

This was nice. Better than nice, it felt good. Too good. His touch did things to her that she couldn’t allow now that they had decided to be friends.

Friends was reasonable. Sensible. Very adult of them, in fact. She was filled with a sense of pride. For a moment.

His hand flexed against her hip and Lovie decided that friends was really a four-letter word in disguise. She breathed another four-letter word in response to his tightening grip. God, he smelled like sleep, and soap, and man.

Yeah, being sensible sucked.
***

Thanks for joining us on the hop today! If you missed any of the entries, skip back to the beginning and see what Marc Stevens is up to. He and my alter ego, Xio Nin, have something in the works. Stay tuned for that!

Next up, see what deliciousness Kathryn Renard has on her plate. See you next time!