"Romancing the Holiday" with Karen Erickson {Her Christmas Pleasure}: Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway Entry Stop

Please welcome Karen Erickson to AtM!

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I have a confession, and if you’ve been reading or hanging out with me for a while, this won’t come as a big surprise.

I love holiday-themed stories.

I love them so much, I’ve written a few but never a historical one. So I’m extra thrilled to announce Her Christmas Pleasure will be available November 28th from Carina Press .

Damien Morton is madly in love. Unfortunately, it's with his best friend's widow, Lady Danver. Damien is not worthy of Celia. Or so he thinks. Desperate to escape his feelings for her, he plans to leave the country at the first of the year. Celia treats him as a family friend and nothing more—until they share a heated kiss beneath the mistletoe...

Celia is shocked by the passions that surge within her at her dear friend's kiss. One touch and one taste aren't enough to satisfy her cravings, and she is startled into action. Damien has stirred something inside her that she never expected to experience again, and she must have more. Full of shameless desire and emotions newly discovered, she decides to pursue Damien and won't be deterred. Will she be able to convince him to stay—both in her heart and life—forever?
My hero Damien has pined for Celia for a long time but he doesn’t believe himself worthy. He also doesn’t think she’s even noticed him. And though she has, she believes he sees in her a lonely widowed mother. The wife of his dead best friend.

Until that kiss under the mistletoe and everything—I do mean everything—changes. She becomes a woman on a mission, out to seek Damien at every chance. Convince him that just maybe they belong together. Who knew it could all start with a seemingly innocent kiss?

Here’s a delicious (adult!) excerpt to whet your appetite:

“Oh, look. They’re standing under the mistletoe! Now you must kiss her!”

They both stopped at the excited proclamation made by Celia’s father-in-law. Damien glanced up and saw the offending bundle of greenery tied with a cheery red bow hanging above them. It was both an opportunity and a curse, the mistletoe. It offered him the chance to kiss the one woman he wanted.

If she turned away from him and refused his chaste advance under this silly holiday pretense, he would be crushed.

Forever.

“I believe this means you must kiss me.” There was a tremor in her sweet voice. Tipping her head back in offering, she pursed her lips. Her lids lowered, thick black lashes veiling her eyes. “I haven’t been kissed by a handsome man in so long I might not remember how.”

He stared at her. Had she called him handsome? He didn’t realize she even noticed him at all. He was a man with no family, no title and no tangible wealth, completely taken in by Lawrence’s family. And somehow he’d become one of their own. Hell, he even worked for the earl, though not for long. And Urswick certainly didn’t treat Damien like a servant.

Lawrence’s family adored him and treated him as if he were a long lost son. And yet he wanted Celia. Naked beneath him in his bed, her hair spread across his pillow. Her lips swollen and red from his kisses, her body ripe and yielding to his…

“Kiss me, Damien. They’re starting to chant.”

Her family—Lawrence’s family—was in the sitting room. The entire lot of them gathered for the Christmas holiday annually. And indeed, they were all starting to chant. Kiss her, kiss her, they repeated with giant smiles on their faces. The Countess of Urswick’s eyes were wide, her lips parted as if she was surprised, and the earl cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, “Just do it, boy!”

Damien’s cheeks heated, and he grimaced. He hadn’t blushed since he was a lad in short pants.

“Do it,” Celia gritted from between clenched teeth. She glared at him as if she wanted to strangle him. At the least, slap him upside his clouded head.

He’d been given this chance, and he was ruining it.

Grasping her by her slender shoulders, he pulled her close. She gasped, resting her hands on his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his waistcoat. He swallowed hard at her touch. Desperately he tried to ignore his stiffening cock.

It was damned difficult.

He bent down, his mouth hovering above hers. Her lips pursed once again, and her lids drifted completely closed. Anticipation sliced through him.

This might be his only opportunity. He wanted to do it right. But not too right.

After all, the family was watching with avid interest.

Hell. And they still chanted.

Damien took her lips in a soft, open mouthed kiss. Her lips parted easily beneath his, and he swore he wouldn’t use his tongue. He couldn’t, not in front of everyone.

No matter how much he wanted to.

She was so warm and soft in his arms, melting against him as their lips clung. It was quick, their first kiss. No more than a few seconds, but it felt like a blessed eternity.

It was a kiss he never wanted to end.

Do you want to know what happened after Damien and Celia kissed? You can pre-order Her Christmas Pleasure at the following:

Carina Press: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/9EE061BC-B23B-4BCA-AC68-64229282A333/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=FFCDF50E-47DB-45E8-8450-5C507F32611D

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Pleasure-Merry-Widows-ebook/dp/B005UPRRV0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321305161&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-christmas-pleasure-karen-erickson/1105486506?ean=9781426892707&itm=1&usri=her%2bchristmas%2bpleasure%2bkaren%2berickson

Where you can find Karen on the Web:

Website: http://karenerickson.com
Blog: http://karenerickson.blogspot.com
Group Blog (The Smutketeers): http://smutketeers.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/karenericksonwritesromance
Twitter: http://twitter.com/karenerickson

Giveaway Details:

• Leave a comment on the post, or a question for Karen, to have your name thrown in the magical random.org hat, for a chance to win one of three books featured throughout the mini-event week. (Winner will receive their book of choice and it will either be shipped via the Book Depository, All Romance ebooks, or Amazon.)

• Extra Entry Options (Please leave in a separate comment):

• Follow Karen on Twitter.

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• Tweet the contest (please leave the link of your tweet).

• Contest is open Internationally.

• Contest will run until 11/27 11:59 PM EST

• Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email.

Remember to stop by each post throughout the week to increase your chances of winning!