Delicious Tease Day #46: J.K. Beck

Yay! I'm so excited to introduce you to my wonderful friend and ARWA chapter mate J.K. Beck, who is the new alter ego for USA Today bestselling author Julie Kenner! Her new trilogy sounds absolutely fascinating and I hope you enjoy your sneak peak at it. Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the ARCs!

Hey everyone! J.K. Beck here (http://www.jkbeck.com/), and I'm so excited tobe participating in the Delicious Tease contest and to have the chance to tell you all about the new series I have starting in September. The ShadowKeepers series is a series of sexy, dark paranormal romances that center around a paranormal judicial system operating secretly within our own. Theseries is getting off to a bang with three back to back books: WHEN BLOODCALLS, WHEN PLEASURE RULES, and WHEN WICKED CRAVES (Sept 2010, Oct. 2010, Nov 2010). And I'm going to give away one copy of each of them to 3separate winners--I'll mail the prize books out on May 15! (ARCs if I havethem, otherwise bound galleys). Check out the blurbs from the books, and the excerpt from WHEN BLOOD CALLS.

WHEN BLOOD CALLS:

*The ultimate desire requires the ultimate sacrifice…*Sara Constantine is one of the country’s most tenacious prosecutingattorneys—and she’s just secured a well-earned promotion. At first she’s thrilled. Then she finds out her new job involves prosecuting vampires andwerewolves. And nothing prepares Sara for the shock she receives when shemeets the first defendant she’ll be trying to put away: Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy. When Lucius Dragos kisses the beautiful woman sitting next to him at thebar, he’s only hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s following…and planning to kill. But what starts as a simplekiss to secure his cover ignites into a fierce hunger that leads to anall-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows Sara will do whatever it takes to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not the monster she thinks he is. And that might mean making the greatest sacrificea vampire can make.

WHEN PLEASURE RULES:

*Desire is the deadliest enemy of them all.*Seven innocents have been brutally murdered on the streets of Los Angeles,yet the Shadow Alliance has no suspects and no leads. And as more bodies are discovered, the age-old feud between the vampires and werewolves threatens to explode and turn the city into a living nightmare.With her back to the wall, Lissa Monroe—a strong-willed, ravishingly beautiful succubus who entices men to surrender their souls—agrees to goundercover for the Alliance. Her mission: infiltrate the mind of werewolf leader Vincent Rand, a ferociously alluring enemy who has a powerful holdover her. Lissa has never lost control of her deepest desires, but Rand isan impenetrable paradox, a principled soldier who fears nothing—except perhaps the darkness of his own past. As the city of Angels teeters on thebrink of apocalypse, these two adversaries must join together to have even the slimmest chance of surviving a more lethal enemy hidden in plain sight.

WHEN WICKED CRAVES:

Their love could bring the most potent pleasure—or the darkest nightmare. *A danger to both the human and shadow communities, Petra Lang is cursednever to love. For one touch of her skin unleashes the vilest demonsimaginable. Sentenced to death by the shadow authorities, who fear she’ll turn her curse against them, Petra is rescued at the last instant by vampireadvocate Nicholas Montegue. As their bodies merge and transform into mist,Petra feels an urgent erotic longing. Nicholas fought long and hard to save Petra—and nearly paid theultimate price. He risked his own life to spare hers, yet he knows he cannever give in to the explosive attraction he feels for her. But the deep yearning they share can only be deferred for so long. Together, they mustfind a way to lift the curse. For only a love this strong has the power to overcome such monstrous evil.

Excerpt:

And just to give you a taste of the series, here's a scene between Sara and Luke from WHEN BLOOD CALLS (**spoiler note, this is from midway through the book!)

“Leave,” she said, forcing her chin up. “Leave now.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You don’t want me gone.”

“Yes.” The word came out weak, so she tried again. “Yes, I do.”

“And yet here I stand, when you need only push one small button to summon the power of the PEC to drag me off.” His eyes dipped down to the controlbox in her hand, and then back to her face. “If you wanted me gone, Iwouldn’t still be standing here.”

“No,” she whispered, but there was little conviction in the word. “I’ll do it. I’ll push the panic button.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not panicking.” And to prove it, he brushed his palm softly over her nipple, sending fingers of fire shooting through her. Making her even more wet. Making her crazy.

She squirmed, her back against the wall, trapped between it and this man. She needed to get away, to get free. Because this wasn’t right. He was everything she despised. A killer. A liar. A criminal. A vampire. And yet he was there, touching her, wanting her. And damn her all to hell, she wanted him, too.

“Go,” she said, because if she didn’t say it, she would truly be lost.

He only grinned, then brought his mouth in close to hers. “No,” he whispered, the single word barely more than a brush of air across his lips.

She felt her body tremble, and she stifled the little moan of pleasure thatbubbled up when his lips grazed her cheek, her ear, her hair.“Sara,” he whispered, and pulled her close, his large hands splayed outagainst her back, his erection pressed hard against her. Ready, so ready.

“Luke,” she managed. “No.”

But he merely smiled. “Quiet now. My time is ticking away.”

Before her sluggish mind could process, he took her mouth in his. And though she knew she shouldn’t — knew she would kick herself black and blue later — she lost herself in the kiss, her pulse tripping as his busy hands slipped inside hershirt and over her bare back. Her breath hitched as his lips danced downalong her neck even as he murmured soft words that seemed to shoot straightthrough her, making her warm and wet and ready.

“Sara,” he murmured. “By the gods, Sara.”

She melted beneath his words, her mind knowing only want, only desire. She let the control box tumble to the ground, then thrust her hands into theback pocket of his jeans and urged him closer, until she was trapped tight between the wall and this man who wanted to consume her.So help her, she wanted him to.

His hand grasped the hem of her shirt, tugging it upward, and she lifted herhands in assistance. As soon as the shirt was tossed aside, he grabbed her wrists, holding them above her head as his mouth dipped to her breast. Histongue teased her nipple, before pulling away, the sensation of cool air ondamp flesh intensely erotic, and she writhed with need, silently begging himto touch her, to finish what he started.

He needed very little encouragement. She wore only panties now, and he bent low, dropping to his knees in front of her. As she gasped, he pressed his hands to the inside of her thighs, the pad of his thumbs playing with the elastic of her panties, teasing hermercilessly. His mouth soon joined in the torment, his fingertips drawingher panties down so that his tongue could lave.She buried her fingers in his hair, clutching him for support as her legstrembled and her knees threatened to no longer hold her.

"Luke,” she murmured, wanting to feel the press of his body against hers.Wanting to feel his lips, his tongue. Wanting to taste him and tease him.“Luke, please.” She eased him up, then took his mouth hungrily, desperately in hers. Shehooked one leg around his waist, locking him in place, wanting him, all ofhim.“Please,” she whispered, fumbling for his fly.

Beneath her hand, his erection strained, and he growled low in his throat, the desire she heard making her even more wet. More ready.

“Sara,” he whispered, his voice raw, and yet still soft. Still tender.And then, suddenly, it wasn’t.She felt the change in him instantly. A stiffness in his back. His hands holding her rather than caressing her. He’d shut down, and she didn’t understand why.

Alarmed, she pushed back against the wall, a thousand recriminations runningthrough her head. What was she thinking? Was she insane? Had the craziness of the day fried her brain? But all those thoughts vanished when she saw his face. When she saw his fangs. Her hand flew to her mouth and she fell to the ground as her feet slid out from under her, her hand closing over the control box.

“Sara,” he said, moving away, his hand held out in supplication. “No. I wouldn’t. I didn’t —”

It didn’t matter. She looked at him, and she saw the beast that had killed her father. Her own scream ripped from her throat as she fell back into her memories,her last coherent thought to press her finger down — hard — and trigger the alarm.

Wow! I've got chills already! Can't wait for September :) Since J.K.'s excerpt has a very hot vampire in it, I thought I'd ask about vampires today. If you like them, who's your favorite? I'm partial to J.R. Ward's Zsadist, myself ... Remember to comment for a chance to win the ARCs of the J.K.'s new series!