Thank you to Romance Book Craze for hosting me on the blog tour for TURNING POINT, the third book in The Kathleen Turner Series. There will be a total of five books in the series. Book four, OUT OF TURN, will be released on 12/17/13.
Sometimes I will write
a “deleted” scene out of one of the books in the series, usually from a
third-person perspective (since the books are written in first person, we only
get Kathleen’s point of view). This is a
“deleted” scene from TURNING POINT, from Blane’s perspective. (warning – salty
language ahead)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was late, but Blane couldn’t sleep. Last night kept replaying inside his
head. The disastrous dinner with
Kathleen.
Could he have fucked things up any more?
She’d thrown him out and he couldn’t blame her. He’d been a dick.
And now Kade was there. Staying in her apartment. He’d been in her bed, unconscious from the
gunshot wound, when Blane had last seen him.
How long would Kathleen let him stay?
Was she there now with him, helping him?
Jealousy ate at Blane even as he castigated himself
for feeling that way. Kade was his
brother, for chrissake. He wouldn’t make
a move on Kathleen.
Would he?
Blane’s cell phone rang and he automatically picked
it up from the bedside table. Glancing
at the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat.
Kathleen.
“Kirk,” he answered.
“Hello, is this Blane?” The voice was male and much too loud.
Blane frowned and turned down the volume, sitting up
in bed. “Yes, who is this? Where’s Kathleen?”
“Blane, you’re an asshole,” the man blustered. “If
you want to stop being an asshole, you can come get your girl here. Poor
thing’s all upset and you just let her go cry her eyes out in some bar with a
bunch of strangers. Shame on you.”
It took only a moment for Blane to process what the
man had said, the important phrases being “your girl” and “bar with a bunch of
strangers.” He was already out of bed
and pulling on a pair of jeans while the man continued to ream him.
Blane listened with half an ear, sticking the phone
on speaker so he could grab a shirt and pull it over his head. The man’s Texas accent was thick, but Blane caught
“purty little thing,” “drownin’ her sorrows,” “sumbitch like yew,” and “acting
like a damn fool.” Once his boots were
on, he grabbed up the phone again.
“Where is she?” he asked, cutting the man off.
“She’s dancin’ with Jay, o’ course,” the man
retorted.
“I meant what bar?” Blane gritted out, holding on to
his temper. The man was severely trying
his patience, but he got the name of a bar downtown.
“I’ll be right there,” Blane said, ending the call. He grabbed his leather jacket on the way out
the door and prayed the cops weren’t patrolling Meridian tonight.
His Jag ate up the miles and Blane was pulling up to
the bar scarcely ten minutes later.
Kathleen’s SUV was parked outside.
The sight of it gave him a twinge.
Kade had gotten it for her, a “company” car.
The bar wasn’t crowded and he spotted Kathleen right
away. But then again, she was hard to
miss.
She was dancing with an older man, maybe late
fifties, wearing a sweatshirt and Colts ball cap. Some eighties hit was playing on the jukebox
and Kathleen was singing along, completely oblivious to her attire.
Jeans that looked painted on and a red top that had
so little fabric, it could scarcely be called clothing. It covered her breasts, barely, and left a
neckline that plunged clear to her navel.
The back was identical, the cloth wrapping her hips and leaving her arms
and sides bare. Blane had no idea how it
was even staying on her body. With her
just-fucked hair and come-hither eyes, Kathleen was the stuff fantasies were
made of. But not one Blane would
willingly share.
It took her a moment to realize he was there. The man with her suddenly stopped dancing
when he spied Blane. He said something
and she turned. Their eyes locked and Blane
stalked toward her, ignoring the men who froze and stared at him. His attention was fixed on Kathleen.
Up close, her outfit was even more tempting, the
rounded curves of her breasts overflowing their confines. Blane’s jaw locked tight as his gaze brushed
her from head to foot. She didn’t seem
to sense his disapproval though, or if she did, she didn’t care. If Blane knew her at all, she had something
else on her mind entirely.
Shrugging out of his jacket, he swung it over her
shoulders. As he did, he processed what
her “friends” had been saying. He pinned
one with a glare.
“Did you just call me a dick?” Blane asked him.
“I called you a dick three times,” the
man shot back with drunken glee. “Ya just didn’t hear me the first two,
motherfucker.”
Kathleen snorted with laughter. “Blane,”
she said, “meet my three fairy godfathers. Jay, Hal, and Rick.” The men all
gave him a grudging nod.
“Come on, Kat,” Blane said. “Let’s go
home.”
“Just a second,” she said. Turning to
the men, she gave them each a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime,” Rick said with a grin, then
turned a more serious expression on Blane. “Now you take care of our little
girl here, you understand? I don’t wanna see her in some bar by herself again
’cause you’re treatin’ her bad.”
“Yes, sir,” Blane replied evenly. He
could tell by the voice that he’d been the one to call. Blane reached for his wallet and tossed a few
bills onto the bar. “This should take care of her tab.” Thank God they’d been decent men and not some
college kids out to pick up girls. Blane
didn’t want to think of what might’ve happened in that case.
When he turned around, Kathleen was
already singing and weaving her way to the front door. Blane grabbed her forgotten purse and jacket
before hurrying after her. She stumbled and
he slipped an arm around her back, supporting her.
She was drunker than he’d ever seen her, and Blane
felt it was partially his fault.
Kathleen wasn’t a woman to sit at home with a tub of ice cream when she
was upset, she drank her troubles away.
Blane guessed it was the Irish in her, or maybe it had always been
something she’d done. With her father
dead when she was fifteen and caring for
her cancer-ridden mother until her death, Blane thought she might have found drinking
as her coping mechanism long ago.
After a brief argument over her inability to drive,
in which she narrowly escaped falling on her face, Blane had her in his car and
headed back to his house.
Kathleen immediately forgot the argument, instead
sighing in pleasure as she relaxed into the heated seat. Her eyes slipped shut.
“I love Blane’s car,” she
said, her throaty tone shooting straight to Blane’s groin. “I love being with
him in his car. It’s sleek and powerful, just like him.”
She obviously was thinking aloud, not
that Blane minded. His lips twitched
slightly.
“Is that so?” he said.
“Absolutely…” She slumped down further in the seat.
Blane thought she might fall asleep, but
after a moment, she said, “It’s hot in here.”
He reached and turned down the heat.
“Still hot,” she complained.
The sound of the zipper on her jeans
being lowered had Blane tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
“What are you doing?” he asked. As if he didn’t know. As if a part of him wasn’t watching in utter
fascination as she slipped her jeans down and off her legs.
“Cooling off.”
Kathleen was petite, so her legs weren’t
terribly long, but they curved in all the right places. Blane got an eyeful as she scooted her seat
back enough to prop them on the dash, one slim ankle crossed over the other.
“You get like this when you’re drunk,”
Blane felt obligated to say.
“Like what?” she asked, all innocence.
Blane shot her a look. The come-fuck-me one she gave in return made
his blood heat and his jeans suddenly too tight. He let loose a string of curses and
resolutely turned his attention back to the road.
How much further to the house? She’d fall asleep the minute her head touched
a pillow, if he could just get her there before she did something he couldn’t
resist.
Like take his hand from the steering
wheel and place it on her thigh.
Blane stiffened. He knew where this was going and while he was
usually all for that, they’d had a fight.
He sincerely doubted Kathleen wanted drunken make-up sex. He just needed to occupy her until they got
to the house.
She forced his hand to move, caressing
her soft skin. Blane bit back a groan,
but this he could do. He could stay in
control if this was enough to keep her happy.
Her hand fell away and he touched her, his palm resting on her thigh
while his thumb brushed her knee.
But then she had other ideas…
After her promotion from law firm Runner to Investigator, Kathleen Turner is learning the ropes of her new job from none other than assassin-for-hire Kade Dennon, a situation her boyfriend Blane Kirk is none too happy about. But the lessons with Kathleen take a back seat when Kade becomes a target. Previously untouchable, his enemies now know of the chink in his armor – his brother’s girlfriend.
And Kade’s not the only thing coming between Kathleen and Blane. From Blane’s inexplicable defense of a man guilty of a horrible crime, to a mysterious stranger from Kathleen’s past, to Kathleen’ risky investigation into human traffickers, the obstacles mount against a relationship that’s just begun to find trust again.
While Blane considers a job offer that would take him back to the front lines in the war on terror, Kathleen is determined to pursue her new career, with or without his approval. Unfortunately, her current case is far more dangerous than anyone knows. Someone close to Blane will go to extreme lengths to split them up, lengths that may prove worse than death for Kathleen.
Kathleen, Blane and Kade must atone for the sins of the past and the present. The fallout will force Kathleen to a turning point…in her career, and her life.
a 
Tour Schedule:
February 19
SnifferWalk Books
The Muse Unleashed
Guilty Pleasures
February 20
Momma's Books
Lori's Book Blog
February 21
My Fiction Nook
Hesperia Loves Books
Romancing the Book
February 22
Melinda Dozier
Reading Romances
Simply Ali
February 23
Musings of a Bookworm
Storm Goddess Reviews
Mrs. Condit & Friends Read Books
February 24
Reading, Eating & Dreaming
Reading Between The Wines
Heart Breaking Reviews
Cocktails and Books
February 25
Little Fiction of Every Flavour
Scorching Book Reviews
Journey With Books
February 26
Tattooed Book Reviews
Sugar & Spice Read Your Writes
February 27
Romance Book Craze
My Life Beyond Labels Ali's Bookshelf
February 28
Jessy's Book Club
Harlie's Books
Queen of the Night Reviews
Prize information:
Tiffany is giving away, a grand prize of the winner's choice, KINDLE Paperwhite or HD. Winner will be selected by Rafflecopter. Each blog will be able to award one lucky commenter a Kindle copy or print copy of one of her KATHLEEN TURNER books, winner's choice (Print copy is Cont US only) . For your chance to win here, just comment below with your email address and I will pick a winner at the end of the tour.
* No Email = No entry (I have to be able to contact you)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
.png)
