Ramblings of a Book Lunatic: Charity's Secrets (Charity #2) by Maya James Book Blitz with Giveaway, Excerpt & Playlist

SYNOPSIS:
The unbridled heat continues between the beautiful Charity Powers and her gorgeous and passionate assassin for hire, Justin Collins. He exists only to love her and keep her safe, but that’s not so easy when she is such a force of life. Charity makes it her mission to heal Justin’s wounded path, but to do it, she must hide terrible, dangerous secrets from him that risk their entire relationship.

The holidays arrive filled with wonderful sentiments that leave each of these lovers closer than ever, but just as the celebrations come to a close, one of their dearest friends is brutally attacked. There needs to be retribution, and both Justin and Charity deliver it. In the process, evidence of a traitor is discovered on the Panther team, jeopardizing not just everything they’ve worked for—but their very lives.

Discovering Charity’s secrets devastates Justin, but his broken heart is no rival to the fury of learning that his beautiful obsession is being hunted. Rescuing her leads him to the truths of this past.

Nothing can contain Justin’s devotion and intensity. Charity has to be kept safe. The traitor and their enemies, personal and political, must be eliminated if they are going to survive.

PURCHASING LINKS:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1oX1O5t

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/charitys-secrets-maya-james/1117598477?ean=2940148963516
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/387474
Createspace (Paperback): https://www.createspace.com/4561003

EXCERPT:

The bathroom door pushes open easily exposing the brightness inside, the light colored walls and marble counter. Justin is in the shower and the curtain hides him from his chest down, but the top is transparent. Water streams down his head and shoulders before he sees me. Then he notices me in the doorway, looking haggard and drained, and I watch his concern overtake his expression and posture. His prefect green eyes beckon me in. "Undress," he says with soft control, pulling the shower curtain open.

I realize my hands are obeying him, undoing and dropping clothing to the floor around my feet. I cross the room and step in with him. The hot water feels incredible.

Justin's arms wrap around me and he draws me in, leaning my fatigued body against the warmth of his. "Just relax, Warrior. There's nothing for you to do right now, nothing to think about. I have you."

My soul collapses into his arms, and he holds me up as promised.

"Let go," he says. "You do so much for everyone, Charity. You do so much for me that I don't know what I'd do without you now, and you deserve a break. I'll take care of you."

The hot water rushes all around us, drenching the knots from my muscles. His strong hands press into my sides and back, his solid body gives me comfort.

"I'll do everything and be everything that you need, because you do that for me every day," Justin continues.

A long, exhausted breath explodes from my chest onto his neck where my head rests. For a short while I can't even move.

Eventually I find my strength and I begin supporting my own weight again. Justin steps us back deeper into the water, drenching us. He carefully fixes my wet hair away from my face. "You're so beautiful," he whispers. I feel his lips press onto the top of my head.

One of his arms lets go and grabs my shampoo from where I left it yesterday. Its familiar scent wafts into the shower before he even begins rubbing it into my hair. He turns me and dumps the shampoo on, letting me do nothing while he massages my scalp. When he's done, he rinses it out thoroughly and picks up my body wash.

It amazes me how gentle he can make his touch, with hands that have beaten and killed. They've strangled the life out of people but on me they are tender and caring, kneading the life back in to me. He massages my back deeply with the body wash and starts working his way around my body. My nipples do not resist the chance to harden as he rubs them.

"Every inch of you is breathtaking," his soft voice convinces me.

He rinses the soap off me before continuing with new, fresh lather. The pressure he uses on my feet and calves relaxes them so much they don't want to hold me up. He slides over my wet thighs and ass, gently cupping my warrior parts.

Of course they react, tingling and twitching, begging for more, but I don't think that's Justin's objective tonight. I want whatever he's offering, I don't want to think.

Gently, he pulls me closer, embracing me with one arm so that we are buried in each other's necks and the length of our bodies are touching. My hands go to his tight sides, as if we might dance in the water.

Justin is still cupping my vulva. Softly, his fingers move through the wet folds of my labia, not entirely penetrating into me, but not teasing me, either.

I squeeze his sides gently, letting him know to continue.

His finger slips up the middle and finds my clitoris. Justin's thumb pulls its hood back, and his finger begins circling on my swollen tip. My breath spills out into his neck and chest, deepening with each moment.

By my ear, I feel his soft lips. "Relax, Warrior. I won't hurt you. There won't be any teasing; you don't need to beg. Tonight I'm the one begging. I'm begging that you relax and let life catch up to you."

The tingling becomes throbbing under his steady finger. I squeeze him again, telling him it's getting close. My nipples are sliding around the wetness on his chest, and I feel like I'm wrapped in a blanket of warm pleasure.

Now the throbbing is nearly reaching my ears. My entire body is looking for this release.

I feel my hips rocking against him.

Just a moment more.

Nearly there.

Don't—

Stop.

Yes...Christ!

I'm really grabbing his sides now, fingers digging in to hold this moment to its fullest.

Everything leaves me in a satisfying rush and Justin pulls me closer, as if he's taking all of my problems from me, all of my tension. My moans and pants are muffled into his strong neck. All of it floods out of me and is immediately washed away.

It takes a few minutes to regain myself. I can feel that my smile is back on my face like a loyal friend. Justin's impressive hardness is pressing into me now as well and I make a move toward it.

"No," he says in the same voice that had told me to undress earlier. "I told you, you're not doing a thing tonight."

Justin shuts off the water and pulls back the curtain. Before he helps himself, he opens a towel over my shoulders to keep me warm. He takes a second and towels off my hair and then wraps it up. With the one on my shoulders, he dries my body and then his.

Casually, he steps out and holds his hand out for me like a gentleman. After he assists me over the tub wall, his massive hands scoop me off the tiles.

"What are you doing?" I ask through a smile.

"You're not even allowed to walk," he replies through his own soft grin.

Justin carries me to the bed, sits me on the edge, and removes the towel to dry my hair further. When he's satisfied with that, he pulls the covers back and asks me to lie down. I feel his warm body slide in next to me, and he wraps himself around me again, pulling the covers over us.

"There's no war to wage, no battles to fight tonight, Warrior." He kisses my head again. "Go to sleep."

AUTHOR BIO:
Indie Author with my first Romance novel, Charity's Warrior, and now the second in the series, Charity’s Secrets, publishing on Amazon Kindle, Creatspace, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

I'm very passionate about writing stories full of love, lust, eroticism, and strong characters entwined around each other in an interesting, suspenseful journey.

East coast born and raised, I'm married, extremely happily, with 4 kids, 3 of which are now young adults (not sure when that happened).

I’m a COO in my technology-based "day job,” which requires a mix of technical and creative writing for both internal and client-facing materials, but it was not satisfying my artistic spirit. Writing the “Charity” series has been absolutely fulfilling and exciting.

My favorite writing takes place on my phone while lying on the Southernmost Beach in Key West, where I try to go at least twice a year.

AUTHOR LINKS:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormayajames

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authormayajames

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Maya-James/e/B00E22C76W