You know how I loooove my steam. Today, I’m giving you another tiny taste of “Sky Woman,” the first novel of my Seeder Series.

Miri is an earth girl who finds herself waking up on another planet, and soon in the care of three gorgeous brothers, all hell-bent on wooing her. Miri has some hard choices to make about things that make her question the very nature of love and desire. It’s a hot, hot book and I had a wonderful time writing it. Here’s a taste.

~ ~ ~

The front of the house was windowless and doorless because the walls rolled back entirely, leaving it wide open to the view out over the forest and waterfall. The place was one large room, with a fireplace on the wall opposite the side with the taifa’s shelter. On the wall facing the porch was a good-sized bed, and next to that was a hanging, woven chair that looked a lot like a small hammock.

Lunan had opened a chest along the wall near the fireplace and pulled out a feedbag and was now seeing to the taifa. Miri just couldn’t get over the beauty of the view. She stepped out onto the porch, and the strong breeze pulled a familiar scent in from the forest around her.

“N’mana,” Lunan said, coming up from behind her and tucking a large, purple flower behind her ear. As amazing as it had smelled in the bottle, it was doubly so when fresh. She loved it.

“Lunan,” she said, wishing she had the words to tell him how beautiful all this was. She hugged herself, took a deep breath and said “Wow!”

He raised an eyebrow, smiled at her and repeated: “Wow!”

Miri laughed out loud. I guess some things are universal.

She felt the breeze grow stronger as the heavens opened up and the rain turned into a deluge that beat on the wooden slats of the porch. It wasn’t enough to have to close the wall off for, but it really was pouring. Miri stood up, walking over to the edge of the porch, holding her hand out to feel how cold it was. The rain had a slight chill to it, and some of it blew back onto her. She shivered in response.

Strong hands landed on her shoulders, rubbing some warmth down her arms. She shivered again, but not because she was cold. She was definitely heating up and was aware of every inch of him standing behind her. Just as she was ready to lean back into him, Lunan turned and walked to a pile of wood in one corner, moving several logs and some kindling to the fireplace. In short order, he had a warming fire built and was hooking a pot on a swiveling arm that he moved over the flames.

They ate their dinner on the porch, after the rain had tapered to a steady patter. The smell coming off the n’mana flowers coupled with the clean scent of the rain added to the flavor of Lunan’s excellent soup. All in all, it was a delicious meal. Miri was more than happy to help with the cleanup. Once the bowls and pot were stacked back in their cupboard, she became aware that it had gotten much darker, and their faces and bodies were bathed in firelight. A flickering reflection against one wall had her looking at it a bit more closely, and that’s when she realized that the entire wall was intricately carved with figures of animals, trees, the ocean, and flowers of all varieties.

“These are amazing!” she exclaimed, running her fingers over them. “Did you do these, Lunan?”

He walked over to where she stood, staring up at the wall. He said a few unfamiliar words, and then resorted to pantomime. Miri tried to keep up.

“A man….a woman…a baby….and the baby grows…oh, I see. The baby becomes a man, and he has a baby…and that baby grows and has a baby….”

She was lost for a moment, as he seemed to pantomime a string or a chain between the youngest baby and the first man.

“Oh!  A grandfather! These were carved by your grandfather.” She pantomimed back as she spoke, and he shook his head, affirming.

“They’re amazing. And so detailed. This must have taken years.” She turned again to run her fingers across some kind of jungle scene. She felt like she’d had a static shock when Lunan’s hand closed over hers and he led her hand up to what looked like some kind of lizard, jutting out a bit higher on the wall. He gently pushed her fingers into the lizard’s mouth where she found she could feel each individual tooth inside – it was such a skillful detail, to be able to carve like that in such a small area.

She turned to express how impressed she was and found herself staring at Lunan’s chest, as he’d moved closely behind her. Her eyes flew up to meet his and her breathing got choppy when she saw how he was looking at her. He leaned in, his chest pressing her into the wall and she felt another jolt go through her when she realized he had her pinned – and she liked it. She liked it a lot.

He lowered his head very slowly and deliberately, as if he were giving her time to say no, and when she raised up on tiptoe to meet him, he kissed her with such a searing intensity, she forgot how to breathe. Her hands moved up to clench his upper arms, her body leaned in as his lips moved on hers and his tongue explored her mouth. A small moan escaped her and then suddenly, he was gone.

She staggered back against the wall, unsure of what had just happened. Lunan was getting another armload of wood, and laying it on the fire.

He smiled triumphantly to himself as his face was turned away, working hard to keep his breathing in a regular rhythm. She does still want me, he thought. Talan was right.

He turned slowly from the fire, standing up and taking her in for a moment. She was still pressed against the wall as if afraid to move, her breasts rising and falling in a rapid rhythm as her startled eyes remained locked with his.

Keeping his eyes on hers, he crossed to the bed, sitting down and facing her. He gestured across to the chair as if to say You can sit there, and then he very deliberately patted the bed beside him. Or you can sit here.

Miri swallowed hard.

She hesitated a moment more, while his eyes never left hers. There was no anger or frustration in his gaze, just patience and a very definite message. She remembered how he had looked that morning after their fight, his eyes locked with hers as he’d said the word: “Enan.”

Soon.

It had been a promise.

And his eyes carried that promise still. She just needed to decide to walk over there.

~ ~ ~

Read more of Sky Woman at Amazon for Kindle.