Today’s post contains adult content and is intended only for readers aged eighteen years or older who consent to read such content. If that’s not you, please skip this post.

It’s time again for the #MFRWsteam bloghop sponsored by Marketing for Romance Writers. There’s lots of steamy, spicy goodness on display. Check it out here: http://mfrwsteam.blogspot.com.

Here’s a steamy snippet from Christmas Rekindled, my just-released contemporary Christmas romance set in a neighborhood bar in my hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

Available on all major (and several minor) online booksellers. Get your copy today! https://books2read.com/b/3JjPxP

In this scene Charlie, newly-rehired server at Bangers Tavern, has just given River, the hot & hunky bartender, a ride home after their shift.

“You want to come inside for a minute? Warm up?”

She switched off the ignition. His heart leapt.

“Nope.” She twisted in her seat to face him. “To be clear, I’m not staying in Tacoma. Once my dad heals enough to get around without help, I’m going back to Portland.”

Why was she making such a big deal of this? “Right, that big town in Oregon—two, three hours from here, isn’t it?”

Her expression lost a little of its sharpness.

“My passport is up to date. If I get my shots, I’m pretty they’d let me visit.”

“Gah!” She let her head thunk back against the headrest. “River, I just broke up with the guy I lived with for three years.”

“Your idea or his?”

She winced. “His.”

“Well, he’s an asshat of the highest degree. Good riddance.”

Her low, throaty chuckle made him want to kiss her again. Though he pretty much wanted to kiss her anytime she was within range.

She laid her hand palm-up on the center console. “The thing is, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

Remembering a bit of Dawn’s wisdom, he nestled his hand into hers. “You never find a relationship when you’re looking for one.”

Her gaze softened, open and vulnerable. “Are you looking?”

Warning sirens blared inside his head. This was a question to answer very carefully. “If you’d asked me a month ago, I’d say, ‘No way.’ But then, I kissed this girl under the mistletoe, and…”

She closed her eyes, lifted his hand, and pressed it to her sternum. Beneath his palm, her heart thudded fast. His pulse sped to match hers. He held his breath.

“I like you, River.” Her whisper matched the brush of snowflakes against the windows.

“I like you too.”

She inhaled deeply, then met his gaze. “Enough to be my friend?”

He nodded, mesmerized.

“Because my life is a mess right now, and I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”

Her coarse language stirred up a heady swirl of laughter, sympathy, and arousal. He scooted as near as the center console allowed and placed his lips close to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. Me neither.”

Fire flickered in her eyes’ inky depths. Her lips parted. A golden thread wound around his heart and tugged him toward her. His thumb stroked the delicate line of her jaw as he closed the distance.

Her lips were so soft and warm beneath his. Her breath feathered over his face, and her fingertips danced over his whiskered cheek before sliding into his hair and pressing him more firmly against her.

“Mmmff.” She lunged toward him and collided with the center console. With a frustrated groan, she rose in her seat and mashed her chest against his. But the damn car was not set up for a make-out session.

“Come inside,” he pleaded into her hair—her silky, floral-scented hair, spilling over his cheek, tangling with his beard. He knotted his fingers in the strands and angled her head to deepen their kiss. Her mouth tasted of cinnamon, sweet and spicy, as her velvet tongue stroked over his.

Her soft, animal moans filled his straining cock with sweet pain.

The car’s interior was cooling fast, but the heat cooking off their hungry bodies steamed the windows. She unzipped her leather jacket and—sweet baby Jesus and all the pudgy little angels—pressed his hands to her heaven-soft breasts.

After that, everything got a little blurry. Wet, sloppy kisses, grasping touches, satin skin, succulent curves. His hands and eyes and mouth devoured everything they could reach, and she answered every touch with a caress. Before he knew it, both their flies gaped open, and his fingers tunneled beneath damp satin, through sodden curls, into hot, slick paradise. Her hips arched, greedily reaching for more as he stroked the firm little nub that made her jerk and moan with each pass of his fingers. So responsive, so passionate.

Her hand dug into his undershorts and closed at long last over his shaft. Bright sparks of pleasure danced up his spine and down his legs as she stroked him, perfectly in rhythm with his fingers thrusting deep inside her. He felt her thigh muscles tighten, straining toward her peak. He crooked his middle finger, searching for that magic spot while circling her clit with his thumb until she cried out.

Her back arched, lifting her hips high off the seat. Her teeth captured her lower lip and her hair whipped from side to side as she rode her climax. Her hand pistoned faster and faster on his cock, her grip dancing on the edge between pleasure and pain. He felt his own orgasm gathering low, tightening his balls. Just a few more sweet, agonizing strokes, and—

The back-door lights switched on, flooding the car with a harsh glare. Dawn stepped into the doorway, wrapped in a fuzzy bathrobe. “Who’s out there?”