Excerpt:
Poe raised his hands. “Okay, enough of the
Jake shit. He’s a bastard and you two need to steer clear of the cokehead.
Violet will help y’all out as best as she can. She’s good like that.” She
bashfully dipped her head at the compliment. Poe stood, pointing to the
firework display. “And now, for some circa 2011 non-legal fireworks.”
Teal’s gaze flew to Violet. “Huh?”
“In Kentucky, only certain fireworks are legal. Poe here has bought ones
that aren’t.” Trent leisurely made his way over to Teal and helped her up from
the table.
“In Vermont, all you need is a permit and you can have all the fun you
want.” She threaded her fingers through Trent’s as he led her further into the
darker part of the yard.
Poe had set everything up at a safe
distance, and Trent had lined up some lawn chairs for the show. Teal made to
sit down in one of the three; instead, Trent pulled her back up and sat.
Patting his lap, he motioned for her to sit.
Teal complied and wrapped an arm around his
neck as she adjusted herself comfortably on him. The stubble of his jaw rasped
over her neck as he tenderly kissed her, his warm tongue making its way up her
neck until Teal felt the sharp pain of his teeth on her earlobe. She gasped
when his hand slipped under her shirt, his calloused hands slipping beneath the
cup of her bra to tweak a nipple. Shrouded in darkness, Trent caressed Teal’s
breast and tasted her skin, as Violet and Poe made adjustments to the
fireworks.
Trent’s ridged cock hardened beneath her,
and Teal squirmed atop his lap, listening, as his breaths grew harsher. “You’re
gonna make me come in my pants. Is that what you want?” he said, as he tweaked
a nipple so hard, Teal squeaked.
His hands and mouth made a hasty retreat as
the couple made their way back to them.
Teal glanced around just as the first explosion rocked into the night
and set the darkness around them ablaze. Trent stole her attention from the
fireworks as he gently took her chin between his thumb and finger to gently
turn it to meet his eyes. His loving gaze took in her face, eyes roving over
every inch of it. His thumb moved softly back and forth across her cheek
causing warmth to spread with his touch. She watched, mesmerized as lights
sporadically lit up his beautiful rough-hewn face revealing the awe and longing
in his eyes.
Most women searched years for such
dedication and love, and no man had ever looked at her that way—until Trent.
She'd once told him that he was not what he seemed, and she’d been right.
However, she was wrong on her assumption of the man in front of her. For how
resilient and steadfast this man seemed, his heart was full of love, and Teal
was lucky to have even a fraction of it.
Trent leaned in again. “I need to be in you.” He thrust against her,
punctuating each word.
Teal giggled.“I know, but you need to stop.” Trying to push his hands
away, Teal fought in vain. “Trent.” She took on a semi-serious voice. “They’ll
see. Cut it out.”
He stopped and peeked over her shoulder. “Baby, look.” He nodded and she
glanced over her shoulder to see that she and Trent weren’t the only two taking
advantage of the darkness. While she couldn’t see much, the firework display
intermittently lit up the passionate view of Violet and Poe stealing
kisses. Teal turned and righted
herself in Trent’s lap. “You are such a bad influence.” She moved provocatively
in his lap, his gruff grunting a good indication she was rubbing him in all the
right places.
Author Interview:
Readers have questions and I have answers! After letting readers
know Teal and Trent's second book will be released at the end of the year,
readers started emailing me with questions about Teal and Trent. The questions
are really similar to a Q&A I did with Crystal Moody and readers that I
decided to share with you some of the questions from the email as well as the
group. I'll also answer questions for the first book, Incarcerated.
Q: What inspired you to write Incarcerated?
A: I
wanted to write about a relationship that would have to handle real issues many
people face, but don’t talk about. Like my brother and I and along with my guy
of eight years is white and we have weathered a few storms. My brother is the
color of peanut butter with kids who have blonde hair! I wanted to tell Katie's
story and I wanted to see how readers would respond to her actions as she saw
Logan for the troubled man that he was. I also wanted to explore forgiveness
and how hard or easy it can be to offer it.
Q: Would you befriend a convict in a pen pal program as Katie
did?
A: As
an adult, probably not. I've watched too many Criminal Minds episodes to do
that. And I highly doubt SSA Derek Morgan is going to come save me if I end up
writing a crazy inmate who plans to visit me after his release. However, when I
was younger, I did write to a friend of a friend who was in jail for armed
robbery. And in jail, inmates often get tired and restless. They need to reach
out to someone. In some cases, they do it in order to maintain their sanity.
I’ve never experienced the loneliness Katie experiences in the book, but I'm
still not too keen on writing a possible murderer or rapist.
Q: When Harper returned home with Marcus and saw the tattoo on
Trent, she walked away. Why did she turn her back? As a woman who lives in the
south, I'm used to seeing Confederate flags but that doesn't make a man racist.
A: I
didn’t get a chance to delve as deep into Harper as I wanted to. Harper lived
all those years without Trent, but she did have her father. I could only
imagine what her father said to her to convince her all of those years to stay
away from Trent. After she turned 18 there would be nothing he could have done
to stop her. But in a part that was cut by my editor, I did have Harper tell
Trent that she’d heard rumors and that her fear of her son meeting a racist was
stronger than her will to stay and learn the truth. I really wish I hadn't cut
that scene! In the next book, you learn EXACTLY why Harper walked away from
Trent when you meet Harper's cousin Violet. Time has gone by and my muse has
spoken to me and I think readers need to know what made Teal walk away. Also,
as a woman raised in Virginia around the most loving and sociable red necks, to
me, the Confederate flag is just a symbol of a lost war.
Q: Why did you write 15K words of Trent's past, I just wanted to
read about Trent.
A: When
I started Inevitable, I didn't have a Part one and two and so forth. However,
20K in, I didn't like Trent. Even though I knew his back story, I had no
emotional ties to him. So, I knew the readers needed more. You may think you
didn't, but tell me, didn't you hurt for Trent as Harper's father ripped his
heart out and stomped on his pride? I did.
Q: Trent was accused of being a racist for using a racial slur.
If anyone uses a racial slur, do you consider them racist? (Ex: Paula
Dean)
A. This is a hard one. I really think it depends on the
situation. There are some people who are brought up in places where this is the
norm and they think nothing of it. Racism is taught, not born. I once had a
friend who called a stranger a Sand Ni****. When I asked him about it, he told
me his father taught him it was okay because they didn’t like America. In the
book, Trent tells Teal that she had used racial slurs against him and Teal was
in no way racist. I had Trent explain to her that her hurtful words were just
as bad as the words he’d used in the past. He even gave her the
definition: Racial slur: a derogatory or disrespectful nickname for a
racial group, used without restraint.
Q: Teal and Trent were explosive from the beginning. What
inspired you to write their story?
A: My mom asked me twice to write their story instead of a
Katie and Logan continuation. And I really wanted to give Trent a story. I
hated the way I’d left him in Incarcerated. I really did.
Q: Why does Teal have unprotected sex with Trent. She barely
knew him? I would never do that.
A: Teal, like any other woman, is human and prone to make
mistakes. I write real characters, not perfect ones. Also, the story is about
Teal, her actions, and decisions. You can't base her actions on hers, she is a
fictional character who does as she pleases. Hell, she drove me crazy in
Incarcerated.
Q: Since Logan has been to support groups and seems to be
better, do you think his racist ways are over? How do you think he will endure
the pressures of raising biracial kids?
A: No, I think Logan will spend much more time trying to
overcome his past. His babies and wife will make it easier, but I do think
there will be times he reverts to his old untrusting ways. I do believe that he
will have Trent there to yank his butt back, too.
Inger Iversen was born in 1982 to Anne and Kaii Iversen. She lives in Virginia Beach with her overweight lap cat, Max and her tree hugging boyfriend Joshua. She spends 90 percent of her time in Barnes and Noble and the other ten pretending not to want to be in Barnes and Noble.
