Not this time.

Maybe it was getting an agent early on (who has sadly left her agency and I am now agent-less again), maybe it was several friends urging me on to read more. Whatever the reason, it is done.

Well, not DONE done. I still have much revising and editing and polishing to do. I might even add another scene or two. But I’ve reached the end and that is a huge accomplishment in itself.

Feel free to pat me on the back. *grin*

The carriage rolled to a stop, but Markham refused to let her alight from it. Had he not risked himself for her last night at the ball? As Lucinda confirmed, they continued to discuss the scandal all night. “Why do you say that? Last night—”

She drew her belongings close to her heart. “You care about society and what they think of you. That’s what motivated you last night. Not protecting my honor.”

The door opened but Markham waved the footman away and yanked it closed. “I was protecting you from that man.”

When she finally looked up at him, the shadows darkened her eyes again. “You were preventing further scandal to yourself. You can’t really care for me, or anyone else, unless you can feel…and you have no emotions.”

Of course he showed no emotions, he was an excellent learner. Emotions led to rash decisions and impulsive actions. He learned that lesson when Emily paid the ultimate price.

“I have emotions. I just don’t share them freely the way others do.”

But did he really? He spent many a hard hour learning not to feel. Sentiment makes you weak. Yes, his father had taught him that well enough, only he didn’t listen as a young man. He would heed the warning now.

“Oh, have we arrived already?” Lady Harkmoor collected her things. “I wasn’t asleep. Don’t think I wasn’t paying careful attention.”

Miss Parker sighed. “Please let me out, my lord.”

Markham moved aside. His stepmother’s cousin exited first and then Miss Parker, taking all vitality and warmth with her.

His head spun with the need to understand her. He’d need more than careful skill to peel back the layers of her secrets, to find the core of her heart. He would need time and patience.

But he had neither.

From my steampunk work-in-progress:

Bennett clenched his teeth to keep from moaning out loud. If she continued down this path, control would surely loosen from his grasp.

Then her palm was on his stomach again. It rested there briefly before slowly inching its way down. It slid over his belly button and was almost to the blanket.

He had to stop her!

Bennett reached out and snatched her. Ignoring her gasp, he pulled her on top of him.

Her face hung over his, eyes wide.

“Yet again you play a dangerous game, Ella.”

She grinned. “You weren’t asleep.”

“No.”

“And so you were testing me to see how far I would go.”

Her body, even clothed, was divine atop his. He resisted the urge to bury his fingers in her hair and yank her lips to his.

“Perhaps I was.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And reaching below the blanket was too far?”

He wanted it more than anything in the world. He wanted her hands on him, her mouth on him, her body to envelope him.

But where would that lead? Ella would want him to marry her. And that would be a mistake of gigantic proportions.

Reluctantly, he rolled her off him.

She didn’t pout. “I’m surprised you wanted me off of you after what I could feel down there.”

Yes, his body clearly wanted her. His common sense told him something else.

“You need to go, Ella.”

~~~

His face reddened as he uttered a low growl and dropped into the cushion beside her. Immediately, a hard thigh pressed against her skirt. Her pulse quickened, mouth dried. His exotic scent brought girlhood dreams rushing back, when she longed for his fingertips to brush her cheek, his mouth to taste her own.

She pressed her lips tightly together, but still they tingled with the aching of her want. Almost without thought, she turned to face him, to bring her mouth close to his. But the straps of her bonnet caught on her bodice. Lizzie yanked the scratchy thing off her head and set it on her lap.

“What are you doing?” his voice rumbled above her head. “You can’t remove that.”

“It bothers me.”

“Put it back on, Miss Parker.” He reached for the bonnet, his arm inadvertently grazing her breast. A jolt shot down her legs and she gasped. She clenched her thighs but the tremors lingered.

He immediately withdrew his arm, his lips parting. Those midnight eyes flared with a brilliant heat.

Lizzie swallowed and gathered her wits. Yet, her heart raced faster than a fox after one of her hens. She set her chin, a challenge. “No.”

Lord Markham looked over her head to the dowager. “Tell her she must keep her head covered.”

An annoyed sigh was his answer. “Eh, it’s just a bonnet, it’s not as if she’s removed her bodice.”

A whistle’s shrill prevented any further discussion. There were a few shouts on the platform, then the train lurched forward. The feelings of giddiness and yearning vanished as Lizzie’s breath burst from her lungs.

In her fear, she inadvertently grabbed Lord Markham’s hand. He surprised her by capturing her fingers in his.

But, blast it, it was too late to turn back. The motion of the train signaled an end to the life she knew. And it would be the end of everything she ever wanted if she didn’t do whatever it took to come back.

Lizzie slid her fingers from his. She shouldn’t be holding Lord Markham’s hand. She should be at home with Edmund.

“You should rest.” He shifted so his arm was just inches from her cheek. Did he do it on purpose? Did he dare tease her sensibilities with that broad shoulder?

No, not after his outrage at them having to sit next to one another. She must have imagined it…she fantasized about it…she yearned for it…

Lizzie’s eyelids fluttered then fell, their weight suddenly too heavy. Her chin dipped forward. The sway of the train bobbed her head to the side until her cheek rested upon fabric.

A spicy scent enveloped her conscious thoughts like a powerful drug that once hummed through her veins. Lizzie listened to the rhythmic clicking of the wheels and Lord Markham’s steady breathing until drowsiness pulled her under.

But by some quirk of fate (or me asking at the store), my local Borders got a few copies in. I stopped over today with my daughter and saw two on the shelf. I signed them and the clerk put a sticker on them.

Here’s a picture of me holding the books:

As to WHY they aren’t anywhere yet — I don’t know. When my first book came out with Samhain back in 2007, they took a few weeks to get into stores, but they were OUT THERE somewhere. The distribution is no where NEAR what most Mass Market books are/were, but I still felt I had a decent showing.

This time I don’t know what’s going on. I spent more money on promotion (including an ad in Romance Sells, which goes directly to book buyers) and yet three plus weeks after release, they aren’t sitting on a shelf in a brick and mortar store.

My contest is still open. Who ever sends me a picture of BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST on a bookstore shelf will get a gift card to their store of choice. SO KEEP LOOKING!!

You can @reply me on Twitter or even email it to me at leslie at lesliedicken dot com. Please include the name of the bookstore and the city/state.

If you’re the first, I’ll let you know and message you about your gift card preferences.

Hope to hear from you soon!

The winner of my give-away contest for Facebook is Eileen Patterson. For twitter, the winner is Cara Wallace. I hope you both enjoy the book!

Another note is that I am more than half way through my current work-in-progress, The Iron Heart. It’s currently at 203 pages and 43,000+ words. It’s all downhill from here, right? LOL! As a bonus, here is a short (unedited) teaser from the manuscript:

Yearning mingled with frustration. Somehow Ella was responsible for his continued defeat. In his mind, she was the obstacle holding him back from finding Hugh. The distraction she caused led to his failures.

He must find relief from this overwhelming desire.

Bennett used both hands to pull her away from his neck. His fingers curled into her hair, his thumbs splayed across her cheeks.

Her eyes were wild, no doubt a perfect match to his own. Her passions were just as raw as his own. Even if her reasons were not the same.

“Ella,” he whispered into the cool night air. “I have to absolve myself of this madness.”

She nodded.

“You don’t understand. I can’t let you go again…not until I—“

Her lips covered his. She put her hands around his neck and pressed herself to him. Her mouth was hot and eager.

A probing tongue teased the seam of his lips, gently sweeping across until he opened himself to her.

Once their tongues touched, Bennett lost every ounce of control. He delved inside the moist fire of her mouth.

Rules are easy!

For Twitter just tweet the following: “@LeslieDicken I want to read BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST. #bttb” (be sure to include my name or the hashtag)

For Facebook, reply to this note with: “I want to read BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST!”. (Or something similar)

Next week, I’ll choose a winner from Twitter and an winner from Facebook. Then I’ll mail you an autographed copy. Outside the US is fine.

I hope you’ll tell me WHY you want to read it, but it’s necessary for the contest.

Any comments on this blog post will get added to the site with the lesser amount of entries.

Good luck!

Stay tuned…I’ll do a contest to give away one or two of these books in the next week or so (or sooner!).

I think after dinner — if I have any energy left — I’ll attempt to get some words written. I’m beat and I’m not even the one who ran up and down the field!