Blog Tour Stop: The Vacant Chair by Kaylea Cross (Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway)

Today, Love Saves the World welcomes Kaylea Cross, who is currently on tour for her Civil War-based historical romance, The Vacant Chair.

Kaylea is gifting a $50 eGC to Amazon.com or B&N.com to one lucky commenter over the course of the tour.  The more stops readers leave a commenter on, the greater their chances of winning!
 
Click here to visit Kaylea's other stops.

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About the book:

Genre: Historical Romance
Tone: serious
Heat Level: hot (not erotic hot though)
Publisher: Kaylea Cross
Publishing Date: May 2013
Series, #: Not a series
Format: digital
Words: 97,000

Blurb:

The Civil War has torn Brianna Taylor’s family apart and made her a widow. Determined to ease the suffering of the wounded crowding the Union hospitals and honor the memory of the man she loved, she embarks on a career as a nurse. But then he arrives—a patient who makes her feel alive again in spite of her resolve to stay detached.

Captain Justin Thompson understands the cost of war all too well, yet he felt compelled to fight for the Union his father died defending. Wounded at Cold Harbor and left to die at a military hospital, he owes his life to Brianna, who seems determined to guard her professional boundaries despite his best efforts to breach them. Just as he’s winning the battle for her heart, he’s forced to return to the front of a cruel war that could very well separate them forever.

Excerpt:

She couldn’t watch him suffer like this. Brianna crossed the room and laid a hand on his trembling back. He flinched and pulled away, fighting for control, but not for another second would she let him bear this alone. Her fingers wrapped around his hand. It was freezing.

He twisted away as though he couldn’t bear her touch. “Don’t. I can’t… I don’t…”

She needed to hold him. Bracing herself in case he shoved her away, she pressed against his back and slid both arms around his waist. He went rigid, sucking in a deep breath. She held on harder. A tremor rippled through him. Then another, and she realized what it meant. He was crying, and doing everything possible not to.

His devastation broke her heart. Still unsure of her welcome, she laid her cheek against his back and gave him the wordless comfort of her embrace, afraid to say anything. She curved her body around his and stayed like that until the tremors subsided. Though his breathing evened out, the tension in his muscles remained. Was he angry? She lifted her head. “Justin?”

She gasped when he whirled on her, breaking her hold and confronting her with blazing, tear-filled eyes. So much anger in his face. So much pain and guilt and grief. Hating that she’d seen him so vulnerable.

Hurting for him, Brianna raised her hand to his rough cheek, startled by the heat against her chilled fingers. He yanked it away, his grip on her fingers almost bruising. She flinched, heart pounding as she inwardly shrank from the buried rage in his eyes.

He didn’t release her. Merely stared down at her with that tortured expression that made her bleed inside.

“You should go back to bed.” His voice was hoarse, all that volatility roiling beneath the calm facade.

“I don’t want to sleep without you.” Risking more rejection, she placed her free hand over his racing heart. His skin was so hot beneath the soft cotton lawn, the muscles under it knotted with tension. Aching to comfort him, she pressed close and swallowed a gasp of surprise when her belly made contact with the unmistakable ridge of his erection. She blinked up at him, an answering wave of heat sweeping through her.

He closed his eyes. “I’m not in control of myself.”

“I can see that.” I’m here. Let me help you heal.

His lids flipped open. The heat in his sapphire gaze made the breath catch in her throat. His eyes scorched her face. She didn’t pull away.

His hands were unsteady as they burrowed into her hair, holding tight. “You should go.” It was a warning. One she had no intention of heeding.

She shivered in his grasp. “You won’t hurt me.” The words came out as a breathless whisper.

“No.” His thumb brushed over her cheek, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “But if you stay, I’m not going to be gentle.”
She swallowed at the warning, didn’t move. Backing down was not in her nature.

Justin searched her eyes, challenging her, his arousal wedged between them. “Last chance.”

She raised her chin. “I’m not leaving.” Without her permission, a fine quivering took hold of her legs.

Despite her brave stance, she cried out when he grabbed her around the waist and drove her back against the wall, pinning her there with his body. He dragged her head back by her hair and devoured her mouth, ignoring her squeak of alarm. The air slammed out of her lungs; her fingers gripped his shoulders. The desperate urgency in his kiss jolted her out of her shock. This wasn’t about anger. He needed her. Needed to find solace inside her. His body screamed it.

Softening, she kissed him back and wound her arms around his neck as she slid her tongue against his.

Justin let out a tortured moan and she pulled her head back to put some distance between them. His eyes blazed down at her, the pupils swallowing the blue of his irises. His cheeks were flushed, chest heaving as he panted. On the edge of control. As he’d warned her. “Justin—”

He smothered her protest with another ravenous kiss and shoved a hand into the neckline of her nightgown to squeeze her breast as he rubbed his hard erection between her legs. She whimpered at the sudden spike of pleasure, the twinge of fear heightening sensation.

“I want you,” he muttered raggedly against her throat, teeth nipping at the tender skin. “Now. Right here.”

Wrapping him up in her arms, Brianna gathered her courage. Though she’d never seen this rougher side of him, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. “Yes.”

Buy the book from:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo Books

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About the author:

Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and two sons.

Website: http://kayleacross.com/v2/
Blog: http://kayleacross.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kayleacross
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaylea-Cross/62909709297?ref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2902054.Kaylea_Cross

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Kaylea is gifting a $50 eGC to Amazon.com or B&N.com (winners choice) to one lucky commenter during the tour.

The more stops a reader leaves a comment on, the greater their chances of winning. Extra entry points can additionally be earned when a entrant ‘shares’ via the Rafflecopter widget. When friends follow the link that was shared back to the post, the sharer earns a point.

Please follow the Rafflecopter directions, as well as see full Terms and Conditions for additional information.

Click here to visit Kaylea's other stops.

a Rafflecopter giveaway