Name: Ruby Delisantro
Age: 27
Occupation: Cupcake entrepeneur
Vital Stats: Chocolate-coloured eyes, rich
caramel skin (courtesy of her Italian heritage) and long wavy chestnut hair.
Ruby is a statuesque beauty with femimine curves in abundance who knows how to
flaunt her assets (ie, she’s been trying to lose that extra 10lbs since she was
17, but she enjoys life far too much to try all that hard) (Find out sexy legal eagle Callum Westmore's vital stats at Natalie Anderson's blog!)
Who'd play her in the movie of her life: Mila Kunis (with extra boobage and a British accent!)
Instant BFF or Gotta Earn Her Trust:
Gotta earn her trust, but once you doshe will stand by you no matter what.
Friends or Family: Her only
surviving family is her long-lost brother Nick (the hero of The Good the Bad and the Wild) who she still misses. Ella is her BFF since nursery school and
also her business partner.
Satin Teddy or Cotton Comfort :
Satin Teddy, baby, or nekkid… Unless she’s having a slumber party with mates,
then it’s her brushed cotton cupcake pjs.
Shower or Bath:Warm candle-lit bubble baths when
she has the time, when she doesn’t she’s partial to a scalding hot shower!
What she doesn't want the hero to know:
That she has a soft centre beneath her sharp, savvy, sexy exterior and once
she’s given her heart, it’s lost for good!
We'd be her friend because... Ruby lives life to the full and knows how to make even the mundane
exciting — she’s cool, creative, flamboyant, fun to be around, hopelessly
flirtatious (but staunchly loyal to her gal pals – she would never poach!) and
ever so slightly reckless (even though she doesn’t mean to be). She dives into
all her relationships head and heart first, knows how to laugh at herself, is
an absolute rock in a crisis and will always offer a shoulder to cry on if need
be. Basically, once Ruby’s your friend, you can count on her for life.
In
her words:
Now
she knew she was uniquely susceptible to CallumWestmore — to the point where
she could become addicted to him — it would probably be wise to steer clear of
him.
Once
had definitely been enough.
She
frowned. Fine, make that five times had definitely been enough. Or was it six?
Her brain had become a little addled after having more orgasms in one night
than she’d had in the rest of her life put together.
She
grabbed the shampoo, poured a large dose onto her hair as the steamy water
began to soothe tired muscles. She massaged the expensive lotion into her scalp
and ignored the liquid pull in her abdomen from the woodsy scent she recognised
as his.
The
number of times they’d done it was completely irrelevant. What mattered was
that she had now alerted herself to the danger. Callum Westmore hadn’t only
found her G-spot last night — he’d also discovered her weak spot. And if she
was going to stop him from exploiting it, it would probably be wise to prevent him from getting anywhere near her G-spot again too.
Ten
minutes later, drenched and still a little shakey, but fortified by the plan
she’d formulated, Ruby stepped out of the shower cubicle and fumbled for her robe.
‘You
should have woken me. I would have scrubbed your back.’
This
time she didn’t manage to muffle the shriek, the sound echoing against the
stone tiles as she clasped the robe to her chest.
‘What
are you doing in here?’ She shoved her arms into the garment and belted it to
cover her nakedness, disturbingly aroused by the sight of him leaning
nonchalantly against the units watching her.
With
his long legs clad in a pair of sweat pants that hung low on narrow hips, his
chest gloriously bare, his short hair sticking up in careless spikes, and that
knowing smile on his lips, he looked rumpled and buff and impossibly sexy.
Resentment flared at the inevitable tug in her tender sex.
Without
a spot of make-up on, her cheeks as shiny as beacons, the shapeless robe and
her hair falling in a wet tangle down her back, she on the other hand, probably
looked about as enticing as a damp squid. Not that she wanted to entice him,
mind you. It would only be counter-productive given her decision not to sleep
with him again. But it was the principle of the thing. He had her at a
disadvantage, and she didn’t appreciate it.
‘Why
are you blushing?’ he asked, amused. His eyes roamed over her. ‘You didn’t
strike me as the shy type last night.’
‘I’m
not,’ she said, although for the first time in her life, she did feel a little
shy. Which only annoyed her more. ‘But I prefer a little privacy when I have a
shower.’
‘That’s
a shame.’ He closed the distance between them in two long strides, then settled
his hand on her neck. The heat sizzled straight down to her toes and made her
tense. ‘Because my back-scrubbing skills are legendary.’
You don’t say.
What's the book about? Ruby Delisantro is the queen of cupcakes
and salsa. She is in charge, with a great repertoire of quick retorts and
snappy one-liners, and even sharper moves on the dance floor. And then
CallumWestmore comes crashing into her life. One glance from those
infuriatingly luscious bedroom eyes and she’s close to losing control.
Something tells her that Callum sees straight through the tough attitude to her
soft-as-buttercream heart beneath. Is Ruby in danger of falling for him and –
worse still – of liking it? Mills and Boon say, "If you like
Lindsey Kelk and Jenny Colgan, you’ll love this."
And the author? USA Today bestselling author Heidi Rice is
married with two teenage sons (which gives her rather too much of an insight
into the male psyche). She also works as a film journalist and was born and
still lives in London.
She loves her job because it involves
sitting down at her computer each day and getting swept up in a world of high
emotions, sensual excitement, funny feisty women, sexy tortured men and
glamourous locations where laundry doesn't exist ... Not bad, eh.
Then she gets to turn off her computer and
do chores (usually involving laundry!)
Find out more about Heidi's books:
Through September and October, keep dropping by Natalie Anderson's blog for giveaways, sneak peeks at more great stories and the low down on RIVA's hottest heroes.
Labels: Harlequin KISS, Heidi Rice, RIVA, Riva Relaunch
What with the big release of THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT all across North America this month I'm doing a blog tour chatting about the book and other things.
