Fabulous Author Friday ~ Liliana Hart

So excited to have Liliana Hart on my blog today!  Not only is she a best selling author, she is family!

Without Further Ado........

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a bestselling author of romantic mystery and erotic suspense (with a little comedy thrown in), and I have an odd fear of someday being squished by the cogs of a giant clock. I have no idea why. I think I’ve seen The Great Mouse Detective too many times. I also deplore cauliflower and yogurt, and I love Milk Duds, reading, and Chicos. I know…I’m very eclectic. It adds to the mystery of the author persona.

Did you always want to be an author?

No. When I was eight I wanted to be an elevator repairman because my mom told me they had a specialized skill set and made lots of money. I didn’t want to be a writer until around the age of sixteen. It was then I decided the coveralls of an elevator repairman weren’t sexy enough and that writers were probably very glamorous, riding around in limos and eating fancy desserts.

What is your favorite part of being a writer/author?

That’s easy! The best part about being an author is that I get to hang out in my pajamas all day. I mean, yeah, sometimes when I’m on deadline, I might end up wearing them for two or three days, but after the first twenty-four hours you hardly notice the smell. 

*LOL*

Tell us a little about your book.

My latest release is CADE: A MacKenzie Novel, and it’s a continuation of my MacKenzie series. Though this book is technically the start of a new series, so it stands alone. It’s erotic suspense a la Maya Banks or Lora Leigh. The hero is a super sexy former DEA agent who watched his lover executed by a cartel he’d been working undercover for. The heroine is a stubborn Texas girl with lots of sass, and she’s in no mood to put up with the surly neighbor who just moved in. The chemistry between the two is explosive from the first moment they meet.

The two of them really are delicious!

Rate your story in terms steaminess?

If I had to rate the steaminess on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 12.5.

When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I started my first book my freshman year of college, but I didn’t buckle down and actually finish a book until seven years ago. I was working full time and had two small children, and I just sat down and decided that I was finally going to do it. I’ve never looked back, and now I can’t imagine not writing.

Where do you get your inspiration?

(Insert evil laugh here) No one’s lives are safe. I get my inspiration and ideas from everywhere. I’m a consummate eavesdropper, though I just tell myself that I’m a really good listener. I also read news headlines and tabloids because I’ll get a lot of ideas from there too. There’s a story in almost every situation.

I'm beginning to see that *grin*.

Do you plot and outline or do you just write?  Plotter or Pantser?

Ummm…Don’t tell my editor. Even mentioning the word plot sends me into convulsions. I’m a pantser from beginning to end. I don’t like to know what’s happening to my characters until close to the end. If it keeps me surprised, then I like to think it keeps my readers surprised.

Do you have another book in the works?

Yes! Always. Book 2 of my Addison Holmes Mystery Series, WHISKEY SOUR, comes out in mid-June. Addison, of course, gets into a whole mess of trouble with her latest case, and she also has a new man trying to muddy up her relationship with Nick. She’s in quite a pickle.

Sounds fun!

What advice would you give new authors?  What have you learned about the business?

I’d say to never give up. This is a hard business. I mean, freaking hard. It takes thick skin, determination and a good attitude. I’ve gotten hundreds, hundreds, of rejections over the past seven years, but I keep writing. A good story will always win. Keep working on your craft, and always try to make each book better than the last. My biggest fear now is that I’ll disappoint my readers somehow, so I just try to let the characters and story take over.

Boxers or Briefs?

Is it okay if I pick boxer-briefs?

Absolutely, *grin*, you would be surprised how many say commando!

Pizza or hamburger?

I’ll pick a cheeseburger. But mostly I like steak. Can I add that to your choices? I know. I’m being difficult. My husband tells me this a lot.

Steak is awesome!  Being difficult is what makes life so much FUN!

Beer, Wine, or mixed drink?

Mixed drink, please. And are you going to send it to me via FedEx? I could use one about now. My drink of choice is Long Island Tea, but I’ll take a mojito in a pinch.

I really think FedEx would frown on a liquid delivery...I'll have to think about logistics on that one.

(Character Questions) CADE: A MacKenzie Novel

What were your first impressions of each other?

Cade: I’m not sure I’m allowed to say. This seems like a nice blog. Let’s just say that Bayleigh grew on me. Once she stopped throwing things at me and I finally kissed her to shut her up, things went pretty smoothly between us.

Bayleigh: I try not to think about the first time we met. Cade didn’t exactly make a good impression, though it was generous of him to make enough noise to wake the dead without his shirt on. He is pretty to look at. I remember thinking at the time that I be with him forever if he’d just keep his mouth shut.

What’s your favorite characteristic of each other?

Cade: I love that Bayleigh has absolutely no idea how beautiful she is, inside or out. She’s the best person I know, and she makes me a better man.

Bayleigh: I love that there’s a sense of loyalty and honor built deep inside Cade. Not everyone has the ability to have both of those qualities. He’s such a good man, even though he does sometimes forget and leave the toilet seat up.

What are your plans for the near future? 

Cade: Last time I checked the wedding was still on. At least I hope it is. I did invest in a new tux. Beuller?

Bayleigh: The wedding is still on, hot stuff. But I still think we should have eloped. My brothers are driving me crazy.

Cade: I’m game if you are. Just make sure you don’t mention it to my mother. I’d hate to make you a widow so soon after our marriage.

Bayleigh: Sigh… I guess it’s you, me, the church, and two hundred of our closest friends and family on Saturday then. Try not to be late.

It was so much fun, Liliana!  I love your characters!  I'm so glad you took the time for me and my readers today.  Everybody, be sure to leave your email to enter the drawing for a paperback copy of CADE!

Keep reading at the bottom.  Liliana brought the Prologue and Chapter 1 of CADE for you guys to enjoy today!

Where to find you

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Liliana_Hart

Website: www.lilianahart.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lilianahart

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lilianahart/

Cade MacKenzie is prepared to give his life to destroy the cartel that killed his lover, but the only way to draw them out is to present them with the perfect bait. 

Bayleigh Scott has no idea who her new neighbor is, only that her body is drawn to him in ways she can’t explain, and the danger that surrounds him isn’t the deterrent she knows it should be. 

More than fireworks explode between Cade and Bayleigh when she discovers the real reason he relentlessly pursued her, but by then it’s too late, because she’s already been drawn into a deadly game of desire, deception and revenge.

Prologue

Miami, Two Years Ago

Cade MacKenzie knew fear.

It pressed against his chest and squeezed at his heart every time his lover screamed in pain. She stared at him out of wild eyes that had melted like dark chocolate when she’d climaxed in his arms only a few hours before. She’d been soft and pliant against him, his name a chant on her lips, as he buried himself inside her.

But now those eyes were full of terror, the bruise on the side of her face already discolored and her lips swollen and bleeding where Miguel del Fuego had taken his fist to her—a man who never showed remorse or guilt over terrorizing women or children. Carmen had been caught giving the location for del Fuego’s next drug shipment to the DEA, and there were no second chances with the cartel leader. Not even for his own daughter.

Cade and Carmen had been dragged from bed in the middle of the night, both of them naked, the evidence of their passion still evident on their damp skin. They’d been blindfolded and beaten, and Cade knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was no one’s fault but his own. He’d been so wrapped up in the woman, so desperate to be inside her, that he hadn’t swept his room for bugs. He hadn’t found one in over two years. Miguel had begun to trust him, to groom him to take over the cartel. But Cade had let his guard down and taken that trust for granted, and now they would both pay the price.

Cade knew the warehouse they’d been taken to well—the large wooden crates stacked against the walls, the oil-stained concrete, the black panel vans parked in the center of the space. He’d spent the afternoon there himself, making sure everything was in place for the shipment of Miguel’s new date rape drug to come into the US from Colombia. Its street name was Rabbit, and it was particularly dangerous because it could be administered through the skin. One touch of the powder against a hand or the back of the neck, and the person it had been given to wouldn’t care where, who or how many they were fucking. Man or woman. Even as their minds screamed no, their bodies would betray them and beg yes. If it was injected into the bloodstream, there was no chance for survival.

There had been too many deaths over the last several years because of the drug, and Cade had been selected to infiltrate del Fuego’s cartel and take them down once and for all.

The warehouse was bugged and his team was aware of the shipment coming in. It would be unloaded at the docks and brought to the warehouse for safekeeping until it could be distributed to del Fuego’s suppliers. But the shipment wasn’t supposed to happen for another four hours, and Cade knew there was a chance he and Carmen could be shit out of luck as far as having anyone in place for a rescue.

Cade’s own wounds were severe and made it difficult to stay conscious. The gunshot wound to his shoulder bled freely—too freely—and he had at least three cracked ribs. But with every blow he received, he kept his eyes steady on Carmen’s, hoping his courage would be her strength. He was proud of her. She didn’t beg for mercy as she was beaten. She stared at her father with all the hatred and loathing she’d always felt for him. She’d spent twenty-two years being his prisoner, and she’d known it was only a matter of time before she became his guinea pig for the drug he was so proud of.

When Cade had gone undercover in del Fuego’s cartel three years before, he’d had every intention of seducing Carmen into giving him the information the DEA needed to shut down the cartel. He’d had no problems lying to her, or spinning a future together he had no plans of delivering. But Carmen had surprised him. Her sweet, shy smiles, and her need for love had broken through every plan he’d made. The last thing he’d expected was to fall in love with her.

“I’m disappointed in you, Carmen,” Miguel said, caressing the side of her swollen face with his pistol. “You’ve been telling my secrets to this gringo. To the American authorities. Your loyalty should always be to your family. Sí?”

Cade jerked against his captor’s arms as Miguel struck Carmen again, and he fought to stay conscious as fingers dug into the wound at his shoulder.

“Stop it, Papá,” Carmen cried, crawling toward Cade. “They’re hurting him. Please don’t hurt him.”

“Would you have me spare this man, Carmen? A man I trusted? One I hoped would take over my business and give me strong grandchildren so I could see my legacy continue?”

“Yes. Please, Papa,” she begged.

“Would you die for him, Carmen?”

“No!” Cade shouted. “This is between you and me, Miguel. Carmen’s loyalties are divided. Let her go.”

Cade fought again to break free of the hold they had on him, knowing what was coming, desperate to stop it. Two men weren’t enough to hold him down, and two more came from somewhere, getting in punches to his cracked ribs to slow him down. He strained against their hold, sweat and blood running into his eyes, but he couldn’t get to her.

“Answer me, Carmen. Is this traitor’s life worth your own? Do you love him that much?”

“Yes,” she whimpered, her hand reaching out to Cade as she crawled closer, her arm wrapped around her middle.

God, where was his team? They should know something was wrong. Know he needed them. Cade used the last of his strength to work his arm free and hold his hand out to Carmen, praying for a miracle. He needed to touch her, to hold her. She placed her smaller hand in his, her slim fingers bloody and broken, and Cade looked up at Miguel, ready to do whatever it took to save her. To bargain his soul if the monster in front of him would take it.

But when he met Miguel’s eyes, they were mocking and full of hatred. A hatred that had no possibility of being extinguished.

“Ah, young love,” Miguel said, his smile becoming crueler. “This is on your head, Cade MacKenzie.”

Cade threw his body toward Carmen, but he was too late. The shot from Miguel’s gun echoed in his ears along with his screams, and Carmen’s hand went limp in his, her blood splattered across his face and chest. Blood he knew he’d never be clean of.

 Chaos reigned around them as the warehouse went black and the shouts of soldiers and agents swarming through the building started to penetrate the haze of shock and anger. He kept waiting for Miguel to finish what he’d started and put a bullet through his brain, but it never happened. Those that held him captive ran for cover, so only he and Carmen lay in the middle of the warehouse floor, flashes of gunfire and smoke building around them.

He pulled himself closer to her body and gathered her in his arms, his mind numb with grief, and he snarled as hands tried to jerk him away from what was his.

“Dammit, Cade, look at me.”

The voice in his ear was familiar, and he didn’t fight as night vision goggles were placed over his eyes. His brother, Declan, came into focus.

“I can’t—,” he tried to say, holding Carmen closer.

“We’ll get her out, Cade. We’ll do right by her,” Dec said, taking her from his arms into his own. “But we need to get you out right now. The del Fuego cartel will be gunning for you.”

Cade nodded and let his brother lead him out of hell, but he heard the voice that called to him over the chaos.

“You’ll never be safe, Cade MacKenzie,” Miguel screamed. “You’ll never know peace as long as I’m still breathing. I’ll take everything and more that you’ve taken from me.”

Cade couldn’t imagine what more the man could hope to take from him. His future had been the dead woman in his brother’s arms.

Chapter One

Present Day

Neighbors were a pain in the ass.

Especially neighbors who made as much noise as possible at the crack of dawn. Did no one have consideration for their fellow man anymore? She wasn’t asking for much, dammit. Just a little common courtesy.

Bayleigh Scott rolled toward her nightstand to look at the old fashioned alarm clock with the giant hands and noticed it was just shy of 6am. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head, trying desperately to block out the grinding noise from what sounded like a fleet of semis outside her window. She’d closed her shop at ten the night before but hadn’t gotten home until after one because she’d been doing inventory. Not even five full hours of sleep. And she had to be back to open at ten since her assistant was out sick.

When the pillow failed to have the effect she was looking for, she tossed it across the room and felt the slow flush of anger work through her body.

“Who the hell do these people think they are?” she muttered, throwing back the covers and stomping to the bay window in her bedroom.

She could only see the back deck of the house next door from her window, and she scowled as she noted the ferns already hanging from baskets on the porch, the dimmed sconces attached to the posts giving her a good view in the darkness.

“Making yourself right at home, aren’t you?”

She let the curtain drop and stomped through the house, tripping over the edge of the rug and bumping her shin against the table she had at the end of the couch. The coffeepot beckoned, so she punched the button to start her morning caffeine as she made her way to the kitchen window. She had the perfect view of the neighbor’s front yard.

Bayleigh winced as the screech of the truck lift going up and down assaulted her ears. It wasn’t like the noise would bother anyone else. Most of her neighbors turned their hearing aids off after eight o’clock and didn’t turn them back on until the sun rose. There was no way her new neighbors were another little retired couple like everyone else on the street. They were probably party animals or reprobates. Maybe both.

Powerful lights were set up so they could unload the truck that was backed into the driveway, but all she could see was the shadows of men as they unloaded the furniture. They didn’t even need that stupid lift. They were just being lazy. There was no reason for the truck to be on at all.

Muttered curses propelled her out the front door before common sense could take hold. She never did well on little sleep and no caffeine. It wasn’t her fault. She liked to think of it as a medical condition. She’d just explain politely about the noise, and surely they would take care of things from there. It was the decent thing to do.

The cool October air slapped against her skin, reminding her she was only wearing the cotton boxers and tank top she’d slept in. Chills raced across her skin and she tripped over the hose that ran across her sidewalk. She’d forgotten to roll it back up after watering her flowerbeds the previous morning. 

She paused for a moment, wondering if she’d made a mistake when she felt three sets of eyes look in her direction. The sudden stillness of the night was unnerving. She couldn’t see the two men in the shadows clearly, but she got a heck of a glimpse of the man standing closest to her. The Devil in disguise. The sudden urge to cross herself had her squeezing her fingers into tight fists. She wasn’t even Catholic for Pete’s sake.

His scowl was black and menacing and he narrowed his eyes at her in warning, automatically putting her back up. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by the likes of him. At least not by much.

Bayleigh straightened her shoulders and marched across the tiny patch of grass that separated the two houses. She climbed into the cab of the big white truck, the cracked seats scratchy against the backs of her legs, and turned off the ignition before taking the key. She jumped out of the truck and watched warily as the three men gathered close, their arms crossed over their bare chests and various looks of surprise pasted on their faces. Maybe Satan was having a convention, because surely all three of these men were fallen angels of the worst kind, or hardened criminals at best.

They were muscled and bare-chested, and their jeans hung low on narrowed hips. It was obvious they were related, and her gaze passed over them all quickly. But she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the one in the center—the one who’d made her lose her common sense with just one scowl. There was something in his eyes that had her taking a step back before she remembered she was standing in the middle of a safe neighborhood. She wouldn’t be intimidated on her own property. She looked down and took a quick step back so she was actually on her own property, and crossed her arms over her chest, daring him to say anything.

The Devil’s dark hair was longer than she liked on a man, almost to his shoulders, and his eyes were as black as coal. Probably because he’d been hauling it in hell before he’d decided to move to Fort Worth, Texas. A short beard covered his face and a wicked looking tattoo swirled over his shoulder and part of the way down his arm. His chest was scarred, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what had happened to him to cause such marks. Her gaze lowered, following the black smattering of hair that disappeared beneath his jeans, and all rational thought left her head as she noticed the sizable bulge behind his zipper.

“You’ve got some mighty friendly neighbors, Cade,” the man next to the Devil said, his smirk evident in the slow drawl of his voice. “She can’t take her eyes off you.”

Bayleigh felt heat flush her cheeks, and she brought her eyes back up to meet his. The keys bit into the palms of her hand reminding her she had them, so she tossed them to the walking hard-on a little harder than was probably necessary. He snapped them out of the air and glared in her direction, and the urge to turn tail and run was prevalent in her mind, but instead she turned around and calmly and put one foot in front of the other.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

She knew it was him that spoke without having to turn around. His voice slid across her skin like rough velvet, and she shivered at the demand in it. Not that she expected the Devil to be an easy man or be without a modicum of power, but she liked to think she had enough self-control to ignore the dangerous seduction of his voice and keep walking.

She eyed the distance to her front door and looked back in his direction. He’d taken a couple of steps forward, and there was no way to get away from him if he came after her. He narrowed his eyes as if he could read her mind, and shook his head slowly, warning her not to try it, so she swallowed her fear and turned around to face him.

She was an idiot. Running would have been the smart thing to do if the look on his face was anything to go by. She could have made it. Maybe.

“Most of us sleep here in the middle of the night,” she finally said with more bravado than she felt. Never let them see you’re afraid. Her father had repeated the mantra constantly during her childhood. “I figured since it was your first day in the neighborhood, you might want to start out on the right foot.”

“You thought wrong,” he said. “And this is far from the middle of the night. The sun’s already coming up. Maybe you’re just lazy.”

Bayleigh’s eyes narrowed at the insult. She’d never been accused of being lazy a day in her life. But while her father’s advice rattled around in her brain, something her mother always told her came to mind, just as it had every time she’d moved from school to school and had to deal with the inevitable “new kid” bullying.

Kill them with kindness. 

So she smiled as sweetly as possible and said the only thing she could think of to strike terror into his heart.

“You know, there are a lot of elderly people that live on this street.”

“So?” he growled. “And then there’s you. Let me guess. You’re single?”

“I’ve been engaged,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“I can see that worked out well for you. I take it he couldn’t manage to bring himself to the altar?”

“Something like that,” she said softly, the old feelings of not quite being good enough surfacing before she could tramp them back down.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “That was out of line. I promise I’ll leave everyone on the whole damned street alone if they’ll leave me alone.”

Bayleigh felt the beginnings of a headache forming at the back of her skull. Between the lack of sleep and the one-two punch her new neighbor had just delivered, reminding her of her former fiancé and the myriad of inadequacies she hadn’t realized she’d had until she’d met him, she decided she wasn’t in the mood to be nice after all.

“Oh, no. No need to apologize. If anything it’s my fault for getting in at one this morning after working a fourteen hour day,” she said sarcastically. “It was inconsiderate of me to expect you to move in after the sun came up. Tell you what I’ll do to make it up to you.”

She smiled—a smile that her brothers would recognize as trouble. Her new neighbor must have recognized it too, because his eyes narrowed to black slits and the muscles in his arms bulged as he crossed them in silent warning. 

“You don’t really mean that about having everyone leave you alone,” she said sweetly. “You seem like such a friendly and outgoing guy. I’ll make sure to mention how great you are to everyone over the next couple of days. Before you know it, the whole street will be knocking on your door and introducing themselves. It won’t be a month before you’re hosting the neighborhood barbecue. You’ll also be picking up prescriptions, mowing lawns, and eating macaroni salad with every meal so you won’t hurt their feelings.” She batted her eyelashes at him as he seemed to pale before her eyes. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

Laughter followed her into the house and she slammed and locked the door behind her. She knew it hadn’t been him laughing. Dollars to donuts a smile had never cracked that face. The Devil didn’t smile. It would pay to remember that. And so what if she’d been slightly attracted to him. Bad boys were supposed to be attractive to the opposite sex. It was a hormonal rule. But then he’d had to go and open his mouth.

Tears threatened to fall as she recalled his words. He’d been exactly right. She’d been engaged for over a year, and Paul hadn’t been able to go through with the actual wedding. He’d liked her well enough as a friend, but she was too outspoken for a corporate attorney’s wife. Her body was too curvy. Her language not lady-like enough. And how could she expect Paul to spend his life with a woman who didn’t respond to him in bed?

It’s not that she couldn’t have orgasms. She had great orgasms with her vibrator. It was just that sometimes it took her longer to get there than her lovers had thought was reasonable. She’d just be warming up, and all of a sudden, they’d twitch and groan and it would all be over. The last date she’d been on was three years ago, and she hadn’t even bothered to move it into the physical stage. The thought of disappointing anyone else had been more than enough to keep her celibate.

Paul had been a bastard. She knew that now. But at the time he’d chipped away at her self-esteem until she’d barely recognized the person she’d become. She barely ate, trying to slim down the curves he found so distasteful. She barely spoke, knowing if she didn’t talk then nothing would come out of her mouth that would embarrass Paul. And she faked her orgasms just so he would think she was putting a little effort into their lovemaking.

She knew Paul had been a controlling prick by the time their wedding date had come around, and she thanked God every day that he hadn’t shown up to the church that day. He’d saved her a hell of a lot of grief in the long run, but he’d damaged part of her, and she was still working like hell to get back to the person she really was. To not let those old doubts sneak up on her.

Bayleigh wiped away the tears that had managed to escape and padded back into the bedroom. It didn’t matter what her new neighbor thought. No one had ever said the Devil was nice.

Now if she could avoid him for the rest of her life, he’d make the perfect neighbor.