No Way Around It Contest by Elayne S. Venton Elayne S. Venton is celebrating the June release of NO WAY AROUND IT, last in the 3-part futuristic series NO WAY OUT, with a contest. Blurb: Captured on an unexplored planet and sold at auction to the head of a biomedical lab, Vonna King imagines her days are numbered. Chilling rumors surround her "owner." Meeting him with her wrists tied over her head in a room filled with various restraints and sadistic devices doesn't ease her mind.

The male she comes to know in the lab is nothing like the person she expected him to be. She has a hard time merging the hard-edged dominant male she met on the first day with the compassionate male who works non-stop to find a cure for a degenerative disease killing the population. As much as she respects the scientist, Vonna is secretly drawn to his darker side. Dare she investigate her inexplicable desires to surrender to him?

Yale doesn't have time to tame a fiery Earthling into a submissive partner, even if the challenge stirs his blood. The premature deaths on Alishontakawa are accelerating at a frightening rate. Even though mating with Vonna King would boost his immune system, he isn't looking for a short-term fix. He must find a cure, not only to save his dying civilization, but to save himself.

The prize? A 14K gold ankle bracelet.

How can you win? Visit www.esventon.com, read the excerpt, and then e-mail Elayne at Elayne@esventon.com with the answer to this question: Yale doesn't look like the other males of his kind. What makes him different?

Contest runs June 1-30, 2007. The winner will be drawn from all correct entries. All entry e-mail addresses are confidential and will be used solely for contests and newsletter delivery.

Pret Ops: Infiltrator by Emma Ray Garrett “I know people you can't afford to know, Mr. President.” When mercenaries kidnap his daughter Charlie, the President turns Lucia Malholland. Lucia turns to the Recondite Corps. Charlie’s famous for her unruly behavior, but getting kidnapped isn’t exactly in her plans. Refusing to go down without a fight, Charlie manages to escape, only to find herself swooped up by a fiery-haired man who isn’t quite human...

Brian O’Connor has been in the office too damn long. Rescuing the President’s daughter from guerillas sounds like the perfect op: a little action, a little fresh air, an exotic locale. But somewhere in the midst of dodging bullets and fighting off mosquitoes the size of house cats, passion ignites between Brian and the independent Charlie. In fact, Charlie is messing up all of Brian’s plans for a quick in and out, and she’s coming perilously close to uncovering a secret he can’t afford to share.

Excerpt, rated R:

“Brian?” She turned her face toward his, her light green eyes meeting his.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“Would you kiss me?”

Though his military training told him to step away, Brian couldn’t. As he looked down at Charlie, he understood her request had nothing to do with the chaos around them. She didn’t want a kiss to reaffirm her life or to celebrate escape. She wanted a kiss because she wanted him. She trusted him. He had the feeling the trust part was more attractive to her than his body, or his accent.

He groaned softly, knowing it was insane, knowing at some point he was going to have to lie to her, yet knowing he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her lips if General Rubenesso appeared and ordered it. He brought his hand up to cup her chin. She sighed softly, her eyelids fluttering closed.

Their lips touched, tentative, testing, gently tasting each other. Passion, a dull ebb and flow of energy between them for most of their time together, gained momentum and power. But neither rushed forward into the force. Charlie parted her lips to sip at his. Her teeth softly nipping his lower lip before she pressed her mouth to his once more. Brian slid his hand from her jaw, over her smooth cheek, and into her hair.

The silky red strands sifted over his skin, sending blood rushing to his cock. He tightened his grip and opened his mouth over hers, wanting to feel her tongue against his, to experience the intimate glide of their flesh. She moaned, a tiny hum of pleasure, as he dipped into her warm mouth. Charlie opened wider, winding her tongue around his, dragging her palms up his chest and around his neck.

They shifted, their mouths never losing contact, until Charlie sat atop the steel length of his cock. She circled her pelvis slowly, groaning when the motion spiked her pleasure. Brian moved his free hand to her breast, skimming the side and top with soft caresses. He wanted to cup her flesh, mold it, weigh it, but her movements distracted him. His balls tightened at the uninhibited way she rode him.

She pulled her mouth from his and rose off him. Looking down, she dropped a hand, drawing his fingers to her taut nipple. “Touch me.” Her peridot eyes shimmered in the dim light, desire potent and alive in their depths.

He should have stopped then. He should have ignored the flush of heat from her skin. He should have dismissed the insistent throb between his legs. Instead, he closed his fingers around the tight nub and thrust against her when she cried out.

Jaw clenched, he watched her find pleasure in his arms. Every bit of clothing in place, he felt the heat of her sex, the damp essence of her need against his cock as though they were naked. He’d never been so turned on in his life. He’d never felt so close to another being.

He moved his other hand to her unattended breast and took the other nipple. Slowly, he twisted, plucked, and rubbed both sensitive bits with alternating rhythms. Charlie moved her hands to his chest, fisting them in his shirt, and ground her body onto his. He felt the throb of her sex, saw the goose bumps course over her skin, sensed any moment she would find satisfaction...