Under The Troll's Bridge: Mystery We Write Blog Tour

My name is Susan Claridge and I write under the name, S.R.Claridge. I'm a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a niece, an in-law and friend; but no matter what hat I wear, I’m always the same simply, complicated woman beneath. I love autumn, moonlight and Grey Goose Vodka martinis with bleu cheese olives. I believe Friday nights were made for Mexican food and margaritas and Sunday mornings warrant an extra-spicy Bloody Mary. I love Jesus and know that any good in me comes from God. I believe in the power of prayer, in the freedom of forgiveness and that people can change. I have a terrible temper and a tender heart, and somehow they balance. At times I may appear teetering on the edge, but I'd rather walk dangerously where there's a view than let life pass me by. Relationships intrigue me and so does the loyalty of Mafia families, which is why I chose these topics for my novels.

Here's an excerpt from Susan's latest!

Braznovich turned to face her and for the first time she noticed that he was freshly showered, wearing nothing more than a white towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was damp and tussled, like it had recently been towel dried, and his eyes were sparkling. Skylar felt her breath quicken and butterflies flutter in her stomach as she tensed beneath his gaze. She wanted to speak but the sound caught in her throat, so she licked her lips and swallowed. Their eyes locked and seemed to engage in a conversation of their own. She was certain hers spoke of every fantasized notion she’d had since the morning they met; and his, for the first time, flashed with desire. He IS attracted to me! Her subconscious shrieked with delight. Keeping his eyes on hers, he reached behind her and shut the door, slowly pushing the lock until it clicked. Then, taking one step closer, he placed his hands on her waist and gently pushed her backwards until she was leaning against the door. Her heart beat wildly as the anticipation of his kiss began to fill her mind.

“I don’t mix business and pleasure,” he whispered in her ear with his lips so close to her neck that she could feel his breath escaping.

“Oh?” She uttered almost incoherently.

His lips brushed lightly against her ear lobe and then softly against her neck. “So, I’m going to have to quit your case,” he said, bringing his lips so close to hers that the longing was almost more than she could bear.

“Okay,” she whispered, granting him the permission he needed to pull her into a deep kiss. His muscular arms wrapped around her, one on the small of her back urging her hips forward against him; and the other on the back of her neck, looping his fingers in her hair and tugging gently so that her head tilted slightly upward, into the perfect position to receive the fullness of his kiss. Every inhibition was swept away as their tongues danced wildly. After several moments, he whirled her around, lifted her unto the bed and lay down beside her.

“Ms. Wilson,” he whispered. “This is moving too quickly.”

“It is,” Skylar agreed. “This was…um… unexpected.”

“Would you like to stop?”

No! Her heart cringed. Did he want to stop? Did he think she was easy? “Do you want to stop?” She asked hesitantly.

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “But I don’t want to hurry either.” His eyes flashed with lustful desire. “I have a personal policy never to gulp fine wine.”

Is he comparing me to fine wine?

Without another word, he sat up, pulled Skylar to a sitting position and lifted the black sweater over her head. “My sweater looks good on you,” he said, “but I think I like it better crumpled on my floor.” He tossed the sweater off of the bed and then reached over and unfastened the front hook on her bra, releasing her breasts for his viewing. Gazing down at her and cupping his hands beneath each breast, he moaned, “You are exquisite.”

Skylar wasn’t accustomed to being naked in front of men, especially in broad daylight. She was, generally speaking, an only-have-sex-with-the-lights-off kind of girl, so she felt embarrassed to have her breasts so plainly exposed and pulled her knees up to cover herself.

Braznovich shook his head in scolding fashion, tugged at her ankles, pulling her legs straight, and revealing her breasts once more. “I want to look at you,” he said. He then unfastened her jeans, moved to the bottom of the bed and pulled them off, leaving her wearing only her panties. Her stomach quivered with nerves as he ran his eyes the full length of her body and then returned to meet her gaze. “Ms. Wilson…” he began but she cut him off.

“Call me Skylar,” she sighed and his smile grew.

“Skylar,” he whispered, running his hands up the inside of her calves, to the inside of her thighs and gently over her panties. “I’ve been thinking about this since the moment we met,” he murmured. He has?! “I’d like you to lay back and relax while I kiss all over your body.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. He wasn’t requesting permission, he was giving instructions. Was this really happening? Was she dreaming or was one of the hottest men she’d ever seen about to pleasure her? This was so different than anything she’d ever experienced. Skylar hadn’t had many lovers, but she’d had a few and past experience taught her that first encounters were typically rushed and unfulfilling; at least for the woman. It was usually two people awkwardly fumbling around in the dark; gulping the fine wine. Skylar panted with desire as she tentatively obeyed Braznovich’s command, leaning backward and laying her head on the pillow.

“Now, close your eyes and relax your muscles,” he instructed. This was hard to do. Every muscle was tense with anticipation.

“Brazno…” she began, but he quickly hushed her, moving up her body with his tongue.

“Shhhhh,” he whispered. “Just enjoy.”