One of my favorite things about being a Featured Blogger for Coastal Magic Convention 2017 is getting to work closely with all these AMAZING authors for their promo spots. I’ve challenged every author to Flash Fiction, and so far every single one has come back with something memorable. Today’s guest is Kathy Lyons (who also writes as Jade Lee), and Kathy has something EXTRA special for us with her Flash Fiction piece.

Here were the prompts for Kathy’s flash fiction:

• Length: 400-800 words
• Setting: At the beach on a beautiful, but exceptionally windy, day
• Tone: Light hearted, humorous in a subtle or sarcastic way
• Direction: The character(s) are celebrating something monumental to them that others may see as totally unimportant
• Item to include: A 150 year old bottle of red wine. No one knows sure exactly what kind of wine it is, but they’re dead certain it’s going to be just amazing.
• Characters to include: Any characters (as many as you want) from the Grizzlies Gone Wild series

How Julie Got Out of Doing Dishes for the Rest of Her Life

Julie Simon leaned back on her beach blanket and tried to let the sun warm her skin. Sadly, the gentle breeze from Lake Michigan was more like a sandstorm right then. No matter how much the sun beat down, the wind snatched the heat away and threw in some grainy abuse along the way. She was mid-sigh when she heard a low whistle of appreciation from behind her.
Mark.
How perfect was it that a month after reconnecting, he still had the power to make her toes curl and her insides quiver? She was desperately in love, but there was no reason to make the man more cocky, right? So she kept her eyes closed even as her body tightened in anticipation.
“We here to get sun or get sandblasted?” Mark’s rumbly grumble of a voice had her grinning. Especially when he set down a heavy picnic basket then leaned in for a kiss.
“Can’t we do both?” she said as she wound her fingers into his hair.
“I’d rather do something a lot more fun. And in a large, comfortable bed.”
She chuckled but the sound was cut off as he invaded her mouth. The kiss was deep, hungry, and just how she liked it. Except that it ended too soon. And even worse, when it was done, he pulled away to drop down onto one corner of her blanket.
She frowned as she studied him. Mark was a large man with broad shoulders and a growly personality, especially before his morning coffee. But it was hours after his morning triple shots of espresso, so why was his jaw tight and his gaze focused out across the water?
Suddenly nervous, she pushed herself upright. “Mark? What’s—”
“I brought wine. Some expensive shit from Alan and all we’re going to taste is sand.”
Oh hell. This was about his friend. She tucked her knees under her as she touched his face. “What happened? Is he okay?”
Mark jolted. “What? Oh. Alan. He’s…the same.”
Julie winced. The same wasn’t good. Fortunately, Tonya was tracking him down and would do whatever was needed to make things right with the man. A tall order, but the woman was nothing if not determined.
“So why the nervousness?”
Mark touched her cheek. A slow stroke of his finger down her jaw then over to her lips. He left a trail of fire in that caress, and she instinctively leaned toward him.
“I have something to ask you,” he said softly. “Something important.”
She froze mid-way. Something in his tone told her that he was deadly serious. And given what they’d been through in the last month, that could mean anything from psychotic shifters to damage to his espresso machine. God knew, she didn’t want to face either.
“So ask,” she said, fighting to get the words through the constriction in her throat.
“It’s two questions, really.”
She huffed out a breath, then pushed a finger under his jaw, tilting his head up. Normally he was many inches than she was, but right now he was sitting down and she was on her knees. “Out with it Grumbly.”
He growled. “I hate that name.”
“Too bad. Now talk.”
“Sure thing, Bossy. Question 1 – I know you were looking forward to this wine, but are you okay with not drinking it?”
She frowned. “Why wouldn’t I have any?”
“That has to do with Question 2.”
She pulled back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Answer 1, I suppose so, but only if you have a really good reason.”
“I do.”
He shifted so that he was sitting with his legs spread around hers. They were facing each other and she could see the anxiety in his expression, but also a deep yearning. It was that same need she’d seen in him before they’d bonded. Back when he was a hair’s breadth away from losing himself completely.
“Mark, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
He swallowed. “I love you completely, you know that, right? Whatever you want, I’m with you.”
She nodded, fear ratcheting up in her throat.
He took a deep breath. “Okay, honey, here is question 2. Did you know you’re pregnant? I can smell it even in this wind. It’s wonderful and I love it, but if you don’t…then we’ll talk about it. Okay?”
She blinked at him, her mind juddering to a complete halt. She was pregnant? She couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. Well, wait…except for that one time when they’d gotten caught up and… Oh!
“Really?” she whispered, shock and awe seeping into her body. “Really, really?”
“Yes.”
She felt a shiver of delight start deep in her belly. A shiver that grew into a giggle that became a laugh. She was pregnant!
“So,” Mark said, his voice tight, but his eyes starting to sparkle with delight. “So that’s a good thing? A happy thing?”
“Yes!” She was so excited she threw her arms around him and together they tumbled back down onto the blanket. A baby. Their baby! She couldn’t be happier and from the way he was kissing her face, he was thrilled too. “I love you so much,” she said between giggles as his kisses became tiny licks. Sometimes his bear broke through even when he was still in his human body.
“Love you.” He started kissing lower on her body. “Love the babies. Love, love, love.”
It took her a moment to process what he’d just said. And even then, she wasn’t sure she’d heard it correctly. “Mark?” He wasn’t listening so she grabbed his ears. “Mark! Did you just say babies. As in plural?”
He flushed and nodded. “Triplets aren’t uncommon among strong shifters.”
She nearly exploded off the blanket. “What?”
“But my family tends to have twins.”
She gaped at him. She just stared and tried to wrap her mind around multiple babies. All at once. Holy moly. “So, no wine, huh?”
“Nope. Not while you’re pregnant.”
With twins. Or triplets. She blinked then abruptly focused on him anxious expression. “You’re going to do all the housework. For the rest of our lives. If I’m carrying triplets, you’re going to do the dishes and vacuum, and—”
“I’ll rub your feet and your back. I’ll feed you whatever you want whenever you want. Anything, baby, just say you want this. Say you want—”
“Of course I do!” Then she caught his face in her hands and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to his lips. “I love you. And I’ll love as many babies as you and I make together.” Then she dropped her forehead against his. “But I’m never doing the dishes again.”
“Never.”
“Deal.”

WHEN AN ALPHA MEETS HIS MATCH . . .

Between singlehandedly running her bakery and raising her teenaged nephew, Becca Weitz thought she had a decent grip on “normal.” Then her nephew vanishes, and life as she’s known it changes forever. Local legends are true: bear shifters exist . . . and her nephew is part of their clan. As is Carl Carman, the sexy, larger-than-life man who has sworn to find her nephew-and the other young shifters who’ve gone missing.

As the leader of his clan, Carl is surrounded by enemies. He’s learned the hard way that keeping a firm leash on his inner beast is key to survival, though his feelings for Becca test his legendary control. Then danger stalks too close, and Carl realizes he must unleash the raging, primal force within to protect everything he holds dear. But can Becca trust his grizzly side with her life-and her heart?

Find it online at Amazon* | B&N | iTunes | Kathy Lyons’s website

BEAR MEETS GIRL…

Julie Simon returns to Saginaw, Michigan, to find her ailing father’s missing research on local shapeshifter lore. Unlucky for her, the only person who can help her is the darkly sexy Mark Robertson, the guy who spent an entire summer giving her the cold shoulder—and one white-hot night of pleasure…

Mark is a hair’s breadth away from going feral. Soon, his grizzly side will destroy everything that makes him a man. And after years of fighting, Mark is ready to give in to the beast. Then Julie—the gorgeous, curvy book nerd who awakened his most primal desires as a young man—shows up at his door. Now, he’s fighting an insatiable longing to claim her as his mate. But Julie isn’t the only one after her father’s research. Someone—or something—evil is tracking Julie’s every move…

Find it online at Amazon* | B&N | iTunes | Kathy Lyons’s website

FOR THE BEAR’S EYES ONLY

Life as Alan Carman knew it is over. After he was captured and tortured by a mysterious enemy, the lawyer’s latent grizzly-shifter DNA was triggered. The old Alan is gone, and in his place is a terrifying vicious beast that lives and breathes for revenge. He will track down the person who did this to him-and it’ll be the last thing he ever does.

Tonya Kappes refuses to let Alan run headlong to his death. A bear-shifting deputy-and the Gladwin Clan’s beta-Tonya faces Alan with one weapon: the love that’s lingered between them since they were kids. But the idealistic man she knew has changed…into something raw, primal, and unbelievably sexy, igniting every lustful cell in her body. And, if Alan can’t learn to love the beast inside himself, maybe he can love the animal in her . . .

Find it online at Amazon* | B&N | iTunes | Kathy Lyons’s website

About the author

Kathy Lyons is the wild, adventurous half of USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee. A lover of all things fantastical, Kathy spent much of her childhood in Narnia, Middle Earth, Amber, and Earthsea, just to name a few. There is nothing she adores more than turning an ordinary day into something magical, which is what happens all the time in her books. Winner of several industry awards including the Prism—Best of the Best, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Fresh Fiction’s Steamiest Read, Kathy has published over 50 romance novels, and she’s just getting started. Check out her latest news at www.KathyLyons.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

You can also find Kathy on GoodReads and FreshFiction.

Giveaway

Kathy is giving away the first three ebooks in the Grizzlies Gone Wild series (see above for details) to one lucky reader on today’s post! To enter to win, fill out the prize widget on this post. Don’t forget to leave a comment!

Still not registered for Coastal Magic?

Join Kathy and a TON of other truly fantastic authors and readers at Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach next February! This is my very favorite reader-focused convention because we have so many opportunities to meet and hang out with our favorite authors and to meet new ones who are sure to become new favorites. If you can only make one convention next year, go to this one! Clicky below for registration and travel info!

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