At last, the erotica anthology Library Journal calls “A stellar compilation that upholds the high standards of its predecessors” is now available across all major digital platforms, with paperback and audiobook editions due out December 2017.
I am exceedingly proud to be included in this collection alongside so many talented writers, veterans and newcomers alike. Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has done something truly special with this volume, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
“With a refreshing variety of characters, configurations, and situations, all 21 stories in the collection deliver without becoming stale or repetitive.” — Publisher’s Weekly, starred review
My story “Weightless” is a contemporary friends-to-lovers erotic short starring Zoe, a new homeowner still tangled amidst the emotional undergrowth of a failed engagement. It’s going to take more than a new address and a fresh coat of paint to cut ties with the painful memories of her past. Fortunately, her best friend and hot handyman, Jackson, has brought along an assortment of tools.
Read an excerpt from “Weightless” below:
“All right,” he said. “Moment of truth.”
I cracked one eye, then the other, and gasped. My hair was short. Shorter than I could ever recall it being. It framed my face like a winter hat with side flaps. I hardly recognized myself.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure. However, the plea was, without a doubt, temporary insanity. I shook my head and let the strands fly, tickling my cheeks. I looked like someone else. Someone buoyant, resilient, unburdened.
“More.”
Jackson’s brow arched. “You sure?”
I nodded. He reached for the scissors, and this time, I kept my eyes open. He trimmed another half inch, and then another, checking with me each time. I told him to keep going. Eventually, he grabbed the trimmer. My breath caught as he touched the whirring blades to the back of my neck.
“Someone fancies themselves a barber,” I teased.
“Hush or I’ll give you a faux hawk.”
He undercut the back and sides, stopping a third of the way up my scalp. I nearly melted when he raked his fingers through the longer strands up top. More than once, I had imagined what it might feel like to have Jackson’s big, strong man-hands buried in my hair. Strangely, the gentle scrape of his blunt nails against my scalp felt even better.
“Want me to buzz the rest?”
“No. This is perfect.”
He smiled at my reflection. “What do you wanna do with the braid?”
“I’m not sure.” I petted it like a cat asleep in my lap. “Maybe donate it, if it’s long enough.”
“It’s got to be.” He patted his pockets. “One sec. I left my phone in the other room.”
He strode out to the bedroom. I leaned forward on the stool, studying my head from different angles. The stranger in the mirror squinted and curved her mouth in a decidedly seductive fashion. Somewhere along the line, having been a curvy woman for most of my life, I’d convinced myself that I needed long hair to balance out my heart-shaped face and stop my shoulders looking too broad.
Turns out, it was all bullshit.
My back itched like crazy under my t-shirt; I practically tore the fabric trying to get it off. Sitting there in my bra, I was struck by the implications of what I’d done and what it meant for me: I had removed Chris’s favorite thing about me, and in doing so, had freed myself.
I felt lighter already.
“Minimum length is ten inches—” Jackson halted in the doorway, his gaze dropping to my nipples, which were hard and fully visible through the sheer bra cups.
Warmth spread throughout my face and chest. I’d been so distracted, I hadn’t realized I was wearing lingerie.
“My back was itchy,” I said.
Jackson entered the room slowly and took the shirt from my hands. “I’ll brush you off.”
He dusted my shoulders first, then my neck. The gentle swipe of the cotton across my nape made my eyes water; I wasn’t used to being touched there.
“Jackson,” I said, my voice light as air.
“Yeah?” He wetted his bottom lip, full and naturally rosy. I wondered what it would feel like to kiss him, how he might taste.
“Thank you. For everything.”
He laid a tentative hand on my shoulder. “No prob. I’m glad you like it.”
“I more than like it,” I said, pressing my cheek to his knuckles. I felt exposed, and not just because I was half-naked. Jackson was seeing me—the real me. Raw and imperfect and vulnerable. Then again, perhaps I wasn’t giving him enough credit; he’d always had a sixth sense where my moods were concerned. “Do you like it…or, more than like it?”
His thumb skimmed the back of my neck, a subtle gesture that made me shiver. He touched his lips to the same spot.
“I love it,” he said.
Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Vol. 3 delivers the kind of sexy stories you want most:
Daring, bold, and surprising tales of women who pursue their boundless passions anywhere and everywhere. Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, winner of multiple Independent Publishing Book Awards, these scintillating scenarios turn the tables on how women are “supposed” to behave. Instead, these uninhibited vixens indulge in their favorite fetishes, do deliciously intimate “Body Shots,” and get tied up with “Red Satin Ribbons.” They pose nude, dress up, and roleplay, always obeying their most exhilarating impulses. These lusty ladies take your most cherished, private fantasies—from making a sex tape, to taking part in a thrilling threesome, to having a stud delivered to your door hot and ready—and make them come alive. Written by beloved authors Abigail Barnette, Annabel Joseph, and Charlotte Stein along with several genre newcomers, these are erotic encounters you’ll want to savor again and again and again…
Learn more about the Best Women’s Erotica series and its contributors at BWEoftheYear.com
Grab your digital copy of the best erotica 2017 has to offer from one of these retailers.
Kindle US | Nook | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo
Amazon Canada Kindle | Amazon UK Kindle
—
Order the print edition.
Amazon US | Bn.com | Powell’s | Books-a-Million | IndieBound
Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
—
Download the audiobook at Audible.com
In other news…
The Sexy Librarian’s Dirty 30, Vol. 2 is now available in paperback! To celebrate, I’m releasing an extended excerpt from my kinky contemporary erotic short, “Unfinished Business.”
