Please help us welcome Nalini Warriar to the blog this week. Nalini is sharing her upcoming contemporary sports romance release Karma’s Slow Burn. Welcome, Nalini! We are excited that you are here with us and we can not wait to hear more about Karma’s Slow Burn.
Guest Post from Nalini Warriar:
Working on the first book in my East Meets West series:
The past week Kingston had its first snow. I was working on my first book in the East Meets West series about a Bollywood star. I sat on my couch, my fingers hovering over the keys of my laptop, in the middle of a scene in the hot desert of Rajasthan, India. I looked up and there were these huge, white flakes drifting to the ground like feathers. All sounds were muffled. I was alone in my world. Not a thing stirred, just the soft flakes dancing their way to the ground. I roared through the chapters, stopping only to grab a mug of cinnamon tea. Now, the second snowstorm has passed and with it, I’ve put the final words to my Bollywood romance, The Woman In Me, ready for my second book in this series. Right now I’m debating whether to play pickleball or just keep the spin going.
There was less of kitchen therapy these past few weeks. But the coming week is going to be full of getting together with friends with the goal of eating a lot of food. Looking forward to it.
About Karma’s Slow Burn:
Sportswriter Karma Huntington is going to hit Rafael Henley, star pitcher for the Sliders, hard to avenge her husband’s death.
Rafael cannot ignore the chemistry between them and decides a one-night stand is in order. Karma agrees. Just to get that itch off. But once they get into each other’s pants, things get complicated. Revenge and guilt take a back seat with sizzling chemistry in control.
Genre: contemporary sports romance
Excerpt from Karma’s Slow Burn: X-rated
Henley got back the very day the Sliders swept the White Sox. He got in late but Karma heard him anyway. She was reading, her face illuminated by the light from the e-reader. She put it down when she heard the door click. He came in, kicked his shoes off and sat down next to her, sighing deeply. She knew the feeling. He was happy to be home.
“I see you were up to the challenge.” He undid the top four buttons on his shirt and un-tucked it.
If he took his shirt off she was going to scream. Or jump him. It all depended. She was not going to ask him if he had eaten or if he wanted a drink. She was not his maid or his wife. He could very well get anything he wanted from his kitchen.
“Yep, I was. Great trip sweeping the Sox.”
A smile bloomed on his lips. “Indeed it was. Thanks for making it happen.”
“No worries. What are friends for, right?”
“So I’m a friend now?” He stood up and unclipped the cufflinks, pecs flexing, drawing her eyes to them.
“You’re not a lover. And friends cannot be lovers. That’s rule number 5.”
“In what book?”
“In my book of life.”
“What’s rule number 4?”
“You’re not an enemy. Enemies cannot be lovers either.”
He frowned then a smile twitched on his lips. “Hmm. Good to know.”
“Wait a sec! What was the smile all about?”
“Oh, just that I’m not enemy so I can be a lover.”
“No way!”
“That’s what you said. I heard you clearly. You said and I quote, ‘You’re not an enemy. Enemies cannot be lovers.’ I distinctly heard you say it.”
“Yeah so?”
“It means I can be a lover.”
“Yes a lover, just not mine.”
“You will not admit defeat.” He turned away from her. “Going to hit the shower. Be right back.”
His shirt flapped open as he walked away, patches of tanned skin flashing at her, leaving her hungry for more. She knew she should skedaddle out of there while she still could. But she was moored to the sectional, an unusual lethargy invading her limbs. Henley after a shower would be impossible to resist. She was a sucker for challenges and this one had her name written all over it.
Rafael stood in the doorway to the corridor leading to the bedrooms, watching Karma as she stared out into the night, her e-reader by her side. She’d gone way beyond a simple favor. And she’d done it, no questions asked. Karma was beautiful and he wanted her in his life. She was loyal and honest, all five feet nothing of her. From the top of her ebony head, down her luscious body to the tips of her delicate feet, she was in his dreams all the time.
He had to accept it. He had to forget the past. What was done was done. She was gorgeous and brave. He wanted her. He craved her touch. And right now all he wanted was to take her in his arms and make her disappear in them. Kiss her sexy mouth and see her with the lights on. That night had been unforgettable. It was not a one-night thing for him anymore. He had a hunch it wasn’t for her either. Her kiss told him that. He wanted to be buried deep inside her again feel her slick velvet folds clench around him and relieve him of this sweet torture.
He came toward her. She turned her head and watched him approach. He wondered if she was wearing the blue lace thing under the black satin top. Her hair was loose and hung down her back in soft waves. He wanted her body on red satin sheets, black hair fanning out and legs spread out for him to feast upon, her brown eyes watching his every move.
Hot desire welled up in him. His dick thickened. From his towering height, he looked down at her. Gray eyes hit her smoldering dark ones pulsing with black and gold flecks. Wisps of her irresistible scent lit sparks and fanned the embers of his desire into a raging fire so hot he took a step back. It would consume him. He would devour her. She would make him forget who he was.
It was what he craved.
He dropped to his knees by her side.
“I want to break the deal, Karma.” He heard her take in a sharp breath. “What happened was not a one-night stand for me. I dream of you all the time, of burying myself deep in you. I can’t forget that. I want to touch you again. Taste you again. Sweetheart, this is not something I can forget.”
He didn’t know it but the endearment was the third strike against her disintegrating defenses. She fell into his arms. He wrapped them around her and she disappeared.
“Rafe, break it then.” Her voice was a husky whisper.
And the deal was dust.
“That night by the lake?” His voice was husky with desire. “I’m glad it was in the dark. I’ve been dreaming of this.” Hoarseness crept into his throat. “This is so much more pleasurable. I’m glad I waited, Karma.” Her name was a groan coming from deep within him.
About the Author:
Nalini Warriar dreamed of being a writer then forgot the dream for a bit as she went on to garner a Ph.D in Molecular Biology. While in her lab, the dream came back and hit her on the head and she’s never looked back writing through her years as a scientist. After more than a decade in cancer research, Nalini returned to the creative part of her soul and now devotes her time to dreaming up the perfect alpha male and feisty woman to appear in her books. Her novel, Fireflies in the Night, was a Foreword Reviews Fab Award finalist and won the Next Generation Indie Book Award in 2017. Kirkus Reviews awarded Fireflies in the Night a starred review and named it Best Books of 2016. Karma’s Slow Burn, a contemporary romance will be released in February 2020. She’s working on her next romance, an East meet West Book 2, to be released in 2020. She lives in Ontario, Canada.
Nalini’s Links:
- Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/naliniwarriar
- FaceBook www.facebook.com/authornaliniwarriar
- Twitter: @nwarriar
[…] in 2019, Nalini teased us with her contemporary sports romance, Karma’s Slow Burn, and now she’s switched to billionaire steamy […]