Fine Print - Alanna Coca [Feb 01]

[Maria]

Soon to be released - a new Liquid romance book

Fine Print

by: Alanna Coca

ISBN: 978-1-59578-671-5

Stay tuned to this topic for all the latest on this Coming Soon

Blurb:



Three years ago, Kara Sorrento’s husband died in the line of duty. The fact that they never started a family is the one thing she can’t lay to rest. Knowing that she could never love again, Kara decides to conceive a child in a more…non-traditional way. All she needs now is the ideal DNA, and she’s found it in Derek Martinez. Physically he’s a perfect specimen, but when he suggests changes to her artificial insemination contract, he threatens to disrupt not only that plan, but Kara’s entire highly structured and ultra-organized world. Just as she opens her heart to Derek, a shocking blast from her past will make her question everything she once believed.


Buy it now.

[Maria]

Excerpt:


“Neither parent has high blood pressure.”

Kara scribbled the information down. The dinner plates were all cleared, and they were left with two coffee cups, and they were about done with page two of three.

Derek barely contained his smirk. He couldn’t believe this woman. For Christ’s sake, she asked him questions that shocked him, and some that just about embarrassed him, yet she sat like some robot marking each answer in her little file. The only clue that she was indeed human was when she dropped the pencil onto the table. That was right after he told her about twins running in his family.

Some devil on his shoulder urged him to ruffle her feathers, and see how much she could take before cracking. She licked her lips, but before she could ask another question, he shifted into a more comfortable position. “I’ve got to say, this is the first dinner date I’ve had where a woman asked me about my parents’ medical history.”

Kara looked up from her papers, her pen frozen halfway through one note. She’d been focused on that damn checklist throughout their meal, and had yet to respond to his teasing charm. Her blue eyes could have been chips of ice, with as much warmth that she radiated.

“Would you rather take this home and finish it on your own?”

He resisted the urge to reach across the two feet separating them and touch her flawless cheek, just to see if she was indeed flesh and bone. He curled his fingers into a fist. “No, we’re almost done.” He gestured toward the paper in front of her. “I was just noticing the difference between this and every other date I’ve been on.”

Her eyes widened, and for the first time that night, she touched her hair, but the blond coil at the nape of her neck wasn’t going anywhere. Oh yeah, he noticed. Not one flirtatious gesture throughout dinner from this woman. “This isn’t a date, Mr. Martinez, it’s a business interview.”

“Oh,” he nodded, then winked. “That’s right.”

She looked away. That was a good sign. He knew the grin he wore was naughty, and he usually reserved it for intimate play. Of course it was normally returned, not ignored, but at least she noticed.

She blinked a few times, then read the next question on her list. “Sexual orientation?”

So she did have a sense of humor. “Seriously?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Of course. It’s a simple question. Unless you haven’t come out…but I assure you that this questionnaire will only be viewed by me and my physician.”

She had to be joking. Did she not see the lust in his eyes? Was he that good at hiding it, or was she that good at deflecting? He was glad to know that she had a silly side, but to question his sexuality was something he hadn’t expected. “Come out of what?”

She rolled those clear eyes for a split second, then speared him again. “Look, I know you’re gay. It has nothing to do with the reason why we’re here tonight. I knew you were gay before I even approached your table at the café. Shall we just move on to the next question?” She didn’t wait for his response, she just returned to the questionnaire. “In the last ten years have you been diagnosed with any sexually transmitted diseases?”

She wasn’t joking. He saw the mark she put on the form. Gay.

“How exactly do you know that I’m gay?”

“I overheard your conversation with the other man in the café.”

She thought he was gay. Was she this cold toward him because of her views against homosexuality? He clenched his teeth, and dropped his hands to the arms of the chair, intending on walking out of the restaurant, and leaving this judgmental woman where she sat. Just as his muscles contracted to do just that, he stopped. She thought he was gay, and she still wanted him to father her child. She couldn’t be prejudiced. No, this woman was just tough. Cold maybe. Frigid? Was there really such a thing? Wouldn’t a frigid woman seek artificial insemination?

Derek leaned back in his chair. He never backed away from a challenge, and that’s exactly what this ice queen was doing to him. Whether she knew it or not, she issued a challenge to his masculinity—maybe even his hot-blooded Latin heritage—daring him to thaw her. “You must not have heard the entire conversation,” he said calmly, “because I’m not gay.”

The perfect skin on her cheeks flushed to a beautiful peachy rose, then paled to a beautiful alabaster. “You’re not?”

“Not even close.”

“I…I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood.”

He nodded slowly, and watched her. “My friends were going through a rough time. I invited each of them out on separate occasions to get them to see that they really were meant for each other.” He grinned again, mocking her for her assumption. “Not sure yet if my efforts were fruitful, but the man I was with that day is gay,” he let her squirm for a moment, “but I am not.”

She kept her head lowered, erasing the mark she’d just made. She didn’t look back up at him until color returned to her face. “Heterosexual then?”

“Very.” He tried a wink, but it was lost on her, she had once again dropped her focus to the pages that had held her attention for the last hour.

“In the last ten years have you been diagnosed with any sexually transmitted diseases?”

“Never. I’m very careful.”

The woman recovered from her little slip into humanity pretty quickly. She continued to ask questions with her steady voice, and she wrote down his answers with her steady hand. When she was done, she put that form back into the folder, and pulled out another.

“You can take this to your own physician if you choose, but I would prefer that you see my doctor. His information is on the top of the form here,” she pointed to the rubber stamp with a Dr. Anderson’s name and address, and thank God…finally met his eye. “From what I see, and your answers to these questions, you’re just what I’m looking for. Take time to look over the contract, and visit a doctor, and we can get this underway.”

So now she was brushing him off. Huh uh. We’ve only just begun Miss Kara. “Your place or mine?”

Kara’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “Excuse me?”

Derek barely contained his laughter. “You know, to inseminate you. Where do we do that? Your place or mine?”

Her lips tightened. “It’s all spelled out in the contract, Mr. Martinez…”

“Derek,” he reminded her for what had to be the hundredth time that evening.

“Derek. The samples will be collected at my doctor’s clinic. I’ll arrive afterwards for insertion.”

“Insertion?” He pictured a long syringe, and winced.

“Exactly. I will keep in touch as to the progress, and if and when we’ll need another sample. It’s highly likely that you and I won’t see each other again after today.” She snapped her folder closed, and gave him another one of those plastic smiles.

“I don’t think so.” Derek narrowed his eyes. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe there wasn’t a real live woman behind that beautiful face.

“You don’t think so?”

“Huh uh. It took me a long time to come to terms that I’ll have a child somewhere out there being raised without me, let alone without a father at all. I understand that from your point of view this is all about one sperm and one egg. For me, it’s about trusting you with my child.”

Her eyes widened, and her nostrils flared. She took a long breath before composing herself again. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Martinez.” Gathering her cell phone and purse, she stood.

If she thought she could intimidate him by towering over him where he sat, she was wrong. He uncurled from his chair and stood toe to toe, and she had to lift her chin to meet his eye. He wasn’t surprised when she did, and she didn’t back out of his space either.

“You shouldn’t be thinking of this as your child, just your sperm. If that’s a problem, then you aren’t the donor I’ve been looking for.”

“You just asked me seventy two questions about my personal and medical history. All I want to know is if you are going to be a capable parent before I donate any of my seed. That’s a legitimate request, don’t you think?”

He caught a whiff of her clean scent. A little bit baby-powder, a little bit citrus. He lowered his eyes to the fluttering patch of skin at the base of her neck, breathing deeply for another taste.

“I’ve answered the same questions. I’ll get you a copy of that…”

“I don’t give a shit about your medical history. From what I’ve seen so far, you’re a highly strung all-business woman, who has to think through every word she says, and who’s afraid to relax. When the kid comes home from school with a B, will you be the type of parent to praise, or punish?”

Tiny beads of perspiration appeared on her upper lip. “I…I’m not…”

“Bullshit. I think I got a total of two smiles out of you in the last two hours. You don’t exactly strike me as the June Cleaver type.”

Kara took a step away from him, then immediately stepped back into his space. “And you don’t strike me as a psychologist. How can you judge my potential parenting skills by a two hour business meeting?”

Good God this woman was sexy. His fingers tingled with the need to touch her. In fact, if he took half a step closer, he’d be chest to knees with her. He’d be able to wallow in that warmth, test the softness of her breasts, the scent of her. He dared not follow his desires down that path. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, humming an excited rhythm in his ears. “That is exactly my point. I’m not signing anything until I know that you’ll be a good mother.”

“So you’re backing out?” She blinked three times.

“No, I’m not backing out. I’m just setting down some rules of my own.”

A muscle ticked at the corner of her lips. “Go on.”

[Rebecca Royce]

Awesome Alanna! Can't Wait!

[Gem Sivad]

I always like Alanna's books, but this one I love. Congratulations Alanna.

gem

[Trina M Lee]

Congrats Alanna! This book is a heart warmer for sure.

[Christa Paige]

Oh that title can convey so many things. Hurry and post a blurb!! Congrats.
Christa

[Sara Brookes]

wOOt! Congratulations!!

[Dee_Carney]

Yay Congrats!!

[Alanna Coca]

Thanks for the congrats everyone! I've sent a blurb and excerpt to Maria to post here. Also, I've got a plethora of information on my website, including another excerpt, and character profiles.

All about Fine Print

[Maria]

Blurb & excerpt time!

[Juniper Bell]

LOVELY excerpt! Way to make an awkward situation fun and sexy.

[Alanna Coca]

My website moved, so that link above isn't as good as this link:

All About Fine Print

[Serena Shay]

Oooh, Fine Print looks wonderful! Can't wait to read it. Congrats Alanna!!

[Alanna Coca]

Thanks Serena! I can't wait to see the cover...

[Mike]

Amanda's better digital.

[Gem Sivad]

Yikes! Love the cover. It is so right for the story!

[Alanna Coca]

*yay* It's up!! Thanks Gem I think so too. It even shows the personalities of Derek and Kara. Thank you Amanda! Another home run.

[Trina M Lee]

We have cover-age. Woot! Looks great!

[Rebecca Royce]

Wow. That looks great!

[Alanna Coca]

Now that I have a spanky new cover, I made a spanky new trailer. Check it out...what do you think? Comments welcome

[Juniper Bell]

Awesome, Alanna! Very nice job.

[Tina Holland]

Juniper looks AWESOME! Love the blurb, excerpt and Cover.

Tina

[Rachel Fox]

Oh yummy cover.

Rachel

[Alanna Coca]

Hey, my web designer set this up to keep you notified when Fine Print is released! Just click here!

[Maria]

Release date: February 1.

[Gem Sivad]

Wow! Here we go Alanna. Woo-hoo! We are going to Party on Feb 1

[Rebecca Royce]

WOO HOO Alanna. So thrilled for you!

[Alanna Coca]

Derek closed the door behind him, and flipped on the lamp. He imagined Kara Sorrento, walking into her own home minutes ago, and cursing him. She would be the type to throw one hell of a fit. Did she take off those sassy shoes at the door and throw them across the room?
No, too much feeling. She probably just marched into her bedroom and put those pumps right back in their tissue-filled box, and filed them alphabetically in her color-coordinated closet.
And then she’d take off her skirt.
Derek groaned, and landed on the couch, bumping the back into the wall with his exuberance.
Why the hell was he doing this to himself? If he really wanted to get laid, there was Cindy, the receptionist from WRRG that had been after him for months. And then there was the divorcée Elena. Her door down the block had been open to him on more than one occasion. He didn’t need this aggravation.
Kara Sorrento was not his type. Not only did he usually avoid blondes, he also preferred a woman who acted like a woman. Batting eyelashes and everything.
Hell, his last girlfriend was the typical southern belle. Sweet, healthy curves, and a drawl that drove him crazy with lust.
Not a ball buster with no sense of humor. Her manners were all that kept her in that chair, while he took deliberately slow bites of his cheesecake. Derek smiled at the memory. The only way he knew she was irritated was by the way she kept uncrossing and re-crossing her legs.
Something told him that deep down inside that woman lay an energetic bundle of raw sexuality. He’d love to be the one to bring that out, to watch her when she discovered the new facet.

[Gem Sivad]

There's a lot to be said for an energetic bundle of raw sexuality...

[Gem Sivad]

It's countdown to Monday, Alanna. I thought I'd get the party started

[Alanna Coca]

To her relief, after they left the restaurant, Derek didn’t mention her capitulation again; he only asked her about her taste in music, and the concerts she’d seen. He didn’t even smirk when she scrambled out of his car before he could walk her to her door.
She watched the evening news on the same channel she always did. She set the timer and loaded the coffee maker for tomorrow’s pot. She brushed her teeth like she always did, and flossed as usual, and even put her favorite pajama pant set on before crawling into bed. Routines were good, right?
Then why didn’t she fall asleep at the normal time? Why did thoughts of Derek Martinez keep her lying awake with skin that fairly itched? Like she wasn’t comfortable in her own body anymore?
It was his fault. The man threw her out of whack. How in the hell was he able to turn the whole idea around, and now she was nervously awaiting the chance to interview for the chance to use his sperm? How dare he think she wasn’t capable.

[Alanna Coca]

Originally Posted by Gem Sivad

It's countdown to Monday, Alanna. I thought I'd get the party started

Awesome flaming four! Thanks Gem. I'm so glad you're my release buddy

[Gem Sivad]

Derek has a way of getting under this lady's skin it seems. I do like a persistent man.

[Gem Sivad]

Marilyn picked you today. (I found a piece of board laying around and painted a 3 on it for my page )

[Gem Sivad]

[Alanna Coca]

Thanks for the countdown Gem...Oh those SHOES! (I'd strain something.)

Wow, day after tomorrow! Here's another snippet:

Kara woke up much later, to a warm tongue on her earlobe. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, and whose tongue had moved inside to seduce her ear. “Derek,” she breathed, his name barely audible.
“Mm, I’m sorry I woke you up,” he whispered back, but his tongue continued to wander, belying his words.
“You are?” She pressed her hips against his, and smiled at his obvious motivation. “I don’t think you’re sorry at all.”
“You’re right, now be quiet, I’m busy.”
She wasn’t able to speak after that anyway, her mouth was otherwise occupied.

[Gem Sivad]

Well I want to know how her mouth was being occupied.

[Gem Sivad]

I've read Fine Print and this number one count down gif just seemed right.

[Gem Sivad]

Happy Release Day!

[Rachel Fox]

Happy Release Day, Alanna.

Rachel

[Stephanie Bennett]

Happy Release Day!

[Alanna Coca]

Thanks ladies! I've got my glass full of brandy, just waiting to take a sip at 7pm EST

Okay, maybe I'm not really waiting, but you don't need to know that.

[Trina M Lee]

Happy Release Day!!

[Maria]

Buy it now.

[D L Jackson]

Congrats on the new release.