CLAIMED by Stacey Kennedy (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Author Stacey Kennedy is joining us with her new release of CLAIMED. Please give her a warm welcome!

Today on Reading Between the Wines, we have Stacey Kennedy. She’s an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she's not plugging away at a new story, you'll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons of Anarchy, Supernatural, True Blood and Lost Girl. 
In her newest release, CLAIMED, we are introduced to the owner of the exclusive BDSM dungeon, CLUB SIN, Dmitri and his new submissive, Presley. Today Stacey is going to share her favorite “Dmitri” and “Presley” scene in CLAIMED. 
It’s always difficult to pick a favorite scene from a book, because there are always so many that stick out for all different reasons. I admit, though, the scene below is one of my favorites from Dmitri, because it was a turning point for him during the story. Dmitri realized something deeper was developing with Presley, and as a Dom, he was determined to find out why she made him feel things he wasn’t expecting to feel. 

An hour had passed since Presley had fallen asleep, and Dmitri officially gave up on fighting against his next steps. He gathered her in his arms, and she didn’t stir from her sleep, still wrapped in the warm blanket.
He strode through the dungeon, passing by members who smiled and nodded at him, which he returned. He scanned the dungeon and spotted Cora sitting next to Kyler on the couch in the center of the dungeon.
At his approach, both turned to him, and Dmitri didn’t hesitate, knowing what he said next would cause a reaction. “I’m going to take Presley to my bedroom.”
Cora’s eyes, not surprisingly, widened, and she glanced at Kyler, who wore a similar mask of shock. Dmitri ignored the astonishment rippling across their features, and to Kyler, he said, “Will you lock the doors at midnight?”
Kyler slowly grinned. “Sure will.”
Dmitri snorted. He didn’t need the reminder his behavior wasn’t typical, but nothing since Presley walked into his office had been ordinary. He kept his face impassive, and to Cora, he said, “Presley will be fine with me tonight.”
“Oh, I know, sir.” Her wide eyes hadn’t lowered, confirming that he’d stunned her senseless.
While he could justify his actions by saying that he was simply doing right by Presley, it would be a half-truth. She had suffered a huge emotional drop after her scene, and as her Dom, he needed to stay with her; but wanting her with him tonight was not out of duty. He’d never taken a sub into his personal bedroom; instead, he would’ve taken them to a guest room. For those reasons, he kept his mouth shut and didn’t bother feeding either of them lies.
Cora looked between him, Presley in his arms, and Kyler, then she finally asked, “Should I come get her in the morning, sir?”
He glanced down at Presley, who breathed deeply in sleep, so sweet in his arms. Dmitri wanted more time with her. He needed to understand why her whisper of Master still echoed in his ears. He had to figure out why her aftercare was more to him than duty, and why he could’ve run his fingers through her hair for hours. And he needed to understand why he’d spent the last hour trying to talk himself out of taking her into his personal bedroom.
He lifted his head. “I’ll drive her home. Before you go, please bring her clothes up to my bedroom and leave them on my chaise.”
“Of course, sir,” Cora said with a gentle smile.
Kyler waggled his eyebrows and gave his typical measured look, but Dmitri ignored his friend’s amusement. He didn’t need any more of Kyler’s smart-ass expressions to prove he had some thinking to do. Shifting Presley’s weight in his arms, and without another word, he headed for the exit.
After the dungeon door closed behind him and the music grew quiet, Dmitri made his way up the basement stairs then walked down the main floor’s hallway. Doing his best to remain steady, not to wake Presley, he journeyed to the upper floor.
He reached the top of the stairs and strode down the hallway, entering his large bedroom, decorated with cherrywood furniture. He approached the king-size sleigh bed, awkwardly slid the black duvet back, and laid Presley down gently on the mattress. Then he removed the blanket from her naked body and covered her with the duvet. She looked precious against his dark sheets.
Dmitri had never expected this force of emotion, inquisitive and protective. Her experience of new pleasure excited him. His mastery of her gave him purpose. Her blushing and innocence made him smile. Her melting under his touch made him feel powerful.
He liked all of that.
He wanted to feel more of it.
Brushing a strand of hair away from her face, she moaned and snuggled into his touch. “You make me do strange things, think odd thoughts, and you force me to break my own rules.”
Another moan.
He leaned down, pressed his lips against her soft cheek, and stated a promise. “I intend to find out why.”

In the scene below is definitely one of my favorite Presley moments, because, to me, it felt real. Presley is one of those girls that thinks the worst and gets ideas in her head that might not always be true. And I like that about Presley, she is easy to relate to. She acts because she thinks she knows what other people want and she tries her best to always make sure everyone is happy around her. I suppose the question is, what will Dmitri think when Presley decides to do the thinking for him?

A pleasing scent swept through Presley’s nostrils, and against her body she felt something warm but hard. She blinked, pulled herself out of her sleepy haze, and saw above her a ceiling with large dark wooden beams.
Not my house.
Next to her was a lamp on the end table casting the room in a soft glow. She noticed she lay in a bed surrounded by gorgeous cherrywood furniture. A large red carpet rested at the foot of a fireplace on the far side of the room, with a burgundy chaise in front.
Not my bedroom.
Turning her head on the pillow to her right, she restrained her gasp. Undoubtedly, the warmness had been Dmitri, and the hardness his toned body pressed against hers. Her breath caught in her throat.
Good Lord . . .
Heat flared in her body as Dmitri’s physique filled her vision. Her fingers twitched to explore the valleys of his bare, muscular chest and smooth wide shoulders, and to slide her touch down his ripped abdomen.
Trying to control her desire to caress his flesh, she forced herself to recall what had happened and how she’d ended up in his bed. Looking away from the display of masculine perfection sleeping next to her, she caught sight of the clock on the bedside table informing her that it was three in the morning.
Oh, God, I fell asleep on him.
With full awareness, the memory of their incredible flogging scene and the huge-ass orgasm she wouldn’t forget anytime soon rushed into her mind. The last thing she remembered was their conversation after the scene, and . . .
“I’ve never felt so comfortable, so calm, or so centered with anyone as I do with you now.”
Tightness formed in her chest, and ice slid through her veins, removing any of the heat that seeing Dmitri half-nude had built. Cora had told her the D/s relationship was intense, but she hadn’t expected that. She never thought he’d make her feel so safe that she could bare her soul.
Dmitri had never made any promises and had stated their agreement well enough. She’d talked to him as if she held some sort of place in his heart. Her heart pounded in her ears as the awful memory of her crying in his arms returned with vengeance, the thought utterly mortifying.
He had agreed to be her Dom, to give her a scene to rock her world, not listen to her blubbering all over him. The arrangement had been to train her, and sharing her emotional state hadn’t been part of it.
Her pathetic emotions must’ve made him do things he normally wouldn’t have, but why was she in his bedroom? They weren’t in a relationship, and there was no reason for her to sleep in his bed. Cora had never slept over at a Dom’s house, or so Presley believed, since she’d never been away from home in the three months Presley had lived with her.
Dmitri’s arm was draped over Presley’s waist, and even now he wrapped her in the same safe feeling he had last night. He breathed heavily in sleep, and she couldn’t help but note that he looked kind of . . . cute. He’d been so dominant in the scene and commanded her with fierceness, making her tummy flip-flop, but she had the urge to kiss his puffy lips.
Heck, no!
He wore black cotton pajama bottoms with the duvet tangled between his legs. Unable to help herself, she scanned the lines of his body, mesmerized by the view. He might look sweet while he slept, but she couldn’t deny that he was all delicious man.
No!
She yanked herself away from ogling him, even ignored how her instincts told her to stay. With gentle care, holding her breath, she lifted his arm off her waist and slipped out of the bed, immediately realizing—from the cool air brushing over her skin in intimate places—that she was stark naked.
Scanning the room in a quick sweep, she noticed her clothes were neatly folded on top of the red chaise with her shoes resting on the floor. She tiptoed toward her clothes, didn’t dare breathe, and gathered her items in haste.
She took a quick peek over her shoulder at Dmitri, who remained sound asleep. Light as a feather, she finished her escape, tiptoeing quietly through the room to the bedroom door. Gritting her teeth, praying it wouldn’t make a noise, she gently turned the handle. She couldn’t face him right now.
No wonder Steven had cheated. She was a basket case. Now Dmitri had seen it, too. Why couldn’t she have skipped the aftercare bit and gone home? Humiliation made her think only about getting the hell out of there.
Click.
The door whooshed open, and she bolted into the hallway in a second flat. Pulling the door closed behind her, she left it slightly ajar, not wanting to chance the noise waking him, then she hurried through the hallway.
With her clothes in hand, she hightailed down the huge wooden staircase and rushed past the dining room. Heading straight for his office, she said a silent oath in hopes that there was a phone where she thought she’d seen one that first night with Dmitri.
Once she entered his large office, her gaze skipped to the desk, and she sighed, so glad she’d been right.
Call a cab and forget this embarrassing episode ever happened!

Thanks to Reading Between the Wines for letting me share some of my favorite moments from CLAIMED. Both scenes were definitely a turning point in the story, and it kick started Dmitri and Presley’s relationship into full gear! Oh, the fun!! 

CLAIMED Book Blurb: 
Find CLAIMED on Goodreads

A novel of erotic discovery and forbidden desire that goes beyond Fifty Shades of Grey. Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies… and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the Start, Presley stirs emotions in Dmitri far beyond the raw purity between a Dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon, igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.

CLAIMED is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences. 
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