Annalynne Russo
A
native of sunny San Diego, California, Annalynne Russo always had a
vivid imagination. As a child, she loved to escape reality by immersing
herself in books and poetry. After earning her bachelor’s degree in
Spanish literature, Annalynne worked as both a bilingual elementary
school teacher and curriculum developer for more than 10 years. But soon
her dream of becoming a writer became too difficult to ignore.
Nowadays,
she passes the time fantasizing about hot and sexy heroes that nearly
leap out of her imagination, begging for their stories to be told. A
firm believer in the phrase, Love Conquers All, Annalynne is a sucker for a juicy romance and spends almost as much time reading as she does writing.
Blood
of the Nile
Maliyah Aziz has
no time for men. Employed by the U.S. Government overseas, the self-described
workaholic refuses to let a relationship derail her flourishing career. But
when her estranged father passes away abruptly, she must re-examine her
priorities and return to Cairo, a place plagued with bittersweet memories of
her childhood.
For eight
hundred years, vampire Ramses Shakir maintains a low profile, making a living
along the trade routes of the Nile River. Although not until he forms a
partnership with a human by the name of Anwar al Aziz, does he truly make his
mark on society. Together the two men amass a fortune and forge an unbreakable
bond. Suspicious of Anwar’s sudden death, the vampire turns to his best
friend’s daughter in search of answers. As they scour all of Egypt for clues,
the last thing Ramses and Maliyah expect to find is love.
Read an excerpt:
Ramses dragged
his fingers through his damp hair as perspiration gathered at the base of his
skull. That day, the temperature in the Sahara surpassed one hundred degrees
and Maliyah wasn’t doing him any favors by turning up the heat. The wanton
tease made him want to yank off the flowing, floral print dress she wore and
fuck her silly. Visions of her sweet ass plastered against the windows of the
train car danced in his head. He wanted her naked and it didn’t matter if a
whole caravan of desert nomads stopped to catch a glimpse. Their coupling was
bound to happen. Why not sooner than later?
Nonetheless,
Maliyah made a good point. Ramses had promised her cousin Husani that he’d keep
his hands to himself. A man of honor, he intended to stay true to his word. He
wouldn’t touch Maliyah. At least, not with his hands. His mouth and cock, on
the other hand, were both fair game.
Before
Maliyah returned from the powder room, he reached into the small rolling
suitcase he’d brought along for the trip. He pulled out a red paisley necktie
and placed it next to the other articles of clothing he’d dangled over the
chair. There was a good chance he’d need to be tied up in order to keep his
paws off Maliyah. The necktie would come in handy if that turned out to be the
case.
The
door swung open and Maliyah sauntered in. Her hair was now loose, its shiny, brown
tentacles hung haphazardly in front of her face. She’d removed most of her
make-up and traded in her three-inch heels for a pair of simple strappy
sandals. She looked up at Ramses. Her green-gold gaze locked with his. At the
same time, her lower lip jutted out to entice him with its sultry pout.
Maliyah
stepped closer and spoke into his chest. He could feel the heat from her skin
tickle his nerve endings. “So now what? We’ve got eleven hours to kill and I’m
saving the fashion magazines Salma shoved in the side of my bag until I get
desperate?”
“You?
Desperate?” Ramses repeated. His raspy tone came out as sensual and breathy,
with a hint of sarcasm mixed in to keep Maliyah on her toes. “It’d be a pity if
we let that happen. I think we can find something to keep us occupied. Maybe
there’s a deck of cards in my carry on.”
Maliyah
put her hand to her lips as if to giggle, but instead a loud snort came out
through her nose.
Is she mocking me? Ramses thought to
himself. She hadn’t uttered a single word, yet he knew her snicker was meant in
protest.
Only Maliyah, a
siren who embodied the perfect combination of subtle innocence and feisty femme
fatale, could dish out corrosive rancor just as well as she could take it. That
time, she’d done so without even opening her mouth. Although Ramses had great
reverence for the Egyptian culture in which he was reared, he found himself
drawn to Maliyah’s freethinking, American tendencies. He respected her desire
for independence and the rebellious streak she wielded at every turn.
Before he could
think of a saucy comeback, Maliyah had already placed both hands on Ramses’
bare shoulders. She massaged his biceps and let the pads of her fingers caress
their way up and down his arm. Soon, they became tangled in the shaggy, black
hair that gathered at his neck.
“How could a game
of cards possibly keep me amused? Not when I have all this tempting, well-toned
flesh at my disposal.”
“Wait,” Ramses
said, pulling back slightly. He hadn’t anticipated Maliyah’s aggressive
pursuit. His need for her bordered on the absurd, but he knew he’d have to take
things slow. Otherwise, his vampire persona might make an unexpected
appearance. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her. “What
about the pledge we made to Husani?”
Maliyah leaned
in, and her heated breath skated across his tanned skin, sending a direct
signal to his cock. It was time to come out and play. Whatever sport Maliyah
wanted to tackle, Ramses would step up to the plate.
“I made no such
promise. Just keep your hands to yourself, lover boy. Let me do all the work,”
she said, darting her tongue out to taste him. God damn, Maliyah was a woman
after his own heart. God damn, Maliyah was a woman after his own heart. Her
succulent lips blazed a path from his neck, passed the sparse patch of hair
that peeked out from the top of his shirt.
Maliyah hiked the shirt up past his navel. Her
eyes followed the line of dark curls downward until she once again spotted the
thick erection through his jeans. She sank to her knees, and then used her
hands to remove his belt. One by one, she undid the buttons of his 501’s, as a
flush of red spread across her face. She must have realized that he wore
nothing underneath.
Ramses’ shaft
was as hard as stone. It sprang eagerly from his jeans. Maliyah lowered them to
the floor and without hesitation licked the head of his cock into her mouth.
“To hell with
restraint!” Ramses groaned.
****
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