Today I am so pleased to welcome Jennie Davids to Joyfully Jay. Jennie has come to talk to us about her latest release, Inked with a Kiss. She has also brought along a copy to give away. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Thanks so much to Jay for having me and letting me share an exclusive excerpt from Inked with a Kiss, the second novel in my Thorn & Thistle series. In the scene below Sierra finds herself stuck on a climbing rock wall alone and really wishing that her tattoo artist, a woman she’d very much like to get in bed, hadn’t been a no-show.

Excerpt

“Damn, go, girl.”

Um, why had my tattooed cheerleading section suddenly become so enthusiastic? I hadn’t moved.

I angled my head to look below me. On my left side a climber was approaching and fast.

I had a perfect view of the top of the person’s head. Light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Close enough now that the lights shined off the few grays mixed in. I knew that head, that hair. I’d stared down at it for hours as she worked on me.

My muscles hummed with renewed energy. Jamie was here.

Her fingers curled over the hand grip next to me. Now those I didn’t recognize. While she tattooed me she wore gloves. Her fingers were long, her nails short and polish-free. I wasn’t even going to look at the state of my manicure. I was sure I’d left chips of bright pink all the way up.

Jamie pulled herself up and then she was there, not even a foot separating us.

“You made it.” If a voice could smile, mine was.

“I did.”

She’d changed clothes since I’d last seen her. She had a Lycra black tank top that clung to her and showed off her biceps. They were flexed and visible in a way mine were not.

Taking the chance it’d unbalance me, I ducked my head so I could see more. I swallowed a moan. Gone were her jeans. She had on leggings that went to her calves. Her large, beautiful calves. I bet they were the reason she didn’t even look like she was sweating. She’d earned those with some serious physical activity.

Okay, I needed to look away. As beautiful as they were, they were distracting and not going to get me out of my current predicament. Not to mention, except for a few charged looks, she hadn’t given any signs that she’d appreciate my thirstiness at her in her workout clothes. Which also meant I needed to stop willing her to go up one peg so she’d get a killer shot of my cleavage.

I focused on her face. Not exactly a hardship.

Lines branched out from the corners of her eyes and mouth, and her jaw was bunched so tight it looked like it would need to be pried apart with a special tool.

“I take it whatever called you away, didn’t go so well,” I said.

Jamie stilled. Absolute stillness like when we asked for a volunteer to go first in group therapy. “Why do you think that?”

“You’re holding your tension in your jaw.”

“Huh.” She let go of the wall with her right hand and rubbed the lower half of her mouth as if trying to feel the tension for herself.

I gasped and clung tighter. “What are you doing? Put your hand back. You’re going to fall.”

“Nah. I’ve got this.” She flashed me a grin. Yes, it was cocky, but somehow on her it wasn’t annoying. Unlike when MJ had grinned at me earlier on the trampolines after she’d jumped over my head.

Too soon the grin faded away.

Which brought us back to whatever was weighing on her. Here was my chance to show her just what I could do, which I was pretty sure she thought was talk a lot and spend my time partying with friends. Most people made that assumption about people my age. She was going to discover just how multitalented I was. Impromptu therapy on a rock wall—I was digging it.

“You want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.”

“Yeah?” Her beautiful biceps showed no signs of strain as she looked at me, like she was trying to decide how to make that new tidbit fit with the others she’d collected about me.

“Very. I’m trained in it and everything.”

Blurb

Tattoo artist Jamie Winston is used to caring for others. Between her assistant manager position at a tattoo parlor, single-parenting her twelve-year-old daughter and supporting her alcoholic parents, Jamie rarely prioritizes her own needs—unless Sierra Clark is in her chair. The bubbly younger woman somehow manages to make Jamie feel like the carefree teenager she never got to be, making anything seem possible.

For Sierra, time with Jamie is a much-needed escape. She takes her work as a social worker seriously, but with budget cuts threatening her job, there’s a lot riding on the fund-raiser she’s planning with Jamie. The fact that it means working closely with the sexy older tattooist is a bonus—a deliciously tempting bonus. Sierra isn’t one for relationships, but she’s never felt such a strong desire to mix business with pleasure.

Sizzling chemistry quickly erodes Jamie’s fears of being too old for Sierra, but navigating a romance with someone who’s at such a different stage in life is no easy task. They’ve each come to rely on themselves more than anyone else, but having a future together will mean letting their guards down and accepting each other as a safe place to fall.

Buy Links

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335215921
• B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/inked-with-a-kiss-jennie-davids/1133792898
• iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/inked-with-a-kiss/id1481347046
• Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/inked-with-a-kiss
• Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennie_Davids_Inked_with_a_Kiss?id=VOWxDwAAQBAJ

Bio

Jennie Davids lives in the Pacific Northwest with her rescue animals that somehow never end up as well-behaved as their bio promise. The sound of the rain inspires her as she writes or maybe it’s the gallons of hot chocolate she consumes to stay warm in the damp climate.

When not writing Jennie is reading, watching reality TV, or bemoaning how quickly weeds grow back and keep her from reading.

Connect with Jennie Davids:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennie_Davids
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorJennieDavids/
• Website: https://jenniedavids.com

Giveaway

Jennie has brought a copy of Inked with a Kiss to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, April 17th at 11:59 pm ET.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
• Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
• All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
• By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.