Damn he looked good, all muscled and a little sweaty.  She could almost taste him, the slightly salty texture of his skin.  Her knees trembled as his tongue slipped out of his mouth to lick away a drop of mayonnaise. 

Ah hell, this was not going to work.  She was not going to be able to spend every night working on the house, watching him, listening to his deep voice and remain unmoved. Even arguing with her, he was sexy as hell.

Samantha Whitney had life by the ass; great friends, a great job, and for the first time a place to really settle and call home. Maybe it was a beaten up bungalow she spent every last dime on at auction but it was hers, free and clear. At least until the code inspector came knocking at the door with a list a mile long and a ninety day deadline.  With little more than pocket change, Samantha was screwed. She had no choice but to seek some volunteer service.
 
Sergeant Jared Steel was dazed the first time he saw Samantha. As prickly as she was gorgeous, she left him wanting more.  Though her tainted view of men in uniform led the former Marine turned police officer to keep his mind focused on the work at hand. However, as Samantha’s impulsive and risky decisions make more work for Jared, he starts to believe that she not only needs a handy man, but a man handy enough to put a stop to her irresponsible behavior.


Here's a snippet:

He had all the right equipment in all the right places, was incredibly attractive, had a sense of humor and his smile was devastatingly appealing, but it wasn’t his smile that concerned her.  It was his frowns, which would eventually lead to scolding.  From there things would go downhill each and every time she didn’t do precisely what he said.  She’d seen guys like him a hundred times, even fallen hard for a few, and it always turned out badly.
       Usually, she could spot them a mile away.  Military men had a certain bearing about them.  It was in the way they walked, that no nonsense, stick up their ass stride that gave them away.  They could be fun in the beginning, but sooner or later a girl would do something they didn’t approve of and the next thing she knew she’d be listening to a clip-toned lecture, at best.  At worst he’d be advancing on her with a gleam in his eyes that clearly suggested she’d better straighten up and fly right.
       Sam didn’t particularly enjoy flying right.  She was not a stealth jet.  She saw herself as more of a butterfly, going where she pleased and doing what she wanted. For years she’d withstood the rigid control of her Daddy.  There was only one way to do things as far as he was concerned, his way, which was nearly always the military way.  How her mother endured it year after year Sam would never understand, yet her mother seemed happy.  Satisfied in some way her daughter could not fathom.
       “What’s up, buttercup?” Jared asked as he walked in the door.  “Did you have a good day at work?”
       “It was okay,” she replied noncommittally.  Crap he even smelled good.  She moved further away.
       “Something wrong?” he asked, setting down his toolbox.
       “No, not really,” she began.  “I just…”
       “Just what?”
       “Why did you kiss me last night?” she finally demanded, stiffening her backbone.
       “I don’t know.  I guess I just felt like it,” he replied calmly as he got out the tools he would need.
       “Do you do everything you ‘just feel like’?” she asked.
       Jared laughed and straightened up.
       “Of course not, I’m a cop, remember?”
       “I remember.”
       “I have no desire lose my job or go to jail, or I would have blistered your ass for the destruction you created in that room.”
       “You’re joking, right?” she asked taking a step back.
       “Sure, I’m joking,” he answered, but his eyes said differently.
       Sam took another step back and swallowed the lump in her throat.  He wasn’t kidding.  She knew it as surely as she knew her own name, and he was just enough of a man to do it too.  Crap, what a shame when most of the time she really liked him.
       Oh well, he’d be out of her life soon enough.  Once her house passed inspection she would have little reason to contact Sergeant Jared Steel.:

Amazon Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection!
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2022 Her Handyman by Stevie MacFarlane was a very enjoyable read. Sam definitely had her share of issues, and no way did she want a relationship with the overly protective, caring and just a little bit bossy cop, Jared. The two tangled throughout the book. When I actually believed the author was giving us just a little steamy read oh boy did she turn up the heat! Stevie MacFarlane brought it! I'm still blushing. Kudos!

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Thanks for stopping by.
Stevie

.So there I was, happily putting my newsletter together when one of my muses, secretly referred to as, Mr. Know-It-All, invaded my head space insisting I write what he wanted me to write.  I mean, really!  How rude can you be?  It's not like I don't have other things to do!
Actually, I have a million and one things to do, and the list grows by leaps and bounds every single day, but I digress.

"It's nearly Halloween," says he, "and you still haven't worked on that story I gave you nearly a year ago.  Now you'll miss this year's market! Don't you ever listen?"

"Of course, I listen, but you aren't the only one who talks to me, you know," I reply as my fingers fly across the keyboard. I try to ignore him.  Suddenly I'm making tons of mistakes and in frustration I stop typing and smother a growl. "Speak and begone!"

"Don't tempt me, you ungrateful little wretch. Who do you think gave you Rory O'Malley? And who refused to keep their mouth shut when you nearly turned poor Delbert into the Prince of Wimps?  Who stopped you from doing that and helped you save Bridget from a life of misery with a gutless little wonder she thought she wanted? "

"You did, " I admitted begrudgingly.

"You bet your sweet ass I did," he snapped.  "And if you want my help in the future, you'd better at least start that damn story!"

"Okay, okay, I'll start the story, but I won't be able to finish it," I whine pitifully.
 
"It doesn't matter.  I know you, and I should for you've driven me insane for the last ten years with your procrastination and dilly-dallying around.  If you start it, you'll finish it, eventually," he stated rolling his eyes.

I nodded.

"And I've been thinking about it," he drawled, looking at his hands and flexing them.  "I want you to add her sisters. It's always so much more fun when I have multiple women to play with."

"Anything else?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"Yes, do it now.  Right now while I stand here.  For some reason I don't trust you to follow my instructions and if you had any sense at all you would.   Believe me, you don't want to piss me off, Stevie.  There are others I could be helping."

"Why me?" I ask out of genuine curiosity. "Why do you help me?"

He was silent for so long, I thought he was not going to answer.  Finally he replied, and it shocked me.

"Because you care. For you it's not about the money or the numbers or the name.  It's about you trying to make people happy. You want to help them escape, as you escape when you're writing. It's freeing for you. It lightens your soul, and my dear, you've been sad for a very long time.  And this is why I help you and I'll continue to until you don't need me anymore."

And there was not a thing I could say to that. I started writing.

The Witch Itch

       She sat by the pool sweat trickling between her breasts and trailing from her hairline in minuscule rivulets.  The sun had long ago driven the others inside.  They argued over lunch and Gwen had no desire to antagonize him further.  You’d think after nearly three centuries together she’d have learned his boundaries by now, but apparently not.
      On her bare legs rested a novel. On the stand beside her was a glass of pink lemonade, the last ice cube now but a sliver. Oh what she wouldn’t give for a little breeze, she thought sighing.
      Gwen clenched her hands into fists, her polished pink nails creating half-moon crescents in the palms of her hands and looked around.  What could it hurt?  Just a little breeze would be no trouble at all and no one would be the wiser.
      Uncurling her fingers she tipped her head back against the chaise lounge and looked up at the blazing sky through her dark sunglasses.  Slowly she beckoned the wind, her slender fingers moving in a ‘come to me manner’.  A slight smile touched her lips as she felt the first tender breeze, then all hell broke loose.
      A mighty gust caught her lounge from beneath sending it backward.  Gwen tumbled ass over teakettle to the concrete as other empty lounges and cushions flew around her.  She heard glass shattering as her drink crashed to the side of her.  Blinking rapidly she slipped her glasses to the top of her head where they held back her long dark hair.
      Crap!  How the hell had that happened she wondered as she looked at her bleeding knee and gently touched her elbow?  Her fingers came away red.
      Suddenly she shivered.  There was no point in looking up.  He’d be there as he always was whenever she was hurt or in danger.
      “I thought I asked you not to,” he said as he lifted her to her feet and marched her from the shambles she’d created.
      “Asking is not telling,” she shot back, tugging ineffectually to remove her arm from his firm grasp. Peeking up at him from beneath her lashes she watched his dark eyebrow shoot up in disbelief.
      “All right, I’m telling you.  No more until after you see Benjamin next week.”
      “My book,” she protested, looking over her shoulder.
      Instantly it appeared under his arm. 
      "I don't need to see Benjamin, the Witch Doctor," she sneered.  "My sisters will help me."
      He snorted in derision.
     "That's all we need, those two rebels interfering.  Jocelyn and Cristelia have been thorns in my side since I rescued you."
      All too soon he was opening the door to their suite and spinning her inside as he released her.
      “I knew this vacation was a bad idea,” he stated angrily.
      “I don’t see why,” she replied insistently.  “It’s been a hundred years, at least since we had one.”
      “That’s because you can’t behave, you little spawn of Satan,” he tossed back.
      “Hey, that’s not fair,” she cried.  “My mother was a good witch, my father a fallen angel, but that doesn’t make me evil!”
      “You are correct!  It makes you a naughty little witch,” Michael replied.
      “Now see here…”
      With an almost absent flick of his huge hand she flew through the air. Instinctively she braced herself for impact. Gwen landed against a wall that was as soft as a feather pillow in a spread eagle position.  She was stuck as surely as if he’d glued her in place.
      “Michael,” she whined nervously.
      “Be still,” he ordered leaving her there as he went into the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth.  Carefully he washed away the traces of blood from her knee.  Pulling her arm down he bent it and cleaned her elbow as well.  Then he kissed each wound.  They healed as she looked into his eyes.
      “Thank you,” she breathed as he gently stuck her arm back against the wall.
      “Your words are premature,” he said coolly.
      Gwendolyn gasped when he snapped his fingers and her white string bikini fell away.
      “Why did you do it?” he asked curiously as he stood back and looked at her naked body
      “I was hot.  I just wanted a little breeze,” she admitted shamefully.
      Michael pursed his lips and gently blew cool air that swept from her hair to her toes but seemed to be slightly more concentrated on her breasts and the juncture of her thighs.  Her nipples pebbled into hard little nubs.
      Gwen sighed in pleasure.
      He stepped back and smiled.  Then his eyes narrowed. She didn’t trust that particular smile, not for a moment.  It wasn’t in any way a display of genuine amusement.
      “I don’t like it when you disobey me,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
      “I didn’t realize it was an order,” she snapped back trying not to glare at him.  Her eyes swept the room looking for something suitable to hurl at him.  Her fingers began to wiggle.
      Michael laughed.
      “My love, you’ve gotten very predictable,” he drawled taking her hands and trapping them between the small of her back and the wall.  “I think I like this position better anyway,” he continued, blowing an icy blast toward the puckered peaks of her full breasts now arched toward him.
      A low moan escaped her throat and she scowled.  Damn him for being so handsome.  He hadn’t aged a bit since the day she met him.  He was still huge, towering over her.  His black hair was as shiny as a raven’s wing, not a touch of silver anywhere and his stern gray eyes still had the power to render her tongue-tied.
      What had changed was that he’d learned all her secrets, well, nearly all of them.  He was also a much better lover than the man he’d been back when he was always in a hurry. Now Michael was slow and methodical, at least until his own passion overtook him.  He could tease and torment her for hours if he so desired. Despite his still youthful appearance he was a mature man fully dedicated to making sure she was well protected and cared for.
      “Michael let me down.  I’m cold now,” she insisted making no effort to conceal her annoyance.
      “I’m about to remedy that,” he replied smoothly. 
      Gwen stared into his eyes, noting his satisfied expression at the same instant she began to feel the heat begin on her bottom.
      “Cutting corners are we?” she sassed.
      “Yes, I thought we’d cut right to the chase,” he replied calmly as he watched her start to wiggle.
      “Oh, oh, oh,” she moaned.  “This is unacceptable.  If you’re going to spank me, the least you could do is touch me.”
      “But my darling, I am touching you.  In my mind you’re over my knees and my hand is instructing you to listen when I speak to you,” he said with an evil grin.  “Besides, this is so much more convenient. You’re not scratching and clawing to get away and I don’t have to listen to you caterwauling as though the hounds of hell were after you.”
      “Yet,” she hissed.
      “Yes, yet,” he agreed stepping closer and fastening his lips on hers.
      Gwen screamed into his mouth feeling each searing swat even though his hands were gently cupping her face.  His thumbs brushed away her tears yet he continued to chastise her, his powerful mind orchestrating the severity of each smack. 
      It was not until her cries had turned to whimpers that he released her lips and stroked her hair back from her forehead.
      “I asked you not to use your powers until we’ve consulted Benjamin for advice,” he reiterated.  “I hope I don’t have to remind you again.”
      “You won’t,” Gwen sobbed, shivering as his hand trailed along her cheek.  A moment later he cupped her naked breast, teasing her nipple.  Soon he was stroking her tummy before he finally settled between her spread thighs.
      “Ah,” he breathed in satisfaction.  “Even a virtual spanking excites you.  This is good to know,” he crooned as he buried his long finger inside her. 
      Gwen let her head drop in defeat.
      “Do not be embarrassed my darling Gwendolyn.  I am hard as well.  Although this method lacks a certain intimacy it’s certainly much quieter.  I’ll reserve the use of this for those times when we are not alone.”
      His hand was busy.  Now two fingers were sliding in and out of her, his thumb rubbing gently across her nub.  She bit her lip.
      “You may come, naughty little witch,” he offered.  “You’ve paid the piper and I won’t deprive you of your pleasure…this time.   Come my darling, come hard.  I want to feel your body clutching my fingers.  I want to feel your swollen nubbin quivering against my hand,” he whispered.  Leaning forward he drew her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard.
      Gwen cried out and he placed his other hand over her mouth.
      “Shh, we don’t need security in here,” he warned as he released her nipple with a pop.  “Remember what happened the last time we stayed in a hotel?”
      Gwen nodded.
      “Good, now heed my words and take your release before I change my mind,” he growled before moving toward her other nipple.  “I’m going to ride you soon.  I’ll be taking every inch of your sweet slit and you know it’s often uncomfortable when I don’t hold back.  And Gwen, I’ve no intention of holding back.  I’m going to fuck you deep and hard,” he stated looking into her wide eyes. 
      “You’ll cry a bit, you always do, but you know that after I’ve punished you, my need is great.  Even after all these years I still do not understand why you misbehave so when you know the price you pay will be twofold,” he remarked before nuzzling her neck.
      She moaned against the hand covering her mouth when he pushed his fingers deep and fluttered them. 
      “How wet and warm you are my naughty darling.  Hurry now before my patience runs out,” he breathed against her skin. 
      She knew Michael was as good as his word.  Most times he was a gentle, tender lover, stifling his passion and taking possession of her delicate body slowly.  Often she could not accommodate his full length and girth easily and he carefully eased most of his cock inside her body as he stimulated her nub with his fingers.  It was his practice to stretch her and he had special oils he used to pave the way.  But not after a punishment.  Never after a punishment.
      Then he was strict and determined.  She belonged to him.  She was his wife.  He’d saved her life nearly three hundred years ago and she would obey him for the rest of hers.   He might not be able to control all of her actions, but he would control her body and he would take his pleasure from that body as he chose.
To Be Continued…
 

Excerpt

Feeling frustrated, Kellina suddenly grabbed the liquor bottle and threw it off the cliff.
            "Hey—that's mine, ye brat!"
            She faced him, her hands on her hips and her eyes turning dark as she scowled down at him. "I'm nae a brat, it's ye who are the brat," she snapped. "I dinna know anything about yere surgery, Corny never mentioned it. It's none of my business if ye want to lounge on the cliffside feeling sorry for yereself instead of doing something about it."
            He reached up and grabbed her hands, pulling her forward until she was bent down where he could put one large hand behind her head and draw her mouth to his.
Kellina didn’t fight him. She found she wanted to taste him, and he tasted good, like salt air and dominant male. Her head spinning, she didn’t object when he lifted her and sat her in his lap, his mouth swooping down to claim hers again. The punishing kisses soon turned gentle as he explored her mouth, one arm behind her back and the other slipping under her sweatshirt to find the pebbly surface of a nipple beneath silky material.
She moaned and arched into it, losing herself in the spicy scent of him and the drugging pleasure of his kiss. Her hand lifted to comb through his hair as she’d wanted to do the first time they’d met, feeling the texture against her sensitive fingertips. When his exploring mouth left her lips, she gasped as it nibbled against the silky skin of her neck.
"Poe—ye have to stop."
            Their eyes locked with each other, both panting slightly.
 "I owe ye a spanking, but now is not the time nor the place," he growled, his black eyes pinning her in a hot glare.
            "Ye didna need the scotch," she retorted defiantly, struggling to get free of him.
            "It wasna yeres to throw away." 
He held her easily in spite of her struggles, which only made her angry.
            "Let me go," she hissed. "I can't believe ye pulled me into your lap when ye've been in such pain."
            "Ye took all the knots out so I'm not in pain right now," he returned, mocking her efforts to get free by holding both her wrists in one large hand. "Me todger salutes ye, as I'm sure ye can tell."
            She could certainly feel his manhood against her hip, and she trembled with the sudden need to feel him inside her. What was it about this infuriating man that made her hungry with desire when no one else had even turned her pot lukewarm in the last three years?
            "I'm not above biting if ye dinna let go of me," she threatened.
            "Ye bite me, lass, and I'll turn ye over and blister yere arse, and I dinna care who's watching."

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Will she be taken to task or get away with acting like the spoiled brat she is?
Candace McKenzie did everything she could think of to sabotage her brother Chas’ wedding to Babe, a little nobody who came from nowhere. If it was going to embarrass Babe, Candy was all in. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, the marriage went on as planned. Now, certain people think Candy should pay the price for her actions.
Mark Schaller grew up with Chas and remembers Candy as his little tag along sister. He has also watched her grow up into a beautiful woman with an entitled attitude. When he takes her home after Chas’ wedding, sparks fly. He couldn’t be more surprised when he decides to take her in hand, Candy’s life will change forever.
This is book three in the Sassy Girls series but can be enjoyed independently.
Publisher’s Note: This contemporary romance features humor, sensual scenes and power exchange. If these offend you, please do not purchase.

Excerpt:
“Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” Mark Schaller remarked as he walked up the sidewalk toward the reception hall. “It has legs, well feet, but there doesn’t appear to be a head.”
“Kind of looks like a giant floating marshmallow,” Jeb, one of his best buddies agreed with a smirk. “Wonder who’s under there.”
“Shut the hell up and help me,” the marshmallow demanded as she tripped on a small crack. “I can’t even see where I’m going,” she hissed loudly as she recovered her balance.
“Gee, I don’t know,” Mark drawled, pausing and rubbing his chin. “It sounds a lot like Candace, and if it is this is no more than she deserves. After all, from what I’ve been told she’s the one who picked out that white monstrosity. What do you think, Jeb? Do we help her?”
“Well, Chas is our friend and it wouldn’t do to let his little sister smother, and that could happen if she falls,” he pointed out thoughtfully, “especially on his wedding day. It would sort of ruin the whole occasion, don’t you think?”
“Are you two imbeciles going to help me or stand around running your mouths?” Candace demanded in a frustrated and heavily muffled voice. One visible foot stomped.
“I guess we’d better,” Mark finally said with a sigh.
“Not that she deserves it,” Jeb added, reaching out to pluck the heavy bridal gown out of Candace’s arms. “Imagine putting a little thing like Babe in a dress that weighs more than she does. It was spiteful of you, Candy and just plain mean!”
“Yes, it was,” Mark agreed as he gathered up the dragging fabric and followed Jeb. “Does your brother realize what you’ve done?” he asked over his shoulder as they moved toward Candace’s blue Mercedes.
Candy remained quiet and popped the trunk open on her vehicle.
“I can see that he doesn’t, but he soon will,” Mark promised as he and Jeb stuffed the dress into the back end of the car. “You’ve been a class A brat about the wedding, and what’s worse you acted like you were oh so helpful and supportive. What’s your problem with Babe anyway?” he asked sternly as he straightened up and closed the trunk lid.
“I don’t have a problem with her,” Candy snapped back.
“You’re lying. For some reason, you don’t like her, either that or you’re jealous that you’re not the apple of your brother’s eye anymore, Babe is,” he suggested smoothly.
“That’s not true,” she insisted. “Chas loves me, he always has, and he’d do anything I asked,” she continued, her face flaming.
“Except maybe walk away from the women he loves,” Mark pointed out. “By the way, what’s Babe wearing now that she’s shed of this thing?” he asked giving a short, disgusted wave toward her car as they headed back to the reception hall at a brisk pace.
“Marla bought her a dress,” Candy sneered. “All the way from Paris,” she continued in a sing-song voice, “and made by a famous designer she patronizes. Her Majesty outdid herself this time, most likely trying to one-up me again.”
“It’s not hard to do,” Jeb inserted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Candy demanded. Stopping to turn on him, she planted her hands on her hips.
“Well, you’ve done a dozen little things to sabotage this wedding, all quietly of course and behind the scenes. Marla was on to you from the first, she’s good at spotting that sort of thing; it’s right up her alley,” he said with a chuckle. “Thankfully, she did everything she could to minimize the damage. In fact, I think you’ll be quite surprised by the subtle changes she’s made to your reception plans.”
“How do you know all this?” she asked with a red-faced gasp.
“Crunch is pretty proud of her; he likes to brag,” Mark replied with a grin, referring to Pete Benedict another good friend and a local deputy sheriff.
“Marla’s a snake and always has been,” Candy hissed.
“So one viper recognizes another?” Jeb asked coldly.
Candace didn’t answer. She swiveled on her heels and rushed toward the hall.
Mark and Jeb followed slowly.
“Do you think we said too much?” Jeb asked.
“No, she had it coming and more. That little brat needs someone to rein her in. Chas has babied her since the day she was born and if he’s not careful she’ll be a constant interference in his marriage. I hope her antics today wake him up.”
“You’re not interested in her, are you?” Jeb asked curiously.
Mark snorted.
“Are you kidding? Whoever takes her on will most likely live to regret it. Oh, she’s pretty enough, but she comes with too much drama and she’s spoiled rotten. Besides, I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my friendship with Chas.”
“What could you possibly do that would affect your friendship?”
“I imagine if I gave that meddlesome little brat the spanking she deserves, Chas wouldn’t take it too kindly.”
“Why not? He spanks Babe when she needs it,” Jeb replied in surprise.
“Sisters and wives are two different breeds. While Chas has no problem taking Babe to task when necessary. He might not feel the same way about someone taking his sister in hand no matter how badly she deserves it. After all, to my knowledge, he’s never taken her over his knee even when she got into that huge mess in college and ended up getting expelled. It cost him a small fortune to keep her name out of the paper.
“No, I’m steering clear of that particular female. I’ve sort of got my eye on Josie from the diner,” he admitted. “She’s sweet.”
“And comes with a ready-made family,” Jeb pointed out. “Not to mention there’s an ex-husband floating around and she appears to be afraid of him. Are you sure you want to step into the middle of that mess?”
“No, I’m not sure, just keeping my options open. Come on, let’s go and toast Chas and his new bride,” Mark said opening the heavy glass door.
“Sounds good to me. Jeanine had to work so I’m on my own today. I plan to have one hell of a good time. I even got my beard trimmed for the occasion,” Jeb said with a wicked grin as he tugged on his full red beard. “Lead on McDuff.”

Candy's Comeuppance is now available on Amazon.