Lauren Dane

Sera sighed and fell into a chair, trying desperately not to show how upset she was with her major mistake.

Ash came to kneel before her, taking her face in his hands. “I know we’d decided to keep our status quiet at first, but it’s all right. No one is angry with you.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers with such tenderness it tightened her stomach. Saying things he couldn’t say specifically, trying to make her feel better.

Before she thought about it, her hands slid up the wall of his chest and over the soft skin of his skull. How long had it been? But her hands remembered, her skin remembered and rejoiced at the feeling.

He growled low in his throat and deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding across the seam of her lips until she opened to him. His taste burst over her, the sweetness of the memories rushing through her until they overflowed and she thought she’d drown in them.

With a soft sigh, Ash pulled back, slightly trembling. She realized he trembled with need and was holding himself back. She didn’t want to feel this for him again. Didn’t want to care about him. It was easier to hate and resent him.

But it was there, back like it had never gone although fear existed there too. Fear in her heart that she’d lose him again and so she couldn’t let herself love him, or anyone else. She’d care about him and they’d all make this work, but she mustn’t allow herself to fall for Ash Walker again.

“Are you all right?” Brandt asked through the link. He sat on the arm of the chair and tucked her hair behind her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I can’t believe how stupid that was.”

Ash took her chin and turned her gaze back to him as he replied via the link, “You’re not stupid, Sera. It was a mistake but it didn’t cost anything. It gives you more protection while we’re here. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t rejoice to see you still wore my mark.”

“We’d both be very annoyed it you decided to punish yourself over this.”

Sera smiled up at Brandt who managed to sound arrogant through the mental link. Having to pose as a concubine to two incredibly handsome, virile men wasn’t such a bad situation after all. They’d have to deal with the aftermath once they left Nondal.

“Would you like to sightsee a bit?” Brandt asked aloud.

She stood. “Of course. Let me change into some shoes more appropriate for walking. Shall I change gowns?” She pointed to the mark on her back.

Ash stood and with his body, pushed her into the bedroom until she fell on her back onto the very large bed. Above her the sky, a deep blue, shimmered through the glass.

“I don’t want you to cover my mark any more than I want you to take off the ring in your nipple or the necklace that marks you as Brandt’s. You’re ours. I like that a lot.”

Brandt stood at his side, wearing a wicked smile. “I do think I need to see that ring in your nipple.” He reached out and yanked. The top of the dress ripped as he tossed it over his head, leaving her upper body bare.

“Oh…” The power of coherent speech left her.

Nimble fingers flicked across the hardened nipple and she caught her breath. She looked down the line of her body and watched his hand, the skin tawny gold, against hers, just a shade or so lighter.

“It’s been very hard not sleeping in the same bed at night. I’m glad the Representative saw my mark on that sweet skin of yours.” Ash moved to the bed, tossing his shirt aside before he lay beside her.

She turned her head, feeling snared in the slow honey of time and caught sight of him. Allowed herself to see him in a way she’d denied herself since she walked into her commander’s office the week before.

Still so ruggedly beautiful. All very hard muscle, his stomach was lightly furred and his chest hairier. Both nipples bore rings, one hers, the other one she’d given him. His narrow waist led up to a broad, wide chest. He was so masculine it took her breath away. It always had. From the first moment he’d unveiled his body to her fifteen years before.

Her hand sought his cock through the material of his pants. “How hard has it been, Ash?” Her voice was Sela, a sex-kitten purr.

“Pull it out so we can see,” Brandt said…no, ordered. And the remnants of the skirt followed the top of the dress.

Sera paused a moment, surprised by Brandt’s seemingly easy going attitude about suddenly sharing with Ash. She couldn’t deny the allure of being topped by two men at once. By these men. She wished they could talk about it but at the same time, she worried they’d lose the intensity of the moment. She wasn’t a stranger to either man at that point and there’d be time for talking later.

“That was a very expensive gown, darling.” Managing to not sound too breathy, she smiled at him as she rolled onto all fours. Why not make the best out of it?

“Worth every credit, I assure you.” Brandt lay down on the bed to better watch her.

Her hands went to the waist of Ash’s pants and unfastened them, finding him bare underneath. She pulled the pants off and moved from the bed to put them across the arm of a nearby chair before hopping back up between the two men.

“Well,” she looked back over her shoulder at Brandt, “it certainly looks hard.”

“I think we need a test. Just to be sure,” Brandt murmured, his body close to hers. Reaching around her waist, he took Ash’s cock in his hand. Coherent thought became nearly impossible as she watched.

Ash looked up into her face, reaching out to caress the line of her jaw. “Like silk. Always so soft.”
So much happening all at once. Despite being slightly overwhelmed, her attention was seized by Brandt’s fist, lazily pumping around Ash’s cock.

“Oh, that’s not the test. You know I just like to touch Ash’s cock.” He did? Well things were just getting better and better! “You need to suck it. I’ll think up the rest of the test as we go along.” Brandt moved his thumb up and over the head, spreading the moisture gathered there and brought it to her lips. She sucked it inside and tasted the spice of Ash and the tang of Brandt’s skin.

She moaned breathily around Brandt’s thumb and bit it gently before sucking on it.

“Sweet holy gods,” Ash breathed out and her attention turned back to him.

Brandt pulled his hand back and Sera leaned over Ash’s body to kiss his lips. Their tastes mingled. She heard the rustle of the rest of Brandt’s clothing being removed and he was back behind her body within moments.

“You know the way I like it, Freka.” Ash moved the caress from her jawline to her neck.

She froze at his use of the name he’d long called her, the name of a goddess he’d said she reminded him of. The pain of what they’d had and lost knifed through her and she sat up, moving out of his reach, her hand pressed over her mouth as if to hold in the scream of agony that threatened to flow from her.

Ash’s eyes closed for a moment and he moved, slowly, toward her. Brandt put his arms around her and murmured in her ear, “Be calm now.”

Ash stopped just in front of her body. He wasn’t touching her but a deep breath by any of them would have achieved that.

In her mind he spoke as Brandt listened too. “There has only been you. Forever and a day and it’s been you. There are so many things I want to say but cannot just now. I don’t have the right words. But I know you know me.” His eyes plead with her to understand him. To hear around what he could not say.

How long had she wanted to hear these things from him? Wanted to believe them? Looking into Ash’s eyes she did believe it and without a doubt. There were a lot of things to work out. She wasn’t sure what would happen when she wasn’t Sela Carter, concubine. But for that moment, she was Sera and he was the man she’d loved all those years before—before the pain.

A long, shuddering breath came from her lungs and she cocked her head slightly, inviting a kiss. With a groan, he moved toward her that last bit and their bodies touched just before his lips came down upon hers with crushing force.

It was a kiss of claiming as well as healing. Ash marked her with those scalding kisses as much as the tattoo on her back did. It was a melding of teeth and tongue and lips with a depth of intensity that felt as if he wanted to crawl inside her body.

All the while, Brandt stayed behind her, pressed against her, whispering in her ear that she was beautiful and sexy and how much he wanted her.

Ash broke contact and stared into her eyes for long moments, letting the unsaid be spoken through his gaze. “Now, I believe you were given an order.”

She gulped and barely suppressed a shiver of need at his tone. Her hands caressed the hard planes of his chest and stomach. She leaned in to skate her lips down the warm line of his jaw and to the hollow just below his ear, swirling her tongue there, feeling the frantic beat of his pulse.

Hands braced on his thighs for balance, her mouth skimmed downwards until she found his flat, hard nipple. He moaned as she brought the edge of her teeth over first one and then the other. Her mouth remembered what he liked and where he liked it as she moved it over his body, reading his desire by touch.

Leontine at her Book Realm says of UNDERCOVER: Undercover is set ablaze with emotion as it is brimming with awe-commanding characters and provocative erotic scenes that had me reacting with the pulls-pounding need to keep on reading. Lauren Dane has concocted a story with the finest elements of what the Erotica genre has to offer. My first novel has definitely not been my last of this author! My complements.

Limecello at Good, Bad and Unread gives UNDERCOVER an A- and says: Undercover put Lauren Dane on the bestseller’s list, and for good reason. I’ve really enjoyed Ms. Dane’s writing, and think that each of her works that I’ve read is better than the last. Make sure you have a lot of time when reading this book, because you won’t want to put it down.

Dianna at Manic Readers gives UNDERCOVER 4 1/2 stars and says in part: Undercover is a compelling and wild read. The delicate workings of what it takes to make a ménage work is understood by Lauren Dane and used in such a way to make the reader wish that they were a part of the situation going on in the story.

Recommended Read from Joyfully Reviewed! The danger and intrigue that followed them added an extra touch of spice that kept me up all night because I had to know what was next. There were a couple of places where the interaction even gave me goosebumps. I’m supposed to say what my opinion is of the books I review, so my opinion of Undercover is that you should be in line at your favorite bookstore the day it comes out. In other words, it is a Recommended Read for me, one I plan on reading over and over again.

Danny at Loveromances gives UNDERCOVER five Hearts: I have been a long time fan of Ms. Dane’s works and I know all of her books, but UNDERCOVER really knocked me out of my shoes. The book is absolutely terrific and unique. I can’t remember when I have read such a good SciFi story, it’s been ages. Ms. Dane delivers her readers a wonderful mixture of SciFi, BDSM and Menage elements, and the story is full of emotions. The author takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride, that will have you laughing and crying with the characters. It’s one of those rare books, that will stay with you for a long time. For me it will definitely get a special place on my keeper shelf. Ms. Dane has created such a special and unusual world for this book, that I hope that there will be many books set in it.

Holly at Book Binge gives UNDERCOVER 4 of 5 and says in part: I really liked how Dane wrote Sera’s character. D/s relationships are one of those things for me that only work sometimes. Too often I think authors aren’t able to show the women as strong in their own right, despite being subs. Sera was definitely a strong woman, despite being topped by first Ash years ago, and now both Ash and Brant. Outside of the bedroom she’s a woman to be reckoned with. A decorated officer in the military, she can and does kick ass. The opening scene with her and Ash – where they saw each other for the first time in years – was brilliant and really showed her strength of character, I think. (…)

Brandt and Ash were both well written characters. I really liked the contrast of their personalities. Ash is the more forceful of the two, and definitely the less patient. Brandt really balanced him out, I think. Brandt was calm and collected, and because he didn’t have history with Sera he was often the voice of reason between them. Each of them was different and yet, like Sera, I loved them equally, though I definitely wanted to beat Ash in the beginning.

Stephanie says: The way Ms. Dane writes ménage trio and this other universe had me completely enthralled with the book from beginning to end. (…) Ms. Dane writes the characters and world in a way that pulls me out of this world and into theirs. I love when a book can do that for me.

Five bookmarks from Jennifer at Wild On Books: UNDERCOVER is a really great story, and one that I expect will garner more than a few new fans for Ms. Dane’s work. With a delicious blend of kinky sex, suspense, and romance, this story grabs the reader’s attention and doesn’t let go until the final page.

Valerie says: This book is one of my favorite Lauren Dane creations. I can’t recommend it highly enough – get your copy today!

Greta at I Don’t Want to Wait, I Want The Book Now says: Anytime I read a book and can laugh out-loud one minute and cry tears the next is a definite keeper. Lauren Dane has truly outdone herself with UNDERCOVER and I cannot wait to see what she has planned next for this world. I hope everyone reads and falls in love with book as much as I have.

Mandy at Fresh Fiction says: UNDERCOVER is a hot, sexy and action-packed piece of writing that will keep you glued to every page wondering what will happen next. A fabulous read!

Maura at Realms of The Raven says: Undercover is a rich, compelling story full of tons of emotion, intrigue, a thrilling sensuality, amazing sex and a happily ever after that made me sigh and smile for the characters. I will complain that it was so good, it made me late for work one day when I lost track of time and couldn’t put it down. It was fast paced but just right for the story. I never felt bored or wanted to skip ahead to the “good parts” – they were ALL good parts.

Chrissy at Romance Junkies gives UNDERCOVER Five Blue Ribbons: Wow! This book rocks! Lauren Dane pulls out all the stops with this soul searing, awe-inspiring read. Sera is a ballsy kick-ass character whom I absolutely love. Ash and Brandt are dominant men and each is a member of a ruling Family, which adds an extra complication and emotional aspect to the storyline. Sera’s feistiness really cracked me up but she also has an emotional vulnerability to Ash and Brandt that drew me into the relationship so that I felt like I was there watching as each scene between them played out (and believe me there are some scenes that heated my face and left me tingly all over). UNDERCOVER may very well be Lauren Dane’s best work to date. Definitely a must read and deserving of a special spot on the keeper shelf.

Voracious Reader says in part: Oh, and in case you like your story with a little bit more than “just” the erotic romance, than this is definitely the story for you! It has family, enemies, action, adventure and intrigue. This is a MUST buy for everyone’s TBB list!! And this will positively go into my re-read pile!

Lori at Don’t Talk Just Read says in part: Many of Dane’s books take me out of my comfort zone, and she is one of the few authors I trust to do so. I go willingly with her. I know I will always get “human” characters; flawed, but endearing; straight-talking, but not unattractively so; and an involving story, with a defined beginning, middle, and end. I never feel cheated reading a Dane book. This one was definitely outside my comfort zone – not because of the ménage, the (very mild) BDSM, or even the (again, very mild) m/m, but for the setting itself. It’s not my favorite setting at all, in fact one I rarely read, if ever. I like it even less than shifter books. But Dane’s strong characterization and gentle handling of the D/s relationships carried me through, and made it a thoroughly enjoyable journey.

Terri at Night Owl Romance gives Undercover four hearts and says in part: This book kept me up way past when I normally go to bed at night and I couldn’t wait to pick it up again in the morning.

Jackie at Literary Escapism said in part: Right from the start, Undercover had me captivated. I mean, how many novels do you know that start out with a fistfight between two of the main characters? (…)

Harriet at The Merry Genre Go Round said in part: UNDERCOVER is a refreshing second chance at love science fiction romance with the unique twist of a ménage a trois rather than the usual two suspects coming back together. The triangule is hotter than Mercury as Sera and Ash overcome their volcanic past with Brandt adding spice to the mix.

April says: There are not enough words in the english language to describe how fantabulous this book is. It shows the true development of emotion between the three main characters. Yet it is so steamy I thought it would burn the pages ;)

Annmarie says: There is action, and suspense and family drama and social barriers. All are tied and work together wonderfully. I loved this book and it will be on my keeper shelf. Lauren has done it again.

Joy says: The setting for Undercover is fabulous. Ms Dane’s attention to detail made this futuristic world ring true. The action was intriguing and exciting and the BDSM elements made the sex sizzle. Ash and Brandt had unresolved family issues that led to angst all round and it was tangible. Through it all, there was no doubt that I was reading a fantastic love story. I dare you to read Undercover and be unaffected.

UNDERCOVER by Lauren Dane

Meet Sera:

Meet Brandt:

Meet Ash:

Short Teaser