What's my first line contest

My newest novel has launched but with a slight glitch. "Lair of the Jaguar God" is a M/M paranormal romance that asks the question "can a young archeologist find happiness with a Mayan were-jaguar?" Because, well, that's the sort of question I like to ask.

The glitch you wonder? Well, the excerpts for the novel went out to romance review sites without the first line of the novel. The publisher is working on getting the excerpts updated, but I've decided to host a contest in honor of my first line.

Now through the end of February, all readers need to do is drop into my blog and leave me a comment with the first line of my novel on it. I'm helping out by including a short excerpt from the work. The first line is just three words long. Just read and go to MarieDees.com to enter the contest. At the end of the month, I'll chose a random winner who will get a free ebook of "The Lair of the Jaguar God."


Lair of the Jaguar God

“Virgin, Completely untouched.”

Kit jerked upright, knocking over one of the duffel bags piled in the back of the Jeep with him. Who’d told the professor? He stared at Owen’s gray ponytail and wished he could sink beneath the pile of supplies and disappear.

Owen glanced over his shoulder. “You okay back there, Kit?”

“Fine, Professor.” He lifted the bag up, listening for anything that sounded broken. “Your bag–”

“Clothes and an extra pair of boots. Just kick it to one side if it’s in your way.” The professor turned his attention back to the rutted dirt track they were driving along and waved a tanned hand at the trees alongside the road. “Jungle covered the old city completely. I suspect Tony knew it was there all along. Had to prove myself to him before he helped me accidentally find it.” He chuckled, and Elizabeth, sitting in the passenger seat, nodded without looking up from her clipboard.

Cheeks burning, Kit stared out into the trees. Virgin. He should have known Owen meant the jungle. He’d been rambling on about it and the dig site since they’d left the airport in Guatemala City. He’d probably rambled about it on the plane, but Kit hadn’t rated a seat near the professor. Instead he’d been stuck in a middle seat between Mitch and Gator. Which was why he’d chosen to spend the rest of the journey bouncing along with the professor’s supplies. The duffel bags were better company.

He’d paid attention to everything Owen said as they drove through the city, but when they entered the jungle, he lost focus. The sound of the traffic disappeared, and Owen’s monologue faded as the sounds of the jungle called to him. Kit could hear birds taking flight in the canopy, and when he closed his eyes, he could smell the richness of the dirt, the sweetness of fruit and flowers, and even the musky scent from the small animals hiding in the trees. It all felt familiar, though it shouldn’t have.

“Kit, I think you’ll like Tony,” Owen shot over his shoulder. “He’ll enjoy having someone new to show around the place. His jungle, as he calls it.”

“Okay.” He hoped that sounded normal. The professor’s comment couldn’t mean anything. He’d been introduced to a few guys he was supposed to “like” during his first year of college, and it had taken him a while to catch on. Just because he hadn’t–with a girl. Or even a guy. Damn it, why couldn’t anything about him ever be normal?