It’s Snippet Saturday again, and this week’s theme is First Kiss. My excerpt is from one of my earlier Ellora’s Cave books, a contemporary called Summer in the City of Sails. Don’t forget to check out this week’s other snippets by following the links below.
SUMMER IN THE CITY OF SAILS by Shelley Munro
“Let go of me.” The brute. How dare he manhandle her? How dare he interfere in her private life? Her love life was none of his business.
He settled the dispute by yanking her even closer so she felt every muscle in his body, all the way down. Some of the muscles appeared to grow. She froze and mortified color heated her cheeks. She would not look down. She would not look down.
Summer looked down. His cock bulged in his jeans, showing she wasn’t the only one with a sexual appetite. A gasp escaped, and the fiery heat in her face escalated.
Nikolai chuckled—a smug masculine sound. “Yeah. Now, if I let you go, are you going to behave yourself?”
Summer gave a clipped nod, and Nikolai loosened his hold. She promptly balled her hand into a fist and plowed it into his stomach. The air exploded from his lungs with a satisfying hiss.
“That’s for being nosy,” she snapped.
An instant later, she was plastered against his body again. His lips moved and she realized he was speaking. Summer tried to hold onto her righteous anger, tried to concentrate, but she had trouble ripping her gaze from his beautiful lips. Go figure, she thought hazily. Who’d have thought she’d find his lips so interesting, especially since they mostly growled at her.
“Are you listening to me?”
Her head wobbled with the force of his shake. “It’s a little difficult when I can’t breathe. I’m starting to feel light-headed.” It was his proximity causing that all right! His cock dug into her belly. Gave a girl all sorts of interesting ideas. She traced his lips with her gaze. Would they feel soft? Hard? Or somewhere in between? Did she dare kiss him? All in the name of research, of course!
Summer stretched up on tiptoe even as she formulated the thought and pressed her lips to his. He froze, and she laughed inside, delighting in his reaction.
Flummoxed.
She’d managed to surprise the big, bad SAS man.
Her arms crept up behind his head, her fingers running through the long, silky strands of his hair. He groaned, drew her closer and took over the kiss. Which was a good thing since she’d reached the upper limits of her experience.
Summer pressed closer and felt the steady thud-thud of his heart. His hands smoothed their way from her upper arms to cup her face. Summer realized she was no longer held captive, that she remained plastered against his body of her own volition.
His tongue flicked across the seam of her lips, traced her bottom lip and then her top. Corny though it was, Summer saw fireworks explode behind her closed eyes. Bright flashes of orange and blue, electric yellow and fiery red burst inside her mind.
“Open your mouth,” he murmured, his voice low and husky.
Oh, yeah, Summer thought. That’s what Miranda magazine had recommended. She surrendered to the suggestion and tasted the vanilla spice of her favorite coffee along with the heady taste of Nikolai. His tongue delved into her mouth, thrusting and parrying then retreating.
Summer trembled. Lordy. Miranda knew what they were talking about. This was absolutely the best part…so far. She tried to recall the next step, but it was too difficult to concentrate. Going with the flow seemed much easier.
Nikolai froze when Summer gave a soft moan, and he came to earth with a bump. Hell, he had his tongue down her throat. How the hell had that happened? He eased back on the kiss, but wasn’t able to stop himself having another quick taste of her top lip. Man, she tasted good. She felt good too—soft in all the right places. No bony hips on this girl. Just lots of luscious curves…
He dived in for one last kiss before he eased away with real regret. His gaze went to her lips. They were red and glistened from his kisses. For a moment, he was tempted to let go of all good sense and kiss her again, then guilt let rip with a swift kick to his conscience. Get a visual, Henry had said. So what did he do? He went one better and copped a feel.
I spent the afternoon at my favorite mall today and met up with a friend for lunch, a glass of wine and some chatter. Before I met my friend, I did some quick shopping.
Lingerie. I love the stuff, but I’ve been a good girl and haven’t splurged for a while. I had a gift certificate burning a hole in my wallet and since there was a sale, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. I couldn’t believe how expensive everything was, even with thirty per cent off. Still, I managed to purchase a bra and matching panties in a pretty blue that looks good with my eyes. It was fun lingerie shopping, although I’m still reeling at the rising prices.
I also visited the Body Shop. The service is always good at the Body Shop and the assistant offered to help me straight away. I wanted to browse and politely told her so, but she kept talking and trying to sell me stuff. She was very pushy and I wasn’t impressed at all. I never thought I’d say it, but there is such a thing as being too helpful.
When was the last time you purchased lingerie? Is it a fun experience for you? Have you experienced the pushy, over-helpful shop assitant before?
When I was a kid there were quite a few vegetables I didn’t like. My parents, however, had rules. If my brother, sister and I didn’t eat our vegetables, we didn’t get dessert. It was as simple as that. I learned to slog through cauliflower and parsnips, very grateful for cheese sauce, which helped make the vegetables go down easier.
These days I eat a mainly vegetarian diet. My tastes have changed and some of my childhood hates have faded.
Thirteen Vegetables I Like to Eat
1. Potatoes. (follow the link to visit an earlier TT on potatoes)
2. Carrots – both raw and cooked. They contain vitamin A, iron, calcium. Great in stews, soups and salads.
3. Spinach – in lasagne or risotto. Contains vitamin A, calcium and iron.
4. Cauliflower – nice with a tomato based sauce or cheese sauce.
5. Mushrooms – we eat mushrooms with almost everything. Not strictly a vegetable. Vitamins B2 and B3.
6. Peas – frozen peas are an excellent standby when the vege crisper is almost empty.
7. Sweetcorn – microwaved with butter.
8. Pumpkin – great in soups, cold in salads and roasted.
9. Kumara (sweet potato) – roasted. – contain iron and vitamin C.
10. Broccoli – with cheese sauce. – contain vitamins A, B, and C.
11. Beetroot – yummy served hot with horseradish sauce.
12. Green Beans – in a salad or boiled as a side dish. A rough chopped tomato type sauce goes well with beans.
13. Brussel Sprouts – they go with chestnuts very well and a little butter. Contain Vitamin A, B and C.
Which vegetables do you enjoy most? Which vegetables did you hate as a child? Do you still hate them? How did your parents get you to eat your vegetables?
Mr. Munro and I watched a food documentary about the history of ice cream during the weekend. It was fascinating, charting the history of ice cream in Britain and giving us a glimpse of Walls, the ice cream people.
It’s said that ice cream was first invented by Roman Nero when he combined ice and fruit toppings. In China they combined milk and ice, and it’s thought that this method eventually made its way to Europe, the harbinger of our modern ice cream.
A lady called Mrs. Marshall invented an ice cream freezer. She was a famous cook, along the lines of Mrs. Beeton, and wrote four cookbooks. She also invented the edible ice cream cone, the recipe published in an 1888 recipe book. A very clever lady.
Check out this link for making Asparagus Ices. They look amazing and the recipe is from one of Mrs. Marshall’s books.
During the documentary they said that worldwide the favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla. Personally, I only eat vanilla if it has chocolate sauce with it. I much prefer a flavor such as hokey pokey or something with chocolate or fruit in it.
Do you like ice cream and what is your favorite flavor? What did you think of the Asparagus Ices? Would you try them?
I had lots of fun making this trailer for my book Tea For Two. My hubby thought I was very clever, but I have to be honest and say it wasn’t difficult once I worked out what I was doing.
Tea For Two is coming out in print on 1 August and is available for pre-order now. Enjoy the movie!
When I used to work in an office and at the bank I wore makeup – usually the full works. These days I’m lucky if I manage lipstick. I always wear a moisturiser, and I choose one with a SP15 or more. The New Zealand climate is pretty unforgiving and a sunscreen is necessary during summer and winter. I have freckles popping out like…like… Actually I’m not sure what to compare these cheeky freckles with but there’s a lot of them.
I don’t even use perfume these days, preferring scented body lotions instead – namely Body Shop’s Body Butter. It’s my favorite.
I put on lipstick, tinted moisteriser and brushed on a mineral type powder when I went to the mall on Saturday. The lipstick tasted funny, and when I thought about it, I decided I’d had it for a while. It’s way past time for me to go through my makeup and toss most of it because it’s old!
I came across this online article about choosing a foundation. I thought it was quite helpful so I’m adding the link for you all to check out.
Do you wear makeup, and if so, which products do you use on a regular basis? If you had to choose one item of makeup to wear, what would it be? (Let’s say you’re on a desert island or some place similar)
A group of authors, including me, have banded together in a new endeavor. Each Saturday we’re posting an excerpt, character sketch or interview that ties in with a theme. At the bottom of each post you’ll find links to other authors who have done posts with the same theme.
This week’s theme is Defining Moment. I’m not doing a post this week but the following authors are. Please check out their posts, comment and say hello.
Our local council runs a program called Women on the Move. Each month they organize a day trip to help women get out in the great outdoors, exercise and have some fun. I took a day off writing today and joined their day trip to Tiritiri Matangi.
Tiritiri Matangi means “looking to the wind”. It’s an island sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf, not far from Auckland. Not that long ago Tiritiri was farmed and the original forest cut down to make way for grassland. The Department of Conservation took over the island and hundreds of volunteers replanted native trees to reforest the island. All pests such as rats, cats, mice and stoats were eradicated. Once this was done some of New Zealand’s rarer birds were introduced to the pest-free sanctuary.
Before we arrived at the island by ferry we were asked to check our shoes and remove mud etc. We also had to check our bags and remove any rats or mice or other pests we found. Luckily I was all safe on that score!
The weather has been horrid for the last couple of weeks but today it was a gorgeous morning. We walked through the bush, stopping regularly to check out the birds we saw.
They have kiwis on the island, although they’re nocturnal so we didn’t see any. They also have tuatara but the winter sun wasn’t enough to entice them out of their burrows.
It started raining just as we headed to the lighthouse for lunch. There’s a takahe called Greg. He’s 16 years old and is very bossy and cheeky. He hovered under our tables and tried to grab our sandwiches if we held them within his reach. He wandered inside the coffee shop, much to the amusement of the group of school kids and tried his luck in there before one of the ladies shooed him outside.
After lunch we explored a little more, checking out the birds at the feeders before we headed down to the wharf to catch the ferry back to inner Auckland. I really enjoyed my day on Tiritiri.
This is what a normal takahe looks like. They normally graze on grass not sandwiches stolen from lunch boxes.
I mentioned earlier this week that I’m doing some research into Regency England. What started me on this path? I picked up a copy of The Amorous Antics of Old England by Nigel Cawthorne when I last visited the library. Reading it sparked a story idea.
I give you thirteen tidbits from The Amorous Antics of Old England.
1. Dating agencies are not a new thing. Matrimonial clubs were set up as early as 1700 where members aided each other to make a good match.
2. Bundling was practiced widely until the 19th century. During the colder months when a household retired early, a young lover would go to bed with his intended. The young couple were expected to keep on their clothes. Sometimes the girl was sewn into a bundling sack so that things wouldn’t progress too far. Of course this bundling procedure didn’t always go according to plan!
3. In old Scotland a couple could get engaged by going to a nearby stream at night, washing their hands in its waters and then joining hands across it. Poet Robert Burns was betrothed to Mary Campbell this way.
4. Originally an engagement ring was three rings held together by a small rivet. Together they were called a gimmal. At the engagement, one part was given to the man, one to the woman and the third to a close friend who witnessed the betrothal. They would wear the three parts until the wedding, where the gimmal was recombined to make the bride’s wedding ring.
5. During Anglo-Saxon times, if a man had many daughters he was deemed rich because there were many women in his household to do the cooking and cleaning, raise crops and tend livestock. When he lost a daughter to marriage, he needed compensation in the form of a mund or purchase price.
6. In the north of England, young men who attended a wedding vied to pluck the garter from the leg of the bride as soon as the ceremony was over. The bride wore special ribbon garters, which were easily detached. She also wore them low on her leg to discourage over familiar hands. As part of the deal the bride was meant to scream and run away. Sometimes the young men knocked the bride over in the melee.
7. In old England, women wore charms around their necks to preserve their virtue. This meant both charm and virtue could be dispensed with easily!
8. If an Englishman was cuckolded, he advertised the fact. A ship’s captain found his wife in a compromising situation with one of his sailors. He had her stripped naked and put astride a mast with her lover on the other side. They were them bedecked with streamers and carried around East London. A band and a crowd of onlookers followed.
9. Wife selling was another way to deal with an adulterous or unsatisfactory wife. They were sold through small ads in newspapers. Sometimes a husband was disposed of in the same manner, although this was rarer.
10. Prostitution was big in London. It wasn’t necessary to pick up a girl on the street. A book called Harris’ List of Convent Garden Ladies was published with around 80 women appearing in each edition. The listings included their name, physical attributes, specialties and charges. Around 8000 copies of the book were sold of each edition.
11. In the 18th Century there were brothels catering to women as well. The owners would often cater to women of a better class who wished to amuse themselves with young male clients.
12. In the late 18th century, it was widely believed that the cure for venereal disease was to have sex with someone unaffected. This led to the rape of a large number of underage girls.
13. When James I came to the throne, he introduced sumptuous new fashions. He also passed an act requiring young women to be seen in public with their breasts exposed to the nipple. This was seen as a sign of their virginity. In the court of Charles II, women who weren’t virgins exposed their necks, shoulders, arms and breasts. This was condemned.
There are some things my husband can do that I can’t, and it just drives me crazy.
One, there’s the Vulcan Salute. That’s the gesture Mr. Spock and his fellow Vulcan do as part of their greeting. There’s a photo and a description here. No matter how I hold my mouth and pucker my brow, I can’t do it! And speaking of open mouths, yes, I do that when I’m applying mascara as per yesterday’s Ever Wonder.
Two, I can’t touch the tip of my tongue to the tip of my nose. Now, there probably isn’t a good reason to actually do this. I mean it looks stupid. Hubby can do it and I can’t. Annoying because he gets this smug grin that drives me crazy.
I can, however, tongue curl. Not everyone can do that so there! Evidently, it’s a genetic thing.
Can you do the Vulcan Salute, touch the tip of your tongue to your nose or do the tongue curl?
SUMMER IN THE CITY OF SAILS by Shelley Munro
