Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Today’s theme for Snippet Saturday is characters at work or play or living it up. I’ve picked an excerpt from my sensual romantic suspense, Playing to Win. Lane and Kate, the hero and heroine, have traveled to Taupo, which is in the middle of the North Island. It’s a beautiful place where I enjoyed many holidays during my teens. If you’re interested in seeing some photos check out the photo essay for Playing to Win.

Playing to Win by Shelley Munro

By the time Kate pulled on her lime green bikini, she could hear the children laughing and calling out to Adam and Lane. Danielle had grinned at her and hurried outside a few minutes earlier. Kate scanned her reflection in the dressing room mirror and scowled. She wished she’d packed her other swimsuit—the conservative one-piece. This bikini might be fashionable, but it showed far too much of her autumn-pale body.

“Stop dithering,” she muttered. She pulled on a shirt, hoping to yank on some confidence at the same time. After giving her bikini briefs one last twitch, she walked outside to the largest pool where the others were already in the water.

“Kate, you’re missing all the fun,” Jamie protested.

“Who wants to try the water slide?” Danielle asked.

“Me!” Seth shouted.

“Me!” Jamie echoed.

“I’m game,” Adam drawled to his wife.

In an instant, the boys were off with Adam and Danielle trailing behind.

Kate peered through the swirling steam and self-consciously shrugged out of her shirt. After dropping it with her towel on the side, she eased her way into the pool, letting her body adjust to the heat.

Suddenly, a hand snaked out and tugged at her calf, making her yelp in surprise.

Lane’s gray eyes sparkled up at her. “You took your time.” His gaze took in her form in the green bikini. “But the wait was worth it.”

The intense heat in his eyes made Kate sink quickly into the water. Her flesh tingled as his arm skimmed across her ribs, the sensation of overheating nothing to do with the water temperature and everything to do with the man’s roving eyes and hands.

“My imagination didn’t do you justice.” He pulled back to read her expression and flashed a roguish smile. “You’re stunning.”

Kate made a small choked sound and edged away, but his arm reached out and curled around her waist, tugging her to him and fitting her against his muscular chest. In the dim light, the shouts and laughter from the next pool seemed miles away, her entire world consisting solely of Lane.

“Kate, I just want to hold you.”

The need in his voice touched a twin chord within her and she released her unease. Slowly, she reached out to place a hand on his chest. A shudder went through him, the solid muscle bunching under her touch. One masculine finger reached out to trace the line of her bikini top. Kate’s head jerked up to meet his magnetic gaze. The heat in his eyes stole her breath.

He wanted her and the knowledge made her blood sing.

“Touch me, Kate,” he whispered, his eyes holding a dare, challenge and the stirring embers of passion.

Heartened, she explored, smoothing hands over broad shoulders, tangling fingers in his chest hair. Exercising the freedom he granted, she fingered flat male nipples. She pursed her lips, fighting a smile at his sudden intake of breath. Her heart thumped and her gaze shot to his again. Invisible energy arced between them when their lower bodies touched. She shivered when his erection brushed against her.

“Kate.” He dipped his head, trailing a line of tiny kisses across her brow then angled his kisses down toward her mouth.

This time it was her who stifled a throaty groan. It felt so good. She wound her arms around his neck and arched against his hard body, relishing the slide of wet skin against her breasts.

A giggle jerked them apart. Lane lifted his head and Kate spied the two young girls playing at the shallow end of the pool. Chuckling softly, Lane clasped her hand and tugged her into the dark shadows of the deeper water where the combination of steam and lack of light screened them from most prying eyes.

Kate shivered, the warm buoyant water lapping around her shoulders. Lane’s chest nudged her breasts and their limbs entwined below the water. Her heart fluttered wildly as his lips descended.

Heat.

Hot. Heady. Seductive.

Her lips parted to taste him and she desperately wished her bikini top away so their chests were skin to skin.

“That feels good, Kate,” Lane said softly, his husky voice sending her nerves in a sensuous dance of delight.
His fierce arousal burned into her lower body, leaving no doubt as to the strength of his need. A throaty chuckle welled up from inside her and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer.

“Excuse me, Kate!”

Kate jumped on hearing Jamie’s loud but guarded voice and thrashed against Lane’s chest. She swallowed a mouthful of water before Lane grabbed her.

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To read other excerpts from authors participating in Snippet Saturday follow the links below:

Eliza Gayle, Jody Wallace, Kelly Maher, McKenna Jeffries, Michelle M Pillow, Moira Rogers, S. J. Day, Sasha White, Shelley Munro, Taige Crenshaw, Vivian Arend, Lauren Dane

The topic for today’s Snippet Saturday is Prologues. I thought I’d written quite a few prologues but, when I went looking, there weren’t many at all. I know a lot of readers and publishers don’t like them. I don’t mind a prologue as long as it serves a purpose and gives the reader information that isn’t readily available elsewhere.

My prologue is taken from Summer in the City of Sails, and we learn about the villain and what he wants.

Summer in the City of Sails by Shelley Munro

“I’m not telling him. You tell him.”

“It was your fault. You left the book in the taxi,” Marty snarled back at Ross. His hands curled to fists, and it looked as though he was ready to straighten the kink in his brother’s nose.

Dare Martin had heard enough. He strode into his Auckland office and shut the door behind him. The soft thud of wood sliding home muted the chatter from the early dinner crowd out in his restaurant and acted like a bomb explosion on his cousins. They whirled to face him, their familiar features bearing expressions ranging from uneasiness and trepidation to outright fear. He stepped away to stop himself from grabbing their dumb-ass heads and banging them together.

“I hope you’re fooling around.” Dare’s low growl displayed irritation, but the sound was mild considering the touchy subject. He dropped into the high-tech leather chair that sat behind the rimu-veneer desk and leaned back to observe them closely. They’d better be kidding, or he’d give them old-fashioned cement boots and drop them in the blue waters of the Hauraki Gulf. The book held an important place in his plans to take over the Ngataki family business. Hell, important be damned. It was bloody essential. “Where’s the book?” His normally lazy drawl flattened to crisp and no-nonsense.

Marty backed up and edged to the door, his chubby face paling to reveal a mug full of freckles. “Ross left it in the cab. We realized we’d lost…ah…left it and grabbed another cab to follow. When we caught up with the driver, he said there was no package on the backseat of his cab.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t there,” Ross said.

Marty glared at his brother then continued. “When we followed the cab, we saw him drop off at the library on Wellesley Street. A woman got out with a loada packages. I think she thought our package belonged to her and took it with her.”

Pissed, yielded swiftly to fury, but apart from lifting his hands to grip the edge of the desk, Dare kept his expression impassive. “I want that book.”

“We couldn’t find her in the library, but turns out the bird works there. We saw her leave and followed her home to Bottle Top Bay, boss,” Marty said.

“Yeah, we know where she lives. Young bird, she is. Nice tits.” Ross’ brows waggled up and down, and he smirked the dopey grin that never failed to prod Dare’s temper.
“If you know where she lives then get the friggin’ book back!” Dare roared, letting rip with his frustration. Goddamned bloody relatives. “I don’t give a rat’s arse how you do it. Just get it back.”

“Sure, boss.” Marty’s beefy hand reached for the wooden doorknob. “The house is isolated—just the one next door. Breaking in won’t be a problem.” He spoke so quickly his words ran together into one, a sure sign he sensed how close they were to bodily harm.

“Yeah, no problem, boss,” Ross said, his bearded chin bobbing up and down in agreement.

Dare sucked in a deep breath. A Goddamned bloody farce, that’s what this was. No wonder he’d found a gray hair this morning. After another calming breath, he flipped a red hardbound book open and reached for his engraved silver pen to add a notation to the margin. A soft shuffle of shoes made his head jerk up. “You still here?”

“Need a car,” Ross muttered.

“Steal one.” Dare seethed as he delivered the obvious answer. The blow his cousin had copped during that brawl last year had left him two sandwiches short of a picnic. “And don’t get caught because I won’t bail you out.”

Dare gripped his silver pen tightly and concentrated on his bookwork. Lumbering footsteps followed by a click as the door shut indicated his cousins had left. Dare tossed the pen down in disgust and leaned back. His chair slid smoothly into a reclining position.

He had a dream, a vision of power and how the future would pan out.

Nothing was going to get in the way of his dream.

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To read other Saturday Snippets follow the links below:

Sylvia Day
Shelley Munro
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sasha White
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson
Beth Kery
Mandy Roth
Viv Arend
Lauren Dane

The theme for this week is villains, and in particular a meeting between the main characters and the villain. My scene is from Currents Run Deep, an orca shapeshifter novella. This is the first encounter with the villains, and they don’t say anything during this quick meeting. In this scene Asia is meeting Roman for a date. They come from opposing tribes, and Asia is a little apprehensive yet excited as well. After all, what harm will one little date cause?

Currents Run Deep by Shelley Munro

Asia slipped out the side door and paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. At the far end of the small alley, illumination from a streetlamp spilled in from the main street. Asia heard the rumble of a car before it turned into the adjacent street and faded, leaving a throbbing silence.

Fumes from rotten food rose from the large rubbish bin between her and the exit of the alley. A shadow shifted, separating from the brick wall of the nightclub. Roman was waiting for her. A combination of relief and excitement fizzled through her veins. Asia paused to take a deep breath, knowing she was running a risk yet unable to withstand the temptation. A woman would need to be stark raving mad to turn down a date with Roman.

A metallic clang broke the night. A shout. The smack of fist against human flesh. Asia rounded the bin at a sprint and saw three dark-clad men attacking Roman.

“Hey!” she hollered. “Stop that!”

Two of the men paused while the third slammed a fist into Roman’s belly and kicked him viciously. Roman fell, his head colliding with the footpath with a sickening thump.

Asia rushed forward, screeching at the top of her voice. “Fire! Fire! Someone help. There’s a fire!”

One of the men spoke in a low, guttural voice—too low for Asia to catch the words. She kept running and almost turned her ankle in a pothole. Damn high heels!

“Fire!” she shouted, righting herself and ignoring the pain in her panic to stop them hurting Roman.

The three men melted into the darkness but not before one of them kicked Roman several times in the ribs. Asia leapt at him, ready to do some damage of her own, but he was too strong and thrust her away like an unwanted piece of litter. Her butt hit the footpath with enough force to jar her entire body. Jagged pain snaked up her spine, making her eyes water.

“Oh,” she muttered, moving gingerly to discover the extent of the damage. Bruised, she decided, but there was nothing broken.

The side door she’d exited through burst open, pummeling the brick wall with a bang. Excited voices neared from behind, and she heard the rapid retreat of footsteps. Bother and damn. They’d escape before anyone could do anything. She had no idea what they looked like either since they’d worn stocking ski masks to hide their faces.

Asia clambered to her feet and dragged her aching body over to Roman. A nasty gash on his forehead and another on his left cheekbone marred the previous perfection of his features. Blood dripped down his face from a cut above his eyes, giving him a grotesque appearance. Asia checked his pulse. Still breathing, but he didn’t seem conscious.

“Roman, can you hear me?”

Asia was aware he shouldn’t go to a hospital. The last thing any of them needed was a curious doctor or lab technician. The Resident Orcas probably had their own healer, the same as her tribe. Asia eased out a frustrated breath, wondering what to do. Damn, she couldn’t take Roman to their healer, either. That would be more dangerous than the hospital.

A groan dragged her mind away from the dilemma. His eyes flickered.

“Roman,” she whispered.

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Check out some of the other wonderful Snippet Saturday posts featuring villains by following the links below:

Leah Braemel
Victoria Janssen
Shelley Munro
Anya Bast
Cynthia Eden
SJ Day
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sacha White
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson

Today’s topic is food. I always think food scenes are a lot of fun and love writing them. I think they’re fun for the characters too. My scene today is taken from Assassin, book four in my Middlemarch Mates series featuring feline shapeshifters.

Assassin by Shelley Munro

“I’m feeling fine. You don’t need to treat me like an invalid.”

“But you were unconscious.”

“I’m not now. Do you have something sweet to eat in the picnic basket?”

“Probably,” Leo said.

“Good. Then that’s all I need to get my blood sugars up again. If you have coffee, that would help.”

Leo studied her closely. She certainly looked all right now with a definite sparkle in her eyes. After a brief hesitation, he decided she probably knew best. He stood and strode over to the picnic basket. When he checked the contents, he found two portions of a rich chocolate gâteaux. That should do the trick. He pulled out the gâteaux plus a spoon and returned to Isabella’s side. She’d arranged the blanket to screen her body and Leo smiled inwardly. Too late. He’d already had a good look.

“Here you go.” After he opened the plastic container for her, he held out the dessert and spoon, knowing Isabella would need to loosen her hold on the blanket in order to eat. Difficult to rake up even the faintest hint of guilt when he couldn’t wait to stare at her luscious body some more. “Eat as much as you need. I don’t mind sacrificing my portion for a good cause.”

Somehow Isabella managed to rearrange the blanket and accept the gâteaux without a hitch. While he watched, she dug into the dessert and lifted a spoonful to her mouth. Her eyes closed briefly when she tasted the gâteaux, and she let out a faint moan when it hit her taste buds. Fascinated, Leo couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched her swallow and saw her tongue come out to rasp against a piece of icing sticking to the spoon. She quickly spooned more into her mouth, the sheer carnality of the move and the tiny sounds of appreciation she made, jolting his body to full awareness.

“Are you going to share?” The husky cadence of his voice grabbed her attention immediately.

Her brows arched. “Do you want some?”

Oh yeah, baby. He wanted some big time, but for now he’d have to make do with gâteaux. “Please.” Suddenly Leo stilled, panic stirring inside. Every muscle in his body tightened, his bones ached, his body instructing him to shift. A fine time for his feline senses to tell him to pounce. Wouldn’t that just cap off his day? After sending his date into an unconscious state, he turned feral and jumped her. They’d probably hear her screech of horror in Middlemarch if he gave in to the impulse to shift to cat.

Leo strained for control, a fine tremor passing through his muscles. He sucked in a deep breath and gave his feline a mental push. Down kitty.

“Here you go.”

Leo glanced up to see a spoonful of chocolate gâteaux float in front of him. Instinctively he opened his mouth and closed his lips around the sweet confection. His pulse rate jumped like a startled rabbit when the chocolate flooded across his taste buds. His gaze met Isabella’s and he was lost.

Leo pounced.

Available from Ellora’s Cave: Purchase link

Follow the Snippet Saturday trail and read other excerpts:

Cynthia Eden
Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Michelle M Pillow
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Victoria Janssen
Marissa Scott
Maura Anderson
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Lacey Savage
Mark Henry
Shelli Stevens

Today’s theme for Snippet Saturday is heroine seduction (fail). My excerpt is from my Ellora’s Cave story, Fancy Free. It isn’t a failure exactly, but it’s not a success either.

As always, to read other snippets on the circuit follow the links below my excerpt.

Fancy Free by Shelley Munro

Alice hesitated for so long he thought he might have frightened her or pushed her too hard and fast. Finally she released her bottom lip and the pale column of her throat moved when she swallowed. “I want to explore your body,” she whispered. “I want to know what you like.” Her warm hand squeezed his ass again, the innocent touch a heated reverberation throughout his entire body.
Read the rest of this entry ?

I received my new cover for Cat Nap this week. I really love it. Syneca caught my heroes exactly–one in each form. To read an excerpt go here.

Today I’m blogging at Access Romance and I’m also guest at Christina Phillip’s blog. I’m talking about different things and giving away prizes at both places so do come and say hello!

And don’t forget that tomorrow is Snippet Saturday. The theme is Failed Seduction and you’re bound to find at least one book to add to your to-read pile. I know I do each time I follow the Snippet trail.

The topic for this week is outtakes. I recently submitted a manuscript to my editor and during the editing stage, I decided I needed to do some radical surgery. Painful though it was, I snipped off the first five chapters and discarded them. Here’s an excerpt from part of my original first chapter where Ryman Coppersmith, the hero is fleeing for his life.

A streetlamp flickered off and on, letting out a faint hiss and a lilac flash of illumination. When Ry cautiously rounded a corner, the chill wind stirred his hair, pulling more black strands from his queue, tugged his shirtsleeves down over tanned forearms. The glimpse of a redcoat brought his heart lurching up his throat. Ry hurried in the opposite direction, heading to the river. The narrow street appeared residential, the crooked wooden buildings in disrepair with missing timbers and windowpanes. Like the other streets, rubbish choked the broken cobblestones and festering, smelly drains and puddles were a danger to unwary pedestrians. Most of the windows remained dark but Ry sensed watchful eyes.

“Mister, fancy a tumble? I’ll treat ya real good.”

“Fukk.” Ry backed up rapidly until the wall of a house stopped retreat, his heart lurching in alarm.

The woman tossed her head and grinned. One front tooth was missing. “Yeah, mister. That’s wot I said. Wanna fukk?” She thrust out full breasts for his inspection and fluttered her lashes at him. “A big handsome gent like you. I’m right partial to raven black hair and pretty green eyes.” She shivered. “I can imagine your hair loose, falling around your shoulders while we fukk.”

Not even on a good day, lady. Ry inhaled deeply and immediately wished he hadn’t. Place stunk to high heavens. “No, thank you.” He turned to walk away before halting abruptly. “Would you help me with these cuffs? I’ll pay you.”

The woman cocked her head, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “How much?”

“I’ll give you my pocket watch. It’s golden metal.” Thankfully, the prison guards hadn’t stolen it earlier, leaving him something to bargain with.

“Not syn?”

“It’s real.” Ry jerked his head toward the golden chain attached to his waistcoat pocket. “Check for yourself.” Worry pummeled him at her caution, and he stilled, waiting for her decision. Heck, he understood her wariness but the woman was a trollop. She lived a life full of risk, especially in a location like this. Impatience and desperation finally loosened his tongue. “You were willing to fukk me. How is removing the cuffs any different?”

“Just is. I can see the muscle under the clothes. Ye could hurt me, if ye had a mind.” The woman sniffed and wiped the back of her hand across her nose. She looked him up and down, and he could practically hear her weigh up the risk. “Throw in your waistcoat and it’s a deal.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“Keep the cuffs then. Tis all the same to me.” With another sniff, she turned away.

“Wait. The watch and the waistcoat. They’re yours.”

To read other Snippet Saturday posts follow the links below:

Cynthia Eden
Victoria Janssen
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
Vivian Arend
Mark Henry
Shelley Munro
Jaci Burton
Mandy Roth
Eliza Gayle

It’s Snippet Saturday again, and this week’s theme is Fight Scene (physical). My excerpt is from one of my earlier Ellora’s Cave books, a contemporary sci-fi called Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters. Don’t forget to check out this week’s other snippets by following the links below.

TALKING DOGS, ALIENS & PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS by Shelley Munro

Janaya froze, her right hand on the Earthman’s upper thigh. His hands curled around her shoulders and lifted her off him. His eyes crinkled at the corners in silent laughter. She felt answering warmth in her cheeks. The heat intensified when she heard her aunt’s cackle.

The dog growled suddenly, a low deep rumble that raised the hairs at the back of Luke’s neck. Luke leapt to his feet as two figures in lilac one-piece suits sprang from beneath the drooping leafy strands of a rimu tree. They charged Hinekiri, shiny weapons the size of a handgun extended in front of them.

Janaya thrust Hinekiri behind her and faced the alien mercenaries.

Luke gaped up at them. It was hard not to. The lilac duo stood at around six foot, with long white blond hair and equally pale skin. Their faces seemed to bleed into their hair making it look as though they had no face. Their pale white eyes reinforced the nothingness. Luke had no idea what sex they were. But he knew one thing. The sneers on their colorless lips were mean and he agreed with Janaya. They didn’t intend to leave survivors.

“Give us the charts and the journals and we’ll let you go,” Luke heard a guttural voice order.

“Bite my arse,” Janaya snapped. Balanced lightly on her feet, she held her hands in a defensive position. Luke stepped up beside her, thinking he’d love to bite her ass along with a few other parts.

“Take Hinekiri and lock yourselves inside the ship,” she said without taking her eyes off the aliens.

“I’m not leaving—”

The lilac duo rushed them. Luke pulled out his gun but Janaya moved even faster. She spun about and let rip with a kick at one of the weapons. It glinted silver as it flew through the air. The other alien fired. The violet flash from the weapon was blinding, close enough to sear his eyeballs. But it missed.

Janaya closed the distance between them in one bounding step and smashed her knee into the alien’s face.

“Go, Janaya!” Hinekiri cheered from behind him.

“Get her in the ship,” Janaya snarled over her shoulder.

Luke gestured at Hinekiri with a jerk of his head. “Do as she says. Let Janaya concentrate on what she needs to do.”

“We may as well,” the dog complained. “They don’t have food.”

Once he was sure Hinekiri was inside the ship, he turned back to Janaya. She feinted a move to the right then lashed out with another lethal blow with her right foot. She landed a kick. Luke heard the crack of bones as one of the aliens crashed to the ground. Janaya pointed her weapon at the still form and calmly pulled the trigger. The alien disintegrated before his eyes, leaving nothing but a pile of smoking embers.

Luke stared, shock holding him immobile. Janaya stalked the other alien.

It backed up then fumbled for its weapon. Luke noticed the weapon shook despite the alien’s scowling bravado.

“Police,” Luke shouted. “Put the weapon down.” Healthy fear slithered through his veins as the alien’s cold gaze sliced through him, rampant with the promise of retaliation.

“Stay out of this,” the alien snarled, brandishing his weapon at Luke.

Luke froze, glancing at the pile of dust that was all that remained of the dead alien. He didn’t want to end up like that.

Behind him, the dog barked. Luke watched it dart into the low scrub to the right of the spaceship. Seconds later, the dog shot out behind the alien and sank sharp teeth into the back of his calf.

“Get the devil creature off,” the alien shouted and shook his leg vigorously, kicking out and swinging the dog through the air.

With the alien distracted, Janaya jumped him, hitting out with her fist. Off-balance, the alien wobbled then toppled to the ground with the dog still attached to his leg.

Janaya didn’t hit like a girl, Luke thought pursing his lips in a silent whistle of admiration.

Note: This is book one in my Talking Dog series. It is also available in a print anthology featuring the first two Talking Dog books, Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters and Never Send a Dog to do a Woman’s Job.

Follow the links to read other snippets:

Anya Bast
Cynthia Eden
SJ Day
Vivi Anna
Jaci Burton
Mandy Roth
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sacha White
TJ Michaels
Maura Anderson
Beth Kery
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Elisabeth Naughton
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson

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.

Lauren Dane
Cynthia Eden
Vivi Anna
SJ Day
Moira Rogers
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Viv Arend
Beth Williamson
Juliana Stone
Victoria Janssen
Shelley Munro
Elisabeth Naughton
Michelle Pillow
Jaci Burton
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Sasha White
Shelli Stevens
Maggie Robinson
Maura Anderson
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher

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.

Lauren Dane
Cynthia Eden
Vivi Anna
SJ Day
Moira Rogers
Leah Braemel
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Viv Arend
Juliana Stone
Savannah Foley
Beth Williamson
Elisabeth Naughton
Michelle Pillow
Jaci Burton
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Sasha White

Have a wonderful weekend. What are you up to?