UPDATE: Congratulations of Kew Gibson, winner of this beautiful prize!
I promised a fresh snippet of my upcoming debut, the historical romance Moonstone Obsession, for Saturday and here it is!
What could be more lovely than the first kiss between my heroine Selina and hero James:
As they walked, twilight cast long shadows through the street and painted the sky in pastel hues of rose, apricot, and lilac as the sun disappeared over the tallest of London’s buildings.
Ahead of them, bright pinpoints of light burst into life in the hands of the shadowed figures of servants tasked with the job of lighting the front of their masters’ residences before full night fell.
The front of the Rosewall’s townhouse was shrouded in shadow. It seemed her brother was not yet home and the servants were still busy in other areas of the house. James stopped Selina’s hand as she reached for the elaborate brass door knocker. She looked at him with a questioningly.
“Before you go in…”
James drew her further into the shadow of the porch and snaked his hands around her waist, drawing her to him. With a certainty, Selina knew he was going to kiss her. She watched his eyes before being drawn to his lips, moving ever closer to hers.
The first contact was exquisite, soft and gentle—quite at odds with the firm muscled shoulders she found herself holding onto.
The pressure of their kiss deepened, his mouth encouraging hers to open for a languorous exploration.
A restless yearning only hinted at the ball ignited in Selina full force and the feeling that she recognised in herself as arousal was given its moment in the pressure of his lips, the feel of his tongue, and the rasp of late day stubble as it grazed her cheek.
Tentatively at first, she used her own tongue to explore the contours of his mouth, eliciting from him a groan which only fuelled her own desire.
But it was James who first pulled away.
At first Selina thought she had done something wrong, but seeing in his eyes a naked desire, she knew it was not that.
With both hands he touched her cheeks, stroking them gently.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the night of the ball,” he confessed.
The winner of the Miessence Botanical Perfume, Love will be announced on Sunday. Click here for your chance to win – it’s not too late!