A Valentine's Day Kiss

Are you enjoying Valentine's Day? My husband bought me the requisite box of dark chocolates from See's, so I am. Here's a first kiss excerpt from Worth The Risk by Lyn O'Farrell, just for Valentine's Day.


First Kiss Excerpt:

The man had romance on the brain, but this time she had to agree. The town was lovely, with tall palm trees and a sandy crescent of beach ringing the glistening bay. It was a picture perfect day as they strolled along the waterfront to one of her favorite seafood restaurants.

After a delicious lunch of fresh swordfish they walked the town, stopping at all the tourist spots. They hiked up to the botanical gardens, visited the Casino where haunting echoes of the Big Band era seemed still alive, and went on the Glass Bottom boat.

“Let’s take a walk on the beach,” Mitch suggested as they stepped onto the pier.

They shed their shoes and socks, enjoying the feel of the warm sand on their toes. Amanda breathed deeply of the sea air and sighed in contentment.

“It’s been such a nice day, I hate to go home,” Mitch observed.

“You just don’t want to get back in the plane,” she teased.

“On the contrary, I can’t wait to take off over that drop-off gorge. I hope it doesn’t leave Josh fatherless.”

“You don’t have any confidence in me.”

“I haven’t booked passage on the boat, have I? You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

He gave her a look that told her the man loved a touch of danger. Her plan had backfired. Instead of discouraging him, he seemed even more interested. That should bother her, but somehow it didn’t.

“I’ve really enjoyed this.” He gestured at the town. “It’s like another world.”

She nodded in agreement. “That’s the reason I enjoy flying over here. It’s so easy to forget about the stress of daily life.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “What kind of pressure are you going back to at the library?”

The pressure is right here. She was constantly fighting her attraction to this man. “Nothing really,” she remarked casually. “We’re getting ready for Halloween and I’ve got to get a costume together. I’m supposed to be Sleeping Beauty.”

“Oh? That has possibilities.” He leaned closer so his lips brushed her temple. His throaty voice whispered in her ear, “You’ll need a prince to kiss you awake, you know. I’ll be happy to volunteer for the job.”

Amanda’s breath quickened as she stared into his darkened eyes. He wouldn’t. Not here, on a public beach, in front of everyone.

He would.

She felt her knees weaken as his mouth descended. Her mind told her to pull away but her body had no desire to back out of his embrace. His kiss was as light and tender as an ocean breeze, but her reaction was anything but cool. Her pulse pounded and her heart jumped erratically.

It’s just a kiss, she told herself. But even as they pulled apart she felt a burning desire, an aching need, to feel his arms around her.

“You can’t deny it,” he whispered.

“Deny what?”

“The chemistry between us. It’s been there from the beginning.” He started to draw her close.

“No.” Her gaze caressed his face for a brief moment, then she turned away to look out at the glistening water. She couldn’t let this happen. She should have known better than to bring him here.

Her boastful words of the other day came back to mock her. I could make that racecar driver sit up and take notice if I wanted to. She wasn’t the one who was supposed to be affected. She should have known he was out of her league.

What had she gotten herself into?

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How are you celebrating today?

Linda 

PS Congratulations to JS who won the $10 Gift Card in the Firsts Blog Hop giveaway.