Laurel O'Donnell's Blog, page 84
September 13, 2012
First Kiss Friday – Finding Refuge by Lucy Francis
Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Lucy Francis, author of contemporary romance Finding Refuge. Welcome Lucy! Here’s the first kiss between Travis and Andri.
Travis said nothing, only reached over and took one of her hands in his. Andri realized then she was trembling. She never meant to have a deep conversation with this man, and yet, here she was, smack in the middle of one with no hope of a quick resolution. Nowhere to go but forward. “He treated me with perfect chivalry, and I assumed he was old-fashioned. I never suspected a thing until I discovered him enjoying a little afternoon delight with his boyfriend. I put the pieces together really fast after that.”
He winced. “No wonder you needed to escape.”
He caressed her fingers, offering a gentle comfort. The threat of impending tears stung her eyes and she blinked hard, swallowing them. She’d be damned if she’d cry. That would be a horrible way to end the date. There was something else she could do, though. Something that would offer as much comfort as shedding tears and do much to repair the tattered edges of her self-esteem. “Escape isn’t all I need. I realize I’ve been used and walked on. I need to remember how to assert myself and make sure my needs are met.”
Rachel was right. She needed some fun. And she needed a man to really look at her as a woman, if only for a little while. This man didn’t want any entanglements. That made him perfect for this moment. She locked her gaze onto his as she reached up and drew her fingertips down the side of his face. His eyes darkened and he sucked in a sharp breath as she traced one finger over his lower lip. That was precisely what she needed most. His interest, that glint of desire in his eyes.
He swallowed, his voice rough when he spoke. “What do you need, Andromeda?”
She refused to stop and think. “Right this second? Travis, I need you to kiss me.”
Travis’s logic raised its head for a split second, but she dropped her hand to his chest, her lips parted slightly as she drew a breath, and all that mattered was giving her what she wanted.
He leaned forward, sliding his fingers into her thick, silky hair, bracketing her face with his hands. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, then her eyes slid closed as he pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, caressing her lips, soft and full beneath his own. His heart skipped with every hitch of her breath, and her hands glided over his shirt and up into his hair, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. He traced his tongue along her lower lip, and the whiskey sound of her low moan shot straight to his groin. She parted for him and he dipped his tongue into her delicious heat.
He pulled her into his arms, angling his head for better access as they explored each other, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke, her little whimpers of pleasure tingling in his blood. Her hands trailed down his neck, flexing and kneading his shirt against his chest, sliding over his ribs to his back, urging him closer.
She tightened her arms around him, holding him, infusing him with her warmth, her sweet, small breasts pressed against his chest. In that crystalline moment, he connected with how desperately he needed to be touched. Followed almost immediately by the realization that he was a split second from groping a girl in his truck like some horny teenager. With a silent curse, he ended the kiss, pressing his lips to her cheek then holding her as their breathing evened out. Andri leaned back first, letting a little air flow between them. Her gaze churned with confusion, flecked with desire.
Then her expression cleared, as walls slammed shut behind her dark eyes. His own armor thickened in response. This wasn’t going anywhere. Nor should it.
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
Lost Souls: Imperfection – available now!
Episode 2 in the Lost Souls series is available now! Check out the continuing story of the renegade groups of Lost Souls!
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
September 12, 2012
Lost Souls: Imperfection featured at StoryFinds!
Lost Souls: Imperfection, the 2nd episode in the Lost Souls series is featured at StoryFinds! With a price of 99cents, how could you pass it up?
http://storyfinds.com/section/99_cent_reads
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
September 9, 2012
Inspirational Quote Monday – #33 of 2012
It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.” – Chinese Proverb
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
September 6, 2012
First Kiss Friday – My Brave Highlander by Vonda Sinclair
Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Vonda Sinclair, author of historical romance My Brave Highlander. Welcome Vonda! Here’s the first kiss between Isobel and Dirk.
“You shouldn’t be out here, Isobel.”
“Why not?” She turned to him. In the dim reflection of light from the torches outside, he could only see the curve of her cheekbone and the prim but sensual shape of her lips.
He cleared his throat and turned away, needing to adjust his trews in the worst way. “I wouldn’t want you to catch an ague from the chill wind.”
“I won’t. I’ve lived in the Highlands all my life. I’m accustomed to the cold.”
“Aye, but Rebbie will wonder where his dance partner slipped away to.” Had he said that with more bitterness than normal?
“Nay. I told him I wanted to talk to you.”
“What did he say to that?” Dirk asked, actually wondering what she wanted to talk to him about. Or why.
“He wished me luck.”
“Hmph. Rebbie is ever full of wit, aye?” Dirk grumbled.
“You have no need to be jealous of him,” she said in a soft voice.
How had she known he’d been jealous? He wanted to deny it, but that would be a sure-fire lie. Rebbie could talk to any woman all day, and have her laughing every five seconds. Dirk envied him that.
“We could dance here, you know,” she suggested.
“Dance? In the stable?”
“Aye.”
“There is no music.”
She started humming and singing a lively jig in a captivating, high-pitched voice, then launched into a country dance. He chuckled at how silly and fun she was. She dragged him into the dance and he let himself be taken in. It was a dance he had done a few times, so he remembered the steps. His toe caught on one of the stone slates of the floor. He stumbled but caught her and braced against the stone wall of the stable so they wouldn’t fall.
He found himself laughing more than he had in a long while. “I’m not so good at dancing, as you can see.”
She giggled and, in the dim light, the flash of her white teeth and the sparkle in her eye were visible. Her lush rose scent in the midst of a Highland stable almost bewitched him. He hadn’t remembered her smelling this way. Nay, two nights ago, she hadn’t. Mayhap she’d bathed in a new rose-scented soap.
Was she even real? How could this be happening? It all seemed a mid-winter dream, a heated fantasy he’d concocted to drive off the cold.
A fantasy he could not resist indulging in for just one moment.
Leaning against the rock wall next to the stall, Dirk lowered his head and found Isobel’s lips. Mmm. She was sweet, her lips soft and delicate like warm rose petals after a summer rain. Her delectable female flavor mixed with strawberry tart stole his reasoning ability. He had to taste her more. What an enchanting surprise when she opened to him. He explored her mouth, loving the shy flick of her tongue against his.
Her hands fisted in his hair, drawing his head down and pulling herself up to him, her body sliding along his. He groaned, his hands finding her derriere and dragging her tight against his hard shaft. Pleasure and need tore through him. Her round arse in his hands, he lifted her higher, devouring her mouth. He moaned before he realized the sound had escaped.
Damned if this wasn’t paradise.
Her tentative kisses grew bolder and more frantic. Her lips moved over his, her tongue stroked against his and she moaned. “Mmm, Dirk,” she whispered. “So good.”
What the hell am I doing?
Drawing back, he set her away from him. “Iosa is Muire Mhàthair.” Growling the Gaelic oath, he tried to catch his breath and think with some logic while he listened to her ragged breathing.
“I’ve never… well…” she whispered, supporting herself against the stone wall. “Now we know what you’re good at.”
“Damnation, Isobel. Go back inside.” He ached for her. He’d craved her for days, but never like this.
“Now you get surly?” she demanded. “After that?”
“Especially after that. I can’t…” Pacing away, he muttered more Gaelic curses, his frustration knowing no bounds. “We can’t do that. You’re betrothed.”
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
August 26, 2012
Inspirational Quote Monday! #32 of 2012
It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickenson
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
August 19, 2012
Inspirational Quote Monday! #31 of 2012
It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “Families are life fudge…mostly sweet with a few nuts.” – Unknown
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
August 16, 2012
First Kiss Friday – Conquering Passion by Anna Markland
Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Anna Markland, author of historical romance Conquering Passion. Welcome Anna! And Happy Wedding Anniversary! Here’s the first kiss between Ram and Mabelle.
He strode towards her. She still looked nervous but obviously determined not to let it show. She raised her hand and tucked the errant strand behind her ear again, never averting her eyes from his. Her courage excited him. He wanted to touch her, to gather her up in his arms but that might alarm her. He put his hands on her shoulders and felt her shudder. Her lashes fluttered and she closed her eyes but didn’t pull away as he’d feared.
“Mabelle, you infuriate me, yet I find myself longing for your company, for the touch of your hand in mine. I want to know how your lips will feel as they open to me.” Her face reddened and the heat rolled through his own body. He could feel her trembling.
“Please don’t make fun of me, milord.”
“My name is Ram,” he breathed, pulling her body to his. Her spine went rigid. Her sensuous mouth enticed him. Would her lips be warm or cold? How would she taste?
“You rouse me, Mabelle. You are my betrothed, yet we’ve never kissed.”
He brushed his lips over hers. The moist warmth made his skin tingle. She moved her mouth away from his lips, but he held her against him, his arms now around her shoulders.
“Please don’t tease me—Ram.”
She seemed more afraid now than when she thought he was angry. He held her away from his body and rasped, “Are you wishing it was Antoine and not me kissing you?”
“Non,” she murmured, shaking her head, tears welling. “Why do you torment me with this?”
He kissed her again, more deeply, his tongue coaxing her to open to him. He sucked her lower lip, bit it gently, then darted his tongue once more over her lips, whispering, “Open your sweet mouth for me.”
The fight seemed to go out of her. She opened her mouth and twirled her tongue around his. A deep groan escaped her that reverberated through his body. His hand went to the back of her head and he raked his fingers along her scalp. She groaned again and then sucked his tongue into her mouth.
“Mabelle!” he rasped when he could breathe again, “You certainly know how to kiss a man.” As soon as the words were spoken he regretted them.
She stiffened. “Of course I do. Have you forgotten? I’m a whore.”
His grip on her shoulders tightened. “Don’t utter that word. You’re not a whore. I didn’t mean—aagh!—by the saints, Mabelle, why is it that when I’m with you—?”
He shook his head, and moved away from her. He paced, running his hand through his hair, unsuccessfully willing his arousal to abate. “I’m a decorated cavalry commander, a counselor to the Duke. One day I’ll be the Comte de Montbryce. I’ve faced many dangers, and yet I can’t say or do the right thing when I’m with you.”
She swayed and leaned against Sibell, her eyes closed. “It’s the same for me. I’ve survived all manner of trials and tribulations but you—make me—quiver. I’ve—never—I’ve never kissed a man before.”
His mind struggled to reconcile the idea he was the first to kiss her with what he suspected to be true—that she was no longer a maid. But, the taste of her had excited him. She looked vulnerable, leaning dejectedly against her horse. What had happened to the spirited woman he’d seen ride out from the castle? He liked the idea of the feisty Mabelle better. He wanted to reignite that flame.
He strode towards her, captured her mouth again and kissed her deeply, his hand at her throat, his thumb caressing her neck. He swirled his tongue around the inside of her mouth, feeling the warmth, the textures. Then she drew his tongue into her mouth, welcoming him. He felt her breasts rise and fall as her breathing became more rapid. His hand moved down slowly until he cupped her breast, lifting it, feeling the weight of it.
“I’ve wanted to hold your lovely breasts from the moment I first saw you,” he whispered. “You fill my hand.”
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
August 12, 2012
Inspirational Quote Monday! #30 of 2012
It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
August 10, 2012
Read First Chapter of Angel’s Assassin!
D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters is spotlighting Angel’s Assassin. Drop by and read about Damien! http://www.drb1stchp.com/2012/08/ange...
Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy
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“What do you want from me?”
Perhaps it was ridiculous, Ryen thought. Men never seemed to have a problem with taking what, ...more
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