First Kiss Friday with Sara Adrien
Welcome, dearest readers, to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today my guest is Sara Adrien who has a first kiss scene from her book Captured at the Ball. We hope you enjoy this scene. Take it away Sara!
The following excerpt is from Sara Adrien’s story, Captured at the Ball, a prequel for the Check Mates series and incorporates the characters from the Infiltrating the Ton and Diamond Dynasty series. Told from the perspective of the villains, the Prussian Baron, Wolfgang von List, and the Russian Spy, Sophia, it gives a glimpse of how much antagonism the Jews faced, the same characters readers love to root for in Sara Adrien’s other books. Get to know the villains in this story and love to hate them!
Excerpt:
He twisted and turned, but it was most uncomfortable on the little settee. He moved down to the floor, not too close to the fire. The carpet smelled a bit like a wet dog, but he could tolerate it if he closed his eyes and focused on the smell of the Christmas tree only a meter away.
Another glance at the bed and those perfect ballerina hills and valleys. His breeches stretched uncomfortably, and he faced the fire. What should have been soothing heat felt like the flames of purgatory. Touching her was taboo. She just wanted to sleep, and he barely knew her. It would surely complicate their mission. Bad idea.
Wolfgang pulled up the knitted throw, making sure his erection didn’t stand up like a tent pole.
“Stop moving so much, I’m trying to sleep,” she mumbled from in between the soft bedding.
“It’s the stupid tea. It’s going to keep me up all night. But I’ll be quiet. My apologies.”
She sat up, pulling the covers over her breasts—although he could imagine them just fine.
He shuffled, trying to get comfortable. “I’m used to having a Kirschwasser, cherry schnaps, at bedtime. They don’t have that here.”
“I don’t know about cherries, but I have something that might help you sleep.” She got out of bed and rummaged around her valise.
He could see her arms, shoulders, and the silhouette of her middle under the transparent, white fabric of her shift. She came back with a flask and stood over him, the light from the fireplace illuminating her figure. Her breasts were perky, and her nipples poked out hard under the thin material. She looked like an angel aflame with her hair wildly cascading down her shoulders and framing her face. She handed him the flask, which he took and unscrewed, speechless at the sight of her. She must not have noticed how the fabric had stretched over her thighs and risen just enough for his angle to give him a perfect view of … he pulled the cover up again, checking that there wasn’t a tent situation.
“It’s my last, so enjoy it.”
He took a sip and cherished the violent burn that tore through his throat. “Ahh!”
“Good, eh?” She smiled brightly and reached for the flask. “Did you finish it?”
“In one gulp? Of course not! This is strong.”
“What? This?” She smiled slyly and shook the flask. The liquid splashed around and sounded like water. But it wasn’t water at all. “It’s ninety-six percent, the best you can get.” She smelled it, then tilted her head back and tried to pour the liquid directly into her mouth—without touching the metal to her lips.
Wolfgang’s mouth went dry. Her lower jaw bones were beautifully angled. She’d parted her lips in anticipation of the clear liquid, and he saw into her mouth. His hand flew to his cock, to control and hide it. But he’d want to do something else entirely as soon as she fell asleep.
Plik, plok. Just one tiny drop came out of the bottle and wet her lips. She licked the fluid off and leveled her head. “You finished it.”
“Sophia,” he croaked like a greenboy. He knew his gaze was hooded. She must have put on that show deliberately.
“If you had touched the flask to your lips, you might just as well have kissed me.”
She bit her lower lip and frowned. “I have never been properly kissed, Baron. I don’t do that.”
His heart lurched, and he sat up. “You’ve never been kissed?”
She shook her head. “I never wanted anyone to. They only ever hurt me.”
He tasted acid. How could anyone hurt such a beauty? She was like the white rose she’d worn in her hair the first time he saw her.
A moment of silence passed between them, and he noticed her gaze fell to his mouth.
“Are you not curious?”
“About kissing?”
He nodded. His gaze on her mouth and the lovely neck swept with dark amber hair. He reached for a strand and wrapped it around his fingers. “If I were truly your husband, Sophia, I’d show you how a man kisses a woman.”
She swallowed. “Can you show me now?” She leaned in, her lashes batting expectantly. She was as innocent as a newly-hatched viper, but she was growing on him.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, her gaze still fixed on his lips.
***
Sophia’s heart pounded with something she first mistook as fear, but she felt safe expecting his touch. He drove his hand deeper into her hair until he held the back of her head. His other hand took hers. He was close to her, his eyes locked with hers. She felt his breath, sharp and clean. Some of his hair had fallen onto his forehead.
“Sophia, I’m not the prince you might hope I am.”
“I have long stopped hoping for one, Baron.”
“I mean… Don’t fall in love with me, alright?”
She nodded.
He touched her lips ever so slightly. She trembled with the sheer surprise of the contact, his lips fleshy and hot. Then she felt the slight stubble of his beard. A light scratch.
She took a moment to reconcile how intimate the contact was. Her mother had been right to warn her. But she wanted him now. Not just his mouth, but all of him. So, she opened her mouth a little.
He pulled her closer. And parted his lips wider. His movements were gentle but deliberate. Controlled and clean, just like everything else about him.
But Sophia wanted no more of that. She’d crossed a line, now she might as well enjoy it. She pushed her mouth onto his, tilted her head to give him access.
And he took it.
The Grand Mistletoe Assembly
A Holiday Regency Romance Anthology
Can the festive ball of the Season bring these couples together in time for the holidays? A collection of Regency romances with star-crossed lovers, fast-paced plots and timeless connections …Cuddling under mistletoe, fine lace, snowy linen, and true love to be found in the flickering light of a hundred gas lamps. Pearler House is bedecked for the holidays and everyone is attending the event of a lifetime. Experience the joy of the season with six all-new tales of passion. Some are sweet, some are spicy, all will capture your heart.
Captured at the Ball (one of the six stories):
He gambles for a ticket to the ball, but might win the love of his life. When the impoverished Prussian baron came to London, little did he expect to entangle with an irritatingly beautiful Russian spy with shared targets: the wealthy hosts of a grand charity ball. While everyone is distracted with holiday preparations, can they fool the other guests by pretending to be a couple? Will they both achieve their objectives despite a series of unfortunate events before their time in London runs out? A story of espionage, strategy, and distracting kisses under the mistletoe for a holiday season like no other.
Read the bonus love scene for this story in the FREE bonus book that you get if you pre-order The Grand Mistletoe Assembly, scheduled to release on September 25th
Find the book here:
See the trailer for Captured at the Ball and for the Anthology, The Grand Mistletoe Assembly.
About the Author:
Bestselling author Sara Adrien writes hot and heart-melting regency romance with a Jewish twist. As a law professor-turned-author, she writes about clandestine identities, whims of fate, and sizzling seduction. If you like unique and intelligent characters, deliciously sexy scenes, and the nostalgia of afternoon tea, then you’ll adore Sara Adrien’s tender tear-jerkers. She is the author of the series Infiltrating the Ton, Diamond Dynasty, Check Mates (coming in 2024), and Miracles on Harley Street (coming in 2024).
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