Saturday Snippet

Today’s topic relates to make-up scenes. Ah, yes. The moment of awesomeness in a romance novel. Thought I would highlight my novella, IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU, in the HOLIDAY KISSES anthology. Yes, I know it’s almost summer and there is snow on the cover, but this novella is related to two novellas I will have out later this year. And I am writing another, follow-up Christmas novella to this one right now.

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How the man could look so yummy so early in the morning was a mystery. Hair ruffled from the air and a chill on his skin that swept over her from two feet away. The faded jeans and checkered shirt hanging open over a gray tee added to the scruffy, just-out-of-bed look that never failed to make her jaw drop.

She ended the visual tour with a practiced frown. “You can’t possibly expect a warm welcome at this time in the morning.”

“It’s seven.”

“Your point?”

He executed the perfect eye roll. “I’ve been up for two hours.”

“You’re not normal.”

“What every man wants to hear.”



Her gaze bounced down to his hands and she wondered how she’d missed the two cups of what looked like coffee and a white bag of something in the carrier. The man knew how to get to her. She’d once joked about how a woman could forgive a lot for a man who brought her breakfast. She was trying to weasel a coffee run out of him at the time. “You haven’t explained how you found me.”

“We come from a town of, like, ten people. They lined up to tell me how to find you.”

Traitors. “So, Mitch squealed. That would explain why he won’t answer my calls.”

“Your brother has to work with me.” When she snorted, Austin talked louder. “Then there’s the part where I threatened to kill him if he didn’t spill.”

“I’m going to smack the crap out of him when I see him again.” She stood back and opened her arm to usher Austin out of the hallway. “Come in before we give the neighbors a show that will get me evicted.”

“In that robe? I’d be willing.”

Her skin warmed everywhere his gaze touched. She grabbed her lapels and gathered them in her clenched fist to stop that sort of thing. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

“I’m not complaining.”

Her all but naked and his gaze traveling down her front spelled disaster. “I’ll go get dressed.”

Before she could shuffle off to the bedroom and lock the door behind her, he raised his hands. The move put the goodies he brought at eye level. “Are you sure you don’t want to try these first?”

The smell of deep roast filled her senses. Hot man and hot coffee. Who could resist that combination? “What’s in the bag?”

“A cinnamon-swirl pound cake to go with your grande nonfat vanilla latte.” He shook the bag as he spoke.

The evil coffee pimp remembered her usual order. “Lucky guess.”

He walked into her kitchen and went to the silverware drawer as if he’d been in the apartment a hundred times. “You tricked me into a caffeine run almost every morning in Holloway once that joint opened the next town over.”

“Tricked?”

“Maybe I should say bribed with sex and the promise of football tickets.”

She leaned in the doorway and fell into the gentle rhythm of their comfortable conversation. “A gentleman wouldn’t mention my methods.”

“A gentleman wouldn’t have jumped on the deal, but I did. On the deal. On you. All of it.”

She eased up on the grip on her robe as she watched his lean fingers work on the lid and empty what looked like three pink packets into his coffee. And people accused her of having a sugar addiction.

“Those were good times,” she said as the pictures played in her mind.

“But your mother’s cinnamon rolls are better than anything I’ve been able to get in a store.” He opened the bag and peeked inside.

“And more fattening.”

He frowned. “Not a big concern for you.”

Sweet talker. Carrie wasn’t the weight-obsessed type but a healthy weight in Holloway was a good ten pounds heavier than an expected weight for the high-heeled, big checkbook crowd she moved with at work.

“Every woman worries about her weight. Mine leveled out when I left Mom’s kitchen.” The daily hour on the treadmill also helped.

He dropped a slab of cake on the piece of wax paper stuck underneath it and slid it to the edge of the counter closest to her. “You have to miss those special meals. That woman can cook.”

A skill she did not pass on to her daughter, not that Austin ever complained. Carrie had loved him for many things. His willingness to put up with her crappy meatloaf without gagging was one of them. He’d insisted she was getting better with each meal she made. She was just grateful she hadn’t accidentally poisoned them.

“When are you coming home to visit your family?” He took a sip of coffee and eyed her over the cup.

Carrie threw the cake on the counter as the acid in her stomach bubbled. “Don’t do that. Don’t use family guilt to lure me back to Holloway.”

“Fine.” He pushed off from where he leaned against her stove and started toward her. “How about this? I miss you.”

The words she’d longed to hear. The same ones that cut through her, bringing both pain and joy. Her heart spun but the knot in her stomach tightened.

“Austin…” She held up both hands in a half-hearted attempt to fend him off.

When he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and carried her wrists to the back of his neck, she didn’t fight him. His scent washed over her senses, lighting every cell on fire. She smelled the cool outdoors on his skin, that subtle mix of pine and soap with a touch of fresh firewood.

The soft strands of his fine hair slid through her fingers as her body melted into his. His mouth danced in a trail from her ear and down her throat and her heartbeat spiked in response.

“Am I supposed to pretend like I don’t miss you? No way could I pull a lie that big off.” His husky voice rumbled against her bare skin.

“You’re not even supposed to be here.”

“But I am.” He blew the words across her lips.

____________

Remember to check out the other authors’ snippets:

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Jody Wallace

Mandy M Roth

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Shiloh Walker

Lauren Dane