Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!Today we have a smooch from Shipwrecked With Mr Wrong by Nikki Logan, but first ...
the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- Danielle J!
Congratulations, Danielle! Can you please contact Natalie Anderson at
natalie (at) natalie-anderson (dot) com
and she'll send you a copy of The End of Faking It.
And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Shipwrecked With Mr Wrong by Nikki Logan...
Being maroone
d in paradise with a stunning woman should be the perfect way for a playboy to get shipwrecked. However, Rob Dalton would have chosen a slightly friendlier companion!Prickly marine conservationist Honor Brier clearly just wants to be left alone with her birds and turtles. Physically and emotionally scarred, Honor has no time for infuriatingly attractive accidental tourists. yet, tought she won't admit it, Rob's passion for life--and for her--is reawakening her: body, mind and soul....
The Setup ... Biologist Honor Brier has been living in isolation on remote Pulu Keeling National Park since a tragedy ripped her family away from her and left her permanently scarred down her left side. One day the gods deliver her a gorgeous, bright, vital man in the form of shipwreck hunter Rob Dalton who damages his work-boat on the coral atol surrounding the island and has to come ashore to await a shepherd back to safe harbour. Alone on the island it takes a few days before hostilties between them ease. Rob charms her in a hundred ways--even when he's not trying to.
In this scene he's just witnessed the first midnight turtle-hatching of the season where one hundred leathery little turtles swarm out of an under-sand nest and scramble for the waterline.
Honor is bound by her scientific ethics not to intervene, even when giant frigate birds line the shore plucking the innocent little turtles off one-by-one. But Rob decides he's in no way bound and he rescues six little turtles that were running into the path of danger and sees them safely to the waters edge. Honor's final resistance to him melts under the tropical moonlight. He offers her a deal - one kiss for every turtle saved.
‘You don’t want to kiss me.’ Honor knew the impact her scars had on people. She wasn’t hung-up about it but she was also a realist.
‘Correction, I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you.’ Sincerity was live in his eyes but still she doubted. Maybe a kiss wasn’t such a big deal where he came from, just a bit of fun? He couldn’t know that she’d only been kissed by two men in her whole life; her first kiss when she was fourteen and then her husband. Rob would make three.
If she was entertaining the suggestion.
She swallowed. Her heart thumped an SOS in her chest but her body wasn’t listening. How good would it be to give in to her yearning, to taste him just for a moment? She imagined how his lips would feel against hers but, more than anything, she wanted to nibble her way along that spectacular jaw line. She could almost reach it from here…
In her dreams. This was just a bit of fun for Rob, gentle flirting. He was probably bored. And the best way to handle a flirt? Call them on it.
‘Fine, one kiss.’
His pupils flared and he bent his head toward her.
‘One small kiss.’
‘One small kiss,’ he nodded ‘for each turtle?’
A crazy part of her was enjoying the verbal foreplay. He was waking nerve endings she hadn’t used in a long, long time. ‘Turtles hatched, or turtles saved?’
He smiled, caught out. ‘Okay, saved.’
Six small kisses. Just kisses. Every part of her wanted to say yes and that alone rang alarm bells. He was perfection in deck shoes, funny and gentle, and all of this probably meant nothing to him. Just a bit of casual sport. It was what he did, after all.
He played.
‘Deal.’
If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. ‘Where would you like the first one?’
A wild streak she’d virtually forgotten she had surged forward. She stood straighter and looked at him fearlessly. ‘Cheek.’
He smiled, leaned in excruciatingly slowly and brushed gentle lips across one flushed cheek. They were cool and soft against her flaming skin. He smelled of sea-salt and moonlight. She could survive this…
‘Next?’
‘Other cheek. That’s two.’
‘Thank you, I can count.’ He leaned to her other side and moved his mouth slightly against her other cheek. Lingering. The scent of warm man eddied around her. It was like a natural stimulant.
‘Three and four?’
Honor took a deep breath. Only two chaste kisses and her heart was ready to beat right out of its cavity. She closed her eyes and every other sense kicked into overdrive. She felt him lean in, the air around her humming at his approach. His lips touched one eyelid and then the other. Soft, slow and delightful.
She’d felt his smile against her first eyelid but when they fluttered open, he wasn’t smiling any more. And he’d shifted closer, almost touching her chest with his.
Mustn’t lean forward… She’d never felt such a burning desire to close a gap in her life. She raised her hands up to his chest to stop herself from doing precisely that but feeling the hard heat of his chest through his shirt only reminded her how long it had been since she’d felt a man’s heartbeat under her fingers. Her lips.
Five.
He didn’t need to say it. Wordless, she tipped her head sideways, exposing the long length of her neck. The good side. She pointed to a spot just next to where her pulse beat its fevered tattoo.
He leaned in closer and held her steady with one large hand on each arm. Then he slowly moved toward the place she’d identified. Honor let her heavy eyelids close again, breathless with anticipation, then felt him pull away. Disappointment ached in her throat. When she opened her eyes, his were glittering with desire and something else.
Speculation.
Before she could react, he twisted and narrowed the space between them and then pressed his mouth against the other side of her neck. Right on the leathery patchwork of her scars.
Shock stiffened her body and sensation assaulted her. She pushed away instinctively, but he held fast. Surgery had done nothing to reduce sensation where the grafts had been applied. If anything, the still-healing skin was hyper-sensitive. Electric currents shot out from the warmth of his mouth as he lazily kissed his way over her damaged skin. A lifetime of emotions surged through her—panic, desire, confusion, sorrow—but when his tongue got in on the act, her legs gave completely away.
Shipwrecked With Mr Wrong is an April 2011 release for the RIVA line (UK), and a June 2011 release for Sweet (Aust/NZ). Have you ever been to an island (secluded or otherwise)? Nikki has a copy of Shipwrecked With Mr Wrong to give away to a lucky commenter.
Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Her Innocence, His Conquest by international guest Jules Bennett will be posted!
Nikki
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful excerpt I loved it so sensual. I gotta read this one
As for being on a secluded island no I haven't but I think it would be great
Have Fun
Helen
Nikki ~ I love Rob ~ what a wonderful thing for him to do and there is still one more kiss left. Things may get even hotter.
ReplyDeleteI really love the picture of the turtles. This book sounds like a real winner to me.
I've never been on a small secluded island. It would be fun to find one and try it.
Nicki,
ReplyDeleteThat was only five out of six kisses - you skimped on us - LOL!!!
I loved the lead up to what will be the main kiss, great build.
I've been to an island or two, although I don't know that you call Mutton Bird Island near Coffs Harbour secluded! Not with all the noisy mutton birds! LOL
The other that comes to mind are the Orkney Islands off the tip of Scotland - now they are secluded by geography rather than population, although there aren't many people there.
It was incredibly barren (as in few trees - they were all chopped down and used as fuel or in house construction) but starkly desolate and windswept. Admittedly I was there in Autumn so everything was well on its way into hibernation plant-wise. Lots of stone cliffs and abrupt drop offs into the sea surrounding the island.
It was a beautiful place despite that and the Stone Age and Viking history was fascinating.
Nikki, *swoon* loved that scene. He won me right when he kissed her scarred neck.
ReplyDeleteNo secluded islands, but I grew up in the shadow of Fraser Island so have spent a lot of time there. Most Sundays in winter (when summer sports over) would see us put the boat in the water and putt over for a picnic.
No, I've never been to an island. I'd sure love to go to Hawaii someday. I really enjoyed the excerpt and I can't wait to read the rest of the book.
ReplyDeleteseriousreader at live dot com
Wow Nikki , another sizzler from you that makes me want to go buy the book- like yesterday already.....
ReplyDeleteI'm extremely lucky to live on a tropical island, not so deserted as there are about 20 000 others who share my space, but I love it here!!!
Been to a few islands in my time, but in my humble opinion, the most isolated totally beautiful and stunning being Magaruque island in the Bazaruto Archipelago off Mozambique. It was almost like we were alone in
the world on the island, just beautiful!!!! Unspoiled and untouched by the civil war that raged for years on the mainland, the island jewel survived and it is a place I would love to return to one day on my travels.
Love your nature theme again.
Waving hello.
Bye 4 now
Tina
Loving that kiss, Nikki, and that photo!! I've been to Fraser a few times. Lake Mackenzie is absolutely beeeautiful! It's like stepping into another time. Everything is so pure!
ReplyDeleteHelen - Great to see you again. Don't know what it is about islands but there's something about having such clear and definite boundaries... Makes you feel super safe and super special. Put a future island holiday on your 'to do' list :)
ReplyDeleteKaelee - well spotted... things DO get hotter but I felt like being a tease :) For Honor, she's not let anyone see her scars, let alone touch them, let alone KISS them. So this is a major turning point in the book.
Linda - Was so torn between this kiss scene and the next one where they're snorkelling together and they kiss underwater *sigh*
Kylie - Mutton Bird Isl sounds a lot like Pulu Keeling: absolutely teeming with birdlife and never a quiet moment. The birds spend all day chatting loudly and all night grumbling (huh, kind of like a writers' retreat :)
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of the Orkenys for both natural and social history. Don't suppose they had puffins did they? (My present wildlife obsession).
Anita and Tina - so jealous that you can access island life so easily - just a tinny-trip for you Anita and just outside your door for Tina!
ReplyDelete*sigh* I hope you both make every moment of that fabulous proximity :)
Anita - Is Fraser a national park? Typically the only thing I know about it is from the news a few years back and I'm sure that skewed a lot of people's understanding of how special a place it is.
Tina - just googled that archepelago in Mozambique - O. M. G. Amazingly beautiful. How could you bring yourself to leave?
Hi Robbie - Uncle Google tells me the freshwater lakes on Fraser are amongst the cleanest in the world. They certainly are spectacular!! Look at that colour!
ReplyDeleteFraser might have to go on my 'to visit' list (get out the spare bed, Anita :)
These are chaste kisses yet the tension build-up is so tantalising! I can't wait to find out what happens next.
ReplyDeleteLol! No secluded island for me, I live on an Island!
HI Nikki ,
ReplyDeleteI loved the excerpt I have never heard of your books before but I am definitely going to remedy that straight away! This book sounds really gripping. Thank you for sharing the excerpt with us I cant wait to read it!
Where do you draw your inspiration from and how did you come up with these delicious unique names ?
Take Care
Desere
Nikki, the Orkney Islands DO have puffins. I saw them while visiting the Brough of Birsay - remember the Viking history I told you about? Well, the Brough of Birsay is where they built one of their longhouses. Brough means "fort island".
ReplyDeleteYou wade across a tidal bar to get to the island and not far from the lighthouse is some cliffs where I saw the puffins. You'll have to Google the Orkney's and see what pictures you can find.
Nikki, I've been to a few islands - lots of trips to the local ones, Bribie (waves to Tina), Fraser (waves to Anita), Stradbroke and Macleay.
ReplyDeleteI've also been to islands further north in Qld, like Daydream (a family wedding), South Molle (fabulous holiday), and Magnetic (day trip). Oh and then there was a writing retreat at Bruny Island recently. :)
Would love to visit the Torres Straight Islands and plan to one day.
Love, love that kiss. So sweet and sensual at the same time. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Nikki,
ReplyDeletethat kiss was beautiful and sensual, your hero is wonderful =))
I've been to a few islands - Hamilton island a couple of times, South Mole, Daydream, Hawaii and in a few months, Fiji.
Hi Nas – another island dweller, lucky thing. Where’s your island?
ReplyDeleteI seem to be happiest with my kiss-o-meter set to steaming. Not sizzling (cos that would just lead me down a path I’d have to cut out later) and not sighing (cos my characters really don’t seem capable of just looking) but somewhere in the middle.
Welcome Desere – This particular book came from a time a few years back where I worked on a kind of employee exchange for six months at my state’s Maritime Museum. I shared a building with scientists who put ‘gone diving’ notes on their doors when they headed up WA’s ‘shipwreck coast’ to dive on old wrecks (or search for them) and I worked with a couple of photographers who’d made a photo-documentary on Pulu Keeling (the island in my book). It is Australia’s smallest national park and very protected. Their stories over many coffees of how inhospitable the terrain was but how perfect… The place impacted on them so much the fascination was contagious.
ReplyDeleteAs for unique names… ‘Honor’ came about when I was fiddling with character traits way back when developing my cast. Her guiding trait is her loyalty and so I looked for a name that reflected those kind of values and ‘honor’ was born.
Kylie- I did! I googled. Lots of puffins in the Orkneys. Half your luck.
ReplyDeleteRachel – You know, I think I have island prejudice. It really doesn’t FEEL like an island if you can swim there :) I like lots and lots of water between me and other land in order to fully qualify. I’ve seen Daydream in the Whitsundays but never any of the others on your list. But YES to the Torres Straight – have a friend from there and his photos are magical.
Hi Mel – You’ve been a regular island hopper. Hawaii was the one that jumped out at me on your list as a ‘must see’. I really didn’t understand how many islands made up the Hawaiian cluster – there’s so much to see there. Curious - Is it possible to find anywhere ‘deserted’ over there? Are there still untouched bits?
Thank you Nikki for sharing the information it is truly facinating I have know more ! Thank you again for the chance to win this amazing sounding book !
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Your definite newest fan for life
Desere