Jul 31, 2011

Sunday Smooch

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a tantalising smooch from A Kiss To Seal The Deal by Nikki Logan, but first ...


the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- Helen!


Congratulations, Helen! Can you please contact Mel at

melteshco (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au

and she'll send you a copy of Stone-Cold Lover or a book of your choice from her Ellora's Cave back-list.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from A Kiss To Seal The Deal by Nikki Logan ...



Is it true love is an endangered species?

When city lawyer Grand McMurtrie is forced to return to his coastal hometown, he discovers that conservationists plan to carve up the family farm! He furiously confronts the woman in charge—seal researcher Kate Dickson.

Used to half-truths after years of making empty city deals, he finds Kate’s passion for her precious seals mystifying, but slowly begins to trust this courageous, determined woman. For the first time, Grant’s heart is touched and he wants to make a wholly personal contract.
 

Will cautious Kate agree to his final clause—to be together forever?


[Set-up: After a confrontational and difficult meeting in town, Kate discovers the devastating truth about the death of her friend, Grant’s father. For the first time she lets down her barriers in front of him and cries for the man she had grown quite attached to.  Kate’s tears wiggle under Grant’s carefully erected barriers and he finds himself comforting her in the crowded front seat of his jeep. Fuelled by frustrating weeks of emotional strain, comforting turns to something entirely else…]


Kate’s head spun a lurching figure eight at Grant’s closeness. His strong, distinctive cologne which seemed to shimmy around her like scent released from the heat of a candle. She held herself suspended—lips gently parted against his first touch, assessing—and then leaned infinitesimally toward him, gently increasing the pressure of their kiss. Heat burst through her and crackled out to lick at the place their lips joined. Her mouth slid across his; tasting, breathing his air, melding perfectly.

He nipped and nibbled, sucking her bottom lip between his then releasing it to slide across the neglected top lip. His big hands forked up through the waves of her hair, messing it around her face until it hung wild and natural like it sometimes did at the end of a long day on the rock-shelf. 


She pulled back to gaze into eyes darkened with green heat. His thumbs learned the delicate line of her cheekbones and rubbed the last of the tears from her damp lashes.


She sucked in a breath to speak. But he slid one thumb down to silence her lips, closing the gap between them and taking her mouth with his again. It blazed against hers, his tongue hot and confident and branding its possession. Her skin burned wherever it rubbed against his which, squeezed as they were in the front of his car, was just about everywhere. 


Her breath grew thin and desperate deep in her chest but freeing herself for air was the last thing on her mind. Grant’s hands slid down over her shoulders and found their way to the sides of her ribs and under her arms. Then he pulled her more comfortably against him, sliding himself sideways to give her more room. Freeing her to climb that masculine chest and latch on more firmly to his talented lips.


Heavy eyes simmered into hers and Kate suddenly grew shy, uncertain. His large, work-roughed hand stroked up her throat to rest under her chin and encourage her gaze back to his.


‘You will always look like this to me,’ he murmured thickly, kissing her brow, her jaw, her lips. Making her lashes fall to her cheeks. ‘Wild. Hot.’


Kate let her head fall back and Grant mouthed his way up her throat. Just as well she was lying half across him because there was no way she could have kept standing as feelings she’d began to think she’d forfeited for life came surging forth in sharp, exquisite lances deep in her body. Her fists clenched high on his open-necked sweater, giving her strength, but letting her fingers spread to tangle in the scattered hair there, against the furnace that was his flesh. The forbidden feeling of the skin she’d tried not to ogle that first day made her smile and Grant’s lips moved instantly to the deep dimple that formed on her left cheek.


His tongue dipped in and out, his smooth teeth sliding against her cheek as he matched her smile. ‘I’ve wanted to touch those since I first saw you.’


Not that she wasn’t unexpectedly thrilled to hear such sentiments, but, while she was busy making sense of words, she wasn’t drowning in the pleasure sensations of his body moving against hers. His mouth feasting on hers. She speared her fingers up into his short hair and forced his head back so she could glare into his eyes meaningfully. ‘That’s lovely, but do you want to talk or do you want to kiss?’


His answer was practically a growl. 




Nikki has a signed copy of A Kiss To Seal The Deal to giveaway. To be in the draw, simply answer her question!

"In A Kiss to Seal the Deal, Kate Dickson is super-passionate about her seals and can get one-eyed at times. What do you get worked up about? How do you express your passion?"


Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from The Cattleman, The Baby And Me by Michelle Douglas will be posted!

13 comments:

  1. I get worked up abut my writing time. Endanger it, and the claws will come out and I will be incredibly not nice.

    That said, I loved the excerpt. Very hot and steamy! Great writing, Nikki!

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  2. Whoo Hoo thank you all so much I have sent an email

    Nikki

    Loved that smooch can't wait to read this one.
    For me I am passionate about my family and will go to any lengths to protect them and I also strongly believe in equality for all lets treat everyone animals included the way we would like to treated ourselves we all need love and support and I will get on my soap box at times. LOL

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  3. Wow! What a scorcher of a smooch, Nikki!

    A KISS TO SEAL THE DEAL sounds an interesting story. Congratulations on it's release, Nikki.

    I'm passionate about my family then my romance novels in that order, says something about me, doesn't it?

    Congratulations Helen!

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  4. Great Saturday night smooch for me. I loved it.

    Let me see I'm passionate about my family, my cats and my romance novels. Will defend them all with everything that I have.

    I've been known to defend mothers with crying kids when someone takes a shot at them as well. I don't have kids but I know that sometimes nothing you do can stop them from crying. I just hate it when someone gets upset with them.

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  5. Woo hoo, congrats Helen! You're in for a treat with Mel's story! Trust me on that ;)

    Helen, It was such a hot smooch ;) :whew: !!!

    Hmm.. I get worked up about a lot of things..and I rant it out to my DH and when he gets glassy eyed, I have my girls (BFFs) :) Thankfully ;) With the way each small thing affects me - like injustice, rudeness etc, I think I am glad to have people to vent it out to!! Else...I just can't imagine :)

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  6. Wow Nikki ... awesome kiss. Looking forward to reading the whole book.

    Passions ... well, I'm passionate about my dogs and horses and can't abide animal cruelty in any form. Jane Austen is a bit of a passion too. Oh, and my hubby.

    Great kiss :)

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  7. Lots of votes for family -- Helen, Nas and Kaelee -- as it should be. I get pretty fired up about mine, too, if someone is having a crack!

    And, not surprising perhaps on this blog, several passionate about animals.

    For me, my dogs are my kids so if someone had a go at them I would come out fighting. But in fact I get really stirred up by poor treatment of other people's pets too.

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  8. Marlena - writing time! Yes... the hardest boundary to patrol becuase it just looks like we're mucking about on the computer. Took me a while to get it through to my other half that I'm *working*, tho to be fair my other work doesn't eat into our private time the way writing does.

    Defend it with your life!!

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  9. Ju - one for injustices! Hooray. I can feel you slipping into your super-hero costume from here.

    Yes, unfair or ill-considered decisions that impact on other people (or animals') rights is on my list too.

    You go right ahead and vent :) Better out than in.

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  10. Helen L - our first authorly passion - Jane Austen. Yes. I think you'd find a good friend in fellow lovecat Rachel Bailey who is my go-to person for anything Austen.

    We should have a Jane Austen week on the Lovecats and all the Austen-o-philes can give voice to their passion together :)

    (And your poor husband... third to a bunch of furry friends and a dead author. LOL )

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  11. Wow what a smooch! A Kiss to Seal the Deal sounds like a wonderful read. I really love the cover of this book, beautiful!

    lead[at]hotsheet[dot]com

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  12. Gorgeous smooch, Nikki. Love the seals on the US cover too!

    I think we can all get worked up if our loved ones are threatened. Narrow-mindedness can get me worked up too. Oh and mean-spiritedness. Just don't see any reason for either, I'm afraid.

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  13. Enjoyed that immensely Nikki, and looking forward to reading the rest of the book. I like your natural, passionate heroines - I finished Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong not long ago, and just read The soldiers untamed heart (found it at the library) as well. Poverty is one of my many soapboxes, it gets me hot under the collar because it is not necessary. There's enough for everyone - we just need to share it out a wee bit better!

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