Sunday Smooch - What Lies Beneath

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from What Lies Beneath by Andrea Laurence, but first ...

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

Congratulations, Alyssaxx! Can you please contact Kylie  at

kyliegriffin71 (at) optusnet (dot) com (dot (au)

and she'll send you a copy of Vengeance Born

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from What Lies Beneath by Andrea Laurence
 

She’s Awake. So Why Can’t She Remember?

They say she’s Cynthia Dempsey, fiancée of media mogul Will Taylor. But try as she might, she can’t recall their high-society life or the man sitting by her hospital bed. Though her body certainly remembers him. Even as she senses the distance between them, the electricity when they touch is undeniable.

Will can hardly believe Cynthia’s transformation. Gone is the ice queen who betrayed him, and in her place is a woman who seems genuine and warm. But can he risk his heart again, not knowing what might happen when her memory returns?

Set up

[The heroine, Cynthia, has been in a plane crash and has amnesia. She and her fiancé, Will, had had a horrible fight and broke off their engagement before the trip, but now only he remembers her betrayal and is loathe to trust her despite how much her personality has changed. But the new Cynthia is oh so alluring…]

          Will had tried to wish away his attraction to her and yet Alex’s words taunted him. This could be their second chance. He’d offered them both a clean slate and the only thing keeping him from taking this opportunity was his own stubborn sense of self-preservation. Yes, the woman he proposed to had abused everything he gave her. But this was an entirely different woman despite their resemblance. No matter how hard he fought it, she intrigued and aroused him like no woman had before.

What would it hurt to see where this could go, even if only to soothe his own curiosity? He could certainly keep his heart out of the situation to avoid disaster. If things went awry or she regained her memory, he could easily walk away, no harm done. And if he could keep their relationship going long enough to satisfy George Dempsey, it would boost his business. It seemed like a win-win situation if he could let himself give into it.

Cynthia pulled away slightly, stopping to look up at him. She was clearly excited by her new design adventure, but her expression shifted as she gazed into his eyes. Something changed in that moment and he could feel the difference, too. The attraction she felt for him was just as strong. He could tell by the way her breath caught, her lips parting slightly and tempting him closer.

She wanted him to kiss her. And he wanted to. He wanted to know how she would touch him. What sounds she would make. How she would feel in his arms.  Letting his body and his curiosity win over, he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. There was an immediate connection when he touched her. This wasn’t just a test. It was a real kiss, unlike what they’d shared before. A thrill raced through his body, a tingling in the base of his spine urging him to pull her closer. The need built quickly inside, pushing him to take more from her.

Cynthia leaned into him and placed one hand gently on his cheek. His tongue brushed hers, the taste and feel of her new and unexpected, like silk and honey. The hand resting on her hip slid upwards, caressing her side and tugging her to him. She whimpered quietly against his mouth, a soft, feminine sound that roused a primal reaction in him. He’d never been this turned on by a kiss in his life.

Everything about her from the gentle caress of her hands to the flutter of her eyelashes against his cheek started his blood boiling. There was an innocence, a sweetness. She had no agenda, no motives for offering herself to him. She just gave into her desires and urged him to do the same. It took everything he had not to scoop her off the bench, carry her back to the apartment and claim her as his own.

Unfortunately, by the time he carried her four blocks to their apartment, he’d realize it was a mistake. Pulling away, he stayed close, their breath warm on each other’s skin. They sat still for a moment, his mind whirling with the implications of what he’d just done. He needed to keep his brain in charge instead of his crotch or he’d make a mess of everything.

What Lies Beneath is and April release in the US, and May in Australia.

To be in the draw to win a signed copy of What Lies Beneath, how important is a first kiss when dating someone new? Can a bad kisser be a deal breaker?


Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from One Month to Become a Mum by Louisa George will be posted!