Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!
But before we get to this week's kiss, the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- Raelene Hall!
Congratulations, Raelene! Can you please contact Leah at leah(at)leah-ashton (dot) com and she'll send you a copy of SECRETS AND SPEED DATING.
And now for today's Sunday Smooch from WAKING UP IN THE WRONG BED by Natalie Anderson...
Waking up with Mr. Wrong - quite literally!
When film location scout Ellie Summers sneaks into a colleague's hotel room with seduction in mind, she'd thrilled by her own daring!
But the smug morning after glow morphs into red-faced mortification when she wakes in the arms of a total stranger! Ruben Theroux might be fine with the situation but a flustered Ellie most definitely is not.
Ellie's only defence against this very attractive guy is to insist they're friends only - strictly no benefits! But Ruben isn't a successful businessman for nothing - they'l be good together, and he's happy to play dirty to get what he wants...
[Ellie Summers has just made a *massive* mistake. Huge. So big even she can't believe it. And oh boy has she been backpedalling her way out of there. Trouble is, the guy she might have accidentally jumped thinks the whole thing is a lark--and he wants to play some more. Ellie is far too mortified for that... except the guy? He's just that bit too gorgeous!!! And despite everything that's happened between them already, they've yet to actually kiss...]
She paused by her
open driver door and met the look in his delicious eyes. “Right now I don’t
have any regrets. I stay and I might get them. I don’t want to have any.”
“What about
what I want? What about my regrets?”
“I can only
apologise. Again.”
He walked
closer, taking hold of the door. “Never feel you have to apologise to me. Never
ever.”
Unable to
answer that, she got in the car. She’d not been honest about her lack of
regrets. She regretted nothing of what had happened, but for what else could
have happened had they been different people with desires that converged.
He closed
the door for her but remained right by the car, expectantly. She hit the button to wind the window all the way down. He bent and
leaned in so his face was right near hers.
“You don’t
get away that easy,” he murmured, sliding his hand to her jaw.
She
couldn’t accelerate away or she’d take his arm – and head – with her. But there
was no mistaking his intention.
The smile
said it all and those gorgeously curved lips arrowed in on hers. The touch was
firm – but not totally dominant as she’d expected. No, he held back for all of
a second or two. But then his hand cupped her head, angling her slightly better
to meet his as his lips plundered hers. And in another instant she plundered
right back – seeking more of that strong touch, that deliciousness – the full
impact of his utter masculinity. The shivers skittered down her spine, the
knots coiled tighter and tighter in her belly already. His tongue swept –
playful, insistent, driving. How could so much could be said with a kiss?
She had no
idea why she was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, or why she had her
foot pushed so hard on the brake. The car engine wasn’t even running. But she just
knew she was in danger.
He stepped
back. Her gaze was glued to him – to the fit, taut body and the smile that held
as much rue as it did tease now. His big eyes burned right through hers.
“My regret...” he nodded slowly. “...was not kissing
you. Of course now I regret not
kissing you sooner.”
Breathless,
she put her hand on his wrist, seeking one last touch of skin. “Thank you for
being so nice to me.”
His gaze
narrowed. “I’m not as nice as all that Ellie.” His voice dropped so she leaned
forward in her seat, nearer to hear him. “You need to know something about me.”
She waited,
lungs not breathing, heart not beating.
“I’m man
enough to take no for an answer,” he said. “But I’m also man enough to fight
for what I want.”
Eyes not
blinking, she had to ask. “What do you want?”
“You again.
Every way. Any way.”
Oh.
He
broke the drilling intensity with one of those shattering smiles that gave him such an unfair advantage. “So if you want to go, you’d better go now.”
Natalie's latest Harlequin book, WAKING UP IN THE WRONG BED is released in Australia and New Zealand in July and in the US in August - but you can get your hands on a copy sooner than that!
To be in the draw to win a signed copy of WAKING UP IN THE WRONG BED, tell us if you've ever made a big mistake identity-wise - called someone by the wrong name in a deadly important situation? Emailed the wrong thing to the wrong person? Or do you never make such mistakes? Just comment below to be in to win :)
Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from JILTED by Rachael Johns will be posted!
Ahhhh, Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI love the pic of you in your Plotting Shed! It's a "natural fit", so to speak, and you look so happy there! I'm so glad for you! What a lovely and peaceful place for you to plot your stories.
Yes, I HAVE emailed the wrong person. I know I did it many many years ago, but I've chosen to forget the circumstances. No sense in dwelling on the negatives. It rankles years later, and I still try very hard not to do the same thing again.
I don't think I've been in a "deadly important situation", at least in recent years. Again, anything longer ago I have chosen to ignore. If I think about something I've done that upset me (and believe me, I've done tons of stupid things), that thought will continue to upset me, and no good comes from that.
BTW, I loved your excerpt and look forward to reading this book. I like it when the hero knows right away what he wants and then goes after it. It's kinda like my own DH 32 years ago (sigh), as we started dating on Labour Day weekend, he bought my ring in October, he proposed on Christmas Day, and we wed the following July, when his plant had its annual shutdown so we could honeymoon for two weeks afterward.
Hey, Natalie, that's an intriguing scene. It certainly makes me want to read on.
ReplyDeleteAs for saying the wrong thing - all the time. I have major trouble with names and usually remember the right one 15 minutes after I've left the person in question. Strangely I remember them - who they are, etc, but just not the name.
Oh, wow - what an excerpt! If she doesn't want him I do. All of a sudden Ruben is such a sexy name. (grins)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read it.
Nat, beeeautiful excerpt! Love the foot on the brakes and danger link =)Another Nat Anderson must buy!
ReplyDeleteDon't know about dangerous situations, but I mistook someone this morning. Coming out from the bedroom, my husband, standing in the family room, said someone had dropped in for a coffee. Eying our guest from afar, I thought he'd said Carol - my sister - and wondered at the hair colour. Turned out to be his friend, HAROLD. Ooopies.
"I regret not kissing you sooner" - Swoon!!! That's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hugged a perfect stranger at the supermarket not too long ago. At least I hope they were perfect. I had them in a clinch. Neither one of us knew quite what to do after realised & eventually let go, so we both just walked away - quickly. I haven't been game enough to even smile at people since.
so shy to admit that i'd ever wrong sending message, i supposed to send message to my brother in law and told him that my customer will come to our home to send me a gift but i send to the customer :(
ReplyDeleteHi Nat - fabulous smooch. And I agree with Kendra - the name Reuben is suddenly very sexy :)
ReplyDeleteBook sounds great! I know this sounds terrible, but I sometimes call my husband (of 12 years) by my first husband's name. He doesn't get mad, he just looks at me like I'm an idiot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds good. I almost called someone by the wrong name, but caught myself in time.
ReplyDeleteHi Laney!!! Thanks on the photo comment - I can't tell how you much I love that shed - you're right, it ABSOLUTELY fits :)
ReplyDeleteLOL at you choosing to forget the circumstances of your wrongly sent email - great idea!!
And yes, I too love guy who knows what he wants and goes for it!!!!!
Annie - I am so the same re names. Oddly I can remember all my childrens' friends names but never their parents. Never ever. And yet other details are there too - mist be some kind of block! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks Kendra :) Yep, this Ruben is VERY sexy!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL at Carol actually being Harold, Robyn!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for that foot on the brake? That was me during one of the big earthquakes here too... the kids and I were in the car and pulled over to the side of the road, engine off and suddenly there was a real belt of a quake - I realised halfway thru that I'd instinctively put hands on the wheel and slammed my foot on the brake--and for what?! It wasn't like I had any control on how the car had turned into a rollercoaster!!! The kids and I laughed and laughed after (well, what else could we do?! ;)
Marybelle - you have me SO intrigued!!!!! WHY did you hug the stranger?! What had happened?! What was the build-up? Or was there none and you just walked up and hugged her/him?!?! Writerly minds would love to know! :)
ReplyDeleteEli - yes, it is embarrassing when the wrong message goes to the wrong person isn't it!? Even if the content isn't at all 'bad' or incriminating, its still just mortifying!!!
ReplyDeleteHelen - glad you like his name - I think getting to name characters is such a fun thing about this job :)
ReplyDeleteLOL Shelley B - what a lovely 2nd hubby you have :)
ReplyDeleteHi Bn100 - nice save! :) And I'm glad you think the book sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI swore that when I got older I would never call anyone by their wrong name as my granny used to but now I mix up my great nephew's and niece's names all the time much to my mortification. It's not life threatening but I wish I could stop it.
ReplyDeleteI love the excerpt ~ another book for my to be bought list.
By the way It's still Sunday night here.