Jun 2, 2013

Sunday Smooch with Emmie Dark

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

The winner of last weeks Smooch is Nancy Crocker!
Congratulations Nancy....please contact Amy Andrews on amy (at) amyandrews (dot) com (dot) au to collect your proze! 


And now we have a smooch from Emmie Dark


She's not that kind of girl!

Veterinarian Jess Alexander doesn't have one-night stands with the best man at a coworker's wedding. But thirtysomething divorcée Jess is definitely in a rut that a night of reckless passion with a younger man just might break. And what better candidate than criminally good-looking Sean Paterson?

Being with Sean is exhilarating. But where could this relationship possibly go? Expecting anything more than a good time from Sean is a one-way ticket to heartbreak. Against her better judgment, Jess can't walk away from whatever this is…not yet.






The Set-Up: 
Sean Paterson, best man at his brother’s wedding has found someone else who’s not enjoying the long celebration. Jess Alexander, a vet and Sean’s new sister-in-law’s boss, vet Jess Alexander, just needs a little convincing to go for a drive in his hotted up car. But along the way it turns out that it’s not just a drive. And the sparks that sizzled between them at the wedding might be too hard to resist...


Jess shifted in her seat and from the corner of his eye, Sean watched her skirt fall open again. She wasn’t wearing stockings or panty hose—the bare skin of her legs was a pale pinky-gold that he just knew would feel like silk. Her fingers grabbed the fabric and she tugged on it to pull it back into place.

“Don’t.” Sean covered her hand with his. The contact sent a warm thrill through him. He wanted to touch her all over. The arousal that had been echoing faintly through his body became an ache at the thought.

Jess halted and looked down at their hands and her bared thighs before sending a smile his way. “Hmm. You sure I won’t distract you from driving, sitting here like this?”

Sean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, doing some quick mental navigation. “We’re only ten minutes from where I’m staying.”

“And that’s where we’re going, is it?”

“Well, it would solve the distraction problem.”

“Hmm, I see what you mean.”

It wasn’t much of an answer. “Unless you have another suggestion?” Sean took his eyes off the road for a moment to get a quick read on Jess. He wanted to end this evening with those gorgeous legs wrapped around him—he very much hoped she wanted the same thing. And, in addition to that seductive image, she was right. Her bare skin, her soft floral fragrance, the ideas that were circulating through his head—none of it contributed to totally focused driving.

“How long are you in Melbourne for?”

He frowned at the question. “Not long. Why?”

One shoulder lifted and then dropped in a nonanswer. “Hailey said you don’t stick around anywhere for very long. Where to next?”

“Sydney. I’m probably heading there tomorrow or Monday.” He had to be somewhere with a solid internet connection by Monday evening. For one of the most important meetings of his life. It’d make sense to set off on the ten-hour drive the next day; stop overnight somewhere halfway so he was fresh when he arrived.

“Is that a problem?” he asked when Jess remained silent. It was better she understood now that this wasn’t the beginning of something more than he could offer.

“No, no it’s not a problem.” Her voice was a little faint.

Sean steered onto an off-ramp and turned into a side road. As soon as he could, he pulled the car over to stop on a low embankment. He turned to face her and, before she could protest, lowered his lips to hers.

It was a gentle kiss, just lips and breath and the warm rich scent of her skin. Their noses and chins rubbed together as Sean kissed either side of her mouth, before settling on her lips again to just barely caress them.

He pulled back just far enough to watch as her eyes drifted back open, her expression dazed.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“Yeah.” He grinned, knowing it would be goofy, but that one kiss had been enough to make him absolutely positive about what he wanted next. He cupped her chin with one hand. “Jess? I really like you. I’d like to spend the night with you—if you’d like to spend it with me.”

Jess wet her lips nervously but her eyes didn’t move from his. “That was direct.”

He gave a small shrug. “Best to be up front about these things, I’ve found.”

Jess didn’t answer. Her eyes were round and her porcelain skin pale in the sulfuric glow of the streetlight.

“You look a little scared.”

She gave a weak laugh, shifting in the seat to pull away from him. Sean dropped his hand to rest on her thigh.

“I’m not scared,” she said. She met his eyes, a curious determination visible in them.

“If you don’t want to, that’s cool. Seriously. We’ll head back to the reception now.” It was the right thing to say, but he hoped to hell she wasn’t going to take him up on it.

She still looked nervous, but the smile she gave him was sure. “No, I was over the wedding anyway. Let’s go.”


For a chance to win a copy of Just For Today... and find out exactly what happens next, let me know what you think makes a particularly good (or bad!) wedding for guests -- not the bride and groom!






23 comments:

  1. Ooooh....great smooch Emmie!! I love a good wedding- for me the best thing is to see the happy couple celebrating their love for each other... after that I'm happy with anything- low key, full-on, buffet, sit down dinner, beachside, church...anything... (Although, I did once go to a wedding where the mother of the groom organised a stripper - DURING THE WEDDING party!!!!!! BAD BAD BAD)

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  2. Hm, hooking up at a wedding - why does that appeal so much? What makes a good wedding? I'd have to say seeing genuine love and happiness not just between the bride and groom, but among the guests as well. Some weddings just have a happy vibe don't they?

    Louisa, I'm stunned at the wedding stripper. How awful.

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  3. Emmie, what a great kiss. Amy was asking a few days ago what we all thought about one night stands, and I was in the camp that thought it was all in the execution. And I love the sound of this one. Looking forward to reading the whole book!

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  4. Wow indeed, what a lovely kiss.

    I am totally going to show my age, but if the band is SO LOUD at the reception that you can't even talk to the person next to you, that's just madness. I want to chat. I want to catch up.

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  5. Hi Emmie - wonderful smooch! So looking forward to reading the book. And a good wedding...not too many people. I've been to a couple of big weddings (250+ people) and it was really a bit of a circus. Best weddings are those more intimate settings. But I work part time in my sister's bridal store so maybe I'm a bit cynical :) Lovely smooch!

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  6. Thanks Louisa! Wow, a stripper DURING the wedding? That's quite something! But you sound like the perfect wedding guest -- happy with everything!

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  7. I agree Annie -- there are just some weddings that have a special vibe and it's nothing to do with the expense of the venue or the lusciousness of the food.

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  8. Thanks Rachel! I hope you like Sean and Jess's one-night-stand-that-isn't-quite-one-night... lol

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  9. Mary, I guess I could be considered to be getting on these days too, but I do agree! It's important that the music is loud enough to give the place some energy, but you still need to be able to talk!

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  10. Thanks Helen. I think most of the weddings I've been to have been on the smaller side, but I do remember a Greek wedding I went to some years back which must have been at least 500+. I had a good time because I was there with some lovely friends, but I do generally prefer the smaller events, I think.

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  11. My daughters wedding at Easter had about 70 guests, most of whom were either related or work colleagues of the bride and groom. It was lovely and the best bit was the bride and groom did a carefully choreographed dance to Rainbow Connection. It was such a surprise but so moving and romantic.

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  12. That sounds lovely! I love it when the bride and groom do a little show for the guests. I went to a wedding last year with a 20s theme and the couple did a choreographed "Charleston" style dance number. It was lovely!

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  13. drunk people would be bad

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  14. That was a great excerpt, Emmie.
    I haven't been to a wedding in years - no one close to me is getting married, and the one time I was a bridesmaid, the marriage lasted one year!

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  15. Well the last wedding I was at took place outside in the middle of a rain storm so it was hard to see it from under the provided big black umbrellas.

    I love the smooch Emmie. I love that Sean is so up front but doesn't pressure Jess.

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  16. Hi Emmie - fab extract and smooch :) Sounds like a fab read!!!!

    I think good weddings happen when the couple put a lot of thought into it. Not just spending money but making sure guests are seated with people they know/ would get on well with. Dietary requirements are considered. Lots of food and drink, music not too loud so people can talk etc....

    We recently went to a wedding where we were seated with no one that we knew and the couples were 10-15 years older than us. We would've preferred being with our cousins seated two tables away.

    Congrats on the release of Just for Today - I loooooove the cover :)

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  17. Love that Smooch, Emmie!!

    I've been to a number of weddings where the music is just too loud to talk. I feel it really takes away from the romantic nature of the day. Love a wedding where the bride and groom stare adoringly at each other all day!

    One thing I love about weddings is all the flowers - I love, love, love fresh flowers.

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  18. Thanks Jo! In some ways it's not a bad thing you haven't had to go to many weddings -- sometimes they're not all that much fun!

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  19. Hi Kaelee -- thanks for your lovely comments! Don't they say that rain on a wedding day is good luck? I hope it was for that couple!

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  20. Hi Joanne -- thank you so much! I definitely agree -- the people you are seated with at a wedding can make all the difference between an enjoyable night and one where you want to sneak out early.

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  21. Thanks Jennifer! The last wedding I went to, the bride insisted I take home one of the floral table centrepieces. It was a Spring bouquet and absolutely beautiful and filled my house with a spectacular scent for days. Better than any bonbonniere I've ever received!

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  22. Congrats on the book being released this month, Emmie! It must be wonderful to see your books in print!

    As for weddings, I get annoyed when nobody wants to get up and dance (so I'm the first one, other than the bridal party at the start). Drunks make me upset too, and I tend to distract them (and get them the heck out of there). I'm not impressed with the mother of the bride getting involved in everything either; just let it flow!

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  23. Well done Nancy.

    A bad wedding experience for guests can be the other side of the family... or the family that you only see because of a wedding or funeral, and you're reminded why you dont catch up often lol.

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