Sunday Smooch with Helen Lacey

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Helen Lacey ---- but first 


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Marcy Schuler. Please contact Victoria James on victoria (at) victoriajames (dot) ca to collect your prize .........


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from A Lot Like Love by Helen Lacey........

Mark Dennison will do anything to save his daughters life…even if that means reconnecting with the one person he never wants to see again. The woman who killed his wife.

After her twin sister’s death, Catherine McLeod gave up all hope of seeing her young niece ever again. But when Mark rocks up on her doorstep and announces she’s the only one who can save Sophie, she’s prepared to do whatever she can to help. Which doesn’t include falling for the one man she can never have. A man who can never discover her secret promise.

Scene set up [Mark has taken Catherine to see the old theater his company is renovating and although they are both fighting it, the attraction between them quickly escalates]

Half an hour later Mark was unlocking the doors to an old, abandoned looking playhouse down near The Rocks. There were ‘No Trespassing’ signs plastered across high scaffolding and the windows were boarded up from inside. The reddish bricks were clearly crafted by skilled masons from the day. She stood by the door and admired the frontage.

“Wow,” she said as the doors creaked and they crossed the threshold. “Fabulous.”

“Wait until you see the dome.”

Anticipation uncurled in her belly and she followed him. He flicked on lights and they crossed the foyer. A huge staircase loomed ahead and curled skywards. The carpet was old, the walls faded and old chairs were strewn in every corner. But Catherine could see the beauty in the big building.

“Watch your step,” Mark warned and kicked some debris aside so she had a clear path. He headed for another set of doors and they swung back with a groan. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a second.”

He walked down a short corridor and seconds later the entire theatre illuminated with light. The huge dome window overhead was a kaleidoscope of colored glass in shades of red, green and blue. It was, in a word, breathtaking.

When Mark returned to her side she was staring upwards, taking in every curve and angle, every shimmer of beveled glass as it hit the lights.

“It’s amazing,” she said on a husky breath. “So beautiful.”

“Yes, so very beautiful.”

But when she glanced at him he wasn’t looking at the dome. He was looking at her, observing her upturned face with such blistering intensity that any air she had in her lungs caught spectacularly in her throat.

 He reached out and touched her cheek and Catherine sighed. Suddenly, like a force of will that she couldn’t control, she stepped closer. And then, like a dream she’d long forgotten he dipped his head and kissed her. Catherine’s lips moved beneath his mouth as he pressed closer, deepening the kiss and angling her comfortably in his arms, as though he intended to keep her there for a long time. She rested her hands on his chest, felt the thunderous beat of his heart and sighed deeply. In all her life…in all her dreams…she’d imagined and longed for a kiss that would rock her to the foundation of her core. And this, she thought as he held her gently and traced his tongue against her lower lip, was it. She ran her hands around his back and felt the hard muscles bunching beneath her fingertips. Every ounce of self control or will power she possessed disappeared. She didn’t want it to end even though she knew it had to. She knew reality would come back with a vengeance once she allowed it.

When he finally pulled back Catherine could hardly stand. He kept her steady in his arms and looked down into her face.

“Catherine,” he said and touched her cheek. “We should stop.”

“Yes,” she said and pulled away a little, willing the blood to return to her legs. “Good idea.”

Mark lingered, holding her in his arms. “I didn’t bring you here for this.”

Catherine stepped back and he released her. Of course he didn’t. She knew that. But they’d kissed and in doing so she’d betrayed Jess…something she’d vowed she would never do.

“Take me home,” she said quietly, then turned on her heel and walked out.

Have you ever started reading a romance novel and wondered how the hero and heroine will overcome their differences and get their happy-ever-after?

Leave a comment to go into the draw to win an eCopy of A Lot Like Love.


A Lot Like Love is available here from Amazon.

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Her Knight In Shining Armour by Robyn Richards will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver