Sunday Smooch with...Louisa George

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Louisa George, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Grandma Cootie!

Grandma Cootie, can you please email annie (at) annie-west (dot) com to receive your copy of A Royal Scandal!

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Louisa George's new medical romance release, Tempted By Her Italian Surgeon

Back cover blurb:

The doctor everyone’s talking about!

When a deliciously naughty photo of paediatric transplant surgeon Matteo Finelli goes viral, social media expert Ivy Leigh is called in to discipline him. It will be a challenge, especially as Ivy is far from immune to Matteo’s charismatic charm herself!

Dedicated doc Matteo doesn’t care about social media policy — he’s far more interested in uncovering the warm, vulnerable heart Ivy hides beneath her suit jacket. The chemistry between them is sizzling, but can he persuade ever-cautious Ivy to take a risk and give into an irresistible temptation?

Kiss Scene:-  Set up: Ivy and Matteo have just shared an intense day and a quick drink at the pub. Ivy realizes she’s far more attracted to him than she wants to be…

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she pushed the door open and inhaled the late spring evening air. Thank God for that. What was happening to her insides she did not know, or want to even think about. But she knew she had to put some distance between her and Dr Delicious. Wrapping her coat around her, she began to walk towards the bus stop and realised…

My bag. Damn.

Without it her evening, her whole weekend, would be lost. Besides, those files held confidential information that she could not lose on any account.

Twirling back round towards the pub, she slammed hard into a wall of muscle. A dark collared shirt. Brooding eyes. A hand holding out her bag. ‘Ivy.’

‘Oh.’ But now she was touching him she didn’t want to let go. Should have but didn’t. Underneath the soft linen of his shirt she could feel every nuance of muscle, every ripple of movement. And there, underneath her fingers, his heart beat strong and regular. Steady. ‘Matteo—’

‘Hush.’ The bag fell to the ground. Then he placed his palm to the back of her neck, pulled her towards him, and pressed his lips against hers.

It took a moment to register that this was Matteo, this was a kiss—so unexpected, and yet everything that their conversations had been leading up to. His mouth was playful as he nipped across her bottom lip and she could feel his smile against her own. Then she stopped thinking altogether—because thinking would throw up too many barriers, and just for once in her life she wanted to be free, to take what she wanted instead of holding back. To open herself up to…this. He tasted exotic, of spice and man, and it set her gut on fire.

Wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her closer, he set the tone, and took control. His tongue slipped into her mouth and danced a fierce dance with hers. She gripped his shirt, pressed her body against his, took everything he gave her and gave it right back to him. All the fighting and the humiliation and the anger and the deep sexual need she’d experienced since she’d crossed paths with him was in that kiss. So too was a longing and heat that she’d never experienced before.

This was bad.

This was good.

This was the biggest mistake she’d ever made. As reality seeped into her brain she stopped. Fighting for breath, she pulled away. ‘My God, Matteo. What the hell was that for?’

‘You looked like you needed kissing.’ And he was all bravado and outward calm but she could see the slight tremor in his body as he inhaled a breath. So it had been an instinctive unthought-out action and had taken him by surprise too. ‘And I was right, you did. Kissing suits you. You should do it more often. Look at you now—alive. Vibrant. No words.’

She daren’t imagine how she looked, but that was the least of her problems. ‘Well, that’s not the way I do things. And now I’m going home.’

Don’t even think of asking to come with me.

You can find Louisa’s book at Amazon and in book stores now!

Louisa is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter!  So her question to you is:

When Ivy needs help Matteo steps up and proves he is a swoon-worthy hero by driving her long distance to see her sick mother. What is the most (printable!) romantic thing anyone has done for you?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Anna Campbell will be posted!