RITAday Smooch with Louisa George

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we bring you an extra-special Classic Smooch from LoveCats's RITA Finalist, Louisa George. Louisa's Enemies With Benefits is one of ten finalists in the Contemporary Romance: Short category.  The RITAs, hosted by Romance Writers of America, celebrate the very best romance novels published the previous year.  The 2015 winners will be announced during Sunday Smooch time DownUnder.  Best of luck, Louisa!

Before we revisit this classic smooch, the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Devika. Can you please contact Rachel (at) RachelBailey  (dot) com to receive your copy of Bidding on Her Boss.


And now for today's smooch ….

The last man on earth she should hook up with!

Poppy Spencer has discovered that there’s one thing worse than Christmas alone in her flat, and that’s spending it with Isaac Blair, her sworn-enemy-turned-reluctant-flatmate! And that’s not just because he knows all her secrets…but because his sexy-as-sin smile and taut physique are making her all hot and flustered -- despite the icy cold outside!

Unless a casual hook-up is just the thing she needs…? It’ll certainly break the simmering tension between them. The trouble is, with their history, this is going to be anything but casual…!

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US - Harlequin

Lead-up to the kiss...

Poppy’s experience with sex and relationships has been very limited and not very pleasant…she’s struggling with her feelings for her flatmate who she finds irritating in the extreme…she’s trying to prove to this disbeliever that snowflakes and Christmas can be magical and they find themselves having a snowball fight…

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She screamed. Shivered. Turned. ‘Aww! What the…? You are the most irritating, stupid, insensitive…’ Chasing after him, scooping snow as she ran she threw a hard ball at his back, the smile finding its way back onto her mouth. ‘One more time, Isaac and I swear…’

He threw one back at her. Missed by a mile. On purpose. ‘What? You love snowball fights? What you going to do? Go on. I dare you.’

She threw another one. It lamely hit his leg. He ran and caught her up, reached out for her arm, grabbed it.

She spun around in the snow, dark eyes flashing with anger, heat, frustration.

Australia/NZ

Heat. It slammed through him like a thousand volts as he touched her.

Her body shook and she glanced down, surprised, at her trembling hands. Looked up at him for answers. He didn’t have any. He didn’t know what the hell was happening here either.

Her voice was thick and hoarse. ‘No. No. You’re not worth it.’

‘Oh, really?’ The electric force that had shimmied between them all evening spiked, stole his breath. He pulled her to him, slamming his body against hers. He needed to kiss her. To taste her again. Because one tiny kiss had been in no way enough last night.

If she had given him any indication that she did not want this as much as he did then he would have walked. But she kept staring at him, searching his face. Confused. Hungry.

Kiss / Larger Print

‘Really. You are so not worth it. Not worth it all.’ But this time her voice was hushed and thick and told him exactly what he needed to know.

He watched the movement of her throat as she swallowed, brushed a snowflake from her cheek. ‘Poppy…’

‘Yes?’ She stuck her tongue out again and caught another one, smiled in a way that shot hot spikes of need through him. Ran her tongue along her top lip leaving a wet trail that he ached to taste, and half drove him mad with desire. Her eyes widened and he was sure she didn’t realize the effect she was having on him. Either she had to stop or he had to… ‘You have got to stop doing that with your tongue.’

‘Why?’ Her breathing sped up, her lips parted just a little.

He tipped his head closer to her mouth, unable to do anything else but stand here, with her, holding her. ‘Because I have other ideas for it.’

Poppy heard the catch in her throat and felt the shiver run the length of her body as he pulled her to him by her coat lapels, pushed away her scarf and slid his mouth over hers. Felt her body ease against his. Felt the thick outlines of his heavy coat against hers- frustrated by the barriers. Grateful for the barriers.

UK

Because she knew they were on different planets of experience, of expectation. She didn't want to kiss him. Didn't want to want him.

But she did. Wanted him to run his hands over her body. Wanted to see what it felt like to feel desirable, to be desirable; to Isaac.

And hell, she needed to stop hiding, stop processing. Start living. Start feeling- but she didn't know how. Wanted him to show her the way, but was afraid of what he'd think of her. And she sure as hell couldn't ask.

As he slowly licked across her bottom lip, any further thought fled her brain. Her body stopped processing anything beyond its innate feral response; the flashes of light and heat in her belly, the tingle in her breasts, the wet of her mouth.

She opened her mouth unable to resist the pull of him any more, wound her arms around his neck. Felt a strip of bare skin against her arm- that one inch enough to fire more light. More heat. Lost herself in touch, smell. Taste.

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You can find Enemies with Benefits by Louisa George at Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Mills and Boon | Harlequin and other digital bookstores.

Louisa is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter! To be in the draw, all you need do is comment.  Covers to Enemies with Benefits as published in various countries and imprints are included above: which is your favourite?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a brand new smooch will be posted!