SUNDAY SMOOCH: The Secret Son's Homecoming by Helen Lacey

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Helen Lacey's July release from Harlequin Special Edition, The Secret Son's Homecoming.  

But first the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Ginette Kinellar.

Please contact Annie West by emailing annie AT annie-west.com to receive your copy of Inherited for the Royal Bed.

And now for today's smooch.

To learn to love…he will have to let go


The illegitimate son of the wealthiest man in Cedar River, Jonah Rickard spent his life avoiding his father. Forced back home for a wedding, he's brought face–to–face with the only woman to ever threaten his hardened heart.

Connie Bedford knows what it is to be haunted by the past, betrayed by trust…scared by desire. Years ago, Jonah's father saved her. Now only Connie and her love can save Jonah – and, maybe, his family…

Scene set-up:

Connie and Jonah have been out on their first ‘real’ date and they are now back at her home. 

The Smooch:   

“Jonah reached out to grasp her chin, gently tilting her face upward. “Did someone break your heart once, Connie?”

“My heart,” she whispered, as though the memory hurt her down to her very core. “My spirit.”

Jonah’s insides crunched. “I understand caution when it comes to getting close to people,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. “Sometimes I think I invented it. But I’m not out to hurt you or make empty promises. I just want—”

“Sex?” she said, cutting him off.

Heat smacked his cheeks, but he wasn’t about to lie to her. “I’m a guy,” he said and shrugged. “We’re kind of programmed that way.”

She laughed humorlessly. “At least you’re honest about it.”

“I don’t lie, Connie,” he said, more seriously. “I will always tell you the truth about my motives. It’s obvious that I’m attracted to you and I think that’s mutual...right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“So, we’ll just see where it goes.”

“To bed, you mean?”

He shrugged again. “If that’s what you want.”

“And it’s completely my decision?”

“Of course,” he replied. “Always.”

She took a moment to respond, and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

She nodded again. “Maybe we will end up in bed. We’ll just have to see.”

He smiled. “Is everything usually so cut-and-dried with you?”

“Usually,” she replied. “We doormats are generally the boring, black-or-white type.”

“I thought you’d forgiven me for that remark.”

“I have,” she said softly and moved closer. “I’m making fun of you.” She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, her mouth slightly parted, her eyes wide. “You can kiss me now...I mean, if you still want to.”

Jonah’s entire body tensed. He wanted to. Very much. She was close, and when her breasts touched his chest it almost sent his libido into overdrive. Jonah took a breath, grasped her chin and hovered his mouth over hers. They’d kissed before, but somehow, being so close, hearing her breathe, inhaling the scent that was uniquely hers, Jonah experienced an acute sense of being in the moment, of feeling and sensing nothing else other than everything that was Connie. It should have set off alarm bells in his head. But instead, he felt the rightness of it through to his blood and then felt it seep deep into his bones. He was hooked. Totally at the mercy of his desire for her. With no foreseeable way out other than to make a run for it.

Which was out of the question.

* * *

Connie slipped her arms around his shoulders, feeling the muscles bunch beneath her fingers, feeling every part of him in a way that was impossibly intimate and breathtakingly scary. His eyes glittered brilliantly, meeting hers without blinking, holding her gaze with such burning intensity she could barely draw breath. They were breast to chest, thigh to thigh, and she waited for the usual panic to rise, for her old fears to make a comeback, for the memories to resurface and warn her off. But oddly, they didn’t. Because she wasn’t afraid of Jonah. She desired him. She liked him. She trusted him. And trust had always been in short supply in her life.

Strange, some faraway voice whispered to her, that she trusted Jonah without really knowing him very well. For Connie, trust was earned, and garnered by time and integrity and actions. She trusted Liam and J.D. because they had witnessed her at her most vulnerable and saved her from the worst moment in her life. She trusted her friends Annie and Nicola because they had never had a morbid curiosity about her past like some others had shown over the years. And that, she realized, was it.

Four people. A small circle of trust in any language.

And now, inexplicably, there was Jonah.

Crazy. Senseless. Potentially foolish, because he had so much emotional baggage that it was certainly going to end in disaster...or at the very least, her broken heart.

But when his mouth touched hers, she was gone. He softly coaxed her lips apart, gently anchoring her head with a steady palm at her nape. There was nothing rushed, nothing overpowering, nothing other than a gentle coax and a request for permission. She gave it instinctively, and when his tongue touched hers, Connie experienced a deep surge of desire spark through her veins. His kiss was something she would never get enough of. And there was no threat, no demand. He was asking for her to kiss him back, seeking her agreement to ensure that they were heading to the same place, a place that had always terrified her, because it meant absolute surrender.

And surrender meant vulnerability...something she’d vowed never to allow again.

Connie moaned, hearing the sound echo low in her chest, feeling the vibration through her blood and across every nerve ending. It’s just a kiss. But it was more. That’s what struck her the most. She’d been kissed before. She’d put herself out there and gone on several first dates...but never had a man’s kiss affected her on a such a deep, sensory level. The fact that it was Jonah who wreaked such havoc with her senses...Jonah, who was in constant conflict with everyone she cared about the most, was confusing and contradictory to everything she thought she believed in.

            But when his mouth touched hers again, when he deepened the kiss and his tongue danced with hers, she was utterly and categorically undone. She pressed closer, feeling him aroused against her, but she sensed no threat and no need to run. That’s what shook her...that he wasn’t a threat. That he would never be a threat. That she’d found a man who made her feel safe.

And she wanted him.

She wanted him in ways she’d never wanted anyone before.

Reader question from Helen:

Do you like the bad boy? The guy who’s judged as being bad news but really has a heart of gold? Or do you prefer the straight up, Mr.  Nice Guy? 

Leave a comment to go into the draw to win a signed copy of The Secret Son’s Homecoming.

And don't forget to come back next Sunday when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a new smooch will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

Small Town V Big City....

I've just submitted my eighth book for Harlequin Special Edition to my editor and although this next series is set across the ditch in South Dakota, I am still writing about small town's and close-knit communities. As I dive into book number nine I've been wondering what readers prefer - the small town setting, or the big city.

I must admit I like reading both, but when I write a book I always tend to sway towards small towns. Obviously that has a lot to do with the type of book I write, as Special Edition generally do have a real home and family theme running through them. And this seems to reflect on the TV I watch too - as I'm probably more Gilmore Girls than Sex In The City...more Picket Fences than Law & Order...more Longmire than The Good Wife.

So, do your reading and TV tastes match?

Do you like both?

And I've added a picture of a cowboy here because...well...I just love cowboys....

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 ..... Barb

Can you please contact michelle (at) michelle-douglas (dot) com to receive your copy of The Millionaire & The Maid.........


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from The CEO's Baby Surprise by Helen Lacey........

Mary-Jayne Preston didn't do one-night stands—ever. Except for her one and only with devastatingly handsome tycoon Daniel Anderson, who swept her off her feet before she knew what was happening! The attraction was powerful…and seemingly mutual. But when she told him she was pregnant, all bets were off!

Daniel hadn't let his guard down since tragedy struck his own life four years earlier. Now he's drawn to the irresistible M.J., but cannot—will not—let himself fall in love with her. He insists on marriage to protect her and their twins, but M.J. will accept nothing less than true love from this lone wolf…forever.

Scene set-up
[ Mary-Jayne and Daniel are at the doctor having an ultrasound and they have just learned they are expecting twin boys!)

Someone could have told him that he was going to live on the moon for the next fifty years and he wouldn’t have been more shocked.

Twin boys…

“You’re sure?” he asked the doctor and noticed how Mary-Jayne hadn’t moved. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “And they’re fine?”

The doctor nodded. “Fine. Big, strong and healthy. Would you like to listen to their heartbeats?”

Daniel didn’t recall saying yes. But within seconds he had small earphones on and heard the incredible sound of his son’s hearts. Emotion rose up and hit him directly in the solar plexus, polarizing him for a moment. He swallowed hard, fighting the heat in his eyes and throat. Nothing he ever heard again would match the sound of the two tiny heartbeats pounding almost in unison. Longing, absolute and raw, filled his chest with such force he grabbed the side of the chair for support.

The doctor said something about having a picture done for them but he barely heard. He took off the earphones and gently placed them over Mary-Jayne’s head. Watching her expression shift from shock to wonderment was incredible. Her face radiated with a joy so acute it was blinding in its intensity. She’d never looked more beautiful.

The doctor stood. “I’ll arrange for a picture and come back in a little while,” she said and quickly left the room.

Daniel tightened his grip on Mary-Jayne’s hand. “Are you okay?”

She dropped the earphone onto the bed. “Um…I think so.”

“Not what you were expecting, huh?”

She sighed. “Not exactly. But…” Her words trailed off for a moment. “I’m happy.” She glanced at the now blank screen. “I can’t quite believe it.”

“Are there many twins in your family?” he said and rubbed her fingertips.

 

She shrugged. "Not really. I know there are in yours, though."

He nodded and grinned. "Yes. My brothers are twins. My grandfather was a twin, and I have two sets of cousins who are twins. it's like an epidemic in my family."

"This is all your doing, then?" she said and smiled.

"I don't think there is actually a genetic link on the father's side, but I'll happily take the credit if you want,' he said softly. "Are you okay with this?" 

"I'm happy, like I said. And a little scared. I wasn't expecting two." She looked down at her naked stomach. “I wonder if the nurse will come back to get this goo off my belly.”

Daniel released her hand and got up. He found a box of tissues on the counter and came back to her side. “This should do it,” he said as he sat down and began wiping the gel off her skin.

It was the most intimate thing they’d done in months and even though he acted as perfunctory as he could, it didn’t stop a surge of desire from climbing up his spine. She lay still, perfectly composed. Until he met her gaze and saw that she was watching him with scorching intensity. When he was done her hand came up and she grabbed his fingertips and then gently laid his palm against her belly. She placed her hand on top of his, connecting them in a way that was mesmerizing. Feeling her, feeling their babies, Daniel had no answer for the sensation banging around in his head.

He’d never wanted to feel this again. Not after Simone.

But it was inevitable. They were his children. His sons. They were part of him. How could he not get drawn into feeling such acute and blinding love for them? He couldn’t. And he wanted them. He wanted to be part of their lives. Full-time. A real parent.

A real father.

He looked at Mary-Jayne. Her eyes were bright. Luminous. She chewed on her bottom lip and his gaze immediately went to her mouth. He touched her forehead with his other hand and felt the connection down deep. Soul-deep.

In that moment he could nothing else but kiss her.

And her lips, as new as they were familiar, softened beneath his instantly. Daniel’s pulse quickened as the kiss quickly deepened. Her breath was warm, her tongue accepting when he sought it with his own. She sighed deep in her throat and a powerful surge of desire wound through his blood. He touched her hair, twirling the glorious strands between his fingertips. Her hand came up to his chest and he felt the connection through to his bones. And he kissed her again. And again. With each kiss his need for her grew. As did the knowledge he had one option. One way to make things right.

“Mary-Jayne,” he said against her lips, trailing his mouth down her cheek to the sensitive spot by her ear lobe. A spot he knew made her quiver. “We should get married.”

 

---

Do you believe that opposites attract?

Leave a comment to go into the draw to win a copy of The CEO's Baby Surprise.

 

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

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

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 MaryLina67.....


Can you please contact Amy Andrews on amy (at) amyandrews  (dot) com (dot) au to receive your copy of It Happened One Night Shift ........


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Claiming His Brother's Baby by Helen Lacey........


His Brother's Family

Cassie Duncan knew it was only a matter of time until Tanner McCord tried to sell her house out from under her. Still, the single mom can't help but be touched by the sacrifices the handsome loner makes for her and her son, even babysitting when she's sick! She knows he's keeping secrets—after all, it runs in his family…

Tanner returned to his childhood home in Australia to settle his estranged brother's estate—not fall for the woman who'd borne his brother's son. But one look into Cassie Duncan's blue eyes, and the rancher's heart was lassoed good and tight. He wants to give Cassie everything she's been denied…but doing so means confessing the truth about his brother and might ruin their chances at true family…

 

Scene set-up [Cassie and Tanner have just returned home from being out together, and where she learned some of the truth about his brother. Now they are back home and the baby is sleep, she is demanding answers to her questions....]

“Is Oliver settled?” he asked from the doorway.

“Yes.” She remained standing, arms crossed, chin raised. “Did you find out about what Doug had done with Leah before or after he stole your inheritance?”

Straight to the point. A trait of hers he’d come to recognize. “After. Before. It was all around the same time.”

Her gaze narrowed. “So, he stole your money and your girlfriend and got her pregnant?”

“Yes.”

She dropped down onto the love seat in the corner. “I think I need to throw up.”

Tanner moved into the room and stood behind the sofa. “It was a long time ago.”

“Which doesn’t change how utterly despicable it was.”

“No,” he said. “But time does alter perspective on things.”

She shook her head and stared at him. “So you simply forgive and forget and move on?”

“Or get bogged down with anger and resentment,” he replied. “And that’s no way to live.”

She twisted her hands in her lap. “I feel like…I feel like I suddenly know nothing of the man I knew, the man who fathered my son. The man you describe…he’s a stranger. He’s a cold, unfeeling stranger who did whatever he wanted and didn’t care who got hurt in the process.”

“Then don’t remember him that way,” Tanner said and came around the sofa. “Remember him as the man who made you laugh. The man you loved.”

“How can I?” she implored. “I’d be living a lie. How could I love a man who did such things? That would make me…pathetic.”

“Or human.”

She jumped to her feet. “Stop that. Stop making excuses…for Doug…for me. Stop being so forgiving and get mad at him!”

The passion in her voice shifted the mood in the room on some kind of invisible axis. Tanner stared at her, wholly aware of her in a deep, soul wrenching way. She was angry and confused and he watched as her rage gathered momentum. He knew that about her. He knew she was passionate and spirited and not the quiet wallflower his brother had often described. Around him she was fiery and full of life. She was combative and argumentative and stirred his blood and libido. And he wanted her. In his arms. In his bed. In his life.

Suddenly she was in front of him, hands on hips, her cheeks ablaze, chest heaving as she drew in large gulps of air. Heat swirled between them and without thinking he grasped her shoulders and pulled her close. Her arms dropped and then she was against him, breast to chest. And he claimed her lips. Like he’d done when they were thirteen. Like he’d imagined a thousand times since.

And she kissed him back. She opened her mouth and let him inside. She wound her tongue around his and groaned low in her throat when his hands moved down her arms and settled around her back, drawing her closer. There was heat and passion and urgency in the kiss. And it went on and on. He didn’t stop. She didn’t pull away. Her hands were on his shoulders and she sighed against his mouth in complete and utter surrender.

And in that moment Tanner knew he was done for.

He loved her.

And there was no going back. Nowhere to run. No part of his mind or body that could conceal what he’d tried so hard to deny for so long.

“Cassandra…” He whispered her full name against her lips. “Let me stay tonight. I want to make love to you so much.”

And that’s when she froze.

 

Cowboy or CEO? Who's your favourite?

Leave a comment to go into the draw to win a signed copy of Claiming His Brother's Baby.

 

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

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver