Sunday Smooch with Louise Cusack

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from Daughter Of The Dark by Louise Cusack, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- CT Green!

Congratulations, CT! Can you please contact Kylie at

kyliegriffin71 (at) optusnet (dot) com (dot) au  ... and she'll send you a copy of Alliance Forged.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Daughter Of The Dark by Louise Cusack ...

 

Book Two of the Shadow Through Time trilogy: DAUGHTER OF THE DARK

 The youngest Guardian Pagan must leave his homeworld to take the royal babe Glimmer into exile in our world. They arrive injured and looking for sanctuary on an outback property where local funeral director Sarah takes them in. Glimmer will grow to adulthood there and Pagan must use his wits and healing abilites to protect her from detection and hide the evidence of her astonishing powers.

 Back on the Ennae, Pagan’s betrothed Lae, the daughter of The Dark, has been kidnapped by the coldest of the nobles who forces her to marry him and raise an orphaned royal child as their own. As the years pass Lae longs for Pagan’s return, while the evil God of the Fireworld and Lae’s own father plot the violent death of Glimmer so they can gain total control of the four elemental worlds.

 And while mortals fight, the universe rebels. Ever so slowly the Maelstrom is building momentum, threatening to obliterate the four worlds and all who inhabit them. Glimmer must return to the land of her birth and fight the fiercest battle of her young life to right the terrible wrongs of the past, defeat the enemies who threaten to destroy her, and again restore peace.

[Set-up - Outback funeral director Sarah McGuire fell for Pagan when he first arrived on her world as an arrogantly handsome young warrior with a royal baby to protect, but she keep that crush to herself because he was faithful to his betrothed, back on his homeworld. After a decade has passed with them sharing Glimmer’s upbringing, Sarah aches with the knowledge that one day Pagan will return to his world when his royal charge is ready to face her enemies. In desperation not to lose him, she tells Pagan she needs to find a lover if she’s to have a child before she’s too old. She hopes his fear of strangers entering their lives and possibly discovering Glimmer’s powers will force him to offer himself as the father of her child. It’s an awkward conversation but Sarah’s determined not to lose the chance to love him properly before he goes]

“It’s not that I want a husband,” she assured him, ‘I just want to be pregnant.’ 

            The word hung between them, along with its implication. 

            ‘Even if the father should leave you to raise the child alone?’ 

            Sarah nodded. They both knew this wasn’t about her having a one-night stand with a local man. This was much closer to home. 

‘Then you do not care for the love of a man,’ he said, ‘but only for the love of a child?’ 

Sarah swallowed tightly. ‘If that’s all I can have.” 

Pagan reached across and took her hand. Even without looking down she knew her fingers would appear pale and delicate against his. The same way her tomboy body would look lying beneath him. She closed her eyes.

‘I will be that man if you will let me, Sarah,’ he said. 

She tried to speak and found her lips were trembling. ‘Pagan . . .’ She should have been swamped with desire, maddened with lust at the thought of Pagan making love to her, but instead Sarah thought she might cry. 

            ‘I am not the husband you would choose,’ he said, mistaking her hesitation for a refusal. ‘And though I would have named myself a renowned lover before I left my homeland, the years I have spent in the service to The Light’s child have taught me humility. You have taught me humility, Sarah,’ he said. 

            She looked at him, tried to smile. ‘You were an arrogant puppy.’ 

            He smiled back, the dimples very much in evidence. ‘Yet now I know tenderness.’ He gazed into her eyes, ‘And should you choose me to father your child, I will be a gentle lover, who in the daylight hours stands strong at your side for as long as I remain on your world.’ 

Sarah blinked back tears. ‘Can’t ask for more than that,’ she said, and then realised why she was crying. Because she could ask for more. 

Could, but wouldn’t. 

‘Then let us begin,’ Pagan said, releasing her hand. And for all her fantasies Sarah found she was suddenly shy. 

She stood and watched Pagan pull the covers from the bed, didn’t know where to put her hands, held them awkwardly at her sides. ‘Okay, but don’t bruise me,’ she said, although her face felt too stiff to smile.  

He stood in front of her and searched her eyes. ‘Bruises of the flesh would heal of their own accord,’ he said. ‘’Tis your heart we must care not to harm.’ 

‘Don’t worry,” she told him. ‘You won’t break my heart.’ And that was the biggest lie Sarah McGuire had ever told. But as Pagan took her gently into his arms she didn’t let herself think about the possibility of suffering. Only about how long she could stretch out the conception period. If she got him into the habit of making love with her, he might not want to stop. 

Slim hope but it was all she had. 

Pagan gazed into her eyes before saying, ‘I will give you a son, Sarah.’ Then he lowered his head and blotted out the light. She closed her eyes, wanting to concentrate on the feelings, to remember them, but as his lips pressed against hers she lost her place. 

There was nothing slow or tentative about his possession of her mouth. It was as though they’d done this a hundred times before and he knew exactly how to kiss her, how to make her head swim. Sarah had known she would be putty in his large, very capable hands, but she hadn’t realised she’d be jelly in the first five seconds. 

Then his hands slid down from her waist to her hips to press her against him. Sarah felt the hardness between them and she woke up from her sensual daze and began to kiss him back. 

Ennae and the ‘betrothed’ who waited for him there were suddenly very far away.

To be in the draw to win an ecopy of Daughter Of The Dark, published by Pan Macmillan’s ebook arm Momentum Books and currently available where all good ebooks are sold, leave a comment to this question ...

- Have you ever kissed someone you shouldn't?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Strictly Temporary by Robyn Grady will be posted!