Sunday Smooch - Melanie Milburne

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Melanie Milburne but first 


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Jan VanEngen!


Can you please contact amy(at)amyandrews(dot)com(dot)au to receive your copy of Swept Away by the Seductive Stranger.


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Unwrapping His Convenient Fiancée.

The perfect lie… 

Violet Drummond can't face another office Christmas party as a singleton, but charismatic family friend Cameron McKinnon seems like the perfectly platonic "plus one" for the festive season. Until he reveals his plan to make Violet his convenient fiancée!

Wealthy architect Cameron sees this charade as the perfect escape hatch from the unwelcome attention of an important client's wife, but soon fake feelings shift to real attraction…

There's only one thing Cameron wants to unwrap on Christmas morning—the staid suit from Violet's lush body—and he's willing to push the boundaries of their agreement to accommodate his growing desire…

Introduction

Thanks so much for inviting me to blog about my next release. So lovely to be with you again!  

A few months ago I was asked by my editor to write a Christmas story. After writing over 70 books I can’t believe I hadn’t done one until now, especially when I love everything about Christmas. Sorry for mentioning the C word in October! But I have already seen Christmas decorations in the shops and I am in the process of making my pudding and cake. I know, I know, I know. Way too organised. Don’t hate me too much. J

I decided on a friends-to-lovers plot and Violet and Cameron were the perfect candidates. Violet is dreading attending her office Christmas party because of an incident at a party when she was a student in her first year of university. Cameron is desperate to shake off the unwelcome attention of an important client’s wife so offers to be Violet’s ‘date’. But a mischievous tweet about them being ‘engaged’ on Twitter goes viral and Violet and Cam have to pretend to their families (just so everyone’s Christmas isn’t spoilt) that they are officially a couple.

Here’s their first kiss just after Cam offers to take her to the office party…

Smooch  -

Violet took a step backwards to enter the building but stumbled over the first step and would have fallen if it wasn’t for Cam’s hand shooting out to steady her.  

‘You okay?’ he asked with a concerned frown.

 Violet looked at his stubble-surrounded mouth that just moments ago had been against the smooth skin of her cheek. Had he felt that same sensation ricochet through his body? Had he wondered in that infinitesimal moment what it would feel like to press his lips to hers? Not in a brotherly kiss, but a proper man-wants-a-woman kiss? She sent the point of her tongue over the surface of her lips, her breath hitching when he tracked every millimetre of movement. Keep it light. ‘For a moment there I thought you were going to kiss me,’ Violet said with a little laugh.

The navy-blue of his gaze turned three shades darker before glancing at her mouth and back again. But then his hand dropped from her arm as if her skin had scorched him. ‘Let’s not go there.’

 But I want to go there. I want to. I want to. I want to. Violet kept her smile in place even though it felt like it was stitched to her mouth. ‘Yes, that would be taking things too far. I mean, not that I don’t find you attractive or anything, but us kissing? Not such a great idea.’

  There was the sound of heels click-clacking behind her and Violet turned to see Lorna coming back. ‘Silly me. I forgot my phone,’ Lorna said and with a sly smile at Cam added, ‘Aren’t you going to kiss her and let her get back to work?’

  Violet sneaked a glance at Cam but instead of looking annoyed at Lorna’s comment he smiled an easy smile and reached for Violet’s hand and drew her against his side. ‘I was just getting to that,’ he said.

  Violet assumed he would wait until Lorna had gone back into the building before releasing her but Lorna didn’t go back into the building. She stood three steps up from them with that annoying smirk on her mouth as if daring Cam to follow through. Cam turned his back to Lorna and slipped a hand under Violet’s hair, cupping the nape of her neck, making every nerve beneath her skin pirouette.

  ‘You don’t have to do this…’ Violet whispered.

  Cam brought his mouth down to within a whisker of hers. ‘Yes, I do.’

  And then he did.

   Cam pressed his lips to Violet’s mouth and a bomb went off in his head, scattering his common sense like flying shrapnel. What are you doing? But he didn’t want to listen to his conscience. He had wanted to kiss her from the moment he’d walked into that café earlier and now her annoying workmate had given him the perfect excuse to do so. Violet’s mouth tasted like a combination of milk and honey, her lips soft and pliable beneath his. He drew her ballerina-like body even closer, his body responding with a fierce rush of blood to his groin. Her small breasts were pressed against his chest, her slim hips against his, her hands gripping the front of his jacket as if she couldn’t stand upright without his support. Hell, he was having trouble keeping upright himself, apart from one part of his anatomy.

  It’s time to stop. You should stop. You need to stop.

 

I hope you enjoy my first Christmas story. I have a signed copy (all regions) for a reader who answers the following question: Apart from world peace, what do you want most for Christmas this year?

 Happy reading,

Melanie xx

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

In the meantime, if you'd like to order a copy of Unwrapping His Convenient Fiancée, you can do so here.

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver