First Kiss scenes are a pivotal part of a romance novel. In the First Kiss scene, we experience the next level of the hero and heroine’s mutual attraction, feel the heat of their budding passion. It’s a significant emotional moment, a turning point moving the story’s romantic arc forward and, if done correctly, clueing us into the inner workings of our lovebirds. Are they happy, excited, nervous, reticent, etc.
Here’s a look at Carina and Alexander’s First Kiss from Haven. Carina is a San Francisco nightclub owner and her love-interest, Alexander, is a blue-eyed, sexy-as-sin, undead musician. Carina is excited, nervous, and a teeny bit tipsy from a glass of red wine, while Alexander is…well, see for yourself… :-)
[…]
“You look better,” he observed, distracting me from my tipsy musings.
“Better than what?”
“Than before. At the clinic.”
Right, the clinic. “Why did you do it?”
He arched a sexy brow. “Do what?”
“Stay in my room every night. Must’ve been pretty boring.”
“Not at all.” His smoky eyes glinted with heat.
“Oh.” Shyness tangled my tongue. Not my usual mode, but with Alexander, my senses overloaded, and I had to remember to breathe, blink, swallow, smile, nod, form a sentence, say it out loud. Like now. Now would be a good time to say something.
I finished my last drop of wine. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” His deep velvet voice skimmed across my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. He traced my hand, his touch light as dandelion fluff. I expelled a ragged breath. Warmth built between my legs and my pulse quickened. Want him. More contact, please.
A drop of blood decorated his lower lip. On impulse, I wiped it away then licked my finger clean. So good.
Alexander made a strangled sound and hauled me into his arms. “You call to me like no other,” he rasped.
His chest muscles quivered under my hands, his heartbeat a rapid staccato. From arousal or the blood he’d consumed? A little of both, I’d bet.
“You sound like the older vampires now. I thought you were young,” I teased while I vied with the vertigo spinning my head. Must not lose my dinner. Talk about a mood killer.
“I am. But it’s true. The first time I saw you—”
“At Haven,” I interjected.
“Outside of Haven, actually. It was like I’d been gutted with a sword.”
“Ouch and, c’mon, that was the siren call you heard?” I scoffed.
He nuzzled my forehead.
My eyes fluttered shut. That didn’t help the lightheadedness or my ability to focus on this conversation. Breathe. “So, you saw me outside my club,” I prompted, forcing my eyes wide.
“It was a Saturday night.” His warm breath fanned my skin. “I was at Eighteenth and Castro and you passed right in front of my car with your friends.”
He showered soft kisses on my temple, my cheek, the curve of my jaw. My core clenched, fingers curling into his solid pecs.
“I saw you walk into Haven and...” He put a smidge of space between us.
Don’t stop. I opened my eyes. “And?”
“I double-parked my car outside your club, argued with your security about that, and then Adrian came and let me in.”
“Oh.” The wine-induced dizziness subsided. My hands roamed from his chest to his biceps. Smooth and solid, no hint of flab. Want you to wrap them around my body while you take me from behind. My little fantasy expelled the air from my lungs in a loud rush. Energy pulsed from my hands, hot and bubbly. His muscles twitched in response.
“Adrian was amused I’d followed a girl into the club.” His hands curved around my waist. “Until he realized it was you. He told me who you were, but he wasn’t happy about it.”
“What did you do then?” My voice wavered, his touch devastating, distracting.
His grip tightened. “I left.”
“Why?”
“The law according to Thomas. Your club is off-limits to all non-humans, except on Sundays. You yourself are off-limits to all vampires every day. Or you were then, anyway.”
I frowned. “You’re saying my uncle forbade you to see me?” This was so Romeo and Juliet. I didn’t like it. That story never ended well.
A hand slid to my back, pressing possessively. “Yes.”
I rolled my eyes. Thomas, interfering in my life. Again. “How long did you obey?”
His eyes narrowed. “Too long. But I sensed your presence after that whenever you were nearby. You spend a lot of time in my neighborhood after dark.”
“Adrian said the exact thing to me.” I bit my lip. Oops, now he knew I was talking about him. I felt myself blush like a crushing teenager.
He grinned at my discomfort. “You were hard to avoid. So I stopped trying. I showed up at the museum though I knew Thomas would intercept me. But it was worth it, to have you finally see me. I had to know.”
Talk time was over. We stared. And stared. And stared some more.
His smoky blue eyes bled to black and his power pushed at me, hot and hard, causing a response inside me, like a rumbling volcano deep in my core. My eyes widened. Was this the power my family had mentioned? No longer dormant and infinitely more intense than a little static electricity in my palms.
Alexander crushed his lips to mine. Need roared through me leaving me breathless with edgy hunger.
My hands burrowed into his thick, silky hair, holding his head as if he might try to escape. He growled his approval against my lips, his kiss growing more insistent. His tongue explored my mouth. He tasted metallic, like the blood he’d consumed. Again, I found I liked the taste. My tongue danced with his and delved into his mouth, searching for more penny metal flavor. He groaned and tightened his embrace.
Haven Tranquilli Bloodline Series Book 1
Celia Breslin
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: July 2, 2013
ISBN: 9781927454473
ASIN: B00DQH3SZI
Number of pages: 372
Word Count: 124K
Cover Artist: Amanda Kelsey
Book Description:
San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli works hard, plays hard, and never allows the death of her parents and her twelve-year memory gap to get her down. But her life takes a left turn when a witch attacks her on her twenty-fifth birthday.
Three hauntingly familiar vampires emerge to reveal she possesses a latent power. To protect her from their enemies, they admit to wiping her memories clean and abandoning her as a child, but now they need her help. As she struggles to evade her new protectors and even newer enemies, she meets Alexander, an enigmatic, undead musician. Insta-lust flares, leaving her wanting more.
With evil’s minions hounding her every move, and everything she thought she knew turned on its head, Carina must harness her burgeoning power, unravel her vampire family’s web of deceit, and fight to have a love life...without getting killed in the process.
Available at:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Haven-ebook/dp/B00DQH3SZI/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haven-ebook/dp/B00DQH3SZI/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/haven-celia-breslin/1117105185?ean=2940045320832
Champagne Books: http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php?id_product=31&controller=product
Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=FjpnBAAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/haven/id724060995?mt=11
About the Author: Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for vampires, werewolves, and the Fae. When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies.
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Happy Saturday!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me on the blog today.
xo
Celia