Are you going to kiss me or not? So Hot it's Swoonworthy!

Last Friday I had so much fun with the Book Boyfriends Cafe Hot For Friday blog hop that I decided to play again. The theme for this week is So Hot it's Swoonworthy, and the goal is to highlight a line that really gets you going. There are a dozen authors participating this week. so when you get done with my snippet, jump HERE to check out the rest. Pulses will be raised, I promise!

My snippet's from my novella Between the Sheets. In this scene, Maggie and Randy have gone out for a hike. They've stopped for a rest, and are starting to get to know each other a little bit better...

Randy’s glasses did little to filter the intensity in his gaze, and I reached out, touching his arm where the bottom edge of his tattoo showed beneath his sleeve. “Is this your only tatt?”

The heat in his grin doubled the speed of the low pulsing sound. “Um, no.”

My hand fell to my side as I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, trying for a snappy comeback. Something in my belly was having a little conniption fit. Krista said I should try something new, and Cosmo told me a Sex Diva should be BOLD, be CONFIDENT, be DIRECT. I didn’t always follow others’ advice, but this seemed like a carpe diem kind of moment.

I swallowed hard before I spoke. “Can I see them?” 

“What?”

“Your tattoos.”

The predator returned full strength, and my breath caught on the inhale. 

“Some of them,” he said.

A couple birds zipped across the path behind us, chasing each other through the trees. Randy slowly pulled his shirt off and stretched out in the grass, resting on his elbows. The vine around his upper arm became a powerful dragon and wrapped over his shoulder, its claws holding some kind of knot-work symbol over his heart. My finger traced the pattern in the vine before my brain identified the movement. His skin was soft, warm, and when I added a second finger, he exhaled heavily through his nose. 

I breathed faster, mouth open. Tried to moisten my lips with the tip of my tongue. Froze in the heat of his predator’s gaze. 

“It’s not fair,” he said. “I’m half naked, and you’re not.”

He had a point. I shrugged out of my plaid shirt. My hiking shorts were not really Sex Diva wear, but his eyes were fixed on where sweat had stuck my thin tank top to my chest. I rose onto my knees. He stretched further till he was almost lying in the grass. My skin was moist all over, and not just from the hike. 

No acting class anytime, anywhere ever taught anyone how to deal with the palpable energy between us. His smile said come and get it and since we weren’t playing by the rules, I did.

I leaned forward, tensed every muscle for control, and kissed the knot over his heart, making the gesture as delicate as possible. Teasing us both. I planted a hand on either side of his chest. Bold. Confident. Direct.

Melting.

“What’s it mean?” I shifted to lay a fingertip on the symbol I’d just kissed.

He shrugged. “Strength. Power.” He tipped his head up, giving himself a double chin to see where I was pointing. “I fought the dragon and won.”

I crawled over him. He stretched, slow and supple the way a cat does after it’s been asleep for a while, and ended up with his head resting in his hands and his elbows spread wide. “Are you going to kiss me or not?” he asked.

“You’re all laid out like some kind of steamy sexy banquet.”

He chuckled from deep in his belly. “I could say ‘eat me,’ but that would be a pretty painful joke.”
I bent lower, laughing, getting as close to his lips as I could. Rather than kiss him, I stuck out my tongue and licked. 

I mean, a Sex Diva might be bold and all, but teasing was good, too. With a sudden move, he tipped me onto my ass. He got an arm around me and rolled, and before I caught my breath he was the one on top. “Now,” he said, almost a snarl, “are you going to kiss me or not?”

Rubbing my knuckles across the scruff of beard on his chin, I caught the hinge of his glasses and pulled them off. “Sure.”

Blurb

Life for music teacher Maggie Schafer has been full of flat notes lately. Sick of being single and celibate, she vows to get her groove back at the upcoming Western Washington Choral Directors Annual Retreat. 

Too bad the only guy who seems interested is a pompous dork who thinks he’s God’s gift to women—and the music education world. When he gets a little too arrogant and crosses boundaries, gorgeous pianist Randy Devers swoops in to run interference. After sharing a shockingly hot kiss in front of the whole conference, Maggie and Randy come up with a plan to pretend they’re dating.

However, the more time they spend together—and the more physical their “pretend” relationship gets—the more she wonders if there could be anything beyond just smoking chemistry and a friendly agreement between them.

Maggie’s got history, Randy’s got baggage, and they’ve got a weekend to get their rhythms in sync and figure out how to turn their solo lives into a beautiful duet.

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Hmm....I seem to have left off at a bit of a cliffhanger. Does she kiss him, or not? Guess you'll have to check out Between the Sheets to find out. And don't forget to check out all the other Swoonworthy lines in today's hop. Happy Friday!
Cheers,
Liv