I’m staying with my Handful of Hearts novella Heart of Delight, again this week for WWW.
I thought today I’d skip back and let you see that first kiss. 🙂 (Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)
Monsieur Carpenter, instead of letting her go, pulled her closer.
She tried to push back, but he enfolded her in his arms, drew her toward his warm body, then his mouth met hers. His soft, insistent lips sent a thrill through her she’d not experienced before. Relaxing against him, she gave herself over to pure pleasure as their mouths dissolved into one another and a delightful heat sizzled in her veins. She should not have been enjoying this, yet the tingles he caused to skitter up and down her spine could not be denied.
At last, he broke the kiss, stepped back and said, “That was the loveliest thank you I have ever received.”
Gabriella came slowly back to the balcony, the music, and thanked God for the dimness of the candles, half burned out in their sconces on the wall. Heat seared her cheeks, and she danced back from this stranger saying, “I beg your pardon, Monsieur Carpenter. You made me forget myself.”
“You can forget yourself with me any time you like, Mademoiselle d’Aventure.”
BLURB:
He’ll do anything to be her heart’s delight—except tell the truth.
Gabriella d’Adventure is on a mission. She has come to England as a lady’s maid in pursuit of the Duke of Rother. When she meets Horace Carpenter, valet to a marquess, she is delighted to enlist his aid in gaining her heart’s desire: a meeting with the duke. But will her growing feelings for the handsome valet interfere with her plans for the duke?
The eccentric Marquess of Halford, Hal to his friends, is tired of the demands of Society, especially his father’s decree that he marry this Season. When a breathtaking young woman intrudes on his solitude, he is captivated and introduces himself as his valet in hopes of learning more about her. Despite his fear about the true motive behind Gabriella’s quest to meet the Duke of Rother, Hal agrees to help her gain an audience with him, all the while praying his deception won’t ruin his chances of winning her love.
Heart of Delight is available in the Her Perfect Gentleman boxed set for just .99!
Amazon and B & N.
Books in the Handful of Hearts series:
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Yup. Definitely a good thank-you. 😉 Very romantic snippet! 😀
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But wouldn’t he rather she remembers him? 😉 Great snippet!
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Nice kiss! And I loved her excuse and his response. Priceless! lol
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Thank you so much, Teresa! He’s quite taken with her and won’t let her get away easily. 🙂
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Very sensuous and emotional scene. I enjoyed his reaction as well as hers.
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Thank you so much, Ed! I was aiming for sensual without the hot and heavy deepening of the kiss.I always like an H/h with some witty banter.
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I wish my anti-kissing ex had had that kind of fire and passion! I suspect there’s going to be much more “forgetting” in their future.
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I wish I could write you a better boyfriend, Carrie-Anne! LOL And you’re right. They’re going to become very forgetful people!
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Whew! Wonderful kiss!
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🙂 So glad you liked it! Thanks, Andrea!
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Romantic and sensual. Sigh . . . Great scene, Jenna!
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Thank you, Nancy! I appreciate that. 🙂
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I have a feeling there will be more delicious ‘forgetting’ ahead. Really a beautiful scene, thoroughly enjoyed the excerpt.
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Thank you so much, Veronica! And you are right, Hal is going to keep making her forget herself…until it’s too late! 🙂
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I love that Gabriella makes her apologies to Monsieur Carpenter for ‘forgetting’ herself.
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She wants him to know she’s not “fast” as the phrase used to be. LOL She has another agenda in mind and doesn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Thanks so much, Kim!
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Okay, I need to study your kissing scenes. That was delightful!
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What a wonderful compliment, Christina! Thank you so much! For every kiss I write, I try to get into the head of either the H or h, and experience it along with them, then write what I experienced through them. Almost like channeling the character. 🙂
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Oohhh, that wicked Marquess…kissing an innocent maid. She is innocent, right?
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She is indeed, although she knows what’s what, Sue! LOL But he just couldn’t help himself. 🙂
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Kiss me, please. Jenna, you know how to write a kiss without the sex. Beautiful scene!
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Thank you so much, Charmaine. This series made me work to reach that balance, sensual but not overly hot. I’m glad it worked for you!
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I can understand why she forgot herself. Great snippet! 🙂
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Thank you, Jessica! Wouldn’t we all want to forget ourselves like that! 🙂
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