Guest: Blog: Karlene Blakemore-Mowle

Then He Kissed Me…

I love how a kiss can melt even the toughest of hearts in a romance novel. In my novel Fallout, Tully is a feisty Detective, on the run from a man who wants her dead. She's used to taking care of herself and up until now, she's only had herself to trust, but Jake Holden is a threat to something far more important than her safety…he's a threat to her heart…

Tully bit her lip. She almost preferred to be angry at him. At least that made her feel in control of something. Anger she understood. Anger could drive a person, give them the strength to overcome obstacles in their path, push them when they were at the end of their limits.

 She admired Jake and the strength he’d summoned in order to survive the pain and torment of his injuries. But she didn’t want to fall for the guy. “I’m glad you explained, but let’s just forget it happened. I don’t usually…I don’t know what I was thinking,” she finished, feeling the heat rise in her face. Jumping to her feet, she began to collect their dirty plates to clear the table.

 “Probably the same thing I was,” he murmured, and his gaze dropped to her lips. His voice had taken on a smoky, seductive tone that made her breath catch. Standing beside her, he put a hand on her arm. “I never said I regretted anything that happened. The only regret I’ve had all week is that I was stupid enough to walk away.” He slid his hands down her arms until he held her wrists. With gentle pressure he pulled her close enough to feel his breath, warm against her face.

Somewhere, on some level, she knew this wasn’t a good idea, but it became impossible to resist the magnetic-like draw he sparked within her. Her breath caught and her eyes fluttered shut as she waited for the touch of his mouth. A shiver of delight raced through her body as his lips moved like a butterfly’s caress against her neck and she tipped her face back to allow him further access. Deep inside her a warm glow began to spread through parts of her she’d long denied having anyone pay attention to.

 His touch grew bolder, his kisses harder along the exposed length of her neck and she shivered as he ran his tongue slowly, deliciously along her skin. Tasting her, savouring her like some long-denied indulgence.

Catching her breath, she pulled back slightly. His gaze, hot and simmering, sent a shot of liquid desire straight to her loins. He bent his head and caught her lips, dragging a response from some place deep inside her she’d almost forgotten existed. His probing tongue teased and caressed her own, tangling, enticing, and daring her to take the lead. Spurred on by his silent challenge, she deepened the kiss, nipping and biting his sensitive lower lip, until a deep groan of approval escaped his chest and vibrated through her own.

Tully was not an easy character to get to know, and I wasn't altogether sure she could be a romantic heroine –she was so confident and had built such a tough shell around her heart that nothing seemed to be able to get inside, but she kept nagging at me to tell her story and so I began to write Fallout-and I have to say as I wrote and got to know Tully, I found myself loving her. She's tough and she can take care of herself—but she's also got a kind heart and a protective streak that makes her fiercely loyal and what better quality could you ask for in  a person than loyalty?

For more titles by Karlene, please visit The Wild Rose Press .

You can watch the trailer for Fallout here