A Kiss With Bite - Nina Pierce

My first kiss from Mr. Nina happened well over three decades ago, nonetheless, I remember that breathless anticipation as if it happened yesterday. Because nothing makes a heart race like that first soft brush of someone's lips on yours. The sensual slide of tongues as they taste and explore.

In actuality, I was just a kid when Mr. Nina and I first met. We weren't even on an official date when he brought me home from a night of rollerskating with some friends. We'd been kind of flirty throughout the night and he'd even held my hand during the "couple's skate". He dropped everyone off first and it was just the two of us in the car. Nervous and excited, I leaned over from the passenger's seat to kiss his cheek and he turned and caught my lips.

Oh mama! Fireworks! It was sweet. It was innocent. And it's one of my favorite memories of our courtship.

The first kiss of a love story should offer the reader that same magic. Invoke the memory of one of those first kisses when the earth moved. I love to recreate that moment. One of my favorite first kiss moments comes from SHADOWS OF FIRE, a vampire love story.

Blurb:
ALEXANDRA FLANAGAN didn’t ask to be forced from her human existence as a chemistry student at the South Kenton University in the northern mountains of California into the ungodly world of vampires. But thirty years ago, after nearly dying from a vicious vampire attack, that’s exactly what happened. Saved by the blood of an ancient vampire, she unhappily walks among immortals--facing a hollow existence she never chose.


REESE COLTON has been a vampire for centuries. A man of honor, he is part of an elite military operation known as RISEN that seeks out and eliminates rogue vampires who choose to break the unwritten codes of the immortals and not live complacently among the human population. Under cover as a firefighter at the South Kenton fire department, he and his team have been called in to investigate the unusual number of fires that have ended the lives of several humans--and vampires.

When chemistry ignites passion, Reese and Alex find themselves embroiled in an affair that catches them both unaware. With the number of fires escalating and Alex’s behavior increasingly suspect, Reese isn’t sure whether to follow his heart or the clues. Will Reese find the answers to Alex’s secrets in the Shadows of Fire?

Excerpt:
He grabbed a bottle of chemical wine and ripped open the cork, taking a long pull of the thick liquid, some of it pooling at the corner of his mouth. She had no idea why he was acting this way.

“Nice vintage. It appears this was bottled in a very good week. Care for some?” He held the bottle up to her and she tried not to gag at the smell. She’d found the odor of the synthetic blood less and less agreeable over the past several weeks. She hoped her queasiness didn’t show.

She shook her head. “I ... I’m good.”

He slammed the bottle on the corner of the desk. “Mind telling me what I walked in on?”

“Ronan’s a customer. Like you. Like Josh.” Though her head tried to convince her otherwise, Alex’s heart quickened with the thought that he actually had feelings for her. “What do you care?”

Reese stepped up to her, the wall of his chest brushing her breasts. She had to crane her neck to look into the jealousy sparking in his eyes, turning them a deeper shade of emerald. Her amusement warred with indignation. The man had no right to get angry with her. Alex belonged to no one.

“I care a great deal about your safety,” Reese began. “Being alone with hungry vampires is not a good idea, Alex. Where’s Glenn this morning?”

“That’s none of your concern.” She threw back her shoulders, but instead of portraying confidence, it only thrust her breasts against Reese. “It doesn’t matter anyway. As co-owner I can deal with the winery just as well as Glenn.” Alex stepped back only to be pinned against the cool stone of the wall. Reese followed her, not allowing her space. She refused to be intimidated by him. “Need I remind you, vampires can take care of themselves? I’m no exception, Reese.”

Though sexual hunger warred with the jealousy straining Reese’s features, it wasn’t fear tingling in her belly and making her nipples strain against the lace of her bra. The stench of copper rode on the hot breath washing over her face, but it didn’t override the elemental odor of Reese--a powerful aphrodisiac.

“I don’t need you defending my honor or coming to my rescue,” Alex said, pleased her words didn’t quiver like her knees. “I’ve done a good job of taking care of myself,”

“I have no desire to be your guardian, Alex.” Reese’s voice dropped to a sultry whisper that heated her blood and sent her heart racing. “Perhaps Josh was right and my interest in you hasn’t been as obvious as I thought I’d made it over the last several months.” His gaze roamed slow and hot down her face and neck to rest on her heaving bosom before searing a leisurely path back to her mouth. “But I’m thinking your body has been aware.”

Alex searched his face, reading the intention only seconds before Reese’s mouth slanted over hers. The heat of the kiss obliterated the overwhelming taste of the blood. Alex couldn’t have pulled from him if she wanted to. His hand reached up to cup her neck, his thumb grazing her chin as he changed the angle and invited her to deepen the kiss. She opened for him, the silken heat of his tongue darting in to tangle with hers. He pressed her against the stone, his knee pushing between her thighs, begging her to offer everything for him. His erection pressed firmly against her hip. She wanted this, had been hoping all the months of flirtation would become something more. But Alex had given up hope Reese would ever act on his feelings. Amazing how a little jealousy could put a man in the game.