Wow - that first kiss

One of the things I absolutely love about romances is the build-up to that first kiss. The longing gazes, the charge of electricity between the couple, the melting into each other's arms.

In each of my romances, I strive to make the moment as special as possible, not only for the characters but for my fans.

In Sensual Stranger, my December release from Ellora's Cave, Toni's just come into Zach's life, but she's hit him like a whirlwind, making him question everything he's believed in. He wants her badly, but he's kept his emotions in check. And then the magic moment happens.

Here's the cover and an excerpt from their first kiss:

Excerpt:

Unsettled, Zach rolled off the bed and yanked on his jeans. T-shirt in hand, he left his bedroom to go downstairs and start the coffee.

He got as far as the hall bath.

His steps paused and his heart lurched as the door clicked, then swung inward unexpectedly. Plumes of steam drifted out.

Unaware of him, Toni looked behind herself at something in the bath. Her skin, more pink now than ivory, glowed from her shower and smelled of soap rather than lavender cologne. Her stretchy blue camisole and plaid boxer shorts clung to her damp flesh.

Zach’s heart beat violently. His limbs went limp. The tee slipped from his hand.

He told himself to pick it up and keep moving before she saw him, to go downstairs.

His legs refused to move.

A bead of moisture freed itself from her freshly washed hair, rolling down her temple to her cheek. Her camisole’s thin satin strap fell over her shoulder.

Ignoring it, Toni lifted a hairbrush to the side of her head, turned and froze as their eyes met.

Her gaze slipped down his naked chest, pausing at his fly. Desire quickly replaced her surprise. Her lips parted. A gentle breath spilled out. Her eyes darted back to his.

In a rush of movement, Zach slipped his fingers around the back of her neck, using his body to push hers into the door.

The wood smacked against the doorstop, then vibrated, matching the sounds of his sprinting heart.

Toni dropped her brush. It made brief taps as it bounced across the hardwood floor.

Her skin was so ungodly hot, a pleased groan tore from deep within Zach’s throat. Head lowered to hers, he captured her mouth and drove his tongue inside, filling her as much as he could, his kiss savage, uncivilized, punishing…for making him wait, for making him want.

Unaware of his turbulent emotions, simply obedient to their desire, she suckled him deeper, her mouth tasting of peppermint toothpaste and female lust. She ran the heels of her palms up his pecs, then wreathed her arms over his naked shoulders and dug her nails into his back to pull him even closer, keeping him there with one leg wrapped around his.

They made sloppy, joyous sounds, telling each other and the world they were alive, they deserved this, necking brazenly for minutes. When the fury began to ebb, their kiss turned tender, exploring, stoking even more of Zach’s passion.

Toni melted in his arms, her chest rising with her strangled breaths, her ribs pushing against his.

Tina

Tina Donahue
“Heat with Heart”

THE YEARNING (BESTSELLER)
SENSUAL STRANGER (BOOK OF THE YEAR 2010)
IN HIS ARMS (SIX - 5 Star Reviews)
ADORED (award winning - 4 Stars RT)
DEEP, DARK, DELICIOUS (5 Stars NOR - 4 Stars RT)

Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue