Today on First Kiss Friday, we welcome Val
Tobin and an excerpt from her romantic suspense novel, “Gillian’s Island.”
Forced to sell her island resort after a messy divorce, Gillian Foster
must now teach new owner Daylin Quinn how to run it. But someone resents
Daylin’s presence on the island more than Gillian does and will stop at nothing
to run him off—even if it costs Gillian her life.
First Kiss Excerpt
… Behind her, Daylin
switched on the radio, and rock music spilled out. The tune was upbeat rather
than raucous, but Gillian would have preferred her folk station. He reduced the
volume to background music and went to set the table.
She peeked at him
sporadically as he moved around the kitchen.
He had on jeans and
a T-shirt and wore them well. He’d wear anything well.
Daylin caught her
peeking and grinned. “It smells wonderful.”
The scent of frying
bacon now dominated.
Gillian checked the
omelette under the broiler and removed the skillet from the oven. “Everything
is ready. I hope you have an appetite.”
He wiggled his
brows. “I do.”
When the double
meaning of their words hit her, she scowled. Was this how it was done?
Flirtation, double entendre, and sly
touches until the woman gave in? Was that how Josh had seduced Candi, or was
that how Candi had seduced Josh?
“What?” Daylin
stared at her, puzzled.
“It’s nothing.” How
could she tell him harmless flirting made her suspicious?
She’d believed she
was well over Josh. They’d been apart for more than two years now. Daylin’s
presence had aroused the desperate rage Josh had left her with that she’d
believed she’d long ago released.
“Gillian, did I offend
you?” He drew close to her and she involuntarily took a step back, nudging into
the fridge as she did.
Daylin’s eyes
narrowed, and he sighed in frustration. “Do I frighten you? Didn’t we establish
when I arrived that I’m not a psycho?”
Some of her tension
evaporated in a gasp of air, and she managed a smile. “For the most part, we
did, yes.” She turned back to the stove and lifted the cast iron frying pan of
eggs with an oven mitt. After setting it on a trivet on the table, she went to
get the bacon and toast from the warming tray.
“Wait.” Daylin laid
a hand on her shoulder.
She managed not to
flinch, even when he gently spun her around to face him.
“What puts that fear
in your eyes, Gilly?” His hands rested, one on each of her arms. The touch was
light and warm.
“It’s not you.” His
name caught in her throat. Afraid if she said it, he’d hear the desire, she
kept it inside.
“What can I do to
help you relax?”
Thoughts flicking to
the moment in the barn when he’d massaged her shoulders and she’d snapped at
him, Gillian shook her head. “It’s not anything you can help me with. I need to
work through this on my own.”
“You’ve stayed
isolated, haven’t you? He hurt you so badly you’ve locked yourself away. I’ll
make you forget him.” He leaned toward her. “I want to kiss you. If you don’t
want me to, tell me.”
The darkness of his
eyes filled her vision until she couldn’t see anything else. His desire
engulfed her until she couldn’t feel anything else. His scent, his voice. He
became her craving, her lighthouse in a sea of fog and storm.
“Yes.” She choked it
out, and a second later, he captured her mouth with his.
He was hungry and
demanding, but then, so was she. The more he poured into her, the more she
wanted to take, and the more she took, the more she had to give. Her head spun
and her body quivered. A moan escaped her. How long had it been since she’d
been with a man?
Years, her body answered. It’s been
years.
Daylin lifted his
mouth from hers, raised a hand to stroke her cheek, and smoothed a stray lock
of hair from her forehead. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll never touch you
again.”
Arms wrapped around
his back, hands clutching his shirt, Gillian clung to him. “That’s not fair.
You can’t kiss me like that and then ask that of me.”
He dropped his head
again, and the tsunami of desire returned, wave upon wave of it, dragging her
under. She battled an urge to pull him to the floor, to ask him to take her
right there. The ache for him was unbearable, and another moan escaped her.
She broke the kiss.
“Daylin, I do want
you to touch me. I want it. But I need …” She trailed off, uncertain what she
wanted to say.
Daylin hugged her to
his chest. One arm held her close while his other hand stroked her hair.
“Okay. We’ll let it
go for now.” He shifted her back until their eyes were level.
“You have the most
intense gaze of any woman I’ve ever met.” Tilting her chin up, he kissed her on
the nose and then planted another one on her lips. It was tender, yet playful.
He grinned. “Our
food is getting cold.”
“I guess we should eat then.”...
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