Today on First
Kiss Friday, we welcome romance author, Robin Michaela, and an excerpt from her Contemporary
Romance, “The Santa Bargain: A Small Town Christmas Romance.”
Santa’s gifts
can be both nice…and naughty.
Coffeehouse entrepreneur, Maria Thompson, has sworn
off men ever since her young son’s father walked out of their lives. But, when
she literally runs into sexy carpenter, Joe Sinclair, she wonders if it’s time
to rethink her plan.
Joe Sinclair doesn’t need or want romance or a
family. He was raised in the foster care system and learned long ago not to get
attached to anyone. Now, if he could just remember that, he could put the
sensual owner of Copper River, Colorado’s new coffee shop out of his mind.
After Maria and Joe volunteer to work together on
the town’s first Christmas festival, their attraction lights up brighter than a
new a string of holiday lights. When Santa comes to town, will they finally
find everything they’ve ever wished for under the tree?
First Kiss Excerpt
Joe
definitely liked the direction in which things were heading, but he didn’t want
to make it too easy for her. “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head and
trying his best to sound like he needed more convincing. “Santa would have to
bring me something extra special to get me to agree to be part of the Christmas
Festival. I doubt he knows what I want.”
“Santa
sees everything,” she pointed out. Her soft breath whispered along his jawline
and her peachy scent enticed his nostrils. “Believe me, he can tell what you
need. And he also knows if you’ve been naughty or nice.”
“I’ve
heard that before,” Joe said, pleased that his voice still sounded normal. He
gritted his teeth to stay focused on the conversation.
Maria
rested her other hand around his waist, then leaned in and put her lips next to
his ear. “If you’re nice enough to help me out,” she said in that throaty tone,
“I can guarantee you’ll be happy with the naughty gift you’ll get.”
Joe
nearly swallowed his tongue. “I can’t imagine what kind of gift that could
possibly be.”
She
turned her head and pressed her soft lips against the ridge of his jaw as she
leaned against his chest. Joe wrapped an arm around her waist as he sucked in a
breath. He imagined his entire blood supply had headed south, because he was
suddenly so aroused, it was painful.
Maria
raised up on tiptoe and slid her lips in a scorching trail of tiny kisses –
from his ear, across the stubble of his cheek, and over to his mouth. She
stroked her tongue along his lips, then slid it inside when he opened for her.
Joe
groaned when she did that. He didn’t hesitate to tip her head to one side and
take over the kiss by cupping her chin gently with one hand and burrowing the
fingers of his other hand in her blond tresses. Sliding his tongue along hers,
he deepened the kiss, gratified to hear her moan. For a moment, he lost himself
in the softness of her mouth and the tempting smell of her skin, then he broke
the kiss to trail his lips down her neck to her collarbone. Just as he’d
thought, she tasted like fresh peaches.
He
also took a certain primitive pleasure in the fact that Maria was breathless.
“That
was just a hint of what you’ll get to unwrap on Christmas if you agree to be
Santa,” she said, dropping her hand from around his neck and leaning her
forehead against his chest.
“The Santa Bargain” is available through:
Thanks for hosting me today, Bonnie!
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