October 6th, 2017

Another excerpt from Moontide.
Spoiler alert - this is a "kissing book" (for you Princess Bride fans out there). Here is the first kiss between Cindy and Ronan. Enjoy!

“What was that back there?”
Cindy tumbled out the doors of the lighthouse behind Ronan until he finally halted on the sidewalk.
“I don’t understand what just happened, one minute you looked like you were ready to pass out and the next you were fine,” she wagged a finger at him. “You have some ‘splaining to do Lucy.”
He eyeballed her finger then brushed it aside
“I don’t always understand your way of speaking,” he said, looking truly puzzled by her.
“You don’t know ‘I love Lucy’? Sheez! What planet are you from? I’ll admit, my ‘Ricky’ is a little lame but, seriously, have you been living on a deserted island or something?”
Ronan inhaled sharply, she’d hit closer to the truth than she knew. What was even more disconcerting was the effect she was having on him. What powers did she possess that she could still Thema’s curse with her touch?
“You have no idea, woman. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”
“Try me.”
She stood in front of him with one hand placed on her cocked hip and a determined look in her eyes. He imagined she would give even the great Poseidon a run for his money. That thought made him smile.
She narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together in a thin line.
Then she pulled her hand from his and stomped around to stand with her back to him and crossed her arms but didn’t move away any further. Still, the loss of physical contact knifed through him and his strength began to leach away.
Her shoulders rose and fell when she heaved an exasperated breath. Her cropped mass of golden curls shimmered in the bright sun and reflected the light, taunting him to touch them. He reached out for her like a life line even as he felt himself start to sink into the dark waters of Thema’s curse. His throat and mouth went dry to the point of choking and, when he looked at his hand, he could see it was turning ashen and parchment like. The exertion of holding his own arm up was suddenly too much and, a breath away from reaching salvation, it fell down to his side, a dead weight. Each time he lost contact with the woman, the curse took him harder and faster than the time before. He was aging by the second; slipping towards death.
Just as his knees started to give, she turned back around to face him. Eyes wide with alarm, she lunged forward and grasped both of his arms, instantly, sending a surge of power through him. He knew what she was seeing in his face even as he watched his hands and arms grow strong and smooth again, his vitality returned. He grasped her elbows and met her gray-blue eyes head on. What he saw there nearly killed him all over again ─ disbelief, alarm and, worst of all, fear swept over her features and she took a step back. Ronan clasped both of her hands in his before she could slip away from him.
“Cará, don’t…
“No! I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are and what the heck is going on here!”
The play of emotions on her face changed from fearful to demanding with a spark of fire. Good. Angry, from this woman, he could handle but her fear would be his undoing. Her eyebrows came together in the most adorable scowl and, before he could think better of it, he gave her a brief nod ─ a gentleman’s acceptance of the gloves off fight she looked ready to engage in.
This set her off again and she stamped her foot.
“Look, I’m really not used to being hunted down by strange men, and just because you’ve been decent company for the day doesn’t mean I can ignore the overall weirdness of this whole situation. If you’re some craz-o escaped from the loony bin or psycho killer or…or alien body snatcher looking for a host…”
She kept speaking, teetering at the edge of hysterics. He had to do something quick but what? He scanned the beach trying to think. What did the men of this time do when a woman went apoplectic? Did women still faint anymore? Dear gods!
He lost her words for a moment but was conscious of her cadence picking up speed.
“… are you even listening to me?”
He focused back on her and her wild blonde curls and frantic blue eyes decided the matter. He stepped into her with determination even as she started off at a rattle again.
“Something happened back there in that lighthouse and I want an explana…”
He pulled her to him and brought his mouth down on hers with the silencing finality he was looking to achieve. She gave a small yelp of surprise against his lips but he swallowed the sound and took full advantage, plunging into her mouth with his tongue. Her body tightened, at first, but then she started to yield and he gentled his hold on her shoulders and wound his arms around her into something more like an embrace.

This time, Cindy was the one with the weak knees. She melted under the intensity of his kiss but he held her close and supported her with one hand at the small of her back and the other cupping the back of her head. She gave him her weight and pressed the front of her body to his. His hard chest rubbed against her breasts and an electric charge surged through her body that awakened all her most feminine places. He dipped into her mouth gently and forcefully all at the same time. The contradiction made her ache for him, wanting him to fill that empty place inside of her.