Guest Blogger Tina Donahue - That First Kiss. . .

In every romance, erotic or otherwise, the couple’s first kiss should be memorable. It can be greedy, impassioned, tender, or exploring. . .but it must move a reader. It must make an audience clamor for more.

In my upcoming erotic romance, In His Arms, I wanted Summer and RJ’s first kiss to be more than arousing, it had to be a kiss she craved. Even though she’s a sexual slave and she’s been given to him by her owner, I wanted her to willingly encourage the intimacy, to feel cherished, protected, respected within his arms.

I won’t lie – the scene (and those preceding it) was extremely difficult to write, but Summer’s emotional connection with RJ blossomed and made their first kiss quite moving.

Here’s a blurb and an excerpt to show you what I mean.

BLURB:

Owned by one man, loved by another. . .

Abducted and delivered into sexual slavery, Lori has surrendered her will in order to survive. For more than a decade, she’s been known as Summer, a lovely submissive, her owner’s possession until he gives her to his newest lieutenant, a mysterious man called RJ. Commanding and virile, RJ dominates without cruelty and possesses without threat, engendering a mixture of safety and passion. In his strong arms, Summer enjoys carnal pleasure she’s never known and tenderness she’s craved. In his heated gaze, she experiences a sense of recognition she doesn’t immediately understand until it proves dangerous in a way she could never have imagined. Bound by desire and their growing love, RJ traverses the shadowy world of human trafficking, risking all for Summer’s freedom only to learn she harbors a fateful secret that threatens to tear her from him, leading to an irrevocable event that risks both their lives.

EXCERPT:

Their bellies and thighs touched—hers soft and yielding, his unresisting, solid. Summer’s pulse jumped, shaken by their closeness. Her mind kept repeating his words.

Whatever happens from this moment on is your choice. Tonight’s about whatever you want.

Given the option, the first she’d known in too long, her decision had been easier than she might have imagined. She liked his gentle manner, his playful teasing. He’d made her smile.

He made her want again. She craved his large body and protection.

But she couldn’t go with him. Tonight would be all they had. Intending to enjoy it, she leaned into him.

The edge of his hair skimmed her cheek, delivering his shampoo’s faint citrusy fragrance. Summer inhaled deeply, capturing more of it. Beneath the manufactured scent was his own, unmistakably a man’s musk. Her belly fluttered.

Whatever you want.

She placed her free hand on his chest and splayed her fingers to touch as much of his right pec as she could. Beneath his cashmere sweater and her caress, his firm muscles danced. In her fantasies, when she’d needed comfort, she had imagined a man like RJ.

You set the pace.

Her cheek glided over his as she sought his mouth, just as she would if they’d been on a date. Willingly, she eased her head back to encourage his kiss.

In no hurry, he allowed her to experience the contradiction of his beard-roughened face and the pillowy softness of his lips, the hint of cherry tobacco on his breath. Hers caught as the tip of his tongue—hot and wet—probed the seam of her mouth. Back arched, breasts nuzzled against him, Summer took as much as he could give her.

He filled her well.

She curled her fingers in his sweater. Encouraged by her response, his hand went to her hair. Working his fingers through it, he cupped the back of her head in his large palm.

Her lips parted even more, her tongue sliding over his. She tasted a trace of peppermint toothpaste meant to mask what he’d smoked, and something beyond it, an indescribable flavor belonging to him alone.

A soft grunt escaped RJ. His flat belly bumped hers, his cock brushing her mound.

She imagined his hardened shaft inside of her, stretching, possessing, arousing, fulfilling her female need to have a strong man take her and deliver pleasure they both wanted. Her scalp tingled. She tightened her hold on his sweater to draw him closer. Eager, not compliant, Summer suckled his tongue, then forced it from her mouth so she could enter him.

Clearly liking the way she took charge, he drew her tongue deeply inside, his lips pursed around its base, not letting go. It fueled something buried in her and affected him as well. Their kiss turned surprisingly greedy, savage, their harsh breathing punctuated by her mewling and his satisfied grunts.

Minutes passed. Their lewd sounds grew quiet, the kiss evolving from wild to tender like a gentle dream that shielded her from the harsh realities of waking. From tomorrow.

Summer didn’t want the moment to ever end, but RJ pulled his mouth free and heaved in a full breath. Unsettled by the loss of his touch—her body weakened with desire—she looked up at him.

Stark wonder registered in his gaze, telling her their kiss had affected him as much as it had her, going beyond satisfaction.

It seemed to have moved him in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

That one kiss begins their remarkable journey that leads to danger and love. . .

In His Arms will be available September 3

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8593-50-in-his-arms.aspx

Tina Donahue is a multi–published novelist in contemporary, historical and erotic romance. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work; she has reached finals and /or placed in numerous RWA–sponsored contests. She was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern newspaper, worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company, and is currently the Managing Editor for a global business document concern.

Email: tina@tinadonahue.com

Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097

To celebrate the upcoming release of In His Arms, I’m offering a contest today. One lucky commenter will have her choice of one of my following books**

1. Lush Velvet Nights – ebook

2. Adored – ebook

3. Deep, Dark, Delicious – ebook

4. Close to Perfect – mass market paperback

5. Bad Boys with Red Roses – trade paperback

6. Take My Breath Away – trade paperback

** Winner chosen at random. Winner in continental US has her choice of one of the six. Winner outside continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks