Tuesday, February 14, 2012

It's Getting Hot In Here Blog Hop

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm thrilled to participate in today's "It's Getting Hot in Here" Valentine's Day blog hop, where the objective is to share a sexy kissing scene - either from a book you've read, your WIP, or a memorable smooch of your own.

I'm cheating a bit.

The following scene is from the first book in my Heartless series.

JAGGER VALENTINE is jaded on all things to do with love...lust, on the other hand, she can handle just fine. Check out how this Cupid handles sexy Nic Bazzano.

And then be sure to check out the rest of the fabulous blogs taking part in the hop. Whoopa - it IS getting hot in here.


“You going to stand up, or do you plan on just crawling to the bedroom?”
Nic reached into his pocket and produced a small, light blue box, thin white ribbon wrapped around the center.
Jagger's stomach lurched as though she’d been sucker punched. Sticky perspiration beaded along the small of her back and behind her thighs.
She turned and walked away, disgusted with herself for trusting Nic to respect the boundaries of their relationship. She’d accepted his declarations of love in the past, dismissing them as the mutterings of a mad man. But this?
Bloody hell.
How could she avoid this?
“Jagger, just open it.”
She had every mind to kick him out, send him and that vile Tiffany box across the city. Of all the stupid –
She set the wine on the kitchen counter and ripped open the floral packaging. A bouquet of Gerbera daisies leapt free, their vibrant colors somehow lightening her dark thoughts, and reminding her of Seth. She couldn’t leave her dog without a sitter when she took off for India, and it was too late to find a back-up plan.
She looked back at the door where Nic remained on bended knees, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glinting with mischief.
Not the look of a romantic, she thought as the gears in her mind began working again. The face of a jokester. A lock of his dark chocolate hair curled over an arched eyebrow and the corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk.
Shit.
“Bring it here.”
He hopped to his feet but didn’t step forward. “Half way?”
And so it begins, she thought. She inched toward him, sidestepping the coffee table and he reciprocated, pushing past the loveseat, until they stood on either side of a burgundy recliner. She leaned her hip against the cushioned arm and extended her hand.
He set the box into her palm and waited while she tugged on the ends of the ribbon to release the bow. Half expecting a spider or some comparable creepy to jump from the package, she lifted the lid with hesitation.
And pushed out a breath.
Inside nestled a pink heart-shaped candy, not a diamond ring. Not a symbol of promise she couldn’t keep, but yet another token of acknowledgement – for while she remained jaded on all things love, she had a well-known affliction for sweets.
She heard Nic’s soft chuckle over the purr of relief from her throat.
“Asshole.”
“Guilty,” he said. “Read it.”
She lifted the candy from the box and flipped it over. Kiss me.
Nic had already stepped around the recliner and leaned in, his lips slack and waiting. Jagger popped the candy into her mouth, moved in close enough for him to smell the sweetness of her breath, and snapped the heart in half with her teeth. “Dream on.”

                                                                 - 30 -

Want more? Head over to Jagger's site where she dishes up unsolicited advice and general snark about all affairs of the heart.

The Book In My Bag Today: Matched, Ally Condie

75 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Stina. Your entry was pretty steamy! Nice work. Happy Valentine's Day <3

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  2. Well that's just cruel lol!

    Great piece of writing, well done! :D

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  3. What a great scene! I was never as strong as Jagger- always caved for a kiss and a little blue box!

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    Replies
    1. Tracy - I'm the same way! I have to write about strong characters because I'm weak :-)

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  4. Great scene. The back and forth was wonderful. (New follower)

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks, Juliana. Hope your Valentine's Day is awesome.

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  6. I'm like Tracy, I'm a sucker for kisses and presents! :-p Nice work!

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    1. Thanks Cortney. I've never been a fan of Tiffanys myself, but I adore kisses :-)

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  7. Awe, I wanted the kiss. But this was such a fun scene.

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    1. Thank you! If it's any consolation, this scene DOES lead to a steamy one...Nic doesn't like No.

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  8. Replies
    1. I know, I'm a tease. Sorry, Kate...but thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Lol, awesome!!! Poor guy. She's making him work hard for what he wants. Very well written dialogue. It gives a clear picture of the characters and their relationship. Brava :)

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    1. Angela - that is an awesome compliment! I work hard on dialogue as it's one of my weaknesses. Thank you.

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  10. Ahh, kiss him! Great scene. Enjoyed it very much.

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    1. Thanks, Marta. I promise...it leads to a kiss...eventually :-)

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  11. but... but... but... I wanted them to kiss dangit!

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  12. Replies
    1. Thanks, Susan. They are definitely a perfect match for each other...

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  13. I love how snarky she is. It's great! Even though I wish she would have given in and kissed him, still I love it!

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    1. Oh thanks, Theresa. Yeah...she isn't the "giving in" type - but Nic is VERY persuasive.

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  14. That was a good one! Such attitude! Loved it! And I'm always thrilled to find a fellow writer of adult thrillers. I'm a new follower via the bloghop!

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    1. Thanks so much Nancy - and thanks for the follow!

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  15. Oh, I love these characters. The scene is fantastic and the internal thought and the tension, and...fantastic stuff ^_^

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    1. Thanks so much Loralie. Jagger is one of my fave characters so I love to play with her :-) Glad you enjoyed the scene.

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  16. Enjoyed your excerpt. It put a new spin on it (I've read a ton so it's nice to read yours). New follower, too! :)

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    1. But wasn't it fun to read all of the great kiss scenes, David? LOL Thanks for your comments and for the new follow!

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  17. ahh, that's AWESOME! What a great story--I love her going through it being too late for the backup plan... sniggle. And then the Kiss Me... swoon! :o) good stuff, Dawn! <3

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    1. LTM - my WHOLE goal was to make YOU swoon. Success! Thanks for stopping by and always being my support. <3

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  18. I love this!! Mainly the "Dream on" portion.

    The dog thing kind of threw me off a little bit...when is she going to India? :)

    Also, thanks for stopping by my blog, too :)

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    1. Lynn(e) - Yeah, that's kind of the bugger with "excerpts" - difficult to frame the scene within the context of the story. This book in the series takes place mostly in India. Glad you enjoyed the scene.

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  19. This is fun and refreshing. The way she bites the heart in half totally rocked. Perfect for Valentine's, and Single-Awareness day, both :)

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  20. LOVE THIS! Totally my kind of girl. :D

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  21. Nice story! Jagger's my kind of woman.

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    1. Thanks, Carrie-Anne. She's a lot of fun to write.

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  22. This is a really fantastic excerpt. I love her commitment issues and snark!

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    1. Oh, thanks Alexia. She's one of my favourite characters to write :-)

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  23. Ahhhh!!!! I love it! I wondered what you meant by you cheated ... now I know! LOVE this. Off to learn more about you and see if I can buy your book!

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    1. Ah Ali, thank you! Sadly, THIS book is not yet available. But stay tuned. You can also check out Jagger's site where her snark will really shine. LOL www.jaggervalentine.com

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  24. This is excellent writing! Nice going!

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  25. THAT'S not a kissy scene! But it's just as good. Seriously. I love the anticipation!

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    1. Told you I cheated :-) I'm glad you liked it anyway...lol

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  26. Aw, I love it! And a chick named Jagger just rocks. :)

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    1. Thanks, PK. Yes, I agree - Jagger is a kick-ass name.

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  27. Meanie. Was waiting for the kiss and it never came.
    Nice trick with the candy in the box though. ^_^

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    1. Sorry Aldrea...it DOES lead to a hotter scene, though :-)

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  28. Thats cute. I almost wanted her to kiss him though.

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    1. Not to worry, Sara. She does - just on HER terms.

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  29. I love her toughness! She seems like an awesome character! He doesn't seem too shabby either ;)

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    1. Thanks, Hope. I have lots of fun with both of them.

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  30. Hahaha! Love how that ended! She's got some spunk ;-)

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    1. Thanks Rachel! She definitely my spunkiest character.

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  31. Aw! She's awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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  32. Ahahaha, that was great! Loved reading that!

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    1. Thank you - and thanks for stopping by the blog :-)

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  33. Nice! Talk about jaded. I woulda kissed him. I'm a sucker for love. ;)

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