Excerpt

Today I thought I'd share an excerpt of my WIP. I've been pretty good with my November goal of writing every day. (Some days it's only a line or two and I feel like I'm cheating, but at least it's something!)

The story I'm working on is about Zach and Jessica. (Some of you may remember Zach from "This Time for Always".) This particular scene is their first kiss. Enjoy!



They laughed together, then fell silent. Crickets chirped in the darkness. The scent of his aftershave drifted to her on the light breeze.
After a while, Zach turned toward her. “Do you?”
“Do I what? Like apple pie and ice cream?”
“No,” he said softly. His gaze dropped to her lips. “Do you kiss and tell?”
Jessica’s heart kicked into a fast rhythm and she caught her breath. “I…”
“Shhhh.” He leaned closer. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” he whispered before his mouth claimed hers.
His lips stroked over hers, not aggressively, but softly, tenderly. He didn’t touch her anywhere else, but brushed her mouth with gentle intent.
Her first instinct was to pull back, but something stirred deep inside her. A feeling she’d nearly forgotten. Whispery shivers danced along her nerve endings and fluttered in her stomach. Without meaning to, in fact without conscious thought, she opened to him.
The kiss deepened. Their breath mingled. Her hand slid up his chest, feeling the play of muscle beneath his shirt. When she reached the open collar, she fisted the flannel in her hand.
His knuckles grazed the sides of her face.
Her body tingled with awareness. Scattered thoughts flitted through her mind, but she couldn’t hold onto any of them. Not while Zach kissed her. Not when his mouth fitted so perfectly against hers. Not when the pulse racing at the base of his throat matched the cadence of hers.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like this. Had felt anything.
Should she be feeling this way about Zach?
Almost as if sensing her conflicting emotions, he softened the kiss, tenderly brushing his mouth over hers one last time before pulling away.
She waged a silent war within, trying to calm her racing heart.
She still clutched his shirt. She forced her grip to relax, releasing the twisted fabric from her grasp. She drew in a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
She raised her eyes to his.
Zach’s gaze searched hers, then he smiled. A smile as soft and tender as his kiss. He touched his finger to her lips, then rose. “Good night, Jess.”



Until next time, Happy Reading! (Oh, I'll be out of town next weekend, so I'll either be posting later in the day or not at all...but I'll try to get something to you.) I'll also be guest blogging at Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction on Friday, so be sure to pop in and say hello!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com