Welcome to my First Kiss Friday Blog. Today’s guest is one of my favorite authors and a dear friend. Please enjoy this excerpt from To Claim the Long-Lost Lover which releases today! Happy reading, my lovelies!
In this excerpt from the novel To Claim the Long-Lost Lover, the hero and heroine have met after seven years apart. He wants a second chance. She is reluctant to trust him again. You’ll have to read the book to find out more.
Excerpt:
“Until tomorrow.” Sarah gave in to the impulse to offer him her hands again, and this time he pulled her close and lowered his head, stopping when his lips were no more than an inch from hers. She waited a moment. He stayed where he was, the terrible man. Sarah raised herself that inch, her mouth tentative on his.
Odd. She thought she remembered his kisses. But she had forgotten the sweetness of it, the way his lips softened, the touch of his tongue asking her to open, the way he stroked into her mouth. With each moment, as the kiss deepened and his gentle persuasion became more insistent, more urgent, the memories flooded back.
That summer, they had discovered a hundred ways to kiss, a thousand. Different touches, different pressures, different positions. This, hand in hand, nothing but their mouths connected, was tame compared to some of their explorations, but there was nothing tame about the impact.
Cold? She could do with some cold. A dip in ice would not put out the conflagration.
When he pulled away, she whimpered.
His voice was strained as he stepped back, using his grasp on her hands to hold her at arm’s-length. “Dearest heart, have mercy. I am on fire, and if you are not going to invite me to stay…”
Oh. Her face heated. She dropped her gaze to his fall and blinked.
“Indeed,” he confirmed, with a short laugh. “I thought I had acquired considerable control over these past seven years, but you are fast demolishing it, my lady. Let me wish you a good night while I am still sane enough to be a gentleman.”
He was correct again, though for a wild moment she had not been able to think of any reason not to invite him to continue what they’d started. “Tomorrow, then,” she managed.
Nate gave her hands a final squeeze and released them. “Tomorrow,” he confirmed, with a bow.
Sarah followed him to the door and watched him cross the entrance hall where a footman waited to let him out. Four, she said to herself as the door closed behind him. One more point for that kiss, and another for stopping.
To Claim the Long-Lost Lover
by Jude Knight
The beauty known as the Winderfield Diamond hides a ruinous secret. Society’s newest viscount holds the key.
Sarah’s beloved abandoned her seven years ago, leaving her to face the anger of her family and worse. And now he is back, more compelling than ever. Sarah is even lovelier than when she was a girl, but what did she know about her father’s revenge on Nate: forcible enlistment into the navy and years of servitude?
Released 30 July
Buy Links
Jude Knight’s book page https://judeknightauthor.com/books/to-claim-the-long-lost-lover/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096RLJJBZ
Other links on Books2Read: https://books2read.com/CMK-Claim
About Jude Knight
Have you ever wanted something so much you were afraid to even try? That was Jude ten years ago.
For as long as she can remember, she’s wanted to be a novelist. She even started dozens of stories, over the years.
But life kept getting in the way. A seriously ill child who required years of therapy; a rising mortgage that led to a full-time job; six children, her own chronic illness… the writing took a back seat.
As the years passed, the fear grew. If she didn’t put her stories out there in the market, she wouldn’t risk making a fool of herself. She could keep the dream alive if she never put it to the test.
Then her mother died. That great lady had waited her whole life to read a novel of Jude’s, and now it would never happen.
So Jude faced her fear and changed it–told everyone she knew she was writing a novel. Now she’d make a fool of herself for certain if she didn’t finish.
Her first book came out to excellent reviews in December 2014, and the rest is history. Many books, lots of positive reviews, and a few awards later, she plans to keep publishing until she runs out of years.
Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/
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Bookshop: https://judeknight.selz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeKnightAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudeKnightBooks
2 responses to “First Kiss Friday with Jude Knight”
Thank you for hosting me, Sherry
Happy release day, Jude! 💜