Happy First Kiss Friday! Welcome back to my blog and say hello to my friend Veronica Crowe who has an excerpt to share from her novel My Only Earl. Happy reading, my lovelies, and enjoy!

Excerpt:

A shiver ran through her as she recalled how his lips felt like, tasted like, that Christmas night when they were young, and she had stolen a kiss from him under the mistletoe beneath this very same doorway. 

Now that he was a grown man, and she a grown woman, would it be different?

As if he heard her secret musings, suddenly his smile disappeared and the laughter in his eyes turned to molten heat.

Her eyes widened, heart racing, the air vacating her lungs as his smoldering gaze fell on her lips.

“My turn,” he said softly, tilting her face to his, capturing her mouth in a voluptuous kiss that was heart-stopping and soul-deep. 

Everything around her blurred and stilled, save for the ticking of the clock on the mantel.

His lips firmed, his kiss becoming more insistent, coaxing her to part her lips and allow him in. 

She did—and found herself drowning in ecstasy at the feel and taste of him. 

Her arms twined around his neck of their own volition. 

He gathered her closer in his embrace in return. 

Their bodies merged, her softness crushed to his hardness, molded as one. 

His tongue explored her mouth, twining with hers—stroking, caressing, cajoling. He angled his mouth to gain more access. 

She gave in—and he devoured her with such intensity and boldness, it took her breath away. 

She clung to him for dear life as he consumed her, taking his fill over and over until finally sated. Then he withdrew and his kiss gentled, fading into tiny, feathered kisses on the corners of her mouth, her chin, her cheek—ending with her forehead resting against his.

They stood still beneath the doorway, eyes closed, chests rising and falling, gasping for air, neither saying a word until she felt him loosen his embrace, prompting her to untwine her arms around his neck and take a step back. 

Their eyes locked, staring at each other for a long moment before a slow crooked smile rose on his lips.“Well, Poppet, if you must know—I think my kiss was better than yours.” He grinned and tapped a forefinger on her nose, and then walked away, leaving her gaping after him. 

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My Only Earl
By Veronica Crowe

Touted by The Gazette as The Most Handsome Man in All of England.
Edward Devlin Huntington, Earl of Calverston, has been friends with Diana since childhood. As the years went by, their friendship blossomed into young love that each found hard to deny. But when Diana debuted in her first London Season, she instantly became the diamond of the ton. The most eligible, high-ranking gentlemen vied for her hand. Competition was fierce, and Edward, an undergraduate with nothing to his name except for a mere courtesy title, felt unworthy of his beloved childhood friend, who took the ton by storm with her incomparable beauty, sharp wit, and impressive accomplishments. Discouraged, Edward sailed to America to manage a trading company in New York and make a name for himself.

Seven years later, he returned home a different man: Distinguished, worldly, successful, and breathtakingly wealthy. His only conundrum was, did Diana still hold a place in her heart for him?

Or was he too late?

The Incomparable Diamond of the upper ten thousand.
Diana Juliette Radcliffe, only daughter of the Duke of Grandstone, had everything – beauty, wealth, success, society’s admiration—but not the man she’s loved since her youth. She had convinced herself there was no sense in pining for someone who did not reciprocate her affections—until she saw him again at his Welcome Ball. Stunned by her reaction to his presence, and the sudden reemergence of the love she thought long gone, she vowed to deny her feelings and keep their relationship friendly.

If only it were that easy.

Because Edward’s kisses kept her wanting, and no matter how hard she tried to prevent herself from falling, every touch and every kiss rekindled her love for him. Terrified of going down that road again, she knew she could not go through the agony of another heartbreak. His show of affection sent her reeling with both joy and trepidation. What did Edward want from her? Why did he come back?

Would he leave her if he learned she was betrothed to another?
Heirs of Cornwall
The Wrong Prince
The Viscount’s Heir
My Only Earl

This is from the third installment of the Heirs of Cornwall series, My Only Earl. It’s available for free on KU or buy it here:  https://bit.ly/MyOnlyEarl

About the Author:

Veronica Crowe is the author of the Heirs of Cornwall series under Dragonblade Publishing.She is an entrepreneur and runs several online ventures including PeriodImages.com.She lives in Southern California with her husband and son in a house that looks like a historical movie set.They have three cats: A fat one, a thin one, and an obnoxious one that constantly pesters her when she writes.  

Find Veronica on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Veronica-Crowe-107641207752085/?ref=pages_you_manage