Hello, my lovelies, and welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. You’ve seen my guest here before and I’m always thrilled to have Jude Knight on my blog any day of the week. Jude has an excerpt from one of her novellas in her boxset of short stories from Chasing the Tale. Be sure to read all the way to the end to collect your #FREE eBook. Happy reading and take it away Jude!

This excerpt comes from The Veiled Bride, which is a short novella in my book of short stories, Chasing the Tale. It’s my one and only medieval, set in Scotland during the time of Robert the Bruce. It has a clan feud, a bride who has been stolen from her betrothal ceremony and imprisoned for ten years in an abbey, a plot to ruin her groom, and a surprise for the villains.
In the excerpt, our reunited couple are about to consummate their marriage

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Excerpt:

Jonetta had that deer and the hunter look again, as if she thought Liam was about to grab her, hurl her on the bed, and take his pleasure without any thought to hers. Her apprehension helped to steady him: a needed warning that this was all new to her. Remembering her innocence gave him the strength to ignore the intense pressure of his base self.

He put one arm around her and lifted her chin with his hand. Jonetta pursed her lips and Liam covered them with his own, keeping his touch gentle. At first, he used only his lips, caressing hers until he felt her relax.

He drifted his tongue along the seam of her mouth, but she had no idea what he was requesting. Her own lips stayed firmly shut until he nibbled on her lower lip so that she opened with a gasp, letting his tongue sweep victoriously inside. Gently, he reminded himself and was rewarded when Jonetta tentatively touched her own tongue to his—even followed when he retreated, to explore his mouth as he had explored hers.

Now that she was fully engaged in the kiss, as they tasted one another, he let a hand drift down to rub over her nipple. He rejoiced when he found a hard nub that indicated her arousal, but she stiffened, a slight retreat from the sensual spell he was trying to weave. He brushed the sides of her breasts: first one, then the other, while still intensifying the kiss.

One subtle step at a time, he encouraged her further and further into ever more intimate caresses until she was yearning towards him, responding to every touch; until he had her chemise above her knees, his fingers and thumb performing the intimate dance that soon he and she would recreate together.
When he drew back from the kiss and lifted her into his arms to carry her to the bed, her glorious eyes were hazed with passion, but not enough to still the question that rose, unspoken but obvious, from their depths.

“The bed,” he told her and was pleased when no hint of trepidation marred her relaxation in his arms. Before she could lie down, he lifted her chemise and, though she blushed, she allowed him to take it over her head. She made no move to cover herself as he stood back to take in her glory: her broad hips and narrow waist, the breasts upon which he had been feasting. A man privileged to enjoy those breasts could die happy.

She was blushing. “Ye are very beautiful,” Liam told her, and his innocent bride blushed still further, which strengthened him to ignore the clamourings of his own body. He would see to her pleasure first, for he had been told that a maid’s first time was easier if her lover made sure she was well-pleasured before her lover entered her.

She coloured still further under his gaze, and shifted as if to cover herself. He put out a hand to stop her. “No, beautiful Jonetta. Here in our bedchamber, let us be naked and unashamed like Adam and Eve before the Fall. He gathered her back into his arms, and lay down to return his mouth to hers, whispering, “Let me see to yer pleasure.”

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Chasing the Tale
By Jude Knight

Escape into another place and time just long enough for a lunch or coffee break in eleven short stories from the imagination of award-winning author Jude Knight. Nine Regency plus one colonial New Zealand and one medieval Scotland. Multiple tropes, catastrophes and barriers on the way to a happy ending.

An Angel, Unawares
In colonial New Zealand, Molly faces Christmas without her husband. A passing drifter helps her keep her three children happy, but when will Rick be home?

Anne Under Siege
Can this year get worse? Anne has been robbed, the frosts have killed the vegetable seedlings, and now the new earl wants to evict them. It doesn’t help that she once had a youthful infatuation with the man!

The Fifth Race
If she wins this one last race, Rhi will be free to choose her own future. Lose, and she must marry the winner. Cen, returning from a decade at war, is determined to be that winner, for he has always loved her. But he is not the only challenger, and someone is prepared to cheat and even kill in order to take the prize.

Found in Scotland
Ned Broderick wakes in an inn far from home, cared for by a stranger who claims to be his wife. Is she a cunning schemer, or the woman of his dreams?

Home is the sailor; home from the sea
Stephen Fletcher has one final task for the navy; presenting his commiserations to his best friend’s sister. Fletch never could resist a damsel in distress, especially one he has been writing to for years.

Look into my eyes
Two strangers watch one another across a crowded ballroom. What does the rake called Lord Charming have to do with the duchess known as the Paragon? Only the two of them know.

The Marquis Returns
A forced wedding, the feud between their families, and a seven-year separation. Their marriage did not get off to a good start. Hal and Willa will be lucky to get out of it with their dignity intact. They’d be fools to hope for more, even if miracles do happen at Christmas.

The Mouse Fights Back
Tiberius has promised to keep Claudia safe from his grasping relatives and also from her own. His Mouse, he calls his little wife, tenderly. But when Tiberius is in danger, Mouse must find her courage and her teeth.

The Path that Brings Us Home
Gwen returns to the home she hasn’t seen in ten years, uncertain of her reception. Her brothers’ war with another local family destroyed her lover, her dearest friend, and her own life. Will she be forgiven? Can she find a measure of happiness?

The Rain Dog
When Jake saves a dog from a flooded river, he has no idea that the dog will more than return the favour, saving him and bringing him his lost love.

The Veiled Bride
Jonetta Macintosh and Uilleam Cameron were parted by treachery on their betrothal day, and treachery stalks them still, a decade later. In medieval Scotland, where the clans put their feuds ahead of the King and the welfare of the kingdom, can our two star-crossed lovers find a path to peace and happiness?

Buy links
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/chasingthetale
Jude Knight’s book page: https://judeknightauthor.com/books/chasing-the-tale/
Selz shop https://judeknight.selz.com/item/chasing-the-tale

Giveaway
Chasing the Tale is free on Jude’s SELZ bookstore, or drop Jude an email through her website, letting her know what ebook version you need, and she’ll send you a copy.

Meet Jude
Jude always wanted to be a novelist. She started in her teens, but life kept getting in the way. Years passed, and with them dozens of unfinished manuscripts. The fear grew. What if she tried, failed, and lost the dream forever? The years since 2014 have brought 11 novels, 13 novella, 4 volumes of short stories, 3 awards, and hundreds of positive reviews. The dream is alive.

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