Thanks for stopping by my First Kiss Friday blog. Today’s guest is my friend Meara Platt who has an excerpt from Lyon in the Rough. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
The vast expanse of sea shimmered before them as the sun fell across it.
But it paled to Beatrix’s splendor.
Perhaps this is why poets went on about women sparkling like diamonds. Beatrix was a vision of loveliness. Her gown, a soft, dove gray, picked up the soft gray of her eyes and accentuated the blue in them as well.
She stole his breath away every time he looked at her.
Even now, his heart was beating faster, as it would with the thrill of a first encounter. He had been in close quarters with Beatrix for over a week now and that heady feeling had not faded.
It galled him that Bessie had recognized she was a perfect match for him.
He had not met Beatrix until that morning at the Lyon’s Den. It seemed a lifetime ago. And yet, he felt as though he had always known her.
Perhaps his heart had known her and simply been waiting for her to appear.
Anam charaid.
The love of his soul.
This was going to be a problem if her father had truly promised her to that dunce, Greenock.
Lucas had no intention of giving Beatrix up.
If she wanted him, then he was ready to move heaven and earth to have her.
Why should he not put himself forward and offer for Beatrix’s hand in marriage? He had excellent connections. He was a Lyon of Mar and had the birthmark on his buttocks to prove it. Indeed, the red splotch in the shape of a lion was the mark of every Lyon. He and his brothers all carried it.
But he knew a birthmark to prove his lineage would not overcome the biggest hurdle to gaining her father’s approval. The problem remained, he was not a peer nor was he ever likely to become one by inheriting the dukedom of Mar. It would require the death of his two elder brothers and any sons they might sire. Cheyne already had a son, a newborn babe hardly a few months old.
Lucas did not wish for any bad fate to befall them. No, he wished only good health and happiness for all of his family.
Beatrix inhaled lightly and squeezed his hand, distracting him from his thoughts. “Look, Lucas! There is something moving in the water.”
She began to hop excitedly beside him. “Is it a whale? Oh, there! I think it is an entire family of whales.”
He chuckled and kept tight hold of her hand. “Aye, lass. Aren’t they a magnificent sight?”
She turned to face him. “Everything is magnificent about this moment. Do you feel it, Lucas? This contentment. This sheer perfection.”
“Aye, lass. I do.”
When would they ever have such a day again?
A cooling breeze rippled off the water to swirl around them as they stood on the heights.
The sun shone down upon them and glistened across the waves. The sea was bluer than Lucas had ever seen it, and clear enough to provide an unimpeded view of the pod of whales gliding beneath its surface.
Beatrix had her mouth slightly open as she stared in utter fascination.
He mostly kept his gaze on her.
Anam charaid.
Yes, she was that.
As they watched, one of the larger leviathans surfaced and blew a spume of water out of its spout.
Beatrix squealed in delight. “Do you think he noticed us and decided to put on a show?”
“Perhaps, lass.” Why should not all creatures be enchanted with this girl? She was the loveliest part of this day.
Poseidon wagged his little rump and barked at the whales, unable to contain his excitement. Lucas kept firm hold of his tether, tugging him back each time he skittered to the edge to announce his dominion over these creatures who were a thousand times his size.
Beatrix turned once more to look up at him, happiness shining in her eyes. “Lucas, thank you for sharing this with me. I have never seen anything so beautiful.”
“Lass,” he said in a raw whisper, wanting so badly to draw her up against his body and crush his lips to hers. She was the beauty in this moment. The sun, the wind, the azure water and majestic gray whales all paled next her. “It is my pleasure.”
He tucked a finger under her chin to hold her gaze to his.
She closed her eyes. “I am making a wish.”
“What are ye wishing for?”
“I dare not say.”
“Why? Is it too sinful?” He only meant to tease her, for he could not imagine this girl as anything other than innocent.
“It is, Lucas. Well, perhaps not sinful by your standards, but not anything I ought to be wishing to do.”
Her eyes fluttered open as she spoke, the blue in them seeming to melt into the blue of the sky. Her lips were the pink of the windblown flowers that grew in abundance on this outcropping. “What is it ye wish, Beatrix?”
He knew what he would wish for in this idyllic moment, in this perfect slice of a day. In the heat of the sun shining down on them and the roar of the waves pounding against the shore.
She took a deep breath. “It will not come true if I tell you. Perhaps it is for the best that it doesn’t.” She inhaled again and then let her breath out slowly. “I wished that you would kiss me on this perfect spot amid this perfect day. Would you consider it, Lucas?”
He gave a raw laugh. “Blessed saints, Beatrix. It is a terrible idea.”
Her cheeks turned a bright pink. “Oh, I see. Of course. This is why I should not have told you. Because…what you must think of me…that is, I just assumed…because men…I am so sorry.”
“Dinna be sorry, lass. It is a terrible idea because it is one that has been preying on my mind throughout this journey. Ye’re an angel. I have ached to put my lips to yours from the moment I met ye. How can ye not know it?” He drew her up against him, for this burning need to kiss her had grown unbearable. “I canno’ promise ye anything beyond this kiss.”
She nodded. “I am not asking for anything more.”
In truth, he would give her anything she wished because he was already lost to her. He was so far gone in love with this lass, he would give up everything without need for her to request it. “Verra well. One kiss. Is it yer first?”
She nodded.
“Och, then it must be special. Close yer eyes, Beatrix.”
She held her breath and shut her eyes.
He stifled his laughter, not merely for her obvious innocence but also for the way his heart was responding. Puffed with pride. Touched to the core. He had yet to kiss her and he already knew her lips would taste of heaven. “Breathe, lass. It is permitted.”
She released her breath with a light groan. “Oh, Lucas. I have no idea what I am supposed to do.”
“Ye’ll be just fine. Let me do the work. Ye need only follow my lead.” He brought his mouth down on hers and pressed lightly upon her lips, careful to keep the kiss gentle despite the savage heat coursing through him.
He did not want to scare her off with his ravenous longing.
Give me strength.
Liquid fire coursed through his veins, but he held the flames in check. This was her first time with a man and he dared not overwhelm her.
Nor did he intend to be tepid, for he could never be indifferent to this girl who turned his body molten.
He slowly began to deepen the kiss.
Och, he had to stop thinking each step and just go with what felt right. But she meant so much to him, he wanted their first time to be perfect.
Fool, it will no’ be if ye measure every step.
He set aside his thoughts and simply allowed the heat building up inside of him to flow naturally through his body.
Lord, it came at him like a wall of flames.
He lifted her up against him, drawing her tight to him so that her feet were off the ground and the length of their bodies were seared to each other. He felt the plumpness of her bosom against his hard chest and ached to explore her lovely mounds with his hands and lips.
Not this first time.
Some restraint was required or he would scare her off.
His tongue teased along the seam of her lips to draw them open. He delved in when she responded, tasting the sweet velvet of her mouth.
She moaned and slipped her arms around his neck, leaning into him so that there was no space between their bodies, not a particle of distance between them as their legs entwined and arms held each other in a desperate clench.
He felt the wild beat of her heart.
Blessed saints, she was made for him.
He could tell by the sweet heat of her skin that she was aroused by him.
Was it any different for him?
He poured all of his heart and longing into their first kiss, for it represented so much more than the wild press of two mouths or the hot touch of two bodies.
His was stripped raw, no barriers remaining.
He loved this girl.
She was his heart and the light in his soul.
Mo anam.
My soul.
She had to be his, even if her father had betrothed her to Greenock.
He could not bear to think of it.
“Beatrix,” he whispered, feeling her body shudder with a desire they both felt. “Lass, we canno’ go further.”
“I know. Oh, Lucas,” she said breathlessly, “I am trying so hard to hold back my feelings.” She still had her arms around his neck while the length of her body remained pressed to his, the softness of her breasts such sweet perfection against his chest.
He kissed her again.
His body was on fire and the flames consumed them both.
Lyon In The Rough
By Meara Platt
Lucas Lyon is leaving London to head back to his home in Edinburgh when his meddlesome aunt, Bessie Dove-Lyon, decides he also needs to deliver the lovely Lady Beatrix MacGlory to her father. Along for the ride are Beatrix’s overly perfumed aunt and her aunt’s little pug, Poseidon, who is about the size of a hedgehog but thinks he is a lion. Lucas is not happy about this arrangement, until he finds himself falling in love with Beatrix. However, she is returning to Edinburgh for an arranged betrothal to another man. Since when has that stopped a Lyon from claiming what he wants? If you love Scottish heroes, road trip romances, or simply enjoy laughter, you’ll have fun with Lucas and Beatrix as they fall in love in Lyon In The Rough.
Lyon in the Rough Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LRF418F
Author Bio:
Meara Platt is a USA Today bestselling, award winning author, and an Amazon UK All Star. Her Regency romances are infused with humor and heart, and her fantasy/paranormal stories add just enough darkness to keep her readers intrigued. For Meara, romance is a journey of enchantment, so whether you are looking for funny, uplifting escapes in her Farthingale series or Book of Love series, or wish to be transported into edgier Fae/dragon realms as in her Dark Gardens series, or something in between, take the journey and enjoy!
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