Coming this fall from Amanda McIntyre
Mr. December
I’ve
had such fun writing and expanding on the original Kinnison brothers trilogy
(Rugged Hearts, Rustler’s Heart, Renegade Heart) From the stories showcasing
the guests in the Last Hope Ranch
stories (renamed by the Kinnison brothers in honor of their step-dad) to
the tales of the delightfully quirky secondary characters who live in the
small-town End of the Line, Montana, it’s been a blast to meander about the
town and tell their stories! Romance, cowboys, small-town humor, drama, danger,
intrigue, and of course, Betty’s comfort-food all await those who visit!
I
hope you enjoy this FIRST Kiss scene from my upcoming End of the Line novel I
call; MR. DECEMBER. Featuring Sheriff J.C. Nash, and accomplished photographer,
Olivia Evans, it’s a story of misconceptions, second chances, and small-town
meddling at its finest. Enjoy!
~Amanda
First Kiss scene: Mr. December (Fall 2019)
J.C. cleared his throat and focused again on his priorities.
This was business. For charity. For the library. For the kids.
“So, I’m thinking, we’ll start out and just take a few
shots. Get you used to the camera.” She looked up as she walked over to stand
toe-to-toe with him. “And get used to me.” She lifted one dark brow somewhere
between mischief and challenge and it nearly did him in.
He stood still, caught under her narrowed scrutiny, her
hands her hips. He, too, did some studying—in particular, of how her thin, dark
brown T-shirt accentuated her eyes and other attributes further down.
“I’m thinking sexy Sheriff.”
You’ve no idea how right you are, he thought.
She tipped her head when he didn’t respond. “Can you do
sexy?”
J.C. opened his mouth to ask if she was blind, but reeled in
the snappy comeback. He licked his lips,
holding firm her gaze. “I can give it a try.”
She stared at him an instant longer than he guessed she
intended. “Okay then, we’ll give it a try and see what happens.”
She turned away and J.C. looked to the heavens for added
strength.
“Why don’t you stand over by the stall and we’ll get
started,” she said. “I just need to decide what I want to use on you.”
His brain tweaked at the comment, a purely involuntary
reaction that cause him to stumble.
Blaming his over-active sexual idiocy, his boot then caught
one of the light-stands, bringing to the floor in a loud crash. In an attempt
to catch himself, he knocked loose the wreath from its mooring and it shot with
the speed of a rubber band across the barn , taking down another light in the
process. His ankle twisted and he went down hard, smashing her set of perfectly stacked hay
bales to smithereens.
Somewhere in the chaos, he heard a high-pitched squeal and
watched as Olivia dove toward another light, saving what no doubt would've
resulted in a disastrous domino tumbling
of the lights. Sprawled now on the battered hay bales, arms and legs askew
akin to a rag doll, he looked up at caught her horrified expression.
“That’s your idea of sexy?” she asked, righting the light
stand to its feet.
J.C. sighed. “Can you give me a hand, here?” Yeah, he didn’t
really need her help, but he figured it was damn time he got something out of
his system, or this wasn’t going to work.
She offered her hand and he took it hauling himself to his
feet. Not letting go his grip, he held her hand
in his and breathed in the scent of her perfume--exotic,
floral--conjuring images of moonlit nights and tangled sheets.
“You okay? Did you hit your head?” she asked, eyeing him.
He swallowed hard, certain she heard the pounding of his
heart. This whole thing could go sideways fast in this day and age,
he wanted to be sure she was maybe as curious as him. “There’s one thing that’s
bothering me,” he said. His gaze dropped slowly to her tempting mouth. “Really,
it’s more about you. You’re...what’s bothering me.”
She frowned, but he caught the spark of interest in her
beautiful eyes.
“Me?” she asked. “How am I…wait, is this about what
happened—”
He softly traced the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, pleased
when he felt her shiver. “I think you have a pretty good idea what I'm talking
about.”
Her hand slipped from his. She rested it on the front of his
shirt, the heat from her body causing his heart to race She leaned up on
tip-toe, her eyes meeting his. Her breath, hot and sweet, smelled of
peppermint.
“Is this maybe your idea of sexy, cowboy?”
Her seduction stirred a powerful reaction below his belt.
J.C. cupped her face capturing her mouth in a fierce kiss. Soft, endless, savoring every angle-he explored
the sensation, the taste of her lips. Her soft moan urging another kiss,
unleashing a powerful, burning hunger inside him. He slid his arms down the
gentle slope of her back and drew her close, deepening the kiss. Dark, sexy images began to play in his brain.
With an audible sigh, she pushed away and took a step back. Her cheeks flushed, her mouth in an adorable well-kissed
state, she licked her lips and averted her gaze from his. He knew she’d felt the heat between them. For him, it had
been years in the making. An unrequited crush
that frankly, he’d thought was completely out of his system. He glanced down,
noting the discomfort in his jeans.
Apparently not.
“That—is what’s bothering you?” she asked, finally looking
at him.
He lifted a shoulder. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about
it,” he said, allowing a grin to slid up one side of his mouth.
“That must have been painful,” she said and her cheeks
deepened with color.
“You’ve no idea.” His answer was honest. And that little
test only proved that, to at least some degree, reality was much better than
his fantasy. Problem was--now he wanted more. Perhaps given enough time, he'd
take up where they’d left off and show her exactly his idea of sexy.
