Welp. It’s done. The final chapter in the House of Payne saga is officially LIVE!
It’s hard to say goodbye to our friends at the House, but they go out with a bang in this final installment. (Bang. Heh. See what I did there? 😀 )
There are plenty of “last times” in this final book, but there are also plenty of “first times” as well. The first time our hero, Talon, meets the heroine, Zenni. The first time that attraction sparks and takes their breath away. And, of course, their first kiss.
First kisses are a BIG FREAKING DEAL for me in my projects, because they’re the last first kiss our lovebirds will ever have. Here’s a peek at Talon and Zenni’s first kiss. Enjoy!
It was like every cell in Zenni’s body decided to throw a party the moment Talon’s lips captured hers. That was the best way to describe the sudden whoosh of wild joy that hit her like a tsunami, while her brain was filled with one word only.
Yay!
There was no hesitation. No awkwardness. Zenni melted into the kiss, rolling up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway while her arms curled around his neck, just in case he had some whacked-out idea about getting away. Clearly he didn’t, as he wrapped her up in those muscle-padded arms like he feared she’d disappear if he didn’t lock her to him. His hold was so firm she almost physically left the ground, and that would have been fine with her. In every other way that mattered, she had already been launched into the stratosphere by the power of his kiss alone.
Wow.
It had to be said; until the night before when they’d had their series of almost-kisses, she’d never seriously believed she and Talon made any kind of sense. Their first meeting had been so disastrous she’d assumed nothing could overcome it. She’d screwed up with him by sneaking into places she knew she didn’t belong, provoking him to then screw up with her by throwing her out instead of letting security handle her.
That should have been the end of it.
The end of them.
But Talon hadn’t let that be the end. Clearly the man believed in impossibilities, because he’d accepted her apology for being a gatecrasher, then moved on like he’d been happy to turn the page to get to the good stuff.
Once he’d done that, it had been easy for her to do the same.
But damn, she still hadn’t imagined getting the breath kissed out of her less than forty-eight hours after crossing paths with him again.
Was it any wonder she was breathless? This man knew how to freaking kiss. His mouth sealed over hers in a way that made her irrationally think they’d never separate again. His lips were strong, yet soft enough to meld with hers, a heady combination she couldn’t get enough of.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
She couldn’t get enough of him.
Luckily Talon seemed to be in the same boat. The press of his mouth was demanding, almost urgent, like the earth would stop spinning if he didn’t make her bend to his absolute will. The tightening of his fingers in her short hair tilted her head back even more, opening her mouth to the bold thrust of his tongue.
It was like he’d invented the deep kiss and couldn’t wait to show off his expertise.
Lucky, lucky her.
She wouldn’t have been surprised if he felt the wild, bungee-jump ride her heart went on as his mouth made savage love to hers. She could feel the hammering of his heart as her breasts pressed against his torso, and she loved the raw intimacy of it. But as thrilling as it was, it was nothing compared to the increasing hardness of his cock pressed against her belly.
Now that was something to be thrilled about.
When his mouth at last lifted from hers, she opened her eyes, reveling in how her lips throbbed as if branded by his.
“Not too shabby,” she managed, licking her lips to soothe that distracting throb. When his eyes dropped to the motion and watched as if that was the most riveting thing he’d ever seen, she shocked herself by almost moaning out loud. “If I’d known you could kiss like that, I never would have thought of you as a big, scary bad guy.”
His eyes were as hot as she felt. “Now that you know, what do you think of me?”
“Well, you’re not scary. People who kiss in a way that make me believe in miracles can’t possibly be scary.”
“Damn, that good.” An arrogant smile curled a corner of his mouth, though his eyes still burned over her like fire. “I might be big, but what about the bad guy part? After a kiss like that, you should be ready to hit the eject button on that as well, yeah?”
Ha. He was cute when he was fishing for compliments. “Oh, you can kiss like a miracle and still be those other things.”
“Even bad?”
“Aren’t you the guy who nearly dislocated some dude’s arm last night?”
“Don’t tell me you would have preferred it if I’d let that date rape-drugging motherfucker hit you?”
“You make a good point,” she decided, then gave him a saucy smile. “It’s entirely possible I need to rethink a few things.”
Look for HOUSE OF PAYNE: TALON, the twelfth and final book in the House of Payne series on these platforms:
AMAZON: http://ow.ly/bRLy50FRUqI
iBooks http://ow.ly/P2pz50FRUqK
Stacy Gail -- Romance Author 