I wanted to highlight Dana Mitchells story, THE GOVERNESS, with a snippet below. The story is set in Scotland with a delicious Laird and is Book 1 of The Lady Berserker Series! I know! What a fabulous high concept! You can guess what her secret is and all the turmoil she faces of how to manage being who she is and….falling in love. A delicious read!
The Governess – Dana Mitchell
The Laird pulled something from his pocket. “Here.”
She looked down at the candle in his large hand, and then back up at him.
He explained softly, “I thought a spare would be needed.”
She swallowed, her heart expanding in her chest, and wrenched her gaze to the candle in his hand lest he see the emotion in her eyes. She raised tentative fingers, trying to avoid touching him. If she touched him…no, she couldn’t.
She took the candle between her thumb and forefinger, and quickly lowered her hand, hardly daring to breathe. “Thank you, Laird Grant.”
It didn’t matter. He took the step to bring him closer, close enough for her to feel the warmth coming off his body in the chill of the night. The sound of the wind seemed far away, and her hand clenched around the candle as she fought the urge to move closer.
The gentle caress of his slightly rough fingers on her jaw had her gaze flying to his, watching the way the light from the torch gilded the stubble of his new beard and outlined his lips.
“Ever since our first meeting down at the river, I’ve wondered if your skin was as soft as it felt.”
Frances tried to draw the air into her lungs, but her lungs refused to obey.
He cupped her jaw, running a thumb along her chin.
“Laird Gra—”
“Duncan, lass.” He tilted her chin with the crook of his finger and his head bent, his thumb stroking the contours of her lips. They felt full, as though her blood loved his caress and followed it with mindless devotion.
He stopped, a breath away.
And Frances, mesmerised by the heat in his gaze, leaned in.
Soft lips touched hers for the briefest moment, and her heart shuddered to a stand-still.
“When you’re going to kiss a man, you call him by his name.” He whispered against her lips.
Her lashes, too heavy to hold up, fell. For the first time in the longest time, the darkness felt warm and safe as he pressed his mouth to hers once more.
His lips moved slowly over hers, learning their shape, nibbling here and there, while his hand cupped her cheek. When he withdrew, she followed his mouth with her own, raising up on tip toes.
His thumb swept over her bottom lip and then gently tugged.
Once more his mouth covered hers, except now Frances tasted him as his tongue gently licked inside. Her breath caught and then she exhaled as his tongue withdrew. Her hand came up, fingers wrapped around his arm to bolster herself as she tried to follow again, her senses registering the hard muscle.
“More, lass?” It was a low growl that raised goosebumps on her skin.
Oh, yes.
Without hesitating, her lips parted, wanting only the pleasurable intimacy of his mouth on hers.
His hand shifted, sliding around her nape, burrowing into her loose plait. His lips touched hers and his tongue pushed slowly into her mouth. Shivering, Francis angled her head and touched her tongue to his, lost in the dark intimacy.
He made a deep sound in his throat as he thrust his tongue against hers, again and again. In a heartbeat, a heated pleasure turned the warmth in her blood to a raging inferno. Lost, she had no recollection when the Laird pushed her against the wall, wrapping a strong arm around her, his hand tightening in her hair. No recollection either, of her arms around his neck, wanting only to get closer, the voracious heat of his mouth delicious.
When his mouth left hers, she inhaled with greedy pulls of her lungs, only to lose her breath again when his lips travelled along the length of her jaw and then beneath, his new beard softly scraping her skin. He gently bit the sensitive skin along the tendon, and she gave a soft cry when the muscles deep in her pelvis contracted, her nails digging into his skin.
“Aye, lass, open your eyes. I need to see them.”
She didn’t understand the demand and he drew her head back. “Open your eyes, Frances.”
Lifting her lashes, she wondered how such a simple action could be so hard.
“Aye,” he breathed, “Blue eyes that blaze like a pure blue flame.”
For a moment, she could only gaze at him, seeing the heat in his eyes, and then the words registered. She blinked, and her eyes stretched wide as horror replaced her desire. “No,” she breathed.
“Frances?”
With a little gasp, she yanked her arms from around his neck, trying to shrink back into the wall. Mentally flaying herself, she shut her traitorous mouth and pushed against his broad chest.
MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON DANA’S WEBSITE HERE
My latest book HIS BOUNTY : Book 1 of my Pirates of Pleasure duet, is also in the Anthology called REVEALED: A Romance Anthology containing six fabulous and diverse reads.
