14 Days of Love - Day 2 - Sandra Sookoo!!!

Sandra Sookoo is one prolific writer!  Every time I look up, the gal has a new release and that is one of the reasons, in addition to envying her ability, I adore her!  Her cheerful post on Facebook and Twitter that greet me each morning bring a smile to start a long day.  And another connection we have…we both were introverts in our younger lives!  Welcome, Sandra!

Prize for a random commenter on this post:  book swag plus an envelope of Valentines-themed prizes.  Please be sure to leave your contact info.

First Kiss

Thanks for having me on your blog today.  Hmm, I could talk about my first crush, which was the director of the Indianapolis Symphonic Orchestra back when I was in high school, or I could talk about my second crush, which was on the assistant band director of the marching band I was in, also during high school.

Yeah, I had a thing for musical guys apparently LOL

I’d rather talk about my first kiss with my husband.  I didn’t do a whole lot of dating in high school or even during my twenties.  A combination of being an introvert, lack of decent guys in the area and a stranger than fiction home life seemed to be the perfect storm of keeping me out of the dating pool.

Incidentally, my hubby and I have been married for almost ten years (anniversary in December), but I’d corresponded with him and talked on the phone to him for three years prior to us first meeting.  Yes, we were pen pals or Internet friends long before it was “acceptable”. 

I won’t bore you with the long, drawn out story.  Suffice it to say, when we first met, it was in his country.  He and several family members/friends picked me up at the airport.  My husband and I held hands in the car.  There was an immediate connection and a sense of finally meeting an old friend.  By the time we arrived at his aunt’s house, we just wanted to be alone LOL

The magical moment came soon, and he took me into his arms… and we bumped noses.  Yeah, we couldn’t figure out the logistics of lip placement.  I guess when you put two people who’ve never dated that much together, it’s bound to happen.  The next attempt went better, of course, but it was still a tad awkward.  These things take time to perfect!

Almost ten years later, I still get all tingly.  I’d say practice makes perfect.

I thought for fun, I’d share a blurb and excerpt from a romantic comedy I wrote called Wedgie Tales and Panty Lines.  This is Kate’s first kiss with her man Bryan: 

Blurb:  When unassuming mail room worker Kate Little agrees to become an underwear tester for a marketing company, things get uncomfortable fast.  Not only has she never worn “fancy” underpants before, she has to work closely with handsome marketing manager Bryan Eddleman and that’s enough to keep her in a constant state of confusion.

Trouble is Bryan’s competing with another manager for a promotion that hinges on the results of the test group.  Kate can’t determine if his sudden interest is really in her or her surprisingly insightful weekly reports on foundation garments. 

Add a jealous co-worker out to sabotage Kate’s budding love life, an overly helpful gay friend with nothing better to do than shove her into Bryan’s arms, and a rambunctious teacup dog to the chaos and you’ll have a typical day in Kate’s less than ordinary life. 

The last thing she needs is panty lines. 

Excerpt:

“Well, this is me, but of course you already know that since you were here earlier.”  Could I be a bigger dork?  I licked my lips with sudden nervousness.  “Just let me out here and I’ll walk the rest of the way.  It’s not far.”

“After the evening you’ve had, I want to make sure you get home in one piece.”

Of course, luck was on his side, and he found a parking place in the prime spot directly in front of my building.  That never happened to me.

“Um, okay.”  My palms were sweating.  I wiped them on my skirt.  The atmosphere in the car felt charged with tension, and I shivered.  Would he be content to drop me at my door?  I expelled a breath I hadn’t been aware of holding when he left the car, came around to my side, and opened the door.  “Thanks.”

“This has been the shortest date I’ve ever been on.”  Humor coated his voice as he escorted me up the sidewalk and into the building, his hand at the small of my back.  “I can honestly say I’ve never dropped a woman home at eight o’clock in the evening.”

If I hadn’t been trapped in a fog of acute anxiety, I would have laughed.  Every cell in my body seemed to reach out toward him, hanging onto his every word, clamoring to see what his next action would be.  “Well, there’s only so much you can do with a date who smells like a tiki bar.”

I wished the staircase weren’t so short, I wished my door weren’t right before me, I wished my key didn’t fit quite so well into the lock.  “Well, thanks again.”  I lifted a brow, and when it became evident he wasn’t going anywhere, I opened the door.  “Would you like to come in?”

“I think I might for a little bit.”

Flutters of excitement palpated in my chest as if I’d been tossed down the steepest rollercoaster slope in the world.  He edged past me into the living room.  I’d no sooner closed the door and turned to Bryan to ask him a question when he slipped his arms around my waist and brushed his lips to mine.  “Oh.”  I blinked up at him, saw emotion swirling in the green pools of his eyes, and sucked in a breath.  My lips tingled from the brief contact.

“Kate, I’m sorry about tonight.  This really isn’t how I’d envisioned the evening ending.  Er, I did mean to kiss you.  Not the wine down your shirt thing.”

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s not your fault.”  I laid a hand on his chest and became distracted by the hard wall of muscle I felt beneath my fingertips.  It was so interesting that I let my other hand do the same.  Bryan’s arms around my waist tightened.  “Not your fault.”  I couldn’t remember what I’d been talking about.

“I’d like to see you again, outside of the office.  Another date.”  The corners of his mouth tipped up with a tiny smile. “I promise it won’t end in a disastrous failure like tonight.”

“That’d be nice.”  I focused on those sensuous lips as if I’d never seen a man’s mouth before.  My gaze skittered over his jaw line to his wonderfully thick black hair.  I wondered what it would feel like.  “But I don’t think this one ended so badly.”  My heart thundered so hard in my chest I knew he could hear it.

“Oh?  Why’s that?”  His breath warmed my face.  “I mean, your shirt is ruined.”

“True, but you kissed me and asked me out for another date.  I think I can overlook the loss of one blouse.”  I fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt.  “It’s better than a usual Tuesday night.”

Bryan stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before he made a move. 

This time I was ready for him.  My eyes drifted closed, and I lifted my face.  When he captured my mouth, I leaned into him and gripped his shoulders.  His lips were like the softest cashmere as they brushed mine, first nibbling at the corner of my mouth, then pressing gently.  He ran his tongue along the seam of my lips, asking.  I opened my mouth at his sweet invitation, let my tongue meet his, stroking, circling.  Little flames of need erupted all over my body when his hands crept over my back, then played along my ribcage.

As he pulled away, I sighed.  “That was over way too soon.”  A flush spread over my chest when I realized I’d said the words aloud.

“I agree, but if I don’t leave now, I might do something both of us aren’t ready for.”  His grin wobbled around the edges.  “Keep Friday open.  I’ll definitely be back.”

I nodded and gave him a little wave as he left the apartment.  Once the door was firmly closed and locked behind him, I gave a little shout and did a couple of dancing steps.

I, Kate Little, had just received the most amazing kiss from a gorgeous man.  Maybe I wasn’t a total loser in the romance department after all.

The Wild Rose Press--http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4168

Amazon--http://www.amazon.com/Wedgie-Tales-Panty-Lines-ebook/dp/B003Z9JSK6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1328103268&sr=8-4

All Romance ebooks--
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wedgietalesandpantylines-449691-149.html

And remember, you can always look me up in the following places:

Website:  http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Believing is Seeing blog:  http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/sandrasookoo

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo