Sunday Snog Gold: Missing In Milan

It’s that time of the week again, when authors share their hottest and most memorable kissing scenes in the BlisseKiss Sunday Snog. And I’ve pulled a snog from the archives, returning to one of the stories I had most fun writing, the Totally Bound romantic suspense novella, Missing In Milan. To fill in the background, Laura has travelled to Italy to spend a weekend with her sister, Charlie. But Charlie is nowhere to be found when Laura arrives in Milan, and the Italian police are less than helpful. However, Charlie’s tutor, Gianmario, is on hand to offer help, support, and some expert kissing:

He cupped my face in his beautiful, versatile hands. His tongue traced the contours of my mouth, softly and surely drawing me in. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been kissed with such passion, such authority, and my body was responding, my pussy growing wet and my nipples pushing hard against the cups of my bra.

I pushed his hair away from his forehead, noticing a small, crescent-shaped scar above his left eyebrow as I did. I broke the kiss long enough to ask, “How did this happen?”

He chuckled. “I was climbing a tree when I was a little boy, and I fell. I was always doing things like that. I used to drive my mamma crazy. She said I loved danger too much.”

Gianmario kissed me again, and now his hands were moving over my body, pulling the hem of my top out of my jeans so he could stroke the bare skin of my stomach. Our mouths were locked together, my hands twined in his hair. I felt as though my body was waking after a long sleep, coming alive and being reminded of its full potential to give and receive pleasure.

Keen to see the physique he was hiding beneath his sensible plaid shirt, I fumbled with the buttons. “Slow down,” Gianmario murmured in my ear. “We have all night.”

“But I can’t wait,” I replied. “I want to see you naked.”

“Then let’s go somewhere we can really stretch out and be comfortable.” With that, he picked me up in his arms, carrying me through to Charlie’s room. I was struck by his strength, wondering what he did to keep himself in such good physical shape.

He laid me down on the bed. “We can’t do this on my sister’s bed!” I exclaimed, still clinging to the hope that, unlikely as it was, she might come home at any moment.

His grin was irresistibly wicked. “I told you, I love danger too much.”

With that, Gianmario reached for the button fastening of my jeans, quickly undoing it and whisking the garment down and off. He paused for long enough to remove his shirt, giving me a mouthwatering view of his lightly muscled torso, pecs covered with a soft, dark pelt that tapered in a thin, enticing line down beyond his waistband. I yearned to follow that trail with my tongue, licking along it ‘til I reached his groin.

Gianmario had very different plans.

To find out what those plans are, and discover whether Laura and Gianmario can solve the mystery of Charlie’s disappearance, pick up a copy of Missing In Milan from Totally Bound or Amazon. And to find out who else is sharing a snog today, visit Blissekiss and follow the links.

Belissimo!

The Total-e-bound Goodreads group recently ran a poll to discover which of their Valentine’s collection covers was the readers’ favourite. The result was Mi Amore, designed by the very talented April Martinez. The only reason I mention this is because it gives me an excuse to show that cover in all its Italianate glory on my own release from the series, Missing In Milan. Click the cover image to get full details about the book, or just stay here and admire the gorgeous model –  the choice is yours…

Another Great Review From Whipped Cream!

After Something Within Him got five cherries from the lovely people at Whipped Cream reviews, my Italian-themed romantic suspense tale, Missing In Milan, has received four-and-a-half cherries. Reviewer Stephanotis says, ‘If you like suspense and enjoy a hot foreign locale, then I’d definitely recommend this story to you’. You can find the whole review here. Mmm, I’m purring like the cat who got the cream!

Sizzle Into Spring!

Spring is here, the sap is rising (at least it is if the rather frisky llamas I saw from the train window the other day are any indication), and to add an extra helping of sensuality to everyone’s life, the delightful Lisabet Sarai is hosting a Sizzling Spring Excerpt Festival on her Beyond Romance blog. From today until 20th April, a different author will be showcasing one of their works and sharing a little of the inspiration behind it. There are some well-known names taking part, including Remittance Girl, Kay Jaybee, Lucy Felthouse, Rachel Randall, D.L. King, Jaime Samms and M. Christian, and kicking the whole thing off is yours truly, with a spicy extract from my Total-e-bound romantic suspense story, Missing In Milan. So if you want to know why that beautiful city intrigues me, and sample the sizzle between the story’s hero and heroine, Laura and Gianmario, head over to Beyond Romance.

Don’t forget to leave a comment, because every reader who comments will be entered into a prize draw, and the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win. Lisabet has donated some great prizes. The winner will receive autographed print copies of her books Raw Silk, Incognito and Master Me (which also features my story, Neil And Obey), the second prize is an autographed print copy of Master Me or Gaymes, the m/m sports and games anthology, and the third prize is an e-book copy of Master Me or Gaymes. All well worth winning if you love quality erotic romance. So see you at Beyond Romance!

The Italians Are Coming…

…as today sees the launch of Total-e-bound’s Mi Amore collection, four novellas with hot Italian heroes. So let me take you to Milan, where Laura Kyle has arrived to spend the weekend with her student sister, Charlie. Unfortunately, Charlie isn’t at the airport to meet her, but that doesn’t worry Laura too much – after all, Charlie is terrible at keeping appointments and remembering where she’s supposed to be. But when Laura arrives at Charlie’s apartment to discover her landlady hasn’t seen her for days, and begins to hear of a boyfriend with an obsessive streak, she imagines the worst. Luckily, Charlie’s art tutor, Gianmario di Rossi, is on hand to help Laura search for her sister – and, more importantly at this stage in the story, cook dinner for her in the classic Italian style:

Gianmario commandeered the small kitchen, putting a saucepan of water on to boil while he chopped the bacon into thin strips. Soon, the pasta was bubbling away and the most delicious smell filled the room. None of my boyfriends had been particularly good cooks, and I was impressed with Gianmario’s obvious ability. It seemed like only moments before he was tossing the pasta in a mixture of egg, bacon and Parmesan and dishing it up in two white earthenware bowls.

“Buon appetito!” He clinked his wineglass with mine. “Now, eat before it gets cold.”

I twirled spaghetti round my fork and took a mouthful, savouring the perfectly al dente pasta and creamy sauce. “Mmm, this really is delicious. I’m impressed.”

Almost before I knew it, I’d cleared my plate. We’d eaten in relative silence, but once the meal was finished, Gianmario topped up our glasses and we made ourselves comfortable on the couch in the living room.

Kicking off my boots, I tucked my feet underneath myself. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You really didn’t need to, considering all that my sister’s ever been to you—to all of us—is a right royal pain in the backside.”

That’s when the stresses of the day finally hit me. My anger with Charlie at having put me—and Gianmario, for that matter—through all this combined with my fear that something really terrible had happened to her, and I burst into tears.

“Hey, it’s all right.” Gianmario pulled me into an embrace, making soothing noises as he stroked my hair. Pressed against his shoulder, I breathed in his woodsy aftershave, underlain with something muskier and more masculine. The smell was as reassuring as it was arousing.

I lifted my face towards his, but whatever I’d intended to say was forgotten as our eyes met. Behind the lenses of his glasses, his pupils were deep pools of desire. He bent his head, his lips brushing mine. That was all it took.

So where is Charlie? And should Laura be falling for Gianmario at a time like this – or does he know more than he’s letting on about her sister’s disappearance? Missing In Milan holds the answers.

Missing In Milan is my first attempt at a spot of romantic suspense, inspired by a weekend spent exploring the city a few years ago. Milan really is a beautiful place – and so are a lot of its male inhabitants. And almost everything that’s said about Italian men and their frank appreciation of the female form is true – you’ll never be so blatantly eyed up anywhere else, no matter what your age or shape. However, you are unlikely to get your bottom pinched – and to quote a very old joke, if you do, just ask for it back! Gianmario is unusual among my heroes as the inspiration for him wasn’t any one particular man, more those attractive Milanos as a whole, with their floppy hair and dark, intense eyes. But I’m quite taken with him, and I hope you will be, too.

Missing In Milan is now available from Total-e-bound. Enjoy!

A Sneeky Peek…

…at the latest cover I’ve received from the fabulous Claire at Total-e-bound. The story’s not out till February, but this is already looking very nice – and the background shot’s not bad, either…

Okay, so that’s actually Venice this pouty, shirtless chap is posed against, but let’s just keep admiring the view. Missing In Milan is part of the Mi Amore Valentine’s collection,  all of which have Italian men as the story’s chief lust object. It’s my first real stab at romantic suspense, and it tells what happens when Laura arrives in Milan to spend the weekend with her sister, only to discover something very sinister might have happened to her. But that’s the only information you’re getting for now – because we don’t want to spoil the tension, do we?