A Little Dab of Steam from UNWILLING

    I hope you all had a fun New Year! Today on the blog I thought I'd give you guys a little "Happy 2012" gift to start the year off right. Welcome to all who are visiting for the first time, especially new friends in Romania. Your visit brings the count to 50 countries! Thanks for dropping by and come back again real soon.
    This is a scene from around the midway point of UNWILLING. Facebook friends voted between a whole chapter and a steamy scene. I wasn't really surprised the steam won LOL! So here you go and feel free to leave a comment I'd love to know what you think.
p.s. This has been carefully edited to retain some of the story's secrets so don't be weirded out by the use of  "He" and "His". Trust me, the scene is even better in it's true form :)  ENJOY!

*Imagine a more strawberry blond color to her
hair and this is exactly what Neely looks like*.

    He yanked me forward then crushed his mouth against mine. His lips moved furiously as one of his hands slowly slid down from my arm and pressed into the small of my back. Even struggling, I noticed His lips tasted like cinnamon gum. Our bodies molded against one another from the force he’d used to pull me closer. I thought for a second the sun had raised sweat on my skin but this heat surrounded and radiated into me. 

    “stmmmmp,” I tried to say around his lips, pushing against his chest.

    The grip on my neck squeezed tighter, his palm burning my skin. A deep rumbling sound came from his chest.

    My knees wobbled as he wound his fingers into the curls at my neck, holding my face firmly to his.

    “Lemme go,” I managed to gasp when he kissed the corner of my mouth.

    “No,” he whispered. The sound, nothing more than a yielding puff of smoke in my brain, coaxed something familiar up from the depths. 

    The fight drained out of me. This wisp of recollection warmed me, relaxed the muscles that had tensed for a fight and tightened other places. My fists uncurled and gripped his shoulders.

    He wrapped an arm around my waist and bent me backwards without ever breaking the kiss. His knee touched the grass before we tumbled to the ground. He pressed his body against mine while caressing my face and neck with fiery lips.

    “Please stop,” my breath started coming in gasps. I couldn’t ignore the real brawl that had started inside me any longer.“I can’t do this,” the words died in a strangled cry of pain as I struggle for breath.

    “Can,” he said against my mouth. His hold on me increased significantly as he mistook my pain for passion. He pinned my wrists to the grass and kissed me harder.   

    Not one muscle fiber in my body wanted to fight him off. He couldn’t hold me tight enough and when he tried I wanted him to squeeze me harder.

    “I shouldn't have kept that from you." Heat flashed in his eyes. "I never meant to hurt you, I’m sorry … so sorry,” His breath rasped out quick against my lips.

    I balled his shirt up in my fists and held on. Heat bloomed in my stomach and settled low, deep and grew.

    Before I wanted him to, he paused. "I ... I just couldn't," the words ended in a choking sound. Angst-ridden tears dripped onto my cheeks. The months of hurt and loss concentrated in the liquid soaked into my skin. “Stand it …” he whispered as a tear splashed on my lips.

    A red haze clouded my vision. Suddenly, His passion morphed into my passion. Twisting my fingers into his hair, I pulled his face back to mine. My tongue traced his trembling lips. They still tasted sweet but now like tears too.

    A low moan escaped his throat as my mouth molded to his. Time seemed to stop ticking and the world went quiet except for the sounds of our hearts pounding out a furious rhythm.

    A sharp stab of fire jabbed under my ribs. I screamed into His mouth and he froze under me.

    Pushing up on my hands, I stared down into his face in horror.

    “What the hell am I doing?” The shock felt like waking up from a really good but very wrong dream.

    “Neely?” His voice quivered.

    Pressing a hand to my mouth, I scrambled off him and huddled in the grass.

    “Can’t … can’t do this,” the fire in my belly roared into an inferno. I pressed a fist to my mouth to keep from screaming again. My brain had felt jam-packed with all of the pictures. But now, things flickered and flashed behind my eyes, things I didn’t recognize. A sandy beach shimmered in the sun beside brown water; loud music inside a warm car, a white cotton dress tied with satin ribbons, a boy holding something that glittered in the light and … His smile. Pictures raced through my mind at a blinding speed. Trying to see them clearly made my head feel like it might explode.

    He touched my hand and I jumped.

    “Don’t touch me.” I pressed my fists to the sides of my head.

    But He held on and the pain ebbed some. More images flashed in but none if them formed a memory, just one burst of random information after another.

    “What’s wrong … let me help.” He kissed my fingers. “Please.”

    A sultry breeze ruffled the grass around us. I became hyper aware of His lips on my knuckles and how much I liked it. His tongue flicked out and pulled my pinkie into his mouth.

    “Stop,” my voice trembled. “I gotta go home.”

    He raised an eyebrow and sucked harder, biting a little. “No.”

    The soft look in his eyes pulled at my insides, drawing me closer.

    He pulled me against his chest. Our arms and legs tangled together in the grass.

    “I’ve missed you so much,” his lips curled into a smile against mine. A sob stopped his breath as I clung to him. Holding my face between his hands he kissed me again. Softer now and less furious; he savored each kiss before moving onto a new one. The sun blazed down adding to the heat pulsing between us. Each press of his lips tattooed a word on my heart … loss, pain, loneliness … hope.

© 2010 Katie Wood Ruffin

This manuscript is the sole property of Katie Wood Ruffin and is prohibited from being displayed, copied, electronically discussed or electronically distributed without the expressed written permission of the author.

Hope you guys enjoyed that scene and are looking forward to reading more! Here's the song that goes with the scene too. "Kiss Me Slowly" by Parachute Check back often, I'll be posting more character info and stuff in the coming weeks.

Till then,

Katie