I'm pleased to have Rosanna Leo here today...
SUNBURN
BY ROSANNA LEO
Sunburn blurb:
Patience O’Conner is a travel blogger who lives for her work. Her
dedication to her readers brings her to the famed Helios Resort in Mexico , a
locale that stuns her with its beauty but at which she suffers from some very
strange accidents.
Luckily, hunky resort bartender Apollo Delos is always there in the nick of
time, a malcontent guardian angel. Apollo stuns Patience again and again with
his life-saving abilities, to say nothing of his smoldering looks and apparent
desire to keep her alive.
Before long, Patience wonders if there is more to the sexy bartender than mixed
cocktails and insane first-aid skills. Something strange is happening at Helios
and Apollo doesn’t want to talk about it.
Can Patience open herself up to this enigmatic man, even though she is
terrified to be vulnerable again? And can Apollo recover from an eternity of
hurt and learn to trust once more? They must both decide before Death comes
calling.
Sunburn Excerpt:
She put her hand on his arm to get his attention. A sensual shiver
ran up his spine. “You do understand why I can’t drink, right? I come from a
family of addicts. The addictive gene is in me. I can’t slip up even once. I’m
terrified I’ll fall into the same patterns.” She paused, her eyes haunted and
dark. “I was addicted to something, to someone, once. And I didn’t recognize
myself by the end. I can’t go back there again. I have to stay strong.”
His head spun. Who was this person to whom she was addicted? He had to know.
Was she married before? Was it a boyfriend?
Who hurt her?
He had to know, but there’d be time to find out later. Right now, she looked
ready to crumple. Damn. Their conversation had struck a nerve in her.
He rushed out from behind the bar, knowing only he had to make her feel better,
and pulled her into his arms. She yielded, all warmth and softness against him.
She laid her head against his neck, and a tear dripped onto his skin.
Shit.
“Patience,” he whispered into her hair. “Please don’t cry. I won’t let him hurt
you.”
Apollo with all his heart was making a vow. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her;
not the demon, and certainly not the little shit who’d hurt her once before.
She looked up, tears streaming down her face and her chest rising and falling
with shaky breaths. “I’m sorry. It’s not like me to cry. I don’t know what came
over me!”
“By all the gods,” he murmured, in a trance. Even in pain, she was mesmerizing.
There was a healthy sheen to her skin. Her cheeks were rosy with emotion. Stray
hairs had escaped her ponytail, ornamenting her face. “You are so beautiful.”
Her lips parted in a welcome she probably didn’t even realize she was
extending. She sighed, and her breath poured over him, heating him to the core.
He had to kiss her. There was suddenly no option but to kiss her.
He brushed his lips against hers, feeling no resistance. He moved slowly,
bestowing feather-light kisses all over her mouth. And then, shocking and
exciting him, her tongue slid into his mouth. Penetrating, seeking more.
Hungry.
Inflamed, he held her tighter, moving his body between her legs as she sat on
the bar stool. Their kiss deepened as their tongues played and probed. He bit
her lip, none too gently, and she moaned.
Oh, sweet Pandora’s box!
But as quickly as the kiss had crushed them, it was over. Patience pulled away
and out of his arms. Dazed, his heart palpitated as she scrambled off the
stool. And before he could recover to stop her, Patience ran away down the
wooden path toward the lobby.
Sunburn is available at http://www.lsbooks.com/sunburn-p743.php
You can find Rosanna Leo at www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for having me, Ella!
ReplyDeleteVery nice excerpt. I tweeted.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming and tweeting, Ella!
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