First Kiss Friday – Finding Refuge by Lucy Francis

Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Lucy Francis, author of contemporary romance Finding Refuge.  Welcome Lucy!  Here’s the first kiss between Travis and Andri.

 Travis said nothing, only reached over and took one of her hands in his. Andri realized then she was trembling. She never meant to have a deep conversation with this man, and yet, here she was, smack in the middle of one with no hope of a quick resolution. Nowhere to go but forward. “He treated me with perfect chivalry, and I assumed he was old-fashioned. I never suspected a thing until I discovered him enjoying a little afternoon delight with his boyfriend. I put the pieces together really fast after that.”

He winced. “No wonder you needed to escape.”

He caressed her fingers, offering a gentle comfort. The threat of impending tears stung her eyes and she blinked hard, swallowing them. She’d be damned if she’d cry. That would be a horrible way to end the date. There was something else she could do, though. Something that would offer as much comfort as shedding tears and do much to repair the tattered edges of her self-esteem. “Escape isn’t all I need. I realize I’ve been used and walked on. I need to remember how to assert myself and make sure my needs are met.”

Rachel was right. She needed some fun. And she needed a man to really look at her as a woman, if only for a little while. This man didn’t want any entanglements. That made him perfect for this moment. She locked her gaze onto his as she reached up and drew her fingertips down the side of his face. His eyes darkened and he sucked in a sharp breath as she traced one finger over his lower lip. That was precisely what she needed most. His interest, that glint of desire in his eyes.

He swallowed, his voice rough when he spoke. “What do you need, Andromeda?”

She refused to stop and think. “Right this second? Travis, I need you to kiss me.”

Travis’s logic raised its head for a split second, but she dropped her hand to his chest, her lips parted slightly as she drew a breath, and all that mattered was giving her what she wanted.

He leaned forward, sliding his fingers into her thick, silky hair, bracketing her face with his hands. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, then her eyes slid closed as he pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, caressing her lips, soft and full beneath his own. His heart skipped with every hitch of her breath, and her hands glided over his shirt and up into his hair, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. He traced his tongue along her lower lip, and the whiskey sound of her low moan shot straight to his groin. She parted for him and he dipped his tongue into her delicious heat.

He pulled her into his arms, angling his head for better access as they explored each other, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke, her little whimpers of pleasure tingling in his blood. Her hands trailed down his neck, flexing and kneading his shirt against his chest, sliding over his ribs to his back, urging him closer.

She tightened her arms around him, holding him, infusing him with her warmth, her sweet, small breasts pressed against his chest. In that crystalline moment, he connected with how desperately he needed to be touched. Followed almost immediately by the realization that he was a split second from groping a girl in his truck like some horny teenager. With a silent curse, he ended the kiss, pressing his lips to her cheek then holding her as their breathing evened out. Andri leaned back first, letting a little air flow between them. Her gaze churned with confusion, flecked with desire.

Then her expression cleared, as walls slammed shut behind her dark eyes. His own armor thickened in response. This wasn’t going anywhere. Nor should it.