Phoenix Rising Book One: Janus
By: Gail Delaney
Her eyes pinched and her lips drew together in concentration.
The rod tilted, angling sharply toward her hand and she pulled back.
"No, you've got it," he urged. "Don't let go."
She steadied her hand again and the rod leveled, the pull away from him growing stronger. John slowly let go his hold, and the rod held its position. John smiled and withdrew his hand. Her eyes only shifted for a second, noting his withdrawal, before she focused again on the metal.
"Yes," John proclaimed, trying not to let his pride overwhelm his voice and break her concentration. "You've done it, Jenifer. You've done it!"
She looked up and dropped her hand, the rod clattering to the floor, and the smile on her lips was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He'd thought the smile when she saw the wormhole had been amazing, but this smile... this smile topped it with ease. John threw out his arms and laughed. He lifted her feet off the ground and turned them one-hundred-eighty degrees, her arms wrapped around his neck.
"I knew you could do it!"
She wobbled a bit when he set her down, so he kept his hands at her sides. He knew he grinned like a fool, but despite the destruction around them and the bruises he knew he'd have tomorrow, he couldn't have been more proud of her. Of anyone.
"My head is killing me," she said softly, and John winced.
"I'm sorry. It might for a bit, but it'll get better. I promise."
Jenifer lifted her head and looked at him, her cheeks a little too pale for his liking but her eyes no longer looked haunted. "If you say so."
John took his hands from her sides to hold his palms against her cheeks and kissed her brow. She curled her hands around his wrists in a weak hold and leaned into him. John rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.
"I am so proud of you."
She leaned back, breaking the contact, but didn't move away, her gaze shifting in tiny degrees as she stared up at him. John opened his eyes and looked down at her, his chest hitching at the shine in her eyes. He swallowed and took in the fine details of her face.
"You amaze me, Jenifer," he said softly, his voice needing to carry no further than her ears.
He intended for the kiss to just be a touch to her lips, a symbol to her how precious she was to him despite the bruises and split lip she'd left him with. She'd fought through more than he wanted or could imagine. He held his lips to hers, not asking for anything more than to allow him the chance to somehow show her, and when he pulled away he smiled.
Her light eyes shifted from meeting his gaze, to what he knew was a split lip, and back to his eyes. The air shifted, and his heart immediately pounded hard and needy in his chest. Jenifer released his wrists and laced her fingers into his damp hair, pulling him down to her again.
She kissed him hard, stealing whatever moment he had to prepare for the demanding intensity. His lip stung, and the salty taste of dried tears mingled with the slight copper tinge of blood but he could no more stop the kiss than he could push her away. Open mouths fought for dominance in the kiss, her deep, throaty purr mingling with his groan. Need flashed hard and hot through him, fueled by her own wrapping around them both. His traitorous body wanted her, demanding, pounding, pushing him to take more.
They turned together, neither leading, neither following, until her back hit the wall and he lifted the back of her knees to draw her legs around his waist. The position minutes before had driven her to break through her walls, had been vicious and hard, but now his only thought was the feel of her body wrapped around him.
John pressed his palms to the wall on either side of her body, holding her in place with the pressure of his hips. Her pulse throbbed against his lips when he nipped and kissed the salty skin along her throat, her head tossed back against the wall. Eager hands tugged at his clothes, and with a flash of clarity, John groaned in frustration and dropped his forehead to her shoulder, sucking in deep, hard breaths.
"No' here," John said against her skin, letting his lips brush the warmth. He still kissed her throat to her ear, unwilling yet to give up the contact. "No' in this chaos."
"One place is as good as another," she said in a throaty voice, taking his face in her hands. "Come on, Ambassador. I know you want it."
A bucket of ice water couldn't have quelled his desire any faster than the rasped sound of his title, not his name. She tried to draw him in for another kiss, and he allowed the contact, but refused to deepen it. Passion turned to a dull ache when he stepped back and eased her to the floor again.
"I want you," he said, swallowing hard as her feet met the floor again. "There's a difference."
She scowled, the light he thought he might have awakened in her eyes gone in a blink. John fought to temper his breathing again and looked down. Her hands hung at her side, no longer reaching for him. He inhaled slowly and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She didn't comply, but didn't pull away either.
"Come on," he said, hearing the weight in his own voice. "You should rest, and I have some explainin' to do to the captain."
Jenifer tried to pull her hand free, but he tightened his hold a tiny degree and she stopped. She could have easily stepped free and he wouldn't have stopped her, but he wanted her to know he wished she didn't. "I can clean up my own messes, Ambassador."
John raised his head and looked into her eyes. "Perhaps you can, but you don't have to."
He stepped away and started for the door, thankful Jenifer followed, her hand still in his.
Release date is today, May 21st!
Here’s the DBP site link.
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-297/Phoenix-Rising-Book-One-cln-/Detail.bok
By: Gail Delaney
Her eyes pinched and her lips drew together in concentration.
The rod tilted, angling sharply toward her hand and she pulled back.
"No, you've got it," he urged. "Don't let go."
She steadied her hand again and the rod leveled, the pull away from him growing stronger. John slowly let go his hold, and the rod held its position. John smiled and withdrew his hand. Her eyes only shifted for a second, noting his withdrawal, before she focused again on the metal.
"Yes," John proclaimed, trying not to let his pride overwhelm his voice and break her concentration. "You've done it, Jenifer. You've done it!"
She looked up and dropped her hand, the rod clattering to the floor, and the smile on her lips was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He'd thought the smile when she saw the wormhole had been amazing, but this smile... this smile topped it with ease. John threw out his arms and laughed. He lifted her feet off the ground and turned them one-hundred-eighty degrees, her arms wrapped around his neck.
"I knew you could do it!"
She wobbled a bit when he set her down, so he kept his hands at her sides. He knew he grinned like a fool, but despite the destruction around them and the bruises he knew he'd have tomorrow, he couldn't have been more proud of her. Of anyone.
"My head is killing me," she said softly, and John winced.
"I'm sorry. It might for a bit, but it'll get better. I promise."
Jenifer lifted her head and looked at him, her cheeks a little too pale for his liking but her eyes no longer looked haunted. "If you say so."
John took his hands from her sides to hold his palms against her cheeks and kissed her brow. She curled her hands around his wrists in a weak hold and leaned into him. John rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.
"I am so proud of you."
She leaned back, breaking the contact, but didn't move away, her gaze shifting in tiny degrees as she stared up at him. John opened his eyes and looked down at her, his chest hitching at the shine in her eyes. He swallowed and took in the fine details of her face.
"You amaze me, Jenifer," he said softly, his voice needing to carry no further than her ears.
He intended for the kiss to just be a touch to her lips, a symbol to her how precious she was to him despite the bruises and split lip she'd left him with. She'd fought through more than he wanted or could imagine. He held his lips to hers, not asking for anything more than to allow him the chance to somehow show her, and when he pulled away he smiled.
Her light eyes shifted from meeting his gaze, to what he knew was a split lip, and back to his eyes. The air shifted, and his heart immediately pounded hard and needy in his chest. Jenifer released his wrists and laced her fingers into his damp hair, pulling him down to her again.
She kissed him hard, stealing whatever moment he had to prepare for the demanding intensity. His lip stung, and the salty taste of dried tears mingled with the slight copper tinge of blood but he could no more stop the kiss than he could push her away. Open mouths fought for dominance in the kiss, her deep, throaty purr mingling with his groan. Need flashed hard and hot through him, fueled by her own wrapping around them both. His traitorous body wanted her, demanding, pounding, pushing him to take more.
They turned together, neither leading, neither following, until her back hit the wall and he lifted the back of her knees to draw her legs around his waist. The position minutes before had driven her to break through her walls, had been vicious and hard, but now his only thought was the feel of her body wrapped around him.
John pressed his palms to the wall on either side of her body, holding her in place with the pressure of his hips. Her pulse throbbed against his lips when he nipped and kissed the salty skin along her throat, her head tossed back against the wall. Eager hands tugged at his clothes, and with a flash of clarity, John groaned in frustration and dropped his forehead to her shoulder, sucking in deep, hard breaths.
"No' here," John said against her skin, letting his lips brush the warmth. He still kissed her throat to her ear, unwilling yet to give up the contact. "No' in this chaos."
"One place is as good as another," she said in a throaty voice, taking his face in her hands. "Come on, Ambassador. I know you want it."
A bucket of ice water couldn't have quelled his desire any faster than the rasped sound of his title, not his name. She tried to draw him in for another kiss, and he allowed the contact, but refused to deepen it. Passion turned to a dull ache when he stepped back and eased her to the floor again.
"I want you," he said, swallowing hard as her feet met the floor again. "There's a difference."
She scowled, the light he thought he might have awakened in her eyes gone in a blink. John fought to temper his breathing again and looked down. Her hands hung at her side, no longer reaching for him. He inhaled slowly and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She didn't comply, but didn't pull away either.
"Come on," he said, hearing the weight in his own voice. "You should rest, and I have some explainin' to do to the captain."
Jenifer tried to pull her hand free, but he tightened his hold a tiny degree and she stopped. She could have easily stepped free and he wouldn't have stopped her, but he wanted her to know he wished she didn't. "I can clean up my own messes, Ambassador."
John raised his head and looked into her eyes. "Perhaps you can, but you don't have to."
He stepped away and started for the door, thankful Jenifer followed, her hand still in his.
Release date is today, May 21st!
Here’s the DBP site link.
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-297/Phoenix-Rising-Book-One-cln-/Detail.bok
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting my kiss today, Shaunna. :-)
Good to have you here, even if I'm just stopping in for a second.
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