First Kiss

I’ve posted part of this excerpt before, but I just love it, so when I learned the topic for this weeks Saturday Snippet was First Kiss, I knew it had to be this scene from NO ANGEL, one of the novellas in my June release , the single author anthology Most Wanted

Ten minutes later she stomped into some dingy pub on the corner of Bernard and Wilson. With big screen televisions over the bar, team jersey’s of all sorts hanging from the walls and two pool tables in the middle of the room instead of a dance floor, she got the hint. It was a sports pub.
The waitress who wondered over to the booth Anna had slid into and stood at the edge of the table. She wore a tight white V-neck T-shirt that showed off impressive cleavage and too much make-up. The bright red nametag on just above her right breast said Sally. Sally cocked her hip out and smiled wanly. “What can I getcha?”
All she needed to do was snap her gum and she’d be a total cliché. “Pint of draft and three shots of Tequila. Gold if you have it.”
Sally’s eyes widened and she looked at the empty bench space on either side of Anna. “Expecting company?”
Anna smiled, baring her teeth. “Nope, it’s all for me.”
Sally walked away, shaking her head and Anna bit back a sigh. It didn’t matter that she showed her teeth, shit, she could curse and growl and threaten, and people just looked at her and shook their heads, or worse …laughed.
It was her Mom’s fault. The silky blond hair and fair skin came from her. Mom said the full mouth, and foul language came from her Dad, but since he’d died before Anna was born, she didn’t see how. Whatever. She was what she was, and she’d long since given up on caring what people thought about her.
Sally came back with her drinks and Anna paid cash, making sure to tip the girl. She’d waited table before, and knew it wasn’t an easy job. She slammed the two shots of tequila immediately, one right after the other. The burn down her throat and into her stomach was not so welcome, but the warmth that spread through her veins and mellowed the throbbing pain in her head was.
Anna sat there, staring at the empty shot glasses and wondered if the supernatural bounty hunters would ever leave her alone. She felt like crap. Her jaw hurt, there was a good sized knot on the back of her head, and thanks to that sappy movie and lovely demon attack, she was feeling lonelier than ever.
It didn’t seem to matter what she did or where she went, they always found her. She’d only been in Pearson for two days!
Sipping her beer she scanned the pub. The crowd was sparse, and the clientele seemed to be made up mostly of the blue-collar type. The mean wore jeans, T-shirts, and steel toed boots, the few women wore denim shorts or skirts, tank tops that ranged in color but helped showcase cleavage, even the ones with little to showcase. No one stood out as particularly dangerous, and even though most glanced her way at some point in those first few minutes, no one approached her table.
Anna watched two men move up to the pool tables and get ready to start a game. In all honesty, it wasn’t until the blond one kept glancing her way, that she really took note of him.
He was good looking, in a cocky, king-of-the-world sort of way. His well-worn jeans hugged him in all the right places, his T-shirt was mostly clean, and his smile was seductive.
Anna watched him bend over the table to line up his next shot and a little tingle went through her. He had a very nice ass. Round, and firm. She could picture her hands on it, her nails digging in and urging him on as they flexed and filled with every thrust of his hips.
Ohh, she thought. That would feel so good right now.
He sank three more balls and then he was lining up the black eight ball. With a smooth sure stroke, he put that one in the corner pocket. He straightened up, looked over his shoulder at her, and winked.
The tingle in her belly spread lower and she smiled. He was just what she needed. Too wrapped up in himself to want more than one night, he would be the perfect distraction from her dismal thoughts.
She took a sip from her beer, and put a little sparkle behind her smile the next time he glanced her way. His swagger increased as he moved around the table and Anna chuckled silently. Oh yeah, he was definitely what she needed to get her mind off her life.
When the second game was over, he set his cue stick down and made his way to her booth. He moved with a smooth liquid grace that had her blood heating and her mind stripping him naked.
“Hi there,” he said. “Can I get you another drink?”
She glanced down and realized not only had she finished her beer, but the third shot glass was empty too. She didn’t even remember drinking it, and her headache was pretty much gone.
“No, thanks,” she replied. She better not drink anymore. Safety first, and alcohol slowed her reflexes and dimmed her control over her powers. “But you should join me anyway.”
“I’m Gabe,” he said as he slid into the booth. “How are you doing tonight?”
“Better every minute,” she replied honestly.
His eyes widened and she noticed they were a nice deep blue. Very pretty eyes for a man. When he chuckled his white teeth flashed and she thought they were pretty too.
Funny, she’d never thought of teeth as attractive before. Maybe it wasn’t his teeth, it was the lips that surrounded them. They were nice. Yes, very nice and full. Very kissable.
Without another thought she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Gabe sucked in a breath at the soft touch of the woman’s lips and then went with it. He leaned in, parted his lips and slicked his tongue over her teeth. She tasted of tequila, and something sweet, but before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled back.
“You’ll do,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m looking for a distraction from my own thoughts, and I figure you’ll do.”
He sat back against the booth and looked at her. Really looked at her. Cute blond curls, pretty face, naughty smile. She definitely looked normal, even if she was slightly mussed up. The gleam in her dark eyes was sexy, not psychotic and he wondered if maybe he’d just misinterpreted what she’d said.
But there was really no way to misinterpret the kiss.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Smooth, Gabe.
“What do you think I’m saying?” Her laugh was husky and seductive, not at all what he’d expect from such an innocent looking thing. Unexpected was good though, she was pretty enough to catch his eye, but that laugh, it stroked him all over and made his dick harden to hammer strength.
“That you’ve already decided to spend the night with me.”
“Yes. That’s what I’m saying.” She looked at her empty glass pointedly. “Let’s go, shall we?”
For the first time in his life, Gabriel Mann didn’t know what to do. He wanted the woman. Hell, he’d wanted her from the second she’d stomped through the door. He’d been sharing some beer and some laughs with friends in another booth at the back of the bar and she’d caught his eye immediately. And while picking up women had always come easy to him, there was something off about how easy it had been this time.
“Maybe we should sit and talk a bit first.” He couldn’t believe he’d just said that.
“Why?”
Ignoring the hard-on pressing against his zipper he thought fast. “I don’t even know your name.”
“I’m Anna,” she said. Then she smiled, her lips turning up at the corners slowly. “Did I scare you? I’m sorry. I’m just not that great with social skills.”
Intrigued, he leaned forward. “Why not? You’re beautiful. I’d think you get hit on all the time.”
“Yeah, I do get hit on a lot.” She put a hand to the back of her head and winced. She must’ve noticed his puzzled expression because she laughed again, this time a bit self-consciously. “Sorry, private joke.”
“Let’s start over, shall we?” She took a deep breath and he tried not to stare as her breasts rose and fell with it. They were the perfect size, round and firm and just more than a handful. He could already feel their warm weight in his hand. “I’m Anna, and I’d love another beer.”
A little unsure what to do, Gabe waved Sally over and ordered two more beers. When the waitress had walked away he turned to Anna.
“So tell me Anna, why do you think you’re not good with the social skills?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
His lips twitched. He couldn’t help it, she was so cute when she scowled. “I don’t know. I think your quick decision making skills are an asset. I mean, I knew as soon as I saw you that I wanted to spend the night with you. I can hardly hold it against you that you did the same thing.”
She beamed at him. “Exactly!”
Sally set their drinks on the table and he watched as the girl held out some money. “I’ve got them,” he said, waving it away. “Sally’ll put them on my tab.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“See? That was proper social etiquette and it wasn’t that hard.”
Anna’s gaze snapped to his and he grinned. She saw that he was joking around and laughed. Relief hit him and he relaxed. Okay, so she was a bit different, but she had a sense of humor.
As they drank, they talked the small talk that people who really had nothing to say talked.
“Let me get this straight,” he said a while later. “You went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and it made you cry,-”
“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Two.”
“Sorry, Two. The point being that it made you cry?”
“Yeah,” she shrugged. “I know I’m a sap. But the magic of their friendship was so special.”
He snorted. “Magic?”
She slid him a glance. “You don’t believe in magic?”
Magic, psychic abilities, shapeshifters … all topics of conversation he desperately wanted to avoid. Time to change the subject, fast. “So you’re new to Pearson?”
“Just got here yesterday,” she replied. “It’s a nice small city, but the people aren’t very friendly.”
“I’m friendly.”
She eyed him. “You could’ve been friendlier.”
“Friendlier?”
She waggled her eyebrows up and down lecherously and he laughed. It was truly rare for a women to catch him off-guard like that, but at least the initial awkwardness of conversation was definitely gone. And he was getting used to her bluntness.
Sure, she’d shocked the shit out of him, but he was kicking his own ass now for not jumping out of the booth and leading her out the door when he’d had the chance.
As if reading his mind she, finished her beer, smacked those luscious lips together and met his gaze. “I have a room nearby, you ready to go?”
Excitement washed over him and his skin tightened all over his body. Oh, yeah. He was more than ready. “Definitely.”
He slid from the booth, highly aware of the bulge in his pants. When she followed behind him, slapping his ass playfully when he stood he forgot all about anyone else in the pub. He reached for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. “So where is this room you mentioned?”

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