For this edition of First Kiss Friday, I am sharing the first kiss between Paulina Natawance and Tripp Bear Grease from Thanks to You, the first story in my Thanksgiving Collection, a contemporary romance.
She’s from the boundary waters of Northwestern Ontario, and he’s from a place his people call Waiekwakitchigami in northern Minnesota. Neither expects to meet, much less spend Thanksgiving together.
Desperate for a Minneapolis getaway to prove she can break out of her by-the-numbers and by-the-book, disciplined life, divorcée Paulina Natawance doesn’t expect to have her truck break down outside the casino in Cloquet where she’s had lunch. Nor does she expect to encounter a handsome man with long, flowing black hair, ebony eyes, and a smile that could melt the ice cream she’s holding.
While finishing up his shift at the Big Bear Casino, widower Tripp Beargrease isn’t looking forward to going home to celebrate Thanksgiving alone…again. But when he encounters a stunning Anishinaabe-kwe with legs to her neck, a tiny waist, and a pink, wet tongue licking an ice cream cone standing helpless at her dead vehicle, he’s more than willing to paddle his canoe to her rescue like a true warrior should.
With the garage closed for the holiday and the hotels booked because of Thanksgiving, Tripp generously offers his dinner table for Paulina to dine at, and his spare bedroom for her to sleep in. And maybe, just maybe this proper woman can repair his broken heart. But her truck is ready the next day, and Paulina has a big decision to make—return to the boring, predictable life she’s created for herself, or throw away her day planner and take a huge gamble on Tripp.
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, First Nations Romance, Native American Romance, Adult.
Heat Rating: Level 3
Publication Date: November 8, 2019
Publisher: eXtasy Books
“Paulina…” This time Tripp’s command was deeper, stronger.
Paulina faced him.
He parted his lips. “We both got our minds in the same…place, don’t we? But I can’t say it. And I won’t. This is your call.”
Her call… She licked her lips.
To hell with schedules. To hell with contingency plans. To hell with having to know the outcome. For once she would take a true gamble. A big damned gamble.
“Do you have any condoms?” Her question came out smooth, not mirroring the terror in her heart or the fright in her blood that sputtered through her veins.
He shook his head. “I can get some. The gas bar only closes on Christmas Day.”
If he left to get condoms, she’d have too much time alone to talk sense into her sensible self. “It’s okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” She again wet her dry lips. Playing it safe had left her in a house alone with a rescue cat sharing her bed for the last two years. She wanted to share someone else’s bed.
He leaned in, close enough for her to catch a whiff of his manly scent. When she also leaned in, their long hair spilling over their shoulders brushed together. His mouth was as soft as his natural friendliness that put people at ease. And the moisture from his lips plied hers with the needed lubricant they required.
It’d been well over two years since she’d last kissed someone. And kissing Tripp didn’t seem wrong. Instead, the tenderness he lavished on her was softer than his mouth. Gentle puckers.
She curled her fingers around his long strands of hair that were as silken as his mouth. Sweet sighs seemed to fill her blood, vanquishing the earlier terror. Everything was fading away—the fright, the apprehension, the self-doubt. His kisses matched the Tripp who’d stood outside the casino and come to her aid.
He didn’t moan or groan, either. Even breaths came from his nose, warming her face. His own hand moved, settling his palm on her cheek. The invasion of her personal space was welcoming. She inched in closer while still returning his inviting kisses. She didn’t stop until their thighs brushed and her socked feet were upon his. She rubbed at the top of his foot that was as gallant and strong as him.
No, he wasn’t built with overly broad shoulders or massive muscles. His deltoids were the right amount of firmness meant to be caressed. An invitation for a woman to smother herself in his amiable strength.
He parted his lips. Wet, thick flesh licked at Paulina’s mouth, which she also parted. His tongue melted against hers, and she shivered from the wonderful sensations his kisses produced. Flutters in her belly. Quakes shaking her spine. Heat between her legs. She was about ready to erupt.
At first his licks were slow and easy, tasting and exploring. But as they kissed longer, his mouth became lightly demanding, tongue rougher, even a little insistent, imparting her to give in to the liquifying sensations ready to melt her into a puddle.
She returned his fierce licks. Her head lightened. For once, her overactive brain stopped analyzing. New thoughts surfaced. How sexy he was. How his powerful kisses were insisting she remove her practical white panties she’d bought on sale at Bargain Barney’s, three pair and one free.
Maggie Blackbird 