And Then He Kissed Her… from Mari Carr

"You must remember this. A kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh," sings Frank Sinatra in As Time Goes By. I thought it was appropriate to start this blog with the lyrics of a love song as February is traditionally a month associated with romance. The entire month seems to be dedicated to this special emotion that so many of us crave, while glorifying it in poetry, music and books! I'm a romance author and writing about love is what I enjoy the doing the most and in my mind there is nothing more romantic than that very first kiss.

Every time I begin work on a new story, I think long and hard about my main characters as I try to figure out what it is that makes them compatible and the one scene that always strikes me the most is that of the first kiss. I thought it might be fun to share just a few first kiss scenes from my stories.

In Erotic Research, Julia and Ross were colleagues and best friends for years before they realized their feelings for one another.

"Jules." His breath was hot against her cheek. "I'm going to kiss you."

"You are?" she asked breathlessly, her tongue sliding along her lower lip.

"Mm-hmm," he murmured, his lips pressed softly against hers, "and then I'm going to help you do a little research for your novel."

With those words, his lips opened against hers and his initial soft butterfly kiss took on a life of its own.

In Tequila Truth, Kylie, Heath and Colt were roommates long before they decided to pursue the idea of a ménage.

Heath's hand stopped caressing her face and ventured around the nape of her neck where his grip tightened and he pulled her closer to him. "You want plain-speaking? Fine. The terms of our friendship are on hold. For the rest of this weekend, you aren't simply our roommate or our buddy. You're going to become our lover as well. From this moment on, you're ours."
Speech seemed to desert her. One word kept resonating in her brain. The only word she seemed able to process amidst the rest.

"Ours?"

Heath grinned as he repeated the word. "Ours." Then he bent down and kissed her.

Carly and Jon from Retreat formed a friendship as she helped him adjust to his new job while he helped her overcome the pain of divorce.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" She yanked off her denim jacket and threw it across the room.

Still angry, he was itching for a fight. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. You!" He pointed a finger at her before divesting himself of his own leather coat. "You're what's wrong with me, but you know what, Blue Eyes? I'm about to correct that."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She backed away slowly but he matched her step for step.

"I'm talking about the fact that you are so blind to your own beauty you can't see when a man is attracted to you. That was no pity kiss and if you can't tell the difference, then it's obvious you need to be taught a lesson about kissing."

"Lesson?"

He halted her retreat by grabbing her upper arms and pulling her toward his chest.

"Lesson." His lips descended on hers in a kiss that her insecure mind could never mistake for pity or friendship.

Love and romance are the flavors of the month and the special moment of that very first kiss is a memory I'm sure many of us will carry forever. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful February and may you spend it surrounded by those you love!