A happy Friday to you all! Today, for the first time, I'm participating in a BlogFest. This one comes to us courtesy of the lovely ladies at Oasis for YA. And it's just the right thing to celebrate Valentine's Day. Every participant is putting a delicious 250-word morsel of swoony goodness from their YA Works-in-Progress.
Please go check out all the other participants' contributions. It's like a box of chocolates, only calorie-free and even more of an aphrodisiac.
I have to confess to a slight cheat here: this excerpt is from a completed work, but I haven't gotten to any swoon-worthy parts in any of my WIPs. Still--enjoy!
He rested his hand on my leg, tracing a circle around my kneecap with one finger. My skin was so cold from the walk home I could barely feel him touching me. The beer may have contributed to the numbness, for that matter. I concentrated on his hand until I could feel every cell that connected us. Nearly hypnotized, I raised my head and looked at him.
He leaned in and kissed me.
Matt was the third person I’d kissed since my sophomore year of high school. It felt so strange, and so exciting. A shiver ran through my back, and a giggle escaped my throat.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”
He kissed me again, and my mouth twitched toward a smile again.
“What?” he pulled back.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” I tried to sober my face, but the giggles bubbled up again.
“You’re crazy,” Matt said with a smile. I clapped a hand over my mouth, snickering. “You wanna stop?” he offered.
“No,” I said immediately.
“Then shut up,” he teased in a low voice, making the insult sound sexy.
I let myself smile through the next kiss, but I managed to keep the nervous laughter at bay.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Good.”
“Good.” He flashed a smile of his own at me, but it was brief. He had better things to do with his mouth.
We kissed for a long time, easing closer and closer. When Matt put his arms around me, he bumped into the wings of my costume. I pulled back and slid my arms out of the straps. Swinging the wings off, I smacked Matt in the head with one.
He flinched. “This must be why angels and devils don’t mix.”
I laughed. “It’s totally the wings,” I agreed.
24 comments:
I love this! It's definitely one of my favorites from the blogfest (at least of the ones I've been able to read). :D
I love the giggles. This brings back memories... I know that feeling!
Very nice, and I can totally empathize. Well, not with the angel/devil thing, but the nervous giggles.
I'm not gonna lie. Any guy who can tell me to shut up and still have me wanting to kiss him MUST be a keeper.
Great job! Even if you did cheat. ;o)
Hehe, cute! And I can totally picture this scene, her nervous laughter, his confidence but confusion. Well done. :)
Cute excerpt! I dig the picture - it's like the opposite of Halo which I just finished reading! :)
Love this! The nervous giggles are something everyone can relate to, I think. Their chemistry is obvious even in such a short teaser. Great job!
I, too, loved the giggles. Made it so real. Rarely do our interactions approach Harlequin 'perfection' -- especially as teens. Love the interchange.
Ahh the giggles. Who hasn't been there? What a nice twist, and captured beautifully.
This scene has always been one of my favorites from your books. :D
This is wonderfully realistic! That awkward don't care gotta kiss you moment. Loved it!
"...making the insult sound sexy." umm, yes, I'd totally shut up and kiss him after that line!
(oh, and I just read your post about your agent signing - way to go!!)
erica
Thank you to everyone who commented, especially you first-time visitors! I'm about to start making the rounds of the blogfest myself and I can't wait to see what you all came up with.
The giggles rule!
- Liz
So cool. I love the first image and the feeling of him touching her numb skin. Sucked me right in.
Very cute :) If it's that fun and playful all the way through, it'd be a great read! It reminds me of ANNA and the FRENCH KISS in that kind of way. Is this the one that got you an agent?
Just coming back for some more specific replies to those of you with questions or who made my day with nice comments.
@Stina - thank you so much!
@Tracy - he's a keeper ;)
@ja - thanks, darlin'!
@erica - thank you!
@Robin - thank you! I'm glad I got your attention.
@Jessica - Wow! Huge compliment--I love that book! And no, this isn't the story that got me my agent. This is an older one I hope finds a home someday.
Thanks again everybody, you've all made this blogfest so much fun!
- Liz
This was so cute and the ending made me giggle! Loved it!
Some very good lines. I especially liked the last one.
Love how you intertwined an intimate moment with something so lighthearted. It's well balanced and realistic. Last line is pretty cool.
Another lover of the giggles here. And of this line: "He had better things to do with his mouth." Yeah he did! This is a cute scene, I love couples that can laugh at themselves.
- Sophia.
This is so cute. I love it. The giggles are great. Fantastic piece.
Awesome scene! The giggles make it classic. Well done :D
Thanks to all of you who've stopped by since the last time I responded. You guys are making me one very happy girl this Valentine's Day!
- Liz
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