No Kiss Blogfest

It's a blogfest-a-palooza! Yesterday was the Eye Candy Blogfest, today is the No Kiss Blogfest, and tomorrow is the Show Me Yours Blogfest.

Today's blogfest, the Second Annual No Kiss Blogfest, is hosted by the lovely Frankie Diane. I'm impressed that it's the second annual and as I recall I participated in the first this time last year. But today I've got a new near kiss entry from the sci-fi novel I'm working on.

Here's the setup: Jaska is somewhat of a rogue. He's a convicted intergalactic thief on a mission to win his freedom. He has met - and crossed - Amie, who is a research consultant from Earth. They've stolen a map and are on the run, but have taken a side trip to a tropical planet where Jaska has just made a very sensual show of flirting with an old flame. (Amie is a redhead, that's why Jaska calls her Red).

So here's the near kiss:

**********
Red joins me on the porch. “Mmmmm,” she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of the breeze. “This place is gorgeous. The air smells like ripe fruit! The ocean and the beaches and these cabins, it reminds me of Fiji on Earth.”

“I assume that’s a tropical paradise?”

She nods, then turns and focuses on me. “So, what’s with your friend?”

I smile to myself. She can’t help but ask. “Why? Jealous?” I ask.

She scoffs at me, “Are you kidding me? I still haven’t ruled out strangling you in your sleep. I’m just wondering if one of those is going to show up everywhere we go,” she says, playing at nonchalance.

This is too much fun. I take a step closer and notice she must have showered, too, because her hair's still damp in places. I breathe her in and she smells fresh like flowers.

“Smell something you like?” She asks, her head tipped up just a bit so she can see me, exposing a long expanse of tantalizing neck. I lean in to taste her skin, the heat of it warming my face as I get near, but the smirk on her lips stops me dead. I mean, she’s a beauty, that goes without saying, but she’s not like any woman I’ve met before. She’s not flirting back. And gods if she’s not the moodiest one I’ve ever met.

I pull back just a little and clear my throat. “What’s not to like?” I catch some of her hair between my fingers and take a whiff, casually. “You’re a woman, aren’t you?”

Anger darkens her gray eyes for just a moment, then they clear. “Is that all it takes? Just being female is enough to turn you on? Because for a moment there you looked pretty smitten.”

“Smitten? Pffft. I don’t think so, Red. I don’t get smitten. Don’t you think you’re giving yourself a bit too much credit?”

She grins and turns, “Methinks he doth protest too much...” she says over her shoulder as she heads back inside. What does that even mean? I have no idea how that conversation got away from me, but I follow her inside anyway. We need to focus. My time is running out quickly.

************

It's kind of on the non-traditional side, but still fun, no? Now go check out the rest of the near kisses at Frankie Writes!