“This is what a kiss should be. You’re not an Olympic starter, it’s not a rush to the finish line...”

Hi everyone! It's Julie Wilson. I just read a comment a friend of mine posted the other day. Paz Edwards wanted to know if I enjoyed Brad O'Malley's kiss. If you all don't know Paz Edwards, let me introduce her - she's a terrific writer with a book coming soon from Triskelion Publishing:
Jenna returns home from vacation with an unexpected souvenir.
Vacation Souvenir - A May 2006 release from Triskelion Publishing
Paz Edwards - www.pazedwardsbooks.com

So Paz, you want to know if I enjoyed Brad O'Malley's kiss in that bookstore? As long as you promise not to tell Brad, then I'll tell you...

Chapter One

“Please make it out to Sarah – with an ‘h’ on the end, okay?”

Julie Wilson grabbed her run-away bestseller, The Fine Art of Kissing, from the young woman’s outstretched hands. Julie never expected her book to take off the way it did. Now a “relationship guru,” people asked her advice on love constantly.

“Your book’s wonderful, Ms. Wilson.”

“Thank you,” she replied warmly and smiled as she scribbled her name on the inside. The bookstore was crowded that Saturday afternoon; people gathered where Julie sat, eager for an autographed copy of Julie’s book and a chance to meet her. Another young woman leaned over Julie’s table, blushing.

“Your book has changed our lives--our love lives, if you know what I mean,” she said conspiratorially.

“I’ll just bet it did,” came the sound of a deep, male voice from behind the two young women. Julie’s head snapped up. She’d know that voice anywhere! It belonged to Brad O’Malley, the host of America’s leading cable talk show. She received countless calls from his producers ever since her book hit the NY Times bestseller list. Julie knew why they wanted her on the show. Brad O’Malley’s ratings had slipped. She knew if she went on his show he’d subject her to the badgering that his viewing audience loved. Julie thought if Brad O’Malley could make ‘the relationship guru’ squirm, his ratings would skyrocket. Julie’s manager said appearing on ‘O’Malley’s Corner’ would be great publicity for the book, that she could handle Brad. She just didn't’t want that kind of publicity. Julie took The Fine Art of Kissing seriously.

“Now, what is it you say in your book, Ms. Wilson? ‘A kiss should be blissfully unhurried. You don’t want to squander a single moment thinking of anything but the kiss.’”

He quoted verbatim from her book. Brad leaned against the table, one muscled thigh propped lazily against the edge, arms folded casually across his chest but his lips thinned and his face grew taut. When she refused to go on his show for the third time in a row, he had called her himself. She gave him the same answer she gave his producers, a flat out ‘no.’ Brad slipped the Ray Bans from his eyes and glanced over at the young women. Their eyes nearly bugged out when they recognized him. Another look at his stormy face made Julie’s pulse skitter.

“So Julie…”

“That’s ‘Ms. Wilson’ to you,” she snapped.

He grinned at her; a sexy, lopsided smile that made her heart flutter. Brad O’Malley was talented, arrogant, demanding…and exceedingly handsome, much to her chagrin. She did’t like the way her heart skipped when she gazed at his chiseled, golden face and cursed her traitorous hormones.

“Do you practice what you preach?” he asked.

Julie’s chin jutted out defiantly. “Of course.”

“Then let’s see if you’re up to snuff.”

Quick as lightning, Brad pulled her to her feet and began kissing her in the middle of the bookstore.

“This is what a kiss should be. You’re not an Olympic starter, it’s not a rush to the finish line,” he quoted as he placed small, butterfly kisses on the corner of her mouth. “Sensual tulips,” he continued, “they comfort your soul through kissing.” He placed feathery-light kisses along her jaw, ending by her ear then his lips trailed back down. He made a small “O” with his mouth and sucked softly against the super-sensitive underside of her jaw.

She grabbed his shirtfront to keep from collapsing as he retraced his fiery path along her jaw, causing ripples of pleasure to cascade across her back every time his lips touched her skin. “No one is a good kisser by themselves,” Brad whispered, “it requires cooperation and teamwork from both people.” He moved slowly, tracing the fullness of her lips with the tip of his index finger, then treated them like priceless treasures as he explored her upper lip first, then the bottom with gentle pressure from his own, teasing and licking slowly until her mouth opened.

Julie’s hands crept up to his neck to pull his head down further.

“If the eyes are the portals of the soul, then the lips are the portals to the mind,” Julie quoted as she began her own exploration. Her tongue slid over the soft, inside part of his lower lip then she slowly nibbled on it until she felt his body stiffen with desire. He tightened his hold and pulled her closer, as though yearning for more. She didn't’t know in that minute who had outsmarted whom when she finally felt his mouth close over hers. Julie gave herself up to the sweetest, softest kiss she had ever experienced. Its very gentleness stole the breath from her body and made her quiver. The sound of clapping and cheering finally brought her around.

“That’s absolutely, positively, the most romantic kiss I’ve ever seen!”

Julie turned to see one of the young women smiling at her. She quickly broke away from Brad.

“It’s very obvious, Ms. Wilson,” he drawled, “that you know you’re stuff.” Brad then whispered in her ear, “We start taping at two p.m. tomorrow. Be at the studio by noon, so we can go over the notes for your segment.” Julie could only nod as she watched him turn and exit the bookstore.

Read the rest of Chapter One of THE FINE ART OF KISSINGLog onto:Click to join catherinechernowsheartofromanceto read the rest of chapter one of THE FINE ART OF KISSING and to enter my 'April Showers' contest forTHE FINE ART OF KISSING!Details posted on: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catherinechernowsheartofromance

Buy THE FINE ART OF KISSING now! Log onto www.triskelionpublishing.net, click on the 'New Releases' page, then click on THE FINE ART OF KISSING.