I confess, reader-friends.... Halloween is my favorite holiday!
I LOVE dressing up and being scared an the lovely fall weather. And I don't know, but doesn't everyone just seem to be in a better mood at Halloween?
It's all the candy, I know.
When I wrote Dragonfly, I wanted to have something Halloween in it. The book follows the first semester of senior year, which covers the holiday. (Watercolor is the second half, ending at prom.)
Since Dragonfly is on SALE right now for 99 CENTS (No tricks, all treats), Here's the fun, Halloween Hay Maze excerpt, which also involves a little smooching.
See what you think~
We handed over our tickets and started into the maze. Renee and Rachel were giggling nervously as we walked, waiting for something to happen. Jack held out his arm to me, and I took it, not minding a little temporary protection, regardless of the source.
It was cooler inside the maze, and the height of the walls made it darker as well. Huge spotlights lit certain portions of the grid, but some corners were almost completely dark. Those were the tense spots, where you could feel the actors lurking, waiting to scare you. It was all in good fun, but I was glad we were going through it as a group.
We rounded the first corner, and from the shadows, I felt the swish of air as something ran toward us from behind. Rachel screamed as a fur-clad figure snarled at her. We scattered in six different directions, screaming and laughing. It was terrifying, and I couldn’t stop giggling. I ran as hard as I could from our grisly pursuer, thinking someone was with me, but after several turns, I stopped running and looked around. I was alone. Great.
I walked slowly through the dim-lit stacks, straining my ears for familiar voices. I thought I heard Rachel off to my right, and I followed the sound. But as I rounded the corner, it was a shadowy dead end. I doubled back and listened again. It sounded like they were just on the other side of the hay wall, and I started running straight ahead. My heart was thudding when the passage opened. I could go right or left. I waited and listened, and once again, I felt the swish of air as a figure came up behind me. I spun around ready to scream, but it was only Julian.
“Hey,” he said low in my hair, as his hands found my sides.
“Julian!” I laughed, hugging him in relief. He smiled and pulled me into a shadowy corner. “I hate being alone in these things, and I thought you were—”
He leaned in and cut me off with a kiss. My heart had been racing from the fright and the running, but now it was flying for a different reason. Instinctively, I pulled him closer, not wanting to let him go, and he held me tighter in response.
This time his kiss was not a question, it was a demand, and the part of me I’d been pushing down for weeks came rushing up to meet him. My arms were around his neck, and I slipped my fingers into his hair. I felt his lips curve into a smile against mine, and our mouths opened, tongues touched, and electricity raced to my toes. It was hot and breathtaking, and everything I’d expected returning Julian’s kiss to be like. His uncasted arm circled my waist, holding me strong against his body, then he lifted his head to look into my eyes.
We were both breathing fast. Neither of us spoke, we only smiled, a little amazed and unable to look away. He leaned forward to kiss me again, and once more I kissed him back, open-mouthed and eager. Hungry. I felt confident and strong, and I didn’t want to stop ever. He held me back against the scratchy hay wall, and my hands moved from his shirt to his shoulders and then his neck. I wanted to touch his skin. I wanted to pull him closer. I wanted to feel his skin against mine.
His lips moved to my jaw then my chin, and without thinking, I murmured his name. I dropped my face against him, inhaling deeply the faint scent of his cologne mixed with the straw all around us. We were swirling in a dizzying wave of adrenaline until I heard voices coming toward us.
As if waking from the most amazing dream, I opened my eyes and reluctantly stepped away, out of Julian’s arms.
“I think I heard them over here!” Renee ran up and stopped short, the laughing others close behind her.
I turned away and tried to pick the hay fragments out of my hair. There was no denying what we’d just done, and I didn’t know what to say.
Maybe "Oops!"--? (LOL!)
I know, all the Julian lovers in the house were like, "Yes!" And that's only the beginning for those two. If you haven't started the series, now's a great time!
And have a smoochy, spooky, SUPERFUN Halloween, reader-friends!!!
I LOVE dressing up and being scared an the lovely fall weather. And I don't know, but doesn't everyone just seem to be in a better mood at Halloween?
It's all the candy, I know.
When I wrote Dragonfly, I wanted to have something Halloween in it. The book follows the first semester of senior year, which covers the holiday. (Watercolor is the second half, ending at prom.)
Since Dragonfly is on SALE right now for 99 CENTS (No tricks, all treats), Here's the fun, Halloween Hay Maze excerpt, which also involves a little smooching.
 |
| On Amazon |
See what you think~
We handed over our tickets and started into the maze. Renee and Rachel were giggling nervously as we walked, waiting for something to happen. Jack held out his arm to me, and I took it, not minding a little temporary protection, regardless of the source.
It was cooler inside the maze, and the height of the walls made it darker as well. Huge spotlights lit certain portions of the grid, but some corners were almost completely dark. Those were the tense spots, where you could feel the actors lurking, waiting to scare you. It was all in good fun, but I was glad we were going through it as a group.
We rounded the first corner, and from the shadows, I felt the swish of air as something ran toward us from behind. Rachel screamed as a fur-clad figure snarled at her. We scattered in six different directions, screaming and laughing. It was terrifying, and I couldn’t stop giggling. I ran as hard as I could from our grisly pursuer, thinking someone was with me, but after several turns, I stopped running and looked around. I was alone. Great.
I walked slowly through the dim-lit stacks, straining my ears for familiar voices. I thought I heard Rachel off to my right, and I followed the sound. But as I rounded the corner, it was a shadowy dead end. I doubled back and listened again. It sounded like they were just on the other side of the hay wall, and I started running straight ahead. My heart was thudding when the passage opened. I could go right or left. I waited and listened, and once again, I felt the swish of air as a figure came up behind me. I spun around ready to scream, but it was only Julian.
“Hey,” he said low in my hair, as his hands found my sides.
“Julian!” I laughed, hugging him in relief. He smiled and pulled me into a shadowy corner. “I hate being alone in these things, and I thought you were—”
He leaned in and cut me off with a kiss. My heart had been racing from the fright and the running, but now it was flying for a different reason. Instinctively, I pulled him closer, not wanting to let him go, and he held me tighter in response.
This time his kiss was not a question, it was a demand, and the part of me I’d been pushing down for weeks came rushing up to meet him. My arms were around his neck, and I slipped my fingers into his hair. I felt his lips curve into a smile against mine, and our mouths opened, tongues touched, and electricity raced to my toes. It was hot and breathtaking, and everything I’d expected returning Julian’s kiss to be like. His uncasted arm circled my waist, holding me strong against his body, then he lifted his head to look into my eyes.
We were both breathing fast. Neither of us spoke, we only smiled, a little amazed and unable to look away. He leaned forward to kiss me again, and once more I kissed him back, open-mouthed and eager. Hungry. I felt confident and strong, and I didn’t want to stop ever. He held me back against the scratchy hay wall, and my hands moved from his shirt to his shoulders and then his neck. I wanted to touch his skin. I wanted to pull him closer. I wanted to feel his skin against mine.
His lips moved to my jaw then my chin, and without thinking, I murmured his name. I dropped my face against him, inhaling deeply the faint scent of his cologne mixed with the straw all around us. We were swirling in a dizzying wave of adrenaline until I heard voices coming toward us.
As if waking from the most amazing dream, I opened my eyes and reluctantly stepped away, out of Julian’s arms.
“I think I heard them over here!” Renee ran up and stopped short, the laughing others close behind her.
I turned away and tried to pick the hay fragments out of my hair. There was no denying what we’d just done, and I didn’t know what to say.
* * *
Maybe "Oops!"--? (LOL!)
I know, all the Julian lovers in the house were like, "Yes!" And that's only the beginning for those two. If you haven't started the series, now's a great time!
And have a smoochy, spooky, SUPERFUN Halloween, reader-friends!!!
