by Leick, Hera
He bends down, his upper lip grazing mine, and a shaft of hot trembles echo down my body. And then he captures my lips between his, inhaling all of me with the one kiss as I follow his movement and latch lovingly onto his mouth. He kisses me just the way he knows how to get me flustered; deep long kisses that miss me, wait for me, kisses that travel to the centre of me, and spread out and through my body slowly, turning my tummy to mush.
Time no longer exists. Only love exists. It's eternal. Magical. Never ending. A place where dream killers no longer exist and dreams can come true. A place where victory lies and promises are made. A place where James Hatter lights my world on fire, a place I only want to exist with him.
He breaks slowly away, his mouth smiling against mine, his thumb resting in the indent at the corner of my mouth. The audience is going wild, a few wolf-whistles hollering out amongst the buzzing crowd. But nothing else matters, except this moment.
“I love you," he says. He kisses me breathless again and the words stumble out between an airy pause. “I love you so goddamn much.” Gazing up at my future, I lick my lips and feel the taste of him still lingering inside of me. “Always.”
My heart feels ready to spontaneously combust as I stare into his eyes and see nothing but unconditional love beaming back at me. “I lost myself in art, but I found myself in you. I love you, James.”
He brushes my hair away from my face, kissing the tip of my nose that wrinkles in return. “How did I get so lucky?”
My swollen lips tremble in the aftermath of his kiss, and my whole body feels out of control, but I still manage to cock an eyebrow, and tell him, “You wagered me in a card game.”
He shakes his head with a deep, throaty laugh, the one that makes all my troubles go away, and that familiar, sexy, cocky smile makes its appearance. “You ever going to get over that, love?”
“No. How can I? When it was the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Afterword
Instead of acknowledgments, I’d like to give out some awesome high-fives.
High-fives go to:
Santana and Miss G for helping to kick this book into high gear.
Sam Carter for editing my baby, and for being my rock when madness took over my ability to write.
The brilliantly talented guys at Far Escape Designs for designing a stylish and kooky book cover.
My family and friends for supporting me and for not judging my pyjama workdays, and for still finding me worthy of hanging around, even when I couldn’t be bothered to brush my hair. Also, thanks for feeding me when I was eating nothing but crackers.
And a huge high-five to all the great people who purchased and read The Mad British, and wrote reviews, and told me how much they dug it. You guys are the best supporters and you are the reason my dream is still alive. If any of you have a dream, go for it. Don’t let the dream killers persuade you otherwise.
To all the dream killers: Thanks for pushing me to prove you wrong. With wholehearted sincerity, I hope you find your dream as I have done.
Hated The Mad British? Did it make you skip pages and fall asleep? Or did you love it? And now you want to have babies with it? Either way, smack a review on Amazon so I know if I should slap or high-five myself. Thank you!
Gossip with Hera
Hi, I’m Hera Leick.
I’m British and proud, and bloody love a good cup of English tea in the morning. I’m a fun-loving girl who tells stories about the fun side of romance; the kind of romance that I’m wishing for in the real world. Yes, I’m still looking for love. It could be you. . . I’m joking! Love lollies too much. I have an obsession with Jane Austen. She is my wonderland. My inspiration.
I will be adopting a shelter cat next year, who shall be named Cheshire, and will be trained.
The Mad British is my debut novel. With every book I write, I give the Hera Leick Promise. I will never weave into my stories: cheating; sex outside the main characters; sexual abuse; cliffhangars; years of separation; manwhores; and lastly my worst pet peeve, insta-love. If one sneaks in, I give you permission to shoot me. Please make note, however, guns are not legal in England.
Come and stalk me in the following places:
Like me (I really need friends): Facebook Page
Tweet me (oi oi ;) ): @heraLeick