I'm writing a post about scents for next week's Romance Writers Weekly blog hop. And obviously the Oberon books are full of scents--Scent of the Roses in particular. But my most recent release, Funnel of Love, has a cute drunken love scene that's focused on vanilla and starts like this...
She took him by the hand and led him down a short, narrow hallway—dark and cool in the absence of windows. He’d left his shoes at the door when they’d first come in and the polished wood felt slippery beneath his socked feet. A sweet, elusive scent lingered in the air, too faint to identify, like a ghostly melody; it burst into full-throated song when she opened the door to her bedroom.
It was brighter in here. Sunlight poured in through the foamy, white curtains that hung across the room’s two windows. It was also warmer than it had been in the hallway. And this room was at least a little less sparsely furnished than the rest of the house had been. It felt lived in. Welcoming.
At least, that was his initial impression. Once his gaze landed on the bed, however, everything else disappeared—other than the fragrance, lush and sumptuous, that perfumed the air.
Vanilla and cream, with a hint of white musk, he thought, breathing deeply. Unless his brain was simply misled by the bedding, by an excess of puffy white pillows and a billowing duvet that all but obscured the old brass bedframe, its metal dulled and mellowed by time and exposure to the damp, salty air.
She’d turned to ask him something—the lilt at the end of the sentence registered in his brain. He recognized that her words had taken the form of a question, but the sense of them was lost, buried beneath a fluffy, white cloud of Want.
He caught her around the waist and tumbled them both onto the bed then rolled to pin her beneath him. She lay there laughing breathlessly, caged between his arms, gazing up at him. All that soft, pale bedding mounded around her was like a snowdrift. Only drier and warmer, sweeter… No, not snow. “It’s like marshmallows,” he told her.
She laughed harder. “What?”
“Your bed. It’s like one, big, giant, bouncy, squishy—”
“Stop it. It’s not. It’s memory foam.”
“Foam? What are you talking about? It’s much more substantial than foam. It’s like custard, or whipped cream or…no, that’s still not right, is it?”
“You’re babbling. You’re not making any sense.”
“That’s because I’m dizzy.”
“It’s because you’re drunk.”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“Okay, maybe. A little. Are you saying you’re not?”
“No, I am not saying that. What I’m saying is that I…I wasn’t talking about me, was I? I was talking about you.”
“It’s a sugar rush, that’s what it is. Your bed’s like a gigantic cream puff.” He bent his head and kissed her. “Or maybe that’s you.” Her lips were soft. Sweet. Tender—that was the word he’d wanted. Tender and…and cushiony. “Yeah, definitely you.”
“I’m not sure what I think about that,” she said, pouting a little. “Especially the gigantic part. I don’t think that’s true.”
“Just for a creampuff. You’re the perfect size for a person.”
“I like your size too. Oh, wait, that’s not right. I haven’t even seen what size you are yet. Why is that? Why are we both still dressed?”
Will Atlas Beach be big enough for both of them?
Baker Rocco DiLuca is not a happy camper. He’s just found out that his baby sister is getting married—to his former best friend—and he's not invited. But that's not even the worst part. They’ve hired someone else to make their wedding cake!
He knew he and Kristy hadn't exactly been speaking to each other, but he hadn't realized they Weren’t Speaking to each other! Now he has to figure out how to repair their family feud, or forever keep his distance. Unfortunately, his best hope for success is the woman he considers his competition.
Stephanie Sands thinks the Chamber of Commerce’s mentorship program is a great idea! She’s not ashamed to admit that her boutique bakery, Sugar Kink, isn't quite making it. Yet. But the mentor she's been assigned, Rocky D, isn’t just traditional, he’s positively medieval. It’s no wonder his sister wants nothing to do with him!
Can they put aside their differences (and the insane attraction they feel) to help each other out? Or will their dreams fall as flat as a failed souffle?
Buy Links: https://books2read.com/u/mvoerj
