Love's Sweet Surrender

Professional Reviews

4 CUPS: "Love’s Sweet Surrender is a pleasant read. I thought some of the town people were like a great little community that would reach out to each other. The emotions in Seth really boil up and emit strongly. All of Lily’s and Seth’s expressions run deep and their determinations even stronger in a beautiful story that touched this reader. I found the characters likeable. Sandy Sullivan indeed pens a story that moves at a good pace and captures the pure essence of true romance." -- Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance and More

Excerpt

He hadn’t realized it, but Lily stood behind him, and when he stopped talking, she slipped her arms around him and just held on. She placed her head against his back, and he could feel her warm skin through his shirt and something else.

He loosened her arms and turned around only to see tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at him.

Tears for me?

He brushed the tears from her cheek with his thumb. His thoughts scattered when he looked into her eyes still shining bright with more unshed tears. All thoughts of Victoria faded into the background of his mind as the woman before him began to capture his heart.

I need to taste her. He captured her lips with his in a soft but all-encompassing kiss. The salty tang of her tears on her lips shot straight to his heart. They were tears she had shed for him, and the feeling that engulfed him was beyond anything he had ever felt before. No one had ever cried for him.

With a soft moan, he deepened the kiss, sliding his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest, losing himself in the taste of her mouth.

* * * *

Before she’d been able to comprehend what was happening, his lips were on hers. The pressure on her mouth increased, and she felt the tip of his tongue slip along the crease of her lips. She opened to him and allowed the intimacy he asked for. She’d never been kissed like this before, but the feeling spreading through her was like a wildfire. Heat consumed her to the point that her whole body began to warm to his touch.

A loud knock on the door interrupted their kiss, and they jumped apart guiltily. His gaze moved across her face in almost a caress.

When the knock came again, she stammered, “I… uh… I need to see who is at the door.”

She sucked in a ragged breath to calm her shaking nerves before she headed toward the front door. With trembling hands, she smoothed her hair back and straightened her skirt.

Opening the door, she saw Madge standing on her porch with a bright smile on her face.

“I came to invite you for supper. I know you and Daniel have been spending a lot of time together. I thought it would nice if you came over to spend the evening.”

“I… uh …”

“I know it is late notice and all, but I hate to think of you eating all alone every night.” Madge stepped through the doorway, and Lily stepped aside.

Lily felt him before he touched her. She knew with every nerve ending in her body that he stood behind her, and when she heard Madge exclaim in surprise, it confirmed her suspicions. His warmth penetrated her very soul.

* * * *

Why in the devil did I kiss her? His mind raced, and he ran his fingers through his hair. That was the last thing he needed to do right now, and he sure didn’t need to get involved with her. When he heard Madge mention Daniel Roberts and Lily seeing each other, he moved to make his presence known to the woman at the door. With a possessiveness he didn't quite understand, he laid a hand on Lily's shoulder.

“Hello, Madge, nice to see you.”

“Seth. What a surprise.” Madge's gaze swept from him to Lily and back again. “I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t realize you had company.”

“I should be going anyway.” He moved toward the door and grabbed his hat from the rack nearby. “Thank you for dinner. We will have to continue this… uh, conversation another time.”

“But…” Lily’s voice reached his ears just as he pulled the hat down on his brow.

“'Night, Madge. Lily.” He walked out the door and tipped his hat to the two women. He swung into the saddle and turned toward home.

Once he reached the outskirts of town, he chastised himself for what had happened. I should never have kissed her.What the hell was I thinking? He couldn’t betray Victoria like that. He wouldn’t be able to move on with his life until he found her killers, and to encourage Lily was just wrong. He would have to set things straight with her immediately.

His mind ricocheted to Madge’s comment about Daniel and Lily seeing each other, and he wondered if her words held any truth. He knew Daniel had dropped by the schoolhouse the other day, and they had seemed friendly enough, but he couldn’t help wondering. Were they romantically involved? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like the thought of her kissing Daniel like she had just done with him moments before. She felt so soft in his arms and her lips on his… he needed to stop thinking about it, or he wouldn’t get any sleep when he returned home. The uncomfortable bulge behind the fly of his pants made him squirm in the saddle as the house came into view in the distance.

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