Delicious Kisses

Yup, that’s the yummy first kiss between Tris and Four in the movie Divergent. I thoroughly enjoyed it on the big screen, despite the slight awkwardness of having my 13 year old son right next to me!

Do you remember your first kiss? Was it good? More importantly, when was your last kiss and how was that? I’m not talking about a peck on the cheek or even the lips. I’m talking about a long, passionate, juicy kiss with someone you’re hot for. For me, it was last night. With my husband. Just thinking about it now, the morning after, brings a big smile to my face. Too much information? I don’t think so. It’s an important part of relationships, so why shouldn’t we talk about it?

I’ll never forget how excited I was when I stumbled upon this quote from a review of my book, Is This All There Is?:

“First thing I did after reading this book, I went and kissed my husband. Not just a peck, but a full on tongue twirling make love to his mouth kinda kiss. I wanted him to know that I desired him above all else.”

That’s the kind of kiss I’m talking about. Reading those words made me feel like all the work that went into the book was worth it, at least in that moment. She expressed exactly what I wanted women to do after reading the book, either fully enjoy and appreciate the passion in their relationships or work to find it again if it had been lost. Equally important to me was that single women who read the book would make great kisses a non-negotiable requirement for all future relationships.

The title of my first chapter is “No Kisses For Me.” Here’s an excerpt to explain:

He leaned in close and without thinking I started to move my lips toward his. His warm Colgate breath crept up my nose as he kissed the top of Jack’s head. Then he was standing again, brushing a piece of lint off his sleeve. Flames rising in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time there had been a goodbye kiss for me.

The problem of the lack of kissing in Beth and Rick’s marriage is something many readers have commented on. Some have said they can relate as their marriages have also gone stale. Others have felt frustrated with Beth for being secretly resentful and not sharing her needs with her husband.

The perfect storm arises when Beth has too much to drink on a rare night out and a sweet, attractive former college student of hers confesses that he had crush on her when he was in her class. How can she resist a rare opportunity for the kind of kiss the reviewer above described, even though she’s a good person who wants to do the right thing? Here’s an excerpt from that moment:

Something inside me shifted. Rick hadn’t looked at me that way in years. My body started to tingle. His eyes burned through me. My heart was pounding so fast I felt faint. He wanted to kiss me but he was holding back.

Later in the story, as Beth continues to struggle with the impossible dilemma of how far to let things go with Dave, she wonders if they could both stop at kissing. But we all know that’s the not the way things work, right? Here’s a snapshot of that moment:

I started to believe that maybe he meant it when he said we could take it slow. Maybe we really could have just this, just these delicious kisses and nothing more. But I knew it wasn’t possible. In time, he would want more. I would want more.

I suppose the bottom line of my message here is to remind us all of how important kissing is in our intimate relationships. We must find the time and inspiration for hot, sexy, passionate kissing, no matter how long we’ve been together or how busy our lives are. If you’re not currently in a relationship, I hope you’ll consider the quality of kissing an important factor in the next one you enter!

*For those of you who are planning to read the sequel (thank you!), I’m shooting for finishing it this summer. It will have plenty of great kissing scenes – I promise! 😉

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