Sunday Snippets (On Friday)

This is my second foray into this LinkUp.  I think I may have missed a week while I was lost in the revamping of The Sheepish Gardener.

This is 6 paragraphs--no more, no less--from a work in progress (Church Hill on the page link above).  I think a glance at the setting for this snippet is in order.  

So here, Ella and Dominic are relaxing on a pile of hay bales while Allison (Ella's daughter) helps the farm owner take care of the horses after they all went out on trail ride.  It's important for those who haven't read what happened before to know that Ella, Dominic, and Allison are on the run from a drug lord who has already had Ella's husband and friend killed.  She and Dominic have a past that runs deep and involves the man chasing them.

Snippet:

The feather touch of Dominic’s finger trailing up and down my arm was hypnotizing.  I drifted into a half-sleep state, aware of my surroundings, but seeming to float at the edge of a dream.  Fingers pulled gently through my hair.  A soft caress along my jaw, over my lips.  Enticing.  My lips parted, and the touch deepened. My tongue snaked out to wet the tingling skin.  Feathers slid down my neck, lifting my chin to the side.  Warmth dotted where the feathers left, starting at my collar and slowly creeping up to my ear.

He took my earlobe into his warm, wet mouth, tugging gently.  Large, gentle hands cradled my head as his lips danced along my jaw, leaving a trail of sweet expectation.  That warm thumb teased my parted lips before his tongue traced desire along the curves.  Then his mouth was on mine.  Gentle, kneading lips pressed their possession on my own.  And I accepted that possession willingly, opening my mouth to devour him, wrapping my arms around his strong back.  It had been too long since I’d felt him this way.

“Michael,” I murmured into the kiss.

And that ended my dream.  As the warmth pulled away from me, my eyes snapped open to find Dominic staring at me.  His eyes wore the pain of a broken heart. He turned from me and stood. 

I grabbed for him, catching his wrist.  “Dominic,” I said, my voice rough from my light slumber and the shock of dream versus reality.  He stopped, but didn’t turn.  “Dominic, please.  I fell asleep.  I was dreaming.  Please.  Don’t be angry.”

He sighed.  “I’m not angry, Ella.  I understand.  A lot’s happened in the past couple days.  In your heart, you’re married to Michael.  I shouldn’t have pushed you.  I’m sorry.”  He tugged lightly at his arm, and I let go.

You can find other Sunday Snippets here.