Kisses For You

They say Hollywood taught many of us how to kiss. I’m not so sure about that. I think women, more than man look at the scenes where almost kisses and heart melting kisses occur with our emotions. We’ve invested in this couple and waited with baited breath for it to happen. When it does, nothing matters but what it makes us feel. The movie can end right then.

It’s A Wonderful Life has the ‘almost kiss’ and the ‘kiss’ that we all love to experience. Remember the dance where they fell in the pool and were walking home afterwards. They were singing and then they stopped to throw rocks at the old house, making wishes, and went to talk of their futures. The entire scene is pure, wholesome delight, but then there is that moment when they’re staring at one another and George asks her what she wants. Mary smiles. We’re waiting, hoping for the kiss, but it doesn’t happen. I loved the old man on the porch who says ‘love is wasted on the youth’, even he sensed what we knew. [ok, so it’s scripted, but give that to me.]

Poor, poor George. His plans once again foiled by his baby brother, so he takes a walk in ends up at Mary’s. She, of course, thanks to his mother, is expecting him and sets the scene in hopes something will happen. Oh, but George is in a mood. And then there’s the phone call from the traveling and self-made man he envied, maybe resented. It further angers him, but he talks to him sharing the phone with Mary. The nearness and I imagine feeling his breath on her, his body so close to hers about did her in. He’s unhappy about his feelings toward her, because she’ll keep him there. Still, the need, the pull is strong. He has to taste her. That moment of surrender by George is one of the best I’ve seen on screen.

I haven’t mastered the masters, but this is a short little first kiss scene between Lana and Cole in Last Glass of Wine. On this day, he had learned treatments weren’t helping his ailing father and he was going to lose him. So, he’d resigned himself to do the one wish his father had before he passed away. He’d turned in his resignation and was going to be leaving Rogan’s, and Lana.


She went toward the back door.
He caught up with her at the door and pushed it open for her. “Thanks,” she said as she stepped out into the heat. “I guess it’s not going to cool down tonight.”
“No, it’s not!”
She glanced at him to see why his voice had suddenly become sharp. He had the despondent look he’d had earlier in the day. With a hand on his arm, she stopped him. “Cole, what is going on? And don’t tell me nothing.”
He faced her, staring, searching her eyes. Then he reached out as he stepped closer. He held the back of her head and brushed his lips across her forehead. “Everything’s fine.”
Surprised by his tenderness, she laid her hand on his chest and felt his heart racing. She lifted her face to tell him he was lying, but his mouth was so close. Her lips touched his, sending quivers down into the apex of her thighs. The kiss started off gentle, but he deepened it, his mouth as hungry as hers. She slipped her tongue between his soft, supple lips and found his willing to tangle. He groaned and she moved closer, cupping the back of his neck. Trembling with a fiery need, she pressed into him. His erection pulsed against her as he swallowed her moan.
Then he pushed her away and stepped back. “I’m sorry.” He rubbed his head.
Her chest heaving, Lana backed against the brick of the building. Damn it. Why did he have to be sorry? He wanted to take her the other night.

This is the first kiss from Jewel of the Sun’s BLOOD DESTINY, coming from eXcessica Publishing. It’s a contemporary paranormal, my first paranormal, about a spiritual triad of matchmakers. Keep in this is an unedited extraction.

The butterflies returned to her stomach, but not from worry. The way all this was playing out was responsible. The trickle of information she had to pull from him like a splinter under the skin raised many more questions.
Elan finished with the screens and before he could tell her what she was to do next, she had to try to get more answers. “You obviously know more than I do. Tell me what you know. How did this happen? Who would do this to two strangers?”
He stood before her and caressed her forehead with the pad of his thumb, smoothing a frown she supposed. “It’s complicated.”
He scanned her face making her feel as if he was memorizing her features, her bone structure, but then he focused on her mouth. His eyes didn’t falter. He simply saw, caressed without touching. Cassandra parted her lips in anticipation, he came closer his breath fanning her face. She raised her chin wanting him to close the distance, her eyes searching brown circles intent on her mouth. Her breasts rose and fell. Her tongue ran over her lips and a groan slipped from him. His lips brushed hers, left her, touched again and then covered them completely. She moaned as she leaned in for a deeper connection, feeling like she was slipping down wet, grassy hill. Unable to stop herself, she sank into him and when she started to wind her arms round his neck, his mouth left hers.
“Answers will come,” he said. “Now we follow through.”
“I don’t know if I can.” The very real feelings rising in her from his being this close to her caused a sting behind her eyes, She bit down on her lip, then remembered his words. The camera sees things, so she stopped herself.
“You will.” He ran a thumb over her lips and pulled out the tube to reapply the lipstick. “We must do this.”
She lowered her lids, somehow knowing he was right. Still, it didn’t sit right. Nor did what his nearness and touch did her. Her body screamed for more of him as her stomach knotted with the wanting and the common sense saying to run.

I think sometimes, we writers know what we want give the readers, but we often forget to pull back from whole picture and look at the individual parts to be sure we’re giving the entire package we envision. It takes time, patience and a constant awareness. I hope one day, I can match the masters who portray it so perfectly on screen. You see, I read books as if I’m watching them, and I watch movies like they’re a book I’m reading. To me they’re interlocking.

If I had to choose between the ‘almost kiss’ and the ‘first kiss’ – ‘almost kisses’ hands down. I love the elevation of my heart rate, the awe catching of my breath and the over-all adrenalin pumping through my body in anticipation.

In looking over the many works I have in my files, I’ve found it’s often not the first kiss that knocks your socks off. They’re a test-the-waters moment for one, catching the other off guard. Often it might be the second, third, or even the fourth kiss where they are really to give that mouth-watering, timeless kiss.

This has been a fun theme to blog about. I’ve not had a chance to read everyone else’s blogs, but I will as soon as I’m free from pre-edits.

Bekki
http://home.mchsi.com/~bekkilynn
www.myspace.com/bekki_lynn