The Untold Snippet You Voted For

I just had some super-fabulous news about Unspoken, and since it is all down to you, beauteous readers, I decided to give you a snippet of Untold! I put up a poll on tumblr and ‘A Kissing Scene’ won by miles, because you are all saucebuckets.

Your wish is my command. Spoilers, of course, and THANK YOU!

Holly leaned against the bar. At the same time, Jared came over and dumped his empty tray. There was snow on the ground, but he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up past his elbows and a couple of buttons undone. He looked overheated and overtired, and aside from that, Holly didn’t know if he was feeling anything at all. He wasn’t like Ash: he was like the other Lynburns, with faces cold as stone and eyes cold as steel.

There was a splash of what seemed to be lime cordial on his open collar. When he dumped the tray, he pushed his hair back and looked at Holly. “You look like you could use a real drink,” he said indifferently.

“Please,” Holly responded.

Jared leaned over the bar and tipped some whiskey into Holly’s glass. Holly drank it.

“Thanks.” Holly looked up from her drained glass to Jared’s eyes. She realized he was looking at her with a certain consideration.

There was no sweet curl to his sullen mouth, no excitement and no nervousness betrayed. He looked just like she felt: as if he would do anything to feel differently than the way he did now. His eyes were beacon-bright. He looked like driving too fast down a dark lane.

Holly met his eyes, and did not look away. Jared put his hand out over the corner of the bar and drew her slowly toward him. She let him do it because nothing about his demeanor suggested that he would care if she pulled away.

“I can’t hurt you,” she asked. “Can I?”

Jared murmured, as if he was telling her a secret: “You’re welcome to try.”

Then she was flush against his body, the corner of the bar digging sharp into her back and his warmth going through her, turning into heat.

Jared leaned forward and set his mouth against hers. The kiss turned deep almost instantly, his hands clenched in the curly weight of her hair. The noise and lights of the bar faded away to a buzz in her ears, light dying behind her closed eyelids.

When the kiss broke apart, Holly’s mouth was stinging and she was staring up at him.

Jared looked down at her. “Want to go up to my room?”

Holly said, “Yes.”