While I’ve had first kisses on the brain lately, sometimes my favorite kiss is a goodbye kiss. Or the end of the book kiss that gives a reader that happy sigh moment with all the promise of bright tomorrows ahead for the happy couple.
Personally, there’s the delightful kiss each morning as my husband leaves for work. It means the house is now void of human distractions. But by the end of the day, when I need an adult to talk to, that welcome home kiss tops the list. I guess above all, timing is everything. 😉
I’m also a fan of those farewell kisses during the scenes when the hero and heroine aren’t sure they’ll make it back from whatever brink their adventure has led them to. When strong male and female heroines do the right thing in the face of (usually) overwhelming odds… well, those moments pack such an emotional punch for me.
Maybe that personal quirk is a result of having to make a goodbye kiss last through a long deployment.
That kind of heroic kiss is a celebration of love, a promise, and a benediction all wrapped up in one strangled moment when your heart is beating out of your chest and you’re saving the tears for later. While some kisses in fiction and reality aren’t physically much more than a gentle brush of lips, it’s the emotional impact that gives us such a delicious memory to savor when we’re apart.
Here’s a ‘promising future’ type of kiss between Petra and Gideon (one of my favorite fictional soldiers) from Invasion of Justice:
“You’ve restored my belief and given me a peace I thought was lost forever,” Gideon said.
“Belief in what?”
He wanted to laugh. Of course she wouldn’t make this easy. “Belief in the unseen. I may not understand it all, but I believe in you.”
“I’ve been positively awful to you.”
“Not all the time.” He waggled his brows. When her mouth curved into a reluctant smile, the soul he’d thought long gone, lit up. “Kristoff’s been sparking your temper?”
“On several occasions, yes, but you do a fine job of irritating me all on your own.”
“Good. I’d hate to eliminate the bastard if you’ll just end up quiet and refined for the rest of our lives.”
“Our lives?”
He lowered his mouth to hers in a slow, languid kiss that left him rock hard and unsteady. When their lips parted, they rested, foreheads touching. If she refused him, his life would end right here. He’d continue to go through the motions, but having experienced the fullness she could offer, he wouldn’t be able to call it living.
Live the adventure!
