Exclusive excerpt: 'First Time in Forever' by Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan joins us to share an exclusive excerpt from First Time in Forever, her contemporary romance that's out today.

Sarah: I love writing about relationships. Not just romance, but friendship and friendship is an important theme running through all three books in my new contemporary romance series Puffin Island.

Emily, Brittany and Skylar have been friends since college and made a vow to help each other if they were ever in trouble. Their sanctuary when life gets tough is Castaway Cottage on beautiful Puffin Island, Maine.

Emily, heroine of First Time in Forever, is a career girl. She has never wanted hearth, home or happy ever after but when a twist of fate leaves her guardian to her half sister's young daughter, she takes her to the coastal hideaway on Puffin Island. The island is accessible only by sea or air and, as a result, the warm, close community of islanders are used to looking out for each other. Secrets are impossible to keep, which is bad news for Emily who is guarding the biggest secret of her life.

The only thing Emily knows about raising a child is that she isn't qualified to do it. Her purpose for being on Puffin Island is to hide, but then she meets charismatic Yacht Club owner Ryan Cooper who makes it his mission to uncover more than Emily's secrets. But Ryan has a few secrets of his own as this scene reveals …

—

This was the moment to leave.

He knew a mistake when he saw one, and he was definitely looking at one right now.

No single mothers. Wasn't that his rule?

And not only was Emily vulnerable, but there were still things about him she didn't know. Things that made it more likely she'd push him out of her house than invite him to kiss her. There was no way he was leaving her without support, and not just because Brittany would fire an arrow into his butt.

Now he knew what she was going through, he was determined to help her. And helping her didn't involve stripping off those pajamas and pinning her to the kitchen table.

"I've been honest with you. I want you to be honest with me." Her voice was soft and smoky, and it slid into his senses like a drug.

S***.

"Emily, I can tell you that the last thing you want right now is for me to be honest."

"Please."

The right thing would have been to make an excuse, but she was wearing those damn pajamas, a confection of silk and sin, and she was looking at him with those wide eyes, her mouth was right there and—

With a soft curse, he took her face in his hands. He felt the softness of her skin under his fingers and heard her breathing grow shallow. "You want to know what I'm burning to do? I want to strip off those pajamas and smash down every boundary you've ever created. I want to explore all those places you've never let anyone go, and I'm talking about your mind as well as your body. I'm not like Neil. I don't respect your boundaries. I want you open to me."

Her eyes widened with shock, and her lips parted. "That will never happen."

"If I wasn't about to leave, I'd make it happen." He lowered his head but kept his mouth just clear of hers. She was so close he could almost taste her, feel the short shallow breaths she snatched into her lungs.

"You wouldn't, because—" Her face suffused with color. "The truth is, I'm not that crazy about sex."

For a moment he thought he must have misheard. "You don't like sex?"

"It's fine. Nice." With a whimper of embarrassment, she eased away from him. "I can't believe we're having this conversation. You're right. You should go. And I never should have asked."

"Wait a minute—" He caught her round the waist and pulled her back to him. "Did you say 'nice'? You think sex is 'nice'?"

Her face was on fire. "Yes. What's wrong with that?"

He drew in a deep breath. "Honey, 'nice' sex is for people in retirement homes with dodgy hips and a heart condition. At your age you should be having clothes-ripping, mind-blowing, animal sex that leaves you unable to walk or think."

"All right, you should definitely go now." She was deliciously flustered, and he dragged her back to him and slid his hands into her hair, feeling it tumble and curl over his fingers in a slide of soft silk. She smelled like blossom and sunshine. Her lips reminded him of the strawberries that grew wild in Kathleen's tumbling coastal garden.

"You have gorgeous hair. Is wearing it up part of your disguise, too?"

"I don't have a disguise. Just because I choose to dress in a certain way doesn't make it a disguise. And wearing my hair up is the practical option. It's always breezy on Puffin Island. It stops it blowing into my eyes."

"So, in New York you wore it loose?"

She hesitated. "No."

"Like I said. A disguise. You've created a persona, because you're afraid someone is going to see who you really are. But I see you, Emily Donovan. I'm standing here, looking right at you, so you can damn well stop hiding." His hand was still in her hair, his mouth a breath from hers.

"You don't see me. And I can tell you I've never had clothes-ripping, mind-blowing, animal sex. I'm not like that."

"You mean you weren't like that with him. You'd be like it with me, Emily."

"I don't—"

He kissed her. He parted her lips with his, licked into her mouth and felt her go weak against him. Those full breasts pressed against his chest, and he hauled her close, holding her with the flat of his hand while the other stayed buried deep in her hair. He deepened the kiss until white heat snaked across his skin, until rampant hunger and raw sexual need tore through him. Her mouth was eager and sweet, and the softness of her breasts pushed against his chest. He'd intended the kiss to be brief, but now he'd started there was no stopping.

Find out more at sarahmorgan.com.