Today’s Mouthwatering Moment is by my fab critique partner, Alli Sinclair, and is taken from her manuscript, Luna Tango.

In Luna Tango, journalist Gabby McNally is trying to woo tango dancer Carlos Escudero, for a story. The problem is, the wooing tables appear to have turned.

“Stand up straight!” he said, and she realised she had, in fact, angled her body slightly forward and her nose was dangerously close to the part of his neck where the cologne was.

Pulling back, she tried to hide the shock from being wrenched out of her momentary lapse of reason.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

His body shook with laughter. “It is okay.”

She hoped he hadn’t cottoned on to what she’d been doing, but his reaction told her he had. How embarrassing.

“This emotion…”

She looked up to find his dark eyes watching her. Her body temperature soared, quickly reaching sauna level.

“Yes?” she asked, not sure whether he was referring to the dance or the girly crush she’d developed. Man, now she was just like every other woman in Argentina.

“This emotion is the most important part of the dance. Without it, there is no point–much like everything in life that is worth the while. Ready?”

Before she had a chance to say a word, Carlos dipped her backwards and curls spilled across her face. Blowing them away with a large puff, she looked up at him, their faces inches apart. He held her there for what felt like an eternity, his strong arms wrapped firmly around her torso, their gaze not breaking, electricity zapping between them. Eventually, he guided her to the standing position and let go. Gabby smoothed down her dress, looking everywhere but directly at Carlos.

“Now, you dance with Gualberto,” he said and sat down.

~*~

~ Alli Sinclair writes romantic suspense set in South America that fuses the contemporary with historical. You can find Alli blogging about her passion for storytelling, culture, and travel at noveladventurers.blogspot.com.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world sampling food from various cultures. It’s difficult to pin my favourite food down to one, so instead I’ll let you sample my Fantasy Dinner…”

Entree: Fresh Turkish bread with a plate of olives, cheese, and dips direct from my favourite Turkish restaurant
Main: Arroz con mariscos (seafood and rice) from Mancora, on the north coast of Peru
Dessert: Dulce de leche ice cream from my friend’s ice cream shop in Mendoza, Argentina
Accompanied by: Antonio Banderas serving Argentine and Chilean wine–any kind will do!