Under the Misletoe with Shae Ross – Entangled In Romance

Happy Holidays! My name is Shae Ross and I write New Adult and Historical Romance. My debut novel, “Pretty Smart Girls – Lace Up” releases January 26th, 2015 and I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Entangled family.

Favorite Holiday Song: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Favorite Holiday Food: Leftovers from the holiday meal–turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole…

What’s your favorite thing about the winter holiday season?

I love decorating for the holidays, entertaining and the extra time I get to spend with my family and friends. We spend the week before Christmas in Michigan with my husband’s family and the week after Christmas in Florida with my family. Heaven!

What’s your least favorite thing about the winter holiday season?

Taking down the Christmas decorations! Ugh. Who has time for that?!

About “Pretty Smart Girls – Lace Up”

Hero’s Name: Jett Trebuchet

Heroine’s Name: Ryan Rose

What would the perfect gift your hero would give your heroine and why?

Symbolic of her last name, Rose, Jett would get Ryan a gold necklace with a small rose charm. The charm would be set with diamonds that surround a purple amethyst stone. Ryan’s father died of pancreatic cancer when she was young and the color that signifies support of pancreatic cancer is purple. She would love this gift.

What would the perfect gift your heroine would give your hero and why?

The perfect gift for Jett would be a set of platinum cufflinks in the shape of a jet airplane. Ryan would pin the cuffs through a set of tickets to the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game. Jett has recently graduated from Michigan and Ryan has recently graduated from Michigan State. The rivalry between their universities is legendary. Tailgating with their friends and attending the game would start a new tradition for them–I’m sure there’d be some creative wager placed on the winning team as well.

Where would your hero or heroine secretly hang some mistletoe to catch an extra special holiday kiss and why?

After college graduation my hero and heroine are living in New York in separate apartments, across the hall from each other. Ryan lives with her best friend, Devi and Jett’s roommate is also his best buddy, Ben. Jett, with the help of Ben, would hang the mistletoe in the hallway outside of their apartment. They would yank open the door anytime they heard the girls coming or going and hope to catch them for a holiday kiss.

Share an excerpt of your favorite kissing scene between these two characters.

I see a tall shadowy object on the side of the room. I walk toward it, listening to the soft plodding of Jett’s steps on the carpet behind me. I tilt my head. It’s a two-story replica of the Empire State Building made entirely of white roses. Beside it is a curtained photo booth covered in an arch of red roses.
“Look!” I say, pointing.
“Oh, well, we gotta have a picture,” Jett says. We slideout of our jackets and drop them on the floor. I step in and he follows. The small space presses us close together. He holds a hand to my hip while the other reaches over my shoulder and presses the control panel. We watch as it lights up and glowing blue letters scroll across the black screen: “One Moment Please.”
“Wait for it…wait for it,” Jett purrs over my ear. I lean an inch back, feeling the warmth of his chest against my back. A menu appears, prompting us to choose our picture theme.
He reads the choices. “Best Friends…not what I’m going for.” His finger moves to the next selection. “Perfect Angels…well, me maybe,” he says in a teasing voice, “but we know that doesn’t apply to you.” He ignores my hip bump against his thigh and moves on. The remaining three choices are, “Flirt,” “Wanted,” or “True Love.” I lean my head back on his chest and look up at him, raising a “now whadda ya gonna do” look.
“Well, you have been flirting with me all night,” he says, “and I know you want me.”
My mouth drops open, and I turn to him with an indignant look, trying to keep a straight face. “Me?” I say. “You’re the one…”
“All right, all right, have it your way, true love.” He swipes the bar and sits on the bench. His fingers close around my waist and he pulls me back. I land half sitting on his lap and drop a stabilizing arm over his shoulder. A honey smooth voice pipes over us. “Now you are ready to sit for three poses. First pose in five, four, three…” On “one” he brings a hand to the side of my face and pulls me in, kissing my cheek. I widen my eyes and form an O with my mouth, miming an expression of delighted shock.
The white light bursts around us and the speaker’s voice cuts through our laughter. “Second pose in five, four, three…“
“My turn, my turn,” I say. I wrap my hands around his head and plaster my lips against his cheek. He raises a suggestive eyebrow, smiling straight on at the camera. Light fills the space, and I blink to clear the white spots from my vision.
“All right now, big finish,” he says as the speaker starts. “Last pose in five, four…”
I turn in his lap and look at him. “What are we gonna
do?” I say in an urgent breath.
A wicked smile curls over his mouth and his eyes darken. “I’m going to kiss you now, Rose.” His voice is low and he’s said it as if he has no doubt it’s going to happen. I swallow, and my mind flashes through my list of excuses, dismissing each one in exchange for the lure of the perfectly shaped mouth descending toward mine. I brace my fingers against the wall as he reaches a hand to the side of my face and pulls me in. Our lips connect, and I see the bright light pulsing over us from behind closed lids.
His tongue flicks over my bottom lip, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He moans and deepens the kiss, moving his hands around my back. Sensations rush through me. Even though I’m sitting perfectly still, my head feels like it’s on a merry-go-round.
I pull away, rest my forehead on the bridge of his nose, and gasp in a breath, trying to slow the carnival ride. I reach back for his hands, gripping my fingers around his big wrists. He lets me pull his long arms up. I lead one hand to the side wall and plaster his fingers flat, doing the same with the other.
“No hands,” I say, smiling and still a little breathless.
He raises a quick seductive eyebrow and angles his chin down into a deep nod as I move back toward him.