Tain Hu cocked her head, eyes narrowed, and opened her lips as if to speak; but she said nothing, and left Baru suddenly conscious of those unpainted lips, those fierce dark eyes, the slow surge of her breath. Seth Dickinson, The Traitor

“What are you waiting for?” She grins. “Kiss me.” And I do—for a very, very long time. Kristen Zimmer, The Gravity Between Us

She showed me there's strength in tenderness, that compassion exists in even the worst of circumstances. Andrea Contos, Throwaway Girls

Home, they thought, in wonder, amazement, doubt, delight. Home. Carolina de Robertis, Cantoras

“And where is 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 wife, Flower?” “I don’t have a wife,” said Rosa. “Liar,” Hou Yi said amiably, and held out the pipe. S. L. Huang, Burning Roses

Nirrim, you say I love a storm only because you have never set foot on a ship. You have never seen the sea as more than a twinkling blue expanse meeting the horizon. You think me braver than I am. Marie Rutkoski, The Hollow Heart

Joey had this big, excellent body, she was really very cute, and I was so happy she felt like kissing me. Ha, I thought with her tongue rolling in my mouth. It was pretty perfect. Michelle Tea, Valencia

Take your feelings and hold them with softness, but also with power. And whenever you feel afraid, know you can ask your fear about itself. Junauda Petrus, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

Wren still dreamed of her every night. And she still woke each morning feeling as though she’d lost a limb. More than a limb; half of her heart. Half of her 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. Natasha Ngan, Girls of Fate and Fury

“Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in ages.” “Me too,” I said. I wasn’t lying. Then, because I’m only human, I pushed her into the shadow of the doorway, out of sight of peepers and policemen, and kissed her. Stephen Spotswood, Fortune Favors the Dead

You think the desire in your heart is buried, but I couldn't ignore it if I tried! Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly, Joyride

She holds Laura’s hand so tightly. She pulls Laura down to the bed. Then she leans in and kisses Laura on the cheek. Tara Isabella Burton, The World Cannot Give

Lina spoke in a very low voice and was difficult to explain in words. While the rest of Rome lay silent and hollow in its sleep, Sibilla was writing to Lina, You are a violent, luminous wave. Selby Wynn Schwartz, After Sappho

I can still taste your cunt, she says, softly, and Emma feels the hot rush of something go through her once more: this is a point from which you will not be able to go back. Lucy Caldwell, These Days

I couldn’t believe my luck, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime thing—you grab this, Eve Berry, you take it now or you may never have the chance again to experience something so perfect. And so I said yes. Rachel Elliott, Flamingo

“The more you talk, the less inclined I am to kiss you. Ever.” “Yet you haven’t kicked me out of your car.” Hildred Billings, August Heat

I opened my eyes and saw that hers were open too. I reached up and closed them with my thumbs, then caressed the side of her face, stuck my fingers in her thick knotty hair. Randa Jarrar, A Map of Home

But I’m having trouble concentrating on anything but the way my skin feels where Melody touched it, so warm and sweet that it’s almost an ache. Brooke Lauren Davis, The Hollow Inside

“I keep telling myself that we’re not—not like we used to be,” she said quietly. Win’s chest pinched suddenly. “But then you’ll say something that makes me want to laugh, and it’s like nothing has changed between us, even after all this time.” Lily Maxton, A Lady’s Desire

Bellatine closed her eyes. She felt the stone girl slide behind her, felt Winnie’s lips graze the back of her neck. A small sigh escaped her. And for a moment, a single, suspended moment, she forgot to hold herself together. GennaRose Nethercott, Thistlefoot