Sunday Snippet: Once in a Lifetime

July 28, 2013

Greetings!

It's been a great writing week…for organizational stuff. LOL I've spent almost every day working on taglines, plotting story ideas, adding to characterization charts, and fixing small details in several thisclosetobeing finished manuscripts.

I feel so productive!!

Tonight's post is from the short story, Once in a Lifetime. I have a thing for writing characters who just can't fight the pull of their attraction, even if they've done stupid things. J

Here's the tagline:

Evan McCoy overhears Sasha Knepf shout his name when she's in the throes of passion with another man. He confronts her the next day in the hotel suite and demands an explanation, which she's not inclined to provide since he ditched her after their second dance at the ball.

And the snippety peek…

Sasha blinked. "Why the flaming hell would you want to hook up with me after I slept with the deputy commissioner?"

Evan shrugged, considering the question fair. "Oh, I don't know, Sasha. My name sounded pretty damn good coming from you." He pinned her with his gaze. "Like it burst from somewhere deep in your soul."

Something fleeting crossed her features, a moment of truth she didn't want him to see.

She quickly covered by rolling her eyes. "I think you're just pissed because the DC got one up on you"

He snorted. "I don't like the guy, true. But maybe if you'd stuck around when I got called away by the commissioner, the night would have turned out differently."

Sasha glanced away. "You sure about that, Evan?"

Instead of answering he countered with a question. "Why'd you wear the dress, Sasha?" She hated anything resembling formalwear.

Sasha met his gaze again. "You called my hygiene into question. I had to prove you wrong."

He inclined his head. "Ah…so it wasn't about yanking my chain?"

She didn't answer. Really didn't have to, because tweaking him definitely came into play.

She quirked a brow. "It's a dress, Evan. Not a big deal."

He shook his head. "No, no. You're wrong, Sasha." He moved in closer, leaving less than a foot between them. "What did you say? Oh…yeah. Once in a lifetime opportunity." He took another step forward, "Well, that sounded like a promise to me." Another move closer. "And you didn't deliver."

Sasha held her ground. "Careful, Evan. You're gonna bite off more than you can chew."

He grinned. "My teeth are just fine, Detective. I think you're the one who can't handle it."

She rose to the challenge. "Try me."

She didn't have to ask twice.

Evan leaned in, his mouth inches from hers. "I think I will." His lips crashed against hers, his tongue slipping past her teeth to explore at leisure.

Sasha moaned low in her throat and dragged him against her, her hands grasping his biceps, nails digging in.

So much fun writing these characters and their conflict resolution. :D

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Mixed Signals

Howdy!

Whew. Whirlwind weekend in Columbus, Ohio. My husband's region won their company's highest honor and we got a lovely dinner with fun entertainment and a night in a downtown hotel. Caught up with some old friends and finally, finally got to see my brother's house just south of the Brewery District. He's only lived there ten years and it's my first visit. LOL

Tonight's post is from a brand new (heh, as in just started) novella. Mixed Signals had one scene that sort of ate my brain until I put it down on paper. It's still very much taking shape, but I'm enjoying the discovery of the character interaction.

Here's the tagline:

Avery and Trigg, both undercover cops, used to have a relationship, but their work made it hard to stay connected. When mixed signals results in Avery shooting Trigg in a friendly fire incident, she wants to set the record straight and maybe test the waters to pick up where they left off.

And a snippety peek…

Avery popped her head inside Trigg's room. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Is Dinah here?"

Trigg waved her in. "Nope." His gaze lowered. "I'm not with Dinah anymore. She can't handle the line of fire thing.

Avery made her way to his beside and propped her hip on the mattress. "You mean friendly fire, don't you?" Dinah probably wanted her head on a platter.

He glanced up. "Look, you got sucked into a bad situation. You had to take action."

She lifted a shoulder. She couldn't disagree, but didn't trust herself to talk about it yet.

He grasped her hand. "Avery, it's not like you meant to shoot me. I got caught in the crossfire." He squeezed. "Hell, I practically stepped in front of the bullet when I tried to help."

Her lips twitched. He truly had kinda mucked up her operation.

She met his gaze. "We both work on instinct, reflex, and gut reaction and we still fuck things up sometimes."

He nodded. "Yeah, so cut yourself some slack and quit letting it tear you up."

She smiled. "Right. I'll do my best." She waited a beat the dove into why she'd really come to see him. "So, you're relationship free and wounded. That's a double threat."
He let go of her hand. "Oh, no, Avery. You don’t wanna go there. Dinah and I had issues from the beginning, but you'd still be rebound girl and I don't wanna be that guy."

She laced their fingers together. "Why not? Technically, I can't be a rebound since we share a past." And he couldn't have been that attached to Dinah—Trigg admitted as much.

He sighed. "Avery, what do you want here? Is it because you shot me?" He shook his head. "If you're trying to assuage your guilt by screwing me wild, don't. Because I'm just pissed off enough to take whatever you're offering and walk away."

She snorted. "Trigg, you're an ass sometimes, and you've got every right to be pissed. But don't give me that line of bull. If we do hook up, I want more than wild sex, and something tells me you'd never just walk away." She tilted her head sideways. "Would you?"

We'll see how things take shape. Right now, Trigg wouldn't walk away, but he just might not want Avery to be hip to that fact. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Merry and Bright

July 14, 2013

Greetings!

After what seems likes months of rain, we got an actual hot, steamy summer day. I'd almost forgotten what getting hit in the face with a blast of humidity felt like. LOL Relearned pretty quickly though. :D

Tonight's post helps me remember the cold, frigid weather of winter. It's from an upcoming submission for a special call with Silver Publishing (if I get the manuscript completed on time. LOL). Merry and Bright will feature three people who decide spending the holidays together is way better than going it solo…especially when they end up getting festive in bed. :D

Here's the tagline:

Presley Griffith can't go home for the holidays and instead of being alone, she ends up in bed with Frazier Boyle and Gunnar Stewart. The cop and the firefighter heat things up and cool them down and Presley can't think of a better way to be merry and bright.

And a snippety peek…

Presley awoke slowly, by degrees, her senses registering one by one. The first…hearing rhythmic sounds of breathing—not hers—surrounding her on both sides. Next came smell, the subtle aroma of male, female, and sex hovered in the air, a perfect blend of three into one. Smiling, her tongue darted out, wetting her lips and the taste of Frazier with a side of Gunnar had her shifting, stretching, and sighing with remembered pleasure.

Still on the fringes of wakefulness, Presley discovered the delicious feeling of Frazier's fingers gliding over her clit, making her wet, had woken her. Gunnar worked her breasts, his big hands kneading both. A shudder rippled through her. Her eyes popped open when she realized last night hadn't been a dream. Her gaze met Frazier's and she blinked, grasping for something intelligent to say. Why didn't some kind of etiquette manual exist for how to greet the two men she'd had sex with the night before—at the same time?

Frazier picked up his pace and she fought the urge to buck up against his hand. Gunnar tweaked her nipples and she held back a gasp.

Huffing out a breath, she spoke to neither man in particular. "Um, good morning? Er, no, I mean Merry Christmas, right?" A groan escaped before she could prevent it.

How much more stupid could she sound?

Frazier's lips quirked, but his gaze remained steady. "You're not feeling awkward, are you?" His fingers swirled around her bundle of nerves and she bit back a moan. "Because we don't want you to feel anything but pure pleasure, right, Gunnar?"

Gunnar tugged lightly on the taut nubs between his fingers. "Exactly, right, Fraz." His hands palmed her breasts, his fingers massaging the flesh. "Are you feeling merry and bright, Presley?"

She shuddered again. "God, yes."

Leaning forward, she caught Frazier's lips in a heated kiss the exact moment he pushed two fingers inside her wet sheath. Her hands smoothed down his chest and over his taut abdomen, going lower to find his swollen erection waiting for her grasp.

Grabbing hold, she tugged gently, marveling anew over how perfectly he'd fit inside her. Breaking the kiss, she angled her head around to meet Gunnar's lips in a passionate embrace, sliding her tongue inside his mouth to explore at leisure. His hard length rested between the cheeks of her ass and she pushed back, drawing a moan from him.

"Watching you two kiss is hot as hell." Frazier's lips found her throat and sucked lightly at the skin.

If possible, he grew harder in her hand and Presley wanted nothing more than to have him buried deep inside her again. Couldn't wait to have both wrapped around her and bringing her untold bliss in the process.

Easing back from the kiss, she demanded. "More. I want more."

The guys jockeyed their positions, Gunner moving his cock down and lifting her leg to drape it over his hip. Frazier got up on his knees and moved up, putting his hard, fat length close to her face. Presley licked her lips and opened wide, sliding her mouth over the large head and taking as much of him as could. Swirling her tongue around the velvety shaft, she slowly pulled back and eased forward until she got a good rhythm going.

Frazier's fingers threaded through her hair, keeping it out of her face. Gunnar slid his fingers along her folds then coated his long cock with her juices. He teased at her entrance, pushing only the head inside before pulling out, again and again, until Presley whimpered around Frazier's dick.

"Give it to her, Gunnar. She's been a very good girl, don't you think." Frazier dropped a hand to play with a nipple.

Gunnar thrust hard, seating himself fully.

Presley pulled back, Frazier's heavy girth leaving her mouth with a loud pop. "Oh, God, that feels good." She wriggled her hips, grinding her ass into Gunnar's groin before resuming the task of sucking Frazier.

Lots of good cheer going around in Presley's apartment. And still plenty of awkward to deal with afterwards. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Just Dessert

Hi!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth and enjoyed lots of pretty fireworks and great food. I'm lucky and get to watch another extravaganza next weekend. :D

Tonight's post is from Just Dessert, another short in the Black Unicorn Press 'verse. Brian and Lucy get to remember how they got together. Fun times!!

Here's the tagline:

On Brian and Lucy's anniversary, they receive a gift from his gran that has the couple reliving their first night together.

Here's a snippety peek…

Lucy Sanderson put her key in the slot, unlocked the door, and tried to push it open. "Well, hell." She gave the wood surface a shove with her hip and it finally swung inward, but only partially.

Just enough so Lucy could peer around and see what blocked the progress. "Brian!  Did you order something for delivery?" He knew better than to arrange for anything to be brought during convention season.

Struggling with her keys and luggage, she heaved a sigh. "Bri—"

"Right here, Luce. And no, didn't order anything." He set his overnight bag on the floor and angled sideways to fit through the door.

Moving a large box out of the way, he made room for Lucy to enter their apartment. She dropped her carry-on and rolled the suitcase to sit beside it.

"Well, what the hell? I didn't either. Wonder if Els went online shopping and gave the wrong address again." Her brother sometimes forgot when they'd be out of town for extended periods.

Brian turned the oversized container around and looked at the shipping label. "Nope." He glanced up. "It's from my gran." A wide grin split his face. "And it's for you and me."

Lucy chuckled. The last time Celia Wells sent something from the UK, it only had Lucy's name on it. Brian took offense until he saw the pretty tri-fold organizer the older woman sent so Lucy could stash all their carryout and delivery menus in something other than the haphazard heap she normally left on the counter in the kitchen. Since he'd been bugging her to clear the mess, he laughed out loud when he read his grandmother's pithy message attached with a sticky note. Simply, it read: This should help keep the peace.

"I wonder what she decided we need this time." Walking over to the desk, Lucy grabbed a pair of scissors and handed them over to Brian. "Open it. Let's see what Gran sent this time."

Brian snipped the tape and ran the pointed edge down the center of the box between the flaps. Flipping them up, he reached in and dragged out a huge picnic basket filled to the brim. A purple envelope stuck up toward the back and Brian grabbed it, handing it over to Lucy. She worked on getting it unsealed while he dug through the items in the huge hamper.

"Geez, Luce. She sent a veritable feast."

Several types of crackers, jams, and summer sausages, along with two flavors of wine quickly made their way to the area outside the basket. Brian dug around and found plates, utensils, and goblets and finally, taper candles with crystal holders.

He looked up, confusion knitting his brow. "What's this all about?"

Lucy waved the card back and forth. "Let's see, yeah?" She showed him the front, a quilted pattern in a bright riot of colors. "The outside says, 'For You', and the inside…" She opened and read the feathery scrawl out loud. "'Here's to my absolute favourite couple, celebrating their anniversary. Enjoy an evening in, on me. Love, Gran.'" Lucy paused. "Shit. It has been two years since we got together." She shot Brian a look. "Did you remember?"

He shrugged. "We've been a little busy." His lips quirked. "That's what I have a gran for."

Lucy snorted and scanned the rest of the card then laughed. "There's more. She added a post script. 'I would've sent a cake, but I figured Lucy would have dessert covered."

Brian's mouth dropped open. "Luce, you didn't tell her how we got together, did you?" His cheeks flushed red.

Lucy barked out a laugh. "Brian, have you met your gran? The woman has a wicked sense of humor." She walked over and plopped down beside Brian on the floor. "And have you ever tried to not tell her something when she really wants to know?"

Brian eased back and braced his shoulders against the wall. "Oh yeah. I've tried and failed." He chuckled then tugged Lucy up onto his lap. "So, two years, Luce. I can honestly say I've never, ever had a better dessert than the one we shared our first night together." His lips nuzzled her ear.

Lucy angled around. "Yeah, me too, Brian." She leaned in and captured his mouth for a quick kiss. "Even if it was five o'clock in the morning."

Brian snickered. "Best time for dessert, ever."

Lucy couldn't disagree. It proved to be the perfect time, after spending the entire night talking at the office, to ask Brian over for a sweet treat. Her decision to become the tasty delight never seemed to bother him—he'd been with her ever since…

I love writing these brief little peeks into Brian and Lucy's world. The duo is sooooo much fun!

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin