Sunday Snippet: Under the Impression

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And if you don't recognize a particular season, I hope you had a great week.

Happened to catch a teaser for Banshee, returning January 9. Gotta say, I can't wait. Also watched Pacific Rim about five more times. I love that movie. LOL

Other than waiting for a few more shows to return, I've been spending my holiday with The Doctor. I gripe about BBC America only showing Top Gear and Gordon Ramsey cooking shows all the time (seriously, it annoys the bejesus out of me), but I do love it when they marathon a favorite show.

Anyway, tonight's post is from Under the Impression, a sexy short where my main characters take a chance and act on their attraction, but have one big hurdle to overcome.

Here's the tagline:

Gris Ravenswood, owner of the hot night spot, Impressions, has it bad for his lead bartender, Kari Dans, but she's in a relationship with a semi-pro golfer. When Kari imbibes too much at an after party and puts the moves on Gris, he thinks he's finally got a chance… until Kari receives a text and runs off to be with the guy who always leaves her behind.

And a snippety peek…

Kari held up a bottle of vodka. "Hey, boss. Come sit with us. Share a round." She poured a shot and slid it to the end of the bar.

Gris narrowed his eyes. "Are you inviting the owner to your after party?" He parked his butt on a bar stool and downed the clear liquid. "Whoa… and you're using the top shelf stuff."

Kari grinned. "Nothing but the best for your hard-working staff." She lined up the glasses and poured, emptying the bottle without spilling a drop. "Drink up, guys."

Gris waited until everyone had their respective shots in hand. "How 'bout a toast?" He lifted his vodka, holding it out. "To the best staff… who just had the highest quarterly profit in our two years of operation."

A round of cheers went up and Gris rose, clinking his glass with each employee.

When he got to Kari, he touched his glass to hers. "You're a big part of the upswing. Thank you."

Her lips curved. "You're welcome. But if you hadn't let me set up the way I wanted, I couldn't have worked my magic." She leaned over the bar and pulled out another bottle. "Think this is gonna be one hell of a party, Gris. Are you sticking around?"

He took the alcohol from her hands. "I am. And I'm playing bartender. Sit your ass down and let me take over."

She shot him a sideways glance. "Gonna be hands on now? Can't wait to see you in action."

Kari is under the impression Gris is married to the bar, but learns differently in a big way.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Unacceptable Behavior

Whew. It's been a whirlwind week, getting ready for the upcoming holiday. I think I have almost every task completed off my check list. Still doing some baking and I always wait until the last moment to wrap presents. LOL Actually, if all goes well, that will be finished up over the next three days. J

Looking forward to some TV marathons over the next week or two, with a Xmas Eve X-Files event and Five Days of the Doctor, too. I kind of wish more of my favorite shows created specific holiday shows to air on Christmas Day. That's a trend I could definitely get behind.

Just got the word that Bitten returns in February. I cannot wait!! Banshee starts in a few weeks, so that should keep me going during the brief lag time.

Tonight's post is from, Unacceptable Behavior, a novella where my main characters have a reunion of sorts.

Here's the tagline:

Blain Donahue wants to buy into a fight club and decides to invest when he meets the main attraction Roxane Kewes. He's known her a long time—since high school where she constantly got in trouble—and thinks it's great she's found an outlet for her unacceptable behavior.

And a snippety peek…

Blain entered the office and shook Andy's hand. "Andy. Glad you could meet with me."

Andy nodded toward the seat across from the desk. "Happy to do so. We're always looking for new investors."

Blain settled down into the chair and got straight to the point. "Heard you'd decided to move into other venues and I'm looking for a controlling interest." He lifted a shoulder. "Figured I'd see if the rumors are true."

Andy frowned. "It's true I'm branching out, but I'm very emotionally invested in Fight Night. I started it from the ground up and it's given me a base to launch from. I won't just hand over full control to anyone." He started to say more, but a series of three rapid knocks interrupted him.

The door cracked open. "Sorry to barge in, boss, but I need a signature. Now." A pair of female legs appeared, quickly followed by the rest of the woman, carrying a clipboard. "As in this won't wait for your smoozefest if you want me to keep running the arena for you."

Blain's mouth dropped open and he rose from his seat. "Roxane?" He glanced in Andy's direction. "You've got Roxane Kewes culling the talent?" Blain definitely wanted in now and should kick himself for not checking the employee roster before arranging the meeting with Andy.

Roxane angled her head around. "I don't just cull—Blain? Blain Donahue?" She shoved the clipboard in front of Andy and planted her hands on her hips. "Damn, how've you been?" She reached out and grasped Blain's hand, shaking it then tugging him into a firm hug. "Haven't seen you since graduation."

Blain nodded. "Yeah, five years ago. It's good to see you finally found an outlet for your unacceptable behavior." He chuckled and faced Andy. "You have nothing to worry about, Andy. Knowing you've got Roxane on your team only seals the deal for me. I'll take very good care of Fight Night."

Honestly? Had no idea where this one would end up going when I got a prompt from a friend, but I'm very excited with how it's coming together. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin 

A Toasty Holiday Treat—Merry and Bright

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I'm giving away a copy of my holiday story, too! See below for details.

~*~

Grab something warm to drink and cozy up!

Welcome to the Winter Warm Up Blog Hop, an excellent sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work.

Readers: Please enjoy the steamy snippets and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Bloggers: Please check out the excellent previews and spread the word.

~*~

Holiday Traditions. No matter what holiday is celebrated—Yule, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or just gathering with family, there's something great about having familiar traditions.

When I was growing up, we always opened one gift on Christmas Eve. My two brothers and I got very excited when Mom called us in and handed the pretty packages to us. Usually, we received new pajamas, sometimes socks, or maybe a winter coat. Regardless of what we revealed, she made sure the items were similar. I kind of loved that about her.

Now that I have three kidlets of my own, we've established a couple of our own traditions. From the time my oldest, now twenty-one, could eat solid foods, we've made cinnamon rolls for breakfast after opening all the gifts under the tree. It's still going strong, with the exception of the year our local store didn't have cinnamon rolls stocked when we were shopping and we substituted the orange flavored ones instead. My daughter still reminds me it's unacceptable to have orange-iced rolls for Christmas morning. Our back-up plan is now to make cinnamon toast instead. LOL

My favorite family tradition started about ten years ago. I got the wild hair idea to have a themed holiday tree. I had my oldest kiddo pick the theme and we came up with ideas for how to make ornaments and use things around the house to decorate. To date we've had Under the Sea, Buried Treasure, Nature's Bounty, Candy Land, Snowflakes and Cupcakes, Techno Tree, Imaginext, and Noah's Ark. I know I'm missing one in there somewhere, but that's the general idea. This year, we're going with a Seahawks tree, using green, blue and white ornaments, in honor of my middle kidlet's favorite team.

After getting the tree decorated, my favorite 'me' tradition is to turn on some seasonal music, get a glass of wine or cup of tea, and decompress by reading a holiday romance. It's a nice little respite from the crazy schedules, piles of presents, and butt-loads of wrapping paper waiting in the wings.

~*~

There is a reason for talking about traditions. When writing as Skylin O'Thomas, I tend to focus on contemporary romance, sometimes filled with little relationship moments, but also some adventure. Weaving in tension with suspense or adding humor to a steamy situation is so much fun. Giving a couple their happily ever after can't be beat. And using the desire to establish new traditions makes getting to the HEA a whole lot more interesting.

My holiday release from Resplendence Publishing, Merry and Bright, features two best friends who each have a serious desire to be the man in Presley Griffith's life. But Presley doesn't want to get between the two guys and potentially bust up their friendship.

Gunnar and Frazier don't let their friendly rivalry get in the way of helping Presley establish holiday traditions, after she mentions how hard it is to make new ones after the death of her parents. The duo comes up with a plan to keep her smiling through the holiday season.

I had so much fun writing the book and I'm giving a digital copy away for this blog hop. Please leave a comment for your entry and tell me your favorite holiday tradition, if you have one. (Maybe it involves books!)

~*~

Book Tagline: For Presley, waking up between Gunnar and Frazier is one way to be merry and bright.

~*~

Frazier pondered Presley's retreating back. Gunnar sank down again, a quirky grin on his lips. Frazier jabbed him in the shoulder.

Gunnar laughed and rubbed the spot. "Dammit. What'd you do that for?"

Frazier arched a brow. "You're cheating. Stop it."

Gunnar snorted. "And you weren't with that foot rub? We agreed to hands off, remember?"

Frazier lifted a shoulder. "Couldn't help it. She looked so damned tired and worn out when she walked in." Her hair had come loose from her ponytail, and Frazier had a thing for how it framed Presley's face.

Gunnar kicked back in the chair. "Yeah, yeah. It's not like she really noticed…" He sighed.

Gunnar called it. The massage only distracted her for a few minutes.

Frazier nodded. "Yeah, her mind's on not having her parents anymore. And trying to establish her own traditions." He grabbed the file and stood. "We should do something to help out with that, Gunn."

Gunnar abruptly settled the front legs of his chair back on the floor and rose. "Yeah, and I've got a great idea." He followed Fraz out of the lounge and walked toward the side exit the emergency personnel used.

Frazier didn't know if he liked the conspiring tone Gunnar used.

He angled his head around, narrowing his eyes. "What do you have in mind?" It’d better involve him, or he might have to make sure Gunnar took a nice tumble on the ice bordering the deserted parking area.

Available at Resplendence Publishing | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, 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.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Get cozy and relax! Visit the other participating authors.

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Smokin' Hot—First Encounter: Busted in Bubbles

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

For this week's entry, we were asked to post our hero and heroine's first encounter?

FUN!!!

I love writing that first meeting, or sometimes, the first time characters see each other after a long time or maybe even a break-up, because they just can't stay apart. Or sometimes, it's when they've been interested and are just now acting on their attraction.

Emsley Bourne and Rayne McKinnon have one of those attractions. I'd like to share a scene from Busted in Bubbles, a sexy short, where Emsley and Rayne  share their first encounter after three or so years of dancing around each other.

Book Tagline: Is there anything better than a bath time romp with a hot man? Emsley Bourne wants to find out.

So… without further ado…

Emsley glanced in each direction before she used the master keycard to let herself into Rayne's cabin. If she'd figured the timing right, it shouldn't take longer than five minutes to short sheet his bed and another six to get the card back to the concierge desk. Poor Ron had no clue she'd borrowed his all access entry key to pull a prank. Hell, he didn't have any idea she'd lifted the damned thing at all.

With a smug smile, she crossed the living area and started up the spiral staircase to the loft. About five steps up, she froze, carefully listening and hearing water sloshing in the bathroom. Shit. Rayne must've skipped the fancy-pants dinner. Okay, could she still pull off her traditional short sheeting of his bed and still leave him none the wiser?

She pondered, considering her skill level against the chance he might discover her presence. Should she risk it?

Yeah. She loved a good challenge.

She started up the next step and stopped again. Wait… bath? What the hell? Curiosity ate its way through her intention of getting in and out. Rayne couldn't possibly be soaking in a tub. Hell. Yeah, he could… and he might have company. The thought bothered her… even if it shouldn't. She might find the combination of looks and brains a heady mixture, but it didn't give her any claim to his affections.

She hesitated. Indecision warred in her brain. She had zero desire to become a voyeur if Rayne had brought someone along for this trip and they'd decided to get kinky in the tub. She weighed her options. The possibility of finding him with some woman wrapped around him would be like a kick in the teeth, but… 

Screw it. She made her way back down the steps, tip-toeing to the bathroom door.

She had to know if the do-it-all security expert liked to soak in a tub. Peeking around the corner, she bit her cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Sure as shit, Rayne McKinnon sat up to his shoulders in frothy bubbles. An open bottle of bubbly, nestled in a bucket of ice, sat beside the tub, a glass filled with the golden liquid held in one of Rayne's hands, dangling outside. His head rested on the rolled edge of the tub, eyes closed, his fingers lazily tilting the glass back and forth.

The humor died and Emsley's face heated up. God, he looked damned good, bubbles or not. A wave of jealousy hit her… he appeared so content. The relaxed pose, the hot water, the alcohol… geez, she could go for all three. Okay, four. She could go for Rayne right now, too.

Rayne opened his eyes and shook his head. "Come to short sheet the bed again, Ems?"

She blinked and sputtered, but didn't deny the accusation. "How did you know?"

Rayne drained his glass and poured another flute. "You're the only person I know brazen enough to swipe a keycard at a security conference and not worry about getting caught." His lips quirked knowingly. "That juvenile record of yours must come in handy sometimes."

Emsley almost missed the backhanded insult. Her eyes had been riveted to the sculpted muscle playing under his skin when he poured the drink.

She nodded absently. "Yeah, it does." His words registered. "Wait. What? My juvie records are sealed. You shouldn't know about them."

Rayne's lips curved in a slow smile. "It pays to have extraordinary hacking skills."

~*~

Available on Amazon

~*~

Brand Blurb: Sexy Shorts—Kick back and unwind with a satisfying read even when time is limited.

Book Blurb: Rayne McKinnon sells a lucrative security-consulting job and it's time to move on to his next objective: adding a partner. He wants Emsley Bourne, personally and professionally, and puts a plan in motion to achieve his goal. She only has to follow through with her usual tradition.

Emsley lives for the next thrill, in business and life. She's got a unique skill set and uses it to gain access to Rayne's cabin to follow through on her standard short-sheeting escapade. Imagine her surprise when she discovers Rayne soaking in a tub full of bubbles. Busted, she can either flee the scene—or join Rayne for some bath time fun.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to drop by my website

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday posts!

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Merry and Bright #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Since the holiday season is gearing up, I'm sharing a series of excerpts from Merry and Bright, available now from Resplendence Publishing. Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few pivotal scenes between Presley, Gunnar, and Frazier.

This week, we meet Gunnar.

Book Tagline: Presley wants to start some new holiday traditions, but waking up in bed with Gunnar and Frazier isn't what she had in mind. Yet… she can't think of a better way to be merry and bright.

~*~

Gunnar braved the cold and semi-last minute shoppers to hit the mall. If he and Fraz wanted to give Presley a great holiday, they'd need some presents. The fact Fraz called him at seven am with the same idea only confirmed how great minds thought alike. Or maybe it just proved Gunnar's best friend wanted to impress the hell out of Presley and give her some new traditions to enjoy, too.

Gunnar would much rather point and click when shopping, preferably in his nice, warm living room with a sporting event or movie playing in the background. Instead he got to the cheery music and frantic parents searching for the elusive must have gift of the season. At least Gunnar had a list of six gifts and a handy app on his phone to check the purchases off. Frazier had another half dozen items—he'd figured Presley would love a loose interpretation of a twelve days of Christmas theme. Gunnar agreed. He had a thing for the holiday song, one of his favorites along with the many humorous variations.

A crowd of people entered from outside the main entrance and Gunnar paused by a lingerie shop to avoid getting stuck in the middle of the throng. He tilted his head, admiring a shimmery, gold satin corset and thong set. The mannequin had a silver bow loosely tied around its neck and it didn't take much imagination to visualize Presley decked out the racy outfit. He got caught up in the fantasy of unwrapping her like a gift under the tree.

A perky salesperson darted out of the store. "May I help you find something special?"

Gunnar shook his head. "No, not this year." He started down the corridor again, but glanced back and gave the woman a wink. "But maybe next."

Available from Resplendence | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, 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.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: A Kiss is Just a Kiss

Okay. The end of a seven year ride with the final episode of Sons of Anarchy left me satisfied and kind of weepy. But honestly? The last shot of the series ended up being pretty much perfect, in my opinion. Still digesting everything, but all in all, things played out exactly how I expected, but in a way that made me wish I had Kurt Sutter's talent. Sons of Anarchy will rank right up there with Battlestar Galactica as one of my favorite shows of all time.

The Flash and Arrow also didn't let me down. On one hand, I wish I didn't have to wait until January for new episodes, but on the other, with the busy holiday season, a nice little rest won't kill me. I hope. LOL

Tonight's post is from A Kiss is Just a Kiss, a sexy short where my main characters' long history come into play.

Here's the tagline:

A kiss is just a kiss… except when it’s not. Betsy Roarke shares a brief lip-lock with Wash Mulligan and can't stop thinking about it. He's got her all twisted up and turned sideways and she aims to make him feel the same.

And a snippety peek…

Betsy crossed her arm over her chest. "You know what? I think you're still a long way from earning poster boy status again." She held up one finger. "You ditch the old man." Lifted a second and a third. "You collude with Rosen. Hook up with Zane." Her hand shot out in a wide swath. "And… you cut out early from the mandatory festivities." She snorted. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were sneaking out for a booty call." She tilted her head sideways. "Maybe I don't know better. You did plant a big one on me." She smirked. "You never explained that one, Wash." Not like he ever would either.

Wash hissed out a breath and lifted a brow. "Do you really wanna go there, Betsy?" He took a step forward, but stopped, planting his feet hip-width apart.

His question sent a chill down Betsy's spine. Then a burst of warmth bloomed at the base and traveled upward to her face. His voice held a warning, but also a bit of a dare. Like he wanted to see if she'd be up for the challenge.

Oh, most definitely. "Oh yeah, I think I absolutely wanna go there." She arched a brow, accepting his challenge.

Wash's eyes widened and he opened his mouth and closed it again. Speechless Wash proved to be so much fun.

Her lips curved in a smile. "What's the matter, Wash? You said I could talk to you about anything. Backing out now?"

Wash narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared. Oops. Maybe she'd pushed a little too far. Might be a good time to make an exit.

Betsy turned around and headed for the door. "No problem. Good to know what's off limits." A little disappointed, her shoulders slumped forward.

She didn't make it to the door. Wash reached forward and grabbed her hips, yanking her flush against him. His head dipped and the warm breath on her neck raised goose bumps on her skin. She barely held back a delicious shudder.

"You wanna talk about the kiss? Fine. Let's talk." His lips slid along her throat and up to her ear. "What's on your mind, Betsy?"

How fast they could get naked topped the list. Followed by who needed to get nude? Wash's erection pressed against her ass and she considered herself more than wet and ready. Before she could make a move to get them semi-clothed, Wash spun her around and pushed her up against the wall.

He raised a brow. "Where do you want to start?" He inched closer, the hard ridge of his cock outlined under the fatigues he wore.

Betsy couldn't speak, her head filled with naughty thoughts.

Wash leaned back a little. "Betsy?" He started to take a step away from her.

She fisted her hand in his shirt, tugging him close again. "Talking's overrated." She lifted her chin and barely made contact with his mouth before Wash jerked his head back.

He cupped her face. "Maybe, but you said you wanted to talk, so…" His thumb stroked over her cheek.

Betsy growled, frustrated. "I want your lips on mine. Now." She also wanted him naked as soon as possible.

Wash's lips curved. "Doesn't sound like we'll get much talking done." His head dipped lower, almost within reach. "Are you sure, Betsy? My lips on yours?" His mouth hovered over hers.

She let out a raspy sigh. "Hell, yes, I'm sure." She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, making sure he couldn't pull back this time.

His lips twitched. "Okay, then. I think this turned out to be one of our better talks."

His mouth crushed hers and, oh, sweet merciful Lord, far outdid the short lip-lock when he'd returned home. His tongue swept inside her mouth and slid along hers, tasting, teasing, taunting. Betsy moaned, low in her throat. God, the man could kiss. Why didn't she remember that?

The room spun and Betsy felt drunk. From a kiss. How would she feel if they took it up a notch?

She knew. Deep in her gut, she knew they'd explode.

I love writing unresolved feelings when they finally edge toward action. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Merry and Bright #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Since the holiday season is gearing up, I'm sharing a series of excerpts from Merry and Bright, available now from Resplendence Publishing. Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few pivotal scenes between Presley, Gunnar, and Frazier.

This week, we meet Frazier.

Book Tagline: Presley wants to start some new holiday traditions, but waking up in bed with Gunnar and Frazier isn't what she had in mind. Yet… she can't think of a better way to be merry and bright.

~*~

By the time he left, the snow had accumulated to several inches and the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Frazier shivered on the way to his car and loaded everything into the trunk and backseat. He got rid of the cart and slid behind the wheel, starting the engine quickly so the vehicle would warm up. Rubbing his hands together a few times, he reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone, and dialed Gunnar.

He answered on the second ring. "Dude, mission accomplished. You?"

Frazier chuckled. "Purchased, wrapped, and loaded. I'm heading out now." He checked the time on the dashboard clock. "Wanna meet at Barney's for a burger?"

Gunnar laughed. "Man, I'm already there. And you've got a double cheese with a side of waffle fries coming up in about ten minutes."

Frazier groaned. "Gunn, my man, I definitely owe you one." His stomach rumbled. "I'll be there ASAP. The damn roads are a bitch to navigate."

Gunnar snorted. "Take your time, bro. The plows are out, but so are the crazy people."

Frazier agreed. "I know. Glad I'm not on shift today." The car finally warmed up, and his windows defrosted. "I'm on my way. Later." He cut the call and tucked his phone back inside his pocket.

Backing out of his parking space, he grinned. The twelve days of Christmas theme had been a stroke of genius, and they'd pulled off the easy part.

The hard part would be surprising Presley.

Available from Resplendence | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, 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.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Transference

December 7, 2014

Whew. Last week's Walking Dead broke my heart. And if anyone caught The Talking Dead afterward, oh… tears were shed during that, too. Trying really hard not to spoil anything for anybody who hasn't seen the episode yet. Gotta give Chris Hardwick so many props though. The guy does much to restore my calm. LOL

Let's see… The Flash / Arrow crossover turned out to be EXCELLENT!! So much fun! Sleepy Hollow's fall finale ended up being better than I expected. Not so thrilled with one of my faves not making it, but I like it when shows don't always go where I want them to.

Which brings me to Sons of Anarchy. Oh… wow. I have a pretty solid idea of how things will shake out in the last episode, but Kurt Sutter has ways of pulling off some serious surprises, so I kind of hope I’m wrong. All in all, I'm actually pretty thrilled with the ones who are no longer around.

Enough TV talk… tonight's post is from Transference, a sexy short putting my characters together after something of a one night stand… but also delves into their history.

Here's the tagline:

Leslie Karr is packing her meager belongings to move into a new apartment and finds a letter from Granger Unger explaining why their night of shared grief over the loss of his brother can't go anywhere. After two years, Leslie still wonders if he may have been wrong and decides to test the waters by looking him up before she leaves town.

And a snippety peek…

Leslie overturned the bottom drawer of her desk, dumping the contents on the floor. Sitting down, cross-legged, she started sorting through pile. Old receipts landed in the trash can, a book of poems put aside for later reading. She picked up a stack of mail and rifled through, pitching the junk and setting letters from friends with the book of poetry. A crisp white envelope caught her attention and her heart kicked in her chest.

Granger.

She slipped the missive out and unfolded the page. His bold handwriting leapt off the paper. She'd only read the letter once, but the words still burned in her brain.

I'm sorry, Leslie. I won't tarnish Thad's good name and reputation by hooking up with and running off into the sunset with his girl. To honor his memory, I'm leaving Athens. I arranged to take my finals early and have accepted a job offer in Columbus.

I think it's best if we don't see each other again before I go. It would be so easy to work through the pain of our loss with great sex. But that's all it would be. Sex. The grief would still be there, under anything else we might have. Relationships can't be built by transferring physical pleasure for sadness. I'm truly sorry, and I hope… no, I know you'll succeed and graduate with honors. Take care of yourself, Leslie. Sincerely, Granger.

Two years later, she still had the odd combination of anger and respect for Thad's brother. She couldn't argue with Granger's position. She didn't like it, but she totally got it. She understood, on a very deep level, the guilt Granger felt. They each loved Thad and almost trashed the sentiment while he still lived.

"God, what idiots." Her shoulders slumped. "Thad didn't deserve either of us."

Okay, not quite fair. Leslie didn't forget the reason she'd shared a kiss with Granger—a volatile argument with Thad. He had faults, just like she did. But losing him made it easier to view his flaws with a softer focus. Hindsight forgave a lot. And time did heal.

Leslie pushed the letter back inside the envelope. "I came out okay." Better than.

She had graduated with honors and had several offers under consideration. One happened to be in Columbus.

She rose and stretched, and then tucked the letter into her laptop case.

Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and hit send. "Hello, this is Leslie Karr. I'd like to confirm my interview time for next week." After making sure she had the details correct, she ended the call.

Sitting down at her desk, she opened a web browser. "Okay, Granger, let's see if you're still around. Maybe enough time has passed for a trip down memory lane."

One of my favorite tropes, sibling rivalry, but with a twist. Always fun. :D

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Smokin' Hot—Merry and Bright Book Boyfriend Celebrity Lookalikes

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

For this week's entry, we were asked: Who is your book boyfriend's celebrity lookalike?

FUN!!!

And seriously? Apropos. I almost always have actors and actresses serve as my writing inspiration. It's great to have visual imagery as a point of reference when creating characters.

Since we're close to the holidays, I'd love to share my book boyfriends (yes, boyfriends!!) for Merry and Bright, my holiday themed ménage available from Resplendence Publishing.

Book Tagline: For Presley, waking up between Gunnar and Frazier is one way to be merry and bright.

So… without further ado…

Please meet the very handsome celebrity lookalikes for my heroes Frazier Boyle and Gunnar Stewart.

Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton

Some background… This duo caught my attention when I watched an episode of Strike Back (Cinemax). After wiping the drool from my TV screen, I quickly mainlined the entire first season (well, second season, but that's a long story) and fell in love with the action-packed series and the extremely hot and handsome stars.

The biggest thing I walked away with? It's a good thing there are two of them. LOL Actually, I stole that line from the show. Their commanding officer delivers that phrase after Stonebridge and Scott save the world… again. See what I mean? LOL

When I started writing Merry and Bright, I had a completely different combination in mind, but when I went to write this post, these two crowded their way in and wouldn't leave. I'm totally okay with that. J

A little character detail. Frazier Boyle is firefighter / paramedic for a busy station house in the city. He loves his job and wouldn't trade it for anything. He's also got a serious thing for Presley Griffith, a nurse at the hospital. Gunnar Stewart is a police detective and best friends with Frazier. Gunnar lives for his work and solving cases, but also knows how to have a good time. He also has some huge feelings for Presley.

The guys have a friendly rivalry where she's concerned, but neither make much headway, mainly because she won't come between them.

But the holiday sees them working together to help Presley through a rough time.

~*~

Resplendence | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, 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.

~*~

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 Book Boyfriends Cafe

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Merry and Bright #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Since the holiday season is gearing up, I'm sharing a series of excerpts from Merry and Bright, available now from Resplendence Publishing. Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few pivotal scenes between Presley, Gunnar, and Frazier.

This week, we meet Presley.

Book Tagline: Presley wants to start some new holiday traditions, but waking up in bed with Gunnar and Frazier isn't what she had in mind. Yet… she can't think of a better way to be merry and bright.

~*~

Tilting her head to the side, she gazed at the reflection. She had a hazy, dreamy look on her face. "Geez, Pres. Get a grip." She screwed the lid back on the container. "And get dressed, you idiot, or you'll miss the movie."

She entered her bedroom and grabbed her favorite downtime clothes—a pair of comfy yoga pants, a soft T-shirt, and a fleece zip-up. She dropped the towel and pulled the garments on, stuffing her feet into a pair of fluffy socks. Feeling loose and relaxed, she opened her bedroom door and exited, stopping mid-step, stunned by the sight greeting her eyes.

A zillion presents under her tree. Her gaze flew to Frazier and Gunnar, standing in her kitchen with big, fat grins on their faces.

Her head shook back and forth. "Oh, you guys, what did you do?" She walked forward, disbelief working its way through her brain.

Frazier moved into the living room. "What's it look like? We played Santa."

Gunnar followed Fraz into the space.

Presley backed up, moving away from the tree. "It's too much. I can't accept all this stuff." She paced the floor, back and forth, overwhelmed, before she stopped. "Did you two do this so I'd pick one of you over the other?" She leveled her gaze on both men. "I already said I'm not coming between you."

Gunnar shot Frazier a sideways glance. "Shit, Fraz. We're morons."

Frazier nodded. "Yep. We are." He shook his head. "We forgot to tell her about the no pressure thing."

Available from Resplendence Publishing | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, 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.

~*~

~*~

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Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Tell Me More

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, if celebrated. For my family, it's the official beginning to the holiday season and we come up with a new theme for our tree. My middle kidlet is choosing this year and he's decided to go with a sports-related color scheme. Should be interesting because we're mixing scarlet and gray; green, blue, and white; and brown and orange. I have a general idea of how to make it work, but we'll see what the final result is.

A lot of years, we've waited until December 24 to do the actual decorating, but I think we'll be getting it done earlier this season. We also have a big puppy in the house for the first time and I can't wait to see what she does around the tree. LOL

Not much on the TV front this week, but The Flash turned in a great episode. Gotham and Sleepy Hollow were pretty good, too. I'm very much looking forward to the fall finale of Walking Dead tonight. I have a feeling someone's not going to make it… but we'll see. Thankfully, I'll have Chris Hardwick's Talking Dead to soothe whatever gaping wounds I might have. J

Tonight's post is from Tell Me More, a novella where Shannon can't quite stop pushing Webber's buttons.

Here's the tagline:

Shannon Tewes and Webber Dillon work for a premiere event planner and don't always see eye to eye. Shannon has a knack for putting Webber on the hot seat whenever their boss is around and Webber has several ideas of how he'd retaliate if he ever got Shannon in a compromising position.

And a snippety peek…

"Well, thank you guys for coming up with some terrific ideas." Marjorie closed the file and turned off the projector. "Shannon, I think we'll use your design for the extended archway. I love the idea of having the guests walk through the macabre tunnel and exiting out into the lavish, sumptuous ballroom for the midnight wedding." Marjorie stood up from the conference table and directed her attention to Webber. "You'll be able to configure the steel frame, right? I do not want to see any PVC piping under the gray gauze fabric."

Oh, he could construct the frame, all right. If he didn't plan to sleep over the next seven days. And the cost would be—

Webber added the stipulation. "If the client has another three thousand in their budget, I'll get it done." And maybe duct tape Shannon to his welding bench and make her witness how many hours of work she'd just loaded onto his plate.

Marjorie tapped her pen against the file. "Hmm. I'm confident I can talk the bride into forking over the extra. She's going to go ape shit over the design change." She gathered up the file and her bag and strode from the conference room.

Shannon remained seated at the table, not speaking until the door closed. "Okay, Webber, let me have it. Tell me how much my brilliant idea is going to fuck up your life." She scooted her chair back and crossed her arms over her chest.

Any other day, he'd go off on her, giving her every detail she demanded. Today… he didn't have the luxury, not if he wanted to meet the deadline and have the monstrosity of framework welded together.

He pushed away from the table, rising from his seat. "You know what, Shannon? We've played this scenario out so many times, why don't you just insert my long, list of reasons into a tirade, mad lib style." He picked up his notebook, shoving the sketch of her design between the pages. "I've got a shit ton of work to do." He crossed the room, twisted the doorknob, and exited out into the main showroom.

Shannon followed behind him, right on his heels. "Look, Webber. I'm sorry. The idea hit me in the middle of a dead sleep and I had to include it." She grabbed his bicep. "I don't do this stuff on purpose, you know."

He snorted. "Right. Whatever you say." He pulled away from her grip. "Just once, I'd like to be in on the whole idea before the meeting." Striding through the display area, he didn't stop until he'd entered the cavernous warehouse Marjorie used for storage.

Shannon trotted along beside him, waiting patiently while he greeted Greg and George, the two guys who kept track of the inventory. What else could she possibly have to say? Webber didn't particularly care at the moment and almost wished she'd take the hint and leave.

No such luck. She trailed behind him when he left via the back door. He spotted her car parked next to his truck, which explained why she dogged his every step.

He yanked the door open and tossed the notebook onto the front seat, climbing up inside the cab.

Shannon blocked him from pulling the door closed. "Seriously, Webber? You're going to drive off in a shit storm? That's it?"

He made a garbled choking sound. "Shannon, you just made sure I'll be working non-stop for the next seven days. I'll be lucky to get the framework completed." He jammed the key in the ignition and started the truck. "What the hell else do you want?"

She opened her mouth. "I want—" She stopped, pressing her lips together in a frown. "Never mind. Not important." She stepped away and closed the door, her fingers gripping the panel through the open window for a second before she dropped her hands and strode toward her vehicle.

Webber backed out of the parking spot and gunned the engine, pulling into traffic and heading for his workshop. His lips twitched. Shannon Tewes, speechless, kind of blew his mind.

I have a feeling Webber is going to end up giving Shannon a run for her money.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin