Sunday Snippet: Blatant Affair

July 26, 2015

Okay, I forgot to mention Strike Back last week. I seriously want the female antagonist to die a slow, painful death. It can happen anytime now. LOL

The Dread Doctors on Teen Wolf are creeping me out. Something tells me Peter is going to be involved, which is actually quite okay with me. He makes a good villain.

Defiance had a great episode. I really love the smaller personal beats paired with the big, somewhat sweeping arcs this season. Great stuff. Killjoys is heating up, too. Can't wait to see next week's episode. And Dark Matter did the impossible by adding a layer of emotional nuance to Three. I'm surprised and thrilled. LOL

The Last Ship took a turn I totally didn't expect and I love it. I enjoy how the new characters are being worked in without taking a lot away from the established ones. And, seriously, Tex rules. Just saying.

Tonight's post is from Blatant Affair, a novella where my main characters throw caution to the wind and do what they want.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Valley Cruz and Flynn Boatman fall for each other and don't hide their feelings. But when company policy dictates they can't be together, they'll start a blatant affair no matter the consequences.

And a snippety peek…

Valley Cruz stood behind the counter of the low-rent, no-tell motel, filing her nails. She cracked her gum and met the gaze of the man leaning on the gouged wood surface. Impatient, obnoxious, and oh, so hot with his military haircut, day old scruff, and raspy voice.

His gloved fist pounded hit the slab, sending dust and who knew what else wafting out around it. "Is Manny Bright registered here or not?" He edged closer, getting an eyeful of her bountiful cleavage.

Amazing what push-up bras could create. Paired with tank two sized too small and a crocheted over shirt, she couldn't believe her boobs hadn't popped out of the lingerie yet. Valley made a show of setting the nail file aside and crossing the tiny cubicle to get the cash book. She hiked up her already super short skirt and slid up onto the wobbly stool.

Flipping the book open, she blew a bubble and cracked her gum again. "Bright, you said?" She ran a black painted nail, a skull and crossbones affixed on the tip, down the ledger. "Sorry, dude. Nobody by the name of Bright paid for a room." She peered up through her heavily mascared lashes. "Can you describe the guy?"

Mr. Hot-bod heaved a sigh. "He's five-ten, stringy brown hair, and covered with freckles." His brow rose. "Anyone with that description check in?"

Valley's lips curved in a wide smile. "Yeah, yeah. That guy's in room 2F." She leaned forward, ignoring how the action put her breasts on display again. "And he not alone, if you get my meaning." Her voice dropped to a quiet whisper. "He took a tenner up there with him."

Hot-bod frowned. "A tenner?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, one of the sex walkers who'll suck his dick for ten bucks." She snorted. "You're not from around here, are you?"

He lifted a shoulder. "Not really, no. Thanks for the information." He dropped a twenty on the counter and started up the stairs.

Valley bit back a laugh, tucking the bill inside her bra. She should've just given the guy the intel and then taken her post at the bottom of the steps to act as back-up. Sliding off the stool, she kicked the chunky Mary Jane wedges off and lost almost four inches. The damned things weighed a freaking ton.

Exiting the tiny alcove, she crossed the floor on stockinged feet and flattened against the wall, ready for anything or… nothing. She never knew which. But she wouldn't be sorry to leave the Ramshackle Arms behind. Her old man better be ready to shell out a nice bonus for making her work this gig.

Straining to hear the action upstairs, she caught the sound of Hot-bod knocking on the door. He used a soft rap, no doubt muted by his gloves. Speaking with a timid tone, he asked if Manny's room had any extra towels. The door opened and a scuffle ensued.

Valley braced for action. An ear-piercing shriek preceded a muffled curse and running footsteps grew louder as they neared Valley's location. She slipped back a little further, hoping to remain unseen.

"You'll have to do better than that, asshole. I won't go down without a fight." Bright started down the steps, a long blade clutched in his hand.

Blood poured from his nose and dripped off the end of the gleaming steel. Valley did a quick assessment. Hot-bod got a solid punch in, but Manny retaliated with his knife. The tenner spouted curses and threats about wanting more cash for the blood-sport.

Valley rolled her eyes and waited for her moment. When Bright got to the second to last step, she flung a leg out, catching him on the shins. He went sprawling to the floor, face-planting on the scuffed surface.

Valley moved fast, jamming her knee into his kidney. "Stay down, Bright." She withdrew her weapon and nudged him between the shoulder blades.

The handsome operative followed, a nasty gash on his bicep.

He stepped up, ready to secure Manny. "Flynn Boatman. Who the hell are you?" Tightening the tether strips, he hauled Bright up off the floor.

Valley picked the blade up. "Valley Fitzhugh. I've been UC for a month, gathering intel on our lower life form here." She bagged the knife. "Also here for back-up, which is probably a good thing." Her lips curved in a smile.

Flynn lifted a shoulder. "Yeah, much appreciated." His gaze swept over her in a slow perusal, his eyes narrowing.

Valley lifted a brow. "Something bothering you?" The study had her senses on high alert.

Flynn shook his head. "No, not really. Just wondering where you had the side arm stashed." He jerked Manny toward the door where the pick-up team waited to take him back to base for interrogation.

Valley couldn't resist a cheeky answer. "You'll have to wait for the answer to that question." She liked the flash of interest he shot her way.

Going behind the counter, she grabbed a gauze pad she had tucked in her purse then handed it to Flynn.

He tilted his head to one side. "Oh yeah? How long is this waiting period?" He pressed the dressing to his bicep, staunching the flow of blood.

Valley grinned and hitched the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Until the new guy smell wears off you." Coming back out to the main floor, she nodded toward his injury. "You'd better get that looked at. I see some stitches in your near future." Grabbing the evidence bag, she gave him a jaunty wave and left the building.

She hadn't enjoyed working at the Ramshackle, but meeting her dad's new operative made the less than stellar experience worth it. She couldn't wait to discover more about the new man on Victor Cruz's payroll.

I can't wait to see more sparks fly when Flynn and Valley meet again.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Blame It on the Rain

Great television viewing week. I finished up watching all available episodes of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and *sigh* what a great show. From what I gather, the third season might be the last, but I'll live in hope for more. Either way, the finale satisfied me, so bonus points for that.

Teen Wolf. What can I say? I'm intrigued by the possibilities, but I kind of hope making Parrish look like a bad guy is a ploy. I kind of like him. I'm also hoping the desert wolf thread is laying groundwork for next season. More interesting possibilities there.

The Last Ship is so good at keeping me on the edge of my seat. I love how twisty and turny the plot gets. Such a great summer viewing experience.

My Friday night lineup continues to bring good stuff to my screen. Defiance seriously upped its game this season. Killjoys keeps me glued, especially for the sibling bonding but also for the very secretive dance the trio does. John seems like the most open of the group, but I have a sneaky suspicion he may have a few big skeletons in his closet, too. Dark Matter is revealing little pieces of information and I'm liking the glimpses we're getting into the crew's histories. I would like to see a little more movement on who or what put them into the stasis chambers.

Have I mentioned how much I love having new material to watch in the middle of the summer?

Tonight's post is from Blame it on the Rain, a sexy short where my main characters are stuck in a massive downpour and have to work out some issues.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vala and Gates work together leading tours through the wilderness and love their job. But when close friends go through a breakup, Val and Gates take opposite sides and it strains their relationship, especially when they get trapped in the elements and have to find shelter for the night.

And a snippety peek…

Vala Guthrie shuddered with orgasm. "Gates… harder. Wanna make it last."

Her better half, Gates Bantry, complied with her request, thrusting upward to bump his groin against her clit. Her fingers curled up into her palms and she pressed down on his chest.

He hissed out a harsh breath. "God, Vala, I love it when you lose control." His thighs flexed under hers and he made a low growling sound. "I'm there, Val. Tell me I can let go." His head thrashed on the pillow.

She dragged air into her lungs and leaned forward, getting close to his ear. "Let go, Gates. Give me everything you have." Mini-aftershocks made her skin tingle.

Gates pumped his hips two more times then let out a strangled gasp, digging his fingers into her flesh when he found his release. His breath came out in raspy pants and his hands skimmed along her sides before he wrapped his arms around her, hauling her close.

She gladly collapsed atop his torso, still shivering with afterglow. Her mouth moved along his shoulder then found his lips for a lingering kiss.

Gates traced circles over her skin. "Never gets old, Val. We're lucky aren't—"

The buzzing of his phone cut off the rest of the sentence. Val flung her arm out and snagged the cell from the nightstand, hitting answer before holding the device to Gates's ear.

He frowned. "Yeah, Bantry. This better be good." He tensed and took the phone from Vala, pressing it closer to his ear. "Yeah, yeah. Okay."

Vala didn't know who called, she hadn't checked the ID, but Gates's terse tone didn't bode well. She made a move to slide off him, but his arm tightened around her waist.

He heaved a sigh. "Hold on, I'm going to put you on speaker." His finger slid over the screen. "Okay, finish up. Vala's listening now." He rolled his eyes.

"Like I said. I need you two to head out and pick up Karl and Jane, wherever they might be." Jones Moore bit off the words. "And you can tell them to find new jobs because I'm sick of their bullshit. I've got a stranded group cooling their heels until a new team can get out there."

Vala jumped in. "What the hell happened?" She could guess, but the more information she and Gates had the better.

Jones made a garbled sound. "They had a blowout fight—in front of the entire group—and stalked off to work things out. That means they left eight people in the lurch, folks who paid a nice chunk of change for the wilderness package." He paused, probably trying to get his blood pressure down. "I want you to find them and do me the favor of firing their asses. I don't care if they're your best friends." His voice rose to an almost shout. "Do you think you can manage or do I have to find four new guides?"

Vala and Gates just landed in the hot seat and neither is happy about it. Too bad they take opposite sides on where the fault lies.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Bikini Beach

July 12, 2015

Well… not a bad week, with the exception of a nasty case of poison ivy. Bleh. I'm not fond of being itchy in any way, shape, or form. *scratch, scratch*

SDCC happened this week and I'm so excited for a couple of new shows and movies. I also love seeing the actors from my favorite shows do their panels. Looking forward to taking some time to dive into everything.

Teen Wolf is getting really creepy, which I love. I'm sort of long on theories and not much else, but something tells me Peter Hale is behind everything. LOL He's so easy to blame.

The Last Ship is so good at drawing out and ramping up tension. Another show where I have theories about who's behind the scenes trying to manipulate everything. I can't wait for tonight's episode.

My Friday night lineup of Defiance, Killjoys, and Dark Matter keeps getting better and better. One of the things I love about Defiance is how quickly they move the plot along. And a major brawl between Amanda and Stahma never hurts anything. Pushing the envelope where family relationships are concerned is also an interesting choice. And speaking of family relationships, the Jaqobi brothers are quickly turning into one of my favorite sibling duos. I'm holding back on forming strong opinions with Dark Matter at the moment. I can't quite figure why Two is going for Three yet. I have a few ideas, but none have formed into anything solid yet.

Tonight's post is from Bikini Beach, a sexy short where my main characters need a mental health day.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Talia Ashe loves her job, but she's ready to kill her partner, Hugh McVey because he's pushing hard to get a project done and they're down to the wire. She takes a mental health day, to keep from doing Hugh bodily harm, but he ruins it when he shows up on her patch of beach.

And a snippety peek…

Hugh attempted to get stuff done, but without Talia, he couldn't even manage to clear his inbox. She fielded calls and emails—only sending the most urgent on to him. She anticipated what he needed and when he'd want it. This on top of her own workload, which rivaled his.

She'd become a lifeline, keeping him tethered to the project, but letting him focus on the constant barrage of changes the Widow Barclay kept throwing their way. If the woman ever wanted to get the product launch off the ground she had to stop making so many huge, sweeping changes. If Hugh could cut and run from the Barclay job, he would. And without Talia to act as a sounding board and brainstorming partner, the new concepts he designed last night now seemed flat and boring. She had a flair for spinning his ideas into a package with pizzazz.

The elevator pinged and the click-clack of heels on the marble floor pulled Hugh's attention to the outer office. He rose then groaned when he caught sight of their client, sashaying around the main desk before she sailed into his workspace, her full, red lips curved in a plastic smile.

He hadn't enough caffeine to deal with Widow Barclay yet today.

She paused inside the doorway, her gaze scanning the room. "Are you alone today, Hugh?" Her voice trilled at a strange octave, like nails on a chalkboard.

Hugh forced a smile. "I'm afraid so, Mrs. Barclay. Talia's got a bit of a stomach bug and won't be coming in." He made his way to the coffee machine. "Can I offer you a cup of the caramel blend you like so much?" Pouring water into the unit, he glanced over his shoulder.

The look in Mrs. Barclay's eyes stopped him cold. Predatory and feral were the only words that came to mind. Oh, shit.

The saccharine smile turned catlike. "Now, Hugh, you know I prefer to be called Minerva. I don't stand on ceremony with you and Tally." She shrugged out of her suit jacket and laid it on the back of the club chair along with her clutch.

Turning back to the machine, Hugh popped a rich, Columbian blend into the holder. "It's Talia, Mrs. Barclay." He pressed the start button.

"It's Minerva, Hugh." The sound of her voice, directly behind him, slithered down his spine. "I insist."

Fucking hell. She had him trapped between the beverage center and her overly-perfumed self. He added one more reason why it paid to have Talia around. Apparently she'd been keeping the widow from making a play.

Hugh took his only option, stepping to the side and quickly turning to face her. "Minerva, it is then." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Did you need something particular today, Minerva?"

Her tongue flicked out, wetting her lower lip. "Actually, I was on my way to meet with Paul's attorneys and thought I'd stop by here on the way." She took a step forward, effectively boxing him in between the conference table and the window. "I can call and reschedule…" Her voice took on a breathy quality and she planted her hands on his chest. "If you'd like to spend a couple of hours alone, getting naked and sweaty." Her palms skimmed lower, her fingers hooking over the waistband of his pants.

Hugh halted her progress, grasping her grabby paws. "As pleasant as that might be, Mrs. Barclay." He purposefully went back to using her formal title. "The group has a strict policy against mixing business with personal relationships." Good Christ above, he hoped she didn't check, because he'd just told a whopper of a lie.

She smirked. "Well, I won't say anything if you don't." She tried to work her fingers free of his.

Moving quickly, Hugh scrambled to one side, putting some solid distance between them. "I'm sorry, but I support the policy. Things tend to get out of hand when the clients get sexually involved with their project managers." He kept his tone even and professional, hoping she'd take the hint and back off.

Not so much.

Her gaze went hard, her nostrils flared, and her chin went up a notch. "Did you just turn me down?"

Well, duh. Of course he did.

Hugh held her gaze. "I'm afraid so, Mrs. Barclay." He stood his ground, unwilling to give her the slightest edge.

Minerva hissed out a breath. "Then it looks like I'll be making that meeting with the attorneys, after all." She turned on her heel, sauntering over to grab her jacket and purse. "I'll just tell them to expect the new designs, along with all the sample packaging on Tuesday by nine sharp." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she sailed out the doorway the same way she'd come in.

Hugh's day couldn't get any worse, right? Wait and see…

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: The Bedroom Chronicles

Happy Fireworks Day to my US readers. Happy weekend to my non-US readers.

So… Teen Wolf premiere, two nights of great viewing. The bad part? Now I have to wait for the next episode. I can't just hit 'next' anymore. Totally sucks. LOL

Another great episode of The Last Ship. I'm kind of intrigued with where they're going to take the story. The Irish-sounding guy grated, which I'm assuming he was supposed to, but yeah, what's all his blather about?

Defiance, as usual, rocks. I'm glad to visit the Nolan / Irisa origins a little more. With the potential for another war looming, their crap needs to be in order, right? Something tells me it won't be so easy. I'm also happy Killjoys and Dark Matter still have me interested. I'm a sucker for sibling rivalry, so the Jaqobis brothers are my catnip right now. Can't wait to see them go head to head and work out their issues. I'm rather enjoying the small, little breadcrumbs being dropped in Dark Matter. Makes me want to pay super close attention so I don't miss something crucial. J

I only have one more episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries to be caught up with the current season. Then it's off to find out if I can stream eps from Australia, because I love, love, love this show. :D

Tonight's post is from The Bedroom Chronicles, a novella where my main characters explore their wilder side and find something unexpected.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Birk musters out of the military, he drops in on his best friend, Klint and his wife Elsie. They welcome Birk into their home and eventually their bed because Elsie can't think of anyone better than her husband's oldest friend to fulfill their deepest fantasy. But sometimes the best laid plans go awry and dealing with the fallout is a challenge.

And a snippety peek…

Elsie carried her glass of wine into the living room and Klint followed with two beers. He handed one to Birk then settled on the couch beside Elsie.

Birk took a long pull off his ale. "Ah. This is great." He glanced toward Elsie. "You're good for Klint. Normally, he'd make me get my own." He downed another gulp.

Elsie grinned. "Klint likes to say I smoothed off the bumpy edges, but I really didn't. I like him a little rough and tumble." She sipped her wine. "From what he's shared of you two growing up together, you're cut from the same cloth." She leaned into Klint and he draped his arm over her shoulder.

Birk chuckled. "Our moms had their work cut out, that's for sure." He grabbed a coaster and placed his bottle on the table. "I'm pretty sure they made a deal to work opposite shifts so Klint and I would never be alone together."

Klint snorted. "All because we tried to poison the apartment building when we attempted to make a kick ass science fair project." He glanced in Elsie's direction. "How were we supposed to know ammonia and bleach shouldn't be mixed together?"

Elsie's eyes widened. "Oh, my God." She bit back a laugh. "You're lucky to be alive. My parents would've skinned me alive if I'd done anything so insane." But she could picture a young Klint and Birk, playing mad scientist and having the situation get out of hand.

Klint shifted beside her. "If memory serves, we both had red asses for about a week afterward."

Birk grimaced. "Yep. His mom got us first, then my mom took a turn when she got home from the store." He snorted. "My ass stings just thinking about it."

The thought of their butts sent Elsie's temperature up a notch. As much as she enjoyed reminiscing, her eagerness to test the waters took center stage.

She shot Klint a sideways glance. He gave her a brief nod and laced their fingers together. Elsie loved him for the additional support.

She moved the discussion along. "Birk, Klint and I have a favor to ask, and please feel free to say no." She tilted her face toward her husband. "We won't blame you."

Birk reached for his beer and took another long drink. "Shoot. I'm happy to help out if I can." He held the long neck bottle between two fingers.

Klint cut in. "Wait until you hear the favor before you jump into making promises." His fingers squeezed Elsie's.

Elsie chuckled. "That's his way of saying it's super kinky." And another wave of heat rippled through her.

Birk perked up, almost dropping his beverage. "Kinky? I'm definitely listening." He set the glass container on the table and leaned closer.

In all honesty, the bulk of what I have so far with this story pretty much poured out of me, something of a rare occurrence, but a welcome one. Here's hoping the sages keep the words flowing.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Celebrate Your Freedom to Live, Love, & Read—Freedom Hop

 LET FREEDOM RING!

Welcome to the Freedom Hop, a great sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

~*~

How wonderful is it to have the independence to choose how we live our lives, who we love, and what we read?

I'm lucky enough to have always had the choice and I've used my liberty to do what I love… write about hot romances between men and women, edit for authors who write about all kinds of love—from best friends who become lovers to same sex couples and relationships that include multiple partners, and read all of the above with voracious abandon.

When writing as Skylin O'Thomas, I tend to focus on contemporary romance, sometimes filled with those little relationship moments, but I also love to add a little adventure. There's something fun about weaving in tension with suspense or a perilous situation. It's also a joy to create adventure by adding a good bit of humor.

For this year's Freedom Hop, I'm sharing short samplings of all my current titles and a longer excerpt of my very first release, Down in Mexico, which I'm giving away for the blog hop.

~*~

Down in Mexico

Available on Amazon ~ $1.99

Kiernan Darby spends five long years playing dead. It's a life in limbo, but it lets Lars Rademacher do his job and eliminate the members of a lethal crime syndicate, Kiernan's former employers.

After discovering she's alive and well, Lars tracks Kiernan down in Mexico. Their reunion is sweet… until he reveals a pesky detail he conveniently forgot to mention.

Kiernan isn't completely safe. In fact, Lars is using her as bait to catch the last member of the espionage organization.

Excerpt:

Kier picked up her glass, sipped the wine, contemplating.

"I learned to shoot. Small arms for the most part, but I know how to sight and fire a rifle." Her hand twirled the glass and her gaze turned hard. "It may be overkill, but I keep a handgun in the house, my shop, the car. I have two on my boat along with a rifle." She raised her eyes to his. "I didn't plan to make it easy for them to kill me."

She wouldn't. Even without the small arsenal, she'd have put up a hell of a fight before going down. It was in her nature to battle back.

Lars reached across the table and laced his fingers with her free hand. "You were smart, Kier. You had no way of knowing what would happen after you left."

She shrugged a shoulder. "There have been several times over the last five years that I've felt like something was off. Not quite right." She squeezed his hand. "It'll take some getting used to… this being safe thing."

Shit. He had to come clean. Now.

He had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty.

"Uh, Kier, about that." He took a deep breath and just spit it out. "You may not be that far off base thinking something's not quite kosher."

Her brow knit with confusion. "But I thought you said—"

"I did. I lied."

Her mouth opened, then snapped shut. So many emotions crossed her face he couldn't keep up with them.

She got up and paced the kitchen. "What exactly did you lie about?"

Book Tagline: Boy meets and falls for girl. Girl 'dies' in a fiery explosion. Five years later, they meet again.

~*~

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY

To celebrate our freedom to live, love, and read, I'm giving away Down in Mexico, which is the first book in the South of the Border series. New titles will be coming soon.

To enter, please leave a comment and let me know how you like to spend the 4^th of July. Non-US readers, let me know what would celebrate with fireworks.

Other titles by Skylin O'Thomas

Merry and Bright

Available on Amazon | BN | Resplendence Publishing | ARe | ~ $2.99

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.

Creative Ink

Available on Amazon ~ $1.49

Brian and Lucy are on the verge of mainstream success—watch it happen in Creative Ink.

Busted in Bubbles

Available on Amazon ~ $1.99

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

~*~

Please stop by my website

Celebrate with more fireworks! Visit the other participating authors.