Sunday Snippet: New Year's Nip

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. We're having a low-key day without a lot of fanfare. That's exactly the way I like to celebrate holidays and my middle kiddo had his gallbladder removed earlier this week so being kind of quiet is a good thing.

Had a decent week of television viewing. My work schedule is still sporadic and I've been able to catch up on a few more writing projects. I'm also taking some time to organize my works in progress and then I hope to plan out a tentative schedule to finish up the ones that are close to being done.

I started a new episode of Blue Heelers and, so far, it's pretty good. I'm a little confused about the new character being in uniform but hopefully that will resolve itself by the end of the episode.

Watched the first episode of No Offence's second season. Really nice setup for the overarching storyline. I really love Viv and Dinah's dynamic. This show is so excellent.

Caught the opening episodes of the tenth season of Silent Witness. Really liked the first two-parter. I've started the third episode and I think it's going to be a twisty one.

Watched the final arc of Doctor Who's fourteenth season. Pretty solid storyline and I'm starting to like the dynamic between Four and Leela. I like her.

I ended up with a free six-month trial of Discovery+ so I started a show called UFOs: The Lost Evidence. I love diving into theories of visitors from outer space.

Watched two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Both were very funny. I've discovered I really enjoy the ballroom dance segments. Considering I'm not a huge comedy fan, this is high praise.

And that's pretty much it for this week's update. Tonight's post is from New Year's Nip, an Organic Nature sexy short.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Eppie Collins has a terrific guy, one who gave her a wonderful Christmas holiday. She's returning the favor on New Year's Eve, making surprise last-minute plans to watch the midnight fireworks in the city. Vin's not the only one who can pull out all the stops.

And a snippety peek…

Vin drove down the road leading to Eppie's place. His fuzzy brain needed a few more hours of sleep, but he wouldn't trade the last few days for anything. Since their return from Holly Hollow, Eppie whirled through her work day, humming happy tunes and smiling a lot more. When she ran her end of the year numbers, she danced around the kitchen. Her profits were even better than she expected. She'd fixed a terrific dinner then dragged him upstairs for celebratory sex that lasted just past midnight. Then started all over at five a.m.

He loved that woman something fierce.

Pulling to a stop in front of her house, he shut the engine off and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. His meeting went well, his work crews more than happy with the annual bonus. He straightened and grinned. When he announced scheduled inside work for the next two months, his three teams whooped for joy. The timing didn't always work out, but he strived to keep his guys—and three gals—busy through the winter months. Half days were better than zero days.

His hand reached to pop the door open but when he glanced up, Eppie stood outside with a steaming mug in her hands. He flashed a smile and she eased back, holding the cup in his direction.

Sliding from the vehicle, he nodded toward the offering. "For me?" He took the drink and the aroma of hot chocolate wafted to his nose. "Mmm. Cocoa." Moving forward, he wrapped an arm around her. "Perfect on a cold day."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I thought so. Doesn't take long to get chilled to the bone out here." Putting her arms around him, she walked up onto the porch and out of the wind.

He took a bracing gulp, the smooth, creamy liquid flowing down his throat. "Ahhh. Just right. Not too hot, not too cold."

Eppie broke away to open the front door and Vin followed her inside after kicking his boots off. More yummy scents drifted out from the kitchen. Chicken and dumplings, one of his favorites. Shrugging his coat off, he let Eppie grab it to hang on the hook beside the door.

He made his way to the living room, settling down on the sofa. A fire roared in the hearth, a perfect complement to the cocoa. Eppie brought a mug in and curled up beside him.

Taking another sip, he shot her a sideways glance. "A tasty treat, my favorite for dinner. Is this a special occasion?"

She chuckled. "No, not really. Call it making amends for keeping you up and making you late this morning."

This series is so much fun to write. I love the challenge of sticking with one couple and showing the progression of their relationship with its ups and downs.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin