February has been the oddest month. Between weird weather and random catastrophes, it's been a doozy. I'm kind of happy to be welcoming March in this week.
Finished up a work project and made really great progress on one of the others. I'm blessed with authors who turn revisions around in record time. It's very helpful and keeps their work fresh in my mind.
I also made some progress on my new venture. Only a tiny amount, but it makes me happy to chip away at my to-do list. Brings me a wee bit closer to be able to launch.
Didn't get a lot of television watched, but I did finish up Strangest Things. I have so much fun listening to the experts discuss the weird and wonderful artifacts.
I also continued my Battlestar Galactica rewatch. This week's episode was one of my favorites, "Bastille Day." Some truly excellent parallels about picking a side and being true to a set of core beliefs.
I also started season two of The Mandalorian. I hoped to finish up Ms. Marvel before starting another Star Wars show, but I want to be up to date for season three.
That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from In Sunny Paradise, the follow-up to In a Moonlit Meadow.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Jersey and Shaw survived hell to be together and celebrated their love with a quiet ceremony, a rowdy reception, and a moonlit wedding night. Now they're on their honeymoon at a secluded beach in sunny paradise.
And a snippety peek…
With
thoughts of the future stretched out before them, they drifted into a contented
sleep.
And
the universe is pleased.
Jersey Saint's lips
turned up in a smile when she thought about the magical wedding night she'd
spent under the stars with her brand-new husband, Shaw Barnaby.
Married a month and she
still caught herself grinning at the memory. New ones they created on their
honeymoon were slowly being added.
She bit back a giggle.
"And if my hunch proves correct in a few minutes … we'll never forget this
trip."
Something about this
place and being alone—away from everyone and everything—had a magical quality. After
more than a decade of being on-call, dropping into hot zones, and jumping into
harm's way, not taking orders from anyone seemed strange, but also pretty
damned awesome. They'd taken advantage of the opportunity to rest and heal from
their ordeal by doing what they wanted … no schedule, no plan, no
interruptions. Jersey savored the occasion … the lush surroundings invited them
to be even more adventurous than usual.
She leaned back in her
chair. "Last night for example."
She and Shaw spent it
on a secluded stretch of beach, a short trek from the bungalow loaned to them
from a friend of a friend. A soft blanket, an ocean breeze, the two of them
talking and laughing and loving the night away.
She sighed with
happiness. "There's something about the sound of waves during sex that
adds an element of specialness." And, of course, Shaw always made things
interesting.
Jersey had crawled into
bed when they strolled back to the house in the wee hours of the morning. Shaw
decided to walk along the beach and watch the sunrise … one of his favorite
things to do now that they no longer lived in constant danger. Or had to worry
about finding an egress point to make an escape.
Waking up alone at
midday, she went to the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower. Padded out to the
kitchen to see what Shaw had gotten up to. Found him conked out, under the
shade of several trees and surrounded by lush foliage, on the chaise in the
garden, his sleeveless shirt open and fluttering in the breeze.
The sight made her
happy. "He can sleep a while longer." She had a little time to kill.
She gathered up her art
supplies—something she could enjoy now—then sat at the table and worked up a colorful
sketch. The green trees and bold hues of the flowers contrasted with the yellow
of Shaw's shirt and his denim cargoes.
Using her finger to
blur the edges of the finished picture, Jersey glanced at the clock then
dropped her gaze to the table. A slow grin spread across her face. Her hunch
had been correct. She dropped the pastels in their container and rose to head
outside … shedding her clothes along the way.
One of the perks of
this place was being able to do exactly that.
Jersey sat on the edge
of the oversized lounge chair and watched Shaw sleep a moment longer. Then she
trailed her fingers lightly down his chest. He stirred but didn't wake up. Her
hand drifted further and stopped when it reached the waistband of his shorts.
Using her fingers to work the button fly loose, satisfaction surged through her
when Shaw's body responded to her touch. She opened the shorts and tugged them
down a little to give him some breathing room.
Finally, she pushed his
shirt open further and ghosted kisses from his torso up to his chest and over
his shoulder until her lips landed on his smiling ones.
Good … he's awake.
This is a fun couple to write. Jersey and Shaw won't take their happiness for granted, which is a trope I love to experiment with.
That's it for this
week. Happy reading!
Skylin
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