Sunday Snippet: Underneath

Once again, Ohio weather is all over the place. But at least it hasn't been sweltering hot. Had setbacks with our cars. Mine is still not quite ready. The new engine computer the garage ordered didn't work so they got another one. Hopefully this week. My husband had a deer literally jump on top of his CR-V, shattering the windshield, knocking the rearview mirror off, and sending the driver's side mirror clear over to the passenger side floor. It even dented the top of the car up to the sunroof. I'm pretty sure it's a total loss. Luckily my husband is okay, aside from having a ton of glass all over him. He found glass all the way in the back of the vehicle.

Really busy work week. I finished up a copy edit and continued work on a developmental edit. Also started a new project that's not quite a developmental edit, but it is cleaning up a lot of formatting in a manuscript to get it ready for a copy edit, which a colleague is going to do. Had an exchange with a new author and hope to work with her in the future.

Semi-decent week of viewing. I didn't quite make a full round, mainly because I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get the insurance sorted and line up a rental until we know for sure what's going on with the CR-V.

I did get an episode of My Life Is Murder in and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of twists and turns in this one. Once again, Madison stole the show. Also really cool to have indigenous representation for the storyline. And … more hints about Alexa's family. Here's hoping we'll see more of them.

I think I watched the finale of Signora Volpe, and it might have set up a future episode featuring Sylvia's ex. That would be a lot of fun. So awesome to see her niece again and getting to know her dad. Isabelle ended up stealing this episode. Going to watch the behind-the-scenes stuff next.

Finished up Best in Paradise with the first of the two-parter that set up Florance's exit. It was a great episode and very bittersweet as the actress mentioned when she introduced the episode.

Also caught another Death in Paradise and enjoyed the mystery. It's also fun to see Jack trying to move on from the loss of his wife. The awkward but awesome communication with Anna is lovely to watch.

Started an episode of Elementary but need to finish it this week. Too many distractions to get all the way through the show. It looks like a good one though.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Underneath, a novella that takes an established couple on a journey to face their truths.

Here's the miniblurb:

When Riley West and Hampton Bennett are trapped underneath a building, they have plenty of time to resolve the argument they had before work, which means they have to face the underlying issues of trying to combine their professional and personal life.

And a snippety peek…

Reeves West pushed back against Hampton Bennett's groin. "Ah, yeah. Right there." Her fingers curled into her palms against the tile of the shower.

Water sluiced over her shoulders and down her back before trailing off where her ass met Hampton's hips. He picked up the pace, going deep on each thrust. Reeves edged closer to the brink, the hard spray adding to the heady thrum of almost-there bliss.

Hampton gripped her waist with one hand and slid the other up to cup a breast. The roll of his thumb over her nipple sent her flying over the edge. She shuddered and gasped, the orgasm washing over her in pleasurable waves.

Hampton's hot breath fanned against her ear. "I'm right behind you…" His thighs flexed one more time before he came with his head resting on her shoulder.

She reached up to turn the water off and his lips ghosted over the column of her throat. Not much beat hot sex before work. But … if he kept nuzzling her, they'd be very late because she could go for another round.

Grabbing one of the towels hanging over the enclosed stall, she handed it to Hampton then snagged the other one for herself.

After wiping her face off, she turned and caught Hampton's lips in a quick, hard kiss. "Best way to start the day, yeah?" Draping the towel over her shoulders, she popped the door open and stepped out onto the fluffy mat.

Hampton's lips curved. "Not gonna hear me complain." He dried off quickly then eased around her to hang his towel on the rack.

Reeves did the same. "And we've got just enough time to get dressed, grab some coffee, and head out." She followed Hampton into his bedroom and rifled through her duffel bag for underclothes and socks.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she donned the undergarments then got up to get into her uniform. With her shirt halfway buttoned up, she slid her feet into her shoes then headed for the kitchen to pour two travel mugs of java. Two sugars for Hampton and one sugar and a splash of creamer for her.

Hampton came in behind her, pulling a pack of muffins from his fridge. "When do you want to move in?" He put one muffin on the counter and peeled the wrapper off the other.

Reeves stiffened. "Not sure. Right before work isn't the best time to talk about it…" She'd rather not discuss moving in at all. "But I promise we will. Soon." Needing a change of subject, she nodded toward the schedule. "We got any newbies on shift today?" She hoped like hell that would be the end of the living arrangement conversation.

Hampton wouldn't be dissuaded. "Seriously, Reeves. When do you want to move in. Or find a place together?" He took the mug she handed him and swallowed a large gulp.

Reeves bit her tongue and did a quick five count. "Look. I don't know. But we will have a discussion. Soon." Right after she figured out if she could risk her hard-won freedom again.

Hampton called bullshit. "You've said that the last three times. How are you defining soon?" He added more coffee to their mugs.

Reeves fought a flash of anger and tried for humor. "Um … sometime before we both die." Her stomach growled and she bit into her muffin, hoping she didn't end up choking on it.

Hampton arched his brows. "You're not serious, are you?" His head cocked and his jaw twitched.

She hated how they'd gone from blissed out to dug in. How did she explain her absolute fear she'd be left holding the bag if things went south between them? Why couldn't Hampton be cool with sharing a bed but not a living space? What did she have to do to make it clear she loved spending time with him but shied away from making a full commitment? Maybe she should tell Hampton about her ex and the shattered pieces he left her life in when he fucked off into the sunset without her. She would … eventually. But she couldn't do it today.

Instead, she shrugged. "The vibe isn't right to talk about moving in yet." Meeting his gaze, she made sure hers didn't waver.

Hampton huffed out a breath. "Guess that's that then." He grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone then scooped up his mug and headed for the door.

Reeves closed her eyes. "Gonna be a long drive to the station house today…"

I just started this one and I'm so excited to see how these two resolve their issues.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Underfoot

As usual, we're having bizarre weather. Got hot again then a stormfront moved through and now we're back down to the sixties. I'm not complaining about the cooler temperatures or anything, but I'd rather stick with one range for longer than a week.

 

Still loaded up with work projects and I'm making solid progress on all of them. Sometimes it's like spinning plates and trying to keep them all going at the same rate, but I love the variety of the stuff I'm working on right now.

 

Not a bad week for viewing television. I did the taking a break from wall-to-wall words thing again and got pretty much a full round of shows in this week.

 

Started off with Best in Paradise and enjoyed the rewatch of "Dark Memories." I have one more episode left for this series then I'll be switching over to Beyond Paradise. I'm looking forward to starting that one.

 

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise with the ninth season premiere. I think this is Jack's last season and the new guy takes over for the next one. Enjoyed the episode a lot.

 

Watched another episode of Elementary and enjoyed it. Not a huge Moriarity fan, but I like the layers and back and forth between Holmes and Watson with Moriarity.

 

Finished up the third season of The Batman and I'm getting ready to start the fourth. I honestly can't remember if I ended up liking the fourth season or not.

 

Also caught an episode of Classic Rugrats and the three vignettes were ones I don't remember seeing before so nice to have something new to me.

 

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Underfoot, a novella that brings a couple together during a raging snowstorm.

 

Here's the miniblurb:

 

Nona Rack, a footloose artist and Jane of all trades, breaks down beside reclusive author West Wentworth's house at two am during a blinding snowstorm. The cranky writer lets her stay, even though she's underfoot, and before he knows it, he's discovered a new muse.

 

And a snippety peek…

West's stomach growled. "Better eat something." He stretched the kinks out of his arms and neck.

He went in search of food, opened the fridge and found thawed ground sirloin. Damn. He'd forgotten he planned to make some burgers. Maybe he'd do a burger and bacon salad instead. Then he remembered he had a houseguest. He'd better see what she'd like.

He didn't find Nona anywhere in the house. "Surely she's not still in the garage…" He opened the door off the kitchen and stopped short. "What the hell?" Did he walk through a portal to another universe?

The haphazard, jumbled mess that normally greeted him had disappeared. Instead, neat rows and piles lined the floor and shelves. What a difference from the uncontrolled clutter.

Nona popped up from behind his dad's old vehicle. "Hi ... um..." Her cheeks bloomed with color. "Sorry?" She had an armful of items and placed them in the box on the trunk. "I kind of got started and couldn't stop." She dusted her hands off over the box.

He took in her appearance. An old pair of his jeans, one of his thermal shirts. She'd tied a knot at her hip to keep the shirt from catching on anything. A smudge of oil on her cheek made her look like a kid. Okay … not really. The black streak made her look hot, which unnerved him.

I'm old enough to know better. Of course I'm attracted to her. I haven't been out in months.

His gaze scanned the space—if not neatly organized then at least less chaotic. How long had he been writing? She'd made a huge dent in the otherwise unmanageable mountain of madness that always overwhelmed him.

She dusted off her hands and eased around the car, coming to a stop in front of him. "I found lots of parts, but no plugs yet. But I couldn't think with all the ... uh ... well..." Her voice trailed off and her gaze swept the area.

He cut in. "Sheer and utter chaos?" His dad loved to save everything.

She shook her head. "I think disorganization fits better. There's a lot of great vintage stuff in here." She paused a moment. "I needed to create a little order. A blank canvas, so to speak."

He nodded. "Or a blank page. I get it." Hard to concentrate or do anything with everything scattered about.

She shot him a smile. "Right. And like I said, once I got started, I couldn't stop."

He considered the amount of work she'd done. "Uh, thank you. I've been putting a good clean out off." He grimaced. "Deadlines." His gaze met hers. "You've saved me a headache." A huge one.

She shrugged. "It's the least I can do. You're letting me crash here, after all." She tilted her head. "Did you need something?"

He blinked, trying to remember why he'd come out, then his stomach growled. "Oh, uh, dinner. It's after six." He ducked back into the kitchen, making sure she followed. "Thought I'd fry up some ground sirloin and bacon and make a salad. Are you hungry?"

I'm having a lot of fun bringing West out of his crankypants mood. Nona is good for doing that.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Under the Influence (a South of the Border novella)

Hello, September. Here's hoping you're not as maniacal as August. I'd love for the weather to make up its mind and hold for a while. I don't imagine that will actually happen.

Had a lovely day off to travel to the Hocking Hills area to meet up with my cousins on my mom's side of the family. We're hoping to make it an annual event. I couldn't take the whole weekend, but it was so much fun to spend time with them. Bonus points for being close enough to my daughter's location for grad school that I could take some of the things she forgot.

Still insanely busy with work and I'm happy for the new projects coming my way. Also kind of thrilled they're all a bit different so it's not the same thing for each manuscript.

Had an okay week of viewing. I got to watch a few things when I needed a break from wall-to-wall words. Sometimes it's nice to have a minivacation to reset my brain.

Caught an episode of The Batman and enjoyed it. It's a two-parter so I'm hoping to watch the second half this week.

Enjoyed an episode of Classic Rugrats. I don't really remember this one, but the later seasons of the show weren't watched quite as many times as the earlier ones.

Got an episode of My Life Is Murder watched and loved it. Again, Madison really stole the show. And the wink-wink-nod to Xena at the end was fun and awesome.

Started an episode of Signora Volpe and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when Sylvia's undercover assignment is discovered.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Under the Influence, a South of the Border novella.

Here's the miniblurb:

When her father dies, Lilith Jans inherits a piece of hotly sought after property in Mexico. She also unknowingly takes on an unpaid debt, which puts her life in danger. Hayden Knoxville makes her an offer she wants to refuse but can't—sell to him and he'll deal with the men coming to collect payment.

And a snippety peek…

Hayden Knoxville entered the cantina and spotted his friends right away.

Lars stood up and waved Hayden over. "Knoxville, how was the trip down?" He settled back down at the table and motioned for the server to bring another beer.

Hayden grunted. "Not bad. Been a while since I've crossed the border." At least into Mexico.

Vail lifted his chin. "How long has it been? Three years now?"

Hayden gave a nod. "There about. Heard you two have been busy." The scuttlebutt proved interesting, and he wondered how accurate the information could be.

He only picked up bits and pieces from a friend of a friend who had some kind of pull with covert operations. His former colleagues got out of the business and settled with—from the sound of things—two incredible women. When the trio video conferenced about Hayden making the trip down to Mexico, they didn't waste any time on small talk. But both men seemed … less haunted.

Hayden wanted what they had. And he might have the means to make it happen.

Lars kicked his chair back on two legs. "Decide anything on the problem we talked about?" Right to the issue at hand, a very Lars move.

Hayden took a long swallow of the beer the server placed in front of him before answering. "I'm willing to help but … instead of working short-term, why not consider long-term?" He'd given the situation a lot of thought and had what he hoped would be a perfect solution.

Lars arched a brow. "What do you have in mind?"

Hayden rolled a shoulder. "I'll buy her out. If she sells to me, half her headache is gone." And he had the means to make a sizeable offer.

Vail frowned. "What if she doesn't want to sell?"

Hayden snorted. "She'd be stupid not to. I absorb her old man's debts, meaning I deal with any potential fallout or blow back." And maybe take down one last asshole before closing the book on this chapter of his life.

Lars planted his forearms on the table. "Why? I mean, do you have some strange hankering to move your life down here?"

Hayden pondered how to answer. "Move anywhere, actually. I'm tired of chasing the next job." And pushing his luck.

Vail picked up the thread of conversation. "Does this have anything to do with getting shot last year?"

Hayden sighed. "Hell, I don't know. I always figured gunshot wounds and wicked-looking scars from a knife blade were part of the fun." Right up until the injuries started outweighing the positive aspects of the job.

Lars grimaced. "Sure … until they're not." He rubbed at his side, no doubt remembering his last close call.

Hayden grunted. "Exactly. I've been doing this long enough to know I've got a few good years left before age and wear and tear take too much of a toll. I wanna get out before I'm too tired or injured to do so." And starting over with a couple of friends nearby had merit.

Vail huffed out a breath. "Or too dead."

Hayden cocked his head. "That, too. Besides, when you two dropped out, it became a wake-up call." He fixed his gaze on his friends. "Got any regrets?"

Both answered in unison. "No."

Hayden gave a nod. "Didn't think so. I've got a tidy sum saved up and it's kind of nice to think about not living out of a jump bag and crawling in and out hot spots all the time." He spoke several languages, knew his way around boats and bars … why not put his acquired knowledge to work as more than a hired gun?

Lars spread his hands out. "Look, Vail and I have a good reason not to live the life anymore."

Hayden lifted his chin. "Yeah, two super-hot women to keep you in line."

Vail huffed out a breath and finished his beer. "You don't have anyone. You'll be tying yourself to business you may not even like. What are you going to do if you get bored?"

Hayden gazed out the window, soaking in the landscape. "Easy, I'll go surfing, or diving, or hiking somewhere." He drained his mug and set it on the table. "I've got this round." He got up to pay the tab … but overheard his friends' commentary.

Vail rocked back on the chair. "Guess he's got it all figured out."

Lars gave a nod. "Yep. Until something—or someone—throws him a curve."

Hayden didn't blame them for their doubts. But he had a skill set they didn't know about. "I'm damned good at shifting on the fly." He could totally do this.

This is a fun series and I'm enjoying bringing previous characters back to help the new ones.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

 

Skylin