Sunday Snippet: Lucky Man

Whew. What a week. Ohio got a lot of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, and it was kind of eerie seeing the hazy gray skies for most of the week. Good time to stay inside due to the high danger air quality alerts.

The weather at least stayed just under sweltering. My garage cleanout went much smoother since the temperatures weren't as high as they have been. Going out very late at night and only staying there for under an hour also helped.

Work projects moved along. I finished up a few odds and ends and started a new copy edit. I also touched base on a few back burner projects. I got to review some back cover copy and book blurbs, which is always a fun change of pace.

Had an okay viewing week. Didn't quite make it through all of my usual shows but made a decent stab at them. Between the cleanup and a lengthy run with my own writing, my watching took a back seat.

Started with another bonus episode of Foyle's War behind the scenes. An interview about the details of the final episode with the writer and the show historian. Very much enjoyed it.

Also finished up Tales of Irish Castles. Really liked this series and its deep dive into the seriously large number of castles in Ireland.

Caught an episode of Silent Witness and made it about halfway through. I'm going to take a break, I think. This season is kind of dark, which I enjoy most of the time but, in all honesty, I kind of need something lighter right now.

Watched another episode of Poirot and really enjoyed it. It's always fun when familiar people pop up in these movies. And this one was very twisty, which I enjoy.

Elementary ended up being really good. I really like getting backstory and even though Marcus's is full of strife and pain, it tied into the current happenings really well. Also loved Sherlock being there for Marcus at the end.

That's all for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Lucky Man, a novella that brings a couple together after a death of a loved one.

Here's the miniblurb:

Brent Allison thinks his best friend Peter is a lucky man. He's got a great life and a beautiful woman, Sonja Waters. When Pete and Sonja break up, Brent feels bad for his friend but less guilty for being attracted to Sonja. But when Peter dies in an accident, Brent and Sonja have to navigate their new situation and try not to let Pete's ghost get in the way.

And a snippety peek…

Sonja came home to an empty apartment. "Wow … can't say I'll miss that gaming chair in the middle of the living room." A little sad, she tossed her keys on the counter and picked up the note Pete left. Hey, Sonja, whatever's left can go to a donation center. Her lips curved when she read Brent's scribbled message. Or you can just burn it. He'd added a big smiley face with a hi next to it.

She laughed out loud. "Not a bad idea." She headed for the bedroom.

Maybe she'd get started on rearranging the closet. Or she could move the bed and dressers. Actually, she didn't want to do anything. Except maybe sit with her status as a single woman again. Not what she expected, but oddly not as devastating as she thought it would be.

She'd miss Brent. They had such a good time talking data analytics. Drove Pete bonkers when she and Brent got started on the topic. Her biggest regret of the breakup might be not having Brent's solid presence anymore.

She sat on the edge of the mattress. "Who gets custody of Brent?" Probably Pete, since they'd known each other forever. "Which really isn't fair, because he's part of my life, too." Dammit.

Her phone pinged with an incoming text from … Brent. "Time for a quick call for a data Q?"

She grinned and tapped the phone icon.

Brent answered on the second ring. "Hey, thanks for calling. Where are you?" He sounded like he was walking up steps.

Sonia leaned back on the bed. "I'm at the apartment. Where are you?"

He laughed. "I'm heading to a meeting at Quality Tech. It's on the tenth floor and I didn't feel like waiting for the elevator." He wanted a beat. "Kinda regretting that now."

Sonja chuckled. "What floor are you on? "She pictured him trudging up the steps with his backpack and probably an iced coffee.

Brent heaved a sigh. "Eighth floor. Two more to go."

She snorted. "Eh, you're almost there. Keep going." She figured she'd give him a few minutes to get to his destination before talking again.

Brent blurted, "Pete's an idiot. I told him that right to his face." The echo sound ended and Brent blew out a breath. "Whew. Made it." He paused a moment. "And sorry for bringing Pete up. Wanted you to know I think he's making a huge mistake."

Sonja shrugged even if Brent couldn't see her. "It's okay. I'm okay. And I'm glad you reached out." She didn't want him to feel like he got stuck in the middle.

Even if he sort of did.

Brent huffed out a breath. "Thought it might be awkward. Happy it's not." He went quiet for a moment. "I'd miss talking to you."

Sonja smiled." Same." She really liked Brent.

Is it weird to think that? That I'd miss him. Brent made her laugh and he totally understood her geek-speak as Pete called it. As much as she didn't like how things ended with Pete, she had to be grateful … at least a little. She wouldn't have met Brent without Pete.

Brent cut into her thoughts. "You might not feel that way after I ask this question."

Sonia laughed again. "Ask away." At least she'd salvaged this from the fallout of Pete.

She spent the next fifteen minutes talking weird data sets with Brent.

When they signed off, Brent posed another question. "Mind if I check in occasionally?"

Sonja didn't hesitate. "I'd like that. It's great to have a sounding board sometimes."

Brent made a tentative sound. "You know, I'd love to meet for something aside from geek speak. Would you have coffee with me?"

Sonja got a jolt of excitement. "Like a date?" She actually wouldn't mind.

Brent hedged. "Kind of? I mean, my best friend just treated you like shit so maybe a date is too much. But I'd like to … I don't know … see what happens."

Sonja bit her lip. "You know what? I'm kind of curious too. When are you back in town?" So many things were probably not cool with this idea, but she didn't care.

Brent would be a good field test to see if she could get back out there. And she really liked him as a friend who might become more. Brent named the date of his return and suggested meeting a few days after that.

When the call ended, she got up with a surge of energy. As much as it sucked to get dumped for someone else, she found she didn't mind not having Pete as much as she thought she would. And rearranging the closet seemed like a terrific idea now.

This one is almost finished and came together very quickly, which makes me so happy.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Lost and Found

Another long week and part of it has been spent wondering exactly how many US senators are still with us. One passed last night and another appears to be not recovering. I've been alive long enough to acknowledge how bananapants it is that we don't know for sure. I mean, when an elected official can take four months off and still get paid by taxpayers, not explain what's going on, or be seen in public, there's something wrong. The FMLA allows for twelve weeks without a threat to employment. Sixteen weeks is not cool. Just saying.

Weather cooled down enough to not be miserable. I have to make space in my garage for some things my daughter needs to have stored, and it's been cool enough at night that I can make headway. We were supposed to have rain most of the week and didn't get as much as predicted.

Work continued to be steady. I'm moving along on two ongoing projects, and I finished up a proofread and started a new copy edit. Also touched a back burner project and hope to dive in a little more this week. Writing is also going well right now and I'm happy about that.

Had a fairly decent viewing week. I made it through my usual list of shows and also did a binge marathon of Death in Paradise on Ovation.

Started out with a bonus episode of Foyle's War with the writer and creator along with the show's historian. Very interesting conversation.

Caught another episode of Tales of Irish Castles and moved into a more modern age. I think I have one episode left and have to say I've enjoyed this series.

Watched a new episode of Death in Paradise. Gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mervin interact with his brother and loved how everyone, including Catherine, came together to find Mervin. Seeing the punk-ass faux commissioner again kind of put the icing on the cake, even if he's still a punk-ass policeman now.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. The later movies are fun to watch but I do miss Hastings and Miss Lemon. And, of course, Japp. But it's also entertaining to dive into mysteries that have an intriguing premise.

Elementary had a great episode. Loved seeing Marcus put everything together with his girlfriend's ex. Really hated the ending though. I have a feeling all will not be as it seems.

Watched an episode of Young Justice and kind of liked seeing Connor and Megan in their regular joe roles. Also rather enjoyed Red Arrow asking Aqua Lad for help. And it looks like the overall mystery is starting to fall into place, with the behind the scenes machinations being revealed.

Also caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks. Really loved seeing a different vibe with Rutherford and Mariner teaming up and Boimler and Tendi being together.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Lost and Found, a novella that brings a couple on the outs together to help their best friends get their daughter back.

Here's the miniblurb:

Marianne Jenkins and Jon Walton are on the outs, but when their best friends' daughter is kidnapped, Mari and Jon put their differences aside and work to help find the little one, which won't be easy because the culprit is much closer than any of them think.

And a snippety peek…

Jon would accept a truce with Mari, especially if it helped get Shar and Karl's kid back.

When they left the coffee shop, he paused at the corner. "Are you sure you're okay with how they want us to approach this?" Karl and Shar made a big ask … a very big one.

Mari angled toward him. "Are you? Because if you're not, we might as well go back in there and tell them they'll never see their daughter again." She planted one hand on her hip. "Don't know about you, but I can't let them or Dina suffer that fate." A pointed look followed the statement.

Jon closed his eyes for a moment. "Mari, I'm not picking a fight here. If they think our best shot is to apply as one of the couples to be new parents, I'm totally okay with doing that." He sighed. "That kid is amazing and the reason she is has everything to do with how much Shar and Karl love her."

Mari's stance softened. "She is an amazing person. And I'm sorry for being bitchy. I'm still trying to wrap my head around Shar's dad being a massive asshole and trying to pull this stunt." She shook her head. "I mean, who the hell does shit like this? Taking their grandkid and trying to sell her the highest bidder? That's fucking evil."

Jon nodded. "Evil is one way to describe him. Manipulative, overbearing, and straight up criminal hit the mark too." He frowned. "We're lucky they got the jump on him. Shar knows her dad better than he knows her. But this isn't going to be easy." In fact, what they had to do might be impossible.

Mari shrugged. "No, it won't be. But between the four of us, we'll get Dina back. Karl will handle the backstopping, creating our cover and making it undeniable. Shar will foot the bill with the trust she got from her mom's family. And you and me?" She threaded her hand around the crook of his arm. "We'll be fine for the duration of this very important mission." Her voice held strong conviction.

Jon didn't doubt her. When Mari set her mind on something, she made things happen. To the point of bulldozing anything standing in her way.

Sometimes that included him, which became part of the reason they were no longer together. She claimed he drove her mad when he left decisions in her court. And she definitely got cranky when he didn't offer an opinion on where they should go for dinner or what to watch on TV.

And they argued when he didn't express what he wanted to do. Yet … if they didn't agree, they would have a fight anyway. He found life so much easier when choosing to go with Mari's flow than get tangled up in disagreements all the time. Growing up with parents who fought all the time, Jon learned early to not engage.

But … he had to own he did get pissy when he didn't say what he wanted and Mari chose the exact opposite. Of course, he didn't have that realization until she moved out. Too little and too late to do anything about the situation.

Something else occurred to him when they made their way down the sidewalk…

He glanced toward her. "Uh, you should probably move back in … even if Karl gives us an out of state address." His stomach dropped at the idea but the rest of him warmed at the thought.

Mari's lips twisted in a wry smile. "Yeah, I figured as much." She met his gaze. "It would be harder if we never lived together. It's not like I'm not familiar with the apartment." Her fingers squeezed his bicep.

Maybe so. But he decided to prepare her in advance.

Staring straight ahead, he dropped his truth bomb. "You might be surprised. I made a few changes since you've been gone." He almost couldn't wait to see her reaction.

This story is in the very beginning stages, but the sages are being cooperative with lots of ideas.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Lose Control

Well, July is off to a banging start. Heat wave, the holiday weekend, and a lot of things converging at once. I've been a little off also. Not sure if it's menopause hormones or just general fatigue, but it's been a long week.

We should get a bit of relief from the extreme temperatures when some rain moves through over the next few days. I'll welcome the lower heat indexes.

Work is staying busy. I had a couple of great calls with potential author clients, and I'm excited to see where those go. I have project that shifted to the back burner that needs attention this week, hopefully tomorrow. I also had a project that might be coming back … again. It's the one that won't die, but thankfully, the revisions are all author requests and nothing concerning the edits. Whew. Moved a few smaller things in and out, which is always fun to break up the week. Almost finished with a manuscript proofread of a thriller that has a lot of twists and turns. I need to finish a written assessment on a read through of the opening book to a five-book series sometime this week also.

Had an okay viewing week. Didn't quite make it all the way through my usual shows but didn't do terrible either. I think the heat makes it hard to focus on more than one thing so the entertainment took a back seat to my work projects.

Started the week with another behind-the-scenes bonus episode of Foyle's War. This one focused on the historical recreations for the final episode and I thoroughly enjoyed the interviews.

Caught another episode of Tales of Irish Castles. We're into the seventeenth century, which apparently saw a lot of upheaval.

Finished up the second half of Silent Witness. Again, very interesting how closely related to reality this season has been. I also think I'm liking how there seems to be an overarching thread that's following through all the episodes. That's not really standard or hasn't been for this series.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed the twists and turns. I love it when Poirot questions what he sees with his own eyes to solve the mystery.

Elementary had a great episode. Seeing the fallout from Shinwell's actions is interesting and I kind of hope there's some redemption there. The case itself ended up being really twisty and wildly bizarre as well.

That's all I had time for this week and that's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Lose Control, a novella that gives a couple a chance to deepen their connection.

Here's the miniblurb:

As a bar owner, Colin Ford stays calm and in control even though his work can be hectic and demanding. To relieve Colin's stress, Essie Hines loves nothing more than to make him lose control when they're alone together.

And a snippety peek…

Colin pulled into the back lot after making the nightly deposit and noticed a light on in his apartment.

His lips curved. "Essie." He had a feeling she'd stick around after her shift.

He didn't deserve her, but he counted the blessing of having her in his life. Especially when he could be cranky and grumpy after a long week. And definitely after another call off from Theo. Colin hoped he could get a reliable replacement in before the summer rush really took off.

Jogging up the steps, he let himself into the apartment and locked the door behind him. Tossing his keys on the counter separating the kitchen and the living room, he grinned when he heard the shower running. Yanking his shirt over his head, he headed for the bathroom.

Essie, already naked, turned when he opened the door. "Hey, handsome. Water's perfect." She stuck her hand under the mist of the shower and gave him a sexy smile.

He popped the button of his pants and shucked them down and off. "You know what else is perfect?" Stepping forward, he nodded toward the stall. "This … and you." His mouth met hers and he nudged her into the large space, following right behind.

Essie hummed with pleasure. "Mmm … thought you might need my special brand of T-L-C." Her hands smoothed down his back to cup his ass.

Colin's mouth ghosted along her throat. "I'll never refuse anything you offer." He nipped at her collarbone.

Essie slid her hand along his hip and wrapped her fingers around his hardening shaft. "Then let's get you nice and relaxed from the hot shower then get you really loose from a nice full-body massage." She made a circle motion with her free hand, indicating she wanted him to turn around to face the water.

He followed her instruction and sighed when she fisted his dick a moment longer then reached for the body wash and a fluffy cloth. Starting at his neck and shoulders, she got him good and sudsy. Next, she worked on his thighs and calves, adding some playful squeezed to his butt before she drew the soapy washcloth over his hard length.

He backed under the water, letting it sluice down his skin then hauled her close to plunder her mouth again. She dropped the cloth and wrapped her arms around him. He worked his thigh between her legs and cupped her breasts.

Essie's breath hissed out between her teeth. "You keep that up and I won't be able to focus on the massage…" She turned the water off and eased the door open before grabbing a towel and holding it open for him to step into.

Briskly drying him off, she let him return the favor then laced their fingers together and led him to the bedroom. She'd gone all out with lit candles, gentle music, and a diffuser with a heavenly scent. With every step he took toward the bed, tension eased and the shitty day fell away piece by piece.

She smoothed her hand over the crisp sheets. "Come on. Face down you go."

Once he got settled, she straddled his hips, using strong, firm movements with her hands and fingers. He lost all track of time while she worked her way down his back, over his ass and on to his legs. She even did a deep massage on his feet, which made his toes curl.

Gliding her hand back upward, she traced small circles on his back. "Ready for the front?"

He gave a nod and rolled over, his erection jutting straight and true. Essie settled over him again, the apex of her thighs meeting the base of his cock. She leaned forward and started at his neck and shoulders again.

His hands clasped her thighs but loosely. As much as he wanted to be buried deep inside her, he wouldn't rush her. He'd learned when he gave her free rein, she never failed to blow his mind.

So he savored the slow and methodical way she worked to break him down and get him to relax and release stress.

The payoff would be more than worth it.

Colin is going to appreciate Essie more than he does already by the time their story ends.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin