Sunday Snippet: Healing the Wound

Hello!

Okay, finally got semi-caught up on Haven. Also still current on Sons of Anarchy. I can only say, wow, it hurts to watch both. LOL

I'm behind on some of my other faves. Agents of SHEILD and Sleepy Hollow being two, and I haven't been able to catch Gotham yet either. Sometimes working seven days a week is a huge pain. J

Tonight's post is from Healing the Wound, a novella where my main characters have some serious baggage. Fun, right?

Here's the tagline:

Jenna Creed loses the love of her life and blames Thorp Waggoner. She needs to stop living in the past and Thorp wants to be the man she moves forward with, which means Jenna has a very big problem.

And a sneaky peek…

The hatch slammed shut and Thorp shook off the kiss. It didn't mean anything. It never did, never would. He turned to pick up his clothes, a little surprised to find them strewn all over the room. He shouldn't be… they'd been hell bent on screwing RFN. He bent down, grabbing his shirt and the hatch clanged open. Great. Wouldn’t take a scholar to figure out what had almost gone down in here.

"Thorp?"

Surprise kicked him in the gut. Last person he expected. Rising slowly, he angled his head around. "Look, Jenna. I get it. No need for round two."

She didn't say anything else, but grabbed the wrench and slid it back in place.

Thorp waited, unclear why she'd lock them in together. She'd been brutally honest about where things stood. He didn't need or want a rehashing.

He lifted a brow. "What could you possibly have to add?"

Again, she said nothing, her breath coming out in short bursts. She snorted and shook her head then her lips twisted in a sad grimace.

He let his shirt fall to the deck but stayed rooted to his spot. The next move belonged to Jenna.

She slumped back against the hatch and lifted her eyes to his. "It hurts, Thorp. Help me. I'm so tired of the pain." She slid to the floor and put her head on her knees.

Thorp closed the distance between them. He dropped down beside her and gathered her close. "Let it out, Jenna. I'm not going anywhere." He tucked her head against his shoulder and stroked her hair with a soothing touch. Her shoulders shook and the sobs, when they escaped, were deep and wrenching.

Thorp whispered quietly and encouraged her to release everything—the guilt, the sorrow, and the hurt. He had no idea how long they sat on the deck, wrapped around each other, but she finally calmed. He prayed the cleansing tears washed away at least some of her pain.

She lifted her head, and pressed her lips against his. Tentative, trusting, true. She didn't have anyone else in her head right now. Thorp gave in to the desire and kissed her back, deepening the embrace. No rapid fire lust gripping either, they went slow, exploring with hands and mouths.

He much preferred being with Jenna like this, with her head clear and full of him instead of ghosts from her past.

Gotta say, one of my favorite couples to write is Jenna and Thorp. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Haven't We Met Like This

September 21, 2014

Hi,

Blargh. I'm still not caught up with Haven. I am, however, and probably as expected, up to date with Sons of Anarchy. Seriously, I have no idea where I want anyone except Gemma to end up. LOL Kudos to Charlie Hunnam for the primo job he's doing portraying Jax.

Sleepy Hollow starts Monday and I can't wait for more batshit insane goodness from that show. I'm so looking forward to November when I'm not working seven days a week and can really sit back and enjoy my shows.

Tonight's post is from Haven't We Met Like This, a novella with one of my favorite tropes, the bizarre first meeting of my main characters. J

Here's the tagline:

Reese meets Hallie, his brother's flight school roommate, when he bails her out of hack. Seven years later, they meet under similar circumstances on his father's ship.

And a sneaky peek…

An older version of Alec stopped in front of the lance corporal. "I'm here to post bail for Hallie Todd, cadet final year, tagged for being out after curfew." He dug inside his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Five hundred still standard?" He raised an eyebrow.

The lance corporal nodded. "Yes, Sir. Immediate release with a signed promissory note. We'll relinquish her into your custody."

Hallie watched with interest, trying to remember Alec's brother's name. Reeves, no Reese. Reese Hennesey, Lieutenant, Cobra Squadron.

Reese counted out the amount and slapped it on the desk in front of Corporal Jillson. He turned to Hallie. "Seriously? Fudgy brownie cakes?"

Hallie shrugged. "He had to have them, and he made such a damned ruckus I couldn't study." She snorted. "It was go out and get some or kill him."

Reese quirked a brow. "I know he's my brother, but killing him would've been easier."

Hallie laughed. "You think? Did you ever catch him when you were growing up?"

Reese cocked his head. "Uh, no. Good point." He grabbed the keys from Jillson and unlocked her cell door. "The kid is extremely fast when he wants to be."

Hallie laughed. "Yes, he is. And he's also a pain in the ass, but he's a great roommate." She exited the cell and waved to Jillson. "Corporal, I can't say the accommodations are excellent, but I do appreciate the company." She faced Alec's brother and stuck out her hand. "Hallie Todd, it's nice to finally meet you." She waited a beat then added. "Sir."

He grinned. "Reese, and you can lose the 'sir', at least while we're off duty." He shook on the introduction and Hallie got just a little lost in the sensation of his warm palm surrounding hers.

How could two brothers be so different?

Gotta say, this one is fun to write. Looking forward to seeing where my duo ends up. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hard Call

Hello,

Argh. Super busy week so I missed the premiere of Haven and will hopefully be catching up tonight. But… I did NOT miss the opening episode of Sons of Anarchy. Holy hell. Without giving too much away, I wanted Gemma to die a slow painful death in the final frame of the series, but yeah, that's all changed. If died in the next episode it wouldn't be too soon for me. Take that as a challenge to change my mind, Mr. Sutter. Seriously.

Since I talked DC last week, I'll throw in my excitement for Marvel's Agents of SHEILD and Agent Carter. I think I'll like having Peggy take up the downtime between the two halves of AOS.

Tonight's post is from Hard Call, a novella with main characters who brave a war to get together.

Here's the tagline:

Wiccam Kidder commands a space cruiser and wears the mantle of command with reluctance. When he makes a hard call and orders Valor Glynne to what may be a certain death, he wants to give up the burden and walk away. But Valor returns and Wic is faced with knowing she'll follow wherever he leads.

And a sneaky peek…

Wic had ordered Valor to her death and she came back. He needed to prove it to himself. To make certain the apparition in his head actually had form and function. His hand shook when he cupped her face and he fought, hard, to keep it together. Every part of him wanted to come unglued, but Valor understood. She would. Probably the only one who could. His old man certainly didn't get it. The scalding look he shot Wic before returning to the flagship spoke of a long ass-chewing once the after action reports crossed his desk. Wic couldn't hold back, his mouth crushed hers and every angry word he wanted to hurl at his father translated into bruising, punishing kisses. The mixture of desperation and despair at almost losing her poured out and his hands gripped her arms, the hold tighter than necessary. Not like she'd disappear into the ether, but his heart hadn't quite caught up with his head.

Valor responded with her usual aggressive gusto. Her fingers dug into his ass and she leaned into his embrace, accepting each hard thrust of his tongue and giving back in return. She might sacrifice her life on his orders, but she wouldn't give quarter here, in a moment filled with dark hope. She'd push him right to the edge then yank him over the precipice… just because she could.

Wic usually stopped before the passion between them erupted, but not now. Not tonight. Tonight, he'd follow Valor into the abyss—gladly and with everything he had—because he craved her more than his command, more than any repercussion could sway, and more than knowing she'd take the union and walk away if he asked.

He didn't plan to ask.

I love it when one of my characters faces a moment of truth. Fun to write, especially the aftermath.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Gut Punch Feeling

Greetings!

I'm coming off something of a stress and drama filled work week. I have a seasonal job at a local golf course and we're down to two people since we're winding down to our October 31 'official' close. When one of those two people has to take time off… it sucks hairy ones—especially when they wait until the day before to say anything. Just saying.

Moving on to fun stuff. Let's see, Lost Girl will air its final season sometime soon. I'll be sad to see the show end. Haven returns with Evil Audrey. I refuse to call her by whatever name she ended up with when she went inside the barn and returned. I'm also pretty excited for Flash to debut. Anything that has ties to Arrow can't miss in my book.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Gut Punch Feeling, a working title for a short story / novella where my main character gets to face her issues head on to save the one she loves.

Here's the tagline:

Evie Roth, a soldier explorer, keeps her promises. But when a sinister plot threatens those she loves, especially Parr Romanoff, she'll break a vow she made long ago… to herself.

And a sneaky peek…

Evie resisted the urge to rub the phantom pain again. "I just can't understand why you'd want anything reproductive from me. I'm such a screw up." Hell, she could show him the documentation of her many mistakes.

Cavelle tilted his head to the side. "Ah, but your pattern for self-destructive tendencies is part of the reason we chose you. Your emotions run deep." He shrugged. "We needed to test our theory."

Evie narrowed her eyes. "Go on, fill me in. What was the working theory?"

Cavelle leaned forward. "Personal connection. We don't have those among our race. We took your ovary to create life with someone you cared for." He met her gaze. "Loved."

Lifting a brow, she casually asked. "And did it work?" She bit back the bile rising in her throat. Plenty of time later to expel the rage building inside her.

Cavelle's shoulders slumped. "It didn't, no."

Relief flooded her and a victorious vibe followed.

Evie snorted. "Guess you overestimated my feelings for Steven, didn't you." She had what she needed now.

Cavelle realized he'd lost the advantage. "You loved him. We know you did." But he couldn't deny or take back the information.

She started for the exit. "Apparently that's not enough." And they were so mistaken. Parr always held her heart, whether she'd known it or not. "Or… you're wrong."

Cavelle didn't accept total defeat. "But you came back for him."

Evie paused, her hand on the doorknob. "Yeah, I did." But not because I love him. "I made a promise to return… so I did." She glanced back over her shoulder. "Something we lowly humans do… keep our word. I said I'd get everyone off that planet and I did. End of story." She exited, head held high.

She managed to keep her composure until she hit the first juncture. Leaning back against the wall, she gave free rein to the emotions slamming into her. Sliding down, her butt hit the floor and she bent forward, resting her forehead on her knees.

She'd bested Cavelle, but at a price. All illusion stripped away, Evie owned her love for Parr. Steven worked as a pleasant substitute, but didn't touch her soul the way Parr did—and always had—which made her as bad as the Simulates, maybe worse. At least they had an excuse for their behavior, all in the programming, but she had no defense for playacting at being in love with Steven.

Heaving a sigh her head snapped up when footsteps approached.

Parr rounded the corner and stopped short, hovering in position for a second before relaxing his stance and slowly making his way toward her.

He dropped down beside her and draped an arm around her shoulder. "Evie…"

She shook her head. "It figures you'd show up. Is this the moment where tear me apart and tell me what a failure I am."

He huffed out a harsh breath. "I can if you want me to, but that wasn't the plan."

She angled her hear around and met his gaze. "Then what? Why are you here?"

He leaned in close, nudging her head. "Just wanted to say, nice work. That's all."

She opened her mouth. Closed it. What could she possibly say? She never expected kindness and his praise disarmed her, stripped her bare, and she didn't know how to respond. Her shoulders slumped, then shook, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Parr gathered her close, cupping the nape of her neck to rest her head on his shoulder.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Let it out, Evie." His hand smoothed her hair. "Purge the past and let everything go."

She truly didn't deserve his support, but if possible, she loved him even more than five minutes ago.

Evie is a treat to write. And Parr makes me swoon, just a little.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye