Sunday Snippet: Keeper of All Things Secret

Yeesh, July has been a rough month. I'm kind of glad to see the tail end of it. Of course, mid-August starts the school year and it's crazypants from then until after the first of the year. LOL

I'm almost caught up on Dark Matter, which remains pretty decent. I do love the character interactions in this show. I'm slightly put off by all the new introductions, but I'll get over it.

Still need to catch up on Killjoys and Wynonna Earp. I really, really hate being made to wait for the episode for a full week. Seriously? The stupidest thing ever to not have the episode available immediately for people who can't watch or have another commitment and are unable to view when it's on. I'll never understand why network executives get paid the salaries they do when they're making decisions that shoot themselves in the foot.

Final episodes of Teen Wolf start tonight and I'm looking forward to seeing how this series ends. Very excited for the returning faces.

Less than a month away from The Last Ship. Again, impatiently waiting for one of my favorite shows to return. Come on August 20!

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Keeper of All Things Secret, a novella with some political intrigue at the heart of the conflict.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Gili Main, chief of security for an orbiting space station, supports her boss who is up for reelection. Parr Minerval is an excellent leader and should have the election in the bag. But his opponent is playing dirty and Gili appoints herself as the keeper of all things secret to prevent the wily upstart from twisting the facts to his advantage.

And a sneaky peek…

Gili Main let her head fall back and she did a slow grind along the hard shaft before lifting up and sliding over the rigid flesh. "Ahhhh, Parr. Never gets old." She straightened and met her lover's gaze.

Parr grasped her hips, urging her to ride him. "No, never does." His hands skimmed her sides before cupping her breasts.

Gili rocked back and forth, planting her palms on his chest. They didn't have a lot of time, but she refused to rush. She wanted to draw the pleasure out for Parr, let the tension build and go taut before she bucked to completion. She needed to take him right to the edge of bliss so his mind would be clear and sharp for the upcoming negotiation.

Parr palmed her boobs, kneading each one. "Stop teasing, Gili. Ride me." His voice went gravelly, his breath hot against her skin. "Hard."

Gili moaned. His loss of control always turned her on. She picked up the pace, bucking forward to meet his groin. The man did wicked things to her, twisting up her insides until she quivered with pleasure… wrapping her heart in respect, kindness, and love. She gasped and dug her fingers into his chest, skating very close to the edge of bliss.

A slow sexy smile curved his lips. "Come on, Gili love, let go. I'm… ahhh… right there with you." The words rasped out between breaths.

His voice, low and deep, sent shivery barbs along her nerve endings. He thrust upward, his rigid shaft expanding, swelling, filling her more completely. Her eyes closed and warm colors exploded when she toppled over the brink into so much pleasure. Parr chased right behind, grinding hard against her, the added friction sending tingly aftershocks through her. The ripple effect had her shuddering through a second wave of ecstasy. She collapsed, landing atop his chest in a boneless heap.

A happy sigh escaped her lips before she ghosted them along his shoulder. "Mmmm… so much better than having lunch in the commissary." Who needed food when they served hot sex on the menu?

Parr laughed, wrapping his arms around before shifting sideways to tuck her up against his torso. "You make a good point. I'd rather spend the hour in bed with you." He brushed the hair back from her face and met her gaze. "Of course, if we finally went public with our relationship, sneaking a quickie in under the guise of a strategy meeting wouldn't need to be a thing." He kept his stare steady and unwavering, the pointed topic their one bone of contention.

Gili eased away, untangling their limbs. "You know how I feel about this subject." She scooted to the edge of the mattress. "And you're an ass for bringing it up in the intimate afterglow of great sex." She stalked to the vanity and grabbed her clothes, then turned and pinned him with a hard look. "We're not making any grand announcements. Not now. Possibly not ever." Dammit, why did he have to keep gnawing on the one thing she refused to cave on?

Throwing her free hand up to keep him from saying more, she darted into the bathroom and slammed the door.

She loved Parr more than life, but his career wouldn't survive a scandal. Not this soon.

And the damn man knew that better than anyone.

Gili has some definite ideas about how Parr needs to conduct his political career. I can't wait for him to show her there are many paths to accomplish his goals.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Just One Moment

Ugh, the rain continues and it's making the outdoors feel like a sauna. I'm not against saunas but, ugh, I'd rather not have one 24 / 7. Besides… you can't run around outside with only a towel on. Okay, I guess it's not impossible, but I won't be doing it anytime soon. LOL

I had a friend recommend Will for my viewing pleasure. I haven't started it yet, but I'll give it a go. She's in love with everything about the show.

Have to play catch up again on my Syfy Friday night shows. I hate being behind and it sucks that on Demand and the Syfy app won't show the latest episode immediately. I have a lot of growly, snarly words about that topic.

Great news! Wynonna Earp is renewed for season three. I'm soooo happy we'll have more demon-killing gun action in the town of Purgatory. Woo!

Lots of terrific trailer action coming from SDCC. I'm looking forward to The Defenders if only for the awesome snark potential.

The Last Ship's new trailer is making me very impatient for the season to start already. Less than a month away, but still feels way too long.

Also… the final episodes of Teen Wolf start next week and I'm excited to see how the series ends.

One final note… I'm actually excited for Doctor Who again! Nothing against Moffat, he's written a few of my very favorite episodes but, ugh, he almost ruined the series for me. The entire last season just rubbed me wrong. I wish him nothing but the best with whatever he's involved in from here on out.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Just One Moment, a sexy short and probably free read to be posted to my website. My goal is to have one for each genre I write in and this one is for the science fiction / speculative romance crowd. It'll be longer than the other two but I think it'll make the Capital City Seasons fans happy.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A life-threatening situation and couples in love. Just one moment to say everything that needs to be said.

And a sneaky peek…

The persistent buzz and vibrating dance of a phone pulled Ben Murphy from a deep sleep.

He nudged his bed partner. "Jess. Phone."

An elite tactical officer, Jessa Muldoon led Team Bravo. Calls in the middle of the night usually went to her.

Jess popped her head up and a flash of lightning lit up her face. She blinked then reached for her phone.

With a grunt, she dropped back down. "Not mine, Murph. Yours." A crack of thunder and another streak of lightning had her sitting back up.

Murph fumbled for his device, silencing the buzz and checking the contact information. "Yeah, Dad. What's going on?" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Angus Murphy got straight to the point. "Get Jess. I need you to come in. Storm's got the city under siege between flooding and fire." He mumbled something in the background. "I've got Margo calling in everyone else. Your group and Renfer's Alpha Team. I need the whole lot of you." The stress came through with his gruff delivery.

Ben slid out of bed and motioned for Jess to get up. "And you need us there two hours ago. Got it, Dad." He found a pair of pants and shoved his feet inside. "We'll be there in ten." Another booming rumble filled the room. "Or as soon as we can." Dead air met his ears.

Jess met his gaze while pulling on her clothes. "Gimme the bullet points." She snagged her phone and started keying in numbers.

Murph held up a hand. "Dad and Margo are handling the calls. The storm's got the city in turmoil and I'm assuming they need us to do damage control. Your team, Renfer's and mine." He jammed his feet into his shoes and started for the door.

Jess let out a low whistle. "The big guns. Everyone on deck." She put her boots on but didn't bother lacing them up.

Murph picked up his go bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Yep. Dad said something about flooding and fires." He followed her into the corridor and down the steps.

When they reached the main door, Murph got a better understanding of the situation. The torrential downpour reduced visibility to the point he couldn't see across the street. Wind whipped in gusts, flinging the rain against the glass windows. The sky lit up again and illuminated the road, showing water rolling up to the curb.

Jess blew out a breath. "Yeah, we're not taking your vehicle." She nodded toward the basement entrance. "Let's take my ride."

Being a team leader for the Strategic Tactical Unit gave her access to an all-terrain unit, which could actually float, if necessary. With one last glance outside, Murph didn't doubt it just might be.

If all goes well, each of the couples in the Capital City Seasons series will make an appearance. Of course, I have to finish writing the other books, which are all in various stages of completions.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Jammed In

Coming off a very rainy week with lots of thunderstorms. That means I need to save after every paragraph I type. LOL

Watched another episode of Killjoys and, yeah, this is a great season! I love the banter and snark and pretty much everything.

Dark Matter is truly messing with everything and I'm quite enjoying it. I wouldn't mind if the pacing moved a little faster and I'm not completely sure I like having Four off on his own. That said, I'm willing to exercise patience and see where everything goes.

Wynonna Earp keeps blowing my mind. I'm excited to see what happens now that the baby news is out. The season feels a little off kilter but I like that because Wynonna is off kilter. My fingers are crossed for a third season because there's no way this story is over at the end of two.

Got another few episodes of Young Justice watched and still very much enjoying the dynamic of the group. I'm hoping the whole mole thing is wrapped up by the end of the season or at least the person is revealed. Should finish up in the next week and move on to the second season.

Can't wait for next month when I can start talking about The Last Ship. I'm so bummed they delayed the start of this season.

That's it for television. Tonight's post is from Jammed In, a novella that got started with a prompt of making your main characters share a bed under odd circumstances. How can that not be fun to write?

Here's the mini-blurb:

A simple clean up goes awry when a junior officer mixes the wrong chemicals together, leaving senior officers, Barrie Scott and Walsh Clinton, to sort the mess out. The two ranking members have to fight their feelings when they're forced to double up and share a bunk until the contaminant is cleared.

And a sneaky peek…

Barrie Scott slid into the morning briefing and took her favorite spot in the back row.

Walsh Clinton stopped mid-sentence. "Lieutenant Scott, nice of you to join us." His gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. "Only ten minutes late this time. Did you decide to skip your morning shower?" His eyebrow quirked.

Dammit. The man knew too much about her daily habits. She had skipped showering this morning.

Barrie hunched a shoulder. "Seemed prudent to get here as soon as possible." A smirk twisted her lips. "At least once this week anyway."

Walsh snorted. "Will wonders never cease." He glanced back to his notes. "Your timing is excellent. I need a 2IC for the admiral's new pet project—clearing out the armament stations on C-Deck. Apparently we're finally going to catch up with the rest of the fleet and renovate to the updated design." He shot Barrie a pointed look. "See me after the briefing and we'll get a schedule together." Not waiting for a response, he went back to going over the day's information.

Barrie bit back a sigh. Figured she'd get tagged. Walsh always sucked her into these lame extra-credit assignments. She listened to the rest of the briefing with half an ear, mentally juggling hours around. Three armament stations would need at least six crewmembers and a strict inventory count. Knowing their CO, he wanted the work done yesterday so they wouldn't be able to work this detail when they felt like it. They'd have to block specific time and—

"Dismissed." Walsh gathered up his notes and tucked them under his arm.

Barrie got up and tried to sneak out. She needed coffee and something to eat before she attempted to focus on this fresh hell Walsh wanted her to be a part of.

"Lieutenant Scott, don't even think about it." He started up the aisle, headed in her direction. "You can escape after you make up the ten minutes you missed earlier."

A junior grade, Jenna McCabe, rolled her eyes. "Seriously, why don't you two just hook up and be done with it?" She leaned in. "And maybe try showing up on time. He might cut you a break if you do."

Barrie laughed. "Yeah, right. The hookup will never happen. I've known the CAG since we moved next door to him when I was five." Walsh stopped to answer a question from one of the pilots on the alert schedule. "I'm the little sister he never wanted but got stuck with anyway." Okay, not so much true now that they'd hit adulthood.

Jenna shook her head. "Wouldn't stop me from hitting that.  I mean, look at him."

Barrie didn't have to. She had a play by play of witnessing him grow from "icky" boy to full on stud-worthy man. With almost twenty years of material to pull from, Walsh featured in ninety percent of Barrie's fantasy reels. Something she hoped he never discovered.

Barrie gave a snort. "Not like he'd ever go for it anyway." She'd forgotten McCabe stood beside her.

Jenna's eyes widened. "Why the hell not? He's not blind. And you're gorgeous." McCabe rarely minced words.

Barrie flashed a smile, slightly embarrassed by the flattery. "Thanks, but… frat regs exist for a reason." Sometimes stupid and unnecessary, but Barrie kept her mouth shut.

Setting the example for junior officers sucked big ones.

McCabe shot Barrie a skeptical look. "He's the CO's son. Frat regs are not the problem." She slid her gaze sideways with a pointed glance and left on that note.

Well, hell. Her go to excuse pretty much got crushed into dust. Might bear some rethinking.

Catching sight of Walsh headed her way, Barrie shoved the thought aside for later.

Barrie and Walsh are a lot of fun and putting them in a rack together should make for an interesting turn… especially after this conversation. LOL

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Intimate Bond

Bleh. I'm feeling under the weather today. Allergy season is in full swing and my sinuses hate me right now. LOL

Got caught up on the premiere of Killjoys but haven't been able to watch the other two episodes yet. I hate it when On Demand makes me wait. Might have to see if they're available on SyFy. One of my favorite things about Dark Matter is how trippy they get with episodes sometimes. I love it when I have to keep up or get lost. Wynonna Earp… wow. Seriously, just wow. This show gets better with each passing episode. It's crazy, batshit, and over the top and I love every single moment.

Hoping to get into Orphan Black later this week. With five or so episodes ready, I'll have a good amount to binge watch.

I'm excited to see they've started filming season six of Arrow! Can't wait for the new season to start.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Intimate Bond, a novella that was started with a writing community prompt of "grief sex… have your characters engage over losing someone that isn't a relative". I loved that one!

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lindsay Redd has a big problem with one of her pilots, but when the younger woman goes down in flames, Lindsay can't let go of her grief. Doyle Ingersoll has to find a way to push Lindsay back into top gun form and isn't above using sex to make it happen.

And a sneaky peek…

"God dammit, Deadspool, what the hell did you think you were doing out there?" Lindsay Redd stood toe-to-toe with her junior pilot.

Kenda Deeds aka Deadspool smirked and lifted a shoulder. "Showing my skill, sir. What did it look like I was doing?" She handed her helmet off to one of the deck crew.

Linsday resisted the urge to slap the snark out of her pilot. "It looked like you were spending too much time hot-dogging instead of flying your patrol. Make sure you don't do it again." Already forming the scathing words for her report, she started to sidestep around the other woman.

Kenda pushed back. "Why not? You do it." She swung around and blocked Lindsay's path.

So not the point and yet Kenda didn't have it wrong. Lindsay did fly with a buttload of flair, even on patrol.

Lindsay did a slow ten count before responding to the smart ass retort. "I've got three years' experience on you." Not to mention rank, which she'd pull if the Kenda didn't back off.

Kenda rolled her eyes. "And I fly as good as or better than you did back then." Another smirk over the age jab.

God, Lindsay hated the overconfidence of Deeds. And it had nothing to do with the fact that Lindsay, if she really thought about it, could probably remember saying something eerily similar to her first squadron commander. Doyle Ingersoll would be wearing a smug smile if he were here to eavesdrop on this conversation. No matter, he'd get an earful once Lindsay put Kenda in her place.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're proficient, Deeds. There's a difference between that and experience and it's one that might just save your life. So stop with the dramatics when we're on patrol." Finished with the conversation, Lindsay stepped around Kenda again and started for the corridor.

Kenda shot back. "I think you're jealous and green isn't a good color on you."

Lindsay didn't break stride, stifling the urge to punch the other woman. "Whatever gets you through the day, Deeds. Make sure you hold on to that." Ignoring the small burst of laughter from the deck crew, she made the turn to head for the showers to wash the stench of anger away.

The rivalry between the two pilots is fun to write. They'll form something of a mutual respect for each other before too long, especially when Doyle steps in to play referee.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Internal Dialog

Welcome to July, meaning half the year is gone and I have no idea where it went. LOL

This has been a crazy week. I'm so far behind on my fave shows. I missed the premiere of Killjoys and I'm carving, carving time out Monday to make sure I don't get too far behind.

I did get to catch most of Dark Matter and Wynonna Earp. I really do like where things are going with both shows.

I've decided I'll probably end up binge watching Orphan Black. I haven't had the time to catch up on my missed episodes. As for Doctor Who… I'm just so disgusted with this season I don't even care how it ended. This makes me sad. Considering some of my very favorite episodes were written by Moffat—oddly, all before he became showrunner—I'm truly discouraged with how much he's destroyed the joy of watching the show for me. Here's looking forward to Chris Chibnall's tenure. May he bring back my love for the show.

Finished up my rewatch of City Homicide and think I'll be moving on to Sense8 for my next binge marathon. Also caught another episode or two of Young Justice. Almost through the first season and I like the setup for what I think is coming.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Internal Dialog, a novella where my characters need to check their baggage at the spaceport and deal with how they feel.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tom Callahan is an excellent soldier who never makes strategic errors on the job, but tends to mess up on the personal front. Abbey Parks is a firecracker who gets things done and rarely takes time to ponder a decision before she leaps. But when she crosses a line she didn't know existed, she and Tom have to navigate their way back to each other, which isn't easy considering they never approach a situation the same way.

And a sneaky peek…

Abbey watched Tom as they jostled through the corridors, knowing he was over thinking things again. Internalizing instead of venting, holding things in. If Tom spent half as much time doing as he did thinking, he’d probably be amazed at how much more progress he’d make.

Take them, for example… he’d gone fairly quiet after their exchange on the Cythera. They still talked, had each other’s backs, but he didn’t mention the greeting or the fact that he’d told her he loved her and would listen any time she wanted.

She’d had time to think about it and everything sort of fell into place for her. They’d been dancing around each other for so long and Tom finally broke orbit, hence the reaction to her sleeping with Francois. She could kick herself for getting so damned drunk that she'd fallen into bed with him.

Again… if Tom spent half as much time doing…

Not that she had room to talk. They’d gotten closer since the initial attacks. Her part in his father's death didn't hang between anymore and she knew Tom liked to take things slow. His pole-axed gaze when he'd seen her gussied up for the first victory celebration should have been her first clue that they had potential.

But she’d been in denial mode.

Their argument, her bucking orders, the time on Orion… all seemed so far away when his lips hit hers on the Cythera. It was like coming in from a storm… she just didn’t realize it at first. It had been so long since she'd had someplace to call home, where she felt safe and secure.

She was so wrapped up in the memory she shot right past Tom when he paused at the hatch to quarters. Stopping short, she turned to find him looking at her with an amused expression on his face.

She rolled her eyes up and over. “Guess I wasn’t paying attention.” Following him into quarters, she watched as he walked over to his locker to shed the dress grays. “Tom…” She waited for him to glance her way.

She met his gaze, the room became charged between them. “I’d like to have that talk now.”

Holding her gaze, he responded with a slight inclination of his head. Words weren’t really necessary and Abbey dogged the hatch and barred it.

Honestly, this one is coming together in bits and pieces. I have a feeling a storyboard to finish up is in my future.

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

ML Skye