Sunday Snippet: Kick in the Burn

The final weekend of 2020 is very chilly and snowy in Ohio. We got about eight inches over the holiday and I can't complain. I wouldn't mind temperatures above the teens but as long as we bundle up, it's not bad. I got the doggos some fleece vests to keep them a little warmer when we go out for potty breaks in the wee hours of the morning.

Watched some holiday fare for a good part of the week. Mainly some classic television special episodes, which are always fun.

I did start Gabriel's Inferno part three and have it ready to go again sometime tomorrow. So far, I'm enjoying it. The sleazy ex finally made an appearance and is getting ready to wreak havoc on Gabriel and Julia. Should be fun.

I caught an episode of Silent Witness, the second to last with Amanda Burton. It ended on a cliffhanger so I need to watch the next one ASAP.

Also started a new episode of Blue Heelers. I'm really enjoying this one. One of the heelers is suspected of murder but he didn't do it. So far, it's a great episode.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Kick in the Burn, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jaden Scratch and Ridge Quartermain spend a lot of time comparing notes about flying. Working late into the night filling out fitreps on their pilots, their conversation takes a very personal turn and kick in the burn takes on a whole new meaning.

And a sneaky peek…

Jaden kept going over the flirty banter she shared with Ridge. "Has it really been two days ago?" The promise of things to come gave her crazy dreams the first night.

But she got a solid eight hours of sleep last night and took a giant step back. Her deepest fantasy had the potential to play out in the near future. Conflicted much?

Grabbing a tray, she went through the line in the mess hall. What if reality doesn't measure up to the exquisite visions dancing in my dreams?

Right. Reality would probably surpass everything in her imagination. If sex isn't pleasurable for both parties, it's not sex. It's something else entirely. If anything, she'd fall short. She usually hooked up to scratch an itch but didn't find the need overwhelming … meaning she didn't have a ton of experience.

Doubt wormed its way into her psyche. Why me? What's the attraction for him? Other than flying and being so embarrassingly organized he wanted her help, she didn't move in his circles.

Toying with her food, she rolled her eyes. "Maybe that's the draw. I'm the new flavor of the week." But he admitted he wanted something different.

But her? She struggled between being giddy and gloomy.

Ridge entered the mess hall and made a beeline for her table. He plopped down across from her and snagged a piece of fruit. She pushed her tray toward him.

He shook his head. "I owe you, Scratch. The colonel is officially off my back." He snapped up one more piece of fruit.

Jaden cracked a smile. He looked damned good wearing casual fare of fatigues and T-shirt. She took a long sip of her water to keep from drooling.

Ridge leaned in. "Seriously, thank you for saving my ass." He trailed a finger over the top of her hand.

She suppressed a shudder but couldn't stop goosebumps from rising on her arm.

She shrugged. "Anytime. I've got your six." She settled back in her seat.

He flashed a sexy grin. "You make that sound more exciting than it should be." His eyebrows waggled.

Suddenly, the whole thing between them seemed too unreal.

She sobered. "Kind of like slumming it with me will be exciting?" She had to know what he really wanted.

Ridge flinched as if she'd slapped him. Her heart sank. He had genuine interest.

His eyes went a little cold and he schooled his features. "The idea of you is exciting. If you don't feel the same, no harm, no foul." He scooted his chair back. "If you get over yourself long enough to pursue whatever this thing between us is … I'll be in the alcove for the next hour." He got up and exited the mess hall.

Jaden wanted to crawl under the table. She feared risking her heart. Taking a chance on a guy who played the field like a contact sport could be her downfall.

But she didn't want to miss the chance with Ridge—even if they failed spectacularly and flared out instead of kicking in the burn.

Getting up, she dropped her tray at the washing station. "Win or lose, I'll take my shot."

This is a fun little romp with a small bit of angst. I love Jaden and Ridge.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Keeping Up With Honor

Happy holiday season to everyone! I'm ready for a busy week and a quiet Christmas. We're always pretty low-key and this year my oldest is in the middle of moving out for the first time. I'm thrilled for him but don't envy the chaos. Moving is challenging when it isn't the holiday. LOL

Didn't get much television watched this week. Have an ongoing project that's due by the beginning of January and I'm focused on getting it finished up.

I did listen to a lot of holiday tunes while working and I got sucked into a Scorpion binge marathon. Other than that, I watched the usual classic Perry Mason and The Saint.

Looking forward possibly getting to the movies I'd like to watch this week.

Tonight's post is from Keeping Up With Honor, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Honor Brock goes against orders and runs a fool's mission to find a lost artifact. Rush Masterson tests a theory and risks his life to track her down. Once he finds her, he has to keep up because Honor won't go back until she has what she wants.

And a sneaky peek…

"Holy shit. I made it." Her stomach roiled dangerously, but their former home planet filled her canopy screen.

She needed to land, secure the plane, then find the artifact. Guiding her bird toward the planet, she rode the hard slide through the atmosphere, ignoring all the alarms beeping, buzzing, screeching, and blinking. She brought the plane down—none too gently—on what used to be a super boulevard. They'd only been gone a few months and already the paved lanes were warping from disuse.

Popping the canopy, she checked the oxygen levels. "Less than normal, but breathable." She grabbed her bag, tossed it over the side then maneuvered out onto the wing and did a slippery dance to the edge.

How she managed to get off with breaking a limb, she didn't know. She did burn the tips of her fingers through her gloves, the metal still hot from breaking atmosphere.

Shaking off the sting, she glanced around. "First things first, find a way back into the plane." She wanted to get the artifact, load up, and get back to the fleet.

Spotting a hotel across the boulevard, she ducked inside. Luckily, she had good light streaming in from the atrium. She entered a staff-access hallway and foraged around for a ladder. She found one tucked underneath a stairwell and grabbed it. Crossing the road, she set against her craft and checked over the plane—a sinking feeling settled in her gut when she discovered her jump drive to be toast.

Climbing down the ladder, she sighed. "New list. Get the artifact, fix the damn plane—or find another way off the planet—and get back to the fleet." Her heart kicked in her chest. "Then beg for forgiveness." She went back into the hotel. "Might as well use this as my base of operations."

She started to shrug out of her flight suit and freaked the hell out when the almost spooky silence in the city broke from a loud boom in the air above the building. "Sounds like a hopper entering the atmosphere." Kicking the suit aside, she darted outside, her mouth gaping, to see a hopper with the ship insignia emblazoned on the side. "No fucking way."

Shock and trepidation filled her—along with a solid streak of admiration. Only one person would have the pull and the balls to follow her—and the knowledge to make it happen.

Her breath whooshed out. "Rush."

He set the craft down about a hundred meters from her ship and cut the engines. The silence rushed back, with the sound of her breathing and the snap and pop of metal cooling echoing around her to break the eerie quiet. Only she heard the thunder in her ears from the flurry of emotions running through her mind.

Honor squared her shoulders and waited for the hatch to open. "Time to face some righteous wrath."

I'm honestly thrilled with how this one is going. Honor and Rush have some differences to settle and there's no better place than an empty planet.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Keeper of All Things Secret

Well, another week kind of flew by. My work schedule is filling in again and that makes me very happy.

Had a semi-decent week for television. I ended up watching a lot of behind the scenes and bloopers from Passionflix. Gabriel's Inferno, Dirty Sexy Saint, The Will, and Matchmaker's Playbook. Thoroughly enjoyed all of them!

Caught up on some classic television. Watched a lot of Perry Mason and The Saint. I'd forgotten how much intrigue the classic Perry Mason shows had in them. Lots more than the modernized version from the eighties.

Also started a new mystery on Ovation. Caught the first two episodes of Crossing Lines. Enjoyed both so I'll be trying to catch those as they air.

I'd hoped to catch Gabriel's Inferno part three this past week but couldn't find time to really sink into the movie. I'll give it a go this week coming up. Also want to watch the holiday quickies releasing on Passionflix.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Keeper of All Things Secret, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

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…

Parr went to grab a shower. "Shouldn't have pushed her again." He couldn't do what he did without Gili.

But he also wanted her to have the recognition she deserved. Yes, going public would cause a scandal, for about three days. People loved her—as much as they loved him.

He exited the shower and snagged his towel.

Gili came in while he dried off. "Look, I'm sorry I went into full-bitch mode out there. You didn't deserve it." She took his towel and hung it up. "Especially after mind-blowing sex." Reaching out, she picked up his boxers and handed them to him.

Parr stepped into the underwear. "It's all right. We've agreed to disagree on the subject." She handed him his pants. "It's not like you don't have a valid concern." He grabbed his shirt and shrugged into it.

Gili buttoned the garment. "I appreciate the fact you don't ignore my anxiety even when you push for more." She slipped his tie over his head. "Right now, people trust you and revealing our relationship will chip away at that foundation." Tightening the fabric, she smoothed her hand down to the tip. "We can always revisit this discussion after the election."

He didn't argue even though he really wanted to. Having her help him dress never failed to kick in the desire to have more but it also acted as a balm. Her taste in the cut and style of suit he wore garnered compliments everywhere he went.

She kept her wardrobe simple. Sheath dresses when she had to pour on the glamour or single-color pants and shirt ensembles—usually a turtle neck with different sleeve lengths. Today, she wore a luscious wine-color from head to toe. A silver pendant hung between her breasts, hoops the same shade adorned her ears. Her only indulgence? Rings of varying sizes and shapes on three fingers of each hand. An elegant package, but also deadly. Gili's lethal skills were sought out by many. Her loyalty to him appreciated and coveted.

But he loved the woman no one else saw. The funny, quirky Gili she rarely revealed. The fact she shared all of her sides with him kept him content for the most part.

She stepped back and gave a nod. "You're ready. The Danzigs will be impressed but not insulted because you're trying too hard." She exited into the living area.

Parr frowned. "I'd rather skip this meeting altogether." He had to make a deal to broker peace in a neighboring galaxy so ships had safe passage. "I abhor this kind of bargaining." And he hated the necessary secrecy.

This is such a fun story. There ends up being some cat and mouse with the deal brokering and Gili will be ready to step in and handle things when they go sideways.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Jammed In

Crap. It's December. I'm not even close to being holiday-ready. Then again, it's been a really weird year. Update from last week. The youngest is negative for Covid. She's home and having fun with the dogs. The middle kiddo? Well, he ended up back in the emergency department again. The acid reducer seems to be working, but we've discovered he's got kidney stones. There might be more going on but we won't know until he follows up with a urologist. All I know is he's tired of feeling like crap. Fingers crossed we get whatever is up with him figured out.

Kind of a slow week in television. I watched several more episodes of Silent Witness. I'm almost finished with season seven. I'll start eight this upcoming week and then I'll be at the place I originally started watching the series.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and got about halfway through. I'll finish it up this week.

Also plan to watch Gabriel's Inferno part three and some holiday quickies from Passionflix this week. Looking forward to diving into those!

Tonight's post is from Jammed In, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

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…

Walsh took pity on Barrie. "You're looking bleary-eyed." He jerked his head toward the exit. "Go on. You can make up your ten minutes by grabbing some coffee and bringing some down to C-deck."

She gave him a quick nod. "Thank you, sir." Ducking out, she headed for the mess hall.

Walsh stopped by his office and gathered the inventory sheets for the three stations. Sometimes being the CO's son sucked. The elder Clinton often loaded Walsh down with projects because the older man trusted his son would get the job done. And, okay, Walsh always did get the job done because no one wanted the CO in a bad mood.

He snorted. "Including me." But ... the constant state of being busy meant Walsh never got a break. "At least I'll have Barrie to help out." She'd been around the old man long enough to know and appreciate the admiral's thought processes.

She'd pick up any slack Walsh might leave behind. He never had to ask. She always covered his ass.

His lips quirked. "Someday, I'll have to do something really special for her." He huffed out a breath. "And hope she accepts graciously instead of thumbing her nose at the gesture." He didn't know when she decided to get prickly about everything, but lately, she got all twitchy when he tried to give her kudos.

He made his way down several decks to meet with her in the first armament station. She waited there with two piping cups of coffee.

He took one and set the clipboard aside. "Thanks." Taking a sip, he studied her a few moments.

She raised her eyebrows. "What? Two sugars, no cream. I added the packets myself."

He shook his head. "Coffee's fine. You, I'm not sure about." He placed the cup on the shelf outside the large locked station.

She shrugged. "You know I hate morning briefings, especially after a late patrol." She waited until he keyed in the lock code then undogged the hatch so he could grab the inventory sheets.

He entered the space and bit back a sigh. Completely disorganized, the weapons and ammunition were haphazardly heaped in numerous piles, lining the deck to ceiling shelves. The new system would make finding armaments so much easier.

But it would be a—

"Gonna be a nightmare to log this crap." Barrie gave voice the thought rolling around in his head.

He grunted and turned to the last inventory sheet. "So, I'm thinking we need—"

Barrie rattled off a list. "Six crewmembers, working two per station doing a strict inventory count with you and me supervising and entering the logs to give the admiral daily updates." She tagged one of the lockers with a label. "We'll start here in each station and tag each shelf with the count to make it easier to barcode when we're through."

Walsh blinked. "Damn. Did you listen to anything I said during the briefing this morning?" She had to have been plotting all of this while he did the daily rundown.

She smirked. "Did you say something particularly spectacular and out of the ordinary?" Grabbing the clipboard, she glanced up to meet his gaze.

He chuckled. "Not really. But I might have to start if you're not gonna pay attention." He lifted his chin. "But I wouldn't change anything you've already thought of." He strode over to the comm panel and brought up the day's schedule. "You're supposed to be on detail for the monthly disinfect and cleanup in the junior officers' quarters. I'm moving you to supervisory and inspection only. I'll add Callis to the crew there." He entered the change form then turned toward her. "Who did you have in mind for the armament project?"

She gave him a list of eight names. Walsh added six and put two in reserve. He printed the information and added a breakdown for a schedule.

Carrying the sheets over to the clipboard, he added them to the inventory lists. "Let's get a schedule together."

The overhead comm system kicked in. "Captain Clinton, report to the CO. Captain Clinton report to the CO."

Barrie laughed. "His timing is scary accurate." She took the clipboard. "Go brief the admiral. I'll get a schedule together and leave it on your desk."

He gave a nod. "Great. Thank you." He started for the hatch.

Barrie quipped before he left. "I can't wait to inspect the junior officers' work." The gleam in her eye flashed with humor.

Walsh smirked. "I'll bet you can't." He exited, leaving her to put the schedule together.

He cocked his head to one side. "She definitely didn't do the prickly thing this time. Progress at last."

I'm excited about finishing this one up. I like Walsh and Barrie and they have fun with a not very fun situation.

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

ML Skye