Sunday Snippet: Crash and Burn

Had a weird week. The weather is still doing the yucky back and forth stuff, which makes me unhappy. My sinuses go insane when the temperature rises and falls and won't make up its mind.

Still super busy with work projects. I think I'm slowing down productivity-wise and that's disappointing, but I also tend to not work on three projects at the same time.

Not a bad week for television but I didn't get a lot watched. I did finish up the Silent Witness episode I started last week. Nikki ends up in trouble on a frequent basis and I like that she's always willing to put herself out there to solve a mystery.

I started a new season of Strangest Things and should have it finished up later this week. I kind of love digging into weird things from history and watching the group of commenters explain what they think things are.

I also caught another episode of Battlestar Galactica. "Water" is a terrific episode that lays the groundwork for a lot of what follows in the rest of the season. Frankly, the first season of Battlestar is as close to perfect as anything I've seen. There's not a wasted episode in the batch of thirteen. There are stronger episodes, obviously, but every installment has important information and terrific character moments. I'm so excited to watch another episode this week!

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella that puts a sibling rivalry as a conflict and hurdle for a happy ending.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Pepper Strand met the wrong brother first and when her personal feelings get in the way, she takes the easy way out. When it leads to the death of Bax's sibling, she drowns her guilt with alcohol and Bax decides to make her crawl out of the bottle and into his arms.

And a sneaky peek…

Pepper didn't want to talk. She wanted Bax in her bed, preferably naked.

She blinked and swayed a little. "I want you." Her mouth ghosted kisses along his jawline.

A rumbled huff escaped his lips. "I can tell." He gently guided her backward until her legs hit the edge of the bed. "And I'd love to be with you…" His mouth finally caught hers in a lingering kiss. "But let's slow this down a little."

He started undressing her, but in a clinical way. Jerky movements, barely any touching, and zero eye contact. At least it seemed that way to her inebriated brain. And, dammit, she wanted the steamy movie playing in her head.

Pepper grumbled. "Don't wanna slow down." She made a bold move and cupped his groin when he stood up from helping her get her legs out of her pants. "You don't wanna either." His dick, hard and ready, couldn't lie.

Bax grasped her hand and brought it up to his chest. "You're right. I'd love to continue." He pressed a kiss against her fingers. "But I want you to be fully present and participating completely when we're together." He eased away from her and reached out to turn the bed cover down.

When. He said when we're together.

He drew her forward. "Let's get you to bed, okay?" He patted the mattress.

Pepper didn't argue, she put a knee on the surface but paused. She didn't want to be alone. Not when her emotions were raw and jumbled.

Angling her head around, she met his gaze. "Join me?" She tried to make it clear it wouldn't be for sex.

He studied her for a long moment, tilting his head to one side, then glanced at the door.

She added a quiet plea. "Please." Tears prickled behind her eyelids, but she wouldn't cry.

She wouldn't.

He gave a nod. "Yeah, okay. I'll stick around." He shucked his pants.

She crawled onto the bed and slid between the sheets. Bax settled in beside her, staying on top of the cover. She didn't care. She curled up to him, putting her head on his chest, content to listen to his heartbeat until she drifted off.

I could get used to this…

I'm excited to finish this one. Pepper and Bax don't take a traditional route to become a couple and that's so much fun to write.

 

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

ML Skye