Sunday Snippet: Xanthic Flu

Well, the end of June is going to be a welcome sight for me. It's been a long month and yet somehow flew by in a blink.

Work projects are finally slowing down a little and I feel like I can breathe again. I have to play catch-up on some things that I had to let slide while trying to get through the bulk of my work. Hopefully, I'll get back to some cleaning projects and get more writing done.

Actually made it through all of my shows and finished up two that I had on the back burner. We had a lot of rain and some severe storms, but the power stayed on, so I got a lot watched.

Watched another episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and it's one I always look forward to. I love getting into Phyrne's history and her time in France explains so much about her.

Enjoyed another episode of Art Detectives. Nice to have a little backstory for the characters. Also enjoyed the mystery of this one. Messy rock-star drama added a nice twist.

Caught another Death in Paradise episode … possibly the one hundredth ep because Camile made an appearance. Excellent throwback to the very first episode also.

Watched another Poirot episode where he's either still on holiday or taking another one. I had seen most of this episode before and it's nice to have all the pieces fall into place.

Enjoyed an episode of Elementary. Interesting to see Gregson decide to stay with the eleventh and Iiked him seeking Joan's help with vetting his possible replacement. The overarching mystery also ended up being nice and twisty.

Caught another episode of Batman Beyond. I remembered this one and liked the team-up of Terry and Max. Bruce had some good lines in this episode.

I think I finished up the Classic Rugrats rewatch. I might go back and make sure I didn't end up skipping a season or two. I'll probably switch over the new episodes.

Finally finished up the episode of Peak Practice I started a while ago. Did not expect to see Sam propose even though I knew it would happen at some point.

Also finished up the second episode of Reacher. Gotta say, I really love this show. Glad I have several more seasons to view!

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Xanthic Flu, a novella that puts a couple together in isolation and gives them time to explore what they have between them.

Here's the miniblurb:

Rowan Buel and Fuller Beckett are competitive by nature, but when they contract the Xanthic flu—a nasty virus that turns the skin yellow—at the same time, it takes their game of one-ups-manship to the extreme. Isolated and quarantined together, the duo learns working together can actually be fun.

And a sneaky peek…

Rowan woke slowly, taking stock of her condition.

Cotton mouth?

Gone. Night hydration seemed to be working.

Headache?

Nope. A true bonus.

Yellow skin?

She cracked one eye open.

Ugh. Yep. Still there.

Body aches from the lumpy mattress?

Sweet universe, no.

But … something hard did poke her in the back.

No. Way.

Fuller Becket had a significant erection? While lying next to her?

She turned carefully onto her other side and faced him. Being able to study him while sleeping, she noted his handsome visage … even with the yellow tinge.

His eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, with their high bones and slight scruff from needing a shave. His lips were slightly full and very tempting. Kissable, for sure.

She blinked. I did not just think that.

Yeah. She did.

His eyes popped open and widened. His face flushed when realization hit, giving a bit of an orange cast to his skin. He immediately tried to shield his hard-on and his mouth opened but she pressed a finger against it.

She quickly bushed her lips over his. "Thank you. I slept great for the first time since getting into iso." She would not make a big deal out of his predicament.

He shook his head. "No thanks necessary. Glad you finally got a good night's rest." He apologized. "Sorry for … well, for the…" His gaze lowered to his groin.

She palmed his erection. "Don't be. I'm flattered." She leaned in. "And a little turned on. I had no idea I could do that to you." She slid out of the bed. "Do you want the shower first? You know, to take care of anything causing discomfort…" Her gaze drifted to the outlined ridge under his boxers.

If she thought for a moment he would accept, she'd be more than happy to rectify his situation.

His face reddened again. "Uh, no. Thanks for the offer." Sitting up, he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, his fingers closing over the side with a white-knuckled grip.

Rowan bit back a grin and turned to grab her kit. "If you're sure? I'll be quick." She ducked into the alcove and started the water, setting the temperature to just shy of cool…

Because knowing she had an effect on Fuller made her very hot and bothered.

Writing this scene made me happy. I love the dynamic between Rowan and Fuller.

 

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

ML Skye