Sunday Snippet: Climate Control

Man, January felt like it flew by but also seemed like it lasted a full decade. It's so weird how that happens. It could also be because I've been fighting a yucky cold and I'm not enjoying that at all.

Ohio has been in the longest cold spell I can remember. Highs only in the teens and lows in the single digits or below zero. Usually, we'll get that for a day or three. But this has been going on for over a week. At least I haven't had to go out much and deal with the brutal temperatures.

Had a fairly busy work week. Finished up the romantasy copy edit and did a little more on the manuscript that needed TLC. I'm digging into the memoir and getting it ready for a copy edit by another editor. I struggled through endnote hell with my regular author's project. Weirdly, I've had significantly more projects with footnotes or endnotes lately. It's not a trend I enjoy, but it's a new challenge, which I do like.

Had an okay viewing week. I made it through a full round of shows, which included starting a new season of one of my regulars. If possible, I might try to add a random backburner show this week.

Started season twenty-five of Midsommer Murders, and the opening episode didn't disappoint. Someone mentioned on BlueSky that this season is filled with humorous moments and that makes me so happy. Looking forward to more.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War with the opening of season six. A full year passed with Christopher no longer working as a policeman. Of course, he got sucked back in and the team is back together.

Watched the first of a two-part Silent Witness and, whew, what an episode. I have a fairly good idea of where this one is going and it's not pretty. Nikki is going to have her hands full when she's back at the Lyell.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. I love how many pursuits Hastings has. Hunting, golf, driving, and of course, working with Poirot. And Miss Lemon is a true gem.

Elementary ended it's fourth season with an interesting twist. I kind of enjoyed the whole Moreland Holmes arc. I'm looking forward to what season five brings to the table.

Watched another Batman Beyond and it's one I remembered. Bruce's dip in the Lazarus pool made a great episode, especially with being able to fight off a group of thugs with Terry. Such a fun episode.

Caught another episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks and enjoyed it. Very fun to see Klingon and Vulcan lower deck crews. And the end scene with the Borg lower deck was kind of funny.

And that's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Climate Control, a sexy short that brings a couple together when their ship's climate control goes wonky.

Here's the miniblurb:

When the climate control on their ship goes haywire, Ned and Lakin have to cool things down then heat things up. During the wait for a fix, they discover a mutual attraction, and the temperature goes from chilly to blazing in record time.

And a sneaky peek…

Lakin paused just outside the spray of water, and Ned reached out to clasp her palm. "Come on. Get in here." He gave her a playful tug, dragging her closer to the blast of cold water.

She let out a laugh that she quickly swallowed with a harsh intake of breath once the chilly stream pelted her. "Holy shit, that's cold." She shuddered a little.

Ned's hand slid up her arm. "Yeah, well, you're so hot I'm surprised the water isn't making steam rise off your skin." Good cover for his slip of the tongue.

Lakin Pope made his temperature … and other things … rise whenever she walked into his orbit. Definitely not a hardship to share the shower with her. Even when they each had goosebumps now peppering their bodies.

Lakin ducked her head under the spraying stream. "Whew. Talk about a cool down." She swiped her hand over her hair, clearing it from her eyes.

Ned's lips quirked. "I'd say we maybe have five minutes before everyone else is crowding in here and mucking up our little slice of wonderful." He backed under the water, letting the stream flow over his back and shoulders.

Lakin's gaze went to the changing area. "Not sure we'll even have that long." She grimaced.

Sure enough, the door flung open and four people walked in. Ned shared a wry smile with Lakin and cut the water. She snagged a towel from the shelf and handed it to him, then grabbed one for herself.

Ned wrapped the rectangle around his waist and waited for Lakin to cover her torso. They made their way to their lockers, sidestepping the others in their mad dash to hit the stalls.

Lakin pulled her locker open. "I'm going with the bare minimum." She retrieved a pair of hipster briefs and a sports bra.

Ned nodded. "Yeah, good plan." He grabbed a loose-fitting tank and knit boxers.

Once dressed, he shoved his feet into a pair of nonslip mesh shoes.

Lakin's head bobbed up and down. "Yeah, great choice." She slipped a pair on. "Nothing worse than wearing boots when it's ninety degrees." She took her towel and rough-dried her hair.

Ned shut his locker and jerked his head toward the exit. "Ready to see if we can find somewhere semi-cool to wait out the heatwave?"

Lakin snorted. "A challenge if there ever was one." She inclined her chin. "Maybe if we turn the lights down in quarters, it'll be bearable." She palmed a deck of cards and arched her brows.

Not a terrible idea. Too damn hot to do much else.

Ned grinned. "I think we have a plan." He swept his arm out, indicating she should precede him out of the head.

Lakin smirked but didn't argue. And … if he didn't miss his guess, she added an extra swish to her hips while walking toward quarters.

Which meant he very much enjoyed the view. How did I not notice how great her ass looks?

This is such a fun little story. Lakin and Ned are a cool soon-to-be couple.

 

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

ML Skye