Sunday Snippet: Crash and Burn

Whew. It's been a long week. Can't say it's been terrible, more a constant state of busy. I did manage to take care of several personal life things that I've been putting off so that's a bonus. But I've also been scattered all over the place and that makes me bananapants.

Ohio is gearing up for another weather event where we have 84 degrees today for the high and by Monday, the high will be in the low forties. The barometer hates me right now. Also planning for power outages because when the temperature shifts that much in twenty-four to forty-eight hours and thunderstorms are thrown in, things tend to happen. Wind shears, lightning strikes, flash floods that take out trees. Yeah, definitely hope for the best but prep for the worst.

Work projects have been stacked up with more coming in. I'm very happy to be busy! I finished up a proofread of a terrific nonfiction book, got through a copy edit that ended up having some possibly big consistency concerns. Set up the start of a manuscript proofread to start this week and scheduled a read through of a manuscript that I'll be doing a developmental edit on. I have a few odds and ends that I'll be working on wherever I can also.

Did not get a lot of viewing done this week. Didn't have the bandwidth and needed to focus on work projects. Also ended up having a very productive writing week.

I did finish up Foyle's War and I enjoyed rewatching. I'd forgotten how reluctant Foyle was to join the security forces.

Also caught another episode of My Life Is Murder and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. I love Rueben letting himself get pulled into the capers.

Still need to finish Poirot from last week. I'll probably start over because I didn't get very far into the episode before I had to pause.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella that explores what happens when the main character meets the wrong brother first.

Here's the miniblurb:

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…

Bax barely hesitated before he agreed. "Love to." He didn't like the way she'd started slurring her words or how she looked like she could topple over at any moment.

Especially since she more or less swayed on the barstool.

Bax held out a hand. "Where're you staying?" Hopefully somewhere close.

She pointed upstairs.

At least it's convenient.

He didn't know if they'd make it up the steps. "Come on. Let me help you up." He got his shoulder under her arm and wrapped his hand around her waist. "You've had enough."

She didn't argue at all and went with him up the stairs on unsteady legs.

He paused at the top of the steps. "Which room?"

She wobbled a little. "Uh, three."

He got them to the door and tried the knob. Locked.

He propped her against the wall. "Key?" She angled her hips around and stuck her butt out, indicating he'd find it in her back pocket.

He bit back a groan when he fished the card out and she let out a lusty laugh. She had an incredible ass, and his dick fought the confines of his pants. He pushed the keycard against the lock, the mechanism released, and the door snicked open. Wrapping an arm around Pepper, he guided her inside the room.

He didn't even get across the threshold before she turned and backed him against the wall and smashed her mouth against his. Shit. As good as he remembered. And Pepper didn't do things by halves. So everything she did stuck out in his mind.

The kisses were sloppy and hot, and he wanted her with everything he had. But not like this. He needed to slow her onslaught down.

He got the door shut and cupped her face, nudging her toward the bed. "Whoa. What's the hurry? We're not in a race here."

This one is coming together in small bursts of activity. I kind of know where things are going but the characters like to veer off in different directions and I'm okay with that.

 

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

ML Skye

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

Sunday Snippet: Crash and Burn

So, we finally have snow in Ohio. Not a lot but enough to remind people it's actually winter. This isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that means we won't have blizzards in April or May. Just saying.

After a very slow January workwise, February is going like gangbusters. I'd rather be busy than not so no complaints here. I did have a slow week of television though.

I started with an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and enjoyed it. Fun to see a familiar face with Ruth's brother showing up. Should be interesting to see what happens with Henry now that Ruth has access to loads of money again. Also interesting happenings with William and Julia's neighbors. I'm still not quite sure what to expect with them.

Caught the Frankie Drake Mysteries finale for season three. Always fun when a character returns to stir up trouble for Frankie and the girls. I'm hoping season four continues to have a big focus on the friendships.

Arrow's second episode ended up being better than I anticipated. Interested to see what happens with Lyla. I truly love the mix of present and future in these episodes.

Caught another episode of Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed it. It's fun when the case doesn't quite go where I think it will.

Also watched another series one episode of Peak Practice. I gotta say Will's wife is quite the piece of work. I have no idea how long she lasts but I'm thinking it's not through the end of the series. That's not a bad thing.

I saved the best for last. I finally watched the season four premiere for Riverdale. I'd be lying if I said there was no ugly sobbing involved. Because there was. A lot of it. I honestly didn't expect less, I mean I'd been warned by at least three people to have a box of tissues. Needless to say I did and used an undetermined amount of said box.

I can honestly say I can't imagine a better tribute to Fred Andrews. I loved how pretty much everyone put aside their grievances—Reggie and Cheryl in particular—and paid homage to a stalwart member of the community. Reggie's gesture with providing a hearse moved him up a notch on my like-the-guy meter. And Cheryl's conversation with Mary and her about face regarding the parade had a nice symmetry. I have no clue what the hell her deal is with CorpseJason but I don't need to know for this episode to work so well. Relenting on having a parade to celebrate Fred's life and put the focus on someone not a Blossom is big badass energy and I'm here for it.

FP taking on a role of filling big shoes also worked well for me. Figuring out where Archie was and what he planned to do when he found out who ended up being responsible for Fred's death and his subsequent response of calling in Archie's friends showed a good bit of foresight for the former Serpent leader. I also loved the way he handled asking Archie if he'd mind an escort home. I knew what was coming. I figured out what Cheryl wanted to do. And, man, I literally grabbed the box of tissues and pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Throw in Jughead's obituary and the reaction shots of people reading—the focus being on the grown-ups, friends and enemies—and, yep, the tears flowed again.

Shannen Doherty's guest appearance was a nice touch. For those of us who are a certain age, the poignancy of having her involved in memorializing Fred and, in turn, Luke Perry packs a punch and creates a nice thread that goes from beginning to end.

The other part I found poignant is Betty at the cemetery by her dad's grave. Season three ended with Hal being murdered by Penelope and it's easy to forget that happened and have it eclipsed by Fred's demise. The trashing of his plot, while sad for Betty, serves as a solid visual reminder of where things left off.

Finally… the last scene of Archie in the garage sifting through memories of his dad, the only scenes that actually showed Fred in action, was extremely well done. Kudos to KJ, the writing team, and the film crew for what, I'm sure, had to be a difficult time.

All in all, a terrific sendoff for Fred and Luke. Next week, I'll dive back into the normal batshit crazy world of Riverdale and enjoy the hell out of it.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

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…

Baxter Loman loosened up, tilting his head from side to side. He loved going round for round in the ring.

A knock sounded on the door and Preble poked his head inside the changing area. "Yo, Bax. I've got another eager brawler ready to work off some stress." He took in Bax's sweaty countenance. "She might just give you a run for your money." Preb gave an exaggerated wink.

Bax quirked an eyebrow. "She? I love having female sparring partners." He reached for the tape. "Give me a few… I'll be right out."

Preble lifted his chin and smirked. "Good luck, buddy." His tone indicated Bax might need it.

Bax didn't waste time, getting his hands taped up in record time. He jogged down the corridor leading to the sparring area and got his first glimpse of his opponent facing away from him. Hot damn. If she didn't race on the circuit, she could. Toned and cut muscle in her shoulders and back showed her physical prowess shouldn't be underestimated.

When she turned to face him, lightly hopping up and down on the balls of her feet, he barely bit back a hiss of appreciation. Immediately attracted, he swung up into the ring and made a slow circle around her.

Once he completed the task, he thrust his palm forward. "Who are you and where the hell have you been?" A wide grin split his face.

Her lips curved. "Pepper Strand." She gave his hand a firm shake. "Been right here in town for the past six months." She let her whereabouts before that hang in the air.

Shit. He didn't need the details. Her racing record spoke for itself.

She taught an advanced racing course and put new and requalifying members through their paces. And his brother loved to throw her name around. About her teaching skill and other talents she had.

His grin fell. "Brad's latest and greatest." How did Brad always manage to worm his way into convenient relationships?

Pepper frowned and shrugged. "Not so great right now." She clapped her hands together. "Are we gonna do this or what?" Her head cocked from side to side.

Bax fed off her angry tension. "We're definitely doing this." He waved toward Preble.

The bartender gave him a thumbs-up and pressed the starting buzzer.

Pepper crouched into a low stance and barely hesitated before she launched forward with a sweeping kick to Bax's hip.

He countered with a hard shove to her shoulder and liked how she barely moved. They'd have a great round.

But he'd be hard-pressed to spar at his best when his hard dick might get in the way.

I'm having a lot of fun writing this one. Normally, I go for military in my sci-fi romances, but I enjoy leaving my comfort zone and getting into something a little different. Pepper and Bax are a challenge and I love a good one.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Crash and Burn

Okay, Gotham, you have my attention. I'm now very interested in Bruce Wayne and what's going on with him. Also loved the whole Fish / Penguin interaction. Not sure how I feel about the reporter, Vanessa Vale, yet. I'm not really down with a major triangle but I might be jumping the gun. The whole Ivy thing is also in the I'm-not-sure-about-this corner. Looking forward to Monday!

Agents of SHIELD didn't have a bad premiere. I'm still a week behind. Ended up with a nasty cold / respiratory ick and missed the episode Tuesday.

Van Helsing is still kind of "meh". I'll see if the next few episodes get better and bring the various threads together.

MacGyver is still not too bad. I'll keep watching and see if ends up going too cheesy for my tastes.

Rewatch fare remained with Miss Fisher. I started a fandom bullet journal and hope to jot down my favorite moments from the series. I've been using it to help keep track of what I like and don't like about all my shows.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella with a possible Star Chaser tie-in. It's one of my meet the wrong brother first kink stories.

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 Strand elbowed her way into the Flaming Lips entertainment facility and fought her way to the bar. She grabbed an empty stool and waved to Preble, the super-hot bartender.

He gave her a sexy smirk, reached behind him, and snagged a bottle of lumenici, a crazy good, very potent form of liquor. In a pinch, Pepper had no doubt the alcohol could fuel the sked cycles she raced on the circuit.

Pepper waggled her eyebrows and nodded. "Hell, yeah. Gimme some of that." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and flashed a big smile.

Preble poured a healthy amount into a rocks tumbler and slid it her way. "What's up tonight, Pepper? You're not hitting on all cylinders right now." He ambled down and propped his forearms on the bar.

Pepper's shoulders slumped. Figured Preb would notice. The guy had an uncanny ability to read people.

She downed a gulp of the lumenici. "Eh, had a major spat with Brad. Stormed out and came here to clear my head." She finished off the liquor. "Or get totally drunk. Haven't decided which, yet." Setting the glass down, she tapped the rim, indicating she wanted another round.

Preble did the honors, filling the tumbler up this time. "So, what did you and boy wonderful argue about this time?" He dribbled a little liquid into a shot glass. "Or should I say what did the little prick do to piss you off?" No love lost between the bartender and Brad Loman.

Of course, if Brad would stop picking fights and trying to outdo everyone all the time, he might not get thrown out of Flaming Lips all the time.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "It's not always Brad's fault. I can be a raving bitch sometimes." But not tonight.

Preb brought the lumenici to his lips. "Right. But not without cause. When you get your bitch on, you've always got a reason." Sipping the liquid down, he waved for her to continue.

Pepper sighed. "Yeah, well, that's true. And I left before I could go into full-on mode tonight." She downed half the contents in her cup.

Preble smirked. "Probably a good thing. So… spill, Pepper. What happened?"

She drained the rest of her glass. "Brad thinks he's ready for the big time and wants to skip out on the rest of his qualifications." She risked censure if she let him slide. "And he invoked his old man's name, thinking to sway my big, fat no into a yes."

Preble sputtered. "Are you serious? He knows you could lose not only your job, but your ranking, right?" He flung a towel over his shoulder and started straightening the bar.

Yeah, Brad totally knew what she could lose. And apparently didn't care. He thought she'd cave when he mentioned his dad. Legend Loman expected his boys to carry on the family tradition and match or exceed his status on the circuit. The man had a ton of influence with the racing board and the sponsors.

Pepper shrugged. "Yeah, apparently it's not a big deal to Brad. He should be out there making a name for himself, even if it means riding on Legend's fumes instead of earning it for himself." The burning sting of anger reared up again. "Not gonna happen." She wouldn't put her job on the line, not even for the man she loved.

Preble nodded. "Damn straight, sweet thing. You gotta take care of you." His lips curved in a grin. "And, hey, if it means the little shit has to wait for his shot, so much the better."

The slap at Brad didn't faze Pepper like it normally would. Her edgy anger still simmered below the surface. Brad could be a charming guy and usually treated her well. But lately… well, he didn't have a lot of patience.

Preble propped his forearms on the bar and leaned in. "You know what you need, Pepper?" He waited a beat. "Aside from a new boyfriend, I mean…" He barked out a laugh.

Pepper quirked a brow. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna tell me, right?"

Preble slid her a sideways glance. "Hell, yeah. You need to blow off some steam. And I've got just the thing." His head jerked toward the squared-off sparring space in the center of the bar floor. "You should hit the ring, babe. Work off some of that aggression you're feeling." He leaned closer. "As an added bonus, boy wonderful's big brother, Bax, is the man to beat tonight." Grabbing the towel from his shoulder, he waggled his eyebrows.

Pepper tilted her head to one side, considering the idea. She had yet to meet Baxter, but his reputation more than preceded him. He'd been tearing up the circuit, placing in the top three spots for over a year. No doubt, doing Legend proud in the process.

Which probably explained why Brad wanted to jumpstart his career.

Sliding off the stool, she gave Preble a wide smile. "Put me on the dance card, Preb. I'm gonna go have some fun."

I'm loving the potential with this story. The sages need to get their act together and give me more fodder.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Crash and Burn

Hello,

Well, my show finales did not disappoint. S.H.I.E.L.D. did deliver an awesome ending to its first season. And, guys, Arrow pretty much blew me away. The fight scene between Deathstroke / Arrow superimposed on the Slade / Oliver island one counts as one of my very favorites of the entire series. I'm so excited to see where season three goes. As usual, Orphan Black gave me tons of stuff to speculate about and think on. My love for Paul grows every time he's on the screen, I kid you not. I WANT to know more about his background. I'm also completely turned around by Helena. That chick is off the charts insane, but she's also dead on with her observation skills. Seriously, I love her. LOL

Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella where the main characters finally have a heart to heart that's long overdue.

Here's the tagline:

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 sat in the bar with an empty shot glass and a full one in front of her. Someone dropped into the seat to her left and she didn't need to glance up to know Bax had arrived.

She jerked her head toward the drink sitting on the table at his spot. "Drink up, Bax. Had a feeling you'd be showing up."

Bax lifted the shot in a silent toast and drained the contents. "Are we done?" He asked, eyeing Pepper when she filled the empty glass. "Or is there more to this celebration?" Pepper slid her gaze sideways. "It's over."

Bax shoved away from the table, his chair scraping heavily on the floor.

Pepper spoke quietly. "It was over before he died." Her finger traced the outer edge of the full shot.

Bax halted. "What?" He narrowed his eyes. "Pepper, what are you talking about?"

She didn't look up. "Me and Brad. We were finished before he even tried to qualify."

Bax cocked his head to one side. "Pepper, how much have you had to drink tonight?"

Pepper lifted an empty bottle. "The shot on the table is the last one. The bottle started out full." She set the glass container too close to the edge.

Bax scrambled to catch it before it crashed to the floor. "Well, hell. You're gonna feel like shit in the morning." He righted the bottle, pushing it to the center of the hard surface.

Pepper snorted. "Feel like shit now." She raised red-rimmed eyes to meet Bax's gaze. "I passed Brad because I felt something… you know, the night we met?" She paused, gauging Bax's reaction.

His mouth thinned to a harsh line and he rose. "We're not going down this road tonight, Pepper." He strode away, making it halfway across the bar before she could speak again.

She called out. "Did you know we broke up? Right before quals?"

Bax stopped and swung his head around. "You did what?" He turned, facing her.

She nodded. "Yep. The week before." Bax strode forward again. "Because… well, you know the reason." He stopped by the table. "And Brad crashed and burned." She glanced up, the need to purge everything strong. "But the worst thing? I told your old man I passed Brad because I felt something. I let my personal feelings get in the way. And I did. But not the way I let him believe."

Bax sat back down. "Pepper, did you love my brother?"

She met and held his gaze. "Yeah, I did." Just not enough.

Bax shook his head. "Then what's the problem here?"

Pepper huffed out a harsh breath. "The problem? I couldn't shake the pull I felt towards you. I sent your brother to his death because I had so much guilt over you and the night we met, I couldn't tell him he didn't have the chops for flying." She waved a hand. "Geez, Bax. Are you always so painfully stupid?"

Bax quirked a brow. "No, I'm not. But you are. Tell me, Pepper, are you certain hindsight isn't coloring your deep-seated guilt?"

She didn't answer. Wouldn't answer.

Bax pushed harder. "Or… were you hoping he'd pull it off? That maybe somehow, his instincts would kick in and he'd pass?" He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "You and I both know it's happened before."

Pepper scoffed. "He busted his last seven moves, Bax. I should've followed protocol and failed him on the spot."

Bax settled back again. "But you didn't. And I can tell you why. Brad picked a fight, and knowing him as well as you did, you gave him the benefit of doubt and chalked up those busted moves on his state of mind."

Pepper tilted her head sideways. "How'd you know about the argument?"

Bax rolled his eyes. "Look, I loved my brother, Pepper, but he worked the system like no one else. Every time Brad had something big coming up, a test or deadline, he'd find a way to be disagreeable. It gave him an easy out if he fucked up. Took him five tries to get his driver's license."

Pepper hadn't known how many times he'd failed that particular test. A twinge of anger zapped a good bit of the guilt she'd been wallowing in away.

Bax sighed. "You're not the first he played that way, and you wouldn't have been the last. If Brad could find a way to work or create an advantage, he'd take it. Every time." Bax reached across the table, placing a hand over her clenched fist. "I'm sorry he pulled the same stunt with you."

Bax's revelation will hopefully let Pepper get back on track… stay tuned. J

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

ML Skye