Sunday Snippet: Ignition Failure

Yikes. What a week. We have a new president, which I'm rather thankful for. I hope things slowly get back to at least an even keel. I spent two evenings in two different emergency departments and got to play Dr. Mom with my daughter after she took a spill while riding her rip-stick. Also got some health screening done. It's been a little crazy for the first week of a month.

Didn't get much television watched. I viewed my usual fare on Ovation and caught a few more episodes of Silent Witness. Also ended up catching a few episode of Death in Paradise, which I enjoyed.

Had a great conversation with my brother about shows we've both watched. We're fans of Australian dramas and recommend anything new we've come across to each other.

That's pretty much it for television this week. I might be back on a semi-regular schedule soon.

Tonight's post is from Ignition Failure, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Favin Hart finally gets the man of her dreams but freaks out and ends up marrying another guy. Less than twenty-four hours later, she's facing the music and trying to fix her mess.

And a sneaky peek…

Favin drummed her fingers on the table until Howie put a glass in front of her then turned to speak to one of the other patrons. "Damn, I shouldn't be so antsy." Nothing said she and Parrish would even meet up.

Howie settled down across from her and shot her a confused look. "Why are you fidgeting so much?" He took a long drink from his beverage, some blue concoction that looked disgusting.

Favin feigned innocence. "I'm not fidgeting." She almost sat on her hands to prove it.

Howie snorted. "Favin, if you get any more jumpy, I'm gonna have to peel you off the ceiling." He kicked his feet out nudging the toe of her boot.

She opened her mouth to reply but her sixth sense kicked in. Parrish. She went still when she caught sight of him.

Howie followed her gaze. "Ah. Never mind. The reason just presented itself." He leaned in. "Give me the bullet points before he gets here."

Favin gave him the brief rundown. "We had a thing, he deployed, end of thing kind of deal. It was nice for a few weeks." Better than nice and that scared her more than a little.

Howie lifted his chin. "I'll stick around for a few drinks then make myself scarce."

Favin slapped her hand on the table and pitched her voice low. "Don't you dare. I'll hunt you down and find the nearest airlock if you do." She wanted Parrish enough that being alone with him wouldn't be a good idea.

Howie's eyes went wide. "Whoa. The feelings run deep for this one." He folded his arms over his chest and smirked. "He's a good guy, Fav."

Favin snarled. "Shut. Up." She didn't Howie to sing Parrish's praises.

Parrish arrived at their table and she met his gaze then smiled. "Parrish, you remember Howie."

Howie stuck his hand out. "Hey, man. How've you been?"

Parrish clasped his palm and they exchanged some idle conversation about not seeing each other since their initial training while Howie dragged a chair over. Favin took the opportunity to drink in the sight of Parrish in civilian garb. Okay, semi-civilian. He wore a battered pair of fatigues and a T-shirt that fit snugly across his chest but still looked soft and comfy.

Howie snapped his fingers in front of her. "Yo, Fav. You ready for another round?" His lips twitched.

She sent him a narrow-eyed glare. "Sure." Sticking her hand in her pocket, she fished around for some cash.

Howie shook his head. "No need. This round's on Parrish." He got up to make his second trip to the bar.

Damned man.

Parrish nudged her shoulder. "I see what you mean about the sibling vibe." He chuckled.

Favin relaxed. "Yeah, Howie's a huge pain in the ass sometimes." She took another swallow of her current drink. "But he's a great drinking partner." Unless he bails on me.

Parrish gave her a grin. "From what I remember, so are you." He picked up her glass and took a big gulp.

She laughed. "True. I never mind sharing my alcohol." He'd done the same thing the night they met.

A good memory that finally melted her anxiety away.

 

I like this one. Favin trying to avoid getting sucked into Parrish's orbit won't go the way she hopes.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ignition Failure

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. My Dad is off on a grand adventure with my middle kid. They're in Alaska, which, oddly enough, is where my dad spent last Father's Day. From the pictures I've seen, they're having a great time.

It's been a crazy week. I need to rewatch Dark Matter. I had too many distractions going on and I feel like I missed important stuff. Wynonna Earp delivered another great episode. I like some of the twists and turns. I don't like losing Dawls and I'm a little iffy on the new evil overlord chick but I'll give this series a lot of leeway to provide a terrific viewing experience. I'm going to have a hard time wrapping my brain around Kevin Hanchard playing a possible bad guy when he's one of my favorite good guys on Orphan Black.

Speaking of Orphan Black, I have to catch up. We had busy Saturday and I missed the second episode. Thank whatever rules the universe for On Demand. LOL

I have the new ITV drama Fearless ready to go, but haven't had an opportunity to watch yet. I'm looking forward to seeing Jamie Bamber on television again.

I'm almost finished with my binge watch of City Homicide. I'll be seeking my next Australian drama in the very near future. Possibly a binge watch of Sea Patrol, another of my favorites.

Started a premiere viewing of Young Justice on Netflix. Four episodes in and I'm excited about the possibilities.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Ignition Failure, a sexy short about one character's big mistake and dealing with the fallout before finding their HEA.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Favin Hart finally gets the man of her dreams but freaks out and ends up marrying another guy. Less than twenty-four hours later, she's facing the music and trying to fix her mess.

And a sneaky peek…

Favin Hart crawled into her bunk and groaned. The workout she'd put in should help her fall asleep. She hoped.

"Hart! You're up for R and R." The quartermaster, Jace Noman, ducked his head into officer's quarters. "Five glorious days of dancing, drinking, and doing whoever you want." He ran down his checklist. "Looks like your usual partner in debauchery is tagged to go with you."

Favin sat up, almost bumping her head on the upper berth. "Howie's going, too?" Howie Watzel never met a bar he didn't fall in love with.

Jace snorted. "Yeah, he's on the rotation after he completes his shift. Not sure whose bright idea it was to put you two on the same space station at the same time." He gave Favin his best dad look. "I better not get any calls to get you out of hack. The bail fund is running low from the last time we put into port." Tapping the clipboard, he backed out of quarters. "Got three more people to inform. Get your gear ready. Transpo leaves in forty-five minutes."

Favin hopped up and scrambled to her duty locker. "Guess I don't need to sleep now." She dragged a small rucksack from the bottom of the space and started packing.

Five days of fun after spending a harrowing six months on a battle cruiser sounded like bliss. She'd definitely meet up with Howie and nail down some plans. Hoisting her duffel over her shoulder, she headed for the launching station. She didn't take long to find the transport unit that would be headed for Space Station Montrose.

Entering the ship, she spotted Parrish Griffith and stopped short. Her one in a million, never going to happen, dream man. At least she'd had a brief taste… before an abrupt end.

She waved when he glanced up then made her way to his seating section. "Parrish. When did you get here?" Last she'd heard, he had a billet on the Renner, a single squadron destroyer ship.

Parrish tugged her down beside him. "Caught a hopper this morning. Got transfer papers to join the Miltown." He turned toward her. "They're not official for another five days so I'm on downtime until then."

Holy shit. She'd be seeing him on a daily basis? Her stomach flipped and her core throbbed. Parrish might be trouble.

He nudged her shoulder. "It's good to see you, Favin. How long has it been?"

Favin flashed a smile. "Three years, two months, and let's say something like seventeen days." More like exactly seventeen but, hey, she couldn't come across as completely obsessed.

Parrish nodded. "Sounds about right. Longer than it should be." His face sobered. "I'm sorry about—"

Favin lifted a hand. "No need to apologize. They say go and we go. I get it." Even if it meant leaving her in a hotel room with nothing more than a brief note.

Parrish frowned. "True, but I regret not having the chance for a proper goodbye." He shrugged. "I thought we might have been headed to a good place." A wistful note crept into his voice.

Favin agreed. "Yeah, we might have been." The truth won out, though.

Long-term would never be her end game.

The comms activated. "Getting ready to launch. Strap in for the ride over."

Parrish settled back in the cushioned seat and fastened the safety harness. "So… what are your plans?"

Favin lifted a shoulder before buckling in. "Not sure yet. But we should meet sometime. I have a friend, Howie, coming over on the next flight." The ship banked and headed for the short hop to the space station.

Parrish quirked a brow. "Howie Watzel? I went through initial training with him." He laughed. "That guy could find a bar on a dry planet."

Favin chuckled. "You definitely know Howie. We transferred in on the same day and kind of decided to be fast friends." She shot Parrish a quick look. "It was that or end up hating each other. Howie's like the brother I never had."

Parrish met her gaze. "So you two aren't…" He trailed off on a yawn. "Sorry, didn't get much sleep before I boarded the hopper and they're so damned uncomfortable nobody got any rest."

She smiled. "To answer your question, no, Howie and I aren't anything more than pseudo-siblings and drinking buddies."

"Arriving Space Station Montrose. Disembark when landing cables are attached."

Parrish released his harness and stood to get his rucksack from the overhead bin. "I'd love to meet for drinks or even dinner." He slid his gaze sideways. "After I've had about a solid eight hours of sleep." His lips curved in a tired twist. "I don't even know what section they've put me in yet."

Favin got up and shouldered her duffel. "Probably somewhere in concourse G. That's where they usually put us up." She started toward the exit ramp. "Try the Twilight Lounge on the main hub. I'm usually there sometime every night on R and R."

Parrish followed her down to the landing deck. "Sounds like a plan." He dragged his rucksack behind him. "Gonna drop this off with a porter and fall into bed. See you soon." His fingers gave a quick wave and he headed toward the first open kiosk.

Favin shook her head then looked skyward. "Seriously, universe? You give me exactly what I want? That never happens."

And she didn't trust whatever brought Parrish back into her orbit.

But drinks and dinner couldn't hurt, right?

Drinks and dinner with Parrish won't hurt but it's never that simple with Favin.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ignition Failure

Gotta say, I'm fairly easy to entertain, but I love it when the shows I watch elevate my standards. Right now, just about all my faves are hitting one hundred percent satisfaction levels. Once again, The Walking Dead blew me away. My super hero shows, Arrow, The Flash, Agents of SHIELD and Gotham are amping up the tension. My batshit insane shows, Haven, Sleepy Hollow, and Sons of Anarchy keep getting a little crazier and that keeps me glued to the television.

I also like a good mystery and got to watch Inspector Lewis last week. I usually catch up on the series when it's available on DVD, but I couldn't sleep and PBS was showing it. I've also been watching previous seasons of The Murdoch Mysteries (also known as The Artful Detective) on Ovation. Why they changed the name for US television is beyond me, but it's a great, fun Canadian show.

Tonight's post is from Ignition Failure, currently a sexy short that seems to want to hit novella status. LOL

Here's the tagline:

Favin Hart finally gets the man of her dreams but freaks out and ends up marrying another guy. Less than twenty-four hours later, she's facing the music and trying to fix her mess.

And a sneaky peek…

Favin glanced in Parrish's direction. "You know how you're all excited about launching and you get an ignition failure? It sucks the air right out of your lungs…"

Parrish nodded. "Yeah, I know."

She waved a hand. "That's how I felt when I woke up today. A horrible morning after regret." She shook her head. "Worst mistake ever. Why the hell did I listen to Howie?"

Parrish quirked a brow. "You were still drunk?"

Ouch. But she deserved the dig.

She shrugged. "No, just scared and he gave me an easy way out." Her shoulders slumped.

Not so easy.

Parrish sat up, his eyes wide. "Getting married to someone else is easier than being with me? Hell, Favin, I didn't even suggest marriage." He snorted. "Maybe I should have."

Favin jerked her head back and forth. "No. No way. I didn't want to get married. Ever." She straightened, leaned forward and put her forearms on the table. "My parents sucked at it. No reason to think I'll do any better." She huffed out a harsh breath. "Hell, I'm not doing any better. Less than twenty-four hours and I’m with another man talking about how much of a big ass mistake I made." On a roll, she kept spilling her guts. "The same man I had sex with less than six hours before I got married." She glanced up. "God, Parrish. Why don't you tell me to fuck off and walk away?"

Parrish sank back against his chair. "Because I can't, Fav. That would be easy. And I've learned something in the last day." He pinned her with his gaze. "I don't want easy. I want you."

Don't even ask me where the idea for this one came from, I've yet to figure it out, but once the characters took hold, I had to write their story.

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

ML Skye