Sunday Snippet: Taken By Surprise

Ohio is back to being contrary with its weather. Super cold days in the teens followed by a warmup of midfifties. My sinuses hate this kind of back and forth.

Had a fairly busy work week with a new project landing in my inbox. It's one of my favorite authors to edit and proofread for. Also spent a lot of time pulling my tax stuff together. I realized last week I hadn't filed for 2023 yet. Better late than never.

Not a bad week of viewing. I didn't make a full round of my usual slate of shows, but I got most of the way through. Again, my sleep schedule is playing havoc with my brain.

Watched another episode of Mr and Mrs Murder and thoroughly enjoyed it. A lot of familiar faces in this one, which is always fun.

Caught another episode of London Kills and I'm kind of excited about Rob and Vivienne teaming up to investigate David. Of course, there's more to the story and I can't wait to find out what's really going on.

Enjoyed another episode of Death in Paradise. I'd seen most of this one but it's nice to follow the whole story from beginning to end instead of catching bits and pieces all the time.

Finished up season twenty-seven of Silent Witness. Gotta say, I really enjoyed the finale. Jack proposing to Nikki made my heart happy. And I'm interested to see what happens with Jack's place. Maybe Kara and Velvy will stay there.

Watched another episode of Elementary and enjoyed it. Still not a Mycroft fan even if he had extenuating reasons for being an ass. I am kind of glad Sherlock isn't going to throw his brother under the bus. At least I don't think he is. The next episode should reveal what will happen.

And that's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Taken by Surprise, a sexy short that changes the dynamics of a friends-with-benefits couple to something more.

Here's the miniblurb:

Pales Thompson has a new man, Herrick Edwards, in her life and his birthday is coming up, but they're stuck on a ship with no R&R passes available. Pales isn't great at maintaining a relationship, but she'll take Herrick by surprise and plan a spectacular day.

And a sneaky peek…

Herrick enjoyed the view when Pales made her way out of the mess. "Damn, that was fun." Getting a little under her skin made his day.

She made pursuing her so much fun with her quirky reactions. Not that many people could read her … she had an outstanding poker face. But he paid attention and discovered quite a few of her tells. Like when her gaze lost focus, and a slight smile played around her lips? She had sex on her brain. Or when her eyes shifted color? He could guess most of her moods by the changing hues of her irises or how quickly her pupils widened.

Did he keep track of anyone else the way he did with her? "Nope." But he liked Pales, even when she got prickly.

He'd heard the stories. She rarely attempted a full-fledged relationship. The woman had terrible luck with her previous attempts. One guy couldn't keep his dick away from others. Not a problem except he'd been caught with his pants down an hour before his scheduled wedding … to Pales. Needless to say, she broke the engagement.

Another guy broke up with her when she made lieutenant before he did. Didn't matter if she had the experience and higher score on the exam. Also didn't matter they'd been together for close to two years. The asshat's ego mattered more to him than she did.

Herrick finished up his meal and stacked his tray on the pile at the wash station.

He didn't discount her reasons for being wary of getting involved with anything long-term. "But she can't go through life without a deeper connection. No one can." Okay … maybe a person could, but what did that kind of existence look like?

Lonely, for one. And, frankly, shortsighted. Living in the moment absolutely had benefits. But everyone needed a person they could count on. Whether they slept together or not.  He wanted to be that person for Pales.

He wouldn't push, but he'd be present. As up close as possible. He didn't want to spook her. But he needed to show her he'd be there, no matter what.

Because he liked so many things about her. Her sassy mouth, her total focus when flying, her ongoing feud with the XO. He quite loved everything about her. The sex became an unexpected and added bonus.

His mouth curved. "Especially when neither of us expected to hook up." At least not the first time.

A mix-up on new assigned quarters put them in the same berth. She'd pulled a double shift and appeared dead on her feet after a shower. The quartermaster either transposed the numbers or made a mistake. Either way, the card she held listed the same designation as his notification had earlier. When her shoulders slumped and she blew out a frustrated breath, he didn't have the heart to make her wake up the quartermaster to get a new rack.

He slid back against the wall and lifted his blanket. "Look, you might as well crash here. We can straighten this out after you get a solid eight." He could sleep facing the bulkhead so she didn't notice how much she affected him.

She only hesitated for a moment before she slipped beneath the covers. "Thank you." Pulling the curtain closed, she grabbed his extra pillow and got comfortable. "I owe you one. 'Night." Within a minute, her breathing deepened into sleep.

The next morning, he woke up with a start and the feel of her palm cupping his erection. She didn't say a word, but she worked his dick out of his knit boxers and moved to straddle his thighs. After pulling her hipster panties to the side, she sank over his rigid length then leaned down to mesh her lips with his. Neither lasted long, but by the time she broke and shuddered through her orgasm, he pretty much wanted to wake up every day with her wet heat surrounding his cock.

Of course he didn't say that to her.

Instead, he made it his mission to become her friend and find out if they had a chance for something else. The more he got to know her the deeper he fell. When one or both needed to scratch an itch, they found themselves together. So far, they hadn't strayed from that path. Which meant he might not stand a chance for a future with her, but he at least wanted to try.

Exiting the mess, he headed for a shift in comms. "And I aim to find out soon."

Having a lot of fun pulling this story together. Herrick likes to catch Pales off guard, but she's got a few tricks up her sleeve also.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Taken by Surprise

Kind of a busy, frustrating week. We dug out of eleven inches of snow, which is actually a lot more than we've seen in several years. I had a lot of work stuff hit sideways and struggled to get some insurance stuff sorted out for my middle kidlet.

Had a decent week of television viewing, mainly due to hold times on the phone. I started with Seduction and Snacks, a PassionFlix movie and have about half of it completed. I had to pause because the distractions were too many and I want to take my time and enjoy this one.

Got two more episodes of Snoopy in Space watched and kind of enjoyed both. It's fun to have something quick and easy to view.

Caught some behind-the-scenes stuff for The Madame Blanc Mysteries. So much fun to watch the cast interviews and get some insight on how they shot the series. I really hope they do a second one.

Finished up one and began a new Silent Witness two-parter. Good stuff this season. I'm looking forward to more.

Watched two more episodes of Classic Who. The Master is gone again—for now. Can't say I'm sorry to see him go. Six is kind of growing on me and it's fun to have two wandering around again. I'll see how that arc ends this week.

Enjoyed two more episodes of The Alaska Triangle. Shipwrecks and underwater UFOs and ghost ships were the focus. Always love watching what might have happened to downed ships.

Started The Muppets and, meh, it's okay. Really lacks the charm of the original but it's kind of fun to see the muppets in a docu-style series.

Caught another two episodes of Fosse Verdon. I'm so intrigued by the ins and outs of Bob and Gwen's personal and professional lives. Can't wait to finish this one.

Watched two more episodes of Peak Practice. I'm almost finished with season six and should be starting seven this week. I've enjoyed not having weird manipulating characters for the past few episodes.

Got two more MasterClass lessons with Bill Nye. I love how much fun he has educating people.

Ended up getting in two more episodes of Classic Rugrats—two of my favorites. I love reminiscing while watching.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med and enjoyed it a lot. Really looking forward for more next week.

Caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I'm kind of sad because a favorite character ended up saying good-bye. I'm hoping some light will be shed in the behind-the-scenes interviews.

Enjoyed a seriously great episode of Star Trek: Discovery. This show … never fails to suck me into the action and emotion.

Last but not least, I finished the second season of The Witcher. I'm so intrigued by the ending and can't wait for more episodes. I ended up being very satisfied with how things played out for the main trio and the side characters. I love this show.

That's it for the weekly television update. Tonight's post is from Taken by Surprise, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Pales Thompson has a new man, Herrick Edwards, in her life and his birthday is coming up, but they're stuck on a ship with no R&R passes available. Pales isn't great at maintaining a relationship, but she'll take Herrick by surprise and plan a spectacular day.

And a sneaky peek…

Pales didn't say anything—angry he'd ruined what started as a nice morning. She set her shower gear aside. She'd wait for solo time.

Herrick shook his head and draped his towel over his shoulder. "Look, Pales. Forget I said anything. I'm looking to the future and I'd like you to be in it." He picked up his kit. "But I want something a little more." He paused halfway to the hatch. "I don't understand why you don't." Spinning the release, he angled around. "But I'll understand if this is over between us. The choice is yours." He exited, leaving the door propped open.

Pales flopped back on the bunk. She didn't want him to leave. But she wouldn't call him back.

She wouldn't keep him from finding what he needed. Seems like he needs you, dumbass. His words about the future echoed in her head. I'd like you to be in it.

She grimaced. "Ugh, I don't do futures." What were the guarantees?

But … hadn't she decided to throw out her rules? Yeah, and look where that landed her. Alone in the bunkroom. Thinking about things she didn't want to ponder.

She rolled over onto her stomach, bracing her head on her hands. Why did she always freak out? Herrick only mentioned looking to the future. He didn't ask her to sign her life away. He only wanted to see where things went. Testing the waters wouldn't kill her, right?

She snorted. "Well, no, but the big hurdle is always me. The whole getting out of my own way thing isn't my strong suit." Gah.

The struggle to look ahead always tripped her up. Turning over again, she flung an arm over her eyes. As much as she wanted to break her rules, she couldn't. Letting someone in scared her too much. And Herrick didn't need a total train wreck even if he thought he did.

Sitting up, she grabbed her towel and shower gear. "Nope. He'll thank me someday. He will."

Choice made, she exited quarters and started for the shower, ignoring the unsettled feeling of loss roiling in her gut.

Poor Pales. Getting out of her own way isn't an easy thing for her—even if Herrick is exactly what she wants.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Taken By Surprise

We're past the halfway mark of October already? Geez, this month is flying by fast. Then again, it's been a somewhat difficult month for me workwise. Brain-draining would be an apt description.

So… television has been an important escape this week. Sunday night shows Doctor Who and The Last Ship ended up being terrific. I'm so happy to be excited for New Who again. The Last Ship kept things interesting. I'm a little confused why the guy got executed at the end, but I have a suspicion it'll be a turning point of some sort.

Arrow's premiere actually blew my mind a little. The fight scene juxtaposition of Oliver in the prison and Felicity in her apartment with Diaz is probably the best choreographed scene I've witnessed to date. Seriously, it's amazing. And, honestly, the rest of the show followed suit, leading right up to the surprise end. I'm excited to see what happens next.

The Flash remained good. Nice to see Cisco, Kaitlyn, and Ralph bonding and helping each other out. Looking forward to more of that. Riverdale… well… went full-on batshit with a whole new twist that I actually can't wait to watch unfold. The thing with Archie in detention isn't bad. I love the whole Veronica getting around her dickhead dad with Cheryl's help. Speaking of Hiram the 'Hole. Does anyone else want to smack the smarm out of him? Every time he's on screen I want to punch him in the face. That's some good acting by otherwise nice guy Marc Consuelos.

In other show news, I caught the first episode of Underbelly Files and enjoyed it. Caught Babylon 5, The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Birds of Prey, and Lexx in sci-fi fare. Pensacola Wings of Gold had a great episode where I wanted to bitchslap the billionaire dude who wanted his daughter saved at all costs. I also caught Strike Back, which had a great episode featuring Grace and her badass skills. And finally, I caught another episode of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I have a lot of love for that show.

That's it for television this week. Here's hoping my work and sleep schedule get back on track and I can enjoy even more during the near future.

Tonight's post is from Taken By Surprise, a sexy short that got a start with the prompt of writing a short scene or story about one of the main characters forgetting their birthday and the other one remembers it.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Thompson has a new man, Herrick Edwards, in her life and his birthday is coming up, but they're stuck on a ship with no R&R passes available. Pales isn't great at maintaining a relationship, but she'll take Herrick by surprise and plan a spectacular day.

And a sneaky peek…

Herrick Edwards placed his tray on the table. "Mind if I sit here?" His eyebrow quirked.

Pales Thompson glanced up, her mouth going dry. "Um, yeah, go ahead." She took her feet off the opposite seat, giving him room to sit.

Herrick settled onto the chair and dug into his breakfast. Pales didn't know how to react and didn't like being skittish. Her number one rule after hooking up involved not interacting with her partner one-on-one outside of flying or standard military operations. Her wild night with Herrick remained fresh in her mind and having him blast through her usual wall of protection sent her off kilter. What the hell should I do? Ha. She almost wanted to drag him back to the bunkroom again.

Almost. But doing so would mean getting personally involved and she didn't do relationships. Because she sucked at them.

Herrick swallowed a bite of food. "Relax, Pales. We're in the mess hall." He took a drink of orange juice. "How intimate can we be with fifteen people surrounding us?" His lips curved into a half-smile.

Good point. But still scary. And the fact he acknowledged her absolute trepidation definitely shouldn't make her happy. Because her track record when it came to being part of a couple couldn't be worse.

Pales took a drink of coffee. "Right." Scooping up some scrambled eggs, she shoveled them into her mouth.

Herrick's grin went wide, but he didn't comment. Like he expected her to make the hastiest exit possible. Fine. He could think whatever he wanted. She did not care.

Crunching through her remaining slice of toast, she kept one eye on Herrick while he calmly ate and drank, savoring each sip and bite. Ugh. She shouldn't be so fascinated by the way his mouth worked… except she had firsthand knowledge of what his lips, tongue, and teeth could do.

Her face flamed and Herrick tried to hide a smirk behind his glass of orange juice. Damn the man. She finished her meal quickly because she hated being jumpy, jittery, and jumbled up. Gathering her tray, she rose, ready to dump the contents at the wash station. She only made it two steps before Herrick cleared his throat.

"So… later?"

Her body went hot, a zing of heat shooting straight to her core. She didn't often make promises for future dates, preferring a grab-and-go approach to sex.

Making a quick decision about breaking her number one rule, she didn't look back but nodded. "Sure." She didn't say anything else.

He'd find her. Or she'd find him. They'd slake a need and go their separate ways.

Unless he joined her for breakfast again.

Pales is fun to write because she's so twitchy and Herrick being aware of how utterly freaked out she is also a treat.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Taken by Surprise

Whew. What a week in television! First, Teen Wolf pulled off a pretty interesting ending for the summer finale. That being said, I'll happily watch Theo die in a fire created by Parrish if that ever happens. Just saying.

The Last Ship threw in a few more little twisty bits. I tweeted last weekend about wishing they'd stop killing my faves and boot off the Ramseys. Here's hoping someone heard my plea. LOL

Defiance turned in a kick ass finale. I'm so hoping it's not the end of the series, but if it is, I could live with the way it ended. That said, I think there's a buttload of potential left and hope to see more from this show. Dark Matter ended up being way better than I thought. Finally have more info about Two. It's a little sketchy but enough to keep me interested. And wow… I have to say I didn't see the end coming with Six. I'll leave it there for anyone who hasn't seen how things are left, but yeah, I'm in for more.

Not sure what Syfy has slated for their Friday nights now, but whatever it is, the shows have a tough act to follow. Fingers crossed for good stuff.

Haven't mentioned Dominion lately, but again, good show that's holding my interest. We'll see how they leave things for their finale. Haven is starting soon and I'll probably be a blubbering mess when it's over because I love that show so much. Stay tuned. LOL

Tonight's post is from Taken by Surprise, a sexy short where my heroine has to get creative to surprise my hero.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Pales Thompson has a new man, Herrick Edwards, in her life and his birthday is coming up, but they're stuck on a ship with no R&R passes available. Pales isn't great at maintaining a relationship, but she'll take Herrick by surprise and plan a spectacular day.

And a sneaky peek…

Pales snuggled up close to Herrick. "Mmm. Nice to wake up warm and cozy for once." The recycled air on the ship tended to make the mornings cold.

Herrick's lips quirked. "You mean without getting called out in the middle of the night to dispatch a few raiding parties?" His arms tightened around her. "Damn right it is."

Pales couldn't argue. They'd had five nights of interruptions, emptying out the sleeping quarters each time. Traversing the neutral zone always proved interesting… and exhausting.

She rolled to her back and stretched. "A full eight hours. I'm not quite sure how to act after getting a full night's rest."

Herrick shifted to his side, propping his head on his hand. "Bright eyed and bushy tailed?" His free hand traced a line down her arm.

Pales laughed. "No way. The XO will find a mile long list of shit he wants me to do." She turned to face Herrick.

He quirked an eyebrow. "You think he won't anyway? He knows we all got decent shut eye last night."

Pales sighed. "Yeah, you're right." Her lips upward and she met his gaze. "So let's take advantage of being awake early." She smoothed her hand down his naked chest and over his defined abs.

Herrick leaned in, snagging her lips in a quick, hard kiss. "Have I ever told you I like the way your brain works?" His hands found her hips, pulling her flush against him.

Pales shook her head. "No, but we're usually too busy trying to get a quick one in to do much talking." She usually preferred to avoid deep conversation, but Herrick intrigued her on so many levels.

She might have to revisit her stern set of rules. She'd already broken the first one by sleeping with him more than two nights in a row. Okay, they didn't actually get much sleep, so last night technically counted as the only time.

But she tried not to get attached to anyone on a ship. Why bother when transfers often came through at a moment's notice and random raiding parties took good pilots on a whim?

Except they were through the dangerous part of their journey and back in regulated space. And they'd be on this side of the galaxy for four months, carrying a scion generator to Base Station Ragnar.

Herrick's mouth moved along her jawline. "We've got ninety minutes before the morning briefing. Quick doesn't have to factor in this morning." His hands cupped her ass, kneading the flesh.

Yep. Time to throw the rules out the window.

Pales rocked her hips against his erection. "Then by all means, let's take our time and be as thorough as possible." Her arms went around his neck and she lifted her chin to meet his lips in a hot kiss.

I have a feeling this one isn't going to stay short and sweet, but we'll see how the sages cooperate. LOL

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

ML Skye