Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

Geez, halfway through the month already and I feel like I'm stuck in reverse. Not to say I'm not getting anything done. I am. Most of it is work related, which I'm not complaining about. But … I do need to do a better work-life balance. Even my daily oracle card draw is pointing me in that direction.

I'm still buried under multiple projects, and all are making solid progress. I've never had so many nonfiction manuscripts and I'm actually enjoying being able to switch back and forth between the variety of genres there and with my fiction manuscripts. I have a holiday horror story, a romance, and a mystery in fictional work.

Not a bad viewing week. I made it through my usual round of shows did get to add the new show. I enjoyed it and will add it to my current roster. There's one additional show I'd like to work in, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

Caught another episode of London Kills and, yep, the beginning of the showdown with David and Vivienne started. Can't wait to see what happens next. Rob and Billie should probably brace for impact.

The new show I started is Dark Winds. So far, really enjoy the premise and the pacing. The acting is top-notch also. I had a sneaking suspicion the new deputy would end up being more than met the eye. Glad I was right about that.

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise and enjoyed it. I'd seen most of this one at some point on Ovation and I liked having the full episode from beginning to end. I'm also enjoying Darlene a lot. Glad they added her to the team.

Enjoyed another episode of Beyond Paradise. It's so much fun watching Martha's mom going on dates. I'm also interested in how things shake out with the fostering situation. Very cool to have some Margo backstory also.

Caught an episode of Elementary and I'm kind of sad Kitty is headed for parts unknown for now. I do love that her story had a satisfying resolution. Also so happy we got to see how she kind of saved Sherlock from himself.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond. Inque made another appearance and that was fun. Also kind of cool to see Bruce back in the field and how much Terry tried to protect him.

Finished up with an episode of Classic Rugrats. Enjoyed both vignettes and also discovered I have more episodes than I thought I had left. This isn't bad news.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella that explores a reunion for a couple.

Here's the miniblurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Cash woke up alone and frowned. "What the hell?" He'd bared his soul last night and Zoey couldn't even wake him up before she left?

After grabbing a quick shower, he gathered his gear and coffee and headed out, determined to find Zoey. He made it as far as her unit house, only to find her missing. Where else would she be?

He bumped into her CO. "I'm looking for Zoey, er, Constable Blythe." He juggled his satchel and tucked his ever-present clipboard under his arm.

The commander schooled his features. "Did you want to file a complaint about Constable Blythe? Did she cause problems on the last leg of the campaign?" His face shifted into stern countenance.

Cash blinked in surprise. "What? No, nothing like that. Just wanted to check in with her." He paused, searching for a good reason. "Wrap up some final notes on the campaign." He took a big sip of his coffee to keep from blurting anything stupid out.

The commander relaxed the tense set of his shoulder. "Oh. Good, good. But you'll have to wait a few days … she's on her honeymoon." He rocked back on his heels and grinned.

Honeymoon?

Cash almost choked on his coffee. "I'm sorry, did you say honeymoon?" No way.

She can't be married.

The commander gave a nod. "Yeah. She got herself hitched bright and early the morning after the election. Some guy she dated the first year at the academy." He leaned in a little. "He washed out, but they kept in touch. Decided to tie the knot and she took her saved leave."

Cash pasted on a wide smile. "Well … good for her. When she returns, please wish the happy couple luck with the new marriage." He made a hasty exit, muttering under his breath. "Think they're gonna need a lot of luck." Especially if Zoey could marry a guy less than four hours after the wild romp in Cash's bed.

He blindly made the walk to the campaign headquarters, which would now become the precinct office. One thought ran rampant through his mind. "I'll never, ever fall in love again." Dumping his now-cold coffee, he slowly made his way to the office of their newly elected delegate.

Stram Barton welcomed Cash with a hearty handshake. "Cash, my boy, glad you're here." He stepped aside, revealing a lovely woman with pristine features and a cool demeanor. "Want to introduce you to someone. Delia Morgan." Sweeping his hand toward the woman, he added. "She's a mover and shaker, very politically connected, and quite possibly perfect wife material … for someone like you." He waggled his eyebrows.

Delia rolled her eyes. "Stram, I'll thank you to stop matchmaking. I'm sure Cash and I can get acquainted without any assistance." She stuck her hand out.

Cash took her palm. "Hello. It's nice to meet you…" Her firm no-nonsense grasp and direct gaze became the beginning of a lovely arrangement.

I love writing this one, but the sages are shifting back and forth on the timeline. Here's hoping they'll figure it out and settle on something soon.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

Well, hello May. I'm not quite sure where April went but it's nice to have a nice shiny new month to get started.

Had a very busy work week with lots of movement on my projects. I'm finalizing a few and getting ready to start new ones. I love have a full calendar!

Kind of a slow week for television. The weather got a little nicer and I tried to take advantage of getting outside for a while.

I watched an episode of Peak Practice and it ended up being really good. I think there might end up being a new doctor coming to the practice, which will make things interesting.

Caught another MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson. He spoke of cultural bias and I ended up getting a lot out of the lesson.

Got another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow in and pieces started falling into place. I loved the reveal at the end of the episode and can't wait to see what happens next. I have a feeling Kurt is going to be on the hot seat through no fault of his own this time.

Enjoyed another episode of The Ready Room. Anthony Rapp is such a fun interviewee to watch and he offered up some great insight into his character.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med and found it kind of interesting. I really love how the episode title tends to be a through line for the whole episode.

Caught another episode of The Snoopy Show and enjoyed it. The three or four vignettes are a lot of fun.

Got another episode of Cuffs in and should be close to the final episode of the season. I'm kind of interested to where they end up leaving things for the characters.

Started season eighteen of Silent Witness and ended up loving it. There's a bit of a different vibe this season and I like how the characters are interacting. I can safely say I really don't like Thomas's wife and I'm kind of hoping there's not going to be a lot of his personal drama. That said, I totally get his concern for his daughter.

Watched another episode of Classic Who and I'm liking how this arc is moving along. Even though the budget for Seven's turn as the Doctor is kind of lacking, the actors do a darn good job with what they have.

Enjoyed another episode of The Laundry Guy. I'm truly hoping there will be more episodes of this show. If not, I guess I can scour YouTube to see if there's anything else with Patric.

Last but not least, I watched the finale of Hawkeye. Really happy with how the season ended. I loved the three-way conclusions and the intermingling with the LARPers. I so hope there will be more of them if another season ends up happening.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Zoey stripped off her clothes to change into something way more comfortable than her standard uniform. "Can't start over where we started." Meaning her in a uniform and Cash in a suit. "That would super-bad mojo."

A knock sounded on the door. Still naked, she debated throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top, but she didn't expect anyone but Cash. She wrapped a blanket around her then went out to answer.

Cash stood outside. His eyes flared when she greeted him. He entered, never looking away. When he pushed the door shut, the change in the air became electric.

Zoey let the blanket fall; all bets were off this time. Each knew what cards were out on the table. Didn't mean the stakes weren't still high. Their future, whatever they made of it, would ride on what transpired from this moment forward.

Holding her gaze, Cash shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie while walking toward the bedroom.

There were still a few glitches, like officially ending his marriage and figuring out what the hell he would do now that the election had been lost. The former … all but a formality. The latter … didn't really matter in the moment. They were both on the same page with that. And each of them ended up where they wanted to be.

Needed to be.

Zoey's hands loosened Cash's belt while he unbuttoned his shirt, pulling the shirttails free. No illusion or pretext. No urgent sense of what-if or pretending this couldn't happen. They were beyond needing to do that now. Each step they took toward each other now would be of their own choice. Feels good.

And right.

Finally.

Zoey pushed Cash's pants and boxers past his hips, while he shed his shirt. Her hands grasped his erection, fondling the hard length as Cash stepped out of the bunched up clothing at his feet. She settled on the mattress and scooted back on the bed, letting her thighs fall open in welcome when he settled over her, pressing kisses along her shoulder and up her throat.

Her head fell back and all thoughts of where the future would go fled. Amazing how easy it is to focus on the here and now when I'm not worried about it anymore. At the moment, her only concern was making Cash feel the depths of pleasure he generated in her.

Running her hands down his back, she flattened them against his butt, urging him to enter, to consummate the feelings they shared. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she lifted her lips to meet his, slipping her tongue in his mouth, moaning deep in her throat.

Raising her groin to meet his, she arched against him, drowning in the sensations that spread throughout her body. Grasping his forearms, Zoey held her held her hips aloft, drawing Cash even deeper inside, every thrust teasing at her clit until she hovered on the brink. Grabbing his thighs, she moaned and cried out on the next inward plunge, shuddering and shaking when an orgasm tore through her.

Cash followed right behind, his body tensed and taut with pleasure when he broke, his ragged breathing coming in harsh gasps. His mouth descended, capturing hers in a kiss very tender and gentle but left no doubt there would be more to follow … as soon as they recovered.

When he settled down beside her, she turned and molded herself to his side, head and hand resting on his heart. His arms wrapped around her, holding her securely, but not tightly. He didn't have to worry she'd be gone in the morning.

They were moving forward, not back.

Together.

Finally.

Zoey and Cash think they have everything sorted out but there might be a few more hurdles to jump before they do.

 

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

 

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

That raging upper respiratory ick from last week is still going strong. I'll be very happy to see the end of this one. But… it made for a good week of television. And my daughter's seventeenth birthday ended up being pretty great.

I started the second episode of Endeavour's fifth season. I truly love this show and I'm enjoying the guest stars also. Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles too. I seriously miss that show.

I went ahead and watched the first episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm intrigued and it should be fun to watch the reboot and the classic show at the same time. I hope.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week while catching up on dishes and laundry. Also got to watch another episode of Birds of Prey. It's back on the CW Seed app.

I'm almost done with the first season of Pensacola Wings of Gold. I'll probably watch the first few eps of season two and decide from there if I'm going to continue. Caught another episode of Lexx, too.

Watched Gotham's second episode and, man, this show. It really found its footing and embraced the crazy. I'm going to miss it a lot.

Finished the week out with Strike Back and Chicago Fire. Gracie is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She's an amazing character. Also really great to see some character bonding on Chicago Fire.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella set in Queen City Mars universe with a tie-in to Furlough 99.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Zoey Blythe entered the venue for the political rally and glanced around. Hot guy alert, twelve o'clock. She'd ask him where to find the person heading up this so-called debate between Queen City's two mayoral candidates.

Politics. Definitely not her top choice for a first assignment. Bleh.

She tucked her cover, still bright and shiny, under her arm and crossed the floor, dodging workers that were setting up chairs, and made her way to the incredibly handsome guy. "Excuse me, can I ask a quick question?"  He finished his conversation then turned to face her.

Whoa, boy. Seriously blue eyes gave her a brief once-over. She'd love to see if they changed color during sex.

Stop it, Zoey. You're here to work. Get your head on straight.

He gave her a quick smile. "Hi, can I help you with something?" His voice rumbled from his chest.

Zoey resisted the urge to fan her face and got down to business. "Yeah, I'm looking for a Cash Mateson." The campaign coordinator for one of the hopefuls.

What a boring job. Maybe as dull as working security detail.

The man's smile went lopsided. "It's Ma-te-son." He met her gaze and held it.

I could stare at him for days.

Zoey blinked. "What?" She really needed to stop daydreaming about this guy.

He chuckled. "The name. It's Ma-te-son, not Mate-son." He made the correction with affable grace, like he probably had to often.

Slightly embarrassed, Zoey shrugged. "Oh, um, whatever. I'm Constable Zoey Blythe, here to check in before I start my shift checking badges for the evening's debate." Maybe if she did a decent job, she'd get moved to a more exciting post.

The guy's smile grew wide again. "You're new, right?" He motioned for her to walk with him in the direction of a long table with clipboards littered across the top.

Zoey liked his casual informality. "Gold star for you. Graduated the ISP academy a week ago and got stuck with the shit job right out of the gate." Although, meeting him didn't suck.

He lifted a brow. "Not interested in politics?" He snagged a clipboard and glanced at the list of names on the top page.

Zoey wrinkled her nose. "Hell, no. When I want backstabbing drama, I head down to the wharf and find all I need. Out in the open all nice and neat." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "You can also tell who the good guys and bad guys are without a playlist." Hoping she didn't go too far with the observation, she waited for his reaction.

Her handsome new friend snorted. "Okay, you've got a valid point, there." He checked her name off on the clipboard and thrust his hand forward. "By the way, Cash Mateson. It's good—and refreshing—to meet you."

Zoey shook her head. "Aw, damn. Where's the magic hole that opens up in the floor when I need one." She grasped his palm, giving it a firm shake. "I hope refreshing isn't a code word for 'how soon can I transfer this constable out of here'."

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love the challenge of writing a story about people who find their way back to each other.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

I hope everyone survived the holiday!

My family had a wonderful day—no traveling, just staying home all nice and cozy with our new tech gear and good food. I watched more holiday television episodes and said good-bye to Matt Smith's Doctor. I'm still not quite settled in with the idea of the new actor, but I'll give him a chance.

Looking forward to my fave shows returning. Almost Human, Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, The Tomorrow People, Walking Dead, Sherlock, and probably a few I’m forgetting at the moment. Currently watching a Farscape marathon on Pivot then switching over to some recorded stuff I haven't watched yet.

Tonight's post is from the novella, Wait No More, featuring two characters that get the chance to re-explore the road not traveled.

Here's the tagline:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And the sneaky peek…

"Cash. Did you read who your head of security will be?"

Cash Mateson continued working with his tie, trying to decide what type of knot he wanted to attempt. His mentor, dead and buried a week ago, used to do the same before a big speech. Life in the political arena tended to be nothing but.

"Cash?" His wife prompted, waiting a response.

Starting over with the tie, Cash answered. "Not yet. Haven't got started on the morning memos." Satisfied with his appearance, he exited his dressing room.

Delia Mateson perched on the edge of their bed, perfectly dressed, as usual. A frown marred her face and a sinking feeling hit Cash's gut. He dreaded her next words.

"Sub-Commander Zoey Blythe." She rose and almost bumped into him when he sank down, feeling like he'd smacked up against an aerobus.

Her wide eyes met his. "Cash, how do you want to handle this?"

He took a moment, his gaze sweeping over Delia. She looked stunning and the sun had barely broken the horizon yet. Cash let his eyes roam over her trim frame and wished, not for the first time, he loved his wife with passion.

But he didn't. And Delia knew and understood. His lack of abiding feeling didn't stop her from working tirelessly to propel his career forward.

Sometimes he didn't know why she stuck around.

"Cash?"

He blinked. "Yeah, sorry." He rose and grabbed his jacket. "We'll handle it like we do everything else. Head on." He shrugged into the coat and made his way toward the door. He'd fix the tie on the ride to the office.

Delia smiled. "Shall I schedule a time for you to meet with the chief? To make a new choice?" She wrapped a light shawl about her shoulders.

Cash shook his head. "Why bother?" He exited their room and trotted down the stairs.

Delia caught up with him, grabbing his arm. "History, Cash. Think of the backlash if it's dredged up." Her hand slid down and grasped his.

He scoffed. "Ancient history, Deal." Not in the mood, he made a turn toward the kitchen. Coffee sounded great.

Delia followed, unable to let the matter drop. "No such thing as ancient history, Cash. That's what most people are interested in." She poured two mugs, adding sugar to hers.

Cash pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry about it, Delia. We'll muddle through just fine." He lifted the hot liquid, blowing across the top. "Why rock the boat? Especially if we don't want to make waves." He turned and entered his office, effectively shutting the topic down.

Delia sighed softly. "Because Zoey Blythe is a tsunami waiting to happen… and you still love her."

~:~

Delia nails the problem with complete accuracy. Zoey is the one who got away for Cash and the tidal wave will be unstoppable when they cross paths again. This one has been really fun, but challenging to write. Not sure when I'll complete it, but I think it'll be a good story once it's done.

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

ML Skye