Sunday Snippet: Fancy Meeting You Here

December 1, 2013

Hi!

Not much new in TV this week, so finishing up from last week's new episodes. The Walking Dead is my on the fence show. Some weeks I love it, some weeks I'm very 'meh'. Last week was definitely a 'meh' week, but the new episode tonight is pretty good, but the Governor just doesn't excite me all that much.

Sleepy Hollow continues to make me happy. It's so crazy insane I can't not like it. This week's Arrow and Sons of Anarchy have me ready to get through Monday so I can watch new stuff. J I also quite enjoyed Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. I'm not nearly as disappointed as a lot of fans are, but I'm a long time believer in setting up story arcs for bigger payoffs later.

That's it for this week. Should have some great reactions for my next post.

Tonight's snippet is from Fancy Meeting You Here. The world building is a lot of fun and this couple who is not a couple have a hard time fighting their attraction and they discover that maybe they shouldn't. Fun!!

Here's the tagline:

Jonni Mars and Val Janison are enforcers for two opposing mage families and have a friendly rivalry. When Val, a member of the ruling house, shows up at Jonni's favorite underground dive, she's both infuriated and intrigued, and more than a little surprised to meet him under almost normal circumstances.  

And a preview snippet…

Jonni turned when the door burst open and round of greetings went up throughout the bar.

"Val!!"

Val strode in and kicked the heavy oak shut, blocking the cold blast of wind trying to get in from outside. A shiver skittered down her spine, but not from the chill. Nope. She had no idea Val frequented her place. And from the looks of it, often enough to be known by name. He shook hands with Harv, who poured him a draft—on the house.

Tilting her head sideways, she observed the exchange of pleasantries while Val shrugged out of his long coat and tossed it on the banister leading upstairs. She hadn't been gone that long, had she? Thinking back, maybe she had. A series of false leads had her traipsing all over the damned city in search of Phelan's number two and several nasty run-ins with the Vellas Clan made a low profile absolutely necessary. She did the math—seven months since she'd last parked her ass in an Anvil booth.

Shit. More than enough time for Val to get a foothold in her chosen spot for R&R. A wave of jealousy smacked her in the face. She'd had to work a good two years before the staff, namely Harv, accepted her as one of the regulars. She picked up her shot and tossed it back, turning the glass upside down on the table, ready to take her leave.

Jonni reached for her leather trench, draped over a neighboring chair, but another glass appeared in front of her and she glanced up to meet the cool, blue gaze of Val.

He raised a brow. "Leaving so soon, Jonni?"

She dropped the jacket on the arm of the chair, deciding to play the scene cool. "Val." She settled back in the seat. "Fancy meeting you here. When did you start slumming it with the fringes?"

He dropped down across from her and kicked his feet out—blocking any chance she had to make a quick exit. Fine with her, she had a strong yen to see what the hell he had going on.

He produced a bottle of black label and filled his empty glass. "About ten seconds after we took Phelan out and you disappeared." He met her gaze. "Where've you been, Jonni?"

She hedged. "Around." She pushed back a little. "I'm not that hard to find."

He snorted. "You haven't been here. That means you've been working." He drained his glass and poured another. "Anything interesting?"

How the hell should she answer? Jonni bought time by drinking the alcohol he so kindly provided. She opted to go for turning the tables.

Grabbing the bottle, she refilled her glass. "Why would I share my comings and goings? You've invaded my space here. Everyone knows why I head for this crapshoot of a dive bar. I'm right at home here." She pinned him with her gaze. "The big question is… what's a member of the ruling house of Janis doing here? And don't even put it on trying to find me."

His lips twitched. "Touche. You're only part of the reason I started frequented the Anvil." He toyed with the shot glass, his eyes going hard and angry. "After the showdown with Phelan, I had a lot of aggression to work through." He looked away.

Jonni could just imagine the deep, dark place Val went to after doing battle with Phelan. Didn't explain why he chose this particular spot to work out his issues. Unless… no, she wouldn't, couldn't let her brain go there. The spark of whatever arced between them during the clusterfuck fiasco with Phelan had long since dissipated.

Val's voice sucked her back to the present. "Not for me, it hasn’t."

Jonni narrowed her eyes. "Get out of my head, asshole. I really don't like it when people invade my privacy."

Val leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. "Duly noted. But here's the thing." He inched closer, keeping his voice low. "I'm not in your head, Jonni, you're in mine."

Her eyes widened and she gasped. No way. She threw up a mental block and quickly retreated. Her face flamed hot. Only novices did involuntary mind slips. Jonni had a decade of experience under her belt, had fought more than one powerful foe and never had she crossed the line into invasive territory on a subconscious level.

Until now.

She worried her lower lip, embarrassment and concern warring for dominance in her head. She had to flee, escape the suddenly claustrophobic confines of the bar, and get as far away from Val Janison as possible. She flicked her gaze in his direction and started to bolt, swinging her feet over his legs.

His hand shot out, grabbing hers. "Uh uh. Don't even think about leaving. Not yet." He kept hold of her fingers when she tried to jerk away from his grasp.

She slumped back, barely resisting the urge to kick him under the table. "Why the hell not? Do you want an apology?" She owed him one, even if it galled her. "Fine. I'm sorry. You can be certain I'll never let it happen again." Just as soon as she figured out why it happened in the first place.

His loosened his grip, but laced their fingers together. "Don't make promises you might not keep." He held up a finger when she opened her mouth to protest. "Let me finish before you blast me with attitude, dammit."

She snapped her mouth shut and clenched her teeth.

His thumb traced a circle on her skin and a slow, tingling sensation traveled up her arm. She'd give her last buck to know why she reacted to him the way she did.

Val frowned. "No one, and I mean not one single soul, has ever managed to get inside my head without me knowing it." He held her gaze several longs moments. "You've done it twice, and I don't like it any more than you do."

Twice. When the hell else had she—ah, right—

He nodded. "The night we took Phelan down." He heaved a sigh. "And make that three times."

She growled. "Dammit!" She jerked her hand away from his. "This does not happen to me. What's going on here?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But we better figure it out."

She snorted. "You think? Any bright ideas for how?" She could walk in front of a bus. That should do the trick.

He narrowed his eyes and she wondered if she'd slipped into his head again. She breathed a sigh of relief when his tongue shot out to wet his lower lip and he shifted position in the booth. The uncomfortable gesture made her feel more at ease.

He met her gaze again. "You're not gonna like it, but here's my idea." He huffed out a breath. "You. Me. And a suite at the Warwick. Right now."

Jonni's mouth dropped open. "Are you bat shit?" She barked out a laugh. "I'm having a crisis of epic proportions and you want to what? Fuck it out of me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Did I say anything about sex? Not that I'd turn it down, but the idea is a safe place to work out what our weird connection is. The Warwick is warded against outside magic, remember?"

Her face flamed again. Of course she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion. The man made her completely stupid.

She jerked her head towards the exit. "Yes. Fine. Let's go. The last place I wanna be is inside your head."

Gotta say I had a lot of fun writing her mortification at slipping into Val's head. Is that mean of me? LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye