Sunday Snippet: Question Everything

Happy holidays to all who celebrate. My post is a little later than usual but the lead-up to Christmas morning exhausted me and I took a nice, long winter's nap today. LOL

I overloaded on holiday-themed shows this week and loved every moment. I'll be continuing through probably New Year's Eve. So much great television.

This week included all the Arrow and The Flash holiday episodes. Eureka, Haven, and Warehouse 13. I worked Roswell and The District in along with animated episodes from Rugrats, Batman, and Justice League. Dropped into single episode fare with Buffy, Supernatural, The Librarians, Leverage and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I'm sure I'll have a few more before I finally go to bed. I can't wait!

Tonight's post is from Question Everything, a novella that got its title from the two-word prompt "question everything". I decided to make it theme throughout the manuscript.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Temple Sparrow discovers her family is part of an underground society of beings and creatures who secretly control the city, she eschews their traditions and finds her true vocation, seeking answers. Hunt Gambit doesn't trust anyone least of all Temple, but playing by the rules isn't an option and he'll use her knowledge to get what he needs and teach her to question everything.

And a preview snippet…

Temple let the Dinali agent go, but added a warning. "If you event think about trying to give a heads up, I'll find you." She jabbed a finger in his shoulder. "And dangling you over the edge won't be a possibility, it'll be an actuality." Turning, she followed Hunt's path back down to the lobby.

He stood, waiting by the door with an eyebrow quirked. "Couldn't resist a parting shot, could you?" Pushing the door open, he stepped outside.

Temple paused a moment, hating how quickly he'd pegged her actions. The blast of chilly air raised goose bumps on her skin and she crossed her arms to rub up and down to create some heated friction.

Better that kind than another clash of words with Hunt.

He angled his head around, giving her a questioning look. "Come on, Temple. Tell me what you said so I know whether or not to expect repercussions." Stopping at the edge of the curb, he didn't break eye contact.

How the hell did he do that?

She lifted a shoulder. "I only let him know if he tried to warn his buddies, the threat of dangling him over the edge of the building would become a cold, hard fact." She waited for the inevitable explosion.

Hunt shook his head. "There's a good chance you'll never catch him alone again. The first thing he'll do is tell his cohorts to pair up and work in teams." The light changed and Hunt started across the intersection.

Temple darted after him. "Or, he could keep his mouth shut. I took a calculated risk, which might pay off and buy us more time. I'm aware it might blow up in my face." She moved ahead and waited for him to catch up.

Hunt paused when he reached her side. "The blowing up part is what concerns me." He held her gaze a moment then turned in the direction of the sanctuary.

Temple fell into step next to him. "Isn't that what I have you for? To have my back." The nervous tingle between her shoulders irritated her.

Hunt shot her a sideways glance. "Don't rely on me, Temple. I can offer a helping hand if I'm around but when your back's against the wall, you're the only one you can truly count on." He strode forward, putting several paces between them.

Temple bit back a curse. Always two steps forward followed by three back with this guy.

And she didn't like it one damned bit.

Loving the potential with this one. Temple is fun to write and Hunt makes me happy.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quest for the Kingfish

Only one week until the merriest day! We still have to decorate our tree, but we always wait until about a week before the holiday. Should be done by this evening.

The Great Holiday Show Binge Watch Extravaganza continued this past week. I finished up NCIS, moved on to NCIS: LA and NCIS: New Orleans. Then followed with MASH. Last night I started the X-Files.

Teen Wolf had a great episode. The season feels a little choppy but I'm enjoying. The Librarians and MacGyver had good episodes. Enjoyed the holiday-themed flavor on MacGyver.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quest for the Kingfish, a novella that started with the two-word prompt, "forget you".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Stevie Peel is a little bit backward and standoffish, but she loves a good mystery. Griff Lannsiter takes an immediate liking to Stevie and when she finds an ancient scroll tucked into the dusty stacks of the research library, he offers his help on her quest to find the elusive Kingfish.

And a preview snippet…

Griff woke slowly, reaching out to find the bed empty. His eyes popped open and focused on Stevie, sitting at the desk in front of the window. She wore his sweatshirt, the sleeves pushed up past her elbows. With her head bent, her hair hid her face but he didn't have to see her. She'd be intent on studying the scroll.

He propped up onto his elbows. "Any progress?" He didn't have the same gut instinct she had about finding the Kingfish, but an adventure should prove fun.

She angled her head around and shot him a smile. "Not yet. Deciphering isn't my strength." Getting up, she left the parchment on the desk and crawled back onto the bed. "That's more up your alley. Think you can take a look?" She tugged his sweatshirt off and dropped it on the floor.

Griff didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. Want me to do that now?" He started to rise, enjoying the look on Stevie's face.

She planted her palm on his chest. "Uh-uh. We've got all the time in the world." Rising up, she straddled his thighs. "But an entire day off doesn't happen often." Lowering her head, she brushed his lips with hers. "We should take advantage while we can." She rocked her hips, rubbing against his rapidly expanding cock.

Griff's lips curved. "I like the way you think." His hands cupped her breasts and he caught her mouth for an urgent kiss.

Stevie lifted up and sank over his length, moaning, then sliding her tongue against his.

Griff could wake up like this every day… if their work didn't have a nasty habit of keeping them on opposite schedules.

Not sure how this one is going to turn out. The sages are tossing several ideas back and forth and can't decide which one they want to go with.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland… #HappyHolidaysHop

A beautiful sight… with a great book

Sponsored by Nicki J. Markus | Asta Idonea

Welcome to the Author Happy Holiday Hop

In a meadow, you can build a snowman, then sit back and read a great book.

Please enjoy the reading snippets and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

~*~

What makes your holiday happy? A ton of gifts under the tree? Spending time with family? The holiday tunes? Lots of fluffy, white stuff falling from the sky?

For me, spending the season with family and friends makes my holiday happy. I also love wrapping presents and making fun treats to share with others. I started a new tradition this year that I've dubbed the Great Holiday Show Binge Watch Extravaganza. I have a bunch of holiday themed television shows ready to stream to fill my days with lots of cheer.

I also love to write and read holiday themed romance. When writing as Skye Ritchey, I like to weave paranormal elements into my books. Using magic, special abilities, or diving into mystical scenarios means my characters often have choices to make.

My holiday releases, An Enchanted Yule: A Holiday Spirit Tale and A Little Yule Magick are filled with yuletide traditions.

In the first, Mercy and Andre are brought together by Hollis Goldstar, a holiday spirit. He's got his work cut out for him because wizards and sorcerers don't like to share space. Mercy and Andre call a truce and discover sharing the season together isn't the horrible experience they think it will be.

The second features Sygin and Boyd looking forward to sharing the Yule holiday with some festive traditions. Some sinister outside forces interrupt their plans for a hot tryst and the adept mages become responsible for getting their students home safely. The couple isn't certain how they'll pull off regaining their yuletide cheer.

I had so much fun writing the books and both are on sale through the end of the year. If either of the excerpts strikes your fancy, please consider purchasing the full copy.

~*~

An Enchanted Yule: A Holiday Spirit Tale

Series Tagline: Holiday spirits are tasked with bringing opposites together.

Book Tagline: A holiday spirit brings Yuletide romance to Mercy and Andre.

Hollis Goldstar settled in by the fireplace and opened his new book. He loved the Yule season—cold weather, warm fires, and a new world to explore between the pages. He got through the prologue before the zing of energy pulsed under his skin, followed by the tinkling of a bell.

He slapped the tome shut. "Dammit. I thought for sure I'd have this holiday off." He'd worked the last three Yule seasons and deserved a break.

But apparently some misguided couple needed to find their way to each other and their joining had to happen over the season. Sometimes being a holiday spirit sucked huge dragons. Heaving a sigh, he retrieved his deck of holiday destinations and shuffled through the locations. He found a quaint bed and breakfast, which should function adequately for his needs. Personally, he thought manor house looked like a bucket of charm puked all over the place, but that kind of thing usually appealed to the human side of his charges. They always seemed spellbound by the décor and found the sentiment appealing.

He had his work cut out for him. Bringing a sorcerer and a wizard together could prove to be a challenge. He rifled through the information file the spirit master left. Mercy Mayweather, the sorcerer. Twenty-seven, beautiful, smart as a whip, but she'd chosen the worst possible man to spend her time with. Nathanial Ashford hated wizards and did all he could to keep them down. And now, after breaking up with him, Mercy paid a price with being ostracized. A difficult situation, especially during Yule, when the gifted communities tended to gather together.

The wizard, Andre Addison, acted as a leader for the community of wand-bearers. He regularly butted heads with Ashford over being kept in the dark and not being allowed to have a seat on the council governing the supernatural community. At twenty-nine, his good looks drew plenty women in, but his surly attitude often kept them at bay. Maybe a little one-on-one time with a newly single female could do the trick.

Then again, Hollis might not be able to let nature take its course this time around.

Heaving a sigh, he inscribed two enchanted invitations and sent them into the mist.

Time would tell if his charges were open to the possibility of outer forces being at work.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Holiday spirits make the merry season bright. They also bring couples together, especially to right old wrongs.

Book Blurb: Mercy, a sorcerer, wants to keep her own counsel and walks away from a relationship to do it. Andre, a wizard, is tired being treated as a lower life form by Mercy's ex. The holiday spirit tasked with bringing the duo together over Yule faces a huge challenge.

~*~

~*~

A Little Yule Magick

Book Tagline: Boyd and Sygin use a Little Yule Magick to get their holiday off on the right start.

While Boyd took his turn in the shower, Sygin dressed and pondered Yule. She and Boyd had the estate pretty much to themselves—as they had for the past five years—with the maintenance guy, Bart, heading out last night along with Anna, the cook, and Cat, the cleaning wonder-woman—who kept the huge four-story, three winged house spotless. Yeah, she used her magick skills, but Sygin got exhausted just thinking about the amount of work the lady accomplished in a day.

Two other adept apprentices, who helped with the coursework, left before dawn for their homes. With trouble brewing, the staff and students always traveled in pairs or groups—except for the elder in residence. A grand mage, he didn't enter or leave by conventional methods, just let Boyd know he wouldn't be around until after the beginning of the year. He'd spend the holiday on sabbatical, in a sacred dwelling only the highest ranking members knew about.

She exited their suite and contemplated how much longer she and Boyd could keep their traditions. They had several, aside from her fried honeycakes. Finding the Yule log together always created fun, and they usually dragged a huge piece in so it lasted throughout the three day celebration. Boyd made wassail—her personal favorite, because they drank the brew in bed, toasting accomplishments and new goals. But mainly, they enjoyed the quiet solitude of being together, making love whenever they wanted and reaffirming their connection.

How much longer would she and Boyd have the luxury of time? She'd been a toddler when the Unified Clan split into two factions. Her family followed the teachings of the light—health, healing, help, and heart. The other side dwelled on the dark arts, malice, mayhem, malevolence, and often… murder. But they'd kept a low profile, until recently, and Sygin couldn't quite grasp why rumblings were happening now.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Book Blurb: Sygin and Boyd are adept mages, looking forward to their winter break. Being alone in the big manor for Yule is their most cherished tradition. But a series of mishaps may keep them from their celebratory festivities.

~*~

Please stop by my website

Spread the holiday cheer! Visit the other participating authors.

Santa Baby, Have You Been Naughty or Nice? #MistletoeHop

Sponsored by Romance Beckons

Grab your mistletoe and pucker up!

Welcome to the Mistletoe Hop, a fabulous sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work and answering the question of whether they've been…

NAUGHTY OR NICE

Readers: Please enjoy the steamy snippets and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link. Enter by leaving a comment for a chance to receive a free copy.

~*~

Have I been naughty or nice?

Honestly? I'm all about the balance.

So, the answer to the question is… Both!

Being naughty—not mean, of course—can be so much fun. Sharing an innuendo-filled joke to make someone smile—or snort soda out their nose—is a hoot. Picking the perfect gag gift for siblings before they get yours… totally cool. Letting loose and straying from the tried and true gives life a little oomph and boosts my horizons.

Which pays off in huge ways.

Then again, it costs nothing to be nice and, hey, showing kindness feels good. Whether giving one of my daughter's fellow golfers a lift to practice so their parents don't have to leave work early or providing supplies to a local animal shelter or food pantry, being generous with my time or giving to a cause near to my heart refills my emotional piggy bank.

Even small gestures have big impact.

~*~

Being naughty and nice might confuse the jolly, fat man, but it makes for some great romance. When writing as Skye Ritchey, I like to weave paranormal elements into my books. Using magic, special abilities, or diving into mystical scenarios means my characters often have choices to make. Should they be naughty or nice?

Having the hero and heroine at cross purposes with another group or each other and mixing in a healthy dose of sexual tension is what I love to write. I have two holiday releases with this terrific combination.

An Enchanted Yule, A Holiday Spirit Tale, features Mercy and Andre, a sorcerer and a wizard who are brought together by Hollis Goldstar, a holiday spirit. They're not excited about being together but end up making the most of their yuletide gift.

A Little Yule Magick has Sygin and Boyd looking forward to their yuletide break. Their hot tryst is derailed by outside influences and neither is sure they'll be able to find their holiday cheer.

Excerpts for both books are below. Please enjoy!

~*~

An Enchanted Yule: A Holiday Spirit Short

Series Tagline: Holiday spirits are tasked with bringing opposites together.

Book Tagline: A holiday spirit brings Yuletide romance to Mercy and Andre.

~*~

Hollis Goldstar settled in by the fireplace and opened his new book. He loved the Yule season—cold weather, warm fires, and a new world to explore between the pages. He got through the prologue before the zing of energy pulsed under his skin, followed by the tinkling of a bell.

He slapped the tome shut. "Dammit. I thought for sure I'd have this holiday off." He'd worked the last three Yule seasons and deserved a break.

But apparently some misguided couple needed to find their way to each other and their joining had to happen over the season. Sometimes being a holiday spirit sucked huge dragons. Heaving a sigh, he retrieved his deck of holiday destinations and shuffled through the locations. He found a quaint bed and breakfast, which should function adequately for his needs. Personally, he thought manor house looked like a bucket of charm puked all over the place, but that kind of thing usually appealed to the human side of his charges. They always seemed spellbound by the décor and found the sentiment appealing.

He had his work cut out for him. Bringing a sorcerer and a wizard together could prove to be a challenge. He rifled through the information file the spirit master left. Mercy Mayweather, the sorcerer. Twenty-seven, beautiful, smart as a whip, but she'd chosen the worst possible man to spend her time with. Nathanial Ashford hated wizards and did all he could to keep them down. And now, after breaking up with him, Mercy paid a price with being ostracized. A difficult situation, especially during Yule, when the gifted communities tended to gather together.

The wizard, Andre Addison, acted as a leader for the community of wand-bearers. He regularly butted heads with Ashford over being kept in the dark and not being allowed to have a seat on the council governing the supernatural community. At twenty-nine, his good looks drew plenty women in, but his surly attitude often kept them at bay. Maybe a little one-on-one time with a newly single female could do the trick.

Then again, Hollis might not be able to let nature take its course this time around.

Heaving a sigh, he inscribed two enchanted invitations and sent them into the mist.

Time would tell if his charges were open to the possibility of outer forces being at work.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Holiday spirits make the merry season bright. They also bring couples together, especially to right old wrongs.

Book Blurb: Mercy, a sorcerer, wants to keep her own counsel and walks away from a relationship to do it. Andre, a wizard, is tired being treated as a lower life form by Mercy's ex. The holiday spirit tasked with bringing the duo together over Yule faces a huge challenge.

~*~

~*~

A Little Yule Magick

Book Tagline: Boyd and Sygin use a Little Yule Magick to get their holiday off on the right start.

Boyd Lagassi shifted his position and dragged Sygin Ball up to straddle his thighs. "I want your famous fried honeycakes." His mouth closed over her nipple and he flicked his tongue back and forth.

Sygin moaned low in her throat. "Famous only because it's one of the few things I can make and not screw up." She rocked forward, lifting her hips and pushing backwards onto his hard shaft.

Boyd closed his eyes, relishing her warm heat. "And it's tradition. Five years and counting." He flexed his thighs then relaxed and let Sygin control the pace.

She kicked up the speed, her hands planted firmly on his chest. He opened his eyes, loving to watch Sygin. Her passion for him took his breath away, her expressive face showing every nuance, her gaze going darker, the green irises going from a soft leafy color to a deep pine shade.

Her hips rolled back and forth, her breaths coming in short little bursts. Not long now, for either of them. Boyd slid his hands down to cup her ass, urging her forward. Her fingers curled into her palms, the knuckles grazing his skin, digging in to his flesh. He welcomed the mild discomfort, needing the edge to hold off, wanting his release to follow hers.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Book Blurb: Sygin and Boyd are adept mages, looking forward to their winter break. Being alone in the big manor for Yule is their most cherished tradition. But a series of mishaps may keep them from their celebratory festivities.

~*~

I had so much fun writing the books and I'm giving away a digital copy of your choice for this blog hop.

Please leave a comment for your entry and share whether you top the naughty or nice list and which holiday themed book strikes your fancy.

Please stop by my website

Find out who else has been naughty or nice! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Quelling Hunger

Is the holiday season in full swing at your house? It's definitely rockin' at mine. LOL

Holiday shows were something of a theme this week. The Flash and Arrow had their Christmas shows and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Teen Wolf is creeping me out with the riders. I kind of love the blend of old and new but really need to see some Stiles on my screen. Agents of SHIELD threw a total twisty twist in at the end of their episode. Can't wait for the hiatus to be over to see what's going to happen next.

The Librarians continues to make me happy. Also love The Talking Dead, especially when I skip the episode of The Walking Dead. I'm just not at all interested in Neegan and his machinations.

Legends of Tomorrow introduced the Legion of Doom and that makes me happy. Having Merlyn and company pop up now and again should keep things very interesting.

MacGyver also makes me happy. I love the reboot of Jack's character more than I can say.

The Great Holiday Binge Watch continues. I've made it through the complete Whoverse and look forward to the new special on Christmas Day. Started on NCIS and have the first two holiday episodes watched.

Also caught up on Murdoch Mysteries. I'm loving this season so much!

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quelling Hunger, a novella that got a start with the two-word prompt, "eat me", but has taken on a life of it's own.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When a storm destroys the food warehouses in the city, Rita Steed and Fletch Lancaster are tasked with keeping the peace while half-rations are necessary until the rooftop gardens can produce more crops. Heading up the sector patrol, neither is certain they can maintain the status quo when quelling hunger seems to be impossible.

And a preview snippet…

Fletch warmed up the single dinner and poured two glasses of wine. Rita's dark humor concerned him. The haunted and hunted look in Rita's gaze spoke of upheaval on epic levels. Nothing rattled her. Usually.

Then again, the shortage of food brought out the worst in their denizens. More and more citizens were acting out over the half-rations. Fletch shook his head. People could do with less, but they didn't want to. How many scuffles had he broken up today? How many had Rita? They couldn't even work as a team anymore because the callouts were increasing on a daily basis.

Rita emerged from the shower area, a towel wrapped around her torso. "Showers are the best thing on the planet right now." She grabbed a white tank top and black knit pants, her comfort clothes, and quickly dressed.

Fletch put the entrée on the small table then retrieved the goblets. "Hey, I thought I was the best thing on the planet." He settled onto the chair and quirked an eyebrow.

Rita dropped down across from him. "Maybe after we've shared our food and had a couple glasses of wine, you can prove that to be true." Her lips curved in a sexy smirk.

Fletch grabbed a fork and speared a mouthful of food. "Challenge accepted." He popped the bite into his mouth and nodded for Rita to dig in.

She twirled her utensil between her fingers. "You know, we should stay home tomorrow. Let the morons go after each other." Stabbing a forkful of food, she frowned. "If the hospitals start filling up with injured people, at least they'd be off the streets and not causing problems. We don't have much room left in the holding cells." She popped the combination of beef and noodles into her mouth.

Fletch winced. "They've converted a former warehouse into a second facility. New cells went in today." He hated delivering the news.

Rita closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "So, what? The plan is to keep everyone locked up until the harvest is completed?" She snagged another bite of the dinner. "That's crazy."

Fletch didn't disagree. "Yep. And the new location is across town, so they'll be shipping meals from the distribution center to the jail and the temporary holding cells." Which meant security would be a nightmare.

Rita picked up her glass and drained it. "Forget one more glass of wine. We're finishing the bottle."

Fletch refilled her goblet then lifted his. "Here, here." He clinked his rim against hers. "I see a lot of firestorm and binding spells in our future."

I'm having fun with this one. The conflict is slowly revealing itself and the sages are happy with where things are going.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye Ritchey

Sunday Snippet: Quell the Boom

Tis the season! The final month of the year filled with joy, happiness, and insanely crazy schedules. LOL

I'm working on a little something I hope to share throughout the month, with the idea dependent upon how many hours I have left over during the day.

Television this week had the best almost full week crossover in the DC universe. Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow went up against the dominators and came out on top. Pretty great stuff!

The Librarians had a fun episode. I like it when Jenkins and Eve have adventures. The Walking Dead's Tara-centric episode ended up being pretty terrific, too.

Gotham got interesting with the introduction of Selena's mother and Gordon landing in another hot mess. Of course, Barbara and company teaming up with Nygma can only be a good thing.

Agents of SHIELD took a twisty turn having Mac inhabited by the fiery vengeance seeker for a brief period. I'm liking where everything is headed.

For fun, I started what I’m calling my Great Holiday Show Binge Watch. I started out with all the holiday episodes of JAG then dove into the Doctor Who Christmas specials. I'm up to "The End of Time" when David Tennant hands over the TARDIS to Matt Smith. Hoping to finish out the Whoverse episodes and maybe start on NCIS next.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a novella that started with the prompt of "write an action adventure story with a bomb". Fun stuff.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Quinna Joltz and Efran Pendragon, experts in diffusing magical bombs, tend to let their rivalry take center stage, but when an unbalanced wizard plants devices that can bring down their entire city, they agree to work together. The adrenaline filled race finally gives them some perspective and a little bit of common ground to share.

And a preview snippet…

Efran heaved a frustrated sigh. "Quinna, you have got to focus. What is your damned problem?" For someone who ranked at the top of her game, she had the attention span of gnat.

Quinna rolled her eyes. "My damned problem is you telling me what I have to do." She got up and paced the floor. "If you mention the word focus one more time, I'm going to drop you on your ass." Her fingers flexed before she balled her hands into fists.

Efran studied her a moment. Edgy, twitchy, and jumpy. What the hell? If he didn't know her, he'd swear she jonesed for a fix. Quinna prowled around the chamber, her gaze sweeping back and forth then up and down.

He settled his seat on the floor. "You're climbing the walls. You can't stand inactivity." He should've realized earlier.

Quinna whirled around. "Are you my therapist now?" She moved to the window, separating the blinds to peer outside. "I'm fine. Start on the next incantation." Her foot bounced up and down.

Efran closed the book and got up. He moved to her side, noting her closed off expression, the tense lines of her mouth, and pent-up energy screaming for release.

She slid him a sideways glance. "Dammit, Efran, you said we were staying in here until we knew everything upside down, inside out, forwards, backward, sideways, and whatever else. Start the next incantation, will you?" Her gaze went back to the window. "We're six hours in and haven't killed each other yet. Don't test the limits of my flexibility."

She had a point. He pushed hard and she had yet to complain.  Her distraction had caught his attention and her comment about how much time they'd been behind closed doors hit him. They needed a break. Or at least she did. Efran got so lost in the work, he shut everything else out. Hunger, thirst, the necessity to rest his brain all took a back seat to the task at hand.

He snapped his fingers. "Food." Turning, he ambled to the small kitchenette to see what had been stocked.

Quinna's head snapped up. "What did you say?" She followed him. "Are you seriously thinking about eating right now?"

He glanced up from behind the fridge door. "Yeah. We're not going to get anything done if you can't fo—" He cleared his throat and corrected. "Concentrate. You need sustenance." He turned and grabbed items to make sandwiches, setting everything on the counter.

She folded her arms across her chest. "And you don't?" Her brow shot up.

He shrugged. "I'm used to putting aside any and all until the job's done." He met her gaze. "But if we're going to work together, I should probably dial back my single-mindedness a little." His lips quirked.

Quinna snorted. "You think?" She made her way to the counter and started helping with the food. "Don't you ever relax?" Heading for the cupboard, she retrieved a couple of glasses and poured some tea.

Efran paused a moment, tilting his head to one side. "Yeah, I guess." Didn't he?

Quinna laughed. "Oh, Efran, for all your brainpower, I'm not sure you even know the definition of the word." She placed the drinks on the butcher block and parked her butt on a barstool. "Relax… to unwind, kick back, take a load off." Snagging a sandwich, she mumbled around a big bite. "Any of those sound familiar?"

Efran bit back a pissy reply. Maybe he didn't swing from chandeliers—something Quinna had a reputation for—or go skinny dipping during the full moon—an unforgettable sight he witnessed just last month. But her poking fun grated.

He handwaved her chiding remark. "I know how to have a good time." And he didn't have to draw every eyeball in the city to do it.

Quinna snorted. "I doubt that. What, exactly, do you do to let loose?" She drained half the glass of tea.

Efran countered with a question. "Why don't we start with what you do?" He washed the last of his ham and cheese down with a big gulp of his drink.

Quinna's saucy smirk should have been a red flag.

She got up, rounded the counter and fisted her hand in his shirt. "For starters? I find a super-hot guy and"—hauling him close, her mouth hovered close to his—"do something like this." She planted a scorching kiss on his lips.

Well, hell. He should've seen that one coming.

Quinna is going to challenge Efran at every turn, but they'll find a way to work together.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye