Sunday Snippet: Quell the Boom

Whew. What a day. But I had a great week. I'm getting ready to start a very exciting new project and moving along on another one. I also got to spend three days with one of my friends at a gorgeous Airbnb not far from where I live.

Actually stayed pretty much caught up on my regular viewing schedule—watching ahead a little definitely helped.

Started a new Classic Who arc and kind of enjoyed the storyline. Looking forward to seeing what happens this week.

Watched another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. This one had Devil's Playground as the title and it kind of fit based on the anecdotes.

Caught the second episode of Moon Knight and enjoyed it. I like the series so far and look forward to another episode.

Enjoyed another episode of Harrow. I have two episodes left and I'm pretty interested in seeing how they play out. I loved the mention of the two big bads from the earlier seasons. I'm glad someone finally kind of connected those dots.

Watched another episode of Blue Heelers and things took a turn I didn't expect, which is always fun. Looking forward to the next episode.

Completed another MasterClass with Roxane Gay. She focused on research this time and, again, I got some good ideas from her lesson.

Caught another episode of The Babysitter's Club. I like the new girls and I love how much growth Christy showed. Actually, all the girls showed some growth and it's terrific to see.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Classic Rugrats. Oddly, they were very Angelica-centric which I didn't remember.

Watched an episode of Chicago Med and enjoyed it, even if it ended up being a little soap-operaish. I did like the way the storylines played out.

Finished up the opening episodes of Batman: the Animated Series. Looking forward to really diving back into this series.

Started season three of Driven, a Passionflix original series. Terrific premiere episode. I'm excited to see where things go from this point.

Also caught another episode of The Snoopy Show. This one had a great mix of the characters and each vignette had great humor.

That's pretty much it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a novella that puts rival characters together to solve a dangerous situation.

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…

Quinna forgot about everything—food, the incantations, the bombs. The kiss blew her mind. Efran did not lack in the creative department when it came to mashing lips together.

How did I not know this?

She might have started the lip-lock but Efran quickly took control. His hands cupped her face and he teased and tempted, his head slanting to take the embrace deeper. Her brain melted when his tongue slipped past her teeth to duel with hers.

This is exactly what I need. I need Efran and really hot sex.

As soon as the thought hit, she tried to squash it. Then gave in and let the idea blossom in her mind. Why the hell shouldn't they take a much-needed break for food and fun?

She eased away and blinked. "Wow. Ensnared in a web of my own making." She met his gaze. "You've got some mad skills, Efran." She hooked a finger in his shirt collar. "I want more." She leaned in and caught his mouth with hers.

Working her hands under his shirt, she inched the fabric up. Warm skin met her fingertips and she craved more. Pushing his shirt up further, she splayed her palm over his chest.

Efran grasped her hand. "Uh, might not be the best time for this." His fingers curled around hers.

Quinna glanced downward. "At least one part of you disagrees with that statement." The long, hard evidence couldn't be denied.

Efran lifted his shoulder. "All well and true, but we've got something way more important to deal with, don't you think?" His thumb made a circular motion over her skin.

He's not nearly as chill as he's pretending, whether he knows it or not.

Quinna opted for full-blown honesty. "If you think I struggled to concentrate before, it'll be worse now." She met his gaze. "My brain is going to focus on one thing right now and that would be getting naked with you and burning through the overload of energy I need to expel." Her brain wanted what it wanted.

Efran huffed out a breath. "Damn. You don't mince words, do you?" He stepped away, clearly needing some space.

Quinna shrugged. "With what we do, I try hard not to. But don't get caught up in the brutal honesty. I'm not losing sight of the importance of being prepared for what we have to do." She paused a moment. "But you nailed my problem earlier. I have to take a break. And I'll point out the fact that I've followed your plan up to this point. Maybe you could be a little flexible now." A horrible thought hit her. "Or do you not find me attractive?" Just because his body had a physical response didn't mean he liked it.

Efran shook his head. "I find you annoying, distracting, and a little insane." He ran a hand through his hair. "But, I also find you so incredibly sexy I struggle to think straight sometimes." His hand dropped and he slumped against the counter.

Quinna blinked. "You could have fooled me." But at least the sparks weren't one-sided.

Efran's lips curved. "Yeah, well, I'm very good at compartmentalizing."

Quinna moved closer to him. "Maybe you should relax the death grip you have on yourself. For an hour or so…" Probably wouldn't be enough time, but she didn't want to push her luck.

Efran closed the distance between them. "Maybe I should." He cupped her face again and brought his mouth to hers.

This is a fun story. Writing characters that have very different methods for solving problems is entertaining!

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye