Sunday Snippet: On Ice

Whew. Very long week of scorching temperatures and tinder-dry conditions. We need some rain in a big way. Also, the end of my street is closed, which is kind of inconvenient but not terrible. It's the height of construction season and it shows with multiple road projects going on.

Super busy week with work projects and shifting my schedule around a little. I'm very happy to have a full calendar even when it overwhelms me a little.

School starts this week and I'm excited for my husband, who really enjoys interacting with the students, teachers, and staff. Looking forward to hearing how his first week goes with the kids coming back.

Had a decent viewing week. Made it most of the way through my shows, including one of my back-burner ones. It also looks like a few of my faves are getting ready to return to my streamers.

Started season two of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and enjoyed all the newcomers. Jack's former wife and his father-in-law along with Dottie's sister. Phryne doing a fan dance also ended up being fun.

Enjoyed the mystery on Madame Blanc Mysteries. Kind of fun having John back but I'm hoping it's not going to be a lot of him. Also wondering if there are some cracks in Jean and Dom's relationship. I'll be a little sad if there are.

Finished up season thirteen of Death in Paradise. I'm oddly sad to say goodbye to Neville. But I'm really thrilled he's leaving with Florence. A fitting end for the character.

Watched another episode of Poirot and quite enjoyed the mystery. Having the ongoing Monopoly game going throughout the episode was fun.

Elementary ended up being very interesting. Having Sherlock working with Moreland ended up being entertaining and I'm very interested and wary of why Moreland is really in New York. That ending hinted that all may not be what it seems, which isn't that surprising. I hope it gives Joan the chance to kick ass on Sherlock's behalf.

Caught another episode of Batman Beyond and loved how Terry and Max teamed up to handle Curare. This was a great episode.

Lower Decks once again charmed and annoyed me. That's the running theme for this show. That said, I enjoy it enough to definitely keep watching.

Got most of an episode of Reacher viewed. It's the penultimate ep so I'm paying close attention to the details. Because … details matter. Just saying.

Peak Practice is hopefully back on target for this week. I started a new episode but didn't get all the way through.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from On Ice, a novella that puts a couple on opposing sides of a conflict and one pushes the other a little too far.

Here's the miniblurb:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more training, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

Birk turned the water on to let it warm up and watched Paley shed her clothes.

This part of being partners in work and life they did well. The rest? Yeah, the rest needed some major work. The woman drove him around the bend with her contradictory and contrary methodology. And, lately, they'd had a hard time coming to terms about anything work related, which started to spill over their personal life.

But a little stress relief … might help. His gaze wandered from her painted toenails up to her toned thighs then over the flare of her hips. Maybe they should just stay naked all the time. His lips quirked and he glanced up to meet her gaze.

She arched a brow. "Better keep up. You're a bit overdressed." She reached forward and popped the button of his dungarees.

Birk took her hint and yanked his shirt off then dropped his pants. "All caught up." Nudging her toward the shower, he ducked in behind her.

Paley let the water sluice over her head and down her body. She moved around behind Birk and gave him room to step under the spray. He bent his head, the water raining down and over his back. Paley's hands gripped his shoulders, then smoothed down his spine and around either side of his waist. Her fingers found his hard length and curled around it.

Tension drained from his body. Between the hot water raining down over him and Paley's nimble handiwork, he could almost forget the huge task in front of them. And for the rest of the night, he would.

Angling to one side of the stall, he turned toward Paley and drew her closer. His mouth met hers and his hands cupped her ass. She moaned low in her throat, showing her patience wearing thin. Bracing his shoulders against the wall, he slid down a little then urged her to straddle his thighs.

Paley didn't break the kiss when she draped her legs over his and slid over his cock in one smooth glide downward. Her warm heat surrounded him, and he relaxed, shedding another layer of stress and turmoil. Paley's lips ghosted along his jawline, a hot breath fanning against his ear, and her hips rocked steadily back and forth.

Digging her fingers into his biceps, she increased the pace and arched her back, bringing her breasts into contact with his chest. Birk skimmed his hands along her sides then brushed his thumbs over her hardened nipples. Paley sucked in a breath before snaring his mouth with hers again.

The stall filled with steam and the sound of low moans and panting bursts of air coming from both of them. Birk flexed his thighs, driving upward to meet the roll of her hips. The added friction sent Paley over the edge, and she shuddered through an orgasm. Birk followed quickly behind, finding his release buried deep inside her.

Paley slid gently from his lap and ducked under the spray. Birk eased in behind her and they rinsed off together. She cut the water, cracked the door open, and reached for a towel. Birk took the fluffy material and wrapped it around her then grabbed one for himself. She turned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he traced a water droplet from her temple to her chin. "We definitely needed that." Easing away from her, he nodded toward the bedroom. "Round two in five?"

Paley's lips quirked. "I'm down with that."

Ahhhh, the calm before the storm. Birk and Paley will be butting heads in the very near future.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On Ice

To everyone celebrating a holiday, I hope it's incredible and lovely. To everyone not celebrating a holiday, I hope your weekend is incredible and lovely.

Had a crazy-busy week with a lot of distractions. I got a lot of work done but felt like I kept spinning my wheels, mainly because I'd get interrupted and have to review a lot so I didn't miss anything.

Kind of a slow week of television viewing. I watched two episodes of The Snoopy Show and rather enjoyed both. I'll definitely finish the season that's available.

Caught the second episode of Loch Ness and I'm pretty hooked. There's a lot going on and sometimes doesn't feel like anything is related, but I'm pretty sure there's one single thread that will pull everything together.

Watched two more episodes of Silent Witness. I like getting a little more information on Jack's backstory. He's an interesting character but kind of mysterious.

Finished up an arc of Classic Who and started a new one. Seven kind of gets a raw deal and I'm still not quite sure about Mel. The weird way she got introduced kind of throws me off.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Laundry Guy and have to say this is such a cool show. I don't know if they'll do more episodes, but I'm totally in if they do.

Caught another episode of Hawkeye. I'm very interested in how they're exploring the Ronin angle. I haven't watched all the movies yet but I'm kind of current on what happened. Nice to see a little more detail about this aspect of Clint's character.

Watched the first episode of The Hardy Boys second season. A little disappointed they recast Fenton, but I love the actor who's taken on the role. I'm definitely interested in the new mystery and can't wait to watch more.

Started season eight of Peak Practice. A lot of changes with the move to the new building and a great case of the week. Feels like there might be a lot more drama with rescues and stuff this season.

Enjoyed another MasterClass lesson with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Asking questions is something I wish more people did on a regular basis, especially when mis or disinformation is now the standard.

Caught another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow. Kurt is kind of walking a fine line and I really do not like the new boss and how he's trying to get rid of Rusk. My one hope is Kurt's friendship with Rez better not go up in flames.

Watched another episode of the Ready Room and thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting to know the actress playing L'Rell was a lot of fun.

Enjoyed an episode of Chicago Med and I liked getting to see Daniel's ex-wife. I'm a little confused because it almost seemed like Robin is his only kid, but I'm certain he had another daughter in an earlier season. Maybe I missed something.

Caught another episode of Cuffs and, again, really enjoyed the character dynamics. I'm beginning to like Jo a lot and I'm still not quite certain what the hell the chief detective has going on in his life aside from the horrible relationship with his dad.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from On Ice, a novella that has the main characters at odds over how to handle their current situation.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more training, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

Paley stomped into the rooms she mostly shared with Birk. "Damn man can't see the forest for the trees." And he'd probably fell the entire acreage if he thought he could prove a point.

Flopping onto the sofa, she kicked her feet up. At least one other person, namely Mabel, understood how mind-numbing repetition could be. Did anyone actually think Janus would neat and orderly during a battle?

Hell, no.

She had to make Birk see reason.

He entered their space and dropped down into the chair across from her. "That was quite a display earlier." Leaning back, he propped his elbow on the arm. "But you made a valid point."

Her gaze narrowed. "Atwater didn't back me, so it's moot."

Birk tilted his head to one side. "Not like he completely shot you down either. What's really going on with you?" His gaze narrowed as if that would give him the answer.

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing's going on. I'm tired of playing catch-up. We don't have time for anything other than training and teaching." She huffed out a breath. "You've heard of work-life balance, right?" Geez, now she sounded like a bratty child.

Birk straightened. "Ah. I get it now." He slid off the chair and walked on his knees toward the sofa. "Your impatience is double-sided." His hands gripped her thighs. "Why don't we do something to recharge?" He leaned in close, his breath fanning across her cheek.

She shuddered a little. It had been weeks since they'd had time to do more than fall into bed. And … he might be in a better frame of mind to see things from her perspective.

She fisted her hand in his shirt. "What do you have in mind…" Her voice lowered to a husky timbre.

His lips ghosted over her throat. "We'll take the night. Just you and me. No distractions or interruptions." He cupped her face. "We could start with a long shower for round one."

Her blood warmed. "Round one?" She liked the sound of that and let go of his shirt, patting his chest.

Birk nodded. "Absolutely. Followed by at least two more." He eased back and got to his feet then held out his hand.

Paley grasped his palm and rose from the cushions. "I'm gonna hold you to that." She started in the direction of the bathroom with Birk dogging her heels.

The calm before the storm can be a lot of fun and Paley definitely takes advantage.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On Ice

Wow… I can't believe May is almost over. The whole time speeding up thing has to be true. Or maybe I just try to pack too much stuff into life? Who knows.

Kind of a so-so week of television viewing. I had quite a few irons in the fire and needed some solid focus on a couple of projects. Still, not a bad slate of shows overall.

As usual, I caught two episodes of Peter Gunn. One I remember seeing before the other one I didn't. Also caught two episodes of Classic Who, starting The Ark storyline.

Watched the second episode of In the Dark and while it didn't charm me as much as the first episode did, I enjoyed it. Even though I love how flawed our heroine is, I can see her abrasiveness becoming a tired gimmick at some point. I'll definitely keep watching because I really want to know what happened to her friend.

Caught another episode of Blade and it's one I remembered featuring Chase's rehab after being burned almost to a crisp… literally. I'm about halfway through the season and if memory serves, things start getting really intense from here on out.

Started a rewatch of Banshee. Man… I'd forgotten how crazy the first episode ended up being. This show didn't flinch from violence in any way and it's one of the reasons I couldn't stop watching. Ugh… not because I love violence. More because the characters jumped right out and grabbed my attention. I also fell in love with Job's character at first sight.

Began a new Australian series called Blue Heelers and have almost two episodes watched. I found the show on the TubiTV app but I'm watching on the Freedive app so I can catch the series from the beginning.

Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and it ended up being pretty decent. I'm not sure about the whole Kelly and Stella vibe, but I like that they're still supportive of each other even if they're not together. Also liked Matt being something of a dick to Herrman. I know, I know… why would I like that? Because I want to see how he deals with his trauma of almost being shot.

Caught episode nine of Iron Fist and, holy crap, it didn't disappoint. Danny fighting without the fist and nailing Davos with the syringe blew me away. Colleen fighting the gang of goons kicked ass. Ward and Walker's interaction almost made me laugh out loud, but it also ended up being kind of touching in a bizarre way. The fact that Ward immediately knew Joy needed help speaks volumes, even if Joy doesn't want to hear about it. Watching her fall a full story down was… actually kind of mind-blowing. And, of course, Misty is always an added benefit to the show. The end… well, I'm excited to see where things go.

Watched the premiere episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries's second season. Great episode with lots of good stuff for the women to do. I like Frankie's interactions with her mom and I loved Trudy saving the day.

Picked back up with Riverdale's third season. I'm not all the way through the episode yet but I already want to smack Hiram. I'm really not sure about the whole G&G thing but part of loving this show is embracing the completely batshit crazy storylines. I'm happy to be back in the game so to speak.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from On Ice, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of write a character that goes alpha on another because their bratty behavior has gone too far and they need a reminder of who is in charge." Kind of a specific prompt, right?

Here's the mini-blurb:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more training, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

"We're behind on curriculum. Is that because of the threat from Janus?" The elder mage, Newscome Atwater, called the academic staff meeting to order.

Birk drummed his fingers on his thigh. "The house of Janus doesn't train their people, sending acolytes out to wreak as much havoc as possible." His hand curled into a fist to stop the fidgeting. "If we don't prepare, we're going to lose good people." He couldn't be the only one that deduced the threat level.

Atwater nodded. "I tend to agree."

Paley jumped in. "I don't." She got up and started pacing behind her seat. "The house of Atwater already has the best alignment. Our scholars and acolytes are smart, savvy, and extremely talented." She paused and grasped the back of her seat. "We're holding them back with all the extra hours of training and repetitive bullshit." Her gaze aimed directly for Birk.

He absorbed the intended insult with no visible reaction. But her jibe stung. As she'd meant it to. Retaliation from earlier in the classroom.

Ignoring Paley, Birk addressed the other four mage instructors. "Are the recruits keeping up in the other areas?" Spells, conjuring, and alchemy required less physicality than deflection and projection.

Lydia Norj lifted one shoulder. "So far. And we're moving ahead, just not at our normal pace."

Paley smirked. "Ha! See… the longer training sessions are taking a toll elsewhere." She gave Birk a pointed look. "Told you."

Jim Bakerson held up a hand. "But it's not really. All of us are paying close attention to the individuals and making sure everyone is on the same page before moving on to the next topic."

Camron Michaels nodded. "Yeah, with the higher threat level lurking out there, we're being more cautious than we probably need to be, but I'd rather have it that way. We need scholars to teach and we can't do that if they're dead or injured."

Paley huffed out a loud sigh and directed her attention to the last instructor. "Mabel? Care to share your thoughts?" She pulled her chair out and plopped down hard in the seat.

Mabel Chambers didn't hesitate. "I'm inclined to agree with Paley. We're coddling the scholars and holding them back. They want to spread their magickal wings and see what they can do by gaining experience."

Paley started a happy chair dance in the seat. "Finally. Someone who knows what the Atwater acolytes should be doing."

Newscome held up a hand. "Enough, Miss Knoff. While you raise a good point, I'm still the elder mage here and I gave Southampton the master sage cords for a reason." He pinned Paley with his gaze. "You're the second ranked adept and your opinion holds weight. That said, we'll continue with the extra training sessions and revisit this topic next week." He glanced at the assembled group. "Is that clear for everyone?"

A chorus of nods met his query, with the exception of Paley. She rolled her eyes and got up, strolling out of the room without so much as a farewell.

Birk's lips thinned but he dismissed the others. "Thanks for the input today. Keep going with your classes and let me know if anything comes up." He stood, indicating everyone could leave.

Once they cleared the room, Birk sat back down, letting the anger in. Paley's attitude chafed, especially since they worked so closely together. And it halfway pissed Birk off that she wouldn't let it go.

Atwater rose from his seat at the head of the table. "The voice of dissent often rings the loudest. Sometimes there's a reason or hidden meaning in the conflicting opinion." He started toward the door. "Listen with all of your senses, Birk. You might hear more than you think."

Birk snorted but gave the elder mage a nod. "Yes, Elder Atwater." He got up and made his way out of the room behind Newscome.

He'd listen with his senses all right… to the resounding sound of Paley being a huge pain in the ass.

I love how much Birk absorbs in this scene. Each small dig chips away at his calm.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On Ice

The Last Ship continues to blow my mind. I love the words that come from Chandler's mouth. Is the man perfect? Hell, no. But I'd totally back whatever play he wanted to make, even if it blew up in our faces. Can't wait to see what Blond Ambition tries to pull this week. And I have to say, the whole building of a wall thing, making the regional borders permanent, haunts me a little. I'm very interested in how that whole thing plays out. And hey… I get to see a familiar face on this week's episode!! YAY!!

Killjoys stayed dark and twisty and I won't complain. I'm saddened by the loss of a character who became a favorite. I'm also really interested in finding out what the hell is up with the faux scarbacks Evil Delle has working with her. Because that's a snag I want to see play out.

Dark Matter dialed the tension back a little and I'm okay with it. I continue to be amused by the little callbacks to the Stargate 'verse—this week it was a personal shield—and hope the inside references don't get to be too much. We'll see how that goes.

No Strike Back this week, but I did finish up season two of Babylon 5. I'm taking a small break to start on some 80s movies with my daughter and I've also got season one of Killjoys on tap. I'm revisiting the first episodes to see if there are some seeds planted that I missed. :)

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from On Ice, a novella built around the prompt of one character having enough of the other's brattiness and deciding to show them who's boss. A totally fun scenario to play with.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more training, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

Paley Knoff rolled her eyes. "Can we please move the hell on from deflecting fire ball attacks?" She met the gaze of her fellow instructor.

Birk Southampton narrowed his eyes. "Not yet. Only half the class is proficient." He turned and began an incantation to make more projectiles.

Paley whined. "But it's so booorrrring." Her tone grated on her ears, but they'd been at the same exercise for half the day.

Birk glanced back over his shoulder. "Maybe, but it's better than half our students being dead." A dozen fiery orbs hovered in the air beside him.

Paley couldn't argue. "Okay, true. But at least let me take the ones who've mastered the skill and—"

Birk cut her off. "No. We stay together. I'm not bucking protocol because you have the attention span of a gnat." The balls followed him when he moved to the center of the room.

His admonishment stung. She never liked being called on her bullshit. Something Birk managed to do on a regular basis.

Stomping to the middle of the training area, she whipped up a batch of matching flame missiles. "Heads up, people. The master has deemed more work necessary." She launched the first volley. "Let's all get it right this time." A brief flash of satisfaction flared when two students worked together to destroy the fire ball.

And a surge of pleasure filled her when Birk's mouth thinned to a slash across his face. If he wanted to call bullshit, she'd retaliate by hurling insults. If she pissed him off in the process, she'd consider the achievement a bonus.

She'd scored a direct hit, based on Birk's intense focus for the next thirty minutes. He tended to ignore anything but his goal when he got riled, preferring to stew in silence. Taking turns making the flaming orbs, each put the group of twenty students through their paces. By the time Birk decided they passed muster, Paley almost leapt with joy. Finally… they could move on to something more interesting.

And maybe get back on schedule.

I'm going to love seeing how these two get together. Okay, I know how they're going to work things out, but it'll be fun getting all that on the page. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On Ice

July 28, 2013

Greetings!

It's been a great writing week…for organizational stuff. LOL I've spent almost every day working on taglines, plotting story ideas, adding to characterization charts, and fixing small details in several thisclosetobeing finished manuscripts.

I feel so productive!!

Tonight's post (a little later than usual) is from the short story On Ice. I've got this one pretty much plotted out and partially written, but this is one of my favorite scenes. J

Here's the tagline:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more classes, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

Paley paced back and forth. If Birk didn't let her out of the stupid cell within the next twenty-four hours she'd go mad. Mid-turn she finally heard the jangle of keys and a low incantation. Thank fuck.

Whirling around, she found Birk with his hand on the door, but he didn't move to open it. She tilted her head sideways. Surely he didn't plan to tease her and not let her out.

Birk quirked a brow. "Thought it time to check on you and see if you're truly back on track."

More like pissed beyond all belief, but she'd let him have his moment.

He smirked. "Feels good, doesn't it? That rush of anger burning through your veins."

Well, shit. She'd been had. Birk figured it out, why she'd been such a bitch and kept pushing at him non-stop. She smiled sheepishly.

His head bobbed up and down. "Wondered when it would hit you. I assumed it would take a week, but you proved me wrong." He swung the door open and stepped inside the cell. "Henner said another day would send you over the edge."

Paley shot her warden a sideways glance. The man shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. Maybe he'd secretly had her back the whole time?

Birk quirked a brow. "So…Paley…wanna get out?"

She heaved a sigh of relief. "I thought you'd never ask. Hell, yes, I want out of here." She started forward, but Birk's hand shot out, grabbing her arm.

Moving around, he blocked her path. "Good, but let's get a few things straight. Who's the Master Sage?"

Grr. Figured Birk would be an ass about letting her out. "You're the Master Sage, Evan." She'd play the good soldier and follow along.

Birk's lips twitched. "Good, and who's the higher ranked adept?"

Paley rolled her eyes. "That would be you, Birk."

He smiled. "Good, good. And what does that mean, Paley?"

She huffed out a breath. No way could she get around it. The man had her over a fire. But she had to try. "Come on, Birk. We each know the answer."

He frowned. "No, Paley, I don't think we do. You're gonna have to convince me otherwise."

Dammit. She'd said everything else he wanted. Why wouldn't he cut her slack here?

She couldn't quite admit what he wanted to hear. "Shit, Birk. Come on." She tried moving past him.

He didn't budge.

She didn't either.

Birk held her gaze for several moments then turned to leave, nodding at Henner. The big man's shoulders slumped, but he rose, ready to lock her back in.

Paley growled. "Fine. You're in charge, Birk. Happy now?"

A broad smile crossed Birk's face and he jerked his head toward the stairs leading up to the bar, dismissing Henner.

Tugging her forward, Birk rested his hands on her hips. "Not quite yet." Leaning in, he pressed his lips close to her ear. "Who's the best man for you, Paley?"

A shudder chased down her spine and she didn't hesitate to answer. "Birk Southampton." She nudged his face and leaned back. "Never any doubt about that one."

Birk caught her lips in a hard kiss. "It's a good thing, because you and I are gonna be here a little while longer." His hands slid down to cup her ass. "Wanna do the honors, or shall I?"

Paley chuckled. "Please, allow me."

She flicked her wrist and the door clanged shut, a dark shadowveil enveloping the cell. Lifting her chin, she meshed her mouth with his and moved them toward the cot in the corner. By the time she came up for air, the small berth had transformed into a full sized bed and she laughed, falling backwards, dragging Birk down with her.

Scooting back, she made some room. "Have I said how much I love you, lately?"

Birk yanked his shirt over his head and crawled toward her. "No, but you've sort of been on ice, so we'll let it slide for now."

Paley barked out a laugh and decided her time in lock up well worth the headache.

Seriously, it's not quite fleshed out completely, but oh…such a joy to write!!

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye