Gearing Up But Taking Breaks

Looking at my calendar, I can see the end of summer from here. Though if you step outside my house right now, it doesn't feel like the wind-down toward fall--last time I passed our weather station in the hall, it showed 98F. Gross. I suppose if I were at the beach I'd be less unhappy about the temps, but sadly, I'm not at the beach, so I'm ready for fall.

I sort of shunted my regular weekend to-do list aside yesterday to spend a bit more time on my photo project, that ongoing thing that will probably take me another year to complete. Haha. I did get some of my regular email clean-out done as well as the laundry, but there were some other things on the list I haven't touched yet. A few of them I'll skip this week, but I do have to get into the kitchen soon so hubs has something to eat the next few days. I'll be good with salad for supper as long as it remains hot, plus my tomatoes are all getting ripe now (I've started to freeze some for winter sauces and soups) and I'm perfectly happy slicing a couple of those and calling it a meal if it comes down to that.

Before I get to dinner prep, I have a snippet for you this week from Hunting Medusa, in case you are lucky and heading to the beach and you need something to read while relaxing to the sound of the waves on the sand.

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Andi tugged uselessly at her wrist, but his arm didn’t move from his side. “Hey, Harvester.”

The obnoxious grin slid off his face. “Stop calling me that.”

“It’s your name.”

He glared at her, then folded his arms over his chest, dragging hers along and forcing her to half roll toward him again.

She yanked away but he put his other hand over her wrist.

“Go to sleep.”

She shot him a disbelieving glance. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to sleeping in handcuffs. Or with all the lights on. And I’m not tired.” That last sounded rather childish, she admitted to herself, but the man had nerve.

He observed her for a long moment, until she wanted to squirm under his scrutiny. Then another slow grin started at one corner of his mouth, gradually curving his full lower lip all the way to the opposite corner. “I bet I can fix that.”

“I don’t think so.” She leaned as far away as her trapped arm allowed.

He moved fast, flipping her on top of him before she realized his intent.

Andi blinked, then felt her heart pound faster. The Harvester had muscles on his muscles.

Not the best time to be noticing that, perhaps.

She watched him warily as he shifted under her, settled her close, then stretched their cuffed wrists away from their sides. She put her free hand on his shoulder and pushed herself up a little. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you tired.” His other hand slid up her spine to the nape of her neck, where his fingers started massaging the tight muscles.

“Stop it.” She shifted her head to one side, then the other, but his strong fingers continued exactly what they’d been doing. She frowned down at him.

He smiled innocently.

“That doesn’t work for me.” It did feel good, though. Not that she’d tell him.

Kallan’s bright gaze slid down from her eyes to her mouth, almost like an actual touch on her lips.

She swallowed. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Too late,” he murmured, using his grip at her nape to bring her closer.

Andi sucked in a startled breath when he brushed his mouth along hers. “You’re sick.”

It was his turn to blink. “What?”

“You’re here to kill me, right?”

His brows dipped into a frown.

“You’re not supposed to be…screwing me too.” She blushed.

His frown disappeared. “I’m not trying to screw you. Just kiss you, Andrea.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Well, that makes it much easier,” he said softly, lifting his head to catch her lips.

His kiss wasn’t what she’d expected. Not that she’d been imagining it. Not really. His lips were warm and soft on hers, not demanding or ruthless—although she was certain he possessed both qualities, and probably far worse, knowing his gene pool. His kiss was more an exploration. A gentle caress.

And for a moment, she decided, she could enjoy it. It had been a very long time since a man had kissed her.

She shivered when he nipped at her lower lip, then heard a soft sound escape her throat when his warm tongue soothed the bitten spot. At her nape, his fingers still moved gently, and the friction sent unexpected heat rushing down her spine and into her belly.

Gods, it had been so long. She leaned into his caress, just a little.

And his kiss shifted into something a lot more demanding.

Hot desire exploded in her middle, reaching out to all her extremities—to her face, tightening her nipples and making her press them into his chest. The hand she’d had propped on his shoulder slid up to his hair.

She knew this was a really bad idea. The man was an assassin. Her assassin.

But his kiss… It was a kiss unlike any other she’d experienced. Ever. And apparently, her impending PMS had already set her hormones in motion. She wouldn’t be able to use the vibrator with him here, but this was so much better…

Dark heat expanded inside her, making her forget the danger he posed. Making her wish she could indulge this unexpected attraction. Just for a little while.

Beneath her, his body hardened—even more than it had earlier in her kitchen—and the hardest part pressed just, oh Gods, at the right spot for her to shift her hips against his, hearing a soft moan. She knew it came from her and she didn’t care.

His hair was like silk along her fingertips, and his mouth feasted at hers, fueling her own desire.

When they had to part to breathe she could barely force her eyes open, and when she did, she found his dark with need. And wide with shock.

She gulped in some air that failed to cool her desire. It didn’t even really sate her body’s need for oxygen, but it was the best she could do when her brain wouldn’t function properly.

“Tired yet?” he rasped, his thumb sliding along the side of her neck.

An unexpected laugh bubbled from her throat.

He smiled faintly.

Andi swallowed hard. “Have you forgotten who you are? Who I am?” She really needed to remember both of those things. If she could only make her brain work again.

His smile disappeared, and something like regret surfaced in his eyes before he shook his head. “Unfortunately, I have not.” He pressed his thumb harder against her neck, and her world went black.

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I haven't been skipping my revisions, though, and feel like I've made a bit of progress on the story I shared from last week. I'll work on that again later, but I'm hoping also to get in a bit of time to read something by another author, just for a break. I'll get back to my photo project next weekend--I ordered a photo scanner this morning so I don't kill my printer scanner with all these pictures I have here. With the half dozen or so albums I emptied yesterday, there are hundreds and hundreds of photos spanning a thirteen year period, and that's just a small fraction of the photos from my grandparents. Haha. It is fun to look at these, though. Some of the pictures of us as kids are funny. So even though it's going to be a long-term project, it is fun. Plus when I finally finish it, I can share all the photos digitally with family. The next generation hasn't seen most of these, I think, so they'll be entertained.

I'm also gearing up for the Books Books Books Event in Lancaster, PA next month! Will you be joining us on Saturday, September 27? I hope so!

What have you been working on this week? And are you as ready for fall as I am? Or are you lucky enough to be getting in an end-of-summer vacation? I'd love to hear about it!