Revising...and a Booksigning!

I just asked on the Facebook page this morning whether everyone's Sunday read was hot or not. My own reading has been on the hot side, mostly because I'm revising, so I'm reading my own writing, though the last for-fun read I finished last week was pretty steamy, too. To be fair, I like my romances to be on the hot end of the scale, so most of what is on the shelves in my bookroom is sexy. Not everything, but I'd say probably ninety percent, which means my reading year-round is usually steamy, not just in the winter. Haha. I know not everyone feels the same way, and that's okay.

Today is a good day for hot reads, at least here, because it's blustery and cold, and while I was in the kitchen cleaning up after putting some lasagna together, we had a sudden blast of snow that was not in our forecast when I looked at it this morning. It didn't amount to anything and it disappeared pretty quickly when the sun came back out a few minutes later. But I'm glad I'm in the warm house with a cozy sweater and a hot book on the screen behind my blog.

Before I get back to those revisions, I have a snippet for you this week from Light the Way Home.

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            He steeled himself when Hayden shrieked her name as he raced into the mudroom the next morning. He heard her low murmur when his son opened the door, then a quiet laugh. He’d spent half the night wondering what it would be like to really kiss her. It had been a long time since he’d kissed a woman. Not since Greta left.

            Maybe kissing Lucie wasn’t such a terrible idea. She wasn’t staying. He could give in to the urge, and then forget about it after she was gone.

            And dammit, he wanted to kiss her. Blowing out a hard breath, he rinsed Hayden’s juice glass and shut off the faucet as their footsteps neared. He glanced over and watched her cheeks turn pink. “Hi.”

            “Daddy, can we play outside later?”

            He blinked and turned his attention to his son. “I’ll try, buddy, but–”

            “I meant Lucie an’ me.” Hayden gave him a quick frown. “It’s sunny out.”

            “And I bet the grass is crunchy, too.” He met Lucie’s gaze, restraining a smile at her nod and his son’s subsequent down-turned mouth. “Maybe we can talk about it at lunchtime after I get some things done.”

            His son pursed his lips, blue eyes narrowed as he studied his father for a few seconds. “Okay.”

            “It’s actually pretty chilly out this morning,” Lucie said. “I had to get my really heavy sweater out. I’ll have to get my coat out soon.”

            Hayden looked up at her. “Really?”

            She tugged at the collar of the thick green sweater she wore.

            The little boy heaved a giant sigh. “Okay.” He released her hand. “I gotta get my bear.” He ran out of the kitchen.

            “Slow on the stairs, buddy!” Nate called.

            “’Kay!”

            Lucie winced while she listened to his footsteps rushing up the steps.

            Nate set the juice glass down and crossed the floor to where she stood. “I need to know,” he said, bending to catch her soft mouth with his.

            She made a startled sound, then set both of her hands flat on his chest, her lips parting.

            He’d been right. She tasted sweet. He slid one hand into her loose hair, ignoring the slight dampness to tip her head so he could delve deeper.

            She let him. God, she let him.

            He pulled back, his heart knocking hard against his ribs. Lucie’s eyes opened slowly, and he noted the way they had darkened. “Tell me I’m being stupid.”

            “Maybe we both are,” she said huskily, a faint smile curving her puffy lips. “I haven’t been stupid in a long time, and right now, I have no idea why.”

            “Shit.” He dragged in a rough breath. “One of us should be smart, right?”

            She shook her head. “I’m tired of being the smart one.” Her fingers slid up to his shoulders, cautiously, warm through his cotton shirt. “Being the smart one got me dumped with no warning, being smart left me jobless.” Her smile widened. “Though that got me here, so that’s something.”

            Nate’s fingers tightened on her hip. When had he grabbed her hip? He loosened his grasp. “You’re not staying, so it wouldn’t be smart for us to do this. I’m not looking for a relationship. I have all I can handle with Hayden and my business.”

            “Then this might be just exactly what we both need. Something temporary.” Her eyes rounded, and her smile faded. “I’ve never tried temporary until I came here.”

            He’d never tried it. Not knowingly, anyway. “Maybe...” He broke off at the sound of running footsteps upstairs. “Slow down, buddy.”

            Lucie startled, then stepped away, blushing.

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Besides revisions, I'm also starting my countdown to the annual trek to Mechanicsburg, PA for the Love Is In the Air event at Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses on Valentine's Day! If you're close enough to stop by, we'll be signing from noon to 3 pm, and I'd love to see you there! I'll probably remind you a few more times between now and then. Haha.

Now I have to get some more revising done, and then I can dig into my lasagna, it smells really good!

Is your read this week hot or not? I'd love to hear about it!

Until next week, happy reading!