( Photo credit: Frank Lindecke via Foter.com / CC BY-ND )
Yes, I’m sick this week. Coughing from an annoying tickle in my throat. I don’t do sick days. The last time I had a day off for a medical issue of my own was when I had my gallbladder out a number of years ago. I took a day off last month for someone else’s medical issue. Today, I actually left work early because I felt so terrible, just so I could come home and rest. So that blog title isn’t just about the sort of stories I write, but about the fever I’ve had on and off all week. I would love it if went away now. My brain doesn’t have room for creativity right now, when it’s full of hot and headache. So, instead of thinking so hard I make the headache worse, I’m going to tell you about the Valentine’s Day booksigning I’ll be taking part in this year.
Saturday, February 11, 2017 from noon to 3 pm at Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouse, I’ll be hanging out with around 18 other romance authors, talking books and signing them, too. This is the third year I’ll be participating, and they are always so much fun. Plus for the readers attending, there are always giveaway goodies.
And now, so my feverish brain can rest, I think just a little snippet of Hunting Medusa for you.
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Perhaps he was a sick bastard, he mused, slowing his pace as they went deeper into the woods and the trail narrowed. Realizing the woman he wanted most was his enemy had just turned his world upside-down. His family’s enemy, a monster created by the Goddess. He frowned up at the dark canopy of leaves above them. He wondered if any other Harvester had ever been tempted by his quarry. Or had surrendered to the temptation. If so, he was certain he’d never find that in the lore. “Wait.” He stopped walking at her quiet command, his gaze shifting in the same direction she looked. A doe and her fawn looked poised for flight several yards away, the mother watching them closely. Kallan held his breath as the fawn bent back to the small patch of grass. From the corner of his eye, he saw Andrea’s smile. He caught her hand in his without thinking about it first. Her fingers were stiff in his for a long moment, then relaxed a little. He turned to look down at her, studying her. The top of her head reached his chin, her dark hair curling in the slight humidity. Her bright gaze stayed fixed on the deer, but he knew she was aware of him by the way her pulse skittered in the hollow of her throat.
“Did I hurt you?” He kept his tone low, trying not to frighten the nearby animals. She didn’t move anything but her eyes, shifting her questioning gaze up to his face. “Earlier. Was I too rough?” Color washed up her cheeks, and she swallowed, turning her attention back to the doe and her fawn. “No.” It was barely a whisper, her reply. His heart pounded a little harder as he thought about taking her here, right here in her forest. It was foolish. He couldn’t. She would never agree to it anyway. But he couldn’t stop the images behind his eyes, not now that he knew what she looked like, what she felt like around him, the way she sounded.
When she turned to look up at him again, he realized he’d tightened his grip on her fingers. Her expression was quizzical, then awareness surfaced, turning her eyes darker, like midnight velvet. Kallan lifted their joined hands slowly, giving her time to stop him. When she didn’t, he dragged his open mouth along her knuckles. Her lips parted slightly. He bit one of her knuckles lightly and felt her shiver. “Maybe I am sick,” he breathed. “But I still want you.” She shut her eyes, her throat working as she swallowed. “Bad idea, Harvester.” His jaw tightened. For some reason, hearing her use the name his family had claimed many generations ago made him angry. He wanted to hear her use his name instead. Preferably while they were naked in her bed, bodies joined intimately as they had been earlier. Instead of protesting, though, he nibbled his way down her finger until he could capture the tip in his teeth, then sucked it into his mouth.
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I hope you all stay healthy! And if the ick strikes your house, I hope you have a sufficient stash of reading material!
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