WIP Wednesday: IKEA!!

With the nifty #amwriting bracelet I made for myself!

Now that King of the Kitchen is submitted, I'm back to working on Some Assembly Required, the IKEA meet-cute that Lex Chase and I are teaming up to write together. It's uncharted territory for both of us--first time writing with a partner, first nod toward contemporary for her, first experience with fantasy/paranormal for me--and it's incredibly exciting. I'm having a blast.

Since it's set at IKEA, I decided a research trip was in order. If "research trip" can be loosely defined to include a massive IKEA shopping spree and a trip to Jungle Jim's amazing international supermarket. I'm saying it can, because I came home energized about the project. (And also because that means my mileage to Cincinnati is tax deductible!)

IKEA!!!!

On an related note, I feel terrible that I missed last #WIPWednesday. I'd had a terrible day, and honestly it slipped my mind. I have a pretty good story to tell about it, so I'll save that for a little later in the week. It'll be titled Failure to Adult, which should give you a pretty good idea of the content. *g*

So without further ado, here's today's #WIPWednesday snippet from Some Assembly Required:

Patrick's grin didn't dim in the slightest. “Oh, that was a misdemeanor at best,” he purred in a tone that had Benji blushing. Patrick let out a delighted laugh. “Oh, I do so like the innocent ones. This is going to be fun.”
Benji swallowed again, not because of a dry throat this time but to make sure his voice didn't break when he answered. Patrick was the most inappropriate person he'd ever met, and it was both terrifying and more than a little arousing. Benji definitely needed to get out more.
“What's going to be fun?” he asked, wary.
“Why, being your personal shopper for the day, of course,” Patrick drawled. “Whatever did you think I meant?”
Benji flushed but didn't back down. “I don't need a personal shopper. I'm only here for some boxes and then I'm heading home.”
Patrick's gaze flicked up and down Benji's body, and Benji's hot cheeks flared again. He'd never been so blatantly checked out before. He couldn't help but wonder what standard Patrick was using for comparison and whether or not he measured up.
Patrick flinched, but covered it up with a stretch. “That's what they all say,” he muttered.

Benji had no clue what he'd said that had upset Patrick, but since Patrick didn't seem to be dwelling on it, Benji decided to ignore it. He felt a twinge of guilt at knowing that someone was hurting and not trying to help, but part of his the new four-point plan for a happier life that he'd come up with while staring at his meatballs this morning was not getting involved in other peoples' drama. And as cute as he was, Patrick had drama written all over him.