Wednesday, December 30, 2015

#WIPWednesday: There's nothing as electrifying as sex in a storm!

Credit
Today will be the last #WIPWednesday for Tall, Dark and Deported, which is both exciting and sad. Exciting because it means I finished my manuscript in time for my deadline and I'll be sending it off soon. Sad because I won't get to write these two beautiful men anymore. *sniffle*

We'll send them out with a bang, though. A literal one--sex after being caught outside in a terrifying thunder storm. There's not much that gets the blood pumping like running for your life through lightning and hail, and once Mateus and Crawford are safe in a barn, they put all that adrenaline to good use.

I'm not posting most of the scene, just the teaser to their sexytimes, but you'll have to trust me that after all the build-up and tension in the book, the climax is electric.

I'll stop with the storm puns now. *g*

These two have tiptoed around each other through tropes and misunderstandings, and by the time they finally get together, there's no doubt they belong together. I had an amazing amount of fun channeling all the old-school Harlequin tropes I used to love as a teenager, and I can't wait to start reading the other Dreamspun Desires books!


Tall, Dark and Deported 

They'd made it a few steps before the rain stopped and the sky lightened. It turned a sickly green, which wasn't something Crawford had ever seen before. Apparently Mateus had, because he looped the picnic basket through one arm and reached back with another, grabbing onto Crawford's hand and tugging him forward as he broke into a flat-out run. “Hurry!” he yelled, tucking his head down. 
Crawford couldn't even get out a question before he felt something sting the back of his neck. Once, twice, and then suddenly there was a deluge, too many to count, sharp pricks battering him all over. He ducked his head like Mateus, then used his free hand to unfurl the blanket, making a shelter for them. He shook free of Mateus's grip and held it up over them as best he could as they ran. The ground around them was littered with tiny pieces of hail. They didn't look bigger than peas, but they'd felt like boulders when they'd been hitting his skin. The blanket didn't keep them all off, but it was better than just being completely unprotected. 
Do you think it's unlocked?” he yelled as they neared the white clapboard barn. 
Probably not,” Mateus yelled back. “These pole barns have to be padlocked, and I don't see one.” 
Crawford had no idea what that was, but he vowed to read up on barns and become an expert if they made it through this intact. They stumbled to a clumsy stop in front of the huge barn doors, and he sighed in relief when he realized it was closed with a large piece of timber. There was a spot for a lock, it looked like, but nothing was there.Mateus hefted the large bar up, and the barn doors creaked open. They rushed inside, but Mateus didn't close the door behind them. There weren't any windows in the barn, and closing the door would plunge them into darkness. 
Crawford let the blanket drop with a breathless laugh. “Oh my God,” he panted.Mateus took one look at him and started to laugh. He put the picnic basket down at his feet and closed the distance between them, his hands coming up to pluck at Crawford's hair. Crawford started to laugh when he realized he'd had hail in his hair. Mateus did, too. It felt natural to return the fair, his fingers skating through Mateus's dark locks as he swept the melting ice out of it. 
Crawford's heart was pounding from their run, and it felt unnaturally loud to him in the heavy silence of the deserted barn. He and Mateus were standing close enough that their breath mingled, and Crawford couldn't stop himself from stepping up, close enough he could count the drops of water in Mateus's eyelashes. 
He hesitated, hovering close enough to kiss him, until Mateus's eyes closed and he leaned in the rest of the way, closing the small gap between them. He tasted like rain, wild and earthy. Electric, like the lightning that had chased them into this musty barn. Crawford pressed in, chasing the flavor across Mateus's lips and into his mouth when Mateus melted into the kiss and let him in.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Happy holidays from Great Wolf Lodge! (aka why there's no #WIPWednesday this week)


Hubs and I surprised the kids with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas this year, so even though I'm terribly behind on Tall, Dark and Deported, I haven't been writing this week. I have, however, probably swallowed more chlorine than anyone should in a lifetime and gone on a million magic quests in the last two days.

If you aren't familiar with Great Wolf Lodge, it's a chain of amusement park style hotels in the Midwest that have huge indoor water parks and a gazillion other kid-friendly activities. Pretty much hell on earth for parents, but a dream Christmas for kids. *g*

My kids have been having a blast, from the log cabin they're sleeping in inside our room and having ice cream hours past their bedtime to the water park and the magic quest game that has us racing up and down hallways and stairwells for hours a day solving puzzles and casting spells with wands. I'm going to need a vacation from our vacation, but with the Tall, Dark and Deported deadline looming, that's not going to happen. Mommy needs a drink.

Happy Holidays (or should that be Howlidays?)! I'll see you next week for #WIPWednesday, and I promise I won't come empty handed.





Wednesday, December 16, 2015

WIP Wednesday: coffee orders and hotel beds

I'm running late this week (lately when am NOT?), so I apologize for that. I'm hiding at my desk at the EDJ and doing this on my phone, so fingers crossed. *g*

Today we see Mateus and Crawford right after they've come back to the United States. They were hoping it would go smoothly, but of course it doesn't. They're stuck in the border town overnight until the immigration officer can see them the next morning.


Tall,  Dark and Deported

Mateus flopped down on the queen-sized bed, wrinkling his nose when he bounced instead of sinking into it. This was nothing like the feather-soft beds at [hotel name], though the rock-hard mattress and slick nylon coverlets were hardly a surprise for a place that rented for $59 a night.
Crawford had tried to book them into a nicer hotel down the street, but Mateus's pride wouldn't allow it. He'd been mooching off Crawford for too long—it was Mateus's turn to foot some of the bill for this, especially since they were stuck here overnight because of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford down comforters and 500-thread-count sheets. But the room did come with a free continental breakfast in the morning, which was kind of exciting.
He closed his eyes and listened to Crawford fumbling with the tiny coffeemaker on the bathroom sink. It was late, but he didn't say anything. He'd learned not to come between Crawford and caffeine, no matter what time of day Crawford was having it. [insert earlier snipy fight over coffee late at night]
Something clattered into the sink with an echoing thud and Crawford cursed softly. Mateus peeked open one eye in time to see him angrily shoving the piece back into the coffeemaker.
“I saw a Starbucks a mile or so back. I think I'm going to give up on this and make a coffee run. You want a decaf cinnamon latte?”
So maybe Mateus hadn't been the only one taking notes on beverage preferences. He tried hard to ignore the fluttery feeling he got knowing Crawford had been paying attention all those nights they'd stopped at the hotel coffee shop for a drink after dinner.
“If you're going out anyway. But don't make a special trip for me.”
Crawford snorted. “I've got about four hours of paperwork to get through tonight. Trust me, I'm going anyway. Possibly more than once.”
Mateus winced internally. Crawford had been so amazing through all of this, never once getting angry about how much this marriage had inconvenienced him. Even now, staying in a second-rate motel with a nonfunctional coffeemaker, he didn't snap or try to make Mateus feel bad. Instead, he offered to pick up his favorite evening drink while he went out to get coffee to fuel a late-night work session that was necessary because he'd spent all day doing things for Mateus.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

WIP Wednesday: Border crossing kisses with Crawford and Mateus

Happy Wednesday, everyone! It's a very happy one here in the Baker household, because my contractor should be hooking up the water in my kitchen this morning, which means I'll be able to cook again! For those of you who have somehow escaped me whining about my tale of woe, we're eight weeks into a four-week kitchen renovation, and I am beyond ready to be done. *g*

Today for #WIPWednesday we're back with Crawford and Mateus in Tall, Dark and Deported.

This scene takes place after Crawford and Mateus are stopped at the US/Canada border as they cross back into the United States after getting married in Vancouver. They stage a kiss that goes from tentative to heated for the benefit of the border guard, but it's not enough to keep them from the standard immigration interview. It does leave all three of them a little disoriented, especially the poor guard, who hardly knows where to look after witnessing it.





The guard scrawled a name and number on the back of a Homeland Security business card. “You'll have to make an appointment, but the officer with Immigration Services might be able to see you today. My understanding was she wanted to meet you and set up future appointments, not put you through an interview right away.”

Well, that was ominous. Crawford flipped the card over and read the name—Office Kathleen Suarez. The guard looked apologetic, though he certainly wasn't the one who had done anything embarrassing. “I'll call her now,” Crawford said. “Should I step outside?”

The guard straightened. “No need. I'll leave you two to set that up. Just stop by the desk on your way out to let them know you've set up your appointment so they can confirm it with Useless—” the man looked stricken. “—I mean USCIS. Shit.”

Crawford laughed, feeling at ease for the first time since they'd been pulled over at the border and told to get out of the car. “Interdepartmental nicknames, eh? I guess there's no love lost between immigration services and homeland security. Though with that name, they really were asking for it.”

The man chuckled. “Right? Anyway, I apologize. I'm sure Officer Stewart will do a great job with your case.”


Crawford certainly hoped not.  

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

WIP Wednesday, a big sale and Talk Turkey's release!



Today there are two things to be excited about--Talk Turkey was released yesterday, and today for #WIPWednesday we finally get to see a little action between Crawford and his fake husband, Mateus. *g*

The five inches of snow we had melted last week, and while it's chilly, it just doesn't feel like Christmas yet. Which is why I'm so excited about the Dreamspinner Press Sleigh Ride Advent Calendar--a little bit of holiday goodness every day. Including Talk Turkey, my offering for the anthology. You've met Carson and Tom in #WIPWednesday posts, so I won't talk too much about them. This isn't a steamy holiday romp--it's a humorous, adorable lark.

Dreamspinner is having a site-wide holiday story sale through Dec. 5. You can pick Talk Turkey up on sale right now at Dreamspinner Press (along with my older holiday titles, The Magic of Weihnachten, Late Bloomer, Traditions from the Heart, and even Campfire Confessions, because Valentine's Day is a holiday, too!

I'm past the three-quarters mark with Tall, Dark and Deported, which is good because it's due to my publisher on Jan. 1. NaNoWriMo was a great motivator, but so was the electric attraction between Crawford and Mateus that kept my fingers on the keyboard. Today's #WIPWednesday is a scene from the book after Crawford and Mateus have been caught in a late summer thunderstorm out in the orchard and take shelter in an old barn. There's nothing like getting caught in the rain and the adrenalin rush of dodging lightning and hail to get the blood pumping and lower whatever inhibitions these two had left that was keeping them apart. Chock full of tropes, right? Delicious!


Tall, Dark and Deported


Via Llima Orosa on Flick
Mateus took one look at him and started to laugh. He let the picnic basket drop to the ground at their feet and closed the distance between them, his hands coming up to pluck at Crawford's hair. Crawford started to laugh when he realized he'd had hail in his hair. Mateus did, too. 

It felt natural to return the favor, his fingers skating through Mateus's dark locks as he swept the melting ice out of it.

Crawford's heart was pounding from their run, and it felt unnaturally loud to him in the heavy silence of the deserted barn. He and Mateus were standing close enough that their breath mingled, and Crawford couldn't stop himself from stepping up, close enough he could count the drops of water in Mateus's eyelashes.

He hesitated, hovering close enough to kiss him, until Mateus's eyes closed and he leaned in the rest of the way, closing the small gap between them. He tasted like rain, wild and [another word]. Crawford pressed in, chasing the flavor across Mateus's lips and into his mouth when Mateus melted into the kiss and let him in.

Crawford's hands fisted in Mateus's wet sweater, pulling at it until Mateus backed away and took it off with one swift motion. He tossed it onto a bale of hay in the corner, and Crawford scrambled to take his own shirt off. The buttons were a challenge for his rain-chilled hands, but Mateus swooped in to help, and the two of the managed to wrest the stiff, wet fabric out of the way.


Crawford shivered once his skin was exposed, but when Mateus crowded in against him a moment later, the chill disappeared. Skin to skin, heat flared between them. Crawford ran his hands up and down Mateus's back, his fingers greedy for any part of him he could touch. He'd wanted to do this for weeks, and he wasn't about to waste any time now that he had Mateus bare in front of him.

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