Rainbow Snippets*-- March Madness

We're at that time of year I like to call March Madness, when it's warm one day and then cold and rainy the next. Which means planning my days accordingly and not more than a day ahead. I did manage to get some editing done, but that was pretty well the extent of this week's work. I'm trying to not be too hard on myself, but I think we all tell ourselves we could be doing more. I guess things will get done when they get done. 

      Silver and another of our younger cats, LB (Little Black). 

She had the lap first and wasn't thrilled to share. 

 

This week's snippet is from Cinders and Ash, the third book in my Campfire Stories series. Although the main characters are M/F, many of the side characters are from the previous books and are gay or bi. In this scene, Lindsey and Brian are on a camping trip with (you guessed it) the characters from the previous books. Brian is Lindsey's "fake" boyfriend. Told from Brian's POV: 

“Cherry’s watching,” Lindsey said.

It took my over-relaxed brain a moment to understand what Lindsey was saying. Cherry was watching. Watching what? The fire? The stars? The wind in the trees? “Oh.” She meant he was watching us. But we weren’t doing anything worth watching. I tilted my head, giving her my serious look and her eyes widened and her mouth tightened, as if she was trying to tell me something with nothing more than facial expressions. Nothing worth watching, nothing worth-- “Oh! We’re doing nothing worth watching!” 

And before she could answer, I leaned forward and kissed her. I half expected her to jerk away in surprise, but there was only the barest of hesitations and she was kissing me back. We were still too far apart to make a show of it, and it took everything I had to not laugh. But then her chair wobbled and I grabbed at her, which made it worse. 

Cinders and Ash-- Blurb

Society expects women to want romance and monogamy, but Lindsey Andrews has no desire for either of these things—she’s quite happy with the occasional hookup. Besides, working towards her Doctorate takes up most of her time. Just because the new maintenance man has broad shoulders and looks good in tight jeans doesn’t mean she’s going to start dreaming of wedding bells.
          The job offer as a maintenance manager for an apartment complex in Missouri couldn’t have come at a better time for ranch-hand Brian Ashton. He needed to get away from Wyoming, but trading the wide-open sky for the tall buildings and traffic of St. Louis holds its own challenges. Meeting the caustic, green-haired Lindsey only adds to his stress. But it isn’t all bad, because she needs a fake boyfriend for a camping trip and he needs fresh air.
          Neither of them expect the weekend to change everything.  

  *Rainbow Snippets is a (Facebook) group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers who gather once a week to share snippets from a work of fiction–-a WIP or a finished work or even a book recommendation. If you're interested in following a diverse group of authors, check it out here.