Rainbow Snippets*-- The Mystery of Val

June was a busy month, and July started the same way. But I think (hope) things are going to slow down now. It's funny how, even as I approach 60, I still expect summer to be like it was when I was in school—fun and relaxing. No, it's busy and I have to steal my moments. But those moments, spent in the sun, are so worth it. (Yes, I'm still a summer gal.)

a collection of rainbow painted rocks.
Painted rocks at the Nature Center. 

This week's snippet, from Like Cracks in the Sidewalk, is a tad longer than normal and there is a warning for self-harm. It's early in James' and Val's relationship. Val is a mystery to James for a long time, little bits of his history making their way into the story. From James POV: 

I took my time patting the towel across Val's chest, pressing the material against his skin in a slow wave. When his chest and arms were rosy and dry, I dropped to my knees to continue my task below the curve of his waist. The material was sodden enough to leave a film of moisture, but I picked up the largest beads of water that had gathered in the hills and hollows of his body. His breath hitched when I found the cross-hatch of scars on his right thigh, white with age. How had I not noticed before? Except, during our times together, I hadn’t been looking, I’d only been feeling. 
 Val’s eyes watered, and the corners of his mouth dipped down. I had to avert my gaze from his pain. Leaning forward, I softly kissed the furrows. The slash-marks were rough against my lips as my breath mingled with the moisture still on his skin. His fingers found their way into my hair and I didn’t move until the urge to cry faded. I was afraid to look up, afraid to see that maybe he hadn’t been able to hold back, but he tipped my head with a gentle tug. He was smiling, small and a little sad, but his eyes were dry and I hurried to rub the towel over his calves and feet to finish my job.


Sign up for my newsletter here for book updates, recs, and promos.

Find my other links here: @sadiejaywrites | Linktree

*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.

Comments

  1. Jana DenardoJuly 15, 2023 at 8:16 AM

    The tenderness here is so compelling

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rainbow Snippets*-- Mid-June Addition

Image
I'm snipping again from Like Cracks in the Sidewalk . I said a few weeks ago that I was changing tense, but as I got farther into the story, I realized the way I'd written it originally does work better. So, although I still have plenty of work ahead of me, it's maybe not as much as I'd imagine.  James and Val met and moved in together, although they never really defined their relationship. It becomes dysfunctional eventually, and James gets hints of it but tries to ignore it. The book is a single-person POV, told from James' perspective:  In the beginning of a new relationship there’s this constant need to be with the other person, to touch them, to kiss them, to hold them close. Sure, everyone says it’s about getting to know each other, fitting two lives together, that whole ‘making one from two’ thing. But really, who’s fooling who? It’s about the sex. And for us, it was all the sex all the time during that first half year. We may have single-handedly kept the co
Read more

Rainbow Snippets*--April Showers (In May)

Image
It's turned cold and rainy. We, oddly enough, need the rain. It's been a dry Spring. But I could do without this cool front. I want to get in the pool, but it's not going to happen for at least a couple more weeks.  Silver, our little lady, is giving me a pose.  Lindsey, from Cinders and Ash , has been featured in recent Rainbow Snippets, but she made her first appearance in Embers and Flame . At the time, my daughter had dyed her hair green, and I really liked it, so Cherry's sister came into the story with green hair. I wasn't planning on writing a series, but Vaughn, Daryl, and Lindsey all took on lives of their own. They needed their own stories. Introducing Lindsey (told from Cherry's POV): The knock came again, more insistent. I straightened and ran my hand over my shirt, doing what I could to smooth the wrinkles.  “Hey, that was–” I started to say as I opened the door, but instead of a gorgeous dark-haired hunk in black denim standing there, I found my gr
Read more

Rainbow Snippets*-- Happy Pride Month!

Image
One of these days I'm going to write a blog post on why queer romance, or any LGBTQ story with a happy ending, is important. Not just in general, but to me personally. But I want to take a moment to honor and thank all of those that came before me, paving the way. So brave, and so necessary. 💗 Our flag.  From Embers and Flame . Ben and Cherry have been meeting up at a campground that is halfway between Cherry's home in St. Louis and Ben's home in Southern Indiana. It's been fun, but Ben is ready to take it to the next level (told from Ben's POV): He let go of me this time, but didn’t move away. Cherry’s normally grey eyes were reflecting the world around us, and they twinkled green in the daylight. A smile spread across his face. “Are you asking me to go steady?” he teased.            I slapped his arm with my open hand but grinned back at him. “Maybe? Do I need to pass you a note with a yes and no box for you to check?”          “If I remember correctly, that’s
Read more