How much trouble can one erotic romance writer get into? Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to the Faustian deal with Loki, but you try turning him down! It's not like there's a writing course on preparing for your fictional character's sudden appearance...
My fingers fly on the keyboard writing dialogue for the next scene of Hidden when the power flickers in my office. It's enough to reset the house's internet signal. With a grumble, I glare at the blinking lights of the router perched on the electric fireplace at the end of my chaise. Annoying, but not the end of the world. Thank god I'm working on my laptop. There is nothing worse than writing a scene only to lose it to a power hiccup. I finish typing the sentences demanding their way out of my head and then peer out the large window beside me. The cottonwood and willow trees bordering the wetland across the street are calm and above their light green and yellow canopies, it's a bright blue late afternoon sky with a few fragments of wispy cloud up high.
Hmm... weird. Maybe someone hit a power pole, or they're doing work on the lines.
Diving back into the story, I finish the conversation between my characters and move them on to their next scene. My neck is prickling though, hairs rising on my nape. It's distracting, splitting my focus. Something nags at my subconscious.
Setting the laptop aside, I rise, unable to sit still any longer. With a quick loop of my main floor, I check the house for visitors. Not the regular kind. No, my life would never be that ordinary. Not since my fictional characters started jumping realities to become flesh and blood when they appear in my world in all their sexy glory. How? God, don't ask me. I have no idea. I'm a science-fantasy romance writer, not hardcore science fiction. Okay, okay... I delve into it a teeny bit, but maybe it's some kind of multiversal reality? Seriously, it's enough to make me wonder about my sanity at times, yet they leave physical evidence of their visits behind after they pop back into their story universes. After all, I'm not flexible enough to spank my own ass hard enough to leave handprint bruises or hickies and bite marks on my neck and breasts. Never mind the distinctive fluids and bone-deep satisfaction they leave behind.
And holy hell, I love it whenever they spend time with me. Reality is overrated, frankly. My characters' sensual skills have ruined me for the men of my world. Especially when my last boyfriend was such a cheating asshole. Why on earth would I go back to ordinary when I can spend time with extraordinary?
Better to enjoy the embrace of my characters for as long as their visits last. At least with them, I know what I'm getting into and can keep my heart safe. Well, mostly safe. Damn it. That sinking sensation whenever a particular tall, dark-haired, green-eyed seductive male leaves and doesn't visit for a few days is hard to deny. I did agree to give him my time and attention... but then, Loki didn't promise to give me his when we entered into that Faustian pact.
Still, no telltale citrus and wood scent lingers around my house, so he isn't lurking unseen. Maybe? Probably? "Trickster god," I mutter. He should be the god of stalkers for as often as he shows up and stays invisible. The sexy bastard seems to enjoy spying on me. Although, to be fair, he usually does it to create erotic tension and get me all needy, wanting him.
Not the kind of tension currently tightening my chest with a heaviness I can't ignore. Walking a second loop through my family room, kitchen, and foyer, each room is still empty. I can't spot anyone or anything that seems unusual.
Rubbing my bare arms, I sigh and climb the stairs, checking the second floor. Loki hasn't come back since she tucked me in bed last week after that disastrous Ladies' Night, and disappeared before I woke. She doesn't usually stay away this long.
It's too bad.
I'd like to explore Loki's differences in her female form. Does she change her perspective on things, or have different priorities when in her other gender? But it's something that will have to wait. Loki's probably busy. My last chapter update to my beta-readers was only two days ago, and Loki discovered he's going to be a dad. I imagine he's pretty happy right now.
Still, something isn't quite right. The gooseflesh on my arms has yet to subside.
After descending the stairs, walking through my kitchen and out the patio door to the backyard, I stop on the grass, letting it tickle my bare feet. The lake is calm, like glass, and there is no breeze. Tucked inside with my writing room on the shaded side of the house, I hadn't realized how hot the afternoon has become, especially for May. The weather has been bouncing between warm and cold like a yo-yo these last few weeks. But now, in the bright sunlight, the air is sticky with humidity, and my off-the-shoulder white peasant blouse clings to my skin. I pluck at the material, trying to get some air movement under my shirt. At least it's loose.
Maybe that's what's bothering me. It's too calm, too still. It's rare for there to be no breeze at all. Even the birds don't seem to be singing.
A faint noise reaches me from across the water. The sky looks darker over there, like a smudge on the horizon beyond the far shore. Squinting into the distance, my suspicions are confirmed by a flash of light. It's a thunderstorm, headed towards me.
A/N:If you've enjoyed this snippet, please write a review on Amazon. You can get the full episode on Amazon for $0.99 USD, or keep an eye on my socials or webpage as I frequently have ebook giveaways when you can snag the download for absolutely free!
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