Yes, I might be complaining about how warm it is here already. I know Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer for lots of people, but it's still technically spring, the summer solstice isn't until late June, so I'd love a few more weeks of spring temperatures. Gonna have to chat with Mother Nature, haha. I'm thankful we have central air conditioning, and because we do, I'm actually going to cook something to go with my too-hot-to-cook supper salad. Am I the only one who prefers a big salad for supper when it's hot outside, rather than a hot meal? I usually make my salads with a lot of stuff so we get plenty of textures and flavors, so they're not boring, and I can definitely make a meal out of it and often do in the summer.
I am also sharing commentary on the book I'm revising right now. The 'Medusa's Daughters Trilogy' is hot, and Freeing Medusa seems extra hot as I'm working my way through my friend's revision notes. I hope those of you who've been waiting for it are ready for the steam when it releases! This final Medusa and her hero...whew!
Besides my edits, I did more garden clean-up yesterday and mulched today--and discovered we still need more mulch. One section of my herb bed is bare and another section thin, and we still need to deal with another section at the back of the house. I'll deal with the tomatoes next weekend and then just have to keep an eye out for weeds the rest of the summer while I'm enjoying fresh herbs and tomatoes. I just wish I had good, in-season tomatoes now instead of the blah, tasteless ones from the grocery store for my salad.
Before I get to dinner prep, I have a quick snippet for you this week from Protecting Medusa.
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“Philomena.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the strained sound of her mother’s voice. “Are you okay, Mom?”
Aggie nodded. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine. You know I’m armed,” she joked, patting her thigh.
Her mother didn’t smile back. “If he’s tracked you here, it’s only a matter of time before he finds your house, too.”
She couldn’t disagree. She’d thought it herself while poking at her dinner–what if he’d arrived at her house in the past three days while she was alone and bed-ridden? “Looks like I need to add to the protection here,” she said instead of responding to her mother’s last comment. “Aside from Ryder boosting the alarm system, that is. Do you mind?”
Her mother shook her head. “Of course not. We have to make sure Jason is safe. I should have thought of refreshing the wards sooner.”
Ryder came into the kitchen, Jason clinging to his back like a little monkey and giggling all the while. “I told Jason he’s going to stay at your place tonight, Mena.”
She frowned. “It’s Philomena,” she said, realizing he’d been calling her Mena since his arrival. He did the same thing when they spoke on the phone, too, no matter how many times she’d corrected him over the years.
The grin returned in a flash, and heat curled into her belly once more.
So much for not thinking about that.
He squatted so Jason could climb off. “Okay, sport, time to get your coat on.” Still, his gaze stayed on Philomena’s face.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling the heat sink lower, spread. It was a very good thing he hadn’t arrived right before her period last week, when her hormones were amped up about ten thousand percent, thanks to Athena’s curse if she was reacting to him like this now. Even her panties were damp. If he’d been here last week, she might’ve done something regrettable.
She swallowed and forced her gaze away from him as he rose to his full height again. “Can I help, Jason?”
“Nah, I got it.” His fingers fumbled a bit on the zipper, but then he slid it to his chin.
She smiled and knelt in front of him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay, buddy?”
He nodded and flung his arms around her neck. “I hope you have the best dreams.”
She shut her eyes. She loved their bedtime ritual, established when he was barely speaking yet as a baby. “I hope you have even better dreams.”
“No, you have the bestest.” He hugged her tighter.
“Sleep great, baby.” She kissed him, a big, smacking kiss and released him, getting to her feet. “And you have the bestest, bestest dreams ever.”
He laughed and took Aggie’s hand at the door.
Philomena kept the smile on her face while she watched them go, though worry niggled into her chest. They needed to be safe.
The heavy weight of Ryder’s arm settled on her shoulder. “They’ll be fine for tonight,” he murmured near her ear while outside a car started.
She nodded, biting her lower lip. They had to be. If anything happened to them, it was on her head.
“And I have to go.” He stepped away and took his coat from the hook behind the door.
She grabbed the nearest jacket, which was too light for the brisk winter night, but she pulled it on anyway, then walked outside with him, noting her mother’s headlights leading away from the house. “You’re going to be careful, aren’t you?”
“I’m always careful.” He shot her a bad boy grin that had her heart racing as they made their way along the sidewalk to the front of the house, where she saw his truck parked out front now beside the mailbox.
“Nothing can happen to you, Ryder. You have Jason to worry about.”
He kept walking.
“Are you listening to me?” She glared up at him when he came to a stop beside the truck.
He put his arm around her shoulders. “Are you more worried about Jason? Or me?”
She blinked. “I’m worried about what will happen to Jason if something happens to you.” He smelled really good. Her pounding heart sped up still more. He stood too close. She needed a distraction. “You know Desi is a lousy parent. Might as well not even be a parent.”
“What if something did happen to me? Would you miss me?” He bent nearer, his mouth almost grazing her temple.
She tried to concentrate on his words, but the awareness rushing through her made it difficult. And dammit, she couldn’t even blame it on pre-curse hormones.
“Would you be upset if I were hurt?” His open mouth slid down her cheek, hot, damp. Tempting.
Desire raced along her veins. Under her sweater, her nipples tightened in anticipation.
“Mena?” He licked the corner of her mouth.
She gasped, and he swooped in, covering her open mouth with his, and pressed her against the side of the truck, his warmth compensating for the cold metal at her back.
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Now I'm off to do dinner prep and then more editing this evening, and I get to do more tomorrow, since we have the holiday off. Do you have an extra day off for the holiday? Are you doing anything fun this week, or getting in extra reading time? I'd love to hear!
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