TUESDAY TALES - SAUCE

 Hello and welcome. This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt "sauce." I have another excerpt from "Someone Like You." There will only be a few more from this book. Then I will be switching to the 4th book in my historical romance series. 

Once you've read my story, please stop by and read the wonderful works by the other authors. You'll find them HERE. 

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He went inside, locked up, stripped down, and washed up. Then he slid naked between the sheets. Lying there with his head propped up on his arm, he thought about Charlotte. Of course she was pretty, in a unique way. But what drew him to her was her empathy. And that she was a good listener. Boy, that was the hardest thing to find. Even in a friend. Someone who listens, who cares about you, your feelings, your triumphs, your tragedies…it was what he missed most about the loss of his wife. Nancy had been an excellent listener.

One dark thought interrupted his mental exercise of putting Charlotte on a pedestal. She wasn’t telling him everything. He sensed her reluctance to speak honestly about her life. She kept something back. He knew it. Her body language gave her away. Obviously, it was something she felt he wouldn’t like or approve of. Some dark secret. Some mystery. Had she killed someone? He laughed to himself. Uh, no, not Charlotte. She didn’t have a violent bone in her body. Still, there was something. Something she thought too dark, too bad to disclose to him. He liked that she cared enough not to want to lose him, but he frowned at the idea that she was not being totally upfront with him.

He had a pathological distrust of liars. He’d met too many in his life. Somehow liars always ended up causing you pain. It scared him to think Charlotte might be a liar and that trait might hurt him. Too in love to admit any such possibility, he shoved that thought out of his mind. Whatever Charlotte wasn’t telling him, it certainly couldn’t be evil. Might simply be something that embarrassed her. He vowed to himself to let it go. She’d tell him in her own sweet time. When she felt safe enough with him to come clean. And, if he truly loved her, he’d have to let it go at that. Trust. It was all about trust. 

   After all, fessing up, which is what he had done, was, how did the saying go, "what's' sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander?" or was it the other way around? 

That's all for this week. Thanks for stopping by. 

Tuesday Tales - Smug

 

    Welcome! This week the Tuesday Tales writers are writing to the word prompt "smug."  

I have another snippet from "Someone Like You." When you finished reading my post, please click on the link to go to the other posts. Find the link HERE. 

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Mark stopped by a tree in Charlotte’s front yard. He leaned one hand against it, bent over and breathed in the night air. He needed to recover from their makeout session. His body fairly quivered with the need to make love to that beautiful woman. 

A bit confused at the overwhelming surge of desire he hadn’t felt in years, he questioned his own intentions for a moment. It quickly became clear that he needed to make love to her. Tomorrow night after dinner at her place would be the perfect opportunity. He could hardly wait to give in to his growing passion that refused to be denied.

She gave all the signs of wanting more from their make-out session. He sensed her body molding to his. Heat emanated from her and her kissing matched his in intensity. Still, the time, the place – tonight didn’t seem right.

Not to be smug about it, but tomorrow would be different. Because then he’d be prepared. He’d have the confidence that comes with knowing your partner wants the same thing. He shivered for a second at the sheer delight that awaited him. When his breathing returned to normal, he hurried to his car and drove home. 

That's all this week. Thanks for stopping by.

TUESDAY TALES - RAINY

 

Welcome! This week we're writing to the word prompt "rainy" or any derivation of that word. After you finish reading my story, visit the other authors and read their great works. You'll find them HERE. 

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As things with Charlotte returned to normal, Mark breathed a sigh of relief. Although he hadn’t dated much, especially in the last year, he’d never been taken for Jack the Ripper before. Worry creased his brow. How could he handle that? Charlotte had such quiet confidence, he’d never suspected her of being afraid of him. These days with so many stories in the news of men raping and killing young women, a woman couldn’t be too careful. After all, what did she really know about him?

Her fear had set him back. He’d figured they were a lot farther along in their relationship than she did. He’d have to scrap plans to make any kind of a pass or move to more intimacy for now. The last thing he needed to do was make an inappropriate move and scare her off.

Instead of being angry, he wanted to surround her with security, and make her feel safe. He’d do anything to make that happen.  

He pulled into the park’s entrance and turned left for the parking lot, avoiding the secluded spot he'd scoped out before. He picked a spot and pulled in. After shutting off the car, he retrieved the basket and bags from the trunk.  

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“This way,” he said, pointing toward a small lake. “There are picnic tables just beyond those bushes.”

“I hope I didn’t offend you,” she said, her voice hesitant.

“You mean about that other spot? No, oh no. Hell no. Women need to protect themselves. Regardless of our chemistry, we don’t really know that much about each other, do we?” he said, tramping over weeds to get to the mowed lawn.

“No, no, we don’t.” She followed along.

As he pushed through the bushes, a scattering of picnic tables came into view.

“Which one?” he asked.

“That one,” she said, pointing “It’s close to the lake.” 

With his long stride, he reached the table first and plunked the bag and basket down. He scanned the area. There was a small family at a table quite a distance from them, and two couples at another table. But none of them were close. He breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps if she had picked a table near other people it would have been a sign of her being uncomfortable being alone with him. That truly would have rained on his parade. 

That's all for this week. Thanks for stopping by.