#ThursThreads - The Challenge That Ties Tales Together - Week 142

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. It's Thursday today so get your flash ready to celebrate and write a #flashfiction thread! Welcome to Week 142 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? You're welcome to join the FB #ThursThreads group where we'll do events and make announcements. Need the rules? Read on.

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 8 PM Mountain Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up.

How it benefits you:

• You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
• You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
• Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus

Our Judge for Week 142:

Number analyzer, deaf albino cat herder, and erotic romance author, Cheryl Dragon.

Cheryl on Facebook

Cheryl on Twitter

Cheryl on Google Plus

Cheryl on Goodreads

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

“I would have to pay what?”

All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

Snippet Sunday - The Navy's Ghost - The Team is Gone

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked, and Happy Groundhog's Day! Do you think he saw his shadow? Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my latest release, The Navy's Ghost, a military romantic suspense, though I call it my Menage a'SEALs. No paranormal critters in this one, though there's plenty of kick-ass adventure and hot sex. Just to be clear, this is a M/F/M erotic romance. You can read last week's snippet HERE.

Chris Brickman has showed up at Magic's house drunk as a skunk and tattooed. Magic is trying to figure out why her back hurts and where she's been. Chris is the first one to speak.

“But you weren’t there, Magic.”

“What?” Todd stopped and glanced down at Chris’s bowed head.

“You weren’t there. Did you know they gave me the Purple Heart and promoted me to lieutenant all in one day?” Despite the great honors heaped on her, her voice filled with heartbroken despair. “No one was there who really mattered. No one who understood. My team is gone.”

“Aw, hell, Ghost, I’m sorry.” Todd sat down on the couch beside her and gathered her into his arms. Beta Squad hadn’t returned in time for the ceremony. He’d known she’d been awarded the Purple Heart, but her elevation in rank came as a surprise. She deserves it and more. She deserved to be surrounded by the men who knew her best. And we weren’t fuckin’ there. “You know me’n Retro are so damn proud of you, though, right? I’m pretty sure the whole squad is. I wish we could’ve been there.”

“I needed you, Magic, and you weren’t there. I needed you and Retro. I still need you.”

Her abject misery tore at his heart and he kicked himself for not paying closer attention. This is the woman you love? What the hell’s wrong with you?

Sounds like the boys better step up their game. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Anastasia Vitsky, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Zee Monodee, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from The Navy's Ghost, here's the blurb:

A SEAL is strongest with her Team…

Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman is the only female SEAL to survive BUD/S training, a real Navy Jane. But when an ambush ends her career as an active SEAL, she’s free to pursue other interests. Like her two best friends Lt. Jim "Retro" Waters and Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter. She's wanted them for over a year, but never dared to approach them while in the squad.

Retro has fought his dark desires since high school, certain the need to share a woman unnatural. Magic had never considered sharing before Ghost mentions it, but it solves his dilemma of choosing between his best friend and his woman. But Retro balks at Ghost’s offer to share and retreats from both when she marries Magic.

Everyone feels Retro’s loss, but he ignores the ache of their broken connection in favor of living ‘normal.’ When Ghost and the other wives of Beta Squad are kidnapped, Retro must reevaluate how much both Ghost and Magic mean to him. And he must decide how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves, before she becomes the Navy's ghost.

It's available now at Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Kobo Books, and Barnes&Noble. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy reading. :)

Snippet Sunday - The Navy's Ghost - Life Changes

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked, and Happy Groundhog's Day! Do you think he saw his shadow? Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my latest release, The Navy's Ghost, a military romantic suspense, though I call it my Menage a'SEALs. No paranormal critters in this one, though there's plenty of kick-ass adventure and hot sex. Just to be clear, this is a M/F/M erotic romance. You can read last week's snippet HERE.

Chris Brickman has been promoted to lieutenant junior grade after healing from her injury. She's mourning not only the loss of her functioning body, but also the camaraderie of her squad. In particular the connection to Magic and Retro.

Music from a famous grunge band rattled onto the sidewalk from the open doorway and Chris swayed to its thumping beat mirroring her heartbeat. SEALs weren’t allowed to have tattoos. Distinguishing marks of any kind endangered their lives.

But I’m not an active SEAL anymore, am I?

The urge to wear permanent art grabbed Chris by the throat and she staggered into the tattoo shop, her mind already decorating her skin.

“Hi, welcome to Think Ink Tattoos.” The young man behind the counter had more jewelry in various parts of his face than most jewelry boxes could hold, but his friendly smile beckoned her own. “What can I do you for?"

Chris snorted. “I want a tattoo.”

He nodded. “Did you have something in mind? We have some nice ones on the wall here.”

Chris scanned the cartoony looking stars, fairies, hearts and butterflies on the wall behind him, but she shook her head. “No, I want a Celtic knot. A triad of three rings. And I want it about this big.” She held up her hands softball-width apart.

Ghost is definitely making changes in her life and the image to the left is what she chose. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Anastasia Vitsky, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Zee Monodee, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from The Navy's Ghost, here's the blurb:

A SEAL is strongest with her Team…

Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman is the only female SEAL to survive BUD/S training, a real Navy Jane. But when an ambush ends her career as an active SEAL, she’s free to pursue other interests. Like her two best friends Lt. Jim "Retro" Waters and Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter. She's wanted them for over a year, but never dared to approach them while in the squad.

Retro has fought his dark desires since high school, certain the need to share a woman unnatural. Magic had never considered sharing before Ghost mentions it, but it solves his dilemma of choosing between his best friend and his woman. But Retro balks at Ghost’s offer to share and retreats from both when she marries Magic.

Everyone feels Retro’s loss, but he ignores the ache of their broken connection in favor of living ‘normal.’ When Ghost and the other wives of Beta Squad are kidnapped, Retro must reevaluate how much both Ghost and Magic mean to him. And he must decide how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves, before she becomes the Navy's ghost.

It's available now at Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Kobo Books, and Barnes&Noble. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy reading. :)

Mid Week Tease - The Navy's Ghost - The Better Man

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a new year of Mid Week Tease hosted by Sandra Bunino.

Authors: this is a great opportunity to spotlight a few lines or even a paragraph or two from a new release or backlisted title. Readers: you get to sample some delicious snippets! We’ll do our best to tease, titillate and tantalize you into the weekend.

My Mid Week Tease is from my newest release The Navy's Ghost. With Ensign Christiana Brickman in the hospital, both Magic and Retro visited her, but they both can see how being released from the Teams is eating her up. Unfortunately, Retro has his own demons chasing his tail. The snippet is in Retro's POV.

“It’s killing her,” Retro said as soon as they hit the hallway.

“Yeah, I know.” Magic shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I’m not talking about the pain. I’m talking about being discharged from the Teams. It’s killing her.”

“She’s tougher than she looks, Retro. She’ll pull though.” Despite his words, Magic didn’t sound convinced. “Besides, she has torturing the new recruits to look forward to. Man, I’d give just about anything to be a fly on the wall when she does SERE to those boys.”

“Fuck.” Retro laughed. “They’ll be blindsided, and it won’t be with her fist. It’ll be her ass and those tank tops she wears when it gets hot. Woowee, they were torture enough for me.”

He pictured sitting tied to a chair while Ensign Chris Brickman took off her camo shirt and poured water over her head because of the heat. Man oh man, he’d spill his secrets for the opportunity to see her completely naked and seated on his lap. His body reacted and his jeans tightened below the belt. Damn, the one woman he wanted more than anyone before and she didn’t go for the bad boys. But around her, he didn’t have to be one. He could be himself and she liked him better for it.

If his feelings had remained safely in “admiration and respect,” things would’ve been fine. But they hadn’t, and now it was too late.

Magic loved her, too. He’d stood there looking like a lost little boy and whispered how much he loved Brickman. Todd had meant more than just the deep bond between SEAL swim buddies. Retro understood he’d lost his chance.

Ghost and Magic communicated in ways most people, man to man or even man to woman, couldn’t in the civilian world. Retro’s jealousy had roared to the fore, but he’d kept it to himself after he’d considered everything. When most honest with himself, like at oh-dark-thirty when he couldn’t sleep, he admitted Magic was the better man for Ghost. Honorable, strong, and psychologically stable, Magic had it all.

And Retro? I’m a hot fucking mess, only good at being a SEAL. Dad made sure of it.

Sergeant James H. Waters beat everyone into submission if they didn’t follow his rules, his beliefs. He’d beaten his wife and daughter when they defied him in the smallest of infractions. Mom left with his little sister when Jim started his senior year of high school. They just disappeared, leaving him with the man who warned him to stay on the straight and narrow despite his “sexual perversions.”

Retro shied away from the old thoughts like a man avoiding shrapnel. The past remained past, nothing he could do about it now.

The Navy's Ghost is available:

All Romance | Amazon | B&N | Kobo Books | Smashwords

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Mid Week Tease - The Navy's Ghost - Facing the Music

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a new year of Mid Week Tease hosted by Sandra Bunino.

Authors: this is a great opportunity to spotlight a few lines or even a paragraph or two from a new release or backlisted title. Readers: you get to sample some delicious snippets! We’ll do our best to tease, titillate and tantalize you into the weekend.

My Mid Week Tease is from my newest release The Navy's Ghost. With Ensign Christiana Brickman in the hospital, both Magic and Retro had to face their feelings. Unfortunately, Magic said it first and Retro is trying to accept it.

Jim “Retro” Waters checked over the report and scanned the page for typos, but he didn’t really see the words. His mind kept drifting back to the medical center and woman who lay in one of the beds. He’d dropped by late one night when his desperation refused to remain dormant. He had to see Chris Brickman without witnesses. After Todd’s declaration, he couldn’t stand the idea of being in the same room when Todd told Chris how he felt.

Even if Jim wanted Chris himself.

“Hey, Retro, I gotta talk to you. Got a minute?” Magic grabbed his keys and ID badge from the desk.

“Yeah, what’s up, Magic?” Jim didn’t really want to talk to Todd, but avoiding the man would be impossible.

“I’m headed over to the medical center to see Ghost. Want to tag along?”

Jim’s gut contracted and he found himself wishing the report held more mistakes than a cheap dime store novel. Unfortunately, it was clean. He opened his mouth to decline, but Magic grabbed his arm and squeezed just a little.

“She’s askin’ for you, Retro.” Todd’s gray eyes held unusual seriousness. “She blames herself for letting the squad down and could use a head slap from you to show her she’s wrong.” He glanced around and lowered his voice. “She needs to see you, Jim.”

Aw, fuck. Retro couldn’t let Ghost blame herself for her wounds any more than he could let a comrade believe he didn’t care. The problem was he cared too much. Chris represented his dream-girl in every way he could want. Well, not every way. He shoved the thought away.

“Yeah, I can stop by. Let me finish up this report and we’ll head out.” Retro scanned the paper again. “How’d she look?”

“Not bad all things considered.” Magic grimaced. “You can tell she hates bein’ immobile.”

“I bet.” Retro signed the report and shoved it in the lt. commander’s box. “At least she’s not talking about bananas or cucumbers. Is she?”

Todd laughed as he led them out to his truck. “No. I doubt she remembers it anyway.”

The Navy's Ghost is available:

All Romance | Amazon | B&N | Kobo Books | Smashwords

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Snippet Sunday - The Navy's Ghost - Complicated Answer

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked, and Happy Groundhog's Day! Do you think he saw his shadow? Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my latest release, The Navy's Ghost, a military romantic suspense, though I call it my Menage a'SEALs. No paranormal critters in this one, though there's plenty of kick-ass adventure and hot sex. Just to be clear, this is a M/F/M erotic romance. You can read last week's snippet HERE.

Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter came to check on Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman in the hospital. She's glad to see him, but she's concerned he's found a woman to love who isn't her and that's not something she's prepared to deal with.

Her heart hitched and she shivered, shaking the IV line until it pulled at her arm. She stopped immediately, detesting the sensation of the artificial attachment to her body. What if Magic had found the woman who set his world on fire and kept it steadily burning? “You haven’t found anyone, have you?”

Magic tipped his head and scanned her face for a long, agonizing moment. Had he? Chris’s heart screamed in bitter agony, but her mind screamed in confusion. Why would it matter if Magic found a woman who claimed his soul?

Because that should be me.

“Well, now, that’s a complicated answer.” Todd dropped his gaze to their clasped hands.

Discomfort made her shift in the bed. “What do you mean?”

“You and I have been friends and swim buddies for four years now, and I count myself pretty lucky to work with you.” He met her gaze and his gray eyes filled with something unfamiliar. “But lately, things have changed and when you got hit, it all crystallized into stark relief. So yeah, I’ve found someone I’m interested in.”

“Who?” Why was she so breathless? Damn, it had to be the drugs.

“You, Chris.”

Sounds like Ghost has earned her place in his heart. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Anastasia Vitsky, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Zee Monodee, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from The Navy's Ghost, here's the blurb:

A SEAL is strongest with her Team…

Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman is the only female SEAL to survive BUD/S training, a real Navy Jane. But when an ambush ends her career as an active SEAL, she’s free to pursue other interests. Like her two best friends Lt. Jim "Retro" Waters and Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter. She's wanted them for over a year, but never dared to approach them while in the squad.

Retro has fought his dark desires since high school, certain the need to share a woman unnatural. Magic had never considered sharing before Ghost mentions it, but it solves his dilemma of choosing between his best friend and his woman. But Retro balks at Ghost’s offer to share and retreats from both when she marries Magic.

Everyone feels Retro’s loss, but he ignores the ache of their broken connection in favor of living ‘normal.’ When Ghost and the other wives of Beta Squad are kidnapped, Retro must reevaluate how much both Ghost and Magic mean to him. And he must decide how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves, before she becomes the Navy's ghost.

It's available now at Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Kobo Books, and Barnes&Noble. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy reading. :)

Mid Week Tease - The Navy's Ghost - Survivor's Guilt

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a new year of Mid Week Tease hosted by Sandra Bunino.

Authors: this is a great opportunity to spotlight a few lines or even a paragraph or two from a new release or backlisted title. Readers: you get to sample some delicious snippets! We’ll do our best to tease, titillate and tantalize you into the weekend.

My Mid Week Tease is from my newest release The Navy's Ghost. Ensign Christiana Brickman woke up in the hospital with a broken and torn up leg. Chief Warrent Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter tore up her leg to save her, but it doesn't make him feel better when he loves her.

Chris nodded. “So how did the rest of the tropical trip go? Did you get what you were looking for?” Even in the safety of an American hospital she kept their missions vague.

“Yep. And repaid those boys in kind for their efforts.” Todd nodded toward her legs under the blankets. “Best ending we could hope for when the trip turned to shit on us.”

“Hey, you definitely got lucky with only one fuck-up. Me.” Anguish and despair washed across her features and Todd’s anger kindled in response.

“No one fucked up, Ghost. It was an ambush and it coulda been any one of us.”

“But I was point.”

“And you saved the rest of the squad from takin’ the brunt of the damage.” Todd grabbed her hand and tugged on it to get her attention. “No one’s blamin’ you but you. Got me, Ensign? I’m sure Deli’s kickin’ himself for not havin’ better intel before we went in. You don’t get to take all the responsibility for this one.”

She tightened her lips. “No one else hurt on the second time through?”

“No, ma’am. Bam-Bam sustained some bruised ribs when a guy hit him in the back with a baseball bat, but other than that, we hit the clear water pretty easily.”

“Good. I expected you all to pick up the slack where I left off.” Some of the fire returned to her eyes and Magic chuckled.

God, he loved her. He’d loved her ever since she’d gotten those hostages out through the drainage pipe no wider than a meter in diameter right under the noses of the Afghani guards. She’d been magnificent and lethal, and his cock had hardened at the thought of having her not only by his side, but in his bed. She had him hooked when she told them about the guard who opened his fly and pissed on the wall right next to her, never seeing her.

It had been their first real op right after graduating from BUD/S training and his love had only grown from there. He’d said nothing to her, of course, not willing to trash the amazing friendship and trust they’d developed over the last four and a half years in Team 9, Bravo Squad. And now Beta Squad because of her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Now she lay in a bed, recovering from the worst wound he’d ever seen in the field and his heart broke for her. And I gave it to her.

But she’d survived and would heal, and guilt had no place in that. Todd smiled to force it away.

The Navy's Ghost is available:

All Romance | Amazon | B&N | Kobo Books | Smashwords

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Snippet Sunday - The Navy's Ghost - Sleeping Beauty

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my latest release, The Navy's Ghost, a military romantic suspense, though I call it my Menage a'SEALs. No paranormal critters in this one, though there's plenty of kick-ass adventure and hot sex. Just to be clear, this is a M/F/M erotic romance. You can read last week's snippet HERE.

Chief Warrant Officer Todd Hunter came to check on Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman in the hospital. He'd saved her from a deadly wound, but the damage he'd inflicted in the effort was extreme. He's in her room checking her chart and trying to ignore the guilt.

The doc had increased her calcium intake for bone replacement, and protein for muscle and soft tissue development. Progress read ‘satisfactory.’

Todd snorted. “Not satisfactory for me…or Ghost, I’d bet.”

The sound of his voice in the quiet room made Chris shift and she turned her head toward him. Magic dropped the chart and snagged the nearest chair, dragging it over to the bed.

“Hey, Chris, how are you doing?”

“Magic? What are you doing here?”

“Checking on you.” He grabbed her hand and sat down. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m good.” She shifted in the bed, a grimace tightening her lips as she resettled. He didn’t believe her, but he decided not to push. “The meds make me groggy and sleepy, but the pain’s minimal.” She fixed him with her unfocused hazel gaze. If he didn’t know better he’d swear she gave him her bedroom eyes.

Sleepy beauty. His lips quirked. Yeah, but don’t kiss her to wake her up. He’d find himself on his back with a knife at his throat and a rabid weasel on his chest.

“What are you smiling at, Magic?” Even drugged up, Chris still managed to raise an eyebrow.

“I was just thinkin’ you look like hell, but could still kick my ass.”

Sounds like Ghost has earned her place in his heart. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Anastasia Vitsky, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Zee Monodee, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from The Navy's Ghost, here's the blurb:

A SEAL is strongest with her Team…

Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman is the only female SEAL to survive BUD/S training, a real Navy Jane. But when an ambush ends her career as an active SEAL, she’s free to pursue other interests. Like her two best friends Lt. Jim "Retro" Waters and Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter. She's wanted them for over a year, but never dared to approach them while in the squad.

Retro has fought his dark desires since high school, certain the need to share a woman unnatural. Magic had never considered sharing before Ghost mentions it, but it solves his dilemma of choosing between his best friend and his woman. But Retro balks at Ghost’s offer to share and retreats from both when she marries Magic.

Everyone feels Retro’s loss, but he ignores the ache of their broken connection in favor of living ‘normal.’ When Ghost and the other wives of Beta Squad are kidnapped, Retro must reevaluate how much both Ghost and Magic mean to him. And he must decide how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves, before she becomes the Navy's ghost.

It's available now at Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Kobo Books, and Barnes&Noble. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy reading. :)