The
winter holiday season is upon us, a time for gathering with friends
and family and sharing our blessings. In the US last Thursday, we
celebrated Thanksgiving. Next week is so-called “Giving
Tuesday”, a recently-established day of charitable giving
intended to counter the commercialism and materialism that has
overwhelmed the festive season.
I’m
not waiting until Tuesday. Today, I’m donating to Habitat
for Humanity, an organization that helps create safe, secure,
affordable shelter for people who live in slums, who are homeless, or
who have lost their homes to disasters.
What I love about Habitat is
its concept of “sweat equity”. Volunteers and future home owners
work together in building homes. A Habitat home is not a hand-out,
but the product of commitment and hard
labor.
In
addition to new construction, Habitat also renovates existing homes
in many communities, particularly in urban areas, helps
people
repair and improve their own homes and neighborhoods, and
works to raise
awareness and support for decent and affordable housing around the
world.
The
concept of home is particularly poignant at these time of year when
so many of us go “home for the holidays”. So as usual on Charity
Sunday, I’ll donate one dollar to my chosen charity
for each comment I get on this post.
Please
comment. Please share. And please be grateful for your own home, and
be generous to those less fortunate.
Of
course, I also have an excerpt for you. This is from my MMF holiday
ménage Almost Home.
Blurb
Home
is a state of heart.
Suzanne
and Gino have history going back to high school, but for
years
Suzanne has been three thousand miles away, preoccupied with her
challenging career. A mistletoe kiss at a holiday party reminds her
of their old bond and proves that some things get better with age.
When Gino rescues her from a New England blizzard, though, she
discovers that she's not the only love
in his life. Gino shares his bed and his colonial-era farm house with
taciturn painter Harris Steele. Snowed in, without electricity or
running water, the three explore the many shapes a triangle can
assume. Although she's far away from her everyday existence, Suzanne
realizes that she's almost home.
Excerpt
The
mug of tea cupped in her hands chased the last bit of numbness from
Suzanne’s fingers. Propped up on a couch in Gino’s spacious
kitchen, swaddled in quilts, she watched him toss another log on the
roaring fire. He moved with easy grace, a man at home in his own
skin.
The
heat from the blaze matched the desire simmering in her belly. She
felt her body expanding, unfolding. Her tension and fear evaporated.
In their place came delicious comfort edged with arousal. Gino poked
at the glowing timbers piled on the hearth. She admired the line of
his broad back and the curve of his buttocks under the stretched
denim.
“Gino,”
she called softly. “Come here.”
His
smile rivaled the blaze he tended. “Suzanne?” He sauntered over
to sit beside her half-prone form. “How are you feeling?”
“Much
better, thanks to you. I don’t know what would have happened if you
hadn’t come along.” She grasped his hand, entwining their
fingers. He laid his other hand on top. It might have just been a
gesture of friendship, but it sent sparks swirling through her. Her
nipples tightened into hungry knots.
“You
know, Suzy, I had this strange feeling. Jack and I had just settled
down to our annual game of chess—one of our traditions—when
suddenly I knew I had to leave. I told them I had a headache, and
actually, it felt a bit that way—some kind of urgent need pounding
in my skull. When I saw the car burrowed into the snow bank, I knew
right away that it was you.”
“I’m
so grateful.” He was close enough now that she could smell him,
wood smoke with an undercurrent of wintergreen. “I was pretty
scared.”
“You
should have let me drive you,” Gino scolded. “But then you always
were stubborn.” He leaned back, away from her, and released her
hand. Suzanne wanted to pull him closer. Why did he hesitate? Didn’t
he know she wanted him?
“I’ve
got to be back in California by Monday morning,” she murmured.
“Important meeting. But I don’t suppose there’s any possibility
of getting to my hotel tonight, is there?”
“Not
a snowball’s chance in hell,” Gino replied triggering a laugh
that relieved some of the strain. “The governor’s called for a
state of emergency. The Mass Pike is closed to all but emergency
vehicles. Latest forecasts say we’re going to get two feet.” He
caught her eyes as though trying to read her thoughts. “Lady,
you’re stuck here for the foreseeable future.”
Suzanne
reached for him. “In that case, why don’t you kiss me?”
He
allowed her to bring his lips within inches of hers. Then he stopped
her. “Are you sure? I got the idea back at the party that I made
you nervous. That you still weren’t interested in being more than
friends.”
“You
do make me nervous—but in a good way. I feel like a teenager when
you’re around, hot and bothered, excited and embarrassed. You’ve
always made me feel that way.”
“And
that’s good?”
“I’m
beginning to think so. Why don’t you kiss me and we can find out?”
He
didn’t need a second invitation. Sliding his hands under the
blankets, he gathered her to his chest and planted his firm lips on
hers. Even though she was expecting this kiss, it still shocked her.
Sudden heat swept through her like a forest fire. Any last
reservations burned to a crisp. He took possession of her mouth,
scarcely allowing her to take a breath. Meanwhile his hands roved
over her curves, sending waves of electric pleasure shimmering down
to her sex.
The
velvet transmitted every brush of his fingertips. She might as well
have been naked. It hardly mattered that she was wearing a bra or
panties. He rolled one brazen nipple between his thumb and
forefinger, waking tremors in her clit. She gasped into his mouth. He
cupped her damp mound through her clothing, his lips still glued to
hers. She spread her legs, begging for more, and he obliged, rubbing
the velvet back and forth along the groove of her pussy.
His
groping made her increasingly desperate. As though he read her
thoughts, he broke the kiss. “I want to see you naked,” he
breathed. “I always have.”
Don’t
forget to leave a comment. Every one helps build homes for people who
need them!
