Snippet Sunday: CIRQUE DE MINUIT

If you follow me here or on social media you know that I love artistic circus almost as much as I love ballet. Aerial acts are my favorite, so when I set out to write a book in the world of cirque I wanted to write about aerial artists, and I happened to choose aerial silks. But there are tons of other awesome aerial acts out there, with hoops or variations of trapeze. Some of my favorite pics:

Then there is this photo that reminds me so much of the scene in Cirque de Minuit when Theo takes Kelsey out to the woods to practice for the first time with silks in the trees:

If you haven’t read the book, here’s a little snippet from the scene:

     He explained about climbs, wraps, and drops, about flying and balancing, about friction and contortion, about elegance and the pose. They were up and down off the silks. He demonstrated some tricks by himself way up high, fearlessly, and did other things near the ground with his hands on her, pushing and pulling at her body to show how it was done. His fingers traced her muscles, arranging her arms, pressing on her shoulder. He smelled like sweat and cologne, and fresh air. Kelsey started to resent the silk fabric between them, wishing to touch, unimpeded, the startling hardness of his body. The unexpected softness of his skin.

     You want?

     Oh, God, yes. I want.

     “You paying attention?”

     His sharp voice brought her fantasies into focus. She met his gaze, caught fixating on the pulse at the base of his neck. “Yes,” she lied. “I’m paying attention.” I want. I want.

     His gaze dissected her. He would have to be blind to not perceive how badly she craved him. His rough kiss, his body bearing down on hers. He stared at her, and she could see the animal wildness he usually kept in check, written right in the taut planes of his face. He guided her down off the silks, hurrying her with impatient hands. She leaned away from him as they stood, a self-protective movement.

     He drew her back, his fingers spread against her waist, then pushing at her waistband. He plunged one hand down the front of her leggings. She put a hand on his wrist but he didn’t stop, and she didn’t really want him to.

     “You said we can’t do this, no? Because we work together?” He mocked her, his fingers slipping through the evidence of her attraction, her need.

     “I didn’t say we c–can’t,” she stammered. “I said we shouldn’t.” She drew in a soft breath as he found her clit. He manipulated it expertly, lightly, giving her bursts of pleasure that teased but didn’t satisfy. She panted under his desultory gaze. The silks billowed free behind him. She watched them in a kind of trance as his fingers left her. He stripped off her shirt and bra, peeled down her fitted pants. He wasn’t gentle, or rough…just intent.

     Theo lifted one of her hands. “Take it. Hold the silk above your head.” She didn’t understand at first what he wanted. Impatiently, he wrapped her hand, locking one wrist in the white length. He took the other silk and this time Kelsey bound herself, gritting her teeth against chattering even though she was warm. Hot. She was burning up for him.

     “Hold on to the silk,” he ordered. Then, in one liquid motion, he went to his knees and lifted her legs over his shoulders.

     Oh Jesus fucking God!

Aaaand it goes on from there. 😉

If you haven’t read Cirque de Minuit yet, it’s a really hot and often raunchy book–but you may want to wait until the end of this year or early next year when I have the next book in the series ready to release. OR you can just go read it now! Click the cover below to find a blurb and buy links.