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Excerpt: Run With The Moon / DeRicci / MM paranormal
By: Diana DeRicci
Published: Oct 31, 2012
ISBN # 9781612920566
Word Count: 56,876
GLBT/MM/Erotic Romance/Paranormal
Publisher
All Romance Ebooks
B&N
Amazon
Blurb:
Jamie Ness is homeless and on the run. After divulging his deepest, guarded secret, his father attacked him, which left no choice but for Jamie to leave everything behind he’d once known. His greatest fear is that his father will realize the mistake he made in throwing away the only real income coming into their home and hunt for Jamie. Putting distance between his father and wherever he stops is his only priority. After walking for days, putting one foot in front of the other, it’s impossible to turn down a hot meal when Chris Rose pulls up at his side on the outskirts of a town he doesn’t know.
Offering the young man a helping hand is ingrained in Chris. Something to eat, a warm bed, and safety, even if he could only get Jamie to grudgingly agree to one night. He would have offered that and more to the young man with the shadowed eyes, except more trouble was looming for Jamie. It isn’t just Jamie’s dad that Jamie has to worry about, because there is nothing in his life that could have prepared him for Chris’s secrets.
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All Romance Ebooks
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Amazon
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Howls ricocheted through the woods like the haunting sound of a pending storm, like a surreal thunder. The eerie brush and scratch of trees and leaves was unsettling because nothing moved. There was no wind, no other sounds.
Except for those howls.
They echoed around Jamie on all sides. He knew he was surrounded. He could only pray that the pack didn’t close in. He was fucked if they did. Wasn’t much he could do with a single backpack against a pack of wolves. He didn’t even have a knife.
Jamie huddled beneath the thickest bower of limbs, his stomach rumbling. He ignored it. He had to ration what he had managed to stuff in his bag.
He closed his eyes and drew a steadying breath, refusing to let the shakes overtake him again. Five days wasn’t that long. He’d be in a new town or city soon, and he could start over. Find a job. Find a place to live, even if it was only a dry corner somewhere.
His eyes burst open when the next round of howls started. Sharper, closer. He shivered. Jamie knew the animals were taunting him, trying to flush him out. The fastest way to agitate a predator was to run. Cowards ran.
His head sank to his huddled knees, swamped in on all sides by his melancholy and situation. He guessed then that he was a coward. He’d run from his father’s fist. So much to ignore. His empty stomach. The burning pull on his ribs. The aching stiffness of his jaw. The gnawing pain and ache in his arm. Those relentless howls. Gingerly he touched his lip; it felt like the swelling had gone down, but he couldn’t say. He hadn’t seen his face at its worst or since he’d run from the house after his father’s last drunken rage.
The night was a refuge of sorts. It was quiet, and not too cold. Tucked into his body there was a modicum of warmth, but not much. It took him a few minutes to realize the howls had ceased. He lifted his chin, searching with unblinking eyes into the dark shadows around him. The highway was silent at that time of night, somewhere off to his right. He’d dug into the trees for cover and shelter in case the weather turned bad. It had the night before. He only had a couple changes of clothes with him. There had been pain in every motion as he’d stuffed his old backpack with clothes, energy bars, and two bottles of water as quickly as possible. He only had the one pair of sneakers.
Jamie sniffled, wincing for it. He was twenty-two, and until five nights ago had never thought his father would be able to kill him. He’d been hit. Plenty. He knew without a doubt now that his father hated him. Jamie had mistakenly believed his dad had needed him. He’d stayed after graduation to help his dad. Help pay bills. It wasn’t like either of them had ever had much.
Telling him Jamie was gay had been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The last thing he remembered after the ominous silence of his admission was disappearing into his bedroom and getting ready for bed. He had work the next morning. Three hours later, he’d been bodily yanked out of bed and attacked. Jamie had never seen his dad that drunk in his life. Jamie had fought back, instinctively knowing that this time if he didn’t, his dad would kill him. With all the strength he had, he’d swung one of his long-ago track trophies at his father’s head. He was so drunk he hadn’t gone down instantly, staggering and teetering instead like a chopped tree, defying before finally giving in to gravity. Jamie had leaped across his bed, putting it between them, watching. Then, almost as if his dad’s body just hit a switch, he’d collapsed across Jamie’s bed.
Blood seeped from a cut on the back of his head by his ear, but that was all the damage he’d done. Snores that should have woken the dead were echoed by heavy breathing. He was out.
Jamie had stuffed what he could into his backpack and left. He had no job now and only minimal cash on hand. He prayed when he finally found a place to stop, he could call and get his last paycheck, but he wasn’t holding his breath for life to treat him right. After twenty-two years, he should know better.
Five nights after that fight, he was somewhere west of home, heading somewhere far away from a life that had been nothing but pain-filled and disappointing.
He blinked into the shadows as another chorus began.
And I’m surrounded by wolves. “Yay,” he croaked. He flipped the hood up on his sweatshirt, burrowing his hands into the pockets. As snug as he could be, he clung tighter to his bent legs and closed his eyes, listening, but trying to rest before he started walking again.
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Excerpt:
Chris waited on the sidewalk without moving a muscle. He would have waited all day for Jamie to decide. Turned out the next wave of grilled beef on the breeze did the trick. He shuffled up to Chris’s side, though not close, his head down. At least he hadn’t covered his head again. Without saying anything more, Chris led him to the backyard.
“Hey! About time,” Cade called when he caught Chris’s gaze as they rounded the house. Chris flashed him a look, twitching with a miniscule effort of his chin behind him. Cade’s eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled, a known attempt to soften the gruffness of his features.
Chris heard Jamie’s steps falter when he cleared the corner of the house.
Chris made the introductions. “Cade, Jamie.”
“Hi, Jamie.” Cade glanced at Chris, who shook his head once. Cade didn’t offer a hand.
“Hi.” Jamie all but whispered it. He clutched his backpack strap like a lifeline.
Cade waved toward Jamie’s shoulder. “You can put that on the table over there. There’s tea all ready. Help yourselves.”
Chris usually helped Cade with the cooking but in this instance, he walked over to the table and poured two glasses instead. Warily, Jamie followed him. He guessed compared to Cade, he was the lesser of two evils. Cade was a big guy compared to Chris’s compact size. Cade was six-three where Chris was five-eleven. Cade also looked like a tattooed biker on a good day, with his wild auburn hair to his shoulders. Cade was definitely the wilder one of the brothers.
He offered the iced tea. “Here.” He waited until Jamie raised his eyes before trying to hand him the glass. “Drink it slowly. You’re probably dehydrated, and it’ll make you cramp if you gulp it.”
Jamie frowned. “I’m not—”
“Not a people doctor, but I know enough. Okay?” he said gently.
Jamie’s pinched lips only exacerbated the abuse they were healing from. Lashes lowered to hide enigmatic blue eyes that were so deeply shadowed with sleep deprivation they looked smudged. Whatever had happened it had been bad, with all the bruising and fading swelling. And that was only what Chris could see. He sincerely doubted it was limited to his face. He hadn’t had a chance to see in the truck and Jamie had put the hoodie back on, covering his skin. With a flash of insight, he realized Jamie was wearing a long-sleeved shirt beneath it. The reasoning behind that in the May heat made his stomach curdle. Thick bronze-blond hair that curled around his ears was the only other feature Chris could be sure of.
He also knew, had known the instant he’d opened his window, that this was the same person he and his pack had discovered in the woods last night. Not because he was dirty, or male, or alone. But because even then, as bad as he looked, as woeful, hurting and as lost as he seemed, Chris wanted to curl around him and keep him safe. His wolf had known last night but he hadn’t been able to do anything about it except tell his pack what he’d found, what they’d almost stumbled on last night and likely would have terrified right into hysteria.
After their run last night, his plan had been to return to the woods and find him. Figure out what the story was behind why he was hiding in the woods and help him. Except the Mathison’s mare had pulled his priorities in another direction. He was going to ask Cade to help him track tonight to find this young man again.
Unexpectedly, Chris had found him trudging along the side of the westbound two-lane highway moving toward town instead. He watched Jamie carefully from the corner of his eye so he wouldn’t feel like a spectacle. He was pale, thin, and in need of some major TLC and nourishment. And a very light touch. He wasn’t a big guy like either Chris or Cade, maybe five-seven and light of build, like a reed. He had long fingers and narrow hips. The fact that he’d been someone’s punching bag was merely an inarguable observation.
Jamie took his advice and drank slowly, taking a couple minutes to down half the glass.
“This is good,” Jamie said, tapping the plastic with a finger. He took another couple swallows and looked at the pitcher.
“Help yourself,” Chris told him. “I’m going to see if Cade needs anything. All right?”
Jamie nodded, finally unhooking his pack and laying it on the ground by the picnic table leg.
That helped Chris to relax, seeing Jamie become comfortable as well. He placed his own glass of tea on the table and then walked over to the grill and his brother. “The rest inside?”
“On the counter.”
“I’ll grab it.” With a nod of thanks from Cade, Chris went through the rear screen door heading for the kitchen. He found a covered platter filled with stuff to stick on a burger like lettuce and tomatoes, plus cheese and bacon strips as well as ketchup and mustard. Cade must have realized something was up when Chris told him he was bringing a friend. He never bothered with vegetables. They weren’t on his palatable list. With his hands full of plates, the platter, and bottles he nudged the screen door open with a toe and a hip, then wove to the table.
Jamie was still standing and immediately leaped to help Chris, taking the plates off the top.
“Thanks,” Chris said.
“Welcome.”
“Did you grab the chips?” Cade called from his position in front of the grill.
“No. Pantry?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you need more help?” Jamie asked, almost too quietly to hear.
Chris gazed at him, sorry when Jamie didn’t lift his own eyes. “No. Just a couple bags of chips to go with everything.”
Jamie moved a shoulder. “Okay.”
“Thanks, though.”
“S-sure,” he replied unsteadily.
Chris repeated his trip, carrying two bags of chips to the table just as Cade slid a stacked tower of meat onto the table. “Lunch is served, gentlemen.”
Excerpt: Tougher To Love / DeRicci / MM contemp
Author: Diana DeRicci
Cover Artist: Anastasia Rabiyah
Genre: Gay Erotic Romance/M/M
Length: Novel, 47,611 words, 133 pages PDF
ISBN: 978-1-61292-029-0
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Heat Level: Erotic
Warnings: Gay Male/Male
What readers have been saying:
taken on [a] journey … woven a beautiful tapestry of love and commitment.
~~Norah S.
The snow hasn’t even attempted to thaw when Ian’s life is turned upside down. His only sister is murdered, leaving him as the sole family to his 14 year-old niece. As an uncle, he’d been there for them, but he is clueless when it comes to actually seeing to Terra’s wellbeing. Muddling through, they become closer, healing together through the trauma, and slowly begin to feel like family.
Ian has a deep secret though. Not even Terra’s mother knew, and when Caleb is the officer to deliver a freezing and terrified niece to his door, that secret is in jeopardy of being blown sky-high.
Excerpt:
Ian topped off their mugs then led them out of the kitchen to the living room. Caleb guessed he’d been in that house for years, maybe it had even been left to him. It was reminiscent of the one-level shaker homes in the area, wide open with large windows and spacious rooms. He didn’t have a lot of furniture to fill it, so the wood flooring dominated the rooms.
“Ever get your heater replaced?”
Ian chuckled, motioning to a rocker. He claimed the stuffed recliner, making himself comfortable. “No, we made it through another winter. I’ll have to do something about it this summer. I doubt it’ll manage another.”
“How is she holding up? How are you?”
Ian’s rising hand slowed, but he slurped a bit to let it lower. “We’re managing. She’s talked to the counselor at school once or twice. Maria didn’t have anything left over after the debts were covered. The car is in the garage for Terra when she’s sixteen. That much was paid for.”
“Have you talked to anyone about it?” Caleb leaned with his elbows on his knees, asking gently. The movement brought him fairly close to Ian.
“No. Just waiting for the word that Striker has been caught. Will she have to ID him?”
“No.”
Ian’s shoulders rolled. “That’s good. I don’t want to keep dragging her back to what happened to her if I don’t have to. I want her to heal.”
Caleb reached and settled a hand above Ian’s knee. “She’s a smart girl, Ian. Tough. She was scared the morning I found her and probably lost, being in pain.”
Almost instantly, Caleb realized what he’d done, felt the hard strength of Ian’s thigh as he flexed under Caleb’s braced palm. Soaked up the heat of jean covered skin through his palm. Ian had solid thighs, long legs. He knew the man owned a Harley. Caleb bet he made a sexy, imposing sight on it. If men gawked unashamedly at women in public, then he was just as guilty, though quietly, for doing it with men.
He removed his hand, though he fought not to yank it away. Not because he hadn’t wanted to do that, but because he’d been wanting to for a long time. Just touch him.
His pulse thudded thickly for a moment. He sat straight as if nothing but a moment of male comfort had occurred.
That was until he glimpsed a stolen look from Ian and caught him watching Caleb through heavy, midnight lashes. Not annoyed, or even ticked. They weren’t friends, hardly more than acquaintances, but there was definitely something in that look. If read the right way, it could mean a lot more than Caleb had expected or anticipated. He’d certainly not hoped for it, but that look had borne hope, and that meant it was time to vacate. Now.
Excerpt: Second Chance Summer / DeRicci / MM Contemp
By: Diana DeRicci
Published: Jan. 30, 2013
ISBN # 978612920634
Word Count: 47349
GLBT
Publisher
All Romance
Kindle
B&N
What Readers are saying:
…sweet love story! The main characters are made for each other, and the secondary characters are fun!
It is a story about two people falling in love and learning how to cope with the reality of that love. Romance story is what I wanted and romance story is what I got in this book.
I enjoyed this story, and it reads better than the short description would indicate. This is not a straight-to-gay story as is implied. More of a closeted-to-out conversion, and one that has enough early history to keep the story believable. The relationship develops reasonable well, and with acceptable angst.
~~Xanlthorpe 5/5
BLURB:
Brice has a crush. Unfortunately it’s on a friend’s straight younger brother, Jake. Brice knows chances are between slim and none for anything more between them, but no one says he can’t fantasize about the hunky guy. When Jake’s teenage daughter, Rebecca, enlists Brice’s help for a final paper for school, Brice and Jake get the chance to really know one another, bonding over Brice’s garden into friendship.
Except their friendship gets tested and reshaped when Jake volunteers to come stay with Brice for a couple of days after he’s injured by a student. Jake has a history no one knows about. And Brice is the one man capable of reawakening dormant feelings in Jake.
Will Jake be able to embrace yearnings he hasn’t experienced in twenty years? Can Brice trust Jake’s changes to be real? It’s a challenge for the both of them, but no one said love would be easy.
Publisher
All Romance
Kindle
B&N
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Brice Reynolds leaned over a bent and braced knee on his chair as he gathered his teaching agenda and things to take home for the weekend. A stack of tests to grade, a thousand and one things to do. At least there were only six more weeks left. He stretched, scooping the last into a sort of acceptable pile in front of him.
The light clearing of a throat drew his attention to his open classroom doorway. He smiled seeing who it was. “Hi, Terra. How was your chemistry test?”
“A nightmare,” she groused. “But I know I passed.”
“That’s the important thing. Did you pass well?”
She crossed her eyes. “The jury is still out.”
He smiled for her. “What can I do for you?”
“Uncle Ian wanted me to see if you were still on for tomorrow.”
“Are you kidding? I’ll be there.” He let his foot drop to the floor. “Did he want me to bring anything?”
“Nope. I think Uncle Jake and Uncle Jessie have it covered. And you know when they come, there’s too much of everything.”
Brice smiled. Yeah, he was very familiar with the Drew family’s need to stuff everyone stupid at a barbecue. “Just have him call me if he needs anything last minute. I’ll be by around three otherwise.”
She nodded with a smile. “See you.” Clutching her backpack in her hand where it poised on her shoulder, she spun and vanished.
In the two years since moving to Jasper, he’d found the town very hospitable. He’d made several good friends, which helped life go by. One of them was Terra’s uncle, Ian. They’d met at Terra’s registration the fall of the previous school year. Quiet and hardworking, he owned one of the auto repair shops in town. He was also partnered with one of the local sheriffs, Caleb Drew. Well, now married. They’d done the deed over Christmas a year and a half ago. It had been a very enjoyable and intimate experience to share with them and he was thankful to call them friends.
His hands slowed closing his briefcase. Because of Ian, he’d had the chance to make new friends and meet Caleb’s family, who’d all taken him in as if he’d always been there. At home, in West Virginia, he’d suffered familial obligation to be included but there was no one who embraced diversity like Ian’s family did. He smirked then straightened, sliding the chair under his desk and checking that all the drawers were locked.
He couldn’t say his family had truly been understanding, but what did it matter? He didn’t live near them any longer. Jasper was small town America. It was friendly, and except for a few sour grapes, a pleasant community and area.
Brice had been invited to the guys’ wedding, several barbecues and even a holiday gathering this last season to celebrate their anniversary. He was one of the family. Ian’s, Caleb’s and Terra’s. It wasn’t a bad family to have.
Arriving at Ian and Caleb’s the following sun-filled afternoon, he was greeted by the scents of wood smoke. His mouth watered almost immediately. One thing he’d learned: Ian knew a mean trick or two with hot fire and beef. He stepped toward the back of the home, hearing conversation as he got closer.
A loud squeal was all the warning he got before a young brunette he recognized came tearing around the corner. He jumped out of the way. And waited. Flushed against the house, two more raced past him, laughing maniacally. Cautiously he put a foot out and when no one else appeared, he scooted around the corner, discovering several sets of eyes pinned in his direction.
He popped a thumb to gesture over his shoulder.
“Water guns,” Jessie explained.
“Let me guess. She wasn’t given one.”
“Not yet.” Jessie laughed. “Don’t worry. She will get even.” Jessie approached and offered a hand. “Good to see you, Brice.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
A waved hand drew him deeper into the backyard. Hugs and handshakes welcomed him. Bethany, Jessie’s wife, handed him a beer then tossed a filled water gun to Becky. With a war cry that would have chilled the most hardened battle soul, she charged her male cousins, Terra at her side. The battle was on now that it was even. Brice quickly found himself caught up in conversation with Ian and Caleb, laughing at their antics.
They chased each other back and forth, around the house, squirting streams of water until damp turned into soaked. At least with the warming weather and bright sunlight, they’d never feel the water chill. Summer was coming. Every single one of those kids was ready for it.
Brice barely paid the sound of a car door closing any attention, assuming it was a neighbor. That assumption soon proved to be very erroneous.
Brice spotted Jake, Caleb’s youngest brother, clearing the corner of the house about three seconds before the shrillest scream of surprise silenced everyone. Maybe even those across town.
“Aaron!” Terra shoved her gun at Becky and launched for Aaron when he appeared behind Jake, jumping into him and clinging like a monkey. Luckily he caught her and held her as they kissed.
“All right you two!” Jessie scolded after about a minute, though without any real displeasure. Slowly, very slowly, Aaron let Terra reach her feet in front of him.
“So I guess that means they’re still going strong, even with him in college this year?” Brice nudged Ian with an elbow.
“Still going strong.” He hadn’t moved too far from the grill since he’d started cooking, keeping an eye on the food he was making, glancing up every few seconds to follow Aaron and Terra holding hands to talk while a ceasefire was called in their water war. “He’s a good kid, and she’s no one’s fool.”
“They have a very supportive family. It helps.”
Ian grinned and shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt that the last thing Aaron wants to do is piss off Uncle Caleb, because he will tell Jessie and the hammer will come down.”
Brice sniggered. He could absolutely believe that. “Did he drive?”
“Jake went to get him at the airport. It’s why he wasn’t here.”
Brice wasn’t going to confirm the fact that he’d noticed Jake hadn’t been there when he’d first arrived. It really wasn’t his business. He didn’t want anyone else to think he was interested in Jake for more than family. It really sucked having an entire family of good looking men, Ian included, but Brice wasn’t going to jeopardize his relationship with them by letting on that he thought Jake was gorgeous.
Since Ian and Caleb’s wedding and meeting Caleb’s brother who had dressed in a sharp suit for the event, Brice had harbored a bit of a crush for the other man. More than a crush since he’d allowed himself to dream. Yet a crush was all it would ever be. The man was a divorced single father, and had never once made any type of hint that he could be into men. Sometimes it happened. A man discovering he was either gay or bi after a lifetime of disappointment, or worse—failure, but among the testosterone of the Drew brothers?
Ian had already nabbed the Drew brother that played on his team. And Caleb was so completely Ian’s, there was no contest.
Brice did know Jake had been single for several years, the ex having taken up with someone else and then moved out, leaving him with his daughter, a house, and a mess to clean up. He hadn’t ever seen it, but he was sure the man dated. Jake might even have a girlfriend. Just because there wasn’t someone there with them now meant very little.
He wasn’t as broad as either Caleb or Jessie. Jessie was built like a football linebacker, and Caleb was thick. Brice didn’t know for sure, but he thought there were a few years between Jake and Caleb, which put him about five years older than Brice. Not a big deal for him there, either. Brownish/black hair with the amazing blue eyes all three of the brothers had been blessed with, and a smile that could melt glaciers. He swallowed the sigh.
Yeah, Brice was totally crushing on the youngest Drew.
Excerpt: Loving Him / DeRiccin / MM Contemp
| Title | Loving Him |
| Author | Diana DeRicci |
| ISBN# | 978-1-60820-7169 (ebook) $6.99 |
| Release Date | October 2012 |
| Cover Artist | Winterheart Designs |
| Page Count: | 176 pg, 57,000 words |
| Heat Rating: | moderate |
| Categories: | contemporary |
Publisher
Amazon
All Romance
B&N
Blurb
Hunter is on a solo-man honeymoon. Sam is on a belated graduation trip to paradise. Deciding getting drunk together beats doing it while across the bar from each other, Sam offers a brotherly shoulder of understanding when he learns just why Hunter is in paradise alone.
A friendship blooms in a perfect tropical playground where both can enjoy the adventures waiting for them. Unfortunately, Sam soon learns their friendship can be far more than he bargained for when his feelings begin to have a say in it all. Hunter is a great friend, but falling in love with a straight man never works. The most he can expect is the memories he plans to cherish.
Except Hunter may have something to say about that.
Publisher
Amazon
All Romance
B&N
REVIEWS:
5 of 5 from Talking Two Lips
The emotional angst in this book kept me reading and wanting more. There is some really hot man love to keep you interested too, but the story of discovery and finding home is what will make this a book for my keeper shelf. ~~ Tina
http://www.twolipsreviews.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8368&Itemid=36
EXCERPT:
Chapter One
The gentle lap of the sea was a simple background to the sound of chatter and glasses being moved and filled. Laughter happened in bursts from the surrounding tables on the patio and deck. The scents of sun-heated sand and salt water were strong, but after the three days Sam had already been there, he’d grown used to them. The sun had set and the torches had been lit, giving a romantic glow to the few walls, which was lost on him.
Sam watched the blond hunk from across the bar, a sad state of entertainment, in reality. It was the third night Sam had seen the same guy, in the same spot, on the same stool, doing the exact same thing. Sitting there, sulking, and rolling a gold band between his fingers. The guy drank until he could barely walk, then slithered back to his room to vanish until the next afternoon. Considering they were supposed to be in the decadence of the Pacific, it was utterly sad both of them were doing essentially the exact same shit. Drinking themselves drunk to pass the time until they had to return to real world bullshit.
Sam couldn’t take it anymore.
He motioned to the bartender, bringing him closer. “What’s he been drinking?” He hooked his chin in the other man’s direction.
“Whiskey sours.”
“Okay, set him up.”
“You got it.”
Like the bartender cared one way or the other. The beauty of All-Inclusive, he guessed. He sometimes forgot that. Sam drew a breath, slid off his stool, and approached the big blond. Quietly, he took the empty stool at his side and nodded when the fresh drink appeared in front of the silent, brooding guy.
The guy at his shoulder apparently noticed the fresh drink even if he didn’t care about the body invading his private space. “I didn’t order this.”
“I did. Seemed a waste to sit and drink alone in the same damn bar.”
Blondie grunted. “I guess.” He drew it close, gulped a bit then set it down. “Thanks.”
“I’m Sam Rooney.” He held out a hand, waiting.
“Hunter Reece.” A firm handshake. What Sam hadn’t expected was the frisson of energy sparking in his palm. He held no illusions the man next to him was straight. The slip in his libido wasn’t even a tick on Hunter’s radar.
That was fine. Sam wasn’t looking for a hook up or sex. He was, plainly put, sick of being alone every day.
All. Damned. Day.
Decadence had gotten old after the first thirty-six hours.
Sam sipped liquor through his straw, absorbing the pungent coconut milk and rum like a sponge. He was getting good at it, too.
Hunter tapped the broad gold band on the bar, palming the drink in his other hand. A moment later, he practically drained the refilled glass without breathing.
“Wow. Your liver is going to hate you.”
Hunter only shrugged. “What’s one more?”
Sam shifted on his seat. He slid off his flip-flops to settle his bare heels on the cool stretch bar of the stool, ready for the long haul. “Okay, what happened?”
Hunter gave him a sideways glower. “Don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, getting drunk as a skunk every night is doing wonders for you, too.” He lifted his own drink and toasted Hunter. Propping himself on the bumper of the bar with an elbow, he waited Hunter out. It wasn’t like he had anything exciting lined up.
“Shit.” Hunter hissed. Then he bottomed out the drink. He waggled the empty glass and requested a fresh one. “She walked out two days before the wedding.”
He winced. “Fuck. So you’re on a one-man honeymoon?”
Hunter sucked the last drops from the glass as the bartender prepped his newest, then shook himself like a dog coming out of the rain. “Yeah.”
“That truly sucks.”
“That’s only half of it,” Hunter griped. With a little lubrication and an apparent welcoming ear, it seemed he was very willing to purge, whether he had wanted to or not. “She ran off with a friend’s brother.”
Sam groaned. How cliché. “Please tell me he wasn’t the best man.”
Hunter ran a finger under his lip, contemplating his drink. “No, just a friend.”
“Who now is on the shoot to kill list, I take it?”
He rolled a beefy shoulder in answer. “I don’t give a shit. I really don’t.” He twisted to stare dubiously at Sam. “She gave the worst goddamned head on the planet. I’m more glad we didn’t actually go through with it now, but it sucks that we got this far at all.” He said it like he should have known better. He sucked on his drink, playing with an ice cube before crunching it to swallow it down. “I wanted to think love was love, it would someday be wonderful. The sex would rock my world.” He huffed a disillusioned curse. “It’s all make-believe. There is no such thing. It’s a Hallmark sales ploy. Shoulda listened to Dad,” he muttered, taking another drink.
Sam didn’t think so, but he wasn’t going to argue semantics with Hunter. He wasn’t in the frame of mind to believe it.
Excerpt: Finding Happiness 3: Mark’s Courage / DeRicci / MM contemp
The third and latest installment of the Mark and Jimmy saga…
Series: Finding Happiness , Book 3
By: Diana DeRicci | Other books by Diana DeRicci
Published By: Happy Ending Press
ISBN # HEP0000000003
All Romance Ebooks
Rainbow Ebooks
Amazon
B&N
BLURB:
Jimmy’s career is rolling full steam ahead and the challenges of dating a celebrity are beginning to encroach on Mark’s stable world. When Jimmy is nominated for an award, even Mark’s co-workers question his intentions. Will he stay at a job he enjoys, or will he find the strength and courage to be what Jimmy needs most?
All Romance Ebooks
Rainbow Ebooks
Amazon
B&N
EXCERPT:
Chapter One
Mark rolled over in bed and nuzzled the strong shoulder beside him. A shoulder linked to a body whose head was all but buried under the pillow. When Jimmy was on his stomach, it was a common way of finding Jimmy and always gave Mark a warm smile. Like a four year-old kid, he dove under his pillow and stayed there.
There were still mornings when he woke and just stared at the man beside him. Yes, he was guilty of that, and honestly expected—given the chance—he’d be doing it well into old age. Jimmy was simply perfection to Mark. An abstract person he’d admired from afar for years who, nearly against the odds, became a friend until Mark had no choice but to fall like a loon head over heels for the man. Thankfully, Jimmy fell right with him. It hadn’t been an easy landing either, but Mark had never been happier. It wasn’t always easy dismissing the fact that Jimmy was in truth adored and desired by probably millions, from two different yet very high-profile careers. Jimmy wasn’t just Mark’s. But when they were in this bed, in their apartment, Mark was all Jimmy’s and that seemed to be the perfect balance for them.
Good thing I’m not psycho-possessive. He tipped into the bedding to hide his growing grin. It wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t impossible. Learning to know the real Jimmy Saldana, not the one on glossy pages with a sinful body and a devil’s grin, proved the difference between infatuation and real emotion. Not many got to know the insides of Jimmy. Family, friends, Jimmy’s mother and Mark. Mark guarded that soft center with all of his soul.
The muted trill of his cell phone in the other room pulled his attention away from the sleeping hunk in the bed.
Easing away, he quietly walked out of the bedroom to answer the phone. A glance at the screen and he knew who it was. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. How are you?”
Mark sat on a kitchen chair. “Going good. How’s everything up north?”
“The usual. Your dad is tearing apart the boat motor again.”
“Again?”
He could hear his mother’s exasperation, and pictured the likely accompanied eye roll that would go with it. “A usual Saturday.”
Mark covered his mouth to stifle the chuckle. “Eh. It keeps him out of trouble.”
“True,” she agreed. “I called to invite you and Jimmy to dinner next weekend. Is he still in town?”
“For another two weeks, then he’s back on location.”
“I don’t know how you can do that. Are you holding up all right?”
“For the most part, yeah. He calls a couple times a day to stay in touch.” Or he would send texts or pictures. He wasn’t talkative, but he was a texting maniac when he had lulls on set.
“Well, see if you have time. Your old bedroom is yours if you need to stay over.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see if he’s able and let you know.”
They chatted for a few more minutes, and then he hung up. Warm arms circled his shoulders from behind as he did.
“Morning,” Jimmy murmured, brushing a tender kiss to Mark’s neck. “Who was on the phone?”
“Mom. She wants us to come up next weekend.”
“Cool.”
“You know, she’s already got us married.”
Jimmy laughed roughly, still sounding sleepy and sexy. “So does half the world. Do you see me complaining?”
Mark arched his head backward, caressing temple to temple. “Nope. Me neither.”
Maybe someday. Wasn’t a rushing emergency in Mark’s book. Things were good the way they were. No need to fix what wasn’t broken.
“Come back to bed. It’s Saturday and I’m not ready to get up yet.”
“Only if you promise to run with me later.”
“Deal,” Jimmy breathed before he started sucking on Mark’s earlobe.
“You’re so easy.” Mark reached behind his shoulders, clasping at Jimmy’s body and hair with seeking fingers.
“Oh?”
“Saturdays are five mile runs.”
That got a gut-deep groan from Jimmy. Standing to wrap Jimmy in his arms, Mark gave his man a good morning kiss that was well worth going back to bed for.
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Excerpt: Finding Happiness 2: Mark’s Challenge / DeRicci / MM Contemp
By: Diana DeRicci | Other books by Diana DeRicci
Published By: Happy Ending Press
Published: Sep 22, 2012
ISBN # HEP0000000002
Heat Index
Mark Palastine is dating the man of his dreams. All because of a fateful kiss that neither man could fight a few months before, he’s flying above the clouds in relatinship bliss.
That is until he sees his man on one of the local tabloids looking like a million bucks, and he’s not alone.
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Chapter One
Mark grabbed his windbreaker off the back of his office chair to drape over an arm, then pushed his work chair in. He looked at the time on his phone. Jimmy was due to land in twenty minutes. That meant with passport checks, baggage, and travel via limo, he’d be home in about two hours. Plenty of time to get dinner started and make the bed. He refused to have dirty sheets on the bed when Jimmy first got home.
Home. Not a hotel, not separate apartments, but their place. Jimmy had actually made a statement about their relationship at the end of March and cancelled his apartment. When Mark had offered to do the deed of moving, since Jimmy’s was larger, Jimmy had refused. His argument was he was gone too much to begin with, and the agency could always set him up if he needed. Which Jimmy had firmly put in the doubted column. That statement of faith had given Mark a lot of confidence in their relationship.
“Hey, Mark!”
He looked up out of his thoughts to see Leslie flagging him down. “What’s up?” He looked at the time again. Please, no emergencies. He faced her as she rushed up to him.
She brandished a rolled-up magazine in her hand like a sword. “Look at this! There’s a guy that looks just like you in this month’s Girlfriends Gossip,” she gushed. “I can’t get over it.”
Mark hid his chuckling. “Really? I have a twin somewhere, huh?”
“Well, don’t we all?” she answered absently, flipping with her thumb through the pages.
“Supposedly. I’ve heard that.”
She finally got to the right page and thrust it at him. “Look! And whoever he is he’s with Jimmy Saldana!” She fake swooned. “I don’t care that he’s gay. That man is hotter than a habanero in my book.”
Personally, Mark was surprised the picture was even that clear considering how far away the paparazzi had to be to take their shot. “Hm.” He seemed to study the photo of their backs, holding hands as they strolled along the beach. If a person looked closely, they’d be able to see who was who, but Mark wasn’t going to throw himself into the limelight with his coworkers if he didn’t have to. “I don’t think it looks like me. I mean, you can’t even make out their faces. Well, his a little in profile,” he offered downplaying their likenesses, pointing to Jimmy. “He is cute.”
“Just cute?” She slapped his arm and he flinched, laughing deeply. “Blasphemer!”
No one seemed to notice that he’d come back in January from his little vacation with a bit of a tan, and shorter hair. The haircut had been long overdue, but it worked well into camouflaging for himself. Since it was still colder than hell, he was able to hide the little bit of a tan he had come home with under winter wear.
That had been the best vacation of his life. Jimmy had surprised him. Just told him when Mark had the days guaranteed off work and to let him do the rest. Mark did, and hadn’t regretted it in the least. Though getting a photo—even an out of focus one—of himself in a monthly women’s mag with celebrity updates was just a bit of a shock.
He checked his phone. “Gotta head out, Leslie. Have a good weekend.”
“Okay,” she mumbled still staring and reading. “Oh! Wait. Not doing drinks tonight?” She finally seemed to realize he was as close to halfway out the door as he could be.
“Not tonight. Plans already.”
“Poo. Okay. See you Monday,” she chirped, bouncing down the desks to tackle someone else with the mystery man look-alike in the magazine.
Excerpt: Finding Happiness 1: Mark’s Crush / DeRicci / MM Contemp
I’ve started a little series of shorts. Finding Happiness is an on going serial about Mark, an average Joe IT guy, and his crush-turned-boyfriend Jimmy. They’re under my personal brand, Happy Ending Press and are available through the usual locations. If you like short reads or just want a taste for a test drive that maybe an excerpt can’t give, these are the perfect type of read.
I hope readers enjoy them, and for those waiting, four and five are current wips. I greatly appreciate all the feedback I’ve received for these two.
By: Diana DeRicci | Other books by Diana DeRicci
Published By: Happy Ending Press
Published: Jul 06, 2012
ISBN # HEP0000000001
Heat Index
Mark Palastine lives across from a neighbor who will change his life. A man he’s only seen, and crushed on, in images, a model by the name of Jimmy Saldana. When Mark is an unfortunate witness to the meltdown of Jimmy’s love life through the personality mags, his heart goes out to the other man.
And then they meet…
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Excerpt:
Mark saw Jimmy a couple more times that week, but only once with his boyfriend, thankfully. Once he was walking around the living room talking on his cell phone in just underwear. That fueled dreams and fantasies for days! After the first week, Mark began to feel bad always looking for Jimmy. It wasn’t right. He should have privacy in his own home, except…
Jimmy never closed those damned blinds! Never! Mark swore a blue streak when he caught a flash of skin and like a bad wreck couldn’t help but watch as the two men chased each other around the apartment with cans of silly string. So he wasn’t just a boyfriend, he was a friend.
After two months of it, Mark had convinced himself to ease off on the obsession. Jimmy was out of his league and always would be. He didn’t have any more voyeur episodes either. He actually felt pretty good about that. If Jimmy was free-spirited and an exhibitionist, it didn’t mean Mark had to watch, even if he knew he’d love it.
Then something changed. Walking past the newsstand on his daily commute from work, he spotted the screaming in font headline on the cover of one of the tell-all rags. “Patton Vorga engaged!” Mark’s mouth fell open. He’d never known the man’s name, hadn’t cared. But the man in the picture next to the obviously pregnant woman was Jimmy’s boyfriend!
Usually oblivious to the snark and gossip, he bought the tattle-tale newspaper and stuffed it into his messenger bag, scurrying with the crowd to get home now to read it.
Inside his apartment, he plopped down to his couch and ripped it open to the right page, reading. There was usually a nugget of suspicion if not full truth in any gossip, and if she was carrying Patton’s child… Mark bit his lip, his stomach heaving. He leaped to his feet and rushed to the window.
Jimmy wasn’t home. God, as much as he wanted Jimmy, he didn’t want him hurt, and if this was true… After five minutes, and no sign of life in the other apartment, he left to change out of his work attire. He tossed the crumpled newsprint on his bed and stripped to an A-shirt and gym shorts. He’d relax then go for his evening run. He was sure everything was okay with Jimmy. No, it wasn’t Mark that would comfort him, but he had to believe the gossip rag was just speculating. Jimmy was an upstanding guy, charitable worker and had never been slandered.
Mark shook his head. “You know way too much about that guy,” he muttered. He just didn’t want to see Jimmy crushed by an asshole. He balled up the newspaper and tossed the pages into the recycle bin, calling it done then spun to gather his keys to go run. And was stopped in his tracks by the flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.
Jimmy was home. He was storming back and forth across his living room, vanishing into his bedroom then reappearing, as though the lavish apartment was just too small to contain him. The phone was plastered to his ear and he was gesturing broadly and angrily.
“Oh, hell.” Mark paused by his fishbowl window and watched the world beyond. The agony was clear even through the distance. Mark’s chest ached with the pain he knew the guy was enduring.
Jimmy froze in the living room and shouted into the phone then threw it. A heartbeat later, he followed in the same direction only to return with the trashcan in hand. One, two, three photo frames were pitched into the can.
Mark put his hand to the glass. “Oh, baby,” he breathed. “I’d never do that to you.”
Excerpt:
He fumbled for the keys to his apartment and Jimmy plucked them out of cold fingers. “Let me do it, thumbs.”
“Ha ha,” Mark murmured.
Jimmy gave him a hip bump to nudge him over then opened the door.
“You’re in a good mood,” Mark pointed out.
“I’ve got a long vacation. I’m not due anywhere until January twentieth.”
“Wow. What are you going to do with yourself?”
Jimmy plunked Mark’s keys on the counter where he usually left them then proceeded to unwrap Mark. He kindly unhooked the messenger tote from around his neck before tackling anything else. A shiver climbed up Mark’s spine with his help. Jimmy hadn’t done this before.
“After about a week of sleep, I thought I’d see if I could kidnap you for a few days.”
“Me?” Mark studied his chiseled features but Jimmy was pretty intent on the buttons of his coat. The intensity of his focus dried all the moisture out of Mark’s mouth. Mark shrugged to aid Jimmy’s efforts of removing his heavy winter peacoat, only once it was around his arms, Jimmy stopped. They were of nearly the same height, and when he looked in Jimmy’s eyes, that bold brown burned. He didn’t fight it when Jimmy backed him into the door, his limbs captured within the heavy fabric. “Jimmy?” he breathed.
“Knew I wasn’t imagining this,” he murmured, studying Mark. He leaned forward, just a fraction. “Tell me now if you want me to stop.”
Mark opened his mouth, his brain short-circuiting. Jimmy wanted him? Stop? What? Oh fuck, no! He shook his head, panting already as his body burst into flame with a dormant and denied desire.
“You’re amazing, Mark. Beautiful eyes. Love your eyes,” he said, closing the distance between them to drop light kisses over eyelids. Sparks lit at the barest contact, measured by the length of moans rumbling in his chest in answer. Then Jimmy found his lips and Mark was sinking, his brain singing praises of hot lips, nipping teeth and a tongue that could duel him into submission any day of the week.
A hand inched up Mark’s throat to tease the longest snatches of hair over his ears. Mark whimpered because he couldn’t move his arms enough to touch back. He was literally caged and pinned. He struggled for a moment then simply went limp, eating at Jimmy’s mouth as voraciously as he was devouring Mark.
Jimmy released him and both gulped for air. He burrowed under Mark’s chin, nibbling and licking at skin. “Mark,” Jimmy sighed against his throat and Mark melted. “Missed you so much.”
Mark couldn’t have heard that right. “You did? Oohhh,” he whimpered when Jimmy sucked flesh after small nibbled bites.
Excerpt (R) Men of Silo: Run With The Moon / DeRicci / MM Paranormal
Men of Silo is an ongoing series (took on a life of its own!) that is going to follow the inhabitants of silo, so some will be paranormal, and some not. I hope that doesn’t turn of readers as each book will have a distinct plot with intertwining characters. The upcoming Healed Beginnings is Book 2 and is in edits right now. I hope to have release info on it soon. I’ll also be sharing an excerpt of it during the TRS Party for the TRS readers!
For right now, here’s a taste of Run With The Moon. Enjoy!
By: Diana DeRicci
Published: Oct 31, 2012
ISBN # 9781612920566
Word Count: 56,876
GLBT/MM/Erotic Romance/Paranormal
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Jamie Ness is homeless and on the run. After divulging his deepest, guarded secret, his father attacked him, which left no choice but for Jamie to leave everything behind he’d once known. His greatest fear is that his father will realize the mistake he made in throwing away the only real income coming into their home and hunt for Jamie. Putting distance between his father and wherever he stops is his only priority. After walking for days, putting one foot in front of the other, it’s impossible to turn down a hot meal when Chris Rose pulls up at his side on the outskirts of a town he doesn’t know.
Offering the young man a helping hand is ingrained in Chris. Something to eat, a warm bed, and safety, even if he could only get Jamie to grudgingly agree to one night. He would have offered that and more to the young man with the shadowed eyes, except more trouble was looming for Jamie. It isn’t just Jamie’s dad that Jamie has to worry about, because there is nothing in his life that could have prepared him for Chris’s secrets.
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Excerpt:
Chapter One
Howls ricocheted through the woods like the haunting sound of a pending storm, like a surreal thunder. The eerie brush and scratch of trees and leaves was unsettling because nothing moved. There was no wind, no other sounds.
Except for those howls.
They echoed around Jamie on all sides. He knew he was surrounded. He could only pray that the pack didn’t close in. He was fucked if they did. Wasn’t much he could do with a single backpack against a pack of wolves. He didn’t even have a knife.
Jamie huddled beneath the thickest bower of limbs, his stomach rumbling. He ignored it. He had to ration what he had managed to stuff in his bag.
He closed his eyes and drew a steadying breath, refusing to let the shakes overtake him again. Five days wasn’t that long. He’d be in a new town or city soon, and he could start over. Find a job. Find a place to live, even if it was only a dry corner somewhere.
His eyes burst open when the next round of howls started. Sharper, closer. He shivered. Jamie knew the animals were taunting him, trying to flush him out. The fastest way to agitate a predator was to run. Cowards ran.
His head sank to his huddled knees, swamped in on all sides by his melancholy and situation. He guessed then that he was a coward. He’d run from his father’s fist. So much to ignore. His empty stomach. The burning pull on his ribs. The aching stiffness of his jaw. The gnawing pain and ache in his arm. Those relentless howls. Gingerly he touched his lip; it felt like the swelling had gone down, but he couldn’t say. He hadn’t seen his face at its worst or since he’d run from the house after his father’s last drunken rage.
The night was a refuge of sorts. It was quiet, and not too cold. Tucked into his body there was a modicum of warmth, but not much. It took him a few minutes to realize the howls had ceased. He lifted his chin, searching with unblinking eyes into the dark shadows around him. The highway was silent at that time of night, somewhere off to his right. He’d dug into the trees for cover and shelter in case the weather turned bad. It had the night before. He only had a couple changes of clothes with him. There had been pain in every motion as he’d stuffed his old backpack with clothes, energy bars, and two bottles of water as quickly as possible. He only had the one pair of sneakers.
Jamie sniffled, wincing for it. He was twenty-two, and until five nights ago had never thought his father would be able to kill him. He’d been hit. Plenty. He knew without a doubt now that his father hated him. Jamie had mistakenly believed his dad had needed him. He’d stayed after graduation to help his dad. Help pay bills. It wasn’t like either of them had ever had much.
Telling him Jamie was gay had been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The last thing he remembered after the ominous silence of his admission was disappearing into his bedroom and getting ready for bed. He had work the next morning. Three hours later, he’d been bodily yanked out of bed and attacked. Jamie had never seen his dad that drunk in his life. Jamie had fought back, instinctively knowing that this time if he didn’t, his dad would kill him. With all the strength he had, he’d swung one of his long-ago track trophies at his father’s head. He was so drunk he hadn’t gone down instantly, staggering and teetering instead like a chopped tree, defying before finally giving in to gravity. Jamie had leaped across his bed, putting it between them, watching. Then, almost as if his dad’s body just hit a switch, he’d collapsed across Jamie’s bed.
Blood seeped from a cut on the back of his head by his ear, but that was all the damage he’d done. Snores that should have woken the dead were echoed by heavy breathing. He was out.
Jamie had stuffed what he could into his backpack and left. He had no job now and only minimal cash on hand. He prayed when he finally found a place to stop, he could call and get his last paycheck, but he wasn’t holding his breath for life to treat him right. After twenty-two years, he should know better.
Five nights after that fight, he was somewhere west of home, heading somewhere far away from a life that had been nothing but pain-filled and disappointing.
He blinked into the shadows as another chorus began.
And I’m surrounded by wolves. “Yay,” he croaked. He flipped the hood up on his sweatshirt, burrowing his hands into the pockets. As snug as he could be, he clung tighter to his bent legs and closed his eyes, listening, but trying to rest before he started walking again.
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Excerpt (PG): Second Chance At Love / DeRicci / MM Contemp
Second Chance At Love is my first story with Dreamspinner Press. It is also the book up for grabs for today’s party, so if you like the excerpt, check out the prize list, over <—– there.
ISBN-13: 978-1-62380-441-1
Pages: 106
Cover Artist: DWS Photography
The hole in Tony Teagan’s heart is slowly shrinking. Since losing the love of his life, he’s buried himself in running West TonDe Press, but now he can remember the good times. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s ready for a new man in his life. Then he meets nighttime delivery guy Brandon, who appears on his doorstep with Thai food. Tony’s interest is piqued despite their ten-year age difference, and Brandon is all for a new relationship. Relinquishing his hold on his deceased lover is the hardest challenge Tony will face, but if his future is combined with Brandon’s, he may have a second chance at love after all.
“The perfect setting to “pay it forward“. “
by Barb
http://tinyurl.com/bw3ep4m
Chapter One
CAPPUCCINO jelly beans.
Tony held the front door open for a split second as the scent assaulted him. His lashes fell and he almost spoke the name on the tip of his tongue in response. A quick inhale and it was gone, the imagined scent replaced by a very real frown. He knew he was imagining it, a long-ago memory. Devyn and those same jelly beans were gone. Two years gone. His heart still ached, though not as badly. Time had softened the loss. The hole in his heart that losing the love of his life had created was slowly, though no less painfully, shrinking.
Closing the door of his Glendale home behind him, he began to work the knot of his tie loose as he crossed the room to the kitchen table. Thick pile carpet silenced his step until he reached the wood plank of the kitchen, the crisp tap of his shoes the only sound in the home they’d once shared.
After removing his jacket to hang squarely on the back of one of the chairs, he opened his briefcase to palm the two files within. Submissions to review for two new books. The authors were waiting for the final decision and he didn’t like taking more time than was needed to approve or decline. He knew these two personally and didn’t want to delay. Submitting was enough of a hurry up and wait.
With the files staring up at him from the table, he went to the cabinets and withdrew a bottle of wine from its place in the rack. He delved for the corkscrew in the drawer, then with it in hand, popped the cork free to let the wine breathe. He pulled down one glass, barely the slightest hitch in his motions now, when out of habit he would have set two on the counter before.
Taking a few minutes to retreat to his bedroom, he changed from his work clothes. Dressed in shorts and a lightweight T-shirt, Tony was more comfortable against the streaming sunlight entering through the panoramic windows in the living room.
Once he had his glass a quarter full of wine, he grabbed the files and sauntered to his leather couch, where he could read and relax with the broad lines of his home to one side and the lush greenery of the hills on the other. The blazing sunlight sparkled off the nearly mirror-flat surface of his swimming pool. A single glance was all he allowed himself, knowing his memories would overwhelm him if he lingered.
He flipped open the first file. “Okay, Frankie. What did you send me this time, you goddess?” Tony mused. His staff vetted public submissions, but he handled a few long-timers personally. Frankie, AKA Frank Rogel, was a long-in-the-tooth stable author of Tony’s from their early days together. Rarely, very rarely, did he not accept one of Frankie’s stories outright. Tony had spotted her talent early on, when he was still a struggling agent himself and had snatched her up like a hot commodity. She’d been writing for him ever since. West TonDe Press wasn’t her only home, and he was fine with that. Overlap was encouraged and helped promote names readers might not otherwise see. It didn’t hurt one bit that everyone who read her work believed she was a male author of the hottest male-male romances out there. He needed to get down to West Hollywood and take his best girl out to lunch sometime soon.
Shadows lengthened as Tony was drawn into the story—a wild-animal activist for big cats and the one man who was his nemesis, face-to-face. One who was desired like chocolate-covered strawberries when they could actually sit down to discuss things other than the land they both wanted.
Tony had learned early on that if he didn’t skip the sex scenes, he’d be taking a shower more than once with her work in his hands. Frankie put the steamy back into sex, as far as he was concerned.
A grumble of his stomach drew him out of the story and he noted the time. Not that the long shadows decorating his living room didn’t fill him in to begin with. “Did it again,” he grumbled. He still forgot to eat without Devyn there to get his ass off the couch and his nose out of whatever he was reading.
Dropping the pages on the table in front of the couch, he lurched to his feet to find the phone and hit speed dial.
“Hi, Angela. It’s Tony Teagan,” he said to the hostess at his favorite Thai house.
“Good evening, Mr. Teagan.” Her voice was whimsical, warm. “The usual tonight?”
“Yes, please. Delivery.”
Tony heard the tap of keys on the other end. “Look for our driver in about thirty-five minutes.”
“Thank you.” He hung up and reclaimed his comfy spot on the couch, tucking in firmly to the pillows behind him. Devyn would have had a fit if he knew how often Tony was now eating out. Devyn had been the chef, not Tony. He could manage the coffeemaker and the microwave. More than that and he was proven to be the inept one in their relationship. Why change something at this late stage had been his oldest argument, the kind that always had Dev laughing at him right before he would be engulfed in loving arms for a heated kiss or more.
Tony placed the pages in his hand on his thighs, rubbing stiff fingers over his eyes. Moments of melancholy were rarer. At least they’d had twelve years together to make memories, good memories.
Devyn had been a prince, the sweetest man when they’d met.
Tony dropped his chin to his chest, concentrating to even his breathing before the heat in his eyes turned to tears. “I miss you so much, Dev.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, he steadied himself and grasped the loose pages on his lap, determined to give Frankie his absolute attention. At least he knew she’d give him a happy ending, something he once thought he’d have for the rest of his life.
BRANDON popped through the rear doors of the restaurant and walked toward Mikahl’s driver stand. The restaurant did a booming business out front, but the delivery was well-known for being prompt and personable, which put them in high demand. “Here are the receipts for Dessel and Hopkins.”
“Thanks.” Mikahl palmed them and slapped them into the register account book. He quickly wrote down notes on a tablet by his elbow and then spoke into the headset on his ear. Brandon didn’t really focus on any of it, just glad to get thirty seconds to be still.
The quiet didn’t last long before he was handed another order. “Brandon! My man! I have a hot one.” One of the cooks slid it across the rear chrome counter toward Mikahl, who quickly bagged it up and printed the order tally.
“Where to?” He lifted the receipt and read the address. Lucas Street? He swept a quick look to Mikahl. “Wait. Doesn’t Rodney usually take this area?”
“He’s already out, and Mr. Teagan is one of our best customers.” Mikahl patted a shoulder. “He’s a good tipper. Don’t let the area intimidate you.” He gave a directed push to go with an impatient don’t waste time wave.
“Okay,” Brandon said, hiding his tiredness before Mikahl picked up on it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do the delivery, but the houses up in the hills did intimidate him. He slipped out the back door to the alley where the delivery guys parked their cars: his, Rodney’s, and Paul’s, who were both already out. After packing the Styrofoam boxes into the insulated cube carrier, he settled it on the passenger seat, and once he was in, buckled it down, then did the same for himself.
Looking at the clock display, he noticed he still had two hours of deliveries before he would be off for the night. After that, he had about an hour to squeeze in some studying and then sleep before he went into his other job at the coffee shop.
He knew finishing college was going to be hard. Putting the car into gear, he refused to think about where he could have been if only he’d agreed to do things his parents’ way.
As in denounce being gay.
Brandon could denounce a lot of things: his love of mystery thrillers, his love of cheesecake—but he couldn’t denounce being gay.
It had been three years since he’d last seen his parents. They’d withdrawn financial aid for his degree, which had put him working two jobs instead of just the one at the coffee shop. He liked both, for different reasons. The coffee shop because there were always interesting customers and discussion, everything from politics to the latest fashion trends to who in Hollywood had adopted a dog or a kid.
As for the delivery night job, that just kept him moving. No matter how tired he was, he never noticed until he was done for the day. Usually an hour or so of studying and reading was about all his fatigued brain could manage before he dumped himself headfirst into bed. He would rise the next morning, before dawn, to do it all again.
It was hard, but it wasn’t killing him, and until then, he refused to give up on his dreams. He was slowly making progress toward his degree. He wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers now, even without his parents’ help. It would have been easier, but this was life—his life—and he had to work with what he was dealt.
An upbeat song started on the radio and he cranked it. One other good thing about the night job: he could sing to his heart’s content as loud as he wanted. He could be his own rock star behind the wheel, and no one knew anything about it.
Lucas Street appeared in front of him and he made the left, gaping just a little at the large homes. They were beautiful marble and stone creations, with pristine lawns, trimmed bushes and shrubs, and large leaf-filled trees. Paradise in the middle of town, or actually on the north side of town, but no one was that picky, least of all Brandon.
Eyeing the ticket quickly, he released it and hunted house numbers. “Lawdy, Miss Mae. I do hope he’s a tipper,” he drawled in a sultry falsetto. He rolled to a stop at the curb and double checked the numbers.
Brandon hopped from the car in front of the right house and grabbed the insulated carrier in sure palms. He skipped up the four steps to the door and hit the doorbell with a thumb. A moment or two was all it took.
“That was quick tonight, Rod—Oh, sorry. I thought you were Rodney.”
The hunk in the doorway short-circuited Brandon’s brain for about three solid seconds. Sleek, satiny black workout shorts and a soft-as-suede T-shirt that fit his chest like a dream. And that was just what was directly in front of his eyes. He wanted to take all the time in the world to investigate and stare, but the man’s voice dispelled his visual groping.
“How much is it?”
“Huh?” Brandon blinked and shook himself, feeling his face heat like a bonfire on the beach. With his fair skin, he knew it was impossible to pretend it didn’t happen. “Sorry.” He hunted for the ticket, using it as an excuse to get his tongue into the right gear. “Fourteen eighty-three.”
“Sounds right. Are you new?”
Brandon slipped the boxes from the insulator. “No, Rodney was already out,” he replied lamely, hiding his jealousy that this guy was one of Rodney’s regulars. No one in Brandon’s area, as of yet, had turned out looking like this god.
“Oh. Well, here.” He handed over two bills. “Keep the extra.”
“But….” Brandon stared at the two twenties. Forty bucks? Seriously?
A dark-brown eyebrow hiked up over sparkling eyes. “Unless you don’t want it,” he teased.
“Oh! Um. It’s… just… unexpected.”
The man in front of him dipped his head and Brandon realized he was hunting for the name tag on his shirt. “It’s okay, Brandon. I believe in paying it forward. I didn’t always have those two twenties to rub together, much less splurge on Thai food. I remember,” he offered with a smile. “Thanks for bringing it tonight. Maybe I’ll get to see you again.”
He took a step backward and Brandon realized he was going to close the door. Brandon didn’t know how to stop him, so with a final glimpse of the man’s facial features to store and fantasize on later, he spun and trotted to his waiting car.
“God, Rodney. No wonder you love this street,” he muttered when he was sitting behind his steering wheel again.
E
Excerpt:
Brandon smoothed his hair and his clothes with barely steady flicks of his fingers, hoping he looked put together and not thrown together, which was closer to the truth. Then he walked through the front door of West TonDe Press, trying to show he was confident even though he really had no idea what the modeling suggestion would involve. The pulse of AC-driven air was quick to chill his skin as his nerves snapped.
He spotted a woman at a desk and, as a guess, walked to her.
Her head popped up from the computer she was typing on. She smiled warmly before saying, “Hi. Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Mr. Teagan.” Brandon fisted his hand to hide the tremors.
Before she could answer, Ralph came swirling into the lobby. “Clara! Get Diane on the phone. Georgia is late! Oh. Hi there. Brandon, right?” He thrust out a hand and Brandon shook almost mechanically, absolutely speechless at the whirlwind before him. “Glad to see you could drop in for a few minutes. Clara, let me know if Diane knows where her girl is, would you?” He swept an arm over Brandon’s shoulders. “Come with me. I have all kinds of ideas I want to use you for.”
“But…. Where’s Tony?” Brandon followed, though stiffly. He felt utterly out of place amid the finery of the office and Ralph’s obviously designer composition of color and material, most of which was silk. Ralph was a glistening rainbow on steroids. Ralph clearly loved color.
“Probably in his office,” Ralph replied with a blasé wave of his hand. They swept around a corner, nearly taking out a tall potted palm in the process. Ralph tapped a knuckle to a closed door as they passed it. “That man gets lost all the time in whatever he’s reading at the moment. Devyn was the only reason he ever remembered to eat.”
Devyn?
Before Brandon could form a reply, Ralph swept him into a small studio-like room with white screens and little else. “Okay. Off with the shirt. I wasn’t kidding. I have to see what you’ve got to know where I can use you.”
“My shirt?” Brandon took a step back and jolted when he accidently bumped a stool.
“Yes, dear.” Ralph tapped his lip as though considering something deeply.
“He didn’t say anything about this,” Brandon was quick to point out. He clasped at the stool to keep it from teetering over. I thought he’d said this was legit. Brandon’s self-preservation warnings were blaring like National Weather Service bursts.
“Because I haven’t had a chance to tell you anything.”
