Guest Blogger ~ Jess Buffett: Jack’s Claus

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Blurb:

Jack Frost has spent his entire existence questioning where he fit in.  A Keeper with no holiday or reason for being, a darkness inside of him that he can’t begin to understand, causing Jack to be unsurprised when the other Keepers appear to have all but given up on him.

Nick is used to bringing joy to others, he is Santa Claus after all, but where his mate is concerned, he just can’t seem to get it right.  When Jack becomes the sole target for their enemy, Nick will stop at nothing to keep his mate safe and prove once and for all they are meant to be.

With the story coming to an end, join the Keepers as they discover not only who they truly are, but what they are capable of...and just perhaps, what the future holds.

EXCERPT:

"Jack, watch out!"

 "F**k!" A mass of black, blue, and bright red fell down a hillside in a mass of tangled limbs and pained grunts. "Ouch!"

When they finally reached the bottom, Nick blinked up at the sky for a moment, fighting to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him by the ground and multiple jabs from Jack’s flying limbs.

"Are you alright?" he asked when he was sure he could speak.

"I'll live." Slightly disoriented icy blue orbs met worried green ones. Pale, full lips stretched into a weak smile. "Sorry for using you as my landing mattress."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I don’t quite have the padding most people think, not sure how good a job I did."

Jack blushed, stuttering for an answer and looking anywhere but at Nick, all but jumping off him when Nick cleared his throat.

"S-sorry," the younger Keeper murmured as he wiped the snow off himself. Nick sighed as he stood and looked around.

"Well, at least we didn't roll too far down," he murmured and brushed the snow off his leather jacket.

Yes, it was red. He was Santa, of course it was red.

"Are you alright?" He looked at Jack, and suppressed the whine that wanted to break out when the younger man looked at him with a forced grin. Everything was forced with Jack these days. While the two of them had been able to coexist in the same space in the past few months better than they had in the last few centuries, it hurt something deep down inside to see Jack almost a shell of who he used to be.

"Just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing I'm not used to already."

Nick frowned while Jack started to look around, trying to find a way up.

They had been out there for hours, searching for any sign of the Fates. From the moment Sam had discovered their hand in the attacks, placed upon not just the Keepers, but also the Dark Lords, those three devious and spiteful goddesses had vanished. Recently word had come to them the Fates had been spotted somewhere around the Alps, and Jack more than most had been determined to search the area for any evidence to support the claims and track them down. He just hadn’t considered how damn big the area was, even for a couple of Keepers.

"Maybe we should head back to the Pro Custodes and continue tomorrow," Nick suggested and Jack looked at him with a confused expression. His cheeks were rosy from the cold and his beautiful icicle-like eyes were glowing brightly. Every part of Nick was begging to just claim the younger man for himself.

But he couldn’t.

Not yet.

Nick had far too much to make up for where Jack was concerned. He had failed the man who should be his mate more times than he could count. And the younger man had paid dearly for it.

"There's not much more ground to cover, and we still have some time before night falls," Jack countered.

Nick frowned. “Ja—”

"But if you think we should make our way back, then that's okay too!" Jack backtracked.
That was another thing.

Nick could clearly remember the fire in Jack's eyes when he would defy him, or any of them. He clearly remembered the strength and anger that glowed in Jack's eyes each and every time the two of them had faced off over one thing or another. Now though, that fire wasn't gone. It was still there, but it seemed Jack was suppressing it.

Who is Jess?

Jess Buffett was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. She is a mum of two, married to her high school sweetheart.

Jess is a hopeless romantic who is a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance with a happy ending—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be Shifters, Vampires, Cowboys, or the boy next door.

A caffeine addict who shamefully can’t make a decent cup of coffee to save her life, Jess believes in soul mates, happily ever afters, and in love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third for the brain to catch up.

FIND JESS HERE

WEBSITE | AMAZON | FACEBOOK 

Guest Blogger ~ Stormy Glenn: Cowboy Christmas

Blaecleah Brothers 7

Release Date: December 25, 2014

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Blurb:

Life has settled down for each of the Blaecleahs. They’ve all found their legends and are living a life filled with love and happiness. But anything worth having is worth fighting for and not even the luck of the Irish can keep the Blaecleahs from having to fight to keep what they have when the past comes back to haunt them all.

In order to save Ma and Da, they may have to decide who they want to keep in their family, and who they don’t before that choice is taken away from them by someone they never expected.

When violence threatens them, aid comes from an unusual source but will it be enough to keep the Blaecleahs in Cade Creek or will the life they have built for themselves disappear before their eyes?

Excerpt:

"That’s the last of them."

Alani Blaecleah turned to see her husband setting another green rubber tub down on the hardwood floor of the living room. She chuckled softly when Da grunted and rubbed his lower back with his hands as he stood.

"You’ll live, old man."

"Not if I keep lugging your holiday boxes around."

Miffed, Ma planted her hands on her hips and sent her husband her best ‘don’t make fun of me’ glare. "Now, you know it wouldn’t be Christmas without all my decorations, Donnell Blaecleah."

"Woman, I’ve been married to you for almost forty years. You could make Christmas happen with a shoebox and a ball of twine, and have." Da waved his hands toward the stack of tubs that held all of the Christmas decorations Ma had collected over the years. "You don’t need all this fancy stuff to make a holiday."

Ma smiled despite Da's flustering. "They hold our memories." She reached into the small box in front of her and pulled out a folded piece of faded paper. Ma set it on the table and smoothed it open with care. There was a lace doily that lay snuggled inside. "You gave me this on our first Christmas together," she said as she held the small piece of lace lovingly in her hands.

It was one of her most prized possessions.

"I remember." Da’s soft chuckle was as warm and light as summer's breeze. "We had nothing that year, barely a roof over our heads or potatoes in the root cellar."

"And yet you found a way to buy this for me." Ma still remembered how blessed she had felt when Da gave her the small piece of white lace interwoven with intricate purple flowers. "Lachlan was still in diapers and Neason was just a couple of weeks old. We put every spare penny into making their Christmas special and yet you made mine even better."

Ma felt tears prickle her eyes when weathered but strong hands settled on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. The warm body of the man that had stood by her side for so many years pressed gently into her back.

"It’s just an old piece of cloth, woman." There was a suspicious sheen in Da’s pale green eyes as he turned Ma and wiped his thumbs over her cheeks right under her eyelashes. "Didn’t cost me more than a couple of hours chopping wood for old man Walker."

"That man had two sons that could have chopped wood for him." Ma pointed a finger at Da, not in an angry manner, but just to make her point. Her Donnell had a soft spot whether he wanted to admit it or not. "He didn’t need you to do it."

"No, maybe not." Da’s smile was a beautiful as a sunrise. His eyes twinkled and were so full of love and affection that Ma felt like she could drown in them. "But he also had a wife. He knew exactly why I needed to earn a little extra money."

When Donnell looked at her like that, Ma felt like her husband's universe. He had been looking at her like that for nearly forty years. It had been the main deciding factor in her giving up a life of luxury back in Ireland and coming to the new world with barely a penny to their name.

"No one looks at me the way you do, Donnell Blaecleah." Ma’s voice hitched, emotion tightening her throat. "No one has ever looked at me the way you do."

Da let out a bark of rich laughter, a joyous sound that Ma had grown to adore over the years. "I fought the whole of Ireland to have you, Alani, me love. I would be very upset if someone else thought they could take you away from me."

Ma closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against Da’s solid chest, savoring the moment for what it was—a slice of time when everything in her world was perfect. Her soul mate held her in his arms, her sons were happy with their own partners, and the next generation was alive and well and adored by everyone.

A shiver of awareness slid through Ma when Da’s fingers threaded through her graying hair. She was grateful that Da was one of those men that was not afraid to show his affections. She, as well as all of their sons, knew that Da loved them, in word and in deed.

"Do you miss Ireland, Alani?" The words were whispered almost as if Da was afraid of the answer although he had asked the same question a hundred times over the years. Ma always gave the same answer.

Maybe this time, she should tell him the honest truth.

"I miss my Ma, Donnell. I always do around this time of year. Christmas was her favorite holiday. I miss watching her decorate the house, the smells that filled every room, the food, the sense of something bigger than us that seemed to take a hold of everyone."

Ma leaned her head back so that she could look up into the pale green eyes she had fallen for as a young girl of barely nineteen. "What I don’t miss is the way my father tried to run my life, to dictate my every move, right down to who I was to marry. I don’t miss feeling like I was a disappointment because I failed at something my father believed I should have mastered just because of the family I was born into. I don’t miss feeling like anything I did was never good enough or that everyone in my family felt they were better than everyone else because we had money and a family name that went back centuries."

Ma drew in a quick breath so that she could continue before Da said anything. "The Blaecleah name is an old and proud one, just as old and proud as my maiden name. But I’d much rather be a Blaecleah than the name I was born with."

The beginnings of a small smile curved up one corner of Ma’s lips as she smoothed her hands down Da’s chest. "There are things that I miss, Donnell, but I think the question you need to ask is if I regret coming to America with you and the answer is a resounding no. It will always be no. Marrying you was the best decision I ever made, one I have never regretted."

As his thumb gently traced Alani’s lip, Da smiled that sweet gentle smile he gave her when it was just the two of them. "You are the one good thing that has happened to me in my life."

Ma cocked an eyebrow. "What about your sons?"

"Without you, I would have no sons."

Ma chuckled lightly. "Touché."

"Because of you, I have six beautiful sons, all of whom have found that one person meant just for them." Da’s head cocked to one side, a funny little frown on his face. "Well, except for Seamus. He found two people. But the point is—"

"The point is that we are lucky."

Da chuckled. "We are Irish, Alani. We’re genetically predisposed to be lucky."

Author Bio:

After 25 years of bankrupting my family with my reading obsession, I decided to try my hand at writing my own novels. It still amazes me to this day that people are actually interested in the stuff that comes out of my imagination. It can be a real mess up there.

I live in the great Northwest region of the USA, with my gorgeous husband and soul mate, six very active teenagers, two boxer/collie puppies, one old biddy cats, and three fish. When I'm not being a mother to my six teenagers or cleaning up after my two 70 pound lap puppies, you can usually find me cuddled in bed with a book in my hand and a puppy in my lap. Or on my laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of my stories.

I welcome comments from readers, so drop me a line.

Find Stormy Here

Stormy Glenn 

Guest Blogger ~ Z Allora: Happy Holidays

Thank you NJ for doing such a wonderful thing on your blog. Big hugs to you my Pretty one. Thank you!!!

I want to wish everyone love and happiness. I know this time of year can be rough for people. Just know there are people around you who care. Reach out if you can give help and reach out if you need help.

I’d like to make an offer if you’d never read The Dark Angels: With Wings… PM me on Facebook ZAllora Allora or e-mail me and I will give you an e-book copy. Also leave a comment here if you’d like to win a copy of Happy Holidays.

May the start of 2015 be bright and happy.

Big Hugs,

Z. Allora

Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books

Category: Holiday Romance/Erotica

Cover Artist: PL Nunn

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Blurb:

What do erotic sex toys and Hanukkah have to do with each other?

Absolutely nothing unless you're a member of the famous rock band The Dark Angels and the shy but kinky Robin gives gifts that guarantee to spice up the holidays!

Each couple makes the most of these unique gifts blending love and orgasmic fun to REALLY celebrate the holidays.

Excerpt:

(The band is meeting via Skype to open Hanukkah presents… each present reveals a little more about the couple and their relationship. This is a snippet from Chapter 3, and it is NOT work safe.)

“Where’s Ang?” Dusty asked as he searched Dare’s section of the computer screen. Why the hell was Dare scrunched down in the desk chair at such a strange angle? Skype was working fine, because Josh and Robin part of the screen wasn’t askew.

Dare slapped the desk and opened his eyes. He slid his fingers across the table to grip the edge of the desk. “He’s here. Um, oh God he’s here.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Dusty couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Dare slammed closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. “Mphf! He’s here.” Darius’s voice stopped on a broken moan.

On the computer screen, Dusty observed Josh leaning in close. Did he think it would help him determine what was going on?

Robin pulled Josh away from the screen, pressed his lips together, and giggled.

What the hell? Oh for fuck’s sake! Dusty wiped a hand over his face, slumped back in his chair, and folded his arms over his chest. Angel had no decorum whatsoever. “Jesus. Really?”

Groaning, Darius pursed his lips as if he could stop the grunts from escaping. Was his seat on fire?

Smirking, Josh asked, “So, is he coming soon?” He rolled the word coming out of his mouth.

Darius blinked hard, as if he were trying to focus on the question. He huffed a breath in and out of his mouth to capture some air, which appeared to be a nearly impossible task for the blond. “Yeah, soon. Coming soon.”

Dusty was positive Dare wasn’t aware or even cared about how he sounded. His chin fell onto his chest as he whispered something that his computer mic didn’t pick up. Dare let his head fall back. His hand went under the desk, but the way his arm was rising and falling made it clear to Dusty what was happening.

“So, how soon. Dare?” Justin asked as if he were innocent. When Dusty shot him a warning look, his lover shrugged. “What? I’m just asking when he’ll be coming.”

Damn, The Dark Angels had corrupted his lover. Justin traced his fingers up and down Dusty’s thigh, reminding him of all the pleasure those fingers were capable of providing. Mmmm, he wasn’t stupid enough to complain about Justin’s depravity, of which Dusty was the sole focus.

Robin’s musical laugh joined Justin’s mischievous one.

A loud moan interrupted Dare’s sharp inhale. His knuckles were white as he death gripped the desk. “Soon. Soon. Oh, God. Now!”

“Come on. Damn it, Angel!” Hurry up so we can open the presents and use them. Last night’s chocolate sauce was a success. He and Justin had polished off the jar. He was a bit nauseous, but Justin’s satisfaction was worth the discomfort.

Darius collapsed back in the chair, roaring Angel’s name. His forearm muscles tightened, hinting that he held his lover’s mouth against him as he squirmed. He exhaled a strangled, “Ahhhh”!

“Finally! Now can we do the presents?” Dusty barked out to keep a straight face.

Darius turned bright red as the desk chair he was on was rolled back. Angel emerged from the bottom of the screen, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. He turned to the screen with an arched eyebrow, as if the bastard dared Dusty to say something smart assed to him.

“Come here, baby.” Angel lifted an apparently boneless Darius into his arms and turned to sit in the chair. Everyone stared with open mouths as if they didn’t know Dusty’s best friend was a pervert.

“What?” Angel finally asked.

Dusty covered his face. He sighed. “Nothing, Ang.”

Josh wasn’t so tolerant. “You couldn’t wait?”

Smirking, Ang shook his head. “We had a bet.”

“Which was?” No doubt Dusty would regret his inquisitiveness.

Angel kissed Darius’s face. “That I could make my baby orgasm while he was on Skype with you jackasses.”

Darius sheepishly grinned at the computer camera. For God’s sake, he appeared too satisfied to feel any shame, and he didn’t have on any pants. Angel has corrupted Dare. “I lost.”

Dusty rolled his eyes. Lost? “It seems to be a win-win bet for both of you.”

Snorting, the guitar player shrugged. “Yeah, it was a bet that losing didn’t entail any negative consequences.”

“So, what’s your forfeit?” Justin asked.

“I get to use whatever the present is on Angel.” Darius’ face held a dreamy relaxed quality as he stared up at the asshole.

Josh clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Oh, really? Well, okay then!”

“What?” Angel sat up and glanced over at the present bag at the corner of their section of screen. Ah, finally. Good to see Angel a tad worried.

Dusty watched Josh, waiting for the entertainment to unfold.

Turning to Robin, Josh must have gotten the go ahead, because he told them what present was next. “Well, I think it’s time to open the long, thin, white package, my friends.”

Yes! Dusty reached in the bag immediately and spoke over Josh’s impression of a cackling loon. “Ang, you’re in trouble this time.”

Still sitting in Angel’s lap, Darius unwrapped, and then snapped the riding chop against the desk.

“Ang, you feeling okay? You appear a bit pale.” Dusty chortled.

Darius jumped up to pull on his shorts. Damn, that was a view Dusty could’ve done without. The next thing the guy did was priceless. He slapped the side of Angel’s ass with the riding crop.

“Up. I lost the bet.” Dare’s eyes sparkled as he winked at the screen.

Heehee! Go Dare!

“No. Ow! Fuck, Dare!” Angel whined as Darius slapped his thigh with the crop. “This doesn’t seem fair, if I won the bet.”

Dusty whooped out loud. Darius’s grin screamed that Angel was in a bind.

“Dusty, help me!” Ang stared at the screen.

Laughing harder, Dusty ponied up a suggestion. “Buck up and enjoy your winnings, Ang.”

The Dark Angels

#1 With Wings

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Blurb:

The lights go down and stage lights up. The Dark Angels have arrived. With his come-hither voice and body made for sin, lead singer Angel Luv draws lovers like a magnet. And when he caresses and taunts shy guitarist Darius Stone on stage, well…it’s an act, right? But every touch lights a fire, and every flirtatious glance chips away at Dare’s certainty that he’s straight. No one else has so captured his imagination.

Temptation beckons. It’s hard not to notice the want in Dare’s eyes, the way he stares when he thinks Angel’s not watching. One wrong move might scare him away, but a work trip to exotic Bali might be the perfect place to let Dare explore his sexuality, with none to be the wiser. But their “friends with benefits” pact has an expiration date, that just might sour their friendship.

#2 Tied Together

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Blurb:

Josh has loved Robin since the day they met, although he never dared to follow his heart. After the two are kicked out of their house, a night of despair turns into a night of discovery, forever changing them both. One taste of his dream leaves Josh hungry for more, but Robin’s fear of abandonment forces him to pull back, denying them both.

Their fortunes changed. Josh and Robin are now in the limelight with legendary megaband The Dark Angels, but Robin is still the scared little boy inside the rock star who isn’t convinced he won’t be left behind. He clings tightly to the word “brother” because stepbrothers can’t leave, right?

There’s only one way for Josh to prove to Robin, now and forever, that the love tying them together can never be broken.

#3 Finally Fallen

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Blurb:

What’s the use of being a rock legend if you have no one to share the fame and fortune with? Not that Dusty Davis is looking. He’s content taking care of himself, his bandmates, and his rambunctious younger brothers.

And while the rest of The Dark Angels are happily paired with men, Dusty can’t be gay. A night in a club brings him face to face with the woman of his dreams. J is articulate, well-read, witty, and smart. How could Dusty not finally fall?

J didn’t mean to deceive Dusty; he introduced himself as Justin, after all. He didn’t realize the drummer heard, “Justine” and missed the other cues. Dusty’s declarations of love sounded too good to be true. After all, who could possibly want someone as broken as Justin?

But the heart wants what the heart wants, and love knows no gender.

Author Bio:

Z. Allora recently repatriated to the South of the USA after a six year stint in China. (Talk about culture shock!) She feels it is her duty to help educate against intolerance, that is, when she's not too busy hiding under her blankets typing out stories about wicked, beautiful boys doing wicked, beautiful things to each other. She will never grow old because she refuses to grow up, perhaps the most valuable lesson she learned in her years of globetrotting with her one true love.

Contact Z Here

Z Allora’s Haven, Z. Allora Allora,

Facebook, Email.

Guest Blogger ~ A.J. Llewellyn: The Mediator—Wouldn’t it be Nice?

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I don’t know about other authors, but I find an incredible serendipity between my book characters and my real life. I’ll give you an example. It’s almost Christmas and I’m listening to the Andrews Sisters singing Silver Bells. Specifically, my mind is trying to wrap itself around the concept of the lyrics, “people laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile…”

Really? I have no idea in which realm these gals did their shopping, but from my point of view, it’s been a little traumatic dealing with the annual return of the dreaded Parking Space Thief.

Oh, yes. You know that special holiday person. The one who thinks he/she is so important they can steal the parking spot you’ve been patiently waiting for.

It happened to me today and I admit, I went bonkers. I really got into it with the thief, even as my thoughts kept whirling: Are you crazy? What if he’s got a gun?

The thief was unrepentant, even when I asked, “Can’t you at least say you’re sorry?”

He countered with, “How about we each say we’re sorry to each other?”

What the…

I frowned at him. It’s the kind of thing a mediator would say. Or some maddening therapist viewing this from afar. I wanted to kick the guy in the shins, then I wanted to rear-end his brand new Trans-Am.

I needed a mediator. I really did. A mediator to mediate with the maddening thief, who, I suspected was a mediator.

You see, I know all about them and can spot one a mile off. I didn’t owe the thief an apology, but he apparently thought if he needed to apologize, then so did I.

He didn’t get his apology, and neither did I.

As he took off for his fast-food lunch, and I circled the parking lot yet again, I wondered, what would Icarus Smith do?

He’s the mediator in my new book just released this week from Totally Bound. And it’s called, wait for it, The Mediator.

I should mention that The Mediator was my first solo title at Totally Bound some years ago, but I have revamped and added over 10,000 words to it. So it feels like new!

Icarus mediates more important things than parking spaces, but in creating him, I realize I have come up with the perfect man. Wouldn’t it be nice to be with a guy who can hold your hands, fight your battles, and win them? And love you unconditionally?

Sigh…

I hope somewhere in the real world that guys like Icarus exist, but at least, for me, he does, and for a few moments in a rotten encounter, I called him forth. He told me to calm down, another space would come and deep down, it’s still Christmas.

Here is a blurb and excerpt of The Mediator. Please leave a comment to qualify for the draw to win a free ebook copy!

Synopsis:

Icarus Smith has two problems, and they both want him…their Mediator.

Icarus Smith has just landed an unusual assignment. A licensed mediator used to handling squabbling spouses, he’s been hand-picked to negotiate a forty-million-dollar welterweight championship title fight. The problem is, these two world boxing champions hate each other. Worst of all, Icarus has discovered that one of them, Italian superstar Paolo de Luca, is the man with whom he had a passionate affair in Italy the previous summer. Paolo cruelly dumped him, and Icarus realizes he is still devastated. Can he overcome his personal feelings to work with Paolo and the boxer’s arch-nemesis, US champion Adam Wyler?

So far, the fight scheduled to take place at New York’s Madison Square Garden is a bust. Fans have bought tickets, and Pay-Per-View sales are through the roof. Just like Lady Di’s face once adorned dishcloths, these guys have their faces on buttons, badges, posters, TV and print ads. And they don’t care.

But Icarus has an even bigger problem. He’s just accepted promoter Thaddeus Halsey’s huge wad of cash to broker this deal and Icarus wants the money for a restoration project in his hometown in Las Vegas. Can Icarus go through with mediation? Can he persuade the man who broke his heart to face the guy who now apparently wants it?

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of multiple male ménage.

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released by Totally Bound under the same title. It has been expanded, revised and re-edited for re-release.

Excerpt:

“You’re ordering that?” Jerome Curtin scoffed at me.

I looked up from the menu, trying to hide my embarrassment. Ten minutes I’d known the guy, and it was ten minutes too many. Before I could respond, a man in red silk pants and a lime green shirt rushed by me on stilts. Jugglers followed him, then came the singers. The diners around us began to applaud. To my astonishment, the statue of an old man sitting on the bench right opposite me came to life.

Ah, Venice.

The briny smell of St. Mark’s Square and the canal’s waters filled my senses with nostalgia. The singers in their brightly colored costumes gathered near the fountain, gaudy masks held to their faces, and started to sing. The Carnevale di Venezia came beautifully to life. The twilight ambience with its flickering wall sconces put me in a better mood, as did the old Italian folk melody. I recognized it, but didn’t remember how.

“Sir?”

I glanced back up at the waiter. Pity flashed in his eyes. I guessed he’d had his share of bad dates, too.

“Sorry.” In a flash of joy it came back to me. “Lu Me Sceccu,” I practically shouted.

My table companion looked startled then he rolled his eyes. “Number one on Billboard, was it?”

Well! No need to be rude. “I know that song!” I tried to place it and it hit me.

I couldn’t believe that almost eighteen months later, I’d buried the memory so deep that it hurt to recall it. It was like a scar on my soul. I spent my whole life counseling people, urging them to forget the past. Me, I’d just submerged the pain in work. I took a deep breath and grabbed my glass of iced water.

“Sir?” The waiter’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Are you okay?”

No. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

Jerome Curtin suddenly leaned across the table and kissed me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he slipped his tongue into my mouth. It was like being invaded by an electric eel.

I pushed him off me. “What are you doing?” I sputtered as iced water ran down my suit and tie. It figured that the one time I’d splurged on new clothes, they’d be ruined.

The waiter produced hand towels out of nowhere and gave them to me, still looking like he felt very bad for me.

“Thank you.” I pressed the towels against my soaking wet shirt.

“You looked like you wanted to be kissed,” Jerome said.

Not by you.

“You had this look in your eye.”

Yeah, I could just imagine. I’d thought I was over it—him, that is. The astonishing man I’d met that summer, when I’d found the love I’d thought would never die. Lu Me Sceccu. I smiled now, recalling that it was an elderly woman’s love song to her dearly departed forty-year-old donkey.

“Icarus, you’re keeping the man waiting!” Jerome blared the words at me over the top of the singers’ voices.

A busboy appeared and deftly replaced the tablecloth, gave me a new napkin, then refilled my water glass. I thanked him. I could feel water seeping into my underpants. Later, I might find this funny. Right now, I wished I’d gone home and caught up on case work, like I usually did.

“I’ll have a dozen oysters,” I said, changing my order. “And the tomato ricotta salad, please.”

The waiter nodded. “Excellent choice, sir.”

As he took Jerome’s order, I grasped for the fleeting moments of sheer happiness I recalled from that magnificent Sunday lunch when Pio had taken me to meet his family. I had never felt so accepted, so…embraced by a family. I’d wanted to be with them forever. And it wasn’t like me, not at all, to fall so quickly, so hard.

To love total strangers so deeply.

About the Author:

A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J’s passion for the islands have led to writing a play about the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani, plus a non-erotic novel about the overthrow of her kingdom written in diary form from her maid’s point of view.

AJ never lacks inspiration for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasions this happens, pursue other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

How to find/friend me:

email, website, Facebook,

Twitter, Newsletter sign-up,

I’m an app! Download my FREE A.J. Llewellyn App for Android HERE.