Archive for the ‘m/m’ Category
NSFW Excerpts From My Next Two Books
Apr 23, 2014 
Filed under: contemporary, cowboy, excerpts, m/m, men in uniform 
Tags: cops, police/law enforcement
Here are a few hot and dirty excerpts from my upcoming books. To see character inspirations for these books, check out this post and this one on my tumblr and follow me there for more dirty excerpts.
The first excerpt is from If Wishes Were Horses which releases on May 16. Ken is a ranch owner and Andy is an undercover copy who’s investigating a drug-running operation while working at the ranch.
Ken grinned. “Control issues?
“You’re one to talk.”
Ken gave a hard thrust, and Andy groaned, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. Ken should have known it was an act, but he got lost in seeing Andy’s pleasure.
Andy used the moment to break free and shove at Ken’s shoulders, knocking him off balance. He stumbled and Andy lunged for him, grabbing him around the waist and dragging him to the floor.
He wrapped a leg around Andy’s and flipped them, spearing his hands into Andy’s hair and using the leverage to slam his head against the floor.
Andy roared and arched up, nearly bucking Ken off.
They tussled, rolling over until they hit the edge of Ken’s desk. Andy ended up on top, and he managed to get hold of Ken’s wrists and pin them over his head. Andy hung over him, looking like he was trying to decide if he was ready to stop fighting and fuck.
“Fighting is excellent foreplay, but maybe it’s time for more. What do you think?” Ken asked.
“Fuck you,” Andy said, shoving at him and standing up.
Ken watched Andy as he loomed over him. The man was pissed that he’d given up on self-control and come back for what he wanted.
Andy turned like he was going to walk away, but Ken wasn’t about to let that happen. “Andy.”
Andy froze and slowly turned. Ken pressed his palm against his cock and rubbed, back and forth along his length. Andy watched, mesmerized. Then Ken unzipped his jeans, pulled his cock out, and kept stroking. “I thought you were here to do something about this.”
“Hands off,” Andy ordered.
Ken grinned at him. “Make me.”
Andy took a step toward him. “I’m going to tear you up.”
Ken grinned. “You were right, you know?”
“About what?”
“I love a man who’s got what it takes to hold me down and shove his cock up my ass. Do you have what it takes?”
This unedited excerpt is from Unexpected Trust, a sequel to Unexpected Rescue staring Jackson’s friend Sport. The projected release date is mid July. Sport is an FBI agent and Danny specializes in black ops for one or multiple lettered agencies. Danny has been following Sport trying to determine whether to bring him in on his current mission.
Sport settled at the bar and downed drink after drink. He was furious, probably more with himself than anyone else. Danny could tell by the way he carried himself even if the drinking hadn’t been a clue. Danny toyed with the idea of making a move on him but this wasn’t the time. Instead he chatted up a couple of young men who’d been eye-fucking him while they made out with each other. When he proposed that one of them seduce Sport while Danny fucked the other one against the wall out back, They looked like they’d won the lottery. The fact that they couldn’t let on to Sport that it had all been planned made it even sweeter for them. Danny was afraid they might come just from thinking about it before he ever got them outside.
If Sport had been anything approaching sober, Danny wouldn’t have gotten away with it. But he was drunk and angry and he’d let his guard down. By the time Sport stumbled outside with the twink Danny had sent to seduce him, Danny already had the young man’s friend pressed against the wall, hands spread, legs apart.
The man with Sport looked at him and winked. Danny scowled but the kid didn’t have time to react, because Sport grabbed his shoulders and pushed him to his knees. Danny rolled on a condom and slicked up as he watched, slapping his partner on the ass when he begged Danny to move faster.
Danny watched, mesmerized as Sport unfastened his suit pants and pulled out his cock. “Suck me,” he demanded, his low, rough voice just carrying over to Danny.
Danny took his cock in hand and pushed into the young man in front of him. He groaned as the man’s tight ass gripped his cock, thrusting in hard, not caring if it hurt. “You like it rough?” he asked.
The man nodded frantically. “Good, because that’s how I give it.” Especially when I’m so turned on I can’t see straight.
Danny pounded the young man, desperate to get off. He was moaning and grinding back, loving the rough treatment. His friend must like rough too because Sport braced himself on the wall and grabbed his hair dragging his head back, and the boy took it, relaxed and easy like he would do anything Sport asked.
Danny lost his rhythm and nearly swallowed his tongue when Sport turned to look at him, holding his gaze as he drove all the way down the boys throat, choking him, using him. Holy fuck. That was the best thing Danny had every seen. He was going to get off to that memory for a long time.
Autism Blog Hop
Apr 9, 2014 Filed under: m/m, paranormal, shapeshifter, web event, werewolf
Today I’m participating in the Autism Blog Hop and I’m offering two ebooks from my backlist as a prize.
Fact: Autism affects the way a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
Communicating effectively can be a challenge for anyone. Sometimes you want to say something but you worry that the person you need to talk to will take it wrong or that you will hurt them. Or you might be traveling in a country where you don’t speak the language and you’re not sure if a few basic words and hand gestures will suffice to help you find what you need. As a writer I have stories in my head but I’m never sure if I’m going to be able to find the right words to tell that story to others and have them see it as I do.
Every human being has a unique perception of the world around them and we can’t always communicate what we see or feel to others. But those challenges we face are magnified many times over for those who have autism. For them, even the most basic communication with others may not be possible or may bring on so much frustration that they stop trying. Many years ago, I worked in a preschool and one of the boys in my class was autistic. You could see the frustration build as he attempted to interact with other kids. Most days he ended up pulling at his hair and kicking because the challenge was too much for him. I wanted so badly to help but I couldn’t see the world the way he did. It’s so easy to judge someone when they don’t react or behave as we expect—and I’ve certainly done that many times—but we never know what challenges that person might be facing.
My latest release is Pressure Points, Book 2 in the Pisgah Mountain Wolves series.
It’s hard enough being an inn manager, serving at everyone’s beck and call, making sure all the guests are happy and the employees are paid on time. Add to that being a werewolf, a recovering alcoholic, and a pack leader. Add to that a brother who is trying to tear the pack apart and a dark past he can’t escape. Needless to say, Carl is under a lot of stress. Not helping: Justin, the inn’s human massage therapist—who Carl is trying not to fall for—has offered Carl a massage to “lower his stress levels.” As his boss, Carl can’t tell Justin his hands might lower stress levels, but they would raise something else.
Despite Carl trying to put him off, Justin won’t give in. Carl’s friends won’t leave him alone, and the divisions in the pack are near exploding. And it’s tourist season. The last thing Carl needs are wolf wars in the lobby. Like it or not, Carl is going to have to rely on Justin and the wolves who love him to teach him how to let go and get through everything without falling apart.
You can find Pressure Points at Dreamspinner, Amazon, ARe, and BN
Sorting Out is available now!
Dec 29, 2013 Filed under: BDSM, book release, contemporary, excerpts, first chapter, m/m, men in uniform, menage
Sorting Out, the sequel to Fitting In is now available at Amazon, ARe, BN, and Smashwords. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter One….
Jack heard the door open as he pulled a pan of hot caramel popcorn from the oven. Perfect timing. Mason was home and hopefully Gray had been able to get most of his paperwork finished, so the three of them could curl up together and continue their third run through the fourteen brilliant episodes of Firefly. Why oh why had it been cancelled and how had he not known about its awesomeness until Mason came into his life?
Their schedules had kept them apart for the last few nights and Jack had been looking forward to this all day, the three of them snuggled on the couch, watching TV until they started to doze off like an old married threesome. Who would need to go out with two amazing men at home? He could happily hole up for weeks just cuddling, fucking, and cooking for them.
Mason dropped his bag on the table and came up behind him. He kissed Jack’s neck as he grabbed a handful of popcorn that he immediately threw back into the pan, yelling, “Hot!”
“Of course it’s hot. It just came out of the oven.” Laughing, Jack grabbed Mason’s hand and kissed his palm. “Is that better?”
“No, but this will fix it.” Mason kissed him, sliding his tongue along the seam of Jack’s lips until he opened for his lover, letting him get a taste. Desire rose swiftly, and he clutched at Mason’s hips, pulling him in tight, letting him feel his cock, which was now hard and needy. Maybe Captain Mal would have to wait after all.
The sound of Gray clearing his throat brought them up for air. Mason stepped back, grinning at Jack. “That was a delicious hello.” He turned toward Gray, but when Jack saw the expression on their lover’s face, he knew they weren’t getting the same kind of greeting from him. He looked serious and…scared? Jack’s stomach knotted.
“What is it?”
“I need to talk to you. I waited until Mason was home, but I… Maybe you should sit down.”
“Gray, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, the caramel he’d tasted as he coated the popcorn lying heavy in his stomach.
Mason laid a hand on his arm. “Are you okay? You’re really pale.”
Jack ignored the question. “Don’t make us wait.”
“Thornton, the lieutenant from Major Crimes that I told you about—”
He glanced at Mason. “He’s been encouraging me to take the detective exam. He wants me in his unit.”
“But—”
Gray held up a hand. “Yes, it would mean we wouldn’t be partners anymore, but it would also mean we could be out if we wanted to. We’ve been talking about making a change, and you’ve known I was thinking about going for a promotion.”
“Yeah, but, I…” Nausea tightened Jack’s throat.
Mason reached for Jack’s hand and squeezed. “This could be good for all of us. Let’s think about it.”
Jack looked at Mason. He had known this would happen sooner or later. Gray was right about it being for the best, but Jack had continually pushed it to the back of his mind.
“I just want us to—” he started, but Gray interrupted him.
“I told him I’d take the exam.” Gray looked at the floor as he spoke.
“What?” Jack roared, fear replaced by anger that threatened to scorch him. “How dare you do that without talking to us!”
“I shouldn’t have, but he’d already asked me before, and I’d put him off. He told me I had to let him know today, and you said you’d support whatever I wanted so—”
“I didn’t mean for you not to even tell me. Couldn’t you have mentioned this when he asked you the first time?”
“I—” Gray ran a hand over his ruthlessly short hair. “I should have. I’m sorry, but—”
“But what?” Mason asked after Gray was silent for several seconds. Jack was glad he’d spoken up, because he wasn’t capable of saying anything nice.
Gray sighed. “I knew Jack would react just like this.”
Fuck you. “When it was still something to actually discuss instead of something dictated to me, I would have talked to you. Now that you’ve kept it from me and decided to just walk away—”
“I’m not walking away.”
Jack snarled at him. “We’re partners, Gray, and now we won’t be.”
“We’ll still be partners in the way that really counts.”
Would they? “What about Mason? Didn’t you think maybe he wanted a say in this?”
Mason glanced at Gray, and suddenly, Jack knew. “You told him, didn’t you? When Thornton first asked you, you fucking told Mason and not me.”
Gray closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. “He told me to tell you, told me I shouldn’t wait, but I wanted to think about it. I didn’t want to upset you if I was just going to turn it down.”
“Newsflash. I’m upset.”
“Jack—”
Mason started to interject, but Jack held up his hand. “There’s no point in talking anymore. Gray’s made his decision. Thank you for actually trying to bring me into it.”
“I made up my mind to take the exam. That doesn’t mean I’ll take the position. That’s why I wanted to talk.”
Jack shook his head. “You’ve made up your mind. I can tell. If you get the job, you’ll take it.”
“I want to stop hiding,” Gray said. “But I want this to be a decision we all three make.”
“No, you just want me and Mason to agree with you,” Jack said, venom in his tone.
“That’s not true. I…fuck, Jack. I love you.”
Jack’s anger deflated, leaving him feeling wrung out and hurt. “I can’t imagine being a cop without you.”
Gray took a step toward Jack. “I’ll still be here.”
“We’ll all be together.” Mason spoke at almost the same time. He sounded scared, desperate. Fuck Gray for putting Mason in the middle like this, for going to him when they’d sworn they’d keep everything out in the open.
Like the time you talked to Mason about Gray seeming depressed, and he encouraged you to talk to Gray, but you didn’t. Is that what you mean by out in the open?
God, Jack hated that sanctimonious voice in his head.
He held up his hand, knowing he’d cave if Gray touched him. He’d let Gray have his way and forget how angry and hurt he was until it simmered long enough to explode again. “If you really wanted to discuss it, you would have talked with me the minute you started seriously considering taking the exam.”
“Would you have listened? Really listened?”
Jack wanted to scream that he would always listen to Gray, always consider what was best for his lover without being selfish. He wanted to stop being scared he couldn’t hold it together as a cop if Gray weren’t by his side, but he couldn’t make the words come.
Instead, he grabbed the pan of caramel popcorn and flung it across the kitchen, enjoying the ear-splitting clatter as the pan bounced on the tile. Then he stomped to their bedroom and slammed the door.
Seconds later, he heard the front door bang shut.
Guest Author – Deana Wadsworth’s Countdown to Christmas
Dec 23, 2013 Filed under: guest blogger, holiday, m/m
Countdown to Christmas with Santa’s elf, Jimmy
2 Days and counting
My name is Jimmy and I work in the Electronics Division at Santa’s North Pole Workshop. You may remember me from my not so flattering debut in that story PIP’S BOXING DAY WISH. I think it was really an unfair depiction of me. I’m sorry I can’t be perky, perky it when surrounded by elves like Pip.
Thanks for having me on this blog Silvia and thank you Jorge for asking me to participate in your blog tour.
Since I’m supposed to be sharing an update on what’s happening right before Christmas here at the Pole, here goes: It’s the 23rd and Santa is leaving tomorrow night so it is pretty much crazy around here.
Like what else did you guys expect?
In my Division, we’ve been making video games and doing so much wiring that my poor little fingers are raw when I go home at night. Maybe I need somebody to rub some lotion into them…any takers?
LOL I’m sure I’ll find somebody pretty fantastic tomorrow at Mrs. Claus’s party. I swear that’s the best part of December. Last year I don’t even remember half the day, I drink so much butterscotch. Butterscotch is really awesome. It’s the sweet, candy-flavored whiskey we brew up here in the North Pole. It’s similar to the candies humans eat, but it has a powerful kick. I plan on having a pint or three of it on Christmas Eve.
With only a couple days left of December, us elves will be out of the spotlight soon. I know that while we think about Christmas every day of the year, humans only think about it this time of year. Maybe I can talk Jorge into having a monthly post on Deanna’s blog to remind everyone how hard we are working all year.
If you would like a more in-depth view of what’s happening at the North Pole you can check out the latest installment of her book, FUN & GAMES WITH RUDOLPH. I brought along an excerpt—but of course, I’m not in it. I do find it funny how some elves get not only books, but multiple postings while others, like me, are lucky enough to be mentioned. I don’t want to talk about anybody getting special treatment—especially an elf who invents a hook-up app masquerading as a dating app….errr, did someone say Pip?
While Elf4Elf has been a lot of fun, all of us in the NP know that it’s just a hook up app and nothing special. I don’t know when I’m going to get my own THE NAUGHTY NORTH POLE story. Maybe next year.
But, I digress.
If you would like to enter to win the first three NAUGHTY NORTH POLE books and a $20 Amazon gift card in the entry box below, go for it. Best of luck!
Then check out this excerpt from FUN & GAMES WITH RUDOLPH
Well, that’s all I have to report. I am honored that cutie Jorge invited me to blog on his Countdown to Christmas tour. If you are enjoying his blog series, catch a list of all the dates HERE. This Wednesday there will be a new post with Pip at annebarwell.wordpress.com. Not really sure if I will be checking in on that day or not. After all it is Christmas Eve and as I said, I plan to be very busy!
Laters!
~Jimmy
Naughty North Pole Book Four
Blurb:
Lars is the sarcastic elf who runs Santa’s Mail Department and he follows the dating rule of “no repeats”. But lately he’s been having a romantic textlationship with another elf, via the dating app Elf4Elf. When his cyber boyfriend goes AWOL after a misunderstanding, Lars realizes too late that there is more to life than sex, work, and cookies.
On Christmas Eve, Santa asks Lars to personally deliver a gift to Rudolph—a former reindeer handler who left the North Pole because of a misunderstanding. Rudolph lives on the secluded Sugar Plum Ridge and the only way to get there is by sleigh. Lars just can’t get a break!
When a sudden blizzard forces the two elves to hole up in Rudolph’s cabin, will they find a way to make their own fun and games or will one surprise ruin it all?
One thing is certain: after this night, they both will believe in the magic of the Naughty North Pole!
EXCERPT:
“What were you thinking?” my rescuer growled as he put his sword away. “These damn sleigh bells are like painting a big target on your back that says ‘come eat me.’”
His crusty demeanor and bad temper irked me. “Well, how in the name of Christmas was I supposed to know that I would get attacked by a yeti?”
“Never mind,” he said with a surly grunt. “Get over here.”
Tamping down my frustrated tears—I’d almost been killed and this guy was scolding me like I was a wayward child—I joined him, having no idea how he intended to free the animals when they were thrashing about, tangling themselves even worse.
The warrior removed his gloves. To my shock, his hands appeared normal, no claws or magic sparks or anything. Without fear of the beasts or their projectile antlers, he placed one hand on each reindeer, whispering words I didn’t understand. The soothing melody of them made me think he might be speaking the ancient language of the Elven races, but I had no idea what he said.
Instantly, the beasts calmed.
I stared in shock, my adrenaline still pumping. “How did you—?”
Eyes that had first appeared to be glowing stared out from above the balaclava covering his face. Snowflakes sparkled atop heavy lashes and the slight red in his brown irises indicated he was not a god, but rather a Dökkálfar.
“No time for explanation, my young elf,” he said. “We have to get them free.”
Nodding obediently, I agreed to help.
I assisted the best I could, holding the things he told me to hold while he did all the work. Lula was the first one loose and the second she realized it, she bolted and ran up the ridge.
“Wait!” I called after her.
“She’ll be fine,” the other elf told me. “Lula knows the way to my barn. Help me with Betty. She looks hurt.”
“Lula poked her with an antler.”
“Doesn’t surprise me with that one. Lula’s a real pistol.” I could hear the smile in his voice and, when it wasn’t yelling at me, it was a very pleasant, youthful sound, one that soothed me as much as it had the beasts. Though a dead yeti lay mere feet from me, I suddenly felt safe and protected beside this elf.
“Well, Betty,” he said to the reindeer. “Let’s see if ol’ Lula got you for real this time, or if you’re fit enough to walk.”
Thankfully, once he released the harnesses, she was able to stand. After he ran his big hands over her withers and legs, he buried his face against hers, whispering more of those ancient words. She huffed a few frosty breaths and tossed her head, as if nodding.
“What’s your name, elf?” he asked me.
“Lars.”
“Well, Lars, what say you and I let Betty carry us out of this place before any more yetis show up?”
“Sure,” I said, letting out a whoosh of breath. Curious, I stared at the big, fur-covered elf but already had my suspicions about the answer. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Rudolph.”
Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.
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Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook sellers
Guest Author – Deanna Wadsworth
Dec 16, 2013 Filed under: guest blogger, holiday, m/m
Countdown to X-mas with one of Santa’s elves, Jorge
9 days and counting
Hi! I’m Jorge.
You may remember me from my cameo in PIP’S BOXING DAY WISH, one of Deanna Wadsworth’s THE NAUGHTY NORTH POLE books. I don’t think Pip portrayed me as well as I would have liked, but hey my BFF Lars is probably right, Pip is sweet, but way too oversensitive. At least he volunteered to blog for me during this Countdown to Christmas internet tour. When I began asking elves to participate, you would’ve thought I was asking them to be celibate for a week.
Thank you Silvia Violet for having me! Your blog is lovely, and I think I need to read some of your stuff! Those guys on your book covers are HAWT!
I’m here to give a little report about what is going on in the North Pole in these last few days before Christmas. I run the Social Media Division within the Mail Department, and I cannot tell you how crazy it is! Tweets are coming in so fast, I had to put thirteen elves on Twitter alone, just to keep up with all the messages for Santa. After Deanna’s books went public, certain elves are getting a lot of mentions and direct messages, too. Lars was pretty popular, so I suppose that’s why he got his own book this year. I track all of the North Pole’s social media because Santa isn’t cool with individual elves having Twitter accounts. I have to approve all the incoming and outgoing internet activity with the human world personally. Part of me is surprised that Santa even allowed Pip to develop Elf4Elf, but I suppose he found it acceptable because it’s only between us elves.
Well, that and Santa has become very laid back after Jack Frost moved in with him.
Thank Odin he let us have E4E….you would not believe the hotties I’ve met thru that app. My buddy Lars was real excited about the app when it first came out, but now he’s been acting real weird. He’s never been one to mince words or kiss ass. Lars always says it like it is, whether you like it or not. Elves always take his sarcasm wrong, labeling him a jerk when he’s just goofing off. I admire the hells outta him and if I’m being honest, I think he’s the coolest elf I know. I wish I could be more like him. But lately he’s been being a real jerk. I told him to go get laid on his lunch break today, and he curled his lip at me and actually growled. WTF?
I don’t know what crawled up his butt and died, but I’m thinking I need to pick up Deanna’ latest THE NAUGHTY NORTH POLE book, FUN & GAMES WITH RUDOLPH, and find out what’s going on with Lars. He’s my pal and if someone is messing with him and making his life miserable, I need to know where and when to bring the shovel.
Anyways, I’m signing off. My inbox is pinging like mad! I can’t believe all this has to be done in nine days! Well, at least the party will be well worth all the work. Did I mention that I’ve got a few hotties on the line for the party? Oh, yeah, it’s gonna be a very merry Christmas for me!
If you’re enjoying my Countdown to Christmas blog series, catch a list of all the dates HERE. This Wednesday there will be a new post by one of the girl’s enrolled in Santa’s Christmas Cookie Backing School, Tessa. She’ll be sharing a delicious cookie recipe over at KT Grant’s blog.
And make sure you enter to win the first three NAUGHTY NORTH POLE books and a $20 Amazon gift card in the entry box below.
Then check out this excerpt from FUN & GAMES WITH RUDOLPH
~Jorge
Naughty North Pole Book Four
Blurb:
Lars is the sarcastic elf who runs Santa’s Mail Department and he follows the dating rule of “no repeats”. But lately he’s been having a romantic textlationship with another elf, via the dating app Elf4Elf. When his cyber boyfriend goes AWOL after a misunderstanding, Lars realizes too late that there is more to life than sex, work, and cookies.
On Christmas Eve, Santa asks Lars to personally deliver a gift to Rudolph—a former reindeer handler who left the North Pole because of a misunderstanding. Rudolph lives on the secluded Sugar Plum Ridge and the only way to get there is by sleigh. Lars just can’t get a break!
When a sudden blizzard forces the two elves to hole up in Rudolph’s cabin, will they find a way to make their own fun and games or will one surprise ruin it all?
One thing is certain: after this night, they both will believe in the magic of the Naughty North Pole!
EXCERPT:
“What were you thinking?” my rescuer growled as he put his sword away. “These damn sleigh bells are like painting a big target on your back that says ‘come eat me.’”
His crusty demeanor and bad temper irked me. “Well, how in the name of Christmas was I supposed to know that I would get attacked by a yeti?”
“Never mind,” he said with a surly grunt. “Get over here.”
Tamping down my frustrated tears—I’d almost been killed and this guy was scolding me like I was a wayward child—I joined him, having no idea how he intended to free the animals when they were thrashing about, tangling themselves even worse.
The warrior removed his gloves. To my shock, his hands appeared normal, no claws or magic sparks or anything. Without fear of the beasts or their projectile antlers, he placed one hand on each reindeer, whispering words I didn’t understand. The soothing melody of them made me think he might be speaking the ancient language of the Elven races, but I had no idea what he said.
Instantly, the beasts calmed.
I stared in shock, my adrenaline still pumping. “How did you—?”
Eyes that had first appeared to be glowing stared out from above the balaclava covering his face. Snowflakes sparkled atop heavy lashes and the slight red in his brown irises indicated he was not a god, but rather a Dökkálfar.
“No time for explanation, my young elf,” he said. “We have to get them free.”
Nodding obediently, I agreed to help.
I assisted the best I could, holding the things he told me to hold while he did all the work. Lula was the first one loose and the second she realized it, she bolted and ran up the ridge.
“Wait!” I called after her.
“She’ll be fine,” the other elf told me. “Lula knows the way to my barn. Help me with Betty. She looks hurt.”
“Lula poked her with an antler.”
“Doesn’t surprise me with that one. Lula’s a real pistol.” I could hear the smile in his voice and, when it wasn’t yelling at me, it was a very pleasant, youthful sound, one that soothed me as much as it had the beasts. Though a dead yeti lay mere feet from me, I suddenly felt safe and protected beside this elf.
“Well, Betty,” he said to the reindeer. “Let’s see if ol’ Lula got you for real this time, or if you’re fit enough to walk.”
Thankfully, once he released the harnesses, she was able to stand. After he ran his big hands over her withers and legs, he buried his face against hers, whispering more of those ancient words. She huffed a few frosty breaths and tossed her head, as if nodding.
“What’s your name, elf?” he asked me.
“Lars.”
“Well, Lars, what say you and I let Betty carry us out of this place before any more yetis show up?”
“Sure,” I said, letting out a whoosh of breath. Curious, I stared at the big, fur-covered elf but already had my suspicions about the answer. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Rudolph.”
Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.
Facebook Twitter Blog goodreads
Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook seller
The Hot Cowboy Roundup Blog Hop
Dec 8, 2013 Filed under: book release, cowboy, m/m
I’m so excited to be part of the Hot Off the Range anthology! I love cowboys be they hard-riding cattle drivers from the Old West, modern day ranch hands, or space cowboys.
We giving away gift certificates and books. There are details below so don’t forget to enter! Click here for a list of all the posts.
I also love to bake. It’s the one hobby I manage to fit into my life no matter how busy I am. When I write, I like to include this love of baking (and eating) in my stories. Here are the first paragraphs of Accounting for the Hero…
Grant leaned on the porch railing and looked out across the dry fields. Most of the grass had turned brown after a long summer with almost no rain. The cattle were skinny, and they hung their heads, looking as if they didn’t have the energy to move. Grant didn’t have the money for extra feed, and no one would buy the animals from him with them looking like that. There had to be a way to turn this mess around, but hell if he could see it.
He took another bite of the chocolate cake his aunt had brought him when she’d visited earlier in the day. He’d given up on slicing it and was now eating directly from the cake plate, pretending he was evening up the edges. Unfortunately, his aunt didn’t have any better ideas than he did. She’d told Grant’s grandfather to sell and move to town when his health started to fail, but he wouldn’t give up the farm, especially not to developers, and now, with Grandma gone too, the land no one wanted was all Grant’s
Whenever I make a cake, I often catching myself “evening up the edges” after it’s been cut. Those pieces obviously don’t count. *grins*
Later in the story, Miles, makes a cake for Grant, and this is Grant’s reaction:
“I love dessert,” Grant said, his voice all swoony. He couldn’t make himself care that he sounded like a twelve-year-old girl with a rockstar crush.
Miles grinned. “It’s nothing fancy, just pound cake.”
“Never discount the importance of cake.”
When I bake I love to share what I’ve made and to pass on recipes to other bakers. So today I want to share the recipe for the chocolate cake Grant is eating. It’s quick (almost as quick as a mix) and I make it often with my daughters helping me.
Grant’s Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch process cocoa will give you the richest chocolate taste)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and mix until well combined. Don’t worry if the batter looks too thin.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 9in cake pans.
Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Melt butter and sift in cocoa (un-sifted cocoa tends to leave lumps in the frosting). Then add powdered sugar alternately with milk until frosting has a good consistency. Stir in vanilla.
Here’s a larger helping of Accounting For the Hero….
“So you don’t have any experience working on a farm?” Grant asked.
“Not really. No.” Miles chewed his lip again and ran a hand through his hair. Grant realized he was openly assessing him, but he couldn’t stop. Miles’s hands were smooth and beautiful. They belonged on a piano keyboard, not wrapped around a pitchfork. Of course, they wouldn’t look bad wrapped around Grant’s… No. Not going to go there.
Grant frowned at him. “What I really need is someone who not only knows how to work a farm but also how to manage one. This land was my grandmother’s and I want to keep it, but I need someone experienced to help me get the farm back on its feet.”
“I work real hard, and I’m a fast learner,” Miles said.
“That’s great, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, and I don’t know what I’m doing, then we’re not going to get much of anywhere are we?” Grant wondered why the fuck he’d invited Miles to the farm when he’d known the man wasn’t qualified. Maybe in the back of his mind, he’d convinced himself Miles would turn out to be 6’5” and solid as concrete so at least he could do some of the heavy labor Grant had been struggling with, but Grant had no business leading Miles on. He needed someone who knew how to run a ranch, not a hot boy in tight jeans.
Miles looked Grant up and down. Heat rose into Grant’s face as the young man’s gaze slid down over his worn jeans to his dusty boots and back up. Suddenly, Miles didn’t seem like an innocent boy anymore. There was definitely heat in his glance. Grant’s gaydar started sending loud signals to his barely functioning brain.
“You look like you know what you’re doing,” Miles said. His tone wasn’t overtly flirtatious, but his words had Grant’s cock taking notice.
Grant gave a nervous laugh. “So just ’cause I wear my jeans well, I must be a real cowboy? Trust me. Looking like a cowboy doesn’t qualify me to run a ranch, especially not one that’s been neglected for years.”
“Look. My mama died in a car wreck last month, and my stepdad took off, saying he ‘couldn’t handle it.’ She’d been out of work for a while and had almost nothing, especially after helping me with tuition for UT. My aunt and uncle took my brother in, he’s fourteen, but they won’t have anything to do with me ’cause…well, they just won’t have me. I said I was home from school for the summer, but the truth is I won’t be able to go back, not until I earn the money for tuition. I need to stay close to my brother, so I have to find a job around here. My aunt doesn’t want me around him. They’re trying to turn him against me, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
Grant was almost certain Miles’s aunt and uncle had rejected him because he was gay, but if he did his hiring based on feeling sorry for the applicants, he was going to guarantee the ranch’s bankruptcy. “That sucks, and I’m real sorry, but this ain’t a charity.” Grant felt like an ass, but he couldn’t do Miles any good if he couldn’t pay him, and he wouldn’t be able to unless someone helped him turn the ranch around.
Miles nodded. “I know. I just… I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
He turned to go, and the look on his face sliced right into Grant’s heart. Don’t do it, Grant cautioned himself, but the warning did no good. “Wait!”
PRIZES!
You really think we’d have a blog tour without prizes. Pfft. No! We Most definitely have those. What do you need to do? Go to the different posts and leave comments and email addresses.
$10 All Romance Gift Certificate
$15 Amazon Gift Certificate
Hot Off the Range Anthology (eBook)
Your Choice of eBook from Toni Griffin’s Backlist
Your Choice of eBook from Angel Martinez’s Backlist
Your Choice of eBook from Silvia Violet’s Backlist
Your Choice of eBook from Freddy MacKay’s Backlist
In ADDITION, we are participating in Rafflecopter.
If you make a comment, FB like and tweet our blog hop, then each time you do so will enter you. For those to count though, you need to use the widget.
Needing A Little Christmas – Caramel Cake Recipe
Dec 2, 2013 Filed under: book release, contemporary, holiday, m/m, recipes, sweet treats
In Needing A Little Christmas, Mac’s mama sends Eli a caramel cake and the two men get to know each other while enjoying it. Here’s the delectable recipe she used…..
Mac’s Mama’s Caramel Cake
You will need three layers of your favorite yellow cake. I love the one here but you will need to multiply by 1.5 to get three layers. If tackling this well-worth-the-time caramel is all you’re up for, then use Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden mix. It’s, in my opinion, the best yellow cake mix out there.
Caramel Icing
3 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1.5 sticks butter
1T white corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Put 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. As the sugar melts, shake the pan so the sugar coats the bottom but don’t let it run up the sides. Stir gently so the sugar browns evenly. When the sugar is almond the color of the skin on an almond, slowly pouring in the evaporated milk while stirring vigorously. The mixture will boil rapidly and start to seize up but keep stirring, breaking up the chunks of sugar. When all the milk is combined with the sugar, add the rest of the sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Mix well. Attach a candy thermometer and bring to a boil. Boil for 10-20 minutes or until the candy thermometer reads 248F. Stir occasionally. If you see any signs of burning, turn the heat down a bit. Be very careful. The mixture can splatter and you don’t want to get burned!*
When the mixture is at 248F, remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low and add the vanilla. Be very careful, it could splatter and it will still be very hot. Continue mixing on medium until the mixture begins to thicken and lose it’s shine. Working quickly while the caramel is still pourable, pour or spoon 1/2 cup on the first layer and spread over the top. Add second layer and repeat. Add top layer, repeat and then use remaining caramel to cover the sides.
*You may want to keep a bowl of ice water nearby. Submerge skin immediately if you are burned.
And now for a bit of Mac and Eli…..
Needing A Little Christmas is available at Amazon, ARe, and Barnes and Noble.
Several minutes later, Mac had unloaded all the wood and gotten a fire going, and I’d made coffee and served cake. When we were seated at the table in the kitchen, I took my first bite of the gorgeous caramel cake and sighed. Forget sex. I was going to come from eating this cake.
“Oh my God, this is the best cake I’ve ever had.”
Mac smiled, not the sly sexy grin he’d given me earlier but a little-boy smile of pure joy. “It’s my great-grandmother’s recipe. Christmas just wouldn’t be right without caramel cake.”
I stared at him in horror. “This wasn’t supposed to be for your family tomorrow was it?”
He shook his head. “My mom always makes several of them. We give them as gifts and one would never be enough for us anyway.”
“I feel honored to have one. You don’t even know me; your mom doesn’t know me. I could have been an asshole or even a serial killer.”
Mac laughed. “Nah. I could tell you were all right when we talked on the phone. You sounded like a nice guy who was having a rough time and then got stranded. And I should know. I get plenty of assholes calling me demanding a load of wood five minutes ago because their cabin dropped below eighty toasty degrees for five seconds or expecting me to clear a foot of snow from the driveway of their artfully-decorated cabin so they can get their BMW down the mountain without a scratch. They don’t get the family treatment or the family rates. But I could tell from your voice that I was going to like you.”
Like I could tell from yours that you are a sex god. “Thanks. You sounded like a good guy too.” A good guy? Had I really said that?
He grinned. “I aim to please.”
Mischief Corner Books New Shenanigans Blog Tour
Aug 30, 2013 Filed under: book release, contemporary, excerpts, m/m, paranormal
Mischief Corner Books – What Happens When Creative Minds Start Thinking Too Much
We didn’t set out to do this. Honestly, we didn’t. MCB was born of a need to keep a bunch of friends writing together who miss each other too damn much. We live all over America and even in Australia, for gosh sakes, and we only get to see each other maybe once a year, if that.
It’s tough being separated but group writing projects made us feel like we were still in the same room, bouncing ideas off each other, making outrageous suggestions just to see if someone would take us up on it. Someone always did. But the more we worked on these things, the more we realized…we needed to go legit. So Mischief Corner Books was born as a company.
Today, we thought we’d share some details and some snippets of MCB stories – both from the current release and some past ones that are getting ready for individual release soon.
The current release, Horns and Halos was a reader selected anthology. We like that kind of thing. You guys tell us what you want. We go out and interpret the request each in our own unique way. We had three takers on this one: Toni Griffin, Freddy Mackay and Angel Martinez, and while we had originally asked for short stories, this collection of three tales ended up at 99K words. Um. Yeah. Some of us need to learn the meaning of short. *ahem*
The prompt? Write a story about angels and/or demons. Take your cues from whatever culture you like. Write in whatever genre you see fit. We ended up with an interesting trio.
Archie’s Accidental Kidnapping by Toni Griffin (M/M Fantasy – Hellhound Shifters)
Hell may not have any fury like a woman scorned, but even that’s nothing compared to a Hell Hound when you get between him and his mate.
Snippet:
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Sleeping. What does it look like I’m doing?” Archie asked quietly as sleep tried desperately to take him away. Really, Archie was starting to wonder about his kidnapper with a question like that.
“You get kidnapped and think it’s okay to just go to sleep?” The man sounded genuinely confused. Archie didn’t know why. Everyone needed sleep.
“See, told you that you kidnapped me.”
Internment by Freddy Mackay (M/M Fantasy)
Tadashi’s life spirals out of control, and he hides away on his mountain taking care of the one place he knows he is safe, and people are safe from him. But the world has a way of interrupting life.
Snippet:
The squirrel danced around the broom, determination on its face. It sat back on its hind legs and pointed at him. “Bad human!”
“Argh!” God, it talked. It really fucking talked. The broom came down on instinct, landing right on top of the demon squirrel. It squeaked. That seemed normal.
“Stop trying to squish me!”
That did not! Its tail flicked wildly under the bristles.
“Get this broom off me!”
“Stop talking!” he demanded, his chest heaving. His head felt kind of light. That couldn’t be good.
Hell For The Company by Angel Martinez (M/M Science Fiction/ Humor
Shax, the Demon Prince of Thieves, has reconciled himself to exile. He has a grand time careening around the galaxy as a high-end, intergalactic purloiner of pretties. Everything’s going just fine, thank you very much, until he comes across an injured angel in a psychedelic alien jungle.
Snippet:
“Ver.”
“Hey, trouble.”
Shax sipped his coffee, staring in confusion down into the not-quite-empty-anymore hold. “We have cows.”
“You figured that out all by yourself.”
“They’re…floating.”
“Yeah.” Steam rose from Verin’s nostrils when he snorted. “They’re antigrav cows. The guy explained the science-y stuff about how they have some kind of extra antigrav stomach built into their genetics but I wasn’t really listening.”
Cabin For Two was our first anthology, inspired by…our cabin. Ha. That’s where we all met, though, and it was quite an inspirational place 🙂 Next month, we’ll start releasing the Cabin for Two stories as individual pieces, nice little bite-sized Mischief Corner stories just for you. A few tastes to hold you over:
Their Natural Habitat by Silvia Violet (M/M Contemporary)
A forest ranger and his lover just want a nice weekend away. The bear baiters have other ideas.
Snippet:
Dan had been told how to handle a bear encounter countless times. Why the fuck couldn’t he remember what to do? He looked down stupidly at the flashlight in his hand. Carry a flashlight if you go out, Parker had said. What the hell was he supposed to with a flashlight? Shine it in the bear’s eyes? That seemed unwise. Try to bash it over the head? That would be sheer stupidity.
A loud clang behind him nearly stopped his heart. The bear dropped to all fours and took off into the woods. Dan stared, unable to move.
“You okay?”
Parker’s voice snapped him out of his paralysis.
He turned to see his lover holding a large bell. He tried to find the words he wanted to say, but his mouth just hung open as he tried to remember how to breathe.
Parker lifted the bell. “I keep this on the porch, because it’s good for scaring off bears.”
“You could’ve told me that.”
Three Little Words by Mathilde Watson (M/M Historical
Lifelong friends have returned from the Korean conflict and now need to fight their way through the feelings they’ve harbored for each other for so long.
Snippet:
Hugh opened the door and disappeared inside. Gary followed him into the bedroom and took in his surroundings, once again frozen in place. The room had a tiny closet, a chest of drawers… and one large bed. Only one. Gary swallowed hard and watched as Hugh moved around the room.
“My things are all in the bottom two drawers. You can have the two on top. And I’ve got some extra hangers in the closet… What is it?” Hugh frowned at him from across the room. Gary took a deep breath, willing himself not to panic. He cleared his throat.
“Where…” One word and he ran out of air. Gary took another deep breath, carefully trying to keep his tone light. “Where do I sleep?”
Hugh looked pointedly at the bed. His eyebrows were drawn together over a puzzled expression. “In the bed.”
“With you?”
“Well, yeah. Unless you want to sleep on the floor…” Hugh sighed, his voice softening. “I warned you that this place was small. But the bed, it’s big enough for the both of us.
We’re on a roll now – look for lots more in the future, including our (yet to be titled) Cowboy anthology coming out later this fall! Stay with us folks. It’s going to be an interesting ride.
Guest Author: Sara York
Aug 29, 2013 Filed under: book release, guest blogger, m/m, paranormal, shapeshifter
I love shifters. Silvia’s Wild R Farms series drew me in and had me falling in love with the characters. She always does such an excellent job of creating worlds that are believable and characters that are amazing.
When Linda and I started writing Prodigal Wolf we wanted to make the shifters believable. We wanted the characters to be more than just wolves who occasionally turned into humans or humans that occasionally turned into wolves. We wanted fully formed characters that were shifters and couldn’t be separated from or exist without the other piece of themselves. Of all the wolves, I think Ted is my favorite. He’s comical but dangerous. Ted isn’t the main focus of book one, but he’s a big part of it. Ted’s humor comes from his laid back attitude. He’s masterful but in a calm way.
My next favorite would be Carlo. He’s all smoke and shadows with a dose of sexy and dangerous. Tall dark and handsome along with smart make him one hell of a man. Add to that the animalistic nature that is his beast and he’s the total package. Carlo is the central character in the Wolves and Waves series, featured in book one but his story isn’t resolved that quickly.
Then there are the twinks, Kevin and Grady. They are cute and sweet but together, they are trying to hard and they might just ruin the best thing to happen in their lives. Through their fumbling, Kevin and Grady might just find happiness, if they get their head up high enough to see that they have something special.
I hope you enjoy Prodigal Wolf and our guys. Prodigal Wolf is available at most online ebook retailers like Amazon
Blurb: Carlo has a problem; after years away he’s finally returned to his South Carolina roots – but instead of peace and quiet all he’s found are nosy wolves, romancing twinks, an out of control roommate threatening to expose them all, and a demanding Alpha who just won’t go away.
All his Alpha wants is to show Carlo who he really is, and where he belongs. But Carlo Montefiore is a man fighting his instincts, memories, and responsibilities. His beachside home was supposed to provide sanctuary, but pack politics, unruly roommates, and human neighbors at risk of discovering that shifters exist, are making life anything but peaceful. Twinks Kevin and Grady have their own problems. Two college freshmen are no match for a couple of hot wolves who like to play chase. If they don’t stop playing games they’ll miss the biggest thing to happen in their young lives—love.
Excerpt:
Joey moved to stand beside him at the sink. “Whoa! Dude!” he threw over his shoulder, “Ya gotta check this out—twinkies!!!”
Ted tossed his rag on the board and crowded in to check out the scene. “Sweet!”
Two slender young men were unloading a little red Audi A3 hatchback, pulling bags and suitcases out of the rear. They looked like twins from this angle—all light brown curls and tan skin. Typical East Coasters in their pastel polo shirts and colorful madras shorts. You could literally pick them out of a Vineyard Vines catalog. Everything you ever thought about a preppy was currently bent over across the way. “Yum!” Joey couldn’t resist. The change in Carlo was immediate, his eyes darkening, a scowl fixed on his face. One glance had Ted slinking back to his seat at the table.
“That is exactly what I’m fuckin’ talking about! You stay the fuck away from them! You do not shift in the house without drawing the curtains… No. Wait. No fucking shifting in the house at all. You want to run, you take a drive and walk into the refuge or head to Pinckney Island. Period.”
“Hey! What the fuck Carlo. You can’t tell me…” Joey was protesting when a finger jammed into his breastbone, Carlo’s breath in his face, brows drawn.
“Grow up, Joey… Just….” He jammed his finger, highlighting each word with a thump before moving back to lean against the counter, running his fingers through his thick black hair.
“Shit. I need you to drive to Beaufort and pick up a package. I also have a list of errands, it’s there on the counter…”
Joey stared at the man. Carlo was completely losing it.
“Christ Carlo, just chill. I can pick up the stuff later—”
Carlo growled, his eyes narrowing and turning yellow, indicating the wolf was about to show. “Pick it up now.”
“Fuck! Just because Angelo crawled up your ass this morning doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us!”
“That’s the prob, Carlo wants Angelo up his ass…” Ted muttered under his breath.
The silence was shocking and Joey knew they’d gone too far. Normally they kept their razzing at a low hum, but this morning he and Ted had thrown wisdom out the window, pouncing on the man.
Pride Blog Fest 2013
Jun 10, 2013 Filed under: book release, cowboy, m/m, paranormal, shapeshifter, web event
Hi everyone! I’m happy to be part of the 2013 LGBTPride Blog Fest at Naughty Editions reviews. I love writing about LGBT relationships and giving my characters happy endings. I hope that eventually all LGBT people will be able to publicly take pride in who they are and that everyone in our society will realize that we’re all just people no matter who we love.
Today in celebration of Pride Fest I’m giving away all three ebooks in my Wild R Farm series. To be entered to win leave a comment here.
In the Wild R Farm series, my characters face predjudice both because they are gay and because they are shapeshifters. Just as there are those in our society today who tell LGBT people that their actions are sinful, there are people in my shapeshifter world who preach that changing form goes against God and that shapeshifters shouldn’t take their animal forms. In other words, they should suppress who they really are.
The third book in this series, Embracing Need has just been released. I hope you enjoy Tristan and Wes as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
Embracing Need (Wild R Farm 3) by Silvia Violet
Blurb:
Horse shifter, Tristan Hayes, doesn’t believe in relationships. He believes in hot, sweaty one-night stands that leave him aching for days.
Private investigator, Wesley James, is looking for someone to settle down with, but it’s never occurred to him that someone could be a man.
Tristan loves a good game, so he flirts with Wes, never thinking anything serious will come of his attraction. Wes fends him off, but after three months of cat and mouse, both men are worn out from fighting what they feel.
When a young woman from Tristan’s herd goes missing, he asks for Wes’s help. Tristan keeps up his flirtatious façade until Wes calls his bluff, taking him out for dinner and dancing. As they search for the missing shifter, Tristan struggles to believe Wes could care for the man Tristan hides beneath his abrasive exterior.
Excerpt:
Tristan was sitting in a chair on Wes’s front porch with his feet up on the railing when Wes pulled up.
Wes jumped out of his car, but his messenger bag tangled on something, and he tripped as he tried to yank it free. After cursing and kicking the car door, he turned back to Tristan, who was doing nothing to hold back his laughter. “If you were hoping that would turn me off, it didn’t work.”
Wes flipped him off, but Tristan just smiled. Wes’s T-shirt stretched across his muscular chest as he worked to catch his breath. His well-trimmed, dark beard begged Tristan to rub his face against it and find out if it was as soft as he imagined. Even the annoyance in Wes’s rich, brown eyes only made Tristan hotter, because knowing he could fluster Wes so easily was a major turn-on. Not that Tristan had any business pushing Wes’s buttons more than he already had. The right thing to do was to keep things businesslike, but he just couldn’t help himself. Years of overindulgence made his desires impossible to curb.
“What are you doing here?’ Wes asked, his tone implying Tristan was the last person he wanted to see even though the fact that he was still not breathing steadily after falling out of his car belied his disinterest.
“I have a business proposition.”
“Is that an innuendo?”
Tristan grinned. “Do you want it to be?”
“I’ve never paid for sex, and I don’t intend to start now.”
“Ouch.” Tristan stuck out his lip, and Wes laughed, too good-natured to stay annoyed.
“I do have to say it’s unsettling to find you all cozied up on my porch.”
Tristan stretched deliberately, letting his shirt ride up. He ran a hand over his chest and across his toned abs, stopping just short of his crotch. “I have been getting rather comfy waiting for you.”
Wes eyed him suspiciously. “What are you really doing here?”
“Are you afraid I’m here to demonstrate my riding skills?” He pushed up the hat, the same straw one he’d been wearing when he’d last seen Wes.
Wes’s gaze strayed to the hat and then skittered over Tristan’s lean body. “No. Yes. Damn it, Tristan, quit being so fucking infuriating.”
Tristan took pity on him then. “A young woman from my herd is missing, and I need your help to find her.”
Wes sighed. “Calling the police is out of the question?”
“Yeah. We don’t involve humans in our affairs unless we absolutely have to.”
Wes stared at him. “I’m human. Did you forget that?”
“Oh, you don’t count.”
Wes glared. “I don’t?”
Heat rose in Tristan’s cheeks. “You know what I mean. You’re not going to try to force us to adhere to your human ways.”
Wes shook his head. “I’m not going to force you to do anything.”
“Really? Are you sure? I’ve been such a bad boy. You might need to teach me a lesson.”
Wes growled. “Knock it off.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Tristan asked, gesturing toward Wes’s front door.
Wes sighed. “Do I have to?”
“Well.” Tristan paused to fan himself dramatically. “It is a bit warm out here.” With Wes so close, warm was an understatement.
When they got inside, Wes offered Tristan a bottle of water from the fridge. He took it, then watched, paralyzed, as Wes cracked his own bottle open and gulped it down, the muscles of his throat flexing, his large hand wrapped around the bottle.
When Wes put the bottle down, he seemed to realize Tristan was staring at him, and his cheeks reddened. Tristan looked away and opened his own water. He really needed it now, since all the moisture seemed to have left his mouth.
“I’m assuming you haven’t eaten dinner,” Wes said.
Tristan shook his head.
“Then let’s go get some. I even know a place where after we eat, you can show me your dance moves like you’ve been threatening to do.”
Tristan stared, openmouthed. He’d been teasing Wes about taking him out dancing since the day they met, but he never thought Wes would propose such a thing. “What are you up to?” he asked. Calling his bluff. That’s what the bastard was doing.
