Wednesday Briefs: And The Race Is On

It feels like forever since I've participated in the Wednesday Brief but I had some inspiration  this past weekend and got my writing hat on, so to speak.

Here's this weeks prompts:

use a safe word in your story 

  

The alternate prompts are:  cherry, innocence, scarf or

"I thought you were .... but you really aren't, you're.... "

or use any Beatle title in your story or

use: independence, master, control

or make a 50 Shades of Grey reference

As always I'll leave the links to my fellow briefers. Nothing better than a free read to brighten up your day. 

Have and excellent week and happy reading!!!

And The Race Is On Part 1

“So, Andrew, are you packed and ready to go?”

Andy turned to look at his boss, Leon Walsh aka editor and chief of Sports Craze magazine, standing in the doorway to his office. Leon was the only person who used his given name.  Andy thought it annoying that the man just couldn’t call him by the name he liked. Andrew seemed so official, like when his mother would yell at him when he was in trouble. Andy was more laid back, a likeable person’s name.

“Yes, sir,” Andy said as he finished typing an email, then closed his laptop and stood up. “This time tomorrow I’ll be sitting in the stands in Charlotte watching some NASCAR.”

Andy was a journalist for a sports magazine. He travelled to several different locations writing about what current sporting event was all the rage. And that was the reason he was heading to Charlotte, North Carolina for a sporting profession he just couldn’t grasp the purpose of. Men driving cars at high rates of speed around a circle track over and over again. It reminded Andy of a hamster on a wheel. In constant motion but never going anywhere.

“Good, good, good. This race car driving has really gained popularity so I trust you’ll bring me back a great story,” Leon said with a smile.

“You bet.” Andy gritted out as he stood from his chair. “Well I better be off so I don’t miss my flight.”

“Yeah, right you better get a move on it. Traffic this time of day can be a bear.” Leon followed him out. “Have a safe flight Andrew.”

Andy nodded his thanks and headed toward the elevator. When the door dinged and opened wide he stepped inside the decorative metal box. He pushed P for the parking garage and leaned back against the cool reflective wall at his back.

Being a sports journalist wasn’t his dream job but it was a start and if he had to admit he wasn’t half bad at it. Especially for a man who couldn’t catch let alone throw a ball to save his life.

His dream was to write meaningful news articles for Time magazine or Newsweek. To write about stories that would change people’s lives, maybe even make a difference. But getting his foot in those doors took experience and time. So that left Andy writing about organized sporting events. He wasn’t bitter about that. It was a start after all.

The elevator doors pulled apart and opened into the parking garage. He walked over to his little black  Jetta and popped the lock. Carefully he stowed his bag in the backseat and climb into the driver’s side and turned on the car.

The drive to the airport was pretty uneventful. No accidents or road construction causing him to run late. He took the exit for the San Francisco Airport and followed the signs to the long term parking. Andy grabbed his laptop case and his one carryon. He learned to pack efficiently from past experiences. The trip was only to last about a week but he never knew when he would be called to another location to cover a different story.

After checking in and getting situated at the gate for his flight, with an hour and half left until take off, Andy pulled out his laptop and took another look at the material he had gathered. NASCAR was a popular sport that had really picked up steam in the last few years. People had their favorite drivers they rooted for and followed the circuit around in RVs. Some serious die hard fan’s even tattooed their bodies with their favorite driver’s race car numbers. Now that was some serious commitment.

Andy pulled up the email that had all the info on the racing team he was being sent to interview. A new driver by the name of Luc Royston was having a really good year. His points standings were high for a newbie, or so the information the guys team manger sent him.

The research Andy had done so far pulled up nothing negative pertaining to Luc. The guy seemed squeaky clean almost too much so. It wasn’t that Andy was looking for the bad in him but most people had either skeletons in their closets they wanted to hide or a flurry of good stuff going on like charity work or some shit people liked to brag about. But this guy had nothing, zilch. All it did confirm was that Luc was having an amazing year behind the wheel.

Scrolling down the email there was picture of Luc from the last race he had won. Andy’s heart did a flutter at the photo.  Luc’s high cheek bones were flushed from excitement of the win and his squared masculine jaw line was less harsh from the huge smile Luc wore across his face. He looked to be of average height with brown hair and bright blue eyes. Luc’s hair was messy from the helmet he had to wear while racing. Andy wished he could reach his hand through the computer screen and straighten the mused locks.

Luc wore his racing suit in the picture so Andy couldn’t get a good visual on the man’s body but assumed it was like the rest of the package, perfect. He understood the Beatles meaning for the song Drive My Car, because he would let Luc drive anything he wanted.

One of the perks of Andy’s job was being around hot, sweaty, and sexy as sin men the majority of the time. He was a gay man invited into the locker rooms of some of the most well sought after, prime specimens, men in the world.  

Yep, sometimes life was good.

To Be Continued

MA Church    m/m

Sara York     m/m

Michael Mandrake   m/m

Nephylim     m/m

Tali      m/m

Julie Lynn Hayes m/m

My Thoughts on Fate's Second Chance

I have to admit I’m a much better talker than writer when it comes to expressing my thoughts on certain issues so hopefully this makes sense to everyone who reads this.

I've read some recent reviews that have stated what they didn’t like about Fate's Second Chance was that it was hard for them to separate Marie from Marc. I can see where that could happen, after all I did write the story. But my intentions were not to separate the two because Marie was always Marc and Marc will always be Marie. A little confusing? Let me explain.

I’m one of those people who hate when people say she acts like a man or he comes off just a little too feminine. Who is the judge of this? Who has the right to say that about another individual?

What I’m getting at is that most of us are conditioned at an early age to think men should act a certain way and same for women. But why? As people are minds are forever growing and changing and putting labels on people is just constricting. I believe people act the way they want and there isn’t a set mold we should have to try and fit into. So I didn’t make Marc over masculine but he was still a man. I wonder if I never wrote Marc as being a woman to begin with if readers would have looked at the story differently. If I had Marc characterized as just being a sensitive guy who’s emotions got the best of him at times would that have made a difference?  Would it have changed the way the reader viewed Marc?  

I wanted Marc to be seen as a man, who just so happens use to be a woman, going through the ups and downs of falling in love. Men and women experience the same down falls on the road to their happy ever after but is it that much different from one another? I don’t think it is. We’re all a bunch of people living in this huge world just trying to get through the days and hopefully find that one special person who makes all the hard work worth it at the end of the day.

Fate's Second Chance was my first published work and I would be the first to agree that there were things I wish I could have changed or added. I'm sure every writer has that should of, could of, would of crap run through their mind. But if you change to much stuff during edits your editor would probably want to strangle you. LOL!

I welcome all comments be it good or bad. Some constructive criticism never hurt anyone. My goal as a writer is to write material that others find entertaining and hopefully I'm accomplishing that particular goal. Without readers where would us writers be?

I hope everyone enjoys the start to their week and happy reading!!!

Hop Against Homophobia

Hello to everyone and welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia. This the first time I’ve written a blog posting like this and I really didn’t know what I should discuss. Over 250 authors are participating in this hop and you’ll probably read a variety of postings. I just hope my can compare.

ho·mo·pho·bia noun \ˌhō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə\

Definition of HOMOPHOBIA:

Irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

I felt it was important to put the definition as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary at the beginning of my post. Some people aren’t aware of the extent of the definition and a small reminder never hurt. I’m sure at one point or another we ourselves or someone we know has displayed homophobic behavior and it was probably unwittingly done. But today is a new day and a fresh start. We as a whole can spread the word and put an end to this irrational fear, aversion, discrimination against homosexuality. The GLBT community cant to it alone. We’re all a part of the human race and should be treated as such.

I’m a strong believer in everything starts at home. How we we’re raised and how we raise are children are a big factor on the adults our children will turn out to be. I’m the proud mother four very energetic children who I’ve been raising to not look at others differences. Be it the color of their skin, if they wear glasses, have a speech problem, brown hair versus blond hair, learning disability, and even who a person chooses to love. My response to my children when they question another individual for being different is always the same. If we were all the same the world would be an extremely boring place.

Here’s a little story about my ten year old daughter Tatum. My little girl is very perceptive and as she gets older her father and I encourage her to ask questions if she doesn’t understand something and it led to this discussion at our local movie theater. I took my two oldest to see the Bully documentary and when it was over as we walked back to our car Tatum asked why the girl in the documentary was being bullied. I had to stop and explain to her that the young lady featured in the film was a lesbian. She told me she understood that but couldn't comprehended why the young lady was being picked on for that reason alone. Tatum told me the girl was just being herself and why should that bother anyone else. Part of me was proud that it didn't faze Tatum to even think for a second that someone should be treated differently for something like that. But with that came the heartbreak that I had to tell her that these are the hard truths of the world we live in. Discrimination is everywhere and we can’t protect our children from it all the time but we can teach them how to overcome it and to stand up to the bigots of the world who try to shove those hateful beliefs in our faces.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a woman and no, I’m not gay. So I can’t possibly understand the daily struggles the GLBT community goes through. And as a writer in the M/M genre I’ve been asked how can I possibly know what I’m talking about? Simple answer to that is love is love. Be between a man and a woman, man and a man, or woman and a woman. Being gay doesn’t make a person any different than a straight person. We’re all people in this big world just trying to live our lives and find love along the way without judgment from others.

I don’t have a solution for this problem but I wished I did. Compassion and understanding is what this world needs more of and I truly do believe each and every person can make a difference. There are organizations out there to give support and help to those in need. I do believe it all does get better and as a parent I wholeheartedly stand by that belief. Never give up hope!

This is a blog hop so I will be having a giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment with a valid email address so I can contact you. I’ll be selecting three winners and they can have their pick of any of my books. The hop runs from May 17th-20th. Now run off and read my fellow authors postings. Understanding and knowledge is what will make us stronger as a community!

The TREVOR Project

Special Guest Camile Carson

Camile Carson was kind enough to visit my blog today and without further ado here she is!

I’d like to thank AJ for inviting me to her blog. As a fan of her writing, I’m honored to be in such illustrious company.

I love mysteries, suspense and thrillers. Romance is a new genre for me. Adding spice and a lot of hot flesh to a gripping plot is quite easy. Romance enhances the novel and elevates it to new, orgasmic heights (pun intended.)

I allow the characters to develop themselves. I have grown to love them as if they were real. Letting the cast dictate the direction they want to travel is a unique style. I never use an outline and am quite surprised when I find out “who did it.” On “Lovers and Saints” my latest book published by Siren, I had no idea who the murderer was until the second draft. Combining a cast of suspects and creating a plot utilizing codes, religious icons, and sinister villains is a craft I love. If I don’t know “who did it” the reader might be surprised as well.

I hope you will enjoy “Lovers and Saints” as much as I adored writing it.

http://www.bookstrand.com/lovers-and-saints

STORY EXCERPT

Sam loved being a journalist. As a child she always carried a notebook and pencil. Constantly jotting down events at school, Timmy falls off bike, Cindy scratches knee, Mr. Robbins stinks. It was the beginning of her life. She savored the words and flow of graphite over paper. Now, it was the flurry of fingertips on keyboards, tape recordings, and texting. The technology had changed, but not the words. Words wound threads of thought in her creative head, twisting and turning until the perfect tapestry of thought was produced.

Samantha drove to the gas station and picked up two paper cups of black coffee and a half dozen packets of sugar for Carl. Loving his sweets, Sam felt a twinge of pity for the man and picked up a pack of donuts as well. His stomach was bulging and his hairline receding, but that’s not what bothered Sam. Carl always found a way to touch her, whether it be a pat on the arm, a friendly embrace, or a seemingly innocent brush against her thigh. Sensations of nausea would pang Sam as her skin crawled when he invaded her space.

Briar’s park loomed in front of her. The iron gates stood open. Rust prevented the closure of the security barrier. She could see dew dripping from the birch trees. A small current of breath blew each tender leaf. The park was beautiful this time of day. In a few hours, mothers with their children in tow would invade the serenity and stillness that enveloped her.

Briar’s park was close to Sam’s home and work. Actually, everything in Crompton was intimate. It wasn’t a small town like Mayberry, yet far from New York City. As much as she loved the familiarity, Sam yearned to be a reporter in a big city. One day, she would uncover a huge story that would make her byline known globally. Smiling at this thought, she pulled her Honda into the park and replaced her thoughts of fame with the crime scene ahead.

Yellow tape was being set around the pond, the adjacent playground, and the picnic area. Carl had come through for her again. There was no sign of the press. Once again, he had got Sam to the forefront of a big headline.

“Hey, Copperton, what songbird sang for you this morning?” Detective Grant Wilson yelled across the lawn. She waved and gave him a flashing smile.

“Just felt like taking a walk in the park. What’s going on here? Are you decorating for a birthday party?” Samantha liked Grant. He was sturdy in build, tendrils neglected to lay flat against his slightly graying hair. No matter how neatly dressed he was, she was always drawn to his unkempt coif.

Despite Carl’s objections, Grant had introduced Sam to Paul. There was symmetry that attracted the pair immediately. Grant used to tease Sam that he hand-picked Paul just for her. Like Carl, Grant and Paul had been lifelong pals in Crompton. The three played baseball, football, and skinny-dipped in the stream outside of town. They were brothers. There was another musketeer in the group, one that Sam detested. Andre was nothing like Carl the simpleton, Grant the wise, and Paul the delicious.

“And, you brought coffee. That was sweet.” Grant reached out and grabbed Carl’s coffee.

“Hey that’s for…the birds. Go ahead, enjoy.” Sam felt like one of the family around Grant. Her acceptance into the group was smooth and flowing. Sam thought this must be what having brothers was like.

“Where’s my—oh, you have it. A guy can’t even get a cup of coffee anymore.” Carl joined the two. He started to put his arm around Sam, but she moved slightly closer to Grant. Winking, Grant appeared to catch on.

“Sorry”—Samantha smiled—“Detective Wilson thought the cup was his.”

“Grant thinks everything is his.” There was a bit of sting to the sentence.

The three headed toward the crime scene. Samantha could see a platform sandal in the grass. The closer Sam got to the body, she saw pieces of clothing strewn about. Samantha turned sharply when a hand was placed roughly on her shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing here? The press hasn’t been called. Get back to your little office and write an article on the new supermarket opening.”

It was Andre Carson. Samantha cringed at his stark attitude. She hoped he would be playing cops and robbers elsewhere. Andre’s breath was hot against her neck as he moved in closer. Sam could feel her heart beating against her chest. Anger and a bit of sexual tension seemed to mount whenever Andre was near.

“I was taking an early-morning walk and saw the police cars. I’m nosy, remember?” Samantha shook his hand off of her. Glaring into his sienna eyes, she shuddered under his gaze. Scowling at her, the lines around his mouth touched the faint hint of a mustache. Andre always made Sam a bit agitated and out of control. The aroma of his cologne stopped her, jasmine with a bit of spice, she thought. He should be wearing garlic. Sam began to chuckle at her own inside joke.

“You have no business here. Leave so the police can do their work.” His intense voice penetrated her ears and made Sam’s knees wobble. His black linen jacket brushed against her arm as it flapped in the breeze. Chills ran down her back.

“Come on, Andre,” Carl chided in. “You know she is one of the best investigative reporters around. She even broke the Franco murder case last month. If it wasn’t for her, we never would have found the weapon in the wheel well of Arthur Franco’s car.” Samantha was grateful for Carl’s gracious interruption. It seemed that Carl was particularly protective of her when it came to Andre.

Visit me at:

http://camilecarsonromance.blogspot.com/

http://www.bookstrand.com/camile-carson

www.camilecarsonromancenovels.com

camilecarson@yahoo.com

Release Day!!!

It's Astrid's Wish release day!!! I'm excited. It never gets old having a book come out and its made Siren's top 50 and Book Strands top 30 lists. I have to say that makes me extremely happy. Not for sales but for the simple fact that people are excited to read it. If you cant tell I'm a big self doubter almost to a fault. But it keeps me from getting a big head. LOL!

I have some things going on this week so I wont be doing a giveaway until next week. I have a guest blogger on Thursday May 17th. Camile Carson will be stopping by! Then this weekend is the Hop Against Homophobia.

So its a busy week plus I'm finishing up on book three of the Warriors of the Light series. I need more hours in the day or learn to go without sleep.

Be sure to stop by on Thursday for Camile's visit and this weekend for the hop. Yes its a hop but its for a good cause. A lot of participating authors.

Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week and happy reading!!!

Blurb

After a hundred years of abuse, Astrid Reznik has finally found a home. Living among the Warriors of the Light, he has all he ever dreamed of, a family. Everything changes when the witch sent by the Council of Paranormal Beings to question him ends up being his mate. Suddenly he desires things from another man he never thought possible.

Klaus Marinos is a high council witch whose job is to hunt down evil witches who use their magic for evil. Believing Astrid to be no better, he is shocked to learn besides being mates, the young witch is also half fairy. Astrid’s an anomaly in their world, and Klaus is forced to protect him at all costs.

A kidnapping attempt exposes Astrid’s true purpose for existing, to destroy the Council. An unforeseen evil threatens to take everything Klaus holds dear, and it’s up to him and the warriors to protect Astrid.

Buy Link:  http://www.bookstrand.com/astrids-wish  

Astrid's Wish Excerpts

Astrid's Wish is set to release on May 16th. I'm so excited. This story is longer and has quite a bit more detail. I'm extremely happy with the end results and I hope others will enjoy it too.

I realized I hadn’t posted any excerpts of the book, so I'm going to rectify that right now. Here is the story and the adult excerpt.

Enjoy and happy reading!!!

Story Excerpt

“Mr.Marinos , Benedict is needing to speak to you now. He says it’s urgent.” The sound of one of the council’s operator’s voices rang out through his quiet room.

Klaus groaned as he rolled over and smacked the bedside intercom. “I just bet it is.” He yawned and stretched out his arms. “Tell that prick I’ll be there when I get there.”

“Uh, Mr.Marinos , I don’t think I can say that to him,” the voice responded back to him.

Sending a silent fuck you to the Benedict, he hit the button again. “Of course not. Tell him I’ll be down in ten.”

Getting out of bed, he headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He dropped his gaze and switched the dial from hot to cold. The hard-on he sported wouldn’t be going away without any help any time soon, and he had forgone masturbating centuries ago. So that left a nice cold shower to relieve the pressure tightening his balls into tight little stones.

The dream had left him unsettled. He’d never had a dream that realistic before. The man lying on the bed seemed almost too real. The skin, the eyes, and the lean muscles that twitched when he laid his fingers on him, were definitely too real.

Klaus sighed as he stepped into the shower. He wished it were true, that the man was real. Being alone for so long could drive a person crazy, and maybe he had finally succumbed to the insanity of existing without the love of a mate.

Quickly washing up, he pushed aside the illusion of ever finding his mate. For him they didn’t exist, because if they had why had fate seen it fit to have him live for so long without one?

Fifteen minutes later he sat before Benedict, getting his next assignment.

“You’re sending me where again?” Klaus glared at Benedict. He must have misheard what the man had said.

“I need you to go and interrogate this witch my son has taken in.” Benedict shook his head. “That boy is always taking in strays, but at least this one might have information on Asher’s whereabouts.”

Klaus kicked his feet up onto Benedict’s shiny desk. He saw the man bristle from his boldness. He had to bite back his smile. Let the man get upset. Klaus was older and had the full respect of the council even if technically he worked in the same sector as Benedict. Which kind of made the man his boss.

“I must ask again, what’s this hard-on you have for finding Asher?” Klaus cocked an eyebrow at Benedict. “If you ask me, it all seems rather odd to be wasting the council’s time on a vampire who has been missing for centuries. Who may very well be dead.”

“He’s not dead!” Benedict shouted as he slammed his hand down on his desk, splintering the wood surface.

Well now they were getting somewhere. Klaus always had his suspicions where the two men were concerned, and Benedict’s behavior just kept fueling that particular fire. He dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward on his elbows. “How do you know? Did you gaze into your crystal ball or some shit?” he taunted the man.

Benedict fidgeted with the papers on his desk, avoiding eye contact with Klaus. “I just know, and let’s leave it at that.” He watched the mask of calm collectiveness slam back into place. “Like I stated earlier, I’m sending you to a town called Branson, Missouri. That is where my son has currently taken up residency, and you’re the one going because you’re the only witch I trust around my son.”

“Well jeez, thanks.” He snatched the papers out of Benedict’s outreached hand and thumbed through the report as Benedict carried on.

“It seems my son’s mate has befriended this witch that was being held prisoner with him. The man was held under Malcolm and Lucian’s care for over a hundred years. We will be lucky if he doesn’t go insane. If it turns out that he is damaged, I don’t want him around my son and his mate.”

Klaus glanced up from his papers. “Does this witch have a name?”

“It’s not in the report?” Benedict clicked away on his keyboard, searching through his computer. “Oh here it is. His name is Astrid.”

“Astrid?” he asked in disbelief. “Are you sure it’s a man?” He chuckled. Who would give a boy such a feminine name? With a name like that the poor guy should be allowed to go a little crazy every now and again.

“From what my son has told me, this man Astrid was sold when he was thirteen years of age to Malcolm. He has no knowledge of where he comes from. He only spoke of a mother.” Benedict tapped his fingers on the desk top. “Pretty heartless if you ask me. God only knows what Malcolm did to the poor man. And in my book it’s better to be safe than sorry. So if this Astrid is going to lose it I’d rather him do it here at council headquarters where we can control the damage.”

Klaus studied the man. He brought up valid points, but there was more to it. The hairs on the back of his neck rose in suspicion. “So let me get this straight, you want me to go and question this guy for information on a witch he may not even know?” He arched an eyebrow.

Benedict looked up from his computer. “It’s not just about getting information on Asher, but for the safety of my boy and the other warriors in the house with this Astrid.”

Adult Excerpt

Without a second thought, Klaus fisted his hand in Astrid shirt and rolled until he lay on top of him. Astrid gasped in surprise, and he grinned down at his angel. The yearning that crossed Astrid’s face was all the go-ahead he needed.

Klaus covered Astrid’s lips with his own. He sipped from Astrid’s heavenly entrance. His tongue came out to lick at the seam of Astrid’s lips. The need to plunder the velvety, moist mouth had his body humming to claim what was rightfully his.

His teased Astrid’s lips apart and coaxed Astrid’s tongue into playing with his. Astrid timidly sucked his tongue farther into his mouth, and white hot pleasure raced through Klaus’s body from the top of his head down to his toes.

The need to breathe had him pulling away from Astrid. Klaus rested his forehead against Astrid as he tried to focus. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

Slow. He needed to go slow.

“Okay, angel, I’ll give you what you want.” He placed a finger against Astrid’s lips when he started to speak. “But at my pace. I want to take things slow with you.”

“You’re just making excuses.” Astrid pushed at his chest. “You don’t want me.”

Klaus grabbed Astrid’s hand and placed it over the rock-solid erection he sported behind his zipper. Astrid’s eyes widened in shock.

“Does it feel like I don’t want you?” He moaned as Astrid gave an experimental squeeze to his length. “I want you more than the next breath I take, but we need to take one thing at a time. We have all the time in the world. There’s no need to rush it.”

Astrid continued to stroke Klaus’s cock through his pants. Astrid knew what he wanted, and he was taking control of the situation. Klaus could get used to this side of his angel.

The need to come had Klaus pulling Astrid’s hands up to the sides of his head. He smiled down at his mate as he wiggled beneath him.

“Keep your hands right here.” He tightened his hold on his mate’s small, fragile wrist to emphasize his request. Astrid gave him a jerky nod.

Klaus held his angel’s gaze as he slowly trailed his fingers down Astrid’s clothed body. He would have liked for his mate to be wearing nothing at all. The need to feel soft, smooth skin had Klaus yanking Astrid’s shirt up to his chin. He left the shirt there and went for Astrid’s zipper. The prize lying inside was what he truly wanted at the moment. Klaus wanted to taste Astrid and get drunk on his liquid magic.

He popped the button on Astrid’s pants and peeled back the sides. The head of Astrid’s cock peeked out of the top of his briefs. Klaus reached up and used both hands to pull down the sturdy denim. Astrid raised his hips off the bed to help him.

“God you’re beautiful,” Klaus said as he got his first glimpse of Astrid’s naked body. Astrid had pale skin from head to toe with lightly tanned nipples that harden from his touch. He worked his way down to the heavy cock resting against Astrid’s stomach. The head peeked out of the foreskin showcasing a drop of pre-cum at the tip. God how he loved his men uncut.

Not giving Astrid a chance to decide if he wanted Klaus’s mouth on him or not, he leaned forward and swallowed his mate down until his nose met the thatch of golden hair surrounding the base. Astrid grunted and thrust his hips into Klaus’s face as he moved up the length. He rolled down the thin tissue and tongued every ridged contour. He hummed around the head as he brought his other hand up to gently massage Astrid’s balls and pull on the soft orbs lightly. With mouth on cock, one hand jacking the length, and one hand fondling his man’s bits, he very quickly pushed Astrid over the edge.

Astrid threw his head back and screamed as hot cum shot down his throat. Klaus ran his eyes up the length of Astrid’s body as he came undone. The tendons of Astrid’s neck bulged as he succumbed to the love Klaus showed him.

Klaus sucked his mates throbbing length until he milked all the cream his mate had to give. The taste of pure bliss erupted on his tongue. He released Astrid’s softening shaft from his lips and sat up, straddling Astrid’s legs. Klaus growled in frustration when he couldn’t get his pants undone quickly enough. The intoxicating, sweet taste of Astrid on his tongue drove him to insanity.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally worked his prick free from his pants. Klaus looked up to his mate when he heard Astrid’s sharp inhale. This was the first time his mate had seen his naked shaft. His size had intimidated many men but not his Astrid. Astrid licked his lips as he ogled his hard cock.

The sight of his angel’s pink tongue running across his lips had Klaus gripping his length tightly in his fist. He pumped his hand hard and fast. His orgasm played just out of reach. Astrid started to move his hands away from his head, and Klaus grunted for him to hold still. Astrid let his hands fall back to his sides as he looked down his body as Klaus masturbated over him.

The hungry look in his mate’s eyes wreaked havoc on his nerves. Astrid rocked his hips up and grazed his semierect cock against Klaus’s crease. A whimper left his mouth as warm cum spit forth from his body. He hovered over Astrid’s and painted his chest with his seed.

“Mine,” he declared as the last bit of cum left his body.

Astrid's Wish Cover

Here's the cover for Astrid's Wish. It's the second in the Warriors of the Light series. Release date is still set for May 16th. I'm excited! Its a little bit longer than Miles's Awakening but Astrid had more to tell. *wink-wink*

Astrid's book is still going through edits but as soon as they're complete I'll be posting blurbs, excerpts, all that good stuff.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week, I for one will be busy with my kids activities.

Happy reading!!!

AJ

Erica Pike: An Author Worth Reading

Hello! I hope everyone’s having a great Tuesday. I'll be spending mine at the zoo with child number three for his kindergarten field trip. Spring in Missouri is as fickle as ever. But according to he weather man the storms should be moved out by the morning and sun shiny skies. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Okay, on to more important things than the weather. Just recently I discovered a new to me author. Her books are so well thought out with characters you can’t help but fall for. She writes a vulnerability to the men in her stories that had me feeling their pain when times weren’t so good for them. That spark of emotion she adds to her writing hooked me from the first page.

I bet you’re all wonder who this author is that I’ve gone all fan girl on. That would be Ms. Erica Pike. We belong to some of the same yahoo groups and one day I landed on an excerpt for Hot Hands. That was it! Not soon after I went and bought Grade-A-Sex Deal and The Walls Have Ears. These books are part of her College Fun and Gays series.

The stories are short in length and I know how some people complain about that. Not me. Quite frankly I prefer stories that aren’t super long. Because folks, I’m a mother of four children under the age of ten, I work my regular job from home, plus I’m a writer as well. My time is always being stretched in so many different directions its saying a lot when a find an author I consider a must read and Erica Pike has become one of those.

With short stories people tend to question whether or not there was enough information given to become invested in the characters. I must say with Erica’s creativity in her writing she was able to paint the picture of the setting and characters flawlessly. And all the emotions came through loud and clear. I must say within such few pages Erica had me drawn into these men’s lives and I was rooting for them to get that happy ever after.

 

Each story is different but all have the same underlying theme and that is one character wanting love and never thinking they’re going to find it. And when they do find that love it comes from a person they never would have expected. Definitely gets your heart racing with that will they or won’t they type anticipation.

I highly recommend her books to any lover of M/M romances. Each story can be read as a standalone but I’d recommend reading them all. You’ll be happy you did!

 

Hot Hands  

This story is about a college student who is trying to overcome the fear he suffered through by the hands of fellow classmates when he was younger. Casper is a likable character who is just trying to live his life but gets sidetracked by a secret admirer with a case of grabby hands. This story is extremely fast paced. I was glued to my laptop until the very end. I found the whole mystery behind Casper’s admirer intriguing and then when I found out who the culprit was I was happy and a little outraged on Casper’s behalf. I don’t want to give away the story but a shocking ending.

Grade-A-Sex Deal 

Who hasn’t had an attraction to a teacher during their youth? Well this takes it one step further and shows the other side of when the teacher is more than willing to accept sex for a grade change. Mr. Corrigan is a heart breaking character whose life has changed all because he decided to be honest with himself and to the people who he thought cared for him. This story is actually pretty sad at times but hit on so many levels of what some people have probably actually gone through in their lives. What I liked about this story is just when you think you know what is going on, bam you get a very pleasant surprise. This is a story about love and hope. A very sweet and touching read.

The Walls Have Ears 

A case of mistaken identity is the theme in this installment. Harley is a young gay man with the hope of maybe just maybe finding a boyfriend and experiencing the things other men his age are. His infatuation with his neighbor goes from bad to worse when said neighbor falls for his roommate. It was saddening at first the pain poor Harley was going through but his crushes roommate, Tasha, swoops in to ease the heartache. As the reader I knew where this story was leading and at times I wanted to reach into my computer screen and slap a clue into Harley’s head. The ending is predictable but that’s not a bad thing in this story because what we as the reader know isn’t what the characters know. So when the truth and feelings come to light it’s a relief.

I’ve given just a smidge of how great this series is. By no means am I doing justice to Ms. Pike’s books. But I have become a fan and feel that any reader who loves M/M romance these books should definitely be on your TBR list. Like I said they are short but that’s the beauty of it. Yes the length is not super long but Ms. Pike writes so well you get the fulfillment as if you just read a six hundred page novel. Strong characters, believable conflicts, equal a series of books that will stay with this reader long after I finished the stories.

Thank you to Erica Pike for bringing these stories to life and I can’t wait to see where this series goes next!

Where you can find Erica Pike:

Twitter

Facebook  

Blog 

Good Reads 

Buy Links:

No Boundaries Press  

Amazon 

All Romance Ebooks 

Barnes and Noble