The Librarian
Coming
January 6
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Contest Update: Winner selected by Random Draw on 1/5
Kieran Teague
Want to win a free copy? Just comment here! Leave me a way to contact you, though or you can't win! Winner will be selected by random draw on January 5th.
Blurb
Valentine Michaels
has just taken a vow of celibacy. Adrian Grey intends to take full advantage of
that vow to recreate his relationship with Val.
Val is at a crossroads in his life. A college dropout,
he’s gone as far as he can in his career as a cosmetologist, owning his own
style salon. He no longer finds satisfaction in it though he's put
years into proving to his bigoted parents that a college degree and the
veneer of straightness aren't the only roads to success. They'd turned their
backs on him, and he proved he didn't need them to make it.
His love life is no better than his working life. His
relationships always start with a bang and fizzle into boredom, or worse,
anger.
Adrian has his own agenda for helping Val: he’s been in
love with Val since they were freshmen. The intervening years of listening to
Val’s gossip about his lovers and relationships have taught Adrian just what it
was he did wrong all those years ago, and he thinks this time around he now
knows exactly how to get, and keep, his man.
EXCERPT
Adrian writing in purple ink
stunned him more than the idea that Adrian
had a crush on him. After all, they'd been down that road once before. Purple
ink was so not Adrian.
Black. Or Blue. Traditional. Classic. That was Adrian.
"Yeah, did you like it?
Here, grab a cup of coffee and a pastry and let's take a walk." The other man turned and walked out the door,
apparently assuming that Val would follow.
Val grabbed a coffee and hurried to catch up with Adrian. Jeez. Now what would
he do? He had to let Adrian
down gently. No sense ruining what had been a perfectly good friendship. No way
could he ask Adrian
to help with the redecorating project now. Distance, not closeness, was called
for.
"Listen, Adrian, we have to talk. I
really meant it when I said I'm not interested in men right now and honestly,"
he touched the other man's arm sympathetically, "you're just not my type,
you know? So, much as I appreciate all
the little gestures, I just feel friendship for you, okay?"
The other man's blue eyes sparkled at him, in apparent—amusement? "Are you done, Val?"
"Well, yeah, that's what I wanted to say. No hard
feelings, right?"
"Right, Val. Let me set you straight on a few things
before we talk about feelings, okay?
First of all, I noticed you were down Friday, so I sent you the flower,
yeah. I love those bird of paradise flowers. The colors are so sunny and
cheerful. Then this morning, I wanted to talk to you about something, and
sorry, but the coffee and pastries were as much because I knew I'd be hungry as
for you. Yeah, you're hot as hell, but I know I'm not your type. And you know I
know it, too. That's why you've been ramming tales about your wild and crazy
love life down my throat for the past ten years, isn't it? I've heard about every new man as soon as you've
met him, and every break up when it inevitably comes along. Why do you do that,
Val? It's not for your own benefit, you
know? You've been making sure that I knew that you weren't interested in
hooking up with me all these years. I fucking get it, okay? You don't seem to
see that I'm not the same man today as ten years ago. And that's your loss, not
mine. I've done things, experienced things in the last few years that have
helped me define who and what I am, in and out of bed, Val. Too bad you can't
say the same."
Val swallowed and pulled his hand back. He shook his head as
his brain whirled trying to keep up, to comprehend all the data Adrian threw at him in one
long speech. "Whoa. Sorry. I just talk while I'm working, you know? I…shit…sorry."
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