WIP Wednesday: Take a PEEK at What's Next! Cranberry Pi

I'm at the very beginning of a new project (so no snippets from that one yet!), whilst working through the technical aspects of a few others. I"m not slowing down, mind you- I just have a lot going on. So here's the summary:

September 

Chance in Hell (Chances Are #5) (September)

The Jealous Guy in Story Orgy's And the Prompt Is: Bad Boyfriends (exact release date TBA)

Centurion  A Pulp Friction Heated Exchange title (September 15th)

If I'm a little scattered, that would be why!

Anyway- here's a glimpse of the next one...

The Jealous Guy 

copyright @Lee Brazil 

The whole world had discovered his favorite little vegetarian café, and while normally Sydney Huber would be pleased for the owner, a lean string bean of a man named Alisdair, today he was irritated beyond measure. It was the final straw on a day that had gone from bad to worse.

"Oh. Yes. Would you like to sit at the counter since it's just you?" Her smile grew, white teeth gleaming, painted lips stretched wide. Her head tilted inquisitively to the side.

"No. I would like to sit in Max's section, as usual." He glanced around the room, as if saying his name would conjure the man.

"I'm afraid Max's section is full. We're very busy today. I'm sorry." She held the menu to her chest and jerked her pointed little chin toward the counter. "There are several single seats at the counter." Several bar chairs were empty there, as she had said, but a good dozen people were packed in at the space, sitting practically elbow to elbow. The older woman who usually worked the counter had been replaced by another young girl, this one dark haired and pale skinned. If he sat there, he wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of Max in the background, the entire restaurant would be at his back.

"No, Barbie. I'll wait for a table in Max's section to open up." Fuck. Hopefully that would be soon as he didn't have time for an extended lunch today, not with his superior breathing down his neck for the teller audits.

"My name is not Barbie." A petulant tone replaced the bubbly good will in the blonde's voice. The smile disappeared and the blue eyes narrowed slightly. The thin blond pointed to her name tag. "I’m Kate."

He sneered blackly at her. "I'm not paid to remember your name, but you're paid for customer service. What kind of hostess doesn't remember the preferences of a customer who eats in their restaurant daily?"

A familiar tanned hand reached across Sydney and plucked the plastic coated menu from Kate. "One who just started yesterday?" A frisson of awareness prickled its way across Sydney's skin, weaving a trail of heat and butterflies from the point of contact to his stomach and groin. His mind leapt for the distraction, his body yearned for more contact.

A blush heated his cheeks as he realized Max had overheard him being snotty to the hostess, who was beaming worshipfully at his favorite waiter, hell, his favorite person, again. "Thank you so much Max. I tried to tell him your section was full."

WIP Wednesday: What's Chance Up to Now?

Still working on that fifth Chances Are story, so today you're just getting a little tiny tease of what's coming. This is a continuation of the scene I shared last week, with Chance and Cannon in the bar.

Chance in Hell

copyright August 2013 @Lee Brazil 

It was a simple sheet of hole-punched notebook paper; the kind every student uses in a three ring binder. Using a couple of pencils from a coffee mug of writing utensils on the desk, I smoothed it out, looking it over carefully. The short message was written in thick black lines, block printed with strange flat edges on the bottom of each letter where it looked as though the ink had bled a bit. Most likely written with a marker rather than a pen.

Deuteronomy 32:35

Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

I whistled softly. "That's pretty definitive. You say it was on your desk?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pick up The Librarian for only $1.79! 

Just a reminder! All my books at Breathless Press are on sale this month in celebration of their 4th anniversary! 

You can pick up any title at 40% off. 

 Sale ends August 31st

WIP Wednesday- Stealing a glimpse of Loving Bailey

Here's another little peek at my September release, 

Loving Bailey! Still in the edit process, at the moment, 

so please forgive any errors you might find! 

EXCERPT 

The almost exuberant bubble of future happiness was nearly impossible to contain. Bailey couldn't resist sneaking kisses and caresses as Ashton piloted his car through the afternoon traffic to Bailey's house...his dad's house, since in just a few days his house would officially be Ashton's house. His boyfriend was mellow and amused, and refrained from scolding him for his inappropriate touches until his hand grazed Ashton's erect cock, trapped behind a straining zipper, causing him to inhale sharply and step a little too hard on the break at the intersection.

Even the mild frown that garnered couldn't dim his happiness.

In less than a week, they would be together in every way.

Smilingly unrepentantly, he withdrew his hand, stroking down the smooth denim covered thigh until his had rested on Ashton's knee. Ashton grunted in approval and the car swung around the corner smoothly. They were just a few blocks from the house when the first tiny doubt sank in. Would his Dad approve?

He opened his mouth to say something, but then decided he was being silly. His dad had Eden, and the gap between Eden's twenty-seven and his Dad's forty-seven, was way more than the gap between his own twenty-one and Ashton's thirty –six. There was no point in bringing up something that Ashton had used in the early days of their relationship to keep them apart.

Instead he smiled confidently at Ashton as the car was tooled carefully into a parking space at the curb several houses down from his dad's place. "This is going to be great."

The indulgent smile on Ashton's lips didn't quite match the banked lust in his eyes. "I’m looking forward to meeting your family."

Bailey leaned close over the console and kissed his chin, savoring the faint bristle that left his lips tingling. "They'll all be here. Dad, my brother, Eden. Everyone."

"I've been looking forward to meeting Eden again." A grim note in Ashton's voice  brought Bailey's gaze flashing to his face. "Oh, no need to look so concerned. I won't hurt him. I've been waiting years now to tell him what I thought about his callousness in breaking your heart." He tipped Bailey's head in his direction with a fingertip, brushed his lips lightly across his mouth. "Or I could thank him, since that incident brought us together."

Bailey withdrew slightly, a troubled frown on his brown. "He didn't ever do anything to lead me on, you know. It was just my crush. My own stupid fascination with who I thought he was. I'd really rather you didn't tell him off, since I ended up with him as a friend and you as..." 

This story is the sequel to Loving Eden, and follows the characters Bailey Harris and Ashton Duval. While it can be read as a stand alone, it does refer to some incidents from the first book. 

Loving Eden is available at Amazon, All Romance, and Breathless Press 

WIP Wednesday : Loving Bailey - the Long Awaited Story of Eden's youthful stalker

Way back when I wrote Loving Eden, in January of 2011, my dear friend and fellow author, Havan Fellows said...

"But what about poor Bailey?"

And I had an idea about poor Bailey, but he got pushed aside and things intervened, but finally, he's got his own story coming soon. This week's WIP Wednesday is an excerpt from the pre-edited version. 

LOVING BAILEY 

UNEDITED EXCERPT 

Copyright 2013 © Lee Brazil

Ashton tightened his grip and shifted Bailey closer pulling the younger man almost into his lap. Bailey went willingly curling himself into Ashton and shifting until their bodies were pressed tight together, hip to hip, and thigh to thigh,

"You're sure you want me to move in here with you?" More tease than uncertainty lurked in Bailey's voice this time, so Ashton tickled him in the ribs until he giggled and pushed Ashton away.

"The bungalow is small, I know, but it's close to the beach and the neighborhood is great. If you'd rather live somewhere else, I'm not opposed to looking, but I'd love for you to live here with me while we look." Ashton fell back against the sofa laughing. Bailey lurched forward looming over him. Their gazes caught and held. The laughter died on his lips as he took in the heat in Bailey's blue gaze. He swallowed hard as a surge of passion overtook him. They'd waited so long, resisted the desire that sparked between even as it grew more and more insistent with each glance they exchanged, each kiss they shared, each caress they dared explore. "Bailey..." he whispered.

Bailey's mouth firmed with determination. He shifted, pushing Ashton back into the sofa cushions, propping his elbows against the arm of the sofa so he could lean forward and brush his lips across Ashton's mouth. Bracing himself for a familiar onslaught, Ashton exhaled softly. He'd expected passionate demand and entreaty, this soft coaxing kiss took him off guard and he opened to it immediately.

Bailey scooped his arms under Ashton, and despite their similar size, easily maneuvered Ashton into his lap.  Ashton sat astride Bailey, their lips clinging in a dizzying caress that left him yearning for more.

The drone of the television faded into nothingness, replaced by the steadily increasing rhythm of his pounding heart. The rush of blood sensitized his skin obscured every sound outside his body, until the only sounds he was conscious of were the low soul searing noises that Bailey made as the kiss deepened, and his hands wandered.

Bailey bucked against him, pushing their groins together, and Ashton groaned. Yanking his mouth away, he panted. "Enough. Please."

"Don't you..."

"Please, Bailey. Honey, just a few more days. We've waited this long, a few more days is okay, isn't it?" In need of distance and distraction to get his passion under control, he lurched off the sofa and grabbed the takeout. "What did you get?"

"Thai. Sesame chicken and jasmine rice, from that place around the corner that you like." He didn't need to see Bailey's face to know he was pouting, Ashton could hear the displeasure in his voice.

More of that coming this September! Look for Loving Bailey wherever your favorite Ebooks are sold! 

Check out other WIPS at Laura Harner's Blog & Havan Fellow's Blog

WIP Wednesday:

Good morning readers! Today I have a portion of an upcoming release- It's my current WIP, but it's also a short erotic piece from the heated Exchange line at Pulp Friction. If all goes according to plan, this will be releasing on Friday. 

EXCERPT FROM CENTURION

Inspired by this picture.

Salicar, Healer

Trembling with tension and uncertainty about his fate, Salicar huddled on the floor of the tent. A few warm wool blankets helped ward off the chill of the earth. Still he shivered in the evening air, cold and naked. Though he could smell woodsmoke and hear the crackling of a fire outside, inside there was no flame to warm him. His muscles ached from hours of unaccustomed walking that left his feet blistered and torn.

He’d been separated from the other villagers almost as soon as they’d set up camp, and brought to this place where he’d been handed a cloth and flagons of olive oil and water and instructed in feeble, halting Greek to bath himself. His tattered dusty tunic had been taken away, and he’d been left there alone for hours. If it hadn’t been for the constant stream of voices outside, frequently punctuated by the centurion’s deep, honey dark authoritative tones, he’d have risked slipping out and escaping.

His hands were bound by a thin but strong metal chain, but he wasn’t tethered to any object. He had just enough fortitude to know that his life was at risk, and not enough to take himself out of the situation. He should have preferred death to slavery, but he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of his solitude to find something to make it happen. A dagger, an herb, even a stout rope could achieve his end, if he only had the courage.

Though this tent was hardly luxurious, it was larger and more opulent than the others, and he had the impression it belonged to the centurion who’d eyed him with such intent interest earlier. He’d been so stunned by the man’s pure masculine presence that he’d forgotten to speak in the man’s language when he answered his query.

It was possible, he supposed, that he was here because the centurion understood Greek and was in need of a healer, but he had a suspicion from the heated gleam in the man’s eye that he was more interested in a catamite than a doctor. Would he rather die than be the centurion’s pleasure slave? 

Check out other WIPS at Laura Harner's Blog & Havan Fellow's Blog

"I've saved up a thousand kisses, a thousand experiences 

I only want to share with you."

The Man Trap Contemporary M/M Romance 

WIP Wednesday - Polishing His Admirer for Publication

Good morning readers! Today I have a portion of an upcoming release- It's my current WIP, but it's also a rewrite of a former Story Orgy serial called His Admirer. If all goes according to plan, this will be releasing in August. (Remember, what you're getting today is first draft quality- hasn't been edited yet!)

The Original story began with this visual:

His Admirer

"Battle: Salmon!" Kenji Fukui had just announced the ingredient in the first ever Iron Chef battle, when the familiar yet unexpected rap came on my door. Typically, my traitorous heart pounded, and anticipation stirred. It had to be Gabe, with that silly patterned knock.

I jumped off the couch and smiled weakly at my sister. "Um…"

She frowned at me. "Zeke? Is that him? I thought we were gonna hang out tonight?

Mindy and I were hardly dressed for company. She'd been home all summer, and we'd scarce spent any time together. Tonight was supposed to be for us, back to back episodes of our favorite campy television program, watching the judges gush over fish gut ice cream, and Ben and Jerry's by the tub.

We'd planned, plotted, and finagled for this night of twin bonding. Why the hell was Gabe banging on our door?

"Yeah. It's him. I…"

She waved a spoonful of Chunky Monkey in my direction. "Go. See what he wants, but if you're not back in before the end of the show, I'm going to eat the Chubby Hubby, too."

Mindy was great like that. "Thanks, Mindy. I swear, I did not double book on this night." The little excited pitter patter of my heart wouldn't let me be too mad at Gabe though. He was a busy guy, and I didn’t see him as often as I'd like. The habit he'd developed lately of dropping by without notice, though, bothered me. On the one hand, I considered as I strolled to the front door, it meant he was comfortable and happy in our relationship, which I had to see as a plus.

On the other, it seemed that expecting me to be home and available without notice struck me as taking advantage. I didn't care for that at all.

I pulled open the front door and was assaulted by two completely different types of heat.

One was due to the late evening humidity and the high temperatures, but the other was all Gabe.

Tall, broad shouldered, thickly muscled, with his brilliant light blue eyes and, ummm, the scent of hard work clinging to him. The quirky little grin on his lips told me he'd noted my interest.

"Hey," I forced the words past my suddenly dry mouth. A drop of sweat beaded on his brow and I watched it trickle down his temple and into the faint stubble of his jaw.

"Hey, yourself." Gabe leaned forward and my vision blurred as he kissed me. I might have fallen on my ass if he hadn't held me up with his arm around my waist.

When did that happen? I chased his lips for another kiss, savoring the taste of man and mint and the mingled odors of outdoors and wood and sweat that comprised Gabe. No fancy cologne had ever done it for me like the natural smells that clung to Gabe after a day of work.

"Did, um…" My voice faded as he shifted his focus to nibble at my neck, tugging aside the neckline of my Dolce and Gabbana tee. It felt so damn good, the nip and suck of his mouth along my collarbone that I couldn’t even bring myself to protest the potential ruination of my favorite designer wear. Closing my eyes, I let the sensations sweep through me, the rough caress of his stubbled jaw on my skin, the slick glide of his tongue.

"Zeke? I’m opening the Chubby Hubby!"

(MORE TO COME)

Check out other WIPS at Laura Harner's Blog & Havan Fellow's Blog

FREE UNTIL JULY 13! PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY! 

The dark eyes lit with a glitter of interest. The boy glided forward, strangely graceful, plump ruby lips stretched in a flirty smile. "I'm Caspar Thorpe. People don't usually see me back here. It's nice to meet you, Trevor." He extended a pale hand. Trevor wiped his own damp palm on his jeans and reluctantly took Caspar's hand. It was soft and cool in his grip, oddly soothing and he felt nearly as reluctant to release his grip on the hand as he'd been to take it in the first place.

ONLY AT ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS!

February Projects

February Projects

Hi everyone!

Come on in and sit a spell. *sips coffee* Ahhh. That's good stuff. I’m working my fingers to the bone this month... well, not really. I'm working at adding another book to my paperback collection: Going to skip over Taking the Dare for now until I can do the whole series...Breathless Press currently holds a paper rights contract on the first three books and I need to explore the options there. The next paperback release will be Mark's Opening Gambit, not sure exactly when as it needs to be re-edited, formatted and cover art designed. Definitely by the end of the month though.

I'm working on a series of regency romances with a friend, we're planning six titles, three M/M, which I'll write, and three mmf, which she will write. We're calling it Behind Closed Doors, The Brigstock Family. The first book, Randall's Romance is nearly complete and I'm really enjoying revisiting the regency setting. (I wrote Less Than All last year and it was my first venture into the realm of Regency England) This is all first draft work, so of course you won't be seeing it until maybe June.

Speaking of regencies, I am adding a new title to my Rake series this month. This one is called Tailored for You, and will feature Gavin's visit to his tailor. *fans face* As you know, these naughty little stories are just for fun pieces. Quick and sexy, Heated Exchanges can take place anywhere, any time, between any characters.

And Story Orgy is working on a new anthology, this one based on prompts provided by readers in the form of song titles form the 50's. I’m basing my story around the song Dream Lover by Bobby Derrin. It's turning out to be a very different sort of story, more than a little surreal. So far I've had call to draw on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the poetry of Robert Frost, Homer, and L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. Should be fun. I'm enjoying writing it, anyway. Deadline is April first, and I need to add another 3K this month to bring it to the required 10K. Should definitely be doable.

Last but not least- I'll be outlining the third Chances Are story this month. I’m not going to tell you many details, because, well...the second story isn't out yet and I don't want to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that it isn't following the outline I planned when I plotted out the five story romance ARC. *chuckles* That's okay. I have ideas for a bit of a fling for one of the other characters... But that will have to wait till later.

I’m limiting myself to three projects a month. The plan is to write 35K a month, 3 stories, one of 20K, one 10K, one 5K. Let's see how that goes for 2013, shall we?

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee

Recent Releases

Chances Are book #1...

Pulp Friction: Where Hardboiled Meets Erotic

The Accident

"Fine never meant fine when Shane said it. Fine meant "Fuck off, asshole.""

The Aristocrat & His Servant

Pulp Friction Heated Exchange: Leaving you satisfied for now