Cover Reveal:
The Wrong Man
Lane Hayes
Successful owner of an upscale boutique in fabulous
West Hollywood, Brandon Good swears by his personal edict to “live in the
present.” After a bad break-up, he agrees to dog sit to keep his mind off his
ex. Never did he expect the dog to belong a man from his past, the only man to
ever truly break his heart.
When Jake Westley relocates to join the WeHo fire
department, the last thing he anticipates is reuniting with his secret high
school love. Thrilled with the prospect of reconnecting with Bran, Jake feels
no guilt in using his charming old dog as an unwitting matchmaker. As they
rekindle their friendship, it becomes clear the intense attraction they once
felt is stronger than ever. But as hard as they try to leave the past behind,
painful memories resurface. Bran will have to confront his fears and consider
the possibility that the man he swore was absolutely the wrong one might be
perfect after all.
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay
Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
Again, I questioned my sanity. Something was odd in my
world for sure. My heart was beating double time when he finally turned onto my
street. A quick escape was my best bet. I had my fingers wrapped around the car
door handle and was ready to rip my
other hand from his grasp when he slowed down. He must
have sensed my intent to bolt, because he held on to me until I was forced to
give him a “what the fuck?” look.
“Let me walk you to your door.”
“Jake, let’s not do this. Please. I really don’t want
this evening to get any weirder than it already has been. Thank you for
tonight. For dinner and pretending to—”
“Hey, nothing is weird here. It’s dark, and I’m
walking you to your door—”
“I’m a big boy. I’ve got this.” I detached my hand
from his grip and opened the door.
“Thanks again.”
When I reached the sidewalk, he was waiting for me.
The man obviously was hard of hearing.
“You are stubborn.” I gave him my best evil eye before
I trudged up the path ahead of him.
“Me? You’re the difficult one. I’m trying to be nice—”
“You don’t have to prove you’re nice to me. I get it.
That doesn’t mean—suit yourself.”
“Humor me.”
I fished my key from my pocket as I approached the
well-lit front porch.
“Here I am, safe and sound. No need for worry,” I said
flippantly as I turned to Jake.
“You ca—”
I swallowed my words. He was closer than I expected.
Much closer. I felt the warmth from his body but wasn’t prepared for the hunger
I saw in his eyes. I licked my bottom lip nervously. I knew what was going to
happen, and though I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, I wasn’t going to stop
him. He bent slightly and brushed his nose against mine. I felt his breath on
my lips as I waited for him to close the distance between us. Neither of us
moved. He smelled delicious, that intoxicating combination of soap and a hint
of musky cologne I’d noticed the morning he hugged me in my kitchen. I could
have happily buried my nose in his shirt or in the curve where his neck met his
shoulders. I closed my eyes and leaned in the tiniest bit closer, expecting him
to take over. He still didn’t move.
“Aren’t you going to ki—”
And then he pounced. He crashed his mouth over mine
and snaked his arms around my waist, fusing our bodies together. His hands
traveled up and down my back while he licked a sensual line across the seam of
my lips, requesting entry. I heard myself moan as his tongue danced and
collided with mine in a lustful assault. I arched into him instinctively. Jake
lowered his hands to my ass, drawing me in tightly as he thrust his hips
forward. The friction was hot, and his demanding kisses had my head reeling.
This was nothing like our frantic make-out sessions years ago.
Just as that errant thought surfaced to remind me whom
I was grinding against like a teenager on my front porch, Jake turned his full
attention to my mouth. I was painfully hard, but he was right. We shouldn’t be
doing any of this. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I bit at his jaw and
then licked my way to his ear, flicking the lobe gently with my tongue until I
felt his teeth at my neck. I made a strangled sound and went limp in his arms.
He was overpowering in a subtle, almost unexpected way. I was two seconds away
from ripping his shirt when a car went down my street blaring hip-hop music at
an obscene volume. I pulled away and rested my forehead against his shoulder.
We stood quietly catching our breath for a moment.
Then Jake pressed a soft kiss on my cheek and stepped
away. “Good night, Bran. Thank you for… well, just thank you. I’ll see you
soon.”
I stared after him like an idiot, watching him open
his door and start the SUV. I heard the familiar hum of distant traffic and
smelled the fragrant sweet star jasmine from my neighbor’s garden. Everything
looked and seemed to be in place, but something was different.
Parker Williams, My
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Prize: $10 Gift Card
Author
Name: Lane Hayes
Author
Bio: Lane Hayes is
grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full time! It’s
no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age,
she has always been drawn to a well-told love story with beautifully written
characters. These days she prefers the leading roles both be men! Lane
discovered the M/M genre a fews ago and was instantly hooked. Her first novel
was a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards and her third received an Honorable
Mention in the 2014 Rainbow Awards. She loves travel, chocolate, and wine (in
no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing
husband and the coolest yellow lab ever in an almost empty nest.
Where
you can find Lane:
I believe that sometimes we don't recognise who the right person for us is. So to answer the question, yes sometimes the wrong man can be the right man. Thank you for this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI believe our perceptions of what we need and who someone is can often a bit skewed and so, yes... sometimes the wrong man is exactly the right man!
ReplyDeleteYes the wrong one can turn out right. Depending on the situation and all and how you look at things.
ReplyDelete