New Release
Take Time
A Holiday M/M Romance
Previously serialized at Lee's
Musings, new material added, first time in ebook format
Limited Time Offers
Offers valid until Dec. 31, 2014
Watson McQuade has big dreams, a spirit of
adventure, and a craving for professional success that can't be nurtured in a
small town. Fortunately for him, he also has a loving boyfriend who's been his
best friend since junior high, who understands his dreams and encourages him to
follow them.
Having survived the deaths of his parents
and grandmother, Embry Conrad, artist, coffee shop owner, small town boy, knows
all about loss. Although a perfect day for Em starts with Wats in his bed, and
ends exactly the same way, Em knows Watson's urge to experience life outside
their little neck of the woods comes first, and he's willing to indulge
Watson's dreams, because Watson always comes home. He learned the hard way that
sometimes if you love something, you have to set it free.
Although long distance relationships
are hard, the reunions each time Wats returns to Turtle Neck Creek keep Em
satisfied, until the day he realizes that a year has passed since Watson's last
homecoming. Now it's time to make a choice—take time to fight for what he wants
or set his lover free…forever.
Take Time
Chapter One
Harry
Connick Jr.'s baritone voice warbled in the background, bemoaning the advent of
a "Blue Christmas." The rich scent of coffee and pumpkin spice
muffins filled the air, wafting up from the coffee shop below.
If
Embry concentrated, underneath Harry's soothing tones, he could distinguish the
complex rumble of customers' voices in the spaces between words. If he
listened, really, really focused, underneath it all he could hear the sound of
his blood pushing through his veins, the beat of his heart and the
cracking…shattering of that organ.
But
he smiled, and lifted the paint-soaked sponge he used to wash in a background
on the canvas he knew wouldn't be worth a nickel when he finished…if he ever
did finish it…and dabbed a bit of apple green into the dark night sky.
The
large rectangle of canvas comprised all the world he could handle right now.
Across the studio, Watson McQuade sat, wearing new dark-rimmed reading glasses
and looking like a GQ ad in his dress shirt and sweater vest. At least he isn't
wearing a tie. His laptop sat open in front of him, and his briefcase took up
the second chair at the little bistro table.
When
Em had cleaned out the attic space where his grandmother had stored old things,
beautiful things, really, he'd had a hard time parting with some of the items,
and a lot of them had found new homes in the bed and breakfast or the coffee
shop. The bistro table and its two wrought iron chairs though had found their
home in front of one of the huge new windows he'd installed. He liked to sit
there in the mornings and drink coffee while the sun rose over the water and
the town came to life below him.
Liar.
He liked to sit there and fantasize that one day he'd drink coffee and Wats
would sit across that table from him, but not this Wats. The one who shared the
table with him in his dreams was usually naked, or given the whole picture
window thing, maybe partially clothed. Maybe sleep pants, and a lovely bared
chest…
He
turned his head an inch or so to look at Wats again. The tightening in his gut
reminded him that things weren't really okay between them. Wats was so focused
on his work, the whole Christmas holiday was passing by, and at times, Em felt
that his boyfriend might as well have stayed in Denver.
That's
not fair.
Life
wasn't fair. Hadn't he known that since he turned eleven? It wasn't fair that
his parents died when he was just a kid, and it wasn't fair that his
grandmother died while he was in college. Most of all, it wasn't fair that his
best friend, the man he loved, could be in the same room with him and yet so
far away.
"Fuck."
He threw the sponge onto the drop cloth at his feet. It gave a completely
unsatisfying splotch and exuded a blotchy puddle of green paint in reproof.
Wats
looked up finally, casting him a questioning glance, one hand poised on his
computer mouse, the other holding a sheet of paper. "Something
wrong?"
Em
blew hair out of his eyes and wiped his hands on a rag. What to say? "I'm
not feeling this at the moment. What do you say we go downstairs and grab some
coffee then head out to the square and take in the displays, maybe do some
holiday shopping?"
Wats
blinked, his mouth rounded in an "oh" of surprise, and he glanced
back at his computer. The imminent refusal hovered in the air between them,
unspoken.
Em
gritted his teeth and forced himself not to leap into the breach, not to say
anything. If Wats didn't want to go, then he'd accept that.
"It's
just that I have to get this proposal sent off tonight." He smiled, just a
rueful tilt of the lips, not a full-on light up your face smile, not the smile
that Em wanted. "I promise, after this gets done, I'm all yours and we can
do whatever you want."
For
the next six days. And wasn’t that the whole problem? But he didn't say any of
those negative things, the rants and pleas, aloud. Those were his secret
thoughts, the thoughts of the man who cowered inside, the one who hated being
alone, and feared a day when Wats wouldn’t come home at all.
Instead
he widened his smile, nodded his head, and stepped into his flip-flops. He
strolled over to the window and picked up his colorful surfing Santa Hawaiian
shirt. Outside, on the village square, a group of carolers had gathered in
front of the town's forty foot tall sea shell adorned Christmas tree.
A
cup of coffee and a bit of fresh air, that was what he needed to get his
Christmas spirit back. "Right," he mumbled, then leaned across the
table to drop a kiss on Wat's head. "I'll see you in a bit then. Maybe
I'll bring us lunch from the Chinese place."
Wats
murmured something that might have been gratitude or approval, but probably
wasn't either, as he didn't seem to be paying any attention at all to Em.
Em
shrugged, pushing it off to the side, forcing the bitterness down. Wats was
here, and he'd damn well enjoy the time they had together.
Six
days. Not a lot of time to get all the loving in that he wanted, not a lot of
time to shore up the memories he would need to fight the loneliness of January
and make it to Valentine's Day. He couldn't waste that time with anger or
bitterness.
"I'll
have a blue…blue…Christmas…" Harry's voice faded in the distance as he
left the studio, climbing down the stairwell. By the time he exited into the
coffee shop, the holiday music had changed from melancholy to an upbeat pop
tune from the eighties…Hall and Oates rocking around the Christmas tree to a
"Jingle Bells" beat. His spirits rose at the sight of his shop,
abustle with holiday cheer, full of his friends and the scents and sounds of
the season. How could he help but feel that everything would turn out all
right?
Wats
would finish his project, they'd eat, maybe drink, watch the tree lighting
ceremony that night, and tumble into bed together, and not get out until dehydration
and starvation forced them to.
"Hey,
boss man!" Hilary called. "Can I get you some coffee?"
Em
flashed the first genuine smile of the day at his bubbly barista. "I'll
take a large gingerbread coffee to go." The rich beverage sweetened with
molasses and brown sugar, spiced with ginger and cinnamon was the most popular
coffee of the season.
"How
goes the painting today?" Hilary chatted as she mixed the beverage.
"Not
so good," he admitted. "I might be a trifle distracted."
She
poured the steaming drink into a large Styrofoam cup. "And what about
Wats? I did see him go up there a while ago, didn't I?"
"He's
doing some work he couldn't get done before his flight left." he responded
defensively. "I'm getting Chinese and we're going to watch the ceremony
tonight."
Hilary
smiled, handed him the cup. "Well, you two come on down to our place
afterward and say hi. Rick won't go to the ceremony. He says it's all
commercial and doesn't want any part of it. But we've got a nice bottle of
Scotch and we'd love to catch up with you all."
The
idea of adding another activity in between the tree lighting and dragging Wats
into his bed for a round of strenuous I-missed-the-fuck out-of-you sex didn't
appeal, but they'd gone to school with Hilary, and Rick had been one of the few
athletes who hadn't taken delight in shoving them into lockers or taunting them
in the showers. "Okay, but it's going to have to be brief." He didn't
elaborate, but saw Hilary's comprehension of his intentions in the flirty
wiggle of her brows and the faint blush on her cheeks.
He
left the coffee shop, waving and nodding at the regular customers, who seemed
to be out in larger numbers than usual this Saturday before Christmas, lighter
of heart and with a firm plan for the rest of the day.
The
Chinese restaurant was right around the corner, between a used bookstore and an
antiques mall. He'd enjoy browsing in both before picking up dinner. Maybe he'd
find something for Wats for Christmas, maybe a little hostess gift for Hilary
and Rick. That should give Wats plenty of time to finish his work.
Limited
Time Offers
Offers valid until Dec. 31, 2014
