Light and Shadow Duet by N.N. Britt

DUET COVER REVEAL 

Isaac: Light & Shadow Book 1

Dallas: Light & Shadow Book 2

Author:  N.N. Britt

Cover Artist: Sarah Kil

Release Dates: September 12 and September 26

Genre: MM Mafia Romance

Tropes: Forbidden Romance, Undercover Agent/Gang Leader, 

Slowburn, Morally Gray Leads, Enemies to Lovers

Heat Rating: 4 flames 

Length: Book 1 - 86 000 words/Book 2 - 65,000 words

Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger. Book 2 is HEA

Pre-Order Buy Links: 

Isaac   |   Dallas

Amazon UK

BOOK 1 

Isaac: Light & Shadow Book 1

In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.

Blurb 

In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.

Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss, has spent nine years behind bars for his father's murder. Driven, cunning, and unfeeling, he's now back to claim what's rightfully his. But when an enigmatic security guard named Hawk is hired to work at his nightclub, Isaac finds himself distracted… and inexplicably drawn to Hawk, despite his best efforts to resist.

Special Agent Dallas Bradley's mission is clear: infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring their leader, Isaac Thoreau, to justice. Posing as Hawk, Dallas is determined to uncover the secrets of the Thoreau criminal empire. But as he delves deeper into Isaac's world, the lines between right and wrong blur, and soon an undeniable attraction grows between the two men, forcing Dallas to question everything.

Walking away before he's compromised would be the smart choice, but Dallas can't resist Isaac's magnetic pull, even if it means risking his life.

As love and duty clash, only one question remains: will Isaac and Dallas survive the fallout?

Isaac is the first installment of Light & Shadow Duet. It can not be read as standalone. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.

BOOK 2 

Dallas: Light & Shadow Book 2

Prepare for Betrayal and Redemption in Sin City.

As the leader of the Hellhounds and a valued member of the notorious Thoreau crime syndicate, Isaac has it all: power, money, fear. Falling for someone has never been on his radar. But for the first time in his life, Isaac thinks he's found someone he can truly trust—the mysterious security guard who shattered through his icy defenses and became the one person Isaac could be himself with.

Until everything goes up in flames.

Dallas Bradley has been treading an unstable line of deceit between righteousness and criminality. Isaac Thoreau's world is slowly turning him into Hawk, the man who doesn't exist, the man who's ready to do bad things to survive and remain close to Isaac. But when a dangerous deal goes south, in order to save Isaac's life, Dallas is forced to reveal the devastating truth—he's a Special Agent sent to infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring down Isaac.

Heartbroken and enraged, Isaac can't stand the man who betrayed him so deeply. However, when it's clear Isaac's fate is prison, Dallas strikes a bargain with his boss: help save Isaac from life behind bars and keep Dallas undercover to clean up the mess.

Isaac hates Dallas more than ever, but to escape the crosshairs they must work together once more. As tempers and stakes flare in the streets of Sin City, Dallas will risk everything to redeem himself in Isaac's eyes. But can their undeniable connection survive when trust has turned to ash?

Dallas is the second installment of Light & Shadow Duet. It should be read after Isaac. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.

About the Author 

N.N. Britt writes emotional romance novels about music and imperfect people falling in love.

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The Amphitheater of Souls by Patrick Bryce Wright

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: The Amphitheater of Souls

Author:  Patrick Bryce Wright

Publisher:  JMS Books, LLC

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: July 13, 2024

Genres: M/M Romance, Dark Fantasy

Tropes: Found family, soul mates, gay male virgin, sexy elf lover, human and elf lovers

Themes: initiation into adulthood 

Heat Rating:  3 flames  

Length:  56 000 words/104 pages 

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Sale Price - 50% off 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  JMS Books

When a plague hits his village, the shaman Cian travels to dwarves and centaurs for a cure. He allies with Thanyan, a lovely male elf, falling in love. Can they save the village and their own lives?

Blurb

When a plague ravages his village, the shaman Cian sails to the land of the dwarves for a cure. During the voyage, he meets and allies with Thanyan, a beautiful male elf who is a bard. Upon reaching the dwarven cleric whom Cian has been tasked with consulting, they uncover a dangerous secret: the plague resulted from blood magic. To undo this forbidden magic, they must travel to the island nation of the centaurs and visit The Amphitheater of Souls, the ancient temple where the blood magic was cast.

Cian and Thanyan hire a female dwarven warrior, Loquin, as a bodyguard for protection against the instigator of the plague. However, they still find themselves stalked, assaulted with magic, and tangled in secrets. On the voyage to the island, a sea serpent attacks, nearly destroying their ship, and when they arrive at the island, the spellcaster launches further attempts to kill them so they can’t lift the blood curse causing the plague. With the help of centaur priestesses, the group fights to untangle a dark affair that is revealed to span decades.  

As Cian and Thanyan become embroiled in this dangerous mission to capture the rogue spellcaster, they grow to love each other. But with their lives at risk, can they save the village and live out their lives together in love? 

YouTube Video

Excerpt 

In the morning, Cian and Thanyan ate a hearty dwarven breakfast and walked back to the Five Abbeys. Rokemak awaited them. He opened the door as soon as Cian knocked.

Cian bowed. “Good morning, Esteemed Cleric Rokemak.”

“Yes, a good morning indeed. Do come in.” Rokemak swerved through the stakes of books and the three cats, each of which tried to trip him as he walked.

Cian and Thanyan followed Rokemak inside. 

“Does this mean you’ve discovered something more about our quest?” Thanyan asked. 

“I have information, yes.” Rokemak picked up two letters from his desk, both with a wax seal. He handed them to Cian. “The first letter is to Etena, Priestess of the Western Temple of Equatusa. The Western Temple is where you’ll need to go to access the Amphitheater of Souls. I’ve met and spoken with her before. She’s even-tempered—for a centaur, anyway—and will hear you out.”

Cian glanced at the first letter. “Will the city guards permit us to enter if I show them this letter?” The outside was addressed to Etena from Rokemak.

Rokemak snorted. “They will test your strength first. Typically, centaurs are like the stereotypical night elves: They hate tourists, and they hate weaklings.”

“Great. So I’ll have to practice fighting with Loquin, or I’m doomed.” Cian wished now he’d kept up his skills after his elder sister had trained him. He held up his arms, which were slender, not muscular. “I’m a druid and an apprentice shaman. I have no interest in fighting.”

“Centaurs prefer physical strength,” Rokemak said, “but they accept there is more than one kind of power.”

“Druidic power?” Cian raised an eyebrow. “The skills of a shaman?”

“Think about what you can do that others cannot,” Rokemak said.

“I don’t know of another person besides my gran and Shaman Shaeya who has visions,” Thanyan said. “That is a rare gift from the deities. I don’t suppose you can have visions deliberately?”

Cian cringed and let his gaze hover on Rokemak’s longhaired white cat napping in the sunlight pouring through a window. “Shaeya and Adeen have both mastered inducing visions at will, but I have not. I am able to scry for information using water or fire. If centaurs find divination useful, it’s one of my top skills. That and healing spells.”

“Healing spells are useful everywhere,” Rokemak said. “In fact, among the night elves, healers have the most respect afforded them of any magic user.” 

Surprised by Rokemak’s even tone of voice when discussing night elves, Cian glanced back at him. Humans usually hate and fear night elves. Apparently dwarves do not. 

Thanyan glowered at the mention of the night elves. 

“Above all, centaurs prize honor.” Rokemak stooped to pet the zebra-coated cat swiping his legs. “Don’t forget that.”

“Very well.” Cian knew little about centaurs, so he took the priest’s word at face value. 

“Above all else, dwarves are honorable, and Cian is a most honorable human,” Thanyan said. “He is willing to sacrifice himself for his village. If anything, Cian could use slightly less honor.” He slanted Cian a look. “However, if this impresses upon the centaurs the dire importance of the quest, then all is well.”

Cian held up the second envelope. “And this letter?”

“That is to the high priestess Gordina.” Rokemak straightened. “You need to ask Etena to take you to see Gordina. She’ll first bite your head off, but if you persist, she’ll agree to be interviewed. From there, convince her to do the spell you need.”

“And do you know which spell we need?” Cian asked.

“Not precisely. Only that it must reverse the blood magic spell.” Rokemak’s brow furrowed. “Only Gordina will know which one will work. She can deduce which spell was cast, or, if you are lucky, she’ll have a record of the spell.”

Cian stowed both letters in his bag. “Thank you for the invaluable advice. You honor Shaeya with your friendship, and I am deeply grateful.”

 “Oh, none of that.” Rokemak flushed lightly. “This is my final piece of advice. Equatusa is a goddess of the centaurs. Her statues are obvious because she’s portrayed as a centaur with wings. Each time you see a statue of her, incline your head, bow, or otherwise salute her. The centaurs will take it as a sign of respect to them and their culture. Now off to the docks with you! The daily ship to Valcalla leaves soon.” 

“I will pen you into my epic about our quest favorably,” Thanyan said with a grin. 

Offering a final bow, Cian allowed Rokemak to usher them away.

About the Author 

I’m a quirky English professor with tattoos, piercings, and an addiction to supernatural thriller, horror, fantasy, and science fiction. I'm proudly neurodivergent, third gender, and a trauma survivor, all things often reflected in my novels. I have degrees in both English and psychology, both of which inform my writing. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, off-road biking, and pyrography.  

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Road to a Cowboy by Amy Aislin

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Road to a Cowboy

Author and Publisher: Amy Aislin

Cover Artist: Morningstar Ashley Designs

Release Date: August 6, 2024 (audio coming early September)

Genre: Contemporary M/M romance

Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, small town, cowboys

Themes: Family, friendship

Series: Windsor, Wyoming 2

Heat Rating:  3 flames   

Length: 57 000 words

It’s book two in the Windsor, Wyoming trilogy, 

but can be read as a standalone and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon  |   Apple  |   B&N   |   Kobo

Book one in the trilogy, Home for a Cowboy,

will be on sale for $0.99 until Aug 15

Universal link

Blurb

Detour
Five years after the death of his spouse, Austin MacIsaac is ready to find love again—and he's got the perfect guy in his sexy cowboy of a best friend, Cal Anderson. If only he can convince Cal to detour out of the friend zone.

Road work ahead
Cal has been in love with Austin for longer than he can remember. The man has been his rock through the ups and downs of messy family drama. But shaking up their friendship for something more could lead them down a bumpy and unsafe road.

Merge
Amid a backdrop of the Wyoming mountains and under a summer sky, can Austin and Cal merge their lives into one and let the road to romance lead to happily ever after?

Excerpt 

Austin’s heart did a sideways flip when Cal stopped next to him, his broad shoulders as intimidating as the Rockies to anyone who didn’t know him.

“Welcome back,” Cal said in a slow drawl that dragged along Austin’s senses. “How was Montana?”

“Beats me,” Austin said with a grin, keeping his eyes on the image on his camera’s display. “But Kootenai National Forest was gorgeous. You should see some of the shots I got. The night sky there is spectacular.”

“Doesn’t it look the same as everywhere else?”

Austin gave him the stink eye. “Don’t sass me, Calvin.”

Cal didn’t smile—his smiles were as rare as a sighting of Halley’s Comet—but his lips twitched.

“And no, it doesn’t look the same everywhere.”

“If you say so.” Cal looked off to the right. “What’s with the second camera?”

Austin jerked his gaze to where he’d set up an additional tripod several feet away. “That one’s recording so I can make a time-lapse video.”

Cal grunted.

His presence was nonintrusive as the sun sank and the stars began to emerge, yet Austin was always aware of him. He was as aware of Cal as he was of the location of the moon or the image in his camera’s viewfinder.

A few minutes later, shadows bathing the landscape, Austin began packing up his equipment under a sky quickly turning to dusk. The mountains had turned nearly invisible—when it got dark out here, it got dark—and Cal was almost a silhouette against the sky. Something about him standing silently with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, gazing out into the distance, screamed of both contentment and loneliness, making Austin’s heart clench.

The first memory Austin had of Cal at Windsor Ranch was of him falling into a puddle near the corral on a rainy summer day when they’d been seven or eight. Now, as the foreman of that same ranch, Cal was basically running the place. The juxtaposition between kid-Cal, covered in rain and mud as he’d blinked up at Austin with big gray eyes as though wondering how he’d fallen into the puddle, and adult-Cal, tall, strong, coolly confident, and carrying the weight of the entire ranch on his shoulders, was sometimes jarring in that strange twist-of-fate kind of way.

Austin brought the camera up to his eyes, adjusted the settings, and snapped a photo, framing Cal in the right third of the shot while he gazed off to the left, making the viewer wonder what he was looking at. Austin would call it Cowboy Against the Night. He might even put it up for sale in his gallery instead of keeping it for himself.

Maybe.

Cal must’ve heard the shutter, because he turned with a raised eyebrow.

“Smile,” Austin said, aiming his camera at him again.

Cal did the exact opposite, making Austin laugh as he took the picture anyway.

About the Author 

Amy’s lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she’s read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she’s been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn’t at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada’s largest environmental non-profit.

An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.

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Hunt In The Night by S. J. Coles

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Hunt In The Night (Blood and Bonds series #3)

Author: S. J. Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: August 6, 2024

Genre:  Contemporary Paranormal Mystery/Cop

Tropes:  Bi Awakening, Vampire, Men In Uniform, Gay For You

Themes: Coming out, forgiveness 

Length:  71 136 words/282 pages

Heat Rating:  4 flames

It is book 3 of 3. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links 

Publisher   |   Universal Link 

Hunting killers is Mason’s job. But falling for a vampire is the scariest thing he’s ever done.

Blurb

Detective Inspector Mason Walker is good at his job. He has never focused on much else in his life. Women come and go. Friends take time he doesn’t have to spare. The job is constant. He works hard and has built a reputation for determination and integrity.

Now his skills are needed more than ever. The level of violence in York has risen, involving both the haemophile and human communities. These are unexplored waters for Mason, with both political and professional implications, and Mason is afraid to lose his way.

But there’s been a murder—a haemophile—and Mason’s facing the question of not only who committed the dreadful crime but how? Nothing seems to be adding up. And being assigned a haemophile partner, Special Officer Cai Bracken, a freelance detective working for the Met Police, only increases his tension.

What’s really unnerving is that Cai is not only making Mason question his professional convictions, but his personal preferences, too…his most personal preferences.

With so much at stake, can Mason really cope with overhauling his police work and his personal life all at once?

Excerpt 

Sunset was still an hour away when Mason pulled in at Oswald House, but the day already felt like it had lasted twice as long as any other he had lived through. Fatigue from the sleepless night was like an undertow tugging at his brain. But his heart was skipping about when he pressed the doorbell.

Jesse Truelove opened the door. He blinked when he recognized Mason.

“Any news?” he asked as he stepped back to allow Mason inside.

“Not yet I’m afraid,” he said, glancing up the stairs. “I’m here to see SO Bracken.”

Truelove raised his eyebrows. “No one’s supposed to know he’s here…not even you.”

“I am a detective, you know. And I have a matter of some urgency to discuss with him.”

“Well, you’re a little early, mate,” Truelove drawled, glancing at his watch.

“I know,” Mason said awkwardly. “If there’s just somewhere I could maybe wait? I don’t want to be in the way.”

“Detective Inspector Walker?”

Mason turned. Tom Addams was there. His face was strained. There were shadows under his eyes. “Anything?”

“I’m sorry…no, not yet,” Mason said with sincere regret.

“He’s here to see Cai,” Truelove said.

“There is one thing I wanted to ask you about, actually, Mr. Truelove.”

“Mate, please,” Truelove said, opening the door to the same sitting room as before. “Call me Jesse. I’m changing my name soon anyway.”

“Jesse,” Mason said, taking a seat on the sofa as Tom took the armchair and Jesse perched on the sofa arm. “It was that that I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want to sound insensitive, but have you and the Baron considered postponing your wedding?”

Jesse exchanged glances with Tom. “Yes. We considered it. I did more than consider it, if I’m honest.”

“I heard their shouting match from the other end of the house,” Tom said with a smile.

Jesse made a noisy sigh. “We’re not postponing.”

“Jesse,” Mason started, but Tom interrupted him.

“Darragh fought very long and hard for Emory and Jesse’s wedding to be allowed to happen,” he said. “He would want it to go ahead. Otherwise, there’s no point to any of it.”

“Okay,” Mason said. “I understand. I just wanted to make sure someone had mentioned the idea.”

“They’ve both mentioned it,” Tom said. “And I told them the same thing I told you. The wedding is going ahead.”

“You’re a stubborn asshole, you know that?” Jesse said to Tom, but he was smiling.

“Darragh would never forgive me if we just gave up.”

“It’s not giving up,” Jesse argued. “It’s just looking at the bigger picture.”

“And what did Emory say when you said that to him?”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Let’s not have this argument again.”

“Okay, we won’t,” Tom said with a shaky smile and stood. “Now, if you don’t need anything else, I have a security sweep to run.”

Tom left and Jesse stared after him with a haunted expression.

“I’m very sorry you’re having to go through all this.”

“Not your fault,” Jesse murmured. “Just catch the bastard. That’s all we want.” Mason nodded, even though Jesse wasn’t looking at him. Jesse stood. “You can wait here if you want. Get you anything? Coffee? Something stronger?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Mason said. “I’ll just wait here, if that’s okay.”

“Knock yourself out,” Jesse said, and left.

The room was warm. The sofa was comfortable. The light grew dimmer, and Mason’s eyes began to droop.

A touch on Mason’s hand brought him out of a soft, pleasant dream. He blinked groggily. Bracken was sitting in the armchair.

“You should get some proper sleep.”

Mason sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have nodded off.” He blinked at Bracken, all the feelings he’d told himself he’d keep suppressed rushing to the surface. “You didn’t call back.”

Bracken’s expression closed. He stood. “Not here.”

Mason followed Bracken along a corridor, down some stairs and through a series of locked doors to a comfortably furnished room. There was a wardrobe, a sofa, a desk covered in papers and an open laptop. There were minimalist paintings on the walls, several shelves of books and a large TV. It was airy and comfortable, but with no windows. No bed.

“This is where you sleep?”

Bracken indicated an inner door locked with a numbered keypad. “I have a secure sleeping cell through there, completely up to grade.” Bracken gave him a pained look. “Walker, no one’s supposed to know I’m here.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not exactly neutral ground, is it? But it’s not like I can check into the nearest hotel, either.”

“I think you’re capable of keeping your sleeping arrangements separate from your professional duties.”

Bracken lifted an eyebrow. “Well, that’s loaded.”

Mason sank onto the sofa. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t sleep last night.”

About the Author

S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK. She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.

She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.

Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.

Author Links

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Phoenix Rising by Valerie Ullmer

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Phoenix Rising (An M/M/M Romance)

Author and Publisher: Valerie Ullmer

Cover Artist: Valerie Ullmer

Release Date: August 6, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M/M Romance

Tropes: Best friends to lovers, bisexual awakening, best friends in love with the same man, and hot sexy times

Themes: Moving past childhood trauma

Length:  57 000 words/ 209 pages

Heat Rating: 5 flames

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Two best friends want the same man.

Will all three be able to fall in love and make their relationship work?

Blurb

Phoenix Aalto had everything he wanted in life.
His own bakery, close friends, and his plants.

There was nothing more he could ask for after escaping the life his father wanted for him.

Or that’s the lie he told himself each time the two men of his dreams walked into his bakery, looking every bit a happy couple. He wasn’t delusional enough to believe it was more than a one-sided attraction, but it didn’t stop him from daydreaming of something more.

Luka Kavka lived with his best friend, and they ran a successful landscaping business together. He’d come out during college, but like his friend, no one lasted more than a date.

But a routine meeting in an out of way bakery with a real estate developer changed his fate.

Burton Horváth loved life. Working with his best friend while living with him was everything he thought needed.
When he spotted Phoenix behind the counter, everything he knew about his life changed. The younger man wasn’t his first crush on a man. If he were honest with himself, that honor would go to Luka. But he was the one who shook up his viewpoint at thirty-one years old and made him want a change.

Luka and Burton agreed they would ease into letting Phoenix know they were interested, which included months of daily visits. But change for all three men came when Luka charged in, giving Luka and Burton the opening they needed.

But as they navigate their newfound relationship, will the obstacles from Phoenix’s father allow them to find their happiness?

Excerpt 

Get it together, Phoenix!

“Don’t touch him.”

My mouth dropped open as breathing became difficult. A shiver of pleasure fluttered over my body at the sound of his deep, commanding voice.

A scant ‘sorry’ was all I heard, since I couldn’t take my eyes off the giant of a man, even when I noted movement in my peripheral and the sound of my poor, old-fashioned shopkeeper’s bell being abused.

“Woo! That was one of the… nope, the hottest thing I’ve witnessed in ages. For a second there, I wondered if you were going to rip his arms off, big guy, all because he dared to grab our Phoenix here,” Arthur said as he fanned himself.

“It’s Luka.”

There was a pulse of desire in my lower stomach, and I stifled a gasp when my cock swelled underneath my jeans. Grateful I had the area covered with an apron.

I wanted to join my friend in fanning myself because the temperature climbed in the minute since Luka stepped in to help me.

“And I’m Burton. It’s nice to meet you, Phoenix.” The blond adonis held out his hand.

Reason fled as the eagerness of the situation presented to me overrode self-preservation. I placed my hand in Burton’s stronger, calloused one and sucked on my bottom lip as the tingle from his touch radiated up my arm and spread throughout. Images of me splayed out on a bed as Burton teased me with his warm hands while Luka’s voice washed over me until I erupted in an intense... Fuck!

Okay! Not nice to fantasize about two men who were a couple standing right in front of me.

“It’s also nice to meet you, Burton. Luka.”

“I’ve never seen you blush that shade of peach before, honey. I’m gonna call Jude and tell him.”

Leave it up to my best friend to embarrass me.

“It’s lovely,” Luka said as he ran the back of his finger down my cheek before he cupped my face.

In that moment, I considered the possibility of my entire body igniting into flames, all from Luka’s tiny gesture that, for the first time in my life, didn’t make me recoil. In a weak moment, I wanted to know the touch of the man cupping my cheek and burrowed into his hand.

Then I remembered he wasn’t available and leaned away.

“Sorry, I should’ve asked you before I touched you,” Luka said.

I shook my head back and forth before I found the words, “No, it’s okay. You can. I’m not used to it.”

“What about me? Can I touch you?” Burton asked.

My eyes widened, and I nodded, staring at the bewitching man, who was even more stunning up close. “If… if you want to?”

Arthur chuckled. “Give it up for Phoenix, ladies and gentlemen. He attracts two specimens of male perfection without a clue they’re flirting with him.”

He mumbled as he moved around the counter to clean the tables, leaving me alone with the two gorgeous men. Or at least I believed no one was around. There was no dragging my attention away from them.

“Uh…” I sounded daft as I looked back and forth between the two, confusion swamping me because I was a mess; the decorated apron with green vines and leaves along with depictions of pastries and the logo of my shop, Phoenix Rising, had chocolate stains and other food items I couldn’t identify. My hair stood up in all directions, and I’m pretty sure my fingers were sticky with frosting.

As my synapses fired back up, I swallowed around the dryness in my throat and said, “Just ignore him. He’s still in the honeymoon phase, despite being married for years, and sees romance everywhere.”

Until this conversation, I hadn’t spoken more than a word or two to either of these men. But now they were in front of me, both holding expressions of faint amusement as they stared at me, and I felt faint. And in order to cover my ineptitude in social situations, out came the verbal onslaught.

“Is it hot in here? It’s hot, right? I mean… um, what were we talking about? Oh, right? My deluded best friend thinks, well, stupid things that are out of the realm of possibility because whatever he’s imagining doesn’t happen in real life and as far as I can tell, I’m awake and working. Are you two together? Shit, I did not mean for that to escape my mouth because nosy much, Phoenix? It’s not my business. Over the past several months, I couldn’t miss observing that you two make an exquisite couple. And on that note, I’ll stop talking now,” ending on a groan.

Burton glanced at Luka, who kept his eyes on me the entire time, and beamed at the taller man.

About the Author 

Valerie writes romances.

Valerie resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband. While she had been interested in writing a romance novel for years, it wasn’t until she wrote her first book that she really became hooked, and now she can’t stop. She has notebooks full of ideas, and she plans to write most of them in the years to come.

When she’s not writing or learning about the craft of writing, she can be found surfing the internet way too much, watching Investigation Discovery and thinking that her neighbors are up to no good, and finding new ways to get her husband to laugh.

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