Andrew Grey's Blog, page 32
June 26, 2012
Love Means... Renewal Releasing at Midnight
Eli Henninger is stretched a little thin. He teaches riding classes, conducts therapy sessions, takes care of his son, and helps manage the family farm. He’s tired and overworked, especially because lately, no one else seems to do anything right. He and his partner, Geoff, haven’t have time together in so long, he’s beginning to forget what his longtime love feels like.
Geoff is just as busy with the farm, the business, and working through a complicated land purchase. He and Eli labor from sunup to sundown and then some. He knows taking care of their responsibilities is preventing them from taking care of each other, but he doesn’t see anything he can do about it. To make matters worse, they’re accused of behaving improperly toward some of the children in their riding programs.
Then Eli becomes ill and the investigators suspect foul play, forcing Geoff to reevaluate his priorities and hope fate will give them another chance.
Add to your Dreamspinner Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3041
Read an Excerpt: http://andrewgreybooks.livejournal.com/
June 25, 2012
Love Means...Renewal releasing Tomorrow at Mignight
Eli Henninger is stretched a little thin. He teaches riding classes, conducts therapy sessions, takes care of his son, and helps manage the family farm. He’s tired and overworked, especially because lately, no one else seems to do anything right. He and his partner, Geoff, haven’t have time together in so long, he’s beginning to forget what his longtime love feels like.
Geoff is just as busy with the farm, the business, and working through a complicated land purchase. He and Eli labor from sunup to sundown and then some. He knows taking care of their responsibilities is preventing them from taking care of each other, but he doesn’t see anything he can do about it. To make matters worse, they’re accused of behaving improperly toward some of the children in their riding programs.
Then Eli becomes ill and the investigators suspect foul play, forcing Geoff to reevaluate his priorities and hope fate will give them another chance.
Add to your Dreamspinner Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Excerpt:
From outside their cocoon of passion, Eli heard the rain pounding harder on the roof as thunder sounded in the distance. Geoff stopped, holding completely still, and Eli heard him whisper under his breath. “Shit,” he said softly, and Eli echoed a similar curse in his mind. Slowly, Geoff retreated and hurried away, returning with a cloth that they used to wipe themselves up. Geoff threw the towel in the bathroom and pulled on his boxers. Eli felt for his, locating them at the bottom of the bed, and had just finished pulling them on when their bedroom door opened. Jakey rushed into the bedroom as another flash of lightning lit the window, thunder cracking a few seconds later.
Jakey ran to Eli’s side the bed. Eli saw him nervously bouncing from foot to foot, holding his stuffed dog in front of him for protection. “Papa, Daddy, I’m scared.” Before either of them could answer, Jakey climbed onto the bed, curling under the covers between them, holding his doggie tight. Jakey squeaked as thunder cracked again, and Eli rolled onto his side, holding Jakey’s hand as he shook. “Why does it boom like that, Papa?” Jakey whispered, hiding his head when lightning flashed again.
“It’s just the angels bowling,” Geoff said from the other side of the bed. “They’re having some fun making a bit of noise. It’ll end soon enough.”
“Well, the angels should be more quiet, there are people trying to sleep,” Jakey said and rolled over, clutching his stuffed dog to his chest and closing his eyes. The lightning flashed again, and Eli felt Jakey shiver, but this time the thunder was softer, the storm already moving away.
Eli felt Geoff roll over, and his eyes locked onto those of his lover. “I’m sorry,” Geoff mouthed in the dimness, and Eli nodded slightly. “I’ll take him to his room in a few minutes.” The storm continued to diminish, and Eli was already falling asleep when he felt the bed shake slightly as Geoff got up. Eli felt him lift Jakey out of the bed and he heard Geoff’s footsteps leave the room. Eli didn’t remember Geoff coming back to bed, but he did remember waking up held close in Geoff’s arms. It was still dark outside, so he closed his eyes again.
When he woke again, Eli knew he was alone, but not for long. The door opened and Jakey bounded in, climbing on the bed. “Papa, Daddy said I could have a pony ride.”
“When did he say that?”
“Last night after he taked me to my bed. He pwomised.” Jakey stuck out his lower lip and crossed his little arms over his chest. They had been teaching Jakey that a promise was a promise, and they wanted to earn his trust. But he was probably trying to take advantage,
“Did Daddy say if you were good?” Eli asked, and Jakey nodded slowly. “Then no pouting, and you have to be quiet. Papa’s really tired.” Eli couldn’t remember being this exhausted in his life. He looked at the clock and groaned. He had a class in less than an hour. “Let’s go and get you dressed, and maybe Uncle Joey can take you for a pony ride.”
“I want you, Papa. Nobody else does it right.” Jakey slid off the bed and left the bedroom, and soon Eli heard him making car sounds. Eli pulled on his robe and followed the sounds, lifting Jakey off the floor and carrying him to the main portion of the house.
“Hi, Jakey,” Robbie said as he stepped off the stairs. Eli cautioned Jakey, and he approached Robbie slowly before touching Robbie’s leg. Robbie carefully lifted Jakey into his arms, getting a big squeeze around the neck, complete with sound effects from both of them.
“Will you sit with him a second?” Eli asked.
“Sure. Come on, Jakey, let’s go listen to the television.” Robbie said, setting Jakey on the floor, letting him show the way to the sofa. They sat on the sofa, with Jakey watching cartoons and Robbie sitting next to him.
“Thanks, Robbie, I won’t be long,” Eli said before hurrying to the bathroom. He figured he had fifteen minutes, tops, before Jakey began to fidget, so he cleaned up, showered, and got dressed, returning to the living room just in time to see Jakey trying to slide off the sofa. Eli scooped him up, and after thanking Robbie, flew Jakey into the kitchen, airplane-style, depositing him in his chair. “Morning, Adelle,” Eli said.
“Morning, Mr. Eli. Tyrone was already in this morning. He said to tell you he’ll get things ready for your class this morning.” Adelle put a plate in front of him.
“Isn’t it early for Tyrone to be here?” Eli asked, stifling a yawn.
“It’s Saturday, and I think he asked Mr. Geoff if there was anything he could do,” Adelle explained evenly. The woman knew everything that happened around the farm. “Now eat your breakfast. You’ve been looking peaked lately, and I don’t want you getting sick.” Adelle left, returning a few minutes later with Jakey’s breakfast, which earned her a cheer, and after she placed a towel around his neck as a bib, Jakey picked up his spoon and began to eat.
Eli did the same, hoping the food and a cup of Adelle’s coffee would revive him. Neither seemed to work, but when Geoff came in and sat in the chair next to him, leaning in for a kiss, that seemed to do the trick. “How many classes do you have today?” Geoff asked, his voice filled with concern.
“Just two, and they’re both done before noon,” Eli answered, wondering what Geoff was thinking.
“Adelle, would you be willing to watch Jakey this afternoon for an hour or so? I’d like to take Eli riding for a while.” They all knew that riding was a bit of a code. There would be horses involved, and riding, but there would also be stopping by the stream where a very different type of riding would occur.
“Of course, Mr. Geoff. I have some cookies to bake, and Jakey can help,” Adelle said with a smile.
“Thank you so much, and when we get back, consider it the start of your Sunday.” Adelle was off most Sundays and she disappeared for most of the day. No one ever knew where she went, and they didn’t have the guts to ask her. Those who tried had only gotten stern looks and then the cold shoulder, and she’d say she was a woman of mystery.
Eli checked the clock and began eating more rapidly so he wouldn’t be late. Once he was finished, he put his dishes in the sink and was about to head to the barn when one of the sheriff’s vehicles pull into the yard. Eli watched as Sheriff Colton himself got out and walked to the back door. “Come in, Harvey,” Eli called, and the sheriff opened the back door and came inside. “What brings you here? Can we offer you something to eat?”
“Thank you, Eli, but no. I’m afraid I’m here on official business.” Sheriff Colton looked around the kitchen. Adelle turned off the stove and left the room. “We’ve had a complaint that you’ve been improper with some of the children in your therapy program.”
June 17, 2012
Meet Western Singing Star Willie Meadows
Country singer Willie Meadows is a fake. He’s never ridden a horse, and his “Western”gear comes from a boutique shop in LA. No wonder Wilson Edwards, the real man in those fake boots, is suffering creative block. Determined to connect with the music, Wilson buys a ranch in Wyoming to learn the country way of life, even if he has no intention of running the business. Then Steve Peterson shows up desperate, destitute, and hungry, having just escaped a gay deprogramming hospital run by his father’s cult.
Steve was supposed to train horses for the ranch’s former owner, but the job is gone along with his would-be employer. Luckily Wilson has a temporary solution: Steve can ranch-sit while Wilson does business in LA. But when he comes back, Wilson barely recognizes the place. There are trained horses in the paddock, and the ranch is in great shape. Suddenly he finds himself inspired not by the cowboy lifestyle but by Steve himself.
But the cult is still after Steve, and Wilson’s fear of scandal means he’s still in the closet. Coming out could kill Willie’s career—but denying his feelings for Steve could kill the only part of him that’s real.
Add to Your Dreamspinner Press Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3008
Excerpt
In the morning, Wilson knew that Howard would sleep for hours in the morning, so he got up, showered, and dressed.After leaving his manager a note, he took the car and drove back out to his house. He really wanted to be able to take a good look around without Howard explaining what was wrong with everything. When he turned into the drive, Wilson was surprised to see an old truck pulled off into the yard near the barn. And when he parked the car, Wilson saw someone come out of the barn.
“Morning, mister,” the man said, and as he walked toward the car, Wilson saw he couldn’t have been much more than twenty, skinny as a beanpole, but with an earnest expression that Wilson found endearing. “Do you know what happened?” he asked, motioning around him. “I was supposed to come here for a job, but everything’s gone.” He looked almost brokenhearted.
“I’m the new owner,” Wilson explained through the open car window.
“What happened to Mrs. Henfield?” the kid asked, and he started to shake a little. “She wrote me some months back, offering me a job training her horses. I got hurt and told her I needed to heal up, so she told me to come when I was better.” Dang, if he’d been sick, he certainly didn’t look like he’d had time to heal. His face was slightly drawn and thin. Wilson also couldn’t help noticing that the end of his belt hung a little long, like he was notching it in a lot more than he used to.
“I’m sorry, but her husband died, and she sold the ranch,”Wilson explained.
The kid definitely looked heartbroken, and he turned around and walked back toward his old truck. Wilson watched as he opened the door and climbed inside but made no move to start the engine. Instead, Wilson saw him lean his head against the steering wheel like he didn’t quite know what to do. Wilson pulled the car to what looked like a decent place to park and got out, wandering over to the kid’s truck. The young man hadn’t moved, and if Wilson hadn’t known better, he’d almost think the kid was asleep, except when he looked through the window, Wilson saw him shaking.
Wilson tapped lightly on the window, and the kid lifted his head. The fear Wilson saw in those deep brown eyes shocked him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just needed this job real bad, and now it’s gone. I ain’t got the money to fill up the tank to get somewhere else, let alone eat. But that ain’t yer problem.” The kid wiped his face and started the engine.
Wilson stepped back as the kid put the truck in gear and started down the driveway. Wilson listened to the truck as it turned onto the road and sped up before sputtering a few times. Wilson saw the kid maneuver the truck off the road before it died. He sighed and walked back to his car. After starting the engine, he drove down the driveway and stopped behind where the kid’s truck had run out of gas. Wilson got out and walked up to the driver’s door. He saw the kid once again slumped over the steering wheel, and this time, Wilson pulled the door open. The screech of metal was almost deafening, and he realized the truck was barely holding itself together. “Come on. I’m heading back to town, and I can take you with me.” There was no way Wilson could leave him out here. When he didn’t move, Wilson held out his hand. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” the kid said as he got out of the truck. He looked sort of glassy-eyed, and Wilson was beginning to wonder when he’d last eaten, or slept, for that matter.
“Go get in the car,” Wilson said as he wrenched the truck door closed. He watched as the kid walked alongside the truck reaching into the back for what looked like some sort of old duffel bag. He lifted it out and nearly fell over as he did. Wilson popped open the trunk, and the kid set his duffel inside.
“I’m real sorry about this, mister,” he said, looking toward the ground.
“Don’t think twice about it,” Wilson said. He understood where the kid was coming from. No, he hadn’t been out stranded in the middle of nowhere alone. Instead, he’d been stranded in LA, which was probably worse in a lot of ways. “The name’s Wilson, by the way,” he said with a smile he hoped looked reassuring.
“Steve,” the kid said, and after lightly closing the trunk, he slid into the passenger seat and closed the door, keeping as far away from Wilson as he could.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise.” The haunted look in the kid’s eyes told him that wasn’t going to soothe him any. Something pretty bad had happened to this kid, and he was mighty scared and nervous. Wilson put the car in gear and pulled onto the road, heading back toward town. When he pulled into the hotel parking lot, Steve got really nervous, and at first Wilson thought he was going to jump out of the car. “This is where I’m staying. I need to make sure my friend is up, and then we can get something to eat.” Wilson got out of the car, taking the keys with him, just because it was prudent, and knocked on Howard’s door.
“I was wondering where you went. I’m starving,” Howard said as he closed his door and walked toward the car, stopping when he saw the front seat was already occupied. “What’s this?” he asked, glaring quizzically at Wilson. “You picked up some kid?” Howard hissed.
June 15, 2012
A Foreign Range is Available Everywhere including Amazon
Country singer Willie Meadows is a fake. He’s never ridden a horse, and his “Western”gear comes from a boutique shop in LA. No wonder Wilson Edwards, the real man in those fake boots, is suffering creative block. Determined to connect with the music, Wilson buys a ranch in Wyoming to learn the country way of life, even if he has no intention of running the business. Then Steve Peterson shows up desperate, destitute, and hungry, having just escaped a gay deprogramming hospital run by his father’s cult.
Steve was supposed to train horses for the ranch’s former owner, but the job is gone along with his would-be employer. Luckily Wilson has a temporary solution: Steve can ranch-sit while Wilson does business in LA. But when he comes back, Wilson barely recognizes the place. There are trained horses in the paddock, and the ranch is in great shape. Suddenly he finds himself inspired not by the cowboy lifestyle but by Steve himself.
But the cult is still after Steve, and Wilson’s fear of scandal means he’s still in the closet. Coming out could kill Willie’s career—but denying his feelings for Steve could kill the only part of him that’s real.
Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3008
Purchase from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Foreign-Range-Stories-ebook/dp/B008BPGHCQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339796148&sr=1-2&keywords=a+foreign+range
Purchase from All Romance: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-aforeignrange-830476-145.html
Purchase from Rainbow eBooks: http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7411
June 14, 2012
A Foreign Range Releases at Midnight
Country singer Willie Meadows is a fake. He’s never ridden a horse, and his “Western”gear comes from a boutique shop in LA. No wonder Wilson Edwards, the real man in those fake boots, is suffering creative block. Determined to connect with the music, Wilson buys a ranch in Wyoming to learn the country way of life, even if he has no intention of running the business. Then Steve Peterson shows up desperate, destitute, and hungry, having just escaped a gay deprogramming hospital run by his father’s cult.
Steve was supposed to train horses for the ranch’s former owner, but the job is gone along with his would-be employer. Luckily Wilson has a temporary solution: Steve can ranch-sit while Wilson does business in LA. But when he comes back, Wilson barely recognizes the place. There are trained horses in the paddock, and the ranch is in great shape. Suddenly he finds himself inspired not by the cowboy lifestyle but by Steve himself.
But the cult is still after Steve, and Wilson’s fear of scandal means he’s still in the closet. Coming out could kill Willie’s career—but denying his feelings for Steve could kill the only part of him that’s real.
Add to Your Dreamspinner Press Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3008
Read an excerpt: http://andrewgreybooks.livejournal.com/116079.html
June 13, 2012
A Foreign Range Releases at Midnight Tomorrow.
Blurb:
Country singer Willie Meadows is a fake. He’s never ridden a horse, and his “Western”gear comes from a boutique shop in LA. No wonder Wilson Edwards, the real man in those fake boots, is suffering creative block. Determined to connect with the music, Wilson buys a ranch in Wyoming to learn the country way of life, even if he has no intention of running the business. Then Steve Peterson shows up desperate, destitute, and hungry, having just escaped a gay deprogramming hospital run by his father’s cult.
Steve was supposed to train horses for the ranch’s former owner, but the job is gone along with his would-be employer. Luckily Wilson has a temporary solution: Steve can ranch-sit while Wilson does business in LA. But when he comes back, Wilson barely recognizes the place. There are trained horses in the paddock, and the ranch is in great shape. Suddenly he finds himself inspired not by the cowboy lifestyle but by Steve himself.
But the cult is still after Steve, and Wilson’s fear of scandal means he’s still in the closet. Coming out could kill Willie’s career—but denying his feelings for Steve could kill the only part of him that’s real.
Add to Your Dreamspinner Press Wish List:http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Excerpt
In the morning, Wilson knew that Howard would sleep for hours in the morning, so he got up, showered, and dressed.After leaving his manager a note, he took the car and drove back out to his house. He really wanted to be able to take a good look around without Howard explaining what was wrong with everything. When he turned into the drive, Wilson was surprised to see an old truck pulled off into the yard near the barn. And when he parked the car, Wilson saw someone come out of the barn.
“Morning, mister,” the man said, and as he walked toward the car, Wilson saw he couldn’t have been much more than twenty, skinny as a beanpole, but with an earnest expression that Wilson found endearing. “Do you know what happened?” he asked, motioning around him. “I was supposed to come here for a job, but everything’s gone.” He looked almost brokenhearted.
“I’m the new owner,” Wilson explained through the open car window.
“What happened to Mrs. Henfield?” the kid asked, and he started to shake a little. “She wrote me some months back, offering me a job training her horses. I got hurt and told her I needed to heal up, so she told me to come when I was better.” Dang, if he’d been sick, he certainly didn’t look like he’d had time to heal. His face was slightly drawn and thin. Wilson also couldn’t help noticing that the end of his belt hung a little long, like he was notching it in a lot more than he used to.
“I’m sorry, but her husband died, and she sold the ranch,”Wilson explained.
The kid definitely looked heartbroken, and he turned around and walked back toward his old truck. Wilson watched as he opened the door and climbed inside but made no move to start the engine. Instead, Wilson saw him lean his head against the steering wheel like he didn’t quite know what to do. Wilson pulled the car to what looked like a decent place to park and got out, wandering over to the kid’s truck. The young man hadn’t moved, and if Wilson hadn’t known better, he’d almost think the kid was asleep, except when he looked through the window, Wilson saw him shaking.
Wilson tapped lightly on the window, and the kid lifted his head. The fear Wilson saw in those deep brown eyes shocked him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just needed this job real bad, and now it’s gone. I ain’t got the money to fill up the tank to get somewhere else, let alone eat. But that ain’t yer problem.” The kid wiped his face and started the engine.
Wilson stepped back as the kid put the truck in gear and started down the driveway. Wilson listened to the truck as it turned onto the road and sped up before sputtering a few times. Wilson saw the kid maneuver the truck off the road before it died. He sighed and walked back to his car. After starting the engine, he drove down the driveway and stopped behind where the kid’s truck had run out of gas. Wilson got out and walked up to the driver’s door. He saw the kid once again slumped over the steering wheel, and this time, Wilson pulled the door open. The screech of metal was almost deafening, and he realized the truck was barely holding itself together. “Come on. I’m heading back to town, and I can take you with me.” There was no way Wilson could leave him out here. When he didn’t move, Wilson held out his hand. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” the kid said as he got out of the truck. He looked sort of glassy-eyed, and Wilson was beginning to wonder when he’d last eaten, or slept, for that matter.
“Go get in the car,” Wilson said as he wrenched the truck door closed. He watched as the kid walked alongside the truck reaching into the back for what looked like some sort of old duffel bag. He lifted it out and nearly fell over as he did. Wilson popped open the trunk, and the kid set his duffel inside.
“I’m real sorry about this, mister,” he said, looking toward the ground.
“Don’t think twice about it,” Wilson said. He understood where the kid was coming from. No, he hadn’t been out stranded in the middle of nowhere alone. Instead, he’d been stranded in LA, which was probably worse in a lot of ways. “The name’s Wilson, by the way,” he said with a smile he hoped looked reassuring.
“Steve,” the kid said, and after lightly closing the trunk, he slid into the passenger seat and closed the door, keeping as far away from Wilson as he could.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise.” The haunted look in the kid’s eyes told him that wasn’t going to soothe him any. Something pretty bad had happened to this kid, and he was mighty scared and nervous. Wilson put the car in gear and pulled onto the road, heading back toward town. When he pulled into the hotel parking lot, Steve got really nervous, and at first Wilson thought he was going to jump out of the car. “This is where I’m staying. I need to make sure my friend is up, and then we can get something to eat.” Wilson got out of the car, taking the keys with him, just because it was prudent, and knocked on Howard’s door.
“I was wondering where you went. I’m starving,” Howard said as he closed his door and walked toward the car, stopping when he saw the front seat was already occupied. “What’s this?” he asked, glaring quizzically at Wilson. “You picked up some kid?” Howard hissed.
May 12, 2012
Last Day
Dreamspinner is celebrating their fifth anniversary. As part of that they have been running a special sale. Today is the last day to get 35% off all my titles including Redemption by Fire. So if you haven't taken advantage, this is your last chance.
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2921&osCsid=eatl70qmr7lf4uu4cf5b5bst14
May 3, 2012
Redemption By Fire - On Kindle
For all you with Kindles, Redemption by Fire is up at Amazon. Here's a link if you need it: http://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Fire-Series-ebook/dp/B007ZSFMD0/ref=zg_bs_172503011_5
Dirk Krause is an asshole of the first degree. His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he’s injured on the job while fighting a fire, he’s nearly unbearable to the... hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.
Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk’s surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn’t take any of his crap. Lee’s determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?
May 2, 2012
Redemption by Fire is Now Available
My latest story, Redemption by Fire is now available. I hope you'll give it a try.
Dirk Krause is an asshole of the first degree. His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he’s injured on the job while fighting a fire, he’s nearly unbearable to the hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.
Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk’s surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn’t take any of his crap. Lee’s determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?
Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2921
Purchase from All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-redemptionbyfire-786951-145.html
Purchase form Rainbow eBooks: http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6938
Read an excerpt: http://andrewgreybooks.livejournal.com/115186.html
May 1, 2012
Redemption by Fire - Releasing Tonight at Midnight
Redemption by Fire releases at midnight tonight from Dreamspinner Press. I thought I'd publish an excerpt and I hope you like it. Enjoy!!!
Dirk Krause is an asshole of the first degree. His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he’s injured on the job while fighting a fire, he’s nearly unbearable to the hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.
Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk’s surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn’t take any of his crap. Lee’s determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?
Purchase Starting at Midnight from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2921
Excerpt:
After a day, he began to feel better. He could breathe more easily even though he was still on oxygen. Once, when he’d woken, he’d found a card from his father, and one from his captain at the station, but other than that, he saw no signs of any visitors. He figured they were waiting until he got better.
He was wrong. The only person he saw other than the nurses and doctors was his father, and his visits were never pleasant.
“So after this, are you going to give up this fireman thing and get a real job? You have a degree. I could get you a job on my team at the brokerage,” his father told him in his usual “I know best” voice. “I’ll start the paperwork for when you get out of here.”
“I don’t…,” Dirk began, but he started to cough, and it got worse and worse. A nurse hurried in and gave him something to calm the spasms, and he collapsed back into the bed, his injured arm aching and his chest hurting like hell. “Can’t we just sit and talk?” Dirk asked, and his father looked at him like he’d asked for the moon.
“I have to be back in the office in half an hour,” his father told him, and Dirk nodded.
Then his father left the room, and Dirk hadn’t had a visitor since. That had been two days ago, three days since he’d awakened, and almost a week since the fire.
As the days went by, he fumed at everyone who walked into his room. He heard the nurses talking about him once in the hallway, but he really didn’t care. He spent most of his days watching television—he couldn’t get out of bed except to go to the bathroom, and it hurt to fucking breathe. This was definitely no picnic! After swearing away yet another nurse, he found himself with Brunhilda, the sadistic nurse from hell, and that did nothing for his mood or his sense of misery. The woman seemed to live to poke him with needles, and a sponge bath from her could make prisoners spill their guts in two minutes flat. “You should work for the CIA,” he told her as she scraped yet more skin off him, but she just grunted and paid no attention to him at all.
After that torture ended, Dirk lay watching television, feeling sorry for himself. His lungs still hurt, but only when he took a deep breath. The doctor had told him that they were hopeful he’d return to normal and that his lungs were aching because they were healing. “Just give it time,” he’d said before leaving.
Out of the corner of his eye, Dirk saw movement in his doorway and steeled himself for another visit from Brunhilda. Instead, he saw what looked like a brick wall casting a shadow carrying flowers in a plastic fire helmet. “You Dirk Krause?” the man asked and slowly stepped into the room, like he was nervous, setting the planter on the tray.
“Yeah, that’s me,” Dirk answered. “Who the hell are you?” The kid might have been huge, but he had a definite baby face, and he looked young as shit.
“Lee Stockton. I’m the new man on third shift, and the guys asked me to bring you the flowers,” the kid said pleasantly, and Dirk watched him shuffle from foot to foot trying to figure out what to say next. “The other guys have been really busy.”
“I’ll bet.” Dirk shifted on the bed, looking at the huge kid. “You draw the short straw or something?” Dirk had no time or use for a pity plant in a cheap bit of plastic that the guys probably had the kid pick up on his way over. “’Cause you’re the first damned guy from the company to visit. So you’ve done your job, and you can go now.” Dirk turned away and waited to hear the kid walk out of the room.
“You really are the biggest asshole on the planet,” the kid said, his voice deeper, and when Dirk turned to look at him, the kid’s eyes blazed. “I didn’t believe them when they told me what a dickhead you could be. But, boy, they weren’t kidding. Two minutes, and you were already acting like an ass. That must be some kind of record. No wonder none of the other guys wanted to come up here.” The kid moved to the side of the bed, and Dirk got a good look at him. The kid’s shirt barely held in his muscles, and when he moved his arm, it looked like the damned shirt was going to rip anytime.
“Well, fuck ’em all,” Dirk said. He wanted to yell, but when he took the breath, his lungs reminded him of their condition by shooting pain down his chest. If they didn’t want to see him, he didn’t want to see those assholes, either. The kid didn’t say anything. He just stared at Dirk like he was from another planet, and then his gaze heated, and Dirk squirmed a little, actually checking to make sure he was covered up. “What’s wrong with you? You some sort of fag?” His arm was throbbing, and his lungs ached with this talking, and he wasn’t in the mood for any crap. He expected the kid’s look to shift to something approaching pity, and he was having none of that.
It had been his experience that whenever anyone was asked that question, they backed away fast, but the kid took a step closer to the bed with an unreadable look on his face. “You seem to have me mistaken with some sort of fucking doormat. I came down here ’cause no one else would visit your sorry ass, and this is the thanks I get. What are you doing calling people names and shit?” Lee took another step closer and stared straight into his eyes, which made Dirk squirm, especially since the kid was freakin’ huge. “Anyone ever tell you not to poke the bear?” Lee said with a growl. “Because you’re damned close.” Lee continued stepping closer until he practically loomed over him. “Why are you such an asshole, anyway? You know what I think?” Lee leaned over the bed, uncomfortably close for Dirk. “I think you’re one fucking huge closet case. I’ve met plenty of guys like you before. You’re fucking miserable, and you make everyone around you pay for it. Well, I saw the way you looked at me, like I was dinner and you wanted to eat me whole. And don’t think for a second you’re ever going to get that chance, because I may fuck ass, but I don’t fuck closet-case assholes like you.”
“What the fuck, man?” Dirk managed to say as he pushed Lee away with his good hand.
“Hey, I see right through you. There’s no hiding. I know a closet case a mile away, and I knew you were gay after being in the room for two seconds. You took one look at me, and I saw the way your eyes bulged and your mouth watered.”
“Little full of yourself, aren’t you?” Dirk pushed harder on Lee’s chest, and damn if he didn’t run up against a mountain of pure American muscle. “Now get the hell away from me. You don’t know shit about shit.” Dirk was more than a little uncomfortable, and Lee’s words were hitting way too close to home.
“I don’t, huh. You got yourself half a hard-on just thinking about me, and those sheets are thin enough that you really can’t hide nothing. So you can cut the bullshit and stop being such an asshole. Now, I brought you your fucking flowers and did what I said I was going to do. You’ll probably be in here for a while yet and at home for even longer, so I suggest you use that time to think about why you’re here all alone and nobody wants to visit your sorry ass.” Lee stepped back and looked toward the door. When he looked back, there was something in Lee’s eyes that Dirk couldn’t read at all. “See you around, closet case.”
“I am not!” Dirk countered, and he really paid for that one as his lungs protested.
Lee turned back to him, and Dirk thought he was going to leave, but he waited for Dirk’s coughing to subside, and then he moved close to the bed again. Dirk thought Lee was going to berate him again, but instead he leaned over the bed and planted a kiss on Dirk’s lips. This was no soft girly kiss, but one hard and strong, with Lee taking possession of Dirk’s mouth as though they’d been kissing forever. Fuck his lungs, the pain in his arms, and everything else. Dirk felt himself go instantly and painfully hard right then and there as his entire body reacted to Lee’s touch. Lee moved his tongue to duel with his, and Dirk lost as Lee took what he wanted in almost every way. Damn, he felt good, and Dirk’s body knew what it wanted and overrode his mind. Suddenly and without warning, Lee pulled back and stepped away from the bed. “Bullshit,” Lee said and strode out of the room without looking back at all.
