Rainbow Snippet 10/30/21: Brand New Release: Love in Shimmering Chartreuse

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).

In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment on the writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  

Today's Snippet comes from my brand new release:

Love in Shimmering Chartreuse

“Why do I feel like you’re putting me on right now?” Kenji remarked.

“How so?”

“Either you’re a natural, or you’ve done this before.”

“I swear, I’ve never taken a martial art of any sort.”

“A natural then. That’s amazing. Most people have to work to get their foot over their head.”

Koda couldn’t help but snicker, especially at the small o Kenji’s mouth formed when it dawned on him what he’d said and how it might be taken.  

“Why did you ever think you’d fall on your ass?” Kenji asked, a faint hint of red spreading over his cheeks.

“’Cause it seems like I make an art form out of looking like an idiot,” Koda replied. “Especially in front of people I was hoping to make a good impression on.”

“Really?”

“Yeah and as you witnessed at our first meeting, I crash and burn spectacularly.”

Cover Reveal Time!

 

Koda is an artist, a bit of a recluse, and not well-versed in social situations. Shy and a bit reserved, he sees an opportunity to break away from routine, and his trailer park home, when he spies a poster advertising a trial hosted by a college psychology department.

Titled A Social Experiment, the project pairs total strangers up to live together for a year either in groups of two or three. During that time, they are to record their experiences while performing a series of tasks outlined in the trial plan. It seemed simple enough until Koda found himself overwhelmed on moving in day, leading him to get off on the wrong foot with new housemate Kenji.

All of his life, Kenji excelled at Tae Kwon Do, competing from a young age and quickly moving up in the ranks. His hard work and rigorous daily routine earned him accolades in regional and national level competitions. As a second-degree black belt, he’d hoped to earn the opportunity to try out for the US Olympic team, only to have an accident cost him his chance at competing, as well as his left arm. Now, three years after his accident, he’s made a new life for himself, and while he still harbors bitterness over the loss of his dream he’s hoping this experiment will be just the thing he needs to help him take that last leap back to living independently.

It’s a rocky road, gelling with one another, dealing with each’s insecurities and triggers, and as each day ticks past, one question remains: where will they go when the experiment comes to an end.

Throwback Thursday: Roadhouse Reds: Why are you covered in handprint shaped burns?

 Amazon

Clyde released him immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but it hurts like hell.” Jason whimpered. He leaned on the large rock he’d been sitting on the night before, but cried out again as soon as the rock made contact with his hip. Jerking away, he stumbled, and Clyde caught his elbow. The two stood like that for a moment as Jason fought to get himself back under control.

CLYDE LISTENED TO Jason’s labored breathing and the hitch in his voice when he tried to claim he was okay, growing ever more concerned at the sound. “Let’s get you to your room and see what’s wrong, okay?”

Jason let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

To Clyde’s surprise, Jason allowed him to aid him into the roadhouse and up the stairs leading to the bedrooms. By the time they arrived, Jason was shaking, and he rested his head against Clyde’s chest as soon as the door was closed.

Hesitantly, unsure of how Jason would react, Clyde ran a hand over the back of his head, hoping it would calm him a little. What he received in return was a soft sigh and the press of Jason’s body a little closer to his. Reluctantly, Clyde murmured, “Why don’t you sit down and let’s see what’s wrong?”

Jason nodded, then lifted his head, and Clyde could see how flushed his face was and that his eyes watered. The whole thing was making Clyde wonder if Jason had slept outside by choice, or if there wasn’t something more sinister going on. The answer to his question came moments later when Jason sat and unzipped his hoodie, cringing as he tried to peel it down his left arm. Clyde helped him, and as soon as they had it free, they could see the large red handprint on Jason arm.

Clyde looked at Jason, who was studying the print. “Who did this?”

Jason’s hazel eyes met Clyde’s, and Clyde could see the confusion in them. “I don’t know.”

Clyde scowled and studied the print closer. It was too large to be Trajin’s, and he was the only one that Clyde had ever seen spend any real time with Jason outside of work. The fingers were too narrow to belong to Dan’s beefy hands, and Clyde knew he hadn’t been anywhere near Jason since they’d worked together in the kitchen the night before, which ruled out all the males in the roadhouse. Being that the two women were more into each other than spending time with any of the men, it was doubtful this had come from them.

Clyde’s thoughts soon came to a screeching halt as Jason eased up the bottom of his T-shirt and the edge of another red, somewhat puffy handprint was revealed. This one looked more like a burn or a powerful slap than the other, and as the shirt came up farther, Clyde could see another print on Jason’s ribs. A calm man, typically, all Clyde was starting to feel was rage—rage at whoever had put these marks on the young man he’d secretly come to care for.

Jason pulled his T-shirt carefully over his head, and Clyde was glad to see that no more handprints were revealed. At least, not until he moved to Jason’s side to get a closer look at the one on his ribs; that was when he noticed the handprint in the center of Jason’s back, as if he’d been held down and beaten or branded.

“I’m going to go get the first-aid kit. Why don’t you see if there are more of them. I’ll knock before I come back in,” Clyde said, turning away from Jason and heading for the door.

Down the hall, Clyde found the first-aid kit and checked to make sure it contained burn cream and dressing, while still trying to wrap his thoughts around what could have been used to cause those injuries. It was possible that Jason had gone out partying somewhere, pissed off the wrong people, and been dumped by the rock. Clyde hated to think that anyone in town could be capable of such malice though. Those handprints looked like someone had deliberately set out to mark him, and Clyde wanted to know why.

For a moment he contemplated trying to talk Jason into going to the hospital ten miles up the road, but he was certain the young man would refuse. Clyde thought long and hard about calling the country sheriff, but he didn’t figure Jason would take too kindly to that either; and the last thing Clyde wanted was to give him more reason not to trust him. As it was, he didn’t understand why Jason was so apprehensive around him.

Carrying the first-aid kit back to Jason’s room, Clyde decided that, one way or another, he was getting to the bottom of those handprints. He knocked and listened for Jason’s response before opening the door.

Jason was seated on his bed, where Clyde had left him, though Clyde noticed that he’d changed out of his jeans. Bright rays streamed in through the window, hitting his sun-kissed skin and making the gold-blond of his hair shimmer. For a moment, Clyde forgot how to walk, or think, as he stared at Jason’s well defined abs and the muscles that rippled along his arms and chest. With all the baggy clothes Jason tended to wear, Clyde had never imagined he was covering up such a well-defined physique.

You can stop staring now,” Jason said.

Warrior Wednesday: Oh those protective instincts

 Now these two knew how to protect each other. 

Justice hadn’t heard the crunch of tires outside or the sound of an engine, so he could only assume that Nash had walked again, despite the fact that Justice had told him repeatedly to call if he couldn’t get a ride. Talk about stubborn, maybe Justice needed to sit outside the bar at closing time and bring Nash home himself. The last thing he wanted was some asshole Nash had tossed out of the place waylaying him on the way back out to the scrapyard. There were other equally lethal reasons it wasn’t safe for him to walk at night, like venomous snakes and feral pigs.

As soon as Nash shuffled into the light, Justice leapt to his feet, fists clenched and furious about the glimpse of blood and bruises.

“What the hell happened?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Nash remarked as Justice approached him to see not just the black eye and cut cheek, but a split lip.

Judging from the way he was moving those weren’t the only injuries either. Justice’s blood boiled at the thought of someone striking Nash when the other man seemed to have one of the evenest tempers of anyone Justice had ever met. He reached into the freezer and yanked out a bag of frozen carrots, passed them to Nash, and watched him wince when he placed them beneath his t-shirt against his ribs.

“Who hit you?”

“Some drunken idiot who decided to blindside me while I tossed out his friend. No worries, he looks worse than I do.”

“I didn’t ask you that. I asked who hit you,” Justice said as he crowded into Nash’s space and gently placed a bag of frozen corn against Nash’s bruised eye.

“I didn’t exactly have time to ask his name when he was laying into me.”

“Didn’t I tell you that place was a fuckin’ hell hole?”

“Didn’t I tell you I could handle it?”

“Doesn’t necessarily mean I believe you,” Justice replied. 

Nash groaned and shifted the cold vegetables on his ribs, good eye focusing past Justice towards the table behind him. “It looks like you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah,” Justice remarked, allowing him the subject change for the moment.

“I wanted to see how close I was to making the goal. Unfortunately, it’s not as close as I’d like to be.”

“How far off are you?” Nash asked.

“Far enough.”

“Now who’s being evasive about answering questions?”

“Fine, I’ve got forty-eight hours to come up with eight hundred bucks, but no pressure, right?”

Nash dug a hand in his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, peeled off a few bills and shoved them back in his pocket before dropping the remainder of the money on the table. “Now you only need a hundred.”

“What the everloving fuck, I can’t take that. It’s almost a third of what you need for your bike.”

“And in two weeks I’ll get another third. I’m in no hurry; you on the other hand do have a deadline and I refuse to take no for an answer.”

“Nash…”

“I mean it, Justice, you’re taking the money and if you don't I’ll just give it to Jude so he can give it to the bank so you might as well cut out the middleman and just accept it.”

“Son of a bitch,” Justice muttered, before leaning in and impulsively brushing a kiss over Nash’s lips. It was one part thank you and one part just because he’d been wanting to do that for days.

He still held the bag to Nash’s eye and felt the man push a little closer, deepening the kiss. Justice groaned, locked his arm tight around Nash’s waist, and held him close as their tongues slid against each other. They kissed until Nash hissed and tensed, Justice realizing he was pressing too tight against injured ribs and stepped back.

“You need to let me take a look at those,” Justice ordered, a bit out of breath, not that Nash sounded any better.

“They’re fine, not even cracked, he got in a lucky shot or two, that’s all. Won’t even hurt anymore in a couple of days.”

“You need to quit working there,” Justice announced.

“And do what?” Nash murmured. “I wasn’t trying to get hit in the first place. I just wanted the two assholes who were trying to pick a fight over the pool table to take it somewhere else. My mistake was missing the fact that one of them had a friend.”

“Any more mistakes like that and you’re likely to get your head knocked off,” Justice remarked. “In my opinion, it looks good exactly the way it is.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of attached to it myself,” Nash remarked. 

Amazon

Tantalizing Tuesday: In which Aiden and Raine decide they dislike being ignored

 How close are you to being done?

“Not close enough,” Gabe muttered, rubbing his eyes. From the way he kept shifting positions and adjusting his materials, Aiden could tell he was growing uncomfortable. Finally, he lay on his side, the papers in front of him, trying to work on it that way, even as Aiden rolled back over so he could lick Raine’s ear, the red wolf cracking one eye open to look at him.

Gabe is drowning in edits, Aiden thought to him. I think he should take a break and enjoy the sun, but of course, he won’t listen to me. Said the client wants it done and is getting on his case about it.

When I woke up at three this morning to get a snack, he was sitting by the lamp working on them instead of sleeping in the nest with us, Raine said. He’s been worried about me not getting enough rest and sleep, and now here he is doing the same thing.

Exactly, Aiden thought. I think he needs a distraction.

Okay.

And I have just the thing to get him out of that chair and over here with us, Aiden insisted, growing more excited as the idea took hold. Recalling the heat and desire in Gabe’s eyes two nights before, when he’d walked in on Aiden and Raine making out in the pillow nest while waiting for dinner, he shifted, sitting naked in the grass.

Talking about getting someone to sit up and take notice, Raine sat staring at him with his tongue lolling out. He could practically feel Gabe’s eyes on him too; now if he could just up the ante a little.

“Shift,” Aiden urged Raine. “I want to kiss you.”

Raine inched closer, looking Aiden dead in the eye. You mean you want us to tease him into coming over here.

“Yup.”

Matesummer Monday Part 2: Gabriel, Aiden and Raine

 

How close are you to being done?

“Not close enough,” Gabe muttered, rubbing his eyes. From the way he kept shifting positions and adjusting his materials, Aiden could tell he was growing uncomfortable. Finally, he lay on his side, the papers in front of him, trying to work on it that way, even as Aiden rolled back over so he could lick Raine’s ear, the red wolf cracking one eye open to look at him.

Gabe is drowning in edits, Aiden thought to him. I think he should take a break and enjoy the sun, but of course, he won’t listen to me. Said the client wants it done and is getting on his case about it.

When I woke up at three this morning to get a snack, he was sitting by the lamp working on them instead of sleeping in the nest with us, Raine said. He’s been worried about me not getting enough rest and sleep, and now here he is doing the same thing.

Exactly, Aiden thought. I think he needs a distraction.

Okay.

And I have just the thing to get him out of that chair and over here with us, Aiden insisted, growing more excited as the idea took hold. Recalling the heat and desire in Gabe’s eyes two nights before, when he’d walked in on Aiden and Raine making out in the pillow nest while waiting for dinner, he shifted, sitting naked in the grass.

Talking about getting someone to sit up and take notice, Raine sat staring at him with his tongue lolling out. He could practically feel Gabe’s eyes on him too; now if he could just up the ante a little.

“Shift,” Aiden urged Raine. “I want to kiss you.”

Raine inched closer, looking Aiden dead in the eye. You mean you want us to tease him into coming over here.

“Yup.”

Aiden could read the hesitation in Raine’s eyes and wondered what was causing it. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t made out with each other and Gabe over the course of the past several days when they’d all been cozied up in the nest together. The only difference was that they’d been inside and clothed. Aiden was about to ask what was wrong when Raine shifted in a blur of red and then kissed him roughly, a low growl accompanying Aiden’s moan when he did.

Despite a week and a half in bed recovering from his injuries, Raine was still all hard angles and planes, a body that could only come from time spent actively running, leaping, climbing, and swimming. It was easy to see why he disliked being stuck indoors. His body was built for hunting and prowling.

Aiden’s fingers slid into Raine’s hair, tipping his head back so he could kiss Raine’s neck and throat. Gabe was watching, the papers held limply in his hands as he stared at them. Grinning, Aiden grazed his teeth along Raine’s shoulder, heard his growl mix with Gabe’s and knew their mate was close to breaking. Pressing Raine back to lie in the grass, Aiden kissed his way down Raine’s chest, felt him shiver, his abs clenching while Aiden kissed over them.

He glimpsed Gabe shaking his head. Then the bastard had the nerve to turn his back on them and try to

go back to editing.

AMAZON.COM

Nine Star Press

Can Raine push past his fears long enough to see the amazing potential of the two wolves meant to be his?

Matesummer Monday: Guest Featuring C.D. Gorri's Cuff Linked

Cuff Linked by C.D. Gorri is a brand new steamy, fated mates paranormal romance story!

 Blurb:

Rami Llewellyn’s blood runs blue. He’s not looking for any complications in his life. But things get red hot real fast for the litigious Lion once he meets his potential mate.

When a Pack of Wolves crosses the legal line on what is allowed in his city, Rami hunts for answers. Throw a curvy normal in the mix, and he’s more determined than ever to shut them down.

Noemi Donato dreams of buying the bakery where she works from her boss who is soon retiring. But her mother wants her to move back home, away from the dangerous city she loves. All she needs is a reason to stay.

Will the sweet, feisty pastry chef take on the sexy shifter?

 AMAZON USA

GLOBAL

APPLE 

NOOK

KOBO

PRINT

BIO:

C.D. Gorri is an international bestselling and award-winning author of steamy paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She is the creator of the Grazi Kelly Universe.

Join her mailing list here: https://www.cdgorri.com/newsletter

An avid reader with a profound love for books and literature, when she is not writing or taking care of her family, she can usually be found with a book or tablet in hand. C.D. lives in her home state of New Jersey where many of her characters or stories are based. Her tales are fast-paced yet detailed with satisfying conclusions.

If you enjoy powerful heroines and loyal heroes who face relatable problems in supernatural settings, journey into the Grazi Kelly Universe today. You will find sassy, curvy heroines and sexy, love-driven heroes who find their HEAs between the pages. Werewolves, Bears, Dragons, Tigers, Witches, Romani, Lynxes, Foxes, Thunderbirds, Vampires, and many more Shifters and supernatural creatures dwell within her worlds. The most important thing is every mate in this universe is fated, loyal, and true lovers always get their happily-ever-afters.

Want to know how it all began? Enter the Grazi Kelly Universe with Wolf Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel or pick up Charley’s Christmas Wolf and dive into the Macconwood Pack Novel Series today.

Note from the Author:

Hello readers!

To me, the world of the paranormal is full of endless possibilities. As a writer, I can take advantage of that. I can introduce old ideas through new characters and situations. And hopefully, I can entertain you while trying to do just that!

All of my books are set in the same paranormal world and mainly take place in my home state of New Jersey. I call it the Grazi Kelly Universe in honor of my first heroine, Maria Graziana Kelly aka Grazi (grah-tzee). Characters and creatures overlap, but each series can be read alone.

So far, I’ve expanded this world to encompass many supernatural creatures including Wolf Shifters, Witches, Demons, Dragons, Bears, Foxes, Vampires, and even Jersey Devils! It is my intention to continue to build this world with every book I write. Bringing sassy heroines and larger than life heroes to entertain you with their sexy and humorous tales of HEA love in every volume is my ultimate goal.

My readers are the best and I want to thank you for taking a chance on my books. Don’t forget to leave reviews as you read to let me know how I’m doing.

                                                 del mare alla stella,

                                                              C.D. Gorri

LINKS:

http://www.cdgorri.com

http://www.cdgorri.com/newsletter

https://www.facebook.com/Cdgorribooks

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-d-gorri

https://twitter.com/cgor22

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00IS7820W

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7899700.C_D_Gorri

https://instagram.com/cdgorri/

http://cdgorri.tumblr.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/cdgorri/

https://mewe.com/i/cdgorri1

https://www.tiktok.com/@cdgorriauthor?lang=en

Sleepy Sunday Cinema

 This morning, still struggling with the flu, I attempted to be productive, figuring if I could just convince my brain and body to focus on creating one beautiful thing, I'd feel better and could get to work on the story that's been in and out of my head all week. That....was a failure. But it did give birth to this new idea for a Sunday blog post, of watching movies, sipping cocoa, and maybe letting some of my characters chime in the film choices. 

So, to kick things off, Interview with a Vampire, because Cody is being extra loud this morning, probably because it's his story I don't feel up to working on. Bittersweet are his feelings about the movie, out of a desire to see Lestat and Louie fall in love with one another. He claims not to be, but he is a romantic, just lets his cynicism get in the way of his desires. 

"See, now this is the kind of bullshit that pisses me off!"

Well, hi Wreck, see you're in as lovely a mood as always.

"Thank fuck that's over. About the only way I can relate to that bullshit movie is Lestat remarking about all the whining he's had to listen to from Louie over the centuries. Seriously, how fuckin' pathetic can you get to always be pissing and whining about something. Annoys me about as much as those who can't even manage to open their god damned mouths and ask for what the fuck they want.  I tell you what, you want something from me, you better frame it in plain ass fuckin' English or do without."

Great, I can see movie night at your place is going to be fun. Do me a favor, ech, don't piss off Bellamy before he realizes he's supposed to like you, otherwise, you're gonna fuck up the whole flow of this book.

"Then that's his problem not mine, now are you gonna roll Devil's rejects, or sit there and keep making me out to be the bad guy when I ain't even got my first five minutes on the page."

Maybe a little cocoa and Bellamy's amazing meringue pancakes with diced cherries and a little honey-yogurt drizzle will sweeten him up a little, or not, from the hints Bellamy and Cody are giving, Wreck is going to have an uphill battle if he thinks they'll beg him for anything. 

Claiming Cody is a work in progress at the moment, but something tells me it'll be Bellamy doing the claiming...sorry Wreck. 

Double Rainbow Snippet Saturday 10/23/2021

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).

In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment on the writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  Today's snippet is from Claiming Cody, an MMM Biker BDSM novel set in the world of Burning Luck, where Lucky's best friend, Cody, finds that his gambling is getting as out of control as his vehement denials of who he is, and what he wants. 

“You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Waffle house?”

“Hell yeah. I’m Bellamy, by the way,” the guy remarked as he swung his leg over the back of the bike and settled on the seat behind Cody. The hand he placed on Cody’s abs made them clench and for a moment, Cody feared he’d embarrass himself, biting back the groan that threatened to burst from his throat. Fuck it had been too long since he’d been touched. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths to steady himself, hoping his voice didn’t betray him when he gave his name.

“Nice to meet you, Cody, thanks for stopping. When I took this road, I didn’t consider how little use it got. Yours was the first headlight I’d seen in an hour.”

“How many did you see before that?”

“Three, none going as fast as you were, but none of them gave me a second glance, either,” Bellamy remarked over the roar of the engine. Having someone on the back meant he slowed it down considerably, for about a mile, until Bellamy learned in, lips brushing against his ear.

“Do not slow down on my account.”

Cody did shiver then, the growl in Bellamy’s voice slithering down his spine, urging him to roll on the throttle harder than before. The night whipped past, Bellamy’s body solid at his back, making him wish he wasn’t wearing his jacket or his cut, so he could feel the warmth seep through.

Lucky's story came out in 2017, but in Cody's story, you will see a different side of Lucky, them growing up together, and the light and creative energy in Lucky that made him so attractive to Thorn and Cain, despite it taking them some time to see it.  Below is just a little taste of the memories peppered through Cody's story, since the things that shaped one, most certainly shaped the other as well. 

Oh my god, so many wishes!

Happy Lucky was a squirmy Lucky, molded to his side, head pillowed on his shoulder, staring up at the sky where overhead, a meteor shower sent streaks racing through the heavens.

Wishes only work on stars, Cody grumbled good naturing, hating to dull Lucky’s enthusiasm, especially when an excited Lucky meant kisses peppering his neck and throat, all that wiggling leaving him with a warm, achy feeling low in his belly and a hard, throbbing cock Lucky would suck once they were alone again.

But that’s what falling stars are silly! Lucky exclaimed, the laughter in his tone taking the sting out of being teased for once again not paying attention to something their teachers had undoubtedly gone over while Cody had been daydreaming or writing songs.

The salty tang of seawater and kelp lingered on the breeze, cool winds blowing in off the ocean, meaning Cody cuddled Lucky closer while his best friend went on and on about how meteoroids had started off as parts of asteroids and comets before they’d broken apart and went tumbling around in space. It was when they got caught in earth’s atmosphere and were drawn towards the ground that they became meteors, burning up and producing the streaks of lights people called falling stars.

So then what happens to actual stars? Cody asked, impulsively kissing the side of Lucky’s head. His hair smelled like honey and the clovers they were currently laying in.

They burn out. Right now, there are stars up there that are already dead, but it takes so long for their light to reach us, that we’re still seeing the ghosts of them, sparkling in the heavens. 

Burning Luck

 

Flirtatious Friday: Gabriel and Raine's unintentional waterfall rendezvous

 Amazon

Nine Star Press

The scent of cotton and sunshine still lingered heavy in the air. Raine’s scent, one Gabe had been dreaming about. Sometimes he’d woken in the middle of the night to smell it on his pillow, cuddle the damn thing, and remember the moment he’d determined Raine was meant to be his.

He could hear the falls and knew he was heading in the right direction, the sound growing louder the closer he got. Stepping out of the tree line, he was met with a magnificent sight. A sparkling pool, water cascading down the cliff face. The air was heavy with mist and alive with birdsong.

Peaceful. This was everything he’d hoped for when he’d slipped away from the gathering to find a place to work on his novel. A fresh notebook, a new pen, and a flat rock. He was just getting settled when a loud howl split the air, scaring the hell out of him and the birds, who rushed to the sky in a makeshift flock. He looked up just in time to see a figure leap from the edge of the cliff, body held in perfect diving form, on the way to making a splash in the rippling pool.

His mouth was still hanging open when a grinning face popped up right in front of him, emerald eyes peering from a golden face. No doubt he spent as much time in the sun human as he did wolf. Resting his head on his arms, body still in the water, the guy stared up at him with quizzical eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Writing, or at least that was my plan before you played daredevil and splashed water everywhere.” Gabriel told him.

“I’m not playing, and you’re trespassing.”

“These falls are on pack land, which means it’s open to everyone, including those of us who are only here for a little while.”

“Doesn’t mean the rest of us want the smell of you all over everything.”

“Does my scent really bother you that much?” Gabriel asked, smirking when the other wolf sniffed the air, eyes closing as he inhaled Gabe’s scent.

“No. Just…do me a favor and don’t tell anyone how to get here.”

“On one condition.”

Warily, the other wolf watched him, tensing, hands pressing against the rock like he was about to shove himself away from the ledge and go…where? Glancing around, Gabe only saw one other spot where getting out would be easy, and that was clear to the left of the falls and slick with algae.

“What?” the other wolf finally asked, a hint of a growl in his tone that hadn’t been there before.

“I’ve got some sandwiches in my bag, drinks, and some cake I snagged from the dining hall. Have lunch with me.”

“It’s still morning.”

“True, but I’m guessing you’re not done whatever it is you do out here, and I haven’t even started writing yet, so what do you say to sharing the space, just for the day? I promise I’ll stay out of the water if you promise to keep the bulk of the water in the pool.”

Wariness turned to contemplation, hesitation, too, enough to make Gabriel wonder why such a perfectly innocent request was so difficult to answer.

“And what if I want you to join me?” the other wolf asked.

“What, up there?”

“Yup.”

Swallowing hard, now it was Gabe’s turn to hesitate. “I’d have no clue what I was doing.”

“It’s simple. Just jump. Gravity does the rest.”

There were dozens of reasons it was a bad idea, but those eyes, and the chance of having lunch together and maybe even learning his name, had Gabriel tucking his journal back in his backpack and rising to his feet. The other wolf climbed out of the pool with ease, his cutoff jean shorts leaving little to the imagination. Completing the picture was a washboard of toned abs for the water to stream over, long hair clinging to his skin clear down to the middle of his back.

He wasn’t much for talking. They climbed, and Gabe marveled at the view, making a mental note to work it into his story somehow. Someone had made a stone path in the flowing water, leading right to the edge of the cliff. A common occurrence then, this cliff diving.

“You can see forever from up here,” the other wolf said, cutting the silence with a soft suddenness that left Gabriel pondering his words as they stared out at the horizon: rolling hills surrounded by forests, a river carving a winding path through them. In the distance, a line of wolves ran across an open meadow, stragglers frolicking and pouncing on one another in their wake. 

“There’s more to the world than what you can see from here,” Gabriel told him. “The lands I come from are covered in mountains with jagged snowcapped peaks and hot springs where the water bubbles right up from the ground. We have waterfalls there, though I’ve never considered jumping off one.”

“Well then, now’s your chance,” the wolf replied, turning away from the view.

He was across those rocks and over the edge before Gabriel could blink, leaping into the air with a grace Gabriel knew he’d never be able to imitate. Gabriel watched him hit the water, then pop back up several feet away, waving up at him.

Moment of truth—the rush of water around the rock, the pounding of his heart drawing out the roar of the falls. He was really going to do this, if only to be spontaneous for once. Diving, he felt the wind rush past, the water race up to meet him, colder than he’d thought it would be but oh so exhilarating. He popped up to see the other wolf grinning at him from the ledge Gabriel had occupied not so long before.

“That was amazing!” Gabriel roared, shaking the water from his hair. “Oh my god, I have to do that again!”

And they had, several more times, taking a break to eat the lunch Gabriel had brought and do some sunbathing. His failure to get Raine’s name had nagged at him. He’d only learned it after he’d pointed him out to someone from a distance, after being unable to catch up with him for the rest of the week. His wrist had tingled then too, though no mark had appeared, and as he heard more and more stories about the elusive Raine and how he skipped every gathering, he became more determined to spend time with him again.

Throwback Thursday: Musical Dreams

 Dare gets lost in music only he can hear.

Since childhood, it’s rolled through his mind, drowning out the rest of the world. When he comes back to himself he has the notes and lyrics for the songs his band plays. But he wonders if such talent is worth it, when the rest of his life is such a mess.

All Sionn ever wanted was Dare’s attention.

But that won’t happen as long as Dare has his ‘musical dreams’, so he keeps his attraction a secret. Too bad it’s impossible to keep anything secret when you live with your three best friends. When Sionn’s temper reaches breaking point, he sets Dare on a quest to ‘fix’ himself, in the hopes of gaining the love of the man he adores.

But Fate has a funny way of twisting things. And ‘normal’ is just a state of mind, isn’t it? 

Dare sighed, leaned his head against the cool metal of the railing, and shivered. He was unaware how long he’d been outside, or even what time it was now. He had the song, though. Words and music pulled from lines in the air were imprinted on his fingers and in his heart as surely as if he’d written them down. It was always this way; a fact he often marveled at and wasn’t sure he fully understood, much like the dreaming itself. Not that he ever wished it gone. On the contrary, he was afraid that without it he’d lose his music and everything that made him who he was.

Dare closed his eyes for a moment and shivered again, realizing that he was tired and hadn’t had a meal all day. He climbed to his feet, his guitar clutched in one hand and the other gripping the railing as he swayed. Damn, he thought as he waited for the dizziness to pass. It had to be pretty late if he was feeling this dizzy and weak. With a tired sigh he shuffled inside, tucked his guitar back into its case, and wandered into the kitchen to see that the clock read a quarter to five. Holy shit. No wonder he was starving and ready to drop; he’d been on that damned porch all fucking day. He vaguely remembered heading out there at ten, with a cup of coffee, his cigarettes, and his guitar. He checked his pocket and found the pack, happy he hadn’t burned through too many. Sometimes he smoked them all without realizing it. A waste really, or at least that’s the way he saw it. If he was smoking something, he wanted to at least remember the taste of it.

His hands shook as he poured himself a glass of milk. Then he sat at the table, drinking the milk and eating an apple. It would have to do until he could get dinner cooked. He knew the others would be home soon, and hungry. Not that they really wanted him messing with the stove. His dreams were unpredictable, and twice he’d started unintentional fires, staring off into space while the pan beside him burned. Today, though, he figured it would be fine, easy really, to cut up an onion, brown some beef, and toss soup into the pot on top of it to make a meal. He tried hard not to hum as he worked. He tried not to think of music at all. Instead, he wrote out a grocery list while the meat browned, stirring it occasionally so it didn’t burn. He forced himself to focus on what they needed and not the soft rhythm pulsing in the corner of his mind.

It helped to think of the last time he’d burned a meal and Sionn’s disgusted reaction as he’d stood with the fire extinguisher in hand, red-faced, and screaming about how Dare couldn’t manage to go thirty goddamned minutes without drifting away to dreamland and how he could have burned the whole place down goddammit all to bloody hell! Dare focused on how ashamed he’d felt over the mess he’d made and how angry he’d made Sionn, and he finished cooking the meal without incident. He checked the time. They’d all be out of work by now, unless one or more had been asked to work overtime, in which case, they’d all be late, coming home in the car they shared. Dare sat at the table listening to the tick of the clock and idly drumming his fingers against the wood.

While he waited, he let the music take over. He lay his head down on the table and stared at the counter, his eyes glazing over as he entered the waking dream. He was oblivious to the roar of the Charger’s engine as it pulled up to the house, the slamming of doors, and the chatter of voices as the other members of the band came in.

“OCH, NOT AGAIN!” Sionn declared when he caught sight of Dare and the pot on the stove. He raced over, only to find it was already off, that everything was off, and nothing was damaged or burned. He nudged Dare’s chair, not really expecting a response but trying anyway. “Dammit.”

“How bad is it this time?” Tommy asked from the doorway, shoulders slumping a bit as he saw the blank look in his brother’s eyes.

Sionn turned a relieved look toward Tommy, and Paul, who’d joined him in the doorway. “It’s fine. He managed to cook and turn everything off this time. Smells pretty good too.” The last part was said grudgingly, and the Scot frowned at the smirk Paul was giving him.

“So wake him already so we can eat,” Paul told him, chuckling.

“Why don’t you wake him?” Sionn grumbled, angry and stubborn as he nudged the chair again.

“’Cause it takes me longer than it takes you.” Paul slid past Tommy and began setting the table.

Sionn nudged the chair a third time, but Dare didn’t even blink. “Bloody bastard,” Sionn muttered, not certain himself to whom he was referring.

He knelt beside Dare’s chair and fisted the thick strands of chestnut hair in one hand so he could move it away from Dare’s ears. Leaning in, Sionn could smell the lingering scent of Marlboros and the spicy-sweet peppermint of Dare’s soap. He paused, cursing himself as the desire to lick Dare’s throat overrode the annoyance he always felt at being the one to call Dare back from the dreams. Why they couldn’t just give him some damned drug to keep this from happening, Sionn had never understood. There had to be a way to prevent this, to give Dare a chance to be normal and Sionn a chance to finally admit the way he felt about the younger man. God, he hated this, hated the dead, lost look in Dare’s eyes when the dreams overtook him, hated how still and silent he got, and the creepy, almost persistent humming that damn near drove him mad. There were days when Sionn longed to beat the hell out of Tommy for allowing his brother to endure this; yet the Scotsman never said a word to any of them about the way he felt. He just grumbled through stories of his childhood, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Dare until the younger man began to wiggle and mumble and moan.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.” Mark chuckled as he stepped into the room just in time to see green eyes clear and focus. Dare sat up and Sionn let him go, cutting Mark a scathing look.

Mark raised an eyebrow. “What’s your problem?”

“I’m tired of this shite,” Sionn growled. “That’s what the hell my problem is. He zones out like a fuckin’ space cadet and you all just sit and laugh and make a joke of it. I’m goddamned tired of being the bloody one to bring him back. And for what? He’ll space out again in an hour or two anyway.”

Dare frowned, looking back and forth between Sionn and Mark. “I remembered to turn the pot off this time.”

“And it’s a good thing too,” Sionn snapped. “But did you ever think that it might not be a good idea for you to be trying to cook at all?”

Dare looked down, biting his lower lip. “Just wanted ta have dinner ready for ya’ll when you came in. Sorry.”

Paul plunked a bowl of soup down on the table in front of Dare. “Ech, don’t worry about him, he just had a pissy day at work and now he’s gonna be an ass for the rest of the night.”

Sionn shot Paul a withering look and sent one at Dare too for good measure. “Kiss my arse, you bastard.”