Teaser Tuesday: A Peek of Sam & Gibson from BREAK ME DOWN

 

How about a little teaser from BREAK ME DOWN? This one is Sam (Tessa's BFF) and Gibson's (Kade's brother) story.

*Note: This is an unedited copy so may change or have typos that I missed.

Excerpt:

He squatted down and picked up the sanding machine. It’d been a while since he’d tackled any home improvement projects. His position as head of PR at Vandergriff kept him too busy. But when he’d first bought his house, it had been in pretty rough shape. He’d taken on weekend projects to get it how he wanted it. He’d learned a lot and messed up more. A handyman, he was not. But he understood the satisfaction Sam probably got from doing this herself. It could be cathartic.

“I don’t suggest you turn that on unless you know what to do with it,” Sam said from behind him.

He turned around, finding her at the bottom of the stairs, raven hair damp and twisted into a messy bun atop her head. Face scrubbed clean. She looked so young standing there. He was used to seeing her with her dark eyeliner and hair done in some quirky way. But this version of her was just as breath-stealing. He held up the sander. “Don’t turn it on, unless I know what to do with it. There’s a dirty joke in there.”

She smirked, some of that trademark attitude back, despite the lingering ghosts in her eyes. “So do you? Know what to do?”

“With a woman or home improvement equipment?”

“I already know you know what to do with a woman.”

He tilted his head. Flirty Sam. Yes. Yes, he liked this. “I’m not quite as skilled with machinery, but I can hold my own. Why? Gonna put me to work to earn my keep?”

She walked forward, her beat up Vans silent on the floors. “Hmm, now there’s an idea.”

The tone of her voice had slipped into a dangerous place, one he recognized. One his body recognized. “I don’t mind helping.”

She tucked her hands in the back of her jeans, her vintage No Doubt T-shirt stretching thin across her breasts as she considered him. “Is that right?”

He lost his focus for a moment just looking at her. Her shirt read 'Just A Girl', but that was far from the truth. She was so much more. A f**king mystery wrapped up in smarts and sex appeal and kink. And he’d only gotten to touch her once, but he hadn’t forgotten a second of it. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can help with whatever you need.”

Her smile was quick, not too big, but enough to punch him in the gut. “Those are mighty vague terms, Gib. You should know how dangerous that is in negotiations. I could make you strip naked and clean the bathroom grout with a toothbrush while I sip iced tea and watch.” 

He set the sander down and ran a hand over the back of his hair. She’d meant it as a joke. He tried to smile but only managed a tight grimace. Any image where he got on his knees for her pushed that forbidden button inside him. “Right.”

The silver ring in her eyebrow twitched up as if she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. “Nah, never mind. I know how you can help. LEAVE.”

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Teaser Tuesday: Sam & Gibson from BREAK ME DOWN

 

It's Teaser Tuesday time! How about a new snippet of Sam and Gibson from BREAK ME DOWN, the novella coming out in October?

From BREAK ME DOWN:

Sam set the beer in front of Tessa and then finally turned to Gibson. She kept her smile poised, but it took everything she had to keep her composure when Gib looked up. He’d let his jaw go a little scruffy, and the dark shadow of a beard only made him more edible. But the look in his eyes was what sucked the air right out of her. So this was what a gazelle must feel like when a starved lion caught site of her. Hunger had flared in that deep blue gaze—open, naked, and without apology.

God. A jolt of desire went straight downward, like a rope being tugged. Hello. Lady parts officially engaged.

 She must’ve reacted, showed some chink in her expression. Because as soon as that look was there, he shuttered it, glancing away and offering a flat, “Hey, Sam.”

Everything inside her deflated—the pin of reality popping the balloon of hope. Ugh. Stupid, stupid man. She wanted to grab that thick dark hair and make him hold the gaze, force him to show her the truth. To be real with her. But of course, she couldn’t touch him anymore. And well, that would look a little weird in the bar. Sexually frustrated manager grabs customer by the hair, makes demands. She swallowed past the tightness in her throat, completely forgetting her plan to look seductive and so over him. “Crown and water.” 

She plunked the glass on the table without grace, causing some of it to slosh over the top.

“Thanks,” he said gruffly. 

Silence ensued and Tessa cleared her throat. “Um, do y’all still have those potato things with the bacon? I’m starving.”

Sam snapped out of her daze and turned to Tessa. “Potato skins. You bet. I’ll tell Angie to put in an order. She’ll be handling your table. I just wanted to come over and say hi.”

Gibson took a long gulp from his glass and then brushed a hand over his wavy hair, trying to smooth the unsmoothable. A move she’d learned was his sign of discomfort. God, this was so ridiculous. 

And she was done with it. So things had gotten a little out of hand during that last training session. He’d been helping her out, bottoming for her so she could learn how to use a whip. They’d been through a few weeks of lessons and everything had gone well. All had been done under the assumption that he was a fellow dominant who would be guiding her from the bottom—a friendly exchange. He wasn’t supposed to get hard when she whipped him. And she wasn’t supposed to get so turned on at the sight of him. And they weren’t supposed to kiss. And she definitely wasn’t supposed to let him push her against a wall and put his hand beneath her skirt to get her off.

But all that had happened, and when she’d tried to wrest control back and take him to bed as her submissive, everything had exploded in her face. He’d snapped out of whatever spell he’d been in from the whipping and had told her that nothing could happen between them because they were both dominants. That he had a masochistic streak not a submissive one. The training had ended right there. And she might’ve been able to let it go, to buy that he was just a dominant with a taste for pain, but her instincts were telling her it was far more than that. Not that it mattered what she thought. For whatever reason, he wasn’t going to take the submissive role. Period. End of sentence.

She wasn’t worth the risk to him.

Fine.

“Is there anything else I can get y’all for now?” she asked, her voice coming out a little too bright, too twangy. Damn, she was going Dolly Parton on their asses. Usually that only happened when customers pushed her to her politeness breaking point. Of course I’ll get your hamburger recooked a third time, sugar. I should’ve known when you said medium you meant fossilized.

Tessa’s brow went up, seeing right through Sam’s act.

“No, I think we’re good, Sam.” Kate cut an annoyed look his brother’s way.

Sam hustled back to the safety of the bar, cringing at how easily she’d gotten knocked off her plan. Damn that man.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Have a great Tuesday! I'll be starting chapter one, page one, word one of a new book today. Always terrifying. :)

TEASER TUESDAY: Yours All Along is almost here!

 

ONE WEEK until Devon and Hunter are here. Here's another teaser. Have you pre-ordered yet? ;)

From YOURS ALL ALONG:

This was so not his scene. Hunter tried to move to the beat of the pop song as the crowd pulsed around him near the front of the stage, but this music was not his thing and the high school chick in front of him kept casually grinding herself back against him, making everything awkward. He wasn’t drunk enough for this shit. Grinding girl sent him a look over her shoulder that obviously was some sort of invitation, but he couldn’t be less interested. She had on a pound of makeup and reeked of some kind of sweet perfume and alcohol. No thanks.

Dev was having no trouble keeping up with the beat, though, and seemed to be having a way better time. The shots he’d taken before they came in had probably helped. The kid had been in a weird mood the whole ride here. But now he was bouncing next to Hunter, face lit up with pride, as he watched his baby sister perform on stage. Hunter took a long sip off his cup to finish his beer, entertained more by the view of his tipsy, dancing friend than what was on stage or the girl in front of him.

“Isn’t she amazing?” Devon yelled.

Hunter smiled and tossed his empty cup to the ground, Dev’s exuberance contagious. “Yep. She’s totally hot.”

Devon shoved him in the shoulder. “Watch it, big man. That’s my baby sister. I’ll kick your ass.”

Hunter caught Devon’s wrist before he moved away, the heat of Dev’s skin against his palm sending a jolt through him, and without thinking, he pulled him closer. “I’d like to see you try, Easton.”

Devon’s gaze flicked to Hunter’s grip on his wrist then to the scant space between them, confusion flaring there. “What are you doing?”

Hunter knew he should let go, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Holding on to Dev in the mass of chaos felt like finding safe harbor in the eye of a storm. He put his mouth close to Devon’s ear. “I’m using you as a shield. I need you to protect my virtue from the jailbait over there. Maybe she’ll think we’re together.”

Devon glanced over at the girl, who peered back again, focus zeroing in on Hunter. Dev gave him a wicked look, his smirk loose from his buzz. “We’ve got this. Just follow my lead.” Devon hooked his finger in Hunter’s belt loop and dragged him over to the spot he’d been dancing in. The music pumped through the arena, and the colored lights sparked over Devon in a haphazard, colorful pattern, revealing only pieces, snapshots. Hunter couldn’t look away. Dev rocked to the beat. “Come on, big man. Dance. Let’s shatter her little schoolgirl fantasy about landing a college guy for the night. Let her think I’m taking you home.”

Hunter laughed, nervous all of a sudden. “I suck at dancing.”

“Nobody sucks at dancing at a concert. Just close your eyes and move.”

Hunter wasn’t sure that was the truth, but he did have a little buzz going, and Dev’s grip on his waist was keeping him in time with the music. He closed his eyes and hooked an arm around Devon’s neck, focusing on letting go and moving with the beat.

“There you go,” Dev declared. “Just move.”

Hunter rarely danced and definitely had never tried with a guy, but before long, he could feel himself getting swept up in it—the beer, the music, the skill of his dance partner. All if it was pulsing through him with an electric edge, waking up everything and dragging him into the oblivion. He opened his eyes, finding Dev with flushed cheeks and laughing eyes. Devon spun around and then grabbed Hunter again without missing a beat. God, the kid was something. Devon was in his element tonight. Not that he ever held back. He was open about who he was, but seeing him in this environment proved that Devon still held some things in check around the frat house. Here Devon was free . . . and fucking magnetic.

The draw was something Hunter was learning to get used to. From the beginning, Devon had had this undeniable pull on him, but it’d been purely a friendship vibe. They connected and just got each other’s humor. Their differences had been a nonissue.

But after the night they’d shared his bed, the pull had gotten decidedly less clear cut. Hunter hadn’t lied when Devon had asked if he looked at guys in a sexual way. He didn’t. He was just starting to look at Devon that way. And it was completely fucking with his head.

Devon turned and put his back to Hunter, keeping close but moving with the music and leaving enough space between them that it didn’t cross into bump-and-grind territory. That’s when stalker girl decided she had an opening. She shimmied over and tried to work her way in between him and Devon. Her body brushed against Hunter’s arm in seductive invitation. But before she could slide into Devon’s spot, Hunter took a wide step, grabbed Devon’s hand, and pulled Dev against him hard. Their chests collided, and Devon’s eyes widened.

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Teaser Tuesday: YOURS ALL ALONG

 

 

It's TEASER TUESDAY time! Today it's a snippet from YOURS ALL ALONG, my first m/m romance, out in 2 weeks!

This one has a "bookended" structure, so you'll see Hunter and Devon in present day at the beginning and end of the book, but the middle portion of the book is about what happened in college.

Teaser:

Hunter smirked, and they trudged toward the frat house, the wind seeming to get harder and colder as they walked. Where the hell did California get off having this kind of weather anyway?

But the chill only got marginally better when they slipped inside the front door of the house. Hunter’s breath came out in a white puff. “What the f**k?”

Ames, one of the brothers who’d run ahead of him, stepped out of the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones pranking tonight. Heat’s been cut off and some jerkoff threw all of our blankets and bedding into the pool.”

“What?” Dev asked, looking up the staircase.

“Maintenance can’t get out here until the morning. I’m heading over to my girlfriend’s apartment. You might want to find a place to crash, too, or plan on sleeping in your coats tonight.” He patted Dev on his way to the door. “Nice work tonight, gentlemen.”

Devon watched Ames go and then both he and Hunter vaulted up the stairs to their room. When they pushed open the door, they both cursed simultaneously.

“Motherf**k.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Devon’s bed had been completely stripped down to the mattress, and a bag of ice from the local gas station had been opened up and spread across it. A note pinned to the headboard read, Sigmas wet the bed.

Hunter’s bed was stripped as well, but apparently they’d run out of ice because instead of the full ice bath, all of Hunter’s underwear were strewn across the bed, and baby powder had been dumped all over them. His note read, Sigmas sh*t their pants. Hunter stalked over and swept the laundry from his bed, sending a powdery cloud wafting through the room. “Bastards.”

Devon coughed. “At least your bed is mostly dry. And smells baby fresh.”

Hunter looked over at the mess on Devon’s side of the room. “No shit. No way you can sleep on that. Let’s get all of that off of yours so it can dry out. I’ve got extra blankets and pillows in the closet. You can share my bed tonight.”

Devon lifted a brow. “You’re not even going to buy me dinner first? What kind of boy do you think I am?”

Hunter grabbed an ice cube and chucked it at him. “Shut it, Easton. You’re lucky I’m not making you sleep on the petri couch.”

Ugh, no way. Devon shuddered at the thought of putting any exposed skin on the main couch downstairs. Two decades of parties, hookups, and God knows what else on that fabric. “Screw that. I think the floor in the bathroom is cleaner than that couch. But seriously, you sure you’re okay with sharing a bed? I mean, if you’re weirded out by that or you’re worried about what the other guys will say, I’m not going to be offended. I can find somewhere to crash.”

“With one of your on-again, off-again boyfriends?”

“No, I don’t have boyfriends. Too much work. I have acquaintances who I occasionally do dirty things with.”

Hunter sniffed. “No need to go whore yourself out for a bed to sleep in. I’m fine. Just don’t steal my covers, ’cause it’s f**king frigid in here.”

Hunter walked over to the closet and dumped out a laundry bin, lined it with a garbage bag, and then brought it over to Devon’s bed to start moving the ice into it. They worked in silence for a while, just the clink of the ice hitting the plastic container filling the room, but the quiet was anything but calm for Devon. He was going to share a bed with Hunter. They’d roomed together for almost a year. Things were comfortable. Good. Devon admired without crossing any lines. But it was going to be torture sharing that small bed with the warm, hard body of the university’s favorite athlete.

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