Bad Teddy Bear (MM) ~ Gale Stanley @galestanley @evernightpub

From the Author:

Writers get ideas in so many different ways. The plot for BAD TEDDY BEAR came to me while watching a football game. Of course, I missed all the good plays because most of the action was going on inside my head. And now here it is in an ebook.

Blurb:

Down and dirty sex. That’s the name of the game for Theodore West.

They still call him Bear, even though his days in pro ball are over. Plenty of men are still anxious to be topped by the Bear and he’s happy to oblige as long as his partner understands the rules. No strings and no repeats.

Bear could win an academy award for his alpha-player performance, but in reality, he’d love to give up control. He’s a big man who likes the idea of being topped by a twink. In college, he found the perfect lover, but he dumped him rather than risk tarnishing his image. When Finn shows up, he turns Bear’s world upside-down. But, can the Bad Teddy Bear finally accept his submissive side?

Be warned: m/m sex, rimming, BDSM, public exhibition

Excerpt:

The musky scent of sex filled Bear’s nostrils. Revved up, he pounded away at the man under him. Each forceful thrust brought a grunt from Bear and an answering groan from Jack… Whatshisname?

“Gotta come. Bear, please.”

Bear was close too. He reached around and fisted Jack’s dick. He started pumping—

“Fuck.” Jack’s balls drew up tight and he soaked the mattress with his cum.

Bear followed. A few seconds later, he pulled out and rose on his knees to remove the condom. Drained, he lay on his back panting, and ran a hand through the damp matted hair on his chest. Before Bear could protest, Jack leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips.

What the fuck!

Smooching might be fun for some guys but Bear considered it a sexual speed bump. Something to be tolerated in order to get to the good stuff. Well the good stuff was over and Bear wasn’t interested in lovey-dovey bullshit. Sure, he had feelings, but they were all below his waist. Sex was a biological urge like being thirsty or taking a piss. Once he satisfied an urge, he was done. End of story.

Jack snuggled against his body. “That was great, Bear. When I recognized you at the minimart, I never thought I’d end up getting fucked by the Big Bad Bear.”

“Guess this was your lucky day.”

“I’ll never forget that play you made right before you got injured. You could have been one of the greats.”

For crying out loud. Bear didn’t need the reminder. He could replay every second of that night in his head.

“But you’re still built like a brick house. Hot. As. Hell. Blah, blah, blah…”

Jack’s words were a low, insistent drone in Bear’s ear, like a bunch of honeybees buzzing around his head. He tuned them out, grunted and sat up. Pillow talk bored him. Careful of his aching knees, he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Hey. You don’t have to go. Stay. I’ll order a pizza.”

Bear stood up and finger combed his shaggy brown mane. He never spent the night. Just like he never brought a hookup back to his place. Even if he didn’t work nights, and have the old man to worry about, he wouldn’t do a sleepover. What was the point? He got what he came for. His sexual tension had been relieved and he felt good. Why spoil it with a cuddle. Cuddlers were space invaders and intimacy made a guy vulnerable.

Bear picked up his clothes. “Gotta go to work.”

“Where? Call me—”

Bear slammed the bedroom door behind him and struggled into his jeans. Jack didn’t follow. Guess he finally got the idea. Jack knew what he was getting. Or not getting. Bear always laid down the ground rules before hooking up. No long-term relationships. Some guys thought a good fuck would change everything. Ahh, sorry Jack. It wasn’t that good. Not for me, anyway.

Bear gripped his car keys and left Jack’s apartment. He had just enough time to stop home, shower, and put the old man to bed.

Buy Links:

Evernight  ~  Bookstrand  ~  Amazon  ~  All Romance

Author Bio:

Gale Stanley grew up in Philadelphia PA. She was the kid who always had her nose in a book, her head in the clouds, and her hands on a pad and pencil.

Some things never change.

 

Author Links:

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Not Just Friends (MF) ~ Peri Elizabeth Scott @evernightpub

Blurb:

He has an insatiable penchant for tall, leggy blondes, and Taylor Simmons finds Nash Porter’s reputation unsettling, despite how much she likes the guy. As she’s come to learn over the years, there’s more to Nash than his assumed sexual prowess, and her short, brunette stature ensures their solid friendship will remain just that.

Except Nash has been invading her personal space of late, and that’s far more unsettling. It’s time to extricate herself from his sphere, because she can’t have anything more than a friendship with someone who reminds her of a past she conquered and left behind. Unless Nash can convince her otherwise…

Excerpt:

“Taylor.” Christina made her name sound like a rebuke.

“Hi, Chris.” She concentrated on her driving, the speaker above her head crackling a little.

“You’re not here. It’s Thursday.”

“I told you I had to work. I left you a message.”

“Oh. Today?” Her friend wasn’t great at checking her voicemail.

“Today.”

“You should have texted.”

“Sorry.”

Voices swelled in the background and a door slammed. “Everyone’s here but you.”

“Again, I’m sorry. The client could only meet after work.” And on any day of the week, so Taylor chose Thursday. A couple of weeks without seeing Nash should put things back to normal.

“So it’s not… Wait a second.” Another door closed, and things were quieter. “So it’s not because of Nash?”

Wait. What? “You’ll have to speak up, Chris. I’m driving and hands free isn’t as clear.”

“It isn’t about Nash?”

“What about him?” There, a nice, nebulous response while she gathered her thoughts.

“Um, Bryan said… Well, he said Nash and you were … exploring something.”

No. And no. He did not. She gripped the wheel and checked her mirror, pulling into the outside lane and finding a place to drive off and stop. The little turnoff was graveled and it gritted beneath the tires, much the same way Christina’s newsflash ground in her brain.

“Taylor?”

“Sorry, traffic.” She slammed the shifter into Park and set her forehead on the steering wheel. Any softer feelings for Nash blew right out the window. “I don’t follow. The thing about Bryan and Nash.”

Christina huffed. “They were talking at work and Nash told Bry that he was interested. In you. Like dating.”

Her laughter might filter through the hands free as more convincing than it sounded in the confines of the car. Bad words hovered in her throat and she swallowed them down. She chose something frivolous to say instead. “What was he smoking?”

“I asked the same thing, Taylor. And you know Nash…”

“I do know Nash.” Taylor leaned her head back on the seat rest. “And I don’t date … guys who have a different woman every week, Chris. What, has he run out of tall, leggy blondes in this state? It’s not that far over the line into the next one. An easy drive.”

They both laughed, but in truth, Taylor felt like crying. She’d known Nash for five years, met him when Christina drew her into their little group. The ensuing years had evoked a deeper, more intimate relationship with all the members, including Nash. She knew his foibles and his strengths. He was a good man and a good friend, and in a short period of time, she managed to overlook—or at least not judge, too much—his way with the ladies. His incredible good looks went a long way, but after seeing them as often as she had, they didn’t have the same impact. Right?

His sense of humor and fairness, his caring for family and friends, kindness to animals, his strong work ethic, and total honesty made up most of the fabric that was Nash Porter. She flinched in that moment. Maybe he saw past Taylor’s definitely not leggy, blonde, and beautiful appearance and appreciated who she was behind her exterior. What had he said? Kind and gentle—when she wasn’t on a righteous crusade—and with a core of steel. Hardly superficial, when she thought on it. She stared into the rear view mirror, surveying her tousled brown hair that curled in any amount of humidity, but was soft with natural highlights, and framed her small face nicely.

Her eyes were her best feature, widely spaced beneath feathered eyebrows, their hazel depths shifting with her moods or reflecting the colors she wore. Today they were green. Green for uncertainty. She ran a finger down her straight nose and tapped her lips. She was pressing them too tightly together of late, so she relaxed them into their natural fullness. Centerfold material she was not, but she wasn’t ugly either. And she kept herself in shape, walking every day and finding time in her schedule for yoga.

Her just less than a C-cup breasts matched the rest of her, even if she sometimes longed to be a few inches taller. Standing on tip toes could be a bummer. With a sigh, she focused on the conversation with Christina.

“Sorry, Chris. I missed most of that.”

“I said for sure Nash must have run out of those blondes because he hasn’t been seeing anyone for weeks now. Maybe months. Like a drought. Haven’t you noticed the lack of references to any women in his life? The guys aren’t even bugging him about them. And he’s always around lately.”

Taylor was really glad she wasn’t driving. Her brain ticked over, sorting through the times Nash had “just happened by” at her work of late, with a cup of her favorite tea, saying he had business. It hadn’t made much of an impact, seeing as he was an architect and often consulted with the interior designers—including her—in her office building. He was being Nash, kind and thoughtful for a friend.

The teaming up with her on game night, blocking Graham’s attempts to partner her, was different, and more frequent. She liked Graham, but he drove her crazy when they partnered up. When she joined forces with Nash … they fit. They got one another and it felt so comfortable and fun. Tick, tick, tick.

Showing up to carry her groceries to the lift those two times when she’d bemoaned that task at game night—she hadn’t invited him in then either, and he’d given her that little salute when she’d thanked him and … dismissed him? Lord. Was she living in a different dimension? She hadn’t meant to be rude…

He’d been at the coffee house nearly every time she made it there—and Morris the barista and Nash exchanged those meaningful glances, like they had a secret. Tick, tick, tick. Had he been … courting … her?

Buy Links:

Evernight  ~  Bookstrand  ~  Amazon (US)  ~  All Romance

Author Bio:

Peri Elizabeth Scott lives in Manitoba, Canada. Peribeth recently closed her part time private practice as a social worker and child play therapist, and now she and her husband have a seasonal business and pretend to work well together. Writing for years, mostly short stories and poetry, she has published dark erotica under another pen name and reads everything she can lay her hands on.

Website  ~  Facebook

Strictly Professional (MM) ~ Iyana Jenna @iyanajenna @evernightpub

From the Author…

Hi! Thank you for having me on your blog. I hope you and your readers are going to enjoy what I have here. This short story was released previously as a part of an anthology, Just Desserts. When it was no longer out there, Evernight adopted it. I’m so thankful for them. This is an MM sweet short story with the stress on the sweet. ^_^

Blurb:

As the only senior graphic designer at Downey Handbags, Zane Kotsky expected to become the head of the creative art department when the company planned to expand its business. His hope crashed when it turned out that the company wanted someone from outside to be the manager. Knowing that, Zane planned to leave the place at once, but that was before he met the man who would become his boss, Joachim Wessling.

This is a previously published work. It has been revised and edited for Evernight Publishing.

Be warned: m/m sex

Excerpt:

“Downey must be very lucky to have you.”

The kid—because that was what he was to Joachim, a kid—stared at him a bit too long.

“Watch the road.”

Zane snickered, and switched his attention back to the traffic ahead. “Lucky. Yeah, I’d call it lucky they decided not to kick me out after denying me what should have been mine by right.”

Joachim hadn’t expected to hear those words. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Zane sucked in a harsh breath.

“God, I’m sorry. That was totally uncalled for. Forget what I said, okay? And enjoy your stay here. People at Downey are the best, or I wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

Joachim frowned. Honestly, he didn’t know this would be the case. When they’d invited him to join the company, there was no talk that someone else might be qualified to be the head of the art department. In fact, he was under the impression that there hadn’t been an art department before, only a small division under a larger unit.

“You know, I can always talk to Mr. Downey and set things straight.” Joachim had never before seen an expression change from slight panic to utter horror.

“No,” Zane practically shouted. “You can’t tell him that. You have to promise you’ll never talk to Mr. Downey about the things I said. I’ll be happy to work under you. Work together with you. It was just a spur-of-the-moment outburst. Promise me, please?”

Joachim tried to think past the words work under you, and Zane’s pleas didn’t help the matter. He took a deep breath and gazed ahead.

“Okay, I promise not to say anything, though I’d prefer it if we’re all open and honest and don’t hide things from each other.”

“I’ve been open and honest with you.”

“Yeah, and I bet you regret it.”

Buy Links:

Evernight  ~  Bookstrand  ~  Amazon (US)  ~  All Romance  ~  Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

Reading, watching movies, and being unable to find exactly the thing she wanted to read have led Iyana to write her own stories, mostly about man-on-man romance that has fascinated her since as early as the Starsky and Hutch era. Teaching and writing English course books during the day, Iyana spend her nights mostly dreaming of love stories between two men who are protective toward each other.

Author Links:

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Late Shift (MF) ~ Alexa Sinclaire @AlexaSinclaire @evernightpub

Blurb:

She knew his name. He was always on the late shift at the construction site she walked past every night on the way home from work. Beyond that, he was a mystery. None of that stopped her from inviting him up to her apartment every night and letting him give her the best orgasms she’d ever had. She couldn’t trust herself to give him anything else. And he never asked for more.

He knew it wasn’t right—night after night he walked her home during his break and she always let him have her, anyway he wanted. She never said no, never turned him away, and she brought him apple pie to top it all off. He knew she deserved more but he wasn’t sure he could give it to her.

When disaster hits, can they confess that they both wanted more?

Excerpt:

“So tell me, Tilda, do you often invite men you meet on the street up to your apartment for hot cocoa?” His voice was deep and as he drew out ‘hot cocoa’, she realized how suggestive her invitation must have sounded.

“Oh my God, no, never. Of course not. That’s just stupid. And dangerous. And irresponsible. And stupid. I said that already.” Shit, she was rambling.

Ryan tilted his head to the side, observing her, and she bit her lip to stop herself from spitting out some other moronic reason as to why she shouldn’t invite strangers into her apartment.

“But you invited me up here. And you didn’t even know my name. I could do anything to you. No one even knows I’m here. No one saw us go inside together. You’re a tiny little thing and I could do whatever I wanted.”

He lowered the hot cocoa to the counter behind him and took hers from her hands. Tilda tried not to tremble as his fingers brushed against hers. He was right. Under normal circumstances, she would never bring a strange man up to her apartment, especially in the middle of the night. She wouldn’t have even let him walk her home.

But how she was responding to Ryan was not normal. None of this was normal.

“Don’t you want your hot cocoa?” Her own voice had become husky, and she hated how aroused she sounded.

“I think you know exactly what I want, but first you need to answer me.”

“I didn’t realize you asked me a question.” He smirked and she had to stop herself from reaching out and touching the dimple in his cheek. Shaved head and tattooed paired with a dimple? God, he was lethal combination.

“Why did you invite me up if you know how dangerous it is?”

“Because I know you won’t hurt me.” It sounded so stupid, so ridiculously stupid, but it was the truth. She was drawn to him and she knew by the way he couldn’t stop staring at her that he felt it. “You had plenty of opportunity to drag me into a dark alley on the way here if you wanted to hurt me, and you didn’t.”

He ran his knuckles down her cheek before cupping her face with his large hand. She leaned into it without noticing. He felt so good, so strong, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t crave his touch elsewhere on her body.

Buy Links:

Evernight  ~  Bookstrand  ~  Amazon (US)  ~  Amazon (UK)  ~  AllRomance

Author Bio:

Alexa Sinclaire writes erotic romance: the hotter the better. Originally from the East Coast, she now lives in England with her very own Alpha male British husband.

Author Links:

Website  ~  Email  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Tumblr

Hostage Hearts (MF) ~ Rose Wulf @RoseWulfAuthor @evernightpub

From the Author…

Hello and thank you for having me today!

I’m super excited to talk to you about my latest release, Hostage Hearts! This one is a contemporary romance standalone, and a short story as a part of Evernight Publishing’s popular Romance on the Go line!

Blurb:

Ace Bufford’s day just went from bad to worse.

All he’d set out to do was a favor for a friend, and he’d somehow found himself barging into a random apartment with a gun in his hand. Except the sole inhabitant wasn’t a stranger; she was Lydia Caldwell. The one that got away.

She wasn’t supposed to want the man who’d pointed a gun at her. But she did. Ace had grown up in all the right ways – well, except for the gun thing. Without knowing how, Lydia suddenly found herself having to decide whether or not to embrace her unexpected attraction. And together they had to find a way to get Ace out of the mess he’d landed in, or their time together would end as abruptly as it had before….

Excerpt:

“Why are you breaking into my apartment and pointing a gun at me after fifteen years?”

Ace released a long breath, slid the duffel from his shoulder, and took a seat on the opposite arm of the couch. “I can’t explain that,” he said as if she’d accept that line. “But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” she repeated incredulously. She shot to her feet, her adrenaline spiking in equal measure with her temper. “For which part, Ace? For dumping me so you could join the Army? For never returning my letters? For taking my virginity in the dirt behind the bleachers, or for not even giving me an orgasm to show for it? Or are you sorry for taking me hostage with no explanation?”

She thought for a moment she saw him cringe, but then it was gone and the hardened intruder he’d been when he’d bullied his way into her home returned. “Sit down, Lydia,” he said.

“Why? Why does it matter if I sit?”

Releasing a breath, Ace stood and lifted the gun. “Sit. Down.”

Her fury left her in a rush, leaving her feeling deflated and on the brink of tears. But Lydia swallowed that and reclaimed her seat with a grumbled, “Guess it’s not the hostage part, then.”

Running a hand through his hair, Ace replied, “I’m not that clumsy idiot boy you remember, okay? I’ve changed.”

Refusing to look at his eyes again, Lydia said, “Obviously. That boy at least pretended to care about me. He’d never have pointed a gun in my face.”

A soft thump drew her attention and Lydia glimpsed the discarded gun sitting on the farthest sofa cushion a moment before Ace hauled her up by the shoulders and crashed his lips over hers. He slid his tongue into her mouth remorselessly, burying one hand in her loose black hair as the other settled over her hip. He kissed her hard, bruising her lips and stroking his tongue over hers in a wicked rhythm. And, lord help her, she liked it.

Buy Links:

Evernight  ~  Bookstrand  ~  Amazon  ~  All Romance

Author Bio:

Rose Wulf is a giant romance fangirl. Hot, protective, sometimes even downright barbaric heroes and spitfire heroines are her favorites. Rose has been writing for as long as she can remember, and over the years she’s only grown fonder of it. The bonds between characters have always captivated her, and as an author those are Rose’s favorite things to play with – not always to the relief of her fictional babies!

Behind the scenes Rose is a quiet personality. She enjoys spending her non-writing time with her four year-old German Shepherd, Shadow, her mom, and her friends. Be it a fun game of Cards Against Humanity or a relaxing movie night, Rose believes everything is better with company. As for her own romance, she’s still searching for her hero (and hoping that, when she does find him, he’ll be willing to cook!).

Author Links:

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