Title: Give Me a Hand
Author: Gwen Martin
Series: Beyond Desires #1
Genre: M/M Romance, Friends to Lovers, College Roommates
Release Date: March 10, 2010
Cover Design: StudioNP
THEIR WORLD COLLIDED. EVERYTHING CHANGED.
Cam and Jude had been college roommates for two years, fitting into each other's lives with ease.
That is, until Cam walked in on Jude getting off alone in their shared dorm bathroom.
Everything shifted between the two of them, awakening feelings Cam hadn't felt for anyone in a long time. Feelings Cam believed had shriveled up after surviving a near fatal car accident to then suffer a disastrous breakup with his first love.
Since then, Cam kept his heart sealed tight in a fortress, keeping himself busy with a lot of mindless hookups and a steadfast refusal to ever commit.
Cam's life had been predictable. He knew what he wanted.
Until that impromptu mutual orgasm with Jude.
Cam didn't want a boyfriend, and he certainly didn't *need* a relationship.
But he knew one thing he did crave and that was more of Jude Ellison.
Will Cam be able to work through his painful past if Jude offered him a chance at more?
***Give Me A Hand is the first book in the Beyond Desire Series, but is a standalone novel. Each book in the series will feature a different couple, but the couples will show up throughout the series. It is approximately 50,000 words and a New Adult Friends to Lovers romance between two men with explicit language and graphic sex intended for Adults Only.***
Their bodies pressed together, faces a breath apart. Cam noticed the faint flicker of green around Jude’s pupils, and tiny droplets of water from his shower caught in his stubble along his jaw. Cam brushed the fringe off Jude’s forehead and watched, transfixed, as Jude wetted his lips.
Cam loved the way Jude responded; he reveled in Jude's eyes fluttering shut as Cam’s fingertips grazed down his neck.
“God,” Jude moaned with a sigh, “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
Cam grabbed a handful of sheet in a tight fist in an effort to ground himself in the dizzying whirlpool he was sinking in. He was floating with desire, and shaky inside from the intensity of it. Cam’s mind warred with wanting it to stop and never letting go.
“Have you?” he murmured against the warmth of Jude’s skin.
Cam leaned down, his lips brushing against Jude’s collarbone. His heart pounded inside of his chest, and he was nervous, but he was excited. Cam hadn’t felt this way about being with someone since high school.
He swallowed hard and placed a small kiss on Jude’s collarbone.
Jude combed his fingers through the hair at the base of Cam's neck, gripping a handful and jerking Cam's head up. Cam expelled a sharp moan, and his heart revved into overdrive when Jude’s face grew so close he turned into a blurry mess within Cam’s swimming vision.
“You,” Jude said in a low, commanding voice, “are wearing far too much clothing.”
Cam licked his lips and nodded. “Okay,” he said, leaning back to give himself room. “Right, okay.”
He lifted an arm, and Jude helped pull his shirt off. Jude tossed it to the other side of the room without breaking eye contact with Cam, and lifted a single eyebrow.
“You need to be more naked for what I want to see you do.”
Cam bit down the whine itching in the back of his throat. The roughness of Jude’s voice was doing a million things to Cam’s body, including surging warmth in his chest. There was an old familiarity to that, and a warning bell went off inside of his head.
He swallowed hard and changed his focus.
“Oh yeah?” he teased, hoping his voice didn’t give away his nerves. Cam glided a hand down the front of his chest towards the button of his jeans, and a thrill jolted through him as Jude positioned himself on his elbows. Jude watched with such naked appreciation, Cam had to take several breaths before he could speak again. “And...what is it you want to see?”
Cam loved the way Jude responded; he reveled in Jude's eyes fluttering shut as Cam’s fingertips grazed down his neck.
“God,” Jude moaned with a sigh, “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”Cam grabbed a handful of sheet in a tight fist in an effort to ground himself in the dizzying whirlpool he was sinking in. He was floating with desire, and shaky inside from the intensity of it. Cam’s mind warred with wanting it to stop and never letting go.
“Have you?” he murmured against the warmth of Jude’s skin.
Cam leaned down, his lips brushing against Jude’s collarbone. His heart pounded inside of his chest, and he was nervous, but he was excited. Cam hadn’t felt this way about being with someone since high school.
Jude combed his fingers through the hair at the base of Cam's neck, gripping a handful and jerking Cam's head up. Cam expelled a sharp moan, and his heart revved into overdrive when Jude’s face grew so close he turned into a blurry mess within Cam’s swimming vision.
“You,” Jude said in a low, commanding voice, “are wearing far too much clothing.”
Cam licked his lips and nodded. “Okay,” he said, leaning back to give himself room. “Right, okay.”
He lifted an arm, and Jude helped pull his shirt off. Jude tossed it to the other side of the room without breaking eye contact with Cam, and lifted a single eyebrow.
“You need to be more naked for what I want to see you do.”
He swallowed hard and changed his focus.
“Oh yeah?” he teased, hoping his voice didn’t give away his nerves. Cam glided a hand down the front of his chest towards the button of his jeans, and a thrill jolted through him as Jude positioned himself on his elbows. Jude watched with such naked appreciation, Cam had to take several breaths before he could speak again. “And...what is it you want to see?”
What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
I’ve been reading M/M works since I was a teenager who discovered fanfiction. It really was a comforting genre to read especially as a young bisexual girl who was trying to find her way in a small town in the 90s. So since I had been exposed to it at such an impressionable age, it really drew me to finding LGBT fiction.
So in short I would say the thing that brought me to this genre is fanfiction.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I really love getting to know my characters. I think that my favorite part is chatting out ideas and plot ideas. I am very extroverted and I think out loud a lot. I also listen to a LOT of music in order to get a feel for the story and if I find the right song I’ll listen to it on repeat to get the emotions of that character. Some are characters are more stubborn than others, but usually I can get them to budge with enough pushing!
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I’m honestly an equal opportunist when it comes to romance M/M reading. I love anything from college romance to urban fantasy to victorian. If it’s a good plot, and it’s got good characterization, I am here for it!
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
Oh goodness. CS Pacat. I don’t know if I would be able to deliver the beauty that she has, but if I could at least be her friend that would be such a huge deal. I’m an enormous fan of KJ Charles too, and I would love to pick her brain about how she manages to have such tight plot lines even with so much going on in the background. She’s literally the author I go to if I’m in a reading slump! Sorry, I gave two authors instead of one, I’m a rebel.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I have been writing since I was a little girl. I distinctly remember being in 2nd grade and writing a Halloween story. I’ve always written, and I’ve always had stories that I’ve wanted to write. I remember when I was a little girl I would write into the notebooks that would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up and it was always a writer (for a short time I wanted to be a doctor). But I also wanted to be a journalist - so writing in some professional way was always my dream!
I’ve been reading M/M works since I was a teenager who discovered fanfiction. It really was a comforting genre to read especially as a young bisexual girl who was trying to find her way in a small town in the 90s. So since I had been exposed to it at such an impressionable age, it really drew me to finding LGBT fiction.
So in short I would say the thing that brought me to this genre is fanfiction.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I really love getting to know my characters. I think that my favorite part is chatting out ideas and plot ideas. I am very extroverted and I think out loud a lot. I also listen to a LOT of music in order to get a feel for the story and if I find the right song I’ll listen to it on repeat to get the emotions of that character. Some are characters are more stubborn than others, but usually I can get them to budge with enough pushing!
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I’m honestly an equal opportunist when it comes to romance M/M reading. I love anything from college romance to urban fantasy to victorian. If it’s a good plot, and it’s got good characterization, I am here for it!
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
Oh goodness. CS Pacat. I don’t know if I would be able to deliver the beauty that she has, but if I could at least be her friend that would be such a huge deal. I’m an enormous fan of KJ Charles too, and I would love to pick her brain about how she manages to have such tight plot lines even with so much going on in the background. She’s literally the author I go to if I’m in a reading slump! Sorry, I gave two authors instead of one, I’m a rebel.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I have been writing since I was a little girl. I distinctly remember being in 2nd grade and writing a Halloween story. I’ve always written, and I’ve always had stories that I’ve wanted to write. I remember when I was a little girl I would write into the notebooks that would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up and it was always a writer (for a short time I wanted to be a doctor). But I also wanted to be a journalist - so writing in some professional way was always my dream!
Gwen Martin lives in Florida where the sun is always shining, the humidity is always high, and Disney is just a hop skip away. When she’s not trying to write one of her million story ideas, she’s usually hanging out with her husband and four cats.
Gwen first started writing at a young age, coming up with stories in class instead of paying attention to the math lesson. Since then she has been exploring her love of writing in various fan communities where she has learned how to cultivate character development and romantic interactions.
She has a strong love affair with cold brew coffee, black cats, and nerding out in various fandoms. When she’s not writing, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on, listening to a lot of lo-fi and making playlists, chilling with her four gatos and obsessing about Pusheen. Because it’s always about Pusheen.
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EMAIL: gwen@gwenmartinauthor.com
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