Title: Hardwood
Author: KM Neuhold
Series: Four Bears Construction #3
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: July 1, 2020
I’ve spent forty-four years of my life telling the world I’m a carpet man. Is it too late to admit to myself and everyone else that deep down I’m really all about the Hardwood?
It took me over thirty-five years to admit to myself that I’m gay, another seven to find the courage to say it out loud to anyone else, and exactly thirty seconds to develop a massive crush on my daughter’s music teacher. It’s really not my fault, have you even seen those cute bowties he wears?
After everything it’s taken to get here, am I going to work up the nerve to come out to my ex-wife and my best friends? Am I ready to shake up my comfortable, simple life and take a chance on Watson? Or am I going to throw a wrench in my own chance for happily ever after?
***Hardwood is a steamy, seriously so much delicious tension, single-dad, gay awakening, low angst story, which happens to be the third in the Four Bears Construction Series. It CAN be read as a stand-alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.
It must be nice to be handy. My kitchen sink has had a small drip for a year that I’ve pretty much just ignored because I don’t know what else to do with it,” he confesses.
“I can take a quick look next time I come over. I’m no plumber, but it’s probably something basic. You might just need a good caulking.”
“Tell me about it,” he agrees. “Oh caulking. Yeah, totally, that.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him and laugh when his face goes red. “If anyone’s mind should be in the gutter, shouldn’t it be mine?”
“There’s plenty of room down here for all of us,” he assures me.
I show him to the living room, realizing once we sit down that I left my laptop out and open when I left the house earlier.
“Oh shit.” I close it quickly so he can’t see what I was looking at.
“Porn?” he guesses. “Don’t be shy, if you found something good, you really should share it with your friends.”
“It wasn’t porn. Although, that goes both ways, feel free to send me any interesting porn links you find.”
“Honey, I’m not sure you want to open that floodgate. But if you’re feeling brave, I’m sure I could fill up your inbox with links,” Watson says, grinning wickedly. My cock perks up at the image of him enjoying himself with some porn. Without my permission, my eyes dart to the crotch of his pants.
He laughs again, letting me know I’m totally busted. “And you’re claiming I’m the one with my mind in the gutter.” He tsks and shakes his head. “So, if it wasn’t porn, what’s so secret on your laptop?”
“It’s nothing,” I lie.
“Come on, we’re best friends, you said so yourself.”
“I was setting up a dating profile,” I confess. “I didn’t finish it though. It’s probably a bad idea.”
“Let me see.” he insists, waving at me to open the laptop back up.
“It’s bad,” I warn, opening it up and logging on. I pass him the computer and sit back to wait as he reads my half-finished profile.
There’s a half smile on his lips as his eyes are glued to the screen. I watch as different emotions pass over his features as he reads— amusement, tenderness, a cringe or two.
“This isn’t horrible,” he says.
“It’s not great,” I hedge.
“No, it’s not,” Watson agrees. “It’s fixable though, if you’re serious about posting it.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I started it on a whim this morning while I was sitting here thinking about my friend’s wedding coming up in six months and how much I’d love to have a date to take.”
“You want my honest opinion?” he asks.
“Please,” I say emphatically, sitting forward with my elbows on my knees, ready to hear whatever truth he’s about to lay on me.
“These sites are great for hookups, but not so much for finding the kind of guy you’ll want to take to a friend’s wedding.”
I sigh. “I kind of figured as much.” Leaning back, I pull my hat off and toss it onto the coffee table, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Where do I go to find the kind of guy I’d want to take to a wedding then?”
Watson snorts a laugh. “Babe, if I knew that, I wouldn’t be forty and living alone with a hedgehog.”
“I can take a quick look next time I come over. I’m no plumber, but it’s probably something basic. You might just need a good caulking.”
“Tell me about it,” he agrees. “Oh caulking. Yeah, totally, that.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him and laugh when his face goes red. “If anyone’s mind should be in the gutter, shouldn’t it be mine?”
“There’s plenty of room down here for all of us,” he assures me.
I show him to the living room, realizing once we sit down that I left my laptop out and open when I left the house earlier.
“Oh shit.” I close it quickly so he can’t see what I was looking at.
“Porn?” he guesses. “Don’t be shy, if you found something good, you really should share it with your friends.”
“It wasn’t porn. Although, that goes both ways, feel free to send me any interesting porn links you find.”
He laughs again, letting me know I’m totally busted. “And you’re claiming I’m the one with my mind in the gutter.” He tsks and shakes his head. “So, if it wasn’t porn, what’s so secret on your laptop?”
“It’s nothing,” I lie.
“Come on, we’re best friends, you said so yourself.”
“I was setting up a dating profile,” I confess. “I didn’t finish it though. It’s probably a bad idea.”
“Let me see.” he insists, waving at me to open the laptop back up.
“It’s bad,” I warn, opening it up and logging on. I pass him the computer and sit back to wait as he reads my half-finished profile.
There’s a half smile on his lips as his eyes are glued to the screen. I watch as different emotions pass over his features as he reads— amusement, tenderness, a cringe or two.“This isn’t horrible,” he says.
“It’s not great,” I hedge.
“No, it’s not,” Watson agrees. “It’s fixable though, if you’re serious about posting it.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I started it on a whim this morning while I was sitting here thinking about my friend’s wedding coming up in six months and how much I’d love to have a date to take.”
“You want my honest opinion?” he asks.
“Please,” I say emphatically, sitting forward with my elbows on my knees, ready to hear whatever truth he’s about to lay on me.
“These sites are great for hookups, but not so much for finding the kind of guy you’ll want to take to a friend’s wedding.”
I sigh. “I kind of figured as much.” Leaning back, I pull my hat off and toss it onto the coffee table, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Where do I go to find the kind of guy I’d want to take to a wedding then?”
Watson snorts a laugh. “Babe, if I knew that, I wouldn’t be forty and living alone with a hedgehog.”
Author K.M.Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together. She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series. When she's not writing she's a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero...just kidding, she's likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.
Hardwood #3
Series
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