Monday, May 8, 2017

Monday's Montage Mantlepiece: SNOW-Stories of Forbidden Love


Title: SNOW-Stories of Forbidden Love
Authors: Kelly Anne Blount, Gabriela Cabezut, Megan Devos
Rachel Meinke, Noelle N, MC Roman, Gavin Hetherington
Delilah Mae, Shaun Allan, Lindsey E Lippincott, Lucy Rhodes
R Diamond, Sarah Benson, JM Butler, Debra Goelz, Neilani Alejandrino
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: May 9, 2017


Summary:
One cabin. Sixteen stories of forbidden love.

With an online audience of over ONE MILLION combined followers, and hundreds of millions of reads on their stories, the SNOW ANTHOLOGY showcases talented Wattpad authors from around the globe.

Journey into the woods where you will discover a cabin surrounded by snow, filled with secrets…

The SNOW ANTHOLOGY features sixteen original novellas and novelettes in multiple genres, including Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal.

Brought to you by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KELLY ANNE BLOUNT and available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! Don’t wait for the snow to melt before you uncover these stories of love, loss, and self-discovery.

Check out the incredible list of authors participating below!

Back to Us by M. C. Roman – MCRomances on Wattpad
Whiteout by Sarah Benson – SarahBensonBooks on Wattpad
Tobacco & Pine by Lucy Rhodes – Lucyface on Wattpad
Red Snow by Debra Goelz – BrittanieCharmintine on Wattpad
Fawn by Gavin Hetherington – GavinHetherington on Wattpad
Seeing Him Again by Delilah Mae – _HakunaMatata_ on Wattpad
Of A Feather by Lindsey E. Lippincott – Red_Assassin on Wattpad
Through the Paintings Dimly by J. M. Butler – JessicaBFry on Wattpad
Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Meinke – knightsrachel on Wattpad
Limbo by Noelle N. – hepburnettes on Wattpad
Crash by Megan DeVos – styleslegend on Wattpad
Snowed In by Kelly Anne Blount – KellyAnneBlount on Wattpad
Unexpected Love by Gabriela Cabezut – GabyCabezut on Wattpad
Wings by Shaun Allan – ShaunAllan on Wattpad
Sober by R. Diamond – rdiamond89 on Wattpad
True Love’s Kiss by Neilani Alejandrino – sweetdreamer33 on Wattpad


Back to Us by M. C. Roman



Whiteout by Sarah Benson

Tobacco & Pine by Lucy Rhodes

Red Snow by Debra Goelz


Through the Paintings Dimly by J. M. Butler



Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Meinke

Limbo by Noelle N.

Snowed In by Kelly Anne Blount

Unexpected Love by Gabriela Cabezut

True Love’s Kiss by Neilani Alejandrino





MC Roman(aka MCRomances on Wattpad)
M.C. Roman grew up in Mexico City and currently lives in Brooklyn with her funny sexy hubby. When she's not reading or writing, her hobbies include daydreaming, watching shows on Netflix, and cooking home cooked meals from Blue Apron.

Her debut novel, Teaching Mia, has garnered millions of reads online and was featured on Indie Reader Insiders’ Next Picks. Since then, she has also written Stealing Emma, Chasing Sofia, Loving Olivia, and translated her books into Spanish.

Sarah Benson(aka SarahBensonBooks on Wattpad)
Sarah Benson lives in a log cabin in the beautiful mountains near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her husband and four kids. She has worked as a journalist and graphic designer. She now writes fiction, which makes her happy. She holds degrees from BYU-Idaho. Sarah loves interacting with her readers.

Lucy Rhodes(aka Lucyface on Wattpad)
Lucy Rhodes loves fonts and pretty things.

She’s an experienced writer, graphic designer and content editor, whose clients range from academics to bestselling novelists.

Lucy once dreamed of being a teacher, until she realised that she actually didn’t want to spend her life doing homework. Instead, Lucy dove into corporate and nonprofit client service roles, a decade-long journey that ultimately led to her happy place: the world of storytelling.

She’s been inhaling books since before she started school, and probably needs to disable her Amazon one-click function.When she’s not reading, writing, or making pretty pictures in Photoshop, you can find Lucy binge-watching episodes of Poirot, or gaming with her husband.

Debra Goelz(aka BrittanieCharmintine on Wattpad)
Debbie Goelz is a refugee from Hollywood. She served for ten years as a financial executive for such companies as Universal Pictures, Dino de Laurentiis and Jim Henson Productions. Her performing career began and ended with her puppeteering a chicken during the closing scene in Muppet Treasure Island. She was thrilled to be included in the "Once Upon Now" anthology as well as in "Imagines: Celebrity Encounters Starring You." She also wrote a YA humorous fantasy on Wattpad under the pseudonym Brittanie Charmintine called "Mermaids and the Vampires Who Love Them." It won a Watty award in 2014. She lives in a redwood forest in rural Marin County. Her two children have abandoned her to seek a college education in New York.

Gavin Hetherington(aka GavinHetherington on Wattpad)
Gavin Hetherington is an award-winning author, best known for his 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series that began in October 2013. He is also currently a writer for popular entertainment website SpoilerTV.

Gavin's debut novel, 'Remnants of the Damned', received critical recognition in 2014 as he won awards at the Readers' Favorite Book Awards and Global eBook Awards for Young Adult Horror Fiction, as well as reaching 14th place in the 2015 Shorty Awards for Best Author on Twitter. The success of Gavin's first book has led him to appear in newspapers in the UK as well as radio interviews to discuss his first self-published novel. The success of the book has extended from Amazon exclusitivity to popular book retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Apple's iTunes store, Sony, Kobo and more.

Gavin prides himself in being a philanthropist. As a gay man, Gavin has been an advocate for gay rights, as well as supporting the 'No Bullying' message. He also works as a volunteer for Reach Out Volunteers, visiting third-world countries such as Cambodia to help build houses and classrooms for families and children who need it most.

Lindsey E Lippincott(aka Red_Assassin on Wattpad)
Proud member of the #WattpadStars and #Wattpadres. Wattpad Ambassador, Wattpad Featured author of The Huntress. Pagemaster for #tcbwatt. Journalism major.

JM Butler(aka JessicaBFry on Wattpad)
Hello there. I'm Jessica B. Fry though for my writing I use the name J.M. Butler. It's a tribute to my grandfather, Jim Butler, a wonderful man who was one of the first people to believe I would be an author.

I write speculative fiction with a particular focus on multicultural fantasy and supsenseful adventures. Some good old fashioned romance as well. For my day job, I serve as an attorney and run a small law firm with my husband, James Fry, in rural Indiana.

When I'm not writing, I enjoy working with the youth at my church, hosting fun fandom themed parties (Doctor Who, Marvel, Star Wars, DC, Star Trek, OUAT, & more), reading all the books I can get my hands on, and uncovering new hobbies. Some of my favorites are studying mythology, cosplaying on occasion, practicing knife throwing (you're fine if you stay by the target), and looking for adventures. I know. I have to look for my own adventures as Gandalf hasn't shown up to take me on one yet.

I also love spending time with my wonderful husband, and he regularly indulges me in story talk. While we don't have children, we do have four wonderful cats. The names go in themes. We've been in a Norse theme for awhile, so it's Maelona, Sophie, Thor, and Loki. (There's a good reason why two of those names aren't Norse. It might have something to do with Jr. High me using a Norse/Celtic namebook and not distinguishing.)

Kelly Anne Blount(aka KellyAnneBlount on Wattpad)
Hey! I'm Kelly Anne Blount, bestselling author of The Necoh Saga (Grishma and Ayla), Hard Love Series (Impassioned), Shade (Part of the Pandora Paranormal Box Set) and Captured. I love creating unique and compelling characters with amazing stories and new worlds for readers to explore.

My work has been read over 15 million times on Wattpad and I have two novels optioned for film.

When I'm not writing, I can be found spending time with Lee, the love of my life, our furry rescues, and enjoying the beautiful sites of Asheville, North Carolina.

Gabriela Cabezut(aka GabyCabezut on Wattpad)
Gabriela Cabezut is a Mexican author who has been inclined to write ever since she was little. Being a creative person has always been one of her major traits.

When she was a child, she used to type short stories for her family and friends.

Then, she created and directed a school newspaper for her Elementary School.

Reading has always been an important part of her life. Distinctively, she loves to read in English. Therefore, after being a silent reader for most of her life, she started to write romance stories on a writer’s community website, where she has succeeded by having thousands of readers from around the globe reading her stories.

She manages her time between her family and friends, as well as her own cake-decorating business and as of lately, writing romance stories.

She's an active Wattpad writer. You can find several stories on her profile

Shaun Allan(aka ShaunAllan on Wattpad)
A writer of many prize winning short stories and poems, Shaun Allan has written for more years than he would perhaps care to remember. Having once run an online poetry and prose magazine, he has appeared on Sky television to debate, against a major literary agent, the pros and cons of internet publishing as opposed to the more traditional method

Many of his personal experiences and memories are woven into Sin’s point of view and sense of humour although he can’t, at this point, teleport.

Neilani Alejandrino(aka sweetdreamer33 on Wattpad)
⭐Wattpad Star⭐ Published Author * Author of @Wattpad viral stories, My Possessive Billionaire and The Girl He Never Noticed


MC Roman
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Sarah Benson
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R Diamond

Neilani Alejandrino



AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK  /  B&N





Brought to you by:

Release Day Blitz: Adamanta Season 1: Episode 2: Shafts of Kudos by Stephen P Scott

Title: Episode 2: Shafts of Kudos
Author: Stephen P Scott
Series: Adamanta Season 1
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date; May 8, 2017
Summary:
The mining shafts on Kudos have been producing increasingly smaller quantities of the mind-controllable Adamanta, but when you're fighting an undefeatable enemy you have to use every advantage you can gain.

Colonel Xander and his crew are there to secure as much of it as possible for the human military force. When an explosion traps three of the crew in the mine, the race is on to save them as well as ascertain whether the small operation is under attack from the formidable Beltine.

The explosion might have been written off as an accident if Marx, the Kudos safety engineer, hadn't found evidence of Xander's own transport pod having been rigged with enough explosive to destroy the whole mine and every breathing being in its vicinity.

Who would want Xander and his crew dead? And what deadly secrets does Marx harbor?


Doctor Willis started forward just as they were all thrown from their feet by a massive rolling quake. A sharp shockwave of air and the deafening roar of a blast accompanied the jolt. At once, klaxons began to sound throughout the facility at nearly deafening levels.

The big lights overhead swayed on their tracks and several fell nearby, shattering, throwing shards of polymer in all directions.

Xander struggled to gain his feet as rows of crops tumbled and some of the one hundred-gallon tanks of hydroponic solutions ruptured. A sudden wave of water flooded the floor of the greenhouse and toppled more plants and growing trays.

“Holy hell!” Tyra’s voice said in Xander’s ear. “What just happened down there? I’m reading heavy localized seismic activity.”

“We’re feeling heavy localized seismic activity!” Xander said, shouting unnecessarily. “I’d say it was an explosion. Are we under attack?”

“Not from anyone up here,” Tyra said. “I don’t read any bogies for millions of miles.”

“The mine!” Doctor Willis said, his voice quaking. “We’ve got to get to the mine.” He pulled himself to his feet and began picking his way through the damaged plant life.

“I’m coming down there, Colonel,” Tyra said. Xander imagined he could already hear her hands on the controls.

“No, not yet,” Xander said. “Until we know what we’re dealing with, I want you to hold position.” He followed along behind the doctor, leading his crew.

“I’m fine,” Trey said, sourly. “Thanks for asking.”

“I’d have known if anything happened to you, brother dear. I was worried about essential crewmembers,” Tyra said.

As the group pushed through into the large staging room for the mine, they were met with a heavy cloud of smoke, dust and gases billowing through the archway to the mines.

Doctor Willis made his way around a toppled set of lockers to a storage cabinet. “Breathing protection and hard hats,” he said, handing out gear.

The room was in pandemonium, with personnel rushing from every area of the compound. Xander accepted his gear and looked around at the chaotic scene.

“Doctor,” a lanky man struggling to don protective coveralls approached, “the mouth of Shaft One collapsed. We’ve got three workers trapped in there.”

“All right,” Doctor Willis said. “Let’s find Mister Marx and get his assessment.”

“And,” the man hesitated, but then pointed to a screen on the wall. “Molly is on the roster for this shift.”

Doctor Willis seemed to stagger, as if punched in the gut. He put a hand out and Mattie helped him to sit. “Molly is my wife,” he said. “She’s a master miner and ore specialist.”

πŸ“– ✏ πŸ“– πŸ“ πŸ“– WRITING OPPORTUNITY πŸ“– πŸ“ πŸ“– ✏ πŸ“–
Would you like to write an Episode?

The Adamanta project is all go now. The first and second episodes are out on pre-order (and so will the third be very soon), and episodes 4 and 5 are almost ready. We're going for 6 episodes a year, and we have one slot left for this year, and of course, spaces from next year onward.

We have collated an Author Info Pack, which you can look through if you are considering contributing to this ongoing series. Genre: sci-fi. Length of episode: 20k words approx. Stay in the Adamanta world, but write your story. You have a core of ready characters, but can write your own and use as many or few of the original ones as you like. We'll need to keep the series consistent, but other than that you have space to play.

What we're looking for: good story, good writing, adherence to deadlines and a willingness to help promote the whole series.

Ask EllaMedler@papergoldpublishing.com for the link to the Info Pack if you'd like to have a look.

Episode 1: Adamanta
Summary:
A team of humans is willing to face almost insurmountable odds to save the human race from annihilation. But quite how safe from discovery and attack is the planet the research team has been secluded on?

Matt has spent her whole life helping her parents with research that could change the fate of the entire human race. She believes it's time to take it to the next stage and use it in active combat, but is she really ready to join the war and fight for mankind?

Xander has dedicated his whole life to the military, keeping humans throughout the galaxy alive, no matter the risks. He's struggling not to become disillusioned when, time and again, running away is the only option. Can he find the one thing humanity needs to turn the tide, and can he cope with that thing being a person?

Episode 3, Excelsior(May 15, 2017)
Summary:
Xander's new mission puts his crew into the path of a Beltine hive ship. No one has survived such an encounter before.

But then, no one else has highly skilled Adamanta-equipped fighters on board, either. Even so, choosing to pick a fight with the Beltine is not a clever idea. Will the humans make it out alive once they enter the lion's lair?

Join Xander, Mattie and her friends on this fast-paced adventure to find out.

Episode 4 - Anathema - Coming July 15th 2017
Episode 5 - Coming September 15th 2017
Episode 6 - Coming November 15th 2017
If you want to make sure you don't miss out, you can sign up for our newsletter here.

Author Bios:
TL Carew
T. Y. Carew is the pen name for an entire group of authors. They've come together to write the Adamanta series and other works in the same universe. So far, they consist of Stephen P. Scott, Andrew Bellingham, Ella Medler and Jess Mountifield. They're a quirky bunch of writers, with a variety of genres under their belt and different elements to their styles we'll hope you agree make an interesting blend. One thing they definitely have in common is the love of diving into a book and going on an adventure, be that reading or writing one!

Stephen P Scott(Author of Episode 2)
Stephen P. Scott brings a wealth of life experience, research and imagination to his writing--from the gender-bending sword and sorcery of Jordan's Fall, to the futuristic hit man of Serving Murphy, to the cannibalistic serial killers of the Eaters series.


Stephen P Scott
EMAIL: stephenpscottsr@mail.com



Episode 2: Shafts of Kudos

Episode 1: Adamanta

Episode 3: Excelsior

Brought to you by:


Tempting Tessa by Samantha Lind

Title: Tempting Tessa
Author: Samantha Lind
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 4, 2017
Summary:
After losing her high school sweetheart to an accident at work, Tessa doesn’t know how to move on in life even though life is moving on all around her. She’s caught up in trying to figure out how to survive without her husband, raise their son and keep his memory alive. When things literally start falling apart all around her, will she be able to accept the help being offered and love again?

Jake has pulled his life back together after living through hell while being injured in the Army. It takes him years to recover and he’s still dealing with the emotional pain. When Tessa enters his life, and turns it upside down, can he tempt her to fall in love with him and find her new forever?


I walk back into my bedroom and realize she can’t get the zipper open on her dress. My dick twitches in my pants at the thought of taking that dress off her body. I slowly walk toward her, never taking my eyes off hers. It only takes me a few strides to reach her, and she turns so her back is against my front. I slowly trace my finger along her shoulder blade and down her spine until I grasp the zipper and slowly pull it down. I have to stop myself from helping the dress from falling from her hot as fuck body. Just as I’m about to step back and leave the room, she looks me in the eyes again from over her shoulder.

“Please don’t go.” She says on a whisper.

That is the opening I needed, I spin her around so she is facing me. The motion makes her dress fall down to the floor and she’s standing before me in a skimpy black lacy bra and matching panty set that makes my mouth water. She is so fucking beautiful.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I growl out to her.

I cup her face again and bring my lips to hers. She lifts up on her toes to deepen the kiss and I swipe my tongue across her lips looking for access to her mouth. She opens for me and I deepen the kiss and take complete control. I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. I can feel her heat and arousal through her wet panties and fuck, that’s hot and makes my cock hard as steel. I could devour this woman all night and never tire from it.

I gently lay her down on my bed, her legs still wrapped around me and grind myself into her. This makes a deep moan escape from her. I can feel the moan form deep within her. I move my lips to kiss along her jawline and down her neck. From the moans leaving her, I am going to guess she likes what I’m doing and keep working my way down to her collarbone. I then kiss my way back up to behind her ear and graze my teeth across her earlobe. I whisper in her ear, “Is all this ok, do I need to stop?”

“Don’t stop,” she says between moans. “Don’t you fucking stop.”

Roger that! I continue to kiss my way down her neck and across the tops of her full breasts. They have been on display tonight and I’ve been dreaming of when I could get my hands and lips on them. I quickly locate the clasp of her bra and flick it open and drop it to the floor. I kiss my way down one breast, sucking her nipple into my mouth and use my hand on her other one rolling her nipple between my fingers. This extracts a few louder moans from her and has her arching her back to thrust her breast into me even more. I release her nipple with a pop and look up at her. The look of desire on her face tells me everything I need to know.

Author Bio:
Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey, and listening to country music.





πŸ’²πŸ“˜πŸ’²πŸ“˜πŸ’²Free on Kindle Unlimited or 99centsπŸ’²πŸ“˜πŸ’²πŸ“˜πŸ’²




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Sunday, May 7, 2017

Sunday's Safe Word Shelf: Sound of Us by AM Arthur


Summary:
Jake Bowden didn’t expect to be settling into a strong, loving relationship with another guy at only twenty-three years old—never mind with two. His chemistry with Cris is as strong as ever, while things with Charles are more like a simmer than a heavy boil. Charles says he’s perfectly content to go at Jake’s pace, but Jake isn’t sure slow is what he wants anymore. And when Jake wants something, he isn’t shy about going after it.

Cris Sable is head-over-heels in love with the two men in his life, and he’s vowed to do everything he can to protect the fragile, three-way relationship they’re cultivating—even if it means lying about his past. A dark past that resurfaces in an unexpected way and forces Cris to make the difficult choice between shielding Jake and Charles from it, or trusting them enough to help him face it head-on.

Charles Greenwood had forgotten what it felt like to be loved, until a feisty go-go boy and an ex-porn star fell into his bed, and then stole his heart away. He loves both men equally, but differently, slowly stoking the fire of the chemistry he shares with Jake, while passionately pursuing Cris—both in and out of bed. Their lives are entwining in the very best way…until Cris starts to pull away, distancing himself from the loving support of their triad. And after Cris disappears one night on a drunken bender, Charles vows to do whatever it takes to prove to Cris that he can trust them with anything—mind, body and spirit.

Three separate hearts will finally beat as one.

Note: This is the continuation of an m/m/m romance begun in Here For Us and is best read in order to fully enjoy the character and story development. The book also contains mild BDSM elements, including spanking.


Once again we get to see into the lives of Jake, Charles, & Cris who are now learning to navigate their way around a polyamorous relationship that they began in Here for Us.  Sound of Us sees the boys shortly after Here ended.  Cris' past comes back and not wanting to bring his lovers into the sordid world he grew up in, Cris keeps the troubles to himself.  Safe to say that doesn't sit too well with Charles and Jake once they find out.  Jake has felt abandoned so often that despite his love for his fellas he is still expecting the day to come that they realize they'll be happier without him, add onto that is him learning to live with being bipolar and manage it independently because he expects the day he won't have Charles and Cris to help him.  Since, as you know I don't do spoilers, all I will say is that Charles has his hands full but loving every minute of it.

Sound of Us is chock full of drama, lust, humor, love, and plenty of heart.  Friendships with secondary characters may not surface as much as they did in Here for Us but they are just as important and meaningful.  With hints of demisexual Taro and homoromantic asexual Dell finding a connection, I am already intrigued to read their story down the road.

I won't lie, one of the major factors that drew me to mΓ©nage and poly stories was the heat levels that are pretty standard for these particular tropes.  However, it is stories such as AM Arthur's Us series that go beyond the heat factor and explore a loving, honest, and emotional journey for those involved in the relationship.  Yes, there is definitely heat and lust oozing off the pages between Jake, Charles, and Cris but it is much deeper than just sex.  This is a truly heart-warming, and yes a little heartbreaking at times, journey that will make you smile and leave you wanting more.

RATING: 


Chapter 1
“I want to move back to my apartment.”

Cris Sable fumbled the bowl he was putting into the dishwasher. It slipped from his fingers and cracked against another bowl he’d already lined up in the top rack. Instead of checking to see if he’d broken one of Chet’s dishes, he turned to look at the man who’d uttered the unexpected statement.

One of his boyfriends, Jake Bowden, watched him from the other side of the kitchen island, his brown eyes wide with a combination of apprehension and determination.

“You what?” Cris said, even though he’d heard Jake clearly the first time.

Jake chewed on his bottom lip, then took a breath. “I want to move back to Benny’s apartment. I mean, the whole reason Chet brought me here was so you guys could help me with my bipolar, and it’s been a month, so….” His determination bled away, leaving only fear. “Are you mad?”

“Of course not.” Cris wiped his hands on a towel, then circled the island to stand by Jake. He dwarfed the younger man by six inches and lots of muscle, but something about Jake’s big heart made Cris feel very small sometimes. “Chet never put a time limit on you living here.”

“I know, but I feel like I’m taking advantage by staying now that I’m making progress. Plus I…I need to know I can do this on my own.”

Cris had no counter-argument for that. He understood Jake’s need to be independent again, after leaning on Cris and Chet for the better part of five weeks. Jake’s bipolar disorder was being managed with medication and weekly therapy sessions. He’d gone back to work go-go dancing at a gay bar named Big Dick’s. And he was easing into the complications of being part of a three-man relationship.

All three of them were, both in and out of the bedroom. Jake was still dealing with the side effects of his medications, and he was extremely sensitive about his temporary erectile dysfunction, so physical affection between the three of them had remained limited to blow jobs and rubbing off.

Jake moving out of the house and back into his shared apartment was an empowering move for him. Intellectually, Cris understood that. His heart hated the idea of Jake being a fifteen minute drive away. “I think moving out is very brave,” Cris said. “Selfishly, I don’t want you to go, because I like waking up with you every morning, but I do understand why you want to do this.”

Jake visibly relaxed, then leaned into Cris’s broad chest. Cris looped both arms around Jake’s waist, absorbing the heat of his boyfriend’s lean body. “Thank you,” Jake said. “I like sleeping and waking up with you guys, too, but this is something I really need to do.”

“I know.” He rested his chin on the top of Jake’s head. “On the plus side, you’ll be close to work again.”

“Very true. I think I use your car more than you do.” Jake’s apartment was only a seven block walk to the club, versus Chet’s house in the suburbs, which required a car ride across the river to get back and forth. Jake had never owned a car, so he usually borrowed Cris’s.

Being a programmer meant Cris could work anywhere, as long as he had his laptop and earbuds. The car was simply a relic from his old life that he’d never managed to part with. He’d drive it until it died.

“Have you called Benny about moving back?” Cris asked.

“Not yet, but I paid him my share of the rent on the first, so the room’s still mine.”

“Do you know when you want to leave?”

Jake huffed. “I don’t want to leave, but I do think this is the right call. I’ve thought about it for a while, and I even talked to Dr. Englade about it, so this isn’t the same kind of impulsive, dumb decision I used to make.”

Cris loved that Jake had consulted his therapist and put thought into the matter, but he also couldn’t resist teasing him. “Impulsive, huh? Like pretending to steal my wallet after the first night we had sex, because you were so attracted to me it scared you into pushing me away?”

“You’re never letting me live that down, are you?”

“Honey, I will tell that story to our grandchildren.”

Jake stiffened in his arms; Cris realized what he’d said and how it probably sounded.
“Metaphorical grandchildren,” Cris amended.

Damage done. Jake wiggled out of his arms, uncertainty etched all over his face. “Do you want kids?”

Okay, this was not a conversation Cris was prepared to have on a Thursday morning. “I’m not against the idea of kids, but I’ve never sat down and dreamed of a life with them in it. Maybe a little bit when I first started dating Lily, but not since.”

Lily had been the first person he’d dated who’d completely accepted his bisexuality, and Cris had fallen in love quickly. Loving her had been the best six months of his life—until he confessed to his former side job filming gay porn. He hadn’t filmed a scene since they became exclusive, but she had still freaked, refused any explanation, and left him heartbroken. He’d dealt with his own bout of depression after that, quitting porn completely, shutting out everyone except his best friend Taro Ichikawa.

Taro had pulled him out of it, and Cris had returned to porn again for two more years, before officially resigning a few weeks ago. Cris never would have been able to date Chet while Chet was still his boss. They planned to film Cris’s official retirement video for the website this weekend.

“Besides,” Cris said, “there are still too many religious nutjobs who froth at the mouth over gay couples adopting kids. I can only imagine the epic freak-out of a threesome wanting to adopt.”

“True.”

Cris didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He never should have made the dumb joke about grandkids, so he redirected to Jake’s announcement. “Have you told Chet about you leaving yet? Or did you use me as a sounding board?”

Jake crossed his arms and leaned against the island. “I wanted to tell you first. I kind of feel like Chet’s going to follow your lead, and you’re being super chill about this.”

“That’s because I love you, and I want you to be happy. If moving out for a while is what you need, I’ll support it. It’s what boyfriends do. As long as Benny doesn’t mind sleepovers once in a while.”

“I doubt he’ll care.” Jake’s dark eyes went wide. “Fuck, what if Chet wants to stay over? Wouldn’t that be weird? I mean, the only person who knows we’re all dating is Dell.”

Dell Greenwood was Chet’s nephew, as well as his director of photography for the porn studio in the basement. The only reason Dell was in on the secret was because he lived at the house, too, and he’d witnessed the entire complicated process of their threesome finding their way to each other.

“We’ll figure it all out,” Cris said. “But maybe we should figure it out with Chet, since he’s one third of this.”

“Figure what out with Chet?” Proving himself a man of impeccable timing, Chet Green strode into the kitchen from the foyer archway. He’d eaten breakfast with them in his pajamas, which was rare, so he’d gone upstairs to shower and dress, while Jake and Cris cleaned up from the meal.

Chet could make the dirtiest rags look sexy as fuck. Almost as tall as Cris, but with a leaner, swimmer’s body, Chet wore a blue polo and khakis like it was the finest three-piece suit. His silver-spackled hair was styled perfectly, and even though he’d turned forty-eight this past spring, you’d never guess he was older than thirty-nine.

Chet stopped an arm’s reach from Jake and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Cris said. “But this is something that involves all three of us, so I’m glad you’re here.”

“All right.”

Jake swallowed hard before facing Chet. “I want to move back to Benny’s apartment for a while, so I can prove I can function on my own and manage my meds, and that all of my progress isn’t going to go away if you guys aren’t here twenty-four-seven to prop me up.”

Chet’s frown softened into a fond smile. “I think that’s a very mature decision, Jake.”

“You do?”

“Very much so. In fact, I’ve been struggling with a way to bring this up myself.”

Jake edged backward a step. “You want me to leave?”

“Quite the opposite.” Chet invaded Jake’s personal space, trapping Jake between the island and his taller body. He hunched down to meet Jake’s eyes and planted both hands on the countertop behind Jake. “I love you here, in my house and in my bed. But I brought you here knowing it was temporary, and now that you’re managing your illness, you need to start managing your life again.”

“Yeah,” Jake said.

“So if you leave, I want you to leave knowing you will always be welcome back.”

“Thank you.” Jake’s lips curled into a sexy smirk. “Plus, us living in different places means we can go on, like, real dates. You and me don’t really do a lot, you know, just the two of us.”

“That’s true, and we can most certainly manage dates. I’d love to spend time with you outside of this house.”

“But what about other people knowing that all three of us are dating?” He squirmed enough that Chet stepped back, giving him space.

“What about it?” Chet asked. “Even if the three of us went out to a meal in a nice restaurant, no one would know we were together unless we began swapping kisses at the table.”

The mental image of the three of them dressed up and making out in a fancy restaurant made Cris’s dick twitch. He’d never do it, but goddamn, he wanted to publicly claim these two amazing, passionate men as his, and no one else’s.

“I guess.” Jake didn’t sound happy about the idea of their threesome being discovered, and that hurt a little bit.

“Are you embarrassed to be dating two men at once?” Cris asked.

“Not really. I mean, it isn’t that I’m embarrassed by you guys. It’s just that this is so…abnormal.”
Cris flinched.

“Shit, that’s the wrong word.” Jake pushed away from the counter and stalked to the kitchen table. Grabbed the back of a chair but didn’t turn around. “Chet explained polyamory to me and I get it. I do. But not everyone else will. Most people won’t.”

“That didn’t seem to be an issue when we started this weeks ago,” Cris said, confused by this new hesitation in Jake. And frustrated by talking to his back. “Will you look at us, please?”

Jake turned, arms crossed, a familiar look of defiance on his face.

“I think I understand,” Chet said. “Jake leaving moves this relationship outside of these four walls. It’s no longer protected. No longer hidden from outside scrutiny and criticism.”

“But that’s going to happen at some point,” Cris said. “We can’t hide forever, and we shouldn’t have to.” They’d already been hiding for weeks, and all Cris wanted to do was shout to the rooftops about how lucky he was.

“I know that, okay?” Jake snapped. “I just…I’m a go-go dancer, you know? People hear that and automatically assume I’m some kind of slut, so what will they think if they know I’m seeing two guys at once? Uber-slut dancer, aisle threesome?”

“You know you aren’t a slut, so why does it matter so much what other people think?”

Jake took three strides forward, hands balled at his sides, unexpected anger blazing in his eyes. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re this big, buff dude who can shut people up with a glare, and you’re comfortable with people looking at you. You did porn, for fuck’s sake. And maybe I dance half-naked for money, but that doesn’t mean I want people staring at my personal life and dissecting it. It’s too private for that.”

Cris frowned. “Just because I did porn doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with people getting up in my personal life either. Why the hell do you think I used a stage name? Yeah, I showed off my naked body, but Dane wasn’t me, Jake. Internet subscribers don’t get the real me. You guys do.”

“So if you don’t want people up in our business, either, why don’t you get what I’m saying?” Jake was coiled tight, one wrong word away from bursting into tears.

Cris had to fix this. “I do get what you’re saying. I guess I see our relationship differently. I don’t see it as this weird, bizarre thing that people are going to examine under a microscope like we’re a new strain of bacteria. I’m so goddamn proud to be with both of you, and I want to show it. I want people to know you guys are mine and that I love you. I can’t do that if we’re hiding in this house.”

A single tear slipped down Jake’s cheek, and the sight of it broke Cris’s heart a little bit. He swept Jake into his arms, grateful that Jake didn’t struggle or protest the hug. “I’m sorry,” Cris whispered. “I’m sorry that I can’t say the right thing, I’m sorry.”

“You said the right thing,” Jake said into his armpit. “I’m the emotional mess who gets weepy over the way you say ‘I love you’.”

“I don’t ever want to make you scared or uncomfortable to be around me in public.”

“I’m not.” Jake lifted his head, eyes still wet but clear. “Deciding to move out was such a big decision for me that I didn’t think about what that would mean for us, the three of us, in terms of seeing each other on the outside. We’ve been isolated since we started living together, and fucking around together, and I know that bubble can’t last, but I’m fucking terrified to expose myself.”

“It’s perfectly acceptable to be scared,” Chet said. He slung an arm around each of their necks, completing their triad of support. “Jake, your life has altered dramatically in the last few weeks. Learning to live with bipolar is no small thing. Managing one romantic relationship is difficult for anyone, but two at once? It’s a monumental undertaking. And this thing we’re doing now? Us talking about our fears and insecurities? It’s what will make this work, no matter what life throws at us.”

“I like the sound of us.” Jake rested his head on Chet’s shoulder. “But I also need to figure out me. Me living with bipolar. Me with you. Me with Cris. Me with other people. It’s just so much.”

“We’re both here for you, love. Whatever you need.”

“We are,” Cris said, heart swelling with emotion. He’d do whatever had to do, slay whatever dragons needed slaying, in order to protect these men.

“It’s so stupid,” Jake said. “Sometimes I don’t know if these freak-outs are legit, or if it’s because of the disease, and I’m heading for a hypomanic state again.”

“It isn’t stupid,” Chet replied. “You have a long way to go before you’ll be able to see the differences between mania and legitimate anxiety or excitement. But you’ll get there.”

“It’s easier to believe when you say it.”

Cris bit back a joke about himself being less trustworthy than Chet, because now wasn’t the time. “I know patience isn’t your strong suit,” Cris said to Jake, “but give yourself time to get used to your new normal, okay? I might want to show you off to the world, but I can be patient, too, and wait until you’re ready.”

“Thank you. You’re ready to run out into the big, wide world, but I still need baby steps. Maybe a hand to hold and verbal encouragement to keep me going once in a while.”

“Anytime.” Cris kissed his cheek. “Are we good?”

“Of course we are, you big dork.”

Using his very best nasal tone, Cris snapped back with, “I know you are, but what am I?”

Jake nearly fell over laughing. In some burst of evil genius, last weekend Chet had marathoned Pee-wee Herman movies, starting with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. After Jake got over the sheer ridiculousness of the film, he hooted his way through most of it. And he’d been the first to use the infamous line on Cris yesterday, when Cris called Jake a little dork.

Cris loved that they kind of had their own way of teasing each other.

“I’m going to regret ever showing you those movies, aren’t I?” Chet asked as Jake tried to pull himself together.

“Yes,” Cris said at the same time Jake managed, “Never.”

“Not to ruin the euphoria of the moment,” Chet said, “but when were you planning to move out, Jake?”

Jake wiped his streaming eyes on the back of his hand. “Um, I’m not sure. It’s not like I have a lot to move. My whole life fits into a duffel bag.”

Something flickered in Chet’s eyes, as it frequently did when Jake referenced money, even indirectly. Jake had ended up homeless at twenty and couch surfed for a while, until lucking into both a job and an apartment share. For the last three years, he’d pinched every penny and lived in a way that allowed him to pick up and go at a moment’s nice.

Chet, on the other hand, had cash coming out of his ears, thanks to his shares in a lucrative investment company in Los Angeles. He’d moved to Pennsylvania ten years ago, in order to start over, and that’s when he’d hatched the idea for his gay porn site, Mean Green Boys. The majority of the money went to his models, because Chet didn’t need it. He lived a modest lifestyle, too, and it was one of the things Cris loved most about him. Chet was generous with what he had, because he knew what it was like to have nothing.

If Jake stayed here with Chet, he’d never want for anything, but Jake needed to prove his independence first. He’d taken care of himself for too long to become trapped in a relationship with no viable escape options. They all understood that, which made Jake moving out less painful than it otherwise might have been.

“I mean, I guess I could go anytime,” Jake said, uncertain again. “It’s not like I can’t dump my stuff and come back, or whatever.”

“You are free to come and go as you please,” Chet said. “The key I gave you is yours to keep.”

Jake’s surprise melted into gentle affection—a specific look he often directed at Chet. They were still defining the boundaries their personal relationship, but every time Jake looked at Chet like that—and Chet at Jake in return—Cris knew it wouldn’t be long before they took the next step in furthering their sexual relationship.

“Thank you,” Jake said. “I’ll probably still call or text first, to make sure someone’s home, but thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Chet’s eyebrows dipped, and he looked at Cris with a frown. “Are you returning to your apartment as well?”

Cris’s stomach bottomed out. He’d moved in the same day as Jake, with the same goal—get Jake well. And he’d done that. He’d also fallen in love with Chet, and he very much loved living with him. Sleeping with him. Eating and watching TV and snacking on popcorn with him. As much as he’d once enjoyed his solitary existence…Cris didn’t want his empty apartment anymore.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Cris said. “We were all so focused on Jake.”

Jake squeezed his wrist. “Please don’t think you have to leave because I am. I mean, unless Chet wants his house back. But I won’t be mad or jealous if you stay, I swear.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it would feel weird being here without you, but…” He glanced at Chet, who had his heart in his eyes. “I do love it here. You and Dell are family.”

“I feel the same way,” Chet said, a heavy rasp in his voice. “About you, Cristian, and you as well, Jake. You’re both family now.”

Anxiety rippled down Cris’s spine. This was a huge step, one he’d never imagined taking all those weeks ago, when living here had been a temporary solution. But he also couldn’t make himself say it first. “So what exactly do you mean when you say family?”

Chet smiled. “It means that if you wish to, I want you to move here. Permanently. Break your lease. Make this your home. If there are expenses, I’m happy to cover them. I want you here, Cristian, if this is where you want to be.”

“It is. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Cris didn’t anticipate Chet’s fierce hug, and it nearly knocked him over. He clung to Chet, laughing along with him at the huge step Cris was making in his personal life. He’d never lived with a romantic partner before, not even Lily, so this was going to be an interesting adjustment. But he wanted this to work more than he’d wanted anything in his life.

It also terrified him deep down, where he hid the worst of his past. The parts he’d fled Long Island to escape, along with his late sister Grace. The parts he’d had plastic surgery and changed his name to ensure could never find him again. He’d die if his past came back to hurt Chet or Jake.

Chet kissed Cris soundly, a firm press of lips and tongue, before taking a step back. His cheeks were flushed, his pale eyes glistening. “You’ve made me so incredibly happy today, you have no idea.”

“I’m happy too,” Cris replied. “Nervous, but happy.”

“Why nervous?”

“I haven’t lived with another person since I was eighteen. Ten years is a long time to be a lone wolf.”

“Trust me, I understand. I’d lived alone for a very long time before Dell moved in. It took some adjusting on my part, and now I can’t imagine him not being in my life. The same goes for you, and when he’s ready to come back, Jake, too.”

Jake had inched away from them, probably giving them space to share their moment, but he was too far away. Cris slid an arm around his waist and tugged him closer, needing him there. “We’ll make this work. All three of us.”

“Of course we will,” Chet said. “There’s no choice but to make it work.”

“You two make it sound so easy,” Jake said.

“I have no illusions it will be easy, love. No relationship is easy. There will likely be disagreements, perhaps even fights. But I think the final results will be worth the temporary pain. And as we’ve all agreed, our best defense against this falling apart is communication. Between all three of us.” Chet pinned Cris with a firm look. “No more secrets.”

Cris’s belly wobbled. He knew Chet wasn’t referencing Cris’s past; Chet meant the kidney secret. Months ago, Dell had been living in kidney failure. Cris had shared the same rare blood type as Dell, so he anonymously donated a kidney in order to save Dell’s life. He hadn’t told anyone except Taro, and then Jake stumbled over the information by accident. When Chet discovered the secret a few weeks ago, he’d been incredibly hurt. Not by the donation, but because Cris hadn’t been honest with him at the start of their relationship.

He didn’t want to keep secrets anymore, but not even Taro knew the full truth of Cris’s past—not because he didn’t trust Taro. He did. No, Cris’s past was his past, and he’d nailed that door shut a long time ago.

“No more secrets,” Cris lied. “Promise.”

Author Bio:
No stranger to the writing world, A.M. Arthur has been creating stories in her head since she was a child, and scribbling them down nearly as long. When not writing, she can be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself with her cuisine experiments. A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) and "The Young Riders" with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.


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Den of Mercenaries Volume One by London Miller

Title: Den of Mercenaries Volume One
Author: London Miller
Series: Den of Mercenaries #1-4
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Release Date: May 4, 2017
Summary:
Welcome to the Den

A mysterious, but powerful, man known only as The Kingmaker brought together a team of mercenaries to become a weapon the likes of which no one has ever seen before.

An unrivaled and merciless sniper …

A ruthless, yet charming thief …

A beautiful, but cunning spider …

They do his bidding if and when he calls with no exceptions, but beyond the work they do, their lives are complicated, filled with both love and pain, hate and lust.

Sometimes the line blurs between what’s right and what’s wrong.

Sometimes the line doesn’t exist at all.

Den of Mercenaries: Volume one includes the first four books in the Den of Mercenaries series. Included in this bundle for a limited time are bonus scenes featuring each couple, as well as the first look into how the Den came to be.



Author Bio:
With a degree in Creative Writing, London Miller has turned pen to paper, creating riveting fictional worlds where the bad guys are sometimes the good guys. Her debut novel, In the Beginning, is the first in the Volkov Bratva Series.

She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two puppies, where she drinks far too much Sprite, and spends her nights writing.

To learn more about London Miller and her novels, please visit her through her social media.









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