Thursday, March 17, 2022
'HOME' is Live!
HOME is Available to
Thursday, March 3, 2022
'HOME' Cover & Excerpt!
Hello all!
HOME things for you all today! I outlined this book back in October/November, thinking it'd be 45-50k words, a sweet novella to ring in the new year and to get the writing juices flowing again. The characters were speaking and the plot made me happy. I had some heavier WIPs plotted, but these guys spoke louder and I think, after everything going on over the last few years (for me personally and out in the world), both the Muse and I needed some low-key, medium-angst, feels-y escapism. It might be... a little sweeter than I usually write, but I feel like we could all use a little more love right now. It made it a fucking joy to write, even when the boys were being a little more frustrating and stubborn than I thought and took a much longer way back to each other than I'd expected--hence the final book coming out at a whopping, novel-length 74,000 words! Gah.
Cody & Jase's story is a southern small-town(ish), age-gap story with a couple of twists. Mostly, it's about two men who're in different places on their journey toward finding what they really want out of life, and I loved how Jase's being further down that road to both self and family acceptance made him more understanding of Cody's being on shakier legs. Both are out, but everyone knows that's not always indicative of a clear path forward, especially when family and past mistakes litter the way. I am proud of them for where they ended up and how they handled each other in the end, but they're my babies so they're already beautiful and perfect to me (haha!) so it's about whether I did them justice for you all, now -- here's hoping.So, here we are, just a few weeks until release date and I've got a cover and a excerpt for y'all. I'm so excited to share the shiny new cover art the ever amazing L.C. Chase made pretty for me. I'm extra-super happy with it because the photo was my photo-inspo for Cody that helped a lot of the plot click early on for me.
The first time Cody Diaz met the sexy older man,
The second time they met, Jase was newly retired
The third time Cody met Jase,
Oops.
But a physical connection isn’t the only thing they share.
Cody felt around the mattress for his cell phone. Still foggy with sleep, he had almost forgotten he wasn’t in his own room as he registered his hand had closed around his phone on the wrong side of the bed and a shower in the adjoining bathroom came on.
Blinking awake and stretching, he also registered that his body ached in several pleasant places that hadn’t been touched in a while. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been fucked in so many different positions—or fucked at all. Could it really have been years? Being home hadn’t led to celibacy, by any means, but he hadn’t been with a man, especially one who’d been able to take his time, in long enough he’d almost forgotten how much he enjoyed that feeling of still being full the next morning.
The night had been wild. One phone conversation with his dad had made him grumbly and feeling the need to do anything but sit in the room and let his bad mood ruin his vacation. He’d gone down to the hotel restaurant, and after eating his feelings, he’d wandered out onto the cold deck, enjoying the chilly, salty breeze rolling off the Atlantic.
Fuck his dad and his brother’s “Could have been you” text messages with photos of Hawaiian tropical scenes and the boat they’d be having their Thanksgiving dinner on. Cody regretted nothing. His family could wallow in splendor all they wanted; he loved the cold, and he loved the Outer Banks this time of year. Sure, he enjoyed the beach in the summer as much as anyone, and Hawaii would be a nice trip. One day. When he could do it for himself. But there was something magical about the windy, deserted beaches and having the warm, ocean-front hotel to yourself—at a steeply discounted price since it wasn’t peak tourist season.
Or so he’d thought. He caught movement in his periphery and noticed a man stretched out on one of the few outdoor chaise lounges, looking up at the stars in a sky that was surprisingly clear after a stretch of cloudy, gray days. Almost every night since he’d arrived, Cody had come out on the deck, and since all the outdoor seating had been moved to corners and chained down for the off-season, he’d always been the only one crazy enough to brave the night air. It was November in North Carolina, so it’s not like it was freezing in general, but even with the sun high in the sky the heavy wind off the ocean was…bracing.
The guy sat up, and in the lights coming from the glass doors and windows of the hotel, it was plain to see he was hot. Like hot. He was definitely older than Cody, probably in his thirties, with dark hair shorn close to his scalp and a big, broad body. When the man stood and stretched out the kinks, Cody had to look away because he definitely had been staring as all six-plus-feet of the guy unfolded. Cody was no shrimp at an even six-feet-tall, and he hit the gym enough to have some nice definition. But this guy was… Cody would say that guy wouldn’t have trouble manhandling Cody in some fun ways.
Cody picked up the takeout cup of tea he’d carried outside, because the guy noticed him suddenly with a quiet “Oh.”
“Hi. Sorry. Didn’t see you there,” Cody said. “Just came out for some air.”
“Don’t worry about it. I think I fell asleep.” The guy grumbled something about being old, but the majority of what he said to himself was carried off on the noisy wind.
“I envy you if you can sleep in this. It’s so quiet here that people walking down the hall sometimes wakes me.”
The guy gave a cute grin and said, “You’d be surprised what I can sleep through. I love it out here, in the cold, though. Don’t get it much where I’ve been. Thought I was the only one who braved it.”
Cody smiled in return. “Funny, I was thinking that exact thing.” The guy leaned against the deck railing on the opposite side of the stairs to the beach from where Cody perched, and they both stared out at the ocean quietly for a long while. Cody cast a few side glances the guy’s way, consciously trying to avoid being obvious but enthralled by the guy. This was the south, after all, and the guy screamed blue-collar with the kind of muscles you got from hard work. He wore baggy jeans, a hunter green fleece pullover, and work boots, all of which were effortlessly attractive on his large frame. Cody knew well that none of those things meant someone was straight any more than his skinny jeans, pea coat, and carefully groomed hair meant that he was not straight.
On about his third subtle glance toward the man, he’d caught the man giving him the same glance though. No. Surely not. Wishful thinking maybe. The guy was probably wondering why Cody hadn’t fucked off already. There was a fine line between hanging around because you paid to stay in this hotel, too, and staying to check out a straight man who would toss you down the steps because he’d caught you looking at his big, muscly butt in those outdated carpenter jeans.
Cody laughed at himself for assuming, again, that those were the only options here. But he’d been having such weird luck lately, he didn’t put anything past the universe at this point. He decided he should definitely go inside, though, at least until the guy went somewhere else.
But. He looked back toward the guy again, and he was giving that cute grin, one much too shy for a guy that size. It turned him from smoking hot to pretty fucking adorable, and Cody had to stop himself from staring again. “I’ll just, uh…” He pointed toward the indoors. He grabbed up his to-go cup, but the guy said, “I was just going to go…stretch my legs a little. You don’t have to go.”
Cody tilted his head, wondering if that was an invitation. Even if it had been, he’d been silent, unable to think of a response too long, so the guy’s smile morphed into a slight grimace, and he gave a little two-finger salute before clunking quickly down the stairs.
Cody watched for a little while, still able to make out the guy’s silhouette in the bright full moon’s light as he slowly loped down the beach until he was too far to be seen. Cody shook his head. Wishful thinking. Or he’d just blown it. Whatever. He was off his game anyway, after that annoying conversation with his dad.
What else was new? And he hadn’t tried to pick up or been picked up by a man in long enough that he was rusty on the subtleties that dance required outside of a hookup app or a specifically LGBT space.
He didn’t stay outside much longer since he seemed determined to beat himself up over letting his shitty mood and his family situation ruin yet another facet of his vacation. He made his way back inside and pulled up to the bar in the dining room. All that was left at that point in the evening was a single bartender and the one waitress who’d taken care of him for dinner earlier. They’d been in a corner together, playing on their phones and gossiping until the waitress noticed him and nodded in his direction. The bartender smiled and, tucking his phone in his back pocket, came around to ask Cody “Hey, man, what can I get you?”
He held up his paper cup, removing the lid. “Can I just get a refill on hot tea?” Because this was the south and you had to clarify, even in the winter.
“Sure thing. English Breakfast, Sleepy Time, or just the Lipton black tea?”
“Lipton’s fine.”
“No problem,” the bartender replied, pulling a sugar caddy and a bowl of creamers from under his bar. When he came back with a cup full of hot water with a bag steeping, they settled up and Cody went to stand. “You can hang here if you want. Despite how it looks, we’re open for another three hours.”
Cody glanced at the empty dining room. Half the room’s chairs were up on the tables and behind a rope, but the booths and tables nearest the bar were still open. “Yikes. Three hours?”
The bartender laughed. He was closer to Cody’s age, maybe twenty-five at the oldest, and his laugh made his face scrunch up in a really cute way. “You know how it goes on the off-season. But they pay us hourly, so I don’t mind. You just holler if you need anything.”
Cody smiled and waved him off. He sat, sipping his tea, warming up after his time outdoors. He wasn’t ready to go back to his room just yet, so he watched the headlines on a cable news channel on the TV behind the bar. He occasionally glanced at the bottles that lined that wall, as well, and was annoyed how much his shitty mood made him want to get lost in something other than his sugary hot tea. But no. Even his dad being an asshole wasn’t worth backsliding.
Pulling out his phone, he rolled his eyes at yet another photo of his brother and sister-in-law on jet skis. His brother didn’t mean to be an ass. He was nowhere near as bad as their dad. But he was obliviously insensitive sometimes. He definitely didn’t understand letting pride get in the way of their dad paying for the family to go to Oahu for Thanksgiving. And he had been loud about how dumb he’d thought Cody was being.
No. Cody let his dad shame him into a lot of things; his pride had taken a big enough hit just moving home last year instead of going…anywhere else like he’d planned. No, he still had some pride, and now that he had survived and done well in his first year at his first adult job, he was clinging to the independence he finally felt again.
A person settling into the barstool next to him had him locking his phone and putting it down. No way was he going to sit and whine with a stranger to witness. But he blinked, felt his brows go up when he saw the sexy/adorable older guy from earlier taking the place next to him.
The man glanced at Cody, that cute grin again, and Cody took in his cheeks, pinkened from the cold. The man rubbed his big hands together to warm them as he propped his elbows on the bar top. His hair wasn’t as dark as Cody had thought outside, was actually probably blond when it grew out. His skin was that golden tone some natural blonds had. Cody figured his first guess about the guy being in his thirties was close because the guy didn’t have that soft look guys his age usually had. The man had no baby fat, his features strong, but still youthful. Cody had to stop himself grinning when he thought DILF. The man wasn’t wearing a ring, though, and his big green eyes held an interesting mix of hope, shyness, and a loneliness Cody could absolutely relate to.
He also hadn’t broken eye contact with Cody the way straight guys do when they’re just being friendly. No. He held for a beat, looked off shyly while the man rubbed the stubble on the back of his head, and then he glanced back. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous,” the man said.
Cody’s chest fluttered, and he felt warm in a way that was decidedly not from his tea or the central heating. But he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. The man could totally mean what Cody hoped he meant. Boy howdy would that be a much better distraction than ruining his sobriety. But the guy could also just be seeking a little human interaction in this ghost town of a hotel.
The guy was starting to look embarrassed now it’d taken Cody a moment to answer. But two times in one night? Cody wouldn’t blow this, just in case. So… “No. No, it’s cool. You can sit here.” He looked down and then back up through his eyelashes. “If I can buy you a drink.” An oldie, but a goodie as far as being blunt about his meaning if the guy was interested.
The way the man’s face lit up, his smile unbearably warm and happy, did funny things to Cody’s insides. He let out his own breath of relief when the guy exhaled loudly, running his hand over his smiling face and said, “Oh, thank God.” He seemed to pull himself together. “Sorry. I don’t normally approach strangers like this. Not in a long time. But here you are.”
Cody tried to make light of it. “A port in a storm, they might say.”
The man studied him, curiosity creeping into his gaze. “No. It’s not because we’re the only two here. Surely you know how beautiful you are?”
Beautiful? Now Cody was blushing. And Cody did not blush. The sincerity in the man’s gaze kept him from scoffing or saying some self-deprecating thing. He chose to take the words for what they were. Kind. And clearly signaling attraction. “Me? I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of you since I saw you.” Cody wasn’t always quite that forward, but he was glad he had been because the soft, pleased expression on the stranger’s face was worth it.
Doubt slithered into those smiling green eyes, though. “I’m…a lot older than you.”
That made Cody smile, and maybe rolling his eyes wouldn’t prove he was super mature, but he had to say it. “I’m old enough. And if you’re over forty, I’ll eat this paper cup.”
The man rolled his eyes in an exaggerated tease. “Old enough, huh? But you’re right. I’m not quite there yet.” He eyed Cody then nodded toward the to-go cup. “Not old enough for booze?”
Cody stiffened but didn’t break eye contact when the man looked back at him. “I’m old enough. I just don’t drink.” Anymore. But he wanted to get in the guy’s pants, not marry him. “I also have a degree, salaried job with benefits, and a seven-inch dick. Anything else you need to know?” Whoops. Sassy Cody came out to play. But before Cody could even think about feeling dumb for it, he saw the way the man’s eyes flared. Then the man laughed out loud, and it made Cody want to fuck him and hug him at the same time.
“Okay, Mr. Adult.” The man held out a hand as if to shake. “I’m Jase.”
Cody took his big, work-roughened hand in his, and it was warm and strong. The thought of that rough hand, that tight grip on his cock. Damn. “Cody. Nice to meet you.” Cody decided if forward was what got this guy off, then it was time for a little more of that. Shaking his hand once more for emphasis as he smiled and looked Jase dead in the eye, he said, “So. You want that drink now, old man? Or do you want me to go shake other parts of your body now?”
Jase’s nostrils flared, smile grew mischievous, grip firmer. “Your room or mine, kid?”
Ahhhh! That's it! Hope you're excited for more of Jase & Cody! It's almost time! Don't forget to add it to your GoodReads shelf: CLICK HERE.
Now, off to work on my current WIP and finish these edits. Don't forget Cody & Jase will be out to buy/borrow on March 25th, 2022 -- also will be available in paperback!
<3kade
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Happy Halloween!
Halloween Weekend ONLY.
The Pumpkin Patch is ON SALE for
only 99 CENTS!
Buy or Borrow on Kindle Unlimited NOW!
Now Max needs a job while he’s in town, and Dusty is looking for a night watchman to keep the vandals, pranksters, and crime scene gawkers off his property. Ignoring gossip that makes Dusty sound like a ghoul, Max takes the job, and finds only a grieving man trying to get on with his life. But Dusty is far more intriguing than Max expected, and his night shifts at the murder house lead to lustful thoughts about his new boss, along with shocking discoveries about the night Dusty’s family was killed.
Saturday, July 24, 2021
'How to Love' Now Available!
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Quite the romantic tale, with unconventional MCs that are not ripped with abs for days, but are handsome & charismatic in their own way. … a hot, fun & funny story, with strong heartfelt moments.” — Richard L
Even if Adam doesn't want to admit it,
As they navigate Adam's anxiety and Tommy's
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Mailing List!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
'WANT' is live!
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Rambling: On Diversity, Sensitivity, & the Non Existent Frontier
Friday, April 22, 2016
Small Towns, Big Hearts 99 CENT SALE
Friday, April 15, 2016
WANT cover & excerpt
As my cock rose to a stand, I swigged back the drink the barback had delivered and decided this madness couldn't stand.