Double Trouble: Chapter 43

Wednesday Briefs

Sorry to have missed last week. Unfortunately my computer crashed and I lost the entire chapter. But it’s all good now.

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.


Chapter 43

Christmas was coming and normally Darrin would be thrilled for the extended break. But with Ben’s death he couldn’t seem to bring himself to any real kind of resolution. Peace was beyond his imagination but it was harder each day to find some reason to go on. He’d made the mistake of telling Mitch about how he felt, and ended up with a weekly meeting with the university’s shrink.

“Those are hours I’ll never get back again,” Darrin muttered. “what?” Mitch asked. Damnit, when did he sneak into the room. Without turning he replied. “Nothing. Just the crazy guy muttering.” Mitch wrapped his arms around Darrin in a tight hug. “Not crazy. Just needing some help getting through a rough spot.” Darrin sighed deeply. “Yeah, so I hear. Just a rough patch. Just the death of a young kid. I really should be over it.” Continue reading

Double Trouble: Chapter 42

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.


Chapter 42

Darrin sat silently in the dark of the wood paneled den. Their house was filled with people, and the university chapel had bee filled beyond capacity. He’d been numb through the entire process. The sheriff had tried to find any of Ben’s family, but had no luck. So Darrin and Mitch had taken care of the details.

The ceremony had been nice. As nice as a funeral for a child could possibly be. The right words were spoken, and Jim’s grandmother had even talked for a few moments. He appreciated everyones efforts, but right now he didn’t care. It was his fault Ben had left. Which made it his fault the young man was dead.

“You can’t hide in here forever. Everyone knows you’re in here.”

“Fuck ‘em.”

“Some of them you really wouldn’t want to. It’s not the cutest crowd in western Oklahoma.”

Darrin glared at Mitch. “Asshole. This isn’t something funny you can joke about and make better.”

“It was worth a shot, don’t you think?”

Darrin turned and looked out the window and across the sere Oklahoma landscape. This was rough country, but nature he at least understood. It wasn’t personal with nature, it was just the way it was. But to kill a kid, that wasn’t nature being demanding, that was mankind losing its way.

He shuddered when two muscular arms wrapped around him. For a moment he wanted them off, he never wanted to be touched again. But then he softened and leaned back against Mitch. The seconds ticked off and some of his brittleness softened. A tiny bit, but he didn’t feel so suffocated. At least not in that moment.

He bit off a sob and turned to Mitch. “This isn’t right. This isn’t fair.”

“No. It’s not. And I’m afraid it’s time to finished it.”

“Mitch, I don’t know if I can do it or not.”

“You can. You’ve got to. There’s no one else who’s willing to do it.”

There was nothing Darrin wanted less than what they were about to do. But he knew Mitch was right. They didn’t have any choices.

“Alright. We’ll scatter the ashes where you proposed to me. I’ve always thought that was a wonderful spot.”

“I was thinking the same thing. We’ll have to tell everyone we’re going. We can’t just sneak out.”

“They’re going to want to go with us…”

Darrin hardened. “No they won’t. This is all my fault. He’d be alive if I hadn’t decided to be a hard ass.”

Mitch sighed and shook his head. “No. That’s not the truth and you know it. We tried everything. He made the choice to leave.”

“No. You’re wrong.”

“Yeah, once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.”

Darrin glanced at his husband. “You can’t stop can you?”

“No reason to stop. Looks to me you have two choices. Stay here in the dark room and hate yourself, or go with me to take care of the final thing we have to do.”

“No one will go with us. They all blame me too.”

Mitch threw up his hands. “Fine. Have it your fuck’n way. I’m going. If you’re the man I married, grab your balls and be in the truck in five minutes.”

Mitch stomped out of the room without another word. The heels of his boots hit the floor hard enough to drive nails. The door slammed shut with enough force to shake the windows.

Oh, he’s pissed. Great, now I’ve ran off my only ally. I’ve got no choices.

Darrin shuffled to the bathroom and splashed a little water on his face. A few seconds later he entered the crowded living room. Mitch was telling the group something, but at this point it came across as a dull buzz to Darrin. He realized the room was emptying and moved to find Mitch.

“I’m ready to go. Let’s get this done.”

Mitch looked like he was going to say something, but then changed his mind. Or at least decided not to make the comment he had in mind. He motioned to the door and gave Darrin a rueful smile.

“After you,” Mitch said.

He walked to the truck. He was going to take Mitch up on his offer to drive when he realized what they’d forgotten and wheeled on him.

“I forgot the urn.”

Without a word, Mitch held up the brushed steel container.

“Oh. Okay.”

Darrin opened the door and slid into his seat as Mitch settled the urn into a secure position.

The trip was a complete blank to Darrin. He knew they were going to the overlook where Mitch proposed. But for all that he remembered of the trip he might as well have been blindfolded. He opened the door and stepped out, grass coming to his knees. He stood with the warm breeze against his face. Without turning he said in a low voice.

“Let’s get this done.”

“I think we should wait on the others…”

“What?”

Mitch motioned behind them to the procession of cars and trucks that trailed into the horizon.


If you’d like to see a snippet from the other Wednesday Briefs authors you can go to the groups website. Or click on the name listed below to go directly to the story.

Guest Post – Remember Him by Kazy Reed

Thanks for hosting me, Jon. It means so much. You were one of the first m/m authors I discovered online, and I was hooked. I love your books, and it gives me goosebumps to be on your blog.

I’m thrilled to celebrate the release of my first book, Remember Him, the first in the Amsel Clan series. I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to enter the giveaway for a US$20 gift card to Amazon. See the bottom of this post for ways to enter. Thanks for reading!

–Kazy

Please click here to check out my REMEMBER HIM page for more info on the blog tour.

 

rememberhim300 (1)

 

Will the bond of blood outweigh the passions of the heart?

BLURB

While sketching the Temple of Dendur, graduate student Carter Denwright meets—and is seduced by—a powerful vampire by the name of Alder. Once kept secret from the human world, now everyone knows of their existence. Blinded by mistaken feelings for Alder, Carter allows himself to be drawn into his life. Too late, he realizes two things: one, Alder is vicious and cruel, and two, Carter’s true love is Alder’s brother, Freyr.

The attraction between Carter and Freyr is strong, but they must fight this feeling or face the wrath of Alder. Despite their best efforts, Alder discovers the truth, and punishes Carter, hiding him from Freyr in a cruel game of cat and mouse.

Freyr is not as strong as his brother, but he vows that he will find Carter again and will stop at nothing to get him back. Carter, caught in Alder’s cruel grip, commits an act of desperation which will change all their lives forever. The question is: can Freyr find Carter and is the bond between him and Carter enough to break Alder’s hold and spoil his plans to ruin them both?

 

EXCERPT

Freyr practically dragged me upstairs. I turned to go toward our room, but he went in the opposite direction.

“Oof!” I grunted when he yanked my arm. “Where are we going?”

“Shh!”

“But where—”

He stopped suddenly and I crashed into the back of him. “Carter, what part of ‘shh!’ do you not comprehend?”

“Bully.”

His jaw tightened and raised an eyebrow. I clasped my hands not-so-innocently behind my back, tilted my hips out and ran my tongue slowly over my fangs. Freyr’s breathing came faster and he moved toward me, but then he remembered his original purpose and continued down the hall. Halfway down the east wing, he reached behind a huge Grecian amphora and pressed a button on the wall behind it. A piece of the wood-paneled wall slid open to reveal a modern keypad.

The code was twelve digits long. After he entered them, I heard a muted click. An entire section of the wall opened into a two foot wide, five foot high door. The light down the hall barely penetrated the first few feet inside.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Freyr anticipated me. Without even looking, he slapped his hand over my mouth. We climbed in and he shut the door. The darkness was so complete that it pushed painfully on my chest. I had always hated the dark, especially since Alder kept me locked up so frequently. But this wasn’t Alder. This was my mate, who loved me, so I got my breathing under control.

Freyr ruffled my hair. “Now we can talk, brat. Just don’t move.”

Like an idiot, I stepped backward and said, “I really don’t like the d-daaark!” as the floor fell out from under me. I tumbled down a stone spiral staircase, banging my head with every flip, until I finally got my bearings and grabbed a step with my hands.

“Son of a bitch!” I cried. “I think I’m bleeding.”

“Yummy,” purred Freyr from above.

“Not a time to be cute, asshole.”

“Sorry. Can you see anything?”

“Besides my life flashing before my eyes? It’s pitch-fucking-black down here!”

“Stop yelling and use your eyes.”

“Oh, right,” I shot back. “Let’s see. Yup. There are two mangled legs and—uh oh. I only have one arm now. Is the other one up there?”

“I’m going to wallop you if you don’t cut it out.”

“Hah! You’ll have to find me first.” Instantly, he was directly in front of me and I jumped back in surprise. I looked at where I thought his face must be and saw his eyes blazing orange. I gasped at his appearance. “Dude, your eyes are glowing.”

“Dude, so are yours. Now focus.”

I blinked a few times and tried to focus on him, and his features slowly became clear, as though a dimmed light bulb was growing brighter. “Cool!” I exclaimed. “I have night vision.”

“You’re so easily amused. Now, come on.”

 

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ABOUT KAZY REED

Kazy Reed grew up on a small island off the Maine Coast. At the age of sixteen, she announced to her parents that she was going to move to Denmark as an exchange student. That trip changed her life, and sparked her love of travel, languages, and history.

After graduating from college in Massachusetts with a degree in Art History, she moved back to Maine, where she began to write short stories. When she was introduced to gay erotic fiction, the seed was planted and she never looked back.

Kazy still lives in Southern Maine, with her very understanding husband and two ridiculously precocious children. In addition to her published work, she is the author of a weekly flash-fiction series on her blog.

 

FOLLOW KAZY ONLINE

Blog: http://www.kazyreed.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/avampwriter

Twitter: http://twitter.com/avampwriter

Tumblr: http://mensfashionarchive.tumblr.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kazyreed

 

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Double Trouble: Chapter 41

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.


Chapter 41

 

Darrin’s mood was dark. It had reached the point where even Mitch avoided dealing with him. But they hadn’t heard from Ben since he’d left. Darren was afraid his brand of tough love had been too much.

“You know it’s nothing you did? Right?”

He turned and glared at Mitch. “You don’t know that. He should have at least sent us a text. But it’s like he’s fallen off the planet.” His expression soften and he allowed the fear to show through. “Mitch, I’m really afraid something’s happened to him.”

“I know. But we shouldn’t assume the worst. Sometimes even we deserve a break.” Mitch walked over, wrapped his arms around Darrin and pulled him against his chest. Darren allowed it. Needing his husband’s strength, as he had so many times in the past. They stood for several minutes, when the backdoor burst open, and the kids exploded into the house.

Darrin reluctantly pushed himself away. He couldn’t project his doubt on the kids. They loved Ben dearly and he knew they were going to ask if he was back yet. I wish I had a better answer.

Continue reading

Release day for “Spurred On”

Yes, that’s right. We have Spurred On available on  Amazon and All Romance ebooks.

Spurred On

Blurb:

His wicked stepfather is trying to drive Kegan off his family’s ranch…
He promised his dying father to always be there to protect his mother. But when she leaves on a cattle buying trip, his stepbrothers join in to bully and overwork him. Can he hang on until her return? And even if he does, how can he tell her that her new husband is evil incarnate? The only bright spot is Cole, a handsome neighbor he’s admired from a distance.

He’s new in town, and his parents are holding a rodeo…

It’s not easy to meet new people in an established ranching community, but a rodeo will draw everyone in and give Cole an opportunity to make friends and show his skills in an arena they all understand. Maybe even get to know someone special.

A mystical medicine hat stallion walks into Kegan’s life….
It’s not long before they are the talk, and mystery, of the rodeo. The only thing more daunting than keeping his identity secret is how Kegan is going to balance all this with his draw to the man of his dreams. Will Cole end up being his magical prince, or is Kegan going to find himself left in the dust?