Josh and Dan have been best friends since grade school. Now Dan is getting married and Josh is to be his best man. When Dan confesses after his buck’s show that he’s getting cold feet, Josh – who can’t help feeling a little jealous of his friend – doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to marry the gorgeous Rachel Moore.
Everything becomes clear later after a few drinks. They share a kiss that leads to them having sex and Josh finds out the best friend he thought he knew so well is actually gay. He doesn’t know how to deal with this or his guilt when he has to face Dan’s fiancée and tell her what happened. Especially when he starts to develop his own feelings for Dan.
Everything becomes clear later after a few drinks. They share a kiss that leads to them having sex and Josh finds out the best friend he thought he knew so well is actually gay. He doesn’t know how to deal with this or his guilt when he has to face Dan’s fiancée and tell her what happened. Especially when he starts to develop his own feelings for Dan.
1. The fig
tree in my story is based on the one we had in our backyard
when I was growing
up. It was awesome to climb!
2. I like
Audis. You’ll usually find one in my stories.
3. I hate
anchovies
4. My
husband wore a red waistcoat on our wedding day and my
bridesmaid wore a red
cocktail dress.
5. I’ve
always wanted to visit the Seychelles.
At the end of the drive he pulled up alongside a log cabin on stilts with a row of steps leading down from the centre of a long, wide deck. There was a soft glow coming from the windows and he spied Dan’s dark Audi parked in the underfloor carport. Hole in one!
But his bravado quickly evaporated as he stepped from his own car. Shit, this was a very bad idea. If Dan wanted to see him, he would have. If he’d wanted to talk to him, he would have called. Hiding out here in the middle of nowhere was a fair indication the man wanted to be alone.
Just talk to him, his sub-conscious soothed. The worst he’ll do is slam the door in your face. Or punch you in the head. Or push you down the stairs…
“Okay, not helping!” he muttered as he mounted the steps. From the deck he could see right over the short bushes in front of the house, out across the lake. The air was still and the water looked like a sheet of silken material shimmering silver beneath the full moon. Not a ripple stirred its perfectly smooth surface. Josh could have gazed at it for hours but he had more pressing matters. And the sooner he attended to them, the sooner he could leave. Without giving himself time to think, he turned and knocked on the solid, wooden door.
It felt like an age waiting there for it to open. Josh’s heart seemed to creep up to take shelter in his throat and his breathing stopped. Then suddenly the door swung open and there was Dan, shirtless in torn jeans, staring at him with dark, unfathomable eyes.
“Hey,” Josh croaked, his mouth suddenly dry. “Er… I was just out this way and thought I’d drop by.”
A grin broke across Dan’s handsome face. Standing aside, he gestured for Josh to enter the cabin.
“That’s the lousiest excuse I’ve ever heard,” he said as he closed the door. “But I like it.”
Inside the cabin it was hot. A fire burned in an open grate, its flickering light joining the dozen or more candles that were lit around the room. The dark, wood-panelled walls and soft, old-fashioned furnishings added to the feel of cosiness that enveloped Josh.
Turning, Dan met Josh’s gaze. The smile was still on the man’s his lips as he took a step towards him. Josh swallowed. His chest began to constrict and he suddenly felt short of breath. Crap, this was far worse than he’d imagined. Employing his trusty avoidance tactics, he looked around frantically for something else to catch his attention but found he couldn’t keep his eyes from Dan.
“Uh… nice place,” he said lamely.
“It’s an ancient old hovel and you know it,” Dan replied, his eyes raking Josh. “Now why are you really here?”
Josh decided to cut to the chase. “Rachel asked me to…”
“Rachel?” Anger suddenly drowned Dan’s eyes. “What the hell does she want?”
Stalking past him, Dan went towards a low table near the fire where a can of bourbon sat, opened and waiting. He picked it up and took a drink so long it made Josh wince.
“Well, you by the sound of it,” he said hesitantly.
Turning back to him, Dan’s dark eyes were glinting in the firelight. “So that’s it? The reason you had to hunt me down in the middle of the night, because my fiancée wanted you to?”
He almost spat the word fiancée. Josh didn’t know what to say, he hadn’t got very far in his scenario-planning. Dan stared at him for a moment longer then he spun around and Josh found himself looking at his taut, rippling back instead.
“She’s worried about you,” he said, suspecting he was only digging a deeper hole from himself.
“Right.”
“She tried to call you. Lots.”
“I don’t get reception here.”
“She was about to report you as a missing person.”
Dan reeled around. “Like hell she will! I told her I’d be at the wedding. She knows that. Now everyone can just back off and stop worrying about me.”
His words stirred jealousy in Josh. “Well I wish to hell someone would worry about me!” For some inexplicable reason he felt tears pricking his eyes and it made him angrier. “So just get over yourself and suck it up.”
He heard Rachel’s words shooting from his mouth. Dan seemed to recognise them too because his expression became dark and dangerous.
“Is that all you came here for?”
“Yes, it’s all,” Josh said, matching his venom.
“Fine. You’ve said it, now go.”
Their locked gazes held a moment longer, then Josh turned on his heels and marched out the door. Fucking, arrogant, selfish… He was halfway across the deck, racking his mind for every derogatory adjective he could muster, when suddenly Dan was beside him.
“Wait!”
Josh froze. Shit, he was going to get thrown down the stairs after all. Dan grabbed his shirt. The anger was gone from his face and in its place was something far more indecipherable and intense.
“You cannot imagine how much I was hoping you’d come.” Dan’s anguished voice hit Josh in the heart. “But you came for her, not me.”
“That’s not true,” Josh protested, taking a step backwards so Dan had to release him. “I came because it’s your wedding in three days and you’re hiding out here like a hermit. I don’t know what fucking, crazy-ass agreement the two of you have, but it’s too late to ditch on it now.”
He saw how the moonlight lit Dan’s dark hair like a halo. A forlorn, fucked up angel. The misery on his face was reflected in his beautiful eyes. Josh’s anger dissolved and he reached out to put a soothing hand on his shoulder. The skin was cold and goose pimpled beneath his hand. Dan shivered at his touch.
“You are about to marry one of the most beautiful women on the planet…”
A tear rolled down Dan’s cheek. “That means absolutely nothing to me, when it’s you that I love.”
But his bravado quickly evaporated as he stepped from his own car. Shit, this was a very bad idea. If Dan wanted to see him, he would have. If he’d wanted to talk to him, he would have called. Hiding out here in the middle of nowhere was a fair indication the man wanted to be alone.
Just talk to him, his sub-conscious soothed. The worst he’ll do is slam the door in your face. Or punch you in the head. Or push you down the stairs…
“Okay, not helping!” he muttered as he mounted the steps. From the deck he could see right over the short bushes in front of the house, out across the lake. The air was still and the water looked like a sheet of silken material shimmering silver beneath the full moon. Not a ripple stirred its perfectly smooth surface. Josh could have gazed at it for hours but he had more pressing matters. And the sooner he attended to them, the sooner he could leave. Without giving himself time to think, he turned and knocked on the solid, wooden door.
It felt like an age waiting there for it to open. Josh’s heart seemed to creep up to take shelter in his throat and his breathing stopped. Then suddenly the door swung open and there was Dan, shirtless in torn jeans, staring at him with dark, unfathomable eyes.
“Hey,” Josh croaked, his mouth suddenly dry. “Er… I was just out this way and thought I’d drop by.”
A grin broke across Dan’s handsome face. Standing aside, he gestured for Josh to enter the cabin.
“That’s the lousiest excuse I’ve ever heard,” he said as he closed the door. “But I like it.”
Inside the cabin it was hot. A fire burned in an open grate, its flickering light joining the dozen or more candles that were lit around the room. The dark, wood-panelled walls and soft, old-fashioned furnishings added to the feel of cosiness that enveloped Josh.
Turning, Dan met Josh’s gaze. The smile was still on the man’s his lips as he took a step towards him. Josh swallowed. His chest began to constrict and he suddenly felt short of breath. Crap, this was far worse than he’d imagined. Employing his trusty avoidance tactics, he looked around frantically for something else to catch his attention but found he couldn’t keep his eyes from Dan.
“Uh… nice place,” he said lamely.
“It’s an ancient old hovel and you know it,” Dan replied, his eyes raking Josh. “Now why are you really here?”
Josh decided to cut to the chase. “Rachel asked me to…”
“Rachel?” Anger suddenly drowned Dan’s eyes. “What the hell does she want?”
Stalking past him, Dan went towards a low table near the fire where a can of bourbon sat, opened and waiting. He picked it up and took a drink so long it made Josh wince.
“Well, you by the sound of it,” he said hesitantly.
Turning back to him, Dan’s dark eyes were glinting in the firelight. “So that’s it? The reason you had to hunt me down in the middle of the night, because my fiancée wanted you to?”
He almost spat the word fiancée. Josh didn’t know what to say, he hadn’t got very far in his scenario-planning. Dan stared at him for a moment longer then he spun around and Josh found himself looking at his taut, rippling back instead.
“She’s worried about you,” he said, suspecting he was only digging a deeper hole from himself.
“Right.”
“She tried to call you. Lots.”
“I don’t get reception here.”
“She was about to report you as a missing person.”
Dan reeled around. “Like hell she will! I told her I’d be at the wedding. She knows that. Now everyone can just back off and stop worrying about me.”
His words stirred jealousy in Josh. “Well I wish to hell someone would worry about me!” For some inexplicable reason he felt tears pricking his eyes and it made him angrier. “So just get over yourself and suck it up.”
He heard Rachel’s words shooting from his mouth. Dan seemed to recognise them too because his expression became dark and dangerous.
“Is that all you came here for?”
“Yes, it’s all,” Josh said, matching his venom.
“Fine. You’ve said it, now go.”
Their locked gazes held a moment longer, then Josh turned on his heels and marched out the door. Fucking, arrogant, selfish… He was halfway across the deck, racking his mind for every derogatory adjective he could muster, when suddenly Dan was beside him.
“Wait!”
Josh froze. Shit, he was going to get thrown down the stairs after all. Dan grabbed his shirt. The anger was gone from his face and in its place was something far more indecipherable and intense.
“You cannot imagine how much I was hoping you’d come.” Dan’s anguished voice hit Josh in the heart. “But you came for her, not me.”
“That’s not true,” Josh protested, taking a step backwards so Dan had to release him. “I came because it’s your wedding in three days and you’re hiding out here like a hermit. I don’t know what fucking, crazy-ass agreement the two of you have, but it’s too late to ditch on it now.”
He saw how the moonlight lit Dan’s dark hair like a halo. A forlorn, fucked up angel. The misery on his face was reflected in his beautiful eyes. Josh’s anger dissolved and he reached out to put a soothing hand on his shoulder. The skin was cold and goose pimpled beneath his hand. Dan shivered at his touch.
“You are about to marry one of the most beautiful women on the planet…”
A tear rolled down Dan’s cheek. “That means absolutely nothing to me, when it’s you that I love.”
First Time Brad & Sebastian is
ON SALE for $0.99 during the tour!
EM Rose loves sexy men and loud music. Even better if they are sexy rock stars playing loud music! She has a particular soft spot for singers and guitarists – especially if they have long hair.
Jordy’s Song, the first book in her Rogue Night series, published by Steam eReads (http://steamereads.com.au/product/jordys-song/) is about the dramas of a rock band on the road, and was inspired by many sexy (long-haired) rock stars she has known in real life or drooled over in her fantasies.
Her ‘First Time’ series is all about that moment when hot, sexy males decide to cross the line into the world of man love - gotta love that!
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First Time Brad & Sebastian
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