CABIN FOR TWO
BLURBS:
Snow, storm, transportation woes, gravity well mishaps - the list of disasters that might strand someone in the wilderness is endless. But what happens when two men are marooned together? Close quarters and intimate situations strike sparks, whether the men are strangers or lovers on the emotional rocks.
A Bear in the Woods: Smokey Mountain Bears 1 by Toni Griffin
A bear shifter tries to convince his mate that he's not crazy while fighting threats against his own life.
Dirty Little Secret by Freddy MacKay
A geocaching trip goes horribly wrong, but the hiker's rescuer is the one person who may be able to save him in more ways than he can imagine.
Three Little Words by Mathilde Watson
Lifelong friends have returned from the Korean conflict and now need to fight their way through the feelings they've harbored for each other for so long.
Their Natural Habitat: The Forestry Series, Book 2 by Silvia Violet
A forest ranger and his lover just want a nice weekend away. The bear baiters have other ideas.
A Matter of Faces (An ESTO Universe Story) by Angel Martinez
A data privateer crash lands on a barely habitable moon where he's found by a research scientist who refuses to show his face.
Snow, storm, transportation woes, gravity well mishaps - the list of disasters that might strand someone in the wilderness is endless. But what happens when two men are marooned together? Close quarters and intimate situations strike sparks, whether the men are strangers or lovers on the emotional rocks.
A Bear in the Woods: Smokey Mountain Bears 1 by Toni Griffin
A bear shifter tries to convince his mate that he's not crazy while fighting threats against his own life.
Dirty Little Secret by Freddy MacKay
A geocaching trip goes horribly wrong, but the hiker's rescuer is the one person who may be able to save him in more ways than he can imagine.
Three Little Words by Mathilde Watson
Lifelong friends have returned from the Korean conflict and now need to fight their way through the feelings they've harbored for each other for so long.
Their Natural Habitat: The Forestry Series, Book 2 by Silvia Violet
A forest ranger and his lover just want a nice weekend away. The bear baiters have other ideas.
A Matter of Faces (An ESTO Universe Story) by Angel Martinez
A data privateer crash lands on a barely habitable moon where he's found by a research scientist who refuses to show his face.
EXCERPT:
Vincent Marsden didn't think he'd had a worse day in his entire life. He now understood exactly why he preferred driving over flying anywhere. It had all started three days ago with a conversation with his best friend, Mandy.
"You need a break," Mandy's usually soothing voice screeched down the phone line at him.
"No, I don't," Vincent replied.
"Yes, you do. I can do this all day until you finally give in and agree with me. I hope you realize this." The self-satisfaction in Mandy's voice was not lost on Vincent.
Vincent thought he might try a different tack. "I can't afford to go anywhere right now. I have to write." Vincent had hardly written a thing in the last month even though he had deadlines looming and edits he needed to return. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to do the work.
"Oh yeah," Mandy said in that tone that always made Vincent cringe. "Just how much have you written lately?"
Damn!
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, as I said, you need a break."
Vincent knew Mandy could be stubborn when she got an idea in her head, but he could be just as stubborn. "Mandy—"
"Stop!" Mandy sighed. She sounded so put out it made Vincent smile. "As much as you might hate this, I know you, Vincent Marsden. You need a break. You're run down; you haven't had a vacation in three years, not since you caught that prick, Jamie, screwing the bellboy in your hotel suite." Oh yeah, what fun that had been. Vincent didn't want to think about that now, though.
"Mandy, I really can't afford to go on a vacation right now." Vincent thought he'd give one last-ditch effort to try and get Mandy off this subject.
"I know. That's why I've taken the liberty of booking your vacation for you." The smugness in her voice really wasn't very nice.
"You what?" Vincent asked incredulously.
"Look, you know I got a nice inheritance when my grandad passed away six months ago. That money's not doing anything at the moment but sitting in the bank collecting interest."
"Mandy I can't let you do that." Vincent sighed, exasperated. "God, you're a pain in my ass."
"No I'm not. I have the wrong parts for you."
"Eww. I don't even want to think about your parts. How the hell did we start talking about your girly parts?" Mandy laughed and Vincent smiled at the sound. As big a pain as his friend was, he did love her to bits.
"Just lucky I guess. Now back to the hot topic. Namely, you on a vacation." Mandy snickered at Vincent's groan.
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Vincent asked, resigned.
"Nope. Now listen as I tell you where you're going and what you're doing." Mandy sounded so superior Vincent wanted to reach through the phone and strangle his best friend.
Mandy had booked him a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for a week of relaxation. Vincent wasn't sure how much relaxing he could do as a young gay man in the middle of Tennessee and told Mandy so. She told him to stop trying to find excuses not to go.
So, pulling up his big boy undies, Vincent got to McCarran airport bright and early for his six am flight to Houston where he would then catch a connecting flight to Knoxville. Well, that had been the plan anyway.
Vincent Marsden didn't think he'd had a worse day in his entire life. He now understood exactly why he preferred driving over flying anywhere. It had all started three days ago with a conversation with his best friend, Mandy.
"You need a break," Mandy's usually soothing voice screeched down the phone line at him.
"No, I don't," Vincent replied.
"Yes, you do. I can do this all day until you finally give in and agree with me. I hope you realize this." The self-satisfaction in Mandy's voice was not lost on Vincent.
Vincent thought he might try a different tack. "I can't afford to go anywhere right now. I have to write." Vincent had hardly written a thing in the last month even though he had deadlines looming and edits he needed to return. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to do the work.
"Oh yeah," Mandy said in that tone that always made Vincent cringe. "Just how much have you written lately?"
Damn!
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, as I said, you need a break."
Vincent knew Mandy could be stubborn when she got an idea in her head, but he could be just as stubborn. "Mandy—"
"Stop!" Mandy sighed. She sounded so put out it made Vincent smile. "As much as you might hate this, I know you, Vincent Marsden. You need a break. You're run down; you haven't had a vacation in three years, not since you caught that prick, Jamie, screwing the bellboy in your hotel suite." Oh yeah, what fun that had been. Vincent didn't want to think about that now, though.
"Mandy, I really can't afford to go on a vacation right now." Vincent thought he'd give one last-ditch effort to try and get Mandy off this subject.
"I know. That's why I've taken the liberty of booking your vacation for you." The smugness in her voice really wasn't very nice.
"You what?" Vincent asked incredulously.
"Look, you know I got a nice inheritance when my grandad passed away six months ago. That money's not doing anything at the moment but sitting in the bank collecting interest."
"Mandy I can't let you do that." Vincent sighed, exasperated. "God, you're a pain in my ass."
"No I'm not. I have the wrong parts for you."
"Eww. I don't even want to think about your parts. How the hell did we start talking about your girly parts?" Mandy laughed and Vincent smiled at the sound. As big a pain as his friend was, he did love her to bits.
"Just lucky I guess. Now back to the hot topic. Namely, you on a vacation." Mandy snickered at Vincent's groan.
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Vincent asked, resigned.
"Nope. Now listen as I tell you where you're going and what you're doing." Mandy sounded so superior Vincent wanted to reach through the phone and strangle his best friend.
Mandy had booked him a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for a week of relaxation. Vincent wasn't sure how much relaxing he could do as a young gay man in the middle of Tennessee and told Mandy so. She told him to stop trying to find excuses not to go.
So, pulling up his big boy undies, Vincent got to McCarran airport bright and early for his six am flight to Houston where he would then catch a connecting flight to Knoxville. Well, that had been the plan anyway.