If you can’t take the heat…
James Lassiter has had a crush on fellow culinary student Ethan
Martin for three years, but has never had the guts to make a move. Putting
himself out there is hard, especially when under the thumb–and wallet–of his
overbearing parents. Now that bad boy chef Ethan–who is always vying with Jamie
for best in class–is struggling with the pastry course, Jamie suddenly has a
reason to reach out.
Ethan doesn’t mean to be an ass–okay, so mostly he does–but even
though he’s secretly hot for Jamie, he sure as hell doesn’t want help with
pastry. Ever since his dad walked out, Ethan has been the one to hold things
together and he’s done fine on his own. Except that he can’t get his cake to
rise.
Jamie could be the answer to what Ethan’s been missing his whole
life–someone to depend on. But with the two competing for the same scholarship,
things suddenly get too hot to handle. And if Jamie finds the strength to go
for what he wants, he isn’t about to settle for what he needs.
Read
an EXCERPT:
I opened the door,
shivering when a gust of wind swept through. I pulled my jacket tight around my
body, sighing when I saw no cabs waiting at the curb. “Shit.” I could either
call information or wait a few minutes for another to drive by. I leaned
against the brick wall of the building to wait when I heard the bar’s door
squeak open and shut again.
“You could have waited for
me, you know?” Ethan’s annoyed voice as he approached had me wondering what I’d
done now.
“No worries.” I
shrugged, tired from the long day and the confusing mix of emotions hanging out
with him seemed to bring. “I didn’t want to rush you because I was ready to
leave.”
He stepped closer, his
shoulders hunched as he reluctantly admitted, “I wanted to hang out with you.
Not Summer or the guys. Just you.”
I stared at him. “What
do you want from me, Ethan? Half the time I don’t know whether you hate me or
want to be friends. Then you do something like defend me to my father, who
incidentally thinks you’re the antichrist. Tell me what we’re doing here.”
Instead of launching
into the verbal tirade I expected, a determined look crossed his face and he
murmured, “Fuck it.”
He stepped closer and I
tensed. As unpredictable as Ethan was, I wasn’t sure what he’d do. I let it out
a surprised gasp when his mouth met mine. There was nothing gentle about it.
Months of tension, fighting, flirting all igniting when he touched me. Not a
romantic kiss by any means…it was bruising, rough, passionate, intense, all the
same things I’d come to equate with Ethan Martin. My fingers curled in the
fabric of his sweatshirt, tugging him closer as my eyes slammed shut.
Braced between the
solidness of his body and the cold wall behind me, I felt my entire body heat.
Ethan’s ravenous lips and desperate tongue claimed my mouth, tasting of beer
and mint. He slid one hand up to cup the back of my neck, holding me captive as
he braced himself against the wall. I kissed him back fiercely, our teeth
knocking together with the force of it.
Sounds I didn’t even
know I was capable of making left my mouth and I didn’t care we were in public
where anyone could see us. I nipped his lip, sighing with pleasure when he
moaned into my mouth. He might be an infuriatingly stubborn asshole at times
but one thing was for certain: Ethan Martin could kiss. He broke away,
breathing hard as he leaned his forehead against mine.
“Wow.” I fought for
breath, a smile tugging at my lips. “For once we’re actually on the same page.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, he pulled back. His expression changed from
needy to terrified as he released me, his hands clenched into fists.
“Ethan?”
“I’m sorry.” He backed
away, staring at my face like I’d punched him. “I’m really fucking sorry,
Lassiter.”
I swallowed hard and
took a deep breath, raising my hands as if I was soothing a spooked animal.
“Ethan?”
He yanked up his
sweatshirt hood and took off, leaving me to stare after him in silence. What
the hell had happened?
Buy the book
Carina Press:
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EILEEN
GRIFFIN
Eileen Griffin lives in the southwest, but
loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a
backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain
penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her
current obsession is writing M/M romance. Her past published works include: Chasing
Matt, a M/M novella co-authored with Nikka Michaels, Dinner For Two,
a M/F romance novella, “Claiming Ayden”, a M/M shifter romance that is part of
Evenight’s Alpha’s Claim Anthology: M/M Edition, and “Lost and Found”, a short
story written for the M/M Romance Group’s Don’t Read in the Closet: Love’s
Landscapes Event. Eileen is currently working on a new M/M series set in a
Bed and Breakfast with Nikka Michaels, as well as several other projects both
individual and co-authored.
NIKKA
MICHAELS
Nikka
Michaels lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest where she spends her time
cooking, laughing and crafting romantic tales to satisfy her craving for HEAs
with heat. A voracious reader,
novice knitter and music lover she’s been known to multitask without breaking a
sweat. She loves to read and write M/M romance but believes everyone deserves a
love story. She currently has several releases out including, Chasing Matt, a M/M novella co-authored
with Eileen Griffin, Christmas with Caden,
a M/F romance novella from Cobblestone Press, “Waking up Wolf”, a M/M shifter
romance in Evernight Publishing’s Alpha’s
Claim: Manlove Edition anthology, and the MM series which includes, Mile High Service, Room Service and Lip Service
from Cobblestone Press’ Blue line. She also has a short story, “His Assistant”
in Evernight Publishing’s best selling Executive
Assistant: Manlove Edition anthology.
Find Eileen:
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Eileen+Griffin
Blog:
http://nikkamichaels.com/blog/
All
Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Nikka+Michaels
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