Diana DeRicci

Posts Tagged ‘California’

Author: Diana DeRicci
Cover Artist: Anastasia Rabiyah
Genre: Gay Erotic Romance/M/M
Length: Novel, 52,777 words, 150 pages PDF
ISBN: 978-1-61292-033-7
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Heat Level: Erotic
Warnings: Gay Male/Male

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an unforgettable read.

 

Since the day Josh met Laurence, he was positive the man was a preening peacock escaped from the Exotic Bird Exhibit. There was something raw and bright, eye-catching and absolutely, unashamedly gay about Laurence. He was outrageous, outgoing, and wild enough to drive Josh up a figurative wall. Josh didn’t expect Laurence to be anything other than who he was, so long as he did so a good ten feet away from him.

Josh and Laurence’s friendship was more like two enemies circling each other around mutual friends. Their arguments were legendary.

Until one night, fate stepped in and changed everything. There  was a hard truth waiting for Josh around the next corner. An attraction that could not be denied. One that refused to be ignored.

Would their tenuous friendship survive the fallout between these two reluctant friends? Could a love that took four years to emerge be stronger than either had ever anticipated? Or were they destined to remain merely frenemies?

Chapter One

“Oh, Christ. What’s he doing here?” Josh growled in not too well hidden distaste.

Gregory lifted his head from his textbook, hunting their immediate vicinity of the outside commons. “Who?”

“The glow stick.”

Gregory arched an eyebrow, peering now in the direction Josh meant. “Uh… You mean Laurence? Because I think RJ would kick your ass if you called him that.”

Josh made a look of disgust and suddenly became engrossed in his studying as the men approached the table, though men was loosely used when it came to those two, one especially.

“Hey, guys. Guess who passed his final?” RJ announced.

“Congrats, man!” Gregory gave a beaming Laurence a high five.

The stretch of Laurence’s arm bared a strip of stomach beneath the hiked lightweight white sweater. Josh blinked when he realized he’d been drawn to that flash of skin—again. He shivered, anger stiffening his spine. He was not into guys!

He slapped his book closed. “I have to go. Professor Stromburgh is too punctual to be late.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.”

He didn’t wait around to say more, or to see if a third voice joined the litany. With his pack tossed over his shoulder, he stomped into the crowd, and away from that table.

Fucking pricks. He snarled, but forced himself to calm down when he almost trampled a pair of girls turning a corner in his direction. It wasn’t that he had a problem with gays, or lesbians, or dykes, or… Hell, whatever they wanted to be called.

He did have a problem with the way he couldn’t seem to keep Laurence from getting to him. Josh was not gay.

And shit, Laurence was so gay, he glittered.

With the time it took to reach his class, he’d calmed enough to be able to listen with at least half an ear. Finals were in two days for him. He needed to concentrate.

Instead he doodled, and his mind wandered back to his first semester and the class—just the one class, thank God—that he’d shared with Laurence. Josh knew gay people, though he’d never been outwardly friendly to any before.

Laurence was the first time he’d truly been able to watch the infamous “twink” in the wild, its natural habitat. He remembered staring like Laurence was some sort of special attraction through most of the class. It was a sight Josh had never been exposed to back in Colorado.

He’d become fast friends with Gregory, and managed to avoid anything to do with Laurence that whole first semester. Then Gregory met RJ, and while he was gay, he didn’t discomfit Josh to the point of palm sterilization every thirty seconds. Like they’d been best buds their whole life, RJ and Laurence became an inseparable menace.

Josh let out a quiet breath, gazing around the room, alone in a crowd. No one was paying him the least bit of attention. Spotting the length of the final notes on the board, he tried to focus, but drifted again.

Publisher
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Excerpt:

Josh caught Laurence and wrapped him in a bear hug. Held off the floor, Laurence’s sneakers kicked the air in front of them, unable to fight Josh’s larger size or strength.

“Uncle!” Laurence gasped, laughing loud and hard.

“Put him down,” Mickie scolded coming up behind them. “Boys. You never grow up.”

“Physical hazard,” RJ blithely pointed out, sidling past the wrestling pair to not be part of the fallout.

“It’s Josh. He can’t keep his hands off me,” Laurence purred, going limp in his arms.

Josh let Laurence go so fast, he almost fell on his ass.

“Hey!” Laurence shouted, managing to not become one with the floor at the last second.

Josh tossed his hands up, backing away. “Wasn’t me,” he called out.

“Dude, wasn’t me hasn’t lived here in over ten years. Give it up.” Gregory gave him a swat on the back of the head in addition to the warning.

“Dinner!”

“Saved by the mom,” Josh groused, brushing passed an indignant Laurence.

The phantom press of a caressing hand slid down his ass as he strode by, and Josh whirled, glaring.

“Wasn’t me,” Laurence parroted, grinning like an innocent angel.

Josh lowered to growl into Laurence’s ear. “It’s on, glow stick.”

“Ooh!” Laurence cooed, his mouth tipping up at the corners. Taunting mirth and secrets darkened his eyes. “Do I get to pick out the china?”

Josh was yanked away by strong arms before he throttled Laurence as an appetizer.
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The Charlie Factor By: Diana DeRicci | Other books by Diana DeRicci Published By: Purple Sword Publications, LLC ISBN # 9781936165841 Word Count: 64752 Heat Index Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Palm DOC/iSolo, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Rocket, Epub Read More   Also available at Purple Sword Publications and other retailers, soon on Kindle.

An excerpt from the book

Gregory had the oddest urge to soothe him, to hold Charlie, ease the torment he suffered. He got the door unlocked to push it in. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” Once in, he found a light switch. He held Charlie close, his head on Gregory’s shoulder. The scent of warm skin and clean male engulfed Gregory’s senses. There was no doubt his heart was reacting to it, because his heart wasn’t alone. His skin felt flushed everywhere Charlie touched, even the harsh pants of his breathing through his shirt. Gregory pushed it away. He couldn’t think about it now. Not when Charlie was barely standing, and gritting his teeth in frustration and pain. “How are you feeling now?”

“Like I want to shoot myself,” came the flat snarl.

“Shut up.” Gregory wasn’t sure there wasn’t a level of truth to that statement, as despondent as he sounded. “You don’t have a gun, do you?”

Charlie barked a sour laugh. “No. I’m pissed, not suicidal.”

His groused reply calmed the rising fear in Gregory. “Okay. Can you stand yet?” Gregory had been embracing Charlie for a few minutes, one of Charlie’s arms clutched around Gregory’s waist for support with his own arms around Charlie’s frame. Gradually, the tremors and heaves that had rocked his body ceased.

Whether it was accidental or not, a shift of weight brought their bodies closer. Gregory froze as their lengths came together.

Charlie was sporting a hell of a boner behind his jeans. It stole Gregory’s breath away.

Charlie cleared his throat. “Yeah, I think I can now.” The raw depth of those words shook him.

They straightened, but when they should have let their arms release each other, neither did. Gregory stared into his smoldering green eyes. Daring green eyes that whispered promises and hungry desires. Things that Gregory didn’t understand and couldn’t imagine, but felt safe with Charlie. A current that kept him frozen as surges of desire swept over him.

Charlie leaned forward, just a fraction, and Gregory felt panting breath on his lips. His heart pounded. Blood raced. Skin burned. There was no doubt his cock was paying attention, because it was growing painfully hard inside his jeans.

The epiphany was startling, shocking, and confusing as hell.

He was attracted to Charlie.

But he couldn’t be. Gregory wasn’t gay.

Gregory blinked and unwound his hold. The urge to flee screamed at him. “You okay?”

Charlie’s gaze sank, gold lashes hiding him. “Yes. Thank you.” With a purposeful effort, Charlie steadied his weight on his cane, releasing Gregory’s waist completely. “Seems you’re always picking me up off the ground.”

“That’s what friends do,” he managed, trying for flippant and coming out way too tender. He sent the order to his brain to make his legs take a step away. They finally obeyed. “I better get home. Samson probably has to pee a river.”

Charlie chuckled, though it sounded forced. Slipping out the door, Gregory escaped to his still-running Jeep with long, ground-eating strides. He slammed the door closed and released a shuddering breath. The man had been turned on, and unless he needed to take Chemistry 101 again, Charlie had almost kissed him, came damned close to kissing him.

What shook Gregory’s world was that Charlie wasn’t the only one who had been feeling the attraction. The sheer want had been electric. Gregory couldn’t recall feeling the need to close the gap between his lips and Charlie’s like he had just now. Not between himself and a woman, and never with another man. A shudder rocked him as he maneuvered the Jeep onto the road.