Author Bio:
Jessica Freely can't
resist a wounded hero. As a reader and a writer, her favorite stories
are of soul mates finding redemption in each other's arms. Married to
the love of her life in a beautiful relationship based on mutual
goofiness, Jessica also warps minds as an instructor in Seton Hill
University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program. Her dog, Ruthie,
doesn't seem to care that Jessica's an award-winning and best-selling
author in multiple genres. She just wants to play tug of war with
Jessica's pages.
Author Links -
Jessica Freely
Online:
Book Genre: Paranormal Gay
Romance
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: April 22
Buy Link(s):
Loose
Id Buy Link:
Book Description:
Lake Clearwater--conservation officer
and water spirit--has just been appointed guardian of Gem Pond by The
Powers That Be. It's the first time in eight years he's had a real
home and he's determined to protect it, even if that means hiding his
attraction to his sexy new partner, Forrest Oakwood.
Forrest is a native of the Gem Pond
area and the guardian of its trees. He knows the land and its people
are a crucial lynchpin in the natural order. He also knows that if he
comes out, his boss in the DNR, Sgt. Dennison, will find an excuse to
fire him. But ignoring his true nature was a lot easier before Lake
Clearwater showed up. The man's a walking, talking wet dream.
Meanwhile, local residents--human and
animal alike--conspire to bring Lake and Forrest together. The land
needs its guardians united and at their full power. Dennison wants to
cut down the trees to make room for water slides and tennis courts.
If Forrest and Lake don't embrace their passion for each other,
they'll be unable to stop him and that would be a disaster, not just
for Gem Pond but for the entire natural world.
Excerpt One:
It was full dark
and snowing by the time Forrest finished his report. He stood up with
a groan and stretched his stiff muscles.
Clearwater sat at
the kitchen table, playing a game of solitaire. He looked up as
Forrest entered and smiled. “Want some soup? I made it myself.”
Forrest wandered
to the stove and sniffed suspiciously at the simmering pot. It
actually smelled pretty good. “What is it?”
“Lentil.”
“Vegetarian,
right?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t
mean it’s not delicious. Here, let me get you a bowl. Sit down.
What do you want to drink?”
Forrest allowed
himself to be herded over to the table.
A few minutes
later, Lake set a plate with bread and butter beside him, poured him
a glass of milk, and set a steaming bowl of lentil soup before him.
It was kind of like being a kid again only…
Only Lake didn’t
look anything like his mom. He sat down opposite Forrest now, tucking
his long blond hair behind his ears. His green eyes gleamed as he
waited for Forrest’s reaction.
Forrest took a
spoonful. Flavors of sage, rosemary, and garlic burst across his
tongue, borne by the silken seduction of pulverized lentils.
“Mmmmmm.”
Lake sat back,
looking like a bear with a piece of honeycomb. “Good, huh?”
He nodded, but
apprehension stole in upon him. “You trying to convert me,
Clearwater?”
Lake widened his
eyes as if to feign innocence. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Like hell. Forrest
enjoyed the soup anyway.
* * * *
As he washed the
dishes, Forrest’s thoughts returned to the events of the night
before. He remembered Clearwater’s body stretched out in the bed,
naked and tan, all long lines and flat planes. As he washed his
supper dishes, his fingers tingled, remembering the silken texture of
that warm, smooth skin. How he wanted to touch those rose-pink
nipples, tease them, and watch them become erect, and then dip his
head down, circling each one with the tip of his tongue as
Clearwater’s gasps and moans of pleasure bathed his ears.
“Think I’ll
turn in early and do some reading,” Clearwater said.
Forrest started,
dropped the soapy bowl, and splashed water all over his shirt.
Clearwater
laughed. “Sorry.”
“Just not used
to having someone else around.” That should have been someone so
hot around. Forrest fought to quell his burgeoning erection.
Silence.
Clearwater was still there. No footsteps announced his departure. But
he didn’t say anything. What was he doing? Embarrassment and
irritation doused Forrest’s libido, and he was able to turn around
without humiliating himself.
Clearwater stood
in the doorway, staring at him.
“What?”
“Officer
Riverbend… Not much of a talker?”
The understatement
forced a smile to Forrest’s lips. “You could say that.”
Clearwater nodded.
“I’ll try not to overwhelm you with my relentless chitchat.”
“That’s not
what I meant. I just… I don’t know. It’s just…” What was
wrong with him? Why couldn’t he complete a sentence?
“It’s a
change.”
“Yeah.”
They stared at
each other in silence. Forrest felt the stillness of the winter night
settle around them.
Suddenly
Clearwater drew a deep breath and turned away. “Well, good night.”
“Good night.”
Forrest finished up the dishes.
Yawning, he went into the bedroom and grabbed his PJs. Clearwater was
already in bed. One rosebud nipple peeked out from beneath the
blanket as he lay on his back, reading a book. No pajama top. What
about the bottoms?
