Much Ado About…Everything! An Excerpt from Beasts of Burden
Wow. The past week has been BUSY. Where to begin? Halloween, though fun, took time out of the writing schedule. I did manage to turn in a project at the beginning of the month, but that led to some downtime while I tried to come up with and idea for the new project.
Good news! The new project is rolling. I’m also doing edits for another novella, and then I’m on track to complete more edits and some new stories mulling around in my mind.
Oh, and I updated the coming soon page. So feel free to check out information on Making the Grade and Bending the Rules, coming in the spring and summer of 2014.
Now, enough of my blathering. Here’s an excerpt from Beasts of Burden, a brand new story which releases next week as part of the Ever After anthology. Enjoy!
♥
He and Avarr remained by Freya’s side in Sessrumnir for a few hours before she left the festivities.
She stopped in the hallway bridging the party from the rest of the palace. “Thank you, my pets. You’ve been wonderful, as usual.” She kissed Hall’s cheek, then Avarr’s. Heat strummed from her touch to Hall’s groin, making it impossible not to think of sex. Of Eira.
“Almost. You’re so very, very close.” She gave him and Avarr a look he didn’t understand. And then in a blink, she vanished.
“I really hate the pop-out. As much as the pop-in.” Avarr cupped himself. “Fuck, I’m hard. Let’s get out of here.”
Hall agreed wholeheartedly. “You said it.”
They left the hall and took a few side stairs to the warriors’ wing. Mostly falcons and eagles were in residence, but they passed a trio of battle-cats as well. Good men, fighters who knew how to hold their instincts in check, to hunt when needed, and how to embrace their felines and seriously nap when the mood struck.
He and Avarr entered their chamber, and Hall finally relaxed. Though still half-hard, the walk had pretty much cured his erection. Even as thoughts of Eira brought it back.
“This wait is killing me. She’d better be worth it.” He tore off his shirt, suddenly overheated, and flung himself back on his bed, a handsome construct big enough to fit three of him.
“Hmm.” He heard Avarr moving around the room. “I think I know what’s been holding us back.”
Exhausted after being on constant guard all day, Hall mumbled, “Oh?” before letting himself drift in a relaxing haze.
“Yeah, but I’m going to fix it.”
The bed dipped, and Hall blinked up into dark eyes as Avarr descended. “Avarr?”
When his friend’s lips touched his, Hall froze. Though they’d engaged in sex together with others, they normally didn’t touch each other all that much. Not like this. But the contact turned him rock hard, and he was kissing his best friend back.
Then Avarr’s hand snaked between them, and Hall forgot everything but how fucking good it felt to be in the arms of someone he loved.
Avarr had been holding back for a long time, and bless his goddess, she’d known but had never said anything. He’d loved Hall forever, since the day they’d first met as cubs three hundred and seven years ago. Over the years, that affection had deepened. First friends, then brothers, then into an abridged friendship. They were warriors who fought for each other, had each other’s backs, but Avarr felt nothing brotherly in his lust for Hall.
As big as Avarr and as strong, Hall was everything Avarr wanted in a partner. The notion Avarr wouldn’t have to hold back with Hall enthralled him. Hall had the sexiest mouth, and Avarr had dreamed about coming between those lips, about watching his best friend receive his seed with enjoyment, desire. Love.
But Hall had never made any mention of reciprocal feelings. Though they’d shared lovers before, both women and men, Hall seemed to prefer women. In the past few decades, one particular woman. Avarr mirrored the sentiment wholeheartedly. Still, wanting Eira didn’t take away from the fact he wanted Hall too.
The kiss was everything he’d dreamed it could be. At first soft, then harder, hungrier. Hall didn’t push him away, throw him off or deny him. Excited to the point that he feared coming too soon, Avarr eased back to stare into Hall’s beloved brown eyes. That strong face full of hard planes and angles, so fierce and familiar.
“Avarr?” The soft question pulled at him.
“Aye. It’s me.”
Hall nodded, but Avarr didn’t know if his friend understood. He seemed caught in the same lust as Avarr, and Avarr prayed Freya hadn’t done something to him to make him respond. This had to be honest. A true sharing. More than fucking, Avarr planned to make love to Hall. In every way possible. He understood that until he’d been open with Hall, they could never truly share Eira. And like Hall, he wanted that more than anything… Well, almost anything.
BEASTS OF BURDEN
