Welcome Guest Blogger Kathryn Lively!!!

It’s Tuesday and I am pleased to welcome Guest Blogger Kathryn Lively to the Romance Junkies Blog. She’s been gone a bit, but she’s back now and we are thrilled to have her join us.

Please give Kathryn a warm Junkies welcome!! 

Hello, Romance Junkies! Thank you for allowing me to visit today. After
nearly a year of self-imposed exile, I’m pleased to have an original
release through Phaze Books http://www.phaze.com to share with M/M
readers.Why, Why, Zed? is part of the Urban Phaze lines, stories set in big cities
with big passions, and mine is Toronto.

Click here
http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Why+Why+Zed? to order this sizzling M/M short for only $2. And while you’re here, how about an excerpt and a contest (see the bottom)?

BLURB: A cryptic phone call to Cameron “Zed” Zedmore’s cell reveals a plot
to steal away Zed’s live-in love, Nick. Devestating the thought of
infidelity is, Zed realizes he can’t blame Nick for being tempted to
stray, as Zed’s work has kept him in the lab, and out of their bed, for
long hours.

Nick loves Zed, but isn’t crazy about being a “house husband” anymore. He
has needs Zed won’t meet, and when another friend offers help in that
department, Nick is tempted to accept. But then Zed comes home early…

* * * *

Just in time.

Across the living room, through the feathery, fake plant strands in the
vase on the back couch table, he could see two heads poking up from the
patio loveseat. They bobbed and rolled in the unmistakable synchronous rhythm of an intimate act. Zed detected no other activity beyond that—he
couldn’t tell if Nick had a hand pressed to Danny’s alleged bulge—or vice
versa. Were that the case, it would end now.A pang seized his heart, and he swallowed the bitterness rising in his throat. To see the actual infidelity, or at least the beginnings of it, bothered him more than expected. He didn’t think he could stomach the
scene had he arrived ten minutes later, assuming progression to something
more hardcore would take that long. His first instinct to charge forward,
like the lover scorned, faded quickly. His indifference toward the
relationship caused this—Zed knew he had no right to be completely angry.
He brought this on himself, and it was up to him to make amends.He backtracked silently to the open front door then guided it forcefully
to a foundation-shimmering slam. “Nick?” he called out in question, trying
not to sound too eager, “You around?”

He knew, of course, where to look and what to find. Those resting heads,
once joined at the lips, had now positioned themselves on opposite ends of
the couch. Sotto voce, curses filled the closing gap between him and the
patio along with the sound of a foot scraping the concrete—no doubt, a
last minute attempt to hide any visual evidence of the pungent smoke
filling Zed’s nostrils.

At least, it seemed, it was good stuff.

A large, opened bag of tortilla chips rested on Danny’s lap. Zed wanted to
snicker, thinking of the surprise crinkling the bottom of the bag, inward.
Nick crossed his legs tightly and blinked several times, but Zed could
tell his lover was clearly riding the high that encouraged his earlier,
and potential, behavior.

“Hey, you,” Nick’s voice cracked with worry. “I didn’t expect you back so
soon.”

“I had a sudden change of heart,” Zed said pleasantly. He chose to ignore
the lip of the bong, peeking from the ruffled dust skirt of the ottoman,
and moved around so he could face the two men. They resembled guilty
teenagers with their heads bowed, caught red-handed, red-eyed, and
purple-cocked. “Nice day to be sitting outside,” he observed, gazing
toward the spacious backyard.

“Yeah, I figured you’d be on the course all afternoon,” Nick mumbled. “I
called you at work when your cell was busy.”

“I did too, but on the way there, I decided there are better things I
could do with my time.” He looked at Danny, narrowing his gaze.
“Unfortunately… Danny, is it?” He should have taken more care to know the
men Nick chose for friends.

Danny looked away in silent escape, as though affirming his identity might
secure some kind of punishment. Finally, a short nod bowed his head.

“Danny, I had hoped to spend some quality time with Nick, alone. I don’t
mean to be rude.”

“Not at all.” Danny’s response came swiftly, matching his sprightly leap
from the love seat. Brushing off tortilla crumbs, he smiled at Nick and
made a phone gesture to his ear with his left hand. “See ya.”

Yeah, we’ll be changing our phone numbers later tonight. Zed only smiled
and waved. “Later,” he said, a bit too placating. He waited for the front
door to slam before turning his gaze on Nick, who cowered and hugged
himself for protection. “Why are you sitting like that?”

“Are you going to hit me?” He sounded small and frightened. Had to be the
weed enhancing his lover’s paranoia, Zed decided. He had never raised a
hand to anybody, especially Nick. The mere suggestion made Zed feel
guiltier for his recent neglect.

He knelt before Nick and placed a hand on his bouncing knee. “Why would
you even think such a thing?” he gently chided. “Have I ever done anything
to suggest I could become violent with you?”

“No,” Nick said, looking somewhat remorseful for having asked the
question. Zed could sense, though, the next words forming on the man’s
lips. At least if you hit me, you’d be touching me. Wrapping himself in
his own concerns at work really had put the burden of loneliness on Nick
if negative attention was preferred over none at all.

Zed smoothed the palm of his hand down Nick’s bare calf, then back up his
thigh, to the cuff of his shorts. His touch left a visible trail of raised
flesh and Zed watched the skin quiver. Farther back, the bulge tenting
Nick’s shorts increased. A few minutes later, that delicious cock might
have been in another man’s mouth.

Just in time. He’d come home to stop to Nick from making a mistake and to
rectify his own.

“I love you, Nick, from the day we met. I’m sorry for shutting you out
like I have these last few months.”

Nick straightened a bit, his features softening.

Zed squeezed his eyes shut, mentally forcing back his next words. He
wouldn’t blame any of this on Nick. He wasn’t going to ask Nick why he
hadn’t made his feelings known. Lost in his fog, he wouldn’t have noticed
any signals from his lover. Most assuredly, Nick had said or done
something, but he just didn’t acknowledge it.

He would enjoy making up for lost time and see that Nick did the same.

“Let me see that gorgeous body of yours,” Zed whispered.

Nick looked unsure of himself at first, as though surprised to hear such a
proposition. Zed bit back a laugh when Nick apparently recovered from his
shyness and let his shirt slip over his head, flying to one side. The
rhythmic rise and fall of Nick’s bare chest—tanned and smooth—hypnotized
Zed, and his mouth watered at the prospect of taking one of those taut,
pebbled nipples between his lips.

“That’s all?” he teased. Nick retaliated by easing slowly to his feet and
undoing the button and fly of his cutoffs. Off came Nick’s underwear then,
and Zed was pleased to spy a patch of dark hair concealing Nick’s
reddening shaft.

“Turn around.”

* * * *

Hope you’ll pick it up today.

To celebrate the release of Why, Why, Zed?, I’m having a free drawing!
Winner receives one download of any of my books with Phaze, Samhain, or
Liquid Silver Books, and an online gift certificate to Lindt Chocolates.

To enter, just drop an email at kspatwriter (at) yahoo (dot) com with the
subject JULY DRAWING. Deadline to enter is July 20 and winner will be
drawn on the 21st. 18 and older, please. Good luck!