Gnarly
Page 19
“Why would you even want to?” Ed asked gently. “I know Javi cares for you as well.”
“Beyond sex?”
“Absolutely. Somehow you’ve managed to get us both to fall in love with you. Don’t ask me how or why or when it happened. I can only tell you it’s happened.”
Iker looked dismayed. “What about you, Ed? I don’t want to ruin your relationship.”
“You won’t,” Ed said emphatically. “Javi and I have a special bond no one can break.”
“And you’re not jealous?”
“I think there’s more than enough love between the three of us to go around.”
Iker shook his head. “You’re positive?”
“Having you here is actually a relief,” Ed confessed. “Javi can be his own worst enemy, and I’m going to be away constantly. I’m too young to retire, but I can afford to work three months in a row, and then come and spend six weeks with you guys. This might go on indefinitely. And if we’re being entirely honest, the money I make as an anesthesiologist is too good to pass up. I can afford to front a lot of our business expenses with a steady paycheck.”
“I understand and wouldn’t want you to quit until you’re ready. I’m sure Javi agrees.”
“And this is why I think you should move in,” Ed said. “You guys are a good team at work and make each other happy behind closed doors. It’s a win-win no matter how you look at it. The best part is you won’t be dumping money into the hands of strangers.”
“I won’t live here for free,” Iker said adamantly.
“You and Javi can work out the details. Maybe offer to pay the utilities and monthly assessments? That’ll still be cheaper than rent. Don’t forget you’ve got two businesses to keep afloat. I would think you’d jump at the chance to save money.”
Iker pulled him close. “You’re right. Thank you for being so understanding. I love you, Ed.”
“I know you do, hon. I love you too.”
“As much as you love Javi?”
“Come on, Iker.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound needy.”
Ed silenced the apology with a kiss that would hopefully convince Iker how much he cared. He loved both his men in different ways. It was hard to explain when Ed barely understood himself. The simplest analogy would be to compare his love for Javi and Iker to his feelings for Aiden and Avery. He’d take a bullet for either of them, but some days he liked one more than the other. They had distinct personalities, despite their similar facial features. Aiden had always been malleable, and even comedic at times, while Avery was more serious, and challenged him at every turn. Regardless of who was in favor on a given day, they were both cherished, and Ed couldn’t imagine a life without his sons.
As for his lovers, Iker had a heart of gold and he was solidly reliable. Javi embodied the excitement and spontaneity missing in Ed’s life. Combined, they were one perfect man. Ed had no idea what he’d done to deserve this sort of happiness late in life, but he would do everything in his power to keep the relationship intact.
“Let’s go to bed and we can both show you how much you mean to us.”
They clasped hands and rejoined Javi in the living room.
“Is everything okay?” Javi asked.
“It will be after some TLC.”
“I can do that,” Javi said.
He opened his arms and both men fell into place seamlessly.
More from Mickie B. Ashling
Olympic figure skater Emory Lowe falls in lust the moment he lays eyes on his new neighbor, hockey player Nikolai Vetrov. On the surface, Nik is a typical badass enforcer, intimidating and dangerous, on and off the ice. The only son of Ukrainian immigrants, Nik has been groomed from childhood to fulfill his father’s dreams of seeing him in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Igor guides his son toward that goal with a controlling—and abusive—hand, steering him clear of anyone who might ruin his chances.
Although Emory is the US National Figure Skating champion, he’s in-your-face gay, and his audacious persona rubs Nik and his family the wrong way. Raised by supportive and loving parents, Emory is Nik’s polar opposite in every way but one—his desire to succeed. Underneath the fluff and glitter beats the heart of a fierce competitor, and this side of Emory’s personality begins to close the distance between the two athletes.
While the attraction is one-sided in the beginning, Nik finds himself responding to Emory’s flirting. But before the incongruous pair have a chance at any sort of relationship, they must survive the pressures of career, separation, and most importantly, Igor’s ruthless homophobia.
In June of 1978, Grady Ormond, eighteen-year-old son of diplomat Peter Ormond, accompanies his father to his new posting as US Ambassador to Pakistan. Neighboring Iran is on the brink of a civil war, with the monarchy in danger of being overthrown.
Grady will be leaving for New York City in late August to study cinematography and has been warned to keep his homosexual orientation tightly under wraps while on vacation. Repercussions in the predominantly Islamic region could be severe.
On their first night in Karachi, his father hosts a cocktail party to meet the local dignitaries. Grady is introduced to His Highness Prince Kamran Izadi, nephew of the shah of Iran. Twenty-three-year-old Kamran has recently returned from the UK, where he spent eleven years, first as a student, and then as a financial analyst.
The attraction is immediate—unforeseen and dangerously powerful—but neither one dares to make a move. Odds are so stacked against them it’s futile to even entertain a friendship, but they do, and their world tilts precariously.
With his country in turmoil and Grady about to leave for college, Kamran makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
The Open Series: Book One
Seth Wilder lost his partner of twenty years to suicide two weeks before a long-anticipated cruise. Cancellation insurance was never purchased, and Seth can’t get a refund. Bryce McFarland, his late partner’s gym buddy, appreciates his predicament, and when asked, agrees to accompany him on the trip. This way, Seth recoups the money and doesn’t have to cancel his plans. The gesture is unexpected but accepted gratefully.
The two men have nothing in common. Seth is a reclusive romance writer, and Bryce is a hard-core Grindr user with major commitment issues. Out of necessity and despite the seemingly insurmountable differences in personality, they develop a tentative rapport. As they begin their journey through the UK, Bryce helps Seth come to terms with his partner’s sudden death while Seth, in turn, discovers the root cause of Bryce’s phobia.
Shipboard romances rarely work. Sensible men resist, sexual tension notwithstanding. But a full moon and late summer breezes lend themselves to the impossible situation, barriers are crossed, and a love affair is kindled.
Sequel to Open Seating
The Open Series: Book Two
By the time Seth Wilder and Bryce McFarland return to Chicago after their UK cruise, they’re halfway in love. They decide to move in together to see if their feelings can survive in the real world.
Seth receives word that a mandatory autopsy was performed on his late partner because his death was a suicide. The medical examiner’s findings are disturbing and leave some doubt as to the underlying cause of death.
Because of the suicide clause, life insurance benefits had been denied, but in light of these new findings, Seth’s lawyer advises him to appeal. The insurance investigator turns out to be the man who broke Bryce’s heart twenty-five years ago. The guy has fallen on hard times, and when he sees how successful Bryce has become—and how large Seth’s potential payout might be—he decides he wants a piece of the pie. Bryce and Seth’s new relationship is severely tested in this second novel in the Open Series.
Sequel to Open House
The Open Series: Book Three
Seth Wilder and Bryce McFarland deal with the aftermath of Owen Lightfoot’s destructive rampage. Once again, the insurance company denies the life insurance benefit despite the compel
ling evidence regarding the underlying cause of Mark’s death. However, they acknowledge their former employee’s complicity in the multiple crimes that have blindsided Seth and Bryce. They settle to keep their name out of the news, offering the couple a million dollars apiece, which they accept.
Owen learns of the big payoff and is determined to get his cut. Just when Bryce and Seth think it is all over, Owen reappears, and what follows tests the very limits of their endurance. Through the help of friends and relatives, Seth and Bryce find the strength to keep their relationship intact while seeking out the best way to stop Owen once and for all.
MICKIE B. ASHLING is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.
By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.
She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut-wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.
Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.
Email: mickie.ashling@gmail.com
Website: mickieashling.com
Blog: mickiebashling.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mickie.ashling
Twitter: @MickieAshling
By Mickie B. Ashling
Enforcing Emory
Gnarly
Mayon
One Pulse (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Yesterday
BASQUE TRILOGY
Loving Edits
Tono
Momentos: Mick’s Journey
BAY AREA PROFESSIONALS
Impacted!
Bonds of Love
Fractured
Forged in Trust
CUTTING CORDS
Cutting Cords
Vessel
Cleave
Cutting Out
HORIZONS SERIES
Horizons
Taste
Daddio
Chyna Doll
THE OPEN SERIES
Open Seating
Open House
Open Case
POLO
Fire Horse
Ride-Off
The Sixth Chukker
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Gnarly
© 2017 Mickie B. Ashling.
Cover Art
© 2017 Brooke Albrecht.
http://brookealbrechtstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-677-1
Published June 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America