MY STRANGE LITTLE OASIS #2: BOTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE

MY STRANGE LITTLE OASIS #2: BOTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE by Steven Kerry

Book 2 in the My Strange Little Oasis trilogy

Go, the voice of the spirit whispers to Ren Gallagher.

Ren fears he will only be rejected at The Oh Aces due to his disfigured face, but yearns for relief from the suicidal depression and social isolation he is sure will kill him in time.

At The Oh Aces Ren finds its members, The Aces, are like brothers, and share such a blazing sexual bond they happily “eat together and then eat one another.” To his surprise, what he doesn’t find is rejection.

However, a gifted psychic named Andy wants more than just sex with Ren. He wants to win Ren’s love by helping him out of the abyss of his depression. But Ren soon fears he has a stalker of the worst kind: one who wants his body and invades his mind.

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.



On his way out of the club Ren said goodnight to Lee, Benjy, and a few of the other Aces sitting at the snack bar, and he wondered if he would ever return.

As he walked out the door, he glanced at the red light at the entrance. This time, instead of seeming to wink at him, it appeared weak and faded as though its bulb was burning out. Ren drew closer to the light, and it sputtered briefly, then crackled back to life with renewed energy. For all its tacky, artless simplicity it’s somehow perfect, Ren found himself thinking. In its way it seemed to symbolize so many things at once: sex, lust, heat, the allure of the forbidden ... everything that nearly two decades of disease and death had destroyed or diminished in a community. He then looked at the ivy-covered brick walls of the club’s exterior, telling himself he should never return, yet knowing he probably would, although he definitely needed to avoid Andy.

“Quite an odd little outpost, isn’t it?,” a man suddenly said, startling Ren.

“What?” Ren replied. The man stood beside a glistening blue Ford pick-up truck that looked brand new. Ren recognized him as the guy with the amazing muscled chest, the one who never took his shirt off in the club, much to his disappointment.

“It’s just a funky little outpost that’s somehow managed to survive just like we have. Pretty amazing, huh? So are you coming or going?”

“Oh ... well ...” Ren said, caught like a deer beneath the all too bright security lamp of the small parking lot. He stepped out of its direct glare. “I’m going ... because I already ... came.”

The guy laughed. “ I’ll bet you did. Good for you. I like that. That’s what it’s there for, a little bit o’ joy in the wilderness. I was kind of hoping you were just getting here though.”

“Really?” Ren said, dubious.

“Sure. I don’t want you to think I’m a snob. I’m a friendly guy. I’ve seen you in there. I just never had the opportunity to say hi. You’re always ... busy.”

Ren shook his head and looked away shyly. “You must be kidding. I have a reserved seat at the far back corner of the patio. I probably look like a mannequin.”

“Yeah, but that horn dog who thinks he’s Merlin the Magician always seems to dominate your time. I never get a chance. Anyway, if I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?”

And he smiled this great, warm smile that made him look super-woofy. Ren was expecting the What’s Wrong With This Picture look by now, especially considering the bright lighting in the lot. Damn, he thought. Why couldn’t we have met in the club? I feel so fucking naked out here.

“Sorry,” the guy said sheepishly. “That was pretty lame, I guess. It’s the title of some country song I heard on KZLA. Anyway, I really have been wanting to talk to you a little in the club. Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

“That’s too bad. I kind of like nasty animals,” Ren said.

The man chuckled. “ Oh well, maybe we can talk sometime soon. I think I’ll be here Friday night if you’re around.”

Ren looked at him, not sure whether to feel flattered or confused.

“What’s your name?”

“Ren.”

“Hey Ren, I’m Gust. Nice t’ meet you.”

“Gus?” Ren asked. What’s with all the old geezer names in this place? he thought. Barney ... Cornell ... Gus ... isn’t anybody named Billy or Josh or “Mikester” like they are in bars or chat rooms?

“No. It’s Gust. Like a ‘gust’ of wind. And please don’t say what that goofy psychic who’s always talking to you on the patio always says to me: ‘Hey Gust, you blowing or wanna get blown tonight?’ And then he cackles like some demented hyena. That guy’s got more tricks up his sleeve than I got in the seventies. He gives me the creeps.”

“Me too,” Ren replied immediately. “ I thought I was the only one ...”

“Hardly. Oh, well, hey, I don’t wanna hang you up out here since you’re leavin’. Maybe I’ll see you on Friday night if you can make it. That would be nice.”

“Sure” Ren replied. “Maybe I’ll see you.” By now he had gradually scooted well outside the glare of the security lamp and was a little more comfortable.

Gust noticed this, but remained in the light himself, a short distance from Ren, not wanting to seem too aggressive or overbearing. “And maybe I’ll see you,” he replied, smiling winsomely. “Have a good night.” Gust headed toward the entrance to the club.

LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK

SEEING THINGS by Jana Richards

SEEING THINGS by Jana Richards

There's nothing more frightening then knowing a child could die. Except perhaps being unable to prevent it from happening.

When psychic Leah McKenna "sees" the abduction of a small boy, she knows she must help find him, no matter the danger to herself.

David Logan, the boy's uncle, doesn't believe in psychic phenomenon. He believes Leah knows who kidnapped his nephew, and plans to stick close to her to discover the truth.

As they search for Jeremy they uncover truths about themselves and the way they feel about each other. Can Leah convince him her visions, and her love for him, are real before time runs out for all of them?

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt:

Leah's young audience cheered and clapped. She laughed with them, their exuberance infectious.
Contentment flowed through her as she watched their happy faces. How lucky she was to have a job that let her work with kids on a daily basis.

"Okay everyone, we're going to read one more book before snack time. This is one of my absolute favorite--"

The ground suddenly shifted beneath her as daylight turned to darkness...

Leah trembled on the edge of consciousness, trapped in the shimmer of light that marked the onset of one of her visions. She wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. The visions had been absent for two years, since the tragedy that had shaken the foundations of her world. She'd started to believe that she had finally been left in peace. Now that peace shattered into a thousand tiny shards.

The ringing in her ears reached a crescendo. Waves of panic and nausea rolled through her stomach. All traces of her normal, everyday life disappeared. In the next instant she was transported onto a quiet residential street. Leah shivered in the cold, rubbing her hands across her arms to warm herself.

The bare branches of stately elms canopied the snow-covered street, which was lined with older two- and three-story homes. The street looked familiar, almost like her own neighborhood in Winnipeg, the city on the Canadian prairies where she lived. A small boy wearing a winter parka and a bright blue knitted hat walked towards a deserted school.

Oh God, please not another child.

A car stopped at the curb. A man got out and stepped toward the boy, his hand outstretched. The boy shook his head at first and attempted to go around him, but after a few steps, he turned around. He listened with rapt attention. Finally he reached for the man's hand and together they walked to the car.

Leah tried to scream at the boy to run, but no sound would come from her closed throat. Her heart hammered in her chest as she helplessly watched the car pull away with the boy staring out the back window.

As suddenly as it appeared the scene vanished.

When Leah's sight cleared, ten pairs of anxious four-year-old eyes stared at her with a mixture of curiosity and fear. She knew only seconds had elapsed, though the vision had seemed to pass in a slow, dreamlike state. She took a deep calming breath, remembering that this was Friday and she was in the Winnipeg Public Library where she worked. Her regular Friday morning story-hour group sat in a semi-circle in front of her. Relief flooded through her when she caught sight of a well-worn copy of Peter Rabbit beside her on the floor, and she remembered they'd been about to read it. She picked up the book with trembling fingers, the familiar feel of it giving her a much-needed sense of normalcy.

"Okay everyone.” She forced a smile, hoping to reassure the children. "When we finish the story it's snack time."

She struggled to keep the panic at bay.

Why now, after two years? Why couldn't these visions leave her alone? All she wanted was a normal life like everyone else.

But as she finished reading the book and watched the children jump up and head toward the snack table, she knew instinctively that what passed for normal in her life had just been irrevocably altered.


LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK

NEVER AS IT SEEMS by Shiloh Walker

NEVER AS IT SEEMS by Shiloh Walker

Three years after he walked away and broke her heart, Leo is back in Chloe's life and that's the last place she wants him. Not that she has any choice in the matter. She's in big trouble. She needs somebody to watch her back, and he's the "somebody".

Three years ago, Chloe dumped a bombshell in Leo's lap. I'm psychic, she told him. As if he was supposed to believe that. His world is black and white, and he doesn't buy into that mumbo-jumbo. Walking away from her damn near killed him, but he couldn't be with somebody he couldn't trust.

His new job? Keep Chloe safe. That's it. He's not supposed to touch her. He's not supposed to make love to her. He's not supposed to want her...need her...love her. But he can't stop thinking about her, can't stop dreaming about her. Now that she's back in his life, he can't keep his hands off her either.

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

EXCERPT:

Swearing, he tried to remind himself where he was. Why he was here.

Who he was with.

But that didn’t help.

This was Chloe and she’d always been his weakness.

“Chloe,” he muttered.

She dragged her lashes up and the sultry, female hunger he saw there laid him low.

Groaning, he dipped his head and slanted his mouth over hers.

Three years. Three long, aching, empty years.

She kept her mouth closed, kept her hands clenched in fists at her sides.

Growling, he licked the seam of her lips, nuzzling them.

She whimpered. Her body swayed against his. Her hands came up, still clenched into tight fists, and rested against his chest. He could feel the heat of them through his shirt and he wanted her to open those hands, smooth them down his chest, all over his body, really. Wanted to feel them unzipping his jeans, slipping inside and closing over his cock.

Just the thought was enough to make his cock jerk in response. Make him grit his teeth and snarl a curse against her lips. Lifting his head, he stared at her through slitted eyes. Fisting a hand in her hair, he tugged on the short, silky strands and muttered, “Open for me, sweet girl. I’m dying to taste you.”

Chloe shuddered.

Her lashes lifted and he found himself staring into eyes that burned hot, hungry…and all too clear, despite that hunger. “This isn’t smart, Leo. We both know that.” Her voice was whiskey rough, shaky with need.

“So the fuck what?” He couldn’t care less about being smart. He cared about the fact that she was here. With him again, after three years. He crowded against her until she was against the railing and then he leaned into her, shuddering as her soft, slender body cradled his. Fuck, she felt so right.

So perfect.

She’d always felt so fucking right.

So how had everything gone so wrong?
LIKED THE EXCERPT??? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK