✰ Bianca ✰ Janeane ✰
• Standalone M/M Romance
• It's a complete standalone, but it is slightly connected to the True North Series and the upcoming Vino & Veritas Series! It goes back in time to the moment between Bountiful and Speakeasy!
Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.
I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is
a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight
years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him
nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who
noticed.
Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other
part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I
could lose everything.
Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and
I will feed you homemade bread.
I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no
wonder my new landlord is so wary of me.
A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from the broody
lumberjack. He may want more from me than another fresh-baked pretzel. But if I
push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.
Too bad
I’ve never been smart with my heart…
We're back in Vermont in the Shipley Universe.
This time we read about cousin Kieran.
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN!!! ☺
So adorable!
But also so very heartbreaking with those unloving parents. Ugh. I hate those. I want my book parents to be amazing - at least one pair of them. But here both sucked most of the time!
I also wouldn't mind seeing this on Netflix one day!
Can't wait to get more Vermont soon!
Back at home, I do all the chores and then some.
First I put the cows in the north pasture. Moving cows is
easy enough in good weather. It only requires me to move the portable fence and
wave them through the opening. “Go on, enjoy,” I say as they file past me
eagerly. Our herd is grass fed, and they don’t need to be asked twice. The
long, seedy grass and corn stalks I’m offering are like a recently freshened,
all-you-can-eat buffet.
Let’s face it—the cows are easier to handle than any of my
family members. They go where they’re needed, no questions asked. But my
dog—Rexie—gives the cows a nice loud woof just to pretend he’s working hard.
After the cow parade, I close up the fence and turn the
electricity on. After that, I spend forty-five minutes raking cow shit out of
the lower farmyard in the dark.
It’s boring drudge work, and my mind starts to wander. And,
fuck, it wanders right to Roderick Waites—the guy who climbed out of a blue
Volkswagen and right back into my brain.
I wish I could say I haven’t thought about him since high
school, but that would be a lie. And if I were a more spiritual person, I’d
probably interpret Roderick’s reappearance in town as a sign. A wakeup call.
Nobody knows all the tangled things in my brain, but for a
split second when I was a teenager, Roderick came close to learning one of my
biggest secrets.
The first time I saw him on his knees in front of another
guy, it was an accident.
It was autumn then, too. I’d been at a high school football
game. It was chilly that night and, last second before leaving for the game,
I’d grabbed my dad’s jacket from the hook by the door. After shoving my hands
into the pockets while standing on the windy sidelines, I’d found a flask of
whiskey. My father must have last worn the jacket when he was sitting out in
the deer blind with his pals. Bonus.
But, of course, I’d had to sneak around to find a place to
take a taste.
Leaving the crowd and the game, I ducked inside the door to
the school’s gym. Under the cover of the bleachers, I drew out my dad’s flask,
and unscrewed the top. Just as I raised it to my lips, I froze at the sound of
whispered voices. Whoever was speaking had entered the gym at the other end of
the bleachers.
Their shadowy figures weren’t easily visible. But I guessed
it was a couple looking for a little privacy for a make-out session. And since
a couple sneaking off together wasn’t a threat to me, I stood my ground.
I took a swallow of my father’s hooch. My first sip wasn’t
life-changing—it burned going down and made my eyes water—it’s what happened
next that changed everything.
After screwing the lid on the flask and pocketing it, I
ducked out of the gym and into the hallway. Feeling nosy, I walked toward the
gym’s other entrance, noiseless in my Nikes. When I reached the door, I eased
into a position that allowed me to spy on the couple I’d heard whispering to
each other. They were silent now, and I wanted to know why.
When I saw who it was, I swear my heart almost stopped. A
varsity soccer player—Jared Harvey—stood beneath the bleachers, bracing his
hands on a tread overhead. Roderick Waites knelt in front of him, unzipping
Jared’s jeans.
You can bet I didn’t even blink for the next five minutes…
↓ LINKS TO THE BOOK & AUTHOR ↓
Hockey #5
🍎🍏🍎 True North Book #1 🍎🍏🍎
