✰ Bianca ✰ Janeane ✰
From award-winning author Garrett Leigh comes a gorgeous new romance in the True North world! Think: great food, burly men and good times. Beards are optional but encouraged.
I’m not the obvious choice to run Burlington’s coolest wine bar—quiet, brooding, clueless about tannin content, and always one wrong turn away from another downward spiral.
But no one seems to mind that I'm a wreck. Besides me. I just focus on getting through each shift until the night a beautiful stranger appears, looking as lost and damaged as I feel.
When a mutual friend calls in a favor, the sexy newcomer winds up crashing on my couch. I don't know if it's his melodic Cornish accent, or his ocean blue eyes, or the rock-hard body with the mysterious scars, but I get the feeling whatever happened to him runs far deeper than those wounds.
Having Jax in my home makes my chest warm. Makes me shiver. Makes me want more. But I've got a pile of baggage and I don't want to be a burden on anyone let alone a man who seems to have enough demons of his own.
Our chemistry is off the charts. His arms feel like home. The last thing I want is to screw this up. Is it wrong to hope we can heal each other? Or will one of us die trying?
Jax kisses me. In my wildest dreams I’m expecting it, but it
still catches me off guard. His lips are soft, but demanding, and there’s
nothing I don’t want to give him.
So I kiss him back.
I slide my hands under his layers of winter clothing and
pull him close, and we kiss and kiss and kiss as if it isn’t the first time
we’ve done it.
His lips feel like home.
His soft touch dances along my jaw.
I want to kiss him forever, but we run out of air.
Startled, I draw back and instantly find myself lost in
Jax’s blazing stare. His gaze usually calms me—it really is like the deepest,
bluest ocean. But right now, his eyes are stormy and hot. I want to dive back
in headfirst, and for once what I want makes sense.
And it’s right here. I don’t need words. I stand, cup a hand
around the back of his neck, and kiss him again. Jax makes another low sound,
and the fact that he’s spent the night in my bed to babysit me stops mattering.
Shadows fade. Heat draws us ever closer, and it’s easy to pretend we spent all
night doing this. I can’t contemplate that it has to end.
But it does end.
Jax pulls back with a rueful smile, cheeks flushed,
breathing hard. “I have to go. I promised Jerry I wouldn’t be late again.”
The mention of Jerry jars something in my brain enough to
form a sentence that has nothing to do with how fast my heart is beating. “How
did last night go?”
“Okay, I think.” Jax steps away. “Dude talked so much I
stopped listening, but the apartment was all right. I can move in whenever I
want.”
I should be happy for him. I am happy for him. He didn’t
deserve to lose all his things in the hostel fire, and it sucks he had to take
help from a stranger when he needed so badly to depend on himself. But I’m still
dazed from his kiss. I say the first thing that comes into my head. Raw. No
filter. “I’m gonna miss you.”
He gives me a soft grin. “I’ll miss you too.”
Then he leaves, and the reality that it might be the last
time we do this hits me like a train. Jerry’s buddy’s apartment is probably
outside of the city, closer to where Jax needs to be for his work. It isn’t a
million miles away—nothing in Vermont ever is—but it’s not waking up to find
Jax in my bed. It’s not drinking his weird tea together or eating dinner on the
couch with him. It’s not opening my eyes every morning to feel the comforting
hum of his presence.
It’s not being there to let him know, every day, that he
fucking matters.
So tell him now.
I lurch from my bed and snag a T-shirt from the clean
laundry pile I haven’t even thought about putting away. My shoes are by the
front door. I stamp into them and fish my keys from the dish. Then I make a run
for it down the stairs and out into the morning gloom.
The sidewalk is icy from the plummeting temperatures that
are starting to move in from the mountains. But I’m a Vermonter; I know how to
handle that shit. I dash to the parking lot where Jax is waiting for Jerry, his
broad back to me as he contemplates the ground.
A straight guy gives gay hookup tips to a virgin. What could go wrong?
When I first met Whit, I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. He’s a hockey player, and I hate everything to do with the sport that broke my heart.
But I can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. He’s newly out and desperate to meet someone, but his eagerness seems to scare potential hook-ups away.
Agreeing to be his wingman should’ve been simple. Watching him flirt with other guys made things complicated.
Whit challenges me in every aspect of my life, from my hatred of hockey to the new questions I’m asking myself. Like why a straight man suddenly can’t stop thinking about kissing another guy.
I think the answer lies somewhere on Whit’s lips...
26 year old Rainn used to be a famous college Hockey player here in Burlington. But after one too many surgeries no NHL team wanted anything to do with him. His dream died. And his life kinda did too. He’s now working at Vino & Veritas in both the bookstore and the bar.
Enter Whit. He’s four years younger and currently the star on the local Hockey team. But it's not his dream to be a hockey pro. He can't wait to be done with college to go work on the family farm with his brother.
He‘s very new in the gay world and ready to get laid for the first time.
And he’s also very attracted to straight Rainn.
Who appoints himself as his wingman, so that the poor boy can finally lose his V-card.
It doesn’t take long for the straight guy to have some weird feelings for the gay guy. LOL!
Poor Whit is trying so hard to start his best gay life. And Rain is trying to help. But of course we know it’s all in vain, because we know they’ll fall for each other. Just adorable. I loved watching them trying to not be attracted to each other. So funny and cute and ugh… I just adored those two. Of course it’s not all cute and sparky and sexy. They both – but especially Rainn – have a lot of stuff to figure out still. Future. Job. Dreams. Hopes. Love.
A steady stream of drink orders keeps me busy for a solid
half hour, but that doesn’t stop me from noticing Whit moving around the room
to flirt with guys. Ultimately, from what I can see, he strikes out and wanders
back to me during a lull.
He sits at a stool and bangs his head on the countertop.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “I don’t know how hygienic that
is.”
Whit’s lips turn down. “You work here.”
“Exactly.”
“Eww.” Whit wipes his forehead. “Is being gay always this
hard?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“I have to admit, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting.”
I lean my hip against the bar. “What were you expecting?”
“I dunno? For guys to see how hot I am and ask to blow me in
the bathroom or something?”
A full-blown laugh falls from my lips this time. I have to
admit, the dude is funny even if he’s not trying to be.
“So glad my misery is entertaining to you.”
“Sorry.”
“Where are all the easy men who want all the gay sex and no
strings or names?”
I purse my lips. “Maybe it’s like that in big cities? The
scene is low-key here. I mean, all bars by nature have that hookup culture, but
if you’re looking for boys in booty shorts and orgies, you’re definitely in the
wrong place. When Harrison opened V and V, he wanted to create a safe and
queer-friendly environment that everyone could enjoy.”
“Is everything about gay people in mainstream media wrong?”
“Probably.”
He pushes his empty closer to me. “Can I get another cider?”
“Sure.” I switch them out.
The night isn’t super busy, but the work is steady. I leave
him again to serve others but keep stealing glances at him. It’s confusing.
Objectively speaking, he’s a good-looking guy. His intriguing eye color is a
draw in itself, along with his dimples when he smiles. His suit doesn’t make
him look like your typical college hockey player. It’s a mystery why he’s
striking out.
Jake reappears at Whit’s side, and Whit’s face lights up.
Then Whit’s mouth moves a hundred miles a minute, and Jake’s eyes gloss over.
I can’t hear what Whit’s saying, but I think I’ve found the
reason why he’s not having any luck.
Jake turns his head toward me and mouths, “Help.”
Super-bartender to the rescue. Not all heroes wear capes. I
give Jake a new drink. “Whit here’s too young for you.”
Jake gives me a grateful look and moves away quickly.
“Oh, age isn’t a big deal to me,” Whit calls after him.
If possible, Jake moves faster.
Whit slumps.
“You don’t want to date that guy anyway. He’s in here all
the time trying to score.”
“Aww, that sounds perfect for what I need.”
I cock my head.
“I can’t be a virgin when I graduate in the spring. That’s
sad. I mean, ideally, I won’t be a virgin by my next birthday which is in seven
weeks, but I’m willing to be flexible.”
Oh dear.
“This has been your opening line to guys tonight, I’m
guessing?”
“Well … I told myself not to talk, but then, I don’t know,
isn’t that something you should disclose? It feels like something you should
tell someone. Because, they have to be, like, gentle and shit, and it’s not
like gay sex is something you jump into, right?”
“Again, I wouldn’t know. But has anyone ever told you that
you talk a little too much and maybe say things you don’t need to put out there
right away?”
“Really?”
“Well, we’ve only met twice, and oversharing and boundary
crossing seems to be a common theme.”
Whit groans. “I’m fucking this up.”
“You really aren’t. You’re just coming on a little strong.
You’re hot—I mean, I’m guessing. Everyone keeps staring at you and checking you
out. It’s your mouth that’s holding you back.”
“So I just have to fill my mouth with something other than
words.”
His words make my straight cock twitch a little. Ah,
blowjobs. Oh, how I’ve missed thee. I point at him. “That. Right there. Lead
with that.”
Whit glares at me, and I have to say his tough face is kind
of laughable.
“Or every time you feel yourself rambling, take a drink,” I
suggest.
Whit’s head falls to the bar again. “I’ll die of alcohol
poisoning.”
It’s not my fault a laugh escapes. Seriously, I can’t tell
if this guy is entertaining or plain sad.
He lifts his head. “You should be my wingman.”
I should do what now? “As tempting as that is, I kinda have
a job to do already.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you’ll be good at it. You know people,
and you’ve seen things.”
“I’m straight, remember? I know nothing about gay hookups.
I’d tell you to go on dates and make them feel special before trying to get
them into bed.”
“Is it against gay law to go on dates and make each other
feel special?”
I throw up my hands. “I don’t know. Which is exactly why I
shouldn’t be your wingman.”
Gabe wants Alec between the sheets…too bad Alec’s undercover already…
Rich kid. Party boy. Gabe is tired of the labels. He’s a smart guy, but ever since he got kicked out of grad school, people are only interested in his no-limit credit card and his pierced ears…and other places.
Tall, dark and scowling Alec hates Vermont, with its artisanal-freaking-everything and its irritating people. To be fair, most people irritate Alec, including the FBI director who sent him here to investigate a smuggling scheme involving yoga mats.
When one of the cutest twinks Alec’s ever seen takes an interest, Alec knows there’s an ulterior motive. No one with multi-colored hair, piercings, and an ass like that would want boring, serious Alec. The kid must be up to no good. Either way, Alec can’t blow his cover. If only he could keep his hands off of Gabe long enough to find out what he’s up to…
Brent Weyland was the life of the party until an injury ended his hockey career. Now he’s retreated alone to a lakefront house, trying to make sense of a life and body that don’t feel like his anymore.
Jon Norquist was happily married right up until he wasn’t. Now a single father in his forties, he’s trying to figure out what comes next. In the meantime, he pours his heartache and regret into the lyrics he sings for the wine bar crowd a couple of nights a week.
When a friend coaxes Brent out for a night of wine and music, he puts Brent and Jon on a collision course. Their chemistry is instantaneous. Jon gives Brent’s battered body a much-needed remedial lesson in pleasure. And Brent gives Jon a reason to smile again.
Multiple reasons, actually. Neither man wants anything serious, but love has a habit of showing up whether it’s welcome or not. No matter how hard they try, the two can’t help having feelings for each other, even as life continues to throw them curveballs.
Jamie Morin’s college GPA drops every time a cow breaks through a fence, but he’s determined to get his degree and keep his parents’ Vermont dairy farm afloat. He’d rather be reading than milking, but he can’t let his family down…not the way his brother did. So the last thing he needs is distraction in the form of an irresistible bookseller with a mysterious backstory.
Briar Nord has a lifetime of experience proving that happily-ever-afters only happen in his favorite books. But his luck might be changing. He’s got a great job at a bookstore, and he lives in a city that puts maple syrup on everything. But Briar knows not to trust anything--or anyone--too closely, and that includes a gorgeous farm boy with soulful eyes and too many obligations.
When Jamie joins Briar’s romance novel book club, they both feel an instant connection and soon they’re turning pages long into the night. But Briar’s past was bound to catch up with him. Sometimes, though, it takes two heroes to write a new ending . . .
