Title: Exquisitely Hidden
Series: Sin City Tale #2
Author: M. Jay Granberry
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 26, 2019
Blurb
He was everything I needed when I thought I had it all…
As front man for the band everyone’s eyes are on me.
I bask in the spotlight
Because it hides the flaws.
Everyone has secrets.
Mine will ruin everything I’ve built.
My career, my music, my life…
But keeping this secret?
It’s breaking my heart.
I knew how we would end before we started
And still I can’t resist him.
Not everyone will understand.
But I do.
It’s simple.
He’s the man I’m meant to love.
How long can I deny who I truly am?
Should I keep my secret or risk it all?
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Excerpt
Prologue
Adam
I let my
weight sink into the cushions of the chaise lounge as I eye the backyard.
Trimmed hedges line the brick fence, towering palm trees rest in the corners.
Wicker patio furniture with bright blue cushions decorate the covered patio and
to round it off, is the infinity pool that overlooks the Las Vegas skyline.
It’s
perfect.
Sometimes,
I have the urge to pinch myself because I still can’t believe that this is my
life.
The heat
from the sun warms my skin, soaking into muscle and bone relaxing me to the
point of senselessness. I take in the
view behind mirrored sunglasses as a big body breaks the water’s surface.
Seth’s lithe form cuts through the water, smooth and deliberate. His last
stroke short as he nears the side. Instead of turning for another lap he places
both palms on the edge of pool and lifts himself out.
And I can’t help but to stare. Even now, when
I know that body as well as I know my own.
I’ve caressed every sinewy inch, memorized every peak, kissed every
valley but I’m still in awe of all things Seth Cody.
He walks
toward me, eyes unblinking, chiseled jaw clenched, and I fight not to fidget
under his gaze. He doesn’t stop walking until he’s right in front of me.
Lowering, his solid weight settles near my hip and a soft pair of cool lips
brush along the whiskers on my jaw in a slow tease before moving across my
mouth.
Seth leans
into me, beads of water glisten on his tan skin and roll forward to splatter on
my chest and arms, nimble fingers remove my sunglasses and I stare into sad
eyes the color of aged whiskey. His hands move into my hair as he angles my
head licking up the center of my lips asking permission before his rough voice
whispers a demand.
“Kiss me.” He says.
But I
shouldn’t.
Last night
we had words, spoke like two sensible adults, no yelling, no cursing, no tears.
I made it clear that I don’t do relationships. Even when every fiber of my
being is begging me to reconsider. I let him know that I have no intention of
picking up the mantle and becoming a representation for gay men anywhere, let
alone in the music industry. Regardless of the fact when I look into his eyes I
see forever. I told him that being in Las Vegas, trying to get custody of my
sister, being the leader and the glue for my band is more important than our
fledgling relationship. Although the idea of never touching or kissing or
simply being with him, really connecting as two human beings with lust and
something that could be love is killing me.
I try to
turn my head away from the sweetest temptation but the hand in my hair hampers
my halfhearted escape.
“You want
me, Adam. I’m right here.” He nibbles on my bottom lip. “Right in front of you.
Take me.” He pleads. And this time when our lips meet, I let him in. I revel in
the pressure of his mouth and the heady taste I get when his tongue finally
breaks the barrier of my lips to twist with mine.
I ache for
him. Always for him. Only for him.
I groan
into his mouth and curl a hand around the back of his neck pulling him into me.
If this is the last time. I might as well make it count, right?
I’m a
glutton for this man. A whore greedy for his lust and desires. So, I take what
he’s offering and plunder his mouth. I kiss him like it’s the last time,
because it is. I kiss him like he’s precious and like I’ll miss him, because he
is, and I will. I own his mouth the way I want to own his body, deep and sweet
with the sting of pain.
We part on
a breath, and I look up into those pretty, pretty brown eyes and for the first
time since I told him we were over. I regret it.
He deserves
better than me.
He deserves
a man that can love him out loud and in front of world. One he can build a life
and a future with.
I chose my
path at seventeen and claiming a man for my very own has never been part of the
plan. I have the music and my band, my family. I always knew fame would demand
its due. It’s the way this world works
I trail my
fingers across the thin red material of his swim trunks. His shaft twitches
under my touch and air hisses from his lungs at the contact. I smile because I
love that his body is so expressive, reacting to the softest touch. I work my
hands under the waistband of his shorts and pull them down his hips. I see
nothing as I kiss down his chest, but unfettered inches of honey kissed skin
and a long thick dick lined with veins tapered to a flared crown.
“Adam it
doesn’t have to end here. We… ahhhh—”
The words
die on his lips as I open my mouth wide and moan around his length as it slides
along my taste buds to the back of my throat. His hands cradle the back of my
head, his hips involuntarily rolling with pleasure.
I suck him
down like I mean it with succulent sounds and fuck me eyes. I suck until he
haunches forward and my nose settles in the soft hair at the root of dick. I
suck him until the muscles in his thighs shake and his shaft becomes impossibly
hard and starts to pulse.
“Don’t
stop. I’m almost there. Just a little…”
I grip him
in a tight fist my hand now working in tandem with my mouth. His eyes never
leave mine as he shutters and releases deep in my throat.
Seth pulls
himself free and those pillow soft lips immediately find mine. He tastes like
chlorine and summer and something I recognize as uniquely him.
When he
pulls back his eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he studies me.
“So this is
goodbye then?” He asks.
“This is
goodbye.” I parrot.
A couple of
tears leak from the corners of his eyes, but he squeezes them shut cutting off
the flow.
“Aw,
baby...” I say. My thumb swiping over the ridge of his cheekbone. You’re breaking my fucking heart. He
leans forward again kissing me one last time before he stands. His movements
are slow and methodical. And there is a slight tremor to his hands when he
pulls up his shorts. I see him start the process to morph into the ideal body
guard and the elite soldier. His eyes lose their innate softness and his jaw
sets in an unforgiving hard line. He pulls in all that emotion and stuffs its
somewhere far away from the surface and a little part of me hurts that I’ve
caused this.
“Seth…”
“Don’t. No
explanation necessary I understand. I do. Let’s just…” he rubs the back of his
neck. “Let’s just take it for what it is…I mean was.” He won’t look at me as he
speaks and when I sit up, naturally leaning toward him, my hand coming out to
rest the back of his knee, he skirts my touch immediately backing away.
“I gotta
go. Sin gets in today. I have to get to the hotel and make sure everything is
ready.” He still refuses to meet my gaze as he steps into the house. Slipping
quietly through the door.
I drop back
on the lawn chair with a thud. Fuck!
Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuuck! I punch my hands into the air and slam my head on the
thick padding of the chaise. I’ve never been
a romantic. That’s my best friend Sin, not me. But dammit just this once I wish
I was. I wish I had it in me to give him an epic kind of love. The kind that
fills the pages of a notebook and inspires hit songs.
Fifteen
minutes later I catch a glimpse of his broad shoulders, now encased in layers
of fabric, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, radio piece in his ear, gun
clipped to his belt. Those gorgeous brown eyes covered with dark sunglasses and
those soft lips I kissed what now feels like forever ago are pressed tight into
a thin stoic line. The sound of his boots beat a steady cadence on the wooden
floor as he passes in the hallway.
I stand
just outside the open sliding glass door, hands pressed on either side of the
metal frame.
“Seth?” I
whisper.
His
footsteps pause halfway to the front door, but he doesn’t turn around.
“I’m…” Terrified that when you walk out that door,
you’ll take piece of me. A giant piece that I’ll never get back.
“I’m
sorry.” I say instead. His shoulders rise and fall with one big heaving breath
before he continues toward the door. He doesn’t look at me or acknowledge my
unbefitting apology.
I let my
head drop forward until it hangs heavy and the muscles between my shoulder
blades pull tight. I can’t watch him walk out. Even though it’s the right
thing. Possibly the best thing, I can’t watch it. I won’t. My heart starts to beat faster as the
footsteps move away. I hold my breath when the door opens, and when it closes,
I exhale a long-frustrated stream of moist air.
So, this is
what a real goodbye feels like? Like someone just placed my heart in a blender
and pulverized it.
Yep. This
sucks!
Also Available
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Author Bio
M. Jay Granberry is first and foremost an insatiable reader.
Among her favorite things are classic fairy tales, smutty
books where characters have heart, old lady sweaters (preferably chunky knit),
gift baskets (giving not receiving), and charcuterie trays (green olives,
smoked cheese, and Genoa salami).
She is a true Las Vegas native, the one in Nevada not New
Mexico, and to answer the most frequently asked questions about growing up in
Sin City…
- No,
she doesn’t live in a hotel.
- No,
she has never been a stripper although she does know some.
- Prostitution
is absolutely illegal in Clark County (Las Vegas)!
- And
what happens in Vegas does indeed stay in Vegas.
M. Jay earned a degree in words and stories, and after
fifteen plus years of doing everything other than writing, she penned her first
novel.
Giving a voice to characters, that are strong yet fragile,
that are sometimes uncomfortably real, that express love in dirtiest ways with
the sweetest sentiments is honestly a dream come true.
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