by Ari McKay
Jason pulled Tomy into his arms, kissing him soundly. “I’m glad you’re happy and you think I’m an upgrade from Mr. Needy Asshole,” he said playfully. “I promise you’ll never, ever have cause to regret choosing me instead.”
Tomy laughed, but he didn’t settle into the embrace. Instead, he kissed Jason back and scooted away, rolling so he could open the drawer on the nightstand. “I do think you’re a huge upgrade, and hopefully your present will convince you.” He pulled out a small box wrapped in green paper with a red bow on top, offering it shyly. “Lola will probably tell you I drove her crazy, worrying whether I’d finish in time. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will,” Jason replied, taking the box with a smile. He opened it eagerly, then drew in a breath as he saw the green socks nestled on tissue paper within. He pulled them out, noticing the X and O cable pattern Tomy had painstakingly worked into them. For someone who had only been knitting a few months, this kind of work must have taken many hours of patient knitting, and he was touched by the love and devotion the socks represented. Love Tomy hadn’t been able to voice at the time, but that he must have felt nonetheless.
“I love them,” he said softly, looking at the man who meant more to him than anyone else in the world, not bothering to hide his adoration. “Thank you, Tomy.”
Tomy’s answering smile was wide and bright, and he slid his arms around Jason, nestling close. “I’m glad you like them. I was going to give you that gray cabled hat, but by October, I realized it was too impersonal. I wanted to make you something special, so Lola helped me pick out these.”
“And then you worked your butt off getting them done. I’m impressed.” Jason pulled Tomy against him, nuzzling his cheek. “They are special. Every time I wear them, I’ll remember you loved me even before you could say the words.”
“It’s true, I did.” Tomy laughed softly. “Now I don’t know what I was so scared of, but I had to work through it in my own time. I’m grateful you were patient and willing to wait for me.”
“You were worth waiting for,” Jason replied honestly. “I knew that the first time I saw you. There was something about you…. I don’t know what, exactly, but I knew it when I saw it. I think at that moment, I hated Sean even before I knew him.”
Tomy drew back enough to look at Jason and shook his head, amused. “Well, his loss is our gain. You and I are a good match, just like these socks. Maybe we aren’t perfect, but we belong together.”
“Yes, we do.” Of that, Jason had no doubt at all. He put his beautiful socks aside on the nightstand, then grabbed Tomy, rolled him over, and pinned him to the bed, grinning down at him. “Now I seem to remember a promise to let me ride your sleigh, hmmm? Are we going to gallop or go for a slow walk?”
Tomy arched provocatively beneath him and gave him a sultry look full of promise. “I think no matter what pace we go, that sleigh is going to make sure to jingle your bells all the way until you scream ‘ho ho ho.’”
Jason laughed, then kissed Tomy. Kisses led to caresses, which led to gasps, which led to other, more intimate things.
In the end, they were both naughty enough to deserve nothing but coal in their stockings the following year.
More from Ari McKay
Asheville Arcana
In their differences, they’ll find strength—and love.
Alpha werewolf Eli Hammond returns from a fishing trip to discover a nasty surprise—five members of his pack murdered and the rest missing. He needs help locating and rescuing his pack mates, but the supernatural council in Asheville, North Carolina, turns him away.
Except for one man.
As they work together, Eli is stunned—and not especially thrilled—to discover half-elf Arden Gilmarin is his destined mate. But as Arden and his friends struggle to help Eli in his quest, Eli surrenders to the demands of his body—and his heart. They’ll need to bond together, because the forces opposing them are stronger and more sinister than anyone predicted. The evil has its sights set on Arden, and if Eli wants to save his mate and the people he is entrusted with protecting, he’s in for the fight of his life.
The Walker Boys
The stakes are high and the heat is on.
Beau Walker, owner of the Barbecue Shack, needs the help of Jake Parnell, his one-time rival and secret crush, in a televised barbecue competition. Beau is a proud man, but the stakes are high, and smart, sexy Jake is his only hope, even if being around Jake reawakens the attraction he’s fought for years.
Jake left his hometown, determined to build a life somewhere his sexuality wouldn’t hurt his family’s restaurant business—and far away from hunky, obstinate Beau Walker. Then his twin, Josh, is killed, and Jake returns to support his brother’s wife and children. Despite his reservations, he agrees to go head-to-head against Beau on national television. Between stress and grief, as well as pride and determination, only one thing is certain—the heat between Beau and Jake extends well beyond the kitchen.
Lawyers in Love
Shy lawyer Kevin Anderson is presented with an unexpected opportunity when he draws hunky litigator Erik Wilson’s name for their office’s secret holiday gift exchange. Kevin has pined for his friend for a long time, but he fears ruining their working relationship if Erik doesn’t return his feelings. The anonymity of the exchange gives him the chance to let Erik know someone is interested, so Kevin turns the gift into a game: twelve days of presents, each more suggestive, culminating with a Christmas Eve meeting—if Kevin finds the courage to see it through!
Erik is intrigued by his secret Santa, who has given him something to look forward to during the holidays for the first time in years. But as Christmas approaches, he realizes he doesn’t want a mystery man; he wants his best friend, Kevin. When his attempts to instigate something with Kevin fail, Erik accepts the dinner invitation of his secret admirer. Little does he suspect that Santa’s naughty little helper might be just the man to make all his Christmas dreams come true in a holiday friends-to-lovers romance that progresses from sweet to spicy for two sexy lawyers.
Lawyers In Love
Successful attorneys Dane Coulter and Cal Monroe are rivals in the courtroom and friends behind the scenes. But can they be more?
Cal’s always carried a torch for Dane, but Dane is so deep in the closet, he can’t even admit that he might be gay. His father, a raging homophobe who rules the family with an iron fist, forces Dane into an engagement—to a woman. Dane goes along with it to keep the peace and protect his mother, but for Cal, it’s the last straw.
He can’t let Dane make a mistake that could ruin the rest of his life, and he only knows one surefire way to make Dane admit what’s in his heart. But confessing his feelings to his friend could backfire, driving a wedge between them. And even then, the choice must be Dane’s—to live the life his father wants, or to give up everything he has for a chance at happiness in Cal’s arms.
Lawyers In Love
Fear of being like his unfaithful father has put high walls around senior litigator Asher Caldwell’s heart. Can former district attorney Zach Richardson knock them down to reveal the passionate man beneath the commitment-phobic workaholic, or will Zach’s own jealousy destroy what they’re trying to build?
A new life and a new love—that’s what Zach’s hoping for when he leaves the DA’s office and lets his friends give him a makeover. But the jury’s still out on whether the experiment was a success. His new look gets the attention of his boss and secret crush, Asher Caldwell, and leads to a seduction. Unfortunately, to Zach’s horror he learns that Asher assumed he was a paid escort. Asher is equally mortified to discover he had sex with an employee. Even so, the encounter meant a lot to both men, and they want to give dating a shot. Their romance born out of mistaken identity might work if Zack can trust Asher to be satisfied with the love of only one man… and if Asher can trust himself.
ARI MCKAY is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Thei
r collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge-watching TV shows together.
Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full-time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.
McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.
Visit Ari on:
Website: arimckay.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ari-Mckay/266185570179748
Twitter: @AriMcKay1
By Ari McKay
Changing the Things You Can
Heart of Stone
Knitting a Broken Heart Back Together
Last Leap of the First-Foot
Letters from Cupid
Love’s Cabers Tossed
On the Rocks
The Once and Future Love
A Taste of Honey
BENT OAK SAGA
Finding Forgiveness
The Quality of Mercy
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
ASHEVILLE ARCANA
#1 – Out of the Ashes
#19 – Forged in Fire
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
THE WALKER BOYS
#24 – Striking Sparks
#35 – Breaking Bonds
#69 – Seeking Solace
LAWYERS IN LOVE
Santa’s Naughty Helper
Fortune’s Slings and Cupid’s Arrows
Heart of Glass
Lawyers in Love (Print Only Anthology)
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.
Knitting a Broken Heart Back Together
© 2018 Ari McKay.
Cover Art
© 2018 Bree Archer.
http://www.breearcher.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: 978-1-63533-584-2
Digital eBook published July 2018
v. 2.0
First Edition published by Torquere Press, December 2014.
Printed in the United States of America