by A. T Brennan
I’d only been in my little apartment for a few weeks, but I loved the freedom. Everything in there was mine. I’d bought it with money I’d earned, and I finally felt like I had a place to escape to.
It wasn’t much, just a one bedroom basement apartment in a decent area not too far from work, but it was my place, and I felt safe there.
“What time is it?” I asked when Blaze stood.
“Half an hour left, man.” He winked and nodded to the storeroom. “Want to grab a case of coolers, we’re running low.”
“Not especially.”
Blaze rolled his eyes and laughed. “You were the one complaining about being bored but you don’t want do any work to pass the time.”
“That sounds like a Blaze problem, if you ask me.”
Blaze rolled his eyes and squeezed past me, giving me a quick slap on the ass as he headed to the storeroom.
“Getting fresh at work I see. Isn’t that a no-no?”
I looked up at the familiar voice and couldn’t stop the grin that spread over my face when I saw my best friend Isaac sliding into the seat across from me.
“Tell that to grabby hands over there,” I called after Blaze and he gave me the finger over his shoulder.
“Busy night?” Isaac asked as he looked around the bar. It was almost completely dead.
“It’s always slow on Tuesday.” I shrugged. “Beer?”
“Thanks.”
I poured him his favorite draught and pushed the stein toward him.
As Isaac took a long drink from the glass, I couldn’t help staring at him and my eyes were drawn to his throat as he swallowed his beer.
Isaac was gorgeous. He was five-eleven, so while he was taller than me he didn’t tower over me like a lot of guys did, and he was lean but still muscular. He’d been a swimmer in high school and worked construction so he had no trouble maintaining his physique. His dark brown hair was a little longer on the top then on the sides, and his warm brown eyes reminded me of melted chocolate.
He was also sweet, funny, caring, sharp, compassionate and sexy as hell, and I’d been in love with him for as long as we’d been friends.
“Want to hang out tonight?” he asked, jarring me out of my thoughts.
“I thought you were working tomorrow?”
Isaac’s days could start as early as five a.m. while I tended to work a lot of mid and closing shifts, so we didn’t spend a lot of time together when he was on a job.
“Nah, the site got closed down. Something about the pipes needing to be replaced before we could continue so I’ve got a few days off.
“I’m off tomorrow,” I said, hoping he’d want to spend a little extra time together.
“Sounds good. Movie night?”
“Movie night.” I grinned. “My pick.”
“No fucking way. We’ll end up watching some stupid arts movie with subtitles I can’t follow.” He shook his head emphatically. “Horror night.”
“You know that shit freaks me out.”
“That’s the best part.”
“You’re an ass.”
“And you love it.”
I bit my tongue before I could tell him just how true that statement was.
“Your place? Noah’s home tonight.”
Noah was Isaac’s identical twin brother, and the boys were as different as could be. Isaac was bubbly and outgoing and could charm anyone, male or female, while Noah was introverted and withdrawn. We were friendly, but considering how close Isaac and I were, I didn’t really know his brother. Another big difference was that Isaac was gay while Noah was straight.
“How’s he doing?”
“Not bad. He’s between jobs right now so he’s a bit bummed.”
“We can go to my place then, give him some space.”
“You got beer at home?” he asked, draining what was left in his glass.
“You cleaned me out over the weekend,” I teased.
“You helped.”
“True, but you drank more.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and pushed his empty glass toward me. “Fine, we’ll pick some up on the way. Maybe order pizza?”
“Awesome.”
“Hey, Isaac.” Blaze came around the bar with a box of coolers resting on his shoulder and looking way too hot.
Blaze was pretty much the opposite of my type, but he was still sexy as hell. He wore his sandy brown hair so long it fell below his shoulders, but with his broad shoulders, lean muscles and powerful legs there was nothing feminine about him. His green eyes were always bright with laughter and his ruggedly handsome features usually sported a smile. To finish the look he had a three quarter tribal tattoo sleeve on his right arm, and I’d seen the other tats that dotted his chest and sides, as well as his nipple rings.
“Blaze, what’s up? How’s your sexy lawyer man?” Isaac asked with a grin, referring to Galen.
“He’s good.” He chuckled and shifted the box of coolers to the counter. “How have you been?”
“Working hard or hardly working, you know how it goes.”
“The life of a seasonal worker.” Blaze nodded and leaned against the counter. “So which are you doing right now?”
“Hardly working.”
“Sucks.”
“It does.” Isaac nodded. “But at least I have this one to keep me company.” He grinned and nodded to me, and I hoped the dim lighting above the bar would cover up the fact that my face was flushed.
Blaze was the only person who knew I had feelings for Isaac, and he only knew because I’d gotten drunk one night and blurted it out to him. He’d been cool and promised not to tell anyone, but I could tell he felt sorry for me.
“Okay, one of you leave now.” Zander, our night manager came up to the bar and glanced between Blaze and I. “I’m feeling generous and it’s dead.”
“Go.” Blaze looked at me. “I still have another hour and Galen’s at some meetings so...”
I grinned and put my hand out for a fist bump. “Thanks.”
“No worries.” Blaze bumped his fist with mine and nodded.
“Thanks.” I turned to Zander and gave him my best smile.
Zander was a great guy, and he was also super hot. I’d had a massive crush on him when I’d first started working at the bar, but now he was like a big brother to me. Zander was classically handsome with his stylish, chestnut brown hair, crystal blue eyes, and a body any gym rat would be jealous of. He wasn’t bulky, but he was lean and strong and fucking ripped. He was also a nice guy and super protective of all of us, but he seemed especially invested in me. Maybe it was the fact that I was so young, but it was nice to have him in my corner.
“Ready?” Isaac waited as I grabbed my bag and came around the bar.
“All good.” I nodded “Later fellas.”
Blaze and Zander said their goodbyes, and Isaac and I headed out of the bar.
“You drive?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m just down the street.”
We walked in silence, and that was one of the things I liked most about hanging with Isaac. Usually silence made me uncomfortable and I’d start babbling to fill the gaps, but with Isaac I never had that urge.
We’d met on my third shift at The Den. It had been his and Noah’s twenty-fourth birthday and they’d come in for a drink together. For a moment I’d thought I was seeing double, but after clearing their glasses I’d been able to see the subtle differences that set the brothers apart.
Isaac had struck up a conversation with me, and I’d ended up staying for a few hours after my shift to hang out with him and Noah. We’d exchanged numbers and fallen into an easy friendship.
Now he and Noah were twenty-five and I was finally old enough to be behind the bar, and we still had the easy friendship, only it was complicated by the fact that I’d fallen for him while he thought of me as a best friend.
If you'd like to read more of Cody's story, you can follow this Amazon link. Healing Him will release August 29th and will also be available on KU.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my debut m/m erotic romance novel, and I hope you enjoyed learning about the men who make up my Den Boys.
I’m planning a shorter release schedule for this series, and barring any interference from life I’m hoping for a six to seven week turnaround for each of the five subsequent books.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review to let others know what you think.
If you’re interested in keeping up with my news and releases, you can connect with me on my Facebook author page, join my Facebook reader group, or sign up for my newsletter. You can also check out my website.
All the best,
A.T. Brennan
About The Author
A.T. Brennan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, enjoys picking up and moving every few years. A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current entrepreneur and author, she enjoys spending her days working on her many projects and her nights writing and not getting enough sleep. She currently lives on Canada’s East Coast with her family, enjoys collecting books and exploring the different aspects of romance in her works. She’s made the leap from m/f romance to m/m, and also publishes erotica under the name Mandie Mills.
Dedication
To Kyleen, for encouraging me to take the leap and write my new passion. Also to Mom, Dad, J, D, and L, for supporting me no matter what.
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without my awesome beta readers; Kyleen, Robyn, Ginne and Megan.
Thank you to my editor, Megan, for another awesome job, and to Teresa Connor for the incredible cover for not only this book, but the entire series.
I can never forget my BFF and partner in crime, Tiffany, and my sisters from other misters: Jen, Erica, and Angeline.
Coming Soon/Now Available
Seasons
~ A four-part novella series~
Now Available
Book 1 ~ Spring Passion (m/f)
Book 2 ~ Summer Heat (m/f)
Book 3 ~ Autumn Lust (m/f)
Book 4 ~ Winter Connection (m/f)
*Also available as a collected anthology
Wrong Place, Right Time (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book One
Now Available
The Way We Were (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Two
Winter 2017
The Long Road Home (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Three
Late Summer 2017
Taking Chances (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book One
Now Available
Letting Go (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book Two
Now Available
Only You (m/m)
Robson Brothers Book Three
Summer 2017
All In (m/m)
The Den Boys Book One
Now Available
Healing Him (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Two
Late Summer 2017
Breaking Free (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Three
Late fall 2017