by Tara Lain
“Congratulations!”
A cacophony of voices echoed the happy yell.
Sammy looked around the crowded room. “What the—”
His mom wrapped her arms around him. “Congratulations, sweetheart. We’re so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Sammy’s dad hugged him, and seven brothers and sisters of various sizes came in for a group hug. When he finally extricated himself, he saw Ryder being embraced by Killian and Blaine. Tears filled Sammy’s eyes. All here. The whole community turned out. Maybe he and Ryder would be low-key tomorrow, but today they were a celebration.
“Sammy!”
Sammy looked up at a shining, handsome face. “Jimmy!” He raced to his friend and hugged him. Gods, he couldn’t hold him tight enough. “Are you okay?”
The big, handsome brunet smiled. “Yes, thanks to you, I hear. Sammy, it’s so great about you and Alvish—I mean Ryder. Somehow I always suspected there might be more to your relationship than smacking each other upside the head.”
“Where’s Lavender?”
Jimmy looked behind him and waved. The tall beauty, the most powerful female witch of her generation, crossed to her husband. “Hi, Sams. Thank you so much, for everything.”
Ryder smiled. “We missed you like crazy.”
Chen came over, holding Estera’s hand. He wrapped his arm around Sammy’s neck. “Thank you, Sams. In my life, I’ll never be able to say that enough.” He looked up, his arm still around Sammy. “You too, Ryder. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Sammy patted his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. I didn’t do anything.”
“You saved Estera, and being so close to death convinced my father that life is too short to make me live by his rules. Oh, Sam, he’s going to let me go to art school instead of MIT.”
Estera held out her hand, showing a flashing diamond. “And he gets to marry a very not Chinese witch.”
Sammy hugged Chen until he begged for air. “Congratulations, you guys.” Sammy stepped back so Jimmy and Lavender, Chen and Estera, and Sammy and Ryder stood in a big circle. “Who’d have thought when we met four years ago that our lives would be like this?”
Mrs. Potorsky brought them all a tray of iced coffee. They grabbed the tinkling glasses.
Jimmy smiled. “I get this intense feeling we should all be yelling, ‘One for all, and all for one.’”
They laughed and raised their coffees high.
Chen patted Sammy’s shoulder. “Okay, you guys. Everyone wants to talk to you and congratulate you. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in art class.”
Sammy laughed. “Yep. Just like every day.”
Aloysius purred.
SAMMY AND Ryder walked into the apartment hours later. Sammy laughed. “I’m tired but so happy.”
Ryder slipped his arms around Sam’s neck from behind. “Too tired for a little wedding-night fuck, Mr. Raphael-McMasters?”
“I’ll never be that tired.” He hugged Ryder’s arms to his chest. “Our hyphenated last names don’t exactly trip off the tongue, do they?”
“Nope. We could just use Raphael, since McMasters is made up anyway. No one could pronounce my real family name.”
Sammy smirked. “We could just use our first names.”
“What do you mean?”
“How about Ryder of Sammy?”
Ryder scooped him up and headed for the sleeping alcove. “Sounds like a plan.”
Ryder stood Sammy up beside the bed, took off his white shirt, and slowly ran his tongue over Sammy’s chest. “Hmm. I think you’re beginning to taste like an iced coffee.”
“Guess I’ll have to keep you awake at night.”
They took their time undressing each other and finally lay side by side on the bed.
Sammy slid his hand over Ryder’s shoulder. “I think I’m going to miss Aloysius.”
Ryder nodded. “Me too.”
“I think he loves you better than anyone, except maybe Blaine. I bet he’ll come to see you.”
“Hope so. You never know what that furry friend has planned next.”
Sammy dragged a finger down Ryder’s luminous chest. “How powerful will you be when you’re full-grown?”
“You saw my father appear and disappear. I’ll be able to do that.”
“Beam me up, Scotty.”
“Yep. And I’d be able to beat Lucien without too much trouble.”
“Wow.”
“Yes.”
Sammy breathed in Ryder’s vanilla scent. “And you’re still going to love a homely little witch like me?”
Ryder laughed. “No matter how old I get, Sams, I’ll never be able to control the future. Is it impossible for you to understand how powerful you are?”
Sammy shrugged. “If you can’t use a power, it’s pretty much like not having it.” He grinned. “But the real question is, am I powerful enough to get you to fuck me senseless?”
“Always.”
Sammy looked down at Ryder’s cock pressed hard against his abdomen. It glowed like a holiday bulb, and the twining silver vines twinkled like stars. Sammy caressed him.
Ryder laughed. “I guess I have to be careful if I go to the gym.”
Sammy smiled up into Ryder’s almost human green eyes. “I just couldn’t bring myself to change that one thing.”
Ryder laughed as he rolled onto his back with his huge elven cock sticking up in the air. “Care to take a ride, my husband?”
Sammy used the lube and then slowly lowered himself onto the one spot on earth he most wanted to be. Leaning down, he kissed Ryder’s lips, then started to raise and lower himself on his husband’s cock, bliss pouring from every cell.
Just two ordinary guys on their wedding night.
A COUPLE of miles away in Killian’s apartment, Aloysius looked at the moon. “Merwaowr.”
More from Tara Lain
A Aloysius Tale
When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But Killian can’t pursue a physics professor—or a human. As the most powerful male witch in ten generations, Killian must bolster his dying race by reproducing—despite the fact that he’s gay.
Even a fling with Blaine is out of the question, because Killian has been told sex with humans drains his power. But if that’s true, why can young human Jimmy Janx dissolve spoons with the power of his mind? If Killian can sort through the lies he’s been fed, he’ll still face his biggest obstacle—convincing rational scientist Blaine to believe in magic.
With his ancient and powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.
A Balls to the Wall Romance
A “pumped up” version of the Volley Balls story, twice as long as the original.
A double dose of alpha male might be better than one.
Despite just getting out of an abusive relationship with an asshole alpha, David Underwood’s wandering glance lands on two hot members of the Australian volleyball team on Laguna Beach and gets him harassed again. Still, when the delicious Gareth Marshall proves his interest by coming out to his team, David succumbs to his attraction. But Gareth’s volleyball partner, Edge, who’s equally hot, makes the lovers’ lives miserable.
For Gareth, a lifetime of hiding his orientation—and his attraction—from his best friend, Edge, as well as everyone else around him, adds up to hurt and frustration. David’s the first man to ever compete with Edge for Gareth’s passion. But Edge has secrets of his own, and David’s ex-lover will never be happy without David under his fist. With everything stacked against him, can a gay Laguna man find happiness with an alpha male–or two?
A Balls to the Wall Romance
Renowned artist Rodney Mansfield stands five foot six, has pink hair, six earrings, a black belt in karate—and a desperate yearning for firefighter Hunter Fallon. But Rod, the Runtback of Notre Dame,
knows he’ll never land the beautiful “straight gay” guy, so Rod musters his altruism and helps his more masculine friend Jerry attract Hunter. As if a broken heart wasn’t enough, Rod saves Hunter from a firehouse homophobe—humiliating Hunter in front of his dad!
Hunter lives a dream life—his father’s dream. While he’d like to teach literature in college, read poetry in the sun, and find a strong guy to top him, he fights fires for his dad. Hunter hates flamboyant guys like Rodney. So why can’t he resist him? Maybe it’s time to admit this is one flame he has no desire to put out.
A Cowboys Don’t Story
Rand McIntyre settles for good enough. He loves his small California ranch, raising horses, and teaching riding to the kids he adores—but having kids of his own and someone to love means coming out, and that would jeopardize everything he’s built. Then, despite his terror of flying, he goes on a holiday to Hana, Hawaii, with his parents and meets the dark and mysterious Kai Kealoha, a genuine Hawaiian cowboy. Rand takes to Kai’s kid brother and sister as much as he drools over Kai, but the guy sports more prickles than a horned toad and more secrets than the exotic land he comes from.
Kai’s earned his privacy and lives to protect his “kids.” He ought to stay away from the big, handsome cowboy for everyone’s sake—but since the guy’s just a haole on a short vacation, how much damage can he do? When all of Kai’s worst fears and Rand’s darkest nightmares come true at once, there’s not much chance for two cowboys who can’t—or won’t—come out.
A Cowboys Don’t Story
Cowboy Danny Boone—a name he made up one drunken night and has regretted ever since—harbors a big past and yearns for a small future. A short, bright career as a champion bull rider almost ended in his death when his homophobic father discovered Danny was gay. Now Danny longs for a plot of land he can build a ranch on, enough money to make up for some of the education he missed... and, secretly, a beautiful femme who likes to top—a combo rarer than a unicorn.
Then onto the guest ranch where Danny works drives San Francisco decorator Laurie Belmont, a young man so gorgeous he makes the horses gasp, and so ballsy he almost kills Danny’s attacker. Laurie’s trying to find his way out from under the thumb of a domineering mother, helpless father, and rich, privileged boyfriend. But no matter the attraction, their lives are worlds apart, and cowboys don’t ride unicorns.
Readers love Spell Cat by Tara Lain
“This story was sweet, and I liked the paranormal twist on witches and their familiars.”
—Hearts on Fire Reviews
“Tara created a beautiful story that had a lot of love and laughter. It was a great read and I definitely look forward to reading more by Tara Lain in the future.”
—Gay Book Reviews
“As expected Tara Lain gives us a fun and exciting HEA.”
—Alpha Book Club
“It is a fun, light, sexy little story that kept my attention from the start and kept it all the way to the end.”
—MM Good Book Reviews
TARA LAIN writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Erotic Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, and Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. Readers often call her books “sweet,” even with all that hawt sex, because Tara believes in love and her books deliver on happily-ever-after. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. Her love of creating book titles comes from years of manifesting ad headlines for everything from analytical instruments to semiconductors. She does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog (who’s a little jealous of all those cat pictures Tara posts on FB) in Laguna Niguel, California, near the seaside towns where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says that on her tombstone, it will say “Yes!”
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.taralain.com
Blog: www.taralain.com/blog
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Twitter: @taralain
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By Tara Lain
ALOYSIUS TALES
Spell Cat
Brush with Catastrophe
BALLS TO THE WALL
Volley Balls
Fire Balls
COWBOYS DON’T
Cowboys Don’t Come Out
Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#5 – Taylor Maid
LONG PASS CHRONICLES
Outing the Quarterback
Canning the Center
Tackling the Tight End
LOVE IN LAGUNA
Knight of Ocean Avenue
Knave of Broken Hearts
Prince of the Playhouse
Lord of a Thousand Steps
PENNYMAKER TALES
Sinders and Ash
Driven Snow
Beauty, Inc.
Sinders and Ash and Beauty, Inc. (Print Only Anthology)
TALES OF THE HARKER PACK
The Pack or the Panther
Wolf in Gucci Loafers
Winter’s Wolf
The Pack or the Panther &Wolf in Gucci Loafers (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.
Brush with Catastrophe
© 2017 Tara Lain.
Cover Art
© 2017 Reese Dante.
http://www.reesedante.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.
ISBN: 978-1-63533-331-2
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-332-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016960583
Published April 2017
v. 2.0
First Edition published by Loose Id, 2012.
Printed in the United States of America