Y’all know I’m not normally a contemporary romance person, but there are times I’ll make exceptions here on Boosting the Signal and feature one anyway. Like when it’s written by Carina Press people. Or if it’s queer content, either M/M OR F/F. Or both! So today my first feature is In the Distance, by Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels, book 2 of their In the Kitchen series. If queer boys and cooking are relevant to your interests, check it out! Eileen and Nikka would like to introduce you to their character Trevor–whose goal is trying to get a certain gorgeous fellow out of his head. Since this is a contemporary romance, y’all know exactly how well that’s going to go, I’m sure.
In the Distance
Thanks for having us on Boosting the Signal, Angela! Trevor Pratt is a character our readers met in Book Two of our In The Kitchen Series, In The Fire. His nickname, Trustfund, is a pretty accurate description of how Trevor lives his life: “If it feels good and I can afford it, I’m all over it.” The problem is that Ethan and Jamie don’t want someone like Trevor around their sous chef and “little brother from another mother”, Tyler, forcing Trevor to man up and make some hard decisions that don’t, for once, affect only him.
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The Trouble With Trevor Pratt
Here’s the deal: I don’t do relationships. I tried once it once, and to say it ended badly is an understatement. I almost lost my best friend, and since I don’t have too many of those, losing Jamie’s friendship would have been catastrophic. Luckily, we worked it out and he’s still a part of my life. Unfortunately, his husband is part of the package deal that now encompasses that friendship, and it’s a true testament to Jamie’s and my friendship that I haven’t killed Ethan. Yet.
Look, I’ll be the first to admit that living the single life wasn’t ideal after things went to hell last year, but I was fine. There were times I was lonely and the thought of coming back to my empty condo, again, to spend the evening by myself instead of hitting the clubs, again, almost had me questioning my decision to remain single, but I was fine.
It’s not like I couldn’t find company when I wanted it. After JamieGate, I was happy to throw myself into the single scene, reveling in the warmth of the hot, sweaty body du jour pressed against me in between the sheets after a long day at work. But the thought of getting caught in anything even vaguely resembling an exclusive relationship was still so far off my agenda, it wasn’t even on the docket. Until last month. Until I took Tyler out for a quick bite to eat.
Let’s be honest, Tyler’s about as far from my usual type as you could get. My friends joke that my type is anything that breathes, has a nice package (both front and back), and has no problem doing the walk of shame the next morning. The truth is, that was pretty much my perfect guy until I made my way over to the West Coast last month to visit Jamie. You see, Tyler’s the type of guy you want more than one night with. In fact, Tyler’s the type of guy that makes you want things you were always too afraid to admit you wanted. Because the moment you admitted how much you craved waking up to the same person every morning and lying down next to them in bed every night, that’s the moment the shit hits the fan and they walk out of your life forever, leaving you with a huge gaping hole in the middle of what once resembled your heart.
And yet, even though I don’t do relationships and Tyler is so far off the menu of guys du jour it’s not even funny, I can’t seem to stop thinking about him. The slight smirk that crosses his face when he throws a zinger at me I wasn’t expecting. The shy exterior that only makes me want to peel back the layers to discover what he’s hiding from the rest of the world. And those eyes that still reflect the ghosts of living on the streets after his parents kicked him out, eyes that are a cross between light brown and hazel with tiny flecks of green and gold that makes it damn near impossible for me to look away from him.
Before I left, Jamie made me promise to stay away from Tyler. “He’s a good kid,” he said. “While you’re the love ’em and leave ’em type,” he added. Ouch. He wasn’t wrong, but it still stung like hell to hear my best friend say it. I promised him Tyler was safe from me. I’d keep my hands to myself and we could all go on living the perfect little lives we have. It shouldn’t be hard to keep my promise, right? He’s there and I’m here. He’s just starting out and deserves someone who thinks he’s their one and only, while I’m already jaded and the word commitment isn’t even in my vocabulary.
There’s only one catch. I haven’t been able to get those gorgeous hazel eyes or that soft, shy smirk out of my head since I got back home to New York. And I’m afraid the more time I spend on the West Coast, the harder it will be to keep my promise to Jamie.
But some promises were made to be broken. Right?
© Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels
Buy the Book: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Carina Press | All Romance eBooks
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Eileen Griffin: Website and Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Nikka Michaels: Website and Blog | Twitter | Facebook (Personal) | Facebook (Author Page) | Goodreads
