Publication date: August 29th, 2022
Synopsis:
Former model and B-list actor (B meaning really bad) Isaac Seidel is now a NYC firefighter on special assignment in the one-horse town of Serenity, PA. But all work and no play makes Isaac a dull boy, and when he hooks up with the most explosive one-night stand he's ever had, it looks like country life might not be so boring after all.
Especially when the guy he thought he'd never see again turns out to be one of the volunteer firefighters he's expected to train.
Levi Everett is a master at pleasing everyone--except himself. He's spent his whole life hiding who he is and what he wants. It's a lot more complicated now that he's going to be seeing gorgeous Isaac Seidel every day. How is he supposed to pretend he's straight when he and Isaac can't keep their hands off each other?
Isaac has made it clear he's only interested in friends with benefits, so when he returns home to NYC, Levi knows he's gone forever.
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Excerpt
"Is this seat taken?"
Levi's grip tightened on his bottle of Stella before answering the man who stood by his side. He was gorgeous--tall and dark-haired, with a gleam in his blue eyes and a slightly wicked but charming half smile tugging at his lips. He looked somewhat familiar, but Levi knew if he'd ever met him, he would've remembered.
"No. It's not." Anxiety sang through his blood as the man slid into the empty seat next to him.
"Great. My first time here. Seems like a cool place. Not many like it, I'm gathering."
Levi swallowed. "Uh, yeah, me too. And I don't think so." Nervous and unsure what he should say or do, he kept quiet.
"Hey. Don't worry. I'm not a serial killer or anything." The man appeared to be nice, but Levi wasn't taken in.
"Would you tell me if you were?"
The man laughed. "No, I suppose you're right." He pulled out his driver's license and held it up. "See? That's me."
Isaac Seidel.
Levi noted the address in New York City and wondered what he was doing in the middle of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "I wasn't fishing for information. My name's Levi, by the way."
"I know you weren't." Isaac signaled the bartender. "Another beer, Levi?"
Levi shrugged. "Sure. Thanks."
He watched Isaac chat easily with the bartender as he opened their bottles of Stella. And despite his teasing about serial killers, Levi couldn't help a frisson of fear. Was he crazy to do this? Maybe there was someone in town... God, he hoped he wasn't going to throw up from nerves. He hadn't done that since he was a little kid.
"Here's to new friends," Isaac said, then raised a brow. "And maybe more?"
"New friends. And maybe." He clinked Isaac's bottle and took a swallow. Warmth settled in his belly, and he took another sip, feeling Isaac's steady blue eyes on him. Seemed like Isaac had the same thing on his mind, and a thrill built up inside Levi at the thought of Isaac being his first.
"What do you do, Levi?" Isaac's appreciative gaze ate him up, and Levi's breathing accelerated. "You're in fantastic shape."
"I own a bar with my brother, so lifting all those cases of beer and liquor helps."
"I'll bet. No need for the gym."
"We don't even have one in my little town. You'd have to travel a few miles to get to one. But most of the young guys who work on the farms don't need it, or they lift at home."
"Makes sense. All that country living." Isaac finished his beer. "In the city we can run in the park or work out, but most people belong to a gym."
Figuring he needed to add something to the conversation to let Isaac know he was interested, he cleared his throat. "You're in pretty good shape yourself."
Isaac let loose that crazy, sexy smile. "Thanks for noticing."
About to ask what Isaac did for a living, Levi froze when Isaac set his bottle on the bar and leaned in close. The cool scent of his aftershave sent a hot punch of lust through Levi, and he found himself swaying toward the man until their lips almost touched.
"Care to take a walk with me?"
Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner. Her characters have to work for it, because just like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.
Felice is the 2020 Lambda Literary Award winning author in best Gay Romance. She lives in New York City and has way too much black in her wardrobe. If she's not writing, you'll probably find her watching reality TV or procrastinating on FB in her reader group, Felice's Breakfast Club.
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