Attachment
Strings - Release Day PROMO
By Chris T.
Kat
M/M -
Contemporary - Mystery
Date
Published: 6/17/2013
Detective
Jeff Woods and his partner have a new case. Someone has been making threatening phone calls to the
mayor’s daughter, vowing to kill her disabled child.
Though there have been accidents at the girl’s school—enough to take the threats seriously—the facts are few, and leads are sparse.
Though there have been accidents at the girl’s school—enough to take the threats seriously—the facts are few, and leads are sparse.
Needing a
breather from the burden of the case, Jeff heads to a bar, where he meets Alex Fisher. Alex isn’t his
type, but he’s young and cocky and perfect for a one-night stand. Or two. Soon Jeff starts thinking about
how difficult and lonely it is being a cop, and that maybe Alex could fill a void in his life. But Alex has his
own obligations: a disabled brother who is the target of threatening letters.
Jeff isn’t
sure he’s ready to play house or overcome his prejudices, but he begins to think Alex might be worth
it. Caught between his growing affection and his inner demons, Jeff struggles to focus on the case and
protect Alex and his brother as the danger builds.
EXCERPT
I parked
near Snake Alley, though not near enough to rouse suspicion if anyone saw my car. I was there early,
especially for a Friday night. I hadn’t been to this particular club in a while. The Lion’s Den—whoever
had named the club was nuts. But that’s just my humble opinion.
Maybe the name was supposed to be a very clever wordplay. Or just a nice paraphrase for 'meat market'. Because that’s what it was. Strangely enough, a lot of the men didn’t get that it was a meat market; they believed in finding their true love here. Damn fools.
Maybe the name was supposed to be a very clever wordplay. Or just a nice paraphrase for 'meat market'. Because that’s what it was. Strangely enough, a lot of the men didn’t get that it was a meat market; they believed in finding their true love here. Damn fools.
I found a good
place at the bar and ordered a beer. It wasn’t crowded and from my spot I could overlook the dance
floor, most of the bar, and the entrance. Once a cop, always a cop.
For a while, I
sipped my beer and let my gaze wander. Around ten the club was filling and I had narrowed down my
options to three guys. All of them were tall, broad-shouldered men, able to take it a bit rough.
“You might? Didn’t you listen when I told you that you’re it for me tonight?”
Author Bio:
I fended off
a few other guys, though it was a nice ego-boost to be popular. None of the guys who advanced on me
were my type: too small, too young, and way too cheerful. I had just finished my beer and decided to
try my luck with my main prey, a dark-haired, beefy looking man, when a hand landed on my arm.</
span>
“Mind if I buy
you another beer?”
I turned
around with a frown in place. I was face to face—well, almost face to face, the guy was maybe two or
three inches shorter than me—with a very young man. He smiled at me, showing off a line of white
teeth, and I blinked. When I was done blinking, I pointedly looked at his hand on my arm, but he didn’t
get the hint.
His hand
stayed where it was as he ordered two beers. I found myself steered back onto the stool I had just
vacated. He sat down on the stool next to me and finally withdrew his hand. Only to hold it out to
me.
“Hi, I’m Alex. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m Alex. Pleasure to meet you.”
I ignored his
outstretched hand. “Thanks for the beer but I’m not interested.”
“You’re
not?”
“No.” I wasn’t
interested at all. This guy was way too young and absolutely not my type. Fair-haired and slender in
built, almost delicate. I grimaced. He would find someone who’d appreciate his looks; there were a lot of
men who’d be pleased with someone like him. It just wasn’t going to be me.
“No? Really?
You don’t even know me.”
“I’m not here
to get to know anyone.”
“Well, neither
am I.”
I snorted.
“Why did you sound so offended then?”
Alex answered
with a shrug. “I’m not used to getting turned down, that’s all.”
Arrogant little
prick. I patted his shoulder in a there-there gesture. “You’ll get used to it.”
“No, I won’t.
I observed you for an hour and I want you. There’s no one with you, so I don’t get what the problem
is.”
My eyes
narrowed again. He had observed me for an hour and I hadn’t sensed it? Either I was drunk, which was
very unlikely, or I needed to pay better attention to my surroundings. I took great offense at having
been spied on without my knowledge. “Kid, do yourself a favor and pick up someone else. I’m not
interested, but I can point out at least two men who are.”
“I can
point out at least four men who are interested in me, but I don’t care about them. I already made my
decision.”
The kid was
incredibly arrogant. It should have been annoying but instead I was amused. He had balls and I liked
that. “You did? Tell you what, I made a decision myself and it didn’t include you.”
“That’s only
because you didn’t see me before.”
I laughed. “I
haven’t met someone that snotty in quite a while.”
He grinned at
me. “At least it got your attention.”
The bartender
placed our beers in front of us and we both reached for them. We clinked the glasses together before
we both turned around to stare at the dance floor. From the corner of my eyes I inspected Alex more
closely. The blondness of his hair bordered on white. He had it slicked back, though it was already
starting to curl up on the nape of his neck. A loose strand repeatedly fell onto his forehead.
Unsuccessfully, he tried to tame it.
Unsuccessfully, he tried to tame it.
He caught me
glancing at him when he tried to tuck the stray hair behind his ear. A light flush crept up in his cheeks
while he muttered, “It never stays where I put it.”
“That’s why
you put a pound of gel into it?”
The light flush
turned into a deep red. “It wasn’t a pound, only half of a bottle.”
I grinned at
him and stretched out my hand. He took it immediately. “Hi Alex, I’m Jeff.”
“Jeff,” he
repeated.
His gaze
wandered to our joined hands. His hand almost vanished in mine. There were no calluses on his and the
skin was baby-soft. Usually, I would have turned and run away. Oddly enough, I found myself stroking
my thumb over the knuckles of his hand.
After
swallowing heavily several times, Alex looked at me. “You got big hands.”
“Yep.”
“I bet you
know how to use them.”
“I do.”
“You need to
show me. Really soon.”
I smirked.
Even though he wasn’t my type, he was good for my ego. It had been a long time since anyone had
looked at me with such open hunger. I said, “I might do that.”
“You might? Didn’t you listen when I told you that you’re it for me tonight?”
“Don’t push
your luck. At the very least I’m reconsidering.”
“You like that
I’m pushy.”
“No, I don’t.
It’s amusing, though.”
“Oh.” He
sounded vaguely embarrassed. Maybe now he’d shut up for a while.
He did, but
never let go of my hand. Instead, he came to stand at my other side and looped his free arm loosely
around my waist. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“So far you’re
only reconsidering. I’m making the best of it.”
Chris T. Kat
lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two
children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time
between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge
instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense,
paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks,
or crafts.
