Today we have stopping over at Love Bytes author Heidi Cullinan
She shares with us an exclusive excerpt on her latest release Sleigh Ride and there is a giveaway you can participate in
Welcome Heidi!

 

SLEIGHRIDE by HEIDI CULLINAN

Book Two of the Minnesota Christmas Series

The Minnesota Christmas series is a light-hearted escape into an idyllic Minnesota Northwoods small town. Bears and lumberjacks and hairstylists, oh my—and now, with the introduction of Gabriel Higgins, the most devious creatures of all. Librarians.

In Logan, Minnesota, you can expect shenanigans, snow, plenty of sex, and always a happily ever after.

 

Blurb:

The way to a man’s heart is on a sleigh.

Arthur Anderson doesn’t want anything to do with love and romance, and he certainly doesn’t want to play Santa in his mother’s library fundraising scheme. He knows full well what she really wants is to hook him up with the town’s lanky, prissy librarian.

It’s clear Gabriel Higgins doesn’t want him, either—as a Santa, as a boyfriend, as anyone at all. But when Arthur’s efforts to wiggle out of the fundraiser lead to getting to know the man behind the storytime idol, he can’t help but be charmed. The least he can do is be neighborly and help Gabriel find a few local friends.

As their fiery arguments strike hotter sparks, two men who insist they don’t date wind up doing an awful lot of dating. And it looks like the sleigh they both tried not to board could send them jingling all the way to happily ever after.

Warning: Contains a feisty librarian, a boorish bear, small town politics, deer sausage, and a boy who wants a doll.

Buy Links:

Samhain, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, iTunes

When the doorbell rang, Gabriel ignored it, continuing to frown at his freezer stack of frozen entrees, trying to decide if he wanted to be lazy and eat one or if he should get the package of chicken breasts out and make the wine sauce he’d been meaning to try. The second ring of the doorbell was louder, more insistent, and Gabriel glared toward the front of the house, hoping this wasn’t another Boy Scout sales season. Those were always awkward moments, because he simply couldn’t give any support to the organization until they had full inclusion of gay members, leaders too, but he couldn’t say no to any of his library patrons, either. It could be the LDS missionaries again, which was even more uncomfortable a prospect. He’d go on pretending he was in the basement in the laundry room, unable to hear the door.

The doorbell rang a third time, accompanied by a heavy pounding, implying someone was using their fist as a knocker.

“Gabe? I know you’re in there. I see your car.” Bang bang bang. “Open up. I got a proposition for you.”

Gabriel shut the freezer with a wince. Worse than Boy Scouts, worse than missionaries. Arthur Anderson.

He stayed in the kitchen, making no noise. If he waited, even Arthur would give up. He’d have to. It might take a while, and it was annoying, but—

The front door opened, and Arthur’s bellow cut across Gabriel’s tiny living room. “Gabe? Where the hell are—?”

Gabriel swung into the living room. “You can’t just come into my house.”

Arthur had the audacity to look indignant. “You weren’t answering your door.”

“So you let yourself into my house?”

“The door wasn’t locked. I figured you were in the basement or something.” Arthur put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels, beaming. “Anyway, you’re gonna be glad I came in. I’m taking you to dinner.”

Gabriel blinked and put his hand on his recliner to steady himself. “What?”

“Dinner. Even if you already ate, you should come eat again. Frankie’s a hell of a cook. It’s some white-bean thing. A stew. But he puts rosemary in.”

So Arthur wasn’t asking him out. Only to dinner with…another man. Two other men. “Why are you inviting me to Frankie’s house?”

“Because you need to meet people, and you’d like Frankie.”

Gabriel did like Frankie. He’d been meaning to accept one of the stylist’s dinner invitations, but this was too odd. Maybe if Arthur had asked him without breaking and entering, he’d have been interested. “Thank you, but I already ate. And I have a lot of work to do.”

One of Arthur’s bushy red eyebrows arched dubiously. “Work on what? You don’t have tests to grade from the library or anything.”

Gabriel bristled. “No, but I have catalogs to go over and…” He didn’t have much to do, and goddamn it, but he couldn’t make anything up on the spot. He was still too rattled by Arthur walking into his house. Yes, focus on that. “I can’t believe you’re rude enough to let yourself into my house. I don’t want company tonight, so thank Frankie and Marcus for me. Please leave.”

Arthur took a step forward. “What crawled up your butt, Gabe?”

Ugh. This man. “My name is Gabriel. Please do not call me Gabe.”

“What crawled up your butt, Gabriel?”

“Nothing is in my ass, thank you. Please leave.”

Arthur’s eyebrows waggled. “Something in your ass might make you feel a lot less cranky.”

Gabriel was so shocked, so insulted, for a second he couldn’t breathe. “Get. Out. Of my house. Right now.”

Arthur held up his hands. Then he sat down on Gabriel’s couch. “You know I’m teasing you. That’s your problem. You need somebody to tease you more.”

Your problem. “What in the hell gives you the right to barge into my house and tell me what you think my problems are?”

“I’m trying to be neighborly.”

“You’re insane. You’re a cloddish, oafish, orange-haired lump. You have the cranial capacity of a goldfish. You aren’t neighborly. You’re a pain in the ass.”

Arthur’s grin curled Gabriel’s toes. “I thought you didn’t want me to talk about putting things in your butt, honey.”

The noise escaping Gabriel’s nostrils was reminiscent of a teakettle as it ramped up to scream out its whistle. His arms were taut with fury, his hands clenched at his sides. Gabriel was going to hit him. If anyone deserved to be punched, it was Arthur, and by God, Gabriel was going to clock him right across the face.

Stalking up to him, Gabriel swung.

Arthur took his hand in a strong, sure grip.

With an angry shout, Gabriel wound up his other arm. Arthur caught that too.

Nostrils flaring, spewing expletives, Gabriel struggled in Arthur’s grip. Wrestled, trying to reclaim his hands.

He landed on Arthur’s lap, bumping Arthur’s face into his chest. Right at his neck, and he could feel Arthur’s hot breath on his skin. Gabriel went still. Shutting his eyes, he let out a staccato breath.

Shit. This was… He didn’t know what it was, but it made him a little hard.

With a roar, Gabriel struggled free. Arthur released him, but when Gabriel took another swing, Arthur captured his arms once more, easily, and held him fast.

Fuck, that was hot.

Gabriel gave a sigh, this one unmistakably of arousal.

Arthur’s gaze narrowed, lust burning in his eyes.

In Arthur’s grip, Gabriel went slack.

Arthur brushed a kiss against Gabriel’s skin, and Gabriel tensed, but he also moaned as he fought an intense wave of dark, drugging desire. Gabriel tried to climb back into his anger. He didn’t want this. He didn’t…

Arthur shifted Gabriel’s arms down, forcing them to his sides, moving them around to his back so he could hold them in place with one hand. Gabriel struggled, still furious but distracted by how strong Arthur was. Gabriel glared at him, breath hissing through his teeth.

Arthur stared, his gaze heavy and…commanding. It made Gabriel dizzy. Confused.

Hard.

It wasn’t anything, though, to what happened when Arthur slid his free hand into Gabriel’s hair—and dug his fingers in.

With a moan, Gabriel sat down, straddling Arthur’s lap. He gasped when he felt the thick rod pushing against his own. He opened his mouth as Arthur’s hand tightened on his hair and pulled him down for a kiss.

 

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her husband and teenaged daughter. Heidi is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality. Find out more about Heidi, including her social networks, at www.heidicullinan.com.

 

 

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