Knit Tight
(Portland Heat Series, #4)
by Annabeth Albert
Blurb:
It’s no secret that Portland, Oregon, has some of best restaurants, shops, and cafés in the country. But it’s the hard-working men who serve it all up that keep us coming back for more…
One of Portland’s hottest young baristas, Brady is famous for his java-topping flair, turning a regular cup of joe into a work of art. Every Wednesday—aka “Knit Night”—hordes of women and their needles descend on the coffeehouse, and Brady’s feeling the heat. Into the fray walks a tall, dark, and distractingly handsome stranger from New York. His name is Evren, and he’s the sexy nephew of Brady’s sweetest customer, the owner of the yarn shop down the street. He’s also got a killer smile, confident air, and masculine charm that’s tying Brady’s stomach in knots. The smitten barista can’t wait to see him at the next week’s gathering. But when he tries to ask Evren out, his plans unravel faster than an unfinished edge. If Brady hopes to warm up more than Evren’s coffee, he’ll have to find a way to untangle their feelings, get out of the friend zone, and form a close-knit bond that’s bound to last a lifetime…
KNIT TIGHT: In Defense of the Man Bun
I’m delighted to be here today celebrating the release of my latest m/m romance, KNIT TIGHT, about a barista and a male knitter. Few recent fashion trends are as divisive as the man bun. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the messy top knots are everywhere, and apparently you can even buy fake man buns for the folliclely challenged. Most often, the look is paired with a beard or scruffy jaw, and admirers and critics of both sexes have decided opinions and feelings on the trend.
In KNIT TIGHT, my barista has a beard for much of the book, and yes, he rocks a man bun. Ev, my other hero, is infatuated with Brady’s hair, especially when he leaves it down. To celebrate the controversial man bun, I’ve scoured tumblr to bring you some decidedly sexy man bun rocking hipsters, most of whom could double for Brady:
I personally love the look—and not just because my husband rocks it. I love beard, and adding long hair just adds to the fun. There’s something really sexy about tugging the hair free, watching it fall down around the guy’s face and shoulders. Plus it shows off the cheekbones, neck, and seems to call attention to the mouth, as well as showcasing the beard.
What do you think? Pro man bun? Anti? Hate long hair on guys in general? What about beards? Do tell!
“Why? Am I turning you on?” My hand wandered over my fly. Not stroking, just firm pressure. We’d danced past sexy talk, far out of the friend zone, now meandering into something dark and heady. I pressed hard against my aching erection as I waited to see how far Ev would let himself go.
“Perhaps. I told you some things, now you tell me. What is your favorite thing?”
“Uh. The long, slow grinding ending in oral that you just described sounds amazing and hits a lot of my buttons. For the record, I’m totally good with…mess. And I like giving oral. Love getting my throat fucked. Being pinned down while grinding or getting my throat fucked, that gets me going.”
Ev was silent a long moment. Perhaps I’d pushed him too far. “Tell me about this throat fucking. How do you like it?”
Aw yes. I’d never had phone sex, but I had a feeling we were about to head in that direction. “Where are you right now?”
“In my bed. With a closed door. Are you going to ask me what I’m wearing next?”
“Knitted underwear?” I laughed as I headed for the bathroom—the one room with a lock. My usual jerk-off method was a locked door and a longer-than-necessary shower.
“Sorry to disappoint. Pajama bottoms. I worry Hala Mira could need me in the night.”
“Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me. I share a room with a ten-year-old. I’m going to the bathroom now, though. And locking the door.”
“You require a locked door to tell me about giving head?”
“I require a locked door, a quiet house, and about three hours to show you,” I countered. “Fuck, Ev. I want you to wear me out.”
“Oh, I could. Do not doubt that, Brady. You want me to wear your throat out? Use you so much you need me to feed you some gelato after?”
“Fuck yes,” I whispered. “I’d like it if you were on the bed or in a chair and I were kneeling in front of you. Or you were standing in front of me. Me on my knees is the key thing.”
“You ever try with your head over the edge of the mattress? It happens that this bed is the perfect height for that…”
“Oh yes. Tell me more. I want to jerk off while you fuck my throat like that.”
“Ah. But I don’t want that. Perhaps we will need to find other occupation for your hands.”
Oh man. Ev knew how to turn my crank big-time. “I’m good with having my hands tied.”
I could tell from his inhalation that it worked for him, too. “How flexible are you?”
“Bendier than I look. I had to do yoga stretching exercises to rehab a skateboarding injury. Turns out I dig it.”
“Nice. Very nice. I like your mouth very, very much.”
“Like the beard? Because if you want my mouth more…exposed, I can work with that. Beard is pure Northwest laziness on my part.”
“The beard is…part of the appeal. Your mouth is very full and your beard always seems like it’s…teasing. I think I want your hair down, though, yes?”
“Go for it.” Getting into it, I pulled my hair free of the ponytail, let it flop against my shoulders. Spit gathered in my mouth like I really was about to get a go at Ev’s cock. Fuck. Just the thought had me throbbing. I unzipped to get a little more breathing room. “I want to—”
Knock. Knock. Knock. “Brady, are you in there? I don’t feel so good,” Jonas called through the door.
Fuck. I kept my curse to myself. “Just a minute, buddy,” I called.
“You need to go?” Ev said in my ear. “I understand.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“Another time, Brady, another time.”
Even if he just meant the phone-sex version of the fantasy, part of me thrilled to his words. And I was pulling hard for the in-person
Happy release week, Annabeth. Once again you come up with plenty of coffee & food mentioned in this book, it made me hungry! *lol* loveable characters as always, can’t wait for more of this series.
And thank you for a chance at the giveaway!
Congrats on the new book and good luck with the release =) The book looks fantastic. Thank you for the giveaway chance.
Congrats on your release! I am really excited about this book, and definitely pro man-bun. 🙂
Congrats on your new book. It looks like a good, and fun, way to get to know more about Portland. And as for the bun, not as much fun, either for me to wear or on my man.
I’ve read your Portland series and I am looking forward to this!
P.S. Those beards/buns photos are gorgeous!
the blurb sounds sweet….the excerpt was HOT!
man buns…ummm depends on the man 😛
beards…I don’t mind scruff but mountain man type beard is a huge turnoff
I’ve had a few barista crushes in my day, so I’m intrigued!
The man bun I am starting to like…the beards still kinda iffy on that!
Congratulations on the release and looking forward to reading it!
Thanks for the excerpt, I really enjoyed that. I’m neutral on the man-buns, but don’t care for full scruffy beards.