Book Title: On a Roll (Food Truck Warriors #3)
Author: Beth Bolden
Publisher: Beth Bolden Books
Cover Artist: AngstyG Book Cover and Media Design
Release Date: May 6, 2021
Genre/s: Contemporary gay romance
Trope/s: Enemies to lovers, found family
Themes: Building trust, finding love again
Length: 84 000 words
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
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If they could stop arguing for a hot second . . . they just might fall in love.
Blurb
Gabriel Moretti and Sean Cooper should be friends. They’re both passionate about serving delicious food to their customers. They both love to kick back with the other food truck owners at the collective they’ve joined. But maybe it’s possible to have too much in common . . .
Especially when they’ve chosen the exact same name for their food trucks.
Gabriel and Sean know that one of them will have to change the name. The only question is, who’s willing to give in first?
It’s inevitable that with such a difficult decision, their tempers flare. But to their shock, their deeply-buried chemistry ignites too. Could it be that for them fighting is actually flirting, and what they really crave is each other?
“What’s this?” Sean asked, shooting the glass a suspicious glance.
“Manhattan. Jackson’s special recipe,” Gabriel said. “I figured we could use something stronger than beer.”
“Trying to get me drunk?” Sean wondered, even if he knew that wasn’t true. Gabriel wouldn’t want to cheat to win; he’d want to win free and clear.
“Just thinkin’ that maybe we might do better if we were both a little more . . . relaxed?” Gabriel said, shooting Sean a lopsided, almost bashful smile. “Sometimes our edges are a little . . . sharp?”
“My edges are sharp?”
Gabriel leaned forward, and Sean swallowed hard, suddenly, painfully aware of how close he was. How little Sean would have to move to press their lips together. “Don’t even pretend you don’t know. You like cutting me, I can see it in your eyes. They really shine when you land a particularly good blow.”
“Oh.” Sean didn’t know what to say to that. It was true. He was sometimes a little bit too proud when he came up with a particularly excellent retort.
Gabriel settled back in his chair, cradling his glass in those big, capable hands. Sean had watched them, way too many times, rolling meatballs, stirring sauce, serving the best Italian food that he’d ever been privileged to try. Not that he would ever tell Gabriel that. The man was already egotistical enough. But Ren would sometimes sneak Sean something when he was having a bad day, and Gabriel’s delicious food never failed to make him smile.
“You should try your drink,” Gabriel said, taking a sip of his own. “I think you’ll like it.”
“You think I will?” Sean wondered. “Or Jackson thinks I will?” He lifted the glass to his lips, and felt the smell of strong spirits hit him. He didn’t usually drink hard liquor; normally, he preferred a light beer, or a nice glass of wine at home when he was unwinding from a hard day. But it smelled good, actually, underneath that first hit of booze. Dark and complex, with a hint of cherry.
It was smoother on his tongue than he’d anticipated, and not just the cherry, but hints of orange as well. “That’s . . .” Sean cleared his throat. “That’s good. Strong, but good.”
“Told you so.” Gabriel’s grin widened. “They’re actually Ren’s favorite. He introduced me.”
Sean glanced around, searching for Gabriel’s cousin, as well as a topic of discussion that wasn’t an insult or the actual matter at hand. “Is he here tonight?” It was a rare weekend evening that didn’t find Ren here, holding court by the fire pits.
Sean really liked Ren; was kind of in awe of the man’s natural confidence with potential hookups.
Gabriel shook his head. “No,” he said. “He had a date tonight.”
“Which means,” Sean deduced, because he was familiar enough with Ren’s habits by now, “that you’ll want to postpone your return home as long as possible.”
“Yep,” Gabriel said wryly. “You know it.”
“How long has he been working for you?” Sean was still searching around for the right topic to keep them away from the topic. Ren was as good a one as any. He knew Gabriel’s cousin had been with him since almost the very beginning of his food truck, but he’d make Gabriel tell him anyway.
“From the first day,” Gabriel said ruefully. “The guy works hard, despite all his many failings.”
“I like Ren,” Sean said staunchly, knowing that Gabriel did too. He just liked to pretend that Ren was a pain in his ass.
“I keep him around to make the truck look good,” Gabriel admitted. “I feel like half my customers show up hoping to hook up with him, and the other half are there to try to do it again.”
Sean was surprised at the rueful tone Gabriel used. Did he think . . . no. There was no way that Gabriel thought he wasn’t attractive. He was just as attractive as Ren—more, even. He was just a little growly and difficult, and spent far less time attempting to charm the masses.
“You make the truck look plenty good,” Sean said, before he could stop himself. Why did he care if Gabriel didn’t think he was as hot as his cousin? It wasn’t any of his business. Gabriel wasn’t his boyfriend or his crush. He was barely his friend. He shouldn’t care. But he did.
Gabriel stared at him. “Really?”
A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published twenty-three novels and seven novellas.
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