Book Title: The Wingman
Author: A. Poland
Publisher: NineStar Press LLC
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Release Date: July 26, 2021
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance, Romantic comedy, New Adult
Tropes: Friends to lovers, love triangle, childhood best friends, slow burn, sharing a bed (tent)
Themes: humor, friendship, family, communication
Length: 69 762 words
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Always the wingman, never the “one”.
Blurb
Nathan, a college student with a thing for funky hats and a definite not-thing for the great outdoors, has been a wingman extraordinaire for his lifelong best friend Lorcan for as long as either can remember. With his innate ability to talk endlessly about how great Lorcan is to anyone who’ll listen, Nathan has always been the best man for the job—even if he’s secretly waiting for the day when Lorcan will realize that Nathan is the only guy for him.
But then, Lorcan sets his sights on Miles, the suave, leather-jacket-wearing musician with a love of mountaineering and a family of six overprotective sisters, and Nathan must once again put his wingman skills to work.
Trouble is, Nathan is getting tired of the old routine, and Miles is the only human being on the planet immune to Lorcan’s charm. Not to mention that Miles’s interest is immediately piqued by the outspoken and completely oblivious wingman.
Shit, something was wrong.
Nathan shot up, dropping his legs from the dashboard.
“Yeah,” he responded, trying to regain his composure and not freak out. Freaking out wasn’t going to help Lorcan. “Yeah, of course. You know you can tell me anything.”
Even the embarrassing things. Such as the especially memorable time Lorcan had called Nathan in a panic in the middle of the night because his date’s mom had walked in on them and he’d no choice but to escape through the window.
Naked.
So Nathan, of course, had shown up at 3:00 a.m. with a bundle of clothes and stood guard in front of a bush as Lorcan dressed himself.
And then subsequently gotten a rash from said bush.
And then Nathan had helped to apply rash cream to places Lorcan couldn’t reach.
“Okay.” Lorcan took a breath, his tight grip on the wheel relaxing ever so slightly. “What’s your view on the gays?”
An unrelenting vise squeezed around Nathan’s heart. Oh god.
“The gays?” he repeated, a little incredulously. “As in the whole concept? Or every gay person? Because I’m not nearly qualified enough to make a generalization like that.” Nathan tried his best to disguise the fact that he was having a minor heart attack. “But, I mean, live and let live, right? You know that’s how I operate.”
Lorcan’s face erupted into an amused smile. “You know what I mean,” he huffed with a laugh, the irony of asking a gay guy what he thought about “the gays” clearly not lost on him. But his tone was still nervous.
Nathan, on the other hand, was even more nervous. Lorcan knew. He had to know. Why else bring up something like this? Lorcan somehow knew Nathan was harboring a big, pulsating crush on him.
How the hell had Lorcan found out? It wasn’t as though Nathan had told anyone. He’d intended to take this secret with him to the grave.
The secret about his feelings for Lorcan, at least. It wasn’t as if he’d been hiding his preference for men from anyone, including Lorcan. People just assumed otherwise, and Nathan didn’t care enough to correct them. Hadn’t thought to, really. It wasn’t their business.
Suddenly, Nathan’s stomach lurched. Had Lorcan somehow overheard Nathan having some intimate alone time? Nathan wasn’t exactly quiet, and he said a lot of shit when he was in the heat of the moment, especially when they stayed over at each other’s houses.
Sometimes about Lorcan.
Nathan was going to get sick; he was sure of it. He needed a paper bag. People breathed into them to stop vomiting; that was a thing.
“I think I’m gay.”
It came out in a rush, like a tight belt had been fastened around Lorcan’s waist and the moment he confessed, a great pressure had been released.
“Or bisexual. I think.”
There was a lot of thinking going on in this car, and none of it was coming from Nathan.
His brain turned to mush, his thoughts coming to a standstill. The longer the silence went on, the more worried Lorcan looked.
“That’s…great!” Nathan eventually managed, maybe a little more enthusiastically than needed.
“Really?” Lorcan instantly sounded relieved, a hesitant smile spreading out over his handsome features. “That’s such a relief. I was freaking out that I figured this out too late or something.”
“C’mon.” Nathan chuckled, his heart still racing as he swatted Lorcan’s arm. “It’s me. You don’t have to freak out about telling me anything.”
“You’re right,” Lorcan agreed with a definitive nod, wetting his lips before taking another breath. “Okay, then, there’s something else I want to tell you.”
Once again, Nathan’s stomach flipped like a pancake.
Was this actually happening?
Was Lorcan going to confess his love for Nathan too?
Nathan desperately tried to not let himself be carried away, but that was difficult with the blood rushing past his ears and when the only thoughts bouncing around in his head were it’s happening, it’s happening, it’s happening.
“Then tell me.” Nathan’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“I, uh, I met this guy. And I really like him. Like…really like him.”
Nathan leaned forward, edging into Lorcan’s personal space. Not that Lorcan noticed; he was a physical guy by nature.
Should they kiss?
It felt like the right moment to kiss.
Nathan rubbed his clammy hands against his jeans and pulled a face. Was it okay to kiss with clammy hands? What if Lorcan thought it was weird?
Nathan froze.
Were they about to have sex?
He needed to shower first. There was no way he was going to have sex with Lorcan if he was anything less than pristinely clean.
“His name is Miles.”
And as quickly as those heated thoughts of sex, soft kisses, and requited love had come to mind, they all shattered as Nathan’s heart plummeted through his chest and out his ass.
Fuelled by a worrying tea addiction (with a tattoo to prove it), A. Poland is a rom-com writer from Ireland who delights in telling stories that make you fall in love with the characters and give you that squee feeling in your chest.
Three words A. would use to describe her writing are funky, silly, and spicy. Which, coincidentally, is also their dancing style.
When they’re not daydreaming of the next meet-cute, A. works as a video producer and a full-time dog mom to her pride and joy, Gizmo.
Social Media Links
Email (public address) disasterbiwrites@gmail.com
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