Release Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway: The Lines We Draw by CD Rachels

Artists and Athletes, Book 1

Ravi

I’m perfectly fine in my comfort zone. As co-captain of my university soccer team, I know my place. I play hard on the field and my teammates look up to me. Would they look up to me if they knew I liked guys? Probably not, so I’m okay staying a closeted virgin.

That is, until I’m forced to take an arts class, and I’m seated next to the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen. He helps me pass art class, makes me laugh, and has me wanting things I never thought were possible. As the semester goes on, we get closer, and trying to keep my hands off him and stay away from him becomes nearly impossible.

What will happen to my position on the team if I ask him out? I don’t think I’m willing to find out. Now I just gotta stop dreaming about kissing him and holding him… Damn.

Steven

As a fine arts major, I have to focus on creating good work and impressing my professors. Part of that entails sitting in on this beginners arts class, and I just so happen to be next to a gorgeous athlete this semester.

Relationships are a sour note for me, but flirting with the co-captain of the soccer team could be fun. I know it’s not going to go anywhere- he’s straight. Over time, though, becoming friends with Ravi, teaching him how to visualize his art, and learning about his life makes me question what we’re doing.

I don’t know if I’m ready to let someone else into my heart again, least of all a potential closet case (no matter how sexy he is). Still with the way he makes me smile and how my heart beats when I’m near him, I think we’re both in too deep now.

The Lines We Draw is a low-angst, friends-to-lovers story involving art classes, soccer games, nude models, drunken parties, and discovering what sex and love can really feel like, HEA guaranteed. It is the first of a series and can be read as a standalone.

Universal Link

Add on Goodreads

Amazon

 

I have to admit: I’m nervous as fuck. It’s not just because I like Ravi (I do), but because I haven’t been on a first date since high school. I unbutton the collar on my shirt; it’s too revealing. I button it up again, but now I can’t breathe. Ravi told me to dress nicely and that he’d be picking me up, but he wouldn’t provide any other details, and I’m not one for surprises. He texts me that he’s in front of my dorm, and I bolt out of my room. As I walk down the pathway, I nervously breathe in the cold autumn air. I see Ravi in a dark brown compact car and he waves at me. I smile back as I approach him. Maybe it’s ‘first date’ nerves, but seeing him leaves me breathless. “Hey,” I say as I step into the passenger seat and fumble with the seatbelt. “Hey man,” he replies as he shifts the gear. He pulls away and begins to drive off campus. I turn to my left to get a good look at him. He’s got a dark blue button-down shirt on over black slacks and a black blazer. How can he look like a model in literally every outfit? “You look good.” I smile at him, hoping I don’t sound as anxious as I am. “Uh thanks. You do too.” He side-eyes me. “You look very good.” “Alright, enough pleasantries,” I giggle. “Where are you taking me?” “Just trust me. Isn’t that what you always say?” “Ha ha, okay, I deserve that,” I reply, putting my hands up in defeat. We spend the next five minutes chatting about nothing in particular while he weaves down the highway. I ask about his classes and he asks about how my visit home was. Eventually we make it to a downtown residential area and pull up to what looks like an old mansion. “Are we going to the Barrett Center?” “Yeah, if that’s cool?” he asks, biting his lip. He’s adorable. “Yeah, I didn’t many think people knew about it.” “Hey, dumb jocks like me can still use the internet.” He smiles. “There’s an exhibit opening tonight.” He pulls into a parking space on the gravel, where seven other cars are parked. “Thought it might be fun.” I’m touched that he took the time to research something like this. “Alright. Let’s go!” I hastily open my door and I catch him running around to my side of the car. “Sorry,” he says, out-of-breath. “I was trying to open your door for you, like a gentleman.” Sheesh, he is a nervous wreck. “No need,” I smile, looking into his eyes. “You don’t have to treat me like royalty or something. Let’s just act like we’re two friends.” “Friends?” He asks, concerned. “Friends who HAPPEN to be on a date,” I quickly correct. “Romantically.” With that I take his hand and he gives me a quick smile before we walk up the steps.

To celebrate CD Rachels debut release, he is giving you the chance to win a 1 of 3 ecopies of The Lines We Draw!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

About the Author:

CD Rachels has been coming up with stories since he was little. At first it was all about superheroes and pocket monsters, but his genre of choice has expanded since puberty.

He’s been consuming young adult gay fiction since he was a teen, but within the past five years moved up to the big leagues of gay adult romance. In 2020 during quarantine, he burned through more male/male romance books than he ever had in the previous 29 years combined.

He lives in New York City with the love of his life and works in health insurance. When he’s not reading and writing, he’s playing board games and practicing music. He is honored to become a self-published author, and if you’re reading this, your support means so much to him that it’s giving him a tingly feeling (in a good way).

Follow him on instagram: @cdrachels

Or join his group on Facebook: “CD Rachels’ Chill Discourse Room”


Catch up with Sam: IG: https://www.instagram.com/cdrachels/ Amazon Author’s Page: CD Rachels Author Page Facebook Author Group: CD Rachels’ Chill Discourse Room