Release Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
The Strings We Play by CD Rachels
Artists and Athletes, Book 3
Wei
As the new music professor at Korham University, I need to focus on my job. I can’t get entangled with that tall and handsome Facilities Manager who I keep bumping into on campus. Did we have a hot moment together at Christmas? Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s taking my music lecture. Students are off limits, no matter how flirty and sexy they are.
The problem is that Logan’s not just a student; we’re co-faculty, neighbors, and we’ve become good friends. I’ve started to peel back the layers that make up who he really is. It turns out there’s more to this sweet guy whom I’ve been growing closer and closer to. As the semester winds down, the days of him being my student are numbered. Pretty soon, nothing will stand in the away of us hooking up. It’s scary, but can an athlete like him really fall for a performing artist like me? Because I’m afraid I’m already there.
Logan
I’ve been broken for a long time, so I make my job at KU my life. No one has been able to tug on my heartstrings for years. So of course I’m blindsided by this talented and gorgeous new professor I meet. He makes me smile and gives me something to look forward to for the first time in so long. The one catch: I’m taking his intro to music class.
That’s fine by me, I can push down these feelings. I can totally ignore the blazing hot chemistry Wei and I have in the tiny practice rooms while he teaches me scales. But as the semester goes on, I realize he can offer me so much more than just a pretty face; it’s possible that everything I lost all those years ago exist in Wei. When he plays a song, or whenever it’s just the two of us, it feels just like magic.
I refuse to make a move on my professor, even though we’re both faculty. Good things come to those who wait, right? I just have to not let him realize I have a massive crush on him and not let him kiss me…again. And again.
The Strings We Play is a low-angst, male/male romance about two working adults. It involves music lessons, workout sessions, kissing under the stars, soccer-themed birthday cakes, and discovering the love that only a found-family can bring, HEA guaranteed. It is the third book in the Artists and Athletes series but can be read as a standalone.
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I wash off the remnants of whipped cream from my body in the locker room shower. There are partitions and shower curtains, but I purposefully leave mine open. I stroke myself just a bit to fluff myself for when the man of my dreams sees me naked. Once I hear Logan walk back in, I turn around and really get under the water. I want Logan to watch me, to remember this forever. While we can’t kiss, I still want him to want me, and this is the only way I know how. This is my way of telling him to wait for me until the end of the semester.
After a beat, I turn around to see him looking at the ceiling, gripping two towels like his life depends on it.
“Hey man!” I holler. He doesn’t respond. “Hey, Logan, can you hear me?”
“Uh, yeah.” He makes the briefest eye contact then looks down at the floor. He looks so shaken, I almost feel bad for teasing him like this. “I got you that uhh… towel.”
“What was that?” I heard him, I just want him to look at me.
“I got you that towel!” I shut off the shower and he finally looks at me.
“Thanks man.” He bites his lip and puts the towel on a bench. Oh no you don’t. “Hey I wanted to talk to you about music class.”
“Um, yeah?” He’s back to staring at the ceiling, now biting his lip.
“Are you ready for your recital tomorrow?”
“Uh…uh yeah. I f-f-feel comfortable.” Still wet, I saunter over to him.
“So what are you performing?”
“Um… ‘Habañera’ by Bizet.” Up close, I notice how red his face is as he continues to avoid my eyes, even as I’m a foot in front of him. Of course, me being rock hard might have something to do with it.
“Ah, from ‘Carmen’. Great choice.” I lean over and pick up the towel. “All about how love…is truly rebellious. Like a bird that no one can tame.” I rub my hair with the towel. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Micucci?”
“Mhm,” he whimpers, eyes still glued upward. Poor guy probably hasn’t taken a full breath since I started showering.
Who knew I was such an exhibitionist?
I walk over to my clothes and put on my red boxer briefs. Once I’m done, I turn around to see him already staring at my ass. I’m smirking, but once I catch his eyes, they dart upward again.
I scoff and put on my jeans. “Well thanks for the shower.”
“Anytime. Anything for…co-faculty,” he says to the ceiling.
“In a matter of days, that’s all we’ll be.” He looks at me and I continue. “We won’t be student and professor anymore.”
“Very…true.”
I walk up to him, side-to-side, and touch his shoulder. He doesn’t move, but turns his head. “Maybe we’ll see each other on campus this summer, Mr. Micucci.” I give him one last flirtatious smirk, then make my exit, hoping Logan is watching me.
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Check out Book 1: The Lines We Draw
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.
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About the Author:
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 Charles:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/cdrachels/
Amazon Author’s Page: CD Rachels Author Page
Facebook Author Group: CD Rachels’ Chill Discourse Room
