Book Title: A Beach Far Away
Author and Publisher: BL Maxwell
Cover Artist: BL Maxwell
Release Date: July 30, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Friends to lovers, instalove, vacation romance, meet cute
Themes: Starting over, finding true love
Length: 31 000 words
It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Falling in love wasn’t on the itinerary
Blurb
Ryan Stone can’t wait to put his toes in the sand at the famous Bondi Beach. When he arrives after a flight that was far too long, and having not slept or eaten, all he can do is stare out at the beautiful expanse of white sand and blue ocean in awe. And when a blond guy asks him to play footy, he agrees, even if he doesn’t know for sure what that is.
Ollie Hughes thinks a day at the beach is just what he needs to take his mind off work. When he sees the cute but rumpled guy sitting by himself in the sand, he’s drawn to him. The more time they spend together, the less he wants the day to end. They end up spending a few days together, those few days turn into weeks, and neither is ready for their time together to end.
A lot of chemistry, and a little bit of luck make for an interesting day at the beach that both men are reluctant to end. Time and distance could be their biggest obstacle, but maybe some things are just meant to be. #meetcute #vacationromance #mmromance
“What do you do?” I asked. It was odd how comfortable I felt with Ollie even though I didn’t know him at all. We’d only met a couple of hours ago. But there was something about him that put me at ease.
“Well, lately I work at home monitoring a customer service line for a phone company.”
“Oh, wow, that’s gotta be fun.”
“Yeah, no, not really,” he said, and we both laughed. “I’m hoping to get on as an IT specialist but apparently I need to work my way up through the ranks.”
“Kinda sounds like walking through hell first. I’ve done customer service before, it’s not fun. Right now, I’m doing quality control for a gaming company. As long as I send them the test data, they’re happy. Doesn’t matter where I work from.” I knew how lucky I was. I’d worked for several other companies and none of them were very good. Some of them didn’t keep me busy, others started me on a low wage with a promise to increase it soon. It never happened and I left.
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s definitely not my idea of a great job. It pays the bills, but I can’t see being there much longer.”
We continued to make small talk until finally we’d both finished our meals. Not that it took either of us long to eat. “That was great. Thanks. I was hungrier than I realized. But now that I think about it, I really have no clue when I ate last.” Ollie laughed at that, and for a few minutes we sat there soaking up the atmosphere in the kitschy beach café.
“You tired, mate?” he asked, making me jump.
“Oh my god, I almost fell asleep. Yes, I guess I am tired.” I stood up from my seat and wobbled.
“Watch it,” Ollie said before standing and steadying me.
I dug in my pocket for money, and I realized I had no idea how much the bill was. And it would be in Australian dollars.
Ollie stopped me when he noticed what I was doing. “I’ve got this one. Consider it a welcome to Australia.” He grinned as he turned on the accent even more.
“Alright, but now I owe you lunch.”
“Sounds fair.” My eyes were even heavier now, and I missed my shoulder as I tried to heft my backpack back on.
“Give me that,” Ollie said, and without waiting for an answer he had it looped over his shoulder. He walked over to the counter and paid the man who had taken our order. After getting his change, he walked straight back to me. “Right then, let’s go.”
We walked outside, and as everyone rushed by and enjoyed the sunshine, I moved like my legs were weighted down with lead. The day had hit me and hit me hard.
“Ry, why don’t you wait here, I’ll go get my car.” He led me to a bench, and I sat down in a heap. Yep, I was done for today. He hurried off and I sat and tried to keep my eyes open. Then it dawned on me I was about to go stay with someone I didn’t know at all. I knew if I took off now the chance of him ever finding me was thin. But then I realized I didn’t like that idea. Not at all. Plus, he had my backpack that had all of my belongings in it, so I couldn’t just walk away.
“Here we go,” Ollie called as he parked his car right in front of me and rushed to my side.
“Thank you. Ollie, you’re not some kind of weirdo, are you? Because I really want to go stay with you, but I don’t know you at all. And what’s the chance of me meeting a really hot, nice guy on the beach the first day here who’s willing to let me stay with him?” Apparently, my filter was tired too and was offline because I heard the words come out of my mouth and even I was shocked.
“If I was a weirdo, would I actually tell you I was?”
I was alert enough to hear the sarcasm and catch the raised brow. “Probably not. But I’m so tired right now, if you are a weirdo, just wait until I’m more alert before you try anything.”
He laughed before giving me a two-finger salute. “You have my word.”
I slid into the car and was awake as he pulled away from the curb, then I was out.
BL Maxwell grew up in a small town listening to her grandfather spin tales about his childhood. Later she became an avid reader and after a certain vampire series she became obsessed with fanfiction. She soon discovered Slash fanfiction and later discovered the MM genre and was hooked.
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