Book Title: A Little More Hope (Hot Property, Book Two)
Author: Pauley J Ray
Publisher: NineStar Press
Cover Artist: Jaycee DeLorenzo
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Bi awakening, Emotional scars
Themes: Overcoming adversity, loss, rejection
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 87 900 words/525 pages
This is book two of a four-book series. Each book concentrates on a different main character from the four owners of a successful construction company. Successive books will include spoilers from the previous ones if the books are not read in order.
This story does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
NineStar Press | Amazon UK | Amazon US
Your heart must believe there is hope before you can believe there is love
Blurb
After a vicious assault leaves him a virtual recluse, businessman Mason Wilder escapes to his friend’s beach house in the small seaside town of Melrose Bay to heal and come to terms with the shadow of the man he has become.
When Ashton Michaels, wanderer, surfer, loner, unexpectedly inherits a rundown shack of a house, he must decide: keep running from his disastrous past relationships or return to the place he loves, finally put down some roots, and learn to live life with all its consequences.
After a chance encounter with his elusive next-door neighbor, Ash can see Mason is hurting and it releases his protective, caring side and he knows he’ll do anything he can to aid the handsome, broken man in such desperate need of help.
Mason initially resists the offer of help from Ash, but the guy is persistent and for reasons he can’t figure out, Mason feels drawn to him. When Ash decides to keep and renovate his new home, impulsively Mason joins him and in the process of rebuilding the house, Mason begins to rebuild his life and confront his fears.
He must also learn to come to terms with his unexpected attraction to a man for the first time in his life. Ash is a solid, comforting, and caring presence and offers Mason everything he’s been searching for since his brutal attack.
Ash is falling hard for the quiet and troubled man he’s spending all his time with but is worried the past will only repeat itself and Mason will leave him all alone like everyone else.
Can Mason finally put his demons to rest to move forward with his life and will Ash be able prevent his fear of being left behind from ruining his chance at love?
I peered at him. “You okay down there?”
He swallowed hard; his eyes riveted at the top of my legs. He’d landed directly between them, his head nestled by my ankles, the position giving him a direct line of sight right up the loose-fitting shorts I’d worn. Today was a scorcher, and I hated sweaty balls so I hadn’t bothered with underwear, thinking the see-through mesh would be enough to hold everything in place while letting the air circulate at the same time. Obviously, I hadn’t figured on Ash falling in a heap at my feet, able to get a good eyeful.
“Here,” I said huskily and lowered my hand. He gave me one of his, and I hauled him up. He came up awkwardly, his body twisting with the grip we had, causing him to fall against me, chest to chest.
His eyes widened at how close we were, our faces only inches apart. His temperature spiked, making the light citrusy aftershave he wore, the one continually teasing my senses all morning, headier and more potent. His own unique scent deepened and became more intense.
“You all right?” I asked, my voice rough. He didn’t say anything as a deep flush crept up his neck and into his cheeks, his breath coming out in small pants, fanning my face. We remained locked in stasis, our gazes connected. I teetered on the edge of a precipice, struggling not to fall, to give in to the feelings I’d developed for Ash since the first time we’d met. My brain tried to reason with me, warn me this was madness and that I hadn’t recovered and remained far too vulnerable and emotionally unstable to contemplate any kind of a connection with him. Plus, Ash was young, too young and grieving over the loss of his aunt and struggling to come to terms with what that loss meant.
But when his eyes dropped to my lips, the hunger for me clear in their depths, all my reservations and hesitation vanished into thin air. The single thought rushing through my mind demanded I give Ash all his beautiful eyes were telling me he wanted. With my heart beating like a hammer, I haltingly lowered my head. Closing the small gap between us, I grazed my lips along his partly open mouth. Sparks crackled at the connection, sizzling along my nerve endings, scorching me from head to toe.
The walls of the dam cracked wide open, allowing every one of the emotions I’d repressed for so many months to break free. The feel of his mouth against my own was nothing at all like I expected. There was no taste of lipstick, no soft small lips gently caressing my own. I was kissing a hard, unforgiving male—make no mistake. Ash hesitated for a few brief seconds before grabbing at my shoulder with his with his free hand, his fingers digging into my skin, sending arrows of pleasure down to my groin. He tilted his head, getting closer, slanting his mouth over mine, his tongue pushing between my lips, curling against my own.
Taking.
Pauley J Ray writes contemporary MM romantic fiction. His books contain sexy yet complicated and flawed characters searching for their own happily ever after.
When not writing, he can’t wait to get outdoors, and with his husband, go hiking, camping, and travel everywhere they can, as often as they can.
With his husband’s job taking them all over the world, he now gets to write all day, every day, and he’s never happier than when sat at his laptop creating new stories about gorgeous and sexy men.
Except when there’s coffee…ooh and chocolate…yes, he’s way happier when there’s coffee and chocolate!
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