Title: Heart First
Series: Hudson Valley Murder Mysteries, Book One
Author: S.B. Barnes
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 12/05/2023
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 90800
Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, gay, mystery, murder, campus, town/gown, professors, auto mechanic, family drama, classism, class difference
Add to Goodreads
Description
Daniel Rosenbaum leads a predictable life. He’s a professor at Lobell, a small liberal arts college in the Hudson Valley, where he spends his days teaching classes and doing research alongside his friends and fellow professors, Colette and Mario. The biggest change Daniel’s routine has seen in years is when car trouble leads him across the Hudson and into an unexpected romantic encounter with local mechanic Tony.
When tragedy strikes in the form of Mario’s murder, Daniel’s orderly life is thrown into chaos. Not only is his friend dead, it seems Mario was keeping secrets that could cause rifts in Lobell’s close-knit community. At first, Daniel’s intensifying relationship with Tony is the only way he can find solace from his grief and confusion. But all too soon, the trail of Mario’s secrets leads Daniel to the same place he’s been seeking comfort: Angel Automotive, the auto repair shop run by Tony’s family.
Before long, Daniel is forced to question everything: his friends, his job, the way he lives his life, and the relationship he’s not even sure he’s in yet. Only one thing is for sure: Daniel is falling heart-first—in love or into mortal danger.
Heart First
S.B. Barnes © 2023
All Rights Reserved
Usually, the drive to Kingston takes about twenty minutes, maybe twenty-five if traffic is bad.
Daniel takes forty.
He’s acutely aware the whole way that he can only partially see out of the windshield. The wind is so strong he feels it pushing at the car on the bridge. For a second, white-hot terror floods him at the image of his car careening off the sides of the bridge and hitting the Hudson, hundreds of feet below.
By the time he pulls into the lot at Tony’s auto shop, he’s shaking.
He has to take a few deep breaths before he can get his legs to work enough to walk into the reception area. There’s no one there; Tony’s sister must be on a break.
Daniel rings the bell.
He’s utterly unprepared for Tony to step in from the divider to the garage only seconds later.
A broad smile stretches across Tony’s face. “Hi,” he says.
Daniel licks his lips. “Hi.”
“What can I do you for?”
Daniel’s whole throat goes bone dry. “How are you at windshields?”
Tony’s lower lip sticks out in an exaggerated pout. “And here I thought you were coming to visit me.”
Leaning an elbow on the counter in what he hopes is a flirty way, Daniel jokes, “Well, I was thinking about breaking a side mirror to have a reason to come here, but the storm took care of that for me.”
Tony clutches at his heart. “Property damage, for me? You could have just called.”
“If I had your number, I would have.”
Raising a finger, Tony nods slowly. “You make a good point.” The creases around his eyes are all crinkled up with his smile. He has really nice eyes; Daniel wasn’t remembering that wrong.
His hair is a little messier today, strands escaping from his ponytail. Daniel wants to tuck them in. Or pull at them. He could go for either.
“So.” Tony gets to his feet. “Let’s take a look at this windshield.”
They walk out onto the windswept parking lot together, and Daniel realizes his is the only car there. “Shit, did I catch you at closing time?”
Tony checks his watch. “Maybe a quarter of an hour out?”
“Oh god,” Daniel groans. “I’m so sorry. I can come back tomorrow. I didn’t even— It’s been kind of a terrible day; I didn’t even think.”
“Hey, chill out.” Tony smiles as if he isn’t at all put out by an idiot customer not valuing his time. “I wouldn’t have had time for you earlier anyway. This is good. I’ll take a look.”
“But it’s the whole windshield. It will take—”
Tony shakes his head. “I’m not even doing anything, just looking.”
“Seriously though, if you’re not on the clock anymore—”
Tony rests a hand on his shoulder. He has big hands. Firm. Warm.
Daniel’s not sure he ever really warmed up after this morning.
“Let me take a look, sweetheart.” Tony lets go to walk around the front of the car. He looks at the crack from different angles. “Jeez, I’m surprised you made it here in one piece.”
“Believe me, so was I. Not my favorite way to drive.”
“So, we’ll definitely need to replace this. It’s not actually a huge deal, maybe forty-five minutes, tops, for the work itself.”
Daniel breathes a sigh of relief. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“The problem,” Tony continues slowly, “is that I’m gonna need to order you a new windshield. That’ll take a few days.”
“Oh.”
Distantly, Daniel’s aware there are a myriad of problems he should be concerned about. Driving with a broken windshield for a few days. Getting home in the dark with a broken windshield. Going home to his empty, quiet apartment, knowing his friend got murdered just outside last night.
Being disappointed that he won’t get to watch Tony work today shouldn’t even make the list.
“Tell you what.” Tony leans in close over the windshield. “Come in for a second while I order the part, and then we’ll figure out when we can get you your car back.”
“Okay, sure,” Daniel agrees, too fast and too eager to spend more time with Tony. He tacks on, “But only if that won’t make you late closing up shop.”
Even in the rising dark, with rain and wind whipping past them, he can see Tony wink at him.
“You can make it worth my while.”
Daniel experiences something like déjà vu, leaning against the counter across from Tony as he taps away at the keyboard like his sister did last time. The only differences are the running commentary on how annoying placing orders is without Gianna there and the fact that Tony clearly needs glasses for computer screens because he keeps squinting at the monitor. It’s kind of cute.
“She left midway through her shift,” he grouses, tapping at the mouse as if that will make the site load faster. “I know she’s going through a lot right now, but she didn’t even say anything.”
“What’s she going through?” Daniel asks, watching as Tony scrolls through a list of identical-looking windshields. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
Tony shrugs. “She had to drop out of college in the summer. It was really rough on her; she has bigger dreams than this.” He gestures to the shop around them.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” It feels awkward to add anything more, sitting pretty on his tenure-track assistant professorship.
“Eh.” Tony smiles over at him. “I think she’ll find something she wants to do more than this sooner or later. But it’s our dad’s garage, and between you and me, he’s a pretty lenient boss.”
Daniel smiles, a little charmed despite himself. “Proper family business, then?”
Tony nods, entering an employee key to place the order. Daniel looks away a second too late and tries to forget that the key was clearly someone’s birthday. People really need to work on their password safety.
“Do you ever have…bigger dreams?” Daniel asks the wall.
“Nah, not really. Maybe someday, if the Jiffy Lube over on Ulster Ave starts encroaching on our territory or something. I’m good here for now though.”
He must have finished the order because he logs out of the computer and powers it down. He doesn’t get up though. Instead, he looks at Daniel for a long moment.
Daniel swallows, wishing he could think of something to say.
“So.” Tony stuffs his hands in his pockets. “You’re not driving home in a storm with a busted windshield.”
For a wild, crazy moment, Daniel thinks this is it; this is when Tony will invite him over to his place; this is when all his problems are solved or at least become ignorable.
“Let’s find you a car for the weekend.” One of the rolls on the desk chair squeaks when Tony gets up and heads for the garage.
Right. Of course. That’s a thing people do in auto shops. They lend out cars while yours is being repaired. Daniel is an idiot. He follows Tony through the door.
“Sure you want to get rid of me so fast?” Daniel asks, which is up there on the list of the boldest things he’s ever said. Probably also on the list of the stupidest things he’s ever said.
Tony flashes him a smile over his shoulder. “Not at all. Just wanna make sure you’re taken care of.” He crouches to take a look at the car he’s in front of, probably to see whether or not Daniel could borrow it.
“I seem to remember something about making overtime worth your while,” Daniel points out.
It feels as though Tony’s being slow about inspecting the car on purpose. He turns when he’s done and leans against the driver’s side door with his arms crossed. The swell of his biceps under the shirt fabric is really something. “I was kidding.” Tony doesn’t quite look at Daniel, more at the air over his left shoulder. “I wouldn’t hold you to that.”
“And if I wanted you to?”
There’s something self-deprecating about Tony’s shrug. “Then I’d probably say something really dumb about how I was hoping you’d come back.”
“If you want.” Daniel carefully picks his way across the garage toward Tony, avoiding tools and cables as he does, “we can skip all the parts where we talk about it.”
Tony lets his arms fall open, making space for Daniel to step into place right in front of him. The heat of Tony’s body is intoxicating and thrilling and exactly what Daniel was hoping for to help him forget—everything.
“You wanted me to come back, huh?”
“Let’s definitely skip the talking.” Tony’s smiling, and his big hands settle on Daniel’s hips.
Purchase
NineStar Press | Books2Read
Amazon
S. B. Barnes attended college in the Hudson Valley, studying English Language and Literature and Anthropology (although unlike her characters, her time there was not interrupted by crime-solving). She grew up split between the USA and Germany, attending university in both countries before eventually settling in Germany. Today, she works as a teacher and lives with her husband and two cats in an apartment with too little shelf space. Fiction has always been one of her greatest loves, as a reader, as a teacher, and as a writer. While S.B. has been writing for most of her life, this is her first foray into publishing her work.
Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
