Book Title: Bridging Lives
Author: Greyson McCoy
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Rhys Ford
Release Date: October 8, 2024
Pairing: MM
Tense/POV: First person, alternating POV
Genres: Contemporary MM Literary Romance
Tropes: Small Town Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 266 pages
Bridging Lives can be read as a standalone. It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Cliff Anderson hopes to build on the legacy of his late parents, but that dream seems lost when his California homestead is lost to a wildfire. Devastated, he travels to Oregon to stay with his aunt and uncle on their dairy operation while he makes plans for his future.
College professor Brandon Forest has always yearned for a family and a home of his own. Maybe that’s why, despite being busy with his job and his side gig as a fantasy author, he’s stayed on as a seasonal worker at the dairy farm. The farm feels so welcoming, and working on their dairy farm might be the next step in building the life he’s dreamed of.
Then he meets Cliff.
As Cliff and Brandon confront their own broken pasts, they build a connection that runs deep. Laughter and shared experiences prove to be strong medicine for the wounds life has inflicted on them.
Cliff hasn’t let go of his past or the hopes he had for the farm in California. Will his future burn down as he holds on to lost hopes, or can he blaze a new path with Brandon?
“It’s beautiful here,” he said, sounding reverent.
“Yeah, and peaceful too, when Levi and Xander aren’t here.”
He chuckled. “Levi is a lot. I’ll have to take your word for it about your friend Xander.”
We floated a while longer and then climbed onto a nearby rock, grabbed our towels, and lay in the dappled shade.
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked. Levi hadn’t mentioned it, and I hoped the question didn’t seem like I was prying.
“No. I always wanted siblings, but Mom had complications during my birth. I’m not sure of the details, but basically, after I was born, she was done,” he said.
I could hear the sadness in Cliff’s voice, and I leaned up on my elbow to face him as he spoke.
“I’m an only child too. Until we moved here, I was mostly alone,” I said. “Then Levi and I became friends, and after that, I never really felt alone. In a lot of ways, Levi and Xander are like my brothers.”
Cliff looked over at me then, longing evident in his expression. “I wish I had someone to….” His voice trailed off and he closed his eyes. I fought the urge to touch him, to run a soothing hand up and down his bare arm in comfort. As strong as he was, he also seemed so fragile at times. “Well, never mind all that. This is a good day. No need to spoil it with a bunch of sad shit.”
“Shit you need to talk about?”
“God no. Talking is overrated,” he said. In an instant, his serious expression disappeared and he cast me a wicked grin. “However, what we started outside your friend’s house the other day might be worth revisiting.”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. Placing my palm on his firm, tanned chest, I leaned over and let my mouth slide over his.
He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. “Mmm,” I moaned, really getting into it, but then a car rumbled across the bridge above us.
“Damn,” I whispered as I broke our kiss and pressed my forehead against his chest. “Can’t get past first base with you, it seems.”
That made him laugh out loud and sit up. Then he leaned over to whisper, “If you’re wanting to play baseball, I’m all in.”
My cock took notice, and I would’ve been happy to caveman him right here in front of God and the world, except I didn’t think getting arrested for nudity and public sex was best for either of us right now.
“I’m game. I even have a condom in my car.”
Cliff laughed again. “I’m sure you do.”
He was about to pull away when I kissed him again. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to play,” I said quietly into his ear. “And when we go all the way around the bases, I will make you feel everything.”
That sounded cheesy even to me, but when Cliff blushed and shivered, I knew I’d said the right thing.
“If you want to go around the river bend over there, I’m up for some exploration,” he said.
I swallowed hard as I glanced downstream. Unfortunately, as secluded as our little oasis felt, we were still very much public. The sound of another car crossing the bridge confirmed as much. Then I remembered the barn.
“I have another idea. Put your shoes on,” I said, and we both quickly dried off, grabbed our stuff, and raced down the riverside path leading to Xander’s farm.
The barn that I envisioned converting into a home had remained the same for years. The stalls were still mostly intact, although a few of the gates had fallen over. The tack room that once held saddles and other riding supplies was empty, but someone, probably Xander, had filled it with hay. On more than one occasion, I’d sat in that room, pondering life.
I led Cliff back there and immediately pulled him to me, kissing him hard while rubbing my hands up and down his muscular arms.
“God, I want you,” I admitted as we came up for air. I briefly saw Cliff smile before he knelt before me, and I sucked in a breath.
My swim trunks were still damp, but he tugged them down in one movement, releasing my hard cock. Everything about me was excited to know this man.
Greyson McCoy loves to travel. After years of being tied down to a life of kids, work, running a small farm, and all things domestic, he and his husband have taken full advantage of their empty nest to travel the world.
The joy of writing came to Greyson late in life. While completing his master’s degree, he found himself fighting between desperately wanting to write fiction and finishing the homework and papers he’d been assigned.
After his master’s was finished, Greyson decided to shirk his life of responsibility and pursue his dream of writing full time. His stories reflect many of the locations he and his husband have visited over the years.
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