Here's an excerpt from Highland Fling that was published on 17 September. The Halloween-themed follow up to this book will be out 16 October.
He’s one wildcat who needs to be tamed…
"The only
moment you haven’t hated my guts the whole time we’ve been here, is when you
had your tongue down my throat.”
“I hated you then too, I promise. Next time your tongue comes anywhere near mine, I’ll bite it off.”
Dexter
Summerfield - Bastard. Washed-up American TV star adrift in the UK. So
self-obsessed he should be on a reality show. And straight. Very, very straight.
Kade Macbeth - Philanthropist. Scottish cameraman. As reclusive as the wildcat he stalks. Out and proud.
Dexter
Summerfield is given one last lifeline by his boss at Channel 7 after a string
of negative publicity stories. Front a nature documentary in search of the
elusive Scottish wildcat. Arriving in the Highlands in a blaze of self-righteous
anger, he collides with an immoveable object in the form of his cameraman, Kade
Macbeth.
Kade's
been in the business a long time and won't take any bull from the notorious bad
boy of British TV.
They
clash bitterly from the start - opposites in every way - until a pivotal
moment.
Dexter
saves Kade’s life.
Suddenly,
Dexter lets his guard down for the first time in his life and Kade glimpses the
real man beneath the hard exterior.
As the time ticks down until they return to opposite ends of the country, things become confusing alone in the wilderness. Kade couldn't be attracted to a man as unsuitable as Dexter, could he? And Dexter, who knows he's not worthy of a second look from a man as fine as Kade, begins to question everything he thought he was so sure of...
"What I think is that no one has ever kissed you before like you should be kissed. And I’m about to change that."
Possible
Spoilers:
Themes:
enemies to lovers, forced proximity, gay for you, love at first sight, drama,
angst, hurt/comfort
Genre:
Dark, gritty contemporary romance
Warning:
The story contains an anti-hero that is no Prince Charming. If flawed, real
characters upset you, then do not read. Contains violence and homophobia.
Strong language and sexual scenes. Casual British/American xenophobia. Hot men
in kilts and much frolicking in nature.
EXCERPT
Dexter awoke with a start, dark clouds hanging heavy above him, a
cool wind biting through his clothes. Kade was gone from his spot. Dexter
climbed up and went to the tent, opening the flaps to see both areas empty. He
frowned and scanned the horizon three hundred and sixty degrees. He bit his lip.
Sure, he hated the guy, but being with the cameraman was better than being
alone any day. He set off into the trees. What if Kade had left him there and
driven off to give Dexter a scare? He guessed it would serve him right.
He walked for ten minutes before he spotted the cameraman lying full
length in the undergrowth behind an oak tree, looking into his camera. The
relief that came over Dexter at that moment surprised him. Kade glanced over
his shoulder when he heard twigs cracking under Dexter’s shoes and hissed at
him, “Shh! Get down!”
Frowning, Dexter crouched, peering into the forest clearing and
seeing nothing. As he reached Kade, the cameraman turned on him.
“You fucking clumsy bastard! I was watching a badger family! Couldn’t
you have made any more noise?”
Dexter straightened up, throwing Kade a cold look. “You’re supposed
to be watching for a wildcat, may I remind you, so we can get out of here.”
Kade stood, squaring up to him. “That’s what I came down here for,
but I’m filming other animals too. What sort of programme would it be if we
don’t see the cat and there’s nothing in it but blank shot after blank shot?
Use your brain.” His dark eyes flashed with anger.
“Whatever. I’m going back for a nap.”
To his astonishment, Kade grabbed his arm hard and dragged him back.
“You’re not going anywhere. Think you’re going to get an easy ride here for the
thousands of pounds you’re going to earn? Well, fucking think again. Where I
go, you go!”
Dexter’s anger exploded. He shoved Kade backward hard into the tree.
“Get your fucking hands off me!”
Never would he have expected to see rage on Kade’s placid face, but he’d succeeded in making the cameraman lose it. Kade gripped Dexter hard by the shoulders and marched him back. Dexter slipped and slid, trying to shove him away, but Kade was stronger. Dexter stumbled back, fell over a tree stump and sprawled on the grass, taking Kade with him.
The cameraman winded him, skewering him to the ground. Dexter gasped
in shock and tried to catch his breath. Kade raised himself up on his arms but
made no move to get off him. They stared at each other.
“Me and you really are going to have problems, aren’t we?”
Dexter bit his lip to stop himself spitting in his enemy’s face.
“I’m not a violent man, Dexter. I’m disappointed that I’ve let you
drive me to this.”
“Get the hell off me.” Dexter squirmed, trying to dislodge Kade.
Kade responded by gripping both his wrists and pinning Dexter’s arms
above his head with ferocious strength. In so vulnerable a position, Dexter froze.
“Now here’s what’s going to happen.” Kade leaned so close their
noses almost touched. Warm breath drifted over Dexter’s face. “You’re going to
do what I tell you. You’re going to behave and you’re going to stop with the
gay jibes, or I promise you, I’m going to make you very sorry. Have you got it?”
Dexter studied Kade’s dark eyes, pink, moist lips, and perfect
pearly-white teeth. His chest was tight. “Fuck you.”
Kade’s eyes darkened further to coal-black. He let Dexter go and
climbed off him. “Get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see you again until
I have to.”
Dexter scrambled up. He thought about hitting Kade, but he had already knelt back down to look into his camera and it would be rather unfair of Dexter to smash the guy’s head in from behind, as much as he wanted to. He stood glaring for several seconds before he stalked away, nursing his wounded pride. The score was five-one.
Dexter seethed inside the tent for the rest of the afternoon. What
the fuck had happened? How the hell had he ended up pinned to the fucking
ground by Kade Macbeth? That body had been so heavy with muscle, he’d been
hopelessly incapacitated. He felt ashamed for allowing it to happen.
A little voice whispered in his mind. You could have got free if you wanted to. You know you could.
He shook the thoughts free. I
was too shocked to react.
No. It wasn’t shock that
kept you immobile.
Shut the fuck up.
He lay on his bed staring at the roof, imagining how Kade’s head would split open like a ripe watermelon when hit with a tent pole. Finally, he slept, worn out from his own malice.
****
The sky was darkening and a stiff breeze had picked up. Kade was
cold and pissed off. He’d always loved his work but this assignment brought no
fun with it at all. He was sick of the antagonism and the sparring. He was sick
of Dexter Summerfield. That dickhead had ruined the magic of hunting the
wildcat. What exactly had Ivan been thinking?
A thought sprang into his mind. Ivan and Justin. He knew all about
the bets they had. This couldn’t be that, could it? He laughed to himself. No
way. Ivan was his friend. He wouldn’t do something so cruel as to try and pair
Kade with this vile homophobe, would he?
No. Not possible. It was just an unfortunate situation that he had to make the best
of.
A fox ran across the clearing but Kade was too distracted to follow
its motion. At least having Dexter fronting the programme would bring it some
publicity. The man was a knob, but he was the hottest man in the country, probably
the fucking world, even Kade could reluctantly admit that. People would watch
the documentary to see that lovely face with his pale skin, that distinctive
jet-black hair with the undercut and the long jagged front falling over those mesmerising
emerald eyes. He guessed he was the only bloke in Britain who had gotten close
enough to Dexter to see the ring of gold around the inner edge of those green
irises. Pinning him to the ground had afforded him a ring-side seat of Dexter’s
physical charms and they were numerous. His milky skin up close was completely
without flaw—no pores, no spots, no lines, no stubble. Maybe he’d had Botox,
because the way Kade heard it, Dexter was out every night drinking and snorting
coke. You didn’t maintain skin like that behaving like Dexter did. Sooner or
later his lifestyle would catch up with him. By fifty he would look like the
Picture of Dorian Gray.
Kade scowled to himself. Dexter didn’t look like that now. He was
the most beautiful creature Kade had ever set eyes on. What a shame he came
wrapped in such a foul package.
He’d wanted to kill Dexter when he’d had him down on the ground. He
wanted to put his hands around that pale throat and squeeze until the bloke
just shut his disgusting mouth. The fine body beneath him made him feel
differently though. He had been torn between murder and lust. He’d managed to
scramble off Dexter just as his cock started to stir.
To his everlasting shame.
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