To further my believe I posted here, I’m going to give the first chapter, or beginning in the case of anthologies, to my works.
Dream Weaver was my first dip in the pool for m/m. The story just came to me after I wrote Soul Reaver. Evernight Publishing accepted it and I kept my fingers flying afteward. Enjoy!
Colin turned the music box in his hands, fingers smoothing over the intricately carved scrollwork. His eyes glanced at the owner of the knickknack store, who was keeping track of his movements. Frumpy and with more wrinkles than he could count, she’d snorted when he walked through the door.
He didn’t blame her much for the discerning eye. The last visit to Rosie’s Charmed Antiques, she’d suggested he buy the item. Magical and enchanting, she promised it would give him his wildest desires. He placed the music box back on the shelf. His life was difficult enough without believing in fairy tales.
He could find pleasure in the palm of his hand, but that didn’t provide the love and companionship his heart beat for. Colin left promiscuity behind in his younger days. The gratification was short-lived when his lover left and he awoke to a cold place beside him in the bed.
“Buy it. You won’t regret it.” The shopkeeper crooned behind the counter. “Your wildest desires.”
“Doubtful.” Still, his fingers lingered on the painted roses adorning the lid. Her words played in his mind and he shook his head.
His wildest desires would never come true. The person he wanted in his life was married and would never look at him twice. An excellent gym partner, but nothing beyond that.
“Try it.”
Colin almost jumped out of his skin, not realizing the shop owner had crept up beside him. The faint smell of incense and honeysuckle clung to her clothes.
“If it doesn’t bring you what you want, I’ll let you return it.” Through her ragged features, a pearly-white smile emerged.
Stepping out into the street, a package tucked under his arm with care, Colin left Rosie’s Charmed Antiques. The woman gave him explicit instructions on how to use the music box to soothe his soul. All she managed to do was to allow him to grasp at a false hope that the love he felt for another would be returned to him.
****
“One more rep, Colin, and we’ll call it a day.”
Nodding, Colin strained to lift the weights back up to his spotting partner Justin. One more came easy when Colin locked onto Justin’s eyes. A deep grey flush with eyelashes to accent them, Colin would do anything to get lost in them for hours.
Colin had met Justin Weaver by accident while looking over the classifieds the gym posted outside the locker rooms. Never quite comfortable with the avid weightlifters, Colin had struggled to find a good partner to workout with to get back into a youthful shape.
Justin was a vision come true. His petite frame, lean yet graceful, had rigid definition Colin only dreamed of possessing a year ago. Toe to toe, Justin got Colin down to a respectable fat body ratio and the friendship grew more than he’d ever hoped.
Finding a partner to share his life with would be easy with his redefined physique, if Colin could forget about his feelings for Justin.
The weights went back in the cradle and Justin helped Colin sit up. He’d spent a good bit of time hedging on buying the music box and their session had been cut short. Colin stepped in just enough to catch an intoxicating whiff of Justin. The musky scent, after a rigorous workout, made him wish he could make Justin forget about the ring of his finger.
