You’re not bored with Christmas reads yet, are you? Today, Diana Waters is here to talk about her upcoming release Third Time’s the Charm.
As an empath, Alek is ironically used to shutting people out—until, several days before Christmas, a one-night stand forces him to let someone in.
While I don’t typically write holiday-centric stories, I was inspired to write this short (approx. 6,400 words) as a bit of a change of pace. I adore fictional world fantasy M/M romance, but I also dabble in paranormal M/M – namely, present-day happenings set in modern times but with a bit of the otherworldly thrown in. At its heart, Third Time’s the Charm is about two young men meeting for the first and, by arrangement, supposedly only time. One is an artist who has learned out of habit and circumstance to engage only in short-term and emotionally-devoid relationships. The other is a college student who, despite his relative inexperience, knows enough to realize he’s in need of something more than his previous encounters have offered. Sparks fly in this short but sizzling December story, now available for pre-order with eXtasy Books.
Thank you for reading and happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanzaa, or anything else to all who celebrate!
– Diana
Excerpt
When Jasper, his voice sounding strained even to himself, asked for his wrists to be bound, Alek used a silk wrapping from a deck of Tarot cards on a shelf above the bed. It looped around Jasper’s wrists once, twice, three times before it became short enough to attach to the wrought iron bed frame.
“Are you sure you want this?” Alek didn’t sound worried, exactly—more like he just needed to be absolutely certain that Jasper understood, that he really didn’t want to back out at the last minute.
Despite the almost painful pounding of his heart, Jasper was sure. Alek was still half-clothed, his bare chest glowing richly in the lamplight. The tattoo curling over his left shoulder blade seemed to take on a sinuous life of its own. He was pale and long-limbed and self-assured, and here Jasper was, splayed beneath him naked and exposed like a sacrificial offering, arms stretched out over and behind him. Helpless. He was helpless, he reminded himself. The thought was at once both disconcerting and arousing.
Oh, Jasper was nervous all right—his heartbeat so rapid it was already making it hard to breathe—but even so, he knew exactly what it was he wanted. This time, it finally felt right.
He opened his mouth.
“Yes.”
Being an empath is a lonely business, and Alek’s one-night stands do little to ease that feeling, even if he isn’t looking for anything more. He prefers to bury himself in his artwork anyway, or so he tells himself. That is until a young man named Jasper appears on his doorstep one December evening, threatening Alek’s careful control and making him want more than he’s ever dared ask for. Meanwhile, Jasper’s only two previous sexual encounters have made him more wary than hopeful—but tonight, he, too, may be getting more than he bargained for.
Third Time’s the Charm is now available for pre-order exclusively on the publisher’s site, eXtasy Books. It’s scheduled for release December 25, 2020 and will become available on Amazon one week later. https://www.extasybooks.com/diana-waters/978-1-4874-3137-2-third-times-the-charm/
About Diana
Diana is a New Zealand M/M romance author currently residing in New York. However, she has also lived and worked for several years in Japan and several months in Thailand. She has no idea where in the world she’ll be this time next year and is pretty okay with that. Other than reading and writing, her main passions include international travel, amateur photography, and competitive swimming.
Author Website: https://www.dianawaters.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Diana-Waters/e/B07T61DMGX
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diana-waters
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/diana_waters
Queeromance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/diana-waters/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diana.c.waters
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