A
DIFFERENT LIGHT
A Begin Again Novel Book 1
MORNINGSTAR ASHLEY
M/M
ROMANCE
RELEASE
DATE: 12.18.17
Model: João
Pombeiro
BLURB
Bennett Cole had lived next door to Mitchell
“Mac” Campbell, III for eighteen years of his life, in the small town of White
Acre. They’d never gotten along, never seen eye to eye, and never understood
one another…not that they’d ever cared to try.
But when Bennett’s so-called buddies ditched him
at a party in the woods where he was assaulted and left for dead, Bennett
pulled through. The emotional scars rendered him too terrified to go back to
school and face his “friends” or his attackers. With little choice, his family
packed up and left town.
Ten years later—at the request of his
mother—Bennett returned to the place he’d grown up and the home he’d once felt
safe, to oversee the repairs before his childhood house was sold. The
contractor? None other than Mac, the once annoying boy next door, who still
lives there in the home his parents gifted him.
Being in such close proximity—working together
every day, to repair the Coles’ family home—Bennett and Mac’s contentious
relationship goes from bad to worse as their personalities continue to clash.
But their heated exchanges may not be as antagonistic as they seem. And when
new information is revealed, can the men begin to see each other in a different
light?
EXCERPT
They ate dinner, cleaned up, and since the next
day was still a work day for Mac, they went to bed early. Mac and Bennett stood
side by side in the bathroom, both of them brushing their teeth. Bennett felt
inordinately happy. He looked over at Mac who was seemingly oblivious to
Bennett’s…whatever it was. But, when he noticed Bennett looking at him, he
winked and smiled, causing Bennett to freaking blush. Jesus, he was losing it.
They were brushing their teeth, not buying a house together.
That was one thing Mac gave him. The appreciation
of the little things in life.
Bennett walked over to the bed, removing the red
and blue plaid bow tie he’d worn that day—glad to be able to wear them more
often again—unbuttoning and pulling off his shirt then socks, throwing them
into the hamper on that side of the room. He reached down to unbutton his dress
pants when he noticed Mac not moving to undress, but openly staring at him.
“What?” Bennett questioned.
“I’m waiting.”
“For?”
“You know.” Mac’s smile was equal parts hunger
and curiosity.
“No, I don’t.” Bennett crossed his arms over his
naked chest refusing to put on a show for Mac. He’d die of embarrassment.
“Yes, you do, Princess.” Cajoling, that was what
Mac was trying to do.
“Maybe, but you don’t have to be weird about it.
They’re just underwear. You get changed first.” Bennett waved his hands at Mac.
“But you need my undivided attention for this,”
Mac replied, his sensual tone from earlier back in his voice as he walked
around the bed to stand in front of Bennett. Bennett swallowed, hard. Arousal
coursing through him just that quick. His cock plumped with each step Mac took,
and now that Mac was within touching distance, it stood at full attention
pressed against his zipper. “Maybe I’ll just make it easier for us.”
“How?” Bennett’s voice was raspy.
“I’ll just get down on my knees and undress you
myself.” Mac voice was sultry and carnal, turning Bennett on even more. His
only response was to nod his head, because there was no way he’d say no to Mac
on his knees in front of him. Mac dropped to his knees, the soft carpet in the
room padding his fall perfectly, and took the zipper in his hand and pulled
slowly. The whole time he’d been pulling that zipper down, he’d kept his eyes
locked to Bennett’s. The silver bleeding away as his pupils dilated.
Then he grasped the waistband of Bennett’s black
dress pants and gently pulled them down, wiggling them back and forth but
leaving Bennett’s boxers in place, until they were pooled around his feet. He
lifted his foot but Mac made no move to remove them, so he dropped it back. Mac
was staring and not at Bennett’s face but at his underwear. It’d become a thing
which apparently had become part of their sex lives too. Bennett wanted to
chuckle, because honestly, if he thought about it, it was weird. But he didn’t
chuckle because Mac began tracing the graphics on his boxers.
“The Sexy
Scientist Checklist, B?” His voice held a note of teasing. “And don’t
bother telling me that Jaden bought these ones too. Because I no longer believe
that excuse.”
Bennett smiled, because every pair that he’d
unveiled to Mac, he’d told him that they were a gift from his best friend.
Really, after the first few pair that Jaden got him, Bennett was hooked. He’d
search online for hours sometimes trying to find boxers for his collection. And
Mac figured him out.
“What can I say, they’re addictive.” The boxers
had a checklist of things a scientist would need with checkboxes in front of
them. First, there was a picture of a brain with the word Knowledge next
to it, under that was a condom with Lab Coat, then a dildo with Equipment
and last there was a picture of a pair of boxers that said Lucky Underwear
beside them. But what Mac didn’t know was he couldn’t see.
“There’s more.” Bennett looked down at Mac with a
smile, and in response to the questioning look on Mac’s face, he turned around.
Mac’s laughter triggered his own. The saying on the back was, Go Forth And
Do Good Sex.
Bennett loved his funny underwear, it was the
only place he found that he could be funny. They were his secret.
“Oh. My. God.” Mac was still chuckling when
Bennett turned around. “And here I used to think that you didn’t have a sense
of humor.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the show, but can we be
done already, or are you going to do something useful while you’re on your
knees?” Bennett winked, but man, he wanted Mac to do more than have them go to
sleep.
“Well, we do have all the items on the
checklist.”
“We do?” Bennett had no idea that Mac had toys.
In all the time they’d been sleeping together, he’d never once mentioned it.
Bennett wanted it, wanted Mac to use them on him.
Mac pushed to his feet as he replied, “Oh yeah,
Princess. Let me show you some secrets of my own.”
Morningstar Ashley is a transplant
from the Yankee-controlled territory of New York, and now finds herself in the
heartland of cowboys and longhorns—Texas. Armed with her imagination, wit, and
trusty sidekicks in the form of her two crazy kids, devoted dorky husband, big
lap dog, and rambunctious cats, Morningstar spends her time reading the books
she loves, crafting her own characters, and arguing the merits of hot chocolate
over the bitter brew known as coffee (Hot chocolate wins, FYI.).
Morningstar loves
graphic design, so much so she returned to school for a degree and regularly
tromps her exams and maintains a stellar GPA that occasionally leaves her
confounded and pleased. She can while away the hours on new designs, and
perfection isn’t too much to hope for when it comes to her art.
Her ideal career
would be full-time artist and author, and so far, she hasn’t come up against
anything to stop her on her journey. A fierce and devoted friend, Morningstar
tries her best to always be kind, always be learning, and always improving.
Giving up isn’t an option, and her greatest talent may be in her ability to
convince others not to give up, either. After a lifetime of trying to get
people to realize her first name wasn’t Ashley, Morningstar decided the best way
to settle the debate was to put her name on a book cover. An avid reader and
fiction reviewer for the blog and site Diverse Reader, Morningstar harbored a
dream to one day join the ranks of her heroes, and she sweeps into the
contemporary gay romance genre with her debut novel, LETTING GO. With plans to
conquer gay, lesbian and LGBTQA+ romance, Morningstar has her gaze set on the
horizon, her determination her own guiding star.
TWITTER: @starzehashley
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