Total pages in book: 244
Estimated words: 236705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1184(@200wpm)___ 947(@250wpm)___ 789(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1184(@200wpm)___ 947(@250wpm)___ 789(@300wpm)
“And what about Amsterdam? Did you ever take a certain someone there?”
“As a matter of fact, we’re going tomorrow.”
But I’ve always wanted Amsterdam to be special, and I’m pretty sure I have just the way to make that happen.
Later, after I sign books, talk to readers, and take pictures, the crowds filter out.
“I’ll be closing up, but feel free to browse while the place is quiet,” the shop owner says.
“Thanks so much,” I say, then she locks the door and gives me a wink, and disappears into the back.
It’s just Jude and me in the store where we met.
We wander around, checking out the shelves, picking up books for the rest of our trip. When we reach the Wildes, my pulse quickens. Adrenaline and hope spin higher in me as I show him a copy of the book that brought us together years ago.
Jude studies it carefully. It’s a special one I had made just for him. I asked the owner to set it right here.
It’s one of a kind, with a custom cover artfully placed over the existing one. An illustration of two guys. One holds a book, the other a script.
Curious, Jude looks it over. “Is this a new edition?”
A forever one, I hope.
My heart pounds in my ears. My stomach flips with anticipation. “Looks like it. Why don’t you open it and see what the first page says?”
As Jude opens the play, I get down on one knee.
“Oh God,” he murmurs.
I don’t know if that reaction is for the inscription I left for him or if it’s for me.
But I’m all in.
My heart floods with hope. I reach into my pocket, grab a velvet box, and flip it open. I clear the nerves from my voice and begin. “Nearly ten years ago I walked into this shop to find you, Jude. I’d come back here a million times to find you again. You were the first man I ever loved. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved, and I plan on loving you for the rest of my life.”
I pause, breathe, and drink in the look in his eyes.
Joy.
Just Joy.
I ask the question I wrote on the first page. “Will you be my husband?”
The answer comes in less than a second. “I would love to marry you, TJ.”
I stand, slide a platinum band on his finger, and then I kiss him where we began.
Our love story won’t end. We’ll keep turning the pages every day and every night for the rest of our lives.
THE BROMANCE ZONE
By Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely...
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PROLOGUE
Present Day
River
It’s just a fact—the bigger the dick, the bigger the dick.
Which sucks, and not in a good way. Is it fair that the guys who are packing are also lacking—oh, you know—common courtesy? No.
The Big Dick Law is one of the sadder items on My List of Ignore at Your Peril Life Lessons. Some of the others?
Texting an ex is always a bad idea.
So is just one more shot. Anything that seems like a good plan when you’re drunk . . . isn’t. As a bartender, I can refuse to serve you that last drink, but you’re on your own if you forget Lesson #1.
Life is too short to take yourself too seriously.
Whatever the problem, a blow job is often the answer.
Trusted friends are priceless. Men come and go, but your friends will stick with you when the big dicks don’t.
But I’m not bitter about those guys. Anyone who walks out of my life is gone for a reason.
Besides, it’s not as if I’m always the walk-ee.
Please.
This man is not afraid to walk away. I’m not clingy, I don’t hang on too long, and I sure as hell know when to say see you later, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. There’s no need to give your heart, time, or skills to just anyone.
If a man wants what I have going on, he damn well better deserve what I bring to the table.
And the bedroom.
And the shower.
But I suppose at the ripe young age of twenty-nine I wouldn’t mind finally meeting Mister Right.
I’m just a good guy ready for another good guy.
Someone fun, smart, open-minded, and loyal.
Ideally, he’d also be outdoorsy, adventuresome (yes, that kind, but also all kinds), and love dogs.
That’s not too much to ask for.
I only have one deal-breaker—he can’t be a friend.
My friends mean everything to me. They’ve been by my side through the best and the worst, and I’ve been by theirs. My friends are my family, and that’s why I won’t break that commandment—no matter how great the temptation.