Between the Secrets by S. Ferguson on March 16,2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, M/M
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Sometimes the past won’t let you escape no matter how much your future wants you to.
Jake James lives in the shadows of his shame. The guilt for what he’s done, for what was done to him, has left him hollow and haunted.
Greg Bissen just wants Jake to let him in, having accepted who he is a long time ago, he is desperate to break through Jake's defenses.
When danger and an agonizing loss threatens to tear them apart, will Jake let the burdens of his past crush him?
Between the Secrets picks up right where book one leaves off. I was pleasantly surprised by the debut novel and equally pleased with this installment. The writing well done, and the overall arc for this series is one that I am thoroughly enjoying, character development and plot well thought out. This has truly been an unexpected treasure amidst a sea of haphazardly published books of late.
Jake James and Greg Bissen, two men. Two alpha’s in a world of violence. Violence that was suspenseful and not overdone. Jake had a traumatic past and has turned to booze and women to mask his pain. Greg is self assured in who he was, what he wanted, and never needed approval. Together they forge a bond even secrets couldn’t break. Ms. Ferguson does a wonderful job illustrating vulnerabilities and showcasing a wonderful story of acceptance and love. With decent angst, she touches on hard issues and does so leaving the reader anticipating book three. I for one, can’t wait to see what’s next.
Excerpt:
I hear a clatter, pulling me out of my own head, as Jake tries to yank
the dusty cloth off the stove. That’s enough of that shit. I don’t know if the
stove is still connected to the gas and I don’t feel like dying in a giant fireball
tonight.
Marching up to Jake, I grab his shoulders and try to steer him toward
the back door, but he isn’t having it. Spinning around, he puts us chest to
chest. I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Does he know? Of course he
doesn’t.
The tension between us has been rising to a boiling point. Our
chemistry is so much deeper than just friendship. Jake’s walls come down
when he drinks, but I have never dared to hope for a moment like this.
“There isn’t any food,”Jake pouts, his baby face making him look like
an adorable child—a child I want to smack and kiss, in no particular order.
I’m tired too and ready to go home. But I know Jake won’t drop his hunt for
food. We’ve been down this road before.
I sigh in defeat. “I’ll take you to Waffle House,”I whisper. I’ll push
aside my tiredness for Jake. I would do almost anything for him. This
moment feels intimate, being in the dark alone with him in my arms. It’s
pretty much every dream I’ve ever had come true.
“Greg…”Jake’s voice trails off. I can just barely see in the dim light, but
it looks like his eyes are focused on my lips.
“Fuck, don’t look at me like that.”It’s only a half-hearted protest.
More of me wants this than not. And that’s the problem.
Jake doesn’t speak. He just leans forward and then, after a brief
hesitation, pushes his lips to mine.
My entire body stiffens, afraid to move. God I hope this isn’t some
drunken mistake on his part. My hands lock into their position resting on his
shoulders. I’m so nervous I’ll spook him. I know his history, probably better
than most. I don’t know if he realizes what he’s doing. I know I’m a bastard
for not pushing him away, and despite all these thoughts, about ninety
percent of the blood in my body is rushing south.
Jake ignores the fact that I’ve frozen on my feet. Slanting his head, his
tongue teases my bottom lip, asking me to open up.
And I do. Oh my God, I do.
He wraps his arms around the back of my neck, pulling us even closer.
I can feel I’m not the only one aroused by this, his erection pushing against
mine through our dress pants. He moans when he feels my hard-on pushing
back, and that’s all I need to thaw. I move my left hand up to the back of his
head and take control of the kiss. I don’t even think about it; I lower my right
hand to rub him through his pants. Despite the material between us, I can
feel how hard he is. I feel the heat coming off of him. He moans long and low
into my mouth, thrusting himself into my hand.
I curse as I manage to undo his button and fly with one hand, mentally
high-fiving myself for the coordination, and reach past the layers of fabric to
grip him. He’s just as big as I thought he would be. Smooth skin over
something hard enough to hammer nails. I run my hand from his base to tip.
I had already known from plenty of times in the men’s room together that he
was uncut, but feeling it like this makes me want to do so many dangerous
things to him. I wonder how he would feel about me nibbling on…
A sudden crash scares the shit out of us. I rip my mouth from Jake’s
and we both turn our heads to our left at the same time.
Ron is standing in the doorway. Despite the shitty lighting, I can see
his heaving chest. His eyes are wide and he's holding his gun.
This is not good. This is so not fucking good.
