I hope everyone’s summers have been full of sun, fun and lots of books! And just in case you didn’t get enough heat, I want to share with you a scene from my upcoming MFM ménage serial, Reckless.

I initially developed the concept and storyline over a year ago, but due to several mitigating factors, it took me a year to start writing the book. And because of the epic nature of the book and the span of 25 years in their lives, each character will have their OWN book. Each book will be published separately and there are cliffhangers in the first two.

But don’t you worry…the books will publish in sequence with only two-week gaps in between, starting September 18th (*subject to change).

I’m excited for you to meet London and her two loves, Sage and Cameron, in their epic love story in Reckless – The Smoky Mountain Trio.

​Teaser Excerpt:
   The air in the truck cab sealed off like a lid on an airtight container, vacuum sealing our stalled breaths. Cam’s hand tentatively wrapped around the back of my neck, his fingers threading through my hair and pulling my mouth to his, stealing the sips of air that escaped my lungs, his lips curving over my mouth. I opened for him, his tongue penetrating and eagerly exploring, reclaiming what had been his all those months before.
   Without realizing it, my right hand searched for Sage’s, who remained silent next to me. Upon finding it, I clasped it tightly and pulled him in closer. My body screamed for his touch. For the connection. I couldn’t bare for him to feel left out. It felt undeniably good to have Cam on one side of me and Sage curled against my back, his thigh pressed snugly against me.  My body was like an inferno, bursting into flames so hot it felt I was coming out of my skin. Sage’s breath turned ragged, a sexy sound that expressed his desire at what he was watching. Cam groaned into my mouth in the same manner.
   Pulling away from Cam, I licked my lips to find Sage staring at us, his expression a mixture of awe and raw hunger.
   “Sage,” I whispered, uncertain how to tell him that I wanted him, too.
   Instead of words, I showed him. A longing bubbled up from deep inside my belly as I leaned forward and grazed his lips with mine.

Your next beach read awaits you just in time for summer vacations! I’ve teamed up with and collaborated with 18 other contemporary new adult authors who have graciously offered up their books for your reading pleasure. And the best part is that all the following books are FREE to download through this special limited time offer – NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! 

Just go to the BookFunnel link below between July 1st-31st to download the books you want. It’s that easy! What are you waiting for? Enjoy the start of your summer with 19 FREE Books NOW!!!

Here’s the List and how to download your books:

​Authors and Books:
Mia Kayla – Torn Between Two
Tawdra Kandle – Fifty Frogs 
Emily Bishop – Famous – A Small Town Romance
Logan Chance – Study Me
Kira Blakely – Protecting Her
Alicia Best – Happy Returns
Mignon Mykel -Altercation
Sierra Hill – Sweet Disaster 
Sage Rae – The Sweetest Revenge
J.H. Croix – Love at Last
Emily Robertson – Playing it Cool
Michelle Lynn - Confessions
Renee Harless – Coming Alive
Susannah Nix – Remedial Rocket Science 
Romi Hart – No Strings Attached
Samantha Lind – Tempting Tessa
Vanessa Bryce – A Wild Encounter
Jackson Kane - Origin
KJ Dahlen – Blood Brothers
​
https://books.bookfunnel.com/newadultcontemporaryreads

The past month has whizzed by and it’s crazy to think we’re nearing Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S. Almost mid-way through the year! Because of that, I thought it would be a good time to update you on what I’m working on, my upcoming publishing schedule and my next book event.

First off, thank you to all those that gave Physical Connection, my MM romance, a read and review! I promoted that book through grassroots efforts only and am pleasantly surprised by the number of reviews I received and the amazing response I’ve gotten so far! Even a month after publication, the book is still sitting at #12 on Amazon’s Best Sellers in Gay Romance and it hit #1 Amazon Best Seller the week of release! That made me deliriously happy!

Since April, I’ve been working on a lot of business matters and researching ways to become a more savvy indie author. This is a very tough business, especially in light of all the recent controversy related to #cockygate. Not heard about that? Well, it has the romance industry in an uproar over one particular author’s trademark of the word “cocky” in titles. There are plenty of articles dedicated to the topic and if you have the time, go search for some of it. The bottom line is if the Trademark isn’t contested and rejected, it could set a very scary precedent in the publishing world. More to come on that, I’m sure.

As for new books, I’ve been writing a RomCom over the last several weeks, in hopes of finishing it and submitting it to agents/publishers. At this point, I don’t plan on self-publishing this book, but hope it will be picked up by a traditional publisher in the next six months!

The remainder of the year is dedicated to writing/publishing the first book in my college spin-off series. The series is tentatively titled Changing Hearts, and the first book will be Coach Garrett Parker’s story. Remember him from Sweet Little Lies? Well, he’ll be the star in my next book, a single-dad/nanny love story. That should come out sometime this fall. And I still have my three-book M/F/M serial on the docket for late summer.

And speaking of summer, my next book signing event will be right here in Seattle this July. I’ll be at Readers & Writers Seattle on July 14th. Buy your tickets HERE.

That’s about it for me now. I hope all of you in the U.S. have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend next week and your summer gets off to a great start!

Thank you!
xoxo
Sierra

In my March newsletter, I provided the blurb and cover reveal of my upcoming book, Physical Connection, and noticed that I had more than a handful of readers unfollow and unsubscribe immediately afterward. That isn’t all that unusual, except for the numbers. Maybe I am too naïve, or something, but I was honestly surprised. I attributed this marked decrease of subscribers to the topic of the book and the mere idea that I would write something they don’t agree with. Yes, my upcoming novella is a gay romance. *GASP*

Let me tell you a little something about myself. Many years ago, I couldn’t even watch Six Feet Under on HBO when the two male characters were kissing. At the time, it wasn’t for me. But I’ve changed. I’ve become more open and tolerant and interested in non-hetero sexuality. I see and feel things differently now and I think it has a lot to do with the romance book industry. I now find that two sexy, hot men are beautiful when they kiss and express themselves the same way hetero couples do when they love one another.

Okay, so where does that leave my readers? Not everyone is on the same page. It is certainly not my intention to sway any of my readers with my opinions or stories. This is just to let you know how I feel about gay romance and where I stand on the subject.
For those of you who are reading this, let me address a few things and answer some questions:

• Does this mean you’ll only write in the m/m genre going forward?
  • No, not at all. I’ve been wanting to dabble in a different genre and thought this was the perfect opportunity to finish out my Physical series. I have plenty of m/f romances on the list for this year, plus a ménage serial that will be coming out, too.
• A ménage? What the heck? What does that mean?
  • After reading a few threesome books (mostly m/m/f) I got the bug and came up with a storyline that I think will work. I’ll split it into three short books and release them in sequence. This should come out later this year.
• Why would you write a gay romance?
  • It’s a genre I’ve begun to read over the last two years and it interested me. As a writer, I need to keep challenging myself and pushing myself to accomplish different goals. This was one of those goals.
• Are you trying to prove something?
  • Ha! No, not at all. I just believe in the freedom that people have to love the way they want. That we as a human race are evolving and becoming more open (I hope) to all different forms of love, sexuality and identity. It doesn’t mean that I understand it all, but I’m accepting of it and want to believe that love can conquer all. And where best to do that than in fiction romance?
• I would never read a m/m romance and don’t think I’ll give yours a try.
  • That’s cool and absolutely your right not to read this romance genre. That’s the beauty of books and fiction – there’s always something of interest and other books to read! But, I hope that it won’t prevent you from reading my other books in the future. I’ll keep writing them – in all various forms – and would love for you to continue the journey with me.
• How did you write a m/m love scene – you’re a straight woman!
  • I sure am, and it was a blast to get creative. I actually relied on help from a former colleague of mine, a gay married man, who was gracious enough to open up to me and answer the questions I had about the life of a gay man. What it was like to come out to his family and friends, what the gay bar scene is like, and well, you know…the other dirty stuff that goes on. SEX! I wanted my characters to be realistic and accurate.

I hope that answers your questions about my foray into gay romance. If you’re open to giving it a try and have never read one before, would love your feedback on it! That’s how I improve my writing style and skills is through feedback from you.
Thank you!
xoxo
Sierra

Backlist, that is…

As a writer, and as a reader, I think we become consumed with the exciting prospects of something new. Marketing and advertising promotes the “newer is better” concept in everything we see, hear and read. New and Improved! New Look! New Flavor! And the same applies to books.

Prolific authors have to put out new books every two to three months to stay relevant and in the market place. We are inundated every day by all the latest and greatest. But with all the shiny and new, we tend to forget about the books from the past…they somehow get left behind and end up going to live in the Land of the Forgotten. (sad panda)

As an established indie author, I’ve tried to write and publish three to four books a year since I began publishing in 2014. So far, I have 11 titles in my backlist. Have you read them all? Many reviews that I receive indicate that the book the reader just read was their “first book by Sierra Hill” and that they’re going to go read the rest of the books in my series or backlist. That’s what every author loves to hear!

This month, I’ve decided to dust off some of my older titles to get readers interested in them again – to hopefully encourage more readership. With that said, I have done the following with these books:
One More Minute with You (Rock Star romance) is now a FREE download on Book Funnel. You can get a copy HERE.
Character Flaws is FREE on Kindle Unlimited. (RomCom)
Sweetness is FREE on Kindle Unlimited or 99c without KU (Book 1 in The Sweetest Thing series)
The Reunion is FREE on Kindle Unlimited or 99c without KU (a second-chance Novella)

What are you waiting for? Now’s the perfect time, if you haven’t read any of these books, to pick them up and enjoy some fictional ‘me time’.

​But don’t worry…I have more coming out soon! I am scheduled to publish Physical Connection, my first m/m gay romance (a novella) in mid to late April. This is a short-story to cap off The Physical Series, my erotic contemporary. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook in my reader group, Sierra’s Sexy Swooners, for sexy teasers and excerpts in the next month.
 

Sweet Little Lies, the final book in the standalone college sports series, is NOW LIVE! It’s a bittersweet end to this series that I’ve been writing for the better part of the last two years. I am going to miss these beautiful and flawed characters!
Lance and Mica’s story in Sweet Little Lies is…well, it’s a rocky road to their forever love. It’s fraught with desperation, expectations, addictions and racial biases and jugdments.

Here’s what readers are saying about it:
 
“This is a very sexy read full of passion, lust, longing, forgiveness, pain, secrets, drug addiction, but most of all a fight for the one true love.”

“I felt every possible emotion. From devastation to joy. And everything in between. These were characters, with real issues and flaws.” 

“Sierra Hill has completely killed it y'all, with this near-perfect series…building anticipation for every new one and I'm crazy sad to see it winding down. Each book is a little different, unique, better, and brings something fresh to the table. And this one did not disappoint at all.... exceeding my expectations for Lance.”

“This story is gritty, emotional, heartbreaking, humorous, sexy, beautiful, and filled with angst and love. This talented author has written a phenomenal story, which had me hooked and captivated throughout.”
 
I’m so glad that so many who have read Sweet Little Lies have enjoyed it. I love to hear that readers find it brings up so many emotions, because that’s what writers aim for. It’s the highest praise we can receive to hear that we’ve made a reader feel something in the depth of their souls.

This release for me was an emotional one. Even though it’s my 11th published novel, it didn’t release without some difficulty. There was an error in the file that was transmitted and published through Amazon Kindle. If you preordered a copy, unfortunately due to a snafu in the Kindle Direct Publishing system, you received an incorrect book file. I want to make sure you receive the CORRECT copy!

Although Amazon has said they will send out a new one…I’m not going to hold my breath. So please email me directly before you read the book.
If your Kindle copy DOES NOT have a Full Table of Contents with 34 Chapters, an Epilogue, A Disclaimer or a Playlist, then it’s not the right file. Please email me so I can get you the right format.

And for my readers and romance enthusiasts, I still have a RELEASE DAY GIVEAWAY open now through Feb.10th.

ENTER HERE for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, signed print book, full ebook backlist of The Sweetest Thing series, PLUS swag (US only please):
https://goo.gl/NJUXRw
Available NOW on all platforms --à>> Amazon US: https://goo.gl/GQVwCV
iBooks, kobo, B&N: https://goo.gl/fT88hd
 

Don’t you just love the start of a new year? It’s that time of year that prompts us to re-examine our lives  and get our shit together by cleaning, organizing, revamping our diet and exercise plans and creating that list of goals we’ve want to accomplish.
For me, it makes me excited! I’m a planner by nature and love writing down my goals and plans for the year ahead. Especially as a writer, it’s a must do, otherwise the writing doesn’t get done.
In fact, I created my first Vision Board for 2018 this past weekend. It’s a great tool to help you VISUALIZE what you want for your future. It can contain images, words, phrases or quotes – whatever will keep your goals in the forefront of your mind so you can achieve what you desire.
This year, my Vision Board includes the following:

• Write Romance – I have 4 books planned
• Win a Writing Contest – I’ve submitted Sweet Summer Love into the RWA Rita Award contest and will submit others throughout the year
• Seek out and Sign an Agent – especially a Foreign Rights agent so I can publish and translate my books into foreign languages
• Stay Healthy and Do Hot Yoga routinely – enough said
• Take a trip to Alaska – I’ve wanted to do this for a long time

As for my books, here’s what I’m planning:

• Sweet Little Lies (Book 5 in The Sweetest Thing series) – releases Feb.6th and is the FINAL book in the series…however….I have a spinoff planned…
• Change of Heart series was born out of my desire to stay within the college romance – so I have a 3 book series I’ll be writing over the next year. The first book and characters can be found toward the end of Sweet Little Lies.
• Physical Connection (Book 3.5 in The Physical Series) – my first m/m gay romance
• The Reckless serial (3 mini-novellas) – my first m/f/m ménage romance
• Hole in One (A Standalone RomCom) – later this year

That’s what’s planned for now! But stay tuned…who knows what the year will bring???
Love, Joy and Peace to all of you in 2018,
xoxo
Sierra

​It’s so overused and often over said, but can you believe it’s already that time of year again? The end of the year holiday rush and madhouse has begun. The time of the year when generally normal, loving people turn into crazed beasts on a mission the minute the doors of the shopping malls open for business. Yikes!

I’d like to help you prevent that “inner beastmode” from emerging this holiday season and provide you with the opportunity to buy and win books and swag from me during my Sierra’s 25 Days of Christmas event happening now!

If you’re on Facebook but not on my reader group, Sierra’s Sexy Swooners, you really should change that.
I have invited some of my closest author friends – and some new ones – to join in me doing giveaways every day through Christmas. Join us now and have some festive fun! www.facebook.com/groups/1855398031355173/

You can also purchase signed books directly through me at a reduced price for those book lovers and romance readers on your shopping list this year. Just send me an email at sierrahillbooks@gmail.com with your selection and request, including your PayPal email, and I’ll handle it from there.

I hope you’ve had a great year in 2017 and that you’re looking forward to a bright, joyous 2018. I know I am! Thanks for being such a great reader group and just awesome people in general.

And stay tuned for my next year’s book events (Boston, Seattle, Phoenix and Vegas) and two new series (a M/F/M and a new spin-off of The Sweetest Thing, plus some other novellas coming!)
​
Blessings to you and yours this festive holiday season.

xoxo
Sierra

​ 
                                              Chapter One
                                                                               Joey
                                                        Didn’t his Mother teach him manners?

You’ve got this.
 
“Grady, have I sufficiently explained why it’s not a good idea to take dick selfies and share it with your friends?”
 
The fifteen-year-old boy sits slumped in his chair, hands crossed over his skin and bones chest -  a combination of embarrassment and teen angst emanating from his pout.
 
I tap his phone in my hand trying to buy myself a bit more time as I try to figure out how to handle this. And trying not to laugh out loud.
 
​I could take it to the principal, but she’s such an old hag, it would only make it worse. Or, I can explain as best

I can how doing stupid things will give him stupid results.

  Grady mumbles, “Yes, Miss Hughes.”

  “Just promise me next time, when and if you get a chub in class, go take care of it discreetly in the boy’s restroom. And keep your phone in your pants. Got it?”

  “Yeah,” he replies. “Okay.”

  I heave a sigh and hand back the phone to my student, making mental note to thoroughly sanitize my hands after this incident. Who knows what kind of stickiness covers his screen.

  “Okay, you’re excused. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

  He practically jumps from his chair and runs out the door, where I hear chuckles and laughter from his friends waiting outside in the busy hallway. Picking up my laptop and materials, I head out the same door, shaking my head and trying to stave off the laughter that’s about to burst from my chest.

  Only twelve more school days until summer break. I’ve got this, I repeat to myself. It’s the only mantra that works this close to the end of the school year. Especially when I have huge dose of teenagers to manage every day.

  I guess if I have to keep reassuring myself that I’ll be out of this hell hole in less than two-weeks, it’s likely not my true calling. The teaching gig was my mother’s idea and the only way she’d pay for my college education. So until I figure out another career and plan for my life, I’m stuck here.

  But I can last another twelve, nerve-racking days with these stinky, bratty, annoying-as-hell, nose-in-their-phones high schoolers. 

  No problem. It just calls for copious amounts of wine to do it.
  Taking a fortifying breath, I head into the teacher’s lounge. This room is meant to be a heavenly oasis away from the sea of raging teen hormones and bad hygiene. Instead, it’s a jungle of awkward adults who smell like bologna and cheap aftershave.

  I glance around the room and see that it’s the usual suspects. As I walk over to my cubby to grab my sack lunch, Howard Peters greets me with his amused coffee-stained smile.

  “Well, if it’s not our own Joey Kangaroo,” he chirps, his handlebar mustache doing a weird dance across his mouth.

  I cringe at the stupid nickname he’s given me, as well as the idea that this guy gets laid on the regular with that thing on his lips. The dude is weird with a Capital Strange.

  “Hey, Howard the Duck. How’s it going?”

  At least I can hit him back with an equally embarrassing nickname.

  He waggles his bushy eyebrows. “Another day, another phone confiscated.”

  Howard is one of the sophomore science and biology teachers and is notorious for seizing the phones of his students who blatantly disregard his rules for no phones in his classroom. He pockets them for the entirety of the day, in hopes it will teach the kids a lesson in respect. I’m not necessarily a proponent of this method, but to each his or her own, I guess. 

  I think most of my peers think I’m a pushover and too lax with my students – thereby creating my own set of classroom problems like what occurred today with Grady.

  But generally speaking, the kids are respectful and I give them just enough latitude that they feel like I respect them. Plus, I’m also closer to my students’ ages than the other faculty, and I have other means of gaining their respect and attention.

  Some of the older teachers, like Dolores Conk, frown upon my technique. But whatever. I’m not here to win her approval.

  But somedays are harder than others and I often wonder why I’m even here at all.

  I take the empty seat next to Howard and smile at the other teachers at the table. We’ve all had the same lunch schedule for the past school year and know quite a bit about each other’s personal lives.

  Sometimes things become a little creepy with the TMI. Like for instance, the oversharing of Howard and his wife, Jasmine’s, new “pony” position. It sounded an awful lot like regular doggie style, but apparently when you add in a crop and a saddle, it’s like horses gone wild.

  I smile at the teacher seated across from me, her mousy blond hair pulled back into her usual ponytail. 

 “Hey, April. How was the fieldtrip to the capital yesterday? I see you’re still standing, so that’s a good sign.”

April Mullins is about ten years older than me and is probably the nicest woman I know. We’ve become friends outside of work, as we’re both avid readers of Jane Austen, and attend a lot of literary functions. 

 What I admire about April, and where she differs greatly from me, is that she really loves teaching and doesn’t seem jaded yet by the system.

  Me, on the other hand, could be sold in an Asian market as fine jewelry. Get it? Jaded?
April rubs her eyebrow nervously. She’s a little quirky in her own nervous-tick kind of way. But that didn’t stop her from finally meeting the man of her dreams, an even quirkier fellow named Tanner.

  “The good news is that I came back with all twenty-eight students. The bad news is that Demarcus Lange was caught making out in a hallway with his girl du jour.”

  She continues to pluck at her bushy eyebrows, a small grin touching the corners of her mouth.

  We all nod along at the story, knowing full well it could have happened to any one of us. Demarcus was in my English class last year and he’s definitely a kid who will try to get away with anything.

  Shelle Collins, the arts teacher, heaves a heavy sigh next to me. I turn and give her a wide-eyed stare.

  “That boy,” she groans, shaking her head. “He’s trouble just like his older brother Deshawn was two years ago. You know I caught him stealing some paint thinners and aerosols from my classroom a few months ago?”

  Call me dumb, but it doesn’t even click with me why in the world he’d want to steal that.

  I swallow my bite of sandwich and ask, “Maybe he was working on an art project and couldn’t afford the supplies.”

  Shelle pats my hand patronizingly. “Oh, my sweet lil’ angel,” she says with a bit of a southern drawl.     

 “Demarcus was going to use them to get high, honey. He was caught with three other boys behind the school with the bags and cans in hand.”

Oh my God. Maybe I’m too sheltered for this job. Do kids really think it’s a good idea to mess with toxic chemicals?

“Wow. That’s awful. I had no idea they did that.”

To say I grew up in a sheltered mid-West home is to say the Cubbies only had a “little bad luck” winning the series all those years.

Howard pipes in, shaking his head. “These kids.”

He noshes on his sandwich, his mustache looking like a caterpillar wiggling on his face. Howard is so nonchalant about the whole thing, as is Shelle.

The topic of conversation changes to April’s upcoming wedding. She’s getting married this summer to the guy she just met six months ago. If there were ever a couple that was meant to be, it would be these two.

They met at a cosplay event at the Chicago ComiCom when their swords got tangled together on the escalator.

Ah, true love.

I try to tune back in to the happier discussion about the floral arrangements and colors she’s selected, and how there will be a sci-fi themed photo booth but my mind is now too far away.

Only twelve more days and then I can take a break. Get away from this teen-filled world and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Because I know I’m not there right now.

                                                                             ***

I’ve been in the Chicago area for the last six years. After graduating from the University of Illinois, I was lucky to be offered a job right out of school in Chicago.

Well, if you ask my mother, she wouldn’t consider it luck. More like shit luck. She can’t possibly comprehend why I’d want to remain in Chicago, that “dirty, filthy city” instead of coming back home to South Bend, Indiana. Where in her mind, I’d find a good teaching gig and marry as soon as reasonably possible, popping out a few grandchildren along the way.

Somedays, her voice chimes in my head like a broken record and I do wonder why I chose to remain in

Chicago. Granted, being five hundred miles away from my mother is definitely a benefit, but this city can be harsh on a single girl. And not just the heat of the summers or the chill factor of the winters.

I’m already exhausted from teaching in the system only two years. I’m in one of the largest school districts in the U.S., where nearly four-hundred-thousand students walk through our classrooms on an annual basis. In schools that are run-down, in need of repair, and have little to no funding for any proper supplies or learning materials.

Yet for the one-hundred and twenty kids I work with each day, there’s something gratifying about it, too.

When I see that lightbulb click on for the student who was struggling and I helped them find their answer, it’s absolutely brilliant. But even with those one in a hundred students, I still know in my heart-of-hearts that it’s not my true passion.

I only went into teaching because of my parents. Am I happy about being a teacher? I’ve yet to have the same level of excitement that some of my friends have in their teaching roles. There are days when I do feel that sense of reward.

But not today. I just want to sink into my couch and go to sleep. But my neighbor, Patrick, invited me over tonight to watch Stranger Things on Netflix.

Before you get too excited about the chill part - don’t. That isn’t happening. And will never happen.

Patrick is absolutely not interested in getting it on with me. I don’t have enough testosterone in my body or facial hair for his liking. Which reminds me, I need to add waxing strips to my shopping list.

Once again, my mother’s romantical ideas of me meeting and falling head over heels with a successful, gorgeous man haven’t come to fruition. She and Patrick met when I moved into this place a year ago and she fell madly in love with him.

I don’t blame her. Patrick is an enormously handsome, albeit ego maniac of a man. Tall, strong, washboard abs, nice ass and gorgeous tasseled dark hair. He’s a beautiful specimen of a man, but unfortunately for me, does not like women.

He loves his men. Especially if they are lean, hot young twinks.

Which is totally fine by me. Pat is a great friend, a good neighbor and I like the fact that I can just hang with a man without having to keep an eye out for wandering hands.

Shifting the bag of Doritos I’m holding over to the crook of my other arm, I knock on Patrick’s door.

“Yo, Handsome Pat. Open up.”

I hear the yippy bark and the click, click, click of Pat’s wiener dog, Mr. Woodcock, from behind the door just before it swings open and I’m greeted with the broad white smile of Patrick Donaldson.

Seriously, the man always looks like he stepped out of a photoshoot from GQ.

“Cool your jets, Joey girl. I’m here and ready to sweep you off your feet.”

I push past him with a “pfft” but not before bending down and giving a quick pat on the head to Woody, as he’s affectionately called.

Setting the goodies on the counter, I turn back to face Pat, who’s shutting and locking the door.

“Do you think I’m too innocent?” I ask, curious as to how he sees me.

The whole notion of me not recognizing why a teenager would want a can of aerosol has been eating at my conscience all day. I guess I need an outsider’s opinion.

Pat steps in front of me, his fingers framing his chiseled and stubbled chin and cocks his head.

“Hm. Let me see,” his eyes wander over my face, down my neck, past my boobs and back up again. “Your
body screams sexually experienced, but yes, I think you’re too naïve for your own good. You’re like little Cindy Brady. Or Doris Day. Or little Orphan Annie.”

I throw back my hand and send it flying into his bicep, hitting muscle so hard my knuckles crunch at the connection point.

“Asshole” I begin to whine when I hear the bathroom door opening and the sound of the toilet flushing.

My eyes go wide with surprise as I see a guy I don’t know walking out of the guest bath. My gaze zooms back on Patrick.

I had no idea someone else would be here tonight on our Netflix and chill night. I mean, I’m not opposed to

Pat inviting a date over to join us, but this is a first. Call me selfish, but part of me enjoys just spending alone time with Pat. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother.

Patrick gives me a half shrug and glances back toward the guy who is now plopped down on the couch, the back of his head the only thing visible from where I stand. Woody dances at my feet eagerly awaiting me to pick him up. Bending down, I hoist him up and hold him under his belly before checking out the man on the couch.

All I can see is the back of a faded Cubs hat. I’m perplexed and a little offended that whomever this dude is he doesn’t even bother to come in and introduce himself.

Rude much?

I scowl and roll my eyes so that Patrick sees the injustice being served by his guest.

He takes a few steps toward the guy and thwamps him on the top of his hat.

“Hey, asswipe, we have company. I want to introduce you to my neighbor, Joey.”

The guy barely looks my way, just a flick of his eyes before returning to the TV, as his hand comes up in a flippant wave. All I see of his face is a hard profile, covered with a few days scruff that frames his perfectly sculpted jaw.

He looks like a college frat boy and is even dressed like one. I just don’t see the attraction Patrick would have with him, since most of his dates are impeccably dressed and coifed.

This guy looks like he’s just getting off a two-day bender.

And he’s not as young as the typical Pat boy-toy. This dude is far from his usual type. This guy looks downright homeless. Aside from the old baseball hat, he’s donning a loose-fitting rumpled t-shirt and faded jeans that look like they haven’t been washed in months.

“Joey, this is my friend, Theo.”

Patrick returns next to me and leans in, whispering conspiratorially, “He’s a bit surly. Had a bad day.”

Well, gee, buddy. So have I, but you don’t see me treating people so disrespectfully.

Whatever. I’ll take the high road.

My voice is chipper. “Nice to meet you, Theo.”

He grunts, his attention not leaving the TV. Loud sports noises blast through the speakers and you can barely hear my thinly disguised grunt of disapproval. Patrick laughs and walks into the kitchen, ignoring the poor manners of his friend. 

“Everyone okay with gumbo and cornbread?”

I place Woody on the floor and walk in the small, yet modern kitchen that’s nearly identical to mine.

“Mm. That’s what smells so delish in here?” I grin, pulling off the cover of the large pot on the stove, leaning in to take a long inhale of spicy aroma. My mouth immediately begins to water and my stomach growls. It certainly beats my box of mac and cheese in my pantry.

Pat shoos me away, removing the lid from my hands and begins to stir the spicy concoction.

We stand side-by-side, his broad frame about six inches taller than me, our shoulders pressed together.

I give a surreptitious glance over my shoulder before I say anything to Pat. He’ll be able to detect my underlying pettiness in my voice.

“What’s his deal?”

He cocks his head, bending to my ear. “Theo is a good guy, just going through a rough time. He has a beautiful soul and I love him.”

“Well, regardless. His mother did a horrible job teaching him manners.”

​I suppose if Pat gives him such a glowing endorsement and feels that strongly for him, I’ll have to do my best to get along with him.

After all, he’s not the guy I’m sleeping with, so it really shouldn’t matter one bit what I think.