Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Blog Tour + Giveaway - Kim Fielding

Get ready to AWWWWW! Kim Fielding brought her cuteness game & she came to win!

Judy’s Plan

by Kim Fielding

“Well, is she?”

Marshall realized the shirtless vision of beauty on the doorstep was speaking, and he tried to focus his mind on something besides the lightly tanned skin stretched over solid muscles. “Uh, what?”

The vision grinned. “The dog. Is she yours?”

Oh. Yes. The vision was holding a dog in his arms. The dog looked like Marshall’s half-grown golden retriever, Judy. Remarkably like her, in fact. But Judy was currently playing in the backyard. Wasn’t she? Frowning, Marshall stuck his head further out the door and peered around the corner.

Shit. The fence gate stood wide open.

“Judy?” he asked.

She gave a doggy smile and wagged her tail, but she didn’t look at all eager to leave those strong arms. Marshall didn’t blame her.

“Is that her name?” asked the vision. “She doesn’t have a collar, but I thought I’d seen her over here.”

“Yeah, we uh….” Words. Marshall generally knew how to use them. “We just moved in. I haven’t bought her new tags yet.” Or updated her chip or bought her a license or done any of the other responsible things a pet guardian should do. He hadn’t even found a vet yet. But moving across the country had been traumatic and his life wasn’t close to sorted. He was living out of boxes and eating takeout, and the T-shirt he currently wore was smeared with a variety of paint colors.

The vision adjusted his grip on Judy and stuck out one hand for a shake. “Cool! I’m Trevor Cornell. I live there.” He rotated his entire body—and Judy—in the general direction of the house next door. Judy licked his beard, which was short and neatly trimmed.

Marshall swallowed loudly. “Um, good to meet you. I’m Marshall Fagan.”

“Welcome to the neighborhood, man.”

“Thanks.”

They all just stood there. Trevor didn’t seem inclined to put Judy down, which obviously suited her just fine, and Marshall still hadn’t quite remembered how to converse.

“Did you really come here from Kansas?” Trevor finally asked.

For a moment, Marshall was at a loss as to how Trevor could possibly know this. But then he remembered—his car, currently in the driveway because the garage was full of unsorted boxes. He still had his Kansas plates.

“Yes. Overland Park. It’s, um, a suburb of Kansas City.” Then a rather obvious question finally occurred to him. “Where did you find her?”

Trevor had a wonderful laugh, deep and rumbly and as rich as double-chocolate brownies. “I was working in my garage—got a dirt bike I’m trying to get running again—and she just wandered on over.”

“I hope she didn’t bother you.”

“This sweetheart? No way! She just wanted to hang out and snuggle, didn’t she?” Trevor planted a kiss on Judy’s ear.

Marshall wanted to hang out and snuggle too. But he didn’t say so. “Well, thanks for bringing her back. I appreciate it.”

“No prob.”

Trevor set her down. After a few shameless tongue-lolls and tail-wags in Trevor’s direction and a random lick on Marshall’s jeans-covered knee, she ran inside, no doubt looking for something to chew to pieces.

But Trevor remained in place. He took off his gray beanie, ran his fingers through short brown hair, and replaced the hat. He had a tattoo running the length of one upper arm, two lines of text, but the print was too small for Marshall to decipher at this distance. And God, without thirty pounds of dog camouflaging his torso, his pec-and-ab magnificence was on full display. As was the fascinating trail of dark hair that ran south from his navel, disappearing into the waist of his low-slung sweatpants.

“Judy, huh?” Trevor asked, making Marshall startle guiltily.

“For Judy Garland. Because we’re from Kansas, and… you know. Dorothy.” Marshall blushed at the silliness of it.

Trevor, however, laughed again, although not in a derogatory way. “I like it! Well, you’re not in Kansas anymore, right? I hope Cali treats you right.” He winked. “I’ll let you get back to your moving in. Lemme know if you need anything.”

Marshall opened his mouth, intending to invite Trevor in for a cup of coffee. He’d managed to unpack the Keurig at least. But then a loud crash resounded from somewhere deep in the house. Shit! What had Judy knocked over this time?

“Sorry! I gotta—”

“Sure, dude.” Trevor gave a nonchalant wave, and his grin didn’t fade.

“Thanks again!” Marshall shut the door and hurried off to assess the damage.

***

The thing hadn’t looked that difficult to assemble in the showroom. After all, Marshall was an engineer—he could damned well put together an Ikea desk! Yeah. Except he helped build electric vehicles, not furniture designed by Swedish sadists.

He was cursing at the Allen wrench when the doorbell rang. After a baleful glare at the pile of fiberboard and screws, he hurried to answer.

Trevor stood in the doorway. Shirtless again. Only this time his skin glistened with water droplets and he wore board shorts that clung to his body in a way that nearly sent Marshall into heart palpitations. Oh, and he was holding Judy again. She was wet.

“She decided to help me wash my car,” Trevor said merrily.

“But I fixed the gate.”

“I think she tunneled under it.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

Trevor didn’t appear at all put out. “No prob.” Heedless of her soggy fur, he nuzzled her head. “She’s great. I used to have a dog. Heinz 57 mutt, you know? Hella smart and he made a good jogging buddy too. But he died last year. Bone cancer.” His smile faded to sorrow.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I’ve been thinking about getting another, but it’s kinda tough. It’s like I’m replacing him, which kinda makes me feel guilty, even though I know I shouldn’t feel that way. Anyway, Judy is a very sweet girl. I don’t mind if she visits.” He sniffed.

As if she understood him and knew he needed comforting, Judy licked his face.

Marshall wanted to hug him. Wanted to rub his back and murmur in his ear and tell him everything would be all right.

“Anyway,” Trevor said, his grin returning, “how’s the moving in going?”

“Pretty well. Except the furniture-building part.”

Trevor nodded solemnly. “Ikea?”

“Yeah.”

“I wish you strength in this difficult time.”

That made Marshall burst out laughing. Trevor joined him, and Judy did too in her canine way, her swishing tail spraying both men with water.

“You’re going to smell like wet dog,” said Marshall.

“No prob. I’ll shower after I’m done with the car.”

And that sent Marshall’s brain swiftly into the Forbidden Zone, although Marshall could hardly blame it, seeing as Trevor was already damp and barely dressed. His brain was so deep in the Zone that it didn’t process Trevor’s next question.

“Uh, sorry?” Marshall said. “What was that?”

“I was just wondering if you were finding your way around town okay. I grew up here, so if you need any recs—restaurants or whatever—just let me know. I’m better than Yelp.”

“Thanks. I’ll, uh”—probably dream tonight about licking every inch of your body— “definitely take you up on that. Soon.” After he’d given his wayward brain and rampant libido a stern talking-to.

“Any time, man.”

“Thanks for the serial dog returning.”

“Also any time. And seriously, Judy’s welcome to come over and play whenever she wants. Her human too.” Another wink.

And while Marshall tried to unswallow his tongue, Trevor set Judy down, gave her butt a gentle push to aim her into the house, and executed a jaunty wave. Then he walked off toward his driveway and the waiting car.

***

Sleep. Wonderful deep sleep, with new sheets cocooning him and his new—fully assembled—blissfully comfy bed beneath him. Even in dreamland, Marshall knew his painted walls were the exact colors he wanted, his favorite pictures hung evenly, and all the cardboard boxes had been returned to the moving company. He was home. And since it was Saturday he could sleep as late as he wanted, his faithful dog curled up beside him and—

Shit.

Marshall shot straight up in bed and then almost fell off the mattress. Where was Judy?

“Judy? Come here, Judy!”

The house was completely, terrifyingly silent.

She wasn’t in the bedroom, not even on the expensive dog bed he’d bought for her but she never used. She wasn’t in the bathroom, curled up in her favorite cool spot on the tile near the tub. He stumbled down the hall to the other two bedrooms, but she wasn’t there either; nor was she in the guest bath or the living room or the dining room. She also wasn’t in the kitchen—but the back door stood ajar, letting in a slightly chilly draft of California October air.

The backyard was bare of anything but some weedy grass. Landscaping would be a future project, maybe when Judy was older and less prone to excavations. There was no place for her to hide, and she obviously wasn’t out there either. Marshall closed the door.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Wearing nothing but his flannel sleep pants, he slipped into sneakers and bolted out the front door. No sign of Judy. Just a cheerful blue sky, with the fronds of Trevor’s palm trees waving gently in the breeze.

Trevor.

Marshall ran at full speed to Trevor’s house, but before he could ring the bell, the door swung open. Trevor stood just inside, wearing sweats and an old gray tee, a steaming mug in one hand. Beside him, Judy sat as perfectly as an obedience school valedictorian, looking very pleased with herself.

Wordlessly, Trevor held the mug out to Marshall, who took it. Tea. Possibly Earl Gray.

“She figured out how to open the back door,” Marshall explained. “I was asleep. Sorry. I had no idea—”

“No prob. I told you—welcome anytime. She and I were just talking about maybe rustling up some bacon and eggs.”

“She… likes those things.”

Marshall was suddenly aware of his own half-dressed state, and of Trevor’s steady gaze. Then Trevor licked his lips and Marshall almost dropped the tea.

“H-how come you didn’t bring her over this time?” Marshall asked with a stammer.

“I was enjoying her company. And I was waiting for you to come after her.”

“Oh.”

They stared at each other.

Then Judy barked and ran deeper into Trevor’s house.

“Whatta ya think, Marshall? Can I cook something up for you?” Big, big smile. Sparkling eyes. White teeth hooked slightly biting his lower lip.

Judy was a really smart dog.

Marshall smiled back and stepped inside.

How cute was that? Be sure to let Kim know what you thought in the comments below!

I have a new book out this month, and I’m really excited about it. Ante Up is about a 180-year-old Croatian vampire and a snarky young guy who’s not quite human. The story has mobster vampires in Vegas, a demon and her teeny tiny hellhounds, and a host of other supernatural creatures. It was a blast to write and I hope you enjoy it.

To celebrate, one lucky winner gets ebooks of two Night Shift and Clay White, two novellas also about vampires, plus an ebook of my (non-vampire) novel Love Is Heartless. To enter to win, just comment here about your favorite vampire.

***

Blurb:

Love is a high-stakes game.

A century and a half ago, Ante Novak died on a Croatian battlefield—and rose three days later as a vampire. Now he haunts Las Vegas, stealing blood and money from drunken gamblers and staying on the fringe of the powerful vampire organization known as the Shadows. His existence feels empty and meaningless until he meets beautiful Peter Gehrardi, who can influence others with his thoughts.

An attraction flares instantly, bringing a semblance of life to Ante’s dead heart. But the Shadows want Peter too, and they’re willing to kill to get him. As Ante and Peter flee, they learn more about themselves and each other, and they discover that the world is a stranger place than either of them imagined. With enemies at their heels and old mistakes coming back to exact a price, how can Ante and Peter find sanctuary?

Buy link:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/ante-up-by-kim-fielding-8952-b

***
Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.
After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

Follow Kim:

Website: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/KFieldingWrites
Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Email: Kim@KFieldingWrites.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bau3S9

A complete list of Kim’s books: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/kim-fieldings-books/

Enter to win a backlist ebooks of Kim's. 4 diff winners will be chosen! Giveaway ends 11/22 @ Midnight EST. Good luck!

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We thank Kim for helping us celebrate our 4th Anniversary!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway HERE! It ends 12/1/17!

Trivia Question: In which book do CapCom Patrick & Shuttle Commander Curtis Larkin meet & share their first kiss at the same time? 15 pts

Random winner will be chosen on (or about) Noon EST 11/16.