J.S. Harker is here today with an exclusive excerpt from her new Dreamspun Beyond novel, Tit For Tat! Find out more about this paranormal romance below.
Welcome to the final blog tour stop for Tit For Tat, my new holiday paranormal release. Thanks to Boy Meets Boy reviews for hosting. I’m JS Harker and proud to share my second novel with Dreamspun Beyond just in time to get people through the holidays. My house gets crowded and loud, and I’d much rather be reading than socializing sometimes. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way, right? Tit For Tat is a fun, sweet comedy that’s perfect for keeping up spirits during the long dark winter nights. Winter gets a bad rep, and I get that people miss the sun. But come on, snow? Snow is awesome.
It’s that love of winter that helped inspire Flynn, the Winter fairy at the heart of Tit For Tat. His magic is tied to his home realm, and being in our world is rough for him, especially if he’s not somewhere cold in climate. He’s curious though, and he adores exploring our world, even if he doesn’t always understand why we are the way we are.
Derek is a shy guy who needs a little push to explore. He manages to take the very bold step of talking to Flynn, who he has a huge crush on. Little does he know that Flynn’s not human. Sure, he’s strange, but Derek eventually learns how strange. Their dynamic, a push and pull between confidence and insecurity is something I think a lot of people will empathize with.
Plus, there’s lot of kissing and sugary treats.
Flynn and Derek have also inspired more novels set in the same universe with seasonal themes. Each novel’s a complete stand alone. I’m working on a summer story with Jared, a tech CTO who spends way too much time at work, and Brady, a Summer fairy who’d rather ignore that nasty word called responsibility. Also in the lineup is a Halloween-themed story. A fairy prince and a human boy fall in love while trying to navigate their way through a Tim Burton-esque kingdom.
I hope you enjoy this exclusive excerpt and have a Happy New Year.
Excerpt:
Buying the coffee was the easy part, and Derek nabbed a couple of extra sugar packets on his way out of the shop. He made his way to the fence near Santa’s Workshop.
Flynn worked the photography side. His green tights were extra flattering on his long legs. Derek sipped his coffee while he waited. After an endless procession of minutes, Gregory relieved Flynn, and Flynn came over to the fence, still in his elf costume. His form fitting, amazing elf costume.
“Hi,” Derek said. “What’s it take to get on Santa’s Naughty List?”
Oh crap. He said that out loud.
“More than naughty thoughts,” Flynn said. He leaned against the fence beside Derek.
He was close enough to kiss. But they were in public with a half-dozen kids and their parents nearby. Derek wanted to be bold, but he froze. Public displays of affection. Doing something to show he liked Flynn in public. Where people could see and judge. His brain automatically went into a different, nonsexy mode, as if he’d forgotten how to flirt entirely. He held up Flynn’s coffee.
“I hope it’s okay. It sounds like there’s a lot of stuff you haven’t tried, and it’s that time of year, and I drank half of mine already, so I can’t stop running my mouth,” Derek said. He felt like an idiot, and yet his mouth kept going without him. “Please take it. Oh, and here, I got some more sugar packets because you really seem to like sugar, so. Yeah.”
Flynn smiled and took the coffee and sugar packets from him. He gave Derek a quick kiss on the cheek. His lips were cool, and he smelled like cinnamon. “The rewards for being on the Nice List are even better than working your way onto the Naughty.”
Derek was pretty sure he could melt chocolate from the heat in his cheeks. “Oh. I, uh, I’ll remember that.”
Flynn took a tentative sip of the coffee. His ears straightened—or at least Derek swore they did—and his eyes lit up. He moaned as he took another drink.
The simple sound and Flynn’s overall joy went straight to Derek’s dick. He shifted his weight some, praying his jacket was long enough to cover the growing bulge in his jeans. At least going outside in the cold might help him tame his erection. One of the worst possible ways, but he’d have a chance to act normal before his horny side decided it wouldn’t be controlled.
“I’m glad you like it,” Derek said. “Are we still on for this afternoon?”
“Yes. Let me get changed, and I’ll be ready to go.” Flynn handed him the coffee cup. “I am coming back for that. And you.”
Flynn kissed his cheek again before making his way to Santa’s Workshop.
So Flynn liked peppermint mocha, and he was affectionate. Derek knew he had a huge goofy grin, but he couldn’t get rid of it. No one had ever been so easy to be with. Derek was only sorry he hadn’t tried asking Flynn his name sooner. There was a whole extra week he could’ve been dating Flynn if he had. Well, assuming one date could go well, though so far it was going pretty well.
Yeah. Yeah, the little kisses had to mean it was going well.
Cold has never been so hot.
College sophomore Derek is busy working over his holiday break—but his shifts at the toy store are no hardship if they mean more opportunity to dream about the sexy new guy working as an elf in Santa’s Workshop. When his mother gifts him a bag of cookies, Derek regifts them to Flynn as an excuse to get to know him. Flynn has presents to offer as well, and soon they’re dating, with Derek finding out his comfort zone is bigger than he imagined.
But Flynn is hiding a secret—he’s really a winter fairy whose magic is bound to the season. He can’t stay in the mortal realm, and Derek doesn’t want to lose contact with his family. Can they find a way to hold on to each other when the snow and sugar plums melt away?
Author Bio:
JS Harker loves stories. She was one of those kids who always had a book in her hands and spent many hours adventuring with her siblings. These days she wanders into her imaginary worlds and conjures up tales of magic, passion, and happily-ever-afters. She currently lives in the part of the Midwest that makes Tatooine look interesting by comparison (not that she’s ever obsessively thought about becoming a Jedi or anything).
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