Yet More Ink, Sweat and Tears - Release Day!

 

Hi everyone!

Today is the release day of Yet More Ink, Sweat and Tears, the last book in my Ink, Sweat and Tears series about sexy tattoo artist Caelan and hunky tax accountant Dean! And it’s currently offered at a discount – good, eh?

Here’s what happens in this part of Caelan and Dean’s story:

Yet again, Caelan and Dean’s relationship is put to the test as old dreams get shattered, new dreams are built, and loose ends are tied up.

Caelan and Dean’s relationship is yet again put to the test by the ups and downs of life. Caelan is forced to take an extended time off his beloved job as a tattoo artist due to an injury and Dean finds his dreams of a quiet office job and a peaceful suburban home about to be shattered once and for all. While Caelan is struggling along on the road to recovery, Dean seizes his chance and snatches him away on a long-overdue holiday. Although he is hoping that this change of scenery may just be what his husband needs to tie up a few loose ends in his life, Dean is surprised by the outcome. 

Back home, they find that there are yet more pieces waiting to fall into place and that sometimes, when dreams get shattered, new dreams can be built on the ruins of the old ones.


Click here to go directly to the publisher’s site www.bookstrand.com/yet-more-ink-sweat-and-tears


Or keep reading and enjoy these two excerpts: 

Story Excerpt (G)

Dean sighed. Strange what you started thinking about when your thoughts were left to roam freely. He got up and went to the kitchen to check everything once again. The food smelled delicious and a well-chilled bottle of fruity Chardonnay sat in its cooler. Beads of condensation were collecting on its sleek outside, lending it a glossy wet sheen like the perspiration on a lover’s exhausted body after a night full of passion. Dean huffed sarcastically. If only. 
The table was laid and he’d even dug out the pristine white table cloth his mother had given them—as a wedding present, no less. It had never been used and, in all probability, would never have been used, but the sight of the polished kitchen table had become a painful reminder of what had happened on it during that significant evening a couple of weeks ago. Not that it was to blame as such. The disc in Caelan’s back could have herniated any time, but now the connection was there in both of their minds.
Of course, Dean could have chosen their formal dining room as the setting for his plan instead, but the big, carefully decorated space was just too…well, formal. It would serve well to host a group of friends or, more likely, Dean’s parents when they came to visit, but it wasn’t the place for an intimate, candlelit dinner that was supposed to set the mood for delightful things to come.
Just as he was stirring the sauce once more, Dean heard the scratching of a key in the front door. The sound sent a little jolt of hopeful excitement through him and yes, his cock actually gave a little twitch of anticipation. The poor thing hadn’t had much fun lately and was beginning to be frighteningly easy to stir. So much so that Dean had even taken it out to play an hour earlier, just so he wouldn’t be running the risk of putting an untimely end to the evening. But touching himself just wasn’t the same as doing it with Caelan, his sinfully sexy and delightfully naughty husband. And what a sight he was.
Previous relief or not, Dean’s cock gave another curious twitch when Caelan’s slender shape appeared in the doorframe. Leaning his shoulder on it, he hesitated, sniffing the air carefully with an expression that was half-amusement, half-pleasant surprise on his beautiful face.
“Something smells nice here,” he observed. The corners of his mouth were tilted up in a faint smile and suddenly, Dean was so turned on, he could have happily forgotten all about dinner and just taken Caelan right there and then.
Instead, he cleared his throat a little awkwardly. “I was hoping it would.”
“What is it?”
“Chicken filet in a creamy lemon-and-coconut sauce with asparagus and rice.”
Caelan raised his eyebrows. “Wow. You’ve gone all out, haven’t you? What’s the special occasion?”
Dean shrugged and took a step closer to Caelan. “Nothing special,” he said quietly. “Apart from the fact that every day I get to be with you is special.”
“Oh.” Caelan looked a little surprised and self-conscious, as always when openly praised, but the soft smile was still there.
“I’d just like us to have a nice evening. Eat, drink a glass of wine, chat and relax. Think you’re up for that?”
Caelan’s gaze flicked to the stove for a moment before he looked at Dean again. This time, a hint of discomfort had crept into his striking grey-green eyes. “Well, I am quite exhausted, to be honest. Therapy was hell and I’m longing for a soak in the bath ‘cause my back aches and—”
“Caelan,” Dean said gently and closed the distance between them. Raising his hands, he cupped Caelan’s head and made him meet his eyes. “It’s just dinner. I know you’re not… comfortable with the way things are right now, but you can’t keep your distance from me forever. I love you. I don’t care if you’re a little damaged or not. Well, I mean, obviously I do care, but…Oh, you know what I’m trying to say, right?”
“Dean…” Falling silent, Caelan dropped his gaze. He didn’t quite pull away, but had gone rigid in Dean’s hold.
“Please, love. I know you’re having a hard time adapting, but avoiding me isn’t going to change anything. And it’s not as though you are disfigured or scarred or something like that.”
Caelan heaved a sigh. “No. No, I’m not disfigured, that’s right. But…” He trailed off again, biting his lip and looking troubled.
“But what?” Dean prompted.
“But I’ve changed. It won’t be like what we’re used to,” Caelan blurted out. “Hell, I’m having a fucking hard time just moving my legs and…” He closed his eyes and his voice had dropped to a shameful whisper when he added, “It… doesn’t quite work the way it used to.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t…?” Dean started but, understanding, shut up. “Oh,” he said after a moment. “You mean you…?”
Uh-huh.” Caelan nodded gravely.


Adult excerpt

“That’s my boy.” Dean grinned and sat up, leaning forwards once more to kiss the pout right off Caelan’s mouth. By the time they surfaced from an increasingly passionate tangling of tongues, Dean was feeling more than a little turned on himself. The relaxing effect of the climax he’d given his body earlier was wearing off, it seemed. He used some of the lube to slick himself up, then spread the rest of it in and around the entrance to Caelan’s body.
Caelan looked a little put out at being handled so unceremoniously, but he seemed to enjoy the touch anyway and it wasn’t as though they always took the time for a thorough foreplay either. Sometimes it was all just about a quick fuck, and right now, it was going to be about only that. Just a fuck, but there was so much more to it.
Pushing Caelan’s legs further apart, Dean made room for himself. He didn’t bother preparing Caelan any more than he already had by dipping two lube-coated fingers into him and making sure everything was nicely slick to let him slide easily. After a month, Caelan’s muscles were not quite as welcoming as they usually were, but the increase in friction would hopefully heighten the effect the stimulation had on Caelan. Besides, it would be simply cruel to tease him and make him wait even longer.
Dean gave his cock a few long, leisurely strokes to brace it for the task ahead. It was fully erect now, heavy and hot in his hand. Hard as steel, but smooth as silk to the touch. A tool designed to bring his lover the pleasure and relief he craved. Dean could only hope it would be enough.
Lowering himself, he entered Caelan’s body. There was the brief resistance of unwilling muscles, then the usual sudden jolt forwards when they yielded. Caelan gasped and twitched underneath him, readjusting his position. Dean didn’t need to ask to know why and he was only too happy to comply.
Tilting his hips, he changed the angle a few times, rubbing the sensitive head of his cock along Caelan’s insides as he singled out the right spot. He could feel the ring embedded in his flesh shift, intensifying the sensations for both him and his lover. He knew he had the position right when Caelan jerked as if electrified and let out the adorable little whimper he always seemed to make when his prostate was stimulated. After well over a year of frequent sex, Dean knew the noises Caelan made when they were at it. And he knew just what to do to draw the sounds from him he was longing to hear.
Grabbing Caelan’s hips, Dean dug his fingers into the lean-muscled flesh to hold him in place. He pulled back, almost all the way out, then slammed right back in, nailing Caelan’s gland full-on. Caelan screamed. Dean pulled out once again, repeating the motion, once, twice, then over and over again, fucking Caelan with firm, fast thrusts that had him pant with the effort it took him to keep the pace up. But it was good. So hard it nearly hurt and certainly nothing he would be able to be doing for much longer, but apparently that wasn’t necessary. Slowing down a little, he took a moment to catch his breath and watch Caelan.
Covered in sweat, Caelan was moaning almost constantly now in between snatching shallow, ragged gasps of air. His eyes were screwed shut and his head was tilted back as he was clawing the sheets in raw need, meeting each of Dean’s thrusts eagerly. For the second time that night, he was on the verge to orgasm and Dean, despite what he had planned, was right there with him. He couldn’t hold back anymore. The sights and sounds and above all, the feel of Caelan’s body throbbing with arousal underneath him were too much to bear and he could only hope that Caelan would be there with him when he went over the edge. His cock and groin were already tingling with the bittersweet burn of a beginning climax. He was faintly aware of Caelan’s dick, trapped between their bellies, spasming in a way that gave him reason to hope, then his own body required all of his attention.
Or rather, the sensations it was experiencing blocked his mind to everything but the pure, near-painful explosion in his groin that sent liquid fire through his veins and caused supernovas to burst behind his closed eyelids.
Afterwards, caught in the blissful, cleansed twilight only a strong climax could bring, Dean needed a moment to come to his senses. In fact, he could have happily just lain there forever, wrapped up tightly in Caelan’s strong arms, his face buried in the crook of his lover’s neck. He was inhaling Caelan’s warm, spicy, scent with every breath he took, and what a delicious smell it was. The smell of the man he loved, tinted with the sharp tang of male sex, sweat, and semen. Only now there was something in it that he’d never noticed before, something…
“Oh, fuck!” Caelan yelled suddenly, jerking underneath him and frantically pushing against his shoulders to make him get up.


Want more? Get it here: www.bookstrand.com/yet-more-ink-sweat-and-tears