Archive for Eye Candy
Poetry Train #76
Storm
copyrighted c. 2008 T.A. Chase
Rain pounding on my window pane wakes me from my dreams. I climb from the bed, carefully tucking the blankets back around you. My toes curl from the cold floor as I move to the window and curl up on the seat to stare out of the water-streaked glass. The cool drafts sneaking in from around the window dance upon my chilled skin. I snag a blanket from a chair and wrap myself in it, watching the lightning dance along the sky. In the flash of each bolt, I see a figure standing on a hill. With each crack as the night becomes as bright as day, the person’s face becomes clearer to me.
Handsome beyond imagining, his black eyes swirl like the abyss he stands above. His dark hair dances upon the storm exploding around him. He wants me and my spirit calls to him. I rest my hand against the smooth glass and he raises his hand in response. A cruel smile races across his face and I shiver, knowing this stranger on the hill could own all of me if I venture outside during the storm.
“Love,” you call from the bed. “The storm wake you?”
I turn to flash a smile in your direction. “Yes. You know I can’t sleep during them.”
You sit up, letting the blankets pool around your waist, giving my eyes a broad chest to devour. Holding your hand out to me, you plead, “Come back to bed, love. You’ll get chilled sitting by the window.”
I can never refuse you, so I stand, leaving the blanket to rest on the seat I vacate. Drifting closer to you, I’m called one last time to look out the window. In a flash of white heavenly light, I see him standing there still and waiting. I hesitate, caught between the man on the hill and you in my bed.
“Love.” Your voice is low and insistent, ordering me back to your arms without words.
I slide under the blankets and snuggle against your warm body. You surround me with warmth and solidness. I let you anchor me to this room and our bed. Yet even while I fall under your spell once more, I hear his voice echoing in my head like thunder.
“Soon, my heart. Soon you’ll come back to me.”
In the quietness of my soul, I know those words are true. Soon the storm will grow too strong and I’ll break free of the magic you have cast to keep me with you. I’ll leave this house, returning to the chaos you captured me from and the arms of the man who owns me for eternity.
Finally Friday…
As I was cruising around the internetz, I found this particular model. He struck me as being exactly what I imagined Lord from Death or Life? to look like. Especially dressed like this. 🙂 What do you think? I’ll grab a couple different pics of him to post later.
Don’t have much planned for this weekend. I’m hoping to get to the theater to see Max Payne. I’ve never played the video game, so I’m not coming into it with unreasonable expectations…lol. And heck, it has Mark Wahlberg in it. He’s worth the price of admission.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Wednesday’s Hunk Day
I’m sitting here trying to think of something to post about, but nothing’s coming to mind…lol. Oh well. If you can think of any questions, go ahead and ask me. I’ll try to answer them. 😉
Hope you all have a great day.
Poetry Train #75
Connection…
You can hear me breathe
In the soft sigh of the wind.
You can feel my warmth
In the grit of the earth.
My heartbeat sounds
In the running of the streams.
My soul is there
In the beauty of a sunrise.
I am in everything.
My very essence of life
Is interwoven with every
Other creature and thing.
When one dies,
I die as well.
When one is born,
I live again.
That is what life means.
Connection with everything,
Even when I believe
I am alone.c. 2008 T.A. Chase
Happy Friday
Thank goodness it’s Friday…lol. I’m hoping for one more nice weekend before the weather starts to get really cold. I was thinking I should become a snow bird and go south for the winter. I hate the cold. Snow is pretty as long as I don’t have to drive in it or shovel it. 🙂
I wanted to give a shout out to all the new people who stopped by my blog yesterday and left a comment. Thank you and I’m thrilled that not only did you like the first installment of Nick of Time, but that you’ve been enjoying my other stories as well. Don’t be a stranger. Stop by and post as much as you like. There’s no limit here.
Hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.
Wednesday’s Hunk…
It looks like In the Nick of Time wins the day as the title for my next blog story. 🙂 Thank you, Joy, for coming up with the title and for everyone else who told me they liked. Though I do like Valerie’s suggestion that I combine the two…Unlikely Savior: In the Nick of Time. I guess I’ll have to see if I want to make it into a series or just one story. It’ll depend on if any of the other characters talk to me.
It’s a quick post today, but I hope everyone has a great Hump Day. 🙂
Poetry Train #74
Morning, everyone.
Here’s a little excerpt from Devil’s Addiction, a regency WIP that takes place shortly after Angel’s Evolution, but features two new characters. Shade does show up in DA. 🙂
Enjoy.
Excerpt:
He closed his eyes. Stickler would be destroyed. The baron’s fortune would be taken from him and his reputation torn away to reveal the evil living disguised as a man. The Devil wouldn’t refuse Beng the satisfaction of ruining a man’s life.
“I’m sorry.”
“Never apologize to me or anyone. It wasn’t your fault, boy. The ones responsible for this will be dealt with.” Beng leaned forward and touched the boy’s knee. The young man tensed. “Your rape will only be known by me and my doctor. No one else will know unless you chose to tell them.” He sat back.
He was good at keeping secrets. Devil knew he had more than enough of his own. What was one more to add to the load?
“How do you know Will?”
Beng wasn’t surprised Darius didn’t recognize him. He’d changed a great deal since he left. “I used to live on my father’s estate next to yours in Wiltshire.”
“You’re the earl’s bastard son.” Darius relaxed a little.
“Yes, though back then I was known as Bertram instead of Beng.” For the most part, he had good memories of those days.
“You left when you were sixteen. Why?”
“I realized my mother’s name for me was truer than my father’s. The devil living inside my soul made me want things I shouldn’t.” Beng shrugged. “It was easier to run away than to stay and suffer for them.”
“I see.”
Beng knew Darius didn’t have any idea what he was talking about. Which was fine. He didn’t feel any need to unburden his soul to the boy. His preferences weren’t important to the achievement of his goal. He wanted to get Darius back to Will before too long. It was hard to ignore the voice in his head, telling him that Darius needed guidance. He shook his head. Whatever guidance the boy got wouldn’t be from him. He was no one’s guardian angel.
The carriage stopped and Beng was happy to be home. He jumped out, letting the groom help Darius from the vehicle. Marsden waited at the door.
“A hot bath is waiting, sir.” Marsden accepted Beng’s hat and gloves. “As soon as the doctor arrives, I’ll take him to the young master’s room.”
“Thank you, Marsden.” He turned to see Darius hovering just inside the door. “This is Marsden. He’ll escort you to your room and if you need or want anything, ask him.”
“Yes, my lord.” Darius’s eyes stayed focused on the floor.
“I have some messages that must be delivered tonight. I’ll leave them on my desk in the study, and then I’ll be up to take my bath.” He went to his study.
“Certainly, sir.” Marsden’s voice followed him.
He shut the door behind him, closing out the rest of the world and the enticing face of his best friend’s younger brother. Even bruised and skinny, Darius was beautiful. Deep brown curls framed a perfect face without blemish except for bruises. Plump lips begged for a kiss. Upturned nose and wide golden brown eyes would be haunting Beng’s dreams that night, if he could sleep. He hadn’t allowed himself to look at Darius’s body. It would have led to worse dreams and emotions he fought to suppress.
Sitting at his desk, he reached for a pen and ink. He stared down at the blank paper he’d retrieved from a drawer. Beng didn’t want Will rushing over as soon as he read the note. Darius needed time to adjust before he was thrown into the arms of his family.
Will,
Encouraging news. I’ll present myself at your home at ten with information.
Beng
He sealed and addressed it. The second message was to Shade.
Shade,
Find out all information pertaining to Stickler. He must be destroyed.
Beng
Sealed, addressed and added to the pile. Shade would understand and bring him what he needed to crush Stickler. He looked over some papers Marsden left on his desk. His businesses were flourishing. He made a note to stop by the warehouses and check in.
A half hour later, a knock interrupted his reading.
“Come in.”
Marsden slipped in and stood in front of the desk. “The doctor just left, sir.”
“Is the boy okay?”
“The young master will heal. He’s been beaten and starved. The doctor gave him a thorough examination. There was some damage and bleeding, but Doctor Jackson believes it will heal fine with time.” Marsden frowned. “What mental or emotional damage was caused, I’m not sure, sir.”
“Those types of wounds take far longer to heal.” Beng straightened his papers. “Did he eat and bathe?”
“Yes, sir. He’s sleeping now. Would you like a tray brought to your room?”
“No. I’ll wash and then go to bed. I have to be at Will’s at ten in the morning.” He headed for the door.
Marsden bowed. “Yes, sir.”
The servant watched the retreating back of his employer with narrowed eyes.
Beng had been in bed for only an hour or so when the door to his bedroom inched open. Moving only his head, he watched as Darius slid through the opening and then shut the door. He wondered what the boy was doing. Darius crept across the floor like a ghost, dressed in one of Beng’s unused nightshirts.
As Darius came closer, Beng closed his eyes. He kept his body relaxed, not wanting to frighten the boy. The young man stopped beside the bed and he could feel Darius staring down at him. His chest rose and fell evenly, mimicking deep sleep. The top blanket lifted and the bed dipped.
Bloody hell, Darius was getting in bed with him. The boy lay on the sheet covering Beng, using the blanket as his cover. Beng thanked whatever angels or demons were watching out for him because he didn’t think Darius would be able to handle finding out Beng was naked.
The younger man snuggled closer to him like he was searching for warmth and Beng was the source of all heat. A cold hand touched his arm for a second. He wondered if the fact that he didn’t move reassure Darius. Within minutes, steady breathing told Beng the boy had fallen asleep.
No good deed goes unpunished. Is that what you’re trying to tell me? He raised his eyes to the ceiling.
Darius muttered in his sleep, rolling over and flung one of his cold hands onto Beng’s chest.
What kind of inhuman torture is this? He started to inch away from the tempting body in bed with him. It had been years since he’d shared his bed with anyone, male or female. Darius moved with him, not wanting to give up his body heat.
He stopped, not willing to risk waking Darius up. His control frayed. If the boy woke up and he looked into those sleepy golden brown eyes, it might break. Giving my soul to the devil doesn’t mean I have to sin all the time. He’d been an upstanding citizen, for the most part, since he returned to London.
The night passed with Darius sleeping the sleep of an innocent and Beng cursing the devil, God and any other person he could think of to blame for his predicament.
Poetry Train #73
I thought I’d share a scene from what will probably be the story I work on after the next Home book. 🙂 So it’s third in line on my list of Works in Progress…lol. It’s called Angel with a Dirty Face and I think it’s going to be very emotional…more along the lines of Angel’s Evolution. (in angst and everything.) I hope you enjoy it.
Excerpt:
“He’s gone.”
Baldwin couldn’t even act surprised at Marcia’s announcement. He had a feeling when he didn’t see or talk to Mackenzie for a couple days that the man had left. Resting his head against the window of his car, Baldwin stared out at the people walking through GVSU’s campus.
“Did he leave a note or anything?”
He pulled out his Tibetan prayer beads and started rubbing them through his fingers, trying to ease his worries away.
“Yes. It says that Jack wants Mac back.” Marcia sighed. “I’m sorry, Win.”
“It’s not your fault, Marcia honey. Jack was as much an addiction for Mackenzie as the drugs were. It’s only been six months. We shouldn’t have expected a miracle.”
Baldwin’s heart hurt. He understood addiction, having fought his own demons while traveling the world. He understood how the need pulled at you without mercy. You could be driven to the edge by wanting just one more hit of whatever your craving called for.
“What should we do?” Marcia’s voice caught on a sob.
He shrugged and realized she couldn’t see him. “Wait. Hope and prays he comes back on his own. If he doesn’t come home by the first of the year, I’ll go to find him.”
“That’s two months away, Win. I don’t want to wait that long. We could lose him for good this time.”
“Or we see what he decides.” He glanced at his watch. It was almost time for his class. Putting the beads away, he managed to get out of the car without dropping either the phone or his bag. He shut and locked the door, heading towards Mackinaw Hall. “I know it’s hard to stay away from him, sweetheart, but dragging him back here without his permission is just going to repeat the problem. He has to choose to come home and get better. All we can do is welcome him with open arms if he does return.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
The fear and pain in Marcia’s voice caused a little bit of anger at Mackenzie to race through Baldwin. Selfishness was another side-effect of addiction. Mackenzie wasn’t thinking about how his actions hurt Marcia. Baldwin skirted away from his own feelings. They weren’t important at the moment. He sat on a bench and let his shoulders slump.
“We go out to California and talk to him. We tell him how much we love him and that we don’t want him to destroy himself, but we let him make the decision on what to do. If he chooses Jack and the drugs, then we walk away because we can’t let his addiction destroy us as well.” He let go of his bag to scrub his hand over his face. “It’ll be the hardest thing either of us has ever done. It’ll break our hearts, but I’ve been where Mackenzie is, Marcia. I understand what’s driving him and I know that we can’t do it for him.”
Silence filled the phone line while Marcia thought about Baldwin’s advice. Her soft exhalation told Baldwin he’d won. Marcia would wait until the first of the year before rushing out to see her brother.
“I wish I could accept this all as easily as you do, Win. You’re so calm.”
His bitter laugh tore from him. “Calm? Why would you think I’m accepting of this, Marcia? I love Mackenzie, more than I have ever loved anyone in my life and he’s left me for a man who will hurt and use him. A man who doesn’t care anything about him.”
Tears welled in his eyes and he breathed deep to calm his racing heart. He was going to have to meditate tonight and figure out a compartment to put all his worry into so he could function in his every day life.
“I can’t let my worry and fear distract me from my own life. It might sound cold or unfeeling, but as much as I love Mackenzie, I can’t allow his addiction to become my obsession. I can’t do that anymore, Marcia. It’d kill me.”
“You’re right. Jim says the same thing about me.” Her voice dropped. “I’m scared, Win.”
“I know you are. I’m scared too, but remember, I’m only a phone call away or you can come see me. We can be scared together.” Another glance at his watch. “Shit. I have to go or I’ll be late for class. I’ll call you tonight when I get home. It might help for you to talk to someone who has been through what Mackenzie’s going through.”
“Thanks. I love you, Win and I know, deep down inside, Mac loves you as well. He’s just confused at the moment. Call me after ten.” Marcia hung up.
Baldwin closed his phone and tucked it in the side pocket of his bag. Standing, he made his way to his class. Yes, he knew Mackenzie loved him, but was what they were building together strong enough to combat the years of abuse/pleasure Mackenzie had gotten from Jack? Baldwin wasn’t sure that it was.
c.2008 copyrighted by T.A. Chase
And the Winner is….
And the winner of my blog contest is…..
Congratulations and please email me your snail address. I’ll get the prize basket out to you within the week. 🙂
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and posted. It’s because of you that I’ve gotten this far in my writing career. And with your encouragement, I’m sure there will many more books coming out.
TGIF…and Contest
The weekend is almost here. Mine starts at 4:30 when I leave work…lol. Unfortunately there are those who have to work on the weekend. Hope you all have good times at work. 🙂
I’m holding an impromptu contest since I went over 100,000 visitors to my blog this week. Woo-hoo! That’s awesome. It’s been a long journey that started two years ago with my first book coming out, No Going Home. My trip has been fun and I’ve been lucky to meet some truly wonderful people along the way. 🙂
So what’s the contest you ask? 😉 Any one who posts a comment today and over the weekend gets their name put into a ‘hat’ or whatever I have sitting around..lol. On Sunday night, I’ll draw a name out and they will be the winner of a great gift basket. You might be wondering what will be in said gift basket…not sure yet, but it’s going to be full of really cool things, plus an autographed copy of the print version of No Going Home.
I hope everyone who stops by today and the entire weekend posts a comment. I’d love to hear from you. Who knows? You just might win as well. I’ll stop by throughout the day and over the next two to check on things.
Have a great weekend, everyone. 🙂
