Writer's Guest Room: Off Limits (Sexy Men of Mystery #5) by Jessica Frost

Hey readers,

Our dear pal Jessica Frost stops by today with a look at her new man love release from Siren Publishing, Off Limits. It's the fifth book in the Sexy Men of Mystery series, and she's got an excerpt to share with us too.  You definitely want to check this one out.
 

Off Limits the fifth book in the MM erotic romantic suspense series Sexy Men of Mystery is now available for pre-order. It's offered at a 10% discount until October 26th.

Here's the link to order it at Bookstrand, as well as the blurb and excerpt....

Pre-order Now

Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romantic Suspense, M/M, vampires, light consensual BDSM, sex toys

About: Detective Bruce Whittaker likes his life just the way it is. No serious relationships, no commitment, and no love to complicate things. But when he meets the handsome psychic Drake Zarbo at a Tarot reading and then offers him a room to rent, his life turns upside down. Feelings he never experienced before rise to the surface and scare the hell out of him. He’s falling in love with his sexy and mysterious new roommate. And that means only two things. Trouble and heartache.

Widower Drake Zarbo thought he was doing his sick mother a favor when he offered to do a Tarot reading for her. But he didn’t expect to meet his soul mate, Bruce Whittaker, nor did he expect to see Bruce’s dark past and future in the cards, and the horrible secret he’s been hiding from the world.

Bruce has months, days, or maybe hours to live, and now Drake must secretly race through time to figure out who will try to kill Bruce, where, and when, while he fights his growing feelings of love.

Will he be able to save the man he’s falling for before the killer strikes?

Excerpt:

Bruce split the Tarot deck while asking, “Will I ever find the perfect roommate?” Then he placed four cards as instructed.

Drake smiled. “Interesting question to ask the cards.”

Bruce chortled. “Well, if you knew the three past roommates I had, you’d understand why Natasha wanted me to ask the question.”

Drake’s brow lifted as he gazed at her. She rested her hand on Bruce’s shoulder and looked at Drake. “His first roommate was a slob who messed up the apartment the minute Bruce left for work each day. The second was a klepto who kept taking Bruce’s things without asking. And the third was the best of all. He never paid the rent and after a few months just plain disappeared from radar. One minute he was there, the next he and all his belongings were gone.”

Drake tilted his head and peered at Bruce. “Sorry to hear you haven’t had much luck.”

Bruce chuckled as he flipped over a card. “Well, maybe my luck has finally changed.” He placed in the first position the Two of Cups, in the second, the Sun, the third, the Lovers card, and in the fourth, the Ten of Pentacles. He gazed at the formation and scratched his head. Natasha had a wide smile that spread from one ear to the next. She surely knew that the cards Bruce picked were all good ones.

Drake exhaled a sigh of relief as he peered at the results. Bruce’s attention shifted from Natasha to Drake. “So what does this mean?”

“Well, you picked two major and two minor arcana cards. All four of these are in the right position facing you, not me. And so they are all favorable.”

Bruce leaned back and tapped his index and middle fingers on his full lips. “Ah, so that means the person who answers my ad won’t be a slob, a klepto, or go AWOL?”

Drake laughed. “Exactly.”

Natasha pointed to the Lovers card with a devilish grin. “What does this card mean?”

Drake sighed. “That is the third card, so it represents the soul. Your soul, Bruce.”

Bruce frowned. “Lovers?”

Natasha’s voice peaked. “Does that mean Bruce’s new roommate will be his soul mate?”

Bruce’s eyes flared as he stared at her. He lifted his hands in the air. “No, no, no. Don’t start with that again, Nat. I’m not looking for love. Just someone to help pay the rent. That’s it.”

Natasha huffed and placed her hands on her hips. “And if the right guy came along, would you push him away? Would you throw your chance of happiness away like that?”

“I don’t need love to make me happy.” He snorted.

Drake shook his head. “I think you’re wrong, Bruce. Being in love is one of the most amazing emotions to experience. Love is happiness.” His heart weighed down with his next words. “I was in love for many years and it was the happiest time of my life.”

Natasha placed her hand on Drake’s and with sympathetic eyes, said, “It will be a year soon, won’t it?”

Drake nodded. “Last week made a year Steven died.”

Bruce leaned forward. “Steven was your life partner?”

Drake’s eyes fell to the table top. “Yes, he was. We were together for eight years until he died in a car accident.”

In a soft, slow voice, Bruce replied, “My condolences. You and Nat have had a rough year, losing the loves of your life like that.”

Drake raised his gaze and stretched his lips into a forced smile. “Thanks.” He took a deep breath, letting his memories and emotions flood over him, memories of hugging and kissing Steven, of walking on the beach, holding hands, planning their future together.

The love he shared with his soul mate hadn’t changed or lessened over the year he’d been gone. He missed him more now than he did when he died. But nothing he did could change that or make his loss easier to bear.

And now as he stared at Natasha and Bruce and saw the pity in their eyes, he wanted to kick himself. This cross he had to bear was his alone. They didn’t need to see his suffering. They were here for a card and palm reading, not a lecture for Bruce about finding his soul mate to feel whole.

Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Do you want to do another reading and answer another question?”

Bruce shook his head. “Nope. I’m too scared.”

Drake tilted his head, perplexed. “Why? The cards were good.”

Without looking at Natasha, he smirked, placed his hand to cover his mouth, and whispered pointing at her but gazing at Drake, “If the Lovers card comes out again, I’ll never hear the end of it from Nat.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and lifted his hands in defeat. “I give up.”

Bruce stretched his hands out on the desk. “Alleluia!”

Drake began to laugh at their theatrics. He crossed his arms.

Bruce turned his palms face up and grinned. “I’m glad you find this entertaining, Drake. Go on, why don’t you read my fortune now.”

“All right.” Drake cleared his throat and squinted to focus while he grasped Bruce’s hands. An electric shock shot through his fingers on their contact. Bruce’s hazel-green eyes grew in drastic increments until all Drake could see was the black chasm of Bruce’s pupils. Then a cloudy vortex manifested itself in Drake’s mind’s eye, making time and space halt. All that existed in that instance was a befalling image.

Bruce stood in the center of the image, facing Drake. He spoke to a tall, mysterious male who had his back to Drake. He and Bruce partook in a heated conversation, their flailing hands and body language depicted the tension and the negative tonality of their words and emotions. The stranger held a gun in his right hand. His anger and hatred toward Bruce could not be refuted. Bruce remained quiet, frowning, but then he lashed out, apparently with anger in his words.

The image suddenly morphed into a cloud of smoke and once the fog settled again, Bruce was on the ground, his dead eyes staring at an abyss of darkness, a pool of blood forming beside him.

As suddenly as the vision came to Drake, it disappeared. Bruce’s gargantuan pupil began to shrink in a quickened pace until it retracted to its normal size a few seconds later. Drake blinked and, releasing Bruce’s hands, rubbed his eyes, wondering what the hell just happened!