#ThrowbackThursday: For the Long Run by Elizabeth Noble

 

For this week's #ThrowbackThursday, we're traveling back in time to May 2020 with Elizabeth Noble's For the Long Run

From the Blurb:

What if your life was a lie?

From the outside Jay’s life seems idyllic, a twenty-something, runs his family’s business with high disposable income and freedom. The reality, is Jay’s life is dictated by a bigoted, controlling, abusive father who insists Jay simply can’t be gay. Jay yearns for his own life with a dominant man, but it’s an out-of-reach pipe dream. When he meets trained Dom, Eric, the most Jay can hope for is the occasional one-night-stand or quick fling.

Eric has his heart set on Jay, and not only for more than one night. Jay is the type of sub Eric could easily spend the rest of his life with, fall in love with. While trying to navigate winning Jay’s love, his Eric’s life is further complicated by chasing down a killer who may be something other than human.

When Jay is targeted, Eric wants only to protect him. Can he save Jay’s life and win his heart as well?

Excerpt:

When the door opened Eric turned to greet his new boss.

“Hey, I’m sorry, for some reason there is always some disaster in the kitchen when I need to—” The young man stopped short and blinked at Eric. “Oh God… I….” His voice just sort of faded away.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Eric tried for a casual chuckle and produced a nervous laugh instead. “This is—a surprise.”

“I… um… Jason Molloy,” he held out his hand, but before Eric could grasp it, Jay raised it to pinch the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “Jason… Jay.” Shoulders sagging in defeat, Jay moved his hand up to run through his glossy black hair and managed to look everywhere but at Eric while finally shaking his hand. The poor kid looked like a deer in the headlights with a cannon pointed at it. “But you know that… the Jay part.”

Eric swallowed another laugh and put on a sympathetic face that was real. He felt sorry for the guy. Jay was surprised to see him, that was evident, but the reaction wasn’t quite right. What it wasn’t was a man who’d spent the night with the wrong person, more like a man who’d spent the night with the right person. Eric couldn’t put his finger on what his exact impression was, but it wasn’t rejection. “Eric Keger.” He offered Jay a crooked smile and decided it was time to put Jay out of his misery. “It seems like I’m your new head of security.”

Jay’s mouth dropped open, but he recovered quickly this time and snapped it shut, then moved around to the other side of the desk. Eric turned, following his progress, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and waited.

“Look, this is….” Jay stopped and took a few deep breaths. “Let me try this again. I had no idea, honestly, none. My father hired you and told me a few days ago.” He picked up a file and let it drop back down, opened. “I guess I should have looked at the damn thing.” Jay flicked with one finger at Eric’s picture on the first page, then shut the folder.

“I’m honestly pretty glad you didn’t.” Eric smiled, nodded, and shrugged. “No one is perfect.”

He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing outright when Jay managed to look even more horrified and grumbled, “My father is.” That did it; Eric couldn’t hold back the hearty chuckle waiting impatiently to burst out any longer. Jay’s eyes narrowed for a split second before he blushed. “You think this is funny?”

“Yeah, I sort of do.” Eric shrugged and moved to the desk, hiking one hip onto the edge and twisting to look at Jay, who’d sort of collapsed into his chair. “You didn’t know, and neither did I. We, either of us, didn’t do anything wrong, and we were a county away, so who’d think? I mean seriously, come on, this is like a scene out of a bad date-night movie.”

“But I’m the manager here and you’re—”

“The guy you—well your father—just hired, I know.”

“I think there are laws or something.”

“From what I understand, it’s only sexual harassment if someone doesn’t want the attention. I think it was rather well established the other night we both wanted the attention. I sure didn’t say no, and I didn’t hear it come out of your mouth. So, chill. No harm, no foul. We’re both consenting adults who consented.”

“I’ll get you the best letter of recommendation, three months’ pay, and stay in the house as long as you need to find another job.” Jay was back to not looking at him and now had added paper shuffling to the mix.

Planting one hand firmly on the desktop, Eric leaned forward and pretended not to notice how Jay’s gaze flicked up and his eyes followed the slide of Eric’s biceps under his jacket. “You’re firing me? I haven’t been here long enough to do anything wrong. That’s a record, even for me.”

Jay blinked up at him, head cocked to one side. “N-no, I’m not, but I didn’t think you’d want the job now. You’re not obligated.”

There was no way Eric was letting this opportunity slip away. A lot more was going on with this young man, and he wanted to know what. Mostly, Eric wasn’t one to take a second chance for granted. Selfishly, he wanted Jay, and not simply for one night. No one had ever gotten under his skin so quickly and completely. “No, I’m not obligated. What I am, however, is intrigued. You need a head of security that has real murder and crime scene experience.” Eric thumped his chest with his free hand. “Moi. Besides, there is a lot to be said for fate and bad date-night movie plots.”

For the Long Run is available on Amazon and as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.
  

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