Guest Blogger - Marie Harte

Welcome Marie Harte to a special Thursday Guest Blogger post!  I will have to say I'm a little star-struck today, as I enjoyed Marie's Storm Lords series so much that I subbed my first novel to her publisher...which started my writing career.  Thanks, Marie for stopping by and telling us a little about your new release -- Fortune's Favor.

And Marie is offering one commenter a PDF copy of Fortune's Favor -- so get your fingers to keyboard and say hello!

FORTUNE'S FAVOR ~ a PowerUp! story

Nathan Kraft needs more than the life he's currently living. Once an agent for the Psychic Warfare Program, he's now reduced to helping civilians get in shape at the PowerUp! gym, where his buddies and he continue to train their minds in secret. He's always up for some excitement, in the form of a job or a man, but lately he's getting neither. Then he's assigned a job, one like he used to do for the government, except this job involves his past.

Avery Holton has butted heads with Nathan since they first met a year ago when he joined the staff of the PowerUp! gym. Nathan gets impressions from touching objects. Avery sees the future. Nathan is fun, loves men, and craves adventure like a drug. Avery likes discipline, is quiet but not closeted about his bisexuality, and does the job like a professional, a carryover from his days in the Marine Corps. Thrust together on a mission that links to Nathan's childhood, the pair will have to learn to trust each other. It will take all their psychic skills and an acceptance of their growing love to defeat an evil out to get Nathan and everyone he loves...before it's too late.

Excerpt

Avery stood with Nathan and watched him charm the woman out of her seat. Within minutes of meeting Mr. Nathan Jackson, she’d offered not only to call the utility companies to turn the gas and cable on, but she’d also offered to buy them both dinner as a welcome to Bloomville.

“You’re so sweet, Ginger.” Nathan took the older woman’s hand in his and kissed the back of it.

Avery refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yes, Mrs. Hall. Thank you.”

The woman wore a ring and had a picture of herself, her husband, and two teenagers on the corner of her desk. Yet she blushed like a schoolgirl under Nathan’s attention. “It’s a pleasure, I assure you, Mr. Jackson. I mean, Nathan.”

Him she called Mister. Nathan got the first-name treatment. How was it his partner could charm total strangers but got on his last goddamn nerve half the time?

“We’ll leave you to it, then, Ginger. And thanks so much for dinner.”

She nodded. “It’ll be delivered, no worries. Best pizza in town.”

“You’re so sweet.” Nathan grinned, and those damn dimples made the woman melt. The way they made Avery melt every time he saw them.

Good thing he had a backbone made of iron. “Nathan? We need to get a move on.” He smiled politely at Ginger. “We have some cleanup to do before our investors come out to see the place in a few weeks.”

Ginger nodded. “You two restoring the Dixon house will be a draw for the town. We used to have a lot of visitors come to stay when the last couple ran it. It’s haunted, you know.”

Avery coughed to cover a laugh. Nathan shot him a dark look before turning to her. “Yes. That’s why we’re so interested in putting it back in top shape. Once we do the repair work, we’ll look into hiring local talent to run the place.” He nodded to Avery. “My partner and I are businessmen, not innkeepers. I handle the money; he does the grunt work.”

Trust Nathan to twist their cover around to make himself look important. Grunt work, my ass.

“Well, while you’re here, we’re more than glad to have you. And if you’re looking for a place to wind down when you’re not working, the Blooming Rose is a terrific bar. Lots of nice girls in town.” Apparently realizing how forward that sounded, she added, “Who’d be perfect to work in your B and B. Friendly faces to get to know better, if you were interested.”

Nathan didn’t react other than to smile. A good thing, because smaller towns tended to be more conservative. It was imperative they blend in just enough to give themselves time to look around. Avery’s visions had shown him that they’d find the blade, and hopefully Dixon, in Bloomville. But they’d get more answers out of the locals if they looked like part of the community. Those in Bloomville might not take to a gay man running their local inn. And God forbid they realize the gay man’s partner was bi.

That was a secret he was keeping under wraps until he knew he could fuck Nathan and not feel more than physical pleasure. Avery was attracted to the guy, but he’d seen Nathan go through men like tissues. He had no intention of becoming a notch on Nathan’s bedpost, and especially not if they had to work together. No matter how much he ached for the bastard. Hell, maybe he should check out the Blooming Rose.

Nathan gave him a slap on his back that felt less than friendly. “Come on, Avery. Let’s go.”

Avery held on to the keys Nathan motioned for and walked outside with him. Once out of earshot, he shook his head. “I can’t believe you sweet-talked that woman into getting us dinner.”

“She offered.”

“And the utilities? I know the heat and water were working, but do we really need the other stuff?”

“Hey, the gas fireplace is nice. And I’m not staying out in hickville without cable. Jack will reimburse us.” Nathan slanted him a look. “Not like there’s anything better to do.”

Avery nodded. “Good point. Not like you can go around sucking every dick in town if we want to keep a low profile.”

Nathan mouthed an obscenity and slammed his way into the vehicle.

Avery allowed himself a short grin. Ten minutes later, he parked in the side driveway of a large colonial-style home. He knew Nathan had at one time lived here. Over five thousand square feet, with original hardwood floors, wainscoting, and the original paned glass, the Dixon House had belonged to Malcolm Dixon’s ancestors, back when the place had been opened as a hotel before the Great Depression. In the years since, the large home had been renovated a few times to serve as both an inn and a private residence.

Avery hadn’t realized Nathan still owned it.

“Are you going to do something with this place once we’re done with the job?”

“Hell, yeah. I inherited it from my aunt—from Danielle. Soon as this case is over, I’m selling the thing.” Nathan looked up, and Avery wondered what he really saw when he viewed the whitewashed paint, weathered dark blue shutters, and falling gutters. Snow covered the massive yard, dusting the tops of the shrubbery growing wild around the property. Five large acres of trees, brush, snow, and more snow. It would have been the perfect place for a getaway weekend if they weren’t trying to trap a murderer.

“This house isn’t going to make security easy.” Avery took note of all the avenues of approach an enemy might use. “We need to get inside and lock down our control point.”

“Aye, aye.” Nathan gave him a mock salute, and Avery immediately thought of how satisfying it would be to paddle that ass.

His partner unlocked the front door, and Avery followed him inside. The musty smell of disuse hit him the minute they crossed the entranceway. But inside was a pleasant surprise. A warm yellow painted the walls not covered in glossy cherrywood. The floors had been refinished in the recent past, and the décor was charming in a Victorian, antique-y kind of way. Or at least what Avery could see of it past the dust cloths covering everything.

“Fully furnished,” Nathan muttered. “Just gotta take off the ghosts.”

“The what?”

“The white covers over the furniture. Always looked like ghosts to me.”

That sadness was back, and Avery wanted it gone. “So you want me to make this place feel like home for you? I could find you some twinks and a bottle of Jack, maybe.”

The sadness vanished to be replaced by a look of disgust. “Funny, he-man. What should we do to make it a home for you? Maybe some tits-and-ass calendars and religious right videos?”

Avery chuckled. “I thought you were going to say porn videos. More my speed.”

Nathan blinked. “You? Porn? My God. I think the floors just shook.”

Avery had taken more than his fair share of digs about his sex life over the week they’d spent together. But for some reason, today Nathan’s teasing burrowed under his skin. “I’m not a eunuch, Nate.”

Nathan glared. He hated Avery’s pet names. Sweetheart, princess, and dimples rounded the top three, but Nate was fun because it sounded so normal yet set the guy off.

“Might as well be.” Nathan shrugged him off, as if Avery didn’t rate.

Bull. Shit.

Avery stepped into Nathan’s private space. They nearly stood eye to eye, but Nathan had to look an inch up to meet his gaze. “That’s not the floor shaking, Nate. That’s your heart racing because you want me. Bad.”

Nathan’s shock came as great satisfaction, because Avery could see he’d struck a chord. So maybe Nathan had been thinking about him too. Christ, that was all he needed. As much as he prized control, constantly losing it in Nathan’s presence peeved him. But to know Nathan might want him back, that this attraction was actually two-sided? Temptation he might not be able to walk away from. Hell.

He didn’t need this, not with Malcolm Dixon running around with a paranormal sword and murder on his mind.

Nathan scowled. “You’re an ass. Always trying to get on my last nerve, aren’t you, Major?”

“Oh yeah. You want me,” Avery said with enough smugness to choke a mule. He knew this man. If he said white, Nathan would say black. Prodding his partner into not desiring him was easy. Tell him one thing, Nathan would do the opposite.

Except the sly grin Nathan returned unnerved him. His cock stiffened, and he could only thank his jacket and jeans for masking his arousal. Before he could take a step back, Nathan planted one hell of a kiss on his lips.

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