Sunday Snippet

 

Today's snippet is from my latest re-release. Horizons is the first book in a 5 book series. This MM sports themed romance has it all. Slow burn, age-gap, closeted football player, wonderful and supporting BFF (who ends up having his own book in Taste) abusive parents, gay bashing, stalkers, and angst galore. It's available at AMAZON & KU for the first time. 

BLURB

Golden boy Clark Stevens is on the verge of realizing his NFL dreams when he breaks his arm during a scrimmage. The injury is minor, but his attraction to the doctor who patches him up is not.

Dr. Jody Williams lost his heart to a man he buried five years ago. Still grieving, he's not looking for love. But the patient who's part Nordic God, part lost soul, ticks all his boxes, leaving him with feelings he didn't know he was still capable of having.

Beneath the flawless jock exterior, Clark is hiding not just his sexual identity, but a challenging disorder. His controlling father won't allow him to take meds to manage his ADD, fearing they'll affect his performance on the football field. Now his academic struggles have put his entire future in jeopardy, and Jody is more than happy to ride to the rescue as a tutor. But playing white knight quickly turns to more and the wild attraction between them can't be contained.

Athletes have started coming out, but it's always a gamble, especially without family support. Now Clark must decide. Should he hide his true self or risk it all for the man he loves?

SNIPPET

Horizons

Mickie B. Ashling

Copyright 2021

Jody stood at the entrance of the ER, watching Clark leave. He turned and went into his office and poured a cup of the sludge they called coffee, grimacing after taking a sip. He swallowed it just the same, knowing there wasn’t anything better in the cafeteria.

He shook his head in disgust, thinking about all the misconceptions Clark had revealed. The damage some parents caused in the name of love or good intentions was enough to make him want to quit his job sometimes. He’d seen it all at this place: people who were victims of physical and mental abuse, yet somehow, human nature continued to surprise him with its resilience. Listening to Clark defend his father’s actions had not come as a shock. He’d stood over countless victims who were battered and broken, who continued to defend abusers, thinking somehow they deserved it. And why was it always the beautiful ones who seemed especially susceptible?

He couldn’t get over Clark’s father arbitrarily deciding to keep him off the medication for attention deficit disorder. Even though it wasn’t a cure, it offered relief, helping people to focus and function in a world many considered overwhelming. That Clark had been able to get this far without drugs spoke volumes of his tenacity, but at what price? He was obviously very fragile with regards to his mental acumen, clearly impressed by Jody’s collegiate credentials.

For whatever reason, this side of Clark made him more appealing. The combination of physical beauty and internal vulnerability created an irresistible pull for Jody. He’d never been able to say no to anyone in need, but he wondered if he was making a big mistake in offering to tutor Clark. Were his motives purely altruistic or was he honest enough to admit he was yearning for a man he could never have. Clark had been on his mind ever since they first met, and the attraction was getting worse instead of better. The icing on the cake was this new development. Now he was even more attracted, the healer in him galloping to the rescue.

Lil would urge him to walk away from another lost cause. Clark had more baggage than Jody could handle. A closet case was bad enough, but a remarkable athlete on the verge of an NFL career was a recipe for disaster. Adding the ADD to the mix was a trifecta of loss. Lil would probably go through the roof.

They’d both seen friends crash and burn when forced out of the closet. No amount of convincing or support would help. It was a personal decision every gay man had to deal with at some point in his life. Somehow, though, Jody didn’t think Clark was anywhere close to dealing with his internal struggles. He wondered if he ever would be.