What Are They Eating | Squirrel Circus

Are you hungry? I’m afraid you’ll remain so even after Squirrel Circus 😆 There isn’t a lot of food in this story. We have Jyran who’s a squirrel shifter, and squirrels misplace about 75% of the nuts and seeds they gather before they get to eat them. It’s true.

But Gideon is a wolf shifter, so there’s a little hope there, right? And he owns a nightclub where he has a fellow wolf shifter working as a cook, so there is food, it’s just they seldom get around to eating it.
In true squirrel fashion, Jyran likes nuts…

Humans couldn’t smell him and know what he was. They didn’t want to kill him because he liked nuts. Damn, he wanted nuts.
He got up and checked the mini bar. No nuts. He’d moved them. Tiptoeing over to the dresser, he opened the top drawer and stared at the empty space in the corner next to his slacks. Hmm. Had he moved them to the bathroom? Had he put them in the bathroom cabinet? Yes, he had! He silently opened the bathroom door and opened the cabinet. Nope.
Rubbing his forehead, he went to the shoe rack where he had several pairs of dress shoes in different shades of black and brown. Pushed into the toe of his favorite pair of dark brown monk strap shoes was a bag of cashew nuts. He stared at the bag. Where had he put the peanuts?
It didn’t matter. He’d find them later and put them somewhere where he could find them more easily.

Jyran lives with his best friend, Adara, who is a vampire. There is a scene when she eats, but I wasn’t planning on including it. Blood is blood, right?

But for context here, squirrels are hunted and often attacked by other shifters, but while Gideon jokes about smoked squirrel sandwiches, the most important thing is nuts… at least if you’re a squirrel.

Adara stared at him. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and grabbed a shirt from the closet. He might be a shifter, but he preferred to be dressed. “If you’re gonna take down a bear or a pack of wolves, you need to plan. A squirrel? They walk past me on the sidewalk and pounce. It doesn’t take any planning. It’s no big deal to them. I’m the appetizer before they get to the main course. No one would attack a bear who used to work for you to get to me. It’s too much work.”
He reached for a pair of plum pants. He could pull off a plum-colored three-piece suit. Grinning, he pulled the pants off the shelf and frowned as a bag of peanuts fell to the floor. Oh, nice. But had he put them there? He couldn’t remember touching the plum-colored suit in weeks, except when he moved it from his suitcase to the shelf. He must have, though.
“It would hurt me greatly if they got to you.” The panic shining in Adara’s eyes made him pause.
“Oh, thank you, babe. I’d be devastated if something happened to you, too.”
“No.” She was in front of him in a blink of an eye. “I don’t only mean I would mourn you—which I would. It would wreck me to lose you. I mean, you’re the one who keeps everything afloat. I know you hate moving around. I know you hate the planning, the double-checking, the triple-checking, the phone calls, the bookings, and so on, but without you, I’d get nowhere. If someone wanted to sabotage me, all they’d have to do would be to get to you.”
Jyran stared. “What?”

When they finally get around to eating more than nuts, it’s sandwiches.

Jyran said goodbye, placed the phone on the table and put on the shirt before reaching for the phone again. Before he could call Justin to make sure he was okay, Gideon pushed a sandwich with ham and cheese into his hand.
“I’ll get the coffee started, but you have to eat before you do anything else.”
Jyran wanted to inform him he’d survived fine without him for the last six years, but Gideon was right. He had to eat. He should have eaten yesterday, but he was too busy throwing a fit.
As he crammed the last of the sandwich into his mouth, he scrolled to Justin’s number and hit call. One signal after the other rang through, and Jyran reached for his underwear, well aware of Gideon watching his every move. He swallowed, so he’d be able to speak when Justin picked up.
The sound of a call connecting had him straightening, then, “Jyran?”

Squirrel Circus

Can you forgive being rejected by your mate?

For as long as Jyran Pechman can remember, he’s dreamed about finding his soulmate. As a child, he lost his family, and he’s been moving around ever since. He hates it, and he wants nothing more than to have a home. A mate. A place to belong.

Gideon Everett might have dreamed about the day he’d find his mate, but his mate was never an unorganized, nut-hoarding squirrel shifter in those dreams. Wolves eat squirrels, so when Jyran walks into Gideon’s bar, he throws him out and tells him he wants nothing to do with him. He has a reputation to think about, and he will not be known as the wolf who mated a squirrel.

Being rejected hurts more than Jyran ever imagined, and he swears never to set foot in Gideon’s bar again. After the initial shock, Gideon is almost sure he made the right decision. Almost. What if he made the wrong decision? Now when he knows his mate is out there, can he live on as if they’ve never met, or does he have to … ugh … apologize?

Release day: January 21st

Preorder: JMS 

What Are They Eating | Willow Road

The last What Are They Eating post of the year! Sadly, they aren’t eating all that much in Willow Road, more than in Returning to the Werewolf, but still not a lot.

We have Jeremiah and Zeeb, and there is mention of both coffee and tea several times, but as for food… Jeremiah is lazy and makes a microwave meal.

Snow covered the patio, and he spent a few minutes watching it. Pure and untouched. Shaking his head, he headed for the refrigerator. It was time to place a new grocery order. The mostly gaping shelves didn’t spark any inspiration, so in the end, he made a mug of mac and cheese in the microwave. He vowed to himself never to tell his mother.
The thought hadn’t more than flitted through his head before the phone rang. He almost dropped it as his mom’s face flashed on the screen. He took the call, smiling into the phone. “You weren’t to know.”
She chuckled in surprise. “Know what?”
“I’m making pasta in a mug in the microwave. Put it in a few seconds ago, and I told myself I’d never tell you.”
She laughed. “And you shouldn’t have. Pasta in a mug? Seriously, Jeremiah, you need to take better care of yourself.”
The lecture filled him with warmth. “I know, but I’m almost out of groceries.”
“So go shop.”
Erm… yeah, no. “I’ll place an order later.” He smiled, but a heaviness settled in his chest.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
He’d never mastered the skill of lying to her, but avoidance he could do…some avoidance at least. “It’s nothing.”
“Jeremiah.” How could someone put so many meanings into one little word? He sighed.
“There is a new chief of police.”

And Zeeb isn’t much of a chef either.

Parking his car, he looked at the dark windows of his house. Depressing. He’d eat something, then go for a run. It wasn’t too cold, and the snow was coming down in big, slow-falling flakes.
He heated some leftover chicken from the day before and ate standing by the kitchen counter. He’d been unable to relax ever since he’d learned about Jeremiah. He didn’t care about some recluse, except… It pissed him off when people laughed. Whatever had happened, it had traumatized the poor soul. He’d checked the record. Jeremiah’s father, Robert Pace, had reported it. The police chief at the time, Harvey Farkas, had conducted some interviews, but from what Zeeb could tell, he hadn’t pushed for answers, more a friendly chat with some of the prominent shifter families in the village, and no one had volunteered any information.
The case was closed for lack of evidence only a couple of weeks after it had been opened. Quick and easy without stepping on anyone’s toes.
Zeeb would bet his tail that half the village knew exactly what had happened, and the other half could guess. With a growl, he put the plate in the sink and stalked into the bedroom. Pulling his shirt over his head, he kicked off his shoes and pushed down his jeans and underwear. A former tenant had installed a dog door, which was terrible from a security perspective, but Zeeb had soon come to appreciate it. He could shift indoors and sneak out through the dog door without having to freeze his bare ass off.

But even though we don’t get to take part in the Christmas dinner, there at least is one, or will be…

It made Jeremiah laugh harder. “They do like you. You don’t have to do anything for them to like you.”
Zeeb grimaced.
“Come on, let’s get started on the food. It’ll take forever.” They’d prepared a lot, so it wouldn’t take too long, but he wanted to get going. Jeremiah headed toward the kitchen, but Zeeb grabbed his hand.
“Hey, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Yeah? Now?”

That’s it, I’m afraid. Unless we’re counting tea and coffee.

Willow Road

Jeremiah Pace hasn’t left his house in thirteen years. He doesn’t trust anyone, least of all shifters. School was a nightmare, and despite never interacting with anyone in the village, the bullying continues in his adult life. Someone is putting ads in the paper, encouraging people to drop by his house for one service or other, but Jeremiah never opens his door. 

Zeeb Hemming is a lone wolf and the new chief of police. He’s only been in Stoneshade for six weeks when he learns about the ads and goes to knock on Jeremiah’s door. Not because of what today’s ad said, but to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Human or not, Jeremiah deserves to live life in peace. The moment Zeeb nears Jeremiah’s house, he knows he’s his mate. But he can’t have a human mate. 

Jeremiah pleads with Zeeb not to stir anything up. Yes, the ads are bad, but things can always get worse. Zeeb is furious someone is mistreating his mate and is willing to skin anyone who has any connection to the ads alive. But how is he to convince Jeremiah to trust him when he talks to Zeeb through a gap in the window instead of opening the door to his house? 

Buy links 

Gay Paranormal Romance: 19,909 words 

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/WillowRoad 

What Are They Eating | Returning to the Werewolf

It’s time for the monthly What Are They Eating post, and do you know what? It took 23 months, but now we have a story where they don’t eat. Insane, but it should make this post easy, right? LOL

There is coffee, always coffee. Both cold coffee and freshly brewed coffee.

Cash had been his everything.

Growling, he smacked his cheeks. This was not the time to think about Cash.

Minutes later, his eyelids were drooping. Yawning, he shook himself and rolled down a window. The frigid air should help wake him, but he yawned again. Fuck. Blinking, the road blurred before his eyes, and he rubbed them.

How many car crashes had he been to where the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheels? Too many.

He fumbled with his phone and connected it to the car stereo. With the windows rolled down and heavy metal loud enough to make the car speakers jump, he reached for his to-go cup with the coffee he’d bought on the way to the funeral but had been unable to drink since his throat had been blocked.

The coffee had ice crystals in it. Grimacing, he chunked it down. Caffeine should help him on his quest to reach the south before midday tomorrow, or he guessed it was today.

 

Pulling the too-big sweats on, he ventured out. It was still pitch-black outside. The white snow shone in the moonlight. Tranquil. In Cottleway there were always noises, lights shining, and cars driving. Here silence ruled. The coffee maker made its first sound of the day, and Lex looked over at Cash. He wasn’t handsome—big and strong, but not classically handsome. Rugged, more so now than he’d been at twenty-one, but there was something. He had something no one else had, something that spoke to Lex on a deeper level. Cash was the one he compared everyone else to, and no one ever measured up.

Cash smiled. “What?”

“Nothing.” Lex shook himself. Goddammit. He was losing his mind.

Cash didn’t push, instead, he watched the coffee maker. When enough for two half cups had dripped down, Cash divided the coffee between them before putting the pot back in its place. “Milk and two sugars?”

“Only milk these days.”

Cash looked at him over his shoulder. “Finally realized you’re sweet enough as you are?” He winked, and a pang of longing hit Lex. Cash had always told him he was sweet enough without the sugar in the coffee. Such a silly, sappy thing, and yet it had a lump forming in his throat.

“Yeah. And health issues.”

“You’re sick?” The serious expression almost made Lex want to poke fun at him, but he didn’t have the energy.

“Not to my knowledge, but sugar isn’t good for you, and I work weird hours, so coffee keeps me afloat. It amounted to a lot of sugar in a day.”

Cash nodded. “What do you do?”

Then we have Lex waking from a dream, and in the dream, his granny was making him breakfast. We don’t know what she was making, but breakfast. Since it’s a dream, they don’t eat it, though.

Sometime later, Cash woke to a distressed sound. His initial response was to fling himself out of bed and deal with it, only it came from the bed.

Lex was crying.

Cash stilled. A tear trickled down Lex’s cheek, and Cash pressed his lips together not to whine.

“Lex.” He gently shook him. “Lex, honey, you’re dreaming.”

Lex stiffened against him, his eyes snapping open, and he looked around. Then he tilted his head back and looked up at Cash. He wouldn’t be able to make out his facial expression. Cash remembered how crappy Lex’s night vision was, but he smiled anyway.

He shouldn’t have. Lex’s face crumbled and new tears spilled from his eyes.

“Oh, babe.” Cash hugged him close. “Was it that bad?” He should have woken him earlier.

Lex shook his head.

“It wasn’t? Then why are you crying?” Fear gripped him. “Are you hurt? Fuck, we should have gone to the hospital. Humans are fragile. Is it your neck? Your back?” Cash looked around. He’d have to call someone. Samus. Samus would drive them to the hospital. Lex needed x-rays, and what if he had a concussion? Cash had taken him to bed instead of making sure he was okay. He was a terrible mate.

“I’m not hurt.”

“Are you sure? I think we need to go. You cried in your sleep. You’re in pain.”

“I’m fine.”

Cash grabbed his shoulder, gently. “Honey, you’re not fine. You’re crying.”

“It was the dream.”

Cash sighed, tried to relax into the mattress, and carefully gathered Lex in his arms. “What was it about?” He wasn’t sure he believed the tears were because of the dream, but if Lex could tell him what it was about, then maybe.

“Nothing special. Nana making me breakfast.”

“Do you want me to call her and let her know you’re here?” Maybe sneaking out in the middle of the night had caused him to dream.

Lex sniveled and wiped his eyes. “No, she’s not there.”

That’s it, I’m afraid. Not much in way of food.

Returning to the Werewolf

Lex Gray was in love once. He was young and gave his heart to Cash Udolph, who he believed would be with him forever. When his world fell apart, Cash was nowhere to be found. Lex left Warwood, the tiniest village ever placed on a map, and swore never to come back. Seventeen years later, he’s there to attend his grandmother’s funeral.

Lex needs to get out of Warwood, but driving in the middle of the night might not have been his best idea. A naked man jumps up on the road only to turn into a wolf before his eyes, and Lex slams the brakes hard enough to slide off the road. When Cash is called in to sort a situation with a human, he never expected the human to be his Lex. He’s been given a second chance, but Lex wants to leave as soon as possible. Can Cash convince Lex to allow him back into his life before the tow truck gets there?

Buy links

Paranormal Gay Romance: 20,870 words

JMS Books :: Amazon