Silver
& Sage
Silver
in the City Book 1
by
A.D. Ellis
Genre:
M/M Contemporary Romance
Silver
doesn’t have time for feelings or a relationship. Then Sage shows
up.
Sage
is Silver’s exact opposite, his renter, and his new
employee. The kid is much too young and much too innocent.
There
are a million reasons why Silver and Sage should never get together.
And Silver plans to keep it that way.
Until
all of those reasons go up in flames with one kiss.
Silver
& Sage is a steamy, slow burn M/M age gap, opposites-attract
romance between a shy, inexperienced nerd and an outgoing grump of a
bar owner.
Silver
& Gold
Silver
in the City Book 2
Just
as Silver begins to wonder if his casual relationship with Gold might
turn into more, the two men are thrown into a position that has the
lovers quickly turning into enemies.
With
no way to escape each other, Silver and Gold begrudgingly agree to
make the best of an impossible situation.
Will
Gold’s search for perfection drive them apart or can Silver show
Gold that imperfection can be beautiful?
Silver
& Gold is a steamy, slow burn M/M enemies-to-lovers, forced
proximity romance between two slightly self-absorbed artists.
Silver
& Spice
Silver
in the City Book 3
When
Spice asks Silver to fake a relationship with him, Silver agrees. He
knows pretending to be involved with the older man will likely come
back to bite him in the ass, but if the farce will help Spice and his
young son, Silver is totally on board.
All
too soon, the consequences of the fake relationship weigh on both
Silver and Spice. Will a meddling grandmother, an adorable little
boy, and a team of friends be enough to convince Silver and Spice to
give a real relationship a shot?
Silver
& Spice is a steamy, slow-burn M/M age gap, fake relationship,
forced proximity romance with a silver fox, single daddy and a
younger man ready for a family.
Excerpt Silver & Sage:
“I don’t like him. Call the next one on the list.” I ran a hand
through my messy brown hair before I hefted a moving box onto the kitchen
counter and sliced through the packing tape with a box cutter.
“Bo-dee,” my twin, Benji drew out the syllables of my nickname in a huffy
whine, “that was our fifth candidate from the list. He was by far the best of
them all.” He tapped a pen against the notepad on his lap. We were fraternal
twins, but we looked almost exactly the same, enough so that strangers would
sometimes confuse us. His hazel eyes snapped to mine. “We need a roommate.”
He
wasn’t wrong. This latest guy just wasn’t who I wanted to share our apartment
with. Yeah, because one look at him
has you all hot and bothered and you’d rather deny him a place to stay than
work around any kind of feelings.
“In all honesty,” my cousin, Kyson started, “that’s not saying
much. The first four applicants royally sucked. This guy, what was his name?”
“Sage,” Benji provided.
“Yeah, Sage wasn’t just the best of them all, he blew them away.”
Kyson was not only Benji’s and my cousin, but he was our best friend. Born
within two months of each other, we were inseparable from birth on. And the
family resemblance was uncanny. He could have passed as our brother with no problem.
“The first guy looked like he planned to kill us in our sleep.”
I
couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t wrong.
“The girl was fine, seemed cool. But her bestie dropped too many
hints about trying to ‘convert’ us to the hetero side.” Benji shook his head. “That
third guy almost pissed himself when he learned the apartment was above a bar.
When you asked if he was okay with the three of us being gay, I thought he was
going to pass out. Probably couldn’t pay him enough to take our extra room.”
Benji laughed.
“Guy number four was already asking about getting an extension on
paying rent ‘a little late.’ That’s a hard no.” Kyson gave me a look.
“Seriously, Bo, Sage seemed great.”
“And not just in
comparison. Sage seemed great overall.” Benji stood up. “What could you
possibly not like about him?”
“He’s a baby, for one.” I took plates and cups from the box and
began stacking them in the cabinets of the new kitchen. I refused to think
about how sweet and innocent the kid looked blushing his way through the
applicant interview.
“So, he’s young. What did he say? Twenty-four? That’s only ten
years younger than us.” Benji stood with hands on his hips. “Try again. I’m not
letting this one slide. What else could you not like about him?”
Kyson
left the living room, which was open to the kitchen, and joined me in
unpacking. “He seemed very bright and responsible.”
He seemed like a sexy, smart nerd. And I’m not
even going to acknowledge why that seems to be a turn on for me.
“He’s a student. He needs to study. An apartment above a bar isn’t
exactly conducive to studying.” I broke down one box and opened another one.
“We were very clear with him about the location and probable noise
level. He’s aware and if he wants the apartment, I don’t see why we wouldn’t
rent to him.” Benji continued to stare me down in challenge.
“He was shy and skittish. Not exactly our type.” I gave another
argument, but I knew it was a lame attempt. “He looked like he thought we were
going to eat him alive.” And why the
fuck do I keep thinking about wanting to eat him up?
Benji
snorted. “He was definitely intimidated by you, but that was probably because you scowled and looked like a
fuckin’ grump-ass the entire time we talked to him.”
“Why are you so against him? He has proof of payment history,
references from his old place. Hell, that landlady said she was sad to see him
go, but he wants to be closer to downtown. We’re on Massachusetts Avenue in
downtown Indianapolis. You can’t get much closer to downtown. He claims to be
tidy, keeps to himself, doesn’t care that the room is above a bar, and he was
polite. Plus, he was cute.” Kyson waggled his brows.
“Soooo cute.” Benji smiled. “And was it just me or did he seem
super innocent?”
“Yes. Very cute and innocent. Like super smart and capable in so
many ways, but fragile and inexperienced in others.” Kyson nodded as he broke
down another box. “Is that what you’re worried about, Bo? This kid is so cute
and innocent he may get tarnished by your grumpy gruffness and aversion to
relationships?”
My
cousin and brother laughed.
I
rolled my eyes.
But
in all reality, the words hit a little too close to home. Sage was young,
innocent, and so damn adorably cute I wanted to wrap him in my arms and protect
him. That was a problem. I didn’t have time for protecting some kid who I had
absolutely nothing in common with. I had a bar to open and make successful. I
didn’t need a cute nerd as a distraction. But I couldn’t very well tell Benji
and Kyson that, so I huffed and shrugged.
“Fine. If he wants the room, he can have it. I want it noted that I
think he’s too young, I think he’s not the type for living above a bar, and I
think he’s going to be more trouble than the rent payment is worth. And I’m not taking care of his ass
or listening to him gripe and complain about noise level.” I unloaded dish soap
and sponges to the under-sink cabinet.
Excerpt Silver & Gold:
My
phone rang. Saved by the bell. I was not looking
forward to more questions about my overnight guest, Rhys. It had been shit luck
that we overslept and he had to dart past my roommates that morning. Rhys was
amazing in bed and we got along well, but we were both committed to setting up
our new art businesses. I had the feeling that trying to combine our artistic
talents and endeavors in anything more serious than sex would bring on a whole
host of issues. So, we hooked up and didn’t bring our art or business into the
mix. Clearly the relationship wasn’t going anywhere and would likely fizzle
once we both got our studios up and running.
However,
my twin brother, Bode, his boyfriend, Sage, and my cousin, Kyson would
have loved to keep
peppering me with questions about Rhys.
And if you’re being honest, the relationship
could be going somewhere and you’d be okay with it. I really liked the guy—more so than any guy I’d ever hooked up
with or dated—but we both had other things going on. Best to keep it casual.
But more than casual would be so good.
I
ignored that niggling thought. “Hello?” I paused and listened, making eye
contact with my roomies.
“Benji, it’s Kris,” my realtor spoke on the other end of the phone.
“Are you available to meet?” Kris was a great realtor and never beat around the
bush. I liked her directness.
“Yes.” I nodded as I spoke before allowing Kris to continue.
“Would you be able to meet me at the new building in a couple
hours?”
“Yeah, that will work fine.” I was so excited to get my new
building, I was willing to run down the damn street if she needed me to. I was
chomping at the bit to open my art studio and shop.
“Great, hoping to get final paperwork signed.” Kris rustled some
papers.
“Looking forward to it.”
“Ok, be careful. See you then.” Another phone rang on Kris’ side.
“Yeah, you too. Thanks. See you then.” I had to fight the grin
attempting to overtake my face.
When
I hung up, I couldn’t help the huge grin I turned toward the guys. “That was my
realtor. Says I should come down to the new building today and sign some final
paperwork.”
They
all whooped and slapped me on the back.
“About fucking time.” Bode pulled me in for a hug.
I
sighed and ran a hand over my face. “I’ve been waiting so long to have a studio
and place of my own. I’m tired of renting shared studio space. I want to be
able to create, teach, and sell all in one location. The Silver Creative is one step closer to reality.”
Two
hours later, the four of us trooped down the stairs of our shared apartment and
walked a few blocks to where my new building was located. It was an older
space, but it had been completely renovated and both the exterior and interior
were spectacular.
We
entered the building and were greeted by my realtor, Kris. She frowned.
“What’s up? Something fall through?” My face adopted the same
serious expression as my heart fell to my knees.
“Well, it appears there’s been a bit of a snafu the likes of which
I’ve never dealt with.” Kris continued to frown.
I
crossed my arms over my chest and scowled just as the door opened and two
people walked in.
A
flash of dark blond hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and a tall, strong build caught
my eye.
Rhys?
Why would a guy I’d had a few casual hookups with be at my closing? “What are
you doing here?” I demanded even as my heart flipped-flopped.
“Could ask you the same thing.” Rhys stopped and looked at his own
realtor with a questioning scowl.
Another
person entered the front door. An older man who looked nervous like he thought
we might hurt him.
“Ah, yes. Well, I see we’re all present and accounted for.” The man
wrung his hands. “I must say, this is not something I have experience with, but
I’m sure we can get it all worked out. Just some miscommunication, I’m sure.” I
halfway expected him to pull a silk hanky from his pocket and dab at his brow.
“What’s the problem?” Rhys asked.
“Well, it appears that both a Mr. Rhys Golden and a Mr. Benjamin Silver have
leased this building through what I’m assuming is a paperwork mix-up.” The
older man grimaced. “An interesting and unfortunate predicament, but one I’m
most sure we can set to right.”
Around
the room, mouths dropped open and eyes widened.
I
frowned.
Rhys
frowned.
Bode
whistled.
“What the actual fuck,” I murmured under my breath and took a deep
breath. This couldn’t be happening. I’d been working to get this building
leased for months and had a lot of money sunk into setting up my studio.
“No way, I want this building. It’s perfect for my studio. I’m not
sharing it with him.” Rhys crossed his arms over his chest and jutted his chin.
“Well, I’m not sharing with you either, so maybe you should find
your own spot,” I spat back. As much as Rhys and I got along in the bedroom,
I’d known I was right in predicting we would totally clash in our art
businesses.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please. Let’s gather at the table and
discuss particulars.” The older gentleman turned pleading eyes our way.
Silver & Spice excerpt:
An
hour later, Kyson was on the floor playing blocks, cars, and people with Arlo
when a knock sounded at the door.
I
frowned. I wasn’t expecting anyone.
I
peeked through the peep hole.
Fuck.
My
mom.
And my
grandmother. My very eccentric, bossy, somewhat interfering grandmother. She
was eighty-three years old and extremely healthy. She traveled a lot, taking
bus trips and cruises with other elderly folks. I loved her and enjoyed seeing
her.
But
why was she at my door at that exact moment?
Mom
hadn’t said anything about Grandmother visiting.
I
plastered on a smile and opened the door. “Mom, Grandmother. To what do I owe
the surprise?”
Mom
gave me an apologetic look and entered.
Grandmother
patted my cheek. “You mean, What the
heck are you doing here, I’m sure. I heard you got hurt. I needed to see
you were okay.” She bustled in and clapped her hands to see Arlo. “My Arlo!
Look how big you’re getting. I think you’ve grown a foot.”
Arlo
ran to Grandmother. “Mimi!” Arlo saw my grandma three to four times a year, but
we Skyped with her a lot. And she always sent great gifts for birthdays,
holidays, and random occasions.
Arlo
got hugs and kisses but soon lost interest and went back to his playdate with
Kyson.
Kyson
whispered something to my son and stood and joined the adults. “Bonnie, good to
see you.” He turned to my grandma. “Hi, I’m Kyson Silver.”
“I’m Mildred. You can call me Grandmother, Grandma, Millie, or
Mimi.” Grandmother shook Kyson’s hand and I swear she almost tittered behind
her hand as she appraised him.
I get it, Grandmother. I feel the same.
“Well, I’ll get going since you have company.” Kyson gestured
toward the door.
“Nonsense. Finish your game with Arlo.” Mom smiled lovingly at the
floor where Arlo was back to playing with his toys.
“Yes, stay. We just stopped by to see that Bay was truly healing
well from his injuries. It looks like you and Arlo have quite the little city
going there.” Grandmother moved to the kitchen. “We’ll just have tea while we
visit.”
I
fought back a groan. So much for settling in for a movie and nap with Arlo. I
guess I was fixing tea and chatting with Mom and Grandmother.
The
three of us made idle chit-chat and sipped tea for close to an hour while Arlo
played with Kyson and made trips to the table to show us what he’d built. I
took Kyson a mug of tea and my heart clenched when he rewarded me with a
grateful smile before he went back to playing with Arlo.
One
of the things that meant the most to me about Bode, Sage, Kyson, Benji, and
even Rhys to some extent—although I’d only recently met him—was that they all
seemed to genuinely like Arlo and enjoy spending time with him. I knew Kyson
was as attracted to me as I was to him, but I never felt like he was using Arlo
to get to me. Even if nothing happened between Kyson and me, I had a feeling
he’d stay close to Arlo. All the guys would.
By
the time Bonnie and Millie headed toward the door, I was exhausted, but refused
to let on. They said their goodbyes, gave hugs and kisses, and turned to leave.
But
Grandmother paused and placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be in contact. I
have a proposition for you and Arlo.”
And
with that cryptic message, she walked out.
A.D.
Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her
time in central Indiana as an instructional coach/teacher in the
inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing school-aged
children, and wondering how she and her husband of nearly two decades
haven't driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also
devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She
loves chocolate, wine, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing
romance. These loves don't leave much time for housework, much to the
chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap
or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in
sarcasm.
A.D.
uses she/her pronouns.
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