WRAPPED WITH LOVE
A FIVE POINTS NOVEL
BETH BOLDEN
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 11.14.17
BLURB
NFL player Jordan Christensen walks into Reed Ryan’s restaurant without a reservation. It isn’t the most serendipitous of meet-cute’s and they certainly aren’t the likeliest of romances, but over venison steaks and crème brûlée, they fall in love anyway.
Flash forward two years . . .
Jordan isn’t a football player anymore.
Reed sold his restaurant.
But even more drastically, they’ve lost each other.
When Reed moves to Los Angeles take a new job, he doesn’t realize Jordan now works at the same company. But Jordan definitely realizes how precious the second chance fate has bestowed on them is. He’s determined to make up for everything that fell apart the first time around, and it turns out he’s not the only one scheming to right old wrongs.
Starting a new career is always difficult but sharing office space—and big projects—with an old lover is particularly rough. Between impromptu Secret Santa exchanges, Christmas light viewings, and more tacos than even Reed can eat, the two former lovers have an eventful holiday season to navigate.
BUY LINKS
EXCERPT
“You
work here?” Reed asked incredulously.
Jordan
could lie again, but that was only going to buy him a few hours, and in the end
Reed would just be angrier. No, as hard as it was going to be to come clean, he
needed to. He’d just wished he could have had a little more time before Reed
discovered the truth.
“I
do,” Jordan admitted.
Landon
glanced from Jordan to Reed and then back again. “Well, crap,” he said. “Reed,
I guess I’ll see you upstairs at our meeting.” And because he knew exactly what
was about to happen, he split and headed for the elevators. One of Landon’s
smarter decisions.
Reed
didn’t have much of a temper, but he really didn’t like being lied to. Jordan
had known this when he’d agreed to the ridiculous plan that his friends had
cooked up. He’d only agreed in the first place because he hadn’t known how else
to get Reed into his vicinity for the foreseeable future. And he’d thought that
Reed would be perfect for the job Nick wanted to offer him.
But
Jordan didn’t think any of that was going to buy him brownie points.
“You
lied,” Reed said predictably, a crease forming between his brows. “Why?”
Jordan
thought about telling him the complete truth. Now that he knew Reed had missed
him just as much, it might be easier to say how much he still cared about him.
But then Jordan remembered all the guilt he’d felt when he’d realized that he
shouldn’t have let Reed get away. When he should have stopped him or gone after
him when he’d left LA. After he’d let too much time go by after. When he’d
composed about a hundred emails and deleted them all. Just as many text
messages. When he’d almost hit dial on Reed’s number, more times than he could
count over the last sixteen months.
He’d
chickened out, every single time. He’d thought he’d get over Reed eventually,
but to his own surprise, the breadth of his sadness had only deepened until
he’d known for sure that what he felt for Reed was the kind of love you don’t
get over.
The
kind you hold onto with both hands and don’t let go.
The
kind you pull all the stops out for if you’re stupid enough to let it get away.
But
he could be a little bit honest, at least. “Because the job was perfect for you
and I didn’t think you’d take it if you knew I worked here,” Jordan said.
The
crease deepened. “Did you get me the job?”
That
much was easy to say and also completely true. “No. Quentin actually suggested
you to Nick.”
Reed
shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know if I can believe you.”
That
was the hardest thing Jordan had heard yet. Harder than watching Reed escape
last night. Harder than Reed turning him down, even though it had been for good
reasons. Losing Reed’s trust–and Jordan knew exactly how tough it was to build
with him–was a killer.
“You
can ask Quentin. You trust him.”
Reed
nodded slightly. “What did you say when Nick asked you about me?”
It
was impossible to be honest now. Yes, the idea had initially been Quentin’s,
but then Landon had latched onto it as a way to get Reed back around Jordan
again. It was hard to discern where one plan started and the other ended. What had he genuinely thought the first time
Landon had suggested it?
He’d
wanted to laugh and to cry, both at the same time. He still wasn’t sure which
he felt more strongly. Probably wouldn’t know until he and Reed figured out
what they wanted from each other.
“I
thought it could be terrible, but that it could be great too,” he said.
“That
sounds pretty honest.” Reed still sounded doubtful, but then doubtful was his
normal MO. Reed Ryan was very much a look first, leap second kind of guy, and
Jordan had always loved that about him.
He
loved that Reed took forever to get comfortable around people. Loved that the
first time they’d ever met, Reed had casually insulted him completely by
accident. He was endearing and adorable and real.
There was nothing on earth more attractive than authenticity.
“I
know I should have told you last night,” Jordan admitted.
Reed
glanced down at his watch and motioned to the elevator, because of course he
couldn’t be late. He wasn’t really in danger of being late, but then he wasn’t
going to be early either–all because Jordan had distracted him. Jordan bit his
tongue and forced himself not to apologize that he’d interfered with one of
Reed’s most ingrained habits.
“You
should have,” Reed agreed. They stepped into the elevator and it shut behind
them. Jordan reached over and hit the button for the Five Points floor.
Reed
took a deep breath that Jordan might not have heard if he wasn’t so intently
focused on the man next to him. “What would you have done if I’d said yes?”
Jordan
turned to him in surprise. “If you’d said yes?”
Reed
flushed, which was also adorable. For someone rather uninhibited in the
bedroom, he could still be shy. Another thing Jordan loved. Another thing he’d
missed so much that seeing it again made his heart clench. Please tell me I can fix this, he thought desperately.
“If
we’d had sex last night.”
Jordan
reviewed and discarded all the flippant replies he could think of. Usually Reed
wasn’t such a stickler, but he’d screwed up by not telling the truth and the
last thing he needed was to not take this question seriously. “Then you
probably would have been angrier with me.”
“But
you asked me anyway,” Reed stated incredulously. The elevator dinged and the
doors opening, announcing their floor.
Jordan
could see Nick and Jemma and some others coming towards the reception area,
ready to greet their new employee. He should get lost. But he still didn’t
think Reed got it.
“It
would have been worth it,” Jordan said. “Just a kiss would have been worth it.”
His
bomb dropped, Jordan slipped out of the elevator, leaving Reed in the foyer,
fish-mouthed as his new boss and co-workers arrived to greet him.
Yeah,
he was probably going to have to apologize for that too.
Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn’t have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She’s a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published three novels and two short stories, with her next novel, The Rainbow Clause, releasing in April 2017.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/beth_bolden
Website: www.bethbolden.com
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