TV writer Teddy Greist thinks he’s met the perfect guy. The man with the unusual name of Song Smith is so wonderful, Teddy couldn’t have written him better. He’s sexy, soulful, full of ambition, and—oh, no, Teddy soon realizes—just a little bit crazy.
Just as Teddy’s getting comfortable with the idea of being in love and having his hit show Oahu P.D. on the air at the same time, Song suddenly confesses to some weird family curse, then dumps Teddy faster than a bowl of soggy chicken dumplings.
Song is wild about Teddy, who’s changing his life in so many ways. But will Teddy still love him in return when he learns just how demented Song’s family really is? Can their budding romance survive the twisted tale of his father’s disappearance? And what will Teddy say when it becomes all too clear it has a lot to do with strings, sealing wax, and other fancy stuff?
Oh, and one more thing—it’s all about a dragon, too.
Genres: Gay/Contemporary Fantasy/Shapeshifter/The Arts/Action/Adventure
Heat Level: 3
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (27k words)
Read a short excerpt...
...Song retrieved his car from the parking lot, trying not to fret over the ridiculous twenty-five dollar parking fee. Of course, the valet guy expected a tip on top of it. He gave him a few bucks, which was more than the tourists would have given him, and went to The Modern. That wasn’t easy, considering all the one-way streets. And then, when he arrived at the hotel, he feared that Teddy would have had his car blocked from parking there, but everyone was nice as usual.
Song raced up to the room, but Teddy wasn’t there. Neither was Vic. It didn’t look like Teddy had come back after finishing work. Where was he? Who was he with?
He called him on his cell phone, but Teddy’s voice mail was full.
Something was wrong. He felt it. Song paced. He checked Teddy’s Instagram account, and saw that he’d posted a photo earlier from a restaurant table. The image was startling. A rowdy bunch of male ducks were trying to mate with a female duck, and a waiter from the restaurant was fighting the ducks away with a dish cloth.
Courtship Hawaiian-style had been Teddy’s caption.
Song stared hard at the photo. He thought he recognized the wooden tabletop, but maybe he was wrong. He was certain Teddy was at Haleiwa Joe’s, the North Shore seafood restaurant he’d introduced Teddy to. He called the main number, and the woman at the front desk immediately knew who he was.
“Oh, you mean the nice guy with the dog? Yeah, they were on the patio for a couple of hours. They just left. I think he’s on his way home. Said he had work to do.”
“Thank you,” Song said, the most sincere words he’d ever said. He sat on the bed and waited, guesstimating that it would take Teddy thirty minutes to make it back here. It was the longest wait of his life. He rehearsed over and over in his mind how he would tell Teddy about the dragon.
How to explain? He said the words aloud. They sounded dumber than the customer service script at Chen & Yeung. The words were ludicrous.
But Teddy took close to an hour to return and his initial joy at seeing Song seemed to turn to anguish when he said, “Why did you leave and why did you come back?”
“I left because I love you. And I came back because I love you.”
Teddy looked at him for a long moment. And then he smiled. “I love you, too. Idiot.”
“Let’s see if you still feel that way when I tell you about the dragon...”
Song raced up to the room, but Teddy wasn’t there. Neither was Vic. It didn’t look like Teddy had come back after finishing work. Where was he? Who was he with?
He called him on his cell phone, but Teddy’s voice mail was full.
Something was wrong. He felt it. Song paced. He checked Teddy’s Instagram account, and saw that he’d posted a photo earlier from a restaurant table. The image was startling. A rowdy bunch of male ducks were trying to mate with a female duck, and a waiter from the restaurant was fighting the ducks away with a dish cloth.
Courtship Hawaiian-style had been Teddy’s caption.
Song stared hard at the photo. He thought he recognized the wooden tabletop, but maybe he was wrong. He was certain Teddy was at Haleiwa Joe’s, the North Shore seafood restaurant he’d introduced Teddy to. He called the main number, and the woman at the front desk immediately knew who he was.
“Oh, you mean the nice guy with the dog? Yeah, they were on the patio for a couple of hours. They just left. I think he’s on his way home. Said he had work to do.”
“Thank you,” Song said, the most sincere words he’d ever said. He sat on the bed and waited, guesstimating that it would take Teddy thirty minutes to make it back here. It was the longest wait of his life. He rehearsed over and over in his mind how he would tell Teddy about the dragon.
How to explain? He said the words aloud. They sounded dumber than the customer service script at Chen & Yeung. The words were ludicrous.
But Teddy took close to an hour to return and his initial joy at seeing Song seemed to turn to anguish when he said, “Why did you leave and why did you come back?”
“I left because I love you. And I came back because I love you.”
Teddy looked at him for a long moment. And then he smiled. “I love you, too. Idiot.”
“Let’s see if you still feel that way when I tell you about the dragon...”
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