Station to Station by KC Kendricks

Scott Thomas welcomes the assignment when he’s tagged to oversee the new commuter rail line from Easton to Marionville, a high-profile project that demands expertise. His love of trains makes him a natural for the job. When a friend invites him on a Mystery Train Dinner Adventure, Scott’s onboard for an evening of fun, and gets more than he ever dreamed about when he meets his ideal tall, dark-haired stranger on the train.

Dakota Reece views the new commuter rail as the opening he’s needed for him and his brother to build their own firm and future. Planning a start-up company while toiling on the commuter rail project is hard work, and Dakota takes an evening off to relax on the Mystery Train. When the train stops to serve dinner, Dakota is boldly cruised by a fellow passenger. He has to get to know this smart, sexy man and asks Scott to join him for a drink.

Scott and Dakota hit it off and a quiet cup of coffee leads to unexpected possibilities—and consequences. Their budding relationship could cause a multimillion dollar conflict-of-interest charge. When Dakota makes a sudden decision to advance his timeline, Scott will do whatever is necessary to keep them together, on track, and avoiding derailment. 

Genres: Gay/Contemporary
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (25k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The back room beckoned and only he and I would know.

“I’m afraid so, but look on the bright side. We’re getting to know each other.”

Dakota leaned back and grinned. “Ah, courtship. It’s a fine concept, but I don’t care for the practical applications.”

I didn’t either. We’d hit it off, and our one kiss had sparked some serious carnal curiosity between us. Moving forward on a personal level hinged on the sex being good. It was shallow, but true. I met his gaze and watched his eyes go dark. He fixed me with the intense stare of a gay man on the prowl. We’d wait, but only because our dicks hadn’t overtaken our brains yet. I licked my lips and watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.

“So are you still brave enough for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away, Scott.”

We exchanged cell phone numbers and discussed restaurants and agreed to meet at a little Italian place out toward Easton. We might be observed, but having dinner together wasn’t the same as sleeping together. Dakota finished his coffee and pushed the mug away.

“I guess we should call it a night, huh?”

“It is past midnight.”

He reached for my hand again. “We’re having dinner together tonight.”

“Technically, yes.” I stared into his eyes as I lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles. His lips parted.

“My room is two blocks from here, Scott. Whataya say?”

My resolve to keep stupidity at bay wavered. Hell, it crumbled, and I was about to tread over the broken pieces of it on my way out the door to his place.

The letters awarding the bids were already in sealed envelopes in a locked drawer in the mayor’s office. How much flak could there be if someone found out Dakota and I had a little tryst? I nodded and saw victory flash in his eyes. I downed the last of my lukewarm coffee and pushed back from the table. “Let’s go.”

Dakota rose in an easy, unhurried motion and dropped a five-dollar bill on the table for a tip. “I like a man full of surprises.”

I’m not sure I did when I was that man. I motioned at the exit. “Lead on.”

Instead of heading out, he stepped in front of me and cupped the back of my neck. His mouth covered mine, and my skin heated in a wave. I licked his lips and they opened to me. His silky tongue slid over mine, and my cock swelled to an aching fullness in three throbbing heartbeats. My hands went to his hips, then I pulled him tight against me to let him feel how hard I was for him, but also to know if he was hard for me. His lips bowed under mine as he ended the kiss and rested his forehead to mine.

“That’s for you.”

I certainly hoped so. “We need to get outta here. Let’s go.”

He nodded and kept his arm around my waist to propel me to the stairs and out the door. Dakota walked me to my car, then seized the opportunity to pin me against it and kiss me again. His pelvis ground into mine as I thrust my tongue past his lips. The scent of overheated male teased my senses. I slipped my index finger beneath his belt and ran my fingertip over the soft cotton covering the tip of his cock. It was wet. He pulled away and flipped his thumb in the direction of full size, white, four-wheel drive pickup.

“That’s my ride.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

He grinned, and I shook my head. “Not tonight, cowboy.”

“You say that now, but tonight is only hours away.”

I gave him a little push toward his truck. “Drive. Now.”

Dakota’s good-natured laughter was infectious. I grinned and climbed into my coupe before he could distract me again. Second-guessing myself was distraction enough because tricking him tonight was incredibly stupid... 

One Perfect Night by Christiane France

Paul knew Nico was special the moment they exchanged that first glance at Termini station in Rome late one hot summer afternoon. And when it was announced their train had been cancelled and travel suspended until further notice, they explored their feelings over dinner and spent one perfect night of passion in a nearby hotel.

Early next morning, when Nico found a flight cancellation and took off, all Paul knew about him was his first name.

Two years later, Paul hasn’t forgotten Nico, and now when they meet again at another train station in London, the chemistry is still there. Nico believes Fate brought them together, and is ready to close his eyes and jump into a relationship. Paul, however, believes they need to be sensible, to first check the water and then take it one step at a time. Which man’s strategy will prevail?

NOTE: This story is part of the London Calling series. 

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Exhibitionism/Public Places/Series
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...As I put down the roll and reached for the sugar to add to my coffee, I heard someone say my name. I didn’t recognize the voice, and Paul was a common enough name. I looked up anyway—then stared. “Nico?”

My stomach did a weird backflip, and I sucked in a quick gulp of air.

He dropped into the chair across from me, looking as surprised as I was myself.

“I’m imagining this, right?”

“If you are, then so am I.” What started as a smile turned to laughter and he reached across the table and grasped my hand. “My God! It really is you. This is crazy. I just came back from High Wycombe, and I thought I saw you getting off the same train.”

“You’re kidding?” I continued to stare at him, trying to collect my scattered wits and work my way through the shock. The hardest part was convincing myself this was real. That I wasn’t dreaming, hallucinating, or I hadn’t somehow got caught up in a bad case of wishful thinking. “I was on that train, too. In fact, I thought I saw you while I was waiting on the platform in Wycombe station. Then you disappeared, so I figured—”

“You were seeing things?” He smiled and shook his head. “I wondered that myself when I got off the train just now. I had to make sure, so I followed you over here, but then…

“Then what?”

His eyes seemed a little misty and he squeezed my hand, hard. “I waited outside for a few minutes. It looked so much like you. I was sure but I wasn’t sure, if you know what I mean. I didn’t want to make an idiot of myself. It’s been two years since we met at Termini and we were only together for a very short time.”

I smiled. “I know. And most of it we spent in the dark.”

A faint blush moved up his neck and into his face, and I wondered if he still had the white tan line an inch or so below his hips.

“That’s true. God! I hated leaving you, Paul. But I swear, I had no choice. I had to grab that flight cancellation. It was the only way I could get to Brussels in time. My brother was getting married and I was his best man. He’d have killed me if I hadn’t shown up.”

“So what made you come in here and check?”

He relaxed his grip on my hand, then tightened it again. “I needed to know. I figured if I made a mistake, so what?”

He hesitated, looking unsure or embarrassed, I didn’t know quite which. Maybe a little of both.

He tried for a smile that didn’t quite happen. “You’ll probably think I’m a wacko or I need to get myself a life. The truth is I’ve never been able to get you out of my mind. Crazy as it might sound, I’ve never stopped hoping that one day this would happen. If I’d known your last name, where you lived or worked, some significant small detail to go on, I’d have found you by now.”

Emotion blocked my throat and I swallowed hard. “If we’d been thinking we’d have exchanged phone numbers or something. We didn’t, but that’s okay. I haven’t forgotten you, either,” I said quietly. I drank in the handsome face, the eyes that were the same dark brown as mine, and the trace of five o’clock shadow that made him look even sexier than I remembered. I wanted so much to touch his face, to hold him and to kiss him, and… “Some people you forget five minutes after you meet them and some you do never do. No matter how hard you try, they’re always there at the edge of your mind...” 

Next Stop: Funnel Cake by Heidi Champa

Travis Webber has been working at his uncle’s amusement park since the days of keeping money in his pocket during the summers of high school and college. But, with his college career cut prematurely short, it’s turned into a full-time job. To add insult to injury, he’s forced to spend the bulk of his summer driving the train that runs through the park. This isn’t a huge problem, however, until someone from his past recognizes him.

Andrew Baxter, the guidance counselor who helped Travis in high school, recognizes him immediately, in spite of the seven years that have passed—and Travis’s cheesy overalls. When he invites Travis out to catch up on old times, Travis is reluctant, but his long-dormant crush on Andrew from his teenaged years is still enough to make him say “yes.”

As the two men get reacquainted, demons from Travis’s past threaten to grind the reunion to a halt. Can Travis learn to trust again and let Andrew into his life, or will old hurts derail his future? 

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Exhibitionism/Public Places
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (19k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me close, our lips gently brushing for a brief moment before we kissed. It started innocently, like it had in the parking lot that night. It wasn’t long before his tongue was in my mouth and our hands were roaming everywhere we could reach. When he pulled back, I could barely breathe.

“How do they feel now?”

“I’m not sure. I still can’t believe this is happening.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. Being here with you. The kiss. It’s all crazy.”

“If Shane hadn’t dragged me to Downy’s that day, it never would’ve happened. He didn’t think he could deal with the boys on his own, so I relented and went with him.”

“Then you saw me in my train conductor glory and somehow you weren’t repulsed.”

Andrew laughed as he pulled me into his arms.

“Far from it. I thought you looked sexy as hell. Don’t suppose you get to take those overalls home with you?”

“Not usually, but I might be able to make an exception.”

“Until then, I’ll have to use my imagination.”

His hands held tight to the back of my shirt as we kissed, things getting heated very quickly. When he reached for the top button of my shirt, I once again felt a surge of panic wash through me. I reached up to stop him, throwing a bit of cold water on the mood.

“What’s wrong, Travis?”

“I’m not sure.”

He rested his forehead against mine before looking into my eyes. “If you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to.”

“I want to. I don’t know how to stop being so nervous.”

“I might have a way to help you out with that. Get you to relax a bit.”

He grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway to the bedroom. If anything, what he was doing was making me jumpier, but I tried to go with it. The room was dark, but after Andrew messed with the switch, there was a dim glow all around us. His smile made my legs turn to wet noodles and his lips were on mine again without another word. When his fingers made deft work of my buttons, my brain was screaming, but this time I ignored it and let it happen. The fabric hit the floor and his hands started roaming over my chest, my skin tingling at each point of contact.

“You sound like you’re hyperventilating, Travis. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Would this be a bad time to admit to having a crush on you when I was in school?”

“No. Although, I’m more concerned with how you feel about me right now.”

“Well, I think that’s pretty obvious.”

My hard cock was straining against the zipper of my jeans, and when Andrew put a hand over the bulge, he smiled.

“Seems like a good sign.”

His tongue dove in my mouth as he undid my pants and pushed them to my ankles. After whisking away my socks, shoes and my discarded denim, all that was left were my boxers. Andrew stood up and didn’t do anything but look at me. My face felt hot as I watched his eyes move up and down my body.

“God, you’re cute,” he said.

“And you’re kind.”

He leaned in closer, and I expected another kiss, but he dropped to his knees in front of me and hooked his fingers into the waistband of my boxers... 

Last Train to Clarkdale by Deirdre O'Dare

For Clay, always a shy misfit who was bullied at school, contact with the railroad and railroaders in the small town where he grew up was a lifeline. He went on to a career in the industry, although not out on the track. Now, some odd compulsion draws him back to his long-departed home, despite the painful memories he has of the place.

A chance meeting with Jon, a famous world-traveling scenic and wildlife photographer, results from Clay’s impulse, and the men end up sharing an afternoon’s tourist rail trip. Clay develops an instant crush on the beefy man, but what can a geeky clerical-type rail-buff offer a hunk like Jon, a self-professed and footloose lone wolf? Can Clay be satisfied with a brief, hot vacation fling? Or can mutual interest in trains and photography provide enough common ground to form something more between them? 

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/The Arts/BDSM (Light)
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (16k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...They both leaned out to view as much of the bright blue expanse of sky as possible. Then they saw them, two huge birds soaring between the looming cliffs, riding the wind currents with incredible grace. Jon began to shoot pictures as fast as he could. Surely some of them would come out.

Then he stepped back a half step. “Come on, Clay. Give it a try anyway.”

The other man had eased back to give Jon room, but now leaned forward and pointed his camera skyward. Jon closed in behind him. He stooped to try to catch a glimpse of what Clay was seeing in the small screen of his camera. Almost without thought, he reached out and steadied the other man’s hand, pointed the camera to catch one of the eagles seeming to hover barely above the eastern rim of the canyon.

“There, snap it quick.”

Clay did, and together they managed a couple more before the train moved on enough to leave the great birds behind. Even then Jon didn’t move. He felt Clay’s posture stiffen for a moment and then relax, as if he, too, enjoyed the close contact. It did feel good. Clay had a nice trim ass, and his snug jeans set it off. Jon felt himself going hard, pressing into that crease with just a few layers of fabric between them.

He heard Clay’s breathing quicken, and the other man gave an almost imperceptible wiggle, pinned between Jon’s bulk and the metal rails.

“W-w-what are you doing?” Clay spoke in the softest whisper, as if to be sure no one overheard, even though there were only about a dozen others in the whole car and no one close to them.

Jon chuckled, a low rumble of amusement. “Having a little fun, maybe. Do you want me to back off?”

“N-n-no. You don’t have to. But we’re right out in front of the world and everybody!”

“That’s what makes it fun. Taking a few risks, being edgy and bold. Life’s a lot better that way.”

Although he knew he’d taken a risk, Jon was pretty sure he’d read the other man right. There was something about Clay that had made him almost sure…nothing specific he could pin down, but just a feeling. These days, with everyone tending to come out and bring their orientation into the open, most men were not as careful in trying not to give any hints or clues. He figured he had nothing to lose by letting the other man know Jon found him attractive.

When Jon did step back, Clay turned around slowly. A quick downward glance revealed Clay was hard, too, the clear outline of his cock straining against the faded denim of his jeans. Jon grinned, but said nothing. A faint wash of color swept up Clay’s face as he lowered his gaze.

“Caught me,” he murmured after a few breaths.

Then he turned back to look at the scenery and the moment passed. Passed but not forgotten by any means. For now, Jon let him off the hook. Maybe there would be a later... 

Amber Pax - a package of Delight and Discovery?!

The idea of the AMBER PAX COLLECTION was created by Amber Quill Press to offer something special to both readers and writers. I think it's worth revisiting its success now and then :)

To quote one (anonymous) reader :

"I like the fact that AQP offers “AmberPax” which is a combination of 5 Erotic ebooks that are sold as one unit at 25% discount. This is a great way to try new authors and I have found that I will even purchase some genres that normally I might not try. These AmberPax purchases do also count towards your “buy 10 get 1 free” which is great."

And that's what we all like either to be, or to reach - a happy reader!

Good value
The discounted price makes it a special treat. All the stories are available individually, but you can buy all the stories in the set with a 25% discount! They also contribute 5 points to your total of working towards a free book. And FIVE books to snuggle up with on your reader? Who can resist!

Treasure Chest
Have you always wondered what the buzz is about steampunk? / ménage? / paranormal? / gothic romance? / friends to lovers? / office affairs? A Pax is a wonderful way to dip your toe in that water! The stories are built around the same theme but always unique, full of variety, and an exciting range of interpretation from the Amber authors. You'll never be bored!

New Favourites
So many of your favourite authors write in the Collections that you know you're always going to get quality stories. But maybe you'll discover new favourites, too! Remember that a Pax is an adventure for the author - it's their opportunity to write in different genres. For example - you may never have read one of XX's books before, yet the Pax topic is one of your favourite themes. Or you may always have read and loved XX's books in contemporary romance, but here is a story from them in a whole new genre. It's an adventure for you, too! but always with the seal of quality that you've come to expect from Amber Quill Press.

So, as that anonymous reader also said:

"I also gave away the xxxx one on my website a while back and the winner said she enjoyed it because they were stories she never would’ve purchased herself."

Treat yourself - and maybe your friends as well!

AMBER PAX - slideshow

Coming up

The rest of 2013 promises a wide variety of stories for our readers to enjoy, as well as a few surprises.

Starting next week, we'll begin highlighting the stories in our All Aboard pax, five different tales that all center around trains.

Then in November, join the authors who contributed to the No Tell Motel pax, stories built around motel settings.

Though we don't have a pax release in December, we have a special month of treats for our readers, and it won't even matter if you've been naughty or nice. In fact, sometimes being naughty is all the better, isn't it?

Giveaway winner

Thanks to everyone who visited with us in September! The winner for the $25 Amber Quill Press gift certificate is...

Natalija!!!

I have your email, so expect to hear from AQP soon!