Spotlight & Excerpt: A Sinner Born by Avril Ashton

Title: A Sinner Born by Avril Ashton
Brooklyn Sinners Book Three
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, Romance
Length: Plus Novel

Summary:

Book three in the Brooklyn Sinners series.

One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.

Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.

Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.

Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.

A Romantica® gay/lesbian erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Purchase Links: Ellora’s Cave * Amazon * ARe


Excerpt

Faro stood at the entrance with a phone to his ear, dressed in a dark tailored suit with a shirt almost matching his hair color, one hand in his pocket.

Jesus. Kane stared at him as their gazes met and locked. The left corner of Faro’s mouth tipped up and he ended the call, shoving the phone into his pocket as he strode across the floor and up to Kane.

Trouble. He’d been trained to recognize and stop it, so Kane knew in his gut trouble headed his way. Problem was, he wasn’t sure if he should duck for cover or embrace it with open arms.

“Marshal.”

The women’s whispers grew louder and Kane shot them a death glare. They moved away, but not before the taller of the two, a skinny dark-haired thirty-something, flashed him a knowing wink.

Damn it. “Let’s get out of here,” he murmured under his breath.

“Not just yet.” Faro sidled up next to him and turned his gaze to the painting on the wall. “Why this place?” His voice was low, intimate in the quiet of the museum.

Kane didn’t like it, the way Faro’s tone made him want to shift closer, lean into him to catch his words.

“This is neutral territory,” he answered.

Faro grunted. “Familiar.”

He acknowledged the truth with a nod Faro couldn’t see. “That too.”

They stood in silence, Faro’s gaze intently taking in Sunset and Kane doing his damndest not to be aware of the man next to him. He was stunning, his features delicate to the point of feminine, his stature and slender build belying a strength Kane had long recognized in his stance, in his eyes, in his voice.

“Why am I here again?”

“Answers.” Kane cleared his throat and looked around. “I’ve asked before and I’m asking again, who are you and what do you want?”

A throaty laugh drifted to his ears as Faro shifted closer, his warmth right there for the basking in. “You know who I am.”

“I don’t.” Frustration sharpened Kane’s words. “My brother-in-law says I can trust you. He says he does.”

He caught Faro’s nod in his periphery.

“He and I go way back. I watched him change for your brother.”

A muscle ticked in Kane’s temple. “You know my brother?”

Faro glanced at him, the brief interaction enough to make Kane want to be someplace else, anywhere but where he was.

“Gabe and I, we have our moments. I had dinner with him and Rafe a few weeks ago.” Syren grinned with his gaze straight ahead. “Gabe likes to pretend he doesn’t like me, but I know he does.”

“What do you want?” Faro didn’t answer for a long while and Kane gave in to the need to move. He took a step back. Then another. He exited the gallery and made a left in the corridor. The woman behind the desk met his gaze then flashed a forced smile to the two women from earlier. He needed to leave, get away. Balling his hands into fists, Kane spun away and strode to the door leading to the front courtyard.

He didn’t hear Faro approach but he blinked and the other man was there, in stride with him as he ran down the museum steps. He didn’t know why and he didn’t care, but his head, his instincts were yelling at him to get far, far away from Faro.

A hand closed over his as he grasped his car door. Kane froze and stared down at the only place they were joined, his skin tanned and Faro’s pale, unblemished. Soft, but hot, branding him right there, in broad daylight.

“You asked me a question.” Faro spoke from his right side and Kane swung his attention to the left, he didn’t want to look into the smaller man’s eyes.

“Forget it,” he rasped. “Forget this, it was a bad idea.” He tugged his hand but Faro held firm. Kane dropped his gaze again, fascination getting the better of him. He was bigger, stronger, if he chose to he could free himself, but that touch was like a warm blanket he wasn’t even aware he needed until he found himself all wrapped up in it.

“I don’t want to forget it, I want to answer.” Faro squeezed him where he held on to Kane then moved away, giving him space to move, to run.

Escape.

But his limbs had long given up on working right. Kane shifted slowly, leaning his weight on his car as he looked to his right. Faro stood there, watching him with those fucked-up eyes. Kane opened his mouth to yell at him, tell him not to look at him like that. In that way that made him…feel.

In the middle of his chest something gripped him tight, held him immobile, cutting off his words. Jesus. Kane shook his head to clear the fog. “Who are you?” Because surely there had to be another explanation for this, another answer.

“You know who I am.” A curtain fell over Faro’s eyes and his mouth twisted. “Can’t escape that.” He patted his left side, muttering under his breath in a foreign language.

“Then why are you here?” Kane asked. What was he missing? “Why are you here with me?”

A tragic smile crossed Faro’s face. “Tempting fate. Being selfish.” He fished a cigarette from his pocket and held it between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. “Been trying to quit.” The expensive suit moved with him when he shrugged, a fluid motion.

“It’s bad for you,” Kane croaked.

Faro’s gaze snapped to his. “A lot of things are bad for you.” He dragged the cig
arette under his nose and inhaled deeply. “Deadlier than this.”
A warning Kane took to heart. He jerked open his car door and slid into the passenger seat then the driver’s. His plan for a clean break and getaway went straight down the crapper when Faro dived after him. Kane gripped the steering wheel and stared ahead, ignoring the man now filling up the inside of his car with his presence, his heat and his musk.

“I will leave you alone if that’s your wish,” Faro said slowly, clearly. “But first we
’re gonna have us a nice chitchat.”
Kane gritted his teeth and counted to ten in his head “Get out.”

“I can’t attest to who I was in any past life, if such a thing even exists,” Faro whispered. He lifted his hand, hovering it above Kane’s before letting it fall back in his lap. “Most days I’m not even sure who I am in the present, but I know I’ve never been the kind of person to think I need someone else to make my life complete. Until I saw you. Now all I think is that I need this man. All I know is I need you.”


Author Bio

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a tolerant spousal equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing the plot points of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother.

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.

Addicted to cake, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Erotic and GLBT Romance for Ellora’s Cave, Evernight Publishing, eXtasy Books, Secret Cravings Publishing and Total-e-Bound.

Visit Avril Ashton on the Web: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * Amazon * ARe

2 Comments

Filed under Excerpt, Spotlight

2 Responses to Spotlight & Excerpt: A Sinner Born by Avril Ashton

  1. Timitra

    Thanks for spotlighting this new to me author!

  2. Thanks so much for having me!