DEFINED BY DECEIT
~ A.E. Via ~
Edited by: Tina Adamski
Cover Art by: Jay Aheer
PAGE COUNT β Β 300 pages
Release Date: March 27, 2015
ABOUT THE BOOK
Life isn’t always fair, and thatβs something that Llewellyn Gardner knows about first hand. His life was on the fast track until one night of extreme passion changed everything.
Now eight years later, heβs still living with the aftershocks of that night. Everywhere he turns or runs, thereβs another reminder. What the hell do you do when you try to drown your demons only to find out they can swim?
Shane Smith, Jr. owner of Smith Construction, could see the emotional turmoil within his new employee β itβs why he hired him. There was something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man with the overly expressive eyes that came to their small town with a past no one was willing to overlook. Shane could see the good in Llewellyn, and those eyes of his were a clear window to his soul. Shane wasn’t going to let the man live a future of solitude because his past had been plagued with deceit.
Llewellyn wasnβt sure what to think about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, he was now faced with worry again. What would happen to him if Shane didnβt believe his truth, and walked away? Llewellyn wasnβt sure heβd be able to survive being left alone. Again.
EXCERPT
βThinking of going in? Or are you just gonna block the entrance?β
Llew turned at the sound of the sure voice behind him. Since he seemed to tower over everyone he looked down at the pretty brunette with dark brown eyes to match. βUm. Sorry.β Llew mumbled quickly moving out of her way.
βWell donβt be sorry shugaβ, just escort a lady inside.β Llew didnβt blink as he watched the lady stalk towards him. Her full chest sat above an extremely narrow waist. It almost looked unnatural. She dressed and wore the amount of makeup that a grown woman would, but her smooth face and approach screamed her real age. She was jailbait if heβd ever seen one. Llew gave her a slight head nod and turned to leave when his elbow was hooked.
βI saw you in the general store applying for a job. You mustaβ jusβ got into town, because if not Iβd have known, honey. So you got kin here?β
Silence.
The laugh was an all-out immature giggle and it graded on his nerves. βCat got your tongue, darlinββ. She moved in even closer and dragged a long red nail down Llewβs arm, tilting her head back to look up at him. βYou want me to beg, huh? Come on now, handsome. Escort a lady to a movieβ¦ then maybe -β
βMaybe when he seesβ a ladyβ¦ heβll escort one.β
Llew diverted his attention away from the overzealous minx that was practically humping his leg and focused on the beautiful man approaching with another guy in tow. His voice wasnβt overly deep like his own, it was a smooth and melodic southern drawl. Like he could be a singer or a poet. He walked with an unhurried gait that was a mixture of βIβm in chargeβ and βyouβre on my time, not the other way aroundβ, and Llew found it sexy as fuck. His tall friend chuckled behind him, moving away to purchase their tickets. Is he on a date? No, their demeanor definitely said βfriends.β
βMind yaβ own business Smith, Jr. I saw him first.β
Smith, Jr.
The man hooked one thumb in his pocket not the slightest bit fazed at the remark. But Llew was thrown. Was this guy actually gay or was she being a smart aleck? The man gave him nothing to go on. He moved closer towards them and Llew got a nice whiff of his spicy, bold cologne when a cool breeze blew his way. It was an interesting contradiction, because the manβs entire persona said βcool and composedβ.
βMosey along, Sallie Ann. Donβt make me ring yaβ daddy. He told me keep an eye on you while heβs gone and I agreed. Heβd be rather put out if I didnβt follow through on my promise.β
She reluctantly let go of his arm, letting loose a long drawn out huff of annoyance. Llew didnβt bother watching her walk away. She was irrelevant. With his hands tucked deep in his pockets he eyed the man in front of him with a mixture of curiosity and wistfulness.
βSometimes a person has gottaβ run interference with that girl. Sheβs usually not that bad but her daddyβs outtaβ town, so yaβ know how young girls can be.β
Actually, not really.
βHi. Iβm Shane Smith, Jr.β he stuck out a large, calloused hand and it took Llew a couple seconds to process that he was going to touch him. Llew shook his hand, his mouth still closed tight as he watched the manβs eyes. They were light brown and full of humor and amusement. He immediately thought that this was obviously a guy who had little worries if any in life. Wait a minuteβ¦Smithβ¦.Jr. Is he the owner of? He let go of the strong grip on his hand and wished heβd been able to hold it a little longer.
βAnd you are?β
Llew swallowed before answering. βLlew.β
Those eyes twinkled again and dark brown brows rose up in question. βLlewβ¦just Llew.β
It was a humiliation when a man hated to tell someone his name. But by doing so it meant that they would soon know who he really was. Know who he was classified as. He didnβt want this man to know that, god help him he didnβt. But lying wasnβt an option.Β Fuck it. βLlewellyn Gardner.β
So many broke eye contact with him and Llew was more than intrigued that Mr. Shane Smith, Jr. was staring at him just as hard as he was staring back. He didnβt know why he was looking at him that way but he didnβt mind it.
βNow thatβs a name.β Smith smiled beautifully.
Llew wasnβt sure if this guy was flirting with him or not, heβd been in a place where flirting didnβt exist for so long, heβd forgotten what it looked likeβ¦what it sounded like. The way Shane Smith, Jr. was smiling at him it sure seemed like it. Llew could imagine himself with a strong man like this. A man who was gorgeous but didnβt know it. Not overly done up in fancy digs, he was dressed like a working man but he wore that look well. He appeared simple but confident, like a man that followed his own counsel and was not easily persuaded. But Llew wouldnβt dare get his hopes up. As soon as word got out that there was a newly registered sex offender in their quaint little town, Smith, Jr. might be leading the lynch mob to run him out of there.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.E. Via is still a fairly new author in the beautiful gay erotic genre. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to spicy to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
When sheβs not clicking away at her laptop, she devotes herself to her familyβa husband and four children.
While this is only her seventh novel, she has plenty more to come. So stalk her β she loves that – because the male on male action is just heating up!
Go to A.E. Viaβs official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, and where sheβll appear next.
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