Today I’m joined by Amy Aislin. Check out her post with a deleted scene, plus she’s got a fabulous book on sale AND a giveaway!
Thank you for joining me to celebrate the release of my newest m/m sports romance, The Nature of the Game, and thank you to Gay Book Reviews for having me!
The Nature of the Game is a second chance romance. Six years ago, the main charactersโAsh and Danโwere in a relationship that didnโt end well. They havenโt spoken since then and now, all of a sudden, theyโre back in each otherโs lives.
Normally, by the time Iโm done writing a novel, I donโt have manyโif anyโdeleted scenes to share. And thatโs because, from the get-go, I want every scene in the novel to have a purpose. However, The Nature of the Game has about 10 deleted scenes, and thatโs because several elements of the plot changed as I was writing.
The one Iโm sharing below was originally in the last third of the book. I liked it when I wrote it because itโs kind of a fun scene, but once the book went to my editor, her feedback was that the ending didnโt work, and changes needed to be made to link the overall plotline together. So this scene ended up being sacrificed.
For context: in my original draft, Ash and Dan were going to be outed as a couple before they were ready. This is that scene.
***
The alarm on his cell phone woke Ash the next morning. Throwing out an arm, he swiped to turn it off without opening his eyes, then turned over and cuddled into Danโs back. The sun filtering in through the curtains was too bright behind his eyelids and he buried his face in Danโs hair.
Against the pillow, Dan said, โYour phss bee gun of murn.โ
Ash snorted a laugh. โIโm sorry, what?โ
โYour phone,โ Dan said, tilting his head away from the pillow. โItโs been going off all morning.โ
โThat canโt be good.โ
Rolling over with some trepidation, Ash grabbed for his phone and checked the notifications.
Six missed calls.
Two voicemails.
Eighteen texts.
Four new emails.
A zillion social media notifications.
โThe fuck?โ
Dan turned over and propped himself up. โWhatโs wrong?โ
โIโm about to find out.โ
The last call had come from Alex. The last text message too, so Ash started there.
Turn on the news.
What station? Ash sent back.
Any station!!!!!!! Itโs you and Dan.
โThatโs a lot go exclamation marks.โ Especially for Alex.
Wait. It was him and Dan?
โOh shit.โ
โWhatโs going on?โ Dan asked.
โI think weโve been outed as a couple. Come on.โ
Donning sleep pants, they headed into the living room. Ash turned on the TV, brought up the guide, and selected the first news station he came across.
โWell, hell.โ
There, in the news ticker at the bottom of the screen, was the headline Tragedy averted at Tampa youth center. Wasnโt so bad, right? But following behind that was Does NHL player Ashton Yager have a boyfriend? Even that wasnโt so bad. The cherry on top was the video footage of Ash falling to his knees in front of Dan after heโd emerged from the equipment room.
In the moment, Ash had totally forgotten about the reporters on site.
One particular part of the video made Ashโs belly go weak and his heart meltโDan guiding Ashโs hands to his face, letting Ash see for himself that Dan was okay. The way Ash ran his hands over Dan was almost reverential. Fear was written across his face and in the rigidness of his shoulders, but his trembling fingertips on Danโs skin were so soft and gentle. Anybody watching this would know what Dan meant to him. And then he sagged against Dan, foreheads together. The kissing started after that and, well, that second headline definitely didnโt need the question mark, did it?
Seriously, thoughโthe reporter couldnโt keep that to herself? It was overshadowing the work his team was doing with the center and the effort the firefighters had put in to free Dan, and that was just wrong.
โThis is footage from yesterdayโs near miss at the Try Out Center for Youth in Tampa, where a man was nearly crushed to death,โ said the news anchor.
Cut to a shot of the roof above the equipment room sliding downward inch by inch until it came to a stop a few feet above Danโs little bubble of safety.
โOh my god.โ Dan sounded like he was going to be sick. Ash wrapped an arm around him and held him close.
โFirefighters at the scene were able to safely rescue the man from further injuryโโ
A shot of Dan crawling out of the rubble.
โโwhere he was promptly embraced by Ashton Yager, defenseman for Tampaโs NHL team who recently came out as bisexual. The identity of the man is still unknown and Yager was unable to be reached for comments, but itโs clear from the video that Tampa Bay native Ashton Yager has been keeping another secret.โ
โI guess the catโs out of the bag,โ Dan said, his face regaining some color.
โIโm so sorry, Dan.โ Ash said, squeezing Danโs shoulders. โYou wanted time andโฆโ He sighed. โI totally forgot the reporters were there.โ
Dan laid his head on Ashโs shoulder. โYou were there when I needed you. Thatโs what matters.โ
โYouโre taking this rather well.โ
โWhat else am I supposed to do?โ
Ash tuned back in to the television, where the news anchors were discussing what this meant for his chances at a new contract.
He turned off the TV.
โI wish we could hide in here all day.โ Dan sat on the arm of the couch. โAnd not have to face the world.โ
Sounded amazing. Too bad it wouldnโt happen. โIโve got a flight to catch in a few hours.โ
โYeah, I know.โ
โIโve got to get ready.โ Ash stood and headed into the bedroom, pulling Dan along with him. โWhat are you gonna get up to the next couple of days?โ
โHibernate here,โ Dan said. โWork.โ He didnโt sound overly enthusiastic about the work part. โMrs. Carlson said I could use her workshop any time, soโฆโ He shrugged. โMaybe Iโll go build stuff.โ
Ash stepped out of his sleep pants and turned the water on in the shower.
โWanna shower with me?โ he asked Dan, sending him a wicked grin. โLast chance to get all of thisโโ he gestured at himself. โโfor two days.โ
Danโs worried expression cleared, and his eyes heated when he took in Ashโs very naked state. He gulped. It was a miracle he didnโt trip over himself with how fast he ripped off his pants.
***
I hope you enjoyed this deleted scene! The Nature of the Game is out now and is available for purchase at Amazon, iBooks, B&N, and Kobo.
Amazon: https://geni.us/NatureoftheGame
iBooks: https://geni.us/NatureoftheGameApple
B&N: http://bit.ly/NatureGameBN
Kobo: http://bit.ly/NatureGameKobo
About the book:
Series: Stick Side #2
Publisher: self-published
Length (Print & Ebook): 87,000 words / 330 pages
Subgenre: m/m contemporary romance
Tropes: second chances
Book synopsis:
Six years ago, an ultimatum forced Dan Greyson to make a choice that cost him everything he loved most. One of those things? His boyfriend, hockey player Ashton Yager. Now that theyโve crossed paths again, Dan isnโt about to let the opportunity slip away. Ashโs reappearance in his life is just the catalyst Dan needs to escape the rut heโs fallen intoโฆand win back Ashโs trust and love.
Ashton Yager, once burned and now a little bit shy, didnโt mean to publicly come out as bisexual. But now that he has, heโs got to deal with the consequences, including the fact that it mightโve cost him his NHL contract. With his job on the line, he needs to keep his head down, work hard, and play the best hockey of his life. Rekindling things with Dan? Thatโs not exactly keeping a low profile. Itโs also never going to happen, not after Dan walked away once without an explanation.
When a hurricane forces Ash to seek shelter out-of-state, he and Dan find themselves in the same B&B, where old feelings resurface. But with everything Ash has on the line, does he dare play with fire again?
Author Information:
Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking. Sheโฏbingeโฏwatches too much anime, and loves musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of Oakville, Ontario.
Website:โฏhttps://amyaislin.com/
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Giveaway:
Win a Stick Side prize pack, including signed paperbacks of books 1 and 2 in the series, as well as some Stick Side swag! Contest open internationally. Enter via Rafflecopter. Contest ends at 12:00am May 12.
Click here to enter the giveaway.
Sale:
On the Ice, book 1 in the series, will be on sale for $0.99 across all platforms from May 6 to 13
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