Blog Tour & Giveaway: Leaning Into Touch, Lane Hayes
Title: Leaning Into Touch
Series: Leaning Into Stories, #4
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Lane Hayes
Release Date: October 5
Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 80k words
Genre: Romance, Bisexual, Humor, Second Chance, Friends to Lovers, San Francisco, Office
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Synopsis
Josh Sheehan is unlucky in love and now… newly unemployed. He’s not sure what to do next, but he’s sure he should give up on romance. Especially after last time. His friends warned him that falling for the hunky Irishman was a bad idea. Josh can’t help feeling torn even though he knows it’s best to move on. But when an unexpected dose of family drama blindsides him, Josh finds himself leaning on the one man he’s supposed to forget.
Finn Gallagher is driven by success. He makes no secret that building a name for his tech company is his number one goal. Finn left home a decade ago with a ton of regret, a heavy heart, and a vow to never repeat the same mistake twice. However, there is something undeniably appealing about the self-deprecating man with the silly sense of humor that makes it difficult for Finn to remember why falling for Josh is a bad idea. It soon becomes clear they’re both in deeper than they intended. There is no way to remain untouched. And there is so much to gain, if they’re brave enough to lean in.
Excerpt
Finn smiled and fell into step beside me. It seemed quieter on the street than it was earlier; there wasn’t as much foot traffic. Typical for midweek, I supposed. I breathed in the refreshing night air, loving the faint smell of the ocean. I shivered and crossed my arms. So much for enjoying a leisurely stroll. It was cold as fuck out here. I picked up my pace, but Finn pulled at my elbow to stop me.
“Are you daft? Where’s your coat?”
“I f-forgot it at the last bar. It’s okay. I’m cl-close.” I visibly shook when the wind whipped up the sidewalk, sending a scrap of newspaper flying by us like a paper airplane.
“Let’s go back and get it.”
“No, my friend will give it to me later. Or her friend will. I’m almost h-home so—what are you doing?”
“Put this on, then.”
Finn shrugged his suit coat off and set it over my shoulders like a cape or a cloak. He was two inches taller than me and far more muscular. It was like being wrapped in his warm, cologne-scented embrace. The gesture was so chivalrous, it left me speechless for a moment. I knew he was just being kind, but I couldn’t contain my smile.
“Thank you,” I said. “Are you sure you won’t be too cold?”
“Where I’m from, this is a summer breeze. You need it more than I do. Now tell me about your mates. I’m relieved to know you weren’t out drowning your sorrows on your own tonight.”
I snickered at his paternal tone. “I’m not above it, that’s for sure, but no…I was with my work crew for one last happy hour. Marley insisted. She was the redhead with the awesome curls I was with this morning at the museum.”
“I remember. She’s the one holding your jacket for ransom, eh?”
“Yeah. She’s on a mission to find the perfect man for me,” I huffed, making sure he saw my eye roll before we turned the corner to my street.
“Has she ruled out women? You’re bi, aren’t you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what I am anymore. I had girlfriends in high school and even in college but after the first time I was with a man, I haven’t been interested in anything but dick.”
Finn laughed. “Good to know.”
“What about you?” I asked, leading him down a brick path and up a short flight of stairs.
I leaned against the bright red door as I fumbled for the house key in my front pocket. In my head, I was planning a cinematic-worthy good-bye. Something lighthearted but sincere before we parted for the last time. It would have been a helluva lot easier to concentrate if he wasn’t standing so close and looking at me like I was the last brownie on the buffet table. I cocked my head and waited for him to break the spell.
“I like it too,” he said in a husky voice I hadn’t heard in far too long.
I gulped and licked my bottom lip as he moved in, bending slightly to brush his nose against mine. He surrounded me in every possible way. The heat of his body and the warmth of his coat draped me in a seductive cocoon. I felt woozy with a rush of desire so intense, I would’ve swayed on my feet if he hadn’t been standing so close. I set my right hand on his hip to steady myself and leaned in…just as he pushed away.
Finn let out a ragged breath and swiped his hand over his stubbled chin. “Fuck. I forgot how bloody difficult it is to walk away from you.”
“Then don’t.”
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On Top Down Under Book Reviews –
Thank you so much for inviting me here to chat about, Leaning Into Touch. This is Book 4 in my newest series set in San Francisco about a close-knit group of college buddies. Josh and Finn’s story is a ‘second chance’, ‘opposites attract’ love story about leaning in and letting go. Josh’s good-natured outlook and sense of humor are exactly what the broody Irishman needs to finally embrace happiness and ultimately love. *sigh.
To mix things up a bit, I’m going to leave you with a deleted scene from the book. A variation of this one made the final cut but this was the original. Enjoy!
Happy Reading,
Lane Hayes
Deleted scene from Leaning Into Touch by Lane Hayes
I snapped back to reality and smiled weakly before stepping aside to check myself in the mirror. My hair looked better but my mind was working overtime. I turned on the water to wash my hands, studiously avoiding his gaze in the reflection. Finn nudged my hip then put his fingers under the faucet and flicked the water at my face.
“Hey!” I sputtered indignantly.
“Well? What did you tell them?”
I put my hands up in surrender and let out a half laugh. “Relax. I— I know friends shouldn’t say stuff like this but…you look really fucking hot when you get pissed.”
Finn’s slow growing grin was sexier than I counted on. My pants felt a smidge too snug as I struggled to hold eye contact without breaking into a sweat.
“So you’ll admit we’re friends now?”
“Of course we are. I wouldn’t let you do my hair if we weren’t buddies.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” he said with a chuckle. “Is that what you told your dad? That you’re bringing a friend.”
“No. I, um, forgot to tell him I was bringing anyone. Which is not a bad thing,” I continued in rush when he groaned and moved toward the doorway. “You can be whoever you want.”
“Lars knows me. I can’t pretend to be someone else.”
“He doesn’t know who we are to each other. We can make something up on the way there. A fellow art enthusiast or my potential employer…”
“Employer?”
“Yeah no. That won’t work. Whatever. I’ll leave it up to you. Just don’t tell him we used to sleep together. That would be awkward or worse… it might invite a discussion about their sex lives and I’m not ready for that.” I moved pass him, clandestinely sniffing the air around before sailing down the hallway toward the front door.
He hooked his finger in my belt loop and pulled me against his chest then spun me around, holding me in a loose embrace. It was a playful maneuver that went with silly banter and flinging water, but that spike of electricity was vibrating like crazy now. I gulped and waited for him to speak. “But you’re ready for whatever I make up, eh?”
“As long as you keep it PG, yes,” I replied in a gravelly voice.
Finn winked then released me before picking up a bottle of champagne from the entry table. Then he turned to open the door with a flourish. “I’ll try.”
I owe you one.”
“You owe me ten. I’ll extract payment later,” he responded lasciviously before smacking my ass and motioning for me to get going.
Meet the Author
Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.
Books by Lane Hayes:
Better Than Good, Better Than Chance, Better Than Friends, Better Than Safe, The Right Words, The Wrong Man & The Right Time, A Kind Of Truth, A Kind of Romance, A Kind of Honesty, A Kind of Home, A Way with Words, Leaning Into Love, Leaning Into Always, Leaning Into the Fall, Leaning Into Touch
Coming Soon: Leaning Into the Look
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I’m new to Lane Hayes’ works, but after reading the excerpt and the deleted scene, that’ll change for sure. I’m off to Goodreads to read synopses of her works so I can choose where to start.