On my way back to the hotel, I see Damon eating alone in a burger joint. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all. If you haven’t eaten, you should get the Baby Bella. Oh, my God.”
“That’s what you’re eating?” He nods. A waitress arrives within seconds, and I point to his burger to show her it’s what I want. “And a Coke, please.” I catch myself watching her as she walks away. I can’t deny that she’s attractive. In hopes of getting my mind off her, I glance around at the other patrons. “Is it me, or does this place make you want to grow a full beard and become a mountain man?”
“Definitely.”
“These river trips and shit? We need to come back and do that sometime.”
“When the beards come in,” he says with a mouthful of food.
“Of course.”
“Where’s everyone else?”
“I’m sure Ben’s gettin’ some action from his girl online…”
“That was a given, man.”
“Tavo’s playing pool at this cowboy bar. It has saddles for barstools. I’m not shittin’ you.”
“Pool, huh? Could I make some money?”
“You gonna go hustle? Some scrawny city boy in that place? Mountain men, Will. We just talked about that.”
“They don’t scare me. And whatever, I’m not scrawny.” I puff out my chest just to make my point… but I’m not.
“Compared to Wooly Mammoth over there, and his sidekick, Big Bad John?” He nods to two guys in plaid flannel shirts walking down the street as if they’ve just dismounted a couple of bulls. “Pretty sure they had an axe to grind with you before you even walked in just because of your damned Yankees cap.”
“Fuck you and fuck your Mets.” He laughs at me as the waitress sets down a soda for me.
“You’re not scrawny,” she says softly to me, poking her head in between us.
“See? Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She flutters her lashes at me, smiling.
Damon’s staring at me when my eyes meet his. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why were you looking at her like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you wanted to mount her and grind your axe into her…”
“Oh, shut the fuck up. I was not.” He raises his brows. “Jesus Christ, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the hormones don’t just stop flowing when you meet a woman you like.”
“A hundred bucks says she gives you her number… and you’ve got your own room here for one more night. This has ethical dilemma written all over it.”
“It does not! And I’m not taking that bet. I’m saving my money.”
He chuckles. “You know she’s giving you her digits.”
“Probably…” I can’t help it if I know the signs. “I’m not gonna keep them… or call her. Why don’t you ask her out?”
“Not my type. She has no meat on her bones whatsoever. I have to have something to hold on to.”
“You’re saying if she came on to you, you’d turn her down?” I ask him point blank.
He thinks for just a split second. “No.”
“Dipshit. Hey, you didn’t mention Peron… what’s he up to?”
“He was in the fitness center.”
“No, I said Peron.” He nods. “Peron’s working out?”
“Treadmill.”
“I might have a running buddy?” I ask, over-dramatically.
“You might…”
“Here’s your burger.” Our waitress takes a seat on the empty stool next to Damon.
“You’re Damon Littlefield, aren’t you?”
I grin as I take a bite of my food, now wishing I’d taken the bet. It would have been a quicker and easier way to make money than a round of pool. Nah, I like a little bit of a challenge.
“I hear you like to have a little fun,” she flirts.
“Yeah,” he admits to her.
“Into three-ways?”
He clears his throat before answering. “My favorite of all the ways.”
“So stupid,” I whisper under my breath, earning an elbow in my side.
“What about him?” she asks, nodding at me. I shake my head politely.
“Not Will’s favorite thing…”
“But… would he?”
“I think he might want to know who the third party was.”
“No,” I say, trying to be polite.
“Oh, it’d be you,” she says to Damon.
“Wait, what?” he asks.
She has my attention, too. “Sorry?” I’m biting my lip, stifling a laugh if she’s suggesting what I think she’s suggesting.
“I wanted to see if you two wanted to have a three-way with me.”
“Oh, God, no,” Damon says even before the laughter escapes my lips. “No, see… it’s not like that with us. No. We’ve known each other for too long.”
“Eight years. And neither of us are, uh… curious at all, in that aspect. Sorry. I’ve already seen more of Damon than I ever want to.”
“You wouldn’t have to do anything with each other… just, you know… watch… and maybe touch.”
“Oh, we know…” I say. We’ve seen porn, thank you very much. “I have to pass. Damon, you’re a handsome guy, but, uh…”
“You’re an ugly son-of-a-bitch,” he tells me. “Fuck that.”
We both start laughing as our waitress gets up, clearly embarrassed. “Look, I’m flattered,” I tell her. “We–we–are flattered. It’s just not something we’re into.”
She nods, smiles, and returns to us. “Well, I get off at nine, if either one of you are interested in a little solo action…”
“I’ll be here at five after,” Damon says quickly. “And if you have a girl friend you want to bring…”
“For him?” she asks, nodding to me.
“For him, or for us…” he says.
I glare at him, then start shaking my head vehemently. “Not for me. That’s all you guys. Or maybe Tavo. Or Peron. Or anyone other than me.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she says. “I’m Ralli, by the way.”
“Cute name,” Damon says. “Suits you.”
“I might need one of these alcoholic shakes to get this image out of my head,” I joke with him.
“Might I suggest the Mudslide?” he asks. “Dark chocolate oozing with sweet, vanilla custard.”
“Awww, fuck,” I say, throwing down my burger on my plate. “You’re the absolute worst.” He can’t stop laughing, and eventually I join in with him, now thinking about how ludicrous her invitation was. When I can talk, I finally pose a question to him. “Do we look like we swing both ways?”
“Compared to…” He gestures to the abundance of mountain men around us.
“Yeah, we’re not coming back until we get the facial hair thing figured out.”
“You better start now.”
“Mine grows fast!” I argue, feeling the stubble on my chin.
“Your mustache takes awhile, though. The beard’s good, but there’s something weird about part of your upper lip.”
“It’s a scar, you idiot. It’s never gonna grow right.” I drag my finger over the line on my lip that I can barely even feel anymore.
“I guess we can’t come back.”
“I don’t think mountain men will take points off for a scar. Girls even like it. You just have to be perfectly coiffed. Can’t have a single imperfection… spend more on beauty products than any woman I know.”
“But feel my skin.” He picks up my hand.
“No!” I pull my hand back into my body, chuckling again. “We do look like we swing both ways. It’s your fault, too.”
He puts his arm across my shoulders and plants a kiss on my cheek.
“We’re so getting beat up as soon as we walk out of this place…” I mutter.
“We’re both too pretty.”
“I’m not shaving anymore,” I vow. “So, Ralli, huh?” I ask him, starting to eat again.
________________________________________
Robin’s Review
If you are familiar with my reviews, then you might already be aware of how much I adore author Lori Otto’s work. She has a gift for developing characters that are both gifted and flawed. Characters who need to experience life before they can fulfill their potential. Characters who need to fail before they can succeed. It sounds a bit like real life to me, and that’s just it. Although Otto writes contemporary fiction, the success and failures her characters experience lends them credibility, making her stories feel realistic. Will Rosser is perhaps my favorite of Otto’s characters to date. He comes from humble beginnings, this lovable, brilliant man, but Will has character flaws that he must overcome to truly shine.
At the age of 24, Will Rosser is the picture of success. He’s the youngest person to ever graduate from NYU with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics. While he has a successful career as an astrophysicist, Will also writes song lyrics and plays guitar for the Damon Littlefield band. His mind NEVER stops – relentlessly working on equations, calculations, theorems and solving problems – which means he has trouble sleeping. When he does sleep, he wakes up feeling drained. Will had his heart broken at the age of 16, so he’s not interested in a relationship, but sex seems to quiet his mind. The only other way he finds rest is through music, so Will decides to take a break from his career to go on tour with the band.
On a cold, snowy night, Will meets Shea. Will quickly understands Shea is different from all of the women who have come before. She’s not a band groupie. In fact, she doesn’t even recognize him, which means she’s not out to impress Will because of who he is. And Shea is just what he needs. Someone to talk to. Somebody who will listen. A person to laugh with. Someone who makes Will long for something he doesn’t have. A woman who will make Will reconsider his thoughts about love. I just love the dynamic between these two characters. The honesty. The trust, where maybe there shouldn’t be. After all, Will is a guitarist for a popular rock bank, and he’s not known for his stellar reputation with women.
Will is one of the more interesting contemporary characters that I have ever read about. He’s incredibly intelligent, a science and math prodigy, but Will struggles with a mind that doesn’t have an off switch. He has good values and a big heart, but Will struggles with several issues, and what I love about this book is that we see him gain perspective about his shortcomings. Will’s story is about self-discovery, absolving himself from guilt and gaining closure in several areas of his life.
Although Love Will can be read as a standalone novel, it is also a spinoff novel of the Love Like We Do duology. Lori Otto has also written a prequel novella to Love Will that’s titled Crossroads, where readers are able to gain a better understanding of the circumstances that carved Will into such an interesting, complex character. Having read both the duology and the prequel novella, I found it extremely satisfying to read Love Will because of Will’s development as a character. I should also mention that one of the greatest features of Love Will is the song lyrics – songs Will has written for the band. These lyrics fit in well with the plot and add another enjoyable element to the story.
If you are new to Lori Otto’s writing, Love Will is an excellent choice to introduce yourself to her work. Otto gives readers a nice recap of Will’s background early in the story, so don’t fret too much if you haven’t read Crossroads. Please be aware Love Will is different than anything Lori Otto has ever written. It falls strictly in the new adult category. There is more sex and offensive language than her fans have come to expect, but her brilliance at writing unique characters and an entertaining story are a strong as ever. In my opinion, Love Will is one of the best books written by Lori Otto to date, and I am pleased to give this novel a 5-star rating and add it to my list of 2016 favorites!
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Will Rosser is smart.
Will Rosser is creative.
Will Rosser is driven.
Will Rosser is no Jon Scott.
This novella is a tie-in to the Choisie series. CROSSROADS takes place the summer after Livvy’s first year of College. This should be read after completing the Choisie series.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Like most writers, I was born with an avid love for reading. Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand or wasn’t dreaming up wild stories in my head. And when I stepped into my local library for the first time I thought it was paradise. There were so many books on the shelves I didn’t know where to start!
How many times can someone be forgiven? How long does it take for a man to change? What if the person you’re married to isn’t who you’re in love with anymore?
Carmen Jenner
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Saucy Southern Readers 