Sep
2014
K.C. Wells’ Learning To Love: Final Exam
Y’all know how excited I am to be a part of K.C. Wells’ tour because of how much I love her books. The last book in the series Learning to Love: Final Exam is available now and you don’t want to miss it. It’s bittersweet because the series is so good. But at the same time it’s nice to see closure for characters you love. Instead of doing another interview since I’ve done one already (that you can read here) I figured I’d get K.C. to do a guest post. But then I had to figure out what to get her to talk ABOUT which is hard for me to do and why it rarely happens. Then the idea of getting her to write a little scene where characters from this series meet characters from another series came and it was a done deal. I asked her to write a little scene where Peter (Trusting Thomas) meets one of the characters from the Learning to Love Series. Below is the lovely scene she wrote. It was hard for me not to run around flailing excitedly when I read it so hopefully you can too. After the scene that you can only read here, read all about the book. At the very bottom enter the giveaway for a copy of the book.
“I didn’t expect us to be coming back here so soon,” Evan said as they walked through the doors of Collars & Cuffs.
Daniel squeezed his hand. “But you’re okay with this, right? Alex called and asked if we’d like to come and watch a demonstration. I thought it was a good idea.”
Evan bit his lip. “Ooh, a demonstration of what?” Daniel could tell Evan’s interest was definitely piqued.
“He didn’t say. He said he wanted it to be a surprise.” Daniel smiled when he spied the tall sub walking toward them. “Why don’t we ask him?”
Alex greeted them warmly. “Glad you could make it. Master Andrew isn’t going to be starting his shibari demo for a while, but there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Shibari?” Evan’s blue eyes grew large and round. “That’s ropes and stuff, isn’t it?”
Daniel chuckled. “I think there’s a bit more to it than that.” He nodded to Alex. “Sounds good.”
Alex led them into the bar, where Daniel spotted Leo Hart, Alex’s master and joint owner of the club. He remembered the tall Dom from their first visit. Sitting next to Leo was a distinguished looking man with short gray hair and green eyes, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. There was something about him that made him stand out, but Daniel couldn’t put his finger on it. Then he noticed how the men around him acted toward this guy. There was respect and a lot of affection in their glances.
Leo rose from his seat and shook their hands. “Good to see you here again. I’d like to introduce you to my business partner, Thomas Williams.”
Thomas stood and took Daniel’s extended hand. “I’m very glad to meet you, Daniel. Leo spoke of you after your last visit.” His eyes sparkled as he regarded Evan. “And you are exactly as Leo described you, Evan.”
Evan gulped. “Uh oh.” Daniel laughed and leaned over to kiss his husband on the cheek. Alex, Leo and Thomas joined in the laughter.
When Thomas smiled, his serious face changed instantly. He addressed both of them. “Would you like a drink?”
“Coke would be great,” Daniel replied, taking the proffered seat next to Thomas. “And I think your club is amazing.” Beside him Evan nodded enthusiastically.
Thomas beamed. “Leo and I are very proud of what we’ve accomplished here. And it is always good to see the younger generation finding out what BDSM really means, by asking those who know what they’re talking about, rather than going straight to the internet.” His forehead furrowed. “There is far too much out there to give BDSM a bad name.”
Daniel nodded. “That was why we came here in the first place.” Thomas’s eyes shone with approval.
“Evan!”
Evan turned to see a young man approaching them, grinning. Evan’s face broke into a smile and he turned back to Daniel. “That’s Dillon, the guy I was talking to last time. Can I…”
Daniel chuckled. “Go on, you’re dying to talk to him.” Evan smiled and moved closer to kiss him. Daniel never tired of kissing Evan. “I’ll be right here.” He caught hold of Evan’s arm as he rose from his chair. “Behave.” He flashed Evan a look that he knew his submissive husband would understand.
Evan straightened, his fingers straying to the collar around his neck. “I promise, Sir.” He gave Daniel one last smile and went over to Dillon, who took his hand and drew him off toward the stage.
“Looks like you have your hands full with that one,” Thomas commented dryly.
Daniel watched Evan chatting animatedly with Dillon. “Tell me about it.”
“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted while I make sure everything’s ready for Andrew’s demo.” Leo flashed Daniel a quick smile. “If I don’t see you again, have a good evening.” He dipped his chin and walked away, Alex at his side. Daniel loved the way that Leo placed his arm around Alex’s waist, Alex leaning into him.
Daniel turned his attention back to Thomas. “They look good together.”
Thomas was also watching Leo and Alex. “That boy is the best thing to happen to Leo in a long time.”
“Do you have a submissive?” Daniel wanted to know.
Thomas nodded. “Peter, although he’s not here tonight.” He studied his glass of water. “He’s not here often, but I have hopes that things are improving on that front.”
Daniel frowned. There was an air about Thomas that spoke of sadness.
Thomas looked up and caught Daniel’s glance. He smiled. “It’s not a secret around here, so I may as well tell you. Peter was brought to my attention by a fellow Dom who was certain the boy was being abused.” Daniel’s chest tightened. “As it turns out, getting him away from that…” He breathed deeply before continuing. “Peter suffered a great deal of abuse, but thankfully he is putting that behind him. He is working on dealing better with his agoraphobia and panic attacks, now that he’s finally taking his medication. Therapy is doing wonders for him.”
Daniel shivered. Talk about a small world.
Thomas noticed his reaction. “Are you all right?”
Daniel sighed. “Let’s just say I have some experience of therapy. I was under a therapist for two years, and it worked wonders for me, too.” He glanced in the direction Evan had taken. “Having Evan in my life might have been the best therapy of all.”
Thomas’s face fell. “I’m sorry if I’ve stirred up memories you’d rather not recollect.”
Daniel liked Thomas. There was something about him that inspired trust. He took a deep breath and told Thomas about his stepfather and those nightmare years. Thomas’s gaze never left his face the whole time. When he finished, Thomas regarded him with interest and admiration.
“I think you’ve come through it remarkably well. I take it your desire to be in control stems from having that control taken from you.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Have you been talking with my therapist?” He smiled. “Yes, I think so. And Evan is perfect for me.”
“I think you are perfect for each other,” Thomas said quietly. “You ground him.”
Daniel stared at him. “You see a lot.”
Thomas smiled. “I’ve spent a great many years around dominants and submissives. It’s simply experience.” He raised his glass of water to Daniel. “Here’s to you and Evan developing your D/s relationship more fully.”
Daniel clinked his glass of Coke against Thomas’s glass. “That’s why we came here in the first place.” He looked around the club. “It would be nice to say we’ll join now, but financially that just isn’t possible. We have a way to go before that becomes feasible.” He chuckled. “Getting our degrees would be a step in the right direction.”
Thomas nodded. “Sounds like you’re being sensible. As long as you know that when you two do decide to take things further, we’ll be here for you.”
Daniel sat back, smiling. “I think we’ll like it around here.” He finished his Coke and stood up, holding out his hand to Thomas. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, sir.”
Thomas shook his hand firmly. “You too, Daniel. I don’t think I’ve seen the last of you.”
Daniel didn’t think so either.
Learning To Love: Final Exam:
By K.C. Wells
Blurb:
One house, three couples, and one year left until their final exams….
Evan and Daniel want to take their D/s relationship to the next level. When Daniel suggests conducting a little research at a BDSM club, Evan is more than up for it. Trouble is, one of their housemates isn’t happy about this.
Finances tighten for new couple Josh and Chris. Wanting to ease some of the pressure on Chris, Josh starts as an agency nurse. But tackling a heavy workload at medical school and working late-shifts leaves little time for the couple. Something’s gotta give.
In Spain, Sean was diagnosed as suffering from migraines. But after the medications have no effect and he starts suffering from other complaints, he decides to get a second opinion without telling Michael. When Michael finds out, Sean’s usually laid-back husband’s reaction shocks everyone. But Michael needs to get his head sorted fast, because Sean needs his strength.
As their school career comes to a close and the one person who holds them all together starts to fall apart, the final exam is a true test of friendship.
Excerpt:
SEAN WAS getting really fed up with his housemates.
Ever since he and Michael had got back from Spain, the four men had turned into mother hens. Sean was constantly aware of them watching him. At least, it felt like they were. When he’d brought it up, Michael had said he was imagining things, but then again, Michael was guilty of the same thing in Sean’s book. He knew Michael was keeping a close eye on him. Sean hadn’t said a word. These days, he didn’t trust himself to do so without biting Michael’s head off, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Okay, so I’ve had a few migraines. Why the scrutiny all the time?
He loved his housemates to bits, but recently he’d found himself snapping at them on occasion, and that just wasn’t like him. He could see the same thought in Michael’s eyes and that hurt. He hated it when Michael worried, especially if he was the cause.
He wanted to scream at them all.
Look, I’m fine! It’s just a few fucking HEADACHES, that’s all!
He wouldn’t, of course, tempting though the idea was. And besides, there was that tiny voice in his head that wouldn’t go away.
What if it’s more than just headaches? What if there’s something else wrong?
At first he’d pushed the thought aside. He’d been to the doctors in Spain, hadn’t he? The doc had been perfectly happy with his diagnosis of migraines
Only now the headaches were occurring more regularly, which was worrisome. The fact that his bloody pills were useless wasn’t helping either.
Then DO something. Get another opinion.
Now that made sense.
Sean picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts to the clinic where he and Michael got tested every few months.
The sooner he got this sorted, the happier he’d be. And maybe then his housemates would stop mothering him.
He listened for a moment. Michael was downstairs in the kitchen with Chris, Evan, and Daniel. Josh was at the hospital. If Michael knew he was making an appointment, he’d only worry even more.
So that meant only one course of action—Sean wasn’t going to tell him. He’d go see another doctor, see if there were any tests they could run, and maybe get some medication that actually worked. He glanced at the notice board where his and Michael’s timetables were pinned. Being on the same course had its drawbacks, especially if he wanted to book an appointment when Michael wouldn’t be around. The only time available was when Michael saw his personal tutor. At least the clinic was on campus, but he might have to book it a week or two in advance to be sure of getting the slot he wanted.
And if he were completely honest, Sean was starting to get concerned. He rarely got sick, he ate healthily—Michael made sure of that—he didn’t smoke, and his alcohol intake amounted to a couple of glasses of wine per week. So putting up with headaches was pissing him off.
Make the call, Sean. While Michael’s not in earshot.
Sighing, he pressed Connect.
About K.C.:
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.
K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – writing about men in love was even hotter…
K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career.
The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.
To see more of K.C.’s titles, click here
K.C. can be reached via email (k.c.wells@btinternet.com), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld) or through comments at the K.C.Wells website (www.kcwellsworld.com ) K.C. loves to hear from readers.
Buy Links:
Dreamspinner Press eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5346
Dreamspinner Press Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5347
Tour Stops:
8/25: Reviews and Ramblings
8/26: Wake Up Your Wild Side
8/27: Prism Book Alliance
8/28: Hearts on Fire
8/29: Parker Williams
9/1: Jade Crystal
9/2: Angel Martinez
9/3: Amanda C. Stone
9/4: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/5: Love Bytes
9/8: Regular Guys, Hot Romance
9/9: MM Good Book Reviews
9/10: LeAnn’s Book Reviews
9/11: Cate Ashwood, Dawn’s Reading Nook
9/12: Velvet Panic
9/15: My Fiction Nook
9/16: 3 Chicks After Dark
9/17: Fallen Angel Reviews
9/18: SA McAuley
9/19: Iyana Jenna
Giveaway:
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That was a great scene. 🙂
It is! I loved reading it. I’m glad you enjoyed it Debra.