Susan Mac Nicol’s Love You Senseless

I’m very excited to have Susan back again on my blog. Last time she was here I interviewed her (and you can read it here). This time I decided it was time for a short little scene. I asked her to write a scene where Anthony from Love and Punishment meets Eddie from Love You Senseless. The scene she wrote for me is beautiful! Plus there’s even a recipe at the very end that sounds delicious. After the guest post read all about the book, and an amazing excerpt. At the very bottom enter for a chance to win a copy of Saving Alexander and Stripped Bare.

Amanda, thanks for having me here and I’m delighted to share this little something with you.

You see, it all started one day when Anthony Parglietto was in the mood for some great Italian food. He’d heard about this restaurant in Soho called Galileo’s, which made a mean Mostaccioli Mosta dish. Being Italian himself, Anthony has a real appreciation for an authentic dish and a friend of his, Marshall, had raved about the new young chef at the restaurant.

Flynn was away on an assignment for his newspaper, so Anthony had a few hours to spare from catching criminals and chasing murderers. He was soon settled at the table, eagerly anticipating his pasta dish, and was most surprised when the chef himself delivered his main course….this is how it went.

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Anthony glanced up in surprise as a man dressed in chef whites, with the unruliest mop of dark red hair he’d ever seen, arrived at his table bearing a tray of something that smelt delicious. Mouth wateringly, orgasmically delicious. Anthony was used to his mother’s cooking and on first smell, he had to say that this dish gave hers a run for its money in the fragrance stakes. His nostrils flared and the young man beamed.

“Mr, Parglietto, lovely to meet you at last. Marshall has told me a lot about you.” He whisked the dish off the tray with a showy flourish and laid it lovingly on the table. Anthony winced as the now empty tray appeared to slip from long, bony fingers and he had visions of it falling to the floor. The man made a save that would have made a fielder proud. His face flushed as he gripped the tray tightly. “Sorry about that. I can be a bit of a klutz.” He gazed around awkwardly and finally deposited the tray on a nearby table. A waiter passing by deftly swept it away with a grin at the red head.

“Don’t let Gideon see you doing that,” he admonished as he disappeared. “He’ll have your arse.”

“He has my arse anyway, Liam,” joked the young man and Anthony raised an eyebrow as he realised who this gangly man was. This could only be Eddie himself. What other red headed chef was there in Galileos who could boast of having Gideon Kent partake of his assets…rather nice assets at that, from the look of him.

Eddie went beet red as he realised what he’d said. “Uhmm, I’m sorry about that comment,” he stammered, running a hand through his hair and making it even messier. “I find my mouth runs away with me sometimes.”

Anthony chuckled. “No problem, Eddie. It’s not like I haven’t heard that before. Even done a bit of partaking myself,” he joked. “Arse I mean. And please call me Tony.”

Green eyes observed him keenly then Eddie’s face split into a wide smile. “Right, well, I’d hate for your food to get cold, so please, eat away. I hope you enjoy it. When I heard the famous detective was in the house, I had to come out and serve you myself. Marshall told me a lot about you, as I said, and you seem to be a bit of a hero of his, I can see why…”

His voice tailed off, no doubt at the look of bemusement on Anthony’s face. “Well, Mr. Parg-Tony, enjoy the food, I hope I do it justice.”

“I’m sure it will be just delizioso, Eddie, thanks. I’ve heard great things about your cooking too and I’m looking forward to it.” Anthony picked up his fork and dove straight into the steaming and delectably smelling food before him. He was aware of Eddie hovering and as he raised the fork to take the first mouthful, he thought he heard Eddie give a small sigh. He glanced up, a little creeped out that Eddie was watching him eat.

The chef went bright pink again and waved a hand. “I’m going, I promise. I’ll, err, speak to you later.” He made his way back to the kitchen in the rear, narrowly avoiding a waitress and a tray of drinks in his haste. Anthony laughed softly. Eddie was certainly a character.

He finally got to put the first mouthful of food into his mouth and held his breath as the flavours burst onto his taste buds. Memories of his mother’ kitchen in Italy came flooding back, eating her home made foods at the old, worn kitchen table, sunlight flooding the kitchen as boisterous siblings ran around, chatting, shouting and his father sat at the end of the table, smiling widely at the unruly brood of children. Anthony’s eyes closed as he savoured the second and third mouthful. It tasted of passion and love as if all the care in the world had gone into making it. It was rich, spicy, the taste of olives lending a piquancy to the meat, and the pasta was cooked to perfection. He ate like a starving man, as if by consuming the dish before him, he could bring back those child hood memories, turn back the clock to the wonderful family times he’d enjoyed, and treasured, not least of which were spent with his younger brother Marco. Anthony’s heart ached at that remembrance and for a moment, time was bitter sweet. Marco was dead and gone now, a victim of a vicious serial killer that Anthony had brought to justice. The memories in his head remained though, a joyous celebration of life, not death. Before he knew it, the plate was empty and he was left with an intense desire to recapture the experience he’d just had. He closed his eyes, savouring the last morsel. A soft cough made him open his eyes and look up. Eddie stood there, a pleased expression on his face.

“I can see you enjoyed it,” he said in quiet satisfaction. “I thought I’d come back, see how you were doing.” His green eyes shone with pride and Anthony felt a lump in his throat. He stood up, and pulled the younger man to him in a fierce bear hug, ignoring the slight squawk from Eddie as he was pressed against Anthony’s muscled chest.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “That was absolutely wonderful. You make me feel as if I was back with my family in Italy for a short while. They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

He released Eddie who seemed to be once again pink, Anthony guessed both with embarrassment at being groped by a stranger and pleasure at Anthony’s words. He grinned, a wide, easy smile that made Anthony realise just how this man had captured Gideon Kent’s heart.

“That’s awesome, thanks. I’m just glad you enjoyed it.” He motioned towards the kitchen again. “Well, I’d better get back before the boyfriend comes looking for me to spank my arse.” He snickered. “And not in that good way. Hope to see you soon, Tony. Come by anytime and I’ll make a special dish for you. On request.” He waved and once again traversed the busy restaurant, knocking over a water glass from one table and almost pulling off a table cloth from another as his leg caught it and dragged it. Luckily it was empty.

Anthony chuckled loudly as he sat back down. “Oh, Eddie,” he murmured to himself. “I’ll definitely be back. You can count on it.”

And here’s the recipe…

Mostaccioli Mosta
Original recipe makes 8 servings
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (16 ounce) package mostaccioli pasta
2 teaspoons butter, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

PREP
10 mins
COOK
30 mins
READY IN
40 mins

Directions
In large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done. Drain. Add tomato sauce, olives, Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.

Place mostaccioli in a shallow, 3 quart baking dish. Toss with butter or margarine. Pour meat sauce over, and top with shredded mozzarella.

Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Blurb:
London’s saucy up-and-coming chef, Eddie Tripp has just the right recipe to drive tragedy from the mind of Gideon Kent—and leave him senseless with desire.

From Soho to Norwich, there’s no escaping love.

A TASTE OF FOREVER

An award-winning chef with his own restaurant and an inexhaustible passion, Gideon Kent once had everything. Then came tragedy. It stole more than Gideon’s home. He hasn’t cooked since.

Until Eddie Tripp. Fun-loving and vivacious, the Norfolk redhead’s a real up-and-comer in Gideon’s kitchen—and other places. Slim where Gideon’s broad, easy-going where Gideon is growly, he and Gideon seem polar opposites, and yet Eddie conjures flavors that would tempt anyone with a taste for perfection. The sauce of love is already simmering, and this pair is about to dine on the most delicious dish they’ve ever prepared. Because Eddie’s been Gideon’s missing ingredient all along.

Excerpt:
Eddie kissed back, wanting nothing more than this moment, this man in his body and his lips on his. Somewhere a bell rang and for a minute Eddie thought it might be the sound of his own passion translated to tinkling sleigh bells and fireworks like in the cartoon movies when two people kissed. He smiled at that thought then as the bell got more insistent and irritating, he turned to Gideon only to find he was no longer there. Eddie scowled and reached across to where the annoying bell sound was….

He woke from his dream upright, sweating, sticky with come and tangled in musty smelling sheets that had seen their fair share of jack off action lately and needed washing. His hand rested on his mobile phone as it trilled incessantly with his Big Ben alarm. He blinked owlishly for a minute, wondering where he was, then as the dream faded, he fell back in a loose heap with a sense of loss.

About Susan:
Susan Mac Nicol is a self confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, self confessed geek and nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that…

She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason. She likes to think of herself as a ‘half full’ kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested.

Lover of walks in the forest, theatre productions, dabbling her toes in the cold North Sea and the vibrant city of London where you can experience all four seasons in a day , she is a hater of pantomime (so please don’t tar and feather her), duplicitous people, bigotry and self righteous idiots.

In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people.
Website: www.susanmacnicol.com
Blog: susanmacnicol.wordpress.com
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Buy Links:
Boroughs Publishing Group: www.BoroughsPublishingGroup.com
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483639
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Senseless-London-Book-ebook/dp/B00OC24JQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1412922431&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+you+senseless
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-You-Senseless-London-Book-ebook/dp/B00OC24JQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1412922496&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+you+senseless
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/mobile/details.html?pid=1646714&cat=149

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