Smoke In My Eyes

By Becky Black

After a decade together, death took Daniel’s lover away in an instant. A year of grieving kept him from thinking about the future. But now fearing loneliness, fearing aging and its effects, he’s ready to find someone new before it’s too late. Filled with good intentions, Daniel joins a gym. He plans to work hard to keep what time is all too quickly taking away from him. But are good intentions enough against the many distractions and temptations of life? Is he really prepared to make the sacrifices required? Meeting gym owner Chris may be the extra boost his motivation needs -- if only he could figure out why Chris keeps blowing hot and cold on him.

Death claimed Chris’s lover too, but took much longer about it. The memory of watching the man he loved suffer has left Chris terrified of getting close to anyone again. He likes Daniel a lot, but there’s a problem and Chris can’t fix it, only Daniel can. If he’s serious about being with Chris. It’s a straightforward ultimatum. Daniel smokes and Chris will not date a smoker. Daniel has a choice. It’s Chris or the cigarettes.

Daniel has to prove to Chris that he’s ready to make changes and he’s not all mouth. But can he do it? Are the sacrifices he’ll have to make worth it? Should he even be changing himself to suit a man who’s made him no promises and who might still back off later? Chris has to learn to accept Daniel’s imperfections and mortality. Only once he gets past the grief and fear can he take a risk on loving Daniel, even knowing he could be hurt again.

Daniel takes on the biggest physical challenge he’s ever faced to prove he’s serious about Chris. But in the end, he has to decide if he wants to make the changes for himself and his own future, whether Chris is part of that or not.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781611529555

Becky Black

Writer of science fiction and romance.

Book preview

Smoke In My Eyes

By Becky Black

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2013 Becky Black

ISBN 9781611529555

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Smoke In My Eyes

By Becky Black

Chapter 1

I joined a gym when not only could I not zip up my favourite jeans any more, but I’d started wondering if I might be too middle-aged to wear jeans anyway. Getting old. Getting fat. And the scene is not forgiving of physical imperfection. I’m alone and it’s been a year since Bill died. It’s time.

I say scene, but we don’t exactly have much of a scene in this town. There’s the Queen’s Head—don’t get ideas, it been called that since 1582—our friendly local gay pub. And we have a couple of nightclubs in the middle of town, but I don’t go the clubs. I always fear that they’ll check my I.D. and refuse me entrance for being too old. Forty-three? Get out of here, granddad!

Then there’s this gym. It’s not exactly part of the scene, but according to Jess, the landlady of the Queen’s Head, it’s gay friendly. No shenanigans in the sauna, though—it’s not that friendly.

Daniel, Jess said to me. Get your arse into Temple and see who you meet on the next treadmill.

That’s what this gym is called—Temple, because it’s in a converted church. I suppose the joker who named it considered that funny; a temple of the body. Whatever. It’s only five minutes’ walk away from home and practically next door to the Queen’s Head.

The first day in, the person on the next treadmill was a woman my age who looked like she was feeling the weight of the years same as me. I wasn't there to meet someone, though, I swear. I wasn't so desperate. I came to get in shape and a better chance of meeting someone elsewhere. Or at least a better chance of not being laughed at or pitied when I start trying.

But, as usual when you have no plans for something, it happens. I’d been jogging or—walking pretty fast anyway—on the treadmill when I saw him. Not on the next treadmill, but walking across the gym floor towards the studio they hold the exercise classes in. He wore the uniform of the gym staff and, though they all wore it well, he was the one who filled it out most impressively. Older than any of them, closer to my age, with magnificent arms, a great big chest, and light brown hair cut short and neat.

When he gave me a flash of a nice smile, along with a nod, I almost tripped over my feet. Okay, don’t get carried away, I told myself. He’s just a staff member being friendly to a customer. Don’t get excited. He passed by, and I turned around to watch him go into the studio. Nice arse. I wondered what shifts he did and what classes he led. I heard him say Hello, ladies, as he closed the door of the studio. Would I have the nerve to go to a class full of women to get another look at him?

Oh great. I’d been a member for two minutes and I was already making plans