Noah

By Ben Ryder

An Englishmen Story

Callum Walker is feeling listless in his life in London. When his job takes him to Canada to install communications software for a new sports arena, he’s glad for a change of scenery.

During his stay, he befriends Noah Lukas, the strikingly handsome star player of the Toronto Bobcats professional hockey team. Callum knows nothing will ever come of it, but he can’t stop his attraction. As their bond grows, Callum learns more about – and falls more for—Noah through his sensitive and humble interactions with fans, his gentlemanly reaction to flirtations from arena staff, and his frank apprehension over his impending retirement. Their friendship evolves from workout partners to confidants, and then to even more. But Callum’s time in Canada is limited, and circumstances may divide him from a love he wasn’t looking for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Apr 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781623806675

Book preview

Chapter One

Tuesday April 22nd 2014

7:10 a.m.

MORNING light streamed through the windows, and Callum Walker’s eyes opened with a start. He wasn’t sure what time he’d managed to fool his mind into getting a couple of hours of sleep, but the surge of excitement that had kept him up raced through his body again.

He jumped from the bed and threw on a pair of sweatpants and socks, then walked across his bedroom to peer out the window. There was a patchy charcoal sky over London, the kind that made the stereotypes of his city ring true. Ordinarily, this kind of weather would give him a chill, since he knew there was a good chance he’d get caught in a heavy spring downpour. But not today. No threatening, damp sky could touch his mood.

Callum had taken the day off work, as he figured he’d be fairly useless in the office. His boss, Ian, hadn’t complained—and nor would he. Callum was too valuable and brought in far too much revenue for Ian not to grant his undemanding star a break. Besides, Callum had been working in Toronto for the past sixteen weeks, so Ian was hardly in a position to deny him a day off to catch up.

With a spring in his step, Callum took the stairs by twos down into the living room. He switched on the TV and turned up the volume, hoping a little distraction would help make the minutes go faster. The sounds of the morning news program filled the room as he headed into the kitchen.

Coming up in the next hour, we’ll be speaking to the founder of the charity FreeAfrica, who is seeking to expand availability of the recently discovered HIV vaccine to developing nations. Then we’ll be joined by our foreign affairs correspondent, Barry Clifton, who will walk us through the timeline of what led to the conflict in Iran and the impending third Gulf War. Then, shifting gears, we’ll delve into the latest celebrity gossip files, including reports of a new mystery lady in the life of action star Mason Russell. Will the young lady accompany him tonight to the premiere of his new film in London? But before all that, let’s have a round-up of today’s headlines and weather.

Callum retrieved the eggs, bacon, and milk from the fridge, then pulled the frying pan out of the cupboard and set about making his breakfast. He sang and bobbed his head along to a song that had been stuck in his head over the past four days, ever since he’d heard it in the taxi on the way home from Heathrow airport. It was an upbeat and positive song, which matched his mood perfectly. Callum stabbed a couple of cooked bacon strips from the pan and laid them on a paper towel to cool.

He slid across the kitchen floor in his socks, with a slight wiggle of a dance, and picked up the dog bowl sitting next to the fridge. Callum filled it with dry dog food from the cupboard. With the bacon cool enough to handle, he tore it into smaller pieces and, like a thousand times before, he dropped it on top of the dog’s food. She loved bacon on her food in the morning, and was so spoiled by it she wouldn’t eat without it.

Kodak! Bacon! he called in a quick, excited voice. She would still be on his bed, nestled in and sleeping until he hollered for her.

Callum turned back to the stove and tipped his scrambled eggs and bacon onto a plate, his ass bopping to the beat on constant replay in his head.

Ko! he called again before setting his plate on the small table in his kitchen where he ate every morning before work. He leaned back on the chair and watched the hallway, waiting to hear paws come galloping down the stairs, her chocolate-colored furry face bounding toward the kitchen. But he didn’t hear anything.

It took a moment, but then he remembered. The sledgehammer of grief hit him square in the stomach. She wasn’t there. He’d been back in his own home for just a few days, after four months away, and was returning to a morning routine he cherished. But it wasn’t necessary anymore.

Callum picked up the dog bowl and dropped it into the trash bin like he should have done the day he returned. He was determined not to make the same painful mistake again.

He stared at the upturned bowl in the trash for a moment and then shook his head, as though trying to lift the fog. He returned to his breakfast, actively willing himself back into a good mood. The happier he was, the more positive he would become, and the quicker the news would come.

After wolfing down the rest of his breakfast, Callum took a long shower. It killed some time but didn’t really make much of a dent in his morning. He wouldn’t find out anything until after lunchtime, at the earliest, so Callum took more time than usual getting ready. He wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror, set the razor against the top of his cheek, and slowly dragged it down the black stubble to get the smoothest shave he could.

Callum was twenty-eight years old, with a lean, muscular build, and he had the advantage of going from rough construction worker to preppy jock in the time it took to get a clean shave. Today he would look smart and dress in his best suit. Somehow, he felt it might make a difference in the day’s outcome.

He grabbed his keys and an umbrella, then walked out of the house and started his way to Wimbledon station. His black shoes clipped on the pavement and his smart suit instantly made him walk taller. He needed this feeling of confidence, perhaps today more than ever.

CALLUM was used to wearing a suit. He’d been a software designer ever since he left college. While others in his field felt more comfortable in a pair of khakis and a casual shirt, he had always gone for a more professional, polished look. His reputation had rocketed after he designed the communications software for London’s new Wembley Stadium in 2007. Though he was early in his career, he already had the entire software world angling to steal him away from Ian’s company, Alphatech, for his expertise. When Alphatech pitched his design and bid on the contract for the comms suite at Toronto’s new Maple Arena, it was accepted, but only on the condition that Callum would be directly involved with the installation. The software had the capability of controlling the entire communications network, from the booking agents to the public address system and everything in-between. The early development of the project was done with his team in London, but Callum was required to fly to and remain in Canada for sixteen weeks, until the software went live, to ensure he was on-site if any problems arose.

When Callum arrived in Toronto seventeen weeks ago, he was surprised he wasn’t met by Michael Weiss, the executive he’d dealt with during the contract negotiations and software development. Instead, a sharply dressed, attractive blonde woman in her midtwenties stood holding a sign bearing his name as he came down the airport escalator. At first, he thought Taylorfield, the corporation that owned the arena, had purposefully sent a pretty face to welcome him. But it soon became clear she was a sharp and keen executive who held the keys to his life for the next four months.

Mr. Walker, I’m Amy Clarkson, she said, extending her hand.

Please, it’s Callum, he said as he began to follow her out of the terminal and toward the car park.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Callum. We’re so happy to have you onboard with our project. You have quite a stellar reputation when it comes to programming.

Callum laughed with a little embarrassment. He never took a compliment well. Thank you for saying that. It’s very kind of you.

Michael says that Alphatech came very highly recommended. Have you worked on many projects this size?

A few. Wembley Stadium was the biggest so far, but we’ve put in a bid for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. It’ll be huge if we’re lucky enough to win it.

In the parking

Reviews for Noah

[annalund2011 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Nope. This did not do it for me. Not at all. First of all, it was slow. Then it got slower. Then it slowed down further, and truly, this is when all the things that science-fiction has taught me should have made the action either come to a complete standstill, or start moving backwards. In time.

The backdrop of Toronto, that beautiful, wonderful city, was not used at all. The whole setting felt flat and one-dimensional, with the hockey thrown in just because. "Well, it's Canada, right? Gotta have some hockey."

I did not connect with the boys at all, they were cardboard push-overs both of them. The Hell, Callum? You could have told that woman to take a hike fifteen times, yet, still, you let her walk all over you. Who DOES that???

I was also saddened because there just had to be this insane, moronic woman in the story, too. Can we please have an M/M-story without women being portrayed as Evil Vagina Witches?
God, I'm so sick of it.
What happened to all us women who are actively supportive of your m/m-relationships? You know, the ones out there in Real Life who actually help you? Could we please be portrayed once in a while, too? (Yes, and before you go all up in my face, that means f/f too, and any other sexual/relationship-constellation you may be in. You're in love, good. I'm all for it. Love is love).

That said, the story took me from nowhere to nowhere. In a non-linear fashion, which can be really good in the hands of a skilled wordsmith. This was not one of those times. And the end?

Just made me want to bang my head into the nearest wall.

I can safely say this was not my favorite book. I'm VERY happy to say it was a freebie from Dreamspinner Press.


***
I was NOT asked to read this book by anyone, it was free from the publisher, and nobody asked me for a review in exchange. If you are the kind of person who likes to troll one-star reviews, well, what can I say? This is MY opinion. Bugger off. Go have your OWN opinion over there in your own space.

[bitchie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not bad, doubt I'll reread though. Well written, but the characters and story felt a bit flat and didn't suck me in.

[penny01-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars. Overall a nice enough read. I had some issues with the time line and the back and forth which made it confusing. Hey it was free and still gave me a HEA, sort-of.