Truth in Lace

By Tempeste O'Riley

A spin-off of Temptations of Desire
Desires Entwined: Book 3.5

When Alexander James Noble looks in the mirror, he sees a freak looking back at him. Despite his high grades and plans for culinary arts school after graduation, his parents would hate him if they really knew him.

Forced on a shopping trip with his twin sister, Lyric, and her friends, Alex eyes the girls jealously, longing to be able to dress like them—to be them. The constant struggle of being “gender fluid,” wrestling with an identity that seems to change daily, begins to wear on Alex. But all those questions and fears seem more manageable when his sister gives him his first skirt and lace panties.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Nov 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781632165213

Tempeste O'Riley

Tempeste O’Riley is an out-and-proud pansexual genderfluid person whose best friend growing up had the courage to do what they couldn’t—defy the hate and come out. He has been their hero ever since. Tempe is a hopeless romantic who loves strong relationships and happily-ever-afters. Though they love writing M/M—they have done many things in their life—writing has always drawn them back (no matter what else life has thrown their way). They count their friends, family, and Muse as their greatest blessings in life. They currently live in Wisconsin with their children, reading, writing, and enjoying life. Tempe is also a proud PAN member of Romance Writers of America®, WisRWA, Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance Writers RWA, the Paranormal Romance Guild, and Rainbow Romance Writers. Tempe’s preferred pronouns are they/them/their/theirs/themselves. To learn more about Tempeste and their writing, visit tempesteoriley.com. You can also visit them on Facebook, Twitter, or join Tempeste’s Temptations Facebook group for all kinds previews, news, fun, and more.

Book preview

For all those still trying to find their way

and for those that help us, thank you.

A special thank you to Elizabeth, Grace, Andrew, and all those

at DSP who give me a chance to share my stories.

Chapter One

ALEX LOOKED around, worried someone might see him watching Lyric, his twin sister, and her girl posse as they did each other’s hair and nails. They took nearly every piece of clothing out of her closet and tried them on, swapping items between the four girls until they all were happy with how they looked.

He sat on his twin bed, glancing over the top of the book he was reading to check the mirror again as he looked on with envy. They were allowed to spend time together, doing girly things. He knew, however, if any of them noticed him using the bathroom mirror to look into his sister’s room, they would tattle, claiming he was being a pervert.

Ha! If only they knew. It wasn’t them he was lusting after; it was their clothing and the ease with which they interacted. Girls could be feminine or butch, and no one thought a thing about it. Or, at least his dad didn’t care. But a boy wanting to wear a dress

Reviews for Truth in Lace

[serenayates · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alex, from ‘Temptations of Desire’, is back in this very sweet short story that takes place in his past. It’s about the events that led up to Alex wearing girls’ clothing for the first time. In a way, it is his moment of realizing who he is, his identity as a person, beyond the fact that he is attracted to men. Neither is acceptable to his parents and while he and his twin sister Lyric both know that, they are close enough to each other to be able to be honest.

Alex already knows he is gay and has to hide that fact from his parents or face their anger and disapproval. But there is more to it for him. He feels like a freak for it, but he doesn’t always feel like a boy. On some days, he feels like a girl, and he envies Lyric and her friends for being able to dress in pretty things. He doesn’t have a word for what that makes him, but when Lyric tells him about the research she has done and what she thinks that means, Alex realizes that he is not the only one who feels that way. It’s a true epiphany, and a beautifully written one.

If you want to find out more about Alex from ‘Temptations of Desire’ and his background, if you’d like to understand better what genderfluid means, and if you’re looking for a short, sweet read in-between the longer novels of this series, then you will probably like this free short story.