Hello everyone! Today I am so excited to welcome the fabulous Cody Kennedy to Joyfully Jay.  Cody is here to talk about his new release, Safe, which I reviewed a copy of weeks ago and completely adored.  Cody has also brought a fabulous excerpt, as well as a copy of Safe to give away to one lucky reader.  So please join me in giving Cody a big welcome!

Welcome to the final stop on Safe’s blog tour!

Thank you for hosting the last stop on Safe’s blog tour and a final chance to win an ecopy of Safe, JJ! As we come to the end of the tour, I thought I’d share one of my favorite excerpts with all of you.

Nico suffered yet another beating at his father’s hands and ran away from home all the way to Caleb’s house. Almost a whole mile. Caleb met Nico’s tear-stained face on his moonlit doorstep and pulled him quickly inside. He didn’t need to ask what happened. He knew. He’d learned to stop asking why. There was never a reason. Caleb’s mom called Nico’s mom and arranged a special school-night sleepover.

Caleb lay on his bed for an hour curled around Nico while he sobbed and clutched Caleb’s hand to his chest. He finally spoke, once the tears and trembling died away. “Sorry.” The single word came out in a shuddering sigh.

Caleb carded his fingers through the ebony curls he adored. “You don’t ever have to say sorry to me, Nico. We’re BFFs.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, promise.”

Another shuddering sigh passed through Nico, and he cuddled closer to Caleb. “Are you still gonna be my BFF when you get a girlfriend?” Nico’s question was but a whisper in the air.

Caleb wanted to tell Nico he’d never have a girlfriend. Ever. He knew that for sure. Then a sudden fear filled him. “Are you gonna be mine when you have a girlfriend?”

Nico turned onto his back quickly and looked at him with swollen eyes. “Like, duh.”

Caleb grinned and propped himself on an elbow. “Duh, back.”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Yeah, anything.”

Tears welled in Nico’s incredibly blue eyes again. “You can’t ever tell anyone.”

Serious, Caleb thought. “I won’t.”

“Swear it.”

“I swear it.”

“Okay. I don’t like any girls.”

Caleb smiled as every fiber of his being tingled with something that resembled delight. “I don’t either.”

“I mean like in that way.”

Caleb’s smile slipped a fraction as he studied Nico, suddenly uncertain. “I don’t either.”

Nico groaned. “No, Caleb, you’re not getting it! I don’t like girls at all!”

Bliss ignited Caleb’s spine like a Fourth of July sparkler. He got it. He. Got. It! He dared to put an arm across Nico’s waist and pull him closer. Thoughts bounced off the walls of his mind as he tried to form words that made sense.

“I get it.”

Nico stilled, his blue eyes large and round. “You do?”

There was so much fear and hope in those two little words that Caleb wanted to hug Nico. Now if only he could tell Nico his secret. “Yeah.”

“You don’t think I’m a freak?”

Caleb’s heart pounded in his throat, and he really wanted to hug Nico and tell him they could be freaks together. In fact, he really wanted to kiss Nico. He dared to brush a damp curl slowly from Nico’s forehead with a shaky finger. “If you’re a freak, then I’m one too.”

Nico’s eyes narrowed on Caleb. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

Caleb took a quavering breath. Tell him. Tell him. He couldn’t make the words come out. “Uh-uh.”

Nico rubbed his swollen eyes with his fists. “Really? You don’t like girls like that either?”

“Yeah. I mean, no.”

“Do you like anybody? I mean, like ’em in that way?” Nico asked, still rubbing his eyes.

Come on, come on, tell him. What if Nico didn’t like him back in that way? There was only one way to find out. Gathering his courage, he said a quiet, “Yeah.”

Nico pulled his fists away to reveal hurt, owlish eyes. “Who?”

“You.” The word came out in a quiet rush and seemed to hover in the air between them.

“Me?”

Caleb swallowed audibly and nodded. “Yeah.” Time froze for an interminable moment as Caleb waited to see what Nico would do.

Nico suddenly put his arms around Caleb’s neck and hugged him tight. “I like you too,” he said against Caleb’s neck.

The relief and happiness that flooded Caleb’s heart had him wrapping his arms around Nico’s small body. Holding Nico also had his dick doing crazy things. Exciting things. Embarrassing things.

“You could have told me.”

Nico leaned back and looked up at him. “I wanted to lots of times, but I didn’t think you’d be my BFF anymore.”

Nico’s words so mirrored Caleb’s thoughts he couldn’t help himself. He leaned slowly to Nico and brushed a chaste kiss over his lips. “I’ll always be yours.”

To his astonishment, Nico kissed him back. Hard.

It was pure heaven.

Nico pressed his whole body against Caleb’s, and he could feel Nico’s dick get hard. Caleb’s dick went into overdrive, and he pulled away, breathless. He was going to, well, you know.

“Does this make us, like, boyfriends?” Caleb asked through labored breaths.

Nico’s eyes grew large again. “Do you want to be?”

“Only if you want to.”

“You kissed me, and I kissed you back so, yeah, I want to.”

Caleb grinned, ecstatic. “Cool.”

Nico giggled.

His laugh was always warm and round on Caleb’s senses. A boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend, but the love of his life.

They met at ten, they kissed at twelve, and were madly in love by eighteen.

Caleb Deering is the captain of the swim team and the hottest senior in school. He comes from a loving home with a kind father and a caring, but strict, mother who is battling breast cancer. Nico Caro is small and beautiful, and has a father who rules with an iron fist–literally.

One morning Caleb forgets himself, and he pecks Nico on the lips at school. A teacher sees them and tattles to the Headmaster. The accidental outing at school might be the least of their problems, because the ball set in motion by the school’s calls to their parents could get Nico killed. In the face of that very real danger, Caleb knows he has only one mission in life: to keep Nico safe.

Available from Harmony Ink Press

About Cody

Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Cody Kennedy doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Cody contemplates such weighty questions as: If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Cody can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Twitter @CodyKAuthor   Cody’s Blog   Cody’s Free Story, Fairy   Facebook  Goodreads

SAFE’S MINI-BLOG TOUR

• October 21st – The Novel Approach – Halloween Bonus Scene and a chance to win an ecopy of Safe!
• October 24th – Release Day Giveaway with Author Shira Anthony and a discussion about Reporting, Investigating and Prosecuting Child Abuse
• October 26th –  Harmony Ink Press on Facebook – Meet Cody Kennedy and a chance to win an ecopy Safe!
• November 1st – Sid Love Blog – An Interview with Cody and a chance to win an ecopy of Safe!
• November 2nd – Queer Town Abbey – Cody talks about Str8washing and a chance to win an ecopy of Safe!
• November 8th – Joyfully Jay – Excerpt Day and a final chance to win an ecopy of Safe!

Giveaway

Cody has brought along a copy of Safe to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment for your chance to enter.  The contest closes on Monday, November 11th at 11:59 pm EST.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
• Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
• By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.