Today I am so pleased to welcome Lane Hayes to Joyfully Jay. Lane has come to talk to us about her latest release, Out in the End Zone. She has brought along an exclusive except and a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Excerpt

Mitch’s smile morphed into a radiant grin that poured from him like sunshine. I stared for a moment, admiring his golden hair and pretty eyes. Fuck. No, that adjective wasn’t strong enough. His eyes were beautiful. Hell, he was beautiful and…

And I was seconds away from creeping myself out. What was wrong with me?

“You’re a good guy, Ev. I’ll see you next time. You can get to your car through the side gate. It’ll lead you to the street. Park in the alley behind the garage next time. Oh…and wear black,” he said as I stepped onto the landing.

“Why black?”

“So we can coordinate,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“No way. If we were a real couple, I’d go out of my way not to match with you,” I huffed.

Mitch chuckled. “Not matching. Coordinating. It’s a lighting and general aesthetic thing. We want to look visually pleasing on film. I can always change when you get here, but it’s already going to be late and I don’t want to waste any time.”

“Hmph. I’ll probably forget.”

“I’ll remind you.”

“How long can it possibly take to film a ten-to-fifteen-minute segment?”

“A couple of hours.”

“What? How?” I asked incredulously.

“There’s a lot to it! Okay, maybe it won’t take that much time. I’m not sure. I’ll try to set up the lighting ahead of time, and we can rehearse a little so we’re both comfortable. But once I press record, it’s pretty free-flowing, which means we’ll make mistakes, and I’ll have to do a lot of editing. In this case, more is better. I don’t want to be left with five minutes of nothing exciting.”

“All right. Whatever you say.”

“God, you’re already a dream boyfriend,” he commented in a swoony tone, batting his eyelashes. “Are you going to kiss me goodnight too?”

I barked a quick laugh and started down the steps. But halfway to the bottom, I turned back and met him at the door. Mitch cocked his head curiously, but he didn’t flinch when I held his chin and kissed him. It was supposed to be lighthearted. Almost a joke. But when I pulled back, we stared at each other and smiled and…I had to do it again. The right way. I leaned in and hovered my lips over his and then licked the seam. He let me immediately. He hummed appreciatively, wrapping his arms around my neck and raking his fingers through my hair. I glided my tongue alongside his in a sweet, slow exploration that made me weak in the knees. I didn’t pull back until we were breathless and in danger of heading someplace we couldn’t easily navigate back from. I pulled away and then stepped aside.

“See ya,” I said huskily before heading down the stairs and out the gate.

I hurried to my SUV, jumped inside, turned on the engine, and sped down the block. I came to a screeching halt at the stop sign at the end of the residential street.  Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I felt oddly energized yet freaked out at the same time.

I knew why. I’d been here before, and I told myself I’d never do this again. And I’d been doing just fine until Mitch came along. I loosened my hold on the wheel and ran my finger over my bottom lip.

Fuck, I wanted him.


Blurb

Evan di Angelo is an upbeat, good-natured goofball who loves his friends and family… and football. A traumatic accident may have ended his hopes of playing professionally, but he’s made the most of his four years on the field at a small Southern California college. He’s learned the hard way to embrace change, take chances and try things outside of his comfort zone…like agreeing to play fake boyfriends for someone else’s senior project.

Mitch Peterson knows that being his authentic self is the path to true happiness. He’s grown from a shy, quiet kid from a broken home to an out and proud budding internet sensation bound for grad school. An awesome senior project is the key. It’s unlikely anyone will believe the hunky, straight athlete is Mitch’s new lover, but it’s worth a shot. However, as their tentative friendship blossoms into unexpected attraction, the lines between reality and fiction blur for both men. Evan is forced to face old demons and decide if he has the courage to take the next step and come out in the end zone.


Bio

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were First Place winners in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.


Giveaway

Lane has brought a $10 Amazon gift card to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Tuesday, October 23th at 11:59 pm ET.


  • 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.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • 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.
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