Guest Post: Curious by Leslie McAdam

Today I am so pleased to welcome Leslie McAdam to Joyfully Jay. Leslie has come to talk to us about her latest release, Curious. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Exclusive Excerpt

My heart starts to beat a little faster. Are we doing what I think we’re doing? I mean, it was my idea, but I always thought that getting married would be a bigger deal than calmly discussing it in the living room with someone I’m not even dating.

Something inside me aches for Cam. He must really be in a lot of pain. I can’t see him agreeing to an arrangement like this unless he were desperate. I wish I could reassure him that it’ll be okay. I’m happy to help him, and it doesn’t have to mean anything. We can do this as long as we need to, and when it’s done, it’s done.

I know a thing or two about someone keeping a promise just long enough to satisfy an obligation. Talk to my mother. Or, more to the point, look at the card in the bottom of the pool house dresser drawer that reminds me not to get my hopes up.

“I’m good with it,” I say. “With or without an agreement. I’ll marry you. Let’s go.”

“Whoa,” he says, holding up his hand. “Don’t you want to, I don’t know, put on a suit or something? I think we should observe some of the traditions, don’t you?” Then he mutters something I don’t catch.

The specifics of a ceremony aren’t something I’ve ever really considered, mostly because it seemed premature until I was with someone I wanted to marry. “You tell me,” I say. “If you want to have the full ceremony, let’s do it.” Then I grin. “Camden Cooper, will you marry me?”

He laughs. “Um, I think yes. Just let me make sure we have everything we need for the paperwork at the clerk’s office. Or wherever it is we’re going to say our vows.”

“So romantic.” I giggle. “I’ll reserve us a spot.”

He gives me a sweet smile, and something inside me shifts, a warmth infusing my body. Yeah, okay. I don’t know him that well, but he’s … husband material. Protective, communicative, caring. I know his brother and sister, and I’m pretty sure he’s good people, like them.

I pull out my phone and make an appointment for tomorrow at the nearest clerk’s office. Then I look up at him. “So the deal is, we get married, and I’ll put you on my insurance plan until you heal. I’ll stay here until I find another place, and I’ll help you find your own insurance, too. When we’re all set, we’ll get divorced.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cam says.

While I’m happy to be helping him, I can’t help feeling a heavy weight in my stomach as we sketch out the demise of our union. But we’re not in a relationship. Like, at all. We aren’t even more than acquaintances. I’m not sure what my heart is reacting to—maybe some combination of my unrequited crush on Cam and the disappointment of learning what a jerkwad Evan was. Still, I have to remember that this marriage is to get Cam health insurance, nothing more. I smile. “Cool. As soon as we’re legal, I’ll ask Demi in the office to add you to my insurance, and then you can get that ankle taken care of.”

“So should we get dressed up and go over to the clerk’s office tomorrow?” Cam asks. “What’s your ring size? Do you know what kind of ring you want?”

All of a sudden, this blurt of mine is becoming real. And while I know I could stop this train, I don’t really want to. Most importantly, because I want to help Cam. But also … I’m letting myself get caught up in this fantasy. That I can have a wedding day with a gorgeous guy.

I need to keep things in perspective. We’ll just sign some papers and exchange I-dos. No romance involved.

“We don’t need rings,” I say.

He clucks his tongue. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. I don’t want your insurance company coming after you because we weren’t really married, and rings are a symbol of marriage. Besides, we should let everyone know you’re off the market.” He falters. “So to speak. If you’re good with that.”

“Yes,” I croak. “I’m good with that.”

I may need therapy afterward, but for now I’m good with being legally married to a hot, straight guy so he can have health insurance to fix his ankle—which he hurt while saving me from my evil ex.

Sounds totally normal.

Blurb

IOU, Book 4

I’m desperately attracted to my husband.

Which wouldn’t be a problem, except he’s straight.

What happened is, my longtime crush/hero got badly injured saving me from my evil ex-boyfriend. When I found out he (my hero, not my ex) didn’t have health insurance, I did the logical thing: I proposed. To my surprise, he said yes.

I knew that Camden wasn’t interested in me like that. This deal was always meant to be temporary—just until he healed and could get his own insurance and I found a place to stay, since I’m not moving back in with my ex. No feelings involved.

Except Cam kissed me at our wedding ceremony, and ever since, we can’t seem to stop kissing. He says he’s curious what sex with a man would be like, but I don’t want to be another straight guy’s experiment.

Still, Cam is so kind and beautiful, with his dark eyes and tousled curls shoved into a backward baseball cap. His patience makes me want to throw out all my carefully crafted rules. And don’t get me started on how his first instinct is to protect me …

But I’m scared if I open my heart, I’m going to get hurt. Again.

Can I risk telling Cam how I feel before our deal ends? Or should I let him go and lose the best (fake) relationship I’ve ever had?

Curious is a stand-alone contemporary M/M romance novel with a marriage of convenience and bisexual awakening. It features Shelby, a receptionist who’s never met a vision board he didn’t like; Camden, an internet-famous contractor; and a hasty wedding for medical insurance reasons. Happy ever after guaranteed.

Bio

USA Today bestselling author Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie’s first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world’s largest online writing competition. She’s gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.