Without Reservations

movement natural but the atmosphere charged with something heavy and unquiet. Whenever they’d done this before there had been passion or laughter, but now there was only Brandon’s studious concentration as he ran his fingers over the zipper of Luke’s jeans, then pulled it open. He tugged the jeans down, along with Luke’s jockey shorts, all the way to mid-thigh, and studied what he found there.
    Luke let out a small hiss as the cool air of the house kissed his cock, which was hard and ready for action even if the rest of him wasn’t. He looked down to see Brandon gazing at him as if he were something rare to be treasured, and then watched him as the man bent forward to take Luke’s dick into his mouth.
    Luke swore under his breath and put his hands forward, steadying himself on Brandon’s shoulders. He moved his hands like a cat would knead, rolling in time with Brandon’s sucking motions and making small cries whenever Brandon used his teeth or his tongue in an especially fine way, turning him desperate for the feel of something tighter and hotter around his cock.
    All too soon, Brandon drew off, licking his lips. He held on to Luke by one hip and looked up at him, eyes serious. “Now,” he said solemnly. “Do what comes naturally, but I want you.”
    I’ll always want you— that went unspoken.
    Luke nodded, pushing his jeans and shorts out of the way and kicking them lightly across the bedroom floor. As Brandon stretched out on the bed, Luke moved to Brandon’s side, helping his lover wriggle out

    of his own khakis until he, too, was bare of any stitch. Naked, Luke stretched out on top of the man, bracing his weight on his arms.
    They shared another kiss, long and deep and slow. “Good,” Brandon murmured when they parted. “No one’s ever kissed me like you do.”
    And never will again , Luke thought . God, so many things are going unsaid.
    “Kiss me.”
    Luke obeyed, bringing his mouth down with a hungrier fervor, trying to let Brandon know through his movements how much regret he felt at this having to be their last time together. That changed quickly, though, to pleasure at how good this felt, having Brandon beneath him.

    In a world where the nights are darker and the passions run deeper, two young men go from friends to something more when a dangerous stranger appears on their doorstep.

    Blood Brothers
    © 2006 Barbara Sheridan and Anne Cain
    Available now at Samhain Publishing

    In feudal Japan, war and famine tear through the countryside, and demons lurk in the darkness. Two young men struggle together on the outskirts of a ravaged village: the strong yet kind Liu Sakurai and his beloved gentle-hearted Kiyoshi. And as their friendship endures the endless hardships, their bond grows into something more.
    When the summer night brings a mysterious stranger to their door, the most dangerous desires of their dreams and nightmares are awakened. Blood now binds Kiyoshi and Sakurai together where once love did, but can this tie last an eternity?

    Enjoy the following excerpt for Blood Brothers:

    Oh I know what he is to you, Liu, I can see the hunger in your eyes for him. I felt the passion in your blood for him. Even now you grow hard and ache for him and if I wasn’t here you’d be fucking him into the futon, wouldn’t you?
    The trembling in Liu’s hands worsened until his entire body quivered.
    “I don’t—I—,” the young man gasped. He kept the curved blade to Kuro’s throat, but he sat back on his heels and groaned. His free hand pressed against the front of his yukata , stroking at the part in the robe between his legs. Kuro laughed again when the steel scraped against his neck, drawing out blood with the same ease he’d drawn out the hidden desires of Liu’s heart. Kuro reached up and touched the boy’s chin.

    “Y—yes,” Liu sighed heavily, his pulse quickening as the blood rushed through his body with lust.
    Give in to those desires… Kuro smiled, reaching out with his senses until he could taste Kiyoshi’s essence through Liu’s passionate imaginings.
    “Gods!” Liu dropped the kama and scrambled backwards away from Kuro. “How did you know that?” he croaked. “Why can I hear your voice in my mind?”
    “I am a strong man, Liu. Strong in ways you can’t even begin to imagine,” Kuro said softly. “I can see inside men to read what lies within their hearts.” He sat up, leaning back on one elbow to regard Liu. “A farmer’s life is not for you. Had