Blue Collar Heart Series
Out in the Cold
Being rescued by a hot lumberjack after catching his fiancé cheating was the only good thing to happen to Beau for quite some time.
Getting stuck in the man’s cabin for the weekend? There were definitely worse ways to pass a few days.
Falling for him when the guy made it clear he didn’t do relationships? Well, Beau just wouldn’t do that… probably.
Out in the Cold is a 25k word novella with a 39-year-old furniture maker who is done with disappointing relationships, a 25-year-old accountant with terrible taste in fiancés but great taste in sexy underwear, a remote cabin in the woods during a snowstorm, and a rescue dog with more sense than his owner.
Read an excerpt:
“Here you go,” he said, voice soft but still gruff. He held out the sweats. They were the only ones he had with him with an actual drawstring. Hopefully, Beau would be able to tighten them enough to stay up since he was a lot shorter than Coop’s tall frame. “Thank you,” Beau whispered, accepting the pants but not moving out of the way, so Coop leaned against the dresser and shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting to see what else he had to say. Finally, Beau blurted out, “I’m not usually like this.” “Okay…” “I mean… I am, but not to this extent. Or well…” Groaning, Beau rubbed at his eyes, taking in a shuddery breath. With his eyes still covered, he whispered, “I found my fiancé screwing his assistant a few hours ago. So things are kind of terrible right now.” Some of Coop’s annoyance began to melt away. He knew from experience how easy it was to make dumb decisions when you were hurting from a betrayal like that. “That must have been painful.” Beau did a weird nodding shrug thing that Coop wasn’t sure how to interpret. “I just… I wanted you to know that I’m not usually so dumb, okay? I should have listened to my dad about the snowstorm, but I just wanted to get as far away from Danny and his stupidly perfect assistant as I could. And with Danny following me through our apartment as I was trying to pack, I didn’t pay attention to what I was grabbing.” This Danny sounded like a real piece of work. “You found them having sex in your apartment, or he followed you to your apartment and then inside?” Beau’s hands dropped to his sides, and he gave Coop a look that said he really didn’t think that question was relevant, but he answered it anyway. “In our apartment. Danny has—had an office in the second bedroom, and he worked out of it sometimes.” He shrugged loosely, his arms flopping around a little, and continued as his eyes traveled around Coop’s bedroom curiously. “His assistant didn’t usually come over, but it wasn’t completely unheard of, so I didn’t even think twice about his car in our guest parking spot. But there they were, right on top of Danny’s desk. His skinny little assistant moaning like Danny actually…” He trailed off as he bit his lip, meeting Coop’s eyes for only a second, then dropping his gaze to Trucker, cheeks flushing adorably. There was something in his voice, though, that had Coop taking half a step closer. Fuck. He had to be reading into it, but it almost sounded like cute little Beau was more upset at being cheated on than his engagement ending. And also like Danny might have been lousy in the sack. As tempting as it was to offer Beau a shoulder to cry on—or his dick to bounce on in revenge—that vulnerable look in those chocolatey eyes spelled trouble. Coop would bet his cabin and all the land it sat on that Beau wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of guy. But one night was all Coop had to offer anyone anymore.
Laying Pipe
Having a crush on his dad’s best friend for years hasn’t done wonders for Lukas’s love life. No one ever quite measured up to the kindhearted man who always seemed to be there when Lukas needed him.
He knows nothing can ever come of it since John’s straight. Like, used to be married to a woman, only ever dated women, super blue collar kind of straight.
Not to mention his dad would lose his mind...
But it's totally fine. Lukas is sure he’ll get over his feelings eventually.
Even if John is suddenly looking at him differently.
Almost like… Almost like he wants to kiss Lukas?
That can’t be right.
Laying Pipe is the first in bestselling author Kiki Clark’s Blue Collar Hearts series. It features a 42-year-old plumber who’s good with his hands… and pipes, a 26-year-old vet tech with the softest of hearts, a late-blooming bisexual, super low angst, and butt-touching as a love language.
Read an excerpt:
Those thick brows lowered as John got that mulish expression that meant he was digging in about something instead of letting it go. “I don’t care about Gina; I care about you. And, of course, I want to know the truth. Did something happen?” Lukas scrubbed at his face and choked on a humorless laugh. Fuck it. If John wanted to know so damn bad, he’d tell him. That would put an end to their dinners, which would probably be for the best. Instead of getting more hung up on the man, he could sever the connection, make a clean break, and start the process of getting over him. “Nothing happened. I just don’t like watching you being hooked up with someone else right in front of me, okay? I hate the idea of you being happy with someone other than me, but I know that is exactly what will happen one day, so yes, I’m sad. But I’ll get over it, over you, if you just give me some space.” He was practically panting by the time he finished speaking and was only holding John’s eyes by force of will. Everything in him wanted to curl up and protect himself from the inevitable pain that was about to happen. John’s mouth had dropped open a little bit, his gaze darting back and forth between Lukas’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what John was looking for, but he refused to shy away after laying his heart out on the line. John had pushed for an answer, so he’d gotten one, and now he had to deal with knowing that Lukas had feelings for him. He had no one to blame but himself. John sucked in a breath. “You…” Nothing else came out, and Lukas rolled his eyes even as the pieces of his heart began to fall to the floor between their feet. He ignored the tears gathering in his eyes and pushed John back with a quick shove to his chest. “Yes, me. I have a stupid fucking crush on you.” His burst of anger drained away quickly. He couldn’t be mad at John. John hadn’t known what he was asking to hear, and Lukas should have kept his mouth shut. Shaking his head and swiping at his eyes, he moved around John. “So fucking stupid. I’m going home. Tell my parents—” John’s firm grip on his upper arm jerked him to a stop, and then John pulled him back around, causing Lukas to stumble into him a little. For the second time in less than a minute, he had his hands pressed against John’s firm chest. Panting, he raised his gaze from where he was gripping the soft fabric of his shirt to John’s clenched jaw and flared nostrils. He finally met John’s eyes and couldn’t interpret the emotions dwelling in their dark depths. “John, just let me leave,” he whispered. John’s head jerked back and forth, but his eyes stayed glued to Lukas, then dipped down to his lips. “I can’t. I can’t just let you walk out after that.” “Why?” He told his traitorous heart to stop beating so hard, but his whole body was sparking with possibility. He pressed his fingers into John’s chest a little more and licked his lower lip. John’s eyes followed his tongue. “I… I don’t know why. Lukas, you…” Disappointment filled him when John didn’t say anything else, and the silence just stretched out between them. Finally, he felt like he had to say something to let John off the hook. “I’m not mad at you. I just need some time to get over these feelings. You don’t have to feel bad or anything.” He tried to pull away from John’s hold, but his grip tightened on Lukas’s arm and his other hand came up to cup the back of Lukas’s head, a frustrated noise ripping from John’s chest. Lukas’s breath froze in his lungs as he watched John lean forward so, so slowly, his gaze never leaving Lukas’s face and dropping repeatedly to his mouth. “John,” he breathed out, feeling like he needed to say something, like John was under some sort of spell that Lukas needed to break so John wouldn’t do something he’d regret later. “Lukas,” John said quietly, so close his breath brushed against Lukas’s damp mouth. Lukas parted his lips to try and get more air into his lungs and let his eyes fall closed, his body singing with anticipation. He was about to kiss John. John was about to kiss him! Their lips were going to touch any second and— “Lukas? John?” His dad’s voice was coming down the hall toward them, and John jerked back like he’d been struck. He stumbled away, eyes wide and full of… fear? Lukas felt like he was going to be sick when he saw the terror on John’s face.
Banger
If there was one thing Kevin knew, it was that his BFF’s ex was bad news.
Hank is arrogant, a sloppy drunk, and a complete flirt. And he didn't treat Kevin’s friend the way he deserved.
Enough said.
It doesn’t matter that everyone else has forgiven and forgotten what happened between Hank and Kevin’s bestie. He won’t let himself fall for the older man’s sweet words or endearments.
Especially not after… that night.
Getting ghosted by a guy Kevin wasn’t even really interested in—okay, he maybe sort of could have been, but definitely not now—was the final nail in the coffin. Just because Hank wormed his way into Kevin’s life and friend group, doesn’t mean Kevin has to give him the time of day.
Too bad, Hank isn’t getting that message.
Banger is book two in bestselling author Kiki Clark’s Blue Collar Hearts series. It features an age gap, enemies (though not really, except yes because you annoy me so much but why am I so attracted to you?!)-to-lovers, clothes stealing, bookstore dates, apology bjs, and so much more.
Read an excerpt:
He paused just on the other side, surprised to hear a familiar voice. “—carting everything back and forth to work, but I just hadn’t been able to get away early enough to be able to drop the stuff off before today.” He heard his sister laugh. “That’s totally fine! We’re just so grateful that John and Lukas did this for us.” Hank moved toward their voices, self-consciously tugging at his shirt, which was wet with sweat and sticking to him. He hadn’t realized Kevin was the one responsible for dropping off the donations the wedding guests had made to the humane society, but he supposed it made sense. He knew Kevin had been staying at John and Lukas’s house all week with their pets, and he’d seen the donations covering the dining room table when he’d been there on Sunday. As he came around a corner, Hank froze. Kevin was standing a couple of feet from his sister, smiling openly at her as he pushed up the sleeves of the sweatshirt he was wearing over his scrubs. The /enormous/ sweatshirt he was wearing. A very familiar-looking one. “There’s only one more box since most everyone just gave some cash or a check,” Kevin said, pulling a thick, wrinkled envelope from his pants pocket. “We went through and made sure all the checks were made out to you all. I’ll go grab the box, and then I think we’re all set, right?” Sandy nodded as she accepted the envelope. When she turned to set it on the counter behind her, she spotted Hank where he was lingering just out of sight of where Kevin was standing. He could tell just from the look on her face that she recognized the sweatshirt too. “Do you need a hand?” she asked. “I have a volunteer here, and I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help.” Kevin grinned, taking a step toward the door and waving her off. “I can get it. I’m sure they have more important things to do.” Taking a deep breath, Hank moved closer, coming into Kevin’s line of sight. “I don’t mind.” Kevin stared at him, his beautiful green eyes wide with shock. They just looked at each other for a long moment, the only sound the muffled barks and whines. Kevin’s gaze dropped down to his chest and clinging shirt, then quickly shifted back up. “What are you doing here?” His sister, whom he was beginning to question why he loved and adored so much, helpfully said, “Hank’s my baby brother. He helps us out here. Quite a bit, actually.” For some reason, that seemed to annoy Kevin, his jaw clenching and eyes narrowing. “Right. Of course he does.” He cleared his throat and took another step back. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle a single box.” Hank moved up next to Sandy, absently reaching up and swiveling his baseball hat around so it was backward since he didn’t need the extra protection on his face anymore. “It’s no big deal. That way, you don’t have to make another trip inside.” Kevin opened his mouth, no doubt to decline again, and Sandy jumped in once more, oh-so-helpfully. “Yeah, put him to work. It’s the least he can do with all those muscles.” He shot her a glare. He did not need her help. No matter what she may have thought was going on based on that sweatshirt and Hank’s occasional lamenting about Lukas’s hot friend ignoring him, she had the wrong idea. Kevin huffed and threw up his hands in surrender. “Fine, you can come get it.” He shot his sister a tight smile and then turned and fled out the door. As soon as it was closed behind him, Hank turned on his sister and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her the stink eye. “That was super helpful. Thank you.” “My pleasure. Go get him, champ,” she chirped, ignoring his sarcasm. She grabbed the envelope and one of the two boxes already sitting on the ground next to her and headed deeper into the building with a slap to his shoulder. By the time Hank made it out to Kevin’s car, he was already in the driver’s seat, engine running and back hatch sitting open. He couldn’t have been any more clear about wanting to get the hell away from him as fast as possible. Hank ignored the open back end and walked right up to the driver’s-side door, tapping on the window. Shoulders rigid, Kevin rolled it down halfway. “What?” Hank smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets, doing his best to appear as nonthreatening as possible since Kevin looked about two seconds away from fleeing. “We need to finish our conversation from last weekend.” Kevin shook his head, still not looking at him. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “We really don’t. Let’s just… put it behind us. Like you said, we don’t have to be friends, but we can be civil to one another.” Hank refrained from pointing out that he’d always been civil to Kevin. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to be friends or just civil, beautiful. I want a chance to figure out if things were as good between us as I remember.” That got Kevin to finally look at him, his head whipping around to glare at him, eyes flinty. There was a light blush blooming in his pale cheeks beneath the faintest shimmer. Fuck, he really was so goddamn pretty.
Coming Soon
