Three the Hard Way

Sydney Croft

Lovers Taggart Brody and Justice McKinney possess special abilities that make them valuable to agencies who employ—or enslave—people with extraordinary talents. When tragedy tears them apart, Justice finds purpose working for the good guys: ACRO, the super-secret Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. But he never forgets Taggart or the past they once shared.

Heartbroken, Taggart runs from who he is . . . right into the arms of Ian Bridges. But Ian, battling his own demons, betrays Tag to the terrorist organization Itor. After months of torture, Tag manages to escape, but kills an ACRO agent in the process. 

With nowhere left to turn, Tag disappears into the Alaskan wilderness, but it’s only a matter of time before his enemies track him down. He reaches out to Justice, and somehow Ian finds him too, hoping to right his wrongs. With ACRO and Itor both bearing down, the three men must figure out how to forgive, how to work together, and how to love each other—or the coming battle will destroy them all.

Each year, Riptide Publishing releases a holiday collection in support of an LGBTQ charity. Twenty percent of all proceeds from the  Share the Love collection  will be donated to the  It Gets Better Project.
This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

• Three of Hearts by Kelly Jamieson (releasing November 17)
• Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt (releasing November 24)
• Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (releasing December 1)

 Excerpt

This had to be a dream. Or a nightmare. Maybe both.

Four years after losing Justice, Tag’s body was reacting as if they were still together and nothing had changed. As if Justice hadn’t all but destroyed him.

Clearly, Justice hadn’t destroyed his dick because it was all, I’m so happy to see you!

Taggart ripped his mouth away, but Justice palmed his face in both hands and held him for his kiss. It was brutal and angry and Tag loved it as much as he hated it.

He caught Justice’s bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hard, tasted blood. Justice growled, and Tag moaned as the raw, erotic sound vibrated all the way to his groin. Memories of dozens of past against-the-wall make-out sessions flipped through his mind, a distraction that gave Justice the upper hand. In an instant, Justice wheeled him away from the wall, hooked his leg behind Tag’s knees, and took him to the hardwood floor.

His shoulder jammed on impact, and his ribs, fractured during the Itor/ACRO battle a couple of months ago, hurt like fuck, but he forgot all of that as Justice came down on top of him and pinned Tag’s thighs between his.

“You dick.” Justice ripped open Tag’s shirt, sending buttons flying. “I see your impulse control hasn’t improved.”

No, but Justice’s fighting skills had. For some reason that turned him on. Turned him on so much that when Justice fell forward, grinding his erection against Tag’s and plunging his tongue inside Tag’s mouth, he forgot to fight for a moment. God . . . so . . . good. Didn’t feel like they had four years of bad history behind them. And when Justice shifted to rip open Tag’s jeans and palm his cock, Tag damned near came the way he had back when they were teens and Justice had touched him for the first time.

Wrenching their mouths apart again, Tag grabbed Justice’s wrist. “We’re not doing this. I didn’t bring you here for— Motherfucker!”

His balls felt like they were in a clamp, throbbing in Justice’s tight fist. Justice’s touch was expert, holding him on the razor’s edge of pain but managing to make it erotic, and he wondered what he’d have to do or say to make the guy stop.

Or squeeze just a little harder.

They’d had angry sex before, but this was different. This wasn’t about Tag getting wasted and forgetting to help Justice study for his physics exam. This wasn’t about Justice flirting with another guy just to get a rise out of Tag. This was about real pain, and they had the real rage to back it up.

“I don’t care why you brought me here.” Justice’s fist twisted, just a little, and Tag hissed. “You knew we had to get this out of the way before anything else.”

Yeah, he knew that. He’d known it when he dialed ACRO. “I hate you.”

If Tag had said that four years ago, he’d have seen hurt in Justice’s baby blues. Now he saw only cynical amusement. “Enough to tell me to stop?”

Justice’s hold on his sac released, and the next thing he knew, Justice was fisting his cock instead. Tag damn near swallowed his tongue as his ex-lover’s hand slid up and down. It was over and he knew it. Fighting this was stupid, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t go down swinging.

Falling forward again, Justice pinched Tag’s lobe between his teeth. “Well?” he prompted. “Do you hate me enough to tell me to stop?”

Taggart arched into Justice’s palm. “I hate you enough to not let you fuck me.” He drove his fingers through Justice’s short hair and yanked his head back so he could look him in the eye. “No. Fucking.”

The only sign that Tag’s words had struck their target was Justice’s subtle inhale. Tag would never let anyone fuck him if he didn’t care about them, and Justice knew that. Never. Hell, he’d only ever bottomed for Justice and Ian. Only Justice and Ian had been inside his body. Inside his heart.

“I mean it, Justice,” Tag growled. “You so much as try, and I swear to God, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Kill me?” Justice’s hand wedged lower inside Tag’s open jeans until his finger found Tag’s hole. Tag bit back a moan. “You don’t have a killer bone in your body.”

If you only knew. Tag jammed his fist into Justice’s ribs and bore down on a particularly sensitive nerve. “No. Fucking,” he repeated.

Justice conceded with a shallow nod. “For now.”

No, not for now. For forever.

But before Tag could say that, Justice slid down his body in a quick, agile move and opened his mouth over his cock. Holy shit. His hips came off the floor in a massive surge, seeking more of that wet warmth. Justice took him deep and then began a merciless, punishing suck-lick-swallow rhythm that made Tag’s vision go blurry.

But not blurry enough to be able to pretend that it wasn’t Justice’s blond head bobbing up and down on his dick. No, when he looked down his body at what his ex-lover was doing . . . Holy shit, this was really happening.

Part of him wanted to weep with relief—the rest of him dreaded the regret and self-loathing he’d experience the moment it was over.

Pleasure streaked through him, erasing all that emotionally charged bullshit in his head, and he surrendered to Justice’s masterful touch. There was plenty of time to mire himself in a black pit of remorse later.

Justice sucked hard, hollowing out his cheeks, and Tag shouted in ecstasy. He was about to blow—

Abruptly, Justice reared up, tore open his own jeans, and shoved them down with his boxer briefs. His cock sprung out, a beautiful dusky column of flesh that made Tag’s mouth water. He licked his lips as he watched Justice crawl up his body and put the head of that gorgeous cock against Tag’s lips.

“Open your mouth,” Justice said, his voice smoky and commanding, a combination that was impossible to resist. “Suck it.”

Taggart gave it to the count of five, just to be stubborn. Then, with as much control as he could muster, he parted his lips and accepted the easy push of Justice’s erection into his mouth.

They both moaned. Tag knew every ridge, bump, and vein of Justice’s cock, and fuck, this was like coming home. Like four years hadn’t passed. Tag left all the anger and hatred behind and began to pleasure Justice eagerly, gripping his jeans-clad ass in one hand, while he wrapped the other around Justice’s thick length. His own cock was demanding attention, but the bastard could wait.

Pulling Justice in more, Tag forced him to fall forward and brace himself on his palms as he straddled Tag. The leverage allowed Justice to pump his hips and fuck Tag’s mouth the way they both liked it.

Closing his eyes, Tag concentrated on the warmth radiating from Justice, warmth he’d missed for a long time. He’d ached for this . . . but had he ached for the sex, or for Justice?

If the sound of Justice’s panting breaths was any indication, he was aching, too. Good. Tag was going to make him ache a little more.

Baring his teeth, he scraped them lightly along Justice’s shaft, wringing a hiss of pleasure-pain from him before sucking him deep and repeating it all again. And again.

When he was done punishing Justice—for now—he swallowed hard on his cock, and Justice groaned. “So good. You’re the best at that.”

Ian had said the same thing, and fuck that thought—Ian and his betrayal had no place in what was going on here, now, with Justice and his betrayal.

Tag’s cock was straining and his balls were throbbing, and this was enough foreplay. Wrapping his arm around Justice’s thigh, he forced him to shift positions. For a moment, Justice withdrew from Tag’s mouth, but a couple of seconds later, he was straddling Tag’s head again and sinking his wet cock back between Tag’s lips. Tag moaned around his shaft as Justice’s warm mouth engulfed Tag’s erection and sucked it deep.

Tag knew Justice had never liked this position, but he loved it, top or bottom—loved giving and taking pleasure equally—and he lasted approximately ten seconds before his balls tugged tight and his climax blasted through his cock. Justice swallowed, milking Tag hard, and even before the last spasms of Tag’s bliss faded away, Justice was also coming, his hot semen splashing into Tag’s hungry mouth.

Tag took it all, licking and sucking as Justice did the same, taking every last drop Tag had to give. His pulse pounded in ears as pleasure wracked him, and inside his chest, his heart was knocking painfully against his ribs as if warning him against feeling anything besides lust and anger for this man.

His ticker didn’t have to worry. Even now, utterly spent and his body trembling, Tag’s mind was filling up with all the reasons why what they had done was a terrible idea. No doubt Justice’s thoughts were heading in the same direction.

Groaning, Justice shifted off Tag and rolled to the side, his soft, glistening cock resting against his hard abs just inches away from Tag’s face. Four years ago, he’d have loved that. Now, feeling exposed, Tag tucked and buttoned up, but Justice apparently didn’t give a rat’s ass, just lay there, chest heaving under the red Iron Man sweatshirt he wore. The ratty, threadbare Iron Man sweatshirt Tag had gotten Justice as a gag gift during their first year of college.

“Iron Man, get it?” Tag engaged his power, and a pair of scissors flew off the counter and landed in his palm. “You’ll always be attracted to me.”

Justice rolled his eyes. “Lame, man. Lame.” In a flash of motion, he hooked his arm around Tag’s neck and drew him in for a kiss. “I don’t need a metal suit to be attracted to you,” he murmured. “I’m yours.”

Tag snorted out loud.

“You wanna let me in on the joke?” Justice asked.

No, not really. The last thing Tag wanted to do was acknowledge the damned thing, because Justice didn’t do anything randomly. Putting on that sweatshirt today had been a deliberate choice. Either he was trying to mess with Tag’s head, or he was trying to punch him in the heart.

What a jackass.

“I’m just wondering why you didn’t dress for Alaska in the winter. You could have frozen out there—” Tag broke off as Justice tugged up the hem of the sweatshirt to reveal a layer of fleece and a thermal shirt.

“I’m not an idiot.” Justice’s voice was as rough and raw as what they’d just done on the floor.

Shit. This had been as much a fight as it’d been sex . . . and Tag wasn’t sure who’d won.

“Did you hear that?” Justice murmured. “A click—”

The door banged open, and a blast of cold and snow roared into the cabin, bringing with it Tag’s second visitor of the day.

The second man he’d ever loved.

The second man who’d ever betrayed him.

About Sydney Croft

Sydney Croft is the alter-ego of Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler, two  New York Times  bestselling authors who blend their very different writing interests into adventurous tales of erotic paranormal fiction. Together, they developed a world where people with extraordinary abilities, like the power to control storms, could live and work with others like them. The series has been described as “Erotica meets the X-Men,” and is unique in its own “erotic super hero romance” niche.

Larissa and Stephanie live in different states and communicate almost entirely through email, though they often get together for conferences and book signings.

Giveaway!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $25 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 7.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

(Just leave a comment with your email on this post to enter)

Help us choose a charity!

Every year, Riptide Publishing releases a Holiday charity bundle with themed stories by bestselling authors. Twenty percent of the net proceeds of each bundle goes to a charity that serves the LGBTQ population.

Royalties from Riptide’s 2013 Home for the Holidays charity collection have raised over $14,000 in nine months for the Ali Forney Center, and continue to yield several hundred dollars per month in royalties donations. Our 2014 Share the Love charity collection will be raising money for the It Gets Better Project, and we hope to report even better results than in 2013.

For 2015, the theme will be Holiday Surprises, and we’ll have stories by HelenKay Dimon, Christine d’Abo, and Marie Sexton. But we don’t have a charity yet.

We need YOUR help to choose the 2015 charity. Nominate your favorite LGBTQ charity below and Riptide might choose it as the 2015 Holiday bundle charity!

The chosen charity for 2015 will immediately receive a $5,000 advance against royalties (paid in 2015 on announcement of the award recipient). The charity will continue to receive 20% of all lifetime net sales income from the 2015 holiday charity collection, in the form of a monthly royalty check.

Three honorable mention charities will each receive a $250 donation.

Click here to nominate a charity. Both supporters and representatives of a charity can submit a nomination.

Review

Title: Three The Hard Way

Series: ACRO 06.5

Author: Sydney Croft

Genre: Gay Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal

Length: Novella (174 Pages)

ISBN: 978-1-62649-234-9

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (December 1^st  2014)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Lisa

Blurb: Lovers Taggart Brody and Justice McKinney possess special abilities that make them valuable to agencies who employ—or enslave—people with extraordinary talents. When tragedy tears them apart, Justice finds purpose working for the good guys: ACRO, the super-secret Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. But he never forgets Taggart or the past they once shared.

Heartbroken, Taggart runs from who he is . . . right into the arms of Ian Bridges. But Ian, battling his own demons, betrays Tag to the terrorist organization Itor. After months of torture, Tag manages to escape, but kills an ACRO agent in the process.

With nowhere left to turn, Tag disappears into the Alaskan wilderness, but it’s only a matter of time before his enemies track him down. He reaches out to Justice, and somehow Ian finds him too, hoping to right his wrongs. With ACRO and Itor both bearing down, the three men must figure out how to forgive, how to work together, and how to love each other—or the coming battle will destroy them all.

Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/three-the-hard-way

Review: This story is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. Each story gives you a different romantic couple to read about. Most of the ones before this one are male/female romance so this might be the first male on male love story. I had a blast reading this book and cannot wait to read more by this author.

This book was a major hit for me. I took one look at the blurb and new I had to get my hands on this book. It captured my attention with just the blurb, and then when I started reading I was caught. I couldn’t put the story down, which means that it was a good thing the house wasn’t on fire because there was no way I was going to stop reading. It fascinated me the way the characters just mix so well. I have always loved paranormals, but when it is secret agency with people that have different powers they use for good and for evil then I am pretty much sold. Now there is nothing better than two very hot men getting it on, well that is not true three men getting all hot and bothered are. I loved Taggart, Justice and Ian. These three men made the windows fog up they were so hot together.

Taggart and Justice had been together since they were children, making a promise at the age of ten that they will always stick together. That is until one Christmas when they mothers were murdered by Itor. Itor is an agency that uses the ones with special powers for evil. They have many merc’s that kidnap and kill on just a word. When their mothers were killed and their love for each other couldn’t keep them together, they separated. Justice had wanted Taggart to join ACOR but he refused and after a brief fight Justice left. Now Taggart was calling him for help. That was saying something but Justice wasn’t sure what.

Taggart had been heart broken when Justice left, a few years later he had met and fallen in love with Ian. He told Ian everything and Ian turned around and betrayed him. He had been turned over to Itor for experimenting and torture. He had even been forced to kill. Now on the run once more, he knew he needed help. So out of desperation he called Justice for help. What he got was not only Justice but Ian also.

Ian had been hired to seduce Taggart and bring him to Itor, but once he realized he was falling in love he tried to stop it. Itor had not listened and taken the one man he loved. He had been raised by seducers and merc’s that he had never really had a family. He had never known what love truly was. And he had blown the one time he had a chance at it. Now he was bound and determined to save Taggart. What he had not expected was for Justice, Taggart’s best friend and ex-lover to be there for the same reason, except Justice wanted Taggart to work with him for ACOR. He had to make a decision, one that could lead him into two different directions.

Taggart had to make a decision. Actually he had to make several decisions. The one that could make or break him was whether he was going to let the two men he loved back in. Could he take that chance. With more than one group coming after them, he had to make a decision that could affect them all in such a short period of time. It was a good thing the avalanche gave them a few days to come to terms of the three of them together forever.

Omg talk about an amazing story. I have got to check out the rest of this authors books because I can tell you that this one story had captured my attention from the start. It gave me everything I could want in a story; in fact it gave me so much more. I fell in love with these three men, although I think it would have been Ian that brought me closer to them. He seems to be the one that needs the most loving. The way he had been raised basically led him to be what he is now. I mean Taggart was hurt and betrayed by those he loved, but Ian hadn’t had a chance to learn much about love and feelings. Justice comes off a bit hard to me, but after a while you start loving him. The sex between them is smoking hot and very tantalizing.

I would recommend reading this book if you love not two but three sexy men, passion and fire. Lust, deceit, betrayal, feisty attitudes, excitement, adventure, action, and lots of danger. And I am not just talking about the dangers coming for them, but the danger that comes from three men wanting each other and fighting the pull. I loved this book and cannot wait to read more.