Danny’s Dragon
by Sedonia Guillone
Length: 207 pages
Genres: Gay (M/M), Contemporary, Romance
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A rugged, muscular cop.
A sexy computer genius.
Secret desires.
Brought together by a crime committed on a cold dark night.
From the moment they meet, their lives can never be the same again...
Wild and rugged Dave Pearce is haunted by the demons of his past. He’s done his best to make a life for himself after the devastation of his lover’s suicide years earlier, but the trauma has left its mark on his soul.
Danny Wong is what Dave considers a “nerdy Bruce Lee.” Handsome, refined, out of his league.
But that doesn’t matter.
Dave believes himself to be dangerous for any man who would love him. So he stays back in the shadows, letting the desire he harbors for the hot grad student remain unrequited.
Danny has demons of his own. Duty-bound to his family’s goals for him, he remains shy and closeted, contenting himself with his secret fantasies about the sexy Irish cop who patrols the campus building where Danny does his graduate work.
Until one freezing winter night…
Leaving the building, fate steps in and their paths cross in a new...deeper way. Neither man can turn back. Danny and Dave must face the demons rearing their heads with full force, or lose their chance at an epic love...
Danny moved closer and reached up, smoothing one hand over the shoulder nearer to him. Dave’s freckled skin was warm and taut over the hard muscle. He slid his touch from Dave’s shoulder, down to his chest, gently splaying his hand over one side. Dave’s heartbeat pounded under his hand, and Dave was watching him, his eyes half-closed, his breath husky. Danny had the sense he was holding himself back, letting Danny explore.
“Danny, would you take your shirt off? I really want to see you.”
He nodded. “Of course.” Sitting back, he tugged off his black sweater and unbuttoned his shirt. Dave’s hungry gaze rested on him, making his cheeks burn hotter with each button he undid. He pulled his shirt back, down his shoulders and arms, praying Dave didn’t see the skinny nerd he’d always seen in the mirror.
Dave’s eyes went even duskier. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath. He reached out and smoothed one large, callused hand across Danny’s chest, his fingertips tracing the etchings of his muscles.
Danny exhaled, his skin practically quivering from the pleasure of Dave’s touch. The pads of Dave’s fingertips smoothed over his nipples, which tightened in response. Flames of erotic heat licked up his body, through his thighs and groin. His erection, long past fully hard, strained against his jeans.
“Danny, you’re fucking hot.”
Heat bloomed in Danny’s cheeks. “Thank you.”
Dave moved lower, down Danny’s stomach, dipping his fingertips below the waistband. Danny felt Dave’s desire to please him, his role as the pleasure-giver taking over. As much as he wanted Dave to touch him, he wanted more for the other man to know he didn’t need to service him to be liked.
Lightly he grasped Dave’s wrist, staying his hand. “Not yet,” he told him gently.
Dave’s eyebrows rose, a hint of alarm in his expression. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not. I just haven’t finished your massage.”
The apprehension drained from his eyes and Dave grinned. “Okay. I must say I was enjoying that immensely.”
“I’m glad.” Danny lifted Dave’s hand to his face and pressed his lips into the flesh of the palm. He held it there for a lingering moment before releasing him. Rising on his knees, he maneuvered himself so he was kneeling on the bed behind Dave. His breath caught. “Wow.”
Dave looked at him over his shoulder. “My tattoo.” He sounded sheepish. “The folly of my youth.” His voice strained as if there were painful memories behind the work of art.
Danny stared at the enormous dragon covering the upper portion of Dave’s broad back. The creature was fierce-looking, with clawed wings outstretched, the tail winding down Dave’s spine, past the waistband of his jeans. A myriad of colors made up the body and wings of the dragon, artfully shaded, obviously the work of a highly skilled artist. “It’s beautiful, actually,” he said softly. Gingerly, he traced the lines and shadings, enjoying the feel of Dave’s warm skin and hard muscles under his fingers.
Dave turned back around. He heaved a sigh. “I’m glad you’re not repelled.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I was very young when I got it. Twenty, to be exact. My first partner, John... he was into all kinds of astrology. He told me I was born in the Year of the Dragon, you know, in the Chinese zodiac.”
“Yes I know.”
“I did it for him.” Dave’s voice was unmistakably sad. Apparently things had gone terribly wrong with this person.
“It sounds like he was very important to you.”
Dave nodded. “He was. He was. He died.”
Danny stopped tracing the tattoo, feeling Dave’s emotional pain practically emanate through his skin. He concentrated instead on massaging Dave’s shoulders, kneading the tense muscles. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You didn’t, Danny.” Dave’s muscles relaxed under his ministrations. “Damn, you’re good at this. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Danny smiled. He moved his massaging motions down Dave’s arms, kneading his biceps. “I can’t cook to save my life, in spite of the fact my parents ran a restaurant for years.”
Dave chuckled, but then Danny sensed him grow serious. “That’s something I’m okay at. You don’t need to cook. I’ll do it for you.”
Something in Dave’s tone made Danny go still, his hands resting on Dave’s muscular arms. It was as if an invisible cord had bound them together in that simple statement. Like yin and yang finding their place together. He resumed his gentle massage, moving his hands back to Dave’s shoulders and onto his back. “I’d like that.”
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4 of 5 stars
A mixture of happy and sad, innocence and evil, tradition and contemporary, Danny's Dragon has it all. A well rounded drama about life, love and second chances. Danny and Dave have been dancing around their mutual attraction for a while now, each afraid to make the first move, but when Danny's life is threatened, Dave comes to his rescue and seizes the opportunity to learn more about the quiet man who makes him feel alive for the first time in a very long time.
The cultural contrasts between Danny's traditional upbringing and Dave's rough and tumble past make them an unlikely couple, but each seems to bring out the best in the other. I loved the way their romance developed over time and how they slowly opened up to each other. When secrets from Dave's past catch up to him, bringing hurt and drama that threatens Danny's quiet life, their commitment is tested as each man re-evaluates where their lives are heading and what truly matters.
Captivating and multidimensional, Danny's Dragon is a contemporary romance written in the classic style of days gone by, when a man's word was his bond, and honesty and honor prevailed.
Award-winning, multi-published author of erotic romance, SEDONIA GUILLONE spends her days writing deliciously naughty romances—when she’s not cuddling with the man she loves or watching kung fu and samurai films and eating chocolate.
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Thank you so much for the beautiful review!
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