After The End by Sara York.
Author Contact Links:
Website: http://sarayork.com/sarayork/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraYork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarayork
Author Bio:
Author Bio Writing is Sara York’s life. The stories fight to get out, often leaving her working on four or five books at once. She can’t help but write. Along with her writing addiction she has a coffee addiction. Some nights, the only reason she stops writing and goes to sleep is for the fresh brewed coffee in the morning.
Sara enjoys writing twisted tales of passion, anger, and love with a good healthy dose of lust thrown in for fun.
After The End Blurb:
With international flights crisscrossing the skies on an hourly basis, are we ever really safe?
When a strain of the Ebola virus mutates; it spreads quickly leaving the medical community shattered. People are dropping in the streets and life, as most know it, comes to an end. Two city dweller survivors, Dean and William, are forced to flee the city and live in the wilderness—where dangers lurk behind every tree and in every valley. Not everyone alive after the end is good, and William and Dean are faced with challenges that would bring many to their knees.
Growing up in the hood of Atlanta, Dean knows how to overcome trials, but he knows nothing of love. Can he sustain a relationship with William, or will his doubts end them before they even have a chance?
From birth William has had a silver spoon in his mouth and two in each hand, but the end brings him face to face with reality where he has to take responsibility for his life. After the end, money has no meaning, and life is lived on the edge.
Join William and Dean after the end and find out how close to the edge they come.
After The End Buy Links:
After The End Book Info:
Publisher: Sara York (September 29, 2014)
Pages: 182 pages
Genre: MM, Romance
Rafflecopter runs from September 29th through October 28th ending at Midnight EST.
Grand Prize: $150 Gift card to Amazon, iBooks, B&N or ARe (Winners Choice) and a print copy of After The End
2nd Prize: Print copy of After The End
3rd Prize: ebook of a Sara York backlist book.
After The End Excerpt #1:
After he finished, both of them satisfied, William pulled him up and brushed his lips over Dean’s. The kiss was charged with sensuality and caring. At first Dean stilled, wondering what the hell had gotten into William. They’d kissed before, but not like this. Not with William’s hands caressing his neck and face, and certainly not with the passion he felt flowing from the guy. He was a booty call to William, nothing more. The kiss spoke of love and caring, not hooking up and getting off.
Surprised, Dean tried to process the sensations and stop his feelings from running over his good senses. This wasn’t real. They’d changed a little since those first few times, but he wouldn’t acknowledge the difference. Speaking about the changes would mean they’d have to confront the truth, and no matter how many times they got off together, William would never really be his.
“I’ve left you some money under my pillow,” William whispered.
Pain lanced Dean’s heart. No matter how gentle William was with his kisses, he’d never really respect him. Dean shook his head, and tried like hell to hang onto his anger. “I can’t accept your money.”
“Take it. It’s not for sex. Okay, I…hell, I know about your parents and your house. I can’t….”
Heat filled Dean, his whole body burning like never before. “What the hell have you done?”
“Get real, I’m not going to ask you to be my…mistress isn’t the right word, but I want you around, you know, living close to where I do. I can’t offer more than that right now, but dammit, we’re good together.”
Dean stepped away from William and scowled. “I’m not some whore you can buy.”
“I didn’t say that. I know you’re smart. Hell, everyone at Blackwell knows you’re the smartest guy in school. But I want you.”
He shook his head violently, the food sitting in his stomach threatened to come up. “I can’t take your money.”
“Dean, please. I want you to be able to eat this week.”
Anger flashed. “My God, you don’t get it, do you?”
“No, I sure as hell don’t. Just take the fucking money. My parents give me a thousand dollars a week and I don’t have to pay for anything. I have cash and it’s disgusting. I don’t want it all, but I want you in my life.”
Dean started pulling on his pants. As he tugged them over his thighs he realized he’d forgotten his underwear. He almost left them in his haste to get away, but William was right. He was fucking poor. If he left the underwear here, he’d only have three pair that didn’t have holes in them.
William grabbed his shoulders as he stood from retrieving his underwear. He was pressed up against the wall and held there. Dean wouldn’t meet William’s gaze.
“Please, don’t be this way. Don’t end it like this,” William begged.
Dean stilled, his heart thudding. “You know it’s going to end soon.”
“We can work something out,” William pled. His brows bunched together and his eyes were full of desperation. The man looked adorable and heartbreakingly bad for him all at the same time. Dean would lose himself, his self-worth, and his future if he stayed.
After The End Excerpt #2:
Dean searched through the cabinets, looking for gloves and a mask, but he found nothing. He’d have to go out without any real protection and take his chances. That scared him. What if someone touched him that was sick?
The windows were covered with thick curtains that were older than dirt. When he pushed them aside, dust rained down on him. He sneezed and blew bits of dust particles off his hands before rubbing a spot clean on the window, allowing him to peer out. The streets were empty. Not that many people would be out in this weather, but he was expecting to see some people out milling around.
If he raced out of his house right now, he might avoid the rush to the store.
Or had that already happened? He let the curtains close as he thought about his options. It would be better to leave now and head out. It sounded like the longer he waited the more people would be infected.
Dean went to his room and grabbed a pair of knit gloves and a scarf he’d been given last school year when the staff realized he didn’t have winter clothes. It wasn’t the same as a mask and plastic gloves, but it would have to do. He pulled on his hoodie and made his way to the front door, pausing to take a deep breath. There was no way to prepare for going out into the world when a plague was ravaging the people, but his options were limited.
He pulled open the door when a dark gray SUV pulled up in front of his house. It looked expensive. He froze, unsure if he should go back inside or stand his ground. The driver’s door popped open and William stepped out, coming around the front of the car.
“Oh God, you scared me. What are you doing here?” Dean called out.
“Have you come in contact with anyone else?” William asked.
Dean shook his head. “Just at your party, that’s it. What about you?”
“No,” William shouted.
“What if someone at your party was sick?”
William shrugged and took a step closer. “We won’t touch.”
He glanced around, staring up at the gray sky. “Why are you here?”
“You should come with me. This is going to get crazy real quick. My parents—”
William let out a sob before he straightened, his lips curved down in a frown.
“They’re gone. It’s going to be bad. Please, come with me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Please. We have a fence surrounding the property. It will be safer. We can protect each other.”
Dean looked around. His parents hadn’t come home and they were probably dead. If they ended up being okay, they’d do something stupid to get him sick. He didn’t want to die.
He nodded quickly. “I need to grab some stuff. Stay with the car and keep the doors locked. I’m just going ro get a few clothes and some money.”
“I have lots of clothes,” William said, his voice higher than normal.
“You’re a little shorter than I am and you weigh more.”
“Fine, but move quickly, we don’t have much time.”
“Got it.”
Dean raced back inside his house and grabbed his school backpack, emptying the contents on this bed. If they survived and life returned to normal, he’d come back and get his books. He shoved the money William had given him to the bottom of the bag then grabbed some shirts out of his closet, shoving them in, not worrying about wrinkles. Next, he took a few pants off the hangers and pitched them in the bag. After grabbing his clothes, he went to the bathroom and packed his toothbrush, deodorant, and comb into the bag, looking around for anything else he needed.
There were so many things he could take, but he didn’t need any of them.
The horn honked outside and he heard William yelling. There wasn’t anything here for him. He ran to the front door and pulled it open, seeing two guys banging on the driver’s side window. Dean ran back into the house to his mom’s room and opened the nightstand beside her bed, searching for the handgun he knew she kept there. The horn honked more and he heard tires squeal. He hoped he wasn’t too late.
Dean grabbed the gun and ran out the door to watch William race down the street before swinging a wide U turn, running over the weed packed lawns in the process. The car faced him and slowed to a stop. The two guys who’d tried to break into the car were running toward William. Dean lifted the pistol and fired. The guys froze and looked over their shoulder. He’d never aimed a gun at anyone, and he wasn’t a good shot at a target. He didn’t think he could actually shoot at these people if they rushed him, but they didn’t know that. William revved the engine on his car and the guys turned back to him.
“Leave us alone,” Dean called out just before William stepped on the accelerator, the tires squealing. The two guys dove out of the way as William swerved close, barely missing them before driving up onto the grass in front of Dean’s house.
Dean raced around the front of the car, dropping the gun on the ground as he ran. He almost went back for it but the guys were running at them. Dean heard the locks click just before he reached the door to open it. Dean slammed the car door and hit the lock button. William took off, the SUV bouncing as they dropped off the curb.
“Fuck, that was scary,” William said.
“Are you okay?”
I spent three days in northern Georgia, almost at the same spot where I set After The End. The place is beautiful. There are trees everywhere and mountain streams crisscross across the land. I can see William and Dean wandering around up here, trying to find a safe place to live. It’s a wild beauty that is full of life. It would be difficult living off the land here, struggling to survive when all of society is gone to hell.
The mountains of northern Georgia are at about seventeen hundred feet elevation.
The mornings are chilly in the spring and fall. After The End is set in spring, so the conditions go from freezing cold in the morning to very warm in the afternoons and back to cold at night. Dean and William have to learn how to start a fire, how to fish, where they can get safe water, and how to set up a tent.
From the very basic parts of living, the lowest of the hierarchy of needs to the greatest are explored in After The End. Not only are Dean and William in a fight for their lives, William finally wakes up and realizes he is in love with Dean. But Dean has no clue what love is. His parents weren’t the best, and he’s never experienced real love. Now that all of the distractions are gone, he’s alone with William and they have to rely on each other for survival. Leaving isn’t really an option. He’s forced to work through his emotions and his insecurities.
Being totally alone gives William and Dean time to have fun. No one else needs their attention so the guys are allowed to explore the fun side of being together in the wilderness. Without the fear of being discovered, they blossom.
Dean and William are special to me. I love this book and I hope you do too.
Dean bolted up, his body clearing the bed so fast William didn’t know what had happened. He was still sitting on the bed and Dean was edging closer to the bathroom and his clothes.
“Please, stop.”
“You love me?” Dean’s voice wavered, his breath coming fast.
“I was too afraid to tell you. When you told me you were planning on leaving I knew I had to say something, but I was too afraid. You’re amazing. I love you. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. At first he thought Dean was going to still leave, then his expression softened. “I don’t know.” Dean took a few steps closer, then a few more. The bed dipped as Dean sat down.
“What? What don’t you know?”
William scooted closer to Dean, pressing his lips to Dean’s shoulder. For a second Dean didn’t move then he leaned into William’s hold, resting his head on William’s chest.
“I don’t know what love is. My dad beats my mom and she cheats on him. They yell and scream. They have fights that are epic and yet they call it love. My mom is a hooker. When you gave me that money, a piece of me died a little. I don’t what that.
I’ll never be the type of person who gets paid for sex.”
“Babe, I didn’t know. I just wanted you to stay with me. I knew that if you left, you’d never come back to me. I love you.”
“But what does that mean?”
“It means this.” William tugged Dean to the mattress. They snuggled close, William kissing Dean’s face and chest. He feathered his hands over Dean’s body, slowly loving him with gentle touches and kisses. “I’ll never hit you. We may argue, but I’ll always treat you tenderly. I’ll be there for you when you’re afraid.”
Dean shivered and a sob escaped his lips. “I really don’t know what love is.”
“Let me show you. We’ll be together from here on out. Do you trust me?” William asked.
Dean hesitated, his gaze searching out William’s before he nodded. “Yes, I trust you.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged Dean closer. “Give me time and I’ll show you how much I care. Just stick with me.”
Dean nodded as tears filled his eyes. “I will.”
“Are you crying?”
“No,” Dean said, but his strained voice spoke the truth.
William turned off the lamp before hugging him closer. He sought out Dean’s lips, kissing him with great care. He made a trail of kisses down Dean’s chest, worshiping his body with his mouth as he showed Dean how much he loved him.
Thank you so much for having me!
Oh, My. Gods! Excerpt #2 had my adrenalin pumping fast! This book sounds like one hell of a rollercoaster and I want to ride it! Much good fortune and success on the sales of this book, Sara!
WooHooo!!