StrangeLove
T.L. Bradford
Publication date: April 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Archer

The year began great for me.

Became the starting quarterback for an NFL team – check.
Secured a multi-million-dollar contract – check.
Moved to LA and lived the glamorous life – check.

What could possibly cause me any issues?
Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m gay.

I was outed a couple of years ago to my former team and my family, but it hasn’t been made public knowledge yet. Well, that is, until now. I’ll be known as the first LGBTQ+ active player in the league’s history. And if I stick to the conditions of my contract, it won’t be a problem. The thing is, I’m not really a guy known for playing by the rules.

Most people think of my personality as the three B’s: bold, brash, and blunt. My mouth has gotten me into more predicaments than I can count. Even my best friends have told me I’m stubborn as a mule and have the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. This presents a big problem for me because I have my eyes set on winning over the guy who stole my heart years ago, only he doesn’t know it yet.

Getting his attention is going to be challenging. It’s a good thing I’m tenacious.
Unfortunately, it’s not great timing and could get me into a whole mess of trouble.
Why does falling for a guy need to be anyone’s business but mine?

Kai

The past couple of years were a whirlwind of activity. My career took off after my guest shot appearance in Americana. I appeared in a few indie features and finally got a shot at my first major motion picture release. The work came as a great distraction from my personal life, which took a further nosedive after I found out the guy I was falling for had already fallen for someone else.

Why should I be surprised? He was another in a string of failed relationship attempts. I swore I wouldn’t get involved with anyone else, choosing to stay focused on my career instead. That is, until the force of nature known as Archer McMillan came storming into my life.

To be the pursued instead of the pursuer was not in the cards. To top it off, he’s everything I’m not. Yet, there’s something to be said for a guy who can make you laugh when it’s the last thing you want to be doing. I’ll admit he’s got a playful and determined spirit. Archer also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever known. Not the mention the cute way he… Hold on. What am I doing? We cannot be a thing. Nope. Not gonna happen. Ever. Right?

**

Follow Kai and Archer as they cross the lines as friends, partners-in-crime, and confidants, to discover a love beyond boundaries that needs no definition.

(StrangeLove is a funny, heartwarming, slow-burn love story. It contains a cast of fully developed characters that encounter romance, laughter, and life lessons. It contains adult language, mature themes, and is best enjoyed by those over the age of 18. It can be read as a standalone; however, if you would like to know the backstories of some characters, check out the prior books in the series.)

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Peculiarities

He takes the mustard bottle, shakes it up, and then squirts a blob onto the corn dog. He takes a long, leisurely bite.

“How’s the corn dog?”

“It’s pretty good. Do you want a bite?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll take some of your fries though.”

He pushes the bag over to me. I dig until I find the ones I want.

He says, “This is why we work. You like the mushy fries on the bottom, and I like the crisp ones. Therefore, no fry goes uneaten.” He pops a big chunky one into his mouth.

“Our quirks work well together.”

“What quirks?”

I stop to stare at him. “You have to admit you have some… peculiarities.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says indignantly.

“Are you being serious? You have a ton of quirks.”

“I most certainly do not. Name one.”

“Let’s start with the entire hand sanitizer thing.”

“What’s wrong with that? Lots of people use sanitizer.”

“You keep it in your pocket, your car, on the set, the bottles are freakin’ everywhere. It’s amazing you haven’t dissolved your fingerprints yet with that stuff.”

“Fine. I have one quirk.”

I throw up my hands. “Hold on. I’m not done. What about not being able to have your food touch? Your plates have compartments in them.”

“That’s… a justifiable quirk.”

I squint at him. “Is it?”

“Yes.”

Lifting my fingers, I start counting off his issues. “You freak out around animals.”

“I already told you about that one.”

“You’re terrified of glitter.”

“They were tossing that stuff around at Gay Pride Fest, yet they never tell you how harmful it can be to your health.”

I huff. “Were you hospitalized?”

“Yes! It was embedded in my eye. I needed minor surgery to have it removed. That was my first and last Pride.”

I sit back and chuckle.

“I had a bad infection! What’s so damn funny?” he asks me.

“You! You’re so damn high strung, I can’t see how you function.”

“I’m not high strung!”

“Dude, you get anxiety over trying to open those plastic bags in the produce section.”

“It was that one time!”

I bend over, howling at how incredulous he is about his own behavior.

“Are you done?”

“This conversation will never be over.” I hold my stomach and laugh out loud.

Author Bio:

T.L. always hated math, so it was a good thing she had a way with words. Since she was a shy and quirky kid; words were her best friends. She would imagine entire worlds in her head and talk to herself endlessly. Her mother wondered if she was speaking with ghosts for a while.

Her older sister was a voracious reader of trashy romance novels and would pass them down to her after she had finished them. T.L. was the only 10-year-old kid sitting in class reading “The Stud” by Jackie Collins during reading time. Oddly enough, she never got called out on it.

As she grew older, her tastes evolved, but one thing held fast; her undying attachment to love stories. One day out of the blue, she decided to write the love stories she always wanted to read instead of searching for her story. Since then, writing has been a dream fulfilled for her and she could not be happier.

She enjoys writing about love, regardless of gender and is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community.

T.L. calls the Pacific Northwest her home and enjoys the quiet rural life of her little oceanside home with her playful/crazy husband and their giant dog Noah.

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