Happy anniversary to one of my favorite fictional couples of all time! I get all soft & squishy when I re-read this sweet and spicy tale of young love, big dreams, and even bigger fears.
Five years ago toady, Elmer and Margot made their first appearance in first edition of the Book Nirvana series. First published by a small press, their story has had a major glow-up, including new scenes, a new cover, and a change of narrative POV. I hope you’ll take a look!
Click here to learn more about Elmer and Margot’s snarky, prickly, spicy love story!Twenty-two-year-old Margot, a graphic design student at the University of Oregon, pushes back hard against anything that smacks of limits. Rejected by her family for her bisexuality and her unconventional style, she’s all on her own–with the exception of her Book Nirvana family, of course. And then there’s Darcy, the part-time, long-distance, almost-girlfriend who’s convinced Margot that she’s the only one not out to clip Margot’s wings.
Remember how easy it was to fall for flattery and sweet words at that age? I sure do, so it’s not surprising Margot’s taken in by seductive Darcy–until a certain hunky, flirtatious, ginger-bearded ceramics artist crashes into Margot’s life, thanks to their shared artistic mentor and adoptive granny, 90-year-old Maxie. Now Margot faces a tough choice: listen to the serpentine siren hissing in her ear about how men are out to limit her freedom, or open her prickly heart to a guy who just might understand her better than anyone.
Here’s a snippet from just after Elmer and Margot’s first horizontal mambo. In the breathless afterglow, Margot is shook to her bones!
Wanting him this much will only lead to lowering my guard, exposing my soft, vulnerable places. Not once in my life has that ever turned out well.
I can’t let myself catch feelings for this guy.
Who will speak first?
His chuckle vibrates his sternum. “Oh. My. Dear. God.”
That’s right. Keep it light. Just a little sexy fun, a new friend.
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I want to stay right here, forever. In this bed. With you.”
Wait, what?
Oblivious to the sudden tension, he purrs into my hair, “That was phenomenal. Amazing. Life- changing.” He clasps my jaw, forcing me to meet his puppy-soft gaze. “Tell me you felt it too, Margot.”
I damn did feel it, every mind-blowing second. The aftermath is still rattling my bones. But life-changing? My mental alarm shrieks a red alert. Is Elmer looking for commitment? Exclusivity?
A girlfriend?
I’ve played this game before, and it didn’t end well. Boyfriend gets possessive. Boyfriend imposes limits. Boyfriend sure as hell doesn’t condone my having a girlfriend on the side.
And damn it, my attraction to women is part of who I am! Like, deep in my bones. Darcy may not be the perfect girlfriend, but at least she understands that part, the burning need to live fully as my authentic self.
She’s out and proud, unapologetically polyamorous. And I am…
In the rare moments I let myself dwell on that question, I’m not really sure. But at twenty-two, who expects me to have it all figured out? I’m still learning, for cripe’s sake!
“Fly free, Honeybee,” Darcy told me on our first blazing night together.
Even if Elmer Byrne lights me up like New Year’s Eve, I can’t let him clip my wings.
