I think I need to set some kind of reminder on my phone about WIPpet Wednesdays. They sneak up entirely too fast and if I’m not thinking about the next day and enjoying the here and now, then POOF! I just don’t remember until I’m at work and can’t do anything about it.
So, straight to it. From chapter three of Spellbound, James is introduced. He and Terry are both Karate Sensei’s at Artie’s Gym. You don’t see it in this particular excerpt, but they’ve been sparring together just for fun. My WIPpet math goes as follows: it is the twenty-third day of the month, so 2+3=5. You get five paragraphs.
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God help him, Terry tried, but he couldn’t stop the prevailing emotions from surfacing. One look from James, no matter how often, would send a tingling jolt that began at his navel and shot off like a pistol in both directions.
He had been grateful for the job he’d landed at Artie’s Gym as a Karate sensei, feeling a profound sense of gratitude that he was one step closer to doing what he felt called to do. If his goal of becoming a Defender never materialized (which he knew was a long shot), he was developing his career in martial arts, something in and of itself he knew would provide life-long fulfillment. He got along well with the other sensei’s and enjoyed sparring with the professionals in his field, but when it came to James, there was a little extra spark that had made them click almost instantly. Terry had been working at Artie’s Gym only one month, yet the way he and James talked and shared their expertise felt like they had known each other for years. It was surprising the bond of camaraderie they formed in such a short span of time.
It thrilled Terry just as much as it unnerved him. He wasn’t trying to establish anything more with James than pure platonic friendship, yet his body just didn’t seem to get the same message. He hadn’t come to Harper’s Grove to have those kinds of thoughts plague him. This place was a fresh start for that.
Both he and James were relatively close in height, Terry sneaking in just an inch taller at six foot one. James had a fit muscular build that too many girls liked to ogle over—not to mention himself when he thought James wasn’t looking—short light-brown hair that was usually styled lightly with gel, hazel eyes, and an easy smile that provoked far too many hormones Terry worked hard to suppress.
Back in his home town, same-sex attraction wasn’t acceptable. He’d done so well to hide it there, so it made him nervous that now, in a town he truly wanted to belong to, he had to exercise more caution than he ever had to before.
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Thank you K.L. Schwengel for hosting this! It’s much appreciated. I’m gonna go click on this link and visit more WIPpeteers, maybe I’ll see you on there too! 🙂