Beautifully Broken Excerpt! (Copyright 2016 LAN Fiction LLC)

Sexy Eyes flashes his perfect grin again. “So, Birthday Girl, do you have a name?”

“I do,” I say, “but I’m not giving it to you.”

He frowns. “And why’s that?”

I tip my freshly delivered bottle to my lips. “Because I have a strict no-name policy for one-night stands.” It’s true; I do. It’s less complicated that way.

His eyes widen in surprise but I don’t miss the underlying interest. “Well, then you have no worries. I’m not interested in sleeping with you. So what’s your name?”

I laugh to cover the sting of his rejection. “So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that if I wanted to drag you into a dark corner right now and fuck your brains out, you wouldn’t be interested?”

He nods his head slowly and places his hand over mine. “That’s exactly what I’m saying—I’m not interested in a mindless fuck. With you or anyone, for that matter.”

Jesus, my panties are soaked from just listening to his resonant voice, even if the words are toxic to my fragile self-esteem. I bite my lower lip and give him another good once-over. “You’re not tripping my gaydar—which, if I may say so, is pretty damn accurate—so what gives?”

He rubs his chin thoughtfully and smiles. I can’t help but fixate on the subtle scratching sound the motion makes. “So, a man has to be gay to turn you down? I never said I wasn’t interested in getting to know you. Asking your name seems like a great way to start.”

I’d be lying if I say I’m not intrigued by this guy’s approach. “It doesn’t matter which name I give you—I could easily lie to placate you. But why bother? Let’s just call this what it is and move forward. Sound like a plan, Sparkles?”

He laughs. “Sparkles?”

“I give people nicknames,” I explain with a shrug. “Your eyes—they’re really blue…and sparkly. Hence, Sparkles. No real names. No complications.”

“You couldn’t come up with something a little more…manly?”

I wink. “Nah, I like Sparkles.”