reviews_and_ramblings | Excerpt Day: Country Days by Kara Larson

Taste Test: Down Under edited by Lorna Hinson with stories by Laney Cairo, Kara Larson, and Kate Roman
Release Date: May 20, 2009
Publisher: Torquere Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-60370-715-2
ISBN-10: 1-60370-715-8
Publisher Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1975

Blurb: Ever wanted to travel to Australia or New Zealand? Now we all have a chance to go Down Under and see the wonders that part of the world has to offer! In Country Days by Kara Larson, Pai is plagued by cows in his garden. Lucky for him, his lover Hemi knows just what to do distract him, and get rid of the cows. In At the Bach, by Kate Roman, Geoff has had it with the dating game, and when a friend invites him to a weekend at the beach, he decides that's just what he needs to get over his last attempt at love. When his last crush shows up, Geoff isn't sure if he's found heaven or hell. Finally, in Almost Paradise, by Laney Cairo, Lee has left Melbourne in search of a tiny paradise town, but what he finds might surprise him. Good thing Charlie knows how to help a guy out. Head Down Under today!

Excerpt:

From Country Days by Kara Larson

There were cows in the garden. Six to be exact.

Pai tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Six cows, happily eating their way through his heirloom tomatoes and beans. Six black and white cows, standing hock-deep in the spahgnum moss that he'd so carefully cultivated under the beech saplings in the corner of the garden.

Six cows that didn't belong to either him or Hemi, and who'd magically appeared on the other side of their very high, very solid wall that stood between the garden and the road.

"Eh, whaiaipo." Normally, Hemi's deep voice sent shivers down Pai's spine, especially whenever his partner called him 'love' in Te Reo Maori, the language they tended to speak at home. Now, though, staring at the young hoon cows tearing up his garden...

"Pai?" Strong arms wrapped around his middle, pulling Pai back against a broad, hairy chest. "What's wrong, love?" Hemi nibbled at Pai's neck, the warm expanse of that beloved naked body pressing up against Pai's.

"Cows," Pai choked out. He rubbed at his eyes again, hoping the sleepless nights out at Lewis Hut, combined with the seven hours of trekking yesterday to hike off the Heaphy and back into civilization for his weekend off, were contributing to the hallucination.

Hemi stopped nibbling on Pai's neck, resting his head on Pai's shoulder. The white tips of Hemi's thick, dark hair tickled Pai's nose. "Aae, there are cows in the garden." The lack of surprise in Hemi's rumble of a voice concerned Pai, and he wasn't quite sure why.

Pai blinked again, trying to focus as Hemi's bare body rubbed up against his arse, that thick cock of Hemi's teasing at Pai's crack. "God, Hemi," Pai moaned, leaning back against his partner. Over a decade they'd been together now, their union blessed by the Maori gods of creation --Ranginui, Father Sky, and Papatuanuku, Mother Earth. His poor, beloved Hemi had been cursed once, and Pai broke that curse, freeing the gentle man trapped inside the fierce beast. And Hemi could be such a beast sometimes, especially when he thrust his... and he grabbed Pai's...

"Hemi," Pai moaned again as Hemi's erection teased at his hole. There had been a rushed, passionate reunion last night after Hemi picked him up at the trail head, as they'd fumbled in the back seat of Hemi's Nissan Sunny like they were teenagers. Then they'd come home to fuck by the fire and then once again in the bedroom before Pai passed out.

All thoughts of that went out the window as Hemi's scruffy cheek rubbed against Pai's, that heavy cock sliding into Pai with practiced ease. How many times, over the past ten years? And he never became complacent about it, because it never became stale. Especially not during those summer months of the Great Walk season, when he spent half of the month away from his beloved partner.

Pai braced his arms against the window sill, squaring his hips to allow Hemi deeper access. Hemi's large hands gripped his hips, the blunted claw-like nails digging deep into Pai's skin. Hemi thrust in and deeper and --oh...