Continuing my blog series of Excerpts, for which reasoning and explanation see the first post, with an excerpt from my male-male, bisexual awakening, polyamorous American historical romance, Disputed Boundaries (Stories from the San Juan Islands). This is the opening scene of the story, and was originally posted on the Naughty Literati website as the story was originally published in the Naughty Flames anthology.
Excerpt from Disputed Boundaries: Opening
Chapter One: Braxton
Royal Marine garrison, San Juan Island, 1 December 1869
There is an aching in my heart which I barely understand. An emptiness, a void made more bleak by winter’s burgeoning desolation.
It began when Gideon left.
A man…
Yes, there have been times when a man has incited a spark of passion within. Always have I buried that desire, restraining the dangerous notion to act upon it. To do so is essential. Society finds love between two men aberrant. And abhorrent.
But Gideon has affected me in a new and exciting way. I could not restrain myself.
And I do not regret it.
Our attachment is an unlikely one: I a soldier for the crown, he a free-spirited American adventurer. He was here merely visiting. I would not be here if it were not for this “war”—although the epithet is unwarranted. Since the occupation of this island began, there has been little antagonism. It is a border dispute, a disagreement over a line on a map, not an ideological battle between our two nations. We British are cordial to the Americans and vice versa. At times, this good rapport develops into genuine friendship.
Yet, to form such a deep connection as Gideon and I have is extraordinary.
This yearning for his company burning inside me is exceptional. Never before has the absence of a man caused such a hunger.
But what if Tilda were to find out? Would she doubt I love her as well?
Braxton Thorne rested his pen next to the inkwell and stared at the words drying on the open page of his journal.
Good God. What if Tilda were to find out? She had bemoaned his spending time with Gideon to the detriment of spending time with her. Might she suspect some unnatural compulsion stirred within, driving his need to be with the American?
Would she report him to his commanding officer for immorality?
No. Surely Tilda understood the flush of excitement with a new friendship. And she knew Gideon had an undeniable charm, a charismatic presence. Why, she’d even been there the day they’d met five months ago…
Disputed Boundaries (Stories from the San Juan Islands)
San Juan Island, 1869
An international border dispute with no battles or skirmishes? The occupation of San Juan Island was proving to be Lieutenant Braxton Thorne’s most uneventful assignment as a Royal Marine. Which meant plenty of time to fool around with his fiancée Tilda.
American adventurer Gideon Roberts was just passing through San Juan Island on his way to his next job – and his next guy. He could stay, work on a farm, but why? A free spirit craved new experiences, new places, new men.
A chance encounter unleashes unfamiliar desires. Braxton has never been with a man. Gideon has never wanted to be with just one man. Now they find themselves in a war over the boundaries of their hearts.
Disputed Boundaries takes place on San Juan Island in 1869, during the Pig War — the final conflict between the United States and Great Britain, a bloodless standoff over the boundary between Washington Territory and British Columbia. The story is one of my Stories from the San Juan Islands.
For blurbs, reviews, and more information, check out the Disputed Boundaries page!
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