Title: Slammed into You
Author: C.M. Valencourt
Length:
52,000 words
MM Contemporary, Fiction
Blurb:
They
were like two hurricanes, touching down on the same shore.
Amir is a rising slam poet who wants to make
it big. While he works a day job at a café, he writes poems like his life
depends on it and performs at a local poetry slam every week.
But then Landon comes to a slam, and he’s not
impressed by Amir. When he joins the slam team, he jeopardizes Amir’s chance to
go to Nationals, all Amir’s been dreaming about for the past year. He vows to
show Landon that he is the better poet.
As Amir and Landon clash to get the last spot
at Nationals, their bickering and attempts to undermine each other quickly turn
into angry lust. Amir’s priority is to win, but he can’t seem to get Landon out
of his head...
Goodreads
link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43924671-slammed-into-you
Excerpt:
He
wasn’t expecting to find Landon in the hotel room when he unlocked it. But
there he was, pacing back and forth in front of the beds, his footfalls heavy.
Amir quietly closed the door behind him, and Landon didn’t notice as he stepped
into the room.
He
had unbuttoned the pink shirt, revealing a heather grey muscle tank underneath.
His shoes were still on and there was no doubt he was bothering the people in
the room below them. But as he turned on his heel again, this time facing Amir,
he could tell he was absolutely livid.
“You
okay?” Amir asked, his voice surprisingly small.
Landon
stopped pacing and looked up. His eyes narrowed. “Yes, Amir. I’m fantastic.”
Amir
felt anchored to the spot. “Look, I’m sorry that happened-”
“No,
you’re not,” Landon bit back. “You just want to hear me say it. That’s why you
followed me back.”
“Say
what?”
Landon
chuckled darkly. “That you were right! That I shouldn’t have done that poem at
all!”
Amir
looked right at him. He tried to be diplomatic. “I think it can serve as a
learning experience.”
Landon
shook his head. “God, just tell me off already!” His voice was growing louder
with every word he spoke. “Blame me for crushing your dreams. I can take it.”
“You
need to chill the fuck out. I’ll leave.” But Amir didn’t move.
“No,”
Landon said. “We need to deal with this. It’s gone on too long.”
Amir
almost asked what, but he knew what he was talking about. The constant conflict
between the two of them, the way they were at each other’s throats all the
time. But Amir didn’t really think Landon was in the mood to build bridges.
“Fine.
Here it is. Maybe if you’d just listened, you wouldn’t need to be so pissed off
at me! You could have done your other poem, and we could have won the whole
damn thing!”
“There
we go!” Landon yelled. “I knew you blamed me.”
“Who
else would I blame?” Amir asked, feeling his own temper begin to build.
“Everyone else got decent scores except for you!”
Landon
took two steps forward towards him. “I know. I should have listened to the
All-Knowing Amir! If only you’d shown me the way!”
Amir
stepped forward, too. They were only about a foot apart now. “But you can’t
deny I was right! You weren’t confident in that poem, didn’t know it as well.
You didn’t even know it well enough to remember the goddamn words!”
Then
Landon’s finger was jabbing into his chest. Amir was surprised that the
distance between them had closed. Despite himself, he could feel how close
Landon was, thinking of the scene at the club.
Without
even thinking about it, he leaned in and kissed him, the need too great. Landon
was still so warm, though this time it was probably from righteous fury. Landon
was stock still for a few seconds before he pushed him backwards, just enough
so their bodies were no longer touching.
“Fuck
you,” Landon said, but this time he wasn’t yelling. His voice was almost a
whisper.
Then
he grabbed Amir’s shirt collar and pulled him back in, kissing him roughly.
Author
Bio (pronouns are they/them):
C.M. Valencourt is a new m/m romance author.
They started devouring queer fiction when they still had to smuggle it into
their parents' Catholic household, and dreamed of writing books about queer
people finding love ever since. They like figure skating, ghost hunting shows,
and Carly Rae Jepsen.
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