When Seth first
met Brandon, he would never have suspected how
domesticated his bear could be, but Brandon loves to cook for his man. This year was
their first Valentine's Day together. Brandon knew better than to expect something mushy
and sentimental from Seth, but he also knew that if he cooked the gruff cop a
delicious, hearty meal, he could get what he really wanted - Seth, turned on
and ready to go all night.
So what does Brandon makes to seduce his lover who spent far
too many years subsisting on bad coffee and vending machine food? He's working
on expanding Seth's taste, but for now, nothing too fussy, garlic bread,
lasagna, and a simple salad. (Seth would prefer to ignore the existence of
vegetables, but he'd made a few compromises at Brandon's insistence.) And knowing Seth loves
chocolate and enjoys playing with his food, triple chocolate mousse cake will
be the perfect dessert.
Brandon's Lasagna
8 ounces lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the Sauce
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1lb ground beef
1 28oz large can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
cayenne pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups water
To make sauce:
Sauté
onion in olive oil until onions are soft then add garlic and sauté 1 minute
more. Add ground beef cook until brown. Pour off excess fat. Add remaining
ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for one hour.
To
assemble lasagna:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Cook noodles in boiling water until tender.
Drain; add 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking. Line bottom
of a 2.5 qt baking dish with a layer of noodles, cover with 1/3 of the ricotta
then 1/3 of the mozzarella, then 1/3 of the meat sauce, make two more layers
starting with noodles again and top with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered 45 minutes.
Triple Chocolate
Mousse Cake: http://annies-eats.com/2010/05/07/triple-chocolate-mousse-cake/
So did Brandon have the night he hoped for? Let's just
say he couldn't walk right the next day.
Protect and
Serve Paws on Me by Silvia Violet
Blurb:
Lieutenant Seth Morrison loves being a cop, but
with budget cuts and crime both on the rise, he’s stopped making time for
anything but his job.
On the outside, Brandon Lord is an easy-going,
flirtatious club owner. On the inside he’s a man trying to overcome a difficult
past.
When a murder investigation brings the two men
together, passion roars to life. They’re both willing to break the rules to be
together. Because as mismatched as they might seem, each man is exactly what
the other needs.
Excerpt:
I’m Seth Morrison. I’m a cop, a police lieutenant
to be precise. I’ve been on the force more years than I want to think about.
I’ve seen good men get killed, turn dirty, lose themselves in the bottle, lose
their fucking minds, but I’m still here doing what I do. I don’t know any other
life. People tell me I need a break, a vacation, to relax. I don’t want to
fucking relax. I just want to do my job and keep this city from falling apart.
I park my car, grab my coffee from the cup holder,
and charge up the front steps of the station. I could take the side door, it’s
closer to my office, but I love the chaos of the bullpen. When I open the door,
I breathe deeply, enjoying the variety of smells: coffee that’s been on the
warmer far too long, the sickeningly sweet smell of candy and doughnuts,
pine-scented cleaner from the scrubbing the janitors gave the floors last
night, and something unnamable that simply smells like cops and hard work. I
shake my head as I try to imagine not being here nearly 24/7. This is where I
belong.
My stomach rumbles. I should’ve had dinner, but
after pretending an afternoon nap was a night’s sleep, I’m running late. I’ll
grab something from the vending machine while I dream about a juicy burger and
thick home fries. It sure would be nice to have someone cook for me. I don’t
seem to get along with stoves. Years ago, I tried being married. That worked
for about 30 seconds. My wife wanted me to work shorter hours. I wanted her to
talk less, or maybe never.
Friends tell me I should make an effort to date,
but I’m more comfortable at a gruesome homicide scene than making small talk at
dinner with a woman or a man. Yeah, I like both. I stopped going out with men
when I entered the academy. I just couldn’t deal with the shit the guys would
give me. Now, I don’t advertise what I like, but I pick up a guy now and then.
I’m discreet, but if somebody finds out, I’ll deal.
One-night stands I can handle, but relationships
are beyond me. People think police work is draining, but I’d rather spend all
day in the field and all night at my desk filling out fucking paperwork — and
often I do — than try to decode relationship signals. I inevitably screw things
up and never understand why.
Sex I need. Romance I don’t.
My phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket hoping
the call will save me from the mountain of paperwork on my desk. It’s Drew
Danvers, detective and vampire. That’s right, a vampire who works for the good
guys. We’ve got a werewolf in homicide too. And he’s a damn fine cop.
I remember when the shifters came out of the
closet, scaring the hell out of us humans. One by one other monsters made
themselves known. Most people assumed they were all assholes who wanted to eat
us, but I quickly learned not to judge a man because he sucked blood or turned
into a wolf. I judge men based on how they treat others.
I answer the call. “What’s up, Detective?”
“Two dead werewolves found in a closet at Shift.
Hacked up pretty bad. The scene’s a circus. Jenkins called in sick. I’m on my
own, and –”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
“Thanks, sir.”
“No problem. Murder scene or paperwork, which would
you choose?”
* * *
I step inside the club. A crime lab team is there
and several uniformed officers are talking with employees. I spot Drew in the
entryway of an office. He’s frowning as he questions a tall hairy hunk of a
man. I’ve seen this man around the area several times, and just like every
other time, he makes my cock sit up and take notice.
Our most recent encounter was a week ago. When I
want to grab a beer and be left the fuck alone, I go to Mitch’s, a dive just
down the street from Shift. Last time I spent the evening there, he sat next to
me at the bar and came on strong. I was in a shitty mood. I wanted him, and it pissed
me off. He’s not my type. He’s young, hip, and outrageously flirtatious. I
walked away, but I regretted it later that night when I couldn’t stop
fantasizing about him.
The man looks my way and catches me staring. His
grin says he knows the direction my thoughts are going. Fucking bastard winks
at me. Drew scowls.
I turn to face him. He grins down at me, that same
cocky-as-fuck little smile he’d given me earlier, making me even more aware of
how close we are and how big he is. At 6’2″, I’m hardly small, but he’s got several inches on
me. And while I’ve got a rather thick pelt, the fur visible above the vee of
his t-shirt is astounding.
He smiles mischievously. “You gonna cuff me if you
take me in?”
“Impeding a murder investigation will get you
thrown in jail.”
He rolls his eyes. “I found two dead guys in my
closet when I came to work tonight. My business is shut down, and I’ll be
losing money every minute that you’re here. But at least I have a sense of
humor.”
“Well, I don’t.”
He shakes his head. “Are you taken too?”
I take another step back. “You’re making a lot of
assumptions.”
I look over at Drew and realize he and Jason are
grinning like loons. Fuck. All I need is the two of them ragging me.
I glare at Drew. “Detective, do you think you can
question this man without killing him?”
“Probably.”
“Fine. Fleetfoot, head back to the lab. Take my
car. I’ll get a ride with Danvers.” I throw him
my keys, and he snatches them out of the air as he gives Drew’s hand a final
squeeze. Jason is better in the lab than any tech we have. We only send him
into the field when we’re desperately short-handed. I run a hand through my
hair, wishing I knew how I’m going to hold the homicide division together if we
don’t get more funds.
He holds out his hand. “I’m Brandon Lord. I own
Shift.”
“Lieutenant Morrison.” I shake his hand. His skin
is surprisingly smooth, his grip tight and warm. I want to feel those big hands
running over me. I want to rub his furry body with my own. Fuck! I should
assign someone else to this case right now and get the hell away from him. But
some crazy restlessness he’s dredged up in me makes me fight my instincts.
“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.” His voice is low
and rich. And his grin lets me know he’s well aware of my body’s reaction to
him.
I need to get away. His smell alone is making me
hard. “I’m not here to play games. Drop the act and treat this case seriously,
or I’ll find an excuse to throw your ass in jail.”
He grins. Fuck, he knows he’s got me rattled. “I’d
never kill anyone, Lieutenant. I’m just a cuddly teddy bear.”
The bear shifter and the bear. Ridiculous. I need
to leave now. This man is no cuddly toy. I don’t think he’s our murderer, but
he’s far smarter than he wants me to believe and likely far more dangerous. “I
know what cuddling leads to.”
Brandon laughs, a
deep, infectious sound. I can’t help but respond. Now I want him more than
ever. Taking this case was a supremely stupid idea, staying on it now is
unprofessional.
But I won’t walk away.
If you'd like a
free sample of Seth and Brandon getting naughty in the kitchen, check out
"Hibernation".
http://cupoporn.net/2012/01/24/birthday-bash-free-story-5/
You can find
Silvia at her
Website: http://silviaviolet.com
Blog: http://silviaviolet.com/blog
Facebook: http://facebook.com/silvia.violet
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Silvia_Violet
