Risking the Shot by Amy Aislin
Series: Stick Side #4
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 8, 2020
Subgenre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Cover by: Natasha Snow
Designs
Order here:
Amazon: http://readerlinks.com/l/1346949
Synopsis for Risking the Shot:
Time for
distractions? Hardly.
A chance at making
the playoffs? It’s a dream for NHL forward Taylor Cunningham that just might come
true. If he can keep his eyes on the ball—ahem, puck. And study for midterms.
Dakota Cotton, eleven years his senior, isn’t just a distraction, though—he’s
everything Tay’s ever wanted.
Dakota has no
interest in introducing someone who might not stick around to his four-year-old
son. Been there, done that, with the divorce to prove it. But there’s something
about Tay that hits all of the right buttons and has him wanting to take a
chance.
As
things heat up between them, and the pressure to succeed hits an all-time high,
will they risk a shot at happiness or choke?
Excerpt:
“Why don’t you grab us a seat?” Tay said.
“I’ll wait for the tray.”
He sat across from Dakota a few minutes
later, setting the tray in the middle of the table and passing Dakota his food.
Sitting back with his own coffee, Tay took a sip of the too-hot liquid and
examined Dakota’s face in the light streaming in from the window to his left.
His shoulders were more relaxed, the stress lines around his mouth less
pronounced, and his eyes less pinched.
“Long day?”
Dakota made an Mm sound around a sip of his
own coffee.
“Are they usually?”
Dakota shook his head and exchanged his
coffee mug for a fork. “Not usually. It’s been a heavy meeting day today,
though. Almost back to back until four.”
“How do you get any actual work done if
you’re in meetings all day?”
“I don’t,” Dakota said with an unamused
chuckle, digging his fork into his pie. “Not until after Andy goes to bed.”
Tay broke off a piece of his cookie. “That
sucks.”
“It does, but it’s not often. I’m pretty
lucky that, for the most part, I leave the job at the office when I leave at
the end of the day.” Dakota slid his pie in Tay’s direction. “Want some?”
“I’m good, thanks. I had lunch after
practice.” The cookie was warm and gooey in Tay’s mouth, and he chewed
thoughtfully for a moment. “Is that why you work in non-profit? Because of the
work-life balance?”
“Depending on which non-profit you work
for, the work-life balance isn’t always better than one you might have at a
for-profit. I got really lucky with the Foundation, but I also established
boundaries early on. Unless I’ve got an urgent, last-minute project or am
waiting on time-sensitive information, I don’t check emails outside of work
hours. Andy’s my first priority, not some board member who’s got their
underwear in a bunch over the wording in an email we sent our donors.”
The grouchiness in his voice had Tay
covering up a smile with his coffee mug.
“I only put in a couple of hours of work
after Andy’s gone to bed after days like today, where I don’t get anything done
and need to catch up on a few things.”
“Speaking of work, why don’t you tell me
more about this direct mail appeal I supposedly agreed to help with. Also,
what’s direct mail?”
Dakota laughed softly, infectious and
sweet. “In the non-profit world, direct mail is a request for a donation. It’s
a story-based letter with a couple of asks buried in the copy. I’m sure you’ve
seen them from hospital foundations and social justice charities. ‘This is
Jordan, he’s five and for only fifty cents a day you can make sure he has clean
water to drink.’”
Tay nodded. “Okay. So in the Foundation’s
case, it’d be something like, donate today and help us renovate this athletic
facility so kids of all ages can have access to sports.”
“Exactly.” Dakota pointed his fork at him.
“Who does the letter get mailed to?”
“Our donors and volunteers.”
“Okay. How can I help, though?” Tay
finished off his cookie and set the empty plate back on the tray. “I don’t know
how to write that kind of thing.”
“Sorry, I should’ve been clearer.” Dakota
moved his own empty plate to the tray, then cupped his hands around his mug.
“You don’t need to write anything. I have a writer on staff. Being our
signatory means the letter is told from your point of view, in your own voice,
and with your signature at the bottom, but my writer will draft it after she
interviews you for your story.”
“What story?”
“You tell me,” Dakota said, a glint in his
eye Tay didn’t understand until Dakota’s feet trapped one of his own underneath
the table. “Have you ever taken advantage of a program run by a non-profit so
you could keep playing?”
Oh, so he was going to pretend they weren’t
playing footsies under the table, was he? Fine. Tay could play this game too.
Good thing they were tucked into a quiet corner of the café. “Actually, yeah.”
He ran the top of one foot up Dakota’s leg.
Dakota choked on his coffee.
Tay grinned.
About the author:
Amy's lived with her head in the clouds
since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages
means she's read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in
fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure
hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and
she's been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she
isn't at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada's largest
environmental non-profit.
An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too
much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with
readers. Join her Facebook Group, Amy Aislin’s Readers, to stay up-to-date on
upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram and
Twitter, or sign up for her newsletter.
Website: http://amyaislin.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyaislin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.aislin
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amyaislin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_aislin
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ddvWFv
GIVEAWAY:
Win one of two signed paperback copies of Risking
the Shot, plus author swag. Open internationally.
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