Out In Winter | Lane Hays
Out In College #8

Release Date: January 11, 2021
Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 32k
Buy Link: Amazon
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Blurb
The grad student, the jock, and some winter funâŚ
Drew
My new job at the bistro is fun. The owners are good guys, and the staff is made up primarily of boisterous water polo players. I know nothing about the sport except thereâs a Speedo involved, and Liam likes to wear his everywhere. YesâŚLiamâthe chatty, handsome, utterly charming waiter I canât seem to stop thinking about. Ugh. Note to selfâdo not fall for another younger man.
Liam
Getting Drew to notice me hasnât been easy. Heâs a little intense, and he knows how to keep his distance. Something tells me heâs not immuneâheâs just stubborn. Maybe a weekend of bonding on the ski slopes will win him over. And if I can get him to come out in winter, I might be able to convince him that we have a chance at something special.
Out in Winter is a low-angst MM, bisexual romance starring an oh so serious grad student, a goofball water polo player, and a little winter magic. This story is part of the Out in College series, but each book can be read as a stand-alone.

Excerpt
The stunning winter wonderland panorama was dotted with impossibly tall evergreens flocked with snow and the pristine hills glistening in the morning sun. It was so quiet, I could almost imagine we were alone in the world. That was precisely the kind of thought that freaked me out sometimes. But not today. Today the idea seemedâŚpromising. Maybe even cleansing, like a new start.
âItâs beautiful,â I said reverently.
âThis is one of the reasons I like coming out here early. The light is so brilliant. It looks like a postcard or the photo in the dictionary next to the word âhope.â â
âThatâs a nice thought.â
We shared a smile; then he adjusted his goggles and inclined his head meaningfully. âReady?â
âYeah, butâŚyou go first.â
âCâmere.â Liam crooked his finger.
I shuffled forward until I stood beside him with our skis pointing in the opposite direction, expecting him to impart some advice about the terrain or maybe remind me how to stop. Both might have been helpful, actually.
âWhat is it?â
âHold on to my sleeve. Stay still. Thatâs perfect.â He stroked my chin before leaning in to press his lips to mine. âYou taste like cherry ChapStick. I like.â
I grinned. âThanks. So do you.â
He kissed me again, twisting his tongue with mine and leaving me breathless. âMmm. Iâm making it my personal quest to make sure you get down this mountain safely and that you have fun doing it.â
âGood luck with that,â I sighed, aware that my voice had taken on a dreamy quality.
âI donât need luck. Iâm an expert,â he bragged playfully. âIâm going to give you a couple of tips. Listen up.â
âIâm listening.â
âBend your knees and stay loose.â
âLike this?â I bent my knees and wiggled my arms like a rubber band.
Liam chuckled. âSomething like that. Weâre gonna take it slow, moving from side to side, making wide turns. Iâll go first. Follow me and remember to keep your gaze forward.â
âAs opposed to?â
âLooking at your skis. You donât look at your feet when youâre walking, so donât look at your skis when youâre skiing. Itâll fuck with your balance. Ready?â
âYeah.â I licked my lips and nodded.
Liam glided smoothly down the incline, veering sharply to the right. He stopped with a flourish, sending a plume of powdery snow skyward before raising his poles triumphantly. I snickered at the silly display. He made it seem fun and relatively easy. All right, then. I could do this.
I grasped my poles in a vise grip and dug into the snow, propelling myself forward. I aimed my skis in Liamâs general direction and honestly, it felt pretty damn good. I was in control, a cool breeze on my face, and a light wind at my back. Best of all, I appeared to be closing in on my correct destination. A hot guy was waiting for me in front of a huge pine tree withâ
Oh, fuck.
I couldnât stop. I picked up speed and barreled forward, trying to remember his advice. Knees bent. Check. Donât look at your skis. Check. Stay looseâŚ
Nope. Not possible.
I was wound so tight my head felt like it might pop off. Every muscle in my body was rigid as I zoomed closer to LiamâŚand the tree. It occurred to me as my life began to flash in front of my eyes that if I turned downhill, I could avoid the tree and move in the right direction. I might not have control of my skis, but Liam seemed to know what he was doing. No doubt heâd catch up easily and offer tips on how not to kill myself along the way. A comical vision of him doing circles around me while I tumbled into a giant snowball flashed in my head.
And that might have been when things went sideways.

About the Author
Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters.
Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, and 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards.
She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a not quite empty nest.
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