"4.5 Blue Ribbons!...Anne Thomas captures the uncertainty and fear that comes with risking friendship by falling in love. Eli and Grant are strong characters for whom you develop an attachment... I found that I kept wanting to read more about them - even after the story came to an end. Regardless of your sexual orientation, Just Friends is one story that most people can relate to. After all, who hasn’t fallen for someone they considered ‘just a friend?’"--Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies
"4.5 Stars!...Ms. Thomas has [introduced] me [to] a life [I've] never read about--the life of Male/male relationships. And I have to say, for my first m/m read, I'm impressed. I really liked the fact that these two are friends...Grant is aloof despite his feelings and Eli is trying desperately not to fall for the guy. I also haven't read a tale of two friends getting together in a very long time. It was a nice change from the usual."--Miranda Heart, BDSM Reviews
"4 Cups!...Grabbed from the very beginning, this short piece of work was fantastic...I was taken by the authenticity of Eli's and Grant's emotions for each other. The main characters were phenomenal as they showed a complex and fascinating range of emotions. Completely moved by the heated and charged scene between them, this book easily won me over as a definite heart-tugger."--Mila Bean, Coffee Time Romance
"...A good read...The sexy and dominant Wolf Grant made me want to keep reading…and made me want to find a straight guy just like him! Why is it that all the best ones don’t swing my way? The chemistry between Eli and Grant was great, as well as the element of discovery. Overall, this one was a pretty good read."--Hunter, Joyfully Reviewed.com
"5 Angels!...Recommended Read!...You know when you read a book that’s so good it leaves you speechless? Well, Just Friends is one of those books. Eli and Grant will immediately pull you into the story making it almost impossible for you to tear yourself away...[Their] interactions...are tender as well as intense within the BDSM play and outside of it, too...The passion between them is so hot that it will singe you...Just Friends is a truly awesome read..."--Isabella, Fallen Angel Reviews
"...A sexy but sweet romance between two best friends. Grant’s vulnerability is well-hidden beneath his Dom exterior, but Eli is determined to break down the barriers. The sex is hot and perfectly paced--not too much, not too little. I especially like that Grant avoids kissing until the end. It’s not an uncommon stance for a Dom to take, and it fits him well. When he does kiss, though, the emotions are there, and the walls crumble with breathtaking speed...This is my first book by Anne Thomas, but it sure won’t be my last."--Satyr Vael, Literary Nymphs Reviews
...Grant tugged Eli inside, closing the door behind them. “You’ve been here before. Didn’t look like a wonderland of kink then, did it?”
Eli grinned sheepishly. “I thought maybe you cleaned the place up before I came over.” And that maybe Grant had stuff out and ready for whoever he’d been planning to bring home tonight. Eli hadn’t missed that Grant had the extra helmet on his Harley for Eli to use once they left the club. He wondered briefly if Grant was disappointed that he’d ended up bringing Eli home instead of one of the submissive boys from the Eagles. He pushed the thought out of his mind. This had been Grant’s idea, Grant’s suggestion, so at some level Eli must be who he wanted.
If he kept that in mind, he’d be fine.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I generally keep the place pretty vanilla.” Grant casually tossed his motorcycle keys on the gray and tan granite-topped island separating the large kitchen from the rest of the living space. He crossed to the couch. “Most of my gear is in the bedroom.”
Eli swallowed and glanced at the closed door in the far corner of the living room. “That where we’re headed?” he asked, trying to act like his cock wasn’t practically tearing through his pants at the thought.
“Eventually,” Grant responded, clearly not fooled by Eli’s casual tone. “Thought we’d stay out here for starters.” He settled himself in a comfortable sprawl on the couch, studying Eli in a way that made Eli’s breath catch in his throat. “You ready?”
“Jump right in, huh?” God, he was lightheaded all of a sudden. Must be all the blood rushing to his dick—uh, brain.
“If that’s all right.”
“Sure.” This is Grant, he reminded himself. You’ve had fantasies about this. “Umm, what should I…?”
“Could start by losing the shoes and the shirt,” Grant said easily. “I liked the way you looked tonight.”
“Yeah, okay.” He’d stripped off in front of a club full of horny leathermen earlier, so this should be no big deal. Still, he couldn’t keep his hands from trembling, his eyes from dropping as he pulled off the polo shirt and toed off his boots. Just making sure I don’t trip over my own damn feet, he told himself.
Right.
He raised his eyes, gulped when he realized Grant had removed both his motorcycle jacket and the x-shaped harness, leaving the tattoo artist in nothing but those tight leather pants. The tanned, ink-patterned skin of his torso gleamed dull gold against the emerald couch. His sheer beauty, loose hair shining like fire, was enough to take Eli’s breath away.
“Like what you see?” Grant asked, husky voice amused.
Eli lifted his chin a fraction. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Grant draped an arm across the back of the couch and gave Eli a sexy, come-hither look. “Wanna come sit on my lap, little boy?”
Eli tried to hide his grimace, but Grant was watching him too carefully to miss it.
“What’s wrong?”
Eli’s jaw tightened. “That asshole Ted called me ‘boy.’”
Grant shrugged. “Some submissives like it. They pretend they’re helpless, at the mercy of their dominants. Not uncommon for a top to call his bottom ‘boy,’ or for a bottom to call his top ‘daddy.’”
“That’s…kinda perverted.”
Another shrug. Grant apparently wasn’t offended. “Everybody’s got a kink.”
“That’s what this is? A kink?”
“No, this is lesson one,” Grant said, with a slight grin at Eli’s confusion. “Know your sub. Discover what turns him on, and what doesn’t. From your reaction, I’d say feeling young and helpless doesn’t crank your engine.”
Eli laughed shortly. “Gigantic no on that one. Leave fathers and sons out of my sex life, please.” He could have bitten his tongue at the sympathetic look Grant gave him.
Damn, I forgot he knows about the disaster that was me coming out to my family. C’mon, Grant, just pretend I didn’t say that and get back to the kinky lessons, okay?
Something on his face must have clued Grant in, because the other man relaxed. “Can do.” His gaze raked Eli’s body, lingering on the bulge at Eli’s crotch until Eli’s toes curled against the pale Berber carpet.
Grant’s eyes flicked up, met Eli’s. He smiled, slow and sure. “So why don’t you come over here and sit on my lap anyway?”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Because…?”
Grant’s throaty voice was pure sex. “Because I want to know how your tight ass feels nestled up against my cock, that’s why...”