Today is Kanelbullens Dag (cinnamon bun day) in Sweden. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say everyone in Sweden loves cinnamon buns. At least I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love them; even my husband who’s not a huge fan of sweet things can’t get enough of cinnamon buns. In Sweden, we don’t eat them for breakfast (we don’t eat sweet pastry for breakfast) but it’s a staple when it comes to fika (and if you don’t know what fika is, you can read about it here.)
So why not do it like the Swedes do, today: have a cup of coffee this afternoon and a lovely cinnamon roll to go with it. Maybe meet up with a friend or family member, or your coworkers if you’re still at work. Or if you’re an introvert who doesn’t care about people, you can enjoy your cinnamon roll while reading a book featuring cinnamon rolls. Written by yours truly of course đ
Theo in All I’ll Ever See is a baker who absolutely did not learn to bake everything cinnamon-flavored just because he knows Kieran loves cinnamon. No, nope, nooooo! đ
Excerpt (featuring cinnamon rolls)
Kieran calls my name before my apartment door even closes behind him. He kept his word; I havenât been home for an hour before he joined me, but Iâve had time to peel off the tux, take a shower and brew a cup of coffee.
âIn the kitchen,â I call back as the sound of shoes hitting the floor and his keys landing in the bowl by the door reaches me. I pour coffee into our mugs and set them on the table, taking a last look at everything before he joins me. The freshly glazed cinnamon rolls look lush and delicious, the coffee spreads a wonderful aroma in the small-ish kitchen, the scentedâinexpensiveâcandle flickers, and our chairs are pulled close together.
But when Kieran enters the kitchen, he doesnât notice any of it. His gaze is focused only on me as he shrugs out of his jacket. Heâs already lost the bowtie somewhere and flicked open a couple buttons on the shirt, and when the jacket is off, he tosses it in the direction of the chairs without looking. It misses its target and ends up in a pile on the floor, but Kieran doesnât care. As soon as heâs within touching distance, he flings one arm around my waist and pulls me close. He winds his other arm around me, too, and hugs me tight. When I hug him back, he melts into me, his muscles loosening underneath my hands. His grip on me is strong, as if heâs making sure I wonât run away now that he finally is allowed to touch me.
When he starts shaking, I press myself against him and rub my nose against his cheek. âHey,â I whisper as I tug on his shirt, pulling it out of the pants so I can slip my hands underneath and touch him. âYouâre all right. Weâre all right.â I brush a kiss against the corner of his mouth, and when my palms finally touch his skin, he moans.
Kieranâs grip on me tightens. âPromise me,â he says and the urgency in his voice pains me. âPromise you wonât leave me even though Iâm a coward.â
The pain in my chest intensifies and I have to fight down the impulse to go back to the grand house and smack some sense into his family. He always falls apart after an event with them, almost breaks from the pressure of trying to be someone heâs not, and itâs my job to put him back together again. Iâm proud that he trusts me so completely to show me his pain, but it makes me sad and angry that he has to go through this every fucking time.
But nowâs not the time for me to dwell on things I desperately want to change. Instead, I turn my focus on the man in my arms. âI made coffee,â I say, keeping my voice low. âAnd Iâve got cinnamon rolls.â
âYeah?â His voice perks up a little, but he doesnât let go.
âYup.â
Blurb:
Previously released as All I See, now with 10K added words.
The night Kieran bangs on Theoâs door and kisses him changes both their lives forever. Theo has never been in the closet, but Kieran isnât out and risks losing everythingâhis inheritance, his relationship with his familyâshould his parents find out.
But their feelings for each other canât be denied, and Theo agrees to keeping their budding relationship a secret. But can their love grow and flourish when hidden away in the dark? Or will it wilt and die before they have a chance to live happily ever after?
M/M Contemporary / 14434 words
Nell Iris 