Review: Stay The Night by Scarlett Parrish

Kit Blackman is not happy to find out that one of his roommates is moving out. First, he’ll have to pay a larger share of the rent leaving less money for beer and other similar essentials. Second, it means he and his remaining roommate will eventually have to find someone else to move in. For an ordinary guy that wouldn’t be too much trouble but Kit is just a bit anti-social.  Ok, he’s a lot anti-social. In fact he’s grouchy, pissy and prefers the company of computers to human beings. He sounds like an unlikable guy but the people in his small circle seem to see past his prickly exterior and let his sarcasm and jibes roll off their backs.

When Steven Kenton makes the final roommate cut and moves in, Kit is not eager to make friends and socialize. But Steven is a get-what-he-wants kind of guy and for some reason, he likes the ill-tempered Kit. The initial attraction is physical and HOT and Steven wastes no time making his move on Kit. Although Kit is definitely attracted to Steven he knows he is bad at relationships beyond anything brief and physical, and getting involved with someone he lives with is a very bad idea. But Steven has his sights set on Kit and won’t be taking no for an answer.

As I was reading this story told from Kit’s point of view I kept thinking, come on Kit, give me something to love about you. This is your point of view, convince me!!  But Kit is the kind of character that subtly grows on you. His antics are quite funny and before I realized it, I was sympathizing with him even though I wasn’t totally clear why. Obviously he has some intimacy issues but his vulnerabilities only seep through the cracks here and there but enough to really draw me in. He is good at deflecting attempts at emotional intimacy but there is something there when it comes to Steven and Kit has no idea how to handle his relationship and the uncomfortable feelings he refuses to acknowledge.

Steven clearly wants to get into Kit’s pants. He makes no secret of his attraction, telling Kit he is gorgeous and coming on to him almost immediately. As they get to know each other we see Kit becoming more vulnerable and more conflicted but Steven remains sure of himself. Since he continues to pursue Kit we know that he must see more in him than just a good roll in the hay but I never really got a good feeling for where Steven was coming from. He reacts emotionally when Kit pushes him away, so we know he has feelings for Kit, but other than that, there is not a lot of insight into Steven’s feelings.

Now let’s talk about the sexy times. Whew, the tension. Steven is aggressive and sure of himself but Kit is awkward uncomfortable about getting physically intimate with Steven. But he can’t deny his attraction and knowing how much Steven wants him makes it hard to say no. Kit’s reluctance in the early scenes created so much tension as Steven laid on the seduction. But it’s not just about the sexy times. Kit takes an emotional journey and has to make a decision to let down his defensive walls and let Steven into his heart or risk losing him forever. Steven wants more than the Kit that everyone gets and if he can’t have that he’s willing to walk away. The ending has a very romantic ahhhh moment that I loved and I liked that even in their happily ever after, Kit is still…well…Kit. <3

As much as I liked Kit, it’s Steven and his confidence that made my Favorite Quotes:

“I hardly know you.”

“My name’s Steven Kenton. I’m twenty-nine years old. I’m gay, and I’ve got my hand on your cock. What else do you need to know?”

“This won’t end well.”

“Are you kidding me? A Kenton hand-job is the stuff of legend. This will have a very happy ending for both of us.”

Rating: B-
Stay The Night by Scarlett Parrish
October 17th 2011 by Total-E-Bound
Contemporary Erotic Romance (GLBT)
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