I had so much fun writing Quintus and Scott's story. Their connection to each other was beautiful to watch as they fall in love with each other. Usually, when I write a sex scene or any of my books, I listened to R&B Soul music but with this book it was much different it was a mixture of everything (Rap, Reggae, Pop and R&B ) and I loved it :)

Here's the list below all of the songs can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play. Also the Videos are on YouTube. 27 Chapters so 27 Songs

1. Beyoncé - Sorry
2. Beyoncé  - Daddy's Lesson
3. ​Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar -Freedom
4. Lizzo & Missy Elliot - Tempo
5. Lizzo - Juice
6. Lizzo - Good As Hell
7. DMX - Ruff Ryders Anthem
8. DMX - X Gon' Give it to You
9. DMX - Slipping
10. DMX - Who We Be
11. DMX - What's My Name
12. DMX - Party Up
13. Busta Rymes - Arab Money
14. The Carters - Ape Shit
15. Wiley, Sean Paul, Stefflon Don - Boasty ft. Idris Elba - Boasty
16. Sean Paul - Shot & Wine ft. Stefflon Don 
17. Stefflon Don - 16 Shots
18. Spice - So Mi Like It
19. Spice & Vybze Kartel - Back Way​​
20. Spice - Cool It
21. Mustard & Migos - Pure Water
22. Cardi B & Offset - Clout
23. Cardi B - Press
24. Cardi B & Bruno Mars - Please Me
25. DJ Khaled, Rihanna, Bryson Tiller - Wild Thoughts
26. Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know
27. Glee Mash Up - Rumor Has It / Someone Like You​

Sirius closed his locker and leaned against it, exhausted.
 
He’d worked a double shift only getting a few minutes of sleep during his breaks. Sirius was not only physically tired, but he was also mentally and emotionally as well. He was getting burnt out with the daily grind of working in the emergency room and wanted to do something less hectic. 
After graduating from medical school, Sirius wanted to be a part of the grind he excelled in when he was an intern. But the older and more experienced Sirius got, he became desensitized and disenfranchised to his job of caring for others. 

Sirius had seen and heard the same expression on his older colleagues and knew that even with their grumbling and complaining, the reason why they stuck around was for the money. Sirius didn’t want to stop being a doctor but was finding so little enjoyment in his job. 

Maybe I should put more thought into moving out of Chamberlin City.

He’d been contemplating the idea over for the past couple years to be precise, ever since the day he was shot in the arm. He wasn’t terribly hurt and recovered quickly, but when Sirius became a doctor, he hadn’t counted on being in fear for his life. 

Before he had gotten shot, he’d been punched, vomited on, kicked, and everything he could think of once he started working in the emergency room. What made things worse was that he could have disarmed the guy easily with a spell, but he could never expose himself as a witch. 

That wouldn’t have been good.

He pulled away from the locker, taking off his scrubs as he went, heading to the shower. He was in desperate need of getting clean quickly. Dunking his under the scalding water, he allowed his mind to wander. He wasn’t in a rush to go home to an empty apartment. 

Sirius lived a lonely life. He didn’t have a best friend or a family member he could visit for Sunday dinner. It was especially worse when he was growing up. The only supernatural he knew was his mother Brigid, who’d died not long after he’d started college. 

Sirius had never met his father. According to his mother, his sire took off when she told him that he was pregnant, never to be seen or heard from again. He also couldn’t pick his father out of a line up if his life depended on it since he’d never seen a picture of the man.  

Sirius couldn’t say he was broken up about not having a father around, he and his mom did well for themselves. Except for Brigid last few years when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.  During her rough days, Sirius wished he had a friendly shoulder to cry on.

Sirius often wondered what it would be like to meet another person like himself or be a part of a coven.  Brigid was against joining a coven because she didn’t trust people who followed others blindly. She wanted to live her life freely. Sirius respected her reasons, idiotic though they may be, but he knew very little about his kind.

Go to Vale Valley, was whispered in his ear causing Sirius to lift his head up from underneath the water and looked around to see who spoke. He knew it couldn’t be his familiar, since his happened to be a wolf and didn’t talk.

“Fuck. I’m too tired for this shit,” turning back to finish his shower.

“Talking to yourself again, Henson?”

Sirius mentally rolled his eyes when he heard Griffin Presley’s voice. Griffin was his co-worker and when the mood struck fuck buddy. He turned to face his friend who had a towel wrapped around his waist. They’d both weeded through the night shift together for the past two days.

Griffin held out an extra towel that Sirius just realized he held in his hands, as Griffin took off the towel wrapped around his waist, letting it fall to the floor. 

“You left this on the bench,” Griffin said holding it out.

Sirius went to reach for it, but Griffin grabbed his arm and pulled him flush against his body. 

“Are you sure we should be doing this here?” Sirius wasn’t going to say no, it had been a while since he’d had a good fuck. Griffin gave him that sexy as hell smirk that Sirius knew could be trouble. 

“If you promise to be quiet then no one will know what we’re up to.”

Griffin was smart, and a good doctor. Even though they’d slept together numerous times, Griffin still had one slight flaw that stopped Sirius from falling for him completely. He isn’t my mate. There wasn’t a lot that Sirius knew about his kind. Sure he knew spells and how to make some potions as well as knowing that he had a mate out there for him. 

It would have been so much easier if Griffin was his mate since they had a few things in common and had great sex. But when he was with Griffin, he could feel a longing inside of himself that the other man could never suffice. 

“Don’t you feel bad that we use each other for sex?”

“Why, are you starting to feel guilty?”

Sirius tilted his head to the side at the question. Am I? Why the hell did I even ask that question in the first place? 

“Don’t tell me you’re starting to have feelings for me?”

Sirius wrapped his arms around Griffin’s neck and kissed him, shutting the other man up from asking more questions. Their kiss was starting to get deeper when he heard the door to the locker room bang closed. They both separated quickly and chuckled as they looked at each other.

“Come by my place later, and we’ll finish what we started here,” Sirius told him. He grabbed the towel that was still in Griffin’s hand, wrapping it around his waist and walked to his locker to get dressed.

On the drive home, the words Vale Valley came back to him. He remembered his mother mentioning the little town in passing. According to Brigid, it was a small town that accepted supernaturals of all kinds. He’d searched on the internet and found nothing. There wasn’t anyone he could ask for information either. At times, he wanted to curse his mother for keeping him so secluded from their world because of her fears. 

If Vale Valley really exists, there’s no way for me to find it.


“Put the knife down,” Sirius said in an even tone, hoping not to aggravate the junky in front of him. 

How the fuck did he get a damn knife in the first place?

After putting some serious thought into his career, he decided to ask for a transfer to a different department. His request had been denied, but Sirius still hadn’t had the heart to quit. He’d done his internship for both the emergency room and obstetrics but found the emergency more exciting. A choice he was currently regretting. 

Why the fuck does this shit happen to me?

“Just… just give me my clothes, it has what I need.” 

The young man standing in front of him looked scared, and even though he was shaking from withdrawal, Sirius wasn’t going to chance taking the knife away from him. He just needed to keep the guy talking until security could come in and handle the situation. He was thankful that the nurse that was in the room with him remained quiet and did nothing to aggravate the situation further. Sirius also wished she wasn’t in there with him because it would have been the perfect time, to use his powers. 
“I can’t do that, Foster. You need help.”

“I don’t need help. Who told you I needed help? Was it my father? How much did he pay you?”

“I don’t know who your father is, Foster.”

“Everyone knows fucking Franklin Smithe, he uses money to get his way.” 

“I’m not one of the people he can buy, Foster.”

“Anybody can be bought for the right price.”

Foster’s hand started shaking more, and he looked away for a second and Sirius saw his chance. He charged at the young man, knocking the knife out of his hand and jumping on top of him, pinning him to the floor with one of his arms behind his back. Sirius was about to give the nurse orders to treat Foster when the door burst open, and security rushed in. 
“You guys sure took your fucking time,” he snapped.

“Yeah, sorry about that we got held up on the elevator,” one of them said as they walked over and took over the situation with Foster. 

“You could have taken the stairs,” he told them getting up off Foster.

Once they had Foster secured, Sirius walked into his supervisor’s office and informed him that he quit, he didn’t feel the need to explain. He was tired of feeling as if his life was in constant danger when all he was trying to do was help people. Sirius loved his job, but he couldn’t keep doing it when he couldn’t even use his powers to protect himself. 

Maybe it’s time I take a trip and try to find Vale Valley.

Sirius sat on his couch doing a detailed search. He’d entered the name Vale Valley, and all that kept coming up was a small tourist town located in Pennsylvania. The Christmas Holiday was only a couple of weeks away, and Sirius was looking at pictures of the town celebrating and having what he could only assume was a good time. Scanning through more of the photographs, Sirius stopped when he saw someone that looked familiar to him. 

Grayson Vale. Holy hell is he a supernatural? 

Sirius remembered that Grayson had interned at the hospital for a while. Sirius never spoke to him but knew the nurses liked him. He stared at Grayson Vale’s photo and noticed he seemed different, his face glowing with happiness from the last time he’d seen him. Sirius looked under the title of the picture. 

‘The Grand Opening of Vale Valley’s New Health Center, Creatures of Comfort.’
Oh shit, could this really be Vale Valley? This can’t be for real. The town I’ve been searching for can’t be seen. Why the hell did my mother lie to me? Sirius put his laptop on the couch and got up, then started pacing the room.  She said it only shows itself to those who needed a place to call home. 
He stopped mid-pace and looked back at his computer. “Is that why I can see it, because that’s where I’m looking for a new home?” He sat back down on the couch staring off into space. “What the fuck should I do?” Sirius had never been a risk taker, but lately, he’d been feeling bottled in; stopped up, unable to push the cork out. 

What’s holding me back from packing up and moving? I’ve already quit my job, and right before the holiday started. I’m an idiot. I need to start thinking of something new to do. Wait, do they even have a hospital? 
He picked up his laptop and searched for a hospital, finding it on the first try. Excitement bubbled in him as he read more about the wonderful care being offered to the residents at the general hospital. One thing that piqued his interest was the part that said the hospital specialized in male hormone management care. 

What the hell does that mean? 

He didn’t get to ponder the question for too long when he saw a notice for staff wanted. His finger hovered over the mouse as he wondered if he should take the chance and apply for the job. Not second guessing himself anymore he filled out the application and sat back looking around his apartment. All he could do was wait to hear back from them on whether he got the job or not.


Three weeks later Sirius walked into his apartment and slammed the door, pissed off that he’d been passed over on the last job he’d interviewed for. It was working for one of the smaller hospitals in the city. He didn’t see any reason for him not to get the job when he was more than qualified for the position. He was also irritated that he hadn’t heard from Vale Valley General Hospital when he’d hoped they would have contacted him already. 

“This fucking sucks!” He yelled as he dropped down on his couch. He’d called Griffin to see if he wanted to hang out, but the other man hadn’t gotten back to him. “Maybe things between us are over. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.” 

Over the past day or two, Sirius wondered if he should give up and go back and beg for his job back, it was the only option he had. He had some money put away, but the longer he was out of work, the quicker it would go away. He pulled out his cell ready to call his ex-supervisor just as it rang staring down at it, he didn’t recognize the number, but he answered it anyway.

“Hello.”

“Is this Doctor Sirius Henson?”

“Yes.”

“Doctor Henson, I’m Tessa Blake, assistant to Doctor Calista Pond. I’m calling from Vale Valley General Hospital.”

Oh shit!

“Doctor Pond has reviewed your resume and would like to set up an interview now if you are available.”

“Yes, I am,” Sirius said quickly.

“Wonderful, please hold.”

Sirius chewed on his bottom lip as he waited for Tessa Blake to come back on the line.

“Doctor Henson, this is Calista Pond, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. This will be a short interview, from your resume and file you sound as if you have what we are looking for. But let’s go through the formalities.”

Wait, I thought she was only setting up the date for the interview? 

“What can you tell me about yourself that’s not on paper?”

I’m a witch, was the first and only thing that came to Sirius’ mind, but that was something he couldn’t say out loud. “Um…”

Calista Pond chuckled. “I assume no one has ever asked you a question like that?”

“To be honest, no.” Not only did Sirius hate talking about himself, but he also didn’t think he was that interesting anyway.

“Okay how about we start with something simple. Why did you want to become a doctor?”

That was a simple answer. “Ever since I was a kid it’s all I wanted to do. I think I drove my mom crazy with worry when I started diagnosing everyone in the neighborhood at the age of fifteen without a medical license. Helping and healing are all I can think about doing. It’s a part of me as breathing.”

“I see,” Calista Pond said. “It says here that you fast-tracked your way through medical school, was there a reason why you wanted to do that?”
“It wasn’t in my plans. In high school, I always felt that I was being held back so when I was given the opportunity to graduate a couple of years early, I jumped on it and applied to medical school. It was as if I was supposed to be there all along and things just came naturally to me. I didn’t stop studying and soaked up everything I could and before I knew it, it was time to graduate.”

“You’re quite young,” she said to him.

“I wouldn’t call twenty-seven young.” Sirius smiled for the first time in a long time. 

“Compared to me, yes you are. I hope you had some fun during all that studying?”

“Yeah, I did.” He had a lot of fun in fact, he felt a bit too much. 

“Good,” Calista said. He heard a lightness to her tone. “Tell me, Sirius, why are you looking for a new job, especially in a small town like Vale Valley?”

“I’m looking for a new change in my life, and I’m getting tired of living in a big city.” 

The line was quiet for a few minutes, and Sirius couldn’t believe he was opening up to her so easily. He realized as well that he wasn’t as nervous as when they first started talking.

“So when would you like to come out and visit us, all expenses will be paid for of course.”

Did I get the job? “Does that mean I have the job?”

“To the point, but I’d like to meet you face to face. How does next week sound?”

“It sounds great,” he said then a thought came to him. “Would it be okay if I come earlier and check out the town?”

"That’s a wonderful idea,” she cheered. “I’ll have Tessa send you the information you’ll need, and I cannot wait to meet you, Sirius Henson.” 
With that, she ended their call and Sirius had a feeling that the second he entered Vale Valley his life would change. He just couldn’t figure out if it would be for the better. 

Only time will tell.

Copyright © 2019 by Giovanna Reaves

Love is in the air, and Vale Valley’s magic is bringing lonely hearts together.
Sirius Henson
Sirius is both a skilled doctor and a witch who has always been sort of a loner. Being a witch in the human world has been hard on him, since he cannot use his magic for fear of revealing himself. After years of hearing about Vale Valley, he packs up everything he has in hopes of having a new start and being his true self. But with a new life comes new experiences and information and things he wasn’t aware was possible. Will Sirius be able to handle the changes coming with his new life, especially when the bewitching takes effect?
Alphonso Vale
 
After the death of his grandfather Trenton Vale twenty years ago, Alphonso and his parents left Vale Valley.  Although he keeps in contact with his extended family, he could no longer ignore the Vale Valley’s magic calling out to him. He decides to return home for a short visit. As a single father, his only goal was to let his daughter experience the wonder of the small town he still holds close to his heart. A chance meeting the cute doctor makes him want to reconsider moving back to Vale Valley permanently.
 
Bewitching Love is the twelfth book in the second season to the Vale Valley series. It is a heartwarming story of two men falling in love and building their new lives together

Alphonso looked in the rearview mirror watching Tamia and couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as his three-year-old happily sang along with him before focusing back to the road.
​
Alphonso was heading home to Vale Valley after being away for twenty years. He and his family had moved away not long after he’d turned ten years old. It was right after his grandfather Trenton’s death. At the time, Alphonso didn’t understand why his parents wanted to leave, and in some way, he still didn’t comprehend. Over the years he was sure that his grandmother Rosemary wanted his father Kayne to become the next town’s Sheriff but he’d turned it down.

In Alphonso’s opinion, there was more to the story, and it seemed his parents never wanted to talk about it, no matter how many times he asked. But one thing he knew for sure was how much his parents missed living in Vale Valley. He could see it in their faces each time they talked about the small town or got a call from his uncle LaMarkus.

“Daddy, sing,” Tamia said getting his attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweet pea, Daddy got a bit distracted.”

He looked at the GPS and saw that they weren’t that far away from their destination. Even if that was the case, he needed to keep her distracted. Humans who knew nothing about supernatural would never find Vale Valley unless the town wanted its presence known. The small town was also a homing beacon to those who left and one day wanted to return home again.

He started singing again, he glanced in the mirror one more time and noticed that she was rubbing her eyes. It was only a matter of time before she fell asleep. Tamia was a real trooper doing the long drive with him. It would have been easier to fly from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania and would have been there days shorter. After the minor meltdown Tamia had the first time they flew to Florida for Christmas, he’d made up his mind that their next long trip he’d rather drive, no matter the distance.

Soft, even breathing reached his ears and Alphonso knew his little one had fallen asleep. Tamia was the light of his life. He had gotten a phone call while on a business trip three years ago telling him that he was the father of a newborn baby girl. Alphonso had always tried to be careful when it came to his bed partners. Not wanting to leave it up to chance by getting a human pregnant who knew nothing about the supernatural world. No need to cause a national emergency because he couldn’t keep his dick out of trouble. Even though Alphonso was told that with his mixed blood, he’d have a hard time getting his mate pregnant no matter their gender. It had taken his parents years after their mating to have him, and they’d always figured he’d have the same problem.

I guess they were wrong.

Three years ago, Alphonso wasn’t the attentive, put together man and father he was with Tamia. As an entertainment lawyer, he soaked up the life; jet-setting to wherever his wealthy and superstar clients wanted him to meet them or attending lavish, expensive parties hosted by his clients. He’d given a few of his own over the years as well. Alphonso hadn’t been born with a large silver spoon in his mouth but worked his way up to turning what he had into platinum. With the carefree life he was living, Alphonso thought he was always safe with everyone he slept with.

Truthfully, the only thing he remembered about the night he’d slept with Tamia’s mother was that Assandria was a witch. Alphonso was at a party being given by one of his clients and was so surprised when he’d met another person who knew what he truly was. One thing led to another and the next thing he knew, they’d somehow fallen into bed together.
They’d both agreed it was a one-off and went their separate ways, vowing to keep in touch with each other but never did. Until he’d gotten the call that his daughter was born, and he needed to come and get her. Alphonso’s gut reaction was to deny the child until he saw a picture of her adorable face that held all the characteristics of a Vale child. From her button nose to her pouty lips, he knew she was his. The memory of holding her in his arms for the first time came back to him as if it was yesterday.

Alphonso threw a few bucks at the cab driver and hurried out of the car and into the high-rise building searching for the name of the law office that contacted him. He’d been living in Los Angeles for a long time and thought he knew most of the lawyers around town, but he’d never heard of Cristyn Brice. Once he found the name, he took the elevator and waited impatiently for it to get to the thirteenth floor.

“A daughter, I have a daughter. How the hell did that shit happen?”
He paced the length of the elevator trying to remember exactly who the other parent could be. He hadn’t gotten a lot of information on the child’s other parent since he was in too much of a shock at the time. He raised his head and stepped off the elevator, almost bumping into someone in his rush to find the office he was looking for.

“Mr. Vale,” a voice said behind him.

Alphonso turned around, realizing that the person who called out to him was the woman he almost bumped into rushing off the elevator.

“Assandria said you were handsome, and she was right. Cristyn Brice,” the beautiful young woman walked up to him with her hand extended.

Assandria, Alphonso mentally whispered trying to recall where he’d heard the name then remembered the woman he’d met at the party given by one of his top clients, Carter James. “I…” he started taking her hand, shaking it quickly before releasing.

“No need to introduce yourself, I know everything about you.”

“Really,” he said a bit shocked.

“Well, all the important things,” Cristyn said as her eyes trailed up and down his body stopping at his face.

At any other time Alphonso might have flirted back, but he wasn’t in the mood. He was there for business and not pleasure.

“Miss Brice, I was told my daughter is here waiting for me.”

“I see you’re a man that likes to get straight to the point.”

“It would be better if we stick to business.”

“Not to worry, Mister Vale, you are handsome, but I’m not interested.”

“Good to know.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Cristyn spoke. “Let’s go into my office.”

“Where’s my daughter?” Alphonso said as they started walking.

“Not going to question that she’s yours?”

“No, strong family traits are hard to deny.”

“I see,” she said looking back at him. “Tamia is with my assistant, and once we are done with all the formal paperwork, you will be able to take her home.”

“Tamia?”

“Tamia Rosemary Vale,” Cristyn said causing Alphonso to gasp. “I believe she said that was your grandmother’s name.”

“Is,” Alphonso whispered. “She’s still alive.”

“I stand corrected.”

They got to her office, and Alphonso dropped down in his chair. Looking down at his clasped fingers he was preparing for what to come.

“Assandria knew she was going to die and had hoped to have told you everything before the day came. But things didn’t work out the way she planned.”

“What was wrong with her?” he asked looking at Cristyn.

Alphonso tried to recall if he scented anything was wrong with her the night they met, and nothing came to mind.

“She had a degenerative disease of the nervous system. She thought she was getting better, but after Assandria found out she was pregnant, things got worse. She had it since she was a child and no form of magic spells, charms, or potions was able to heal her. She was a gifted witch and was able to heal everyone else but herself.”

Alphonso’s eyes widened. “You knew she was a witch?”

“Mister Vale, no, Alphonso, I know more than you think. You are the son of Kayne and Synder Vale, two men who’ve made a name for themselves as celebrity bodyguards. A werewolf and a vampire, funny fairy tales aren’t all lies, are they?”

Alphonso was still trying to figure out how the woman knew what his parents were. Raising his head in the air, he sniffed, and for the first time he realized that Cristyn Brice wasn’t human she was a shifter.

An Eagle. Gods, am I that unfocused that I hadn’t realized she was a shifter this entire time?

“You finally realized I’m a shifter?”

Alphonso didn’t need to respond, she saw the answer on his face.

“Anyway, I wasn’t just Assandria’s lawyer, I was her friend as well.”

“Why didn’t she tell me about the baby?”

Cristyn sighed. “Honestly, as close as we were, that’s something she never revealed to me; no matter how many times I asked. But I do know whatever she did wasn’t out of malice.”

“You said she had a degenerative disease. Is it genetic, does Tamia have it?”

“From the tests we ran…”

He sat up cutting Cristyn off. “Wait, who ran them? You let humans know of our existence?” Fear passed through him at the thought that untrusting humans who wished his kind ill would one day come after his child.
“I’m not stupid, Alphonso, and contrary to what you might believe, Vale Valley might be the only place supernaturals are welcomed. But we have few trusted humans working everywhere, protecting our secrets just as they do in your little town.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“Nervous, worried, and cautious. I get it. But to answer your question, as far as we can tell she’s fine.”

Alphonso sat back relieved at the thought of his daughter being okay. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“We all need to look out for each other. I’ll protect Tamia the same way I protected Assandria.”

Alphonso nodded. “Okay, so let’s get down to business. I want to meet my daughter and take her home.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for what being a father entails? It means giving up all the late-night partying and all that fun stuff you’re used to.”
“Honestly, no. But I’m willing to put all that behind me to be the father Tamia needs.”

Cristyn stared at him as if assessing if he was telling the truth. “Okay, let’s get to it.”

They went through all the paperwork needed for him to be able to take full custody of Tamia and Assandria’s estate. Between his holdings and Assandria’s, their daughter Tamia would be set for life. Alphonso had no idea that the woman he’d slept with that night was the sole living heiress to a cosmetic company.

According to the papers he was signing, Assandria had stepped down as the CEO a couple of years before they’d met. With her gone, all of Assandria’s holdings went to Tamia. But that wasn’t what was worrying Alphonso, it was the thought that with each paper he signed, he was one step closer to meeting his daughter.  With the last documents signed, Cristyn stood and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Sit tight for a bit. I’ll bring her to you.” She pointed to the door on the other side of her large office. “Go wash your hands and wait for me.”
She walked out of the office and Alphonso did what she instructed. He was too angsty to sit down and paced back and forth waiting for Cristyn to return. He knew nothing about how to take care of babies or raise a kid. He’d been single, living the life, never thinking about settling down or looking for a mate. He knew his fathers worried about him but mostly kept their opinions to themselves. A few minutes later the door reopened and Cristyn entered with a bundle wrapped in her arms. Instantly the scent of familiarity hit him, and he knew he was smelling his blood.

If he’d ever doubted if Tamia was his, her scent confirmed it for him. Taking his steps slowly, he met them in the middle of the room and stood there for a few minutes just staring down at his sweet child. Her dark curly hair was peeking out from under the blanket covering her head. Her chubby cheeks flushed as if she was crying before they entered the room. Tamia scrunched up her face as if she was about to cry and instantly Alphonso reached out and took her from Cristyn’s arms before she could make a sound.

His sweet girl turned her head and opened her eyes, and all Alphonso could do was gasp. The picture he’d seen hadn’t done Alphonso justice in preparing him. Beautiful bright green eyes like his own stared back at him. Holding Tamia in his arms for the first time gave him a sense of peace and calm that he’d never felt before. His fears hadn’t gone away, but he knew that they were going to be all right together.

Since that day in Cristyn’s office, they’d remained friends, and she became Tamia’s godmother. When he’d told his fathers what happened, they weren’t thrilled with him being a single father but spoiled Tamia just the same. Without his parents and Crisytn he didn’t know how he would have made it without their help. Tamia had not only changed the way he saw people but the way he saw the world. It was why he wanted her to meet the family she had in Vale Valley. He’d informed his grandmother that he was coming to spend some time with them and feel the magic of the town.

Alphonso had hoped his fathers would have wanted to take the trip with him, but they had refused. Whatever went down between them and his grandmother was keeping them away from returning back to Vale Valley, and Alphonso hoped one day they would be willing to one day.  Alphonso smiled as he drove past the sign that said Welcome to Vale Valley, already feeling the magic washing over to him.

Thank you for welcoming me back, Vale Valley.
​
Copyright © 2019 by Giovanna Reaves 

Grayson Vale

Following his family’s advice, Grayson goes off to college to expand his horizons beyond his small hometown. Years later, Grayson is ready to head back home after accomplishing his goals, both socially and academically. The holidays are the perfect time to return home with a mission in mind. Grayson is ready to start the next stage of his life, a new business and the man he’s been lusting at from afar for years, the sexy as hell Chance Knight.

Chance Knight

Chance is a mechanic who owns Knights Auto Repair by day and the drummer for his local band Scott and the Crimson Knights by night. He enjoys his life in Vale Valley, and he has a thriving business and friends, the only thing missing in his life is a lover. With the holidays right around the corner, Chance envies the couples he sees around Vale Valley. It’s been a while since he’s had a warm body to cuddle with on the cold winter nights. A night playing with his band ends with a surprise, a sexy little thing he can't get out of his mind. 


When Grayson makes a proposition to Chance for them to become lovers, does he say yes? Or does he walk away from the man that could be his heartbeat?


The Drummer's Heartbeat is the eleventh book in a shared world series about Vale Valley, a small town that is open to all who are searching for sweet love and their own happy ever after.

Chance Knight pulled his head from under the hood of the Chevy. He stepped back and pulled the rag from his back pocket, wiping the grease off his fingers.
​
“How bad is it?” Peter Torrent asked.

“Do you want me to tell you the truth or lie to you and take your money, knowing you’ll bring her back to me in a month with the same problem?”

“That bad?”

“You need a new transmission. It didn’t help matters that you didn’t come in for your last oil change, or the new brakes I ordered for you to go with the new tires sitting in the corner.”

“Shit.”

“Shit is right. You treat your baby like it’s nothing when it needs to be cared for and loved,” Chance scowled.

“Come on, Chance. Man, why do you have to be so hard on me? Can’t you cut me some slack?”

Chance looked at Peter and shook his head. The man might be his friend, but he was also an idiot. “No, I won’t cut you some slack’. It’s going to cost you a little over four thousand to get everything fixed.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Dollars?”

“No, peanuts,” Chance snapped. “Of course, dollars.” He knew he was in a shitty mood but when he heard Peter’s clunker pulling up in his garage just as he was about to shut switch on the closed sign only added to his shitty mood.

“Come on, man, you have to give me a deal. I don’t have that kind of cash.”

Chance shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, he wasn’t going to bend easily to Peter, no matter how much he begged. Chance closed the hood of Peter’s car and looked at its owner, shaking his head. He could give Peter a good deal, but he’d told the man on more than one occasion he needed to take care of his car. In Chance’s point of view, this was his way of punishing his friend.

“Come on, Chance, I need my car, man.”

“Then take it to another mechanic,” Chance told him as he switched on the closed sign.

“Dammit, Chance, you’re the only mechanic in town,” Peter yelled after him. “And besides you are the only one that I trust.”

“If you trust me, you should have brought the car in a month ago.”

“Are you going to keep bringing that up?”

Chance ignored Peter as he took the stairs two at a time stopping in front of the door that led to his apartment. He reached over to the case that held the extra keys to the loners he kept on hand. He grabbed the first key then turned and threw it to Peter who caught it with one hand.

“Take the fucking blue bug,” he instructed. Peter smiled thinking he’d gotten off easy. “You’re going to pay me every red cent it’s going to cost to fix your piece of junk. And don’t think I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this for Erica, who I know depends you to get her around.”

“You got it,” Peter said happily.

“If the bug gets even a scratch, you’re paying to have it fixed after I kick your ass.”

Peter nodded and walked over to the loner. Chance wasn’t sure why he was being nice all of a sudden, he deserved to let Peter suffer, but he had Erica and the kids to think about in the whole situation.  Fuck, Chance mentally cursed.

“You won’t regret this, I promise.”

“I already do,” Chance grumbled.

“Fuck, you’re a grumpy old bastard,” Peter said opening the door to the bug. “Maybe you need to get laid.”

“Get the hell out of my shop,” he snapped.

Wanting to punch his friend in the face, he took a deep breath scenting the change in the weather. It was a couple of weeks before Halloween, and it was getting colder a lot quicker than usual. The summer had gone by in a blink of an eye where Chance had spent most of the summer working and playing with his band which he enjoyed. They would only do a few lesser gigs after the holidays.

On the outside Chance pretended that he hated the holidays and was given the title of the town’s Grinch and tried to hide away in his apartment as much as he could. Part of the problem was that he tended to spend the holiday alone, which was why he didn’t want to admit that Peter’s statement hit a nerve. He watched as Peter peeled out of his garage and he winced when he heard the scrape of the car on the road.

He knew Peter was a lousy driver and was regretting giving the man one of his spares. He’d met the man six years ago when Peter and his family found their way into Vale Valley. Pressing the button, he stood at the top of the landing and watched to make sure the doors shut down completely.
Chance had no way how to explain the small town of Vale Valley that held five thousand people. It was a mythical place that seemed to accept the abnormal or in the mayor’s case, the normal. Chance had to admit Vale Valley wasn’t like any other town he’d lived in. No other town he knew kept the secret of shifters and every paranormal and supernatural being that lived only in dreams and nightmares.

To Chance and anyone who asked Vale Valley, wasn’t like any other small town in America. Who would believe him if he told them his best friend was a werewolf, and the mayor was well over one hundred years old but looked like she was in her sixties? According to Mayor Rosemary Vale, the magic surrounding Vale Valley only let it become visible to those in who were in need of a place to belong.

Turning the lights off, he opened the door leading to his apartment that took over the entire top floor. When he’d driven by the Welcome to Vale Valley sign twenty-two years ago, he wasn’t expecting to set down roots. Or start a business. He had only planned on spending two days and then move onto another until he could figure something out.

But each time he tried to leave, something held him back. It didn’t help he’d quickly became friends with the mayor who kept telling him that her small town needed a mechanic. The nearest one was three hours away, and she needed some who knew what they were doing.

When he told her, he had no money or capital, or any other excuses he could think of, she handed him and a loan contract and told him to pay it off in installments. She even had the place picked out for him. His first response was to ask her if she was crazy, but secretly he felt it was what he wanted and needed. Six months later he opened Knight’s Auto Repair, and he hadn’t regretted his decision since.

Before settling down in Vale Valley Chance was positive only human beings existed in the world until he saw a wolf turned into a man. At the time when he saw it happened, he’d had a couple of beers and thought he was drunk, but when the man spoke, he knew he was sober.

He walked into his bedroom stripping out of his work clothes, ready to wash the day away. He stood in front of the mirror waiting for the water to get as hot as he loved it. He wasn’t bad looking as a forty-five-year-old mechanic and part-time drummer. He kept his salt and pepper hair long in the middle and short on the sides. He rubbed his slightly hairy chest, flexing his tattooed muscular arms. Chance was kind of a health freak always watching what he ate along with working out every morning. He was sexy and hell, and he knew it.
So why the hell am I single?

Steam started to cloud his vision, and he knew it was time to get in the shower. Chance knew he was single because he had a type. He wasn’t a shifter but knew he had an alpha type personality. The only men Chance seemed to be attracted to were young, thin, and shorter than his six-foot-two height. And if they were fucking pretty, it was a plus to him. According to Scott his band mate who was a vampire and werewolf mix, Chance was looking for was an omega mate. Someone made for him and understood him better than anyone else.

Mate. He scoffed at the idea. I’ll leave all that supernatural shit, to Scott. It’s not a thing not a human thing. Hell, maybe I’m too old to even fall in love.
Dunking his head under the hot water he groaned as the soothing water hit him. He did not understand why he was suddenly thinking about the past or how he ended up in Vale Valley. He’d become a staple in the community and everyone knew each other.

Maybe it was the prospect of getting older and realizing he’d never had a steady lover. In a little under five months, he’ll turn forty-six. He didn’t need to worry about anyone forgetting his birthday, Mayor Rosemary always hand delivered a birthday card to his shop.

Chance had to admit that Mayor Rosemary was right about one thing regarding Vale Valley it was if the town was expecting him. He’d just graduated from college with no direction in life. He and his parents had a falling out because his father wanted him to go to law school like his brothers and sisters did then before working for their family law firm.
Chance had always seen himself as the black sheep of the family and went in a different direction. Only getting his Associate's degree, he gave a big ‘fuck you’ to his parents and law school and set out for parts unknown. There was one thing Chance knew how to do and that was fix cars.

Other’s called him a mechanic, but he saw himself as a doctor who specialized in engines. Chance loved what he did, there was nothing like pulling apart an engine finding the problem and fix it then putting it back together simply to hear that baby purr like a baby kitten.

Chance wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he had a serious hard-on for vintage cars.  Guys back then knew how to make sophisticated model vehicles for the time and people of status. Not like today where they were putting every fucking gadget, they could think of, wanting it to be pretty and expensive, rather than making it feasible and safe.  
Maybe I am a car snob?

He was the drummer for the band he created six years he started with Scott who was their lead singer. They were Scott and his Crimson Knights, who enjoyed writing their own music. And just liked his cars, he liked vintage music that brought out feelings and emotions. They had two local fans but to him and played for every major event that happened in Vale Valley.

For him Scott and the rest of the guys in the band, playing was a loved hobby; it had nothing to do with wanting to be famous or making money. He did enough of that with his shop and rebuilding custom cars on the side. He will never hurt for money. At forty-five years old Chance was set up for life.

Chance’s life was full but not complete. He needed someone compatible to share it with.  A lover to come home to, in the traditional and non-traditional sense. He was a kinky fucker and wanted to be the one to take care of his lover’s every need. He saw himself as a Dominant and wanted the perfect boy. Either case Chance wanted a boy to care for. Maybe Scott was right and what he was looking for was an omega, but there was no chance of him finding one that would be in the kinky shit he was in.

The few submissives he’d met at the BDSM clubs he visited over the years all the seemed same and performed as if the same dominant trained them. Chance wanted someone he could train and mold simply for him. He didn’t want predictability from his submissive, after all, when a boy misbehaves, the fun is doling out their sweet punishment.  Chance shook the thoughts out of his head and concentrated on finishing his shower. Maybe beating the hell out of the drums and drowning the loneliness he felt to some loud ass music sounded good to Chance after the way he’d been feeling lately.

Grayson put the last of his boxes on the floor and looked around his empty bedroom. After six years he was finally going home.
​
 “Are you all set?”

He turned and looked at Anita, his roommate, leaning against the door frame with a sad puppy dog look on her face. They’d met when he’d started university and simply hit it off. According to her, he had ‘fresh meat lost in a big city’ written on his forehead. She’d been a great friend to him and he hoped he was the same to her.

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe this is the last time we might see each other for a while,” she said to him. Why are you rushing home so quickly?” she whined.

Grayson chuckled. “It’s time for me to go home sweet’s I’ve been here long enough.”

“Can’t you at least stay until after your birthday? That’s what in a couple of weeks, right? I’ll make you an apple pie from scratch.”

“You’re really pulling out all the stops, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I’m just to try to keep my bestie with me for as long as possible.” She walked over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you, small town,” she said using the nickname she gave him from the day they met.

“You can always come with me,” he told her, wrapping his around her slender waist.

“I can’t,” she blurted out. “I just got a new job, remember? And I’m trying to knock out my last classes. Plus, I’m Professor Carter’s teacher assistant this semester.”

“You sound busy,” Grayson commented.

“I’m just trying to be like you.”

“Me? Why?”

“You’re the one was crazy and took more classes than they needed so they could graduate with two Master’s degrees. I’m not sure how you were able to complete your internship with all you had going on.” She pulled out of his arms then walked over to his twin size bed and sat down.   
     
“It wasn’t easy, I sacrificed a lot of my fun time, remember?”

“That’s why you should stay a bit longer.”

“Hey, I stayed a couple months longer than I wanted.”

He was crazy for finishing his studies quicker than most. Taking classes both online and in class, not going home for summer or winter holidays. Getting his degree in sports therapy as well in holistic oriental medicine. The only time he took one was for spring break.

Everyone needs to have fun sometimes.

The only time he’d gone back home was for his great-aunt Ermaline’s funeral which fostered his drive to finish school as quickly as possible. Grayson was the same way in high school, being one of the five students to graduate with not only his diploma but an Associate’s degree as well.

 “It was hard going home for Erma’s funeral even if it was for one day. Gods, it was hard getting on that plane to come back here.”

Anita sighed. “Never knew someone who loved any kind of small town living like you.”

A smile tugged on his lips. “If you ever visited Vale Valley, you’d understand.”

“You’ve been telling me that since I met you.”

 “It’s the truth,” he beamed.

Grayson loved Vale Valley, his grandmother had to talk him into leaving.
“You need experience before you settle down,” she told him. “Trust me, you will understand when the time comes.”

His parents simply nodded and agreed with her. Few people could disagree or argue with Rosemary Vale. She’d been the town’s mayor since forever.
“I bet your parents are happy that you’re finally coming home.”

“Nope, they have no idea I’m coming home. My mom keeps asking if I’m coming home next summer and I keep changing the subject. But I have a feeling she suspects something’s up, since I haven’t given her my graduation date.”

“Goddess you have that sappy look on your face again. Are you sure it’s the town you’re ready to go home to and not some farm boy you left behind?”

He walked over to the door, picking up his bag and suitcase. “He’s not a boy, and as far as I know he’s never worked on a farm.” He smirked. “But I doubt he knows I’m alive. So, for now, I’m just a boy missing his family and small-town living. He shrugged his shoulders. “I did what my parents and Nana wanted by going to college and getting my degrees, now it’s time to go home and full fill my dreams.”

“And what’s that again?”

“Shit, woman, how many times do I need to repeat my plans?”

“As many times as,” she snapped, and Grayson was a bit taken back. 

What the hell is going on with her? 

“I want for you to make me understand why you need to do it in a small town and not here.”

“Because Vale needs me,” he said for the hundredth time since he told her his plans. They’ve disagreed about him opening his own health and aromatherapy center.

“Come on, small town, you worked hard on your degrees and could make a killing working for any national sports team.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You keep telling me that your hometown needs you when I think you’re the one that needs it.”

Of course, I need it. I need to feel and see the towns magic to feel whole again, he mentally yelled. Anita didn’t know about the secrets of Vale or that she had been living with a shifter all these years. But instead, he said. “I know I can. But not everything is about money.”

“Fine, it’s not about money, again why not open your health center here?”
“Seriously, there’s a freaking gym practically on every corner in this state. I came here with a plan in mind and now that I’ve accomplished that, it’s time for me to go.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” Anita said getting up from the bed.

“What do you mean?”

“You talk as if your family is loaded, but I’ve seen the way you eat. At one point I thought I saw ramen noodles coming out of your nose.”

The truth was his family was quite well off. But Grayson was never one to splurge. Other than paying for his tuition and books, he didn’t see the need to spend loads of money just because he had it in the bank. Besides, he was sinking everything he had into building his health center. He grinned thinking of his family and friends that he couldn’t wait to see. His parents didn’t like the fact that he never came home on his breaks, but they respected his drive to go after what he wanted. Grayson walked back over to her and pulled her in his arms. He pulled back and kissed her on the side of her head.

“Call me if you need me.”

She nodded. He was about to walk away but she stopped him by grabbing on to his arm. Grayson looked at her and had the feeling something else was bothering her. It wasn’t about him leaving, she’d known that he was going to leave for months.

“What’s up?” She stared at him for a few seconds and he got a bit worried. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she told him, but he had the feeling she wasn’t telling him the truth. “I’ll make sure that the movers don’t break anything when they pack your stuff.” She pointed to the boxes behind him. “Go on, get out of here or you’ll be stuck in traffic.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, getting the feeling that she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Something told him that he should stay and talk things out with her and have her tell him what’s really bothering her.

“You know you can tell me if anything is bothering you.”

Anita rolled her eyes. “Goodness, you’re a mother hen. I’m fine.”

Sighing, he realized that she wasn’t going to tell him anything. He leaned and kissed her again on her forehead then walked out of his apartment, and this time she didn’t stop him. Grayson and Anita had shared the apartment for five years. They’d stayed in the dorms their freshman year but decided to get an apartment in their sophomore year. He took the steps down and stood in front of his little car that his dad had gifted to him on his eighteenth birthday. It had kept up with his busy schedule the entire time he was in school and it would take him back home. He would miss Chamberlin City, but not enough to live there for the rest of his life.

Grayson got in his car and started it up, pulling out into traffic. It would take him three days to get home and he couldn’t wait. He wasn’t lying when he told Anita that Vale Valley was special. There was something about his hometown that a big city couldn’t satisfy him. The people didn’t connect or try to get to know each other. Everyone was always pushing and rushing to get somewhere. No one had time to slow down and see what was right in front of them. He missed the slow pace of Vale Valley.

His hometown was as mysterious as it was beautiful, a town that welcomed the natural and the unnatural with open arms. He smirked thinking about his family. His mother was a mermaid, and his father was part werewolf, thanks to his grandmother Rosemary. But his family was a mix of every supernatural under the sun and moon. Witches, vampires, werewolves, mermaids, selkies, and the occasional human who had superhuman strength thanks to their bloodline. His grandmother was also one of the longest living female alpha werewolf and saw her five hundred pack members as her family.

Grayson was sure that people would call him crazy and put in an asylum if he told anyone even Anita that most men living in Vale Valley could get pregnant or that he had cauldron brewing, spell casting witches in his neighborhood. He was sure that no one would believe him that vampires and werewolves existed would they believe him.

One of his friends growing up was a reindeer who’d kick their ass if asked if he’d ever pulled Santa’s sleigh. Grayson was stupid to think that Vale Valley was the only place supernaturals existed but, but it was the only place where they could be themselves.

With the mixture in his lineage, Grayson would be able to get pregnant because he was also an omega. That’s why he was careful on spring break outings, he was young and healthy and loved sex. But he wasn’t crazy. He got strange looks when he told his bed partner to double up on condoms. But it didn’t stop him from having great sex.

From a young age Grayson knew he was an omega, and a bit kinky in bed. The guys he tended to go for were taller, broader in the shoulders, hard muscles, and much older than him. He was twenty-four years old and preferred his men on the mature side and liked to be called daddy in bed.
It turned him on to say and he saw how much it turned on his bed partner to hear it. He loved it all, getting spanked, being tied up, being completely dominated in and out of bed. He wanted a career sure, but behind closed doors he wanted to give his partner complete control.

Anita once commented that he had daddy issues which was why he went for older men. He sweetly told her she was wrong. The way he saw it, he wasn’t starved for attention from his father. He and his dad got along great and butted head sometimes, but he supported Grayson with both words and actions. What he wanted was a leather daddy.

He’d been to a few BDSM clubs when he gave himself time to have fun. The only contracts he signed were for that night. But now he was looking for something permanent. The question was, would he find what he was looking for in Vale Valley? One good thing about going away for college was no one knew or cared that his father was the sheriff or that his grandmother was the mayor. He wasn’t seen as an untouchable and had happily lost his virginity his freshman year.

So, why the hell am I going back home?

It wasn’t as if he had a terrible upbringing. His grandmother and parents pampered him and his sister Monique.  Anita was right, he could work at any Fortune 500 company, but he wouldn’t be happy. And he knew he would be that good at his job. Grayson knew that his heart belonged home in Vale Valley even if he didn’t find the man of his dreams. He wouldn’t regret his choices to return to his small-town life.

Grayson switched off his mind and focused on the long drive home. He hadn’t told his parents that he was coming home early or that he was practically graduated. He still had one class to finish but that one he was doing online. It would take him at least three days to get home. He couldn’t wait to see and hold his family.   

He’d spoken to them practically every day or when his schedule had allowed and saw them whenever his family came to visit. But it’d been a few months since he last saw them. Doing it over Skype was nothing like having one his mom’s hugs, or hearing his sister’s chuckle, his dad’s booming voice, and his grandmother butting into everyone’s business. Nothing stayed a secret where she was concerned. She was the town’s busy-body and felt it was her duty to take care of everyone in town.

Grayson really missed her. He bit his lips trying to hold in his excitement. Grayson had a feeling the minute she saw him she would be meddling in his life and he’d allow it for a little while. He just hoped she didn’t meddle too far. His family might be unconventional to human standards, but he didn’t think they would understand his need to be spanked, or tied up, while he was being fucked.

Nope, that will be my little secret. No one needs to know what I enjoy in bed.

It was a little after six when Grayson pulled up to his home a few days after leaving school. He drove mostly in the day and spent his nights in hotels when he started getting tired, so he wasn’t as exhausted as he could have been after the long trip.
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He turned off the car then leaned against the steering wheel staring at his childhood home — a two-story that his parents turned into a four-bedroom house with three and a half bathrooms. His mom and dad had built it when they had found out they were pregnant with twins. He was happy to see that it was still standing.

Grayson couldn’t wait for the next holiday. He hated missing the holidays over the years and planned on making it up to his family. Especially Christmas, which seemed to be a month-long celebration in Vale Valley starting right after or in some cases before Thanksgiving. Lights and decorations, ice skating that followed right after the big Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the town square, hot chocolate, secret Santa’s, and the scent of fresh pine and cinnamon that seemed to be everywhere he went.

On Christmas Eve his parents would hold a Christmas party where it looked like the entire town was in their home. Also, on that night if everyone listened closely the guests could hear some of the members from each pack joining together for the annual Christmas Eve pack run. Christmas day would be reserved for family, where everyone stayed in their pajama’s all day, opened presents, and watched almost every Christmas movie that was ever made.

Yeah, it’s good to be home.

He looked down the block and then at his house.  His town was filled with people who were all holiday nuts and didn’t care who knew about it. His mom was one of those nuts and liked to have the house decorated and shining like the brightest star, brighter than any of the other houses on the block.  His mom, Katarina, had a system that she followed every year without fail.

It was a big deal, well in their home it was. First, she focused some of her energy on the outside, then the Christmas tree, and spent days baking dozens of different cookies where she donated them to the local church and business. And that was in between her teaching at the elementary school.

Now I know where I get my work ethics from. Just thinking about everything she does makes me exhausted.

He grabbed his car keys then reached for his suitcase that was sitting in the passenger seat. He opened the door and got out still looking up at the house, as he inhaled the fresh scent of the changing season and excitement bubbled inside of him. The lights were on downstairs, and just like clockwork, he knew that his parents were having dinner. He smirked and practically ran up to the front door. He stood there for a few seconds trying to calm himself before opening the door.

“Hey, anybody home,” he said not loud enough for his family to hear as he stepped inside and set his case down.

He heard chatter coming from the dining room. Closing the door quietly, he walked down the hall. The scent of his mom’s cooking greeted him with a happy grin. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The closer he got to the living room he was able to distinguish the voices. He stopped and listened, eavesdropping on the conversation that his family was engaged in. He should feel guilty, but he didn’t.

“Your brother is going to be so happy when we call him later,” Katarina said.

“He’s going to be so surprised, something I’ve never been able to do, ever,” Monique said.

“I’m going to be a great-grandmother,” his nana gushed. “Now we just need your brother to find his mate and get pregnant.”

He gasped then stepped into the room. “You’re pregnant?”

All their heads turned, and eyes widened. He braced himself for the loud screams he knew was going to come from his grandmother, sister, and mom.

“Grayson, you’re home.” Monique jumped out of her chair and ran over to him, throwing herself in arms. He was shorter than her at five foot ten, but he caught her easily.

“Honey, why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” Katarina asked.
He gently set his sister down and pulled his mom into his arms. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“You and your sister and your surprises. First, she finds her mate and they elope telling us later, and you coming home early. Either way, they are wonderful surprises.” she said as she leaned back and cupped his cheeks with her hands. “Wait, what about the rest of your studies? We were all so excited to see you get your degree.”

“I sort of finished early. You know I hate all that pomp and circumstances.  And besides, I missed you guys. I missed being home.”

Before he could say anything, his dad wrapped his arms around them, crushing them in a tighter hug. “It’s good to have you home, son,” he said when they separated.

“It’s really good to be home.”

“Come on, sit down,” his mom said guiding him over to the table. “Are you hungry?”

“For your home cooking, always.”

“Oh gods, mom, don’t treat him like a baby now that he’s home.”

“Hush you,” Katrina chastised Monique.

He sat down in the empty seat next to Monique’s husband who he hadn’t formally met. Cordell was an alpha werewolf.

“It’s nice to finally meet the man that stole my little sister’s heart.”
Cordell beamed and wrapped his free arm around Monique. His sister hadn’t removed the smile from her lips.

It’s good to see her happy.

“Thanks,” Cordell said. “And please call me Cord, we’re family.”

“You got it.”

Grayson and Monique were twins, and while he went off to college like the good little boy he was, his sister had bucked the system and had taken a year off from college to travel around Europe. His parents weren’t happy, but Monique had always played to her own tune. It was during one of her trips when she met Cordell.  Grayson was looking forward to getting to know his brother-in-law.

“So, what’s been going on since I’ve been gone?” he asked and nodded, thanking his mom for the plate she just handed to him. He took his first bite and moaned. He sincerely missed his mom’s cooking.

“Where do we begin,” his grandmother started.

Grayson continued listening to his grandmother and dad update him on what’s been going on with their little town that seemed to have grown since the last time he’d come home. More supernaturals were finding their sweet little town. He’d missed the light atmosphere and was soaking up the love he was feeling.

There’s nothing like being home

Part of Chapter Two from my new release The Pirate and His Omega Thief

Captain Dagger “Cutthroat” Crowe stood behind his helmsman proudly smiling.  He watched as his crew members steered the Beauté Noire away from the crumbling ship that once belonged to the Spanish armada.
He chuckled, hearing the captain screaming obscenities at him and his crew. They had just raided and plundered the ship, taking everything that wasn’t battened down. It was an easy raid. The Spanish captain and his crew gave up quicker than he was expecting. So quickly, he had thought they would be ambushed. Considering that they didn’t put up a fight there wasn’t a reason for Dagger or any member of his crew to lose their life or take one. He didn’t need to prove why he was given the name Cutthroat. He never second-guessed himself when he separated a head from a man’s body.
Dagger loved the sea. Living free on the wide blue was the life for him. The mistress of the sea had become his everything. She was his guide and compass, never steering him in the wrong direction. Without her, his chest would never be filled with gold, silver, and beautiful gems. Even with it all he wasn’t satisfied, he wanted more, and his mistress would sate his hunger. He could never stay away for a long time. She was like a siren, always calling him back to her side.  
As a boy Dagger knew his life belonged to the sea, much to his parents’ dismay. Born as a part of the upper crust of the French society, he was expected to mate with an equally noble omega and produce heirs to continue the family line. His parents feared he would turn out like his uncle who was a pirate who disappeared just after Dagger was born. His mother was a duchess and a born native of the Jamaican islands. His father was a duke and the fifteenth cousin to the current queen to France.
At one point, Dagger was on the very track his mother and father laid out for him. He’d joined the Crown’s army and served dutifully, simply to make his parents happy. But after his parents’ death, something inside of him changed. They had gotten sick from a deadly plague that had taken over Europe, killing millions of souls in its wake.
It was two years after their death when Dagger heard the siren of the sea calling to him. Not wanting to be associated with French royalty, he relinquished his birth name along with his rank from the army as Lieutenant Mickael Beauregard, choosing the name Dagger Crowe.  In his younger and misguided youth, he joined with the privateers’ ship. Under the protection of the king and queen of France, their goal was to hunt down pirates, claiming their gold and collecting the bounty that was placed on them. Even back then Dagger wasn’t settled and wanted more.
He had become bored with his life and hated taking orders from a man who seemed afraid of his own shadow. There was a point in time Dagger had thought about leaving the sea life after he’d joined The Rift. He would have gone home to France and reclaimed his name and title of duke, and possibly find an omega mate of noble echelon, but it was as if the mistress knew of his internal distress and was sent a savior named Captain Andrews. When his privateers’ ship was taken over by pirates.
Dagger remembered the feeling of elation, as if he was rescued from a life that was not his own. He was tied up and watching the crew of The Rift take all of their food and supplies. Captain Tomas Andrews didn’t need to threaten, his name was widely known for his ruthlessness and his hulking stature. It was once rumored that Andrews hung the head of one of the British queen’s most trusted and loved captains from his ship's bowsprit. Later during their time together, Dagger asked Tomas why he did it in such a manner.
“Never let a man think he is above you,” Tomas told him. “The queen sent her dogs after me because I went against her order. But what she forgot was I am my own man, and I bow to no woman or man.”
Tomas was a great teacher and friend. Thinking back, he recalled the first words he spoke to the rugged captain who later became his friend and mentor.
“Take me with you,” he’d yelled out to Tomas standing in front of the privateers’ captain, Captain Auch.
Dagger wasn’t sure why the hell he’d said it. He wasn’t a pirate, he chased and arrested them. But seeing how Captain Tomas handled Auch and his crew it was as if he was the captain of the privateers’ ship. In truth the crew didn’t regard him as the captain, they were in it for the money and recognition they got from the king and queen. They bragged and marked off the notches on their belts for killing a few pirates legally, but it didn’t amount to anything. The only reason he stayed with the privateers’ crew as long as he had was his desire to be one with the sea.  
Tomas had asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted to do. He walked over to him and cut him loose. Being free to do as he will, Dagger ran to his cabin and grabbed the only things important to him, his family crests. He gave up his name but couldn’t forsake his blood. Without a backward glance he crossed the line over to The Rift, that he later renamed Beauté Noire, and became one of its crew members. And a beauty she was, with three masts, a square rig, and three large decks.
Dagger looked away from the map in his hand and turned when he heard boisterous laughter coming from the crew members. He couldn’t help but chuckle when Clive a new crew member tripped and dropped one of the chest of gold, landing on his ass. He laughed along with the rest of his crew when three of his men began chasing after the gold pieces that spilled from the chest. Seeing his men happy made him wished Tomas was still a part of their crew. He missed his former captain, the man taught him everything he knew on how to be a pirate with morals, and how to be feared by only his name.
The life of a pirate was not only to steal and plunder the seas because they owned it. Tomas considered himself a man that robbed from the rich and gave it back to the poor. Tomas was both loved and feared. That’s how he’d lived his life. With every treasure he and his crew found, he required each man to add a coin to donate to a children’s boarding house. Tomas had a soft spot for children and believed they should be taken care of, Dagger did too. The hordes of children that had died in the plague still hurt his heart, and each time he thought about his parents and their deaths did as well. As a tribute, Dagger carried on the tradition.
Tomas had found his mate on one of their port stops, quickly giving up his life as a pirate. An action Dagger could not see himself doing. He loved and lived freely on the sea. The only thing Dagger wanted was to find a bed partner in any port they stopped in before moving onto his next adventure.
He’d been with both men and women, omegas and gammas. He was not exclusive to one gender or took things like hierarchical status as something of importance. He was pulled out of his thoughts when his quartermaster Mister Smiths walked over and stood beside him.
“How long do you think they will be stranded out there?”
Dagger smirked. “I don’t think that long, I’m quite sure another ship will be along to save them,” he answered. “So, where are we off to, Mister Smiths?”
“Port Royal, Captain. We need to dock in the next port to fix the damages to the ship and restock our supplies. The little we got off the Spaniards’ ship won’t last long. And the men could use a good bit of fun and a romp with a sweet supple body for a couple of days.”
Dagger burst out in laughter, hitting the man on his shoulder lightly. “Maybe it’s time the men think about getting a matelotage and give the poor pegboy a much-needed rest.”
“Aye. Jacob is a good lad but no need for the men to tire him out,” Cooper, his helmsman, said.
It wasn’t a secret among the crew that the man had a crush on Jacob but feared the men would rebel if he took the pegboy for himself. Dagger shook his head at Cooper who hadn’t stopped staring at Jacob who had resumed his position on his peg. All Cooper needed to do was ask, and as captain, Dagger would make the boy his.

Check out the first chapter in my next release! 
​
Ashlyn hastily threw his meager belongings in his sack, running around his rented room above the bar he was staying in.

He needed to get the hell out of town before Vandal Dingle found him. The man had become a pain in his arse in a matter of days when they bumped into each other accidentally. It grated on his every last nerve how the man kept following him around town, like a stray dog begging for scraps.  

Vandal Dingle wasn't good looking to say the least. But even if he was, Ashlyn was not interested in the man. Vandal was tall, with a large stomach that took up every part of his frame. He was bald with a scar on the left side of his face that went from his ear to his lips, down to his chin. He was missing a few of his teeth and he had the worst body odor known to man.

For goodness’ sake that’s why the bloody sea exists for a reason. He cannot be an alpha like he claims.

He froze when he heard the loud pounding on his door.
“Fuck,” he cursed and pressed his back against the wall and held his breath praying to the sea god the alpha would leave him alone.

I can’t believe the man fancies himself a pirate. He gets seasick at the sound of a bucket being filled.

“Come on out, little love, I can smell you hiding in there. I just want to make you mine.”

How can you smell anything over your own body odor?

“Not on your bleeding life,” he whispered, knowing the man on the other side of the door couldn’t hear him.

Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out his potion, downing the entire thing. He had just returned back from the local town’s witch, Talia, or that’s what they called her. Yet, she was the one they went to when they have an ailment. Talia fancied herself a doctor of witchcraft but makes an elixir that seemed to slow down his omega heat.

I hate I was born an omega. I wish I was born an alpha instead and didn’t have to deal with all this heat shite.

Ashlyn was a loner and had no place to call home. As an omega, he felt he was cursed in life by the deities. Each month his body went into an omega heat and he would need to find an alpha to calm his raging hormones. He was born into a lower-class, large family and was the third oldest out of a brood of twelve.

Both of his parents were born in Britain but traveled to the islands when Ashlyn was but a newborn. His family was poor, and it seemed they had more kids than food. When he was thirteen, he left with only the clothes on his back and never looked back. He doubted his parents even realized that he was gone.

It didn’t help that one reason they were poor was because his sire, Keaton, kept incurring gambling debts. They kept getting kicked out of every hovel they found to live in. Ashlyn hated that Abel, his bearer, never argued about being moved from one home to another, or never having food on their table. But always seemed to turn up pregnant and was happy about it.

Ashlyn despised the loyalty his bearer showed. He saw Able Tuesday as a doormat, making a vow to himself that he’d never be like his bearer. He wanted much more out of life. He didn’t want to struggle for his next meal. As much as he hated being an omega, he realized there were both advantages to his status and disadvantages. He was told often that his exotic beauty was unlike any other omega’s. His bright blue eyes, light brown skin, and dark twisted locks made most men and women weak in their knees.

After leaving home and realizing that men wanted him for being an omega and his beauty, he used it to his advantage. It didn’t happen right away. It took time for him to understand what his scent, beauty, and body did to not only alphas, but betas and maybe some gammas. Before that he would hide away and prayed no one would find him. After leaving, he stole, and in some cases begged, for food; depending on the kindness of strangers to feed him.

Ashlyn made it a point not to stay in one place too long. When he was eighteen he had gone through his first heat phase. He had no clue what was wrong with his body, when all he wanted was to rip his clothes off and jump in the sea just to cool off. He was thankful that no alpha was around when it’d happened. When it happened every month, he knew something was wrong, but he wasn’t sure who to ask.

He’d never seen his sire go through a heat cycle. It also didn’t help he and Able never talked about the facts of life. He never seemed to have the time with all the babies he kept having. Then one day Calista came into his life. She was an omega like him and explained that each month on or around the same time his body went through a heat cycle. Even knowing what to expect Ashlyn hated that his inside hurt so badly he wanted to die. He did not know what was happening.

According to Calista being an omega was a passage through life that distinguished alphas, betas, gammas, and omegas. Omegas were the beautiful humans in the world and pirates considered them to be sea sirens who beguiled them with their beauty.  Betas were everyday people who did not have to worry about finding a mate or heats.
Gammas were one level below betas in status, they could also mate with and get pregnant by betas. Calista told him that omegas were given a gift thanks to the deities to bear children. Then how would the gods explain gammas? To Ashlyn, gammas were lucky with the fact that they did not go through a heat cycle as omegas did.
However, society dwelled little on the beta and gamma dynamics the way they did with alphas and omegas. Gammas also bear one child every five years whereas an omega could get pregnant each heat cycle.

A gamma and beta pairing or mating was not as structured, or loyalty based as an alpha and omega. If they so choose, a gamma could have more than one beta mate. Alphas and omegas are mated for life. Society believes that an omega is fragile and needed the protection of a strong alpha to take care of them.

Who comes up with this shit?

Ashlyn had been taking care of himself since he was thirteen and needed an alpha to rescue him. He knew well that Calista was looking for a mate. No one liked being lonely, and admittedly he got lonely sometimes. But each time he thought of finding a mate, he broke out in a cold sweat, and got nauseated.  To Ashlyn having a mate sounded like a life sentence. The desire to be loved by an alpha mate sounded great, but the part about bearing the alpha’s child did not sound all that great for him.

He wanted to choose his own path in life. I need no man or child to hold me back from my goals. And why would I want to ruin my beautiful figure?

Since discovering that he was an omega he stayed away from people out of fear that an alpha would pick up his scent. During the other times, he pretended that he was a gamma most days. And since he loved women’s clothing no one questioned Ashlyn on his beauty or his true status in society.

With Vandal still beating down his room door, he was glad at that moment that he’d changed into leather trousers when he went to visit Talia for his one-year supply of elixirs. The bottles were small enough he could shove most in his pockets and wouldn’t weigh him down while he traveled.

He’d traveled a lot since he left home. Mostly by horse and carriages. But no matter wherever he went, he always seemed to come back to the town of Duns Fall. It was because Talia lived there, but, it used to be a quiet little town he saw himself one day settling down in. That was until pirates found his sweet little haven.  The pirates were loud and brash, who believed that everything they touched belonged to them on land and sea.

Ashlyn made it a point not to get close to anyone, especially pirates. He also never stayed in one place too long even his beloved little town of Duns Fall. Talia and Calista were the exception, they pushed their way into his life even when he kept pushing them back. If an alpha or anyone else suspected that he was an omega he would leave town before they could catch up to him. Except for Vandal “The Stubborn” Dingle who didn’t know how to take no for an answer.
If Vandal was really a pirate, he was definitely a crappy one who seemed to have given up chasing booty for Ashlyn’s arse. The banging on his door became insistent. What the bloody hell is this fucker’s problem? There were many other beautiful men on the island, but it seemed he had only eyes for Ashlyn.

He didn’t understand the other man’s fascination when they’d bumped into each other at the local market. Ashlyn was looking at a white silk scarf that would have looked charming with his midnight blue gown he’d bought the previous day. After saying their apologies, Ashlyn went on about his business, apparently, Vandal took a liking to him.

They’d run into each other the entire week. Vandal tried buying him drinks and dinner for the past few nights and each time he declined the man’s offer. It was his way of courting the omega into his arms, Ashlyn heard him tell another pirate who told him it wouldn’t work. Ashlyn had gone so far as to tell Vandal he was already mated and was simply waiting for his mate to join him in two days. Rightfully so, the other man didn’t believe him.

He’d have left Duns Fall days ago, but he had to wait for his elixir to be finished. If only Talia was really a witch.

“Come on, pretty, open the door and let me in so that we can talk,” Vandal said on the other side of the door.

“Fuck no,” Ashlyn whispered. 

Stuffing the small bottle into his pocket he picked up his sack from the bed and walked over to the open window. He froze when the floorboards squeaked and held his breath, wondering if Vandal had gotten smart and left. The pounding on the door stopped, and he prayed he was right about Vandal leaving. The man was large enough he could break the door down without breaking a sweat if he wanted to. When nothing happened, Ashlyn snuck over to the window and was about to open it when he saw Vandal standing on the terrace looking in the window.

How the fuck did he get out there so fast?

Turning, Ashlyn ran out of the room and down the stairs into the bar. It was packed with patrons, mostly pirates drinking their fill of grog. Some stopped to look at him as if he had lost his head for a few seconds before going back to what they were doing. Others paid him no attention. His heart was thundering in his chest, it was only a matter of time before Vandal burst in the room. Ashlyn scanned the room quickly, hoping someone could be a patsy for him in a pinch.

He spotted a group of pirates sitting in the back of the room. They were loud and rowdy, knowing it should be easy to spot the captain among them. He would be the only one with a large tanker of grog. Other than that, all the men sitting at the table with him would be vying for his attention. He looked out the window and saw Vandal about to push the pub doors open. Thinking quickly, he ran over to the group of pirates and sat in the man’s lap and smashed their lips together before the man could object. He ignored the pleasurable shiver that coursed down his back.

“Oi, get your hands off my mate. That’s my man,” Ashlyn heard Vandal roar.

Both Ashlyn and the pirate, he assumed was the captain, stopped kissing and turned to look at Vandal. Their cheeks lovingly pressed against each other.

“Your man?” the sexy man asked. The man’s voice was a deep whisper that close to his ear.

“Aye,” Vandal responded.

The stranger laughed along with the other men at the table as if they were all in on the joke. Ashlyn’s body however, was responding in ways it never had before to anyone since their kiss. He prayed that the man whose lap he was sitting on didn’t notice. A finger touched his chin then lightly turned his head to meet light gray eyes connecting with his blue. He also didn’t miss the devilish smile causing his cock to respond even more in his trousers.

Fuck, I need to get away from this man, now.

“Are you his?” Ashlyn shook his head no. But I can be yours if you want me to. What the fuck? His eyes widened at his thoughts. Where the hell did that thought come from?

“Lies,” Vandal said loudly.

“Are you calling my beauty a liar?” He never took his eyes away from Ashlyn.

“You bet your bloody arse, I am,” Vandal roared.

“I told him I was waiting for you,” Ashlyn offered up.

“Always, my loyal beauty,” he said as the tips of his fingers brushed against Ashlyn’s lower lip that still burned from their kiss.

Ashlyn turned and looked at Vandal, he was boiling mad. His face was red, and it was as if he could see steam coming out of his ears. Vandal went to lunge forward but was stopped when the captain stood up instantly, putting Ashlyn behind him with one hand and a cutlass in the other.

“We don’t want any trouble now do we?” the other pirate asked.
“This is a proper establishment. So be a good gentilhomme and be on your way now.”

Ashlyn looked over the stranger’s shoulder and looked at Vandal, the tip of the sword was at his throat ready to strike if need be.

“This isn’t over, Ashlyn,” Vandal vowed.

He stepped in front of the other man to address Vandal. “Just give up. Just please stop following me. I’ve told you before that I’m not yours. I belong to someone else.”

He turned and looked at the handsome pirate whose arms circled his waist and pulled him tighter against him. He wasn’t looking at Ashlyn but at Vandal, but the smirk on his sexy lips made Ashlyn’s heart thump faster in his chest.

Vandal tsked then looked at Ashlyn’s savior. “Watch yourself, I never forget a face.”

“And I never back down from a challenge.”

Vandal nodded and backed away before Ashlyn released the breath he was holding. His body was finally under control and he wasn’t emitting any pheromones thanks to the potion. He wasn’t sure how it worked or what was in it, but Talia was a lifesaver.

“Now, my beauty, mind telling me what all that was about?”

“Not really,” Ashlyn said bending down to pick up his sack. “But I must thank you ever so much for your gracious help.”

He went to step by the man but was stopped with a hand around his waist. He gasped when a muscular chest was pressed against his back. His body was reacting in ways it shouldn’t have, especially since he’d drunk the entire bottle of potion.

“Now, petit, where do you think you’re running off to? I can take you back to my ship for a bit of fun.” The pirate’s deep voice whispered in his ear. His warm breath ghosting over his ear, and the scent of rum on his breath made him hold back his whimper.
When the man’s hand slowly drifted down the front of his trousers Ashlyn stepped away, his hand held out, touching the other man’s chest.

Fuck, I shouldn’t have done this.

The man’s skin was warm even through his shirt, and Ashlyn could feel the muscles under the tips of his fingertips. He might be an omega, but he wasn’t interested in sleeping with just anyone. Hell, he’d never slept with anyone but his hands on a lonely night.

“Look, I appreciate your help, but I cannot stay.”

“No need to rush off after I just helped you.”

He stepped closer to Ashlyn and was about to wrap an arm around him, but he stepped much further back. He could hear snickers coming from the men with the captain.

“I would love to stay, but I have things I must attend to.” He wasn’t lying. He was running low on funds and he knew the perfect patsy to con a few coins from to hold him off for a few days. Talia might be his friend, but she still charged him an arm and a leg for the elixirs.

“You are a proper little thing. I like you already. So, what do you say, petit, be a member of my ship?”

“Sorry, the pirate’s life isn’t for me,” Ashlyn said and was off before his savior could say another word.

Ashlyn was running out of the pub, hoping his body would calm down the further he got away from the pirate. He prayed never to run into the man again but knowing his bad luck, it was bound to happen.

Coming October 13th

You can now pre-order The Pirate and His Omega Thief! 
​
Finding a mate was never in their plans—but fate keeps bringing them together. 

Ashlyn Tuesday is a blackguard and a thief, moving from town to town robbing rich men of their gold—and their hearts. Moreover, every time his roguish smile gets him into trouble, one man comes to Ashlyn’s rescue, asking for nothing in return. Someday, though, that bill’s going to come due—and Ashlyn isn’t the type who’s ever ready to pay up.

Since the day he took up piracy, Captain Dagger Crowe’s only love has been the sea. Sure, he’s had bedmates—and there’s that one sweet little omega he keeps bailing out of trouble—but Dagger’s only real desire is to find the sunken treasure of Booker Thorin. Until that is, he actually shares a few kisses with that omega, when Dagger realizes he wants to plunder more than pirate booty. He wants to make the omega his own. More than that, he wants to win the omega’s heart. 

Will his mistress the sea be kind to him and give him what he desires, or will her jealousy be his ruin?

The Pirate and His Omega Thief contain sexual content suitable for readers 18+. Male pregnancy is apart of this story and apart of the Omegas of the Caribbean.

Nothing is worse for an Omega than being exiled to the Barren Sea. 

As a breeding omega with royal blood, Ezra had one purpose to fulfill. He was raised to carry healthy royal babies to term for the royalty in Carrington. But after several failed attempts at pregnancy, Ezra was no longer welcome to stay in his home. As with all infertile omegas, he was exiled to Barren Isle to live his days in isolation with other unwanted omegas.

Myles Oswald was a respected banker, running the establishment his father started when he was a goldsmith. But after an unscrupulous merchant empties all the coin from his former partner’s account, Myles is left responsible for the shortage. Despite his willingness to return the funds from his personal fortune, his life is the only payment the client is willing to accept. Myles is left with no choice but to flee his village and take refuge on a merchant ship. 

Myles believes he's on the home stretch of starting a new life, but when some drunken pirates get angry after losing a few too many hands at cards, Myles is beaten and his meager belongings are stolen. He manages to escape the ship with his life, only to land on the first strip of land he can float to. 

He just wants to live his life in peace. But when he meets the sweet and caring Ezra, nothing is ever the same for either of them.

This book contains knotty alphas and eager omegas having sexy times that lead to male pregnancy and sweet babies. Readers 18+.

Captain Blackwood never wanted a baby—but his hot omega stowaway is about to have one…so he’s trapped between the omega and the deep blue sea!

Lord Edward Smythe, the youngest son of the Earl of Northridge, is fleeing an arranged marriage to a young woman. Like most of the London aristocracy, his family finds their history of fertile omegas embarrassing. But Ned knows that the last thing he wants is marriage to a woman. So he stows away on The Felicity, a ship bound for the West Indies, where he plans to make his fortune. 

For years, William Blackwood has captained The Neptune’s Jewel, plundering merchant ships foolish enough to cross paths with him and his crew of pirates. He’s crossed and re-crossed the Omega Triangle, watching as the omegas in his crew go into heat and fall pregnant to the alphas. But he’s always kept his distance. A pirate’s life is dangerous and difficult, and the last thing he needs is the responsibility of a mate and child. 

Until his crew overtakes The Felicity and he takes Ned on board. 

To William’s surprise, he realizes the poor boy doesn’t even know he’s an omega, much less what effect the Omega Triangle will have on him. Suddenly William discovers that he can’t resist the siren-call of Ned’s desire, even though he knows giving in to it will change his life forever. 

When Ned realizes he’s pregnant, he’s furious and blames William. They must decide if their fledgling love can survive Ned’s pregnancy—and if they can stay together, at sea or on land.

The Omega & the Deep Blue Sea is a sweet M/M MPREG pirate romance with some spicy heat, adventure, a surprise baby, and a guaranteed HEA. It is part of the Omegas of the Caribbean collection and can be read as standalone.

I'm busy plugging away at the three books that I would like to have out by the end of the year or early next year. The Pirate and His Omega Thief is starting to pick up a bit. My muse is finally cooperating with the characters. I don't think it will be more than 40-45K. I had to push my release date back a couple of days because of other things happening in my real life that took away from writing. My goal is to finish writing this book at the end of the month and hope that I can get it out at the end of September or the first week of October. Because I'm so focused on getting these three books completed, specifically The Pirate and His Omega Thief. I won't be able to update any of my free stories this month. But I will have new chapters next month.  

“Who do you think you are, taking such liberties with my person?” He asked the question panting for breath.

“I’m only continuing what you started a couple of years ago.”

“What do you really want from me?”

“I told you, become a member on my ship.”

“And what warm your bed, on those cold nights?”

Dagger smiled. “You could. But I never take a man to my bed that did not want to be there.”

“How gentlemanly of you.”

“Now you can claim you know something about me.”

The omega stepped away from him. “You can’t help me.”

“What kind of trouble are you in?” Dagger didn’t like seeing the omega this way.

He should walk away and not be bothered by the problems the man was having. But he couldn’t. There was something pushing him away as it was pulling him closer.
​
“I . . .”

First, Congratulations! to the winners of the Scavenger Hunt. Joscelyn Smith,
Mary Beth Noble, and Rachel Emily. I will have another contest and giveaway next month. Second, thank you to everyone that's bought Ryland's Inferno and for your reviews. Working on Blayze and Ryland story was a true labor of love in many ways. 

My One-Night Stand will soon be available in a box set. As soon as I have the link I will post it. I had no idea how long the series was until I complied the entire thing. 311,115 words. I'm sure the Pryde Shifter Series will be a bit longer and might need to be done in Volumes. But that won't be for a while.

​Sometimes one-night stands bring much more than a few hours of enjoyment and memories. A one-night stand can also lead you to your forever.
 
 
My One-Night Stand, My Forever (Book One)
 
After one night together, Jaxson and Christen went their separate ways. But Jaxson wasn’t able to forget about the sexy man who rocked his world. Four months later they come face to face with each other, Jaxson gets a surprise he was not expecting after their one night together.
 
Loving You (Book Two)
 
In a mad dash, he goes to Las Vegas to forget about his problems. What he didn’t count on was meeting up with Tyler Hamilton a man he wanted but could never have. Tyler needed to get away and decided the best place was Las Vegas. Seeing his little brother sexy as hell best friend was never in the plans. What happen when Tyler suggest they spend one night together with no strings attached? Does Ethan refuse or take the man up on his offer to fulfill his one fantasy? To claim Tyler Hamilton as his.
 
Hidden Truths (Book Three)
 
Stephen broke off his relationship with Brenden without giving him a reason why. A couple of years later they walk back into each other lives. Stephen still has feelings for Brenden, but does Brenden feel the same way for him? Brenden thought everything was going great between him and Stephen before the man abruptly ended their relationship. Can they rekindle the love they had for each other? And will Brenden be able to forgive Stephen for keeping an important secret from him then and now?
 
His Lover’s Vows (Book Four)
​
Tucker and Lucas two men who had lost the women they loved and gave up on love. Lucas a single father whose sole purpose became his daughter. Tucker turned to his job as a way to not think about his late wife. Through their family connections, Lucas and Tucker became friends. But what happens when their friendship became much more? Do they ignore what they feel or see what can happen after one night together?

I'm plugging away working on The Pirate and His Omega Thief. This is a completely different story for me to write, because I am not writing in modern timeline. But in the pirate era so there is a lot more research involved. Such as pirate vernacular, fashion style for nobles, and I've also added a little twist to the story. With that said this is not factually accurate. I changed a few things around to let the story fit for my plot. So it's taking me a lot longer than I was originally expecting. Ashlyn and Dagger are a wonderful couple to write about and I can't wait to see how their story blossoms into true love.

​“Fatima, my own, you must take our child and run.”
“No, I will not leave you here to deal with this on your own.” Fatima turned and looked at her son. “You must run, Blayze,” Fatima told her son.
Six-year-old Blayze Elashor Drakenfire stared at his mother not understanding what was going on. He watched as his parents were running around their little home throwing things into a bag.
“You must run, my little Blayze,” Fatima told her son.
“But, Mama, where are we going?” Blayze asked.
“Fatima, you must go with the boy!” Sergei yelled. “I will rest easy knowing that you and the little ones are safe.”
“I cannot, my love, I refuse to leave you alone. I will fight with you,” Fatima said to her husband.
“We cannot leave the boy alone,” his father, Sergei, argued. “He will need his mother to protect and guide him,” he continued, resting a hand on her stomach. “And this one needs to see life.”
Fatima shook her head and touched one of his cheeks. “I don’t want to leave you, my draco corde.”
“You must, for the sake of our children.” Fatima opened her mouth to argue. “Please, amica mia, don’t argue with me on this.”
She closed her eyes, leaning forward, resting her head on his muscular chest. “Promise me, you will find us.”
Sergei didn’t respond, and Blayze could see that his father was fighting back his emotions, he lifted her head, brushing her long dark tresses behind her pointed ear. “Te amo,” he whispered then kissed her.  Blayze did not understand what was going on, but he knew something was wrong. His father said that the bad people were coming to their home, they lived far from the main town in the snow-covered mountains.
“Mama,” Blayze said getting his mother’s attention.
She turned and looked at him, with worry in her clear gray-white eyes, they were the same color as his own. Her lips were trembling, and tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. Fatima knelt in front of him and pulled him to her chest.
“Listen to me, my little one.” Her voice cracked when she spoke. “If anything happens to your father or me, you must grow up to be a good boy just like your papa.” He nodded. “Respect your elders, and whatever you do, do not under any circumstances shift where humans can see you. They will fear you because of what you are. They will not understand and will act differently toward you. More importantly, do not tell anyone who and what you are, my little nymph arum draco. Trust no one, not even if they are your own kind, my son.” She pulled back and held him by the shoulders. “Tell me you understand, Blayze.” He nodded again. “Let me hear you say the words, my child.”
“Yes, Mama, I understand,” he told her.  Even though he really didn’t.
His papa had left earlier that morning, and when he got home, he started packing up their things saying that people were coming, and they needed to get away. Blayze didn’t know who the people were; he wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the humans that lived in town which made him sad.
He would sometimes hear the other kids his age running around playing in the snow, and he would hide and watch them play, wishing he could join them. They always looked as if they were having a lot of fun.  Blayze looked at his father who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen and living room.  Their cottage wasn’t big, but it was just right for the three of them.
“Come to me, my little fire child.” He opened his arms and Blayze ran and jumped into them.
His father caught him easily holding him close and squeezing him tightly, almost taking his breath away. Papa was whispering words in his ear, some he understood and some he didn’t. The older dracomen had been teaching him the native language of dracomens, but there were still words he didn’t understand or pronounce correctly. He raised his head and looked into gray eyes and they looked sad and were not sparkling like they usually did when his father would hold him. Blayze cupped his papa’s red-bearded cheeks.
Blayze had often wondered why they didn’t live in the world with the other dracomens. He’d asked his papa why they lived so far from everyone else, and his father would only smile and gently pat him on the head and suggest they go practice flying, knowing how much he loved seeing his father’s large beast. He would be safely tucked between one of his large claws as they soared through the clouds, forgetting he’d even asked a question in the first place.
“Are we going to meet the other dracomens now, Papa?” Blayze asked.
“No, multi est,” Sergei answered.
“Then where are we going?” he asked.
His papa smiled. “You were always a curious child, even as a whelp. Don’t ever lose that spark.” Blayze smiled. “Promise me that you will be good for your matar. Grow up to be a respectable dracomen and change the world and how others see us. We are not as scary as they believe nor to be used as toys in an army.” His papa kissed him on the forehead before pulling back. “Let them see your strength, my little whelp. Accept love when it is given, fight for what you believe in, and regret nothing,” his father advised him while looking Blayze in his eyes. “You are a Drakenfire don’t forget that, we are a proud circle with noble blood.”
Blayze nodded.  “Papa, te amo,” he told his father. As young as he was, Blayze knew that his father was worried about something and he hoped saying that he loved his father would make things better, and they could go back to having fun flying around the snowy mountains again.  Blayze was still too young to shift, but his papa was always telling him what he needed to do when the time came.
Sergei's cheeks were wet with tears, and that surprised Blayze. He’d never seen his father cry even when he got hurt. He would say bad words and his mama would wag her finger at him telling him not to teach Blayze those kinds of words so young. His papa would smile and pull her into his arms and kiss her making her giggle. And Blayze knew everything was fine and would leave the room when they started to get all mushy. Looking at his father now, Blayze saw nothing but sadness in the older man's eyes.
Blayze knew that his father was strong and powerful. The larger dracomen would sometimes lift him in the air with just one hand, never breaking a sweat. His father was also caring. Not only with Blayze and his mother, but also with the people who would make their way up the mountains to see him. Sergei was also a doctor or Blayze thought he was.
Sometimes people came to their house and went into the room that Blayze was never allowed in because, to his mother and father, he was too small. There were times his mama would help by giving them the medicine she made in the big pot she always used on the stove. He’d heard people call her a witch.
But Blayze didn’t believe it. Blayze didn’t think his mama was ugly or have a hooked nose and warts on her face. She was beautiful with long jet-black hair that it sometimes looked blue. His mama also didn’t have a wand or fly on a broom, and she didn’t like to fly like him and his papa. Humans were foolish.
“Te amo, multi est,” he whispered and smiled. But again, Blayze noticed the smile was strained, and his eyes didn’t light up like they usually would. He wanted to hear his father’s boisterous laughter, and it would make him giggle for no reason.
“It will be okay, Papa.” Blayze rested his forehead against Sergei’s strong chin like he’d done countless times in the way of comfort.
“Remember my words, my son,” his father whispered. “May the gods of fire and sun protect you from my enemies and theirs.”  He set Blayze down on the floor, patting him on the head. “Now go and do your best to protect your mama.” He wanted to tell his papa to come with them, but he knew the older dracomen would say no.
Blayze nodded and walked over to his mother, standing beside her. She knelt in front of him and closed her eyes before opening them again. “I love you, my fire child. Never forget that.”
Fatima bent her head and took off the necklace and put it around his neck. She whispered a few words, and for a few seconds, Blayze was distracted by the bright light that was coming from his mama’s hand and then just like that it was gone.
“Keep this with you, and if we get separated, you only need to think of me and I . . .” She didn’t finish her sentence as tears streamed down her cheeks.  Blayze didn’t like what he was feeling in the pit of his stomach or the thought that he wasn’t going to see his mama and papa again. “Keep it close to your heart, my son, and one day the gods will send someone to love and care for you. Someone who will be worthy to be your draco corde.”
Blayze looked down at the green jewel that was the color of his matar’s eyes, surrounded by platinum that always hung around his mother’s neck. He remembered playing with it as a child. The platinum dragon had its wings extended, and its mouth wide open with the green gemstone nestled in its stomach. The dragon looked fierce and ready to attack. He looked at his mother. “How will I know they are my draco corde?”
His mama smiled and touched the right side of his cheek. “You will know, my little fire child,” she said to him. She touched a hand to his heart. “You will know when you feel the urge to kill for them and protect them at the same time. You will know when you would want to sacrifice everything, even your life, for the one who will be your draco corde; your dracomen heart.” She wiped away her tears with her arm then stood. “Come, we must go now.”
Blayze nodded and took her hand as they walked through the kitchen. He was thinking about what his mama had just said, taking her advice to heart and putting it in the back of his mind as she opened the kitchen door.  Blayze looked back to see if his father was following them, but he wasn’t. He turned around and looked at his mother, tears were still running down her cheeks, he squeezed her hand, hoping it would make her feel better.
They stopped just before they walked over the threshold, Fatima kneeling in front of him as she rested her hands on his shoulders, squeezing then gripping his chin in one hand.  “Be good, my son. Now go, Blayze, run and whatever you do, don’t stop or look back. Remember that we love you always and we did this for you,” she started. “I cannot go with you,” she told him.
“But, Mama . . .”
“I know that you don’t understand, and you will hate me one day. But I must be at your father’s side. He is my life source, without him I am nothing. It is the curse of who I am, of who you are.” Her tears didn’t stop, in fact they started falling more. “You will understand one day, my little fire child, now go,” she told him.
He stood there for a few minutes afraid to move until his mama pushed him again and screamed at him to run. He ran as fast and as far as he could. Stopping only to see if his mama could see him, that he listened to her like a good boy and did what she told him. He knew she told him not to look back, but he also wanted to see if his mama had changed her mind and did what Papa had told her. What he saw shocked him. His mama on her knees and a man standing in front of her with a sword in his hand.
Blayze screamed, but his father’s loud roar drowned out his voice as the man used the sword to chop his mother’s head off. Blayze screamed for his mama and was about to run to her when their house blew up. The force of the backlash threw Blayze back, knocking him out.
* * *

He ran out of fear, but was found because of love. . . 

As the last of his kind, Blayze McKnight was never taught the way of the dragon. And the moment he joined the Pryde Pack, he knew it was only a matter of time before everyone found out he wasn’t what he claimed to be. After shifting into his true form to save the man he wants, but can never claim as his, he runs.

Terrified of rejection, Blayze turns his back on the friends and the pack he once called home—and gives up on ever finding his Draco Corde. His dragon heart.

The day Ryland Burnett met Blayze, he knew the man belonged to him—that they were mates for life. And he’s never been wrong before, especially when he follows his gut. After being injured in a fight, he wakes up in the hospital expecting to see his mate by his side, only to learn Blayze is gone. Ryland wastes no time going in search of his soul mate. 

But finding Blayze is the easy part. What they face next could tear them apart. Will their love be strong enough to withstand the test?

Disclaimer: This is not a standalone. This book starts directly after the first book in the Pryde Shifter Series. This book also contains Mpreg but is not the focus of the story. This book contains explicit language and is intended for adult readers over the age of 18+

Ryland knew from the moment he met Blayze that the man was his. He felt it deep down in his bones. Blayze might have disagreed or denied that they were mates, but have never once rejected him. The enticing scent that hit him almost made him buckle at his knees when he walked into Duncan’s office.

Not to mention how handsome Blayze looked that day, sitting in the chair dressed in his usual blazer and dress slacks with his hair perfectly slicked back and not one strand out of place. He remembered feeling his beast pacing and purring just wanting to be noticed by their mate. He was so tongue tied when he tried to introduce himself to the other man. He almost creamed in his pants when Blayze smiled. After the meeting he’d waited until he and Blayze walked out of Duncan’s office to talk to the man.
​
“You know you belong to me, right?” He seemed to have gained the ability to speak properly than a few minutes ago.
Blayze stopped walking and quirked a perfectly arched eyebrow staring at him. “How do you figure that? We just met each other.”

“Because I can feel it, in here,” he answered placing a hand over his heart. He stepped closer not crowding Blayze’s space. “I have your scent imprinted inside of me already. My beast calls to yours.”

“Animal instincts, is that it?”

“In a matter of speaking,” he smirked loving the way the other man’s tempting scent. There was something different about him, but Ryland couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d claimed he was a hybrid lykosian, but it did not fit in Ryland’s opinion.

Blayze hummed and purse his lips. “I hate to break it to you. I don’t belong to you or anyone else.”
Ryland felt a pang of disappointment until he looked into Blayze’s eyes. He saw a shadow of what seemed like uncertainty a stark difference to the words he’d uttered.

The first draft for Ryland's Inferno is done and it's time let you into my head as I decompress before I start the editing process. 

The songs are very sexual in theme but I couldn't resist. Not only did I listen them while writing the sex scenes between Ryland and Blayze, I listened to them while writing some of the most intense scenes in the story. It might have taken me longer to write Ryland's Inferno than all the other books I've written so far but I enjoyed the journey of the couple coming together. The were sweet, and frustrating in some cases. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into my head or just simply enjoy the music. More to come on my journey writing Blayze and Ryland's story. ​ Don't forget to comment on what song you like and also recommend a couple for me to listen to. 

A short snippet of a new WIP. Marriage of Convenience Series Book One. Title: TBA Release date: TBA NOT EDITED
​

“Your highness, this is your itinerary for your trip to New York,” Thornton said pulling him from his thoughts and handing his a stack of papers.
    “New York?” he asked in confusion.
    “Yes, your highness, did you already forget? It’s been on your schedule for months.”
    “Um…”
    Thornton sighed. “Your father will not be able to attend the states delegation meeting and ordered you to attend in his stead.”
    Remington was about to get upset at the thought that his father had ordered him when he really hated it. He was twenty-five for crying out loud. But then he realized that this was the break he might need. “How long is this affair?”
    Thornton looked down at his notes. “We should be there for one week.”
    “Add another week,” Remington told him.
    “Why your highness?”
    “Do I need to explain myself Thorn?”
    “No your highness. I will see to your wishes.”
    “Very well, now leave me alone, there are things I need to see to before I meet with my father later today. No doubt he’ll have a lecture prepared.”
    “But, your highness, we are not done going over your schedule.”
    “For heavens sake, Thorn, I am quite certain that you will remind me of where I need to be in aan appropriate time. And for blasted sake, stop calling me your highness, I’ve told you to call me Remy like everyone else when we’re alone. Besides we’ve been friends for far too long to stand on ceremony.”
    Thorn stared at him before nodding. He looked down at the papers in his hand before looking back up at him. “Are you going to call him sir?”
    Remington knew that Thornton was taking about Fabian. Thornton’s had a crush on Fabian since they were kids. “I am, do you have a problem with seeing him.” Thornton had told Fabian how he felt but his best friend like an idiot turned the man down. As far as Remington knew they hadn’t spoke to each other since Fabian left for the states.

Ryland's Inferno (Pryde Shifter Series Book 2)

“Are you sure that’s wise, the place might not be standing when we get back. He can be a big kid sometime.”

“Sure, anything you say, Ry.” Blayze wasn’t paying any attention to what Ryland was saying all he could think about was having his mate fuck him against the wall.

“You’re not listening to me are you?”

Blayze didn’t answer he grabbed Ryland by his T-shirt and pulled him down for a kiss that would keep their mouths busy for an hour or two. Why use words when he could simply use his body to get what he wanted.

“Son, we’re home.” Came a gruff voice from another part of the house just as the sound of a door closed.

Blayze’s eyes widened. “Shit, I need you to leave,” he said trying to push Ryland towards the front door.

“Why don’t you want me to meet your parents?” Ryland asked stopping his movement.

“Because I don’t want you giving my mother any crazy ideas,” he snapped. “Bad enough they know more about supernaturals than they should.”“So they know you’re a dracomen?” Ryland asked. Blayze didn’t get a chance to answer because his mother walked into the room.

“There you are, son your father and I brought back some of the fried chicken and potato salad you love so much from Clark’s Diner.” His mother stopped talking when she walked into the living room and stopped when she saw them. “Blayze, I didn’t know you had company?” She asked looking at Ryland. “Janet McKnight.”

“Ryland Burnett, ma’am, I’m your son’s…”

“Friend,” Blayze added before Ryland could finish his introduction. “He’s a friend of mine.”

“Uh huh,” she said not sounding convinced. “Well do you plan on staying for dinner?” she asked Ryland, then looked at Blayze. “Your Pop is so happy that you’re home he’s in the mood to barbecue.”


​
Blayze licked his lips, he could still feel the lingering warmth of Ryland’s finger’s still on them. He wanted to look back to see if Ryland was staring at his ass and purposely put an extra sway in his walk.
    
“Keep walking like that and I’ll think twice about being a gentleman and not molest you with your parents in the house,” Ryland deep voiced whispered causing Blayze to stumble just a bit he grabbed onto the wall to stop from falling.

Fuck, Blayze mentally cursed, that was new. He watched as Ryland walked passed him into the kitchen. It took Blayze a second to get himself together before joining his mother and Ryland in the kitchen. His mother was asking Ryland to reach a bowl that sat on the far right of the top cupboard. Blayze couldn’t keep his eyes off Ryland’s muscled arms and the memory of being in the man’s arms pressed against his chest made him feel safe and secure. His beast preened as if it was a peacock showing it’s pretty feathers trying to attract a mate.

He closed his eyes blocking out his thoughts. He wasn’t going to entertain the thought. Ryland wasn’t his and he didn’t have a right to feel that way when the man belonged to someone else. It still didn’t stop him from feeling jealous at the thought. He turned his attention from Ryland and looked at the bags of groceries sitting on the counter. It was more than enough food for an impromptu barbecue of three even if they did have a surprised guess.

Tuesday Teaser ??  Ryland's Inferno

Ryland closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a few minutes. His body felt like it was on fire. He widened his legs hoping to ease the tension on his erection. Having Blayze in his arms kept him in a state of arousal. He yearned for the other to man in ways he didn’t imagine he could. His heart pounded in his chest, his palms became sweaty, and his legs felt weak it took a lot of strength just to stay standing in his presence.
If only Blayze knew the effect he had on me.
Pulling off the door he was grateful that his cock had gone down a bit, he’d promised Blayze he would be downstairs waiting for him when he greeted his grandmother. Ryland was still grasping to how much their life changed in less than twenty-four hours. He wasn’t sure how much he could take before he got settled into his new life.

Rainbow Snippets is a group on FB where writers share six lines from an LGBTQIA release or WIP. 

Blurb
​Cole Bradford needed a new start for him and his unborn child. After leaving his ex, he goes to the two people who could center him: his parents. Promising himself that he would solely focus on raising his child, he’s completely blindsided by his sudden attraction for his parents’ boss, Kane Cartwright.
​
Kane Cartwright’s only focus is the successful management of his dude ranch, the Black Meadow. He’s satisfied with his life as a bachelor and does not want the responsibility of a lover or children. Until the smart-mouthed New Yorker showed up on his ranch looking for his dads. And suddenly, Kane found himself attracted and wanting a man who’s pregnant with another man’s baby.

“Can I help you?” Kane asked once the man was standing in front of him.

“Hi.” The kid smiled up at him and Winston. “I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find Dennis and William Bradford?”

For a second Kane was confused. That was the first time since he'd hired them he’d heard anyone refer to the two men by their proper names. “On vacation,” Kane answered. He watched as the smile disappeared from the man’s face.

“Shit! Do you know when they will be back?”

“A couple of days,” Kane answered. “What do you want with them?”

“Damn, I’m sorry.” The kid stepped closer to him, extending a hand. “I’m Colton. Well, Cole Bradford. No one really calls me Colton. I’m Denny and Bill’s son.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kane Cartwright, owner of the Black Meadow Ranch,” Kane said shaking his hand and ignoring the jolt he felt when they touched. “Standing beside me is Winston Hollis, my foreman.” He released Cole’s hand and watched as he and Winston shook hands.

“Nice to meet you both.”

“Did Denny and Bill know you were coming?” Winston asked.
​
“No.” Cole smiled and this time it was genuine. “I wanted to surprise them. Maybe I should have called before I drove all the way here from New York."

Blurb
A budding friendship that leads to a one-night stand and a second chance at love.

After the death of his wife, Lucas Hamilton put finding love behind him, his only focus on being there for his young daughter. As the CEO of Hamilton Enterprise, Lucas has more on his plate than he could handle without adding a relationship in the mix. He promised his late wife that when love came around, he would not let it pass him by. Which is why Lucas was shocked to find himself attracted to Tucker Stevens. Does he ignore his attraction or keep the vow he made to his wife?

Tucker Stevens has mourned the death of his wife and daughter for so long that he's forgotten what love is. As an FBI agent, Tucker used work as a way to keep himself busy, forgetting the promise he made to his wife to never give up on love. Even though most of his family and friends are in love, married, and living their lives, he still didn't recognize or believe he had the right to fall in love. That was until Lucas Hamilton who found a way to break through the wall he built around himself.

Lucas sighed. “Shit, how am I going to get them into the car? I really don’t want to wake them,” he said looking down at the two sleeping girls. 

“I’ll help you get them settled,” Tucker told him. 

Lucas chuckled. “Thanks,” he said looking up at Tucker with a bright smile. Tucker noticed, far more than once that night, when Lucas smiled his dark jade eyes sparkled. It was a bit mesmerizing.

The server came back and handed the bill to Tucker who took it before Lucas could reach for it. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed one of his credit cards without even looking to see which one it was. Putting the card in the black case, he handed it to the server who was still standing there. She smiled in his direction as she took the case from him and walked away. 
​
“You know I can pay for the meal. After all, my kid did make a mess,” Lucas told him. 

Two years ago when I started writing My One-Night Stand series, I planned for this to be only two books not four or in my mind 4.5. I knew two years ago that I would not please everyone with the stories I write and that some readers would find every little flaw and happily point them out. And although I knew this, it still hurts when I see a negative review. But I am also happy when I see a review that tells me that I have a new reader. As I close the door on My One-Night Stand, I can't help but think how the characters and plots changed as I was writing them.

Jaxson & Christen

Jaxson and Christen were set in stone. But Brenden was supposed to be paired with Ethan. But as I continue to write Christen and Jaxson's story, I started seeing Brenden with someone else, and that was when Stephen came to life. The tension I saw between Stephen and Brenden was exciting, and I couldn't wait to start writing their story. But while was ready to listen, they were not ready to talk to me, Ethan and Tyler were, and so I listened. I wrote Jaxson and Christen the way they presented themselves to me. Christen a smart mouth doctor with good bedside manner. And Jaxson a top FBI agent who was ready to settle down.  Jaxson and Christen's story was written the exact way it was supposed to. 

Ethan & Tyler

Two men avoiding their attraction for each. Ethan who was in an unhealthy relationship. A mother who hated him because he was the apple of his father's eye a man she didn't love. Tyler, the middle son of a rich family who didn't wear his wealth on his sleeve and saw people for who they were. I really enjoyed their story, the sweet moments and related to Ethan in so many ways.

Brenden & Stephen

Writing Brenden and Stephen's story didn't come as easy as I had hoped it would. They were ready to talk, but something was missing. I'd hinted in book one about Nicholas because in my original draft Tucker knew about Nicholas being Brenden's son and was keeping it a secret because Stephen asked him to. Initially Julian was Julia, who would eventually marry Mark. Instead of Stephen and Mayson working on the child adoption case, Brenden, Stephen, and Jaxson were going to go undercover. Stephen would pretend he wanted to give away his baby and Jaxson and Benden would pose as the couple adopting the baby. It was to have Stephen and Brenden to get to know each other, but I didn't like the fact that he wouldn't get to know Nick. Stephen was also going to become friends with Paige and yeah she was still batshit crazy. I ended up deleting half of the story and starting all over again because the plot did not fit.

Lucas & Tucker

I enjoyed writing Tucker and Lucas' story. They were an unexpected couple. I knew that I was going to write a story for Tucker and planned to pair him with someone else. However, Lucas overrode me and told me plainly that Tucker was his. I enjoyed watching the two characters fall in love and building a family. I loved their banter, the unsureness of their feelings, yes their flirting. I won't give away spoilers, but a few things happen in the book that although I tried my hardest not write my muse as well as my characters wouldn't let me back out of. But I have to admit it worked well for the story. I loved that Tucker was Lucas' strength when he needed him to be. I enjoyed watching both Lucas and Tucker change for each other as they fall in love.

Mark & Julian

Mark in book one was presented as older because in my head he reminded me of Dick Van Dyke when he acted on Diagnosis Murder. Until he asked for his own short story and made it known that he was nothing like Dick Van Dyke. Yes, he was silly and loved to make people smile, but he also had a serious side. Julian didn't show up until the third book since he was originally going to be Julia, so he was a mystery to me. However, I enjoyed creating a personality for him. A father who supports his son and only butts in when necessary.

The original plot

Believe it or not, the series was not supposed to revolve around the Hamilton family. Thinking back it should have been called the Hamilton Saga :). As a writer, I learn that I need to be My initial plot would center around the hospital, and it's staff, not FBI agents or even the Seeker organization. It was always going to be mpreg a non-shifter series. Not really Alpha/Beta/Omega but similar where a hierarchal system was not essential only love and happily ever after.

That is what I want all the stories I write to be centered around. Two or three (there will be threesomes in the future) men or women finding that person(s) they connect with and see themselves building a life together.

​A budding friendship that leads to a one-night stand and a second chance at love.
 
After the death of his wife, Lucas Hamilton put finding love behind him, his only focus on being there for his young daughter. As the CEO of Hamilton Enterprise, Lucas has more on his plate than he could handle without adding a relationship in the mix. He promised his late wife that when love came around, he would not let it pass him by. Which is why Lucas was shocked to find himself attracted to Tucker Stevens. Does he ignore his attraction or keep the vow he made to his wife?
 
Tucker Stevens has mourned the death of his wife and daughter for so long that he's forgotten what love is. As an FBI agent, Tucker used work as a way to keep himself busy, forgetting the promise he made to his wife to never give up on love. Even though most of his family and friends are in love, married, and living their lives, he still didn't recognize or believe he had the right to fall in love. That was until Lucas Hamilton who found a way to break through the wall he built around himself.

Cole Bradford needed a new start for him and his unborn child. After leaving his ex, he goes to the two people who could center him: his parents. Promising himself that he would solely focus on raising his child, he’s completely blindsided by his sudden attraction for his parents’ boss, Kane Cartwright.
​
Kane Cartwright’s only focus is the successful management of his dude ranch, the Black Meadow. He’s satisfied with his life as a bachelor and does not want the responsibility of a lover or children. Until the smart-mouthed New Yorker showed up on his ranch looking for his dads. And suddenly, Kane found himself attracted and wanting a man who’s pregnant with another man’s baby.

Cole Bradford pulled up to the dirt road leading to the Black Meadow Ranch. He turned off the car, needing a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He needed to figure out what he was going to tell his parents, as to why he was there.

Simply saying he missed them and wanted to see them wasn’t going to fly. They’d been asking him to visit for years and each time he came up with one excuse after another for why he couldn’t. His fathers had only met Ryker once, but they hadn’t liked him. They tolerated him because Cole was in love with him and thought that he was happy. And for a while, he was happy and in love—until Ryker showed Cole his true colors. Resting his hand on his flat stomach Cole sighed. He wasn’t a coward, but he had to get away from Ryker before the man ended up killing him or his baby.

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on the steering wheel while holding back his tears. The first time Ryker had hit him, Cole accepted that it was an accident. Yeah, but that’s when the lies of me accidentally walking into his fist started. 

Ryker had promised it wouldn’t happen again. The second time, Cole moved out of the apartment they had together. But he still saw Ryker every day since the restaurant where he worked was owned by the man. He’d tried to keep his distance, only showing up when it was his day to work and by not being alone with Ryker. During his off time, he went on job interviews and was repeatedly turned down. Cole later found out that Ryker was sabotaging him to the point where he almost got blacklisted. Ryker Christensen’s name carried a lot of weight in the restaurant business. Ryker had brought himself up from nothing in just a few short years. According to Ryker, he succeeded when others told him he never would. 

Cole would be lying to himself if he said that in the beginning, when he met Ryker, that the money and power didn’t play a big part of what attracted him to the man. Not only that, but Ryker was an alpha and was supposed to be in tune with Cole's omega nature. They were compatible, or so he thought. During their one-month breakup he’d thought that Ryker understood that they were over and a month later Cole was ready to move on. Or so he’d thought.
He never thought he’d be one of those men who’d let his heart melt hearing the words “I love you.” But those sweet words became his torment. The first time Ryker had said he loved him, Cole was supposed to go out on a date with a guy he’d met at the grocery store of all places. Ryker had called him into his office under the guise of discussing something to deal with work. They ended up arguing about their failed relationship. Even though the door was closed, Cole knew the entire galley could hear them, it was what Ryker wanted.

At the time, he’d forgotten how manipulative Ryker could be, so when he yelled, “You’re my mate, dammit, and I love you,” it took some of the anger out of Cole.

“I was such a fool. Did I crave love so much I fell for his words and not what I really felt? Gods, I won’t let it happen again.”

He’d gone back and became someone he hated. Blaming himself for the reasons why his lover hit him. He’d learned to cover up everything. The bruises, the lies, and his pain. He’d been swayed by Ryker’s sweet words and promises of change and forgiveness.

“We’re going to be okay,” he whispered as he leaned back, talking to his unborn child.

Cole was three months pregnant with Ryker’s child. He wasn’t showing yet. Which was a blessing. A couple of weeks ago he’d gotten sick, but chalked it up as something else. He hadn’t thought of the possibility that he could have gotten pregnant. He was always religious about taking his suppressants and Ryker had only knotted him once in the time they were together. He’d ignored the signs of fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea. It didn’t help that the man who was supposed to love him insulted him every chance he got.

“Why don’t you lay off sampling the desserts for the customers? You’re starting to look thick in the ass and hips. Some idiot might find that shit attractive, but I don’t,” Ryker told him a couple of weeks earlier.

Cole was a pastry chef and would sometimes sample the treats he baked. It was one of the fun parts of his job. With a clear head, he couldn’t find the reason why he stuck around and took Ryker’s abuse. He now had someone else he had to think about. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with that man, little one. We’re going to start over and do things differently this time, I promise.”

He’d been driving for a week, slowly making his way from New York across the country to Montana. He’d never been to Montana before and hoped that it would be far enough away from Ryker. He was certain that his parents would be happy to see him, but he wasn’t going to be able to hide the real reason why he was there. Other than seeing his parents, Cole desperately needed a change of scenery and to figure out what the hell he was going to do next. Restarting the car, he put it in drive and continued his journey the rest of the way. He smiled when he saw the sign above the large open gates that said Black Meadow Ranch.
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Who knows, this might be the start of something new. 

“I wonder who that could be?” Winston, his ranch foreman, said, getting Kane’s attention.
Kane turned from where he was sitting on the fence and looked over his shoulder. He watched as the car came to a stop behind his truck. Standing up he crossed his arms over his chest, wondering who the stranger could be.
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“I don’t know,” he finally answered.

He wasn’t expecting any more guests for the week and the ranch was booked solid for the next six months, give or take a couple weeks for rest in between guests showing up. Kane Cartwright was the owner of Black Meadow Dude Ranch. He’d taken over running the business after his father, Preston, had a stroke a couple of years earlier. His mother, Julia, had become his full-time caregiver. They had moved out of the main family house and into one of the cabins that was more accessible for his dad to get around.

Kane watched as the car door opened, and the driver exited. The first thing Kane noticed about the man was that he was stunning, absolutely gorgeous. With dark-brown hair, long on the top and swept to the side, and short on the sides, he wore jeans with a black T-shirt and work boots. He might have been just wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but to Kane the kid looked as if he was some model showcasing loungewear in a magazine. The stranger looked around as he closed the car door. The smile on his face should have lit up his face, but to Kane it seemed strained, as if he was worried about something.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Winston said next to Kane.

“What?”

“That looks like Denny and Bill’s son,” Winston told him. “I recognize him from one of the pictures on Bill’s desk.”

As the stranger walked closer to them, Kane studied him more, noticing the similarities between both Bill and Denny. Specifically, his bright blue eyes that resembled Bill’s. He knew they had a kid, but Kane never paid attention to the pictures on Bill’s desk. Or asked about the guy either. Denny was the head chef for the Meadow Brook restaurant and Bill took care of the maintenance on the ranch.

“Can I help you?” Kane asked once the man was standing in front of him.

“Hi.” The kid smiled up at him and Winston. “I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find Dennis and William Bradford?”

For a second Kane was confused. That was the first time since he'd hired them he’d heard anyone refer to the two men by their proper names. “On vacation,” Kane answered. He watched as the smile disappeared from the man’s face.

“Shit! Do you know when they will be back?”

“A couple of days,” Kane answered. “What do you want with them?”

“Damn, I’m sorry.” The kid stepped closer to him, extending a hand. “I’m Colton. Well, Cole Bradford. No one really calls me Colton. I’m Denny and Bill’s son.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kane Cartwright, owner of the Black Meadow Ranch,” Kane said shaking his hand and ignoring the jolt he felt when they touched. “Standing beside me is Winston Hollis, my foreman.” He released Cole’s hand and watched as he and Winston shook hands.

“Nice to meet you both.”

“Did Denny and Bill know you were coming?” Winston asked.

“No.” Cole smiled and this time it was genuine. “I wanted to surprise them. Maybe I should have called before I drove all the way here from New York.”

“Wouldn’t have made any difference. They went on a cruise,” Winston said to Cole. “But I guess they’ll be happy to see you when they get back.”

“Yeah.” Cole sighed. “I guess I should find a hotel and wait until they return.”

Cole turned and started walking back to his car and Kane felt a hard shove in his shoulder. He looked over at Winston. “What?” he mouthed. Winston tilted his head in Cole’s direction. Kane rolled his eyes at the older man.

“Hey, wait,” Kane called out, walking down to meet the man before he opened his car door. Cole turned and faced him and again Kane couldn’t help but stare into his bright blue eyes. “Why don’t you stay in your dads’ cabin until they get back? I would offer one of the guest cabins, but we’re filled up for the next week.”

“I—”

“It’s no trouble. Besides, your dads would have my hide if I let you stay in a hotel.”

Cole didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and Kane thought he was going to object.
“Fine, but you have to put me to work while I’m here.”

“You don’t have to work,” Kane said to him.

“I know that, but I want to do something. I won’t feel right sitting around twirling my thumbs waiting for my parents to get back. Plus, I hate being bored.”

“You sound like Bill.” Kane looked away for a quick second. “What can you do? I mean, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a chef, well, a pastry chef, but I can cook just about anything.”

“Are you any good?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “Studied with the best, my dad included.”

Kane nodded. Denny was a phenomenal chef, and he was lucky to have him as a part of the Black Meadow family. The Meadow Brook restaurant garnered five-star ratings from many, if not all, of the guests who vacationed at the Black Meadow.

“Why don’t you help out in the kitchen until they get back? Denny’s assistant, Marla, is in charge right now, but I’m sure she won’t mind the extra pair of hands. Let me warn you now, she’s a bit bossy but everyone loves her.”

“Okay. If she works with my dad, I don’t doubt it.”

“All right.” Kane reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, looking at the time. Noting that about this time Marla would be prepping for the dinner rush. Stuffing his phone back into his pocket he nodded. “If you follow me, I’ll take you over to the cabin so that you can get settled, then to the Brook so you can meet Marla.”

“Okay.” Cole smiled. And just like the first time Kane had seen his smile, it didn’t reach his eyes. Something wasn’t right. Cole reminded him of a spooked horse that needed to be sweet-talked into being ridden.

I wonder what the hell he is doing here?

Kane turned and walked back up to the fence where Winston was still standing and was watching them.

“I’m going to show him to Denny and Bill’s cabin, then take him over to the Brook. I’ll be back once I run into town to pick up the supplies we ordered.”

“All right.” Winston nodded and walked into the direction of the barn. There was still work to be done. The Black Meadow might be a vacation spot, but it was also a working ranch.

Kane jogged over to his truck and climbed in. He would have taken his horse Dusty, but once he showed Cole where everything was he needed to drive into town for a few supplies. Starting up his vehicle, he looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Cole had pulled his car out from behind him and was waiting. Something wasn’t right, and he couldn’t help but wonder what the man was doing in Montana. Since Denny and Bill started working for him, he’d heard them talk about their son, wanting him to visit, but he never did. Kane looked up in his rearview mirror again to make sure that Cole was following and allowed his mind to wander on the short drive to the older couple’s cabin. He knew every inch of his ranch like the back of his hand.

When he was younger, Kane couldn’t see himself ever leaving Black Meadow.  He was an only child and never wanted for anything. His parents spoiled him, but he had good role models who taught him strong work ethics. He’d gone off to college after graduating from high school a year early, where he’d studied business and marketing. He’d missed his home like crazy when he was away at school.

After graduating from university, Kane returned home and worked in every job position, learning from the bottom up, and would have been content to do so until his dad was ready to turn the ranch over to him. Kane didn’t expect it to be after his father’s stroke. The stroke changed the way he saw things. Kane had thought his father was invincible and that nothing could touch him. After his father’s near death, it made him realize that he had to live his life to the fullest.

His father’s stroke also changed things for his parents, especially his mother. They’d started to ask for grandkids. Kane was only thirty-five and had a lot of responsibilities. Getting married and starting a family was not in his plan. There were a few things he wanted to accomplish, and he wasn’t looking for the “happily ever after” with some guy. He wasn’t looking for a partner. Quick hookups and one-night stands were all Kane could handle, and he didn’t want to break the news to his parents that he wasn’t ever going to get married. Kane was selfish, and he knew it. He’d never hid that fact from anyone. He might care about the people that worked for him and who had their own families, but he was never jealous of their home lives. He was content being alone. All he needed was his ranch and nothing else.

 Cole followed behind Kane Cartwright’s truck. He was a bit bummed that his parents weren’t there to greet him like he wanted. The way he was feeling, he could go for one of Denny’s hugs and whispered words of “everything was going to be all right.”
Maybe I should just leave. What the hell was I thinking coming here anyway?
​
Granted, Cole should have thought through his plan carefully. But he needed to get away before Ryker got back. He realized that he couldn’t leave Montana anyway. Like an idiot, he’d offered up his services to work in the ranch’s restaurant. It was the least he could do since he was staying on the ranch for free. He knew that even though his dads worked on the ranch, they had to pay for their lodging and the amenities which seemed fair to him. Cole was surprised by the sprawl of the Black Meadow Ranch. He had never been to a dude ranch before. Hell, he was completely ignorant as to how things worked on a ranch or a farm.

From the little he saw on the drive up, there was a lot going on—kids running around, some people were riding horses, while other horses were in the field grazing or doing whatever the hell it was they did, and a crowd of people gathered around a fence watching some guy in the center of the ring demonstrate something. From what Cole could tell, he had a rope in his hand twirling it around. He couldn’t tell what was real and was fake, it all seemed as if he was on a movie set.

I wonder if they have a town sheriff and a saloon where men sit around and play poker all day waiting for the bad guy to show up and rob the bank. He chuckled at his silly thought. But seriously what the fuck am I doing here? I don’t know shit about working or being on a ranch.

What also surprised him was how fucking gorgeous Kane Cartwright was. The foreman wasn’t bad-looking either. But it was Kane that caught his attention. Tall, café au lait skin, jet-black, curly hair sticking out the sides of his baseball cap, and gray-blue eyes. Kane was exactly what he envisioned how a cowboy should look and sound like. His deep, commanding voice could melt chocolate each time he spoke, his muscled chest, slim waist, with the possibility of a six- or eight-pack abs hidden under his flannel shirt he was wearing. Cole couldn’t stop himself from licking his lips thinking about Kane’s thick thighs encased in jeans that looked as if they were painted on him.

Sighing, Cole cleared his thoughts. The man was good-looking, but he had no business admiring him. He had his own issues that he was running from and a baby to take care of and protect. He was going to do the job he promised he would do and once his parents returned, he would spend some time with them and leave. Cole made up his mind that he wasn’t going to tell his folks yet about the baby. He needed to use the short time that he was going to be there to work shit out on his own.

Cole wasn’t going to go back to Ryker, that he knew for sure. He’d become dependent on the man which only enabled Ryker to get away with the shit he did. He should have left when he realized that he and Ryker were not a mated pair. He knew Ryker cheated on him with betas or omegas that would suck his cock for whatever he had to offer. The man had the decency not to flaunt them in his face, but smelling their perfume or cologne on him was just as bad. Cole beat himself up for staying as long as he had. He’d called himself every idiot name in the book and then some.

“If I had a mate, he wouldn’t want me now that I’m knocked up with some other alpha’s kid. Besides, who’d want damaged goods?”

No matter what happened, he would not hate his child. It was going to be hard, but he needed to look toward a brighter future for himself and the baby. Cole would need to find a place to live and a job. Go somewhere Ryker would never think to look if he was trying to find him. Finding a job would be easy. Restaurants were always looking to hire a chef. Hell, he would wait tables if he had to. Work wasn’t something he was immune to. Denny might have been a phenomenal chef, but growing up they were dirt poor. Denny worked long hours trying to get his name out there. Bill was a plumber who had worked for a company that went bankrupt when Cole was sixteen. Cole had taken out loan after loan that he was still paying off to pay for school. His fathers tried to give him the best life possible, and he appreciated them for everything they had done for him.

One of the reasons he’d stayed with Ryker for so long was because of his threats that no matter where he went, he would find him. He was scared of that possibility—that it might happen. But it was better to run than stay and die. I can’t bring my shit to them. They need to live their lives and not be worried about me.

Cole stopped his car when Kane pulled up in front of a log-style cabin that looked rustic with a modern touch. It was still light outside, but he recognized the solar panels on the roof. That had to be his dad Denny’s idea. Cole shut off his car and got out, pocketing his keys. He walked up to the steps meeting Kane who was waiting for him. Kane tilted up the bill of his baseball cap that he was wearing then bent down to lift the welcome mat and pulled out the extra key and opened the door.

“Just how close are you to my parents that you know where they keep their spare key?”

Cole hadn’t meant for his words to be as accusatory as it came out. He was glad when Kane ignored him by stepping aside, giving Cole room to enter. The room was large and open. He recognized both of his fathers’ tastes littering the room. Browns and soft shades of blues and green were sprinkled around the room elegantly. The large brown leather sectional sat in the middle of the room with a blanket thrown over it, facing an unlit fireplace with a television stationed above it. Two leather wingback chairs sat on the other side of the room with a table between them, an unfinished chessboard sitting on top.

Walking further in the cabin, he noticed the dining room off to the left of the living room. Denny and Bill might not be there but their home felt like they were. Cole walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards, looking around. If he knew his dad Denny, tons of his favorite snacks would be hiding in the back. Whether he was there or not, there was always a snack in the cupboard that had his name on it. Cole smiled when he spotted the vanilla wafers sitting in the far right of the cupboard.

“Do you always go through people’s things when they aren’t home?”

Cole jumped and dropped the wafer he was about to put in his mouth, turning around to see Kane watching him. “Shit, I forgot you were still here.”

“Apparently.”

Clearing his throat, he picked up the wafer, dumped it in the trash and put the pack back into the cupboard to devour later when he wasn’t being watched.

“For your information, my dad and I have the same taste in snacks.” He had no idea why he felt the need to justify his own actions.

Kane grunted, but didn’t say anything else.

“What’s your fucking problem with me? We just met for crying out loud.”

“I don’t have a problem with you,” Kane answered. “Hell, I don’t even know you.”

“Then I guess I’m just not accustomed to your sunny disposition.” Cole wasn’t sure what the guy’s problem was, but he had been giving him the cold shoulder since they’d met only a few moments earlier. “Isn’t there somewhere else we need to go?” Cole asked Kane.

“Yup.”

Cole wiped off his hands on his jeans and walked out of the kitchen. “Then let’s go.”

“Hey, wait,” Kane said stopping him before he got too far. Cole turned around and looked at him impatiently. “You might need these.” He held up the keys waiting for Cole to take them.
Shit, I’m acting like a fucking moron. The guy is being nice and I’m acting like he’s a pain in my fucking ass.

Reaching out he took the keys from Kane. “Thanks.”

“Yup.” He nodded and walked past Cole out the door.

Cole’s eyes trailed from Kane’s wide shoulders down his back and waist, finally landing on the man’s ass. Yup, I can’t stay here too long. I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes and already I’m checking out the man’s ass. Get your shit together, Cole. Checking out Ryker’s ass was how I ended up in the situation I’m in now. I’ll just stick around for a couple of days, see my folks and move on.

Copyright © 2018 Giovanna ‘Gia’ Reaves 
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