MM paranormal romance
by
Chasing this story could make him. But it might also break him.
This should be easy—slide into town undercover, dig up the local shifter pack’s dangerous secret, and score a headline that finally gets his father’s attention. Too bad Riley hasn’t counted on meeting Jason—and that dimpled smile that knocks him sideways, making it hard to remember what he’s here to do.
For Jason, guys like Riley don’t come to Elk Ridge. They definitely don’t walk into his diner. But it wouldn’t matter even if they did—Jason’s used to feeling like the background to everyone else’s life, even in his pack. Except, somehow, Riley notices him. Really sees him. And for the first time, Jason believes he could be wanted. Maybe… even loved.
Riley’s great at lying, especially to himself. He tells himself he can break his story, earn back his father’s love, and still keep Jason. But those flashes of guilt when Jason looks at him, open and trusting, are getting harder to ignore.
If Riley walks away from the story, he loses his last shot at redemption. His last chance not to be a failure. But if Jason finds out the truth, Riley will break the sweetest man he’s ever known.
Each book in the series is a standalone romance with its own HEA. An overarching plot runs through the series.
Content note: This series includes material that some readers may find upsetting. Full details are available on the author’s website (link in the Look Inside sample on Amazon).
Edition note: Previously published as a novella in 2013. This new edition has been substantially rewritten and expanded with major new content.
Publisher: Independently Published
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 5
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Word Count: 65000
Setting: Colorado
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Jason glanced up as the swing door from the diner opened, and Sam Fawcett poked her head through. “Jason, honey, can you watch the place for ten minutes? I want to look in on Natalie and check she has everything she needs.”
“Sure,” he agreed, wiping his hands on the dish towel and following her out.
He too had been wondering how Natalie was. She was the full-time waitress here and, at six months pregnant, had called in sick last week and hadn’t been in since. Sam hadn’t given Jason any details—and he was glad, because he was happy to live in ignorance when it came to that kind of thing—but he knew Sam was worried about her.
“Maybe take her a cupcake?” he suggested. “She likes the double chocolate raspberry.”
“She can’t eat that alone,” Sam said. “She’d feel rude.”
READ MOREJason bit back a smile as he picked out from the glass-fronted counter two of the cakes he’d made that morning. He boxed them up and handed them to Sam.
“Thanks, honey,” she said.
As she disappeared out the front door, she passed a young blond guy in a brown leather jacket on his way in. The guy took his shades off and looked around curiously as he entered the diner, and Jason’s knees practically gave out.
What? No, seriously, what? Someone looking like that had come to Elk Ridge? That face should be on posters across the country. Underwear posters, looking at the rest of him—battered jacket open over a soft-looking sweater that somehow both skimmed and clung to his body.
Jason had never seen someone that hot in real life. In his mid-twenties, Jason thought, with spiky blond hair, and a jaw line that made him look like his face was sculpted from marble. Nothing on that face gave away what he was thinking about what he saw. The diner wasn’t the fanciest place, but they served good, honest food.
Jason had to actually lock his knees together when the man looked over at him and wandered in his direction. Why had Sam chosen now of all times to duck out? How the hell was he supposed to speak to someone this hot?
“You still serving lunch?” the customer asked, glancing at the blackboard that listed the day’s specials. Customer. That was all he was—a customer. Jason clung to that thought like a lifeline.
The customer changed the direction of his gaze to look at Jason, and the whole world crashed to a halt. Something in those blue-gray eyes was like nothing he’d ever seen before.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” he stammered, his mouth so dry he wasn’t sure how he got the words out. He had no idea what the question had been but figured his answer would be the same in any case. There was no way he could refuse this man anything.
The customer’s eyes flicked back to the special board. “I’ll take the pesto chicken special and an iced tea.”
“Sure,” Jason said, and didn’t have a clue what he was agreeing to.
“Should I just sit anywhere?” The man gestured at the almost empty diner.
“Uh, yeah, please. I’ll bring it out to you when it’s ready.” Jason finally managed to stumble through something resembling a sentence.
The man made his way across the diner to a seat by the window, and Jason watched him the entire way. He moved with absolute confidence, almost to the point of arrogance. But then, looking like that, why not?
Jason dragged his eyes away before he could get caught staring, and his gaze accidentally locked with Ms. Taylor’s. She was watching him, face lit with amusement, and as their eyes met, she raised a deliberate eyebrow.
“Jason, dear,” she said, pitching her voice so there was no way he could claim not to have heard her. “Do you have a minute?”
“I—uh—” Jason attempted a wave in the direction of the new customer to indicate he needed to be in the kitchen right now. Which he did. He just didn’t want to go back there and miss a second of someone as hot as this in Elk Ridge. In his *diner*. Because it would never happen again.
“Just for a second,” she insisted.
He made his way over to her, and she put her hand on his wrist. “One thing I’ve learned in this life is not to miss an opportunity,” she said. “Things don’t just happen on their own. You need to act.”
And then she flicked her eyes over toward the customer, as if… Jason’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t mean…
Had she not seen the guy who’d just walked in? Had she not seen him? Jason was wallpaper. Beige and quiet and useful. The guy in the leather jacket belonged on billboards and yachts, in lives where people like Jason were just background noise.
He’d never even had a real date. What was he supposed to do—walk up and introduce himself like he was someone worth noticing?
“I’ll, er,” he said uncertainly, and she patted his hand before releasing him.
“You do that,” she said.
He bolted for the kitchen.
COLLAPSE
