Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
I’ve been content to live my life, which mostly consists of going to school and hanging out with my best friend.
I never gave much thought to love and romance. I’ve been so focused on getting my degree and starting a teaching career myself, I really don’t have time for it anyway.
Besides, I prefer eliminating the drama from my life where I can.
When I agreed to cat-sit for my brother while he was overseas, though, I had no idea how much drama I would be inviting into my life, nor how it would turn my world upside down.
That’s exactly what happens when I get a very unexpected reunion with Slater Kirkland, my brother’s best friend and landlord. It’s been several years since I’ve seen Slater, but he was always around while I was growing up.
Seeing him again reignited that fierce crush I had on him when I was just a teenager.
Slater is everything I’ve always wanted and so much more.
But can a relationship with him survive the drama that comes with it?
Can it overcome our shared history and the ten-year age gap between us?
More than that, can it survive the drama when my brother finds out about us?
As much as I want to say yes to all those questions, the truth is, I just don’t know.
Slater
There I was, minding my own business and doing my job, when I ran into Sierra Kelly, my best friend’s kid sister. The last time I saw her she was a little girl still making her way through high school.
But she is definitely not a little girl anymore.
Beautiful doesn’t even begin to cover just how stunning she’s become. I quickly learn she is more than just her looks.
Sierra has grown into an intelligent, witty, strong woman. She’s intoxicating to be around, which is a problem. The fact that I knew her when she was just a kid raises a host of questions for me. Questions I don’t know that I can answer. And questions that might keep me from giving in to the feelings she inspires in me.
All ethical questions aside, the biggest question in my mind is what her brother, Derek, will have to say if he finds out we’ve been seeing each other. He’s always been protective of Sierra, and he likely won’t take well to me having feelings for his kid sister. If he finds out about us, it will very likely spell the end of a friendship that’s spanned almost twenty years.
Being with Sierra would be an incredible reward.
But it might come at a high price which, unfortunately for Derek, is a price I am very much willing to pay.
This is a short, novella-length steamy, daddy romance.
No OM / OW drama and no cliffhangers.
Always a sweet HEA
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
SLATER
“Yo, douchebag.”
Recognizing the voice, I set the wrench in my hand down, then use my remote to turn off the music as he walks into my garage. As he sets the bag in his hand down on the workbench, I pull a rag out of my pocket and wipe away some of the grease on my fingers before shaking his hand. It’s still a little grimy, but Derek doesn’t seem to care.
“What’s up, dickhead?” I reply.
Derek Kelly has been my best friend since we were kids. He’s like a brother to me. Fuck that, he’s closer than a brother to me. He pulls a beer out of the bag and hands it to me. As I twist off the top, he pulls one out for himself and cracks it open.
“Thanks,” I say and tap my bottle against his.
“No sweat,” he replies. “How’s the restoration going?”
I turn and look at the 1973 Boss 351 Mustang and frown. It was my father’s car, and he left it to me when he died. But it hasn’t been on the road and needs a lot of work. I’m completely rebuilding the engine myself, but I will have to send it out for a little bodywork and paint. He’s been gone for about ten years, but I still miss my dad, and doing the work on the car—something he and I did when I was a kid—makes me feel closer to him.
“It’s going,” I tell him. “I should have the engine done in the next month or so. After that, I send it out to get the bodywork and paint.”
“And after that, you’re going to have a sweet ride.”
“Damn straight,” I say and take a swallow of beer. “So, what’s up with you? You good? You all set for your trip?”
“I’m good,” he replies. “And yeah, I’m pretty much ready.”
“Looking forward to it?”
“Kind of. I’m a little nervous, though.”
I scoff. “Sack up, man. Don’t be a pussy.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“Dude, seriously. You’re a great teacher. What do you have to be worried about?”
“Going to another country to teach this seminar? It’s stressful.”
“I’m sure it is. But you got this, man,” I tell him. “Students are the same there as they are here. You know your stuff. You’ll be great.”
“I wish I had half as much confidence in my abilities as you do.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to sack the fuck up, brother. Believe that you’re going to be great, and you will be great.”
He chuckles. “And when did you get to be such a paragon of optimism?”
“Me? I’m not. I’m just looking forward to a couple of months without you, so I need to pump you up so you don’t pussy out and come running home with your tail between your legs.”
Derek laughs. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Damn right, I am,” I reply. “Seriously though, you’re going to be great over there. Those kids will be lucky to have you.”
“Thanks, brother.”
I tap my bottle against his again in a show of brotherhood and solidarity. Derek leans back against the workbench and takes another swig of beer.
“Hey, listen, I keep forgetting to ask, but while I’m gone, do you think you can fix the shower and toilet in my apartment?”
I nod. “Yeah, no sweat.”
“Sorry,” he chuckles. “It still feels weird to ask.”
I wave him off. “Dude, you’ve been here for three years. You need to get over that shit. Fixing shit around here is my job.”
“I know, but—”
“It’s my job,” I repeat. “Don’t sweat it. It’ll be good as new when you get back.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Not a problem.”
In addition to the Mustang, my father left me his budding real estate empire. I took up residence in The Pacific Winds, a building of high-end condos with an unobstructed view of the ocean. My dad left me three more buildings that are nice, but they’re a little farther inland. I prefer waking up, rolling out of bed, and catching a few waves before I start my day. And my day is usually taken up by needy tenants who have one problem or another that needs to be addressed.
I don’t mind it, though. Not really. I enjoy working with my hands. But between my duties as a landlord and my gig as a guest bartender around town, I don’t have a lot of free time. That’s probably for the best. I tend to get into trouble when I have free time, so I do my best to stay busy. It’s one reason I started the project with the Mustang. It keeps me occupied.
“When are you leaving?” I ask.
“Tomorrow night. Got a flight out of Orange County at ten.”
“Sounds good.”
We chill and have a couple more beers, just shooting the shit. He may live in my building, but we’re both so busy, we don’t have a lot of time to hang out. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Being a grown-up with grown-up responsibilities really sucks.