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    Confessions
    Confessions
    Confessions
    Ebook141 pages2 hours

    Confessions

    By Carol Lynne

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Government contracted mercenary, James 'Priest' Evans, slides back into town after a mission gone very wrong. Haunted by his latest kill, Priest's job is weighing heavily on his mind for the first time in memory. In Cattle Valley to heal and re-evaluate his life, Priest didn't expect love but that's exactly where's he's headed.

    After a devastating and very public breakup, Luke Hatcher has given up on love. He's more than happy to enjoy hot and heavy sex, but that's as far as he's willing to go. When he runs into Priest, Luke believes their mutual lack of trust is perfect for a short-term holiday affair.

    Their steamy affair takes an unexpected turn when Priest makes a bedroom confession that will forever change the way he views life and love. Will the confession bring them closer together, or will it send Luke packing?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPride Publishing
    Release dateNov 21, 2011
    ISBN9780857158185
    Confessions
    Author

    Carol Lynne

    An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. While writing her first novel, Branded by Gold, Carol fell in love with the M/M genre. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. With well over one hundred releases, one thing is certain, Carol loves to keep busy writing sexy cowboys, shifters, bodyguards, vampires and everything in between. Although series books are her passion, Carol enjoys penning the occasional stand-alone title. As founder and President of GRL Retreat, Inc., Carol helps organize the annual GayRomLit Retreat. Now in its sixth year, GayRomLit is an annual retreat that brings together the people who create and celebrate LGBT romance for a one-of-a-kind, must-attend gathering of dynamic, informal, and diverse fun.

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      Book preview

      Confessions - Carol Lynne

      A Total-E-Bound Publication

      www.total-e-bound.com

      Confessions

      ISBN #978-0-85715-818-5

      ©Copyright Carol Lynne 2011

      Cover Art by April Martinez ©Copyright November 2011

      Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

      Total-E-Bound Publishing

      This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

      Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

      The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

      Published in 2011 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

      Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 2.

      Cattle Valley

      CONFESSIONS

      Carol Lynne

      Book twenty five in the Cattle Valley Series

      Government contracted mercenary, James ‘Priest’ Evans, slides back into town after a mission gone very wrong. Haunted by his latest kill, Priest’s job is weighing heavily on his mind for the first time in memory. In Cattle Valley to heal and re-evaluate his life, Priest didn’t expect love but that’s exactly where’s he’s headed.

      After a devastating and very public breakup, Luke Hatcher has given up on love. He’s more than happy to enjoy hot and heavy sex, but that’s as far as he’s willing to go. When he runs into Priest, Luke believes their mutual lack of trust is perfect for a short-term holiday affair.

      Their steamy affair takes an unexpected turn when Priest makes a bedroom confession that will forever change the way he views life and love. Will the confession bring them closer together, or will it send Luke packing?

      Dedication

      I’d like to take a moment to thank all the authors, readers and publishers who attended the GayRomLit Retreat in New Orleans. I’ve been to quite a few romance conferences, and never have I felt more at peace than I did in New Orleans. Not once did I have to justify my love for this genre. The hours upon hours of work required to put the Retreat together was incredibly worth it. I left New Orleans with a full tank, something I’d been struggling with the last year or so. Bless you all who attended the weekend, and thank you for giving me back my belief that most people are inherently good.

      Trademarks Acknowledgement

      The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

      Velcro: Velcro Industries

      Jeep: Chrysler Group LLC

      Chevy: General Motors

      Smith & Wesson: Smith and Wesson Corp.

      Google: Google, Inc.

      Harley Davidson: H-D Michigan

      The Game of Life: Hasbro, Inc.

      Walmart Supercenter: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

      Field and Stream: Field & Stream Licences Company

      Chrysler 3000: Chrysler Group LLC

      Chapter One

      Luke Hatcher’s hands shook as he tightened the laces on his running shoes. When he tied the bow, his gaze went to the bloody uniform shirt wadded into a ball beside the front door. He’d worked hundreds of car accidents but none of them had been as horrific as the one hours earlier.

      He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands in the hope that he could erase the images. When that didn’t work, Luke did what he’d always done when thoughts of spilled blood filled his mind.

      Throwing open the front door, Luke took off at a brisk pace. Despite the predawn hour and having gone without sleep after a long shift, he yearned for the mental release only running provided. His normal stretching routine didn’t seem as important as the heart-pounding adrenaline he’d learned to use to replace the memories.

      Clad only in a thin pair of jogging shorts, the cold October night felt good against Luke’s bare skin as his feet hit the pavement. As he started his usual circuit around the streets of Cattle Valley, the mutilated body of the teenage girl resurfaced in the forefront of his mind.

      It didn’t take a psychiatrist to tell him why the girl’s death had affected him more than all the others he’d witnessed in his line of work. Suddenly the girl’s face morphed into the image of his mother. Luke shook his head, trying to rid himself of the disturbing memory before he lost what little food he’d eaten in the last twenty-four hours.

      Although the temperature was below freezing, sweat poured from Luke’s head and chest as he continued his five-point-six mile circuit around the older part of Cattle Valley. He preferred to bypass the new subdivisions that had begun to pop up on the outskirts. Although the homes were each unique and well-constructed, they just didn’t hold the appeal the matured-treed neighbourhoods of the older section of town.

      There was one house in particular that always welcomed him. As he neared the home at the end of the dark lane, Luke slowed to a stop like he did most days. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees as he tried to control his laboured breathing.

      Luke stared at the structure, which was in a state of disrepair. The pillars on the front corners of the porch made the sagging roof appear to frown. If it was possible for a house to have a soul, he had no doubt the home at 226 Cherry Street would have been crying.

      Luke had gone to City Hall to enquire as to who now owned the house, but received little information in return. The abandoned home belonged to no one Luke had ever heard of. The only information he got out of Carol was that the original owner was in a nursing home in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the taxes were paid yearly in cash by her estate. It was a pity the home had been allowed to fall into such disrepair.

      It was hard for Luke to imagine he was looking at the same house that his mom had kept spotless with a profusion of colourful flowers decorating the front porch and walk. Of course he could have an idealised version of what it had once been, since before he’d been forced to move after the death of his mother.

      When the porch light next door turned on, Luke knew it was time to go. He stretched his arms over his head before heading back down the street the way he’d come. The daily period of rest in front of the abandoned house always served to settle Luke’s demons.

      Better than therapy, Luke said as he continued down the street at a brisk pace.

      By the time he reached the alley behind the shops downtown, the fall sky was starting to brighten. Luke tilted his head back to smell the aromatic scent of cinnamon rolls that always permeated the morning air. God bless Kyle and his need to bake before the sun rose.

      Lost in the smells wafting from the bakery, Luke wasn’t paying attention to the road in front of him. When his right foot landed in an unexpected hole in the gravel path, Luke’s knee hyper-extended, pitching him forward. He fell to the ground with a howl of pain as the sharp rocks dug into his hands and forearms. Fuck!

      Luke rolled onto his back for a few moments before sitting up. One look at his knee had Luke shaking his head. The swelling had already begun. He supported the underside of his knee and slowly attempted to straighten his leg. It was painful, but he doubted he’d done serious damage.

      After a quick scan of the surrounding area, Luke realised he was going to have to stand without anyone’s help unless he wanted to half-crawl, half-drag himself across the gravel to the back of one of the buildings.

      A noise from the shadowed dumpsters caught his attention. Hello? he called, hoping for help.

      When no one answered and the alley was quiet once again, he decided it must’ve been a cat or some vermin he didn’t want to dwell on. Clenching his teeth, Luke slowly got to his feet without having to use every dirty word in his repertoire although he did utter quite a few.

      With the majority of his weight shifted to his left leg, Luke began the slow process of walking down the alley. Although there wasn’t anything open at that time of morning, he knew Kyle was already hard at work in the bakery. If he could make it to the end of the alley and across the street without either collapsing or crying it would be a miracle.

      Overhead a light turned on in one of the apartments that lined the upper floors of the downtown shopping area. Luke stared up at the welcoming light. Hello? he shouted towards the apartment window.

      Several moments later, Deacon McConnell parted the white café curtains and stared down into the alley. Luke waved his arms over his head while trying to maintain his balance. He pointed towards his injured knee.

      Deacon nodded before letting the curtains fall closed. It took close to five minutes, but eventually the back door of Falling Limbs Creations opened. Something wrong? he asked.

      A hole in the road got the better of my knee. Mind if I use your phone to call someone to come get me? Luke asked.

      With the aid of an intricately carved cane, Deacon made his way into the alley. As far as Luke knew, no one in town had dared ask Deacon how he’d damaged his leg. It wasn’t that they were afraid of Deacon, but the man definitely didn’t put out the kind of vibe that welcomed conversation.

      Deacon gestured towards an older model Jeep. Stay there and I’ll pick you up.

      With the sweat drying on his skin, Luke began to shiver in the cold morning air. He glanced towards the dumpster again. Why

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