Book Title: North Point
Author: Thom Collins
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, Thriller and Suspense
Trope/s: Going home, murder mystery
Themes: Fatherhood, survival
Length: 61 000 words
It is a standalone story
Buy Links
Pride Publishing | Kobo | Barnes and Noble
Will an idyllic summer holiday lead Arnie to the love of his life, or the end of it?
Blurb
It should be the start of a perfect vacation. After a period of stress, Arnie Walker takes his nine-year-old son AJ home for the holidays. Arnie grew up in Nyemouth, a picturesque fishing town on the North-East coast of England, and he wants AJ to experience the kind of carefree, endless summer he enjoyed as a boy. It’s a short-lived dream. While taking an evening walk along the North Point cliff, Arnie and AJ witness a murder attempt.
For the volunteer crew of Nyemouth Lifeboat Station, it’s a rescue mission like none before, Helmsman Dominic Melton is part of the team who rescue the victim from the deadly North Sea. When Arnie and Dominic come together in the aftermath of the attack, the attraction is instant. Arnie isn’t looking for a relationship. He’s committed to his son’s well-being and has no time for a distraction like Dominic, even though the handsome ex-naval officer is hard to dismiss. Is it possible for Arnie to fulfill his promises to AJ while falling for Dominic?
Despite the distraction, a fledgling killer remains at large. As feelings between Arnie and Dominic develop, so does the danger they are in. North Point may be a beautiful place to fall in love, but it could also be the most dangerous.
“What got you involved in the lifeboat? You’re not from around here, are you? Is that a trace of Yorkshire I detect in your accent? It’s subtle, but it’s there. Am I right?”
Dominic chuckled. “Guilty as charged. We moved around a lot when I was young, but spent more time in Yorkshire than anywhere else. I guess that’s what stuck. But no, there are no prior connections with the lifeboat. I was in the Royal Marines for eight years, and then another six in the Special Boat Service.”
Arnie’s eyes widened. The physique, the incredible build, the selfless bravery. It all made sense. Dominic was a real-life superman.
“By the time I left the service, I had the sea in my veins. The lifeboat offered the perfect opportunity to indulge my love of boats and action. You know what it’s like. We do a lot of practice drills and rescues. It fills a space my career left in me.”
“What do you do for a living?” Arnie asked, intrigued.
“I’m a writer,” Dominic said, getting two mugs from the cupboard. “Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, please, with a splash of milk. Skimmed if you have it.”
“Just semi,” he said, opening the fridge.
“That’ll do fine. What do you write?”
“Have you ever heard of Jack Cole?” Dominic asked, dropping tea bags into the mugs and pouring water over.
Arnie considered the question. The name was indeed familiar. He’d seen it embossed on the front cover of paperbacks. He’d never read Jack Cole, but he was sure, yes, of course—his dad had a couple of his novels on his bookcase. “The thriller author?”
Dominic grinned. He set the mugs down on the table and sat facing Arnie.
“Jack Cole is me.”
Arnie stared. “You’re kidding? Wow.” Why hadn’t his parents mentioned this? His mother was usually keen to share any old boring trivia about people he might have known at school and had long since forgotten. She’d inform him in great detail about children, marriages, divorces, drinking problems, job successes and failures but he couldn’t recall her ever mentioning this.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized Jack Cole was a big deal. One of those best-selling thriller writers whose books were given prominent shelf space around Father’s Day and Christmas. Those military action stories had never appealed to him, but he would surely have taken notice if he knew the author lived in Nyemouth and volunteered in the lifeboat.
And looks like the man of my dreams.
“So, Jack Cole is a pen name?” he asked. “Because of your military background?”
“That’s one reason. I write fiction, not those true-life armed forces bio books, but I like to keep a clear distance between my writing and my personal life. I don’t want to be a celebrity author. I don’t want to be recognized.”
“I understand,” Arnie said. “I often wish I could do what I do without the public recognition.”
“I’m happy staying out of it. I don’t usually tell people who I am. At least not straight away. I don’t know why I blurted it out to you. It’s not my style.”
“I’m glad you did. My dad has some of your books. Now I have something to read this summer.”
Dominic put his elbows on the table. His forearms were thick, nicely tanned and coated with dark, silky hair. Arnie’s gaze drifted to his hands. They were large with thick fingers. The backs of his hands were marred with small cuts and pale scars. The hands of a practical man used to manual work, rather than a writer. He imagined those hands moving over his body, across his chest and stomach, going lower, sliding into his underwear to take him in a firm grip. Arnie forced his attention back to Dominic’s face, but those deep bedroom eyes did little to dispel his arousal.
“Your dad told me you’re here until September,” Dominic said.
“That’s right. Five weeks is all. Until AJ goes back to school.”
“You must feel a strong connection to the town. I mean, you could have taken your son anywhere in the world for the summer.”
“I love it here,” Arnie said. “I’d love to spend even longer, but it’s impossible to maintain an acting career this far north. All my opportunities are in London. But I wanted AJ to experience more of Nyemouth than a couple of weekends a year and a few days at Christmas. It’s a long story, but it’s important for us both to have some stability right now.”
Dominic sipped his tea. “Last night can’t have helped. How is AJ today?”
“He seems fine. He was amazing giving his statement to the police this morning. I swear he has a better recollection of it than I do.”
Dominic laughed. “Kids are like that. Full of surprises.” Arnie was desperate to discover more about this sexy hero. He spotted an opening and took it. “Do you have kids?”
“Me?” He grinned. “No way. We get a lot of kids down here at the station. School trips, special projects, volunteers, that kind of thing. Noel, the lad outside, he’s been helping out around here since he was fifteen or so. The lifeboat is a big draw for the young ones.”
“I remember. I used to be one of them.”
Dominic’s smile might be the sexiest part of him. Arnie couldn’t take his eyes off his mouth. It was wide and mischievous. And flirtatious? Maybe. “You’re not married then?” The question was out the instant it came to mind. He regretted it as soon as he asked. Dominic seemed not to mind.
“No. I’m not married. I live up on South Bank Terrace. Just me and my dog, Brandy.”
Sexy and single. But whose team does he play for? Arnie blocked that question before he blurted it out like the last one. He had a good feeling about Dominic, and he was giving out the right vibes. Dominic was into him. Arnie was certain of it. And he was flirting for sure. How could he not be with a smile like that? He definitely likes me. A little bit. Maybe. Arnie dismissed the idea. So what if he did? Now was not the time to even entertain the idea. He was here for AJ, not to fall for the local action man. The boy’s life was chaotic enough with his mother running around and getting high with her rock-star husband. Arnie had to be better than that.
Dominic might just be the sexiest, most charismatic man in Nyemouth, but Arnie had to stay immune to him.
Romance was not on the agenda this summer.
That was the way it had to be.
Thom Collins is the author of Closer by Morning, Gods of Vengeance, Silent Voices and the Anthem Trilogy. His love of page turning thrillers began at an early age when his mother caught him reading the latest Jackie Collins book and confiscated it, sparking a life-long love of raunchy novels.
He is currently working on a new series.
Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook The Night.
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