Starting Over in Cedarwood by Megan Slayer
Book 15 in the Cedarwood Pride series
General Release Date: 15th June 2021
Word Count: 50,247
Book Length: SHORT NOVEL
Pages: 195
GENRES: CONTEMPORARY, EROTIC ROMANCE, GAY, GLBTQ
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Book Description
Starting over might just bring them the love they deserve.
Shaun Fallows came to Cedarwood to start over. He wants to be done with dating, but the moment he sees Kevin, the sparks are off the charts. He can’t get the sexy man off his mind. So much for not wanting to get involved. Kevin is the man of his dreams. Can he convince Kevin to give him a try or will the romance end before it gets the chance to begin?
Besides, there’s the small issue of Kevin’s cat…
Kevin Keiser did the dating thing and ended up burned. One of the few bright spots in his life is his cat, Leo. The animal might be a bit prickly, but he’s been a good meter for who Kevin should date and who he should avoid. He wants a boyfriend who isn’t put off by his pet. Shaun sure seems to fit the bill. Is he just another man or the love Kevin’s been waiting for?
Reader advisory: This book contains mention of emotionally abusive exes, homophobia, and financial crime.
Shaun shoved Kyle away and growled. He’d lost perfectly good time with Kevin because Kyle had to be a dick. “What are you doing?” He wiped his mouth and twisted in his seat to see which way Kevin had gone. “I was here with him.”
“Waiting on the friend?” Kyle asked. He polished his watch face on his shirt. “Or was he the friend?”
“It’s none of your business, but he was the friend, yes.” Probably not now. He’d seen Kevin’s reaction to Kyle and could feel it, too. Kyle had done a number on him, but what did Shaun expect? Kyle was a toxic person, just like Kevin said. Shaun would be lucky if Kevin spoke to him again.
“Why would you want to meet up with him? Kevin’s so boring and he’s a server. I work in the offices and have access to the team.” Kyle pushed Kevin’s empty cup aside. “At least he still has decent taste in coffee. I taught him everything he knows about it.”
Shaun sighed and put space between him and Kyle. “I’ll bet you did. You molded him into the man he is today, right?” He shook his head. “What did you do? Visit every coffee shop in town until you found me? Stalkerish much?”
“I was making a coffee run and saw you, so I stopped.” Kyle shoved another napkin into Kevin’s cup. “Why? You looked like you needed rescued.”
“I was fine.”
“With Kevin?” Kyle crooked his eyebrow. “Really?”
“He’s not so bad—not as bad as you think.”
“Ah. Not so bad, eh? Translation, he’s not fuckable and you’re not dying to get him into bed, but you’ll give him a pity date. Sounds like you’re biding your time.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Oh well. I hear the band is good tonight.”
“Might be.” Shaun wasn’t interested in listening to music tonight, not even his precious Mozart. “I need to go. I’ve got emails to answer and it’s getting stuffy in here.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Kyle slapped the table. “Let’s go.”
“You can go anywhere you want. I’m heading home—alone.” He put a five-dollar-bill on the table, then stood. “I need to pay the tab.”
“He left you with the bill? What an asshole.” Kyle snorted. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“It was my treat.”
Kyle sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come along? I’m great company.”
“I’m sure.” He left the table. Shaun had thought he’d made some headway with Kevin. Thought they sort of liked each other. Might even be able to start dating. Then Kyle had come along. Jesus Christ. He paid the bill and thanked the girl at the register. “Thanks.”
Kyle fell into step beside him out to the lot. “Are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere? It’s early.”
“I had plans and they changed, so no.” He stayed by the door of his car. Kyle was too clingy for his tastes.
“Then come with me. We’ll hit Sum51 in Cleveland. It’s a great club and loaded with hot men. Lots of dancing and music,” Kyle said. “You might want to change. Denim is frowned on at the club.”
“No thanks.” He’d done the clubbing thing and was over it.
“Don’t like the music?”
“I’m not in the mood for a concert or dancing tonight.” Shaun folded his arms. “But you are, so you should go. Get some of your energy out and have a good time.”
“I hate going alone.”
“I was here with Kevin and I’m going home alone, so I guess we’re even.”
“Gag.”
His irritation grew. “What did he ever do to you? Huh? You split, and I get that relationships aren’t always sweet when they end, but why are you being so nasty?”
“You saw him leave,” Kyle said. “He’s just not that sexy and he knows it.”
“He does?” Kyle wasn’t wrong—Kevin’s self-esteem appeared to have taken a hit, but with an ex-boyfriend like Kyle, it stood to reason Kevin might be touchy.
“He saw me and bolted. That should tell you everything you need to know,” Kyle said. “He can’t stand being around me.”
“I suppose so.” He turned on his heel and walked away. Right now, he needed the space and silence. He rather liked Kevin’s awkwardness. He was sweet and, once Shaun got him to open up, Kevin relaxed. Plus, Shaun couldn’t help his affinity for men with dark, moody eyes. God, he loved that soulful look. Then there was the phone thing. He’d finally found someone who wasn’t glued to their damn cell phone.
He slid behind the wheel of his car and shut the door before Kyle caught up to him. Shaun pressed his phone to his ear and nodded, faking a call. Kyle groaned from his position on the sidewalk, but didn’t approach.
Good. He left Kyle in his wake and drove away. What a nightmare.
Once he got back to his apartment, he parked in his carport, then headed into his unit. He just wanted a decent date. Not an overly elaborate one, not a club version, but a nice, quiet date where he could get to know the guy—in this case, Kevin.
His phone rang and he checked the ID screen. Cheryl, one of the few friends he still had from the Jonah-era. He set the call to speaker and answered. “Hi, girly.”
“Hi, yourself,” Cheryl said. “How are things? I see you’re settling in. Work’s going well? You’re posting on social media, which is good. I thought you’d fallen into depression again.”
“No, not depressed.” He’d left that part of his life behind when he’d moved to Cedarwood. “Things aren’t so bad here and I’m getting into the swing of life in the small town. I like my job at the paper, we’re getting new advertisements daily and I’m busy, so there’s that.” He kicked his shoes off. He threw his keys into the basket and abandoned his wallet there, too. “I’m good. You?”
“No, you’re not good,” she said. “You’re miserable.”
“No.” Not really. “I had a date and it went sideways, but that’s life. Honestly, I’m fine.”
“A date? With? Dish.”
“His name is Kevin. He’s a nice guy and has a job, but his ex-boyfriend is persistent. He showed up while we were out and it got awkward.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Did you come on to the other guy? You flirt without realizing you’re doing it.”
“I didn’t flirt with Kyle. No. He’s cute, but it’s not anything I want to involve myself with. Plus, he reminds me of Jonah. He wants attention and needs to have a relationship.” Shaun shook his head and plopped on the couch. “He’s not anything I’m looking for.”
“Right. You don’t need another Jonah. He sucked the life out of you.”
“He did.” He hadn’t thought about the relationship that way, but she was right. He hadn’t been happy with his ex. Miserable was more like it. Nothing had ever pleased Jonah and there wasn’t enough money in the world for him.
“What’s wrong with Kevin?” Cheryl asked
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Megan Slayer
Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice.
Find out more about Megan on her website, and sign up for the newsletter here. You can also check out her Blog, Amazon Author Page, Bookbub and Instagram.
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