Love’s Gamble by Hayden West
Book 2 in the City of Fountains series
General Release Date: 12th October 2021
Word Count: 15,774
Book Length: NOVELLA
Pages: 68
Genres:
CONTEMPORARY, EROTIC ROMANCE, GAY, GLBTQI, MYSTERY
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Book Description
Moving home can be worth the gamble…
What begins as one anonymous night with a stranger swiftly becomes more to retired parajumper Deacon “Lobo” Williams. Back home, he has an intimate and powerful encounter with a man he doesn’t even stop to learn the name of. Unable to keep it just one night, he comes back for more.
Blackjack dealer Joe Chavez is far more comfortable with his sexuality than the man he has begun seeing. There are plenty of demons for them both, but if they want to make this work, they will have to decide if love’s gamble is enough.
Reader advisory: This book contains mentions of PTSD, violence, attempted rape and reference to suicidal thoughts.
The next morning Deacon stood beneath the shower spray, eyes closed as he allowed the water to sluice down his skin. It didn’t matter what he did, he couldn’t get the thought of that man out of his mind.
Had he been thinking with his brain instead of his cock, he wouldn’t have done that. It was foolish. From the fact he did it with a man he didn’t know and wasn’t even sure was clean, to not using protection.
Something had come over him when they’d met and nothing else had mattered but sinking his dick into his ass. He smiled a bit as he recalled how fogged up the windows of the SUV had been as they’d lain there, breathing hard, still connected. Even now, hours later and standing where he was, his cock began to rise.
Deacon sighed as he realized just how much of an asshole he’d been. Afterward he’d pulled away, and with some fancy maneuvering he’d put his dick back in his pants, then left. That had been it, nothing more. Not waiting to share names, numbers or anything of the sort. He’d just run.
He was fairly certain the men he’d passed as he’d hurried away had known he’d just banged someone in the back of a vehicle.
Deacon tipped his head up to the stream and let it pound his skin. Running a hand down his face, he swiftly washed and got out of the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist.
“You almost done in there, Deacon?”
Just like childhood.
Smearing his hand over the glass, he peered at his reflection. With a head shake, he opened the door. “What do you need, Debra?”
“Breakfast is almost ready. Can you be down in five?”
“I’ll be there.” He appreciated her trying to fill in for their parents and take care of him, for he knew she was worried about him. Even though he was the older sibling, she’d become incredibly protective since they’d lost both parents.
I hope I’m not keeping her from any prior work that she’s having to put on hold because she’s worried I’m going to flip out and lose my shit.
He went to his room and dressed, toweled off his hair and dropped the damp cotton on the rack in the bathroom on his way back by the room. On the third stair, his knee reminded him he wasn’t as spry as he used to be or wanted to be.
Pausing on the step, he gripped his kneecap and took several deep breaths while he waited for the push of pain to vacate.
“You okay?”
He snapped his gaze to Debra at the foot of the stairs. She held a blue checkered towel in her hands, and her eyes overflowed with concern.
Fuck no, I’m not okay.
Deacon forced a smile to lift his lips. “A slight twinge, nothing to be concerned about. The doc said it would happen.”
“Maybe something you were doing last night aggravated it?”
“Probably,” he said in an even tone.
As he took the stairs down, all he could see was him putting so much weight on it as he thrust deep into the man’s ass. Time and time again, flesh to flesh. A stolen moment with a stranger in the back of a vehicle.
Debra slipped her arm around him and hugged him as he hit the first floor.
“I wish you’d let me in, Deacon. I’m sure I could help.” She kept the contact brief and moved away. “I know you don’t think of me but as your little sister, but I’m actually grown and can handle things. You can treat me like an adult. I won’t break. And while I haven’t gone through what you have…” She shrugged. “I’m here if you want to talk. Come on, breakfast isn’t going to stay warm if we’re out here.”
He let her move ahead, aware of how he had hurt her. All without trying. He didn’t want to subject her to his nightmares, to his feeling of inadequacy because he could no longer do what he believed in his heart he had been born to do.
By the time he entered the kitchen, she had a smile firmly affixed to her face and she sat in the seat she’d grown up using. Sliding in across from her, he looked over the food and grinned.
“Pancakes?”
“With a bit of molasses, like Mom used to make. “
“I don’t expect you to take care of me, Debra. I know you have your own life and things to do.”
“I’ll be gone for most of the day, but we could maybe grab dinner tonight?”
He caught the slight upswing of her tone and wondered what she was doing and why she sounded a bit concerned.
“Sure,” he remarked.
“I don’t want to you move out, you just got here and are already leaving. I know it’s not the same because you’ll be in the same town, but still. Just got here.”
“I don’t want to cramp your style.” He made sure his words were teasing.
She pointed her fork at him. “Expecting orgies on a nightly basis?”
He nearly spit out his juice and shook his head. “Don’t ever mention that in regards to you again. I can tell you without a doubt, it isn’t anything I want to think about as your brother. I am keeping you as a little girl with pigtails who followed me around, wanting to go on every adventure I did.”
Her expression softened. “We did have some good times, for sure.”
Talk ceased while they dug in to the spread. He cleaned up after as she vanished upstairs.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a while,” she commented thirty minutes later.
Glancing over his shoulder at her, he lifted an eyebrow at the vibrant pink sheath dress she wore.
“Do I need to get the shotgun ready?”
“No,” she said. “Just the checkbook.”
“Bail money?” My sister doesn’t need to be wearing things like that.
She waved a hand. “Not even close. A plumber is coming by to look at the half bath down here. His name is Craig Donaldson and he may be bringing his son. He knows where the spare key is but if you see a man in here, please don’t put him through the window.” She wriggled her fingers and departed before he could say another word.
Deep in his gut, he understood she had been joking but it still struck hard. He had been sent to a shrink to try to get a grip on the anger coursing through him that made him volatile. The last month had been better, he’d not come unglued too many times. Last night had been one of those times he could feel it creeping up on him. No, he hadn’t gone over but it had come close, right up until his nameless lover had made an appearance.
Shaking off those thoughts, he finished putting away the food and cleaning up. He’d just hung the dishrag over the divider on the sink when the doorbell rang.
“Coming,” he called out.
He opened the door to find a man an inch or so shorter than him standing there. Behind him in the drive was a large blue truck with Donaldson Plumbing on the side of the door that a younger man was standing by.
“Mr. Donaldson?”
The man before Deacon nodded his head, the sun hitting the streaks of gray in his hair. “I am. I’m here to look at a half bath.”
“Right, my sister mentioned that. Come on in.”
“Thank you.” He turned to the young man by the truck. “Bring the case, Cody. Let’s get to work.”
The boy did as he was instructed, but Deacon could see that he didn’t want to be there. He waited by the door until they were both inside, then he shut the door. The wind whipped around outside, making him wonder what type of weather they were in for today.
He clicked on the large on-wall television, switching to a local weather station. As a man in a pinstriped suit gave the news, Deacon moved to the wall by the fireplace and looked at the photos there. His sister had done a great job of keeping up with family tradition of lining the walls with family photos.
“Were you in the military?”
In his periphery, he spied the young man.
“I was. Air Force. I was a parajumper.”
“Why’d you get out?”
“Had to. I had a bad landing and messed up my leg. I’ve had a few surgeries on it to replace my knee and have some pins in my leg.” He couldn’t explain why it was easier for him to tell this stranger, this young boy, the whole truth but he’d yet to tell his only family member.
Blue eyes sliced down to his legs. “Does it hurt?”
“Only every day.”
“Cody,” the reprimand fell. “We’re not here to bother him.”
“It’s okay,” Deacon assured the father. And realized it was, he didn’t mind answering this lad’s questions.
“One more?” he asked his dad.
Craig arched an eyebrow and Deacon nodded. “Sure thing. One more question.”
“If you had to do it again, would you?”
“Without any hesitation,” he replied in an instant.
Nothing but the truth there. He’d found his way in the military. His calling. His purpose. The experience had done wonders for him and he’d loved ninety-five percent of the lessons he’d gotten there. The people, the destinations. All of it. He’d gained another family and it hurt like hell not being with them any longer.
“That was your one more. Run out to the truck and get me what I asked for, please.” Craig shot his son a look and he vanished.
Cody sighed heavily but listened and Deacon didn’t insert himself in further. It wasn’t his child.
When the boy came back in, Deacon gave a smile and watched him head back to help out his father.
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Hayden West
Hayden West lives in the Pacific Northwest, enjoys being outdoors, and hanging out with friends when not working on the next novella to be released.
Find Hayden at their website and blog.
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