Safe Harbour by Thom Collins
Book 2 in the Jagged Shores Series
General Release Date: 9th November 2021
Word Count: 58,382
Book Length: NOVEL
Pages: 229
Genres:
CONTEMPORARY,EROTIC ROMANCE,GAY,GLBTQI,THRILLERS AND SUSPENSE
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Book Description
Two lovers seek shelter in a storm of jealousy and passion.
Matt arrives in the seaside town of Nyemouth for a much-needed vacation. As a successful lawyer, Matt has a hectic career, and with an ex-husband still pestering him for money, he is long overdue a break. A holiday home perched above the town and its breath-taking harbour seems like the perfect place to unwind. Matt can’t wait to explore the beautiful, jagged shorelines and lose himself for a couple of weeks.
Jake has made a home in Nyemouth. After growing up in the city, living on the coast is everything to him. Running a business with his sister and volunteering on the crew of the local lifeboat, he is exactly where he wants to be. But Jake’s life is far from peaceful. Though he left his domineering husband Vince a year ago, Vince refuses to consent to a divorce or loosen his controlling hold on Jake.
On Matt’s first night in town, he encounters the couple having a blazing row. When Vince turns violent, Matt intervenes and takes Jake inside to escape his angry ex. Despite what happened, Matt feels a powerful attraction to the younger man. Jake is bright, endearing and unbelievably attractive, but the young man’s life is complicated. Matt already has enough problems of his own. He came away looking for an escape, not a starry-eyed distraction. As Matt and Jake get to know each other better, the gamble on a holiday romance becomes hard for either of them to resist. They have both been unlucky in love before. Maybe this time will be different.
Vince will not be shaken off so easily. He has no intention of letting Jake go…ever. As Matt’s and Jake’s emotions deepen, they do not understand how far Vince will take things to keep his husband. As far as Vince is concerned, they made a vow to each other… “till death do us part.”
Reader advisory: This story contains stalking and assault, physical and emotional spousal abuse, attempted murder with a firearm and references to abusive parenting and substance additions.
Jake Wrangler rose at five-thirty most mornings. By six-thirty he was in the kitchen of The Seagull Café preparing for the early breakfasts when they opened at seven. It was always busy, even more so at this time of year, with visitors looking to get a good meal in them before starting out on their fishing expeditions and sightseeing trips. Most days the work was routine, and Jake went through it on autopilot—opening up, starting the ovens and boilers, preparing the joints of meat for the lunchtime service. He could do it all with his eyes closed.
Which was just as well this morning, because his mind was elsewhere—mainly on the events of the night before. He’d gotten very little sleep as he’d turned it all over in his mind again and again.
When Vince had jumped out at him during his run, it had been no great surprise. Jake ran along the coastal paths several nights a week, and Vince knew the routes he took. He’d been expecting a visit from Vince at some point that week, knowing that his solicitor had sent a letter to Vince regarding the divorce proceedings. Vince remained adamant that he would not consent, that their marriage was not irreparably broken and if Jake would just come home, they could make it work again.
It had been no surprise either when Vince’s plea for a reconciliation had turned to anger and ultimately violence. Jake had lived with him long enough to know the routine. After all these years, Vince was nothing if not predictable.
Jake hadn’t expected an intervention from a good-looking stranger. He had expected no intervention at all. For five years, he’d had to deal with Vince’s anger and temper alone. Matt’s appearance had seemed to take Vince by surprise. Like a lot of bullies, he was not used to being challenged. It had been fascinating to see the change in his temperament, how his hard-faced expression had transformed. In an instant, he was not so sure of himself. Jake had only ever seen that uncertain side of Vince once before, on the day he’d packed his cases and left.
Jake had also been surprised at the relief he’d felt when Matt had invited him in. Matt had made a good call, because Vince would certainly have been waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. He would not have gone far right away.
Jake sighed and turned the bacon on the grill, positioning half-tomatoes around the slices. His insides were in knots as he continued to relive the events in his head.
And Matt. He couldn’t stop thinking about Matt, and not just for the obvious reason—his great looks.
Matt could be one of the most handsome men he’d ever seen in Nyemouth. He was in the same league as Dominic Melton, his crewmate on the lifeboat, and Arnie Walker, Dominic’s handsome fiancé, a famous actor. Matt had the same dreamy movie-star features—lush dark hair, all wavy and thick, going just a bit grey at the sides, and intense, pale blue eyes. Jake had felt as though they’d pierced him when Matt looked at him. He had the most gorgeous facial features—chiselled cheekbones and a firm jaw, with a sexy cleft in his chin. He had a good growth of stubble, also peppered with grey. Jake wondered how old he was—older than Vince, but not by much. He could be in his late thirties, forty at most.
He was a hundred percent better looking than Vince, that was certain, and completely out of Jake’s league.
Though that would not be an issue. Vince had done enough to put Jake off men for a long time. Matt was a hottie, but Jake had no intention of doing anything other than looking.
He continued with his work. Sandra, the waitress who worked the early shift, came in just before seven and opened the front doors. From then on, the breakfast orders started, and Jake didn’t have time to think about Matt, Vince or any of his personal problems. It was just as well. Work had kept him sane for the whole of this last year, ever since he’d walked out of the house.
Vince had wanted him to give up the café—to forgo his independence and stay at home, keeping house for his husband. It was a ludicrous idea, one Jake had initially laughed at, but Vince had been deadly serious. He not only wanted Jake to give up the business, but to step down from his position on the lifeboat crew.
Vince had pretended his request was motivated by concern, that he didn’t want Jake working long hours in the café and risking his life at sea, but Jake saw it for what it was—an attempt by an increasingly desperate man to cut him off from his family and friends and control him. At twenty-six, Jake was not the lost, bereaved boy Vince had married. He didn’t need a replacement father, and he loved what he did.
Jake had no intention of being subservient to any man ever again. When the divorce was finally settled, he would only be interested in a relationship of equals.
Lizzie came in just before nine. Running the café with his stepsister was the perfect combination. Jake came in early and finished around three most days. Lizzie arrived later and kept the place open until after five, then together they doubled up over the busy midday period.
“Morning,” she called cheerfully, going straight to the sink to scrub her hands. At thirty, she was a few years older than he was. Black and beautiful, she had a lively personality and a cool head for business.
“Hey,” he called, “I missed you last night. Did you stay with Kelly?”
“Yes. We had a quiet one, bingeing a show on Netflix. It got so late I decided to stay over.”
As well as running The Seagull, Jake and Lizzie shared a house. Lizzie was no fan of Vince and had invited Jake to stay with her the second he’d said he was leaving him.
Lizzie dried her hands and put on a clean, white chef’s tunic.
As Jake set up a plate of toast, poached eggs and smashed avocado, he caught her watching him from the corner of his eye.
“What happened to your face?” she asked. “You’ve got a scratch.”
There was no point in lying to her. Lizzie could smell bullshit at a thousand paces. He told her about the incident with Vince on South Bank Terrace. “Don’t lose your temper,” he warned. “There was no actual harm done.” He put the breakfast plate on the heated pass-through and hit the bell for the waitress.
“And if it hadn’t been for this tourist guy stepping in? Then what? He’d have given you a black eye, gotten in a few punches. That smarmy bastard. I’ll kill him when I get my hands on him.”
“What did I just say? Calm down. Nothing happened. I can handle Vince. I’m not afraid of him.”
“You should be. He cut your face, Jake.”
“It’s a scratch, that’s all. It didn’t bleed for more than a few seconds.”
“He’s done it before, hasn’t he? Knocked you around?”
“Leave it.”
“I bloody knew it. I said as much to Kelly. I told her that shit used to hit you. I’ve always thought as much.”
“Lizzie, forget about it. It’s over. I left him, remember? He can’t do anything to me now.”
“It looks like he had a pretty good go at it last night. Did you report him to the police?”
He sighed. “No, I didn’t want to make things worse. You know what he’s like. If the police turned up, he would have gone ballistic. Besides, they’ve got better things to do with their time. I’m a grown man, and I can handle it.”
She pursed her lips. Lizzie meant well, but she was overprotective at times. Since both of their parents had been killed in a crash, Lizzie saw herself as his guardian. He loved her for it, adored her, but he was a grown man now. When he made mistakes, he had to fix them himself, not rely on his big sister.
“You should get a restraining order against him,” she pressed on, undeterred.
“I’d rather just get the divorce. That’s all I can focus on right now. I can’t move on until it’s over.”
Thankfully, they got a sudden flurry of big orders, which diverted Lizzie’s attention. For the next forty minutes they got their heads down over the cookers and grills. Jake didn’t want to think about Vince anymore. His brain was overloaded. The solicitor handling the divorce had told him it could drag on for years if Vince resisted it. Jake couldn’t bear to think about that. Surely Vince would accept that he was never coming back and sign the papers.
More than anything, Jake wished Vince would meet someone else. He used to goad Jake during their heated arguments, saying how easy it would be for him to find a replacement, a younger, hotter man. If it were so easy, Jake wished he would hurry up and do it.
When the breakfast rush was over, Jake set about the lunch prep. The joints of turkey, beef and pork he’d put in the oven first thing were almost done. He put huge pans of potatoes and carrots on to boil and more potatoes in the oven to roast. Even at the height of summer, the café still did a huge trade in roast dinners. With The Lobster Pot and a fish-and-chips takeaway on the same street, The Seagull offered something different that people seemed to appreciate. It also sustained them through winter. When the tourists had all gone home, their hot dinners were a big draw for the locals.
Around eleven-forty-five, just before the lunch trade started, Sandra came in from the front and tapped Jake on the shoulder. “Vince is outside,” she whispered. “He wants to see you.”
Jake was grateful for her discretion. Lizzie was making dough for the afternoon tea service and would likely have charged through to confront him with a rolling pin if she’d heard.
“Just popping out for a breath of fresh air,” he called across the kitchen to Lizzie. “Won’t be long.”
She smiled, giving him a thumbs-up gesture.
Jake took off his apron and hurried through to the front of the café. He was glad to see Vince waiting outside. He didn’t want an argument in front of the customers.
It was a bright day with a crisp breeze blowing along the marina.
Vince, dressed in a charcoal suit, must have come there straight from work. Though it was Saturday, he often went into the office to keep things running smoothly.
As Jake stepped out, he jerked his thumb towards the waterfront, wanting to get Vince away from the café. If Lizzie knew he was there, it would end one of two ways. She’d either call the police or attack Vince herself.
“Have you signed the papers?” Jake asked.
“Of course I haven’t,” Vince said, his eyes twinkling. “I love you. I will not sign away what we have together.”
Jake suppressed a groan. “Then what are you doing here?”
Vince spread his hands. “I came to apologise. Things got a little out of hand last night.”
Jake pointed at the scratch on his face. “You mean this? Is this what getting out of hand looks like?”
“What can I say?” He smiled. “I love you so much that my emotions get the better of me at times. It’s only because I have so much passion for you that I get so worked up. C’mon… You know the way I feel about you.”
Vince didn’t love him, Jake knew that now. It had taken four years of marriage for him to realise it. Vince wanted to control him, wanted to own him, but that wasn’t love. “Is that all you came to say? I’ve got work to do.”
“Don’t be unreasonable. I came to tell you I’m sorry. The least you can do is accept my apology.” He used the tone of voice Jake had gotten used to and come to loathe. The condescending adult speaking to a petulant and unreasonable child. “I even want to buy you dinner…tonight. How about we go for drinks then a meal at The Lobster Pot? All on me. I’ll pick you up around six.”
Unbelievable. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Vince gave a smirk. “I’m trying to be nice, and you throw it in my face.”
“Like your fist last night? You threw that in my face.”
“Darling, come on. I’ve said that was an accident. How much more do I have to do?”
“You can sign the divorce papers. That would make me happy.”
Vince ignored the remark and pressed on, undeterred. “I tried to make it up to you last night. What happened? I waited for you down here, away from that nosy prick with the camera, but you never showed up.”
And there it is. The real reason for this visit. Vince would have been eaten up with suspicion, wondering where he had been.
“I’m going back to work. Bye.”
“Hang on. I’m asking a question. Where were you? Did you go in to see old man Jacob or what? You couldn’t have come down any other way.”
Jake kept a lid on his simmering anger. He didn’t want his customers to witness a scene. Vince had made more than enough of those lately. “Stay away, Vince. I mean it. I only want to see you again if you’ve got the signed papers in your hand.”
He heard Vince’s mocking laugher behind him as he headed back to the café.
“You’ll be waiting a long time for that, sweetie. A fucking long time.”
Jake kept his chin up and plastered a smile on his face as he went back inside. Several of their customers had heard Vince’s last outburst and turned to see what was happening out front. His insides twisted as he headed to the kitchen. He’d spent the last year trying to get rid of Vince. It didn’t look like the ordeal would be over any time soon.
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Thom Collins
Thom Collins is the author of Closer by Morning, with Pride Publishing. His love of page turning thrillers 
began at an early age when his mother caught him reading the latest Jackie Collins book and promptly confiscated it, sparking a life-long love of raunchy novels.
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 bonkbusters, 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 since taking his first cruise in 2013 he realized that sailing is the way to go.
You can take a look at Thom’s Blog and follow him on Twitter.
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