Men of Riverside Print Volume 2
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Men of Riverside Volume Two
Understanding Mark
Rick Dealy and Mark Shrader have the perfect, loving relationship, until a seeming act of betrayal threatens to destroy both their love and their lives...
As a newly appointed lawyer in his uncle's firm, Rick Dealy doesn't have much time to get involved in a new relationship. But when he runs into Mark Shrader, his friend Adrian's younger brother, he realises some pursuits are worth the time. He and Mark fall in love and share their lives, until Mark's new job threatens to destroy everything they've worked so hard to achieve.
Mark Shrader has had a crush on Rick for what feels like forever. And now that Mark’s not so little, he's determined to make Rick his lover. After orchestrating a chance meeting, things finally seem to be going his way. But when one of the men he performs live music for, Tony Mondello, decides he wants to be Mark's lover, Mark must choose between his own safety and the life of his lover.
Will Rick be able to understand what happened, find Mark and bring him back?
Reader Advisory: This book is part of a series and while it can be read on its own, they are best read in sequence.
Saving Zeke
Ben and Zeke have been best friends forever – but can they become lovers without losing each other along the way?
Ben Dealy longs for a loving relationship like the one his parents have, but he can’t seem to connect to any of the women he dates like he does to his childhood friend, Zeke. As a police detective, admitting he's gay could ruin his career. But when he discovers Zeke is in trouble, not admitting he's gay may cost him much more than his job.
Zeke has been fighting his attraction to Ben since college, but was determined to uphold the 'expected' lifestyle. When he discovers his fiancée, Claudia, is only after him for his money, he decides it's time to stop running from the truth, and start fighting for the man he's still crazy about.
But will Ben and Zeke admit their feelings for each other or will Ben's need for a career drive them further apart?
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series
Pages: 224
Words: 56,000
Heat Index:
Cover Artist: Posh Gosh
Book Type: Paperback
All Books, Men of Riverside, Paperbacks, Contemporary, Collection of Novellas
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Copyright © Serena Yates, 2011
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Total-E-Bound.
Excerpt From: Understanding Mark
Riverside, Texas
Friday, July 6, 2007
Rick Dealy needed a break. His muscles were stiff from sitting still all morning, his eyes hurt from staring at the computer screen, and his stomach was rumbling because he’d overslept and hadn’t had time for breakfast. This whole thing of having a job was nice for the bank account balance, but he didn’t enjoy the side effects. He’d never been this uncomfortable when he was still a student, even though he’d worked harder than most of his peers.
He looked up from his cluttered desk in the office Uncle Kaden had assigned him when he’d started working for the law firm of Dealy, Nichols & Warden almost a week ago. The clock indicated it was only lunchtime but he was already exhausted. Working twelve hour days to make a good first impression might be helpful to get a promotion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t doing anything for his stress level or general health.
“Go have some lunch, son.” Uncle Kaden had quietly appeared in his office door. He never seemed to make any sounds, just appeared in people’s offices or in meeting rooms without warning. “I’m impressed with your work ethic, but I don’t want you to kill yourself the first week here. My brother would never forgive me.”
“I just want to make sure I do a good job.” Rick stretched, his muscles screaming and joints popping. If he was this stiff after a few hours, he had to find the time to start going to the gym again.
“You don’t need to convince me.” Uncle Kaden grinned. “Over the past four years, you were the most dedicated intern we had. I can see that you’ll be one of our most diligent college graduates, too.”
“I’ll do my best.” He grinned back.
“I want you to take at least an hour off for lunch.” Uncle Kaden lifted his right index finger. “And no tagging it on at the end of the day. It’s Friday, so if anything, you should be going home early. And no taking work home for the weekend, either.”
Rick nodded. It was good advice. The weekend might be a good time to check out a couple of gyms, maybe find out how Peter Adams was doing. He’d been one of his three closest friends since high school and had obtained his criminal justice degree from a specialised college in Dallas at the same time as Rick had graduated from Riverside College. It had been good to reconnect with him when he returned.
Peter had joined Rossiter Investigations as a PI in June. It was great to have his friend back, just to hang out with. Thinking about it now, Peter might be in a similar situation and could become a valuable ally in Rick’s battle to stay fit.
Rick followed his uncle as far as the elevators. He waved goodbye when he entered and pressed the button for the ground floor. Once he’d bought a sandwich at the deli around the corner, he made his way to the little plaza with the fountain two blocks farther east. It was a beautiful day, if a little hot, and the cast iron benches near the fountain had the advantage of being under some old trees producing shade.
As he approached, he could hear a violin playing one of his favourite Mozart concertos. He smiled, realising that it had been much too long since his last live music performance. Another thing he needed to fix now that he had a job and was starting a new phase of his life. He followed the sound, curious as to who was the source.
The young man sitting on the wide stone border of the fountain, cradling his violin and playing with closed eyes, was stunning. His shoulder length dark brown hair fell in loose waves, framing his firm features. His sensuous lips were turned up in a small smile, an intriguing contrast to the frown of concentration on his forehead. His body looked toned and was clad in well-worn but clean jeans and a white T-shirt.
The realisation of who this was hit Rick like a ton of bricks.
Excerpt From: Saving Zeke
Riverside, Texas
Friday, June 20, 2008
“Lacking emotional stability!” Ben Dealy sniggered as he repeated the summary of his evaluation aloud to no one in particular. He closed the front door of his house on the outside world and tossed his keys onto the little table in the entrance hall before going to lock his gun in the downstairs office safe. “What kind of a dumb-ass reason for not getting a well-deserved promotion is that anyway?”
He stomped to the kitchen to get himself a beer, which he intended to drink out on the deck. His house wasn’t big, but the back yard was nice and private. He loved sitting in his comfortable Adirondack chair, doing nothing more exciting than listening to the birds, breathing the fresh air, and watching the grass grow. As far as he was concerned, living just outside the city limits of Riverside was well worth the additional driving time.
He got a beer from the fridge, opened the bottle and gulped down half its contents before coming up for air. He wiped his mouth with his hand and walked towards the back of the house. Unlocking and opening the door that led out to the deck, he muttered about the injustice of a police chief who seemed more concerned about his employee’s emotional stability than his ability to catch criminals. How the hell was he supposed to fix something intangible like that? He was a police detective, for fuck’s sake. He dealt in facts, not in emotions.
He sat down with a moan and stretched his long legs across the footrest. Leaning his head back against the cushion his mother had made for him, he took a deep breath of the warm summer evening air and closed his eyes to examine his emotional state. Maybe he could find some kind of argument or angle that would help him convince his boss that all his concern was superfluous.
Yes, he was lonely. He’d been accused of being married to his job by most of the women he’d dated over the years. What was wrong with that? Becoming a cop when he graduated from high school eight years ago then making detective five years later had been a dream come true. It was also a hell of a lot more fulfilling than a relationship with some woman he was unable to connect with. None of them could even come close to the friendship he had with his best mate, Zeke. And he was another man. Shouldn’t a relationship with a female partner be a lot more meaningful than one he had with a long-time buddy? Even if he’d met that buddy in primary school and they’d been inseparable ever since?
A stab of pain went through his heart. Not quite inseparable. Four years ago, once Zeke had received his business degree from Riverside College, he’d suddenly become engaged to Claudia, a fellow student. Ben hadn’t seen that one coming at all. The woman had made Zeke move to Austin so she could be closer to her parents and family. Ben still missed Zeke like crazy. Not that he’d ever admit that out loud.
He sighed. It was Zeke’s birthday today and he’d better call him before the big party started—the first one Zeke had invited him to in four whole years. He’d wanted to go and spend the entire weekend to try and reconnect, but bloody Claudia had nixed that idea when she’d found out. He hated to see Zeke under her thumb like that, but Zeke had made his choice and there was nothing Ben could do about it.
“Hello?” Zeke’s voice was barely audible above the din in the background.
“Hey buddy. Happy birthday!” Ben swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. God, he suddenly hated being alone with an intensity that almost took his breath away. “Sounds like you’re having a great time.”
“Ben! Thanks for calling. It’s so good to hear from you.” Zeke sounded breathless. “Hold on, let me go upstairs so I can actually hear what you’re saying. It’s a madhouse down here.”
“So the barbeque is going well?” Ben closed his eyes, wishing he could be there.
“Yeah, I guess. Claudia’s in charge and she loves these things.” There was the sound of a door closing and Zeke exhaled. “I think she went totally overboard, but what can I do? She tells me it’s good for business to invite all these people. I guess she’s right. I just wish she hadn’t been so nasty about you coming over. I was looking forward to seeing you.”
“Same here.” What was he supposed to say to that? Zeke didn’t seem to be able—or willing—to stand up to his fiancée at all. Maybe it was a selfish thought, but every time Ben thought about those two, he was doubly glad he didn’t have some woman in his life to tell him what was what.
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