Wild & Sweet (The Haven Brotherhood)
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Wild & Sweet
By Rhenna Morgan
Live hard, f*ck harder and follow only their own rules. Those are the cornerstones the six men of the Haven Brotherhood live and bleed by, refusing to conform to society’s expectations, taking what they want and always watching each other’s backs.
Zeke Dugan is not a man who walks the straight and narrow. He may have sworn an oath as a trauma doc, but he has zero problem leveraging his medical skills outside a hospital if it means giving the Brotherhood—the group of men he calls family—an advantage. Blood before business. All that changes when shy Gabrielle stumbles into his life and ignites his protective instincts.
Mechanic Gabrielle Parker prefers the complexities of an engine over men. Her life wasn’t always quiet and well-ordered, but now that it is, she finds peace in the solitude. When a robbery in her neighborhood forces her out of her safe bubble, she never fathoms that a dangerous, cocky trauma doctor will fix more than her injuries.
Zeke doesn’t play by the rules that Gabrielle follows but knows that he’s exactly what she needs in her life. He’ll show her the fierce and uncompromising protection that comes from belonging to a man like him.
When tension outside the Brotherhood threatens Gabrielle, Zeke will do anything to keep her safe, and damn the consequences. No one will hurt his woman, even if it means putting the very men who saved his life at risk.
This book is approximately 95,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise
Edited by Angela James
Dear Reader,
It’s hard to write about April when it’s the day before New Year’s Eve as I’m writing this. I’m still full of good intentions and big plans for 2017, with my head full of ideas and goals. One thing I’m excited about is my new 2017 reading journal that I’ve created in a 4x6 planner I was gifted. I decided to try tracking my reading a little differently this year and go old-school tracking it on paper versus electronically. I’ve completely decorated it and tricked it out with a reading challenge, TBR lists and so much more. I wonder if I’ll still be using it when you’re reading this! Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram (links at the bottom of this letter) and ask me how that’s going—I’ll show you pictures, too, if you want!
This April, there are plenty of good reads to go in your own reading journal, starting with bestselling author duo Alexa Riley’s next full-length novel, His Alone, which features secondary characters from reader-favorite Everything for Her. A seemingly perfect hero has secrets only Paige can uncover, and his obsession with her becomes her greatest weakness. This sexy, romantic read is available in ebook, audio and print!
Rhenna Morgan’s first book in the Haven Brotherhood series, Rough & Tumble, received many reviews like this one: “Holy Hell what a great book this is! My first read from Rhenna Morgan and won’t be the last.” And now it’s time for Zeke’s story in Wild & Sweet. He doesn’t always play by the rules, and he’ll do anything for the woman he loves. Available in digital, audio and print at online retailers.
We have four fantastic male/male contemporary romance titles this month. Author K.A. Mitchell concludes the sweet but sexy story of Ethan & Wyatt in Relationship Status. As a couple, Ethan and Wyatt have faced jealous exes and disapproving parents, but now they face one of the scariest relationship tests ever: living together. Unfortunately, there’s no syllabus for real life. The first two novellas in this trilogy, Getting Him Back and Boyfriend Material, are now available. You can also buy the trilogy as one bundle in audio and print formats in June 2017.
Sidney Bell, author of Bad Judgment, begins a new series, The Woodbury Boys. In Loose Cannon, Edgar-Allen Church’s violent past is about to catch up with him, and it’s going to put his best friend—aka the man he’s secretly in love with—squarely in the crosshairs.
When a hard-nosed SEAL lieutenant and widower relies on his best friend’s little brother for child-care help, unexpected sparks fly—but will passion be enough to keep them together after the summer? Pick up At Attention by Annabeth Albert, the follow-up to the book readers raved about, Off Base. Both are available in digital and print at online retailers.
For fans of romance author Mariana Zapata comes a long-lasting male/male tale of slow-burn romance from debut author M.K. York. In the high-intensity hospital world, there’s no room for romance between surgical resident Neil and his gorgeous superior, cardiologist Eli, but when a near-tragedy strikes, a new question arises: Is a life without love a greater risk than laying their hearts on the line? Necessary Medicine will captivate you from first word to last.
Science fiction romance fans will be glad to see the start of a new series from Robyn Bachar. In Relaunch Mission, the first in The Galactic Cold War series, Privateer Captain Lindana Nyota faces her most dangerous mission yet, but to succeed she must rely on the one agent in the galaxy she trusts the least—Lieutenant Gabriel Steele, the man who betrayed her and broke her heart. This is a stand-alone romance, but look for the next book featuring secondary characters later in the year!
Maybe you’re craving something a little more kinky and erotic. Debut author Brianna Hale’s Little Dancer can help with that. Abby thought attracting the ire of the theater owner was going to get her fired, but Mr. Kingsolver has other ideas—he wants to be her dom, wants her to call him daddy and will bring her face-to-face with her darkest fears.
Last but not least is the rerelease of paranormal romance Bonded Pair from award-winning author Lauren Dane’s much beloved Cascadia Wolves series. Cade would do anything for his pack family, but his life isn’t complete without someone to share it with—only, he didn’t expect to find his reason for being in the heart and soul of the sister of his greatest enemy. Previously rereleased titles in this series include Wolves’ Triad, Wolf Unbound and Alpha’s Challenge, all now available in digital and print at online retailers.
That’s all for this month, but we’ve given you quite the lineup of romance genres for your April reading! If you’re interested in hearing more about my 2017 reading journal (now I’ll feel like I have to keep it up so I don’t embarrass myself!) you can Tweet me @angelajames or find me on Instagram @angelajameseditor.
Coming next month: two anthologies of paranormal romance, plus much, much more.
Once again, until next month, my fellow book lovers, here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you’ll love, remember and recommend.
Happy reading!
Angela James
Editorial Director, Carina Press
Dedication
This one’s for the underdogs. The misfits, the wallflowers or those too shy to step out of the shadows. I see you, and I think you’re beautiful.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
/> Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
Excerpt from Claim & Protect by Rhenna Morgan
Acknowledgments
Also by Rhenna Morgan
About the Author
Chapter One
Friday nights were such an irony. With no social life, Gabrielle Parker could stay up as late as she wanted and sleep to obscene hours the next day, but there was never anything worth burning the midnight oil to watch. On the bright side, she’d logged a few more hours of overtime at the garage. Fixing clunker engines that should have been scrapped years ago might not compare to a hot date, but one more paycheck and that computer she’d been saving for was a done deal.
She dodged a nasty pothole on the dark country road and steered her custom ’71 Chevy C-10 truck into her tiny subdivision. God, she loved where she lived. Big yards, a beautiful lake not more than three hundred feet beyond her backyard, no fences, and down-to-earth people. Dallas and its suburbs might be caught up in everything new and flashy, but Elk Run clung to its sixties and seventies charm. In fact, it was the only neighborhood in Rockwall or around Lake Ray Hubbard that hadn’t sold out. There sure wasn’t any waterfront property left. In the past ten years, all the land around the lake had either been gobbled up by big conglomerates for their huge money-making enterprises, or fancy, schmancy neighborhoods lined with jaw-dropping McMansions.
Rounding the wide curve at the end of the one-street edition, her headlights swept her single-story, ranch-style home. The simple rectangle layout with its shallow, gray asphalt roof and buttery-yellow siding probably wouldn’t appeal to other people her age, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. She could do without the empty driveway, though. Her brother’s missing car was no surprise. After all, Danny had a thriving social life, but in the two years since their dad had died and left them the house they grew up in, she still hadn’t gotten used to coming home without Pop’s car being in the third empty space.
She slammed the shifter into Park, killed the engine and snatched her purse off the bench seat. Maybe Danny being out on the town was a good thing. No older brother meant no one giving her grief over her movie selection. She could Pretty Woman it up all night and no one would be the wiser. Or maybe tonight she’d splurge and give Troy a go. Hard to say no to Brad Pitt in his heyday.
Two steps past the gleaming indigo hood of her truck, she stopped dead in her tracks. Mrs. Wallaby’s porch light wasn’t on. She could have sworn she’d left it on this morning when she fed her vacationing neighbor’s cat, but then she’d also been running thirty minutes late for work and hadn’t had her first cup of coffee. With that combination, she was lucky she’d made it to the garage with jeans on.
Keys jingling in the otherwise quiet spring night, Gabe cut across the three-quarter-acre lot to her neighbor’s house. Now was as good of a time as any to pick up the mail and make sure Astrid had enough to eat. The sky was deep sapphire velvet with not one cloud to mar it. People in the city didn’t have a clue what they were missing on a night like this. Fancy skylines and close conveniences might be nice every now and then, but no way would she trade it for the starry goodness overhead.
She thumbed through Mrs. Wallaby’s mail on her way to the front stoop, sorting out the weekend sale circulars and bills. Unlocking and opening the front door, she flipped the hallway light on, let the storm door swing shut behind her, and ambled through the short entry.
“Astrid?”
She’d made it halfway through the living room before the darkness registered. In the corner, the lamp she definitely remembered flipping on before she’d left this morning sat dark on the end table next to the couch. And where the heck was Astrid? The only time she no-showed at mealtime was when strangers came to visit.
The fine hairs on the back of her neck and arms lifted and a shudder trickled down her spine. The house was pure quiet. No breeze, no settling creaks, or humming from the air conditioner. Just dark. Eerie, too-quiet dark.
She dropped the mail on the coffee table and slid her phone out of her jeans pocket. No reason to freak out. Mrs. Wallaby probably just sent one of her grandkids out to check on the house and they’d accidentally trapped Astrid in a bedroom. It sure wouldn’t be the first time the skitzy cat had found herself in such a bind.
Punching the main button on her phone for a quick check-in with her neighbor, the home screen flashed a blinding white. Before she could blink her eyes back into focus, quick-moving, heavy footsteps pounded from the hallway behind her and a bulky, shadowed form lumbered toward where she stood. For one freeze-frame moment, his remarkable gaze locked onto hers, spotlighted by the phone’s soft glow. Before she could dodge out of the way, he shoved her hard to one side. Her boot snagged on the coffee table, and the right side of her torso slammed crosswise against the marble top.
Son of a freaking gun. That hurt.
The screen door slammed, and the rumbling echo of her crash course with Mrs. Wallaby’s anvil-sturdy furniture still resonated through the house, but no more footsteps. And thank God for that, because her side felt like it had gone head-to-head with an engine block. Rather like a stubbed toe times ten thousand while some unseen force squeezed her lungs in a vise grip.
She pushed to her back and yelped into the darkness. Okay, so moving wasn’t a super bright idea. Neither was breathing. But staying here was even higher on the stupid scale. Yeah, the house was quiet now, but only an idiot hung around in the dark after a run-in with a thug, and she was definitely not an idiot.
Bracing her ribs with one arm, she sucked in a very limited breath and forced herself upright. An ugly grunt croaked up the back of her throat and a cold sweat broke out across her forehead and neck. For about five seconds, she wasn’t even sure staying vertical was a maintainable goal. If she couldn’t see with her own eyes that Mrs. Wallaby’s table was still whole and hearty post-tumble, she’d have sworn a sliver of the marble had broken off and buried itself between her ribs.
She shook her head and clamped tighter to her phone. She staggered to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard just in case the shady linebacker was still out front and flipped the lock. Putting her weight into opening the door, she tottered out into the night as fast as her protesting ribs would tolerate and dialed 911.
* * *
Two hours since Zeke Dugan had walked away from his last trauma case, and he still couldn’t unwind. After three twelve-hour emergency shifts in a row, his body might be on board with a direct trip home and a whole lot of shut-eye, but his psyche was still jonesed up from blood, guts and gunshot wounds.
Punching the locks on his Z28, he strode to the private rear entrance of Trevor’s new bar, The Den. Not a snowball’s chance in hell he’d have brought his custom ‘69 hot rod to Deep Ellum if he’d had to park it out front, but safe in the private back lot with Beckett’s security cameras overhead, only an idiot would mess with his baby.
The crowd’s low and happy rumble hit the second he pulled the door wide. Barely nine o’clock on a Friday night and the place was already packed, which went to prove that Jace and Axel weren’t the only two Haven brothers who could launch an entertainment venue. Any businessman who could draw the Deep Ellum crowd before eleven or midnight was a genius.
Zeke chin-lifted to the little brunette bartender he’d referred from his own days slogging drinks while he worked through med school. “Hey, Vicky. Guys busy?”
“Only if you call Trevor gloating over his full house with Jace and Axel busy.” She motioned to the adj
acent room through the wide arch, never breaking stride on the order she was working. “They’re laying down roots in their usual booth. You want a Bohemia Weiss?”
“Yep. No hurry.”
She grinned. “You sure? You look like you need a shot of something with more punch.”
Oh, hell no. “You forget my Mr. Hyde side?”
Her smile died, and this time she nearly fumbled a shot glass. Of course she hadn’t forgotten. Zeke’s hair-trigger temper had intervened in the form of unforgiving fists and zero conscience when a bunch of frat boys thought it was a good idea to not take no for an answer where she was concerned. It was a wonder he hadn’t gone to jail. But then again, that was the night he’d met Jace and Axel. If it weren’t for them heading off the cops, he’d still be tending bar, but with a record, instead of living his dream as a trauma doc.
Her expression softened, understanding and grateful all at once. “I haven’t seen that side of you in years, but if it’s high-end Brazilian beer you want, then that’s what you’ll get.”
“Appreciate it.” He ambled to the opposite side of the bar, weaving through the forest of square tables and laughing patrons. Trev had wanted a place where people could hang out as regulars but with a trendy vibe. He’d absolutely nailed it. Rock music and movie memorabilia from the past forty years adorned exposed red brick and ivory mortar walls, but the bar along the back had literally been flown in from Kilkenny, Ireland. If a Hard Rock bar got it on with an Old-World Irish pub, The Den would be their out-of-control offspring.
Crossing into the second room, the whole atmosphere shifted. Tiny white lights like the ones that went on Christmas trees were strategically placed on the ceiling so they didn’t look strategically placed, and every seating area had its own style. Sixties to ultramodern, tables or booths, it didn’t matter. Every spot gave a nod to a different trend.
Not surprisingly, more of the women hung out in this room, which was also why the brotherhood had its own reserved spot in the back. No one sat there but brothers or those they’d claimed for their own. Ever.