Blinded by Beauty
Page 1
Blinded by Beauty
Doms of Destiny, Colorado 08 [1]
Chloe Lang
(2014)
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Tags: Romance
Romancettt
Doms of Destiny, Colorado 8
Blinded by Beauty
Has Lunceford finally gone too far? Can two blind men save the woman of their dreams? Best friends, Chance Reynolds, who was born blind, and Jaris Simmons, who lost his sight in an accident, begin working for the beautiful Kaylyn Anderson at her service dog training school.
Kaylyn has loved Chance for years, and is falling for Jaris, too. A misunderstanding has kept her from opening up to both of them. She knows it’s best to keep things professional with Chance and Jaris, but finds it difficult. They see her better than anyone.
Sensing Chance has deep buried feelings for Kaylyn, Jaris pushes him to tell her the truth. When his plan succeeds better than he’d ever imagined, Jaris finds himself struggling with his own desires for Kaylyn. When the town’s most villainous enemy returns to Destiny, Kaylyn gets caught in the cross fire. Evil must not survive or this trio will lose their chance at love, and also their lives.
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 53,909 words
BLINDED BY BEAUTY
Doms of Destiny, Colorado 8
Chloe Lang
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
BLINDED BY BEAUTY
Copyright © 2014 by Chloe Lang
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-549-1
First E-book Publication: March 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Blinded by Beauty by Chloe Lang from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Chloe Lang’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Lang’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
It’s hard to believe that this is the eighth book in the Doms of Destiny, Colorado series. I continue to fall in love with the people who populate the pages of this town. There are so many to thank but here are just a few I’d like to dedicate this book to:
Lanae Lemore – who kept pushing me to write a book for Jaris. She was an integral part in making this come to fruition.
Chloe Vale – who dots every i and crosses every t and keeps the commas in the right places in my manuscripts. Without her, I would be lost.
Liz Berry – whose encouragement and upbeat spirit continues to lift me up. She makes me strive to do more.
Sophie Oak – who continues to cheer me on and who helped me conceive of the entire series. She helped me take the idea into a reality.
Shayla Black – who is always ready to listen to me when I need to bounce ideas off her. She is a loving mentor and friend.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Book
Dedication
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
About the Author
BLINDED BY BEAUTY
Doms of Destiny, Colorado 8
CHLOE LANG
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
A gun fired.
He leapt in front of his former partner, hoping to deflect the bullet from the crazy woman, whose eyes were filled with hate.
He fell to the ground with a thud.
Staring up into the sky, he saw the blue quickly fading to a dark gray.
Then everything went black.
“Am I dead?”
Jaris Simmons’s arms and legs got tangled up in his sheets, forcing him back into the consciousness of the darkness that had been his reality since the shooting.
He took a deep, calming breath and swung his legs off the bed. Sugar, his service dog and companion, nuzzled his leg.
Though his heart was still pounding hard in his chest, he patted Sugar on the head. “It’s all right, girl. Just a bad dream.”
He’d never felt so close to any animal as he felt to her. Before Sugar, the only pet he’d ever had in his life was a turtle when he was a kid. Having lost his vision prior to getting Sugar, he’d never seen what his dog looked like. But he’d been told she was a black German shepherd with one tiny white spot just above her chest.
The door to his room squeaked softly.
“Everything okay?” The question came from a man whose voice Jaris knew better than any other and who had taught him how to adapt and accept his blindness.
Chance Reynolds. They’d only known each other for a little over a year, but even so Chance was most definitely his best friend in the world.
“I’m fine. Sorry if I woke you, buddy.”
“It was Annie who heard you. I was in a deep sleep.”<
br />
Annie was Chance’s service dog of many years.
Jaris and Chance had been living at the Boys Ranch, a home for orphans, for a few months. The Stone family had built the place and the good that they did here was impressive. Everyone in Destiny, Colorado, supported the orphan boys with open arms. He liked the town, which was like no other place he’d ever been to. Though he missed his job as a detective back in Chicago, what he and Chance accomplished here with the boys was extremely rewarding. Those little cowboys were helping train Kaylyn Anderson’s service dogs. Although Kaylyn loved singing, everyone knew her first priority was her dog training school.
He’d gotten Sugar after she’d graduated from Kaylyn’s rigorous instructions. Annie, too, had come from Kaylyn.
Kaylyn and Chance had been working together for years. His friend trained blind individuals and Kaylyn provided each of Chance’s students with a service dog. Chance had lived in Denver for many years, but had recently moved to Destiny with Jaris to start working side by side with Kaylyn. The last several months had been some of the best of his life, working with Chance, the dogs, the little cowboys, but especially Kaylyn.
Kaylyn. Why can’t I get her out of my mind? Because of her amazing, caring heart and infectious laugh, not to mention her incredible singing voice. Whenever Jaris heard her sing with Wolfe Mayhem, Mitchell Wolfe’s band, he would’ve sworn he was hearing an angel.
He was certain she was beautiful. He’d learned that Kaylyn had long blonde hair and gray eyes after hearing her mother, Betty, bragging about her.
God, if he could get one look at Kaylyn, it would mean the world to him.
Didn’t matter. It could never be anything but friendship between them. Nothing more. It was clear to him that she and Chance belonged together. What was holding them back from one another? He still didn’t know but was determined to find out.
“Annie, go say good morning to your sister.”
Jaris could hear the shuffling of Chance’s service dog moving next to Sugar. The two dogs were good together.
“Was it the dream about the shooting again?” Chance asked.
He nodded, but knowing his friend had been blind since birth, added, “Yep.”
“Damn, Jaris. That’s three times this week.” Chance sat on the mattress next to him. “Won’t you please go talk to Patrick O’Leary about this?”
“No psychiatrists. It’ll pass. Besides, when would I have time? Kaylyn has us on a tight schedule.” He didn’t mind. There were four blind teenagers around the country anxiously waiting to get their service dogs from Kaylyn’s school. The work they were all doing was important.
Chance stood. “You’re right about us not having much time. Rex, King, and Blue are close to being ready, but Rosie still needs a little more training since we started with her later.”
“Yes, but I’m sure she’ll be ready before their new owners arrive. Lyle’s been working extra with her.” Lyle Barker started working for Kaylyn when he was in high school. Lyle was a good man and clearly someone she felt responsible for.
“Glad he’s on our team, but it’s still quite the task we have since the whole town has got dragon fever.”
“Even Kaylyn is burning up with it.” Jaris stood, grabbing Sugar’s leash. “She’s going to be busy with the festivities. I think her band is performing several times during the week.”
He found the quirkiness of Destiny charming, including the fact that some of its citizens actually believed in the existence of dragons. Starting tomorrow was a weeklong event that celebrated that fact. People from around the world attended Dragon Week.
Sheriff Jason Wolfe had deputized almost everyone in town for Dragon Week to ensure public safety, but especially to watch out for Belle.
The town had an enemy still on the loose that had kept everyone on high alert—Kip Lunceford, a killer who was battling leukemia. Kip had declared war on Destiny and vowed to kidnap Belle Blue, wife of Shane and Corey. Turned out that Belle was a bone marrow donor match for Lunceford.
Jaris wasn’t surprised that the sheriff hadn’t asked him and Chance to take badges. What good can two blind guys do to keep the peace? He reached to the nightstand and touched his pistol, which he was never without. He hadn’t fired it since losing his sight. That would be dangerous given his blindness. He missed the gun range back in Chicago, a place he visited at least twice a week. Back then he’d been quite the shot.
I guess I have my own quirks to deal with—a blind man carrying a gun. Actually, it’s pretty funny when I think about it.
He could hear Sugar and Annie licking each other. It was clear to him that dogs, like humans, had friendships. The perfect example was right at his feet. The bond that existed between Annie and Sugar was unbreakable, just like his friendship with Chance.
He reached down and patted both of the dogs on their heads. “Chance, we better get up and get moving. We need to head down to the kennels before Kaylyn does. We don’t want to be late. You know how she is about her schedules.”
They both laughed and headed off to get dressed.
* * * *
The March breeze, which was unusually warm for this time of year, felt good on Chance’s skin. He stood by the fence with Annie, waiting for Kaylyn to arrive.
Jaris was in the yard with Sugar at his side. The former detective was as solid as they came. Honest. Loyal. Dedicated. A true-blue friend.
Working with Jaris had been the catalyst to all that had happened to Chance the past year. Destiny was home to both of them now.
Jaris and Lyle were directing the boys on how to get the other four dogs in their harnesses.
Lyle was shy and extremely quiet most of the time, but whenever he was around the dogs, the guy was in his element.
The remote training was one of the most important lessons for the canines. Service dogs had to be able to get help when their master was down. This was a big test for Rex, King, Blue, and Rosie.
He heard Jaris and Lyle walk over to him. “Are the four dogs ready for their test?”
“They are,” Lyle answered. “I need to go check on Sammie.”
Sammie was a Labrador retriever who was due to deliver pups any day. The litter would be the newest class of canines in Kaylyn’s school. There were another eight dogs that were at various stages of training that Lyle kept tabs on.
“Go ahead, Lyle,” he said, knowing the guy was anxious to check on Sammie. “We’ve got this.”
“Thanks, fellas.” Lyle left.
“I hope the boss lady isn’t late,” Jaris teased. “Her coffee will be cold.”
“It’s in a thermos, Jaris. You know that.” Like he did every morning, Chance had coffee ready for Kaylyn. “Plus, she won’t be late and you know it. Kaylyn is as punctual as a Swiss clock.” Chance lifted his wrist and punched the button on his watch.
The digital voice announced, “The time is 6:56 a.m.”
Jaris laughed. “Four minutes. I don’t hear her truck, do you?”
“No, but I have no doubt she’ll be here on time.” Back when Silver Spoon Bridge had still been under construction and everyone had to use the ferryboats to get in and out of town, Kaylyn hadn’t been late a single morning. Now that the bridge was fully operational, she was normally early.
Jaris placed his hand on his shoulder. “Still glad I convinced you to move here?”
“Every day.” His life had taken a big change when he’d agreed to relocate to Destiny with Jaris to help Kaylyn with her dog training school. It felt like it was the best decision he’d made in a very long time.
Jaris had come to Denver after being shot and losing his sight. Jaris was a hero. Everyone in Destiny said so, including Kaylyn. Jaris had been the best student he’d ever had, which was saying something since the man had been twenty-nine years old the day he’d arrived at Chance’s doorstep. Children typically took to the training better than adults. Jaris was the exception. He was like a sponge, taking in everything, learning to rely on his other senses to adapt t
o the world around him. But it wasn’t just how impressed Chance had been with Jaris’s abilities that had bonded them together like brothers.
Jaris was the only student Chance had ever taught—and he’d taught many—who had taken the time to ask him about his own personal struggles with blindness. It had never felt like a struggle to Chance, just a reality he’d always known.
He’d been lucky growing up in a wealthy African-American family. His father had been a lawyer and his mother a surgeon. He loved his parents very much. They never coddled him, pushing him to be all that he could be. When he’d told them about moving to Destiny, they’d been completely supportive. In fact, they had begun donating to Kaylyn’s dog training school.
He and Jaris made quite the team at her school. The work they did with dogs and the Boys Ranch orphans had given him much satisfaction. They were producing some very highly trained service dogs that would be helping people around the country.
Moving to Destiny had been the right thing for him for many reasons, but one in particular he held close to his heart.
I get to spend more time with Kaylyn.
Chance punched the button on his watch again.
“The time is 6:58 a.m.”
“Two minutes and counting, buddy.” The mirth in Jaris’s tone was obvious.
“Okay, Detective.” He laughed. “I got a nickel in my pocket that says she’ll be here on the dot.”
“You got a bet.”
He and Kaylyn had been friends for many years, working together to help the blind, but his feelings for her had moved beyond friendship.
He’d known for some time that he was in love with her.