That night as we lay in bed, we whispered words of love. We touched each other tenderly, asking for nothing more than being with each other. It was, in my mind, the most perfect night I’d ever had, but I wondered if it could last.
I pulled my lips from Charlie’s. “Ask you a question?”
“Of course,” he panted.
“Are you really okay with living here? I mean, you said New York was a better place for a writer. We could—”
Charlie laughed and squeezed my hand. “No, we can’t. I told you before, and will tell you as often as needed, this house, this land? It’s my home. Nothing has ever been more perfect than being here with you. I would give up writing before I give up this life.”
“But what about Donald and Lucien? Don’t they have more to say?”
He turned to me and propped his head up on his hand. “Well, you finished the book. You tell me.”
It had been a roller-coaster ride until the end. In a last-minute blaze of glory, Donald had proven Lucien’s innocence, captured the real killer via an elaborate plan to gain his confession, and then, to top it off, he’d gotten married to the man he loved. Then the two of them boarded a cruise ship for their honeymoon, leaving for parts unknown.
“I did. I think it was the best book in the series. But is that how the story ends?”
Charlie snuggled up against me. “What do you think?”
Through all their hardships and the pain, the two of them had forged a life together. They were made stronger by the love they shared. They were yin and yang. Two parts that needed to come together to be whole. Afterward, they got together and sailed off into an apparent ending to the series, the thought of which saddened me.
“I don’t think it is,” I admitted. “A story like that doesn’t get to end. It goes on and on.”
“You mean like ours?” he whispered, his voice full of sleep.
“What? What does that mean?”
He yawned and put his head back down on his pillow. “A lot of folks will look at this as our happily ever after, but it’s not. What we have here, right now? It’s only the beginning of our story. The rest is yet to be written.”
And with those words and a soft smile, Charlie drifted off to sleep. I followed behind shortly after.
More from Parker Williams
Six years ago Ellis walked into his first briefing as the newest member of London’s Specialist Firearms unit. He was partnered with Wayne and they became fast friends. When Wayne begins to notice changes—Ellis’s erratic temper, the effects of sleep deprivation—he knows he has to act before Ellis reaches his breaking point. He invites Ellis to the opening of the new BDSM club, Secrets, where Wayne has a membership. His purpose? He wants Ellis to glimpse the lifestyle before Wayne approaches him with a proposition. He wants to take Ellis in hand, to control his life because he wants his friend back, and he figures this is the only way to do it.
There are a few issues, however. Ellis is straight. Stubborn. And sexy. Wayne knows he has to put his own feelings aside to be what Ellis needs. What surprises the hell out of him is finding out what Ellis actually requires.
Collars and Cuffs: Book Three
Eighteen-year-old Scott Keating knows a whole world exists beyond his parents’ strict control, but until he gains access to the World Wide Web, he really has no idea what’s out there. In a chat room, Scott meets “JeffUK.” Jeff loves and understands him, and when he offers to bring Scott to the UK, Scott seizes his chance to escape his humdrum life and see the world. But when his plane touches down and Jeff isn’t there, panic sets in.
Collars & Cuffs favorite barman and Dom-in-training, Ben Winters, drops his sister off at the airport and finds a lost, anxious Scott. Hearing Scott’s story sets off alarm bells, along with his protective instincts. Taking pity on the naïve boy, Ben offers him a place to crash and invites him to Collars & Cuffs, hoping his bosses will know how to help. Scott dreams of belonging to someone, heart and soul. Ben longs for a sub of his own. And neither man sees what’s right under his nose.
Collars and Cuffs: Book Five
The man who pimped Jeff may be in prison, but Jeff is still living the nightmare, selling himself to men and relying on pills to manage. Then he meets Scott, a young American man who could easily have been where Jeff is now. Scott’s friends extend a helping hand to Jeff, and he grabs it.
Leo and Thomas bring Jeff to stay with Dom Damian Barnett until they can find him someplace more long-term. Still grieving from losing his sub to cancer two years before, Damian agrees to help. But when he glimpses the extent of the damage, Damian wants to do more than offer his guestroom. Jeff is not a submissive, but Damian can see he desperately needs structure in his life. It’s up to Damian to find an answer.
He never expects that what he discovers will change both their lives.
Collars and Cuffs: Book Seven
Eli may only be thirty, but he has had enough of pretend submissives. When he spies Jarod in a BDSM club, everything about the man screams submission. So what if Jarod is probably twenty years older than Eli. What does age matter, anyway? All he can see is what he’s always wanted—a sub who wants to serve.
Jarod spent twenty-four years with his Master before Fate took him. Four years on, Jarod is still lost, so when a young Dom takes charge, Jarod rolls with it and finds himself serving again. But he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because there’s going to come a point when Eli realizes he’s a laughingstock in the club. Who would want to be seen with a fifty-year-old sub?
After several missteps, Eli realizes that in order to find happiness, they will need friends who will understand. At a friend’s insistence, he visits Collars & Cuffs, where they are met with open arms. As they settle in to their new life, Eli begins to see things differently and he dares to think he can have it all. Until a phone call threatens to take it all away….
Collars and Cuffs: Book Eight
In all his relationships, Darren Fielding never found the level of intimacy he witnessed between Thomas Williams and his sub, Peter, the day of Peter’s “rebirth.” Not only that, he never realized such intimacy was possible. For two years, Thomas’s business card has been burning a hole in his wallet. When Darren’s lover moves on, maybe it’s finally time to see where that card takes him.
Collars & Cuffs’ new barman, JJ Taylor, is really conflicted right now. He went to the club with a very specific purpose, already convinced of what he’d find there. Except it’s not what he expected at all. He certainly didn’t anticipate finding himself drawn to the new wannabe Dom. Nor could he have guessed the direction that attraction would lead him.
Old love, new love, vows, pain, rage, moving in, moving on…. The members of Collars & Cuffs face an event that touches some of them deeply, but it will only reinforce what they already know: together they are stronger, and some bonds cannot be broken.
Readers love Parker Williams
Before You Break
“With finesse and care, the writing team of Wells and Williams leads us into a world where men care for each other and dare to be vulnerable while still maintaining their need to be masters of their own destinies.”
—The Novel Approach
“Whether you have read Collars and Cuffs or not, this is a wonderful entry book to an enchanting new series.”
—Happy Ever After, USA Today
Endings and Beginnings
“Endings and Beginnings has everything a great series finale should, including laughs, tears, new milestones, and a guarantee of future happiness for everyone involved.”
—Sinfully: Gay Romance Book Reviews
“Overall, this is an amazing, emotional ending to a brilliant series. The Collars and Cuffs Series will always be one of my all time favorites.”
—Rainbow Gold Reviews
PARKER WILLIAMS began to write as a teen, but never showed his work to anyone. As he grew older, he drifted away from writing, but his love of the written word moved him to reading. A chance encount
er with an author changed the course of his life as she encouraged him to never give up on a dream. With the help of some amazing friends, he rediscovered the joy of writing, thanks to a community of writers who have become his family.
Parker firmly believes in love, but is also of the opinion that anything worth having requires work and sacrifice (plus a little hurt and angst, too). The course of love is never a smooth one, and happily-ever-after always has a price tag.
Website: www.parkerwilliamsauthor.com
Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641
Email: [email protected]
By Parker Williams
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With K.C. Wells
Before You Break
COLLARS AND CUFFS
An Unlocked Heart
Trusting Thomas
Someone to Keep Me
A Dance with Domination
Damian’s Discipline
Make Me Soar
Dom of Ages
Endings and Beginnings
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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© 2017 Parker Williams.
Cover Art
© 2017 Reese Dante.
http://www.reesedante.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63533-810-2
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-811-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903377
Published July 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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