Warders, Volume Two
Page 34
“Both of us had some last-minute shopping to do.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
He did not need to know about the trip to the jewelry store. I was a spur-of-the-moment guy, and it turned out that Dylan’s father was as well. When he had invited me to go with him, I had felt privileged, and then when I was there, walking around in the small, elegant antique jewelry store, I had seen it: the ring with the old miner-cut diamonds. Apparently the owner bought a lot of the pieces in her shop at estate sales, and this one, set in white gold with a two-carat stone, had been a rare find. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. What was nice was that Mrs. Gruber, the lady who owned the store, had a son who had just married the man of his dreams in New York City. She was going there to spend New Year’s with them.
“Is he the love of your life?” she had asked, smiling.
“Yes, ma’am,” I assured her.
And she basically gave it away, which I appreciated. The price tag had been steeper than I wanted to go, but I would have, because it would be the ring Dylan would wear for the rest of his life. Watching the clerk ring it up on my American Express card, even at half its original price, had impressed Mr. Shaw. I liked him knowing that I could provide for his son even though once Dylan graduated from art school, he might be supporting me.
“With a degree in fine art?” Mr. Shaw scoffed. “I’m thinking you’re gonna be the breadwinner in your family, Malic.”
In your family was nice to hear.
“Malic?”
Brought back to the warm, cozy present, I smiled down at Dylan.
“Where’d you go?”
I pointed. “You see that small red box right there?”
I could tell when he did because he jolted just a little. “Yeah.” He was breathless.
“That’s yours to open first thing in the morning.”
“It is?”
“It is.” I smiled down at him, curling a long strand of hair around his ear.
“I have to wait?”
“Yep. I promised your dad.”
“My dad?” he asked, rolling his head in my lap to look up at me.
“He wants your mother to see it.”
He whimpered in the back of his throat. “So?”
“So?”
“You’re gonna ask me something tomorrow, then?”
“I am.” I smiled. “What do you think you’ll say?”
His breath caught. “I think I would say thank you for loving me, for coming here with me, for everything you did for Tina. I love you more than I can say.”
“That’s all very sweet, but not an answer.”
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “I’ll always say yes to you.”
I cleared my throat. “About the house—”
“I love the house.”
“If I put your name on it, too, would that be okay?”
He nodded, sitting up, climbing into my lap, straddling my thighs. “That would be perfect.”
I grabbed his hips and pulled him close. “Let’s go to bed.”
“Oh no.” He shook his head, leaning forward and kissing me before he got up, grabbed a cushion from the couch, and lay down next to the tree. “I have to stay down here and guard my gift. Go get the blankets off the bed.”
“Me? Why do I have to sleep down here too?”
“You sleep with me,” he told me. “Always.”
So possessive lately, and I loved it. I never thought it would be such a turn-on. “You should lie close to the fire.”
“That’s too far away from the tree.”
I rolled my eyes as I got up. “Fine, I’ll go get blankets and some pillows, but you need to change.”
“No thanks,” he said, unzipping his corduroys to give me a glimpse of smooth gold skin. “I’m good in these or out of these.” He grinned.
I snorted out a laugh. “Okay, baby, I’ll be right back down.”
“Hurry, ’kay? I want to snuggle up with you.”
When I was almost to the stairs, he called out to me. “I love you.”
“I love you back.” I smiled.
“Hey, do you think we could fool around by the tree?”
“Not on your life,” I assured him. In his parents’ house, out in full view? The man was insane. “Hell no.”
“I bet I can get you to change your mind.”
His impish grin, tousled hair, dimples, the way he peeled off his sweater and leveled a heated gaze at me—God, he probably could get me to break every rule in my book.
“Hurry.”
I hurried.
More from Mary Calmes
Most humans live in blissful ignorance, never dreaming of the frightening surprises and paranormal danger that lurks in the night. Most… but not all. These few who stand against the darkness are the Warders, men who fight demons and square off against all kinds of creatures from the pit with only their brothers-in-arms and their lovers—their Hearths—to strengthen them in the unending battle of good versus evil.
Novellas included:
His Hearth
Tooth & Nail
Heart in Hand
Paradise can be hell.
Most people would say being stranded in the villa of Spanish shipping magnate Miguel García Arquero on the beautiful isle of Ibiza wasn’t such a bad deal. But Hudson Barber isn’t one of them. To him, being stuck without a passport in a foreign country far from home is a nightmare, made worse by the fact that the person who did the stranding was his flighty twin brother.
Unwilling to turn Dalvon in for identity theft, Hudson is forced to wait, but meanwhile he discovers the chance to rehabilitate Miguel’s failing local businesses—enterprises left to Dalvon’s inexperienced care. The flagging ventures are a badly wrapped gift from heaven, and if Hudson can turn them around, he might be able to leverage the experience to finish his MBA.
Then Miguel returns to Ibiza, and instead of finding a boy toy, he discovers Hudson has turned his cold villa into a warm, welcoming home. Miguel’s path is clear: convince Hudson to lay down his defenses and let love in.
Timing: Book One
Stefan Joss just can’t win. Not only does he have to go to Texas in the middle of summer to be the man of honor in his best friend Charlotte’s wedding, but he’s expected to negotiate a million-dollar business deal at the same time. Worst of all, he’s thrown for a loop when he arrives to see the one man Charlotte promised wouldn’t be there: her brother, Rand Holloway.
Stefan and Rand have been mortal enemies since the day they met, so Stefan is shocked when a temporary cease-fire sees the usual hostility replaced by instant chemistry. Though leery of the unexpected feelings, Stefan is swayed by a sincere revelation from Rand, and he decides to give Rand a chance.
But their budding romance is threatened when Stefan’s business deal goes wrong: the owner of the last ranch he needs to secure for the company is murdered. Stefan’s in for the surprise of his life as he finds himself in danger as well.
Timing: Book Two
Two years after riding off into the sunset with ranch owner Rand Holloway, Stefan Joss has made a tentative peace with his new life, teaching at a community college. But the course of true love never does run smooth. Rand wants him home on the ranch; Stef wants an exit strategy in case Rand ever decides to throw him out. Finally, after recognizing how unfair he’s being, Stef makes a commitment, and Rand is over the moon.
When Stef gets the chance to prove his devotion, he doesn’t hesitate—despite the risk to his health—and Rand takes the opportunity to show everyone that sometimes life’s best surprises come after the sunset.
A Timing Story
Glenn Holloway’s predictable life ended the day he confessed his homosexuality to his family. As if that wasn’t enough, he then poured salt in the wound by walking away from the ranch he’d grown up on, to open the restaurant he’d always dreamed of. Without support from his father and brother, and too proud to accept assistance from anyone else, he had to start from scratch. Over
time things worked out: Glenn successfully built a strong business, created a new home, and forged a life he could be proud of.
Despite his success, his estrangement from the Holloways is still a sore spot he can’t quite heal, and a called-in favor becomes Glenn’s worst nightmare. Caught in a promise, Glenn returns to his roots to deal with Rand Holloway and comes face-to-face with Mac Gentry, a man far too appealing for Glenn’s own good. It could all lead to disaster—disaster for his tenuous reconnection with his family and for the desire he didn’t know he held in his heart.
MARY CALMES lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two children and loves all the seasons except summer. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will so not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and believes without question in happily-ever-afters, and writes those for each and every one of her characters.
By Mary Calmes
Acrobat
Again
Any Closer
With Cardeno C.: Control
With Poppy Dennison: Creature Feature
Floodgates
Frog
Grand Adventures (Dreamspinner Anthology)
The Guardian
Heart of the Race
Ice Around the Edges
Judgment
Just Desserts
Lay It Down
Mine
Romanus • Chevalier
Romanus & Chevalier (Author Anthology, Paperback Only)
The Servant
Steamroller
Still
Tales of the Curious Cookbook (Multiple Author Anthology)
Three Fates (Multiple Author Anthology)
What Can Be
Where You Lead
Wishing on a Blue Star (Dreamspinner Anthology)
CHANGE OF HEART
Change of Heart • Trusted Bond • Honored Vow
Crucible of Fate • Forging the Future
L’ANGE
Old Loyalty, New Love • Fighting Instinct
MANGROVE STORIES
Blue Days • Quiet Nights • Sultry Sunset
Easy Evenings • Sleeping ’til Sunrise
MARSHALS
All Kinds of Tied Down • Fit to Be Tied • Tied Up in Knots
A MATTER OF TIME
A Matter of Time: Vol. 1 • A Matter of Time: Vol. 2
Bulletproof • But For You
Parting Shot • Piece of Cake
TIMING
Timing • After the Sunset • When the Dust Settles
Perfect Timing (Print Only Anthology)
THE WARDER SERIES
His Hearth • Tooth & Nail • Heart in Hand
Sinnerman • Nexus • Cherish Your Name
Warders Vol. 1 & 2
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.
Warders Volume Two
© 2016 Mary Calmes.
Cover Art
© 2012 Anne Cain.
annecain.art@gmail.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: 978-1-61372-492-7
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-484-5
Published December 2016
v. 1.0
Warders Volume Two previously published in paperback by Dreamspinner Press, June 2012.
Sinnerman (June 2011), Nexus (October 2011), and Cherish Your Name (December 2011) were previously published individually in eBook format by Dreamspinner Press.
Printed in the United States of America