Love in Retrograde (9 page)
“In the end I couldn’t go through with it,” Lucius confessed. “I did my best to deter him as long as I could. There was a lot of arguing and tea.” Lucius rubbed at his jaw. “After he clobbered me, we decided to come up with a different plan. Of course we had no idea you’d lay bloody siege to the whole building.”
Kelly shrugged. “What can I say? Love makes you do crazy things, even if you don’t know that’s what’s driving you to it.” He gave them a wink and walked down the wooden steps to the flip-flops at the bottom. He slipped them on his bare feet and made his way across the sand to Mars, who appeared to sense him approaching. Mars pushed himself to his feet and turned into Kelly’s open arms.
Mindful of his wound, Mars wrapped his arms around Kelly and brought him up hard against him, then kissed him feverishly. Their scorching kiss grew tender, and Kelly smiled against Mars’s lips.
“I love you. I’m sorry it took a military assault to make me see it.”
Mars’s smile couldn’t get any bigger, and his amber eyes sparkled with joy. He pulled Kelly with him, and they sat together on the large beach towel. Mars’s smile faded, and Kelly cupped his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Will I be enough for you? Will this”—he motioned around him—“be enough to keep you happy? I’m afraid you might regret everything you’ve left behind. Your career, your home?”
Kelly took in the beautiful, peaceful scenery around him. He spotted Lucius and Jordan kissing and cooing at each other on the balcony of the large beach house. Then he turned his gaze back on Mars and the love burning in those amber eyes. There was so much hope in them too. How could Mars think he wouldn’t be enough for Kelly? Kelly pulled Mars down into the warm sand, lay down beside him, and kissed him sweetly.
“I had a house, but it wasn’t a home. New London was never my home. I can’t really remember the last time I had one. That’s all changed now.”
It was a lot to take in, and it wouldn’t be easy. In fact, being without any technology was going to prove to be a challenge, but as he looked into Mars’s amber eyes, he smiled. It was a welcome challenge. It had taken a bioengineered human to teach him about love and taking chances. A lesson he wouldn’t soon forget and one he’d have the rest of his life to cherish.
For the last six months, Detective James Ralston has worked the nightshift as security for the Pacific Blue Hotel, and every night at 2 a.m. his rounds lead him to the radio room where the handsome and mysterious Franklin Fairchild sits listening to waltzes as old as the hotel itself. James is drawn to Franklin, but Franklin is a man at the end of his rope, and James has no intention of getting caught up in whatever trouble Franklin is in. A heated encounter late one night sends James down a disturbing path and has him questioning everything around him, including his very sanity.
Julian “Quinn” Quintero, a gruff, tough Miami SWAT officer, has been injured on the job, and all he’s looking for is a little peace and quiet to recover—difficult to achieve with his large Cuban family. An adventure in picking up his prescriptions puts him in the path of his geeky, brownie-baking neighbor, Spencer Morgan. Spencer sweeps into Quinn’s life like a tropical storm of sunshine and rainbows. Not surprisingly, it’s chaos at first sight. Quinn’s in need of a little tender loving care, and Spencer decides he’s just the man for the job. Their very different lives might clash, but they might also find some common ground—and maybe more.
Sequel to
Against the Grain
THIRDS: Book 6
Calvin Summers and Ethan Hobbs have been best friends since childhood, but somewhere along the line, their friendship evolved into something more. With the Therian Youth Center bombing, Calvin realizes just how short life can be and no longer keeps his feelings for his best friend a secret. Unfortunately, change is difficult for Ethan; most days he does well to deal with his selective mutism and social anxiety. Calvin’s confession adds a new struggle for Ethan, one he fears might cost him the friendship that’s been his whole world for as long as he can remember.
As partners and Defense Agents at the THIRDS, being on Destructive Delta is tough at the best of times, but between call-outs and life-threatening situations, Calvin and Ethan not only face traversing the challenges of their job, but also working toward a future as more than friends.
Sequel to
Rise & Fall
THIRDS: Book 5
As the fiercest Defense Agent at the THIRDS, Destructive Delta’s Ash Keeler is foul-mouthed and foul-tempered. But his hard-lined approach always yields results, evident by his recent infiltration of the Coalition. Thanks to Ash’s skills and the help of his team, they finally put an end to the murdering extremist group for good, though not before Ash takes a bullet to save teammate Cael Maddock. As a result, Ash’s secrets start to surface, and he can no longer ignore what’s in his heart.
Cael Maddock is no stranger to heartache. As a Recon Agent for Destructive Delta, he has successfully maneuvered through the urban jungle that is New York City, picking up his own scars along the way. Yet nothing he’s ever faced has been more of a challenge than the heart of Ash Keeler, his supposedly straight teammate. Being in love isn’t the only danger he and Ash face as wounds reopen and new secrets emerge, forcing them to question old loyalties.
North Pole City Tales: Book 4
From North Pole City to Winter Wonderland, preparations are underway after a royal announcement sweeps everyone into a frenzy of festivity. At the heart of the celebration are the city’s most beloved elf pilots, the Rein Dears. Once the Big Flight is behind them, the pilots prepare for the royal event. Assigned a special task of finding an Elska rose, Cupid and Blitzen are unaware of how their friendship is about to change forever.
Yet not all that glitters is gold. The sweet, angelic Cupid hides a dark secret, one that threatens to destroy his Rein Dear status, his friends, and the elf who’s captured his heart. It’s up to Blitzen to help Cupid see the light in the darkness and show him that together they can mend broken hearts.
CHARLIE COCHET
is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in—and plenty of romance, too!
Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.
Website: www.charliecochet.com
Blog: www.charliecochet.com/blog
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/charliecochet
Twitter: @charliecochet
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Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/CharlieCochet
THIRDS HQ: www.thirdshq.com
Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue
Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts
Healing Hunter’s Heart
Love in Retrograde
A Rose by Any Other Name
THE AUSPICIOUS TROUBLES OF LOVE
The Auspicious Troubles of Chance
The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe
NORTH POLE CITY TALES
Mending Noel
The Heart of Frost
Vixen’s Valor
Loving Blitz
THIRDS
Hell & High Water
Blood & Thunder
Rack & Ruin
Rise & Fall
Against the Grain
Catch a Tiger by the Tail
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
