Conclusion of Hayden and Nico's mini Valentine's story

 Today is the conclusion of Nico's and Hayden's mini Valentine's special. If you haven't read the first part, please visit this post, to catch up!

Also, today is release day, so if you haven't picked up your copy of Unrequited mate, at the end, I will give you a list of places it is available now!

Now, on with the show!

Hayden sat across from Nico. The bottle of wine they shared, sat to the side, still half full. The whole time they ate, her mate seemed...distracted. Edgy almost. He kept glancing at the clock like he was missing something or anticipating something, which she couldn't figure out. A couple of times, she thought to broach the subject, but thought better of it. Instead, she concentrated on the meal Nico prepared for her.

"How were your classes today?" He ran his finger around the lip of his glass. His smoldering gaze bore into her, and she sucked in a breath.

"Good, I suppose." She rolled her shoulders. "A little boring, honest. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing what I should be."

Nico cocked his brow. "What do you really want to do?"

She grinned. "I'd like to be a deputy like my dad and uncles." She took a sip of her wine. "Maybe more though. An advocate. For kids, perhaps."

He nodded. "Doesn't Jasmine need an assistant?"

Her aunt had said the center was in desperate need of an intake advocate. "Yes. Do you think during the summer she'd let me work with her?"

"I don't see why not." He tapped his finger against the table. "Look, the sky is the limit, little wolf. You set where you want to be. I'll stand right beside you the whole time."

"Then, it's settled. I have a plan now." When she let out a breath, it was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. "So, how was your day?"

"Interesting, to say the least." Again his fingers drummed on the table, and she could help the niggle of trepidation filling her.

"Is something wrong? Do you need to be somewhere?" She cursed the tremble in her voice. Not two minutes ago, she was excited, but the more she watched her mate, the more she worried.

"Shit," Nico muttered. "I'm mucking this up."

She didn't understand. Dinner was perfect the roses were beautiful. Why would he feel as though he was messing up anything? "What are you talking about?"

"Fuck it!" He sliced his hand through the air, then stood. "I'm horrible at stuff like this, but when is there ever a perfect time to say how you really feel?"

Nico closed the distance between them. The pulse at his neck throbbed and the wild excitement, with a hint of nervousness filled his eyes. He stuck his hand in his pocket, seconds before going down on one knee in front of her. Hayden narrowed her eyes, unsure of what he was doing. "Nico?"

"I have loved you, since the minute you walked into the sheriff's department all those years ago. You took a chance on me when I thought all of my chances were gone. Then I screwed it up again, acting like a foolish wolf, hell bent to push you away."

The sting of his betrayal had slowly dissipated over the months they'd been together. Forgiving him had taken her years to achieve. But, they were in a good place together now. A mate couldn't be pushed aside or forgotten. His reasons weren't okay with her, it might take years to fully grasp the gravity of them, but he was her mate, and a mate is a mate. For all her heartache, she loved him more than she did as a wide-eyed little girl. "I forgave you. I mated you."

He gave her a wry grin. "Yes you did. Now, for as long as we live, we're mates and you're stuck with me. But--" He opened his hand. The small cream colored cotton bed appeared along with a gorgeous ring. "Hayden Raferty, will you do me the honor of also being my wife?"

She stared down at the ring, glittering in the candle light. Marry her mate? Her heart pounded in her chest. He remembered. When her father Jace, married Loraine and Blake, she'd walked down the aisle with them as a bride's maid. Nico had been her escort, and she told him while they danced the night away, she wanted a night just like this. This being the wedding and everything associated with it.

Tears filled her eyes, blurring out the sight of one of the most delicate, perfect rings she'd ever seen. He remembered. "Yes," she sobbed. "Yes, I'll marry you, Nico Lopez!" She launched herself into his arms, practically knocking him backwards.

"Thank fuck. I worried maybe I'd done this too soon." It all made sense now. He'd been nervous about asking her to marry him. She lifted her gaze to his, seconds before he kissed her. The intense emotions shared between them in those moments, stole her breath and her heart.

When they finally broke their kiss, she held her hand out to him so he could slipped the ring onto her finger. She stared at it, the full weight of his intentions hit her square in the chest. Her heart burst with happiness as she turned her hand this way, and that, allowing the light to catch the diamond just right.

"It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful." He helped her up then nuzzled her neck. "I love you, Hayden."

She blushed as he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her tight to his body. "I love you too, Nico."

He growled and nipped her mated mark. "How about we continue this celebration, in our room?" He palmed her butt and squeezed.

"I say, lead the way, mate of my heart. Lead. The. Way."

I hope you enjoyed their mini-Valentine's story. I also hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends while you celebrate this holiday of love. As always, thank you for being on this journey with Michele and I. We are so very thankful for your support and kindness.

Happy Valentine's Day!

TL and Michele

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://a.co/3fqcYRD
Amazon Uk: http://amzn.eu/g5P2JlP
Amazon Ca: http://a.co/e1SYGjf
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2lfDA06
Bookstrand: http://bit.ly/2lG8oIj
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lG9YK9

Unrequited Mate is Here!

Blurb:

Welcome to Turnskin University...

Hayden Raferty, left behind her entire family and all her friends to get away from her mate, Nico Lopez. In a single night, he crushed her hopes and dreams of finding true love. Now, years later, Hayden has decided to move on and start over.

Nico Lopez knows he screwed up, but letting his mate walk away isn’t in his plans. It's time to make his move. With a little help from 555-ROAR, Nico obtains a spot in the Greek Shifter Games and is determined to show his mate there isn’t another male worthy of her. If has to put his body on the line to prove it, so be it.


Excerpt:

The growing bond between them seemed to spike the year she’d turned seventeen, but no one seemed hard pressed to explain the inexplicable need she had to rub against him or the anguish of not having him near. The frequency of their visits became shorter due to both of them working or school. However, when the weather turned warmer, no matter what, they went swimming. Hayden stepped up to his door and knocked. When he didn’t answer, she knocked again then called out his name.

Nico’s rag top jeep sat in the small parking lot so she knew he was there, but fear gripped her. She pounded on the door once more, heart in her throat. The door opened a few seconds later and her best friend in the whole world stood before her, bleary eyed, with a sheet wrapped around his hips. The thick putrid smell of alcohol clung to him along with something else. Her wolf bristled at the scent.

“Are you coming back to bed, Nico?” A woman’s voice called out and Hayden knew what the smell was. She backed away from the door, horrified. Some visceral emotion sliced through her, shredding her ability to breathe.

“Hayden,” Nico called after her, but she’d already started running. She shifted mid-stride uncaring if anyone saw her. The tattered remains of her clothes floated to the ground like the slivers of her soul.

She finished up the rest of the semester, and avoided him at all costs. He showed up at her high school graduation that May, and she ignored him. He brought her flowers and a locket, but she refused both. She couldn’t stand being around him. He broke her that day and it took two years to muster up the courage to move on with her life.

Now a sophomore in college and all of twenty years old, the urge to mate clawed at her. But the guys she sat through class with or in study group did nothing for her. She found herself comparing them to he-who-shall-not-be-named, and didn’t that just suck donkey dick? A low growl of irritation passed her lips and she balled her hands into fists. What’s done is done. He made his choice and you weren’t it. She opened her notebook and wrote a quick note to her dad. She needed them to understand she was moving on, and she would appreciate if they didn’t ask about him—Nico. It was time.


Amazon: http://a.co/3fqcYRD
Amazon Uk: http://amzn.eu/g5P2JlP
Amazon Ca: http://a.co/e1SYGjf
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2lfDA06
Bookstrand: http://bit.ly/2lG8oIj
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lG9YK9

Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Welcome to the Valentine's Day blog hop!

I am so excited to be here and participate in the Valentine's Day hop. I, even though I'm single, enjoy Valentine's day. And I love when I get the chance to share what my characters are doing together. Today, I would like to share my new release, Unrequited Mate with Michele Ryan and a short story of what Nico did for Hayden on V-Day.

Nico walked into Hayden's room and placed the roses he bought on the foot of their bed. She would be back from class in an hour and he had less time to get everything ready before grabbing a shower.

Bell, Hayden's cousin, promised to keep her busy for as long as she could before they returned, but Hayden, she knew when things were up, and he only hoped, she wouldn't figure it out too quickly.

On his way down to the kitchen, he passed several empty rooms and frowned. His mate and her cousins were working furiously to add more people to their sorority, but they weren't having any luck. 

Tomorrow, he promised himself, he'd do whatever it took to help them out. He wouldn't allow them to lose everything because of some stupid rule and some irritating girl. He stepped into the kitchen and pulled the steaks he bought along with the vegetables out of the fridge then placed them on the counter. He didn't have to do anything fancy for her, but this was their first Valentine's together since the games and their long separation, and he planned to do it right. 

He also had a plan. Mates were mates for life. Nothing changed that, and even though she was still young, he planned on giving her what every human girl also wanted. A wedding. The memory of seeing her all dressed up for her father's wedding, washed over him and a sense of rightness filled him.

Maybe he'd been jumping the gun a little, but as he thought about the ring he bought her, it didn't feel wrong. In fact, it only seemed to excite him even more. His mate would not only be his through his wolf side, but also legally, as his wife.

He placed the meat into the plastic marinade bag, then added the onion, peppers and seasoning. He finished it off with the wet ingredients before placing the bag in the fridge to sit for twenty minutes. It would give him enough time to shower then get the grill going.

Once he was ready, he started the grill, and got to work. The potatoes he placed in the coals from the charcoal, and waited a few more minutes. He knew he was cutting it close, but he would get it all done. While he waited, he set the table. The cold press of the ring against his thigh, sent a thrill through him. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as placed both of their dishes on the table, then grabbed their glasses, and silverware.

By the time he was done, it was time to throw the steaks on the grill. Hayden would be home in ten minutes. Hopefully, he wouldn't keep her waiting too long....

TO BE CONTINUED...  Check back on Valentine's Day for the conclusion of Nico and Hayden's short story....

Follow along with each blog here

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Re-Release of Waylaid is HERE!

Blurb:

Les-Tar Nar is out for revenge. After watching his brother compete and die in the Intergalactic Virtual Reality Games, he’s ready to kick ass and take names—as the humans would say. Armed with his military training, the Venusian doesn’t want or need a team. But, all is not what it seems.

Auven, Cyborg from the planet Kapor 9, is aware of how the game is played and ready to bend it to his will. Anything a human made can be destroyed. So, when he is paired up with a Venusian and a human, he knows his chance of winning grows exponentially. With Les-Tar’s muscle, even a human who has no skills won’t hold them back.

Hacker Lyna Hiat isn’t even interested in the games. As a small time video game de-constructer, she spends her days finding flaws in the systems and improving games—almost lifting the veil of sorts and showing gamers just how inferior their products really are.

When the IGVRG begin, a glitch in the system transfers the game and gamers from the virtual level to reality, leaving them on the run with no true winners or losers. The only way to survive: get off the planet. Where they’ll end up, no one knows. All that’s important right now is survival.


Excerpt:

“Human English is a torturous language filled with rules. To speak as you, and to receive the translations back are… demanding of my concentration. It would be easier if I could speak Venusian.”

“Then I wouldn’t understand you,” she replied. His condescendence annoyed her. Most of the extraterrestrial beings she knew didn’t take issue with learning English or using the translator. Les appeared put off by it.

“The Venusian language is easy to learn, I will teach you, Lyna Hiat,” he answered. “It will have to wait though. We must prepare for the first level of the game.”

“Did I miss anything?” AuVen stopped at the edge of the table and crossed his arms. His imposing form made her girly parts tingle and her heart trip a beat. Short, military style sandy-blond hair framed a square jaw, and steely grey eyes. Like Les, AuVen’s body had been carved to perfection. Thick, sinewy bare arms flexed under her perusal. His powerful chest pressed against the thin material of his tank. Her gaze lowered, zeroing in on the rather large bulge behind the fly of his pants.

Ho-ly shit. “Uh, nope.” She cleared her throat as heat crept into her cheeks. Her obvious ogling hadn’t gone unnoticed by her other partner, Les. His growl of irritation not only turned her on while pissing her off, it also melted her insides, turning her into a pile of goo.

“As I was saying.” Annoyance laced Les’ words. “We must strategize and coordinate our plan of attack. I have not come this far to lose.”

The cyborg smirked. “Don’t get your Venusian panties in a wad.” By the mix of chagrin and surprise passing over Les’ face, AuVen must have spoken Venusian. “Close your mouth, Venusian warrior. I know over two hundred languages and speak them all fluently.”

“Impressive,” she squeaked. The tension at the table ratcheted up a notch. “I’m down with talking shop, but I think you’re both a little high on the man-juice.”

Les narrowed his eyes while AuVen chuckled. “Man-juice. I do not understand this phrase.”

“Testosterone,” the cyborg replied. “Tersquoia.”

“I am a fertile male with an abundance of sperm in my scrotum. My Tersquoia is always high.”

Lyna snickered. “Good to know.” She bit her lip to stifle the fit of giggles bubbling up in her. Closing her eyes, she took a couple of deep breaths before beginning again. “Should we stay here and discuss this, or should we retire to our quarters?”

Both men sized each other up. For a second she thought they’d bicker, but instead they nodded. “Combat should never be discussed in front of the enemy. We must retreat and plan away from prying eyes.” Les stood. “I know where we are staying. Follow me.”

Lyna bristled at his tone. “Wait a minute, bossy pants,” she snarked. “We’re a team. We work together. So no one leads and no one follows.”

“You are an irritant,” he snarled. The mounting frustrations she’d noticed the minute AuVen arrived bled through. “I only suggested I lead the way due to my knowledge of the building. Nothing more, nothing less, little human.”

“Well then, lead the way, oh great one,” she replied with a mock curtsy.

“I like you,” AuVen said. “You make me laugh, human.”

“Be still my heart.” She rolled her eyes. “Look, Nuts and Bolts,” she said while cutting her gaze at Les. “Big Blue. My name is Lyna. Human sounds demeaning coming from you.”

“Kitten’s got claws,” Nuts and Bolts purred.

“She is not a cat,” Les spoke up. “She is human.” He glanced at her. “You are human. It is not derogatory or demeaning. It is your species.”

“A regular charmer. Let’s go.” Already a migraine of epic proportions built behind her eyes. Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?
Buy Links:

Twisted E-Pub: https://twistedepublishing.com/collections/tl-reeve-1/products/waylaid-by-tl-reeve
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9WX9XE
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N9WX9XE
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/waylaid-mmf
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/700087
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/waylaid/id1200332456?mt=11
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waylaid-tl-reeve/1124066412?ean=2940153986340