M/M Romantic Suspense
by
How can one man be so incredibly frustrating but so sexy at the same time?
Ryder knows two things. Tragedy can strike at any moment so you have to hold tightly to the gifts life gives you. And, Shay is one of those gifts. To Ryder their fifteen-year age difference is nothing, Shay is the man he wants. Now he just needs an opportunity to plead his case with the sexy lawyer.
He gets his chance when Shay asks him to assist on a case involving a missing person, but the investigation quickly turns perilous. A stomach-churning rollercoaster ride of what the hell is going on, puts both men in danger—but from whom?
Will the two get their chance at love, or will a brutal criminal tear the future from their grasp?
age difference, thriller, Criminal Minds meets Rockford Files, tragic past, medium+ heat, reluctant lover, persistent courtship 4tw.
Real Danger, second in the West Coast Forensics series is a dual POV, age-gap, m/m romantic suspense following Shay and Ryder as they fight for their HEA.
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Bisexual, Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 36-45
Tropes: Age Difference, Death of Parent, Love Can Heal / Redemption
Word Count: 71,465
Setting: Washington State
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Ryder – July, seventeen years ago
“I’m heading out, baby.”
His mom was in their minuscule bathroom, her makeup case splayed open and spewing its contents across the small amount of counter space.
“Mom, don’t call me baby.” Ryder rolled his eyes; he was not a baby, but his mom insisted on using the nickname.
“You’ll always be my baby.”
He leaned against the doorframe, watching as his mom carefully brushed mascara onto her eyelashes, making them darker and longer than they already were. The outfit she’d finally decided on was a light-yellow summer dress with red butterflies floating along the hem, as if the wearer had walked through a meadow and disturbed them so they all lifted off at once. The dress was one of Ryder’s favorites.
READ MORE“How long will you be gone?” He hoped he didn’t sound too eager, but the fact was… he was excited for his first time home alone and kind of couldn’t wait for her to leave.
His mom shrugged and pushed the brush back into the small tube before returning it to the case. “A couple hours, maybe three if we’re having fun. I’m just meeting Destiny for drinks and happy hour appetizers.”
His mom was excited about going out. She’d been talking about this for days, preparing him for staying home on his own—as if he were a baby, which he was not. She’d asked if he wanted to go to Anastasia’s house—she was his mom’s best friend—but Ryder was thrilled to stay home by himself. He had plans to watch TV and make some mac and cheese from the blue box, but mostly he was excited about getting to play World of Warcraft without interruption. His mom didn’t entirely approve of him playing the new online role-playing game, but he’d saved up his birthday money and done chores for other people in their building and bought the game with his own money. He couldn’t wait.
“Where are you going?”
His mom leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Her long black hair fell against Ryder’s face for just a second. Ryder breathed in through his nose; her shampoo had a citrus scent to it that he liked.
“Northstar Café on Powell, and then we may grab a bite to eat somewhere else. I promise I won’t be late; if I am, I’ll grab a cab.”
Ryder was used to his mom being gone at night. She was a dancer, and Ryder usually went to Anastasia’s house when she was working. This was the first time she was letting him stay home alone.
“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.” His mom ruffled his hair one last time before brushing past him and heading to the living room. She found her purse and slung it over her shoulder before tucking her keys into a side pocket.
At the front door she turned back and waggled her fingers at him. “I love you, baby. Be good!”
The door closed behind her, and Ryder listened to her footsteps fading away as she headed toward the stairs of the repurposed three-story house. Their apartment was on the third floor. It wasn’t really big enough for the two of them, but it was what they could afford. It was also hot, since it was on the top floor, but his mom always said they were lucky to have a peekaboo view of the city.
Ryder turned his attention to the desktop computer his mom had got for cheap from a friend, a surprise for his eleventh birthday last week. He knew better than to tell his mom she’d probably gotten ripped off, but he’d been tinkering with it, and it was running better now.
Downstairs, the door to the street opened and slammed shut, but Ryder hardly heard it; WoW was loading up, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
Ryder had been so engrossed in the game he didn’t realize what time it was until his stomach complained about being empty and he padded into the tiny kitchen to make mac and cheese. That was another treat, as his mom thought processed foods weren’t healthy, but she’d let him pick out what he wanted to have for dinner.
The red glowing numbers on their microwave claimed it was 12:34 in the morning. Ryder had never stayed up this late before, and his eyes were starting to feel scratchy. His mom wasn’t home yet. Worry shot through him; she’d said a few hours, not six. But maybe she was having fun. Not for the first time, he wished they had cell phones, so he could call her, but they were definitely too expensive. While he’d been playing WoW, he hadn’t felt tired, but now he realized he was exhausted… and also worried. Every little sound had him looking toward their door—and the old house creaked and groaned quite a lot. His mom had even made up a story about a friendly ghost who lived in the attic. Ryder didn’t believe in ghosts, but he let his mom tell him the story anyway.
She still wasn’t home when he woke several hours later.
COLLAPSE
