OFF-LIMITS Sanctuary 1
Heat Rating: SCORCHING
Word Count: 21,584
[Siren Classic ManLove: Erotic
Alternative Contemporary Paranormal Romance, shape-shifter, M/M, HEA]
Blurb
When Quinn
Hart’s best friend died, he became guardian to the man’s ten-year- old son,
Noah Stone. So far, Quinn has been able to conceal the growing attraction he
feels for Noah, but now Noah is twenty-two and returning home from college.
Honor still holds Quinn back from revealing his true feelings. Their community
of bear shifters consider reproduction a priority, and Quinn fears they would
never accept a homosexual relationship.
Noah has
always hidden his romantic feelings for his guardian, but now he’s a man, and
his desire is stronger than ever. Unable to handle his feelings, Noah leaves
Oregon for a position in a research facility. But when Noah arrives in New
York, he discovers his employer is harvesting bear bile and he’s the new
source.
Quinn is
determined to find Noah. But can he admit what he really wants before it’s too
late?
Excerpt
It wasn’t the first time Marcus insinuated that Noah was gay. He was
right, but Noah would never admit it. Not to Marcus, not to anyone. Not even to
the man Noah was in love with.
Quinn was straight as they come, and even if he wasn’t, he’d still be
off-limits. Noah was
twenty-two, and it had been a long time since he thought of Quinn as his
guardian. Unfortunately, Quinn still treated him like a child and insisted on
micromanaging Noah’s life.
It had been Quinn who convinced Noah to go to college. Noah agreed
because he thought his feelings for Quinn would lessen. Instead, absence made
Noah’s heart grow fonder. There were gay guys at Oregon State University, but
none of them gave Noah butterflies like Quinn did. It wasn’t just the thrill of
forbidden romance, Noah really loved Quinn, but a future with the man of his
dreams was impossible.
Noah’s only release was masturbation. Marcus jerked off, too, sometimes
in front of Noah, but Noah pleasured himself in secret, jacking off to a photo
of Quinn.
Noah retrieved the calendar from a hidden pocket in his suitcase. He
flipped through the pages of Lumberjacks Exposed until he got to Mr. July.
Calendars featuring hot studs supporting their causes were all the rage.
Firefighters, cops, and cowboys brought in lots of money, so last year Oregon
loggers decided to do the same.
It had taken a lot of convincing to get Quinn to pose. He was a stubborn
beast, and he didn’t like to bring attention to himself or their small
community, but the proceeds went to a good cause, a forestry program. The
loggers and the tree huggers were always at odds, and a big donation would
smooth relations between the two groups. Quinn could hardly refuse. Luckily,
the hordes of tourists that Quinn feared never materialized, and the bear
shifters maintained their secrecy.
Butterflies danced in Noah’s belly just from glancing at the photo, but
he wanted one more thing. Quinn’s old T-shirt, the one Noah kept in a plastic
bag in his suitcase. Quinn would give Noah the shirt off his back, but Noah had
swiped this one from the laundry hamper. It had a picture of a big, muscular
lumberjack carrying a log and printed underneath were the words Lumberjacks do it with wood. Noah held
the shirt up to his nose. It still smelled like Quinn—ripe with sweat and musk.
The scent was a hell of a lot better than Marcus’s cologne.
Happy Reading!