Title: Bad Apple
Authors: Colbie Dunbar & Trisha Linde
Series: Once Upon a M/M Romance #1
Genre: M/M Romance, Paranormal, Mpreg, Reimagined Fairy Tale
Release Date: September 17, 2020
Cover Design: Fantasia Frog Designs
There’s no such thing as fairytales—until there’s a happily ever after.
When mob boss Nico Drakos dies, his son, omega Zane, knows the time is ripe for change. Just because all the mob’s business dealings have always been illegal, that doesn’t mean they need to stay that way. Zane is well-loved by everyone, and the council is ready to follow him wherever he might lead them. Time to put his business degree to work! The only person that stands in his way is his father’s second-in-command, Donovan Morelli.
Alpha Blaze was practically raised by the mob, groomed and trained to follow orders, no matter how dark. But, seething with jealousy, Donovan gives Blaze a command. One he can’t refuse. While Blaze keeps a wary eye on Zane, he falls under the omega’s spell. Then the alpha does the unthinkable. He defies his order.
Zane needs a safe place to hole up, but he doesn’t give a damn about his surroundings because the alpha everyone considers a bad apple lights a fire in his heart, one Zane is powerless to extinguish. With a memorable cast of supporting characters, this classic fairytale gets a modern mpreg twist.
For fans of alphas and omegas who give everything to be with the one who they love, this first book in Colbie Dunbar and Trisha Linde’s Once Upon An M/M Romance series checks all the boxes. It includes an alpha and omega who refuse to be defined by their past; seven men and women with whimsical quirks whose fierce loyalty to Zane earns them a place in his heart; plus a baby who arrives safely, despite the odds.
And while there is no once upon a time, they do live happily ever after.
Chapter 3
Zane
I studied the man on my doorstep. He seemed kinda familiar and his scent washed over me, reminding me of coffee and something else I couldn’t pinpoint. Why? He smelt nothing like a good brew. One of Sam’s co-workers, I guessed.
I was disappointed and hoped my favorite delivery man hadn’t been fired or taken another job because I didn’t fancy this creep on my doorstep every time I craved a taco or quesadilla.
I made to grab the bag and hand over the tip, but the guy held on tight to the food. That’s my dinner! My right hand crept to my pocket as I asked, “Is there a problem?”
He nodded and his muffled voice said, “Payment didn’t go through.” He shrugged. “Gremlins in the app.”
Seriously? Gremlins? No hit man I’d ever met—and I hated that I’d made the acquaintance of more than one— ever talked like that. Tension released from my body as the guy held up his phone showing what I owed. “Okay. I’ll get the money.”
I was searching for my wallet, tossing cushions across the room and swearing, when an aroma that commanded attention struck me in the face and had the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
A pair of boots appeared in my line of vision, and I reared away. “Fuck me sideways with a broomstick!” The words exploded from my lips. I’d never seriously considered having someone order a hit on me, but faced with potential death, my pulse sped up and my mouth became dry.
Seconds passed, but time stretched out and it seemed like hours. It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. The grandfather clock ticked in the corner and dust particles floated past my head as my trembling fingers reached for the gun.
The intruder cocked his head. “Wouldn’t a broomstick be painful? Not a place you want to get a splinter. Ouch!” He put his hands on his hips.
I froze. Who is this guy? Air whooshed out of my mouth and I took a moment to compose myself. “You scared me. What in the hell are you doing barging into my house?”
“You said you’d get the money.” His voice was echoing in that stupid helmet.
“You must be new. Or been raised by wolves.” Come to think of it, wolves would have taught him better manners.
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
I rubbed my forehead, convinced I’d aged ten years in the last few minutes. “Nothing. But next time, wait at the door.” I shoved a fistful of bills in his palm and curled his fingers around them. And that was my first mistake. One of many.
Skin to skin. My breath fogging his visor. The warmth of his hand seeped into mine and a tingling sensation spread over my body.
I should have let go.
I should have taken a step back.
I should have shoved him out the door and complained to the restaurant owner about the lousy service.
But I did none of those things. I didn’t move and neither did he. If this was his first day on the job, he might think all his customers held his hand. Poor guy. I pulled away and he made a strangled sound. It was hard to tell with that stupid helmet. “You okay?” If he was choking, I could give him mouth-to-mouth.
He bobbed his head.
“I’m Zane.”
He mumbled something.
“Hayes?”
More gibberish.
“Rays?” Were there two of them? Ray One and Ray Two?
“No.”
Okay, I heard that loud and clear. “Take off that thing, please. If you’re going to be bringing my dinner a couple of times a week, we should introduce ourselves.”
Zane
I studied the man on my doorstep. He seemed kinda familiar and his scent washed over me, reminding me of coffee and something else I couldn’t pinpoint. Why? He smelt nothing like a good brew. One of Sam’s co-workers, I guessed.
I was disappointed and hoped my favorite delivery man hadn’t been fired or taken another job because I didn’t fancy this creep on my doorstep every time I craved a taco or quesadilla.
I made to grab the bag and hand over the tip, but the guy held on tight to the food. That’s my dinner! My right hand crept to my pocket as I asked, “Is there a problem?”
He nodded and his muffled voice said, “Payment didn’t go through.” He shrugged. “Gremlins in the app.”
Seriously? Gremlins? No hit man I’d ever met—and I hated that I’d made the acquaintance of more than one— ever talked like that. Tension released from my body as the guy held up his phone showing what I owed. “Okay. I’ll get the money.”
I was searching for my wallet, tossing cushions across the room and swearing, when an aroma that commanded attention struck me in the face and had the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
A pair of boots appeared in my line of vision, and I reared away. “Fuck me sideways with a broomstick!” The words exploded from my lips. I’d never seriously considered having someone order a hit on me, but faced with potential death, my pulse sped up and my mouth became dry.
Seconds passed, but time stretched out and it seemed like hours. It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. The grandfather clock ticked in the corner and dust particles floated past my head as my trembling fingers reached for the gun.
The intruder cocked his head. “Wouldn’t a broomstick be painful? Not a place you want to get a splinter. Ouch!” He put his hands on his hips.I froze. Who is this guy? Air whooshed out of my mouth and I took a moment to compose myself. “You scared me. What in the hell are you doing barging into my house?”
“You said you’d get the money.” His voice was echoing in that stupid helmet.
“You must be new. Or been raised by wolves.” Come to think of it, wolves would have taught him better manners.
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
Skin to skin. My breath fogging his visor. The warmth of his hand seeped into mine and a tingling sensation spread over my body.
I should have let go.
I should have taken a step back.
I should have shoved him out the door and complained to the restaurant owner about the lousy service.
But I did none of those things. I didn’t move and neither did he. If this was his first day on the job, he might think all his customers held his hand. Poor guy. I pulled away and he made a strangled sound. It was hard to tell with that stupid helmet. “You okay?” If he was choking, I could give him mouth-to-mouth.
He bobbed his head.
“I’m Zane.”
He mumbled something.
“Hayes?”
More gibberish.
“Rays?” Were there two of them? Ray One and Ray Two?
“No.”
Okay, I heard that loud and clear. “Take off that thing, please. If you’re going to be bringing my dinner a couple of times a week, we should introduce ourselves.”
My characters are sexy, hot, adorable—and often filthy—alphas and omegas. Feudal lords with dark secrets, lonely omegas running away from their past, and alphas who refuse to commit.
Lurking in the background are kings, mafia dons, undercover agents and highwaymen with a naughty gleam in their eye.
As for me? I dictate my steamy stories with a glass of champagne in one hand. Because why not?
Trisha Linde
Trisha Linde spends all her time immersed in books, both reading and writing, mainly because she lives where it's too cold to do anything else, and what better way to keep warm than a hot book. The first time she read mpreg, it was love at first sight, and there's no turning back now.
Colbie Dunbar
Trisha Linde
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