Sunday, December 29, 2024
🎅🎄Sunday's Safe Word Shelf🎄🎅: Mistletoe Trio by Lacey Daize
Knotty Holidays #2
Jamie has an alpha problem—two, actually. The problem is that his alphas don't act on their feelings toward him.
Jamie, Declan, and Austin have been a trio since they were children, and they could remain that way... if only the two alphas could admit their feelings for Jamie and make a move. Everybody else knows that they're all attracted to each other, but no matter how hard Jamie flirts, he can't seem to get his men.
It's almost enough to make an omega drag his mates to the bedroom.
Austin and Declan love their omega, but neither wants to be the third wheel.
Austin and Declan both dread the day that the other most important person in their lives—Jamie—announces that he's found a mate. They both want him, but what are the chances that he wants both of them in return? It's better to stay silent than one find himself on the sidelines.
Still, they'll enjoy every second with their omega, even if it means letting him decorate their apartment for Christmas—including a sprig of mistletoe.
Mistletoe Trio is a 13K word, non-shifter, MMM, mpreg, omegaverse romance
Chapter 1 - Jamie
~November~
“I have the two most oblivious alphas in the world!”
Camden—my best omega friend—laughed from where he sat on the other side of his blue couch. “Tell me something I don’t already know, Captain Obvious.”
“Seriously! How dense can two men be?” I grumbled, leaning against the armrest and staring up at the ceiling.
“What did they do this time?” He paused. “Or, more accurately, how did they completely miss whatever ‘fuck me’ signal you were sending up?”
I let out a frustrated noise, sat up, and ran a hand through my shoulder-length brown hair. “So you know those new skinny jeans I got? The ones that make my ass look divine?”
“The ones that I said made me want to fuck you, even though I’m a strict bottom?”
I pointed at him. “Exactly. Well… since the weather was so nice yesterday, and I didn’t have any parties scheduled, I convinced Austin and Declan to go mini-golfing with me. And I wore those jeans.”
“I assume you made sure you played first so they had a good view of your ass—especially when you needed to retrieve your ball?”
“Of course.”
“And?”
I whined and scrubbed both hands down my face. “They were sporting pretty obvious semis only a few holes in. We’d barely reached the halfway point when they began actively avoiding looking at me.”
Camden guffawed. “That sounds about right. You go out of your way to get their attention, and they go the respectful route instead.”
I flipped him off. “On one hand, it’s adorable how hard they try to hide it. But I can’t help but think they’re trying so hard to keep me from noticing their interest, that there’s no brain power left to identify all the hints I’m sending their way.”
Camden shook his head. “I don’t know who they think they’re fooling. I’m convinced that the only reason nobody has said something is because they try so hard.”
I threw my hands up. “Right‽ I mean…” I sat forward. “So Austin’s mama’s birthday was last month, and since we all grew up together I was invited to the party. At one point his mama—his mama—pulled me aside to apologize for her son being a dumbass.”
He burst into laughter. “She didn’t!”
“She did! I couldn’t believe it. She offered to talk to him, but I told her it was probably better if he figured it out himself.”
He snickered. “High hopes there.”
I sighed. “I know.”
I slumped back against the couch cushions.
“Do you think they’ll figure it out on their own?”
“I used to think so, but I don’t know anymore.”
“Ever thought about moving on and finding an alpha who’s not afraid to admit that he likes you? I mean… we’re only a few years out from thirty, and if you’re ready to settle down…”
I thought about my men: Declan with his strong build, black hair, and gray eyes; and Austin with his blond hair, blue eyes, and athletic frame. A shiver of desire ran up my back, and I sighed. “Several times, and then I promptly stop thinking about it. Declan and Austin may be dumbasses, but they’re my dumbasses. The few times I’ve dated other alphas, it felt wrong.”
“So what? You’re just going to be stuck in limbo until they pull their heads out of their asses long enough to realize that you’re waiting for them? How is that fair to you?”
“It’s not as if I have a better plan.”
Camden huffed. “When’s your next heat?”
I blinked. “Should be between Christmas and New Year’s. Why?”
“Perfect! We’re going to get them to fuck you for Christmas!”
“Wait… What?”
He leaned forward. “We’re going to get you some much-deserved Christmas nookie.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” I asked. “It’s not as if I haven’t been trying to get them to figure it out.”
“Remember who you’re talking to,” he chuckled. “I love dick, and I’m good at getting it. If there’s a way, I’ll help you find it.”
“Putting your manwhore powers to good use?” I teased.
“Just like you turned your proclivity for pranks into a career as a party magician.”
I laughed. “Touché.”
He paused. “I take it you still don’t want to be direct? Because, to be honest, dragging them to the bedroom, tearing off your clothes, and ordering them to take turns would probably be your best option.”
I shook my head. “Nice thought, sexy even. But… It’s something they’ve always been weird about.”
“Weird how?”
“Like if we’re watching movies, and the omega makes the first move, they say things like the alpha should have been more confident. Shit like that.”
He started laughing again. “Seems kinda ironic. They want the alpha to make the first move, but neither makes a move on you.”
I sighed. “I think they’re scared that it would have to be only one of them. We’ve been a trio since we were little, and nobody wants to suddenly become the third wheel. If they don’t ask, then they don’t have to face that possibility.”
“So they disregard their—and your—desires… to keep the status quo?”
I shrugged. “They’re alphas. They think with their knots.”
“You can say that again…” He shook his head. “Lemme recap. You don’t want to be direct and just drag them to the bedroom because they think alphas need to make the first move. So you’ve been dropping other hints that they’ve either missed or ignored. Does that sound right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Ok… what have you tried?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I got a t-shirt a few months back that read ‘Fuck Me!’ in big letters across the chest. I wore it when I was just spending the day gaming with them.”
One of Camden’s eyebrows went up. “That seems pretty direct to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “They both asked if I was ok and what had gone so wrong that I needed a shirt like that. No innuendo, no teasing. Just wondering what had made me want to say that.”
“Oh my God! Are you serious?” he asked, bursting into laughter.
“I wish I was joking. There’s not many occasions that call for a shirt like that.”
“Definitely not.” He paused. “What else?”
I scratched my beard. “I moved my bed against one of the shared walls right before a heat last year. I’d hoped that they’d hear me fucking my knotting dildo and offer something better instead.”
“That was when they started fucking each other, wasn’t it?”
I sighed. “Yeah… I mean I don’t mind them fucking each other. It works out better for me because then I’ll also get a show once I’m fucked out. Plus nobody gets jealous. But it was an unintended consequence.”
“Are they still trying to hide the fact that they’re fucking each other?”
I nodded. “Yep. But, once again, they really kind of suck at it. I mean I’d know just because the walls are paper thin, and Austin moans pretty loud. Everybody knows though, and are keeping quiet because they see Austin and Declan are trying to be sneaky about it.”
“I don’t understand why they want to hide it. It’s not as if anybody important to them cares.”
I shrugged. “Who knows…”
Camden leaned back against the couch cushion. “Neither of those tactics were exactly subtle. Have you tried being extra flirty?”
I snickered. “What do you think? It always ends up the same—with them running off to deal with their boners, or trying to ignore my efforts.”
Camden facepalmed. “Are you sure you want those two?”
I chuckled sarcastically. “Unfortunately.”
“Ok…” he turned and grabbed a pen and paper from the end table. “You don’t want to be direct yet, and everything else backfires in weird ways. This isn’t going to be easy.”
“You can say that again.”
Camden scribbled something at the top of the page. “Luckily for you, I’m here. Now, let’s figure it out and put Operation Christmas Cock into action.”
“Operation Christmas Cock?” I wheezed.
He grinned. “Operation Christmas Cock.”
Sunday Safe Word
Lacey DaizeLacey lives in New Mexico with her four critters. She’s a Jill-of-all-trades by day, but loves writing in her spare time. She dabbles in a variety of pairings, but jumped feet-first into the deep end of omegaverse the first time she read it. She loves the play on social expectations and the different ways to express romance.
Mistletoe Trio #1
Series
🎅🎄4th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight🎄🎅: Pandora Pine
Sick of the slogging rat-race of her 9-5 job, Pandora Pine put pen to paper (literally!) to make her ambition of becoming a romance novelist a reality. She cut her teeth in the dog-eat-dog world of fan fiction, still dreaming of the day when she would be a published author.
In her spare time, Pandora fancies herself an amateur nature photographer. She enjoys mucking around in swamps, hiking through the woods and crawling around on her hands and knees in her backyard seeking out the perfect shot. Pandora is a fan of roadside seafood shacks and always thinks Mexican food is a good idea at the time.
Some of Pandora's favorite things are chocolate, writing longhand with purple pens, and handsome men falling in love with each other.
Summary:
Snowed In - Valentine's Inc. #4
Needing to escape the horrors of war, Beckett “Hyde” McGrath takes a job at a posh resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He’s hoping to put his scarred past behind him and start fresh.
Moose biologist Greer Jefferson checks into the Black Mountain Inn in hopes of working on his thesis and getting up close and personal with his target subjects. What he finds instead is a mountain of a man with a bad attitude and lips to die for.
When the blizzard of the century strikes, and the hotel is evacuated, a certain moose aficionado is left behind with Hyde. Will sparks fly between them or will Greer be left out in the cold?
Summary:
Cold Case Psychic #1
Demoted to the cold case squad after shooting a suspect in the line of duty, Detective Ronan O’Mara knows that his career with the Boston Police Department is hanging by a thread. His first assignment is the case of Michael Frye, a five-year-old boy who has been missing for seven years. With no new leads or witnesses to interview, Ronan has to start from scratch to solve this mystery. When he sees a handsome local psychic on television, Ronan figures he’s got nothing to lose in enlisting the man’s help to find Michael.
Psychic Tennyson Grimm is riding high after helping South Shore cops find a missing child. He’s even being courted by the Reality Show Network about a program showcasing his abilities. He has no idea that his midday appointment with a customer, who instead turns out to be a police detective, is going to change the course of his life and his career.
With the blessing of the BPD, which badly needs an image make-over, Ronan is allowed to bring Tennyson in to assist with the Frye case. Being thrown together in front of cameras is never easy, but add in an emotional missing person’s investigation, a tight-lipped spirit, and a cop who’s a skeptic, and it definitely puts a strain on both men and their working relationship.
When the child’s body is found, the work to identify his killer begins. As Ronan and Tennyson get closer to solving the case, the initial attraction they feel for one another explodes into a passion neither man can contain.
Will working together to bring Michael’s killer to justice seal their fledgeling bond, or will unexpected revelations in the case tear them apart forever?
Summary:
Reading, Writing, and Romance #1
Facing a custody battle that threatens to rip his young son from his life, librarian Bronson McKinnon is hyper-vigilant, not wanting to give his ex-wife any ammunition to use against him in court.
Kindergarten teacher Nash Spencer is fresh off a bad break-up. Meeting the handsome single father on the first day of school is the last thing his battered heart needs, but he’s drawn to Bronson.
With the help of Bronson’s five year old, Tucker, the men start spending time together. Despite Bronson’s fears of his sexuality costing him custody of his son, he can’t help developing feelings for his son’s teacher. When Tucker shows up to school with bruises, Nash is pulled into the court case, and the custody battle turns into an all-out war.
Are Bronson’s and Nash’s feelings for each other strong enough to win the day or will their love become a casualty in Bronson’s fight to save his son?
Summary:
Haunted Souls #17
With only a week until Christmas, Detective Jude Byrne is wrapping up final preparations for his family’s celebration. He’s made a list and checked it twice, bought presents, planned the neighborhood cookie exchange, and hung mistletoe. Jude’s got a handle on everything, that is, until his son asks if his grandfather is coming to celebrate with them—a man Jude hasn’t seen in six years.
Meanwhile, psychic Copeland Forbes is busier than ever, helping grieving family members reunite with loved ones who won’t be with them this season. When Jude mentions inviting his grandfather to spend the holidays with them, Cope thinks it’s a great idea, but doesn’t hold out much hope Eagle will make an appearance.
When Running Eagle shows up on their doorstep, Jude must face his past and decide how his present will play out. Thanks to long talks and spending time with family and friends, Eagle realizes Jude has found the one thing he never could give him. A home.
Can Jude and Eagle lay the ghosts of the past to rest or will the last tattered remains of their bond break forever?
Summary:
Valentine's, Inc #7
Newspaper reporter, Granger Galloway, is in charge of the Valentine’s Bazaar, an annual fundraiser for the LGBTQ community of Salem, Massachusetts. This year, no one has volunteered to man the Bazaar’s hottest attraction: The Kissing Booth. After being turned down by every gay and straight man he knows, Granger does the unthinkable and hires the pros at Valentine’s Inc. to send him the perfect fake boyfriend to man the booth. The problem now is how to explain the gorgeous man kissing the mayor’s lips off is a Rent-A-Hunk!
Lennox MacArthur looks like a model straight off the cover of a Highland romance novel, kilt and all. When he’s hired by Granger to be his Valentine's weekend boyfriend and man the kissing booth for charity, he figures it will be an easy gig. He never counted on losing his heart to the awkwardly adorable reporter. His conundrum is that he’s kissing every cop, fireman, witch, bored housewife, and granny in town except the one man who stole his heart on sight.
When Granger mistakes Lennox’s true feelings for part of their fake boyfriends act, will it ruin his one chance at true love or will Granger land the man of his dreams if he sets aside his pride and takes his turn in line at the kissing booth?
Snow Daze
Dead Speak
A Little Lesson
Kissing Booth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)