Caution: Contents Under Pressure (MM)
Haven 1

Professional Reviews

"With the ousting of a corrupt coven leader the Redway Clan is now under the leadership of Enforcer Stavion Shogard. Leading the Enforcers is something Stavion excelled at, but handling an entire coven is entirely different. The clan is a mess, their home is a nasty mausoleum, and there is proof that the previous regime trafficked in paranormal slavery. Discovering a large group of slaves underneath a dilapidated cabin on the far edge of their property sickens Stavion and his Enforcers because of their condition. They were starved, beaten, and filthy, surviving on rats and bugs until their timely rescue. Among the group is one small broken man who sets off all of Stavion’s protective instincts, his mate. His life hasn’t been something to brag about, however Jory Lahman never gave up hoping for something better. Jory and his friends are rescued, but it’s going to take time to recover from the trauma they’ve been through. Knowing that Stavion is his mate is a comfort on one hand and difficult to deal with on the other because of everything that Jory dealt with. Stavion will wait as long as it takes for Jory to come to him. It’s a long road to a healthy relationship but at least they can do it together. Complex and entertaining, Caution: Contents Under Pressure brings flawed characters together with patience and love. Stavion is as honorable as they come, while Jory is an embattled emotionally scarred mate. Their story is memorable and special. Readers will have to pay attention because there are several plotlines and a very large cast of characters to keep track of as Caution: Contents Under Pressure plays out. This is one romance bursting at the seams." -- Lisa, Joyfully Reviewed

Excerpt

STORY EXCERPT

Huddling on the bed, Jory drew his knees up to his chest and pressed as far into the headboard as he could go. No one had tried to hurt him or force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, but they were just so damn big! He’d never seen men so big before.

He was free of his dark, cold, and terrifying prison. He’d been given his own room with a comfortable bed and real food to eat. They’d even allowed him to bathe and given him clean clothes to wear.

He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

While he hadn’t had the greatest life growing up, he’d always thought his parents loved him. And maybe they did. Apparently, they loved money more, though. He hadn’t always been a slave, forced to do the bidding of his “masters” or risk severe punishment. His parents had sold him when he was fourteen—on his birthday. He dared anyone to name a shittier birthday gift. 

His bedroom door creaked open, and a big man he hadn’t seen before stepped into his room. Jory’s entire body shook violently, and he tightened his arms around his knees. This was it. This was where they forced him into the basement or chained him up outside like a dog.

“Hello, little one.” The man’s voice was deep, rich, and silky smooth. He spoke softly, gently, and didn’t move any farther into the room. “I’m Stavion, leader here for all intents and purposes.”

Jory couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. His heart hammered loudly, and the air caught in his constricted airway. Moving his mouth, he tried to force sound through his lips, knowing the consequences for disobedience and rudeness.

Stavion took a step toward the bed, and Jory finally made a sound. He whimpered. Panic clawed at his insides, but fear paralyzed him. He didn’t like this. How was he supposed to keep himself out of trouble if they didn’t tell him what they expected from him? Why were they pretending to be so nice to him?

“Do you have a name?” Stavion still spoke quietly, his voice steady and even.

“J–Jory, sir.”

“You can call me Stavion, not sir. You are free now, Jory. You have no master and can do as you like. Do you have family? I could call them for you.”

Stavion took another step forward, slow and deliberate in his movement, but it didn’t scare Jory quite so much this time. “No. My family doesn’t want me.”

A look passed over the big vampire’s face that Jory couldn’t name, and he was terrified that he’d said something wrong. Lifting his head, staring into Stavion’s eyes, he opened his mouth to plead for mercy when the most intoxicating scent hit him like a Mack truck.

His stomach tightened, his cock swelled, and his head swam from the warm, welcoming smell. Sniffing at the air, he leaned toward Stavion slightly without realizing he was doing it.

A deep rumble echoed around the room, emanating from Stavion’s curled lips. “Mine,” he growled, taking another jerky step forward.

The growl, the snarl on his lips broke the trance, and Jory yelped, scrambling backward until he felt nothing but air and somersaulted head over ass off the side of the mattress.

“Jory!” Stavion rushed around the bed, dropping to his knees and reaching out to touch him.

Crying out, Jory rolled away from the descending hand until he was scrunched beneath the high bed. Stavion didn’t yell or try to reach for him like Jory expected him to do. He just sat there, his face hidden from view for a long time. Then, very slowly, he rose to his feet and shuffled across the room.

“I would never hurt you, Jory,” Stavion said softly. “The sun is almost up, but I will come see you tonight. Please try to eat something and get some rest.”

Jory watched Stavion’s boots travel the rest of the way toward the door and disappear out of it before he finally released the breath he’d been holding. Curling up on his side, he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he thought over what had just happened.

 ADULT EXCERPT

Though Stavion’s brain still rebelled, his body apparently had a mind of its own and no qualms about what was happening. His hands roamed Jory’s body, his tongue pillaged the sweet depths of his mate’s mouth, and his cock swelled to the point of pain—all without his consent.

The sweet, throaty moans slipping past Jory’s lips spurred him on until the line between what he wanted and what he felt to be right blurred then faded away altogether. 

Lost in the delicious taste and heavenly scent of his mate, Stavion didn’t immediately realize that his weren’t the only hands that were roaming. Jory was sneaky, not to mention quick, and had his jeans undone and Stavion’s cock out before he could even think to form a protest. When those soft, slender fingers wrapped around his throbbing length and gave him a nice, long stroke, he knew he was done for.

“You need to get me ready,” Jory mumbled against the sensitive skin of his throat.

“Okay.” Stavion’s brain shut down, and his body took complete control, moving on instinct as he pulled out the desk drawer beside him and extracted a small bottle of lube.

“You keep lube in your office?” There was surprise, and maybe a little amusement, in Jory’s voice.

Stavion didn’t even have enough operating brain cells left to be embarrassed. “I find myself thinking about you a lot lately,” he explained distractedly. “I can’t always get away from my office.”

“Oh, I like that,” Jory purred. Leaning back on the desk, he propped himself up on his elbows and smirked. Then his feet came up to rest beside his pert ass on the desktop, opening him to Stavion’s hungry gaze.

When Jory spread his knees wide, his cheeks parting to reveal his fluttering pink entrance, Stavion whimpered pathetically. How was he supposed to be strong against such blatant invitation? How could he turn away from a sight so beautiful? “You’re going to kill me.”

“Stavion, I need you to stop thinking now.” There was hesitancy in Jory’s voice that had Stavion’s eyes snapping up to meet his mate’s.

Jory might be acting all bold and slutty, but that was all it was—an act. The uncertainty in his eyes, the quiet quivering of his body, even the way he chewed on his lower lip, told Stavion that his little man was just as nervous as he was. It was time for Stavion to man up and take control of the situation.

“I won’t let you fall,” he promised quietly as he slicked his fingers. “Just tell me if it’s too much, and we’ll stop any time, no questions asked.”

After sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Jory nodded. “I’m ready for this.”

Tenderly, with more care than he’d ever shown to a lover, Stavion caressed the tight pucker, ringing the muscles and coaxing them to relax for him. Watching Jory’s eyes for any signs of discomfort or distress, he inserted the tip of one finger, slowly easing it into his mate’s heated passage.

Jory’s skin flushed beautifully, a soft pink tinge peeking out from under the glistening sheen of sweat that coated him. His head dropped back to the table, his fingers dug into the back of his thighs, and his muscles jumped and flexed. His blond curls floated around his face like a halo, his nipples stood erect, and the hard cock between his legs jerked with each lazy glide of Stavion’s finger.

Stavion’s own cock pulsed and wept, his skin tingled, and his heart raced frantically inside his chest. Grabbing his own desire by the throat and body-slamming it to the back burner, he focused on Jory and bringing him as much pleasure as possible.

When the clenching sphincter began to loosen, yielding its grasp on Stavion’s finger, he carefully inserted a second. Jory whimpered and mewled, tossing his head back and forth against the gleaming mahogany of the desk. “Please, Stavion!”

“You’re not ready yet, sweetheart.” Stavion’s body began to vibrate with the effort he exerted to hold himself back. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt or frighten his lover, though.

By the time he had three fingers pumping into Jory’s snug hole, his little mate was making the most delectable sounds. With a bit of coordination, Stavion managed to grab the lube and slick his aching cock with one hand. Once he had the turgid flesh coated from root to crown, he eased his fingers from Jory’s twitching channel.

Leaning forward to cover Jory’s body, he urged his lover’s legs around his waist as he slid one hand beneath Jory’s slim body and the other came up to caress his face. The tip of his cock nudged against Jory’s opening, finding its way without any guidance from Stavion.

“Are you ready, baby?”

Jory’s eyelids fluttered open, and a serene smile danced over his lips. “Make me yours.”

“You were always mine.” Then Stavion pushed inside, inching forward and sheathing his dick in the tight heat of Jory’s body.

The connection was instant, the pleasure overwhelming, and loud, feral growls erupted from his heaving chest. Nothing he’d ever faced had prepared him for the feelings that exploded inside him at finally being joined with his mate.

Unfortunately, they all seemed to have a direct line to his cock.

“This isn’t going to last long,” he said by way of apology.

“Almost there now,” Jory agreed. “Fuck, you feel amazing.”

Sweet heavens, that was an understatement. Stavion didn’t even have words for what he was feeling. His thrusts began erratically, jerky and off rhythm. It never got any better, either. Jory seemed to be right there with him, though, writhing and moaning, his head thrashing from side to side against the desktop.

“Please, please, please,” Jory begged. His small hand fisted in Stavion’s hair and jerked his head down, urging his mouth to Jory’s throat. “I want this.”