 by Jayda Marx.jpg)
Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Cedric is a sweet soul who loves to take care of the people he’s close to. He’s a bit of a ‘mother hen’, fussing over his friends and making sure everyone is fed and happy. He’s as bright and bubbly as his pink hair, though a sassy streak runs deep within him.
When Fate puts him in the path of his mate, Cedric is quick to meet his needs, from keeping his man fed to boosting his confidence. But sweet Cedric has a need as well – he loves to spoil his mate, but he craves for a man to take control of his body and make him feel cherished in a very special way. His mate Asher is just the man for the job.
Asher, once a Dom-extraordinaire, is battling a bout of bad luck. He was laid off from his job and is having trouble finding employment. He’s being hard on his physical appearance, doubting his abilities, and his flirt game is all but non-existent. He hasn’t had the confidence to even approach a boy for some time.
But lucky for him, a sassy, beautiful boy approaches Asher one day, looking like an animal. Asher needs to dig deep, remember who he is, and trust his bubble-gum-pink-haired beauty to finally claim his forever happiness.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Cedric
“That…was…amazing!” Brandon cheered as our whole ragtag pride left the convention center, where we’d all attended a comic book convention.
We all dressed up as our favorite characters; Grady was dressed as Black Panther, Hunter was Batman, Felix went as Hulk while his twin brother Enzo dressed as Deadpool, and I was a gender-bender version of Starfire. My look was completed by my bubblegum pink hair, purple crop top, and thigh-high purple boots.
But the person who captured the most attention from all of the other comic book lovers was Talon, and that was because he demanded attention from everyone he came in contact with. But his reasons weren’t selfish.
Talon’s mate Brandon created a comic book series which featured a man named Zero who traveled the lands, talking to animal sidekicks and fighting for justice. All of us thought Brandon’s stories and artwork were fantastic, but of course no one was more impressed or proud than Talon.
Which is why he was dressed as Zero, and why he insisted that every person that walked by him in the convention center stopped and looked at his mate’s comic books (which he carried around in an oversized backpack).
At first, Brandon’s nerves were apparent; he was a little shy and backward, and probably embarrassed to have his mate flag down every passerby just to shove a book into their face. But his anxiety didn’t last long.
Soon, a horde of people were gathered around our little group, each of them eagerly reading Brandon’s comics and commenting on his artwork. The crowd begged for more stories, but, even as Brandon was reaching for the backpack to give them what they wanted, Talon informed them that they’d have to wait until the comics were published to get the rest of the storylines.
That kickstarted a whirlwind of events; a few of Brandon’s fans hurried to booths which held executives from comic book publishers to tell them about their great new find. Those executives approached Brandon and asked to see his work, which in turn attracted more executives to come see what all the fuss was about.
In the end, there was a multi-executive crowd, all bidding for Brandon’s attention and business. My friend collected all of their business cards with promises of contacting each of them to hear their offers.
Brandon had a bright future ahead of him to do what he loved most. We were all so proud of him, but none more so than Talon. His chest was puffed out, he held his head high, and he couldn’t keep his hands off of his sweet mate.
“You were amazing,” Talon corrected before placing a kiss on Brandon’s puffy hair.
“You truly were,” Grady offered with a smile. “I’m so happy for you and I know you will accomplish great things. I believe a celebration is in order.”
Enzo flashed a devilish grin. “Hell yeah! I could definitely go for a night out at Pride Place.” It was the nightclub owned by our pride, and where we’d all spent a few wild nights, but I knew that it wasn’t Brandon’s typical scene. He was more of a homebody like me. Granted, I had my own wild side that few knew about, but I also enjoyed the simple things.
“Tonight is all about Brandon,” I insisted to Enzo and his twin brother Felix, who were already high-fiving at the thought of a ruckus party. “He should decide what we do.”
Brandon gave me a grateful look before replying, “The crowd was a little overwhelming in there. If no one minds, I think I’d prefer a relaxing celebration at home with all of you.” Everyone, including Felix and Enzo, voiced their agreement. More than anything, we all wanted what was best for our friend.
“In that case, I’ll make you a special dinner.” Brandon smiled at my offer. “I’ll just need to stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things.” With the way the pride ate, I could barely keep our cabinets stocked with food.
Hunter raised his eyebrows in question. “Don’t you want to stop and change clothes before you go to the store?”
I gave him an indignant look and propped my hand on my hip. “And why would I do that? I look amazing.”
Enzo snorted a laugh. “Well, you can’t argue with that. Can we get going, though? I’m starving.” I wasn’t surprised in the least to hear that. We all nodded and loaded into the caravan of SUVs we took for pride outings.
Instead of the grocery store near pride lands where I usually shopped, the caravan stopped at a large supermarket in the heart of downtown, close to the convention center.
My heart fluttered when we pulled into the parking lot. Maybe it was strange, but I always got a little thrill when I got to explore a new market. I loved cooking and taking care of my friends, so finding new ingredients or a larger selection made me positively giddy. I’d never felt this excited about a store before however, but I figured it was from the sheer size of the shop.