A Perfect Moment Read online

  

  Fever's Edge 3

  A Perfect Moment

  [Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Alternative, Paranormal, Werewolves, MM, HEA]

  Nothing seemed to be going right for Trey. This was his fourth job in six months, and he was desperate to keep it. Not only was he struggling with the fact that he’d received an eviction notice, but he was still fearful after witnessing men turning into Rottweilers and then turning into dust. Something wasn’t right in his world, and his headaches were getting worse. While standing outside his job, he runs into the hottest guy he has ever laid eyes on, and Ben is determined to make Trey his.

  Ben couldn’t believe he’d run into his mate outside Cute Cuddles Pet Emporium. Trey was gorgeous, and Ben was determined to win his mate over. Let the wooing begin. Unfortunately, someone from Ben’s past has come to town, hellbent on revenge. Manny had already slaughtered half of Ben’s pack five years ago, and now he wants to finish what he started. It’s up to Ben to keep Trey out of the mess, but fate has other plans.

  Length: 30,000 words

  A PERFECT MOMENT

  Fever's Edge 3

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  A Perfect Moment

  Copyright © 2021 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-328-4

  First Publication: January 2021

  Cover design by Jess Buffett

  All art and logo copyright © 2021 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  A PERFECT MOMENT

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  A PERFECT MOMENT

  Fever's Edge 3

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2021

  Chapter One

  Treyvon Victor. There. He’d signed his name on the dotted line and now he was an official employee of Cute Cuddles Pet Emporium, the local pet store. It wasn’t exactly what Trey wanted, but the job would pay his bills since he’d been fired from Cresting Moon, a restaurant a block over.

  Trey had actually liked working at the open-air restaurant, but he suffered from migraines, and at times, they debilitated him. He’d missed three days of work and hadn’t gone to the doctor for a note because he had no insurance, so Clark, his boss, had fired him.

  “Until you get the swing of things, you’ll be working with Nando Tate. You’ll be responsible for keeping the cages and enclosures clean, sweeping the store, and stocking the shelves. We’re a small family-owned business, and we take pride in how our store looks,” Mr. Samuel Chesnee said. “Do you think you can handle those responsibilities?”

  Cleaning? This job would be a breeze. He stuck his hand out and shook Samuel’s beefy one. “I’ll give it my all,” Trey said.

  Trey looked down into the pen of puppies in the center of the store, and god, he wanted to adopt them all. They were so cute, their tails wagging, yapping like crazy as they tried, but failed, to get out.

  The store was neat and clean, free of clutter, and smelled like wood chips. On the left were shelves filled with products to sell, and on the right were rows and rows of cages and glass tanks.

  “Good, now I’m off. Just follow what Nando tells you, and if you have any problems, my cell number is on a piece of paper by the computer.”

  Trey noticed the only other employee in the shop flip Samuel off as the owner walked out. Nando had caramel-colored skin, silky black hair, and was short and thin like Trey. He had pretty green eyes that sparkled under the lighting of the shop.

  “Don’t let his spiel fool you. The guy only cares about money,” Nando said. “He’s fired three guys in the past five weeks, just so you know.”

  “Why’d they get fired?” Trey’s gaze kept straying to the puppy enclosure. He wanted to climb in and pet them all.

  “According to our boss, because they were lazy. But I know the truth. He made passes at them, and they refused him. One guy clocked Mr. Pervert right on the jaw.”

  Great. And here Trey thought he’d have things easy. Just as long as Samuel didn’t make any advances toward him, things should be fine. Trey would just try his damnedest not to be alone with his boss.

  “Hasn’t anyone reported him?” Trey walked around the shop, looking into cages and tanks. He grimaced when he saw snakes. They had those beady eyes, forked tongues that grossed him out, and were slimy. No way was he touching them.

  “Sheriff Powell used to run this town,” Nando said, as if he thought Trey was new to Fever’s Edge. “He disappeared one night and hasn’t resurfaced. No one knows what happened to him.”

  Trey froze and stared at the cage filled with mice as haunting memories flashed through his mind. Deandre had been there. Trey had just met the guy that day, and he had some buddies with him. What had struck Trey as odd was the fact that Deandre and his friends had squared off with some gigantic dogs.

  But…they hadn’t started out as dogs. That was the part Trey had a hard time wrapping his brain around. The men had transformed into Rottweilers. The biggest he’d ever seen. Trey had been on his way home from his dad’s house. He’d seen the fight but had hidden out of sight to watch.

  The dogs had been stabbed, and then they’d turned into dust. Poof. Like an oversized balloon filled with sand had been popped.

  A tiny headache started in the back of Trey’s skull at the memory. He’d tried many ways to spin what had happened, but nothing had made any sense. There was no way men could turn into animals. There was no way an animal exploded into a pile of dust when stabbed.

  Yet, Trey had witnessed it firsthand.

  “Hey, new guy?”

  Trey turned and gave Nando a tight smile while praying another migraine wasn’t starting. “Yes?”

  “Since you are the new guy, the cages need cleaning. I’m gonna make a few phone calls in the back. Let me know if you need help.”

  Trey stared dumbfounded at Nando as the guy walked into the backroom. No one had shown him a thing, where the supplies were kept, or…anything. Trey had no clue what to do or where to even begin.

  He squeezed his eyes closed when pain on the left side of his head sta
rted. No, not today. Not on his first day at his new job. Trey couldn’t afford to get fired. His bills were already piling up. He needed a steady paycheck.

  Trey walked outside and pressed his palm into the brick building, trying to suck in some fresh air. It was as if an unseen hand was squeezing his head, making it throb.

  “Trey, you all right?”

  Trey blinked several times, trying to will his headache to go away as he turned and smiled at Fire Chief Dalton Knowles. The extremely tall guy had always been nice to Trey whenever they ran into each other.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Trey’s gaze swung to the stranger with Dalton. Holy Christ on a cracker! Trey was instantly in lust. The stranger wasn’t as tall as Dalton, but he was over six feet. He had muscles that made Trey want to drool and pretty, kind brown eyes.

  “Who’s your friend?” Trey asked.

  Dalton waved a hand at the guy. “This is Bennet Kincaid, but everyone calls him Ben. He owns Budding Sensation floral shop two blocks over.”

  Ben did not seem the type to work with flowers. He was too tall, too masculine, too roguish-looking, like he should have been been a mechanic or a firefighter like Dalton was.

  Or maybe even a pirate.

  “This is Treyvon Victor,” Dalton said to Ben. “He—”

  “Works right here.” Trey pointed at the window behind him. “I’m just taking a break.”

  “Another migraine?” Dalton brows were furrowed.

  It seemed a lot of people knew about Trey’s condition. They ought to. He’d had four jobs—including this one—in the past several months. The last three employers had fired him because of his missed days. Trey couldn’t afford to go to a doctor, so he was forced to just suffer through them.

  He’d been surprised Samuel had given him a chance considering he was Clark’s cousin.

  Trey’s ex-boss from Cresting Moon.

  “No, I’m fine.” Trey was tired of everyone looking at him with pity. He didn’t want to be perceived as weak, especially not in front of Ben. That was the problem with living in a small town. Everyone knew everyone’s business. Trey was trying hard to make everyone think his headaches had miraculously gone away. He was tired of people calling him Headache Boy.

  Trey was twenty-six years old, far from a boy, and the nickname was less than flattering.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Ben’s dirty-blond brows were knitted together. “You don’t look so hot.”

  Trey was relieved when the pain started to ease. The sun was no longer too bright, and he wasn’t nauseous anymore. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  Now he would go back inside and figure out how to do his job.

  “We’re on our way to lunch,” Dalton said. “Let me know if you need anything, Trey.”

  Trey waved at them as they walked away, but he noticed how Ben was staring back at him with a curious look on his handsome face. What he wouldn’t do to have a guy like that. Were Dalton and Ben dating? The fire chief was one lucky guy if they were.

  Then again, both men would make anyone happy. Trey had known Dalton since he’d moved to Fever’s Edge, and he was a good catch—sexy, sweet, kind, and he had an infectious laugh.

  What was Ben like? Trey wanted to find out, but the guy was way out of his league. Trey would have better luck trying to date Nando, which wasn’t an option considering Nando wasn’t his type and Trey didn’t date coworkers.

  Trey liked his men mountainous. Like Ben. He wanted to climb that mountain and stake his claim.

  “Dream on,” he muttered to himself.

  Trey turned, about to head back into the store, when he nearly collided with Clark.

  “I see you hoodwinked my cousin into hiring you.” Clark’s lip was curled and his muddy brown eyes narrowed. “I told him you were a lost cause, but he never listens to me.”

  What in the hell was Clark’s problem? Other than Trey missing days at work, Clark had never uttered anything bad toward him. Now suddenly Clark looked at Trey as if he were an enemy infiltrating his cousin’s business.

  “Is there a problem?”

  Trey spun and gasped when he saw Ben towering over him, damn near blocking out the sun. “What’re you doing back here?”

  Ben glared at Clark but spoke to Trey. “I forgot to get your phone number.”

  What? This couldn’t be real. Had Trey passed out on the sidewalk and was dreaming this? No one that sexy had ever given Trey the time of day, let alone asked for his phone number.

  Clark mumbled something before he stormed away. Trey still had no idea what the guy’s problem was and didn’t care. He was just thankful Ben had scared him off.

  “Was that guy harassing you?” Ben looked over his shoulder and watched as Clark rounded the corner and disappeared before he turned his attention back to Trey.

  “He’s an ex-boss that was acting like a jerk.” Trey looked around, suddenly feeling nervous around Ben. The guy was smoking hot and Trey had no clue what to say to him now that they were alone. “Um… Where’s Dalton?”

  “I told him I’d catch up with him.” Ben’s smile was brighter than the sun. There was nothing sexier than a gorgeous smile with brilliant white teeth. “So, can I get those digits?”

  “Why?” The word had come out before Trey could catch it.

  “Maybe I want to take you out for drinks or dinner or just talk to you.” Ben folded his arms over his broad chest—a chest Trey wouldn’t mind caressing with his tongue. “Why is that so shocking?”

  Now it wasn’t Trey’s head that was pounding, but his heart. “Uh, sure.”

  Ben pulled out his phone. “Hit me with those digits.”

  Trey rattled off his number, wondering what other dimension he’d stepped into. He didn’t consider himself butt ugly, but he wasn’t at Ben’s caliber, either.

  “Okay, now take down my number.” Ben’s voice was almost commanding, as if he expected Trey to do as he was told. And Trey did. He pulled out his cell and put Ben’s number into his phone.

  “Got it.” Trey still felt as if he was in some sort of weird dream.

  “What time do you get off work?” Ben tucked his phone into his back pocket, and Trey damn near drooled at the way the guy’s muscles flexed.

  “Six.”

  “I’ll call you.” Ben winked at Trey before he walked away.

  Trey was lightheaded and smiling like an idiot when he strode back into the store.

  * * * *

  “Not bad, new guy.” Nando had walked through the store, checking out everything Trey had done.

  It wasn’t as if the job was hard. Time consuming, yes. Some of the puppies had almost run out the store, but Trey had managed not to lose any. Also, Trey’s attention was split because he couldn’t stop thinking about Ben.

  It was nearly six, and the closer it was for Trey to clock out, the more his heart raced. He’d never had anyone that good-looking interested in him. Come to think of it, he couldn’t think of a time, ever, when someone wanted to pick him up for a date.

  A date? Was that what this was? Wait. No. Ben had said he would call when Trey got off work. How had he gotten that mixed up in his head?

  Trey clocked out and left, heading to his apartment. It was a little after six, and so far Ben hadn’t called him. God, was he that thirsty that he was on pins and needles, thinking Ben had changed his mind?

  “It’s no big deal if he doesn’t call,” Trey said to himself as he walked home.

  It was a longshot that someone as hot as Ben was even interested in him. He wasn’t going to set himself up for disappointment. In fact, Trey forced thoughts of Ben out of his mind as he climbed the steps to his apartment door.

  He froze when he saw the paper tacked to his door. Trey knew right away what it was and cursed as he snatched the paper down and let himself in.

  An eviction notice.

  He’d thought he had more time. Trey had talked to his landlord, had explained his situation, and Delvin had acted as though he understood, saying he would give Trey time
to pay, knowing that Trey had had a hard time when it came to keeping a job.

  Now he was staring at a thirty-day notice.

  He wasn’t going to panic, though he already lived in the cheapest apartments in town. It wasn’t as if he could ask one of his friends to help him. Trey had very few, and they were about as broke as he was.

  Two still lived at home with their parents.

  He set the notice down on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to heat up some leftover meatloaf and creamy chicken noodles. As he watched the timer countdown, he kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to panic.

  He was not going to panic.

  Trey had been in tougher situations since his mother had passed away and he no longer had that safety net. He’d lived three weeks without electricity because he couldn’t pay the bill. He’d also gone hungry some nights, too.

  Now there was a possibility he could be homeless.

  Trey walked out of the kitchen, no longer hungry. He dropped onto the couch, staring at the notice like it would jump up and bite his face off.

  He was so lost in thought that he nearly jerked from the couch when his phone rang. He swallowed roughly, wondering if it was his landlord calling to make sure Trey had gotten the notice.

  A headache started in his temples as he looked at the screen. It wasn’t Delvin.

  It was Ben.

  Trey wasn’t even sure he wanted to talk to the hot stud right now, but he answered anyway. “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Ben,” he said. “Sorry about not calling you sooner. I had a big rush I had to take care of.”

  What was he talking about? Oh! Flowers. Ben owned the floral shop. “Last-minute shotgun wedding?”

  Ben’s laugh was deep and rich and slid through Trey like a warm caress. The sound made Trey’s breath catch. “Can’t say I’ve ever had that opportunity. It was just someone who wanted fresh flowers around her house. How was your day?”