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EXCERPT:

"I was wondering if you knew where I might find Cade."

Stan simply stared.

"Your, uh, hired man?" Ethan said stupidly. The fellow knew who Cade was. He just wasn't being very forthcoming that morning. "I broke the lock on my suitcase and thought he might have the right tool I could use..." He's got a tool I want to use, all right. Ethan smiled hopefully.

Stan nodded towards the beach side of the property. "He has one more hedge to trim. I think he said he'd finish it today. Should be out there."

"Thanks." Ethan refilled his paper cup and snapped the lid into place. He strolled through the dining room then wandered outside to the backyard.

Cade was exactly where Stan had suggested and looked as sexy as he had the day before. He reached over his head, using both hands to work the manual clippers and trim the tall hedge. The muscles in his back rippled with each snip, giving Ethan a fine view of the man who seemed to like wearing only cut-off jeans.

Ethan watched for a moment, hating to interrupt but afraid his erection would become noticeable if he ogled the stud for much longer. "Good morning," he managed, stepping around a concrete bench to get closer. At that moment, he wished he truly did have a broken suitcase lock.

Cade stopped trimming and turned towards him. His face showed a flicker of interest before he smiled pleasantly. "Morning."

"Another gorgeous day." Ethan looked around. "You do a wonderful job around here. Everything looks to be in top shape."

Using his forearm to wipe a trickle of sweat from his brow, Cade shrugged. "It's not hard. This is a fantastic place."

"It's got a quirky name, but the inn seems great."

Cade's smile broke into a full-fledged grin. "You think our seal pup is quirky? I'm rather fond of the little guy. He garners lots of attention. A real conversation starter with the guests, too." He sighed. "I really like it here. I'd hate to think about moving on if the inn gets a new owner."

"I'd hate that, too," Ethan mumbled, then realised he'd spoken out loud. "I mean, you just seem to know the grounds so well. I'm sure the new owner would value an employee like you." I sure as hell would. I'd value bending you over that bench behind me and fucking you senseless.

Cade shrugged again. "I guess time will tell. So, did you sleep all right?"

"I did. Had a little run-in with another guest around midnight. Little girl and her music box. I told myself I was lucky she wasn't into rap music."

"Another guest?" Cade's eyebrows rose.

"Yeah. I'd thought the only other person here was an older woman, but I saw her daughter last night. Or maybe it was her granddaughter."

Cade smiled. "Mrs. Nelson lives by herself. No grandkids."

Ethan was confused. "But the child - "

"I guess you met Laura. Didn't take her long to make herself known. She must like you."

"Laura?" Ethan blinked.

A big grin spread over Cade's handsome face. "She's one of our spirits."

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EXCERPT:

Nick patted Adam's back, just above his ass. "Crawl over and kneel in front of Mitch. Show him how it feels to have someone submit to him."

Adam's heart beat wildly. Is he serious? Submit to Mitch? He looked at his former lover, into the man's eyes which had captivated him for a good part of his early adulthood. He'd loved Mitch with all his heart. Adam had known things weren't perfect in their relationship when he'd started his new job and his schedule had changed. He'd never dreamed Mitch would leave rather than staying to work it out.

He looked up at Nick. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

Nick shrugged. "Really? Most of my ideas are next to brilliant. On your knees as instructed, please."

Adam could hear the teasing tone in Nick's voice, but he wasn't sure to what extent the man was joking. He got to his knees and remained in place.

The second bout of hesitation earned him a firm slap on his ass.

"Hey!" The sting of embarrassment hurt worse than the spank.

Through gritted teeth, Nick smiled. "Crawl over and kneel in front of Mitch. You're making me look bad."

"Stop!" Mitch exclaimed. "I don't want this. Adam, stand up."

Adam glanced from Mitch back to Nick. He had a history with the former, but time had passed. Nick was his present and hopefully his future. I'd do anything for Nick. "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master." Head down, he crawled until he knelt before Mitch.

"I told you, I don't want this," Mitch hissed. "Stand up and be a man!"

Nick stood, and Adam felt the imposing presence behind him. "Make no mistake, he's all man, cowboy. Submission doesn't take away masculinity, more like enhances it. I have the utmost respect for Adam. I also enjoy keeping him in line. If you ask him, I'm positive he'll tell you he enjoys it, too."

"I'm not going to ask him," Mitch fumed. "And I'm not going to do this. You're a self-centred bastard who gets off controlling people, and I refuse to have any part of it. You might have brainwashed Adam into thinking this is what he wants, but you'll never dominate me."

Adam heard the low rumble of Nick's soft chuckle. "Never say never, cowboy. I think we might come to an understanding, yet."

"Oh, yeah?" Mitch stepped backwards towards the door. "Well, I think you're fucking nuts. I'm outta here." He glanced down at Adam on the floor. "Get up. Don't be a pussy."

He left, slamming the door behind him.

Adam's heart echoed the thud that seemed to shake the walls. He wasn't firmly invested in Mitch any more, but he hated to see him leave in such an aggravated state.

"Turn around," Nick said softly.

On his knees, Adam turned towards his Master.

A wide grin split Nick's face. "He's a fiery one, your cowboy. Should make for some good times once we get him corralled."

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EXCERPT:

Cullen Ryder stared at the TV in the homicide detective bullpen at his station house. Bernard Houtz, media spokesman for the chief of the Chicago Police Department, was giving a press conference outside city hall.

"We don't have any suspects at this time, but I can't go into further detail."

The small group of officers surrounding the set murmured various comments, while their captain folded his arms across his uniformed chest. "We've called you down here to tell you we have nothing to tell you." He looked at Ryder with a wry smile. "He could have put out a press release, but no."

Ryder nodded and glanced back at the TV. Houtz was fielding questions in his own, inimitable style.

A well made-up blonde with a large microphone addressed the spokesman. "This makes ten murders. Are you saying the police don't have any leads on the identity of the South Side Cleaner?"

The media crowd snickered, and Houtz raised his hands to quiet them. "The Chief does not think labelling this person the 'South Side Cleaner' is a good idea. To clarify, the Chicago Police Department is giving full attention to this matter. Effective immediately, the Chief has assigned top agents from an elite Special Task Force to the case."

"Excuse me?" Ryder looked at his captain. "What 'Special Task Force'?"

Captain Grainger took Ryder by the arm and motioned towards his office at the end of the large room. "Let's talk."

"Fuck me." Ryder ran a hand through his shaggy mop of brown hair.

"Calm down." Grainger guided him into the office. He closed the door and pointed to a chair.

Ryder sat. "This is my case. I've made some headway. My team is interviewing local business owners as we speak."

"I was going to tell you about the task force. I'm not taking you off the case. You'll be working with them."

"With them or for them?" Ryder glanced through the large office window overlooking the bullpen and spotted three men in suits entering the station. The last two he'd never seen, but even though they'd never actually met, he recognized the large, black man in front. Trevor Stone. "No. Please don't tell me that's the task force."

Grainger followed his gaze. "Trevor Stone, the one in front, is the only guy I know. The other two he brought with him."

"Fuck me twice," Ryder muttered.