One night. Rough, dirty, and so hot, it was a wonder the barn didn’t burn down from the heat they generated.

If Stone Jameson were writing a letter to his younger self, it would go something like Don’t waste time leaving. You have everything you’ll ever want already.

Unfortunately, Stone didn’t have the ability to warn his younger self, nor could he get the last fifteen years of his life back. He could, however, return to the last place he’d experienced real happiness—his hometown of Coyote Ridge.

It takes mere days for him to realize that all the years he spent trying to forget the night that had altered his perception of himself were in vain. It takes a single glimpse of what he left behind to bring it all the potent attraction, the intense connection, and the longing permanently etched in his soul.

Getting absolution for his mistakes might be impossible, but when a second chance presents itself, Stone knows that determination and persistence are the only tools he needs to build the solid foundation he’s seeking.

Excerpt

©Nicole Edwards 2024

“Oh, for the love of—” Stone Jameson rolled over and covered his head with a pillow.

It didn’t help. Not even two pillows could drown out his sister’s voice when she was excited. And heaven help them all, Reilly was evidently really excited about whatever the hell she just found. On a good day—and the jury was out on whether this one would be—Stone was a steadfast member of the Reilly is adorable fan club. At the moment, he wanted to cover her head with the damn pillow.

For fuck’s sake.

“There better be coffee,” he grumbled, tossing off the blankets and sitting up. He dropped his feet to the floor and wiped the sleep from his eyes so he could glance at his watch.

“Seven fucking thirty. Seriously, Reilly?”

Pushing to his feet, Stone took a single step and tripped over his damn boots. He fell against the desk, knocking his hip on the corner.

“Fuuuuck!” he hissed through gritted teeth.

Nope. Uh-uh. Not how his day was gonna go.

Stone turned around, stepped over his boots, crawled back into bed, yanked the blankets up to his neck, and covered his head one more time. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He listened for a moment and heard … nothing.

Maybe she left.

He took another deep breath and continued to hear blessed silence.

“Good girl, Reilly,” he mumbled as his eyes closed. “Go to Mom’s … have some breakfast … let me…” He yawned and instantly drifted off.

A delighted squeal jolted him out of that lingering hazy bliss. He shot up, grabbed the pillow with both hands and twisted hard, clenching his teeth to keep from shouting.

Deep breath in through his nose, out through his mouth.

“Sleep’s overrated anyway,” he muttered as he got to his feet again. This time, he managed to remain upright, kicking his boots aside with a grunt and ignoring the tightness in his back.

This was not how he saw the first day of the rest of his life going. Considering he’d pulled into town at the ass-crack of dawn, he should still be asleep. That had been the plan. Sleep for a few hours, then unload the trailer he’d hauled up from Houston. Only as soon as he walked inside, he realized the latter would have to wait until he helped Reilly and Tate move their shit out. Now it looked like sleep was out of the question, too, which meant the only thing left to do was to start moving shit. At least then he’d be able to sleep in his own damn bed. King-sized. With a pillow top. And pillows that weren’t made of fucking air.

What grown man thought it was normal to sleep in a full-size bed? Yeah, Tate was smaller than the average man, but seriously? Stone’s damn feet had hung off the end. And that was when he laid on his side and bent his damn knees. Anyone over six feet needed a mattress at least as long as they were.

Tonight would be better. He’d have his bed set up and all his—

He was about to open the bedroom door when he realized he was naked.

Well, hell.

If it’d been a regular day—one that didn’t involve waking up with other people in his house—he would’ve wandered out with his dick swinging. He didn’t give a shit.

But that was not cool when his baby sister was there. And not because he thought it would embarrass Reilly. Oh, no. It took far more than naked bits to make his sassy kid sister’s cheeks turn red. No, it was for his own protection because, with his luck, Reilly would start calling him by some stupid nickname like Buck or Whitey or whatever else her crazy mind could dream up to make fun of his pasty white ass.

Turning back, Stone grabbed his jeans off the back of the chair he’d tossed them on less than two hours ago. He tugged them on, zipped them up. He didn’t bother with the button since he was only going a short distance to the bathroom to take care of business. He snagged a shirt at the last second, figuring it was in everyone’s best interest if he didn’t have to answer unnecessary questions. No doubt, if his sister saw his tattoos, she would have them.

“Mornin’, Stone!” Reilly called when he came out of the room that still contained everything Tate owned in it.

Stone grunted in response and kept going. There was no time for pleasantries. He had to take a piss.

He made it to the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind him. He scoped the room, shaking his head at all the shit that was supposed to be gone before today. Toothbrushes, curling irons, hair products. He glanced over his shoulder at the enormous walk-in shower. There was a damn pink puff hanging from the shower knob. Reilly’s or Tate’s?

The thought made him grin.

So much for them being moved out before he got to town.

Stone sauntered to the toilet, lifted the seat. He’d hoped that giving them three weeks’ notice would’ve been enough to ensure he didn’t have any obstacles to contend with when he arrived. Of course, when he originally thought he would have to move back, he’d expected to have to stay in the house with Mom and Dad. It was pure luck that Reilly and Tate were moving out, giving him a place of his own. At least until he could figure out what to do next.

He should’ve known Reilly would procrastinate. She was good at that.

After flushing, he moved to the sink and looked in the mirror for the first time. Damn. He looked like shit. He needed a haircut in the worst way. He rubbed the dark scruff on his jaw. It needed a trim, too.

For all of three seconds he considered grabbing his toiletries bag but decided against it. He could deal with that this afternoon. After he was moved in and he wouldn’t have to rearrange everyone else’s shit just to shave his face.

A few minutes later, after he washed his hands, brushed his teeth with one of the new, unopened toothbrushes he found in the drawer, and splashed cold water on his face, Stone came out to find Reilly in the kitchen, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She flashed a smile and slowly pushed it toward him using the tip of one finger. She looked so sweet and so utterly innocent, but he knew better.

“A little sugar and a splash of milk,” she said, her long lashes fluttering.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t so bad. “Have I ever told you you’re my favorite?”

“I’m everyone’s favorite.” Reilly gave him that what-can-you-do? shrug. “But I like hearin’ it, so feel free to say it whenever I’m around.”

Stone chuckled. He’d missed his kid sister. Hell, he’d missed this entire town. A month ago, if anyone asked him if he had plans to return to Coyote Ridge, he would’ve said no. Then the shit hit the fan, and here he was, back in the small town he was born and raised in. Thirty-six years old, and he was starting over. From scratch.

“Did we wake you?”

Stone cocked an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee.

“Okay, fine. I know we woke you. It’s the least I could do on your first day back.”

“You realize I got in about two hours ago.”

Reilly flashed a guileless grin. “Well that was silly of you.”

Yes, apparently, it was. “It’s a day that ends in Y. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Probably.”

Stone waited for her to elaborate or possibly realize that no one was running the Jameson General Store if she was standing here in what used to be her kitchen but now belonged to him.

Reilly stared, those big green eyes glittering with mischief.

Fine. He’d bite. “So why aren’t you?”

“That’s my fault,” Tate announced, joining them in the kitchen. “I have today off, and I thought you weren’t gettin’ in until next week.”

Yeah, that had been the plan. But again, the shit hit the fan, and he’d put tires to asphalt.

“I wanted to get an early start,” Tate explained. “Thought we could have it cleared out before you got here.”

“Maybe if y’all’d started three weeks ago…”

They both looked at him as though they couldn’t fathom what that meant. Whatever. It was too damn early to debate this. Until he filled his tank with some high octane, he’d only go down swinging.

Stone shrugged. “Hope you don’t mind I slept in your bed.”

“Hope you changed the sheets,” Reilly said, mocking his tone.

Stone frowned.

Tate’s eyes widened, and he shook his head at Reilly, then looked his way. “Don’t listen to her. They’re clean.”

“So he says,” she drawled.

“Rye,” Tate admonished.

“What?” She’d certainly perfected that wide-eyed, innocent look. “You and D were gettin’ busy in that bed the last—”

“No!” Stone held up a hand. “No, no.” He shook his head and carried his coffee into the living room. “I don’t wanna hear about how anyone was gettin’ freaky in that bed with Donovan.”

“Oh, but they were,” Reilly said with far too much enthusiasm. “My noise-cancelin’ headphones couldn’t drown ’em out.”

Stone took a seat on the couch and glanced at Tate. The kid’s face was beet red. If he had to guess, Donovan thought that shit was adorable.

Never in his life would Stone have imagined his big brother settling down with Reilly’s best friend from childhood, yet that was exactly what they were doing. Not only were they shacking up together, they were getting married. Provided Tate accepted D’s proposal. According to Reilly, he would. One day. Probably.

Stone sipped his coffee and studied Tate. He would say yes eventually. Right?

His sleep-deprived brain decided that yes, Tate would get around to saying yes and walking down the aisle because, although Stone hadn’t been around much these past few years, something told him they were going to get their happily ever after. Donovan deserved it. They were an interesting pair, that was for damn sure.

Almost as interesting as Reilly and Brady. Stone never saw that one coming. Then again, he’d never thought of his sister as being old enough to settle down and get trapped in domesticated bliss.

“So, you think we could borrow your trailer?” Reilly asked, practically skipping into the living room.

“Sure,” he said, staring at her over his coffee mug. “Just as soon as you unload it.”

“What’s in there?”

“All my shit.”

“Oh.”

Yeah. Oh was right.

“What do ya need it for?” he inquired, still sipping coffee.

“To move our stuff.”

“D’s not springin’ for movers?” Stone asked Tate.

“He offered. I declined.”

“Well, that’s not fair,” Reilly said, hooking her hands on her hips. “Brady didn’t offer to move my stuff.”

“Probably figured you needed to earn your keep.” Stone gave her a mocking grin.

Reilly looked at him, her innocence shining brightly in her big green eyes. “No. I pretty much paid my dues last night when—”

“Nope!” Stone shouted, shooting to his feet. He sloshed coffee on his hand but ignored the sting from the heat. “Do not even think about finishin’ that sentence.”

Reilly giggled. “What? Will it offend your delicate sensibilities?”

“Yes,” he insisted, setting the coffee mug on the kitchen island and wiping his hand on his jeans. “Yes, it will.”

He heard them both laughing as he stomped toward the bedroom. It took him two minutes to pull on his belt and boots. Another minute to tuck his cell phone in his pocket and shrug on his coat.

When he returned, he found Tate and Reilly still laughing.

Stone pointed toward the door. “Out.”

“But—”

Continue reading this Excerpt here.

This book has a category of hotness all of its own!

We start Part I by going back fifteen years when Stone, Stevie, and Nico spend one incredible night together. These three have such amazing chemistry that it changes each of them after just one encounter. If I tell you that Stone is only 21 and Stevie and Nico are in their late teens and still in High School, would that change your thoughts on how Hot things can be? It shouldn't because HOT doesn't even come close to describing how amazing these three are together. Scorching...yes, that might be a better word to describe them.

Part II brings us to the current year: approximately fifteen years have passed since their one magnificent night, and Stone's is hightailing it out of town two days later. Now that he is back, he is determined to win back the love of Stevie and, hopefully, Nico. But it will be a long road and a lot of convincing to make that happen because so much damage was done when he left without looking back.

When I read a Nicole Edwards book, I knew I was getting some serious HEAT, and this one started right out of the gate, so be prepared for it. I don't think she held back on anything in this book; we have MF, MM, MMF, MFM, Toys, lots of different k1nky p0sitions, and soooooo much fun in and out of the bedroom.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy STEAMY Contemporary Romances, Second-Chance Romances, Small-Town Romances, Siblings' Best Friend Romances, Menage/Triad/Poly Romances, or Romances with cute little puppies. I would also recommend this book to those who have read the Alluring Indulgence Series, The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Series, or the Brantley Walker: Off the Books Series. (keep scrolling to see how you can read this series for free)

Happy Reading!!!

About the Author:

Nicole lives in Texas with her husband and their youngest of 3 children. The two older ones have ventured out in the world on their own. She has a beautiful granddaugther and a rather spoiled grand-puppy.. Oh, she and Colt also have four dogs. Most of the time, you can find her hiding in my writing cave. If she's not there, she's probably hanging out with the family, reading, or watching hockey and football. One thing for sure... Nicole is always trying to have fun.

Author Links:

*Book Teasers and Excerpt are the property of Nicole Edwards

#nadinebookaholic #bookaholic #nadinesobsessedwithbooks #bookblogger #blogpost #newrelease #booksofinstagram #bookish #booklover #bookcommunity #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #bookaddict #goodreads #bookworm #romancingqueens #romancestagram #bookrecommendations #romancereaders #spicyromance #steamyromance #roughanddirty #thejamesonsofcoyoteridge #nicoleedwards #walkerfamily #brantleywalkeroffthebooks