Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Read Online Books/Novels: | Rayne - True Lover's Stories |
|---|---|
Author/Writer of Book/Novel: | A.E. Via |
| Language: | English |
| Book Information: | |
He was the light to his darkness, the calm that broke through the storm. Mike Stockley has taken care of himself since he was thirteen years old. Growing up on his own made him smart; joining the Devil Wreckers gang made him dangerous. He learned how to read a man’s intent with one look in his eyes, and he knew how to change it with one swipe of his blade. Mike’s street knowledge and f**k-all attitude made him notorious. His frightening reputation made him Big Mike. Now at forty-eight, Mike has a successful landscaping business and is away from the gang lifestyle, but he kept the skills he learned and the mindset—meaning Mike is just as feared in the streets as he always was, making him a force to be reckoned with. But what it didn’t make him was relationship material. Mike is hot-tempered and quick to jump, but he’s capable of being talked down when he has the right person in his ear. Rayne Montgomery grew up on the right side of the tracks. He was used to having money and the finer things in life. But after being shunned by his high-class family for being gay, Rayne had to learn how to survive on his own. He has the looks, charm, the suave voice, and the body to get whatever he desires, and Rayne knows exactly what kind of man to con in order to get it. All destructive conditions come with challenges, and Rayne’s are no different. He knows he has to change his life but he’s terrified and lonely. With the help and support of his friend Wood, he knows he can beat this disease. He can stop making the same mistakes and live happily ever after as a recovered sex addict. Rayne just has to find a man strong enough to truly love him. The True Lover’s Series are connected standalones. Each title features a different couple but will contain previously mentioned characters. Note: This is the final book in the True Lover’s trilogy. There are no multiple pairings or cheating. No cliffhangers. Ends with a lovely HEA. This is a steaming angsty, age gap, new-to-love romance. Trigger: Mild violence | |
| Books by Author: | A.E. Via |
Chapter One
Mike
“Damn, it’s gettin’ hot as hell out here,” Mike told Manny, his best friend and business partner, as they began to wrap up their last property for the day. It was only late spring—it shouldn’t feel like eighty degrees already, but his sweat-drenched chest showed otherwise. Mike used the hem of his Stockley Lawn Service T-shirt to wipe the grime and perspiration off his forehead. “Have Jason finish unwrapping the palms, then let him know he can take the other truck back to the shop. Me, you, and Craig can finish the last of the mulching.”
Manny used their two-way radio to relay Mike’s instructions before he hauled a large bag of black mulch out of the truck bed and hefted it onto his shoulder. Mike did the same as they walked side by side toward the large flower bed framing the wraparound porch that was already blooming with new lilies. Mike’s landscaping company had been working Mr. Reynolds’s lawn for over four years, and Mike admitted it was one of his prouder properties that he displayed on his website to attract potential new customers. But Jim Reynolds was the best, always forthcoming with the compliments. He let Mike have creative control, and most of all, he paid them on time.
Mike turned toward the two-story house. Speaking of… “Have you seen the old man today?” he asked Manny before his gaze shifted to the tall bay windows on the back side of the house. It was where Mr. Reynolds would sit and drink his RumChata latte and read the Virginian-Pilot while they worked, but Mike just realized he hadn’t seen him at all today. Jim was the retired owner of the Delectable Cuts franchise. Now, his two daughters and son-in-law ran the business while Jim enjoyed the good life.
Manny dropped the bag on the ground and went to grab another. “Umm. I don’t think so.”
Mike’s stomach rumbled. He typically brought his lunch to work, but every other Thursday, he looked forward to the best damn submarine sandwiches on this side of the Mississippi. Around lunchtime, Mr. Reynolds always came out onto the porch and asked them what kind of cold cuts they wanted to eat since the man was never lacking a refrigerator full of meats.
“Both of his cars are out front, so he didn’t go to the Y to exercise,” Manny continued as Mike’s brain began to conjure up bad thoughts.
“Maybe he got a ride or someone picked him up,” Mike reasoned.
“Or not. I’ve never seen a friend or relative visit in the middle of the day since we’ve been coming here. Besides, Jim is always around when we work,” Manny answered.
Shit. That’s true.
“Damn… what if he’s in there and needs help? I saw a movie about an old woman living by herself. She was carrying a laundry basket down the stairs when she tripped and fell, and there was no one home to help her. She was just lying there crying, ‘Help me, help me, ’” Manny imitated in a frail, annoying-ass voice that made Mike grit his teeth. “Help m—”
“Will you shut the fuck up? I’m being serious. And that wasn’t a movie, it was a goddamn commercial.” Mike scrubbed at his face with his black bandana before he shoved it back inside his hip pocket and made a beeline toward the porch steps.
“What are you doing?” Manny asked, watching him as Mike cupped his hands to the pristine glass window so he could see better inside. “Maybe he went out of town or something. Leave it alone, Mike.”