When Jesse Reid needs emergency surgery, he calls his neighbor to come pick him up instead of one of his many family members. As the youngest of nine, Jesse is used to feeling like a leftover, and he doesn’t need their coddling.<br><br>Holden McRae is a big, beautiful man, everything Jesse wants. But Holden has made it clear he doesn’t want Jesse as a submissive.<br><br>Under the influence of Holden’s care, Jesse becomes bolder and makes Holden see what he’s been missing. The two men’s interests line up, and the attraction that has always been there is something they can finally act on. As Jesse heals, he shares parts of his life with Holden, and Holden helps him see he’s so much more than #9. Their love might not be the most conventional, but maybe it’s exactly what both men need.

Forever Nine

After about three minutes, the text came through.


Oh, Nine! Child of my loins. Whom I birthed after 19 hours of labor. I shall be at your place in ten minutes.


I groaned, but I couldn’t help the chuckle at her playfulness. It wouldn’t last. I was going to get an earful and a half when she arrived, but at least she was in a good enough mood to tease. And lay on the guilt, but that was nothing new.


I turned on the Keurig to heat—she’d want a cup of coffee after she was done chewing me out—then unlocked the front door so she could come in. I settled on the couch to wait. It took her only nine minutes—again, that number.


Her solid knock had me rising, but she opened the door before I made it to my feet. I’d gotten my dark hair and big dark eyes from her, but thankfully I’d gotten my father’s height. Mom was barely two inches over five feet, but that didn’t stop her from being a whirlwind, as Declan had so aptly described her.


Chapter 15