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

A roll came whipping at my head, thrown by a mischievously grinning Leo. Brody, his twin and wearing an identical grin, stood next to him. All this registered in my brain in a split second. And then Holden’s hand appeared in front of my face in time to catch the roll.


He handed it to me without looking. “He doesn’t like that nickname.” His voice was low but firm, and he stared Leo down.


The entire backyard went completely still. Everyone froze, including the two youngest—Ivy and Elaine’s daughters, four and six—who had, just a moment before, been running around and screaming in some kind of game they’d made up.


“Holden, it’s okay,” I muttered, placing my free hand on his arm. I did not like the way everyone was staring at me. At us.


“It’s not okay. You don’t like it. Your brother should respect that.” Holden never took his gaze from Leo’s face. Leo, for his part, lost the grin, and a second later, his expression turned mutinous.


Chapter 24