DanielsSurrender (24 page)
Authors: Sierra and VJ Summers
“It didn’t work. Every day without you was worse than the
day before.” He shook his head. “I’m not my dad. I won’t drown myself in
whiskey.” He looked them in the eyes again. “And I’m not my mother. I have no
desire for anyone except the two of you.” Matt’s eyes narrowed and Daniel knew
the other man realized that he’d tried to fuck them away. Then he nodded as he
accepted that Daniel had failed.
Daniel held up his left hand, directing Matthew’s eyes to
the gleaming gold ring on his finger.
“I told someone last night that I’m off the market.” He let
his hand rest against the strong line of Matthew’s jaw, savoring the rasp of
his afternoon beard.
“I belong to you,” he repeated, his voice softening. “You
are my family.”
Shannon was openly weeping beside them now, and both men
automatically reached out to draw her between them. Daniel pulled her into his
chest as Matthew dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
With his free hand, Daniel held up the final ring to
Matthew.
“You asked me to be brave enough to take what I want.” He
included Shannon in his glance. “What we all need.” He swallowed hard and laid
himself bare.
“Matthew, I want your love. I want that damned happy trio
rolling through life. I want to go to sleep with you both, and wake up with you
both.” He drew in a deep gulp of air. “And someday, if it’s what Shannon wants,
I want to have children with you both.” He was trembling now. He didn’t realize
it until Shannon wrapped her arms around him and held tight.
He took Matt’s left hand in his and held up the ring.
“Will you take this?” Matt’s eyes seemed locked to their
hands. “Do you still want me?” Matt’s gaze rose to meet his slowly. “Because if
you do…” He faltered at the heat and smoke that raged in Matthew’s gaze. “If
you do, I’m yours.”
The moment of silence that followed seemed to last a
thousand years. Daniel couldn’t draw a breath, and he didn’t think Shannon was
breathing either. Just when he’d begun to lose hope, Matthew wrapped his hand
around the back of Daniel’s head and dragged him in for a kiss full of pain and
joy and sweet relief.
“You supreme ass,” the younger man gasped, releasing his
lips as the crowd around them burst into soft conversation. “If I
want
you?”
Matthew was laughing now, and Daniel found himself joining
in. “You complete idiot.” Matt gave him a light shake with his hand on the back
of Daniel’s neck. “You were the only thing that was missing. God, we fucking
pined
for you, you enormous dickhead.”
Shannon was laughing now too. Daniel gave them both a
longsuffering look.
“Somehow, Matty,” his voice was wry, “that’s not the
declaration of love I was hoping for.”
Matt’s laughter stopped, although his eyes still danced. He
took Daniel’s hand, the one holding the ring, and raised his own left hand to
it.
“I love you, Daniel Ellis. You and Shannon are it for me. If
you belong to us—” His voice broke a bit as Shannon joined Daniel in guiding
the ring onto Matthew’s finger. “Well, we’ve belonged to you since about the
first time you didn’t duck when Shannon threw an olive at you.”
Daniel Ellis, man of granite, man with no heart, felt a
swell of emotion so intense wash through him that it filled his heart, and his
soul, and came spilling out from his eyes in the form of tears. Pulling Shannon
safe between them, where she belonged, he dragged Matthew closer until the
three were locked in an embrace as solid and unbreakable as the love they had
for one another.
“Hmm-mmm.” The gruff clearing of a throat nearby brought
Daniel’s head up. He blinked as he met the carriage driver’s twinkling eyes.
“So, would you be wanting to finish your ride now, sir?”
Daniel looked at his family and grinned. Giving Matthew a
shove toward the conveyance, he swept Shannon into his arms and tossed her onto
the soft velvet seat.
“Absolutely,” he answered as he and Matthew climbed up and
squeezed in on either side of her. “We’ve got a whole life’s worth of planning
to do.”
About the Authors
Sierra Summers
lives in the Metro-Detroit area in Michigan. She is a married mother of two
wonderful boys and one precious girl. She also cares for two spoiled dogs.
She still has the first book she ever wrote in first grade,
Skeleton
Rock
, which started off her love for writing and she’s written ever since.The majority of her books
take place in Michigan and she’s proud to live so close to Detroit, a city
poised on the brink of a comeback. The revitalized downtown and surrounding
area provides wonderful inspiration for her writing.
Finding her writing partner, VJ Summers, was the answer to
her lifelong dream. Together the duo had written several books before Sierra
also began venturing out on her own.
VJ
loves
to hear from readers!
VJ
Summers
:
When not working the EDJfH (Evil Day Job from Hell), obsessing over
whether her parents are getting enough to eat, obsessing that her kid is
sexting the boyfriend, making coffee, drinking coffee or feeding the two cats
who allow her to live with them, VJ can be found reading or writing erotic
romance—either solo as m/m author VJ Summers, or as the shorter, more quiet
half of the “Violet Summers” writing team (the tall half is Sierra Summers).
Sierra and VJ welcome comments from readers. You can find their
website and email addresses on their author bio pages at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
can email the authors directly or you can email us at
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(when
contacting Comments, be sure to state the book title and author).
Corporate Affairs
1: Carrie’s Answer
Corporate
Affairs 2: Meredith’s Awakening
Print Books by Sierra & VJ Summers
Corporate Affairs
1: Carrie’s Answer
Also by Sierra Summers
Also by VJ Summers
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Daniel’s Surrender
ISBN 9781419936838
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Daniel’s Surrender Copyright © 2012 Sierra & VJ Summers
Edited by April Chapman
Cover design by Dar Albert
Photos: Stolbov Pavol/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication August 2012
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