Author: Bonnie Dee
Book: Caring for Riggs
Series: Love Off Leash
Self published
Publication date: May 15, 2017
Length: 99 pages
Reviewed by Meredith
Synopsis
Love dogs and smoking hot men? The Love Off Leash series is
for you. Different authors. Unrelated stories. Shared theme of new love and
pets.
Love, loss and finding a forever home.
After years abroad, Kyle Skelton returns to Chicago to plan
his grandfather’s funeral. Weighed down by guilt about neglecting the prickly
old man who once looked after him, Kyle is determined to find a good home for
Gramps’s senior dog. The last thing he needs as he confronts his complicated
past is the distraction of the handsome next door neighbor who’s been taking
care of Riggs.
Darrell Baines is prepared to despise his neighbor’s
grandson on sight. He believes this stranger is only interested in valuable
things Vince may have left behind. But after witnessing the renewed bond
between Kyle and Riggs and learning more about the unhappy teenager who fled
Chicago years earlier, Darrell’s hard
stance softens. It’s easier to forgive when Kyle is heaping blame on himself.
Darrell is almost too comfortable in his quiet routine,
while Kyle has never found a place that felt like home. As these opposites walk their dogs together,
unexpected friendship grows. A late night adventure adds passionate fuel to the
fire, but Kyle is only passing through so a chance for anything more than a
fling seems impossible.
When Kyle’s never-met father arrives for the funeral and
Rigg’s health takes a turn for the worse, Kyle’s emotional turmoil reaches
critical mass. Will his fragile new bond with Darrell be the powerful lifeline
he has always needed?
Review
This story was actually quite emotional. Not angsty so much but there was so much emotion. Kyle has had a life that has not been the best. It wasn't until he ran and made one for himself did anything good happen for him. The death of his grandfather brings him home and even though his visit is shrouded with loss; Kyle finds the cure to his loneliness.
Even though Darrell has always had family around he's always been a bit of a homebody. One who rather read and play with his dog than travel the world like Kyle does. He was Kyle's grandfather's neighbor and friend. With the loss of Vince (Kyle's grandfather) it brings Darrell something he always wanted, a fairytale.
I will admit there was sadness to this tale and great loss. I ached for Kyle and at the same time was so unbelievably proud of the strength he didn't realize he always had. This was a love story that made my heart feel warmth and happiness.
It's a quick read and the writing is wonderful like all of Bonnie Dee's books are. The Love Off Leash series is wonderful so check this one out and all the books in the series. Each is a standalone, so enough
Excerpt
Waking up that morning, Darrell could no more have
imagined how the day would end than he would expect flying monkeys to storm the
city. But then he’d felt that same sense normalcy three days ago—before walking
into Vince’s apartment and finding the old man dead. Life was throwing crazy
curve balls at him all this week.
Now, as he entered the crowded, gamy-smelling Shamrock
Bar to the raucous beat of Einstein’s Abacus, he snuck a sideways glance at the
handsome world traveler beside him. Who would’ve guessed Vince’s scrawny
grandson would grow up to be so hot? Or that he wouldn’t be quite the
neglectful asshole Darrell had pegged him as but actually quite a nice guy
carrying a load of regret?
Plus, he’s
interested in you. He made an offer
not once but twice; first about the speed-dating comment, then about finding an
activity to fill the rest of the night. All you’ve got to do is let him know
you’re interested too. Think of the possibilities!
Hell, the possibilities were about all he had been thinking of ever since it became clear the
attraction ran both ways. But a quick, greedy grapple with a stranger wasn’t
really Darrell’s style, so he’d suggested going to hear the band.
There wasn’t a free chair in the closet-sized club
tucked oddly between a tea shop and a florist. This was the type of dive Einstein’s
Abacus usually played, tight enough to really pack ’em in.
After standing and listening in the shoulder-to-shoulder
crowd, Darrell spotted a small space next to one of the high plank tables—a
place to rest their elbows and drinks, at least. He and Kyle wedged in and
shouted drink orders at a passing waiter. So much for intimacy. There would be
no talking until the band took a break between sets. And it wasn’t really
dancing sort of music, even if Darrell had been a dancing type.
It took two full songs before their beers finally
arrived. The heat in the room was off the charts from the crush of bodies vying
for space. Darrell had already sweated through his shirt. He drained his glass
in two thirsty draughts and began to regret coming out—until Kyle backed into
him, ass to crotch, a bump caused by a chain reaction of people shifting along
the table. Kyle didn’t move away, but kept his body pressed warmly, firmly
against Darrell’s.
Darrell resisted the urge to rest a hand on his hip and
pull him even closer. He leaned an elbow on the sticky wooden plank and
pretended to focus on the music rather than the man snuggled so close to him.
Kyle smelled rich and ripe, the scent of a guy who’d missed a few showers due
to traveling, but that natural odor only roused Darrell’s lust. He wanted to
lean into the crook of his neck—right
there—and nuzzle.
No. No, he didn’t. He wanted to absorb the clever lyrics
of Einstein’s latest song, full of double meanings, poetic phrases, and pop
culture references that sent a ripple of laughter through the listeners. The
band was always good, but this new song was something special.
Kyle laughed, and his body vibrated against Darrell’s
groin. Excruciating! Kyle looked over his shoulder and hit Darrell hard with
his bottle-green gaze. “They’re funny! I like them,” he shouted.
Darrell bent close. He had to so Kyle could hear him,
right? “The bassist is a friend of mine. These guys have played together since
college. They’re pretty popular locally.”
“And they’re playing here?”
Kyle brows shot up. Even his eyebrows were red. How cute!
“Eddie says, ‘Never
play a venue you can’t fill. It makes people desperate to get in.’ Exclusive,
you know?” Darrell added, “Luckily, they know me here.” God he sounded like he
was bragging about being able to get into a hole-in-the-wall dive. He bit his
tongue and quit talking.
As the song came to a purposely discordant end, Darrell
realized Kyle was leaning into him. Maybe it was his imagination. But no, that
firmly rounded ass wasn’t just resting but rubbing against his crotch. Darrell
had been doing a pretty good job of keeping his cock under control, but now it
swelled huge. He wanted to push back, show his interest. But if he was wrong
about what was happening, it would be too embarrassing. He held absolutely
still, not even applauding along with everyone else in the joint.
Another number began, one of the band’s few ballads, a
slow, soothing contrast to their usual jazzy tongue-in-cheek style. Kyle began
to sway. He moved his hips side to side, then, oh God, turned to face Darrell,
placing his hands on his hips. “Dance with me.”
This time, he didn’t have to yell. The song was quiet
enough Darrell could easily hear his seductive tone, a siren call he couldn’t
resist. He’d usually go to great lengths to avoid dancing, but tonight he
couldn’t help swaying with the beat, hypnotized by Kyle’s eyes as if the man
were some sort of snake charmer. His overactive logical brain went dead, and
pure animal physicality took over. He swayed, he grooved, he bumped and ground
like a Dirty Dancing extra as his
arms stole around his partner’s waist.
Crotch to crotch, they moved. Pressed close from hips to
chest, faces only inches apart. He was nearly a head taller than Kyle, but if
he inclined his face, their mouths would fit neatly together. The glow in the
other man’s eyes and his parted lips signaled a kiss would be welcome, but
Darrell’s cautious side held him back, trembling on the verge of something
amazing.
When the song was over, their bodies continued to move
together. A nearby woman wolf-whistled. “Hell yeah!” Others around her
applauded. Darrell abruptly realized it wasn’t for the band but for him and
Kyle, unintentionally putting on a show. He dropped his hands from Kyle’s hips
and stepped back, putting space between them.
Kyle continued to gaze at him hungrily. He snaked a hand
around the back of Darrell’s neck and drew his face down close to whisper in
his ear. “I like your friend’s band, but do you want to go back to your place
now?”
Darrell swallowed hard, his body so jacked up and full
of desire, there was no other possible answer besides “Yes!”
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