Specters & Sparks, page 1





Specters & Sparks
K. Sterling
For my dearest Roshni. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. We turned eight books into a family and I couldn’t have done it without your love and support.
To Melissa. You make me look competent and eloquent while making me laugh. Your friendship and support has been such a blessing and I am eternally grateful.
This series was born over a Zoom chat with my writing bestie and Vivian Award winning author, Reese Ryan. She’s been by my side every step of the way and inspires me every day.
And my sprinting sidekicks and muses. Fortune Whelan makes it worth getting out of bed before dawn and astounds me with her wisdom and generosity. Katee Robert, Kate Marope, RM Virtues, Amanda Cinelli, Mia Heintzelman, Randi Love and Brina Starler were there for so many sprints and glasses of wine. I love you all so much and couldn’t have done this without your amazing energy, guidance and encouragement.
Thank you to Sue, Marissa, Criss and Christina for jumping in early and helping me work out the kinks!
Specters & Sparks by K. Sterling
© 2021 K. Sterling
ASIN: B09JKXDYW9
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:
k.sterlingbooks@gmail.com
Cover by K. Sterling
Created with Vellum
Also by K. Sterling
The Bisbee Bachelors’ Club:
Haunted Hearts
Moonlight & Madness
Unhappy Medium
Grave Expectations
Riddles & Rivals
Shadows & Reservations
Heart & Soulless
The Boys Of Lake Cliff :
Hide And Keep (Lake Cliff #1)
Safe And Sound (Lake Cliff #2)
Spark And Flame (Lake Cliff #3)
In The Kill (Lavender #1)
Hide And Kill (Lake Cliff #4)
Bleed And Seek (Lake Cliff #5)
Find And Keep (Lake Cliff #6)
In The Wind (Lake Cliff #7)
Lost Ground (Lake Cliff #8)
Sins Of The Father (Lake Cliff #9)
Kiss And Tell (Lake Cliff #10)
See How They Run (Lake Cliff #11)
Lake Cliff Adjacent Romances:
Swallowed In The Sea
Digital Love
A Soul To Keep
Merry & Wright
Like Grim Death
They All Fall Down
All Is Bright
Reginald’s Solo Adventure: Mr. Harcourt And The Hurricane
Reginald And Paul’s first adventure: Lust Marry Kill
Carlton House:
Lust Marry Kill (prequel to Thief)
A Thief In The Night
Restraint
Truce or Dare
Stealing Persephone
Carlton House Adjacent Romances:
Hell In Beldon Hall
Cocky Cops and Cons:
Throttled
Snatched
Flipped
Standalone Titles:
One Night In Whisper
Happily Ever Alfie
Exposed
Pushing Reset
The Leading Man
Under The Stars
Better Than Best Friends
The Crush
A New Day
The Shattered Spell
Falling For Disaster
Building Heat
The Shop Downstairs
The Guarded Heart
Courage In Love
For One Night Only
Waiting For Mr. Ashwell
In The Rough
The Hard Fall
Playing The Hero
The Perfect Cover
Ellis Harper’s Shot In The Dark
Beautiful Animal
Stuffed
Off The Menu (formerly Crave by Isla Bright)
As Abigail Graves:
Saving Kate
An Important Note about Specters & Sparks
Dear Reader,
Look at where we are and look at how far we’ve come! I thank you from the bottom of my cold, weird heart for going on this adventure with me. It’s been a joy and an honor to share these characters with you. And now that we find ourselves at this final chapter, it was important that this book be three things. Obviously, this is an epilogue for all of our heroes. And Owen was so due for his coming of age story and the happiest of happily ever afters. But this is also a veteran’s happily ever after and we couldn’t get to that without addressing Fox’s past. As the blurb says, he’s haunted by a ghost from a different desert and his story is shaped by PTSD and the challenges many soldiers face when returning to the civilian world. Fox’s story is hard at times and may be difficult for some readers.
Finally, the usual request to be mindful of your fellow reader. I would greatly appreciate your review and it would help more readers find this book and these characters. But please don’t share anything that might ruin a surprise or spoil the ending for the next reader.
Before We Get Started…
Before we get started, a note about our Bisbee…
I left my heart in Bisbee and I don’t know why it took so long for me to go back. And I can’t imagine a better setting for a thrilling new series. In order to make them ours, I’ve renamed and changed some of my favorite places so I could inhabit them with our heroes. For example, The Bisbee Library sits proudly over the post office but I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to live, so I took a few liberties and put Cace’s loft there. St. Eloy’s is based on St. Elmo’s. Thuy’s is truly Thuy’s and the noodles are divine but she’s moved up to Beau’s end of town since I last visited. I left her noodle shop down by the coffee shop and the old theater because I treasure the memory of every bowl of pho I had there. If you have a little time, I encourage you to take a tour of Bisbee via Google because I don’t know if it’s possible to put such a wacky, wonderful place into words. If you find yourself in Arizona, you won’t be sorry if you give yourself a day or two to wander around Bisbee and see the massive Lavender Pit.
Contents
Also by K. Sterling
An Important Note about Specters & Sparks
Before We Get Started…
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
A Letter From K. Sterling
Epilogue
Chapter 1
“Today’s the day!” Owen shouted from his room.
“Yes it is,” Fox said and chuckled at the mirror as he turned on the hot water and got a washcloth wet. He’d only known Cace and Lorrie for a few months but the joy and the anticipation were infectious and Owen’s excitement alone was half the fun for Fox.
“Today’s the day!” Owen sang as he ran around the brick wall then ducked back around it when he spotted Fox at the sink. “Sorry! Is it ok if I come in?” He asked. Fox appreciated that Owen always asked and respected his privacy but it wasn’t necessary.
“Come on in and get it over with,” Fox said with a wave, then laughed when Owen crashed into him.
“Today’s the day! They’re getting married!” He said as he hugged Fox and bounced giddily. Fox laughed with him but it was a touch strained because Owen was in nothing but his boxers. Normally, that wasn’t a problem for Fox because he was used to sharing a bay with other men and often showered with several at a time. He was used to tuning semi-naked men out but he was too aware of how warm the skin on Owen’s back was and the way his stomach and chest pressed against Fox’s as he panted. For the love of God, do not think about those text messages. But Fox did and all the heat in his body dropped to his groin and he got a little dizzy.
“They’re getting married,” Fox confirmed weakly and attempted a smile. Owen noticed that Fox wasn’t wearing anything but a towel and his cheeks turned pink. “In just a few hours,” Fox added, hoping that would prod one of them into moving. That didn’t stop him from getting lost in Owen’s rich, deep brown eyes as they clung to Fox’s.
“Just a few hours,” Owen parroted and his hands tightened around Fox’s biceps. His eyes dropped to Fox’s chest and Owen’s teeth scraped over his lip. “I can do a lot in a few hours,” he said distantly, then gave his head a quick shake and stepped back. His gaze dipped to the front of Fox’s towel and Owen smirked. “And there certainly is a lot,” he noted and stepped around Fox and headed for the shower.
Fox blinked at the brick wall and ordered his brain to work. But all he could comprehend was the steady throbbing of his hard-on as he wondered what Owen would do with it and a few hours. The message on Owen’s phone glowed i
Owen
I had another dream about Fox last night.
Flip
This is getting unhealthy. Tell him!
Owen
I can’t! I want to do all the hot, raunchy things with him but I also really like him. I don’t want to make things awkward if he’s not into me. But the dreams are escalating and I can’t look at a single surface in this loft and not think about it. We’ve had sex on everything at this point.
Flip
You should definitely share this information with Fox. And I’m kind of glad you’re only dreaming about it. I just had lunch at your place.
Owen
Yeah. You don’t want to know what I let Fox do to me on the island and those barstools.
Hot, raunchy things.
Fox came up with a long, long list of hot, raunchy things he could do to Owen. Then, he imagined which of those things would be best suited to fucking in the kitchen. Of course, Fox was totally fucked because he couldn’t look at a single surface in that loft and not see Owen naked and imagine himself balls deep in one of Owen’s beautiful holes.
Because, God in Heaven, that boy was beautiful and Fox had had some pretty vivid dreams of his own. But he absolutely couldn’t. Not just because Fox was nearly twice Owen’s age. Even though Owen did not seem to mind. He’d made it very clear he preferred it, actually. There was also the fact that Owen was Cace and Lorrie’s boy and Fox liked and respected them a lot. More importantly, Fox knew that Owen was Baxter’s boy as well. Baxter wasn’t Owen’s parent but he helped raise him. Owen was Baxter’s pride and joy and Baxter was one of Fox’s favorite people on the planet.
Thinking about Baxter usually worked and Fox pushed out a relieved breath and turned back to the sink. He heated the washcloth again and squeezed out most of the water before smoothing it over his beard.
“Oh, no! You’re not going to shave that, are you?” Owen asked as he reached into the shower and turned on the water.
“I thought I would for the wedding,” Fox told him and Owen pouted loudly.
“Don’t do that! I dream of having a beard just like that one day,” he said and winked at Fox as he turned and pushed his boxers down his thighs. Fox swung back to the mirror but caught a perfect glimpse of Owen’s ass as he stepped into the shower. They both knew what Owen meant and Fox’s cheeks puffed out as he planted his hands on the counter.
Do not charge into that shower and fuck him. Do not charge into that shower and fuck him. Do not charge into that shower and fuck him.
Fox heard Owen humming and singing “Let’s Get It On” and swore as he tossed the washcloth at the hamper.
“I need to call Baxter,” he announced and fled the bathroom.
Chapter 2
Owen’s greatest wish came true as he watched his father join Lorrie Nixon under the mesquite tree in his Uncle Beau’s backyard. For as long as he could remember, Owen wanted his dad to be loved as much as he deserved. Cace Talbot was the best person in the whole world, as far as Owen was concerned. And before he truly understood what romantic love was, Owen knew that Jake wasn’t the right man for his father.
But Cace Talbot was brave and stoic. He never let anyone know how badly Jake had disappointed him and Owen was twenty when he learned about Lorrie Nixon. And it was as obvious as the bright blue sky over Bisbee that Cace and Lorrie were soulmates but Owen’s dad was also stubborn and it was almost impossible to earn his trust once it was lost. Thankfully, Lorrie was patient and devoted himself to Cace and their new life. He was everything Owen dreamt of for his father but Lorrie was also an amazing stepdad. Lorrie loved Owen in an open, honest way from the moment he arrived in Bisbee and with unconditional support. He fit into their life so effortlessly and snugly; it was like he was always meant to be there with them and they were all that mattered to Lorrie.
It took a little more than five years but from Owen’s perspective, they looked like the happiest years of his father’s life. Owen’s very favorite thing in the world was when he caught his dad and Lorrie slow dancing. Lorrie was always humming a tune and pulling Cace into his arms. Every now and then, Owen would return from running an errand to find them flirting and swaying together as Lorrie sang to Cace. His father blushed and laughed and it was everything Owen had hoped for when he was fifteen. More than he wanted to fall in love himself, Owen wanted someone just like Lorrie for his dad and it was a miracle when he came home. He won Cace back and Lorrie swept him off his feet every day. Lorrie never took a moment with Cace for granted. They became a family and Owen cried when his dad walked out of Beau’s kitchen and Lorrie walked out of Noah’s tiny house so they could meet under the old mesquite tree.
There were white wooden folding chairs and fairy lights draped around the yard. Lanterns glowed softly from the tree’s branches as the sun set and everyone sniffled and discreetly dabbed their eyes as Lorrie took Cace’s hands in his and kissed them. Both wore tuxedos with soft pink roses in the button holes but they skipped the ties, keeping it casual despite the momentousness of the evening. It was a simple wedding with just a handful of guests but everyone was overcome with joy as Lorrie held Cace’s hands and took a steadying breath so he could say his vows.
“It feels like I’ve spent most of my life trying to get here. I got a little lost but I never stopped dreaming about you. I had to find my way home and I had to do whatever it took to win you back because my world was empty and I couldn’t be happy without you, no matter how hard I tried. You’re all I’ve ever needed and the only one I’ve ever loved. It’s always been you and this is where I’ve always belonged. I’ve always loved you, Cacie, and I’m going to love you until the last breath leaves my body.” Lorrie slid a simple platinum band onto Cace’s finger that he’d cast and hammered it himself. It was inscribed with Lorrie’s birthday, as a reminder of the unshakable trust they shared.
“Damn it all, Lorrie,” Cace complained in a strangled whisper and ran the back of his hand under his eye. “I told myself I could live without you and I fooled everyone into believing I was fine but I was lying. To everyone and myself. I was scared to fall in love again but we got it right this time. I’m happier than I’ve ever been and all I think about these days is what’s ahead of us. I love you and I have everything I’ve ever wanted because I get to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said. Cace slid his ring on Lorrie’s finger and Owen reached for Beau and sobbed like a baby. His dads were finally married and Owen felt like anything was possible as the ceremony concluded.
The chairs were quickly folded and stacked in the back of Beau’s truck while everyone refilled their drinks. A cake was brought out and there was music as Cace and Lorrie posed for pictures with smears of frosting on their cheeks and noses. Owen was ecstatic and tipsy when he finally had a chance to hug Cace.
The day’s festivities started early with brunch at The Sullivan House. There were mimosas and breakfast pizzas with gooey egg yolks or smoked salmon and crème fraîche. Hadley served his banana bread with whipped mascarpone and a caramel sauce, starting the day on a sweet, boozy note. Cace, Lorrie, Owen, Beau, Baxter and Russ went to The Castle Rock Salon for haircuts and beard trims. There was only one barber and Beau brought beer so it was nearly 4:00 when they finally made the very short walk to Beau’s to finish setting up for the wedding. Russ had hired a planner but she was second-in-command to Hal and Faith. The backyard was already transformed but Beau insisted they set up the bar on the patio themselves. Beau went overboard, he was so delighted for Cace and Lorrie, and the bar was open to the whole neighborhood after the ceremony. People from all over Bisbee and as far away as Tucson wandered in and out to congratulate Cace and Lorrie.