Michelle Hasker

Leandros2 : Matthew's Redemption
by Michelle Hasker
cover art by Sahara Kelly
ISBN (13): 978-1-59596-969-9
Genre(s): Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Theme(s): Shapeshifters, BBW
Series: Leandros
Length: Novella
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Blurb:
When Matt's best friend and boss finds a mate, it means a lot more lonely nights for him -- until Matt meets Stacey and realizes his mate has been right under his nose the whole time. It's unfortunate, because now that he's found her, he'll have to give her up. A man with a past like his and no future doesn't deserve a woman to love him. If only the sexy, stubborn woman would take no for an answer.

Excerpt:
Matt paced the room like a caged lion, tugging on the stupid tie Cade had made him wear. He didn't care if this was a celebration of the birth of Cade and Sairah's first litter or not. He hated dressing to the nines and making nice with a room full of people who knew he'd once been a powerful commander like Cade, and pissed it all away with one mistake. That he'd been suckered by a beautiful woman didn't matter. He'd cost ten men their lives and had not only been demoted, but made to start all over again -- with this stigma attached.

Cade had been the only one who'd stood by him, and it was for him that Matt was here tonight in this ridiculously tight suit enduring scathing glances and listening to hushed whispers.

Sairah walked toward him with a smile. Her gorgeous red hair was cut in a boyish style that made her look years younger but still as sexy as ever. The loose white dress swayed with each step, but showed she'd lost her pregnancy weight quickly. It was probably the long hours she still kept in the lab. He frowned.

"Wipe that frown off your handsome face."

He scowled.

"I mean it, Matthew. It's my party and no one cries unless I want them to."

"I'm not going to cry." He crossed his arms and gave her a look that usually made his subordinates shake in their government-issued boots.

"You don't scare me." Sairah smiled, slid her arm through one of his and pulled him to her side.

He sighed, but couldn't stop his grin. Cade had lucked out with his mate.

"I want you to meet one of my lab assistants. She used to work on your ship, but I made Cade give her to me. She's been wonderful, and really helped out when I had the triplets."

"I told you to stop the matchmaking, Sairah. This is Leandros, not Earth. No one will ever give me a chance to redeem myself, and I won't subject a woman to the harassment I face on a daily basis."

"It's not as bad as you think." Sairah patted his arm. "Besides, I kind of hoped you'd keep an eye on her."

"Why? Being seen with me would ruin her reputation."

"It's not her reputation I'm worried about."

"Then what is it?"

"Her low self-esteem. She has fewer friends than you think you do. Stacey is reclusive like you, and probably doesn't even know what happened all those years ago."

"I have no doubt someone will step in to enlighten her quickly enough. Save the woman some pain, Sairah. Match her with a guy who's looking for a mate."

"Stacey's one of my best friends, Matthew. Do you mean you'll refuse to watch over her tonight for me?"

"You're dooming her if you insist on this, Sairah. You have no idea how ruined her reputation will be, do you?" Matt looked around desperately for Cade. He had to talk some sense into his mate.

"Cade won't save you. He cares about Stacey too. She's been a godsend to me since Devon, Derek and Donald were born."

Matt couldn't help his double take at the names. "You named them finally?"

"Yeah. It was hard, but I think those are the names we're keeping."

"You aren't sure?"

"She's sure." Cade stepped next to them. "Don't even try to change her mind, Matthew. For a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to take it, it's amazing how hard it is to pick three names. Imagine if we'd only had one baby!"

"Knock it off." Sairah poked Cade in the chest.

Matt had to bite back a grin watching his commander being taken down a notch by his wife.

A short woman with messy blonde hair that curled in ringlets just past her ears walked up to them. Matt's slacks seemed to grow another size smaller when he looked into her green eyes. She was gorgeous, and the tiny red dress she wore showed off every single curve on her body. His hands itched to stroke breasts that threatened to spill out of the tight gown. Matt lowered his hands to hide that his flag was at half-mast.

"I think I should go back to the lab. I want to run some more tests on those samples we picked up." Her light melodious voice ran straight up his spine and made his dick even harder.

"Absolutely not!" Sairah grabbed the woman's hands. "We're all taking the night off, including you. I want you to meet our good friend, and Cade's right-hand man, Matthew Richards. Matt, this is my best friend and assistant, Stacey Quinn."

Instead of holding out her hand, Stacey blushed and ducked her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she mumbled to the floor.

"The pleasure is all mine." Matt bowed since she didn't want to shake his hand. Of course she'd have heard all the rumors. Sairah's praise wouldn't earn him even a smile of kindness. Her automatic rejection stung.

Her tanned skin flushed. For a second he wondered if she was embarrassed, but vetoed the idea as impossible. Women didn't look twice at him once they knew who he was and what he'd done. It was a shame. One sniff of her honey floral scent had him stiff and aching. He wanted to take her upstairs to the guest room he'd used on occasion and bed her thoroughly.

Her curves teased and tantalized him. Matt's breath came quicker at the image of her spread out on his bed at his mercy. He'd fuck her so hard and good she'd scream his name to the stars. Why the urge to pound his cock into her was so strong, he didn't know. He didn't care either. He couldn't have her. She deserved a better man than he could ever be.

Sairah winked at her friend. "Stacey's shy."

He almost snorted. Almost. At times like these minding manners sucked. "Really? Are you sure? I thought maybe it was rumors of my past that made it impossible for her to make eye contact with me."

Stacey gasped and looked up at him. He realized what a mistake it had been to goad her into a reaction when the full impact of her beauty slammed into him. Forget half-mast. His dick went from semi-erect to jackhammer hard in under six seconds. The desire to fill her pussy to bursting grew even stronger as she stared at him wide-eyed.

"I don't pay attention to rumors, Commander Richards."

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