Room 908 is the tenth standalone book in the m/m mpreg romance series, The Scarlet Hotel, from bestselling author Trisha Linde Each book features a new couple and begins and ends in a different room at The Scarlet Hotel Room 908 features an omega who wishes he could turn back time, an alpha looking for a way to make amends, a child caught in the middle but who might just bind them together, and a second chance at love ten years in the making.
Prologue
THE STAFF
THEKITCHENECHOEDWITHchaos.Clatteringdishes,meatsizzlingonthegrill,poppingoilinthefryer,burstsofsteam, the air filled withanarrayofscents and flavors, notto mentionthe chefbarkingorders “Getyour lazyass ingear, Benny! Thosedrinkswon’tservethemselves”
Diyasighedincompletecontentednessassheplatedamassivetrayfullofappetizers.Shelovedthehullabalooofabustling kitchen. Things had beenfar too quiet lately, and for it to be crazybusylike this, that meant onlyone thing business was booming
This wasn’t just dinner service inthe restaurant, plus snacks inthe lounge, thoughthat was part ofit The hotel had also managedtosnagahighschoolreunion,whichwashuge,consideringalotoftheseguestswereinfromoutoftown,somostof theroomswerebookeduptoo.Itwasaprettysweetscore,anditwasallthankstoaglowingreviewonatravelblog.
As he scurried to pickup the scraps offood, Cherie huffed and stomped over to where Diya was flippingthe meatonthe grill.“Ihatenewbies,”shegroused,loudenoughforallthenewbiestohearher.
Diyasaw oneoftheservers,Delia,tryingtogivePeterabitofapeptalkwhilehepickedupthelastofhismess “It’sall aboutanimalbehavior,”shewassayingwhileshefilledanoversizedbowlwithicecubes.“Intimidationisastrongmotivator to instill obedience. You see it in a lot of larger predators, like an alpha lion or a silverback gorilla, but paired with the dominancecomesfierceloyalty.AndCherie,justlikethoseanimals,will guardandprotectus.Iwouldseriouslyentrusther withmylife There’sabenefittobeingapartofthepack,youknow”
Peter wasnodding,hisjaw alittleslackashelistened,enthralledbyher.Shewasstudyinganimal psychologyatthelocal university,andshewasn’tjustsmart,butalsobeautiful.Yep,withthewayhewasgivingherthosepuppy-dogeyes,itwassafe tosaytherewasnowayhewasquittingnow.
Diyashrugged Whynot?Solongastheirbossdidn’tseeherwalkingaroundwheretheguestscouldseeherinhergreasespatteredoutfit.Thekitchentendedtogetalittlesweltering,standinginfrontofthegrillforhoursatatime.Thebanquethall, however, was an air-conditioned 70 degrees. With the bowl balanced between them, Delia pushed backward through the swingingdoorandledthewayacrossintothebanquethall.Afewguestshadalreadyarrivedandwereminglingingroupsof twosandthrees,butthenightwasyoung
“Youknow, Ikinda miss highschool,” Bennyadmitted “Life was so mucheasier whenIwas livingwithmyparents, no bills,justcoastingthroughclassesdoingthebareminimum” Deliasighed.“Tellmeaboutit.Studentloansaretheabsoluteworst.”
IthadbeendecadessinceDiyahadlivedwithherparents,andevenbackthen,she’dbeenhelpingpaythebillsrightfromher very first paycheck at 15. School hadn’t been easy, and neither had living with her parents. She would take being an independentadultoverrelivinghighschoolanyday.
Agroupoffourguysspiedthebeerandsaunteredover.Diyacouldalreadytellthetype jocks.They’dprobablybeenonthe football teamor something They were all tall with broad shoulders, though a couple of themhad clearly given up being athletes inexchange for a more reliable paycheckand now sported a few extra pounds around their waists. Theywere all wearingbutton-upshirtsandsportsjacketsinvariousshadesofblueandgray.
Instead of being offended by Benny’s lack of enthusiasm, Eric laughed easily “It’s all good, man Football isn’t for everybody.Letmeguess,youthinkit’stooviolent?”
Bennymadeaface.“Nah,it’sthethirtysecondsofactionfollowedbyfiveminutesofstandingaroundthatIcan’tbebothered with. But I don’t mind the tight pants.” Now the whole group of guys was laughing, lewd grins on their faces. Delia was watchingthemwithinterest,likelycomparingthemtoabunchofhyenasorsomething
There was movement fromthe door into the banquet hall, and Eric turned to check who was coming in, but he seemed disappointed Helookedlikehewaswaitingforsomeone Withthecrowdslowlybeginningtotricklein,theDJtookhiscueto putonsomemusic,probablyaplaylistofall thetoptunesfromtenyearsago Afew peoplecheeredtheopeningbarsofthe tune.
Diya reluctantlyreturned to her stationand gotbackto work. For the restofher shift, eventhroughthe kitchenchaos, she couldfeelthevibrationofthemusicinherchest,andforalittlewhile,shereminiscedaboutthegoodtimesshe’dhadinhigh school Theremight’vebeenafewafterall
Jasper
“I LOVE YOUR EYES,” Eric said, sliding my glasses off and setting them aside on the bed. “They’re so impossibly blue. Like depthless-ocean blue Like sapphires ” He leaned in to kiss me, and I evaded, but just barely It was getting harder to resist his charms no matter how cliché his lines were The way he complimented me like he meant every word, it made it hard to forget why I was saying no.
“Nice try, Eric,” I said, aiming for casual, like my heart wasn’t throbbing a pulse of need through my veins. I ignored my traitorous body and shoved the textbook across the bed in front of him “But if you don’t pass these exams, you won’t graduate And if you don’t graduate ”
He groaned, rolling onto his back on my bed. “I know, I know. No scholarship, no college, no football, no future.”
“I don’t know about that last one. Feels a bit dramatic to me, ” I said, shoving my glasses back on.
“Does it?”
“Yeah Football isn’t everything, you know”
“What if I told you there was a future for you where you weren’t a surgeon. ” He was already smirking; he knew he’d stumped me with that one.
“W-well, I mean I could live without becoming a doctor, theoretically, but that’s not going to happen Failing your exams, however a very real possibility” I tapped my pencil’s eraser on the textbook again “Now, focus ”
“How about, if I get this question right, you give me a kiss.”
I bit down on my lip, and Eric’s eyes lingered on my mouth. This was dangerous territory. “Let’s say, if you get every question on the page right…”
“Deal ” He grinned and sat up “You’d better pucker up, because I am going to ace the hell out of this shit ”
“DAAAAAAD!”CAMERONYELLEDFROMacross thehouse,andeventhoughIheardhimloudandclear,Iignoredhim. He knew better thanto expectme to yell back. Ifhe wanted to talkto me, he could marchover here and do itina normal volume.
Hehuffed.“Nanasaidwecouldmakepopcornandwatchscarymovies butonlyifyousaiditwasokay.” “Who amI to deny Nana?” I said, ruffling his hair “In fact, that sounds so fun, maybe I’ll just stay here with you guys tonight.”
“Youcan’tdothat.Youboughtanewsuitandeverything.”Thiswastrue.Ihadn’tboughtmyselfanynewclothesforthepast twoyears,butIcouldn’tverywellshowupatthisstupidreunionlookinglikeahobo.Iwasvotedmostlikelytotakeoverthe world HowwasIsupposedtotelleveryonethatIhadn’tevenlefttown?
“Okay, thencanyougrate some cheese while I get changed? Nana will be here anyminute, and I’malreadygoingto be fashionablylate.”Whichwaskindofmygoal.Iwantedtospendaslittletimeatthisthingaspossible.
WhileCamerongottoworkonthecheese sincehebelievedallsaucewasthedevil,butcheesewasalllllgood Iheaded downthehalltomybedroomtogetintomybrand-new navysuit Myphoneranginmypocket,andIpulleditoutandsaw it wasoneofmycoworkers.
He paused, and Icould almosthear the face he was making, the one where his lips pinched because he was aboutto say somethingIdidn’twanttohear “Iwasjustwonderingifyou’dreconsideredmyoffer” “Whichofferisthat?”Iasked,thoughIknewperfectlywellwhatofferhewastalkingabout,butIwashopinghe’dforgotten. “I cancome withyoutonight. Youdon’t need to go alone. It doesn’t have to meananythingyoudon’t want it to, but you shouldn’thavetofacehimalone”
Mythroattightened, and Igave a hard swallow as Ithreaded myarms throughthe sleeves ofthe white button-downshirt “Thankyoufortheoffer,butlikeIsaidearlier,heprobablywon’tevenbethere.”
Igrittedmyteethinaneffortnottosnapathim,becausethatwouldonlyleadtoanuncomfortableworkenvironment.“Idon’t know,Brent,”Ihuffed,mytensionleachingoutintomytoneofvoice.“Ihaven’ttoldhimforthepasttenyears,butyounever know Maybe he’ll come up to me and say, ‘hey, remember thattime we had sexand thenIditched you? Did youhappento haveakid,byanychance?’Imean,ifheasks,I’mnotgonnalie.”Isatontheedgeofthebedheavilyandsqueezedmyeyes shut,frustratedtearssneakingout.“Sorry,Ididn’tmeantosnapatyou,”Isaidwithasigh.“I’mjust ”
Disconnectingthecall,Iquicklytuckedinmyshirtandthrewontheblazer,beforeheadingforthedoor It’ll be fine,Itold myself Iwould have a drink, catchup withold friends, all while dodgingquestions aboutwhyIwasn’ta surgeonlike I’d planned.
No,thatwasn’ttrue IknewexactlywhatIwasexpecting Iwasgoingtowalkintothisballroom,andthemusicwouldswell, aspotlightshiningonthemanIcameheretosee.Jasper.Theonewhogotaway.Wewouldlockeyesfromacrosstheroom, andeveryoneelsewoulddisappearintothebackground.Wewouldwalktowardeachotherinslowmotion,andhewouldsay somethinglike,“Ican’tbelieveIwassuchanidiot Mylifehasbeenmeaninglesswithoutyou”AndthenIwoulddraw him into myarms and kiss him, show himwhathe’d beenmissing And thenwe would pickup where we leftofftenyears ago, ridingoffintothesunsetinmyPorschetobeginourepicromance.
Itwaslikeasceneoutofsomecheesyrom-com,andyes,Irealizedhowridiculousitsounded,butyoucouldn’tblameaguy fordreaming I’devenrentedaroomupstairsinthehopesthatwemightneeditinourdesperationtogeteachother’sclothes off Except,this wasn’tamovie Itwas real life Andreal lifekindasuckedincomparisontothefantasy Iwas still thepro footballplayer,andIdiddriveaPorsche.ButJasper’sabsencehitmelikea300-pounddefensiveendtothechest.
Myentirebodydeflated;whatapredictableanswer.Sofar,thenight’sdiscussionswiththeseguyshadrevolvedaroundall the tail theywere getting,insteadofmeaningful relationships they’dbuiltor life goals achieved,anditwas like nothinghad changedoverthepastdecade Theywerestillhornyteenagers Gods,wasIthisbadbackthen?Yeah,Itotallywas Iwantedto believe I had grown past all this immature bullshit, but seeing these guys who used to be my friends made me a little embarrassed.
ItwasnowonderJasperwouldn’treturnmycallsallthoseyearsago.Iusedtobeanasshole.Butapartofmehadthought he’dseenpastthatimage Idisplayedfor everyone else,the star quarterback,bringingthe trophyhome for our team WhenI waswithhim,Ifelt seen.We’dneverhadmeaninglessconversationslikethis.Wetalkedaboutrealthings,withsubstanceand emotion.WhenIwaswithhim,Ifeltlikemorethanjustajock.Ifeltlikeaman likeIcouldbe his man.
OrmaybeIshouldjustgobacktomyroom.ItwastimetoletgoofmyunrealisticfantasyandanysmidgenofhopeI’dhad. Jasper obviouslywasn’tgoingto show tonight. He probablyhad somethingbetter to do. Because ofcourse he did. He was probablyinthe middle ofsurgeryatthis verymoment, his hands insomeone’s chest, savingtheir life Whydid Ithinkthis throwbacktothepastwouldbeimportanttohim?Itwasn’tevenimportanttome,exceptfortrackingJasperdown.
ButInever foundhim.Maybe his number was unlisted,butyouwouldthinkifhe’dbecome a surgeon,he wouldbe onstaff somewhere,atahospitalorclinic Itwasweird,becausehe’dbeensocertainofhisfuture Andhewassmartenoughtodoit, too. I couldn’t imagine anything standing in his way. Heck, maybe he was still in medical school. I’d heard it took ages, dependingonyourfieldofstudy.
Butevenifhewasn’tharboringthesamedeeplongingIwas,IatleasthadafewthingsIneededtotellhim Thankyou,for starters If it hadn’t been for Jasper, I would’ve failed my final exams for sure His sweet kisses had been the perfect motivationtokeepfocused.Iwouldn’tbewhereIwaswithouthim. ButIalsowantedtoapologize.
Ireally, reallydidn’twantit, butifIpassed, Iwouldn’thave anexcuse to stay I’d end up goingupstairs to myroomand crashingbefore midnight. And maybe Jasper’s surgerywould’ve ended intime for himto catchthe last hour or two ofthe reunion.OrmaybehewasflyinginfromwherehelivedinCaliforniaorsomething,andhisflightwasdelayed.“Yeah,thanks,” Isaid,forcingmyselftoreachoutandtakethecan.Atleastthisonewascold.
We weren’t speaking of ass finally. Ihad to bite downonmyfrustrated sigh. JustwhenIthoughtwe were makingsome progresswithconversation,hebroughtitrightbackaroundtoobjectifyingomegas.
Theywerebarelyabletopeeltheirattentionofftheomegainquestionlongenoughtosaygoodbyetome Seriously, how hot can this guy be? Iwondered.Andso,againstmybetterjudgment,Iturnedandlooked. Mywholeworldspunonits axis,thegroundunsteadyunder myfeet.“Jasper?”Igaspedout,myvoicebarelymorethana breathywhisperasthewindwasknockedstraightoutofme,mychesttootight.
“Youknowhim?”Johnasked “Didwegotoschoolwithhim?”
Becauseofcoursetheydidn’trecognizehim.They’donlybulliedhimfor four years.Iwouldknow himanywhere,though. HowcouldIhavebeenworriedthathewould’vechanged?Iknewthoselipsinintimatedetail,thosehandsandhowtheyfelt tangledinmyhair.Iknewhehadabirthmarkonhislefthip,andIknewthesoundshemadewhenhecame.JustasIknewby thecreasebetweenhisbrowsthathewasunhappy
I’dthoughtIwantedtoreconnectwithafewofmyoldfriends,butitquicklybecameclearthattheyweremoreinterestedin braggingabouttheirownsuccessesthanhearingaboutmine AndthesecondtheystartedaskingmeaboutwhatI’dbeenupto thelasttenyears,Ifoundmyselfholdingback.Iwasn’tashamedofmylife infact,Iwasdownrightproudofmyson.Hewas byfarmygreatestachievement,buteveryonehadtheseexpectationsofwhereIwouldbebynow,thatIcouldn’tseemtobring myself to admit how wrong they were I lost count of the number of times I’d heard someone ask where I was practicing medicine,andeverytime,Iansweredvaguely,“Nowhereyet” Yet Whatajoke LikeIwouldevergettheopportunitytofinish mydegree.
Clutchingaglassofpopinmyhand,Iclosedmyeyes,tryingtotracethepaththathadledmetothisexactpointintime Itall startedwithEricVanLeer.Withhisdimpleandhischarmingwords,Ihadtrulyboughtintowhathewasselling.Whatanidiot I was. Book smarts was one thing, but it seemed it didn’t excuse me fromblind naivety. I let himuse me, and while the bitternessstilllingered,Icouldn’thatehimentirely,becausehegavemeCameron Yes,itthrewmylifeoffitsintendedtrack, butwhowastosaythiswasn’thowitwasalwayssupposedtobe?
Those words sankin, and Ifound… theyhelped a little. I’d beenwaitingtenyears for anapology. Snap out of it, Jasper Don’t let him play you a second time You’re smarter than that SoIshoredupmywalls,grittedmyteeth,andpretendedthat noneofwhathesaidmattered.
“Right…becauseIwasyourtutor…Ihelpedyougraduate.”Ifeltcoldandunbalanced.Ididn’tlikewherethiswasheaded. Hewasshakinghishead “No Imean,yes,butalso,youwerealwaysmorethanmytutor Youknowthat,right?Tellmeyou felt it too There was somethingbetweenus” His eyes were pleading, his voice so earnest that Ialmost believed him He reachedforme,andIwould’vetrippedasIretreatedifitweren’tforthearmthatcamearoundmywaist.
“Oh, and I called home to check on things, and your momsaid she’s having a great time with her grandson” Brent was lookingpointedlyatEric,hisarmsqueezingtightlyaroundme,makingithardtobreathe.
Ah. I get it now.
Ericstaggeredback,hisAdam’sapplebobbingrepeatedlyasheswallowed Helookedlikehe’dbeenslapped “Youhavea son That’s great Congratulations,”hesaidshakily
“Well, don’t do me anymore fuckingfavors!” Isnarled, slappinghis hand awayas he reached for myshoulder “Inever askedforyoutobehere,Brent.Icantakecareofmyself.”
“Whyshould Icare ifpeople are staring? Like their opinions should dictate how Iact? What decisions Imake? Like my entirelifeshouldchange,allbecausesomeoneisworriedaboutbeinglikedorbeingpopular?”BrentandIbothknewIwasn’t talking about today. I was a decade late on dealing with these emotions. Tears stung behind my eyes, and I blinked in a pointlessefforttodispelthem.Ithadbeenalong,hardtenyears;Iwasallowedtocryeverynowandthen. Igrappledwithmycontrol.“Canyoujustleave?Please?”Igrittedoutthroughclenchedteeth.
“SeeyouatworkonMonday?”Hewaitedformetoanswer,butwhenIdidn’t,henoddedindefeatandheadedout. Iwassuddenlyaloneinacrowdedroom.Themusicwasblaring,butIbarelyheardit.Instead,IheardEricsaying,“Tell me you felt it too.”BecauseIthoughtIhad,butwhenfacedwithabrokenheart,itwastooeasytobelievetheworst. I’dscrewedup JustbecauseIwassadorangryoroffended,noneofthatexcusedwhatI’ddonebykeepingEric’ssonfrom him DeprivingCameronofhisfather Fuck.IhadtotellEricthetruth.
THEEVENINGONLYWENTdownfromthere,andconsideringhowitwasgoingsofar,thatwasreallysayingsomething. Ijostledmywaythroughthecrowdlikeapinball,andmyfriendswereallwaiting,expressionsontheirfacesrangingfrom disbelief to pity They had witnessed my epic failure, and nobody was as surprised as I was I supposed I hadn’t really expectedhimtofallintomyarms,but…wasitreallytoomuchtoaskforalittleswoon?
Ilostall trackoftime after the third drink. Bythe eighth, I’d forgottenmyfriends’names. Unfortunately, Jasper was still there,lodgedfirmlyinmybrain Therewereoverlappingimagesofhimnow,likecerebraldoublevision Ontheonehand,I couldperfectlyrecallhowhe’dlookedsprawledonhisbed,tryinghisdamnedesttokeepourstudyingontrack,allthewhile blushing, the scent of his slick a distraction like no other. But then I blinked and saw him as he was now, older, wiser, somehowevenmorehandsome,butinsteadofblushingbashfully,he’dlooked…cornered.Iscaredhim.
Mystomachclenchedandlurchedatthethought,andtheacidicburnofbilecreptupmythroat Iswallowedhardtokeepthe vomit down “I gotta go to bed,” I mumbled to whoever was left of my friends, but I could barely keep my eyes open Someonepattedmeontheback.
Blinkingina pointless attemptto clear myhead, Ileftthe lounge and stepped up to the check-indesk, diggingthroughmy pocketfortheroomkey.“Uh,room908.Iwon’tbeneedingitafterall,”Isaid,slappingtheykeydownandslidingitacrossthe countertothenightclerk.“Andmycar…”
“Don’tworry,Mr VanLeer,wecanhaveitdroppedoffatyourhomeforyoutomorrow,”hesaid “Letmecallyouacab” “Great,thanks…”Isquintedathisnametag,“Roland.You’reagoodman.No,a great man!Here,youdeserveatip.”Ipulled outmywalletandshovedsomecashathim,Ihadnocluehowmuch.
Inthetimeittookhimtowalkaroundtothedriver’sside,Idriftedofftosleepforasecond,surroundedbyhisfamiliarscent, likepaperandinkandhazelnutcoffee.Ijoltedbacktoalertnessafewsecondslaterwhenheopenedhisdoorandclimbedin. Ina briefmomentofclarity, Igaped athim He was so damnbeautiful “Jasper? I’ve missed you” Ihadn’tmeantto be so honest.
ItoldhimwhereIlived,thensatbackandwatchedhim Hewasstillthesameman,thoughIcouldfeelthechanges Hewas nolonger sofresh-facedandeager,confidentinhis choices Hewas weary,his shoulders bunchedup WhenIthoughtabout rubbing his back to help ease that tension, I had to remind myself that he was taken. That he belonged to someone else. Someoneelsegottogivehimbackrubs,gottokisshim,touchhim,andmakehimgasp.Gottodryhistears,sleepnexttohim, takecareofhim
“Iheard youthatday, youknow,” he said, like he was startinga storyhalfwaythrough “You’d texted me to tell me you’d passedyourexams.Iwassoproudofyou.”Helaughedsoftly,andIcould’veswornhiseyesshonewithtears.“Iwaslooking forwardtocelebratingwithyou,butthenIfoundyououtbythefootballfieldwithyourfriends.”
Dread sank into me like a cold stone in my stomach Amemory resurfacing “No,” I said firmly, as if I could rewrite history
“Cameron… I have a son?” My heart soared, even as the rage ignited, both extremes dulled by the alcohol. Jasper’s expressionwasguardedashewaitedtoseewhatemotioncameoutontop.
Itwas all too much, the thoughts and emotions swirlingaround inmyhazymind. Ineeded to getoutofthis car, needed to pace Thoughtswerebouncingaroundinsidemyhead,andtheywerealltooslipperyformetokeepholdofanythingcoherent “Y-youkeptmysonfromme?”Igrittedout.ButcouldIblamehim?HethoughtI’dusedhim,thatI’dtreatedhimlikeshit,like hewasnothingmorethanthepunchlineofajoke.Gods,whythefuckdidIsayall thatbullshit?Ididn’tfeel thatwayatall! WhydidIevercarewhatthoseguysthought?Allthistime,Icould’vebeenwiththemanIloved,asafamily,withourson!
ButthenIthoughtofthatjackasstonightwithhisarmaroundJasper,talkingaboutmychild, their child,andinsteadofallthe thingsIshould’vesaid,Iblurted,“Howdoyouknowhe’sevenmine?”Iregrettedthewordsassoonasitwastoolatetotake themback.
Jasper’s face crumpled, and the tears he’d beenholdingoffspilled over. He dashed themawaywiththe backofhis hand. “Therewasneveranyonebutyou,butifyoucan’ttakemywordforit,you’reentitledtoapaternitytest”
Myheartached. I’d caused himso manytears, too many. “No, that’s notnecessary. I’msorry, Ididn’tmeanit,” Isaid. It seemedIhadabadhabitofsayingthingsIdidn’tmean.NoneofmyapologiesmeantanythingifInevertriedtodobetter. Iturned to lookoutthe window and saw Iwas almosthome. The houses inthis neighborhood were all two-storymanors, withtoo-greengrasscutexactlytwoincheshigh Thewindowswerealldark Whattimewasit?
“Haveyouchangedyourmind?”I’dasked,bracingmyselffordisappointment “Iwon’tjudgeyouifit’stoomuch” “No!” he’d said quickly. “It’s… well, yes, it’s a lot, but not too much. I’d still reallylove to meet Cameron. Ifthat’s all right?”
He could’ve pushed if he’d wanted to He could easilyafford a good lawyer and take whatever he wanted byforce, but instead,herehewasaskingformypermissiontomeethisson Andhesoundednervousashell
