Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek

Sweetheart: Unlocked Mates

Here is a sneak peek at Levi's story: Sweetheart: Unlocked Mates Book

Chapter One

Mason

Mason Benard checked his backpack, ensuring he had the essentials for a long hike before hefting the weight over one shoulder. The small rundown cabin he was fixing up didn't show a lot of progress, but Mason was happy with what he'd accomplished so far. He should really be spending his day off working on the floors or sanding the kitchen cabinets, but he was too unsettled to stay indoors.

Spring had finally arrived. After a long and stressful winter, Mason was ready to be outside and back into a routine.

Stepping into the early morning sun, Mason lifted his face while breathing deeply. He loved the little piece of heaven that he'd found for himself. No more city traffic, horns honking, or people yelling. No more family coming into his apartment whenever they wanted no matter how often Mason asked them not to. No more having to be at his father's beck and call when his father decided another monster needed to be taken out. Mason had finally put his foot down, joining his cousin and twin brother, leaving the family business behind him.

Getting a job with the State Park Service had been easy enough. His twin was an expert at forging documents and Mason instantly had the requirements to become a park ranger. When he was told that there was an abandoned ranger station on the edge of park land close to where the forest butted up against private land, Mason had been thrilled.

A cabin out in the middle of nowhere. Perfect.

In the few short months that he'd been living at the cabin, Mason had started to make it his own. A home that he wouldn't be yanked away from at his father's wishes. He was a thirty-two-year-old man, and it was time for Mason to live the kind of life he wanted.

Not that Mason knew what to do with himself yet.

Making the rounds around the state park where he answered questions and gave directions to tourists wasn't exactly the challenge Mason was looking for. He had his cabin remodel to keep him busy outside of work and there was a decent club where he could pick up men. For moving to a smaller town, Mason was pleased that his choice in male bed partners was no limited. He had a lot of time to make up. His father hadn't given him or his brother freedom to experiment while growing up, or in their late teens, or twenties. Mason spent the first month in town fucking as many men, or being fucked by them, as he could.

Mason always brought the men to his new home and seeing their faces when they were faced with the rundown cabin was always comical. Not all men made it inside but the ones who did deserved a piece of Mason's ass.

No one had stuck around afterwards.

Not that Mason minded. He enjoyed getting dicked. Just because he was missing a connection with any of his choices didn't mean he was making a mistake.

Mason knew better than anyone that finding a real connection with someone only led to heartache. If his father didn't chase away Mason's boyfriends then his old job had. Not like he could explain to a lover that he had to skip out on a date or leave the bed in the middle of the night because his father ‘found' another monster.

Yeah, he was better off finding men at clubs and getting his.

Except he'd tried to at least get to know a few of the men and date. He'd even set up a profile on a gay dating app at the insistence of his twin. Mason had only found one man that he even bothered to chat with.

Stone had been sweet, funny, and a welcome distraction from the major life changes Mason had been making.

The only problem had been that while Stone was always been up for chatting through the app, he'd refused to meet Mason in person.

At first Mason had been amused. Stone was obviously shy. Sort of na?ve. The pictures though. Fuck! Mason had stared at the pictures that Stone sent to him. Never of his face. But that chest…those thighs. Sadly, Mason hadn't gotten any dick pictures although he'd been hoping, and now he'd not get anything ever again.

After too much whiskey, a voice mail from his father, and feeling sorry for himself, Mason sent a message that he'd regretted the next morning. It had been too late. Stone was gone. He must have deleted the app because Mason had even made a fake profile, trying to find the guy again. No luck.

Shaking his head, Mason pushed all thoughts of Stone away.

Nothing he could do about it. He'd fucked up and the sweetest, most attractive, as far as he could tell, man that Mason had ever talked to was gone. Poof.

Stepping off the front deck, Mason set out for his hike. He wanted to get to know the area around his cabin better. There weren't designated hiking trails but Mason was an experienced outdoorsman so he knew he would be fine. He also wanted to check out the private land that butted up against his.

Mason's boss had specifically ordered him to stay away from the private land.

Like that would even be possible. It just showed that his new boss knew nothing about Mason.

The trees seemed to welcome him. The canopy of leaves above his head keeping the early morning sun hidden. It was a little chilly, but Mason had dressed in layers for that reason.

The sounds of animals waking up caught his attention.

He passed a tree with a small family of squirrels squeaking at one another.

"Good morning," he greeted his little furry friends.

A rabbit darted out in front of him before hopping up onto a downed trunk.

"Well, aren't you cute," Mason told the rabbit.

Yes, he was talking to the forest animals. No, he wasn't embarrassed. It wasn't like there was another human around to hear him being silly. Mason had always loved animals even though his father had thought that made him soft.

Animals didn't judge. Animals lived simple lives and Mason envied them for that.

Two hours into his hike and Mason was in love with his new home. The hope for the future was bright as he spotted a couple of birds watching him. The forest of this state park was filled with life. The animals appeared curious as to what the sweaty human was doing while stumbling around in their territory.

Deciding it was time for a break Mason found a soft spot in the moss-covered ground and sat with his back to a large oak tree.

Mason pulled out a bottle of water and protein bar as he peered around his surroundings. He was only a few feet from where the state park property ended and the private land started.

There was a buzz in the air that prickled at the back of his neck. He'd trained too long to ignore such a strong pulse.

Magic.

At this point in his life, Mason could practically taste magic.

He quickly scarfed down his snack before gulping the water. Mason kept still, trying to see if he could tell what magical being had been around. Was this why he'd felt himself being watched lately? Just last week while he'd been chopping wood for his fireplace, Mason could have sworn he hadn't been alone.

Mason had called himself crazy. Knew he was paranoid but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Even talking to his twin hadn't calmed him down.

Stuffing his trash and the empty water bottle back into his bag, Mason began to rise when he spotted something silver glint from under a pile of leaves. He dropped his pack before carefully crawling over.

What he saw made his stomach turn.

A fucking bear trap.

There was no hunting in the state park, and he knew that the private land was protected as well. This trap had been set by someone who shouldn't be in the area. He grabbed his bag before pulling out a small tool set and went about dismantling the trap. He needed to show his boss but… He glanced through the trees.

What about the landowner?

Mason could see a huge house with several other well-constructed buildings scattered around the property. A thought struck before Mason could talk himself out of it. He'd wanted to meet the neighbors. Now he had a reason.

He carefully set the trap inside his bag before he rose.

The minute he stepped over the invisible barrier his core burned.

There was definite magic being used around here.

Now Mason was even more curious.

The backyard was filled with toys scattered around, a very nice deck with a large table and several chairs. It appeared his neighbors had a big family. A tall playset, pool, and sandbox were also visible. And they had kids that needed to be warned about the traps.

The back door was right there but Mason took the time to walk around to the front. He knocked on the massive door of the big house.

"Levi! Can you get that?"

"I just got back from a run!"

"The boys are finger-painting! Do you want to come help in here instead?"

"I'll get the door."

Mason held in his laugh at the disgruntled statement before the front door opened. He stared at the most attractive man he'd ever seen. The man wore only a pair of gray cotton shorts that hung from his hips as sweat dripped down the center of his chest.

Fuck him! Mason licked his lips. He wanted to chase after that sweat as it went lower and lower reaching— Damn! He forced in eyes up to the face of a man with wide gray eyes that stared at him.

Neither of them said anything. The tension strung tight between them.

Those eyes. That mouth. The chest!

The door slammed in his face.

Levi's book is next and you can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Thank you for reading!

Athena