Reggie's Reasons

By Lisa Oliver

Ever since he went through his awakening at fifteen, Reginald Forsyth ("Reggie") had received mysterious notes on his bathroom mirror every birthday. Initially supportive, the notes got progressively more flirtatious as he got older. Now, one day from his twenty-fifth birthday, Reggie is about to be an adult in vampire terms, and ready to meet his admirer.

After shouting off his big mouth, Dirkin spent ten years in the shadows, watching his mate grow from a teenager into a handsome and sensitive adult. Now all he wants is to see if holding the mans of his dreams is as good as he'd imagined. He could have done without some of Reggie's questionable friends, but with his mate by his side, there wasn't much Dirkin couldn't handle.

Or so he thought. A sultry cat-shifter, a goth vampire, Dirkin's best friend Balthazar, and a karaoke machine all have to be dealt with before he and Reggie get their HEA. And an Italian chef gets a mention too. There's no question here if Dirkin and Reggie get their HEA - the only question is whether or not they'll have the energy left to enjoy it.

Reggie's Reasons is the second book in the Quirk of Fate series. Quirk of Fate is a series of independent standalone stories that have no attachment to others in the series except by the quirky and different ways Fated Mates can end up meeting. This story is 46,000 words, and includes some violence, intimate situations between men, and adult language. It is intended for adults only. Please store your ebooks responsibly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Oliver
• Release date: Aug 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005408947

Lisa Oliver

Hi My name is Lisa Oliver and welcome to my Author page. After spending years writing non-fiction books, the lure of fiction and the men in my head finally had me sitting down and writing The Reluctant Wolf, an M/M paranormal erotic romance in November 2013.  Since that time I have written over one hundred titles including the Cloverleah Pack series, the Bound and Bonded series, Alpha and Omega series, Stockton Wolves series, The Hellhound Collar series, The Gods Made Me Do It series and many more. All of my books are M/M (or M/M/M) come with a guaranteed HEA and absolutely no cheating. I strongly believe in the power of love - and most of my books are based on the true mate trope. (The exception is my Arranged Marriage series). However, for me, insta-lust does not equal insta-love and all of my books tell of the journey my main characters need to go through to reach that state of being in love with someone special. Some of my books can be read as standalone, but in cases like the Cloverleah series you get a good idea of the back stories of secondary characters by reading the books in order. I love to hear from all of my readers so please feel free to catch up with me on Facebook, Twitter or through my blog.

Book preview

Reggie’s Reasons

Quirk of Fate #2

Copyright 2021 Lisa Oliver

Published by Lisa Oliver at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Reggie’s Reasons

Quirk of Fate #2

By Lisa Oliver

(A Standalone 46,000 Word Story)

Reggie’s Reasons (Quirk of Fate #2)

Copyright © Lisa Oliver 2021

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cover Design by Lisa Oliver

Cover pictures purchased from Shutterstock.

First Edition August 2021

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Lisa Oliver. [e-mail]

No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Lisa Oliver. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

Reggie’s Reasons is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks are owned by the relevant companies and are used for reference purposes in this book only.

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Series Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epilogue

About the Author

Other Books By Lisa/Lee Oliver

Dedication

Love is the best gift to give yourself and others.

A huge thank you to Jon for polishing my words and to Phil and Barry who keep me on the not so straight and narrow.

But mostly to you, my lovely reader, for taking a chance on my stories, and trusting my muse will make you smile today. You truly mean the world to me.

Hugs.

Author’s Note

This muse deviation is not strictly all my fault, lol. My wonderful readers in my private group (link at the back of this book) were talking about some of the short stories I’d written for Stormy Glenn’s ManLove Fantasies. I was already working on finishing two of them (Justice and Cyril and then Bailey and Sin) when someone asked about the story about the man who’d received a message once a year from someone he hadn’t met yet. Reggie.

I couldn’t believe it. I had completely forgotten about him and when I uploaded the four parts I’d written for ManLove to my group so they could refresh their memories too, I ended up reading it – and I was consumed by it – so, this one got pushed to the front of the queue… and here it is.

The muse loves what the muse loves. I hope you enjoy this one.

Huge hugs,

Lisa.

Series Note

Quirk of Fate is a series of independent standalone stories that have no attachment to others in the series except by the quirky and different ways Fated Mates can end up meeting. Sometimes, I just have ideas that won’t fit anywhere else.

Thank you for your understanding. I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter One

Reginald Horace Forsyth, known to his friends as Reggie, rolled onto his back and groaned. His pre-birthday party, because according to Fox having a party on the actual day of his birth was so last year, left him with a mouth as dry as the inside of a wool bale, and someone was using a jackhammer in his brain.

Why do I let him talk me into this sort of shit? He muttered, blinking repeatedly to try and get his eyes to clear. I should’ve left before Kyle brought out the home brew.

I suppose you’re blaming the home brew on your chainsaw snoring too?

Aye, what? Reggie turned his head to the other side of the bed. The blond curls were not what he was expecting to see. He quickly did a mental check. Pants on, belt still buckled. In fact, he was still fully dressed except for his boots. Phew. He frowned. At the risk of sounding like a right bastard, do I know you?

Not intimately, if that’s what you’re worried about. The blond sat up, back against the headboard, a pint-sized pout emphasizing his full lips. "We met last night. I’m Donny, Fox’s cousin. From Alabama. You promised to show me a good time."

Er… Reggie didn’t remember anything after he’d started throwing back home brews with Kyle. You agreed to come home with me when I was legless? I am in my own bed, right? Peering blearily over the blond’s tight body, he saw his desk and laptop sitting under the window.

Who do you think drove your drunk ass home? You were all hands and promises until I got you inside, then bam, you hit the bed and started snoring.

Thank the Fates for that home brew. Reggie did not do one-night stands, and while he had a typical vampire desire for blood and sex, blood bags took care of his basic food needs while his hand took care of the other. Sex was something he was saving for… Fuck, what’s the time?

A little after eight. Donny frowned as he glanced at his watch. You clearly forgot I was here. Is this the part where you offer to get me a cab without even making a coffee first?

Damn. That was exactly what Reggie was going to do. I’ll take you out for coffee. There’s a great little diner two blocks down, he said, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom. He wasn’t ashamed of being seen with Donny. The man was drop dead gorgeous if you liked perky little blond twinks. But today was Reggie’s twenty-fifth birthday. The day he officially became an adult in vampire society.

Surely, there’ll be something special for me today. But as Reggie scanned his large bathroom mirror, while taking care of business and then tucking himself away, the expected card was nowhere to be seen. His heart sank. Why did I have to get Donny to bring me home last night, of all nights? He must have gotten the wrong idea.

The he was Reggie’s secret admirer. At least, that’s how Reggie thought of him. It started just after Reggie turned fifteen. As with any vampire his age, he went through the awakening. His need for blood became a raging thirst, and after draining five blood bags in the space of an hour, he’d suffered twenty-four hours of agony as his fangs came in and his body changed – typical vampire puberty in other words.

It was after he’d received the blessings of his coven leader, Bevan, who’d raised him since his parents died not long after his birth, and Reggie was struggling to cope with his new reality – heightened senses, a nagging fiery feeling in his gut, and his hugely improved height and muscles – that Reggie found a card taped to his bathroom mirror.

All it said was I’m so proud of you. There was no name, no signature, nothing to indicate where the card came from. But simply holding the thick, expensive looking paper gave Reggie a sense of peace. Putting it safely away, he thought no more of it, until another card and a small gift appeared the following year. And the year after, and the year after that.

At first, Reggie thought it was someone in the coven, sending notes on his parents’ behalf. He was sure Bevan had similar card stock in his office. But when Reggie hit eighteen, the notes took on a decidedly flirty approach and no one at the coven ever showed any sexual interest in him. Vampires didn’t mate with other vampires. When he’d turned nineteen, Reggie didn’t expect to receive anything - he’d left the coven by then and was living in his own apartment. But on the morning of his birthday, another card was there, on his bathroom mirror.

Reggie hadn’t been able to forget the card he’d received the year before – his twenty-fourth birthday. One more year until I can hold my heart’s desire. At the time, Reggie had been semi-seriously flirting with the manager’s son at the club he worked at, but something about that subtle passion made Reggie feel special. He broke off the flirting and concentrated on being the best damn bouncer he could be.

It was meant to be today, he groaned, thumping his bathroom counter. A whole fucking year he’d been waiting for that hint of a promise, to meet the person who’d kept his distance until he was an adult. And now I’ve gone and fucked it up.

Looking for something? Donny was leaning against the door frame, waving a familiar looking card in his hand. You know, it’s really bad form to flirt with someone when you’re already partnered with someone else.

Are you sure it wasn’t you that was doing all the flirting? Reggie reached over and snapped the card from Donny’s hand. Just holding it made his heart lighter. He hadn’t been forgotten. I vaguely remember meeting you when we got to the pub, but I’m pretty sure I spent most of the night drinking with Kyle and Fox.

Donny huffed and tapped his foot on the tiles. I know, and I don’t get it. You’re the virgin vampire, right?

Reggie was so glad of his genetics in that moment – he could control his blush if he wanted to. What of it? He folded his arms across his broad chest, tucking the card under his arm where it couldn’t be seen.

Well, it’s unnatural, isn’t it? I mean, Fox told me about you, and I thought you might have been a dog or something before we met. Who gets to twenty-five years old and hasn’t even been kissed? Donny’s eyes raked over his body. Reggie felt self-conscious although he refused to squirm under the attention. It’s a travesty. Any man or woman would happily climb that huge body of yours and offer their neck. What the hell are you waiting for?

Reggie wasn’t sure if he should feel flattered or annoyed. It’s really not any of your business, is it? Or Fox’s for that matter.

No one knew about the drawer where he kept the previous ten cards, and the small gifts that often accompanied them. Nothing big or expensive. Just little things showing his admirer had been keeping an eye on him. The year he bought his first car, the gift was a key ring. When he graduated college two years earlier than most, a beautifully engraved gold pen sat on his bathroom bench. The stuffed green frog from the local fair he’d been to with his friends, a smart watch with a triple alarm function when he got his first job.

Look, Reggie said when Donny’s pout deepened. I appreciate you bringing me home. I’m sorry my snoring kept you awake. I’ll happily buy you a coffee, or breakfast if you’re hungry, and drop you off at your cousin’s afterward, but who I sleep with, or don’t is my choice. Making me feel as if there’s something wrong with me because I don’t sleep around isn’t making me feel any better about you. Some of us still believe in fated mates, you know.

It’s such a waste. You know, I could make a vampire like you a very satisfying mate. Donny purred as he ran his hand down his fine chest. Cats are very flexible, and our blood is like catnip to bloodsuckers like you.

Reggie would like to say he wasn’t affected, but truth was, holding onto his virginity had been a struggle at times. Only the rough texture of the card he still gripped in his hand reminded him he was hoping for better things.

You’ll find your own fated mate one day, he said roughly, because damn it, his cock was waking up and his fangs itched. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll change my shirt and take you out for that coffee you wanted.

Hmm, your body wants me, even if your mouth is saying no. A cunning look came over Donny’s face as he blatantly eyed Reggie’s crotch. No one needs to know about it, he said, slinking closer, his voice taking on a purr. I won’t even tell Fox if you don’t want me to.

Reggie didn’t realize he was squeezing his card until he felt the prick of a paper cut. What part of no don’t you understand? he growled, frustrated and embarrassed all at once. Get the hell out of my bathroom before I pick you up and throw you out.

Oooh, I do love it when I get manhandled. Donny shimmied as he trailed his fingers up Reggie’s thighs. All that raw passion….

Get. The. Fuck. Out. Reggie’s roar shook the mirror and his tooth cup fell off the counter. He didn’t dare put his hands on the little guy – that was not the type of thing he ever did. Even when he was chucking people out of the club he worked at, he was careful with anyone smaller than himself.

Whether it was his tone of voice, or the claws he’d suddenly developed, Donny finally got the hint and moved away. Fine. No wonder you’re still single with that attitude,