Seduced by the Viking: A Paranormal Romance: His Viking Love, #3

By AJ Tipton

Aaron's a small-town guy fighting to keep his home in one piece. Torin's there to tear it apart.

 

Aaron Blake is a firefighter who spends his free time volunteering at the local food bank. But when a billionaire developer threatens to tear the food bank down, he knows he must put everything on the line to stop it. But when the distractingly sexy Torin Tandoh comes across his path, Aaron finds himself being pulled away from the cause. Will he be able to stay true to himself even when he's sleeping with the enemy?

 

Torin Tandoh is a smooth-talking fixer for the rich and powerful with a very old secret. An ancient curse causes fires to break out whenever he experiences sadness. Luckily Torin's got a great job, a sexy new boyfriend, Aaron, and not a damn thing to be sad about. But when Torin is forced to choose between Aaron and a gruesome fate for his family, he needs to find another way out. Can Torin make the right decision without incinerating everything he cares about?

 

This short, M-M paranormal romance is a quick and fiery read! If you like coffee puns, good men doing good deeds, and a blazing hot love, then you'll adore AJ Tipton's latest story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Savvy Storytelling, LLC
• Release date: May 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201269265

AJ Tipton

AJ Tipton is a writing team: Annie and Jess (Get it? "AJ"). Based in Brooklyn with the greatest dog in the world as our mascot, we love to create fun romances that astound, amuse and arouse. Our romances are steamy and paranormal, with strong heroes saving the day through extraordinary adventures.   Check out our FREE novella, Coaching the Bear, for a taste of what our magical worlds have to offer! We are huge proponents of informed consent, and love to wind cheeky pop culture references into our works. Let us know which ones you catch!  Please say hello! You can get in touch with us through: Email: [e-mail] Facebook: www.facebook.com/AJTiptonAuthor Twitter: twitter.com/AJTiptonAuthor Blog: ajtiptonauthor.wordpress.com  

Book preview

Seduced by the Viking

SEDUCED BY THE VIKING

A PARANORMAL ROMANCE

AJ TIPTON

Copyright © AJ Tipton 2022 The right of AJ Tipton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (or other similar law, depending on your country). All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, except in cases of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles. It may not be edited, amended, lent, resold, hired out, distributed or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s written permission. Permission can be obtained from [e-mail]

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This book is for sale to adult audiences only. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

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This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and incidents appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is purely coincidental.

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All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

Aaron Blake wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm, taking care not to touch his face with the slimy pink rubber gloves he was wearing. It was well over ninety degrees outside, and the ancient air conditioner at the Grace Hope Food Bank was clunking with exertion, coughing out spurts of cool air.

Here’s another plate. Saul, an older gentleman with a hairline that wasn’t so much receding as fleeing, said as he approached. Usually quite pale, Saul had grown rather tan in the long summer days, his wrinkled and browned skin highlighting light-blue eyes and a white push broom mustache above a near-permanent smile. People just leave these anywhere, don’t they? He tutted. He handed Aaron one of the off-white plastic plates they used at the food bank. It had been scraped clean.

Thanks, Saul. Aaron placed the plate in the overflowing gray bus tub he was carrying. You don’t have to do that, you know.

Makes me feel useful. Saul slapped Aaron on the shoulder, a sturdy thump, despite Saul’s age. Some people leave such a mess for you volunteers. It just doesn’t seem right.

I’m sure everyone’s doing the best they can. Aaron set the bus tub on a table strewn with dirty plates, scattered silverware, and crumpled napkins and set to work. Besides, messes like these keep me busy and out of mischief. Who knows what trouble I would get into if I had free time on my hands? he joked.

Saul pointedly glanced at the analog clock that hung over the door. Speaking of, wasn’t your shift over an hour ago?

Aaron awkwardly struggled to think of something light and pithy to say. It would be ridiculous to complain to Saul, of all people, about not wanting to go home to an empty house. But Aaron didn’t want to lie, either. Well, I—

"At your age, it’s good to get into trouble. Hell, at my age it’s good to get into trouble," Saul interrupted.

A visibly sweating man in khakis and a sky-blue polo shirt tripped over his own feet as he walked through the wide double doors in the front of the food bank. He barely found his footing, saving himself from an embarrassing faceplant, and immediately rushed to the kitchen, almost at a run. Hi, Todd, Aaron said to the man’s rapidly retreating back.

Todd Muntz was the head of the food bank, having inherited the position from his late great-aunt Grace Hope. He did a fine job, but distinctly lacked Grace’s poise and wit. The old biddy could silence a city council with a barely raised eyebrow, and at ninety-nine years old, had been one of the most respected people in town. If it hadn’t been for the incident with the shark and the hot air balloon, Grace might have outlived them all.

Aaron, Todd called out from the kitchen. Can you come back here? He paused. Now.

Aaron Blake to the principal’s office, Saul teased. Aaron cracked a smile and hurried away.

We. Are. So. Screwed. Todd was practically hyperventilating as he paced around the small kitchen. It was less of a kitchen and more of a haphazard collection of cooking implements, mismatched knives, kitchen gadgets procured from late-night shopping channels and hastily donated, and seven microwaves that mostly worked. The crown jewel of the kitchen was a tempestuous oven that changed temperatures at will, which only the food bank’s chef, Bettina Montez, could tame.

Bettina rolled her deep-brown eyes as Todd shakily paced around her kitchen. Bettina, or Chef, as she preferred to be called, was a tall woman, nearly seven foot tall with long, dark hair that cascaded down her shoulders in waves. Since they were back in the kitchen, away from prying eyes, Bettina didn’t need to hide her true self, and all six of her arms were out, openly tending to many tasks at once. There was a reason that Bettina got three times as much work done as anyone else, as a gegenees, and a brilliant one at that, she had a very obvious advantage. You’re too late for lunch, Todd. We’re out of food. Again. She held up a tall silver pot that had been scraped clean of mashed potatoes, while her other arms tended to tiding up the kitchen. You have got to get some more donors to chip in. I’m a gegenees, not a damn wizard. I can’t turn table scraps into—

Todd cut Bettina off, a first. There’s no way to sugar coat this. The food bank is closing.

Aaron felt like he’d been struck. A moment of silence stretched in the small space, before Bettina exploded.

Over my dead body! she hollered.

Aaron wondered how worried he should be about sharing a tiny kitchen with a pissed-off Bettina and so, so many knives. Sliding down to sit on a milk crate propped on its side, Aaron decided to risk it.

Todd heaved a sigh. They’re going to knock down the food bank to build a hockey arena.

Who the hell watches hockey? Bettina threw a bowl across the wall so hard it shattered. Aaron couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t mind throwing shit right now either.

Gods, Bettina! Watch it! Todd hollered. He ducked when she threw a plastic plate in his direction, and was still hunched over with his hands around his head as he continued. Aaron could barely make out the words. Some big-ass corporation bought up all of the buildings on this block, all the way down to Granite Road."

Aaron shook his head.