In Deep Read online

  Table of Contents

  Books by Bailey Bradford

  Title Page

  Legal Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Epilogue

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  About the Author

  Pride Publishing books by Bailey Bradford

  Single Books

  Breaking the Devil

  Dark Nights and Headlights

  Texas and Tarantulas

  Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots

  Something Shattered

  Yes, Forever

  The Jasper Soul

  Southwestern Shifters

  Rescued

  Relentless

  Reckless

  Rendered

  Resilience

  Reverence

  Revolution

  Revenge

  Reluctance

  Renounced

  Retrograde

  Southern Spirits

  A Subtle Breeze

  When the Dead Speak

  All of the Voices

  Wait Until Dawn

  Aftermath

  What Remains

  Ascension

  Whirlwind

  Love in Xxchange

  Rory’s Last Chance

  Miles To Go

  Bend

  What Matters Most

  Ex’s and O’s

  A Bit of Me

  A Bit of You

  In My Arms Tonight

  Where There’s a Will

  My Heart to Keep

  Leopard’s Spots

  Levi

  Oscar

  Timothy

  Isaiah

  Gilbert

  Esau

  Sullivan

  Wesley

  Nischal

  Justice

  Sabin

  Cliff

  Mossy Glenn Ranch

  Chaps and Hope

  Ropes and Dreams

  Saddles and Memories

  Fences and Freedom

  Riding and Regrets

  Broncs and Bullies

  Hay and Heartbreak

  Vaqueros and Vigilance

  Spotless

  Hide

  Hunt

  Home

  Heart

  Mystic Tattoos

  One Too Many

  Valen’s Pack

  Run with the Moon

  Exodus

  The Vamp for Me

  My Life Without Garlic

  Don’t Stake My Life on It

  Sunshine is Overrated

  Don’t Drink the Holy Water

  The Trouble with Mirrors

  That’s One Cross Vamp

  Calendar Men

  Mr. January

  Mr. February

  Mr. March

  Mr. April

  Mr. May

  Mr. June

  Mr. July

  Mr. August

  Mr September

  Mr. October

  Mr. November

  Mr. December

  The 13th Month

  Wild Ones

  Destined Prey

  Destined Predator

  City Shifters

  Bearly There

  Harey Situation

  Fire and Flutter

  Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings

  Wyvern Ways and Elven Magic

  Coyote’s Call

  Off Course

  In from the Cold

  Blue Moon Rising

  Power

  Exchange

  Submit

  Dominate

  Intrinsic Values

  Artifacts

  Antiques

  Anthologies

  What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Places

  What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Moments

  Racing Hearts: The Lonely Ones

  Hooked on You

  IN DEEP

  BAILEY BRADFORD

  In Deep

  ISBN # 978-1-83943-150-0

  ©Copyright Bailey Bradford 2021

  Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright September 2021

  Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

  Pride Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2021 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

  Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.

  Book one in the Hooked on You series

  Titus wanted a summer fling—then he wanted more…

  Titus Eisenhower loves his job as an elementary school teacher in a small Texas town. Sure, he has to be careful, but not being out is fine with him since he’s not interested in dating another man after his last relationship went so badly. But now he’s got the career he’s always wanted, a safe place to be and friends. Isn’t that everything he’s dreamed of?

  But when he meets a man he can’t resist, Titus realizes he’s stifled a part of himself…and a part of his dream. He can’t trust another man ever again, but he can manage a little summer fling, right? Wrong—everything about the mysterious Draven calls to him, and the two share a connection Titus has never dreamed of.

  That’
s already mind-blowing, but learning the truth about Draven is world-shattering. With evil threatening, and old enemies closing in, Titus will have to believe in things he didn’t know were possible if he and Draven are to stand a chance…

  Dedication

  To everyone who wants a summer romance that lasts a lifetime

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Moana: The Walt Disney Company

  Holiday Inn: InterContinental Hotels Group

  Prologue

  “Come on, kids, let’s see if we can find any shells!” Titus Eisenhower nodded to the parent volunteers forming a human wall between the Pre-K children and the ocean, keeping the kids from getting in past their ankles. The annual field trip to the beach was one of the highlights of the school year for the kids and teachers alike.

  Seeing the children’s faces lit up with joy, hearing their shrieks of—mostly—laughter, watching them run and splash in the bit of water they could reach…it made his heart swell every single time he got to take part in this trip, and this was his fifth with one of his classes.

  The other teachers were at his sides, vigilant, but when it came to children and water, all parents, all adults, needed to be watching the whole group.

  This year’s parents were great. He’d only had one pissed-off dad who had refused to let his child go since he couldn’t just hang out with his kid. Other than that, there’d been plenty of parent volunteers, and, wonder of wonders, they got on well, too. Last year, two of the dads had gotten into a fist fight over some perceived insult. That had been a disaster.

  “God, I bet we don’t ever get such a great group of parents again,” said Stacy Evans, his best friend and colleague. She’d been hired the same year he had, and they’d become fast friends. Stacy’s bright-orange hair was all over the place as the beach breeze whipped it about. She shoved uselessly at several flapping strands. “Why, oh why don’t hair ties work for me?”

  “Honey, that hair can’t be tamed any more than you can,” quipped Michelle Ochoa. She was older than Titus and Stacy, but not by too many years. “You’re as wild and powerful as the wind.”

  Michelle was also Stacy’s girlfriend, though no one but Titus knew that.

  Stacy laughed. “Whatever. When I’m blinded by my own hair, then what’ll I do?”

  “Mr. Eisenhowew, I finded a shell!” Little Bobby Garza hopped in place as he waved a sandy glob in the air. “Wook!”

  Titus grinned and jogged over to Bobby before squatting so he could be eye to eye with the boy. “Hey, you did! That’s awesome! Want to dip it in the next wave and see if we can get the sand off?”

  “Yes!” Bobby’s delighted shriek made Titus’ ears ache, but the rest of him filled with sheer wonder and delight. He loved his job, and he loved the kids, loved seeing them grow and learn. It made him less cynical every time he saw the world shine in a child’s eyes.

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Titus got the other kids to show their treasures. A couple were upset that they didn’t find good shells, but, overall, everything was going surprisingly well.

  After they’d got the kids lined up—and allowed the parent volunteers to take their kids home in their own vehicles, rather than making them ride the buses—Titus took a moment to look back at the ocean. The waves were slight, which was normal for this area of the coast. It was only one-thirty in the afternoon, so the sun was high and bright, the reflection on the water exquisite in its beauty.

  “Just think…next weekend, we’re going to be here in our own beachfront condo, partying—or relaxing, more likely—for a whole seven days,” Stacy said, her soft voice breaking into Titus’ quiet appreciation of the view.

  Not that he minded. He grinned at Stacy. “You and me and some margaritas,” he promised.

  Stacy nodded. “Darn right. I’m so looking forward to it.”

  “Me, too.” Titus and Stacy had started their beach tradition their first year at the school. Michelle and Stacy hadn’t been dating then. They’d fallen for each other a little over two years ago, but Michelle didn’t come to the beach vacations. She had prior commitments with her family in Michigan that took her away.

  Titus privately thought Michelle didn’t want to intrude, and he had mixed feelings about that. He didn’t want to be a third wheel, but he hated to think Stacy might regret Michelle not being there.

  “Stop brooding,” Stacy said, poking his arm. “You’re going to get wrinkles all over your forehead and around your eyes before you hit thirty if you keep doing that.”

  “I wasn’t brooding,” Titus protested, immediately trying to smooth out his features.

  “Yeah? Then what were you frowning at?” Stacy asked.

  “Y’all need to hurry up—we have to get on the road,” Michelle called out to them.

  “Oops, we’re holding everyone up.” Titus grinned, relieved at being saved from having to answer Stacy’s question.

  “I’ll keep bugging you until you answer me,” Stacy promised as they rushed to the buses.

  Titus could have protested, but he knew better. Besides, all he had to do was tell Stacy the truth—he didn’t want her to feel like Michelle wasn’t welcome.

  But he’d keep the other truth to himself—that he was lonely, and when he’d looked out over the water, that sense of loneliness had permeated his happiness, and now, melancholy lingered in the place where joy had been. Yes, I’ll definitely keep that secret.

  Chapter One

  “Maybe we should look for jobs here.” Stacy gestured with her margarita.

  “At Captain’s Cove?” Titus asked, knowing full well that wasn’t what she’d meant. “But that’d be a waste of our teaching degrees.”

  “Probably make more money, though.” Stacy sipped her drink.

  Titus grunted. She kind of had a point.

  The server arrived with their entrees.

  “Can I get another margarita?” Stacy tossed back the last quarter of her drink. “Please.”

  The server grinned. “That’ll be your third. Your boyfriend’ll have to carry you out of here if you drink it as fast as you did the first two. Those suckers sneak up on you. One minute, you’re clear-headed, the next, you’re trying to dance on the tables, except you can’t stand up.”

  “You calling me a lightweight?” Stacy arched a brow at the server.

  He laughed. “Nope, just telling you the truth. Doesn’t matter what size you are, what your tolerance of liquor is. The tequila in our margaritas will kick your ass.”

  Only at the beach would an employee talk so casually to customers. Titus approved.

  “Eh. He can drag me out by my ankles if he needs to,” Stacy decided. “And he isn’t my boyfriend, but he could be y—”

  “Could you bring some ketchup and sliced lemon please?” Titus cut in, desperate to stop Stacy from outing him. The coastal area they were at was more laid-back than the small town they lived in, but that didn’t mean it was safe to be outed, nor was it Stacy’s place to do so.

  Stacy blinked. “I was saying, he could be Yolanda’s boyfriend if he’d just ask her out. My sister has the biggest crush on him.”

  Nice save. Stacy was an only child.

  The server, who lacked a name tag, rolled his eyes at Stacy. “Sure, that’s what you meant.” Then he winked at Titus. “Same team, bro. I’m taken, though.”

  Titus refrained from pointing out that he hadn’t made a pass in the first place. “Congratulations.” He hoped he sounded sincere.

  The server grinned. “Thanks. I’ll be back with the liquor, lemons and ketchup.”

  Stacy reached across the table and touched Titus’ arm. “Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have the third margarita. You drink it.”

  “I haven’t even finished the first, and…” He sighed. “It’s fine, Stace.”

  Stacy shook her head. “No, no it isn’t. I almost�
��” She glanced around, leaned closer, then whispered, “Outed you, and that’s bullshit! Especially after—”

  “Here we go.” The ketchup and lemon slices were set on the table. “The margarita is going to take a few minutes. We’ve got about a half-dozen in front of you.”

  “Just cancel it.” Stacy sat back. “I think the second one is kicking in anyway.”

  “Loose tongue, huh?” The server nodded and hustled off.

  Stacy glared in his direction. “You know, he’s kind of a smart-ass, isn’t he?”

  Titus laughed. “Stace, eat your shrimp before I snatch them from you.”

  “Hey,” she protested as Titus made a grab for one. “Eat your own damn shrimp!”

  They laughed, and Titus was glad to distract her from their previous conversation. Stacy knew almost everything about him, including the one subject he’d told her he never wanted to talk about again. And he was fairly certain she’d been on the verge of bringing it up. Usually, Stacy wasn’t such a talkative drunk, but then again, her margaritas were most frequently made with wine, not tequila.

  The rest of their meal together was pleasant, and Titus made sure to leave a good tip. He and Stacy walked back to their condo, strolling along the moon-lit beach, chatting about inconsequential things. When they reached the foot of the steps leading to their rented place, Titus stopped. “I think I’m going to sit out here and watch the waves for a bit. Want to join me?”

  “Nah, I think I’m going to go in, call Michelle, then pass out. Sheesh, my head’s spinning.” Stacy grabbed the banister.

  “Let me help you upstairs.”

  It was proof of how intoxicated she was that Stacy didn’t protest. He helped her get settled on her bed—she could undress herself once he was out of the room. “Call me if you need me. I’ve got my phone.”

  Stacy grunted, and Titus left her to make her call. He trotted out through the door and down the steps, sighing as he reached the last one. He took his shoes off, set them on the flat part of the rail, then leapt off the last step and dug his toes in the sand. Something skittered off to his left. Titus figured it was a little sand crab. If it wasn’t, he didn’t want to know what it was.