Red Flagged
By Elle Keaton
Reclaimed Hearts, Book 3
Ex-US Marshal turned Cooper Springs Chief of Police, Andre Dear isn’t looking for love. He’s too busy hunting a killer.
The last person Andre expected to see in Cooper Springs was Dante Castone. He left Dante and the rest of his old life behind him when he moved to Washington State and what he thought would be a quiet job in a small town by the ocean.
Dante Brown went into WITSEC for his sister’s kid--sort of.
In reality, Dante's DIYing it; he isn’t the trusting sort. Daniella was the only witness to her mom’s brutal murder and needs both protection and anonymity--plus as normal a life as possible. It's just a bonus that Cooper Springs has Andre Dear too.
He and Andre have a history, and Dante wants to see if they might have a future. Someone is gunning for Andre and, like it or not, Dante is going to protect him. And yeah, feed him too. Does the man never eat?
Andre needs Dante’s help even if he doesn’t want to accept it. Dante's ready to settle down but he’s going to have to prove himself before Andre lets him in again.
Together, they need to catch a killer and maybe find each other in the process.
Red Flagged is book three in the Reclaimed Hearts series. A second-chance, older-lovers redemption story and thrilling romantic suspense set in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula.
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Excerpt
André’s evening reading was interrupted by a banging against his front door. The hammering was loud, purposeful, and, in André’s opinion, full of false promise. He briefly contemplated not answering. The reverberation alone told him who was on the other side.
He had a choice to make.
For f*ck’s sake, the thundering knock hadn’t even startled him.
Damn.
Annoyed, he set his mystery novel—a British cozy he’d been half paying attention to while listening to the rain pound against the roof—face down on the arm of the couch and rose to his feet. Traitorous anticipation bloomed slowly, languorously, alongside the growing exasperation in the pit of his stomach, rising like the steam from a freshly brewed cup of tea.
“Dear, I know you’re in there. Answer the f*cking door. It’s pissing down out here.”
Wasn’t forty-five too old for a booty call? Was it a booty call when the ass in question showed up unannounced and, well, uncalled?
André didn’t have time to answer any of that in the short distance between his couch and the front door. Reaching out, he flipped the lock open and then twisted the handle, his hand shaking slightly.
This would be the last time.
Seconds later, André was slammed back against the living room wall, his hands automatically slipping under Dante’s leather jacket and cotton t-shirt, his fingertips sliding against Dante’s chilled, damp, skin. Dante murmured something and then his mouth was on André’s, claiming him as he always did.
Always. But never forever.
Within minutes, they were mostly naked and stumbling into André’s bedroom. A trail of clothing was strewn behind them, much like Hansel and Gretel’s trail of breadcrumbs so they could find their way back out of the wicked forest.
André felt his personal forest was much more complicated than Hansel and Gretel’s, but he’d finally found a way out of it.
This was the last time they were doing this.
At least this time, they made it to the bed and hadn’t just ended up on the couch like so many nights before. Falling onto the mattress, André had landed on his back and currently was gazing down his body, watching an equally naked Dante press his nose into André’s crotch. He liked it.
God, he liked it.
His c*ck did too. His c*ck was a fan of everything Dante. But it needed to stop. It had to. A relationship that consisted of late-night knocks on the door (followed up by the best sex André had ever experienced) and an empty spot next to him in the morning was not what he wanted.
The sex was incredible but what happened afterward made him intensely lonely.
As ridiculous as it was for a man of his age and profession—a U.S. Marshal, for godsakes—André wanted a partner. A real partner.
Dante Castone, an undercover operator for the DEA, was not the man for the job.
He wanted someone who’d stand by his side through good and bad times and vice versa. Dante was not that man. No matter how f*cking incredible his lips felt as they closed around André’s c*ck.
“Jesus,” André groaned, arching his back.
Since a partner didn’t seem to be in the cards for André at this late stage in the game, he’d decided to settle for a job that wasn’t actively trying to kill him. He wanted to head into his twilight years like a cop on The Andy Griffith Show or Mayberry R.F.D., giving advice to innocent kids and chatting with senior citizens who would end up having the answer to everything.
“You’re distracted tonight,” Dante rumbled as he let André’s c*ck slip from between his lips so he could begin licking his way up André’s body. He was heading toward André’s neck, which seemed to be a favorite place of his.
“Don’t leave marks,” André complained, his hips jerking as Dante nibbled on a sensitive nipple. “I don’t want to have to explain anything to my coworkers.”
“So many rules. You know I love breaking rules.”
Dante did love breaking rules—André’s rules, at any rate.
“Quit thinking so hard.” Dante punctuated his demand by biting and then sucking hard on André’s nipple, tracing around the nub with his hot tongue.
“F*ck.” André’s c*ck throbbed with anticipation of what was to come—himself and Dante—and he writhed desperately underneath Dante’s pleasantly heavy, muscular body, needing more contact, more of everything.
Tomorrow he’d tell Dante they couldn’t do this anymore. No more rule breaking.
Carra's Review
This is definitely my favorite book of this series so far. I love Andre and Dante together, their story is an attention-getter, and I was completely invested in these two from start to finish. Also, I’m not normally a fan of kids in my stories, but Daniella fits perfectly especially since much of her part is solidly tied into the drama and suspense of the story.
I will recommend that you read this series in order. While each story could stand on its own in regards to each couple’s romance, there is an underlying plot that continues from one to the next as the mystery central to the series keeps on building. You’ll want to hear the stories of the other couples anyway once you meet them in their supporting roles here in this book.
Andre came to Cooper Springs hoping to settle into a quiet town after the faster paced life he had as a US Marshal. He’s settled in pretty well, but definitely wasn’t expecting Dante to show up in town. The two have a not-too-distant past together that was primarily physical—something that they were VERY good at together.
Dante is trying to protect his niece, and believes the little town of Cooper Springs is a good place for them to keep themselves off the radar of some very bad people. For Dante, it is also a chance to try and make a go of things with Andre again…if he can convince Andre of that.
The two of them are really good together, not just physically, and they also work good together in trying to figure out who is coming after Andre and also keeping Daniella safe. The mystery and suspense are intriguing and not to be cliché, but I was glued to the pages with this one. That suspense continues to build throughout the story, ratcheting up the excitement level until the main conflict scene near the end.
Red Flagged was a great read and is getting 4.5 stars from me. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the series, and would highly recommend this book and full series to any M/M romantic suspense fans. This story is meant for mature readers for adult language and sexual content.
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About the Author:
Do you love inclusive, swoony, and often suspenseful small-town romances featuring complex characters and a unique sense of place? I do too! My characters start out broken and, maybe, they’re still a tad banged up by the end, but they find the other half of their hearts and ALWAYS get their happily ever after.
In 2017 I pressed the Publish button for the first time and have never looked back—making this the longest period of time I've stuck with a job in my entire life.
Currently, there are over thirty Elle Keaton books available for you to read or listen to. I love cats and dogs. Star Wars and Star Trek. Pineapple on pizza, and have a cribbage habit my husband encourages.
Connecting with readers is very important to me. If you are so inclined, join The Highway to Elle newsletter, and keep up to date with everything Elle-related (or join my Ream page and get in on the novels early plus swag and extras). Random topics Include, but not limited to, ‘where are Elle's glasses?' and, ‘why are there cats?’. I can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and occasionally TikTok.
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