The Hard Way Read online

  I should at least stretch. I can’t keep going for long periods like this without doing it. Noah stood up and bent over, twisting his hips about and hearing a satisfying crack as his hips loosened.

  He pulled one of the thick curtains back and peeked outside. The sun had almost gone down and men and women shuffled out of the building. Noah returned to his desk and pulled himself as close as he could to it.

  Okay, if I just finish prepping for the week, then I can let myself go home, he thought as he spread his thumb across a small stack of papers and sighed. Hugh is going out of his way to give me less work. I don’t know why anything has really even changed.

  Frustrated, Noah pushed away from his desk and wandered over to the bookcases. I never thought that being on the first floor would be this unsatisfying, he thought. Shortly after their wedding, Noah had received one of the biggest cases of the year; he went up against a teen clothing company’s CEO. Harold Bishop had been accused of sexually harassing every intern that worked for him and firing them soon after they finally gave into his advances to get ahead. When Noah won that case on behalf of three different clients, Hugh saw to it that Noah wasn’t forgotten about on the second floor.

  Noah took a rough hard-covered book off of the shelf and the large bold print read BALTIMORE LAW on the front. Noah lazily flipped through the pages of it. Maybe this will stir up some inspiration, he thought. The money for being a first-floor lawyer at the Law Offices of Hugh Walsh was particularly good, and while Noah felt that he was entertaining a dry spell with the miniscule number of cases he had been assigned in the last month, it was well worth the boredom to be able to add an extra layer of financial security to his home life.

  Jade needs money for little league. This is how Daddy finds little league money. He laughed to himself and slipped the book back onto the shelf. He jumped as a knock sounded from outside of his door. He was pretty sure that everyone had gone home for the night. No one else stayed late regularly since Rhonda had retired. Three months ago, Rhonda had decided that she didn’t have the stomach for law and administration anymore.

  Noah opened the door and Issac, Jade, and Wyatt stood in the doorway. He stepped aside to let them in and said, “What are you guys doing here? I told you that I’m going to have to work tonight.”

  Noah leaned against his desk for support and Issac said, “Well, I was worried that you wouldn’t stop to eat if we didn’t come by and make you. Isn’t that right, Wyatt? Doesn’t Daddy need to remember to eat?” He held Wyatt up to Noah and Noah held him just as Wyatt managed to form the world’s biggest snot bubble.

  “Eww,” he said.

  “We didn’t just bring snot,” Issac said. “Jade, show him the goods!” Noah’s eyes followed Issac’s hand as Jade held up two bags worth of takeout dinner.

  “We wanted to make sure that you ate!” Jade set the bags down onto Noah’s desk and took out a small stack of paper plates and silverware.

  Noah turned to look at his husband. “You guys really didn’t hold back, huh?”

  Issac nodded as Jade brought a plate of steaming Chinese food over to him. Noah’s mouth watered and as he shoveled some food into his mouth he asked, “How did you know that I was in the mood for Chinese? And company?”

  Issac took a small bite off of Noah’s plate. “Well, it’s what you always want,” he said, reaching forward and wrapping an arm around his husband’s pronounced bump.

  “I think it’s what the baby wants too.”

  Want to read more? Check this book out!

  Opposites attract and this alpha and omega make the chemistry explode…

  Feisty and fierce, Sam Hemingway is nothing like a typical omega. As the mayor’s son, he was raised to be strong, rugged, and in control. He knows exactly what he wants—and he doesn’t want the life his family has hand-picked for him. Loving and caring for horses in the country stables is all he needs in life.

  But when his mother meddles and throws a real stable hand in to take control, Sam has no idea how quickly his life is going to change.

  Charming and sexy Colton Sharp knows his way around a stable. And this alpha quickly works way into Sam’s heart. As the two grow closer and assume their roles, Colton’s true identity threatens everything they’ve built. Now, with everything on the line, will Sam and Colton discover the true meaning of family and love?

  In this 50,000 word gay romance novel, two men struggle with their place in society as their families try to force them to fit a certain mold. But after they find each other, they discover a new strength—the strength of love. With explicit scenes and sexy “rolls in the hay,” these two stable boys fight the secrets that try to destroy them. And when one man learns that he’s pregnant, they learn to love deeper and stronger than they ever have before.

  Click here for Stable Secrets!

  Get Your FREE Austin Bates’ Book – Curl Up Together

  Matt is the Man of Honor at his sister’s wedding. Jon is his best friend’s best man. They can’t deny the spark between them at the reception, and they don’t even try. When Matt’s homophobic father comes between them the morning after the wedding, they’re torn apart. Is this the end, or will love find a way?

  Matt’s parents disowned him when he came out six years ago, but he’s always been close with his big sister Claudia. He thinks her wedding will be tense and unpleasant, but then he meets Jon. Jon just might be the man of his dreams, but their time together is cut short by a cruel stunt of Matt’s father. When he gets home to Boston, he finds himself pregnant. How will he move forward?

  Jon is honored to be his best friend’s best man, even if his best friend does come from a homophobic family. He can put up with it for a few hours. When he meets the bride’s omega brother, Man of Honor Matt, he’s besotted. Circumstances tear them apart, but he can’t get Matt out of his head.

  Click Here

  The Hard Way

  Austin Bates

  © 2017

  Disclaimer

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and events are all fictitious for the reader’s pleasure. Any similarities to real people, places, events, living or dead are all coincidental.

  This book contains sexually explicit content that is intended for ADULTS ONLY (+18).