{"id":17710,"date":"2017-02-20T09:00:40","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T15:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/?p=17710"},"modified":"2017-02-19T08:19:51","modified_gmt":"2017-02-19T14:19:51","slug":"wotr-chapterreveal-coal-by-chelsea-camaron-and-jessie-lane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/?p=17710","title":{"rendered":"#WOTR #ChapterReveal – Coal by Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0Title: Coal<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Series: Regulators MC #3<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Author: Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Genre: MC Romance<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
Release Date: February 28, 2017<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Cover Model is\u00a0Jacob Wilson\u00a0<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Cover Photographer is\u00a0Furious Fotog<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Cover Design by\u00a0Mina Carter<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/a><\/span>
\n
\n<\/span> Coal (Regulators MC 3)<\/span><\/div>\n
Chapter Excerpt<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by:<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane 2017<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This book contains mature content not suitable for those under the age of 18. Content involves strong language and sexual situations. All parties portrayed in sexual situation are over the age of 18. All characters are a work of fiction.<\/i><\/i><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This book is not meant to be an exact depiction of a motorcycle club but rather a work of fiction meant to entertain.<\/i><\/i><\/div>\n
Please Note: The following excerpt is subject to change in final edits.<\/i><\/b><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

~Coal~<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
She is the everyday girl next-door.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
He is shadowed by regret laced in broken memories.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Dark sins of the past have a way of taking hold of your heart and never letting go.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Paisley Asher is the average woman trying to get by in life. Happy and safe in her bubble of ease, she is not prepared to take on the black pit that is one man\u2019s heart.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trevor \u2018Coal\u2019 Blake has a past covered in black. Tainted. He is a dark soul.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the moment, it is easy to lose sight of what is going on. Looking back, however, little cues were misread \u2026 or were they? He lives with more questions than answers.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Chance encounters bring these two together. Is she the angel to pull him from the depths of his personal hell, or is he destined to remain alone and as black as coal?<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Prologue<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The pounding in my head continues to assault my ears. Chad\u2019s party last night was epic, and my head is making sure to remind me of the good time I had.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bang.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bang.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thump.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thump. Bang. Thump. Bang.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The rhythm is now unsteady.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cTrevor wake your ass us right the fuck now!\u201d My dad yells in his Army Ranger voice that has me immediately up and at attention by my bed.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Shit, why is my dad yelling? This tone is reserved for the major fuck ups.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Making my way to the door, I don\u2019t bother to put on clothes and exit in my boxers. Immediately, I\u2019m met with the brick wall that is my dad. We\u2019re about the same height and of similar build. Only my dad has seen war, has scars and quite honestly scares the shit out of me.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTurn around and put some clothes on. Then you get downstairs and face the shit storm you\u2019ve caused. Two minutes, or I drag you down and let them see you in your naked glory, I don\u2019t give a damn.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
He gives me a slight shove back into my room while my vision blurs and the chalky taste in my mouth only makes me wish I had time to grab a glass of water. His instructions were clear and precise. I won\u2019t press my luck with the Ranger. Quickly tossing on my sweats and a t-shirt I rush downstairs only to stop midway. There is no way I\u2019m going to be any longer than necessary, not with the mood he is in this morning. No sir.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The sight in front of me is like a punch to my hungover already ready to puke gut.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
My girlfriend, Amber, stands at the bottom of the stair case with tears in her eyes with her parents flanking her on either side. The girl I have spent every spare moment with for the last few months doesn\u2019t look like the lively, beautiful young woman I\u2019m used to seeing. No, she looks a mess, hurt, broken, and could it possibly be she\u2019s ashamed. Her mother\u2019s eyes are swollen from crying and her father \u2026<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
His face is murderous. What the hell is going on?<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I shake my head trying to sort out why they\u2019re here. Why my girlfriend looks like the world has crumbled at her feet. More so, why she\u2019s brought this to my doorstep.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cTrevor,\u201d my father barks harshly making me jump while I complete my descent and hit the bottom step. \u201cAss \u2013 couch – now.\u201d He commands me before looking to the other family. \u201cMr. and Mrs. Bridges, Amber, please head into the living room so we can address this matter.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Matter? What could be wrong? I haven\u2019t seen Amber in three days. She said she had the flu. We\u2019ve been dating six months. Three weeks ago, she finally gave it up at a party at her best friend, Kiki\u2019s house. Nothing has seemed out of the ordinary. We haven\u2019t had much time together. I know I was drunk, she was drunk, so it wasn\u2019t some romantic thing. In fact, once I got inside her tight pussy, I had to fight not to blow my load with the first thrust. I didn\u2019t last long, but I told her next time would be better. I tried to make it good. I even held her afterward knowing it was her first time.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I sit while my mind races.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cTrevor,\u201d my mom says my name gently while I look up into her dark eyes and see pain. \u201cAmber\u2019s family tell us that something occurred a couple of weeks ago,\u201d she starts only to be interrupted.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cYou fucking piece of shit got my daughter drunk and raped her!\u201d Mr. Bridges roars lunging at me only to be held back by my dad who easily towers a good six inches over the man.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My mother rushes to my side, her long black hair hitting me in the arm. She\u2019s Native American and I get my dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin from her. My height of six feet seven inches comes from my beast of a father.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to discuss this,\u201d my mother says to the Bridges.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing to discuss,\u201d Mrs. Bridges replies. \u201cGraduation is in two weeks, we want to see Trevor gone. Amber will have enough of a reminder for the next nine months of what\u2019s happened to her. After the kids graduate, Trevor gets out of town for school or the military, or we go to the police and press charges.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cPress charges?\u201d I scream and run my hands through my hair as sharp pains assault my head. \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cRape!\u201d Mr. Bridges yells back.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Tears hit me. I\u2019m seventeen years old. One night at a party where I swear she said yes leaves me in this kind of mess.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d I gasp and try to get out the words, only I make the mistake of looking into Amber\u2019s eyes. The fear, the pain, the sadness, and the desolation are all writing in her features as she shakes her head at me. \u201cI didn\u2019t do that.\u201d I can\u2019t even say the word.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My mother grips my arm in support. \u201cLet\u2019s sit down and talk this through.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
We back up and sit on the couch where my father releases Mr. Bridges and paces behind us. The Bridges\u2019 take their seats on the loveseat and chair. Amber refuses to make eye contact any further with me.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWere you at a party two weekends ago with Amber?\u201d Mr. Bridges starts his interrogation.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I nod.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWere you drinking?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I nod.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo you understand that the legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one?\u201d He continues to fire questions at me. \u201cDo you understand that an underage girl being intoxicated is not of the right mind to give consent to sexual activities? Do you understand the pain you\u2019ve caused our daughter? Do you understand the ramifications of your actions?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cSir,\u201d I have to swallow the lump in my throat as I fight back emotions. \u201cI understand the legal drinking age. I understand that while yes, I was intoxicated, your daughter was an equal participant. So no, sir, I do not understand the ramifications of my actions.\u201d I fight back the urge to puke.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My father\u2019s hand comes to the back of my head. \u201cSince your mother and I failed to make a man out of you. The Army will.\u201d He clips out. \u201cTrevor will be signing enlistment papers today and be gone within thirty days time.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Mr. Bridges rises to extend his hand to my father to shake. \u201cWe appreciate your attention to the matter and easing the burden for Amber. We\u2019ll be in touch about the future.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Amber stands with her mother never once looking at me as she exits, while I can\u2019t help but fear what my future holds and my mind tries to grasp what they\u2019re saying.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t do it. I didn\u2019t take advantage of her.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
**<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two years later, I finish selection to become a Green Beret. The badass of the badasses. One of the elite. I remember in the selection process, while trying to mentally survive one obstacle to the next, someone said,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHell is a fictional place. When you\u2019re done here it\u2019ll seem like a fucking sanctuary.\u201d<\/i><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

He was both right and wrong. Finishing selection was the most grueling thing I\u2019ve ever done, but I had already seen hell.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Hell was your girlfriend saying you raped her when she turned up pregnant. Hell was getting a letter she lost the baby before summer was over. Hell was knowing her life went on while I couldn\u2019t figure out if my memories of that night were teenage fantasies or reality.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Hell was living day in and day out haunted by an event you aren\u2019t sure really happened.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Chapter One<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Coal<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cRopa Vieja,\u201d I order my shredded beef while Ice looks over his menu beside me. Without having to watch him I know what Ice is doing \u2013 scanning the restaurant. Taking in the colorfully painted booths and wood stained stables while checking to make sure there is no threat in here to us. To men like us, it\u2019s second nature to make sure your area is free of danger.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cArroz con pollo,\u201d he gives the waitress his chicken order.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

With a nod, she takes off to the back, weaving in and out of the tables, leaving me with one of the few people who I consider family sitting in front of me.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been three years, brother.\u201d Ice meets my stare and doesn\u2019t back down. \u201cMadyson is good. She\u2019s working through it.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I pause and give it to him honest, \u201cyou really think someone works through something like that?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWatching her, I know they do.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
His statement does nothing to ease my fears.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cYou got a thing for my wife\u2019s sister, Coal?\u201d He asks the question everyone seems to wonder. \u201cLook me in the eye and tell me. If you do, I\u2019m not gonna judge. Not sayin\u2019 I\u2019ll be happy either, but you need to buck up, Coal.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cFuck no, I\u2019m old enough to be her damn dad.\u201d I am angry he can even think this. \u201cYou know me better than that.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThen why since the day we got her back, you\u2019ve made it your mission to make sure she moves beyond this. Hell, Coal, you\u2019ve paid for her college like she\u2019s your fucking kid.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I glare at him. \u201cNo one is supposed to know that. As far as she goes, Morgan goes, or the damn Pope goes, you pay her way through school. Drop the subject.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cEasier said then done, brother.\u201d He raises an eyebrow at me.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cGot ghosts,\u201d I reply as the waitress drops our plates in front of us.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s all I\u2019m going to give him. My personal life, my hell, is not his business. I have the means now to find Amber. I don\u2019t. I made a vow to my father the day I signed my enlistment papers to let the Army make a man out of me. I promised I would let Amber go and live her life free of me. Since the moment I took my oath, I haven\u2019t looked into her. I won\u2019t. The baby is gone. There is nothing for me to talk to her about without bringing up what is one bad fucking memory.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
When Madyson was found, I promised her I would be by her side to make sure she could move on in life. I made a vow to leave Amber alone, good or bad. I had to keep my word. I wouldn\u2019t let Madyson be alone, though, no I gave her my word to be her support.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
And I have.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Ice raises his hands in surrender knowing I\u2019m done talking about Madyson. \u201cFor now, I don\u2019t have to kick your ass.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cForever,\u201d I clip back meaning it. I do care about the well being of Madyson, but not in the way he thinks.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Three years ago Madyson was kidnapped, drugged and raped by men who were operating a sex slavery ring out of the Miami area. The Regulators had already taken notice of the number of women who were going missing, but it became personal when Ice\u2019s daughter, Brooke\u2019s best friend, Madyson, became one of those missing women.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Our club went in undercover, starting a business relationship with the man we thought was running the ring. I had to do some despicable shit to prove the Regulators were genuinely interested, such as fuck two of their drugged-up whores, but in the end it had been worth it because we got Madyson back.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to help other people. I have no problem doing that. I also have no problem with the black strokes each offense leaves on my soul after doing them. I am coming to realize there isn\u2019t much of a soul left in me anyways. The way I prove to myself that I actually am some sort of decent human being is by doing things such as putting Madyson through school. Giving one girl the chance that I had inadvertently taken from another so many years ago.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of those things I don\u2019t need to explain to a single soul. It\u2019s between me and whatever higher power I choose to believe in today.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
With our meals in front of us, we eat and spend the rest of our time in companionable silence. Brett \u2018Ice\u2019 Grady is one of my long time friends. He\u2019s also not one to press me for words. Even if he did, he wouldn\u2019t get them. My past is my own and it\u2019s not something anyone needs to know.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I left Trevor Blake behind the day I enlisted in the United States Army. My black heart is dark as coal they say and earned me my name in the Green Beret\u2019s where I met, Ice, Shooter, and Hammer. I kill without question. I sleep without dreams. And even all these years later, I still wonder if no was yes or somehow yes was no. It eats at me. It\u2019s my penance to pay. I won\u2019t bother her, I won\u2019t dredge up the history for Amber. I let it be the gray area in life and determined that my future would be black and white forever. I no longer leave anything to chance or a misunderstanding.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our phones ping at the same time, the text is from Screech, our tech man, and it\u2019s a simple one-word statement.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Mission.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
We have orders, time to finish up here and meet everyone at the club to see exactly what Uncle Sam has in store for our undercover group next.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regulators Motorcycle Club, a brotherhood of military men with a job that is a special skillset. One that walks a line between right and wrong. We\u2019re always one second away from going too far.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I have nothing to lose. I\u2019m more than okay with it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Some of the other men in our club, such as Ice and Hammer, have everything to lose. Ol\u2019 ladies, families. That\u2019s not me. I have nothing to tie me down and not one fucking thing to lose.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
My father died ten years ago from a heart attack. Now my mom lives alone. I help her out when it comes to making sure her bills are paid, but I can\u2019t make myself face her in person. I\u2019m afraid all I\u2019ll see is shame in her eyes from the things in my past.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
As I walk out of the restaurant behind Ice I see a familiar face. She goes by the street name Precious and is one of the whores I use when I need to get off. I don\u2019t do many repeats, but Precious is one of the few that I have gone to more than once because she\u2019s always clean, pretty, and I know she has a kid she\u2019s trying to support on her own.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sauntering over to me she purrs, \u201cHey baby. Haven\u2019t seen you in a while. Want to go get a room?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I shake my head. \u201cGot somewhere to be Precious. You hittin\u2019 on me because you want my dick or because you need to pay a bill?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her eyes flash in humiliation and I know it\u2019s the latter. Pulling out my wallet I take out a hundred dollar bill and put it in her hand. \u201cTake this and I\u2019ll see you when I can.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I walk away, not wanting to hear her thanks. I\u2019m not the sort of man anyone should thank for anything. Seeing her desperate like that makes me wonder about my mom. It makes me worry if she needs more money from me or not. She\u2019s stubborn and doesn\u2019t like to take the \u2018handouts\u2019 I give her. Instead she would rather earn it at the little garden shop she works at. I\u2019ll have to have Screech hack into her bank account and check things out for me.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My parents might have believed that I was a disappointment of a son because of what happened. Since the day I left to join the Army I still remember all the lessons my father taught me. Taking care of your family was one of those lessons. Whether my mom likes it or not, I\u2019m going to check in on her soon to make sure she\u2019s got everything she needs. If that means paying her bills for her behind her back, then that\u2019s what I\u2019ll do.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throwing my leg over my bike, I start her up and rev the engine. Ice is already moving so I head out after him. I have no idea what the mission is yet, but I\u2019m ready for it.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I feel that familiar need to fight, get my hands bloody. Release some of the rage I hold inside of my body twenty-four hours a day. I\u2019m just hoping this mission gives me the chance to make someone the mangled mess I am inside.<\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paisley<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cGirl, you\u2019re on fire!\u201d I tell the air around me as I dance around my loft apartment getting ready for my day. Self-talk, it\u2019s working wonders. \u201cDance, Paisley, dance, no one is here to see.\u201d I shake my bootie and swirl around the kitchen making my morning smoothie. The space is open and airy, so I can twirl and shimmy my ass anywhere I please to go from the living room to the kitchen. For now, I stay in the kitchen as I start to drink my smoothie and bounce my hips from side to side.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
In the last few years, I\u2019ve changed my routine to start my day with as much pep as I can conjure. When everything is taken from you in a blink, it\u2019s hard to rebalance.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Within thirty minutes, I\u2019m at the gym for yoga. Walking through the front doors, I have my earbuds in and my music up, jamming in my mind. Looking down, I am stopped abruptly when I feel two firm hands grip my shoulders stopping me just inches from his chest.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Scotty.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
While the man has muscles on top of muscles he\u2019s an ego-maniac. I\u2019m sure most women do swoon over him, but \u2018man grunts\u2019 and flexing don\u2019t do it for me.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cPaisley, baby, gotta be careful.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d I mutter knowing I need to pay attention.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cMake it up to me, take me to dinner tonight.\u201d He sort of commands in the way Scotty does.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
I reach up and pat his pectoral muscle to which he makes it jump in what I assume to be a way to impress me. \u201cScotty, at least twice a week you tell me to take you to dinner.\u201d I sigh. \u201cIt\u2019s getting old, buddy. Women want to be whisked away, swept off their feet, ya know,\u201d I look up into his green eyes, \u201cromance, buddy, romance.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
He cups my chin with his first finger and thumb, \u201cPaisley, this ain\u2019t no fairytale. You can have a night or two with a man like me, gotta take the leap, baby.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
I raise an eyebrow at him, \u201cyou really think that works?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYou have no idea,\u201d he smirks and I\u2019ve had enough. Jerking my head back, I step to the side and around the behemoth.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cNot happening, Scotty, go have another protein shake.\u201d I say without looking back at him.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I make my way front the front entrance of the gym, passing a few isolated exercise rooms to the door that leads into the women\u2019s locker room. Desirae, who is one of my closest friends is already putting her stuff in a metal locker when I walk in.<\/span><\/div>\n

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We met when she came to Miami after the death of her sister. She still visits North Carolina regularly but for the most part her life is in South Beach with her man, Ethan \u2018Hammer\u2019 McCoy. They\u2019re cute together in that \u2018get a room\u2019 kind of face sucking way.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Des is easy-going and doesn\u2019t judge a soul. It\u2019s why we get along so well.<\/span><\/div>\n

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She takes one look at my face before automatically speaking, \u201cScotty, again?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cYup. Des, is it really bad to think romance is dead?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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She laughs. \u201cHoney, I live with a biker. Depends on your definition of romance.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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I sit on the bench rather than tuck my stuff away. \u201cI want to be knocked on my butt. When cupid nails me with his arrow, I\u2019m gonna be swept away. It\u2019s not something I\u2019ll find on a date, it\u2019s something that\u2019s going to spark and then go BOOM.\u201d I raise my hands dramatically.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cYou do realize it doesn\u2019t necessarily work that way, right?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cYou and your logic. Okay so for most people it may not, but for me that\u2019s how it\u2019ll be. The stars will align and something will happen sending me barreling into the man of my dreams life and instantly there will be fireworks. I know it.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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She closes her locker before picking up my phone and towel to toss them in the locker beside hers.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cFireworks, those can happen for a lot of reasons, Paisley.\u201d She smiles and takes me by the hand to pull me from my perch on the bench. \u201cI love you to death, but you are the craziest woman I know. Maybe a little meat in you would take the edge off?\u201d She jokes to which I just sigh loudly.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cMeat in me, huh? That\u2019s gonna solve all my problems.\u201d We both laugh and make our way to class. Exiting through the other side of the women\u2019s locker room, we walk through the heart of the gym filled with various exercise machines until we reach the yoga classroom in the back.<\/span><\/div>\n

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An hour session later, love, fireworks, romance, and all thoughts of my morning are gone. No, the meditation, the focus, the calm is all back in place. I\u2019m balanced. Rejuvenated.<\/span><\/div>\n

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My shift at the grocery store begins on a register. Beep, beep, slide the cans with a smile, its my job. I count items or sing songs in my head to entertain myself as I ring up my customer.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cPaisley,\u201d the produce manager calls my name getting my attention.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cFlip your light. Finish that one then you gotta work organic today, Paul called in.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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I nod my head and do as I\u2019m told.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Bin by bin, I go through the vegetables and fruits making sure to discard any that are going bad and refill low stock.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cCan you believe they want over a dollar more for this organic crap?\u201d A lady says to her friend.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cHalf of it still has dirt on it,\u201d her friend chimes in. I should probably mind my own business, but they are missing out on some good foods by their assumptions.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cWhile I can understand one\u2019s aversion to the dirt, please understand that once rinsed in tap water the metal and mineral components in all water speed the process therefore the food rots at a faster rate. Organic does cost some more because the rate in which a store loses the produce is higher since they aren\u2019t packed full of preservatives which settle in your gut and make for a slow moving digestive system. And the dirt you visibly see is simple the covering provided in nature to slow oxidation and keep the air off the fruit or vegetable.\u201d Immediately, I regret speaking. I switched majors in college and finished with a degree in Horticulture. Plant life, studying it, exploring it, well it\u2019s the only thing I could make sense of after facing loss of real people\u2019s lives.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cThanks for the science lesson,\u201d the woman cuts me off and I draw back at her tone. My intention wasn\u2019t to offend but to explain.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Shrugging my shoulders, I go back to work deciding not to press my luck.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I made a decision five years ago to live a simplified life as much as I can and be conscious of my decisions for both my body and my environment. I lost everything by being careless and I won\u2019t do that again. The regrets kept me up at night for far too long. I try to remain focused and centered in my every thought, word, and action.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I even considered going off the grid living, but soon realized my fear of bugs and my height leave me at a strong disadvantage to making a go at it. Plus, living in South Beach there isn\u2019t really a whole lot of possibilities for that lifestyle.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Instead, I live in a one room loft style apartment, drive a Prius, and eat a mostly natural diet. Like the women beside me, the life isn\u2019t for everyone. Modern day conveniences come at a price to our bodies and environment, but it\u2019s my choice and I can\u2019t push it on everyone.<\/span><\/div>\n

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They push their carts on by without buying anything organic and I go about straightening up.<\/span><\/div>\n

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My shift ends and I find my mood to be lacking. Sadness, an emotion I was once all too familiar with encompasses me.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Depression.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I remind myself I won\u2019t go there again. I\u2019ve cleaned up my life. No demons haunt me anymore. Today was not the best day, but it wasn\u2019t the worst.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I have dealt with the worst. Now I have my crystals, my diet, and my lifestyle to keep my energies refocused to the positive and not into the darkness. I lost a lot, yes, but I haven\u2019t lost it all.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Not everyone can understand me. I don\u2019t take it personally. The choices I make are for me and me alone.<\/span><\/div>\n

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It\u2019s hard to keep it in perspective. Living a clean life allows me to not lose sight of the blessings I have. For me, keeping my diet away from processed foods isn\u2019t about being skinny, it\u2019s about not clogging my heart, my pores, or my mind with junk. Yoga, balances both the mind and the body. It wasn\u2019t until I immersed myself in this lifestyle that I found peace.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I gather my things from the break room and make my way to my car. Distractedly, I pull out into traffic trying to forget my past and stay in my current.<\/span><\/div>\n

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The alarm on my phone goes off reminding me it\u2019s time for a snack. Reaching over to my passage seat cooler, I take out an apple. We eat for sustenance not for hunger. By maintaining a healthy glucose, I don\u2019t feel the hunger pains and keep my body and my mind on a regimented schedule. My mind can\u2019t become distracted and my emotions won\u2019t run in a panic if I continually eat in small portions. Again, it\u2019s about control for me.<\/span><\/div>\n

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The light ahead turns red and I take my foot off the gas and decompress the brake. Lifting the green fruit to my mouth, I bite, feeling the bitter of the granny smith apple hit my taste buds I close my eyes briefly in appreciation.<\/span><\/div>\n

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That\u2019s when the bump happens.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Throwing the apple over my shoulder, I look up to see a huge man on a motorcycle look over his shoulder at me as my bumper has clearly pushed into his rear tire.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Oh heavens, what have I done?<\/span><\/div>\n

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He pushes the kick stand down as I throw the car in park, slap on my hazard lights and open my door.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cOh my goodness, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d I say rushing to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Before me stands a stunningly tall bald man whose aura screams sex. He has one of those seriously killer beards that you sort of want to pet because it\u2019s so fabulous. It accentuates his strong face and tan skin. His long legs are covered in jeans that hug his tree trunk thighs, and his feet clad in some serious looking ass kicking boots. A black shirt covers his chest underneath his leather vest with patches all over it and the whole visual strikes me as an intimidating figure. His dark eyes stare right through me as I look at him. \u2018Coal\u2019 sits on the left side of his vest, over his heart. \u2018Vice President\u2019 lays opposite the name on his right side. The rest of his vest has a bunch of different patches with different cities and sayings. Is this a biker in the same club as Desirae\u2019s man?<\/span><\/div>\n

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He shakes his head. \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cYes, I am, but are you?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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He nods. \u201cI\u2019m fine. Get in your car, pay attention and go home,\u201d he dismisses me. \u201cDon\u2019t just stand there looking stupefied. Get in the car go home, it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cI need to make this right,\u201d I stammer as my mind spins and I feel like things are suddenly out of control.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cNothing wrong so nothing to make right.\u201d He studies me as cars rush past us. \u201cGet in your car, can\u2019t leave till I know you got back in the vehicle.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cDon\u2019t you need my information. I have insurance.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cIt was a bump.\u201d He doesn\u2019t hide his frustration. \u201cNot a patient man, Pixie, so get in your pedal car and go on.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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Pixie? I want to ask, but I don\u2019t. The man is clearly not wanting to do anything about our incident. So doing the only thing I can think of, I get back in my Prius, turning off the hazards and putting it in gear, I try to shake off my emotions. Anxiety, guilt, frustration, and sadness all toy with my carefully balanced core. I feel myself tipping, falling, and stumbling down into the darkness.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Next, I do what every respectable, twenty-six-year-old woman does when she is faced with a scarier than a horror movie biker, I follow him.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She is the everyday girl next-door.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He is shadowed by regret laced in broken memories.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dark sins of the past have a way of taking hold of your heart and never letting go.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Paisley Asher is the average woman trying to get by in life. Happy and safe in her bubble of ease, she is not prepared to take on the black pit that is one man\u2019s heart.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Trevor \u2018Coal\u2019 Blake has a past covered in black. Tainted. He is a dark soul.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the moment, it is easy to lose sight of what is going on. Looking back, however, little cues were misread \u2026 or were they? He lives with more questions than answers.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Chance encounters bring these two together. Is she the angel to pull him from the depths of his personal hell, or is he destined to remain alone and as black as coal?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Coal by Chelsea Camaron<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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USA Today Bestselling author Chelsea Camaron is a small town Carolina girl with a big imagination. She is a wife and mom chasing her dreams. She writes contemporary romance, erotic suspense, and psychological thrillers. She loves to write blue-collar men who have real problems with a fictional twist. From mechanics to bikers to oil riggers to smokejumpers, bar owners, and beyond, she loves a strong hero who works hard and plays harder<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>
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<\/span><\/a>Jessie Lane is a best-selling author of Paranormal and Contemporary Romance, as well as, Upper YA Paranormal Romance\/Fantasy.<\/span><\/div>\n

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She lives in Kentucky with her two little Rock Chicks in-the-making and her over protective alpha husband that she\u2019s pretty sure is a latent grizzly bear shifter. She has a passionate love for reading and writing naughty romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand your attention, or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0Title: Coal Series: Regulators MC #3 Author: Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane Genre: MC Romance Release Date: February 28, 2017 Cover Model is\u00a0Jacob Wilson\u00a0 Cover Photographer is\u00a0Furious Fotog Cover Design by\u00a0Mina Carter Coal (Regulators MC 3) Chapter Excerpt   Written by:   Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane\u00a0   Copyright \u00a9 Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane … Continue reading #WOTR #ChapterReveal – Coal by Chelsea Camaron and Jessie Lane<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paSW8H-4BE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17711,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17710\/revisions\/17711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}