"Something like that. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it." Julian spit some blood onto the ground and smirked. "Almost as much as I liked egging you into punching me."
"Oh, really?" came a familiar masculine voice from the alleyway.
Cruz whipped his head around. Bobby, Rafael, and Brayden came out. What were they doing there? Bobby held up his cell phone.
"What…? How…?" Julian's shoulders dropped.
Doug backed up a few steps. "You guys got that?"
"Every last second of Julian taunting Cruz," Bobby said. "Even a nice show of him injuring himself. Want a closing statement?"
"How did you know?" Julian asked.
"Easy," Rafael said, stepping forward. "When you idiots discussed it in my shop."
"I've never set foot in your store," Julian snapped.
"Let me rephrase that." Rafael glanced at Doug. "This idiot was discussing it on his phone while tie shopping."
"Stupid!" Julian yelled. He jumped at Doug, swinging.
Doug moved to the side. "Hey!"
"Wanna get that, too?" Cruz asked.
Julian stopped and glared at Bobby. "Better not."
"Looks like we're at a crossroads, boys," Brayden said. He moved over to Julian and Doug. They both backed up, clearly intimidated by Brayden's height. He was a head taller than all of them. "What should we do about these videos?"
"What's say we all delete them?" Bobby asked. "Call it a wash. Cruz don't say nothin' about who ruined his bike, and Julian keeps quiet about who improved his face."
Julian glared at Bobby. "Funny."
"Can you agree to that?" Rafael asked. He looked at Julian and Doug. "I'm sure you wouldn't want your reputations soiled, now would you?"
Julian and Doug exchanged glances. Doug shook his head. "I can't. I'm aiming for a promotion at work. This will ruin it." He glared at Julian. "Why did you talk me into this?"
"You think I saw this coming? You're the fool who discussed our plan in Rafael's shop!"
"I didn't realize it."
Bobby grabbed Doug's phone from him and slid his finger around the screen. "Are those the only videos and pictures?"
Doug snatched it from him and looked at it. "That's everything. Now yours."
"Sure." Bobby flicked his head, getting hair out of his eyes. He held up his cell and showed everyone as he deleted the videos. "Even-Steven."
"Anyone else get videos?" Julian glared at Rafael and Brayden.
"Nope," they both replied.
"Good," Julian said. "You guys stay out of our way, and we'll stay out of yours."
"Perfect," Cruz said through gritted teeth.
Julian kicked the wall.
"Merry Christmas," Bobby said.
Doug and Julian hurried away.
"Don't worry," Bobby said. "I kept a copy of the video."
"Thanks, dude." Cruz leaned against the wall.
"Are you all right?" Rafael asked Cruz.
He took a deep breath. "Just shaken up."
"Do you need a ride home?" Brayden asked. "I'm staying in my old room tonight. You know how Mom likes us to be there Christmas morning."
"Hold on." Cruz pulled out his phone and found his text conversation with Talia.
Can I still come over tonight?
Yeah. I haven't left the church yet. Where are you?
At my shop.
Okay. I'll meet you over here.
See you in a few.
He turned to Brayden. "I'm going over to Allen and Talia's for a bit. I'll see you guys in a couple hours."
They all said their goodbyes and Cruz headed to his shop. He needed to wash his hands before Talia saw the blood. Once his hands were clean, he double-checked for red anywhere else. Everything appeared good.
Cruz locked up and headed over to the church. Talia stood in the courtyard, looking up at the icicle lights that had nearly killed her. The day Cruz realized he couldn't live without her.
He tiptoed over to her, careful not to let the snow crunch under his shoes. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "Good evening, beautiful."
She turned and smiled, her eyes shining. "I'm so glad you changed your mind. It's always so much fun to open a present early. Dad was really hoping you'd open his."
Cruz spun her around brushed his lips against hers. "I already have the best gift of all."
If you enjoyed falling for the Seaside Hunters, you'll love their Oregon cousins just as much. We've already met Logan, Sullivan, and Dakota. They and their two other siblings are about to find the loves of their lives… they just don't know it yet.
Logan Hunter: the powerful attorney
Dakota Hunter: the energetic wedding planner
Sullivan Hunter: the adventurous realtor
Freya Hunter: the glamorous fashion model
Shale Hunter: the damaged firefighter
Meet the Bayside Hunters Soon! Sign up for new release updates. (And get some free novels, too.)
Seaside Surprises
Work hard. Play often. Love unconditionally.
Tiffany Saunders is on the run. When she winds up stranded in a seaside town, she wants nothing more than to forget her horrific past and kept moving. But a chance meeting with a handsome local changes everything.
Jake Hunter has some deep emotional scars and is trying to cope with running the family business. The last thing he wants is a relationship—until a mysterious brunette walks into his store and complicates it all.
Tiffany prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong—in her rear view mirror. But dark secrets cannot stay hidden forever. Just as the walls around Tiffany's heart start to come down, the past catches up with her. Will true love be able to conquer all?
Read it here.
Seaside Heartbeats
Sometimes love shows up when you least expect it.
After years of hard work, architect Lana Summers just wants a relaxing vacation in the beach town of Kittle Falls. Instead, she suffers unexpected heart problems, and finds herself in the office of a gorgeous cardiologist—who only makes her heart work harder.
Brayden Hunter left his successful cardiology practice in Dallas to be closer to his aging parents. Focused on building a health care clinic in his hometown, he doesn't want any distractions. However, the beautiful Lana is one he can't seem to avoid.
As their attraction grows, they stumble upon a 160-year-old mystery. Brayden catches her adventurous spirit as they chase after answers, and he can't help falling for her. But can he convince her to stay in the small beach town and with him?
Read it here.
Seaside Dances
Dream big. Dance often. Love completely.
Zachary Hunter is no stranger to rejection. After multiple failed efforts to get his novel published in New York, he's counting on a trip home to turn his luck around.
Jasmine Blackwell has big dreams. She hopes her internship as a dance instructor in Kittle Falls will be the stepping stone she needs to achieve her lifelong goals.
After a chance meeting, neither Zachary nor Jasmine can deny their attraction. They fear their aspirations are too big to let a relationship tie them down. Can they have both love and the careers of their dreams?
Read it here.
Seaside Kisses
People change, but some feelings last forever.
Rafael Hunter never thought he'd return to Kittle Falls, but life gave him no other choice. Los Angeles chewed him up, spit him out, and sent him back to square one.
Amara Fowler has lived in the small beach town her entire life. She's overcome her shyness to grow into the woman she always knew she could be, but she never forgot her secret crush. When the alluring Rafael returns, he can't help but stir in her a whirlwind of old feelings.
They've both changed so much. Has life kept them incompatible or has it molded them into a matching set?
Read it here.
Other Books by Stacy Claflin
Click the covers for more infor
mation.
The Transformed series
The Gone series
Mercy Books
Chasing Mercy
Searching for Mercy
Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.
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Author's Note
Thanks so much for reading Seaside Christmas. I hope you enjoyed it whether it was the first or fifth book in the series you've read. This series has been a lot of fun, stepping into sweet contemporary romance from paranormal and suspense. I've learned a lot and had a ton of fun along the way. Some of the most fun has been hearing from you guys!
Some of you have said you hope the series doesn't end, and I'm happy to say it's going to keep going… but with a twist. Next up will be the Bayside Hunters, the Seaside Hunters' cousins. We've met Logan, Sullivan, and Dakota already. They have two more siblings, and you can rest assured that the Seaside Hunters will make appearances just as the Bayside Hunters have in this series.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That's it.
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I've spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team who helped with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any, please contact me through my website and let me know. Then I can fix them for future editions.
Thank you for your support!
Seaside Christmas: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 5) Page 21
