Blues Beach

  Suncoast Society

  Blues Beach

  Tracey knows she’s lucky. She has a chance to rebuild her life—and her relationship with her daughter, Emma—in a healthy way. But when she’s forced to travel to California for a cousin’s funeral, she dreads seeing her family and enduring the insults she knows will follow. Except…she didn’t expect to rekindle something with her old boyfriend, Eric.

  Widowed and with his dreams shattered, Eric easily recalls the love he’s always held for Tracey. Whether this is a second chance or a one-time weekend to remember remains to be seen. Either way, he’ll take the opportunity, no matter how short, to be with her.

  But Emma isn’t so trusting. And when another complication crops up, Tracey runs a very real risk of losing Emma a second time and that’s something Eric will not allow Tracey to do.

  So how do you woo a genius super-villain in training into liking you, much less accepting you as one of her “dads?”

  Genre: BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 73,223 words

  BLUES BEACH

  Suncoast Society

  Tymber Dalton

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  BLUES BEACH

  Copyright © 2017 by Tymber Dalton

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-717-5

  First Publication: October 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  To Hubby, for all he does. To Sir, always.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tymber Dalton is the wild-child alter-ego of author Lesli Richardson. She lives in the Tampa Bay region of Florida with her husband (aka “The World’s Best Husband™”) and too many pets. Active in the BDSM lifestyle, the two-time EPIC award winner is also the bestselling author of over one hundred books, including The Reluctant Dom, The Denim Dom, Cardinal’s Rule, the Suncoast Society series, the Love Slave for Two series, the Triple Trouble series, the Coffeeshop Coven series, the Good Will Ghost Hunting series, the Drunk Monkeys series, and many more.

  She loves to hear from readers! Please feel free to drop by her website and sign up for updates to keep abreast of the latest news, views, snarkage, and releases. You can also find all of her Siren-BookStrand releases under all four of her pen names on her author page on the BookStrand site.

  Honest reviews are always welcomed. They help with a book’s visibility and can boost its placement on book retailer sites. Even a few lines about what you felt reading the book will help. Thank you so much, it’s greatly appreciated!

  Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cXKR7v

  http://www.tymberdalton.com

  http://www.facebook.com/tymberdalton

  http://www.facebook.com/groups/TymbersTrybe

  http://www.twitter.com/TymberDalton

  For all titles by Tymber Dalton, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton

  AUTHOR'S NOTE

  This is Tracey’s book, Brandon’s ex-wife. Some of this book overlaps chronologically with the events in A Case of You. Some of the events and characters referenced in this book also appear in Heartache Spoken Here, Roll With the Punches, and A Case of You, books that feature Brandon, Jeff, and Stuart.

  While the books in the Suncoast Society series are standalone works which may be read independently of each other, the recommended reading order to avoid spoilers and to not miss any backstory information is as follows:

  1. Safe Harbor

  2. Domme by Default

  3. Cardinal’s Rule

  4. The Reluctant Dom

  5. The Denim Dom

  6. Pinch Me

  7. Broken Toy

  8. A Clean Sweep

  9. A Roll of the Dice

  10. His Canvas

  11. A Lovely Shade of Ouch

  12. Crafty Bastards

  13. A Merry Little Kinkmas

  14. Sapiosexual

  15. A Very Kinky Valentine’s Day

  16. Things Made Right

  17. Click

  18. Spank or Treat

  19. A Turn of the Screwed

  20. Chains

  21. Kinko de Mayo

  22. Broken Arrow

  23. Out of the Spotlight

  24. Friends Like These

  25. Vicious Carousel

  26. Hot Sauce

  27. Open Doors

  28. One Ring

  29. Vulnerable

  30. The Strength of the Pack

  31. Initiative

  32. Impact

  33. Liability

  34. Switchy

  35. Rhymes With Orange

  36. Beware Falling Ice

  37. Beware Falling Rocks

  38. Dangerous Curves Ahead

  39. Two Against Nature

  40. Home at Last

  41. A Kinkmas Carol

  42. Ask DNA

  43. Time Out of Mind

  44. Happy Valenkink’s Day

  45. Splendid Isolation

  46. Similar to Rain

  47. Happy Spank Patrick’s Day

  48. Fire in the Hole

  49. Pretzel Logic

  50. This Moody Bastard

  51. Walk Between the Raindrops

  52. Rub Me Raw

  53. Any World That I’m Welcome To

  54. Heartache Spoken Here

  55. Roll With the Punches

  56. See You Sometime

  57. Borderline

  58. A Case of You

  59. Reconsider Me

  60. Never Too Late for Love

  61. Blues Beach

  Some of the characters in this book appear in or are featured in previous books in the Suncoast Society series. All titles available from Siren-BookStrand.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Author's Note

  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

  Landmarks

  C
over

  BLUES BEACH

  Suncoast Society

  TYMBER DALTON

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  The bailiff appeared in the waiting room. “Litwin versus Litwin.”

  Tracey nervously stood, shouldered her purse, and followed her attorney into the judge’s chambers.

  Neither Pat, nor his attorney, had appeared.

  Not that she’d expected either one of them to be there. Still, that little fear had picked at her brain, especially last night when she futilely tried to sleep.

  Here it was, middle of November, and her divorce was about to be finalized.

  It felt…weird.

  The first time around, she’d hoped by some miracle she’d be able to convince Brandon to change his mind and stay with her.

  This time…

  It was a fucking relief.

  Freedom.

  Eight years ago, when she went through this with Brandon, she’d prayed it was a bad dream. Right up until the final orders had arrived in the mail with the judge’s signature on them, even after Brandon had moved out, even after he’d gently and patiently tried to talk to her.

  This time around, it couldn’t be over soon enough for her.

  They sat at the long conference table, at the head of which was the judge’s desk. The bailiff called the session to order and swore Tracey in.

  Her attorney explained the situation regarding Pat to the judge, outlined everything they’d done, and revealed that Pat was no longer responding to the procedures due to his current legal troubles. Tracey knew from the chatter she’d heard through friends that his parents had cut the purse strings once he was arrested, refusing to finance his legal bills, so he wouldn’t get any more help from them.

  The judge rifled through the paperwork. “Did you wish to change your last name, Mrs. Litwin?”

  “Yes, your Honor. I’d like to be Tracey Ann Demmer Ziegler.” She hadn’t asked Brandon if he minded if she went back to using his last name, but Demmer was her maiden name, and Emma had Brandon’s last name.

  Tracey doubted she’d ever get married again. At least her last name would be the same as Emma’s.

  And Brandon, Jeff, and Stuart. Jeff had changed his when he and Brandon got married, and Stuart had added it, hyphenated, to his.

  She’d wanted to keep Ziegler and add Litwin when she’d married Pat, but he’d insisted she drop Ziegler completely and take his last name.

  At the time, she hadn’t felt strong enough to protest or stand her ground.

  Never again.

  Ten minutes later, it was over.

  She walked out with her attorney, who gave her copies of everything. She’d receive the signed order by next week, then she could get her driver’s license and other ID changed.

  Alone, she sat in her car and stared at the papers in her lap.

  I never should have married that asshole.

  * * * *

  Ruth was working until close tonight, and Emma and Grace weren’t scheduled to come over. Tracey stopped on the way home and grabbed a fancy burger, cheese fries, and a shake, settling in on Ruth’s sofa alone in front of the TV to eat. When Tracey had left Pat, she’d moved in with Ruth, both a friend and coworker, whose daughter was now attending college out of state.

  It helped Ruth’s budget and was allowing Tracey the breathing room to build her savings and try to figure out her next step.

  She’d finally swallowed her nerves and applied to a program through work to take college courses and train for a promotion to assistant manager or store manager. She had no idea if she’d be accepted or not, but she knew she could no longer spend the rest of her life in stasis, not bothering to try to advance. She’d hit a glass ceiling that she could absolutely break through if she tried hard enough.

  It’d be easy to keep blaming her family and their insistence on college as the only way to advance in life, and how they’d treated her, but she could have worked harder as an adult.

  Bless Brandon’s heart, he’d tried to talk her into working toward a degree.

  Her regional manager had been very encouraging, though, and he’d never struck Tracey as a jerk who’d fuck with people and give them false hope only to yank the football away.

  Even if she didn’t become a store manager, the bump in pay of working in an assistant manager position would mean she’d be able to afford to live on her own again. Right now, even a small studio apartment would strain her income in a dangerous way once she ate through the meager savings she’d accumulated. Ruth renting a room to her was a lifesaver that allowed her to actually have a decent life for now.

  Hell, a better life than she’d had with Pat that was for sure. Far more peaceful. Predictable. No unpleasant surprises or rants or fights.

  Much lower stress.

  It felt like that, for the first time in her life, she finally had a chance to get comfortable in her own skin.

  She likely wouldn’t hear back for a couple of weeks yet. If she was accepted into the program, they’d start training her for the promotion, and she’d receive reimbursement for college classes, which she’d have to start taking.

  She was about to go take a long, hot bubble bath when her cell phone buzzed with a text.

  Brandon.

  How you doing, hon?

  He’d offered to go with her today, or have Jeff go with her, if she wanted. She’d gently rebuffed the offer despite really wanting that.

  Maybe because she’d wanted it so much.

  She had to stand on her own two feet at some point. If she couldn’t start doing that now, she might never start doing it. The last thing she wanted was to rely too heavily on Brandon and his guys, because it would be too damn easy to fall into a pattern of doing that.

  He didn’t show. No attorney, either. I’m officially free. :)

  Brandon called her a few minutes later, and from the background noise, she realized he was in his car. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She sniffled, hoping he couldn’t hear.

  “I’m sorry, hon. I know this isn’t what you wanted to happen.”

  “Yeah. It’s my own fault. I never should have married him.”

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You want to come over for dinner tonight?”

  “Thanks, but I already ate. I threw myself a pity party.”

  “Okay. Is Ruth home?”

  “Not until later.”

  Brandon sighed. “Trace—”

  “I’m okay.” She made a point to keep her voice gentle, not snippy. She’d wrongly hurled too many taunts and insults his way over the years as it was.

  The memory of which left her feeling ashamed of herself.

  He hadn’t held it against her. Not once she’d admitted she was wrong and left Pat. Brandon had forgiven her.

  She honestly didn’t feel she deserved Brandon, looking back on things. He’d tried so hard, done the best he could. It was an imperfect situation and it wasn’t like he’d set out to break her heart.

  It just…happened.

  “I’m really okay. Sad. Relieved.” She let out a little laugh. “Poorer. Not like that son of a bitch could pay my attorney fees. Won’t make that mistake again. No more marriages.”

  “Or talk to Ed first. Let him draw up a prenup for you.”

  “I don’t think I could afford Ed.”

  “I’ll pay for it just to know you’re protected.”

  “Well, considering I’m not even dating, that’s not really an issue. Going to focus on work and Emma and Grace and me.”

  He hesitated before his next statement. “Are you okay for the Disney trip? I don’t mind giving you some money for it. You had those car repairs.”

  Bless his heart, now that they were friends again, she really felt like she didn’t deserve him. “Thanks, but no, I’m okay. I saved up most of it, but I also have a zero-interest credit card I have nothing on right now that I can use if I need to. I want to give the girls a good hol
iday weekend. How’s the Thanksgiving prep going? Can I help Jeff with anything?”

  “I’ll let you two discuss that. I don’t know where he’s at with it…”

  They chatted for a few more minutes, then she heard the tell-tale ding of the ignition chime in his car. “Well, I’m home. Want me to go in and hand the phone off to Em?”

  “No, that’s okay. I need to take a bath and head to bed. I’m exhausted, and I open tomorrow.”

  He hesitated again. “I’m sorry, Trace. I never meant to hurt you. I always will love you. You’re Emma’s mother, and I’m glad we can be friends again.”

  She resisted the urge to sniffle, knowing he’d hear and not wanting him to. “I know. I’m always going to love you, too. Jeff and Stu are lucky guys.”

  “Have a good evening, sweetie. Call me if you need to talk.”

  “Thanks. You, too.”

  She ended the call and stared at her phone for a moment like she was seeing it for the first time.

  What does it say about me that I’m crying not because of this marriage ending, but because of a marriage that’s nearly a decade in its grave?

  * * * *

  Thanksgiving morning, Ruth was already out the door to her brother’s house while Tracey was finishing packing for the weekend. After Thanksgiving lunch at Brandon’s, she, Emma, and Grace would leave from there to drive over to Disney. Tracey was looking forward to the time alone with the girls, able to talk to them, relax.

  Breathe.

  Have fun.

  When Emma had sat on Tracey’s bed last week and read through the signed divorce order from the judge, she’d started crying, which had surprised Tracey.

  Then Em had thrown her arms around her. “Thank you, Mommy.”

  Unable to hold back, Tracey had started crying, too.