Forbidden Flirtation

FORBIDDEN FLIRTATION MM URBAN FANTASY ROMANCE PARANORMAL HUNGER BOOK TWO LEE COLGIN Forbidden Flirtation: MM Urban Fantasy Romance Copyright © 2022 by Lee Colgin ebook ISBN 978-1-970161-28-1 Cover design by Natasha Snow www.natashasnowdesigns.com Editing by Tanja Ongkiehong Proofreading by Lori Parks All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS About This Book Content Warning Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Epilogue Also by Lee Colgin About the Author ABOUT THIS BOOK When an esteemed vampire doctor treats an injured young werewolf, desire sparks between them. Dr. Benjamin Arleth has devoted his life to finding a medical cure for his species' most devastating weakness—sunlight. Finally, one of his pharmaceuticals shows promise, but sabotage looms large in the lab. Wolf shifter Nathan Cramer is eager to finish grad school and begin his career when a trip to a Peace Conference goes awry. Weak and bleeding, Nathan knows his wounds could prove fatal. Dr. Arleth is his only hope. Can love flourish between enemy species despite a society in turmoil? Could vampires walk in the daylight or will darkness reign? In a race for answers, Ben will have to put his trust in Nathan if they're going to make it out alive. * * * Forbidden Flirtation is an MM urban fantasy/paranormal romance and the second book in the Paranormal Hunger Series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone with its own HEA. CONTENT WARNING Forbidden Flirtation includes violence and steamy scenes intended for mature readers. There is gun violence and a medical procedure with no anesthesia. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to the author. CHAPTER ONE Benjamin An alarm blared, and Dr. Benjamin Arleth jolted, even though he’d been the one to set the blasted thing. Elbow deep in several experiments at once, Ben unpicked himself from his work—so he could go to work. Patient rounds waited for no man, certainly not Ben. He hated to leave the lab when there was progress to be made, but hospital duties called. His own project would be put on hold. Again. Ben had no surgeries on his docket this evening. What he did have were several recovering patients to check on: a grouchy wereleopard who’d been impaled by a hunter’s arrow, and a young living vampire who’d undergone corrective surgery for metatarsus varus, or in layman’s terms, pigeon toes. Ben said hello to the nurses, grabbed his charts, and went first to the room of the young vampire. She was, by far, the more pleasant of his two charges. He knocked on the open door as a courtesy before stepping inside. Usually, one generic white hospital room looked like any other, but this patient had decorated. Orange fairy lights gave the room a golden glow, illustrated prints livened up otherwise blank walls, and colorful fleece throws brightened her bed. “Hello, Miss Olivia, how are we feeling tonight?” She grinned from under her nest of blankets. Olivia was small for her seventeen years, partially due to rotated tibias, but she had a big personality. Blonde curls spilled over her shoulders, and an incorrigible sense of humor sparkled behind pale golden eyes. She was fully grown, a condition that had to be met before her legs could be fixed and, more importantly, before she could be turned. The poor girl was bored, stuck in the hospital recovering, and eager to get back to her life. “Hey, Doctor Arleth. I’m good. I’ve been walking without any help. Can I go home today?” She threw him a hopeful expression. Ben tutted and shook his head, approaching her bed. “It’s too early for you to be walking unassisted.” She started to protest, but Ben continued. “You could set back your healing if you aren’t careful. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Olivia groaned. “But it’s so dull here.” “Tell me about it. I’ve been stuck here a lot longer than you.” He made a face at her, and she laughed. “This sucks,” Olivia said with typical teenage angst. “You’re cute, though, in that tall, dark, and handsome sort of way. You could get a life outside this place if you wanted.” “How do you know I don’t have one already?” “Call it a lucky guess.” “Moving on.” Ben lifted her blankets. “Let me examine your legs. Then you can walk with me and show me how you’re healing.” “Deal. Anything to get out of this room.” Ben picked up her left leg gingerly. The flexible cast allowed him to take her knee through its full range of motion. He flexed and pointed her foot. “How does it feel? Any sensitive spots?” She shook her head. “Nope, I’m telling you it feels great. You must have done a really great job.” “Good.” He put the other leg through the same exercises, watching her face for a reaction. If there was one, he didn’t catch it. Either she healed quickly or she’d mastered hiding discomfort. You’d expect the former of a turned vampire, but a living vampire like Olivia would take longer to recover from surgery. The girl was either lucky or deceptive. He’d find out as he watched her walk. “All right.” Ben set her leg carefully back onto the bed. “Time to boogie. Show me what you’ve got.” He grasped her hand and helped her to her feet. She took a step forward. So far, so good. She walked several laps of the medical center’s recovery floor, and Ben