Dangler

DANGLER Vegas Venom: Book Five By Colleen Charles Table of Contents DANGLER Vegas Venom Definition Key Foreword Prologue 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 Epilogue SNIPER SNEAK PEEK Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Copyright Vegas Venom Definition Key Flopper: A goalie prone to going down on the ice to stop pucks. Wheeler: A player known for their fast, skilled skating. Grinder A player known for their work ethic on the ice. Bender: A player who is simply not good at hockey. Dangler: A player who is extremely skilled with stick-handling. Sniper A player who can often place the puck in a tiny space for a goal. Foreword Where do our characters come from? Some might say they are figments of our imagination, others might argue they are reflections of ourselves or the people we encounter in our lives. But every once in a while, a character comes to life in such a way that they defy all expectations, all rational explanations, and take us by surprise. That is totally what happened with Cash, the hunky, taciturn hero of this book. When Cash first skated into my mind, he was a man of few words, a mystery wrapped in a paradox, a side character who communicated in three-word sentences. I was stumped, bewildered even. How does one create depth and complexity in a man who speaks so little? I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with him, or what I would do with him. It was, I admit, a bit of a risky play. Yet, as I ventured deeper into my Vegas Venom world, I found myself falling for Cash in a way I never expected. This man, who is as sizzling on the page as he is on the ice, took on a life of his own. His quiet demeanor disguised an unexpected depth, a rawness that was as captivating as it was heartbreaking. He evolved into a dirty talking cinnamon roll, but one who would selflessly and eagerly stand in the fire for his girl, Kingsley. In the end, Cash showed me that love is not about grand speeches or ostentatious gestures. It is about those quiet moments of sacrifice, of standing up for the ones we love, even when the odds are stacked against us. That silence is not an absence of character, but a testament to strength and depth. Dangler is more than just a steamy hockey romance. It is about the unexpected journeys characters take us on, and the unexpected ways they can capture our hearts. I hope as you turn the pages of this book, you’ll fall as hard for Cash as I did. And remember, ladies, it’s always the quite ones… Happy reading, Colleen Charles Click Here to Subscribe to my Newsletter. Receive email notices about new book releases, sales, and special promotions. New subscribers receive an EXCLUSIVE FREE BOOK as a special gift. Prologue Kingsley “So, Kingsley.” Dad spears his steak with his fork and reaches for his knife. “Tell me about your first day at the bank.” I chase a quarter of a fingerling potato around my plate. Mom’s cooking is amazing, and the new potatoes with rosemary she made tonight look like something out of an Ina Garten photoshoot. They’re picture-perfect. Everything in this house is, from the eggshell-white walls to the color-coordinated furniture to the carefully curated art. Even our cat Polly, a blue Scottish Fold, would look perfectly at home on the cover of Cat Fancy. In short, everything in this house is carefully managed by my hyper-controlling parents. Everything, that is, except me. My equally amazing brother, Sterling, might think he’s on a longer leash because he’s the eldest, a boy, and the heir apparent, but he’s not. Believe me. Perhaps he gets a bit more leniency just by possessing a penis, but not much. “It was fine.” I can’t help but notice that my dad, as usual, didn’t ask me about my day so much as instruct me to tell him. Honestly, that’s par for the course. “Fine?” He looks up from sawing at his steak to frown at me. “You can do better than that, Kingsley. I asked you a question. Surely Yale provided you with a bigger vocabulary than that, and the skills to articulate yourself more clearly.” “William,” Mom says in that warning tone of hers that hardly means anything, which Dad simply ignores. He’s indifferent to her attempts to rein him in because the man is so laser-focused on giving instructions and issuing edicts. William St. James does what he wants, when he wants to, and he talks to people in whatever tone suits him best. Especially under his roof. While I appreciate Mom’s half-hearted efforts on my behalf, a sliver of pity also worms its way inside my chest. I can’t even imagine having her life. With the way she’s quietly dying inside underneath the weight of the oppression, I’m surprised she can still find even a shred of empathy for anyone. As predicted, he doesn’t dial it back. He’s seen something in my face, something that he doesn’t like. Defiance. I haven’t told them the truth about what happened at the bank today, but there’s no avoiding it. Dad knows that the bank manager, Raife, was supposed to be training me as his assistant. With the way gossip travels at the speed of light in any corporate setting, I’m honestly surprised that he doesn’t know already. I did ask Raife not to tell my parents the news before I could, and it seems like he respected that request. Kudos to Raife. “Kingsley.” Dad sets his silverware aside. “Tell me what happened.” Another command. “Um… I quit.” With my overbearing father, honesty is always the best