Sasha Devlin Lock And Key

OCK

…Ware kept Shane’s hand in his grip and towed him deeper into

the house. It was almost as if the man knew he was ready to bolt. The
real estate agent in him noted the gleaming hard wood floors and the
pristine crown molding. The walls were done in a warm oatmeal color
that complimented the dark heavy furniture and framed the group in
the sunken living room as if they were part of an art exhibit. No doubt
one called Wet Dream Come to Life.

“’Bout time you got here.” A tall blond broke away from the

group, ran up to Jacob and laid a very friendly kiss on his roommate’s
lips.

Jealousy burned through him, but Shane couldn’t look away as the

kiss turned from a brief brush of lips to a tongue dueling that would
have made a porn star proud. He leaned forward, his cock biting into
his zipper. The two of them looked so damn good together, but Shane
wanted it to be his mouth on Jacob’s.

“That’s enough, Stef. Jeez, give them man some air.” Ware

separated them and the blond, Stef, looked like a cat with cream. Now
the man was sizing him up and Shane wanted to punch his face in.
How could he be all over Jacob in one moment and practically fucking
Shane with his gaze the next? A blush worked up to his cheeks and
Shane tugged on his hair. He shouldn’t have cut it before he had
something important to do.

“Well aren’t you the pretty picture when you’re all flushed.” Stef

stalked toward him, and Shane had never felt more like prey in his life.
He wasn’t an effeminate man, but there was something in Stef’s gaze
that made him feel delicate. And not in a good way. More in an I can
and will tear you apart way. Shane fervently hoped that he wasn’t
paired with Stef…

LOCK AND KEY

SASHA DEVLIN

MBER

UILL

RESS

LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

OCK

MBER

UILL

RESS

OOK

This book is a work of fiction.

All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the

author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales,

or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

No portion of this book may be transmitted or

reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in

writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief

excerpts used for the purposes of review.

ISBN 978-1-61124-397-0

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To the girls who held me together while I wrote this book:

Suzan Butler, Hailey Edwards, Lanie Jordan,

Pammy, Cyndi and Nikki.

LOCK AND KEY

CHAPTER 1

Shane ran into Jacob’s back and tried to ignore how damn good

his friend felt. The man’s muscles were discernible even through
his button-down shirt. His cock twitched inside his jeans but Shane
fought to ignore it. There was no use getting worked up over Jacob
when he’d be paired with someone else once the party started in
earnest. Not for the last time he wondered why he was here.

Jacob knocked on the door of a normal-looking house in this

nice subdivision. Shane wasn’t sure what he expected, but the
normalcy wasn’t it. There should be some sort of outward sign that
the house was hosting a hook-up party. Maybe a giant red light
shining from the roof. Hell, until Jacob had told him about it a few
weeks ago, he hadn’t known such a thing existed.

“Will you relax?” Jacob squeezed his shoulder and Shane

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stared into the warmest brown eyes he’d ever seen. It was like
starring into two pools of melted chocolate and Shane just wanted
to dive right in. The heat from Jake’s grip seeped into him and
Shane wished he had the courage to ask his friend to touch him all
over.

“I’m trying.” Shane shrugged a few times but knew he

wouldn’t be able to even come close to relaxing until he was half
naked. And even then there was no guarantee. What if he had
performance anxiety? What if he called out Jake’s name during
sex?

“You don’t have to look so unhappy. No one is going to do

anything you don’t want. And you’ll be out of the house. It’ll be
good for you, trust me.”

Shane had sunk to a new low, but anything was better than

staying at home on a Saturday night waiting to hear Jacob’s key in
the lock. His roommate tried to be quiet, but there was no way he
could know the way that Shane would sit up, his ear straining for
any sound that let him know the object of his lust had returned
home.

Jacob had never given him any false hope, but when you spent

as much time in the close proximity of a gorgeous man as Shane
had with him, there was no way to remain detached. It didn’t help
that Jake wasn’t exactly shy about his body. Shane was more
familiar with his roomie’s body than he was with his own.

The door opened and a bald man in dark-wash jeans and a

fitted long-sleeve tee stood in the doorway. He had smooth
caramel-colored skin and shoulders that would have shamed a
linebacker. The man was good-looking in a way that made Shane
sweat. Why had he let Jake talk him into this? His clothes might
look the part, but he was already outclassed and he hadn’t even

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entered the house.

“Hey, Jake! Come on in.” The man pushed the screen door

outward and gestured them inside. Jacob hugged the bald man and
the two of them looked good together. Shane glanced back out the
door. Maybe it wasn’t too late to escape. He was sure Jacob could
catch a ride home, or maybe Jake would spend the night with buff,
bald and beautiful. The thought turned Shane’s stomach even as it
turned him on.

“And you must be Shane.”
The giant shoved a hand at him and Shane shook it without

thinking. The grip all but swallowed his hand but the man clearly
knew his strength. The smile seemed genuine, and Shane could
admit that the green eyes did wonders for a face that was already
breathtaking. “Jacob’s told us lots about you. I’m Ware. You
should come in, get a drink and meet the others.”

Ware kept Shane’s hand in his grip and towed him deeper into

the house. It was almost as if the man knew he was ready to bolt.
The real estate agent in him noted the gleaming hard wood floors
and the pristine crown molding. The walls were done in a warm
oatmeal color that complimented the dark heavy furniture and
framed the group in the sunken living room as if they were part of
an art exhibit. No doubt one called Wet Dream Come to Life.

“’Bout time you got here.” A tall blond broke away from the

group, ran up to Jacob and laid a very friendly kiss on his
roommate’s lips.

Jealousy burned through him, but Shane couldn’t look away as

the kiss turned from a brief brush of lips to a tongue dueling that
would have made a porn star proud. He leaned forward, his cock
biting into his zipper. The two of them looked so damn good
together, but Shane wanted it to be his mouth on Jacob’s.

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“That’s enough, Stef. Jeez, give them man some air.” Ware

separated them and the blond, Stef, looked like a cat with cream.
Now the man was sizing him up and Shane wanted to punch his
face in. How could he be all over Jacob in one moment and
practically fucking Shane with his gaze the next? A blush worked
up to his cheeks and Shane tugged on his hair. He shouldn’t have
cut it before he had something important to do.

“Well aren’t you the pretty picture when you’re all flushed.”

Stef stalked toward him, and Shane had never felt more like prey
in his life. He wasn’t an effeminate man, but there was something
in Stef’s gaze that made him feel delicate. And not in a good way.
More in an I can and will tear you apart way. Shane fervently
hoped that he wasn’t paired with Stef.

Ware pushed Stef back a few steps and Shane let go of the

breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. The man’s gaze still
made him nervous, but he had more room to maneuver if Stef
came at him. Not that he’d be able to put up much of a fight. The
man had him by a solid thirty pounds.

Ware introduced the other men, but Shane couldn’t keep the

names straight. They were all good looking, solidly built, and
comfortable with each other in a way that Shane had never been
with other men. He couldn’t be more opposite if he had tried. He
didn’t know when the party would officially begin, but he was
pretty sure it would take some alcohol and a miracle for him to fit
in. He perched on the edge of a brown club chair.

“Here, Stef doesn’t mean to be that intense, but that’s just how

he’s built.” The voice came from a black Irish beauty who handed
him a beer and then sat on the arm of his chair. Shane panicked. He
wasn’t good at small talk on a good day, and he couldn’t remember
the man’s name. The damnable blush started up his cheeks and he

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gulped at his beer. If ever there was a time for liquid courage it
was now.

“I’m Dev and you can relax. No one expects you to remember

everyone’s names.” He leaned in close to Shane’s ear. “While I’d
normally rather get punched in the junk than agree with Stef, he’s
right. You are all pretty when you blush.”

“I’m not pretty.” Shane knew he sounded defensive, but Dev

just laughed and held his hands up.

“No disrespect intended. I happen to like guys who look like

you.” Dev’s eyes gave him a thorough perusal that had Shane
shifting in his seat. There was no way to hide his hard-on, and
though this was what he’d come for, he couldn’t hide his twinge of
embarrassment.

Facts. He needed them if he was going to be in control.
“So tell me how this works?”
“We all fall upon the new guy in a ravaging pile of cocks and

lube. The first one to come gets fucked by every other guy here.”
The words spoken against his neck made Shane shudder. He didn’t
know which guy it was and didn’t care when that voice was
feeding him mental images like that. The accent alone probably
made men come in their pants, and Shane was no exception.

“Back off, Marco.” Dev shoved at the man who had sat on the

other side of Shane, and Shane got a good look at him once the
man was on the floor. Another tall, gorgeous specimen. It was like
being the captain of the chess club on tour with a group of jocks.
One of these things definitely did not belong.

“Please ignore Marco. He has more testosterone than brains.”
The man on the floor batted dark eyes at them both. “You

wound me.”

“While piling on to the new guy and fucking his brains out

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seems like a good idea”—Shane’s cock twitched as if to agree with
Dev’s statement—“that’s not how we do things. We’re a smaller
group tonight—Jacob thought it best—so we’ll draw for it. Three
people will get room assignments and once that’s decided those
names will go in the hat and the remaining three will pull a name.
No muss, no fuss.”

“Unless that’s what you want. I bet it would be fun to muss you

all up.”

The challenge in Marco’s statement made Shane down more

beer rather than answer. Good God, if something didn’t happen
soon, he was going to embarrass himself and come in his pants.

“Doing all right, Shane?” He met Ware’s steady gaze and

nodded. Dev was fun, Marco flirtatious, but he could see himself
giving it up to Ware. The man was definitely a top, and Shane
found the idea of being under him, if not ideal, then at least
pleasant.

“Locks determine room assignments. Either one, two, or three.”

Stef pointed to the heavy wooden doors on the second level that
surely led to bedrooms. “Keys get to do a second drawing for
names once it’s been established which guy is in which room.
Sound good?”

The thought both intrigued and terrified him, but Shane

nodded. It was definitely too late to turn back now.

“Let’s get this party started!” Stef quickly shredded strips of

paper and dropped them into a ceramic mug. Then he shook them
like a bartender making a drink.

“What happens if I get a lock?”
“Don’t worry, pretty boy. The words just determine who gets

assigned to a room, and who gets to draw for a partner. Nothing at
all says a lock has to bottom for a key.”

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Since he was the new guy, they let him pick first. Being the

sole focus of five avid gazes made Shane more nervous than before
and his knees nearly buckled when he pulled out his paper—Lock
#1. He wasn’t sure if he should be disappointed or not, but his fate
was definitely sealed.

“Go up the stairs and the door all the way at the end of the

hallway is your room for the night.” Ware’s voice was warm,
causing a shiver to dance up Shane’s spine. He waited for the next
name, but they just stared at him.

“You getting cold feet?” asked Marco.
Shane shook his head, though he wasn’t sure that was exactly

correct either.

“Then get upstairs and wait for your partner.” Jake’s voice was

strangely flat, and Shane chanced a quick glance at him before he
drained the rest of his beer. Shane couldn’t gauge his reaction, but
knew he wouldn’t be able to enjoy himself if he saw pity. Instead
he looked at the others, each more delectable than the last, before
turning away and starting up the stairs.

He could still feel their eyes on him as he entered into the dark

room at the end of the hall. Shane reached for the light switch but
hesitated. Did he want to see who his lover for the night would be?
More importantly, how would his partner react when Shane
wouldn’t be able to hide his disappointment?

This far into the Get Over Jake plan and he was still holding

out hope like a fool. Shane felt his way to the bed and toed off his
shoes. It was time to move on, time to try something—anything—
to break out of his rut. He pulled the curtains closed and then sat
back down on the bed. For better or for worse, it looked like he
was going to hook up.

LOCK AND KEY

CHAPTER 2

Jacob waited until the door closed before he grinned at Stef.

“Thanks for that.”

“Yeah, well, you owe me. That is one fine piece of ass that

you’re keeping all to yourself.” The blond fished out the rest of the
scraps of paper, all of which said Lock #1. Jacob handed over the
correct slips. Now that Shane had been maneuvered where he
wanted him, the rest of the guys could do whatever they’d like.

“It does seem a shame that none of us are going to get a chance

at Shane. I liked him,” said Marco.

Jacob’s gaze narrowed. “You like anything with a tight ass.”
“And a hard dick, don’t forget that!” Marco winked at him and

Jacob grinned in spite of himself. It was hard to stay mad at the
man, but if Marco even thought about making a move toward

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Shane, Jake would flatten him.

“Shane has both and until further notice, he’s off limits to

everyone.” Jake waited for the nods before he continued. “I’ll
leave you gentleman to it. I have a date I can’t keep waiting.”

Jake jogged up the stairs and stood for several quiet moments

outside of Ware’s bedroom door. He knew the layout well, had
spent some time with Ware in there not too long ago, but he’d
never been in this position with Shane. His balls tightened just
thinking about his shy roommate.

The man had no idea how attractive he was, thinking his

glasses and wild curls made him look too innocent to be hot. Hell,
it was that innocence that had drawn Jacob to him to begin with.
The fact that Shane had a wicked sense of humor and a temper that
made his blue eyes flash like fire were just the icing on the
beefcake.

Jacob had tried everything he could think of short of crawling

into bed and impaling Shane on his cock, but his roommate still
treated him as nothing more than a friend. Jake had even taken to
walking around the house nearly naked, but even that didn’t faze
Shane. If Jacob’s luck held, that would change tonight.

He pushed open the door and paused when he found Ware’s

room completely dark. He could make Shane out sitting on the
edge of the bed with his back to the door, looking rumpled and
fidgeting. Never a good sign when Shane got too nervous.

Jacob stepped in and closed the door behind him, his eyes

taking several moments to adjust to the dark. He could see the
general outline of things, though Ware’s blackout shades
effectively shut out the outside world. It would be so easy to think
of it just being the two of them.

“I hope you don’t mind that I closed the curtains.” Shane’s

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voice was husky, and the note of uncertainty made Jacob want to
hold him close before he pushed him down and buried himself
deep inside. Jacob grunted and walked toward the bed.

“I’ve never done anything like this before and I figure it would

be easier if I didn’t have to look. I—I …like to fuck and I like to
suck and I don’t have an aversion to doing either of those things to
you. You just have to tell me what you like and—”

Jacob cut off the flow of words with his mouth. Even though it

pained him to do so, he kept the kiss slow and gentle. Tonight he
was going to show Shane how good they could be together. It was
going to be a seduction and the best fucking of his life if Jacob had
any say in it.

Shane trembled in his hold and Jacob brought his hands up to

cup his lover’s face. Was it fear or desire that made the smaller
man shake? He wanted to talk to Shane, tell him the words in his
heart, but didn’t want to ruin his chance to taste. Once he got
Shane addicted to him, Jacob would tell the truth. With a gentle
sweep of his tongue, he parted Shane’s lips and sank into the heat.
Shane tasted like beer and man, and Jacob wanted more.

He reached for the hem of Shane’s tee but a desperate clutch

stopped him.

“Wait. Just give me a second.”
Shane sounded winded, but still excited. Jake smoothed his

way down Shane’s neck to his shoulders where he kneaded the
tense muscles he found there. Shane was wound so tight it was a
wonder he hadn’t bolted from the room yet.

“I’m sorry. I thought I could do this…” Shane sighed and

relaxed into Jake’s embrace, laying his head in the crook of Jake’s
neck. Jake cradled him gently, afraid that Shane would run away.
Shane burrowed into him and Jake tightened his grip. He would

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not mess this up. He smoothed his hand over Shane’s short curls
before pressing a kiss to them.

“I want this. I just need to feel something other than panic or

fear.”

Jake frowned and rubbed soothing circles on Shane’s back.

Shane leaned farther into him and hummed against his skin.

He had wanted a night of blisteringly hot sex, but if this was

what Shane needed, Jake would hold him the rest of the night, the
throb in his cock be damned.

“What are you afraid of? What makes you run?” Jake

whispered as low as he could. He didn’t flinch when Shane’s grip
tightened abruptly. He’d known something was bothering his
roommate. Shane had gone from a little high strung, to totally
jumpy and unable to meet Jake’s gaze. Since the man’s eyes were
one of Jake’s favorite things, this was unacceptable. All of his
other attempts to get Shane to talk had failed, but maybe Shane
could let go here in the dark. “Talk to me. We can keep it a secret
if you want to, but talk to me.”

“I’m lonely and I don’t want to be anymore.” Shane’s swallow

was audible over the pounding of Jake’s heart.

Jake longed to tell him that he never had to be alone again, but

he needed to woo Shane first. If he admitted it was him, Shane
would leave before he could explain himself.

“But I don’t know how,” Shane said. “I thought meeting more

guys, maybe some…casual hook-ups to loosen me up, but it’s
harder than you’d think.”

Much easier than Shane knew, and Jake was proof. He had

probably had more than his share of boyfriends and hook-ups, and
he’d definitely had more than Shane. It was one thing for his
roommate to think he was a player, and quite another for Shane to

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think he was a slut. Jake was sure he’d crossed the line for Shane
several men ago. Truth was he couldn’t, wouldn’t get emotionally
involved with any of those men when all he wanted was Shane.

“Then why don’t you let me make you feel a little less lonely?”

Jake whispered. “I could make you feel so good if you’d just let
me.”

He held his breath until he felt Shane’s tiny nod. This time it

was Jake who was trembling. No way would he mess up this
second chance. All his other hints had fallen flat but here, now,
Jake had a chance to get Shane to look past what he thought he
knew and just feel.

Jake pulled back until he could cup Shane’s jaw and gently

brush his lips again and again. Small sweeps that barely let them
feel each other until Shane made an impatient noise and pressed
their lips firmly together. Jake allowed Shane to part his lips and
plunge his tongue inside.

From here Shane slowed. His tongue leisurely explored Jake’s

mouth as if they had all the time in the world. The house could fall
down around them and Jake wouldn’t care as long as Shane
continued to kiss him like this. How had he missed this for so
long? He wanted to give Shane his moment, but couldn’t resist
stroking back. Shane sucked on his tongue and Jake took control of
the kiss. He buried his fingers in Shane’s curls and held the man in
place while he ravaged his mouth.

Jake bit, licked and sucked at Shane’s mouth until his lover

whimpered under the assault. Only then did he kiss his way to the
strong column of Shane’s throat. He could feel Shane’s pulse
beating against his lips, and he nipped that skin, loving the way
Shane’s cock surged against him. He reached the edge of Shane’s
long-sleeve tee and grunted when it stopped his mouth from more

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of Shane’s delicious taste. He worked the shirt up, all while
keeping his mouth on Shane until the very last second when he
whipped the shirt off. Jake leaned back in but was stopped by
Shane’s hand on his chest.

“Wait. Yours, too. I want to feel you.”
He pulled Shane’s hand to his chest. “You want it off, you do

it.”

Shane hesitated for only a moment before Jake felt his buttons

releasing. He turned his attention back to learning Shane’s chest.
He’d seen his roommate shirtless a number of times, but Shane
always covered up like he had something to hide. Shane was less
muscled than he was, and had no ink, but his chest still had the
power to make Jake hard.

He traced the lean muscles over Shane’s pecs and stopped with

his thumbs mere inches from Shane’s nipples. Jake knew from
memory that they were a dusky shade of pink, and his mouth
watered just thinking about them.

“Shirt off, now,” Shane demanded.
Jake sighed and let go of him long enough to throw his shirt to

the floor. He toed out of his shoes and kicked them to the side, as
well, not willing to let anything slow him down once they got back
together.

Shane pulled him toward his mouth but Jake evaded and

nibbled on Shane’s collarbone. They might be on Shane’s
timetable, but this was still Jake’s show. He kept up the teasing
until Shane’s fingers dug into his muscles and Jake eased farther
down his chest. Shane was giving him sighs and pants, but Jake
wanted to hear him let loose.

He’d once walked in on Shane with his last ex, Carl, having sex

when Jake wasn’t supposed to be home. He’d watched from the

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doorway as Carl had held Shane down and pounded his ass into the
mattress while calling him all sorts of words Jake would have beat
the shit out of Carl for saying, but they seemed to work for Shane.
When Carl had pulled his hair and called him a dirty whore, Shane
had gone crazy wild, begging, praying and calling Carl’s name as
he’d come all over the bed and himself.

Jake wanted that. Wanted to make Shane so crazed with lust

that he forgot he needed to be quiet, dependable Shane and could
be horny, screaming and begging for it Shane.

He sucked one of Shane’s pebbled nipples while he pinched the

other with his fingers. He twisted, tweaking his hold until he got
the grip that made Shane clutch at his shoulders and gasp.

Good, but he could do better. He bit down and Shane jumped, a

tiny whimper working its way free. Jake grinned against Shane’s
flesh. What would happen if he… He pinched and bit at the same
time and was rewarded with a moan.

He released Shane’s tortured flesh and reached for his

waistband. Jake popped the fly buttons with a slow deliberate
touch that stroked Shane’s straining erection with each release. He
pushed the jeans down and cupped the ass that had haunted him
ever since that night with Carl.

“I’m going to fuck your ass until you scream. Tomorrow you

won’t be able to walk without feeling me and remembering what
this moment felt like.” Jake licked up his throat and bit down on
Shane’s earlobe until the man whimpered even louder.

“You like that idea because you’re such a filthy whore. But

tonight you’re my filthy whore and I want everyone to know it.”

He pushed Shane, and the man flopped back on the bed. Jake

made short work of Shane’s pants and socks and then removed his
own pants. He hadn’t worn any underwear, wanting the friction of

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his free cock on the denim to act as a deterrent. Not likely with
Shane so close by. He nudged Shane’s legs apart and stroked from
knee thigh. Shane was wearing a pair of boxer briefs that Jake had
bought for him today—under the guise of making the man
presentable for whomever he might end up with.

Jake traced the leg hole of the navy shorts. He regretted he

couldn’t see how they contrasted with the milky skin of Shane’s
toned thighs. But if all went according to plan, he’d get to see them
later. He stroked over Shane’s cock and grunted at the damp patch.
The boy was already leaking pre-come and Jake was just getting
started. He grasped the waistband and tugged the boxers down and
then threw them across the room.

“I’m going to fuck you now and there’s nothing you can do to

stop me. You can cry, or scream or beg, but we play here a lot and
no one will come running.” Jake grasped Shane’s cock in a strong
grip and squeezed until he felt Shane wince. He didn’t want to hurt
the man, but he needed to know how much he could take.

“How do you know I don’t want to fuck you? Maybe I want a

piece of your ass.”

Jake grinned. There it was. Shane was a deeply sexy fuck, but

kept it under wraps.

“Baby, if you live through what I’m going to do to you tonight,

I’ll let you do anything you want to me.”

“Oh yeah?” Shane widened his legs as Jake stroked the base of

his cock and then down to his perineum. Jake dug his thumb in that
spot and chuckled when Shane’s hips ground down into his touch.

“I hear that you can be a demanding lover and I want a piece of

that. But first I’m going to spread you, taste you, and fuck you
until I’m satisfied. That sound good?”

Jake lowered his mouth and blew over the head of Shane’s

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cock. Shane’s hips rose and the crown grazed Jake’s stubble.
Shane’s agonized moan was close to what Jake was looking for,
but he wanted more. Louder and much more. Jake crawled up
Shane’s body, forcing his legs wider to accommodate his larger
frame.

He planted his hands on either side of Shane’s shoulders so the

man could feel his heat, could feel caged by his desire, but
wouldn’t get any skin on skin relief.

“You’re hands down the sexiest man I’ve ever seen and I want

this to last, but damned if I don’t just want to do it all. I want you
riding my cock until my eyes roll back in my head. I want you to
suck me until I lose all sense of myself and all I can depend on is
you. I want to fill you up with so much of my cum that when you
stand up it just slides out of you. Marking you for anyone to see
that you’re mine, covered in my jizz like you bathed in it.”

“Please.” Shane was panting, his hands tugging on Jake’s waist

to pull the man down.

“Which do you want most?” Jake breathed the words into

Shane’s open mouth and then traced the inside of his lip with the
tip of his tongue.

“All of it. Any of it. Just please.”
Jake bit Shane’s lip and then sucked on it to soothe the ache. A

full-throated groan sounded from Shane and Jake stopped
pretending that he had any control over himself when it came to
the man. He crushed Shane beneath him on the bed, his breath
stopping as he felt their cocks touch each other for the first time. It
was pause or come all over Shane before he’d gotten any further.

“Don’t stop.”
Hungry hands roamed his flesh, and Jake bit back a moan. He

would not come like an untried youth. He’d made men bigger and

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stronger than this scream his name, and he wouldn’t rest until he’d
gotten the same from Shane. He pulled a deep breath, loving the
scent of Shane’s musk and sweat so close to him.

“Please, don’t stop.”
“Never,” Jake promised before taking Shane’s mouth in the

most carnal kiss he’d ever given. He poured every sleepless night
as his body yearned for Shane, every wasted time he’d beaten off
in the shower instead of on Shane’s skin, every frustrating moment
when Shane had walked away with that jackass Carl instead of
him.

Jake settled farther into Shane and let him feel his weight. He

wanted Shane to feel owned, like Jake could do anything he
wanted to him. With his hands free, he pulled Shane’s thighs up
until he was cradled by Shane’s legs. He dug his nails in, not deep
enough to break skin, but hard enough to make his lover feel it.
Shane hissed into his mouth.

“Like a little pain with your pleasure?”
He didn’t give Shane a chance to respond before biting every

bit of flesh he could reach. Shane bucked into him but Jake could
feel him holding back. More. He needed more tasting, more
touching and more of the man who’d haunted him ever since he’d
seen Shane come undone.

Jake eased his way down Shane’s torso. Licking and biting

along the way. Shane tasted of sweat, of man, of all the things Jake
wanted to wake up next to and everything he was desperate for.

He slowed his descent and wished he could see Shane’s cock.

He could feel the heat though he was still above it. Could imagine
sucking Shane all the way to the root, letting the man deep, deep
into his throat.

Using just the tip of his tongue, Jake traced around Shane’s

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hipbones, enjoying the flex of Shane’s skin beneath his tongue.
Here, Shane couldn’t hide his reaction and Jake nipped him right
below his belly button. He rubbed his face against Shane’s
stomach, the touch not overtly sexual but turning them both on if
the cock leaping against his chin was any indication.

“Stop teasing me.” Shane’s voice was too controlled for Jake’s

tastes and he vowed to unhinge the man. He dragged his teeth
down to the nest of curls at the tops of Shane’s thighs. Jake dug in
his fingers when Shane would have jolted from his grasp.

Shane’s next words ended in a garbled mess as Jake finally

took his cock and pressed it to the roof of his mouth. He wanted to
spin out this moment, but a drop of pre-come landed on his tongue
and he groaned. Shane tasted so damn good and he wanted more.
He backed off and took a steadying breath. Using the flat of his
tongue, he licked from the fat root to the generous head.

Jake treated his roommate’s cock like an ice cream cone he

didn’t want to give up, licking up the sides and then swirling his
tongue over the tip. He used his weight to keep Shane pinned to the
bed, allowing the smaller man no leverage. Shane made a noise of
frustration and Jake paused and blew on the tip. He grinned at the
shudder that rippled through Shane.

“You get what I give you. Never forget that. You’re mine to do

with what I want, and you get the pleasure I feel like giving.” He
plunged down over the head fast and then slowly, dragged his teeth
over Shane’s hot flesh on the upstroke. Jake moaned around
Shane’s cock as the other man’s hands fisted in his hair. Fast down
stroke and a slow, torturous retreat had both of them on edge and
Jake could feel himself leaking pre-come into the bedding.

Shane’s hands became insistent on his head, his hips surges

stronger and stronger as he took the man deeper with each stroke

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until Shane bumped the back of his throat. Jake held him there and
hummed.

“Do it, you bastard. Finish me,” Shane growled, and Jake

would have smiled if he didn’t have a mouth full of cock.

He swallowed slowly, letting Shane invade his throat one slow

inch at time until his nose was buried in the fragrant nest of curls.
Jake worked his throat, reveling in the tiny bite of pain that came
when Shane twisted his hair in a death grip. Had anything felt so
perfect before?

Just as slowly, he released his prize until the tip had left his

mouth. He pressed a chaste kiss to the head, then rubbed it against
his closed mouth before swallowing Shane’s cock again. Jake
eased his hand between their bodies and pressed his thumb to
Shane’s perineum. He circled the area with a firm touch, all while
keep his mouth movements slow and steady. No longer able to
hold Shane in place, Jake let his lover fuck his mouth. Shane
muttered a litany of swear words that Jake would have thought he
didn’t even know before he heard them in that guttural moan.

Jake owned and was owned as Shane continued to pump into

his mouth. His jaw ached, but it would have to break entirely
before he’d stop. He parted Shane’s cheeks with his other hand and
scraped his thumb over the pucker within.

“Fuuuuck,” Shane whimpered, his heels digging into Jake’s

back, and Jake sucked harder. Made his fingers work faster, and
then Shane was tugging his hair and filling his mouth with rope
after rope of hot cum. Jake swallowed it all, savoring the taste of
his lover hot on his tongue. He continued to lick and suck until
Shane relaxed and released his hair. Jake pressed a last kiss to
Shane’s depleted cock and then kissed his way up Shane’s body
until he pressed tender kisses to his lover’s chin.

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He pulled Shane into his arms and rolled to his back, taking

Shane with him. A completely relaxed Shane was unheard of and
Jake would savor it for as long as it lasted. This was not how he’d
expected their first time to go, but it was still perfect. He ruffled
Shane’s curls, pressed a kiss to the damp strands and ignored the
throbbing in his cock. He was so primed a breeze could probably
bring him off, but he forced himself to just enjoy the feeling of
Shane pressed against his side.

Somehow the throb in his dick meant a penance for all the

times he’d overlooked what was right in front of him. Shane’s
hand ghosted over his erection and Jake bit back a moan. It would
be so easy to work against Shane’s touch and come that way, but
he wanted to be buried inside Shane when he finally let go. He
pulled the hand away before he shamed himself and planted a kiss
in Shane’s palm before flattening his hand against his heart.

“What about you?”
Jake grinned at the harsh rasp of Shane’s voice. Better, but he

still wanted more. He traced the outline of Shane’s mouth with his
finger, his cock twitching as Shane drew his finger inside and
suckled it. What would it be like to have Shane’s mouth on his
cock? Fucking Shane’s mouth until he came hard enough to see
stars? Jake swallowed hard and eased away a bit. He didn’t know
whether to gloat or to curse when Shane followed him and
burrowed closer.

“Rest a minute.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to rest.” Shane bit his chin and Jake

jumped despite himself. “I want to fuck.”

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CHAPTER 3

Shane held his breath as his words were met with silence. He

fought the urge to squirm. Who said anonymous sex in the dark
was easier? Shane was just as nervous as he’d been downstairs
facing all of Jake’s friends. Only now he was sweaty and naked.
He stifled his emotional wince that Jake was right now in one of
the rooms, fucking one of the other guys. It was none of his
business what Jake was doing or who he was with, and it was time
Shane admitted that and got over it.

He pushed away his sadness and cuddled closer to the hot, hard

body next to his. The whisper filled him with anticipation, and he
both relished and hated the darkness. He knew it wasn’t Ware due
to the hair, but that’s all he had. It could have been any of others,
but he was sure that none of them could resist teasing him for

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being the new guy. He frowned. So what, he was in the bed with a
ghost now?

“You always pinch the hell out of a guy when you’re

thinking?” The whisper managed to sound joking and warm at the
same time and Shane blushed.

“Sorry. I…I’m nervous.”
“Hmmm. I’ve known some nervous people in my time. None

of them fucked my face or came all down my throat like that.”

The burn intensified in his cheeks and Shane was glad for the

darkness. Anything to hide how unworldly he was with these men
who obviously knew what they wanted and, more importantly,
how to get it. Would he ever stop feeling like he belonged at the
kiddie table?

“Sorry about that.”
“I’m not. It was fucking hot.” Shane’s arms tightened. Could

his phantom lover be telling the truth? He liked giving head, liked
having that level of control on someone bigger and stronger than
he was, but Carl hadn’t liked it. Said that Shane had gotten too
rough with him the one time they had tried. He frowned. The
selfish son of a bitch hadn’t bothered to try it again. Yet another
reason for him to ditch him.

“You did it again. Where do you keep going that’s more

interesting than this?” The dark whisper combined with the hard
pinch against his butt made him jump. Shane cleared his throat.
Carl had often accused him of disappearing when they were in bed.
It was why his ex had first tried rougher play and Shane had loved
every second of it. He’d never admitted that he imagined someone
other than Carl.

“Nothing. Nothing has ever been more important than this.”

Shane pressed a kiss against his lover’s chest, allowing his hand to

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roam the smooth expanse. Whoever he was, he definitely worked
out. Shane reached his waist and traced the hip dent there. A secret
weakness of his, and he’d love to bathe that with his tongue, let his
mouth slide into that enticing groove and leave a mark. Strong
fingers held him fast when he would have moved farther down his
lover’s body. He grunted.

“I think a better question is… When are you going to let me

experience you?”

The hand in his hair massaged his scalp as soon as Shane

stopped pulling. He didn’t want to think about how turned on that
made him or how it reminded him of Jake, who often did the same
thing when they watched TV together.

It wasn’t the mix of pain and pleasure but the rush of having

someone else have the same level of control that he had over
himself. He wouldn’t get addicted to that feeling again. Carl had
proven that it was too much for one man to handle, and as this was
a one-night stand, it was better not to crave it.

“Oh you’ll get to experience me, but it’ll be on my terms. I’m

coming in that tight ass of yours and nowhere else. I’m going to
spread you and fuck you into the mattress until you beg me to
come. And then I’m really going to go at your ass.”

The hand tightened on the base of his neck and pushed Shane’s

face against his lover’s nipple. He needed no further
encouragement and opened his mouth. Shane gladly sucked on the
puckered flesh, wishing he could taste his lover all over. Had
anyone ever turned him on with just mere words?

“You want me to own you. I can feel it. I’m going to hold you

down and use you until you can’t take anymore and I’m going to
keep pounding that ass until I’ve had enough, which might be all.
Damn. Night.”

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Shane whimpered and all technique deserted him. He mashed

his mouth to his lover’s chest, nibbling and sucking as much as the
iron grip would let him reach. He wanted to devour the man and
drown out all doubts and what-ifs that dogged him even now when
he was so turned on he could barely think.

“Whoa, where’s the fire?” Both hands cupped his face and

tilted it toward the whisper that made him want for all manner of
things. His hands twitched against washboard abs and he sucked
his stomach in. Could this man, this mound of perfection, finally
get him over his obsession with Jake? Even as his phantom lover’s
touch reminded Shane of his roommate?

“No fire, I just want you. Is that so hard to believe?”
The body beneath his shook with laughter and a kiss ghosted

across his lips before Shane found himself on his back with a hot
body again between his legs. He gladly parted, not waiting for the
iron grip from before. He wanted those hands to spread him and
take him.

“I keep wanting to give you time, but I think you want

something a little harder.” His lover ground into him and Shane
couldn’t bite back his whimper. Tried but couldn’t as his lover’s
cock nudged the cleft in his ass. Shane wanted to spread himself
wide and beg the man to take him, but he held it in. If this was
going to work, his lover would make Shane work for it. Or beg.

Hands swept over his torso, light touches that Shane moved

into, hoping for more. He growled when the hands left him.

“Relax, babe.” The heat over him shifted and he heard the open

and close of the bedside table. Something landed next to him and
then came the sound of lube being opened, of a condom package
being ripped. Was he really going to go through with this? These
guys were Jake’s friends, but virtual strangers to him. Could he

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really be so desperate for affection that this seemed like a good
idea? Shane really wished he could see his lover’s eyes and know
that this would be okay. A warm hand caressed the inside of his
thigh and Shane flinched.

“Wow. You are really wound tight.” The hand squeezed his

flesh in a strong sure grip and Shane’s breathing sped up. “You
don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.”

“But what will you tell Jake?” The words were out before

Shane knew he was going to speak them and he wished the bed
would open up and swallow him whole. The image of himself
suffocating in the fluffy down from the pillowtop somehow
seemed fitting to the ending of the most embarrassing night of his
life. He cleared his throat. “Won’t Jake and the other guys think
it’s strange if we don’t have sex?”

The hand on his thigh moved in slow, soothing circles while

the man kept quiet. A small sigh filled the silence and Shane shut
his eyes tight even though he couldn’t see. Why couldn’t he just
enjoy a moment instead of thinking it to death? Jake did it all the
time. Hell, even uptight Carl had been able to do it on occasion.

Shane concentrated on the sensation of that gentle, could-

become-addictive touch. Everything tonight, from the moment
he’d stepped into this room, had seduced him, pulling him closer
and closer to something that he found he didn’t want to avoid.

“It’s nobody’s business what we do here. If you don’t want to,

we won’t go any further.”

Shane was already shaking his head. The problem was, he did

want to go further. Much further, all the way, until his mystery
lover, who said the right words and touched him the right way, was
buried deep inside of him. He shook from the knowledge that this
man could be more dangerous to his heart than Jake. If a mere hour

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with the man could turn him inside out, what could he accomplish
with days?

“I want to. Continue I mean. With you, like this. Now. I want

you.” The words poured from him like water from a faucet and
Shane groaned. Really smooth.

The bed shook with his lover’s laughter and Shane turned his

head until smiling lips met his own. Laughter vibrated behind the
touch. It both turned him on and humiliated him, and he ducked his
head.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” Kisses whispered across his jaw with

such sweet persistence that Shane finally gave in and allowed the
man to kiss him until his toes curled and he forgot everything
except this moment. His phantom lover released his lips, his
breathing none too steady.

“I’m glad you changed your mind. I want this. With you. I need

you. Now.” The words were a balm to his nerves and Shane melted
into the mattress. A hard, possessive kiss was pressed to his lips
and then blunt fingers were parting his cheeks and searching for
his hole. Shane’s muscles clenched, though he knew he wanted to
be fucked by this man.

One thick finger traced his pucker so lightly that Shane broke

out in goose bumps. When it circled again, he shifted his hips
trying to get closer. Warm weight pressed against him, effectively
pinning him to the mattress. The feeling of being restrained only
pushed his desire higher. There was nothing Shane could do but lie
there and take whatever his lover wanted to dole out.

The moment stretched out in a tense silence only broken by

their pants. Again the maddening slow, light circle against his flesh
and Shane swore.

“Just inside, already. Do it.”

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Another barely there glide was the only response and Shane

was sure he was going to shed his skin if he didn’t get more
contact soon.

“You want me in your tight ass, don’t you?” Shane jolted to

hear the words but nodded so quickly his teeth clacked. “Want me
to fill this ass and ride it until you can’t breathe, let alone
remember your name?”

“Y-yes. That. Do it.”
The finger left its torturous trek long enough to deliver a hard

pinch to the curve of his ass. “Ouch!”

“You will learn to like what I give you. I will fill this hole

when I feel like it, and I don’t goddamn feel the urge.”

The words squeezed terror in Shane’s heart even as the finger

again traversed his now super-sensitive skin. He wasn’t into this,
but something about the dark, about the anonymity, about the
security of fucking someone who wasn’t going to trample his heart
made Shane crave it. His lover could have bent him over and
paddled his ass until he couldn’t sit for a week and Shane would
gladly have taken it. Words poured from him, things he never
thought he’d say but he wouldn’t take them back.

“Please. I’m sorry. I just…” He trailed off as the maddening

finger pressed just a little deeper and his breath hitched. The finger
paused as if Shane controlled its motion.

“You were saying?”
“I ache. I want you inside me, need it, crave it. Please—”
The finger slid farther inside him and it was both enough and

not at once. Shane held his breath as his lover slowly, oh-so-
slowly, reached inside him as far as he could go and then stopped.
He finally relaxed when the other man cupped his butt. Shane
hovered on edge, waiting desperately for anything, and yet the man

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seemed content with the way things were.

“More. Please, give me more.”
Again a long silence full of nothing and Shane was close to

taking matters into his own hand. Then came the sound of the lube
again and he relaxed the death grip he’d taken on the sheets. Only
when he felt a deeper stroke did he release his lip and take a
shuddery breath.

“Relax for me, baby.” That voice could coax anyone to do

anything, and Shane was no exception.

“I don’t want to relax. Feels good.” And it did. Though his

lover was trying to be delicate, trying to take his time and make it
easier on Shane to accept, he wanted a hard invasion. It had been
so long since someone else had touched him like this that he
wanted it all, the rough edges as well as the pleasure.

The fingers flexed and scissored inside of him and Shane

muffled his moan. Such a simple touch and yet he could feel his
orgasm growing inside him. His toes curled and he pulled for a
deep breath. He had to find a way to ride out the pleasure without
turning into some sort of sobbing mess. Control might be an
illusion with another man’s fingers deep inside but it was one that
Shane would hold onto until he could be alone to quietly fall apart.

The fingers stopped and then shoved into him hard enough to

make him see stars. The other hand grabbed his balls and started a
rough massage that was guaranteed to make him come soon and to
ache in the morning. A whimper tore from his throat as each touch
forced more and more pleasure on him.

“Those noises are mine. I decide when you need to be quiet,

not you.”

Another tug on his nuts and Shane gripped his lover’s

forearms. A third finger joined the other two and snugged deeper

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inside of him.

Shane thrashed his head, more turned on than he had been in

his whole life, and still his dick went untouched. He wanted to yell
or reach for the light, but knew that either would make the
interlude stop. Sweat beaded on his brow and he shook with the
urge to hold in his moans.

He was suddenly surrounded by warmth and even more pinned

as his lover whispered in his ear. “I can practically hear you
thinking of how you’re going to defy me, but it’s not going to
happen.”

Shane did whimper when the fingers left him. He flexed his

muscles, his hole feeling both loose and achy and empty. When
nothing happened, he fought his urge to kick the bed or punch the
man who still pinned him in place. If he didn’t know any better,
he’d swear the man was trying to stare him down, but the darkness
was absolute. As was his need for what this man could give him.

“I’ll make a believer out of you.” Those words were barely

whispered before Shane felt him pressing at his entrance. His
lover’s cock was much thicker than those fingers and Shane bore
down on the hot, hard invasion. He panted and finally allowed
himself to clutch the man like he’d wanted to.

“I need you to relax, babe. I want in you so badly but I won’t

hurt you.”

“What if I want you to?” Shane couldn’t believe the words had

come from him, but right then he just needed more. He clamped
his inner muscles around his lover, hoping to force his hand.

“Not even then. You’ve got to calm down.”
A hard pinch to his thigh made him swear and his lover slid in

just a bit farther. The quiet chuckle next to his ear was completely
unexpected but Shane reveled in it. When was the last time he’d

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had fun and truly cut loose in the bedroom? With Carl he had been
pretending to be someone he wasn’t and the strain had made their
every tryst fraught with tension until he’d gotten wasted and he’d
finally admitted to Carl what he wanted.

“I like you like this.” The words were whispered into his open

mouth before he was claimed for a kiss. The mouth on his was an
expert at coercing his response, and Shane couldn’t have remained
unaffected, even if he tried. His lover dominated the kiss, his
tongue taking possession of Shane’s mouth like it owned it, and
Shane conceded. He relaxed all his muscles, his cry lost in the
cavern of the other man’s mouth.

Slowly, his lover pulled out and then rocked back in. The

gentle touch abraded every one of his nerve endings until Shane
felt like a live wire that would burn anything it touched. His hands
glided over flexing muscle, and he grunted at the sweat beneath his
palms. He didn’t want to be the only one affected by what was
happening to them. His grip mapped all the skin he could reach,
settling on the rock-hard ass that tensed beneath his hold with
every slow pulse into his body.

Not for the first time Shane wished there were lights so he

could see how the man above him was mastering him, riding him
until Shane was ready to beg for more. His imagination substituted
Jake and his breath hitched as his brain latched on to the thought.
What would it be like to be pinned beneath Jake’s stronger frame,
his body on display for whatever wickedness his roommate wanted
to bestow? He shuddered at the thought, his balls growing ever
tighter.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but keep it up.”
The mouth went back to plundering his own and Shane was

glad. He couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t call out the wrong name.

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He buried his fingers in the slick strands of hair, imagining Jake’s
just-rolled-out-of-bed hairstyle. This kind of fucking would
definitely result in that look, which drove him wild.

His lover tilted his hips and hit the spot that flooded Shane with

pleasure with each nudge. In the dark there was nothing but this
feeling of being taken, the mouth that plundered his own and the
all-consuming need to come.

Shane moaned as his hips snapped against his lovers. He

wanted it harder, deeper. His hands dug deep into tensed forearms
and he hoped he would leave a mark. Something that would
change his partner the way he felt deep inside.

“That’s it, baby. Give it to me.”
The words short-circuited his brain and Shane cried out as he

reached the cliff and then fell over. Words poured from him, pleas,
swears, and it didn’t matter because his lover held him close and
pulled him through. He relaxed and marveled as his lover kept up
the slow, steady pace and found his own pleasure. Another moan
was torn from him as he felt the hot load, and for one crazy
moment, he wished he could feel all of that cum filling him up. His
lover collapsed against him.

“I’ll move in a minute, I swear.” The words were gasped

against the side of his neck and a grin took over. Shane had done
that. He’d reduce the man to this wheezing, solid weight against
him. He wrapped his arms around his lover and slicked his hands
through the sweat. The man was heavy, but Shane felt anything but
crushed.

“No need. I like you like this.”
Soft kisses feathered up his neck until his mouth was taken in a

kiss so sweet it made his breath hitch. Shane buried his fingers in
the damp strands at his lover’s nape. He tugged and the kiss

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deepened, their tongues dueling until Shane was panting.

“Damn, I knew once with you wouldn’t be enough.” The words

were whispered against his jaw and then his lover pushed up.
Shane’s ass spasmed as he slid out and Shane almost begged him
to come back inside.

“Stay there, I’ll be right back.”
The bed shook as the other man left it, and a few moments later

the bathroom light flicked on and silhouetted his lover. Shane got a
glimpse of dark hair before he threw an arm over his eyes. So not
Ware and not Stef. That left Marco, Dev, or Jake.

His heart thundered at the thought of his roommate. He’d come

tonight to try to work the man out of his system, and he wasn’t
sure if he’d succeeded or not. He’d definitely enjoyed everything
he’d done so far, and wanted to do more, but his stupid heart
almost felt as if he were cheating.

“Can’t cheat on the man you’ve never had, dipshit.” The

thought worked a shiver through him and Shane sat up. Funny how
his good mood could sour in a matter of moments. Without his
lover’s body heat, he was cold in the air-conditioned room and he
pulled his knees to his chest. Should he get up and leave? Was he
expected to stay the night? Would the other man want him gone?

The toilet flushed, water ran, and then the door opened. Shane

purposefully ducked his head. Without his glasses there was no
way he could see that far, but even still, he didn’t want to chance
learning who had rocked his world.

Not now when little things were trying to convince him it had

been Jake. The scalp massage, the “make you a believer” that Jake
always said with his cocky grins. Hell, even the way the man had
held him down and demanded his surrender smacked of Jake, but
why would his roommate remain in the dark? The bed dipped

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down and he felt the other man searching for him.

“Where did you go?”
Shane flushed, glad that the darkness covered his shame. He’d

just let the man call him all sorts of names and bend him up like a
pretzel and yet he thought to hide now?

“I’m right here. I got a little cold.”
“Poor baby. Always so cold. Come here.”
The voice lured him and he was powerless against it. Shane had

moved to the edge of the bed before his brain caught up.

“Stand up. Don’t make me snatch you up.”
“Who are you?” The question slipped out before he knew he

was going to ask it and Shane held his breath. The silence stretched
between them, but Shane held his ground. It was hard to tell a man
by his whisper, but his mind was adding up all the details of the
evening and coming up with Jake.

“Does it matter?” The question was soft, as was the stroke that

smoothed over him from nape to the base of his spine. Goose
bumps erupted at the touch and Shane crowded closer, breathing
deeply. Now that his mind wasn’t crowded by sex, he could think.
The man smelled like Jake’s cologne. His brain tried to remember
if any of the others had smelled the same.

“No, but I think I should have a name for when I tell this story

later.”

Shane allowed the other man to pull him up and into his

embrace. He was shorter by a few inches, but this just meant his
mouth was level with the other man’s collarbone.

His heartbeat kicked up. It was the exact position he’d was in

every time Jake hugged him. Only this time he didn’t have to curb
his desire to sample what was right in front of his face. He didn’t
even try to resist the urge he felt to taste. The darkness made him

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bold in a way he’d never experienced before and that heightened
his pleasure. And every second brought him the certainty that he
was with his dream guy, but he wanted Jake to admit it.

“Can’t wait to tell your friends, huh?”
“Mmm-hmmm.” He pulled back and wished he could see. “It’s

not every day that I let a guy I don’t know fuck me into the
mattress.”

“We’re friends now,” came the whisper and those words were a

denial. Shane felt for certain it was his roommate. But why would
Jake want to mislead him? Shane tried not to let it matter, but it
did. A shiver worked down his spine and the arms cuddled him
closer.

“Call me B.” A gentle kiss was pressed to his forehead. “And

get under the covers.”

Hot hands guided Shane until he was in the middle of the bed,

underneath the duvet. His brain tried and failed to come up with a
decent reason for Jake to keep up the ruse.

“Why B?” he asked as the other man curled around his back.

The man was better than a furnace and Shane was warmed in a
matter of moments. At least on the outside.

“Could be for baby, bastard, or that badass that fucked your

brains out.”

Despite the heaviness in his heart, Shane couldn’t help but

laugh. He tensed for a moment as his lover’s arms pulled him even
closer and he was surrounded by the man’s strength and scent. Lips
pressed into the sensitive spot behind his ear.

“This okay? Me holding you like this?”
It was better than okay, but Shane didn’t want to admit it. He

licked his lips. “Is this typical? I mean I’ve never been to one of
these. Jake said everything would be okay, just to go with the flow,

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but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

He waited to see how the man would answer. As the silence

stretched longer, he became more convinced that he was finally in
Jake’s arms. The man who had pinned him to the mattress and
commanded his wanton responses would never deign to hear
another man’s name on his lips. Not while they were still naked
together.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”
Shane nodded, his head bumping his lover’s chin. “Yes.”
“Then that’s all there is to it. Ware has hosted us several times

and the guys tend to take the room for the night. And if you happen
to enjoy each other several more times during the night, then that’s
all good.”

Old insecurities assailed Shane when Jake stroked his hand

over Shane’s chest. It was one thing when he thought it was one of
the other guys he’d never have to see again, and another to know it
was Jake. The other guys were like something out of a jerk-off
fantasy, most likely patrons of Jake’s gym. And yet Jake had
gotten stuck with him, the nerd most likely to be alone on a Friday
night. Is that why he didn’t want Shane to know it was him?
Because this was nothing more than a pity fuck to Jake?

“Whatever you’re thinking about has you all tense. If you don’t

want to do anything more tonight, I’ll just have to content myself
with two measly orgasms.”

Shane huffed. Maybe tonight was a standard night for Jake, but

it had rocked Shane. “They weren’t exactly piddly.”

Lips coasted over his neck and Jake stroked his hand lower,

circling his belly button. “I think we can do better. I think I can
make you scream my name. But later. First I want you nice and
relaxed.”

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Though he put up a half-hearted protest, Shane allowed Jake to

roll him to his stomach. Hard thighs straddled his hips, then Jake
settled in over his butt. Silence reigned as the other man began to
work him over.

Shane was not the type to get a massage—hell, he had a hard

enough time letting lovers close enough to touch him, let alone a
stranger he was paying—but this he could get into. Jake was a
solid weight against him, his cock nestled in the cradle of Shane’s
ass, and there was something about that extra connection that made
this seem all right. Strong fingers attacked his muscles until all he
could do was melt into the mattress.

“So tense. I would have thought for sure I would have worked

that out of you.” An unexpected nip to his spine made Shane jerk.
A soothing kiss followed in its wake. It would be too easy to fall
under this man’s spell. Jake dug into the knot of muscles between
his shoulders. Shane moaned in both pain and pleasure.

“Wow. You are just one big mass of tension.”
“It’s hard for me to relax,” Shane admitted, once again thankful

for the darkness so he wouldn’t have to see pity or censure. The
others could participate in these parties without batting an eye, but
he wasn’t built that way. Shane often wondered what it would be
like to be so carefree.

“Well maybe I can help you with that.”
Jake’s lips nibbled at his ear. Shane luxuriated at the feeling of

being completely trapped under the other man. It was warm, sexy,
a little heady, and yet soothing.

“How would you do that?” He barely recognized the needy

whisper as his own.

“Hmmm.” The vibration rumbled against his neck and he

leaned into the contact. “I’d love to take you to dinner. Are you

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free this week?”

Shane tensed because there was his answer. Jake was in typical

Jake mode. Shane had seen it too many times with other men to not
see it when it was right in front of his face. He’d agree to Jake’s
date, but unlike the others, he’d know that this moment wouldn’t
grow beyond tonight. There’d be casual sex, as much of it as Shane
would allow him, and then he’d join the ranks of the
brokenhearted.

“I don’t like that hesitation. Perhaps I need to persuade you.

And sway you to my side.” Jake’s teeth delivered a painful bite
before he sucked Shane’s lobe into his mouth. Shane fisted the
sheets.

Everything this man did set him on fire and, greedy bastard that

he was, Shane wanted more of that feeling. Yet his initial thought
was to hold back. It had been so easy for him to dismiss the guys
who let Jake toy with their emotions, and yet he was stupidly ready
to do the same.

“And now you’re thinking so hard I can practically hear it.”
“Listen—”
“Nope. I’m done with that. Now we’ll do things my way.”
Shane snorted. As if Jake hadn’t been running the show from

the moment he’d entered the room. God only knew Shane hadn’t
felt in control a single moment since they’d gotten started. Jake
latched on to his left wrist and pulled it over his head and then did
the same with his right. Before Shane could protest, both were
snapped into restraints. Something silky rubbed against his skin as
he pulled against the hold. Tight enough to hold him, but loose
enough not to be painful.

“What do you think you’re doing?”
“If you have to ask, then you must have had a pretty tame sex

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life up until now. And I’m definitely glad to be the one expanding
your education.”

Jake got up from the bed and Shane immediately missed his

warmth. He heard Jake doing something near the window.

When he returned, he held what seemed to be the ties from the

closed curtains and approached the bed with them dangling in his
hands. Shane squeezed his eyes shut. Would Jake gag him now?
The thought should have put him on edge, but instead it heightened
his desire. He’d been half erect with just his wrists restrained and
now was so hard he could probably drill a hole through the
mattress.

The bed dipped enough for Jake to grab one of his legs and pull

it taut and then his ankle was lashed. Shane ground his hips against
the mattress as he panted through his excitement. He’d played at
bondage with Carl because his ex had liked it, but this was
something different. This was something that had Shane so excited
he might come before Jake even touched him.

“Don’t I need to give you a safe word or something?”
Jake laughed and strapped down his other ankle. Now Shane

was facedown and spread eagle with the sexiest man he’d ever had
the pleasure to get naked with and even though he knew he’d be
hurting tomorrow, he couldn’t think of a happier moment in his
life. He tested his ankle bonds and found them to be the same as
his wrists.

“You won’t need a safe word. I’m not going to take you that

far. Just test you a little bit.” Jake moved up between his legs, his
hands gliding up the backs of Shane’s thighs until he arched into
the touch as much as his restraints would allow. Jake kneaded his
ass and Shane moaned into the pillow.

“Oh, no, no no, there will be none of that.” Jake leaned over

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him, caging him in and gently removed the pillow from beneath
Shane’s head. Shane turned his head until his cheek rested on the
mattress, but he still couldn’t catch his breath. With a minimum of
fuss, Jake got the pillow beneath Shane’s hips, thus robbing him of
the little bit of leverage he’d had. Now Shane was completely at
the mercy of this man that made his toes curl and his heart pound.
Jake nipped at the curve of his ass as if he couldn’t resist the gift
now on display and Shane jerked as much as he was able.

“Those noises belong to me. I’ve earned them and I want to

hear every last single one.”

From one of the other rooms came the sound of someone

groaning “Oh God” louder and louder until it ended in a throaty
moan that seemed to go on forever. The sound shook Shane to his
core. Would the others hear him? Had they already? And would
they be as turned on as he was?

“You’re always so controlled, aren’t you, Shane?”
Jake’s blunt finger traced a figure eight over his buttocks in a

touch so light that it was maddening. “But not with me. Not
tonight. Tonight, you come apart at my command.”

With every word Shane tensed more and more. Jake was

winding him tighter with every pass of his finger and Shane knew
he would beg soon. If he could rise to his knees, he would have
forced his ass closer to that maddening touch.

“I like you like this. I almost want to call the others in so they

can see you this way, with your hot little ass in the air just begging
to be paddled or fucked. You’re leaking pre-come everywhere and
I bet you’d go off if I would just lick your cock a little.”

Breath ghosted over his sac and Shane tugged against his holds.
“So much pretty and just here for me to do whatever I want

with it.”

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Jake drew back. Shane moaned at the loss of contact. He’d

been so close.

“But I want to keep you to myself for now. And do something

I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. Something I think you’re
going to love.”

Shane frowned. He needed less talking and more action. The

thought quickly melted as Jake gently pulled his cheeks apart and
softly blew against him. Shane froze as fingers spread and held
him open.

“You know what I’m about to do to you, don’t you?”
From between his legs the whisper seemed darker, deeper,

more hypnotic, and Shane didn’t want to resist.

“Y-yes.”
“Anybody ever love you like I’m about to?”
Shane swallowed around his suddenly dry tongue. “No.”
“Good. I like being your first.”
Jake wasted no more words but leaned in and placed a chaste

kiss against his pucker. Shane clutched the sheets, but he wasn’t
sure even that would hold him to the earth. Jake rimmed his hole
slowly, over and over, his touch light and careful, until Shane
thought he would go mad from want.

“More.” That strangled demand was his own, and he’d do

much worse than that before the night was over. He yelped when
Jake pinched his inner thigh.

“Don’t rush me. Now I have to start over.”
Shane moaned as Jake, as good as his word, started the tease

over with a chaste kiss and then the slow exploration of his flesh.
Again came the gentle probe of his tongue. Shane shook with the
effort of not demanding a harder, deeper touch that would get him
there. He rocked against the pillow, the friction a delicious

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pressure on the tip of his dick.

“You are just a bad boy today.”
Jake pulled away and reached beneath him to grasp Shane’s

cock at the root. His secure grip would stave off any orgasm and
Shane whimpered in frustration.

“Your pleasure is mine to give but only when I’m ready. I

thought you understood that?”

Shane shook his head, knowing he must look like a mindless

creature and couldn’t bring himself to care. In this moment he was
pure need and only Jake could take care of him.

“Please.” The word was torn from his soul where he could

practically feel Jake trying to rip a hole and enter into his heart.
“Whatever you want, just do it now.”

“Hmm. You’ll go out on a date with me this week?” Jake’s grip

relaxed enough to stroke him from root to tip and then back.

“Y-yes.”
“What night and where?”
“Tuesday. I’m free Tuesday.” Again that infuriatingly slow

stroke that made his toes curl and his heart stop. If he didn’t come
soon he wasn’t going to survive the night.

“Where at?”
“Trevanni’s,” he blurted out before he could think better of it.

The jazz bar was a comfort spot for him, not really a date night sort
of place, but Jake didn’t seem to care as he rewarded him with yet
another stroke.

“And Wednesday night?”
“S-sure. Whatever you want.”
Jake hummed and caressed him again. “We’re all meeting at

Ware’s again, but I want you to be mine.”

Shane swallowed hard, though the truth was easy to admit. “I

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want that, too.”

Jake leaned down until he completely covered Shane and

Shane cried out. “Then I’m about to make you the happiest man on
the planet.”

Jake released his cock and levered up, but before Shane could

bemoan the loss of his heat, hot hands again pulled his cheeks
apart. This time there was no teasing, no hesitation as Jake licked
and kissed all around Shane’s entrance. His hole twitched and his
entire body shuddered as his pleasure spun higher. He lost track of
the words that poured out of his mouth, but knew he shrieked as
Jake finally penetrated him with his tongue.

It was dark. Decadent. And the naughtiest thing he’d ever

experienced.

Shane strained against his bonds, desperately trying to get

closer to the marauding tongue that was the center of his universe.
A second, a minute, an eternity. The pleasure spun out until Shane
could do nothing but shake under the onslaught.

He teetered on the edge as Jake pulled back, and flinched at the

rush of cold lube against his hot flesh. And then Jake was easing
into Shane’s too sensitive, too raw skin, and he loved it even as it
burned. He was pinned between Jake and the mattress, between his
desire and his lover’s control.

Jake’s hands gripped his hips as he worked his cock in and out,

hitting the spot that made stars burst behind Shane’s lids. With a
choked cry, he flew apart, his ass clenching around Jake’s length
until he pulled the man with him. He jerked against his bonds as
Jake emptied inside him and then collapsed. Jake seemed even
heavier than before, and Shane’s limbs ached but he couldn’t even
bring himself to care.

“Damn, baby. You keep up like this and you’re going to kill

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me.”

Shane was too exhausted to do more than grin. Jake groaned as

he rose up, and then Shane felt his wrist restraints loosen and
release. A few seconds later his ankles were free as well. Pins and
needles danced over his extremities as Jake massaged them back to
normal, and even that discomfort gave him a sense of contentment
he’d never had before.

“How are you feeling, Shane?”
“Like I’ve been rode hard.”
Jake’s chuckle wrapped around Shane like the fuzziest of

blankets. Shane burrowed into the mattress, too exhausted to do
more than hiss as Jake gently cleaned him. No doubt he would be
feeling this tomorrow and probably the rest of the week.

Jake snuggled in behind him, pulling the blankets around them

both. This time Shane burrowed into the other man’s hold, his
eyelids so heavy he couldn’t have opened them if someone had
paid him. For the moment it had been worth it. Tomorrow would
be soon enough to deal with the fallout. Shane fell asleep to Jake
stroking his hair.

LOCK AND KEY

CHAPTER 4

Jacob knew before he opened his eyes that he was alone in the

bed. His ears strained for any sound coming from the bathroom,
but silence greeted him. He blinked in the early morning light and
grinned at the rumpled mess around him. It would have been better
if Shane was still lying beside him, but he wasn’t giving up yet.

While Shane might have escaped him for the time being, it was

far from over. They had arrived together and he couldn’t see Shane
hitching a ride with any of the others. The trip back home would be
plenty of time for him to get a feel for how Shane felt about the
change in their relationship.

Whistling, Jacob dressed in last night’s clothes and then

stripped the bed. While Ware had a cleaning lady who would
tackle the place from top to bottom, they always washed the sheets

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before she came. No use in scandalizing the elderly lady with their
weekend shenanigans.

He trotted down the stairs, noting that the blue guest room was

still closed, but the red room, at the far end of the hall was open.
Stef, dressed only in boxers, stood staring down at the bed. Jake
frowned. It wasn’t in Stef’s nature to be so pensive, and if he
didn’t have Shane waiting for him downstairs—no doubt freaking
out in that adorably wound-too-tight way that Jake both loved and
tsked over—he would have checked on him.

He made a mental note to talk to Stef later and made his way to

the laundry room where he dropped his load of sheets off in the
washer. One set of sheets had already made it inside so he added
detergent and started the load. The last person who came down
would be responsible for washing the last set after putting this load
in the dryer.. He padded to the kitchen and paused outside the
doorway.

Butterflies tumbled in his stomach as he heard the quiet sounds

of Shane and Ware talking. He pushed at his abdomen. Since when
was he nervous? After last night, there was no way Shane could
resist what they had together. And if he threw up a few token
protests, Jake was more than willing to tie him up again until he
wore him down.

He forced himself to take his time entering the kitchen, his

confidence faltering as he tried to read Ware’s expression and
Shane got quiet and interested in the skillet in front of him. Jake
frowned at his apron, which hid Shane’s body from him.

“You two are up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep. So I thought I’d make breakfast,” Shane said.
Jake circled around to the island and moved in to kiss his

cheek, but stopped when Shane jerked away, wide eyed. Color

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rushed to his face, but Jake couldn’t be sure if it was
embarrassment or desire. He cocked his head and waited for some
sort of explanation.

“Not now,” Shane whispered and darted his eyes at Ware.
Jake rolled his eyes and pinched his roommate’s butt before

sliding onto a stool next to Ware. He’d been in Ware’s kitchen any
number of times, but it was even more inviting with Shane here.
The man moved around the space with an ease that he lacked
everywhere else.

“Did you work up an appetite last night, Shane?”
A deeper blush stole over Shane’s cheeks and Jake grinned.

That’s what he’d been missing by indulging Shane’s need for the
dark. But not anymore. The next time he had Shane it would be
under the lights where he could learn every plane of lean muscle
on Shane’s body. With his hands, teeth and tongue until Shane
begged him to stop, and even then he wouldn’t. He shifted as his
cock grew. Ware shot him a telling look and shook his head at
Jake.

“I might be new to this, but I’m not going to kiss and tell,” said

Shane.

“Pffft, why not? I sure am.” Jake didn’t bother to add that the

others had no doubt heard how their night turned out.

Shane’s eyes widened and his mouth flopped open and closed

like an adorable fish. Jake curled his fingers so he wouldn’t reach
over and muss the man further.

“Ware assured me you guys would keep quiet.”
Jake waved the words away on his way over to the coffeepot.

He bypassed Ware’s fancy machine in favor of the pot of black. He
grabbed a mug, filled it to the brim, and then leaned against the
counter.

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Shane’s brow furrowed. “Guess you spend a lot of time here.”
“Hmm, a fair amount.” Jake hoped the inquisition would stop

there. He wouldn’t lie to Shane, but he hoped the other man
wouldn’t ask about his relationship with Ware. Both of them
agreed they were better friends than anything else, but neither of
them could deny that they had been explosive in the sack. Hence
why Jake had spent so many nights at Ware’s.

“All the guys have spent time here at one point or another,”

Ware said, “not always to do with a party like last night.”

Jake nodded at Ware, thankful his friend could smooth over the

awkward silence.

Shane stirred the eggs some more, adding more spices before

putting them in a ceramic dish and then into the oven. He sifted
together the ingredients for pancakes or waffles, Jake wasn’t sure
which, as the silence grew more and more tense.

Just when Jake was ready to jump out of his skin, Marco

appeared in the doorway. The Latin lover’s jaw was abraded with
whisker burn and he sported several hickies that trailed down his
neck and disappeared under the collar of his shirt.

“Something smells good.” His voice was raspier than usual and

he swaggered into the room until he stood hip-to-hip with Shane.
Marco’s hand cupped the back of Shane’s head and angled those
pretty lips up to his own.

“Good morning, sugar.”
Shane watched Marco like he was mesmerized. Marco slid an

arm around Shane’s body and pulled him flush against him and
then planted a loud, wet kiss on his mouth. “I love a man who can
cook.”

Jake straightened up, ready to pull Marco away when Dev and

Stef both entered the kitchen. Both men looked tired, and pensive,

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but Jake didn’t care. All he cared about was getting Marco away
from Shane before the man cock blocked him. He’d started
forward when Ware grabbed his arm.

With his back to the room Ware announced, “We’ll be right

back.”

Ware’s voice seemed to break Marco’s spell and Shane pulled

back and put distance between the two of them. Jake winked at
Shane as Ware dragged him into the laundry room and shut the
door. Then he scowled at Ware.

“What the hell, man?”
“I’m not the one you’re pissed at so calm down or I’ll put you

down.”

The fight drained out of Jake. Ware was right, but if it had been

Marco in the room with him, he’d probably have gone toe-to-toe.

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry. I guess I need some

more sleep.”

“Yeah, we all heard Shane screaming half the night. You’re

probably both exhausted and neither of you are thinking straight.”

Jake shook his head. “Nah, I’m thinking just fine. I still want

Shane and nothing that Marco does this morning will change that. I
mean, the things I got him to do. Never knew he had it in him.” He
looked Ware square in his eyes. “And I made him love every
minute of it.”

“Not denying that. What I am saying is that he sneaked

downstairs this morning before it was even light out, like a man
afraid of being caught, and nearly peed his pants when he found
me in the kitchen. I can also tell you, from what little he’s willing
to say, that he enjoyed last night but he doesn’t seem to know how
to handle the fact that he did all of this with a stranger.”

Jake flinched at Ware’s emphasis on the word.

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“Want to tell me why he might think he slept with a stranger

and not the man who has been mooning over him for nearly a
year?”

“I wanted to tell him. I will tell him. But I wanted to make sure

that he was hooked first.” Jake rubbed the back of his neck. He
sounded like an idiot but he couldn’t help it. Shane turned his
brains inside out.

“If you don’t think you’re good enough for him, then why the

elaborate scheme? Why taste something that you won’t let yourself
have again and again?”

His heart stuttered at Ware’s words. Failure was not an option.

“I’m going to have him again and again until neither one of us can
see straight. And then I’m going to feel my way over to him and
have him again. The things that we did last night… I never would
have taken a stranger there, but it worked because it was Shane.”

“Yeah, but he seems to not know he did them with you.”
Jake’s stomach rolled. What had seemed like a sexy secret now

seemed stupid and tacky.

“I asked if he had a guess who he’d been with, and he wouldn’t

even look me in the eye. All he’d tell me is that the guy is
muscular, kisses like a dream, and fucks like sin. I added that last
part because when I asked him, he stammered and blushed like a
schoolgirl.”

Jake paced. “I went in secretive because he was antsy and I

knew he’d want to talk if he knew it was me. I wanted to seal the
deal before he got all self-conscious and weird on me.”

Left unsaid was the other option—if Shane decided he didn’t

want to be with him. Up until last night, he had done everything
except put his cock in Shane’s face and demand him to suck it, but
his friend had never given any sort of indication he was interested.

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Cold sweat broke out when he imagined what he’d do if Shane

didn’t want him.

“Well, good luck with that. I’ve seen desire, guilt, and fear this

morning. You acting the ass to Marco’s bait would just send it into
overdrive.”

“Yeah, but this is horseshit! He was supposed to stay in bed

next to me, so I could wake him up properly this morning. And
then he was supposed to let me have him in a pool of sunshine
while I tried to be gentle enough to give pleasure without harming
either of our abused bodies, and I know I sound like a sap, but I’ve
been thinking of nothing but that for weeks.”

“I know. But I wasn’t supposed to end up with Stef, and he

wasn’t supposed to be such an asshole that I almost throttled him
and instead fucked him until he passed out and I took pictures of
him.”

Jake’s jaw dropped and Ware gave a brittle chuckle. “Yeah, not

my finest moment, but I own it. That man could drive a saint to
murder, and we all know I’m no saint.”

Ware’s hand clapped down on his shoulder and halted his

pacing. “Look, it’s not all bad. I’m just saying take your time with
this one. Don’t be in such a rush that you mess it up.”

Jake nodded and followed Ware back to the kitchen with a

heavy step. His plans to spend Sunday afternoon and evening
lazing about with Shane were crumbling right in front of him, but
he’d figure something out. Marco was pressed against Shane’s
back, his hands underneath the apron, as Shane tried to keep the
pancakes from burning on the griddle.

Marco did something that had Shane squealing and moving

into the bigger man’s body in a way that made Jake see red. Ware
squeezed his shoulder before reclaiming his stool. Jake took his

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spot by the coffeemaker, in full view of the spectacle that Marco
and Shane made. Jealousy burned in his gut as Marco whispered
something in Shane’s ear that made the younger man turn big doe
eyes to look up at the taller man.

Jake rubbed a hand over his mouth. Shane still showed beard

burn that he’d put on him and yet he had to stand by while Shane
flirted with Marco. Then again, Shane probably thought Marco
was his mystery lover from the night before.

The thought of Shane under Marco turned Jake’s stomach and

he had to look away. He’d been friends with Marco for a long
time, but if his friend didn’t get his hands off of Shane soon, Jake
was going to flatten him.

“Okay, enough molesting the cook. If you’ve got your hands in

his pants, that means he can’t concentrate on my bacon, and after
last night I need some protein.”

Stef was the last person he expected to come to his rescue, but

Jake could have kissed him as the blond dragged Marco away.
Shane still looked shaken, but at least no one was touching him.

Jake shot Marco a dirty look, which made the other man shrug.

He’d have to have a talk with Marco before Jake would allow him
near Shane again. Marco would toe the line or Jake would beat it
into him.

Dev walked over and posted next to Jake. “You might want to

tuck in your jealousy. It’s kind of hanging out of your pants.”

Reluctantly he tore his gaze away from Shane. The man was so

in his element that it was a wonder Shane didn’t work in a
restaurant somewhere. He used to make them breakfast on
Saturday mornings, but that had stopped a few months back. Jake
had always thought it had something to do with Carl, but seeing
Shane cooking for the other guys made him wonder.

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“I won’t pretend that he’s not special, because he is.”
“So why did you bring him here? I’ve never known you to need

a crutch.”

Shane laughed and both of them couldn’t resist looking at him.

Jake rubbed his chest. “He’s different. If I wanted this to be
nothing but hot sex and no substance, I could have tapped that
months ago.”

Even as Jake said the words, he knew they weren’t true. Shane

was more than a convenient fuck and Jake couldn’t even begin to
treat him like he was.

“Then why now?”
“Because we’re both finally single and it just seemed like

time.” And he was afraid that time was going to run out. Men like
Shane—sexy, smart and deliciously shy—didn’t stay that way for
long. Dev nudged his shoulder.

“He’s cute and all. Seems a bit high strung for you, but if you

want him, then go after him.”

“That’s the plan.”
And yet it didn’t work out. Throughout breakfast and the rest of

the day, anytime Jake tried to get alone with Shane, something
kept them apart. Mostly Shane avoided his touch.

Now they were finally driving home together and the silence

was thickening by the second. Jake sneaked another glance at
Shane, who continued to stare out the window looking like some
sort of angst-riddled fantasy plucked from Jake’s deepest desires.

“Something on your mind?”
He felt Shane’s gaze like a physical stroke and met it. “You

look like someone just kicked you in the junk and then forced you
to make him a sandwich. That is not generally the look after
leaving a key party, especially one of Ware’s.”

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“You guys seem awfully close.” The words were deceptively

neutral but Jake sensed a trap hovered on the perimeter.

“The five of us have known each other since college. Being gay

at college when you have a chance to experiment… Well, it can
get hairy. We were lucky to find each other when we did.” Jake
shook off the bad memories of the few times he’d been with
someone who hadn’t cared the least bit about him. He didn’t want
that for Shane and would do everything in his power to make sure
Shane wouldn’t be in one of those situations.

“I meant you and Ware.” Jake tensed but let Shane keep

talking. “I mean, you seem friendly with all the guys, but there’s
an…ease between you two that isn’t there with the others.”

Jake forced himself to keep a steady pace while his mind was

whirling. “I’ve spent more time with Ware than any of the others.
He lived down the hall from me in the dorms and we’ve always
been good friends.”

“Did you spend the night with him last night?”
Relief flooded him and Jake flashed a grin. Shane might not

want to admit it, but he was jealous. “I did not spend the night with
Ware last night.”

“But you have before.” The words were an accusation that he

couldn’t deny and the grin slid from his face. Jake pulled into their
driveway and turned off the SUV before he tried to answer.

“I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, I have slept with Ware

before. Last night’s party isn’t the first one I’ve been to.” Jake bit
back the additional information that he and Ware had been a
couple for a few hot and heavy weeks. They were moving further
and further away from what he really wanted to talk about.

Shane looked down at his hands before raising solemn eyes to

Jake’s. “But that’s not the full extent is it?”

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Jake reached out and grasped Shane’s hands, holding tighter

when the smaller man would have pulled away. “What do you
need to hear, Shane? Want to know every sordid thing I’ve ever
done?”

Frustration made his voice sharp and Jake knew just how Shane

would react. Before his eyes Shane puffed up and his eyes
narrowed.

“Yeah, I guess honesty is too much to ask for from you, Jake.”
He pulled away and was out of the truck before Jake could stop

him. And he was already inside by the time Jake cleared the truck.

Once inside, Shane had stomped his way into his bedroom and

Jake paused for all of two seconds at the closed door before
barging in.

Shane was half naked and muttering until Jake cleared his

throat. For a moment words deserted him as he was confronted by
the glorious sight of Shane’s skin and the marks he’d left behind
the night before. There wasn’t a spot on Shane’s torso that didn’t
show some evidence of what they had done together.

Red flamed Shane’s cheeks. “Why don’t you take pictures?

Then you can spank to them whenever you want to.”

“I’m sorry.” Jake held out his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m not

judging you. I think you look great.”

Shane snorted and turned away to dig fresh clothes from his

drawers. “I don’t think we should say anything more to each other
right now. I just…I can’t talk to you right now.”

He was losing him. So close and he was fucking losing him.

Jake paced to where Shane stood, stiff and unyielding. He put his
hands on Shane’s shoulders and started to rub. Instead of loosening
up, Shane grew tenser beneath his grasp. Jake kissed his temple
and Shane pulled away from him.

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“Don’t. Not after last night. I just can’t.”
“You keep saying that, but nothing has to be decided right now.

Why don’t we both grab showers and then we can just hang out.
No pressure. Just two guys hanging out together.”

Shane shook his head.
Desperation colored Jake’s words. “Why? Just tell me why?”
Shane swallowed and, for the first time, Jake saw what looked

like guilt flit across his face. “Because I won’t be your dirty little
secret. I won’t let you use me up and then just walk away.”

“How could you think I would treat you like that?” Jake curled

his fingers to fist and pulled them behind his back. This could not
be happening.

“How could I not after last night?”
Jake growled and paced away. This absolutely couldn’t be

happening.

For his part, Shane looked tormented.
“Let me see if I get this straight,” Jake said. “I took you to a

party where I guaranteed you would have a good time. You told
Ware you did have a good time with some guy groping you in the
dark. Now I want to spend time with you, but you won’t because
you’ve developed a connection with some guy who didn’t even
bother giving you his name?”

“Don’t be an ass. I know who it was.”
Jake snorted. If Shane said Marco, his head might explode. “I

doubt that, but try me.”

Shane laughed but there was no humor behind the sound. “You

think I don’t know it was you? I’ve sat across from you day after
day, watched you strut around here almost naked, felt you touching
me whenever the mood struck you. How could you possibly think I
wouldn’t know it was you?”

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Jake stared at him. “Well, if you know it was me, then what’s

the problem?” He stepped closer, but Shane moved out of reach.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What?”
“Why couldn’t you admit who you were?”
With two quick steps, Jake had Shane pinned between his body

and the wall. He lowered his face until he was eye-to-eye with the
man who was twisting his guts. “Because it’s working out so well
for me right now? Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering
you? Do you not want it to be me who makes you scream? Makes
you beg for it and then give it up so sweetly a saint couldn’t
resist.”

Shane squeezed his eyes closed and his throat worked.

“Because I don’t want be just another piece of ass to you. I deserve
better.”

Jake reached to touch his face, but Shane batted his hands away

and pushed off the wall.

“I’m done,” he said, cramming his arms back into his shirt and

his feet back into his shoes. He thundered down the stairs and Jake
followed just as quickly.

“Where are you going?”
“Out. Away. Anywhere you aren’t.”
Jake swallowed back the swear words that brimmed on his

tongue. Finesse. He needed to woo Shane, to make him listen to
reason.

“You don’t have to go anywhere. We can talk about this. Or if

you don’t want that, we can just hang out.”

Shane spun around, and this time Jake recognized the color in

his cheeks as anger. Shane’s eyes practically shot sparks.

“I know your idea of hanging out. Like you hung out with

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Douglass, who came by once and was never seen again. Or
Stephan, who you managed to keep for a total of two dates before
you decided you didn’t want to hang out with him anymore. Or
Kenny, Dwight, Joey, Rick.”

With each accusation thrown at him, Jake stiffened until he

thought he might shatter from remaining silent. In Shane’s eyes he
was nothing more than a user.

“Why do you bother living with me if that’s how you feel about

it?”

The anger melted from Shane’s face and was replaced by an

emotion that Jake couldn’t name. “I like you, Jake. You’re fun to
be around.”

“When I’m not breaking hearts and fucking my way through a

sea of interchangeable men?”

Jake plopped down on the stairs. He hung his head between his

hands and gripped his hair when Shane’s feet appeared within his
view. Why couldn’t this moment be as easy as last night? Why
couldn’t Shane just let him show him how good things could be
between them?

“I really think I’d better go.” The hesitant touch to his shoulder

might as well have been a punch to the jaw. And then without
another word, Shane walked away.

Jake bit his tongue so he wouldn’t call Shane back. He

remained on the steps until he heard Shane exit the house and pull
out of the driveway. Only then did he move to the mini bar and
make himself a drink. Whiskey would do what Shane wouldn’t—
stay.

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CHAPTER 5

Shane drove on autopilot for several minutes before he realized

he was just driving in circles around the neighborhood. If he didn’t
stop soon one of the neighbors was going to call the cops. He left
their subdivision and drove west. Was there anywhere he could go
and relax enough to think? More importantly, where could he go
where Jake couldn’t find him?

His stomach rolled at the thought of his roommate. There was

no way he imagined the hurt look in Jake’s eyes, but was it
because he cared or because he didn’t want to seem like an ass?
Jake wasn’t a bad guy, but he had to learn that he couldn’t just
dispose of people so easily.

Part of him wanted Jake to hurt. Let Jake feel the crippling

burn of wanting what he couldn’t have, of watching the man he

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loved lust after the wrong guy again and again. Shane slammed on
the brakes, his heart pounding out of control.

Love? He knew that he liked Jake and, regardless of his hateful

words, Shane respected him. He certainly couldn’t hide the fact
that he lusted after Jake, but love him? Was it possible to be in
love with someone who treated you like a pet?

A horn blared and Shane shook his head as he pulled into the

intersection. He had too many questions and not enough answers.
His brain was too full of worries and his body still ached with the
memories of last night. He needed a place he could grab a shower
and rest for a moment.

Before he could think better of it, he pointed his car in the

direction of Ware’s house. The subdivision looked even more
beautiful in the light of day. Again Shane was taken aback by the
amount of debauchery that had taken place in such an elegant-
looking place. He pulled into Ware’s driveway, but didn’t get out
of the car. What if Ware had company? What if he called Jake and
told him where he was? Did he want Ware to?

A knock on his window jolted him back to awareness and he

came face-to-face with a concerned-looking Ware. He powered
down the window but found he had nothing to say. Hide me from
Jake, seemed too wussy.

“You okay, Shane?”
“I…”
Ware smiled and squeezed Shane’s shoulder. “Look, why don’t

you come inside and we can have coffee and talk. Would that be
all right?”

As he spoke Ware opened the door and closed the window,

turned off the car, and pocketed the keys. Shane frowned at being
managed. It was nothing that Jake hadn’t done in the past, but

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somehow it felt wrong coming from Ware.

“I can make my own decisions, you know.”
Ware turned and walked back up to the house, and Shane

glared at his back. The man was so sure he’d blindly follow
without any complaints, and it burned him up inside that Ware was
right. Shane jogged up behind him, experiencing déjà vu when he
nearly plowed into Ware.

“Watch your step.”
His heart ached at how different this visit to Ware’s house was.

Mere hours ago he’d been so nervous, so excited that he was ready
to jump out of his skin, and now he could hardly look at anything
without being reminded of the night he’d had. He hesitated at the
edge of the living room, not sure how he could ask Ware about the
others.

“Nobody here but us. You want to have a seat while I get us

some beverages? Or would you rather grab a shower?”

“Shower, please.”
“You can use my bedroom or if you prefer, one of the other

rooms.”

“One of the others.” No way would he enter Ware’s bedroom

again.

Ware gestured upstairs. “Help yourself. Towels are in the linen

closet in each bathroom. I’ll brew some coffee and wait for you
down here.”

Shane waited until Ware had disappeared into the kitchen

before he plodded up the stairs. He paused at the top, and stared at
the room where everything had changed.

The thought alone was enough to make him shiver. He’d

wanted Jake so much for so long that he couldn’t even fathom
spending a night with him. And the things that he’d done, that he

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had allowed to be done to him. So much easier to handle if it had
been one of the others.

“You okay?”
Ware’s voice floated up from the bottom of the stairs and jolted

him to action.

“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just take a shower. I promise everything will be

better once you wash some of that tension away.”

Shane nodded and entered the bedroom closest to the stairs. His

gaze couldn’t avoid the stripped bed and he wondered who had
spent the night there, and if they were feeling as changed inside as
he was. This bathroom was just as opulent as the rest of the house
and Shane let his mind focus on the details of the décor. Italian
marble countertops, heated ceramic flooring, and a five-headed
shower.

Big enough for two or possibly three, and more comfortable

than anything he’d ever experienced. Shane adjusted the nozzles
until they pulsated at different rates, massaging all the aches and
tension out of his shoulders. He washed and wished he could rinse
his worries down the drain just as easily. Maybe he could stay in
the shower until the next meet-up at Ware’s and then sneak out the
back. Or he could find his balls and figure out what he was going
to do about his roommate.

With a curse, Shane turned off the water and exited in a cloud

of fragrant steam. His body twinged in ways that reminded him of
every decadent move of the night before and he loved it. He had
never had a night like that, one of pure pleasure and dedicated to
him.

Regardless of what happened with Jake, he’d get that feeling

back. He deserved it. He toweled off and then realized he didn’t

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have any clothes. He entered the bedroom, ready to ask Ware for
clothes, and found some track pants and a tee on the bed. The man
really was always prepared. It was no wonder that Jake thought so
highly of him.

Shane worked his jaw. He still wasn’t comfortable with the

reverent way Jake referred to Ware. Even if there was nothing
between the two of them any longer, it still chaffed that Ware had a
part of Jake that Shane would never know. Assuming that he and
Jake moved beyond roommates.

So many variables and no answers. He threw his towel in

frustration.

Shane dragged on the clothes, which were too big but

comfortable. He slicked back his hair and padded barefoot back
downstairs. Ware put down the book he was reading and removed
glasses as Shane came around and took a seat at the end of the
couch. The man was even more attractive with the glasses, damn
him. He pushed his own specs up his nose. How could Shane hope
to compete against that?

“Coffee? Wine?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine.”
Ware rose and walked around the corner bar. Shane couldn’t

see what he mixed and didn’t question it as Ware returned and
passed a rocks glass with dark liquid in it back to him.

“Meant to tell you, I really like your house. Not sure if Jake

ever told you, but I’m a real estate agent.”

“Oh, he’s mentioned it. Jake talks about you quite a bit.”
The words sent a wave of warmth through him and he was glad

the other man’s back was turned. He didn’t want anyone to see him
looking hopeful.

Ware returned to the couch, this time a little closer than before,

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and raised his feet to the edge of the heavy table. Shane tucked his
feet under him and took a swig of the beverage, coughing as it hit
his system.

“Good, huh?” Ware grinned and shifted a little closer. “He did

mention you weren’t much of a drinker, but I thought you might
could use some liquid courage for whatever is on your mind.”

“What is this? Liquid fire?” Shane coughed and set the glass on

the end table next to him.

“It’s whiskey and a little bit of Coke. Don’t worry, it’ll grow

hair on your chest, though I’m not sure that’s what Jake would
want.”

And there was another opening that he couldn’t resist. Shane

cleared his throat. “So Jake talked to you about me?”

“Fishing for compliments? Are you that unconfident in your

appeal?”

Shane whipped his head up. Ware’s smile was at odds with his

tone and Shane forced himself to bite back the acerbic words that
hovered on his tongue.

“You have to know how attractive you are. How much Jake

wants you.”

Shane snorted. “I know that Jake wants a lot of men. And he

gets them.”

Ware took a drink and smirked at him over the rim of his glass.

“That’s definitely jealousy talking. I’ve known Jake a long time.
And I won’t lie, he’s had more than his fair share of men, but he’s
not a user by any stretch. Any guy lucky enough to spend time
with Jake has always had a good time.”

Shame made Shane look away. This was so hard. If he couldn’t

talk about this with Ware, then how could he even begin to think
he could get through this with Jake?

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“Just ask what you want to know. No one here but me and

you.”

“How did he react when he got me?” Shane held his breath as

he waited for the answer. Any answer would shake his world as he
knew it.

“You act like it was a chance, but none of us ever had a shot at

you. It was always Jake.”

Shane took another swig of his drink and allowed the burn to

settle him. His mind replayed the scenes from last night. All hotter,
more intense now that he knew it was planned by Jake. Even
though he knew his heart might break, the sex had never been
better.

“Nothing to say? Not ‘oh that bastard, how could he?’ or ‘thank

God, finally’?”

“Why?”
“You know, the cute, clueless thing only works for about five

minutes. Then you just start looking like a jackass.”

Shane fought for patience and drained his glass. The alcohol

was warming his insides and lighting his fuse. He jumped up and
started to pace.

“I meant why me? Why not one of the other guys? Or you?”

Jealousy colored his words and he couldn’t even try to pretend to
be cool.

“Jake and I had our fun back in the day, but that’s been over for

a while. These days we’re friends. We get together a couple of
times a month, just the two of us, but he’s normally mooning over
you and I’m normally bitching about Stef.”

Shane paused and accepted the drink that Ware pressed into his

hand. He knew it wasn’t a smart idea, but took a sip anyway. “So
you and Stef, huh?”

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“Yeah, me and the narcissistic asshole who has more pride than

brains. But that’s not open for discussion.”

For once Ware seemed off his game, and Shane marveled at the

change. “So Jake has known about you and Stef for a while?”

Ware’s smile held no warmth. “Hell, a blind man could see

there’s something between the two of us.”

A thought was chasing around in his brain and it took a

moment for him to catch it. “Why would Jake rig things?”

“That is the question, isn’t it? You do have a brain.” Ware’s

friendly tap on his shoulder knocked Shane off his stride and he
would have fallen if the other man hadn’t grasped his waist.
“Steady there. I think someone may be drunk.”

“Pffft. Am not.” Though he did lean on Ware as the man led

them back to the couch. This time Ware sat so close to him that
their thighs touched. It was nice, but nowhere near as exciting as
when Jake did the same thing.

“A little alcohol and you loosen right up. I like this side of

you.” Ware pulled Shane against him and smoothed a hand over
his hair.

Shane tensed. He didn’t want anyone but Jake to touch him.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax. I’m not trying to take your virtue. Although from the

way Jake had you screaming last night, I doubt there’s anything
left of it.”

Shane struggled against Ware’s hold, but the larger man held

him in place with the barest of effort.

“Let me go.”
“Nope. You’re going to sit right next to me, wearing Jake’s

clothes, and tell the truth. Do you love him?”

There was that damnable word again, though this time Shane’s

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heart raced. Did he love Jake? He loved spending time with him,
loved his sense of humor and the way he fucked him like no one
else could. But was that enough? The fight seeped out of him and
he sagged against Ware’s side.

“Doesn’t matter if I do if he doesn’t feel the same.”
“How do you know he doesn’t?” Ware cuddled him closer and

Shane burrowed into the warmth. There was nothing sexual about
Ware’s hold but it felt good to have someone beside him.

“Because he brought me to a sex party, where I had to look at

the gorgeous men he’s used to fucking.” The words were like sand
in his mouth.

“And he warned us all away from you. I do believe he

threatened to feed Marco’s balls to him if he didn’t leave you
alone. Then again, Marco would flirt with a tree if it might stir up
trouble.”

“But why would he bring me?”
“Maybe because he knew you would freak out and run like you

did. Maybe because he figured it was the only way to have you.
And it looks like he wasn’t wrong.”

The truth lodged like a brick to his throat. He’d had a chance at

what he said he wanted and had dropped it at the first sign of
anxiety. A man like Jake didn’t have to chase after men, especially
not neurotic ones who were not anywhere in his league.

“All isn’t lost, Shane. Not if you love him.”
He licked his dry lips and said the truth for the first time. “I

love him, Ware. So help me, I do.”

“Good.” Shane squealed as Ware hugged him tighter. “Then

listen to Uncle Ware.”

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CHAPTER 6

Jake looked at the clock again and forced himself to put his

gaze back on his paperwork. It had been nearly two days since
Shane had run out on him, and it was the longest the two of them
had ever gone without talking. He knew that Shane had been
home, had heard him messing around in his room, but hadn’t had
the guts to go out and see him. The fact that Shane hadn’t sought
him out was proof enough that he needed to leave things alone for
a moment. He hadn’t given up hope entirely, but every hour that
passed in tense silence made him more and more anxious and that
pissed him off.

He didn’t get nervous or scared. He wasn’t the type to wait for

someone to choose him. Sure, he’d had his share of failures when
it came to getting what he wanted, but he could generally shake it

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off and move on. With Shane it was two days later and he was
brooding. There was no other word to describe the way he’d been
sulking around the house, unable to sleep but not willing to risk
approaching Shane if he wasn’t ready yet.

His cell rang and Jake grabbed the distraction. Anything to

break up the monotony of could have, would have, should have
that threatened him each time he was alone. His hopes dived as he
read the display. It was Ware’s number. And really it was foolish
of him to think it would be Shane.

“Hey, Ware, what’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“Still at the gym. Finishing up some paperwork. Some of us

don’t have assistants and have to update client records ourselves.”

Ware tsked. “At this rate, you’re going to be late for your date.

Better get a move on. Men like Shane don’t stay single for long,
you know that.”

Jake froze. He had avoided speaking to Ware or any of the

others, so the only way Ware could know about his planned date
was if Shane had spoken to him. Jealousy burned in his guts. Jake
knew firsthand how charismatic and irresistible Ware could be.
Mix in a confused heart and there was no way the man could miss.
Jake didn’t want Shane to turn to Ware. If Shane needed a shoulder
to lean on or a bed to fall into, Jake had him covered.

“Nothing to say?”
“What can I say when the man of my dreams is hiding from me

and apparently spending time with one of my exes. I’m just
peachy.”

Jake thought Ware muttered “God save me from drama

queens” and he gritted his teeth. Shane and Ware. His mind
tortured him with images of the two men together, and despite his

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anger, he grew hard. Apparently, there was nothing about Shane
that didn’t turn him on, even if it involved him naked with a much
better man than Jake would ever be.

“I could get offended that you think I would do something with

that boy when I know how much means to you. It’s not like I’m
Marco.”

“I know.” Jake rubbed his forehead. And he did know. What

had attracted him about Ware, what had kept them friends for years
when others had come and gone, was Ware’s integrity. Jake had
never known any man who was as genuine, honest, or steady as
Ware. He could only hope that Shane hadn’t fallen under the same
spell that he had.

“So you know about my date.”
“Uh huh. I know a lot. Like how hot the sex was that night.

And how you haven’t tried to talk to him since. And how
miserable he is without you and how sex ruins everything. I’ve
listened to that boy go on and on about how amazing you are for so
long I’m ready to puke.”

Jake’s grin grew with every word, hope blossoming in his

chest. “Oh yeah?”

“Quit fishing for compliments because that’s not why I called.”

All levity left Ware’s voice. “You need to decide right now what
he means to you. Is he worth giving up other men? Because your
friendship won’t survive if you decide you made a mistake and
want to see other people.”

“He’s worth anything.” As he said the words, Jake felt a weight

lift off his heart and he gained his feet.

What was he doing? He had the man that finally made

everything make sense within his grasp and he was dicking around
because of pride? He would deserve it if Shane made him crawl. A

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wicked image came to him of Shane spread out for his pleasure
while Jake crawled up his body, licking and kissing every inch of
flesh he could reach. Jake shifted his now fully erect cock.

“Are you even listening to me?”
“Not really.” Excitement coursed through him as he checked

the clock. Less than an hour before he was supposed to meet Shane
at Trevanni’s. The jazz bar wasn’t a romantic restaurant, but Jake
would have taken Shane to a bowling alley if that’s what the man
wanted.

“I take it you’ve made up your mind.”
“There was never any doubt in my mind, only in his.” Jake shut

down his workstation and started shoving papers into his satchel.
The paperwork could wait until later. “I’ve got to go. I have a
date.”

Ware chucked. “Don’t screw things up this time, hmm?”
Jake said goodbye and disconnected. He’d get it right this

time…or tie Shane to his bed until he did.

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CHAPTER 7

Forty minutes later Jake was weaving his way through tables to

the tune of fusion jazz. Sweat dampened the back of his button-
down, and though the jacket made him hot, he was glad that it
covered his nervousness. He’d never had such pre-date jitters
before and he sincerely hoped he never would again.

His steps faltered as he followed the waiter into the more

secluded area and found Shane seated at a table.

Shane looked good. Damned good. Clearly their time apart

hadn’t affected Shane in the same way it had him. He was clean
shaven, his dark hair smoothed away from that face that Jake knew
even better than his own. The charcoal argyle vest and darker
button-up gave him a preppy, almost untouchable air, and Jake
itched to mess him up. Shane must have turned many heads when

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he walked over from his office.

He thanked the waiter and then slid into the seat across from

Shane.

“I didn’t think you were going to show,” Shane said. His gaze

lowered until he stared at the tablecloth and his voice held a
shyness that thawed the block ice around Jake’s heart. This was a
Shane he understood.

“Like I could stay away from you.”
Shane’s cheeks flushed but his gaze remained on the tabletop.
“You ever going to look at me again?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything. I couldn’t fathom any

answer that wouldn’t end in heartbreak for me.”

Shane’s soft words were almost lost in the saxophone riff, and

Jake leaned forward. He reached out and traced a finger over
Shane’s knuckles, ignoring the flinch his touch caused. He held
tight when Jake would have pulled away.

“Why would you do that?” Shane’s voice reached inside of him

and punched him in the gut.

Jake squeezed his hand. “Can you believe that I was scared?

That I was afraid you wouldn’t want me as much as I want you,
and I didn’t know of any other way to have you?”

Shane scoffed. “Yeah, I can tell how much you wanted me,

every time I saw you go out with another guy and come home with
yet someone different.”

Jake pulled his hand back and leaned away. “I’m not going to

apologize for who I am or who I’ve been. Yes, I’ve had boyfriends
and hooks-up, but all of them pale in comparison to what I had
with you. What I feel for you. What you have to decide is if you
can put my past behind us and try.”

Silence reigned and Jake longed for a whiskey or something

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else to distract him. Anything to avoid looking at the play of
emotions rushing across Shane’s face. If he were a praying man,
he’d get on his knees right now, but if he did that he’d just reach
for Shane’s fly and that would undo any pious intent. He caught
the waiter’s attention and nonchalantly ordered himself a drink and
Shane a refill as if the most important decision of his adult life
wasn’t being made in a silent struggle mere inches from his current
position.

“How can you be so calm?”
He met Shane’s gaze head-on and raised his eyebrows. He

didn’t trust words right now. Every time he spoke to Shane, he
seemed to say the wrong thing, and the irony wasn’t lost on him.
He was the man who could talk an Eskimo into buying ice and
here he was, bungling the one conversation he desperately needed
to get right.

“I’m in knots over here and you look like you could be talking

about the weather. This isn’t going to work. You’re too mellow for
me. We’ll be at odds within a matter of hours, broken up in a few
days, and not even friends any more in a week.”

“Ever hear of opposites attract? Or maybe that friends make the

best lovers?” Jake’s gaze narrowed. The only reason he didn’t
reach across and shake Shane was because the boy looked so
miserable. Shane’s throat worked and Jake forced his body to
relax.

“I just…I need intensity. I need someone who is going to be as

invested in this as I am. I like you, more than I should when I
know that we want different things, but I can’t help myself.”

“And how do you know what I want, Shane? When have you

asked me? Or did you magically figure it out when you were
spending all those hours with Ware?” Jealousy was the last thing

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he wanted to throw into this mess, but he couldn’t call back the
words. Maybe if Shane had a clue of how he’d suffered, maybe
then he would see this wasn’t all one-sided.

Shane looked guilty, and Jake swallowed down his angry

words along with a swig of his whiskey. He knew nothing had
happened between Shane and Ware, but that didn’t stop his brain
from tossing him ideas. Maybe one day the three of them might get
into something, but for now, he wanted to keep Shane to himself.

“I’m sorry if that upsets you. Ware is easy to talk to and he

promised to keep it between the two of us. I really needed to talk to
someone about that night and it’s not something I could call my
sister to discuss.”

“Denise might have enjoyed that.”
Shane blanched and continued. “Ware told me that I needed to

be honest with you and tell you what I needed and wanted.”

Jake’s heart sped up but he nodded calmly. “But first I want to

tell you what I want.”

Shane sat up straighter in his chair and adjusted his glasses. So

serious, and Jake was going to enjoy this. He leaned forward and
lowered his voice. These words were only for Shane, and he
wanted him to hear every single one.

“I want to bend you over this table, rip off your pants, and

spank your ass for daring to doubt me.”

Shane’s eyes widened and Jake grasped his wrist and squeezed.
“You never run from me. If something isn’t working for you,

say so. You ever leave me like that again and I swear I’ll paddle
your ass no matter where we are.”

Shane’s eyes widened and he licked his lips before he spoke.

“What about in my office?”

“Right over your desk.”

LOCK AND KEY

“Even if Gladys is in the outer office?” He sounded both turned

on and appalled.

“Gladys, Shera, hell, the Vienna Boys’ Choir.”
Each word made Shane’s breathing speed up until he was

practically panting. He leaned forward across the table, interest
shining in his eyes. But it wasn’t enough. Jake wanted his total
surrender. He tugged until Shane came a little closer.

“I think you like that idea. I think you want me to spank your

ass.”

Shane swallowed and then nodded. Jake swiped Shane’s

hammering pulse with his thumb.

“Then all you have to do is ask. Anything you want to do.

Everything you want to do.”

Jake’s mind tried to shove Ware and Shane together and he

pushed the thought aside. He would cross that bridge if it came to
that.

“I want all those experiences with you. But this isn’t just about

sex. I want sex, but this is about what I need.”

Jake let the thought hang in the tense silence. Though he

wanted to demand an answer, he would wait until Shane made that
move. Jake hated to see his struggle, but all Shane needed to do
was reach for him and Jake would pull him through. He’d pull
them both through.

“What do you need, Jake?”
“Just you.” He tightened his grip when Shane jerked in his

hold. “No one but you. I’ve tried to forget about you. I’ve tried to
move on to other guys, and all of them just proved that they
weren’t you and never could come close. I need your exuberance
to remind me that there is time to play. I need your logic to tell me
that sometimes I need to get my head out of my ass and see what’s

LOCK AND KEY

in front of me. I even like your anxiety because it lets me slay your
dragons for you. Everything about you fits me.”

Shane blinked and then grinned. “You know I have a dozen and

half reasons why this couldn’t work. All of which would refute
yours.”

Jake slid his fingers down until he could twine them with

Shane’s. “I also like your argumentative spirit because it keeps me
on my toes. Truthfully, I expected you to have interrupted me long
ago, possibly with flow charts and diagrams about why this wasn’t
going to work.”

Shane tore off a piece of bread and threw it at him, but Jake

didn’t care. The grin on Shane’s face was an infectious and
positive sign even if the man hadn’t given him the words he
wanted yet.

“Would you like to get something to eat?” Shane looked at him

from beneath his lashes and bit into his lip…and Jake knew he was
in so much trouble. He shifted under the tablecloth, glad that it hid
his erection.

“Isn’t that why we’re here?”
“I wasn’t sure if we’d make it that long. I figured I would have

made you so crazy you would have left by now.”

Jake shook his head and flagged the waiter. “I keep telling you

that I’m harder to get rid of than that.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure when you didn’t come after me. I was at

Ware’s for quite a while.”

“I figured you needed space. I trusted you enough to come

back.” Left unsaid was the accusation that Shane hadn’t believed
enough in Jake.

“I’m sorry. For everything, the running, the accusations, all of

it.”

LOCK AND KEY

“I know how you can make it up to me.” Jake put as much

innuendo into the words as possible and grinned at the flush on
Shane’s cheeks. His roommate shifted in his seat and Jake could
only hope Shane was as hard and aching as he was.

The waiter arrived, cutting off any further talk. They both

ordered simple finger foods, and watching Shane eat was like
foreplay. Jake had never found eating erotic, but it was when
Shane did it. He had such even teeth, such a full, sexy mouth that
Jake could hardly concentrate on anything else. He might as well
have been eating sawdust for all he tasted his meal.

It was torture and it was going to be hell getting out of the

restaurant without showing everyone his monster erection, but it
was so worth it to have Shane back.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
The waiter arrived and cleared the table before Shane spoke

again. “You’re looking like you want to eat me all up.”

“Not too far off. I’d love to take you home and devour you.”
Color flushed into his cheeks and, in that moment Jake decided

he’d do whatever he had to, to keep Shane blushing like that for
the rest of their days. So pretty.

“Then maybe we should go home.”
“Absolutely.” Jake stood and removed his jacket, holding it in

front of himself as he walked up to the wait area. With the check
forthcoming, he hurried back to the table, sliding his hand over
Shane’s nape before he sat back down.

“You didn’t have to go and get him. I’m sure he would have

been back soon to ask if we were ready for some dessert.”

“Oh, I’m ready for dessert all right, but we need to be home for

that to happen. I have a feeling they would frown on me stripping

LOCK AND KEY

you naked and licking you from head to toe right here at the table.”

Shane’s mouth flopped open and Jake nudged it closed as the

waiter discreetly placed the check on to the table. “You’re cute
when you’re flustered.”

“I’m always flustered, especially when you’re around.”
“That’s my plan, babe. That’s my plan.” Jake tossed down

several bills, more than enough to cover their tab and a healthy tip.
“Let’s go. Part two of my plan starts now.”

Jake grasped Shane’s hand and pulled him up from the table.

He could see Shane looking around wildly, as if he gave a damn
who might see him holding hands with the man he loved.

LOCK AND KEY

CHAPTER 8

Shane tried not to fidget as Jake drove them home. It was just

like any other night, except this one would no doubt end with him
naked and in Jake’s bed. The thought made his cock twitch and he
reached to adjust himself before he thought better of it.

“What are you doing over there?”
He swallowed against the command that was in Jake’s voice.

There was that intensity he wanted. The man was already seducing
him and they were still ten blocks from home. “Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing. Looks like you’re touching

yourself.”

They paused at a red light and Jake glanced at him. This was

his best friend, the man who saw him at his most neurotic and
idiotic, and yet there was no doubt of the desire in Jake’s eyes.

LOCK AND KEY

There was an edge to his roommate’s words and movements, and
Shane could almost believe that Jake was as wound up as he was.
Jake glanced at his crotch and Shane’s cock swelled.

“Maybe I was.” The words slipped out and a deaf man could

have heard the challenge in them.

Last time, Jake had pushed him but this time Shane wanted to

see how far he could push Jake. A mere second later and Jake’s
hand was buried in Shane’s hair, his fingers taking a firm grip that
pulled Shane toward the driver’s seat. Jake leaned in until their lips
were separated by the barest whisper of breath.

“Mine. You don’t touch it without my permission, you

understand me?”

Jake tugged on his hair and the sting shot straight to Shane’s

balls. Everything this man did turned him on in ways he could
barely comprehend. It had never been like this with anyone else,
which was equal parts terrifying and hot.

“What will you do to me if I disobey?” He barely had enough

breath to get the words out and he whimpered as Jake pulled his
hair even harder. Good God that was hot.

“Oh you won’t like what I do.”
Jake covered his mouth and shoved his tongue inside. This kiss

was one of dominance and it consumed any doubts that Shane had.
No man had ever kissed him like he was essential to survival. Until
now. He only thought he knew about kissing until Jake took his
mouth and owned it. Shane went limp in his hold and Jake gentled
his kiss, but it was no less bone melting. He would have gladly let
things keep going but the sound of car horns broke them apart.

With a curse, Jake straightened into his seat and pulled out into

traffic. “You make me forget myself and just about anything else
around me.”

LOCK AND KEY

“I’m glad.” Understatement of the year. Shane took off his

fogged-up glasses and buffed them on his vest.

Jake shot him a grin. “You like the idea that you make me

crazy?”

“Well, it’s only fair since you’ve been driving me crazy

for…well, forever.”

Jake grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m a real estate agent. Do you really think I couldn’t find

another way to finance the house? Or get another roommate?”

“So you’re saying it was all a set up? That you planned for me

to fall in love with you?”

Shane’s breath caught in his throat and his hand tightened

involuntarily around Jake’s. There was the dreaded “L” word and
Jake hadn’t flinched or tripped over it.

“Wasn’t a plan, but it was the only way I could get to see you

as much as I wanted to. As much as I needed to.”

“You could have, I don’t know, maybe asked me out on a

date.”

Shane scoffed as his gaze traced Jake’s profile. Even in shadow

it was obvious that he was wickedly beautiful. “Men like you don’t
date men like me. You’re too busy with the Wares of the world.”

“And yet, here we are and no sign of my ex.” Jake pulled into

their driveway, kissed Shane’s knuckles and then released his hand
to put the car in park.

“I’m sure we could invite him over and—”
“Finish that sentence and I’ll paddle your ass so hard you won’t

be able to sit for a week.”

Heat pooled in his belly. Only Jake could get away with such a

threat and turn him on. Shane rubbed his hand, which still tingled
from Jake’s kiss. So sweet and so rough all at once.

LOCK AND KEY

“Now get your cute ass in the house before I do something that

will make the neighbors call the cops.”

Jake exited the car, but Shane took a moment. Everything had

built to this moment, and once they took this step, there was no
going back. Jake loved him, and he loved Jake. They had
chemistry and already had a home together. Was it so farfetched to
believe they could have a life together?

A tap on the glass took his attention and Jake opened the door.

“Just give me your hand. I’ll make everything else okay. Promise.”

That smile was what had drawn him to Jake in the first place.

That competent hand, those strong shoulders, that steady gaze that
made you feel like the center of the universe. Jake leaned in and
bussed a chaste kiss on his forehead.

“Come on.”
And it was that simple. This was Jake. He’d trusted this man in

the dark with his body, and he could certainly trust him in the light
with his heart. Shane took his hand and allowed Jake to lead him
into the house.

Neither of them spoke as Jake towed him to the living room

and pulled him down on the couch. Now that there were no prying
eyes, he expected a full frontal assault and was surprised when
Jake removed his glasses and just cuddled him.

“Jake?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you what you need.” Jake smoothed a hand over his

hair and pressed a kiss to his temple.

“I’m not so sure that kissing my forehead is going to do

anything for my cock.” He held his breath as he waited for Jake’s
reaction.

LOCK AND KEY

Jake paused in mid-pass. “What did you say?”
“Sorry to interrupt your tender moment, but I’d much rather we

do something about the raging boner you gave me in the restaurant.
I’m having difficulties thinking or moving because of it, you
know.”

A laugh rumbled through Jake’s chest and shook Shane’s head

where it lay.

“You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you love me.” Shane tossed the words out, testing

them, and relaxed when Jake squeezed him tight.

“Yep. I do. Now upstairs and naked, right now.”
Shane nipped Jake’s chin and then jumped off the couch out of

range. Though his heart felt light, his body was on fire. Maybe this
was what love was supposed to be like.

“You’re going to pay for that.”
“Only if you can catch me.” Shane grinned and took off for the

stairs. He could hear Jake behind him, knew that Jake could catch
him if he wanted to, but he made it to the bedroom first.

“Arrrggggh!” Jake leapt at him and tackled him to the bed,

tickling him until he begged for mercy.

“I love you like this.” Jake leaned down and kissed his mouth

and just that quickly the warmth of laughter turned to the burn of
passion. “I love that I’m the only one who gets to see you like
this.”

“I think you should…maybe see more of me.” Shane could feel

his cheeks heating, and wished he could be cooler about this, but
that didn’t stop the grin from splitting Jake’s face.

“Oh I intend to.” Jake eased back until he was on his knees

straddling Shane’s body. “Hmmm, you know what we need? More
light.”

LOCK AND KEY

Jake rolled off the bed and turned on the bedside lamps.
Nerves made Shane want to hide, but the appreciation in Jake’s

gaze held him immobile. Jake crawled back to him and traced his
lips.

“This was the only thing that wasn’t perfect about last

weekend. Well, that and the fact that you walked out before I could
wake you up properly.”

“I’m sorry,” Shane whispered. And he was. “I’ll make it up to

you.”

“Damn straight you will. Tonight.” A kiss on the cheek.

“Tomorrow morning.” A kiss on his chin. “And so forth until I’ve
had enough. Should be in about…never.”

Jake took control of his mouth and Shane held him as tightly as

he could. He wanted to pull Jake into him until there was no way
they could ever be separated.

Far too soon Jake pulled back.
“Last weekend was about desperation, but tonight will be about

savoring.” Jake kissed down his neck and stopped at his collar.
“But you are wearing way too many clothes.”

Jake backed up and Shane sat up and pulled his vest over his

head. He reached for his buttons and hesitated for a moment.

“Take it off or I’ll rip it off. Your choice, but I know how you

feel about your shirts missing buttons.”

Shane slipped the buttons slowly, watching the hunger grow on

Jake’s face as he got closer to naked. Jake tugged at his undershirt.

“Good Lord, how many shirts are you wearing?”
“You knew what you were getting when you signed up for this.

So if that’s a problem…”

“The only problem is you’re not naked yet.” Jake batted his

hands aside and pushed his dress shirt from his shoulders. In mere

LOCK AND KEY

seconds, Jake had whipped off his undershirt and Shane fought a
moment of awkwardness as Jake stared at his chest. Being naked
with any man the first time was nerve wracking, but doubly so
when that man was a personal trainer.

“I knew you’d be perfect.” Jake trailed his fingers over Shane’s

chest and down his happy trail. “So smooth and unmarked that I
just can’t help but want to take a bite.”

Jake put words to action and Shane panted. So sweet one

moment, so hot the next. Shane tugged at Jake’s button-down as
the man licked and kissed and bit every inch of flesh he could
reach. Jake might have wanted to go slow, but there was no way
that Shane could. He was burning up from the inside and the only
hope he had was in Jake’s kiss, in his touch.

Finally he had him shirtless, and he pushed at Jake’s chest until

he shifted back. “What’s wrong?”

Jake looked like a wild man, and pride made Shane grin. He’d

done that to the usually unflappable man. “Nothing’s wrong, but
it’s my turn.”

Shane pushed until Jake fell to his back and then he climbed on

top. Shane had dreamed of this for months, years and he wanted it
all. But where to start? Did he take Jake’s mouth and drive him
crazy? Nibble his way across his chest? Those rock-hard abs he’d
wanted to paint with his cum? The dents above his hips that
seemed to call to Shane even as Jake spoke?

“You falling asleep up there, babe?” Jake rocked his hips up,

lifting them both from the bed for a moment. Even through all the
fabric, Shane could feel the heat of Jake’s cock and he wanted it
inside of him. He pinched Jake’s nipple and grinned when his lover
squirmed.

“Just trying to figure out where to start.”

LOCK AND KEY

Jake grabbed his hand and brought it up to his mouth. Shane

watched, enthralled as Jake sucked one, then two more fingers into
his mouth before he released them.

“You don’t have to do it all now. Just as you belong to me, I

belong to you. We have time. So pick something and get to it.”

Shane licked the center of his palm and ground his hips against

him. “I want it to be perfect.”

“We’re together, so it already is.”
Shane leaned down and took Jake’s mouth. He eased his

tongue inside, slowly exploring every possible spot. Jake sucked
on his tongue and Shane moaned. He trailed kisses down Jake’s
throat and bit his pec. He wanted to mark Jake the same way his
lover had marked him. Shane circled one tight nipple with his
tongue as his finger did the same to the other. He kept up the
torturous tease until Jake panted beneath him, and only then did he
allow his mouth to fully taste.

Now it was Jake’s turn to moan. Shane sucked at his flesh until

it was rosy pink and then moved to the other nipple to give it the
same treatment. Jake’s grip held him in place, letting him know
how much he loved what Shane was doing. Reluctantly, Shane
moved on, nibbling down Jake’s happy trail until he reached the
waistband of his slacks.

He looked up and found Jake leaning up on his elbows

watching him. “You have any idea how fucking hot you look right
now?”

Shane shook his head, making sure that his chin grazed the

monster erection straining Jake’s zipper.

“I’m going to come all over that pretty face if you’re not

careful.”

Shane rose to his knees and undid Jake’s belt and the button.

LOCK AND KEY

“Definitely one day, but not tonight.”

He eased the zipper down and pulled Jake’s pants open. Jake

lifted up long enough for Shane to pull both his pants and boxers
down and leave Jake’s glorious cock bare. Shane licked his lips
and reached for him but Jake blocked him.

“You, too. I want to see.”
Shane backed off the bed and quickly stripped out of his

bottoms. Gone was the earlier reluctance and in its place was sheer
desire. He needed this, needed to be skin-to-skin with Jake and if
he seemed too eager, he was willing to look the fool. He rushed
toward the bed only to slow when Jake quirked a brow at him.

“What?”
“Go slow.”
Shane snorted and climbed on to the bed. “We’ll go slow when

it’s your turn. How ’bout that?”

He settled over Jake’s lap and bit his lip as their cocks touched.

Jake grasped both of them in his strong grip and squeezed. A
tremor rocked him as Jake stroked them together, up and down in a
leisurely manner like he had all the time in the world.

“You know, I think you’re right. Slow is for another night.”
Shane leaned down and pressed kisses along Jake’s neck until

he reached his lips. He pushed his tongue inside of Jake’s mouth
and shoved his hips against Jake’s iron hold. Fucking Jake’s hand
wasn’t what he’d imagined for the night, but a few more strokes
and he’d get off, no problem. As if he knew it, Jake released his
cock and grasped his face. Shane reluctantly backed away from
Jake’s mouth, but he pressed kisses to every part of Jake’s wrist
and hand he could reach. Tasting their combined pre-come was
more seductive than he could have imagined.

“I need to be inside you, babe. Now.”

LOCK AND KEY

Shane nodded against his hold and whimpered when Jake slid

from beneath him. He watched Jake, ready to pounce if the man
moved too far away, and forced his muscles to relax when Jake
returned with lube and a condom. Jake walked to the edge of the
bed and took his mouth in a soft kiss to rival the one he’d given
him earlier in the night. His touch was so gentle tears stung against
the back of Shane’s eyelids.

He allowed Jake to ease him to his back on the bed and held

out his arms until Jake joined him. Jake kept up the tender
onslaught and Shane sighed into Jake’s mouth as he heard the
sound of the lube open. His muscles tightened with anticipation as
he waited for Jake’s touch. He was ready to beg when he felt Jake
softly nudge his entrance. Shane’s eyes flew open.

Everything was heightened now that they could see each other.

Jake glanced down their bodies, and a look of such lust and love
passed over his face that Shane almost lost it.

“This was what was missing before.”
“I can tell you what’s missing now.”
Jake grinned at him and stabbed his finger in deep. The thrust

was unexpected, but welcomed. Shane moved against him.

“You are so impatient.”
“I have waited for this longer than you.” Jake worked in a

second finger and turned his fingers a quarter turn. Shane panted
for a moment before he continued. “I told you, we could go slow
next time. Right now I want it all.”

His words ended in a wail as Jake pushed another finger inside

him. It was a full feeling and bordered on the edge of
uncomfortable, but he reveled in it. This was Jake pushing him to
the edge of orgasm with the merest of touches.

“I’ve wanted to see you like this for so long.” Jake pumped his

LOCK AND KEY

fingers deeper inside and Shane relaxed against the burn in his ass.
He pulled his legs toward his chest and moaned as Jake went
deeper.

“I love to look at you when you’re thinking. I love to see you

when you’re all riled up and worried to the point of wearing a hole
in the carpet.”

Jake worked him until his entire world centered around the play

in his ass. He fought against the urge to close his eyes, wanting to
see every expression that chased across Jake’s face.

“But nothing is as great as you like this. Spread out before me

and taking the pleasure only I can give you.”

The words combined with Jake’s touch made him writhe for

more. He strained against Jake’s fingers, reaching for that final
touch that would push him toward his orgasm.

“Oh no no, we can’t have that.” Jake grasped his cock and

stilled the fingers in his ass.

Shane groaned and rolled his head until he could look at Jake.

“Bastard.”

“Oh don’t look so betrayed. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

Jake placed a chaste kiss on the tortured head of his penis and
Shane swallowed another swear. The man was going to kill him
before the night was over.

He watched Jake roll on the condom. Shane pulled his legs

back as far as they would go and wiggled his ass at Jake. He’d
never been so wanton, but anything was worth it if got Jake in
gear.

Then his man loomed over him and it was shades of last

weekend, only this time Shane didn’t have to imagine that Jake
was the one turning him inside out. This time he knew it for fact.

And Jake looked just as wrecked. “It feels like I’ve waited

LOCK AND KEY

forever for this, and now that it’s here, I don’t want to screw this
up.”

Shane swallowed and then reached for Jake to pull him closer.

Their cocks rubbed together and he gasped. “The only way you
could screw this up is if you keep me waiting. I can’t wait any
longer, I won’t.”

He guided Jake’s cock to his entrance and his lover took over.

Slowly, so agonizingly slowly that Shane thought he might scream
from it, Jake entered his body in one smooth stroke. With his balls
nestled against the crack of Shane’s ass, Jake paused and held
Shane’s gaze.

“You okay?” Color rode high on Jake’s cheeks and his arms

flexed as they held him above Shane. All that power.

Shane tugged Jake closer until he felt surrounded. “I’m better

than okay. I’d be great if you would just move.”

He expected hard and fast, thought he wanted it that way, but

couldn’t deny the pull of Jake’s gaze as he slowly worked in and
out. Each thrust ended with a swivel of Jake’s hips that hit that spot
deep inside that punched pleasure into Shane. His hands gripped
Jake’s shoulders, his legs wrapped around his waist and yet he
couldn’t get close enough.

Every lonely night, every jealous thought melted away under

the loving and watchful gaze of his lover until Shane felt like he
was the one who was vulnerable, like it was his emotions put on
display. Shane panted as Jake hit that spot again. He strained for
his orgasm. His hips urging Jake to move faster.

“Jake.” Even he realized how lost he sounded. Sweat dripped

off his lover and onto his face, and he chased it with his tongue,
desperate for the feel, the touch, the taste of this man. “Jake.”

The object of his desire leaned down to whisper in his ear.

LOCK AND KEY

“I’ve got you, babe. Just. Let. Go.”

Each word of the demand was punctuated by a harder surge of

Jake’s hips, that lit that spot inside of Shane on fire, and he came.

“I love you.” The words were stolen from his soul as Jake

pounded him into the mattress. With a groan and one more swivel
of his hips, Jake became dead weight against him, but Shane
couldn’t care. He edged his arms around the bigger man and held
him tight.

When Jake would have pulled away, Shane tugged him even

closer. “Babe, I’m too heavy for you. Let me up.”

“No.” Shane smoothed a hand over Jake’s damp hair and down

his back. “You’re perfect.”

Jake pressed a kiss against the pulse in his throat. “Tell me

again,” he whispered.

Shane swallowed, but refused to play coy. Fear flashed for a

moment but disappeared in the wake of another one of Jake’s
kisses.

“I love you.”
Jake lifted his head, his trademark cocky grin in place. “Now

we’re perfect.”

And as Jake kissed him until his toes curled, Shane had to

agree.

ASHA

EVLIN

Sasha Devlin is way more interesting than this bio can make her
sound! She is also uncomfortable talking about herself in the third
person, so…

“I’m a Midwestern gal born and raised, and I currently live in
Chicago. I’ve not yet found the villain who is using his time
machine against me, but when I do, the battle will be epic.

“I’ve been writing stories in my head for as long as I can
remember, but only recently started putting words on the page. My
current projects are firmly in the romance genre, with loads of sex
and angst, but I know I can’t avoid those YA and Mystery plot
bunnies forever.”

When not reading or writing, Sasha can be found lurking in yarn
shops and book stores or haunting Twitter (@SashaDevlin).

For more information about Sasha and her writing, please visit:

http://www.sashadevlin.com

MBER

UILL

RESS

LLC

OLD

TANDARD IN

UBLISHING

UALITY

OOKS

OTH

RINT AND

LECTRONIC

ORMATS

CTION

DVENTURE

USPENSE

HRILLER

CIENCE

ICTION

ARK

ANTASY

AINSTREAM

OMANCE

ORROR

ROTICA

ANTASY

GLBT

ESTERN

YSTERY

ARANORMAL

ISTORICAL

IRECT

AVE

www.AmberQuill.com

www.AmberHeat.com

www.AmberAllure.com

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