STORY EXCERPT

Eddy hid his dismay when he saw the huge house out in the middle of a barren winter landscape. There were only a couple of trees near the house and the mountains, a beautiful backdrop, but otherwise, the house and the barn were the only things to be seen for miles. Eddy knew it would be beautiful up here in the spring and summer when the wildflowers were blooming. He had been to the house many times when the previous owners had lived there.

Now he knew who the new owners were and he hadn’t been prepared to see Briar. Not after the last time they had been together. He had realized it wasn’t just going to be sex for him, that he could easily develop feelings for the older man. He knew instinctively that Briar wasn’t looking for more. The sex had been great, but that’s all it could be, if he had guessed correctly about Briar not wanting more from him, and he had no plans to return to the Silver Edge looking for another hookup with Briar.

“Wow, I had heard they did a lot to fix up the place, but it looks fantastic,” Eddy’s father exclaimed, leaning forward as they got closer. “Your mother needs to come out to see this for herself. She was worried that the house would lose its character, but they’ve done a fabulous job of preserving it.”

Edith Rogers was part of Silver’s preservation committee. They saw to it that the houses in town were kept as close to their original design as possible. The guidelines owners had to follow were very strict, but they didn’t apply to houses this far out.

“Yeah, she will love it when she sees it.”

The truck stopped in front of the house and they climbed out. As the driver went to the rear of the truck to open the door and lower the lift gate, the front door to the house opened and the six men came out. With the exception of Randy and Quinn, the men were huge. Eddy’s gaze, however, fixed on Briar as he walked out last and closed the door behind him.

Eddy felt a shiver of awareness when Briar looked at him. He shifted restlessly beside his father, relieved when the truck’s driver began to push a dolly forward with a large box on it. As he did so the men hurried forward to help. Eddy had managed to get two more to help with the delivery. The truck they were riding in arrived at that moment. With so many people it didn’t take long for the two large trucks to be emptied and everything to be carried into the house.

Eddy was impressed by the inside. It was gorgeous. He learned that four apartments had been created upstairs, leaving the downstairs for other uses. Briar, it seemed, had found a use for some of the rooms downstairs. The man’s diabolical laughter unnerved and worried Eddy a little. It seemed his family was visiting for a couple of weeks, spending Christmas with Briar and his friends, and he was creating dorm-style rooms for them to use. Eddy decided that it was a rather wicked joke, especially when the married couples would be forced to sleep together, yet apart. He snickered as he imagined his mother and father having to use bunk beds.

“It will never happen,” Wilson told his son, as if he knew what Eddy was thinking.

They stayed long enough to help assemble the furniture. The beds were put into place, as were the dressers, rugs, and lamps. Eddy thought it all looked very cozy and rather adorable. He wondered if Briar planned to keep the rooms like this permanently. With as many rooms as there were, he doubted that it would be an inconvenience.

“Hi, Eddy.” The deep voice sent shivers of awareness through Eddy. He turned around to see Briar standing in the doorway. The others in the room began to file out. “I didn’t know you and your dad worked for the furniture store.”

Eddy laughed and shook his head. “We don’t. We’re just helping Norman out. He’s the owner of the store. He called to see if I’d like to make some extra money. My dad came along so we could spend quality time together.”

“Sounds like you’re having a good day.”

“I am. How’s yours going?”

“Better, now that I’m actually seeing my plan come together.” He laughed again, that laugh that sent shivers of both pleasure and dread down Eddy’s spine. “I can’t wait until I see the expression on their faces when they see where they have to sleep.”

“They won’t be mad?”

“Oh, hell no!” Briar grinned, a flash of white in contrast with the dark mustache and beard. “When I went home last Christmas, it was to discover my mother had volunteered me to help Santa. I had to dress as an elf.”

Eddy knew his eyes bugged out of his head as he stared at Briar. He was trying to imagine the huge man dressed in an elf’s costume “Do you have pictures?” he whispered, barely daring to hope.

Briar nodded and grinned again. “I do. My mother made sure of it.”

“Cool. Maybe I can see them sometime.”

“How about now?”

Regret went through Eddy. “I’m afraid I can’t. I have to help with the next load. It’ll have to be some other time.”

“Sure thing.”

Briar certainly was sending out mixed messages to Eddy. One moment he seemed as if he wanted to get to know him better and then the next he sounded as if he couldn’t care less. Taking that as a sign that he shouldn’t entertain thoughts about Briar, Eddy smiled and stepped around the man as he headed out the door. As unlikely as it seemed, he hoped Briar wasn’t around when they returned to deliver the remainder of the furniture.

ADULT EXCERPT

Watching the man walking through the Silver Edge was becoming a habit with Bear. He had first seen Eddy Rogers in the club a few weeks ago and it seemed this attraction he was feeling wasn’t lessening. If anything, it was growing stronger.

Bear sighed and lifted the glass of whiskey to his lips and took a sip. He wasn’t necessarily looking for love, something that seemed to be happening to his friends. He had tried love a couple of times before and it hadn’t worked out. Hell, once it had nearly gotten him killed.

Dragon and Snake had already fallen hard for two great guys. Randy and Quinn were the best. Bear could agree that his friends had lucked out. He just couldn’t see that sort of luck happening again so soon. Bear accepted that he was attracted to Eddy in a way that he hadn’t been to anyone else, perhaps ever. Eddy, however, didn’t seem to share that attraction, although they had been introduced about a week after Bear had first seen him at the members-only sex club. That was three months ago. But Bear wasn’t looking for love with Eddy, was he? That was certainly a loaded question.

Bear decided he wasn’t looking for love. Nope. A broken heart and near-death experiences weren’t for him. He wouldn’t, however, turn down sex with the guy.

The action in the room was hot. It was men-only night on level five. The sights, sounds, and smells were causing the expected reaction in Bear’s body. Because he enjoyed watching, he wasn’t actively looking for someone to fuck. If the right man came along, he wouldn’t say no.

His gaze returned to Eddy. The younger man was average height, slender, with curling red hair, and a killer smile, one of which he had given Bear the first time they met. He was now leaning against the wall and watching the others in the room going at it like rabbits. The men were mostly in pairs on the large, low beds, but there was one trio on a bed across the room from where Bear was sitting in a heavy, black leather chair. The action was eyebrow-raising. Then, there was one man suspended from a swing and welcoming whoever came up to shove a dick in him. Although a fucking hot sight, it wasn’t Bear’s thing. He didn’t mind watching and continued to do so as he unzipped his slacks and worked his dick out.

Having grabbed a packet of lube on his way into the room, he was about to open it when someone stepped in front of him. He looked up just as Eddy kneeled.

Slender hands moved Bear’s away. “Let me.”

His heartbeat increased as he watched Eddy’s fingers wrap around the base of his cock, holding the throbbing flesh upright. Without another word, Eddy leaned forward with an open mouth and took the head into his mouth, sucking on it as his tongue flicked over the slit and licked away the trickle of pre-cum. Bear moaned, knowing he wouldn’t last long. His cock felt as if it was on fire. Eddy’s technique was thoroughly wicked and it had been almost a year since Bear had been with anyone. Because he would rather experience actual sex with another person, he rarely jerked off.

Now, a hot, wet mouth glided up and down the length of his flesh. Eddy was impressing Bear with his skill. He was no novice. The man’s tongue swirled, stroked, and teased almost continuously as the man’s hand countered every movement of his mouth. Bear groaned as his hips began to rise and fall. His balls tightened and he debated warning the other man about his impending orgasm. He figured what the hell. He would give Eddy a mouthful of cum. It was nothing that was going to hurt him. If he wasn’t a swallower, he would be in trouble, because there was a load awaiting him as he coaxed the liquid from Bear’s balls.

Bear came hard, his balls clenching as tight as the fists he pressed against the arms of the chair. His back arched and hips jerked twice as spurt after spurt of cum filled Eddy’s mouth. As the world exploded around him, Bear was vaguely aware of Eddy’s moans and the accompanying vibrations around his softening flesh.

It took him a few minutes to recover, but he wasn’t in any rush. Without opening his eyes, he knew Eddy had moved away. There was a flash of regret, but it was what it was. People didn’t come to a sex club looking for love. He certainly hadn’t been.

Standing, Bear tucked his spent flesh back into his slacks and zipped up. He didn’t bother to look around for Eddy. He knew the man had left the room. He wouldn’t look for him anywhere else in the club, either. Casual hookups were the name of the game at the Silver Edge. He knew there were people who came to the club to add some spice to their sex lives. He didn’t judge. He wasn’t a hypocrite.