STORY EXCERPT

The goon had Winnie’s arm in a tight hold as he was taken into a luxurious home located in Falls Bend. If Winnie hadn’t been forced there by the gorilla next to him, he would’ve given a low whistle and complimented the joint. Instead he was trying his best to keep pace because Gorilla was walking way too fast.

The prick could’ve at least apologized for kidnapping him. That might have set Winnie’s nerves at ease. He had no idea why he was there or who Mr. Winter was. In truth, Winnie was ready to pee his pants. This was some kind of mistake. Gorilla had the wrong person. Winnie hadn’t done anything wrong to warrant what had just happened.

“Are you sure you have the right person?” he asked as Gorilla hauled him deeper into the spider’s lair. “Winfred Rickman, lowly vet gofer, cage cleaner, piss-poor paycheck?”

Winnie really did need to get another job, but with his lack of skills, working at the vet clinic had been his only option at the time. He dreaded going into work every day and felt as if his life was wasting away. There had to be more out there than punching a clock and working with a woman who completely despised him.

The only bright spot in Winnie’s life was Lenny. His cousin made him laugh, and he loved hanging around Lenny. Too bad Winnie might never see him again. Thugs didn’t snatch a person from work to have tea with them.

“Why am I here?” Winnie insisted as he tried to dig his feet in, but Gorilla was too strong and kept him moving.

“You’ll soon find out.” Gorilla opened a door at the end of the long hallway. Winnie was unceremoniously dropped into a chair and told to stay put. “The wait will be worth your while.”

He never understood that saying. Shouldn’t it be “worth your wild”? Winnie thought so. “Just tell me I’m gonna make it out of this alive.”

Gorilla shrugged and left the room, closing the door behind him. Winnie glanced around, wondering if he could crawl through a window to get free. No doubt Gorilla was on the other side of the door to stop him from leaving, so that option was out.

A door toward the back left of the room opened. Winnie hadn’t even noticed it was there. His breath caught when he recognized the man who strode in.

Gorgeous Eyes!

“Is there a reason you dragged me here?” Winnie jumped from his seat and curled his hands into fists. “I demand to know what’s going on.”

Now he knew why Gorilla had looked familiar. He’d been there when Winnie had tried to save that man’s life.

“Take a seat.”

For reasons he couldn’t understand, Winnie sat. He just dropped down into the chair as if the guy’s voice controlled his body. Winnie also didn’t like the ice in Mr. Winter’s tone. Now that he had a better look at Gorgeous Eyes, Winnie realized just how frightening his scowl was.

He hadn’t seen that last night. It had been dark out, and everything had happened so fast. Mr. Winter’s eyes were the only thing that had stuck in his memory.

“Fine, I’m sitting.” Winnie crossed his arms, trying to seem braver than he felt. There was an air of danger about this guy that had Winnie on the edge of his seat, ready to beg for his life.

He noticed the wince of pain on Mr. Winter’s face when he sat down, although the guy tried hard to hide it. Even though Winnie saw Gorgeous Eyes had a chink in his armor, he was still afraid. His limbs were slightly shaking as he waited for Gorgeous Eyes to tell him why he was here.

Mr. Winter turned those gray-green eyes on Winnie. They were flat and cold, and Winnie was getting frostbite just staring at the guy. Winnie was trying to act brave. It was a façade he’d become very good at. In reality, he didn’t have a brave bone in his body.

He just talked a good game and always prayed no one slugged him for it.

“Tell me about last night.”

Winnie cocked his head. “Weren’t you there?”

Mr. Winter sat forward, resting his right arm on the desk while the left arm remained in his lap. “Why did you try and save Vance’s life? What was in it for you?”

The question threw Winnie. “There wasn’t anything in it for me. I saw a guy in trouble and tried to help.”

Was this prick gonna sue him for trying, and failing, to save Vance?

“Just like that?” Gorgeous Eyes turned into Suspicious Eyes. Winnie didn’t like the way they narrowed or the way Mr. Winter’s jaw clenched.

“Just like that.” Winnie gave an exasperated sigh. “It’s called having humanity, compassion, whatever word you want to use.” He shrugged. “I saw the guy go down and…I don’t know. I couldn’t stand there and do nothing.”

Suspicious Eyes strummed his fingers on the desk. “You didn’t know Vance or Viper?”

Winnie stood and splayed his hands, tired of the riddle in front of him. “Look, I don’t know who those people are. If you’re trying to sue me for sticking my nose in where it didn’t belong, the joke is on you. I’m so broke I can’t even pay my jaywalking ticket and I have only half my rent for next month, which is due in a week if you’ve forgotten today’s date. So you’re barking up the wrong tree if you’re thinking about trying to cash in on me.”

One look from Mr. Winter had Winnie dropping back down into his seat. He really hated that the guy had that kind of control over him. Winnie also hated that he was insanely attracted to the thug. Bad men shouldn’t look so damn good.

ADULT EXCERPT

Winnie shook his head. “Show me your scars, and then I’ll show you mine.”

Wallace backed away. “What makes you think I have any?” He looked Winnie over, as though he were trying to see where Winnie’s old wounds were located.

“Because.” Winnie touched the front of Wallace’s crisp, white shirt. “There isn’t any other reason to keep this on.”

When Wallace didn’t budge, just knelt there staring as if they were having a contest of wills, Winnie slid his shirt off and turned over.

He was no longer embarrassed by the crisscrossed slashes that covered most of his back. Winnie had accepted them as a part of himself a long time.

“My dad used to get wasted and beat on my mom. When I was about seven I jumped in front of her so he couldn’t hurt her. I got the brunt of his anger that night, and many nights afterward, because I wouldn’t stop defending her.”

“Your own father did this to you?” Wallace traced his fingers over Winnie’s back.

“He walked out when I was twelve. I haven’t heard from him since. After that it was like my mom’s soul was crushed. I’ll never understand how she could mourn the loss of such a monster.”

Wallace had stretched out beside him, petting Winnie’s back. “What happened to her?”

Tears sprang into Winnie’s eyes. “She killed herself when I was fourteen.”

This was not how Winnie wanted things to go. They were supposed to be fucking like bunnies, not bringing up painful memories Winnie would rather forget.

“Fuck.” Wallace scrubbed a hand through his hair. “That’s…I’m sorry you went through that.”

Winnie looked at Wallace’s arm. “And you?”

Gorgeous Eyes looked as if he’d rather be disemboweled than talk. “Was blitzed from behind. A knife laced with silver. I didn’t see who had done it, either. I’m guessing I was supposed to be stabbed in the heart, but I twisted and the knife sliced through my arm, instead. The doctor had to cut out muscle in order to save me.”

Winnie flipped over and sat in front of Wallace. They never broke eye contact as Winnie pushed the buttons through the eyelets. He went slow, giving Wallace every opportunity to stop him.

When the buttons were free, Wallace grabbed Winnie’s wrist. He swallowed tightly. “It’s hideous.”

“Let me see.” Winnie leaned up and kissed Wallace, distracting the guy as he slid his hands over Wallace’s shoulders and eased his shirt down his arms.

“Damn.”

Wallace tried to pull away.

Winnie stopped him. “I was referring to your chest. Holy fuck. You’re hot! How many muscles do you own?”

“My arm.”

Winnie ripped his gaze from Wallace worship-worthy chest to look at his arm. There was mangled skin where his bicep should’ve been. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

It looked horrendous, like his skin had been made of clay and someone had smashed a grapefruit on it, leaving a permanent, rounded indentation. Like someone had used an ice cream scooper and scooped his bicep right out.

But who was Winnie to judge? He’d looked at his back countless times in the mirror. Although he no longer reacted to the sight, the scars were ugly.

“The headaches?” Winnie moved closer, unable to keep his hands to himself.

“You’re very observant. The migraines started around the same time as the attack. I still don’t know who did it. They were wearing too much cologne, so I couldn’t catch their scent.”

“You didn’t see them?”

Wallace shook his head. “I was in too much pain.”

Winnie slid his arms around Wallace’s neck and pulled him down. He spread his legs in invitation. “We need to change the subject. I’m still horny, and this conversation is depressing as hell.”

That simple grin was going to be Winnie’s undoing. “Consider the subject changed.”

And it was. Wallace attacked him with passion, their lips colliding, their limbs tangling. And oh, god, that purr! Winnie couldn’t get enough of the rumbling noise as he flipped over, Wallace rolling to his back. He stared down at Wallace’s cock—more like an unleashed beast—and licked his lips.

Winnie gave Wallace a devilish smile before he sucked Wallace all of the way down his throat, as far as it would go, until his nose was buried in Wallace’s pubic hairs. And then he swallowed. Hard.

Wallace cried out. Then he moved Winnie until his cock was in Wallace’s face. Wallace ran his hands over Winnie’s ass, his fingers playing at Winnie’s hole, and then one lone finger slid inside him.

Winnie pushed back, desperate to feel more. He groaned around Wallace’s cock, and his lover growled around his.

Winnie grinned.

Wallace must really like that. He moaned again and then had to press Wallace’s hips down to stop the man from shoving his cock down the back of Winnie’s damn throat.

Winnie massaged the delicate sac as he flicked his tongue over the slit of lover's cock and was rewarded by the tightening of Wallace’s body.

Using his tongue, Winnie laved the tender depression beneath the swollen crown and then tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the salty taste of Wallace’s desires.

“Fuck!” Wallace spun them, placing Winnie on his hands and knees, and grabbed some lube from the nightstand. Why on earth was there a bottle in there to begin with? Winnie didn’t know and wasn’t coherent enough to ask. He just wanted to get fucked.

Wallace wet Winnie’s hole, diving his fingers inside Winnie’s ass, stretching his fingers as Winnie bucked and kicked, lost in the moment, lost in the anticipation of what would come next.

“Are you ready to belong to me?” Wallace snarled into his ear. “All mine?”

Winnie couldn’t control his breathing, no matter how hard he tried. The moment was too raw, too real. “Yes.”

Whatever it took to get Wallace’s fat cock inside him.

Wallace pulled his fingers free and replaced them with the blunt head of his cock. He pushed his cock into Winnie, slowly, drawing out the ecstasy.

Winnie closed his eyes, braced his hands against the headboard, and pushed back. He gasped, moaning as the thick length of Wallace’s cock stretched him, sliding in deep.