STORY EXCERPT

“What are you writing?” Noel inquired while attempting to peek at the words on Rory’s parchment.

“The list of things I desire in a man.”

“At least six feet tall,” Noel read the words out loud. “Fair enough. Your height is six feet and five inches.”

“Yeah, and that man has to be older than me. He also has to be incredibly handsome. Sexually, he must be a top only because I absolutely hate fucking anyone. Life is infinitely better and sweeter as a bottom.”

“Not my cup of tea, but whatever floats your boat, bro,” Noel shot back as he continued to peer at the parchment. Rory was amused when he noticed Noel’s eyes widening. “His dick can’t be less than eight inches in length. That’s way too specific!”

Rory raised his eyebrows slightly while gazing into Noel’s eyes. “This machine is supposed to fulfill my wish, so I can include as many details as I like. Or are you afraid that it can’t provide me with the right man? If so, just admit that the machine is nothing but a scam, and we can forget about this bet.”

“You wish!” Noel exclaimed while glaring at Rory. “Don’t cry like a baby when you have to give me fifty bucks someday in the future. Don’t forget about the magic-related events.”

Rory chuckled. “That will never happen because I’ll emerge victorious for sure.”

After that, he started adding more things onto the parchment. His ideal boyfriend must be someone who could cook and bake because he wasn’t that great in the kitchen. In exchange, he would wash the dishes and do the laundry.

“Are you not done yet?” Noel asked.

“Nope,” Rory replied as he continued to write while muttering the words aloud. “I want a wealthy boyfriend. He will be a prince who acts as my knight in shining armor, and we will have a fairy-tale romance that lasts for many years to come. Till death do us part.”

Noel snorted. “Whatever. Just finish up with the parchment, and let’s get this over with.”

Rory read the words on the parchment one last time before approaching the machine to perform the subsequent steps. Moments later, he was holding a tiny piece of paper. It was a thank-you note for utilizing the machine, along with a good-luck message at the end. He also picked up the small bottle of water that had just been dispensed by the machine and opened the lid before swallowing every single drop within seconds. After that, he proudly showed the paper and the empty bottle to Noel.

“Okay,” Noel said. “Can you lower your head, please?”

Rory was confused by the request, but he did it anyway. “What for?”

“Good boy,” Noel replied while grinning and patting Rory on the head.

Rory straightened up in an instant before glaring at Noel. “I’m not a dog.”

Noel laughed. “No, but you’re adorably naïve and innocent. This is the third time you’ve fallen for this very same thing, man.”

“Ha! Ha! Funny! You should quit your job and become a comedian instead.”

Noel ignored Rory and proceeded to browse the shelves inside the store. Rory followed closely, but he didn’t touch anything because nothing caught his interest. He was glad and relieved when Noel informed him approximately thirty minutes later that they should leave the store and go somewhere else. He was so excited by the thought of exiting the store, he held Noel’s wrist while hastily dragging his best friend toward the door before the man could change his mind.

“What’s the hurry, man?” Noel half yelled, but he was also chuckling.

Rory turned to look at Noel. “I can’t wait to get—oh, shit!”

Several things occurred all at once. Rory realized he must have collided into somebody. Someone who was incredibly muscular because he could feel the hard muscles against his arm and elbow when they made contact. He tried his best to regain his balance so he could remain standing on his feet, but he failed. He thought he would topple down onto the floor for sure. Hence, he was astonished when he didn’t. The next thing he knew, he was staring up at a rather familiar face of a man, but at the moment, he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before. It was difficult to think because of many reasons. Rory could feel the unknown man’s hand on the back of his neck while the other one was placed on his lower back, preventing him from falling all the way down. He could smell the intoxicating combination of the man’s cologne and aftershave since their faces were mere inches apart. The stranger had dark brown eyes like him, but the man’s hair was black. Rory had dark blond hair.

“Are you okay?”

Rory gaped for another second or two before nodding slowly. “I…I think so. Yeah.”

He was feeling shy all of a sudden, and he couldn’t explain the reason for it. He hoped he wasn’t visibly blushing like a virgin who was crushing hard on a sexy stranger. His heart was pounding like mad due to their proximity, and it didn’t help that the handsome man had an incredibly husky voice that was turning him on like crazy.

“Good,” the unknown man said while grinning at Rory, displaying rows of perfect white teeth.

Then Rory noticed where his hands were. He must have unconsciously let go of Noel’s wrist when he almost landed on his back on the floor. At the moment, he was grabbing on to the back of his rescuer’s neck with one hand while he was clutching on to the man’s muscled upper arm with the other hand. The sole of one of his feet was on the floor, but the other one was hanging a few inches above it. For some reason, he felt oddly embarrassed due to their current positions, but he was also impressed. Most people wouldn’t be able to hold him steady in such a pose, especially for an extended period of time, because he weighed two hundred and forty-three pounds of bulky muscles everywhere. His savior, on the other hand, seemed totally relaxed.

“Thank you for saving me. Can you pull me upright, please?”

“Of course.”

Once Rory was standing on his own feet again, he smiled at the man who had somehow prevented him from breaking his bones. Or worse.

“Thanks again. I’m Rory Bass.”

“Freddie Howell, and you’re more than welcome. It’s really my pleasure.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Stop staring at me like that,” Rory teased Freddie before winking at the man. “You look as if you’re mere seconds away from pouncing on and devouring me.”

“I can’t help it, baby. I still find it so difficult to believe that you’re here with me. You probably have no idea of the depth of my desire for you. I’d waited and longed for this moment for so long. Even though we’re finally dating, I can’t stop thinking and worrying that this is nothing more than a beautiful dream, and I may wake up and return to the real world soon.”

Those words should sound corny, but for some reason, Rory started tearing up. He knew Freddie had strong feelings for him, but he hadn’t been fully aware of the intensity until a few seconds ago. He smiled through his tears, and he didn’t have to wipe them away because Freddie was doing it for him. He slowly bent his head down a little before leaning closer to Freddie, and his heartbeat was speeding up with every passing second. When his and Freddie’s lips met, he trembled a little as he shut his eyes. He could feel and hear Freddie’s breath, and the man’s warm and muscular body against his own as they moved much closer toward each other. He could also smell Freddie’s familiar scent. It was a heady mixture of obviously expensive aftershave, cologne, and a bit of muskiness.

Initially, their kisses were gentle, but the two of them became rougher and more ferocious as their combined passion mounted and spiraled higher with every nibble on the lips or when they fought using their tongues. Rory rumbled deep in his throat when Freddie grabbed the back of his head with one hand while the other one was placed over his buttocks. He certainly didn’t bother to resist when Freddie attempted to minimize the distance between them, which was impossible because nearly every single inch of them was already stuck together. Nevertheless, Freddie kept on trying while Rory allowed himself to be repeatedly pulled toward the man. He grunted when he felt Freddie’s hard cock throbbing against his own. It wasn’t long before they began rutting and trading spit while standing out there. Rory knew he had to break away before they completely lost every ounce of their self-control.

“Freddie, stop,” Rory said as gently as he could even though he was panting harshly. “Just for a moment.”

Freddie immediately complied, and he looked horrified. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I really didn’t mean to do that.”

“Not at all,” Rory answered while beaming at Freddie. “But we’re outside right now. I wish to continue what we did, but maybe we should head inside. Somewhere more private.”

“Oh, right. L-let’s go to my bedroom.”

After that, they walked past the door and locked it securely before running hand in hand toward the elevator. Freddie switched off the lights before he and Rory entered the elevator. Rory took the opportunity to calm down a bit. He was so turned on, he was afraid he might come too fast, and he definitely didn’t want that to happen. At least not until he had Freddie’s cock inside his ass. He took a few steadying breaths as the elevator descended one measly level, but that should be sufficient. He should be able to hold himself back from being pushed over the edge for a few minutes longer than before.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Rory didn’t get the chance to admire the beautiful kitchen, but that was all right because he and Freddie had something more important and urgent to attend to. The two of them raced toward the master bedroom, and once they were inside, they didn’t have to bother with the lighting because the floor-to-ceiling windows let in enough brightness from the outside. Hence, the bedroom wasn’t totally bathed in one hundred percent of darkness.

“The curtains—”

“Don’t worry about them,” Freddie interrupted. “The windows are fully tinted.”

“Okay.”

Freddie smiled as he caressed Rory’s right cheek. “Can we get naked now?”

Rory chuckled. “Yeah.”

Then he and Freddie removed their clothes, and when they were done, he eagerly ran his hands all over the man’s upper body. He was delighted to discover that Freddie had plenty of hair there. He had seen Freddie’s bare arms before, and they were hairy. He wondered if Freddie had just as much hair everywhere else so he got down on his knees and explored the lower half of the man’s body. He moaned when he found out that Freddie was a hirsute man indeed.

“Judging by your reaction, can I safely assume that you like a hairy man?”

“Absolutely,” Rory confirmed as he gently cupped Freddie’s balls in the palm of his hand before going upward and stroking the man’s hard, leaking cock. “That’s the main reason why I don’t get rid of any of the hair from my neck all the way down.”

While playing with Freddie’s cock, Rory could feel the stickiness of the man’s precum as it flowed downward. Most men would produce precum when they were highly aroused, but Freddie seemed to release an excessive amount of it. Or so Rory assumed. He wasn’t one hundred percent certain.

“In case you’re wondering, I’m not coming yet, baby,” Freddie whispered after pulling Rory toward him. “That’s precum all over my cock.”

“Fuck!” Rory cussed softly, and Freddie snickered.

“Do you like that, baby?”

“Yeah.”

“What else are you into?”

“The usual stuff.”

“What are they?” Freddie asked while caressing Rory’s hairy arms.

Then Rory trembled a little when Freddie started running both hands all over his body. “Kissing.”

“We did that already.”

“My ears are sensitive.”

Freddie immediately attacked Rory’s right ear with his tongue. Rory groaned while he held on tightly to Freddie.

“Tell me more, baby.”