STORY EXCERPT

Jordan heard the roar of a motorcycle as he packed away the tools inside the house he’d been working on. When he looked over his shoulder, he expected to see Darien coming down the street.

But his boss wasn’t the one riding the motorcycle. Jordan turned fully, his gaze glued to the man with wide shoulders, a solid build, and bandana on his head. He had no idea who the stranger was, but he wanted to find out.

“You about finished?” Max asked as he stepped from his truck. Jordan hadn’t seen his friend pull up. He hadn’t seen anything but the gorgeous mountain atop his chrome-and-black steed.

“Hey.” Max snapped his fingers in Jordan’s face. “Earth to Jordan.”

Until the hunk turned the corner, Jordan paid little attention to Max. He finally acknowledged his friend. “I just need to lock up.”

“The guys are meeting us at Gallagher’s.” Max left Jordan's side and went back to his truck, leaning against it as he crossed his arms. “I need a cold one.”

Jordan locked the door of the tan-and-white house and walked over to Max. “Bad day?”

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Max climbed into the driver’s side. Jordan moved around the front of the truck and slid into the passenger’s seat.

He was fine with giving Max his headspace. Jordan wasn’t one to pry. He knew what wanting to keep things bottled up inside was like. In fact, Jordan was a pro at it.

“Did Cory really buy a small bungalow?”

Max’s fingers tightened around the wheel to the point that the blood fled his knuckles. Now Jordan knew the source of Max’s displeasure and told himself to steer clear of any topic that had to do with Cory.

“I won’t be staying long,” Max said, effectively dodging Jordan’s question. “You’ll have to make your own way home.”

That wasn’t a problem since the apartment building Jordan lived in wasn’t too far from the bar.

When they pulled up in front of Gallagher’s, Jordan was surprised to see the motorcycle the stranger had been riding. They would be in the same place together.

No, I’m not gonna go there. I don’t need any distractions in my life. Jordan hopped out of the truck and headed inside. He spotted Casey, Cory, and Darien at their usual table. They’d already ordered beer and food and looked as though they were having a good time.

Max stopped at the empty chair next to Cory, then took the one on the other side of the table. As Jordan sat, he glanced around the bar. At the counter was the wide-shouldered stranger.

“Where’s Winkie?” Jordan asked with a smile. He still couldn’t believe Cory had taken a stray home. More than that, the little Boston Terrier was highly protective of Cory.

“At home.” Cory smiled. “I left him running around the backyard. He seems to love the new place. I had a doggy door installed, so he’s free to go in and out whenever he wants.”

Jordan listened as Cory talked, but his gaze kept wandering back to the man at the bar.

“That’s the new sheriff,” Darien said, interrupting Jordan’s ogling.

The new sheriff? Jordan glanced away. “Who?”

“The guy you’re drooling over.” Darien jerked his chin toward the bar. “He’s a friend of Dagger’s. Name’s Blade.”

“I was looking at the television over the bar.” Jordan grabbed one of the empty mugs in the center of the table and poured himself some beer.

“He’s hot,” Casey said.

Jealousy spiked through Jordan, shocking him. He didn’t even know Blade and he was ready to slug Casey for making that observation.

Mo—the owner of Dixon Roofing Company—slid from the table he and his rowdy friends occupied and walked to the bar. He sat next to Blade and the two struck up a conversation. Mo was as big as Blade, and just as wide. They looked like two mountains sitting next to each other.

Darien chuckled. “Looks like Mo might’ve found him a partner for the night.”

Jordan started and knocked over his mug. He jumped up and grabbed the stack of napkins, and tried to sop up the beer before it dripped onto the floor or spread across the table.

“What the hell!” Max jerked from his seat and scooted his chair back as the rolling puddle of beer leaked over the side of the table. “If you’re that jealous, take your ass over there. No need to soak me in beer.”

“Shut up,” Jordan snapped. He tossed some napkins to the floor to soak up the mess. “Why the hell would I be jealous?”

“Because you’ve been eye-fucking him since you walked through the door,” Max said with a grunt.

Jordan cleaned up the mess and excused himself to the bathroom. He gripped the edge of the sink and blew out a series of breaths. Even though he was interested, Jordan wasn’t going to make a move.

He was still reeling from the relationship that had nearly destroyed him in Virginia and wasn’t ready to get back into the game. He’d lost his partner of two years to a car accident, and Jordan was still torn up over Gary’s death.

One-night stands were all he had in him now, and his strong attraction to Blade told him to stay as far from the new sheriff as he possibly could.

ADULT EXCERPT

Jordan jolted awake when someone wrapped an arm around him. Wally usually jumped in the bed at night, but unless he’d grown an arm, it didn’t belong to the black lab. He looked over his shoulder, trying to get his bearings as he blinked a few times.

Mason was behind him.

And he was naked.

Jordan snapped his head back around, pressing his eyes closed as he tried to erase the image of Mason’s nude body from his mind. It was no use. He’d gotten an eyeful of Mason’s cock before he’d looked away and now it was emblazoned in his memory.

And what a gorgeous cock the man had.

He told himself that begging Mason to fuck him wouldn’t be a good idea. Jordan really wanted things to work between them, and having sex before they got to know each other was just asking for trouble. Besides, he wasn’t ready to go full speed ahead before he’d purged the demons that still haunted him.

“Sorry to wake you,” Mason mumbled.

“It’s okay.” Lord, help me. Mason’s sleepy voice was deep and husky, only adding to the temptation Jordan was fighting against. He curled his hands into fists under his pillow, trying desperately to fall back to sleep, but he knew that would be impossible.

He had a sexy, naked man lying behind him. He didn’t think anyone in the world had that much self-control. He sure as hell didn’t.

While telling himself not to do it, Jordan scooted back a little, trying to get closer to Mason’s nakedness. The only thing between them was Jordan’s underwear. It would be so easy to take them off and offer himself to Mason.

What if they just had sex? What if Jordan kept things simple between them, kept his heart out of the equation? They could be friends with benefits, but there was just one problem with that idea.

Jordan was already falling for Mason.

His resistance faltered when Mason yanked him back and their bodies aligned. His butt was nestled in the curve of Mason’s groin.

And his hard cock was pressed firmly against the crease of Jordan’s ass.

Biting his bottom lip, Jordan pretended to readjust himself so he could wiggle against Mason’s hardness.

Mason’s hand tightened on him and glided from Jordan’s hip to his stomach, where it rested just above the waistband of Jordan’s boxers.

“If you’re not gonna do anything about my hard dick, I think I need to go sleep on the couch.” Mason’s hand slid up Jordan’s chest. He plucked one of Jordan’s nipples, making him hiss. “This would be a good time to call a stop to this. Because if I keep going, I might not be able to.”

All the reasons Jordan kept Mason at bay vanished. He couldn’t think with Mason damn near curled around him. He wasn’t made of stone, and his cock throbbed for release.

Praying he wasn’t making a big mistake, Jordan slid his underwear off and tossed them over the side of the bed.

Mason turned him and pressed Jordan’s back to the mattress. They looked at each other before Mason’s lips caressed his. This was what Jordan had been craving. This was what he’d dreamed about while lying by himself in Mason’s bed at night. He moaned as he parted his lips, sucking Mason’s tongue into his mouth.

They kissed and touched, explored each other with their hands as Jordan’s body grew tighter. He wanted Mason to fuck him so badly that he nearly begged for it.

“I don’t have any supplies,” Mason admitted as his lips ghosted over Jordan’s jaw. “But I can still make sure we’re both satisfied.”

Jordan hadn’t thought to bring any condoms or lube with him because he hadn’t expected things to go this far. He wanted to kick himself in the ass now.

Mason pulled away and settled on his back. “Turn around and get on top.”

It took a second for Jordan to understand what Mason wanted. He slid his hand over Mason’s rigid stomach and kissed along his chest. If they could only suck each other’s cocks, Jordan wanted to draw this out. He wanted to map Mason’s body, get to know each dip and cut line. Jordan didn’t want to rush into the sixty-nine position and have this end so quickly.

And it would.

His cock was so hard, throbbing so heavily that one touch from Mason’s tongue would send him over the edge.

Unfortunately, Jordan wasn’t sure he could hold out much longer. His body was on fire with need. Every spot he touched, every lick he gave drove his senses crazy.

Mason grabbed Jordan and flipped him, making Jordan laugh. “As much as I’m enjoying your tongue on my chest, I want to feel it on my dick.”

“That needy?” Jordan teased.

“Damn right.”

Jordan moaned and hugged Mason’s hairy leg when Mason took Jordan into his mouth. He lashed his tongue over Jordan’s erection, sucking his length deep into his mouth before pulling back.

Mason released Jordan’s cock. “You can join in anytime.”

Jordan shook his head, blinking a few times while he tried to remember how to think. He wrapped his hand around the girth of Mason’s cock and slid his tongue over the slit.