STORY EXCERPT

Keely James stared at the picture in the newspaper, tears of grief sprouting to his eyes. It was a photograph of Dominic Loudan and a blonde woman named Sophia Russo at a gala event at the local art museum held the night before.

It really was a flattering photo of both Dominic and Sophia. They had their arms around each other, laughing at something the cameraman said to them. They looked happy. Why shouldn’t they be? According to the newspaper article, Dominic was sure to ask Sophia to marry him any time now.

The only problem Keely had with the whole thing was that Dominic belonged to him. Keely had been Dominic’s live-in lover for the past five years. They shared everything…their home, their life together…their love.

So why was Keely seeing Dominic’s name paired with some slinky blonde runway model instead of his? Because they were both men? He had heard the arguments from Dominic time and time again.

Dominic was basically in the closet.

Oh, he had no problem being with Keely, introducing him to his closest friends and family. He just didn’t want Keely involved in the public side of his life. He said that people wouldn’t understand two men living together, that they wouldn’t want to do business with someone that was openly gay.

In the beginning, Keely had understood. He had just been happy to have Dominic in his life. But as time went by, Dominic had been in his life less and less. There were more business trips without Keely, more business dinners without Keely, and finally, more everything without Keely.

He hadn’t even seen Dominic in over a week, and they lived together. Presently, Dominic was off on some business trip, coming home briefly for this gala event but staying in a hotel. While Keely stayed at home, waiting for Dominic to remember he existed.

Keely stared at the photo again before dropping the newspaper down on the desk. His heart ached. Dominic hadn’t even called him to say he was in town, much less come home to see him. He wondered if Dominic even remembered that he had someone waiting at home for him.

He knew he was fooling himself. He had held on far too long, not wanting to let go of the man who owned his heart. But the truth was sitting there in black and white. His relationship with Dominic was over.

Keely let out a little hysterical laugh as he wondered if Dominic would even notice if he were gone… probably not. He had Sophia to keep him company. He didn’t need Keely.

He knew he was a glutton for punishment as he reached for the phone and dialed Dominic’s cell phone. He just couldn’t give up on five years without trying one last time to salvage something.

“Hello?”

“Dominic?”

“Hey, baby,” Dominic replied, his voice filled with tension. Keely instantly felt like he shouldn’t have called, like he was a bother to the one man he was supposed to mean everything to.

“Are you busy?” That was a stupid question. Dominic was always busy.

“I have a meeting in about…ten minutes. What’s up?”

“Well, I haven’t seen you in nearly a week. You haven’t even called in two days. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I was worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Keely. I’ve just been busy. You know that.”

Damn! He sounded upset. Dominic hated for Keely to nag as he called it. “How was the thing at the art museum last night?” Keely wondered briefly if Dominic had been cut off when he didn’t reply right away. “Dominic? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Look, Keely, I have to go. I’ll call you tonight and we can talk then, okay?”

Keely’s heart dropped. He knew Dominic wouldn’t call. He hated emotional scenes. He would wait a few days to see if Keely would stop nagging. “Yeah, okay. I love you, Dominic.”

“Yeah, me, too, Keely. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

Keely listened to the sounds of silence as Dominic hung up the phone. He hadn’t even said good-bye. It seemed to always be like that. He just never had time anymore. Keely knew that he was busy, that his business was important to him.

But wasn’t Keely important, too?

He hung up the phone and looked around the beautiful home he lived in. It was a grand showpiece. It was very modern, all black and white and chrome. Everything in it was perfect, right down to the last spoon.

And Keely hated every inch of it.

Funny, it was Dominic’s pride and joy. He loved the house and everything in it. He had even hired a professional interior designer to decorate it. Keely had offered to spruce the place up, but Dominic wanted it done just right. Keely hadn’t had a say in any of it, not even their bedroom.

Just one more thing to let Keely know he would never be a permanent fixture in Dominic’s life. He felt like banging his head against a wall. He couldn’t figure out why he had stayed so long. There had been so many signs that he wasn’t wanted.

Dominic hadn’t even made it to Keely’s college graduation ceremony six months ago. He had been on a business trip to New York and couldn’t come home. He had promised to make it up to him. Keely was still waiting.

He could count on both hands the number of times he had actually seen Dominic in the last six months. Oh, he called when he could, and sent flowers when he forgot. But none of that made up for not being there.

Someone once said that any relationship could make it for the long haul if they could make it five years. Dominic and Keely’s five-year anniversary was two weeks away. It didn’t look like they were going to make it.

Maybe it really was time to cut his losses and move on. He was tired of going to bed alone every night, not having someone to talk with and spend time with. He was tired of not being important enough to matter.

Keely nearly jumped out of his chair when the phone rang just a few minutes after he had hung up. Maybe it was Dominic. Reaching quickly across the desk, he grabbed the phone.

“Hello?”

“Keely?”

“Mom?” Shit! It wasn’t Dominic.

“Keely, you need to come home, honey.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Keely leaned down to cover Dominic’s lips with his. Dominic’s hand came up to grasp Keely’s head, his tongue sweeping in, tangling and teasing back and forth.

Keely’s mouth opened wider when Dominic’s tongue plunged in, sweeping and exploring. Dominic began moving his tongue in and out in a sweet, sexy rhythm that had Keely squirming.

Dominic seemed to be pouring all his emotions into that one kiss, giving Keely his fear, his joy, and everything else the man had been holding back.

Keely’s body became pliant as Dominic claimed his mouth, his hands pressing into Keely’s back. He gently settled against Dominic, feeling the man’s cock press against his stomach as he bent to take Dominic’s lips again.

His own cock jerked in anticipation. He teased, tasted, and became familiar again with the sexy mouth he had been missing for the last several months.

When oxygen became an imperative, Keely reluctantly pulled back, but Dominic didn’t release him. Instead, he yanked his shirt over his head, revealing a chest sculpted to be a man’s dream. Keely’s mouth began to water as he leaned in, taking a small nibble of Dominic’s nipple. He smiled when Dominic hissed.

Dominic tore his nipple away from Keely and wiggled out of his pants like they had caught fire. Keely chuckled. He loved how impatient Dominic always was.

Dominic leaned up and captured his lips in that very moment, stealing all thoughts from Keely’s head just as he stole the breath from Keely’s lungs. He groaned into the kiss as Dominic’s scent filled every pore in his body.

“I need skin.” Dominic’s voice was strained, almost as if he were just as desperate as Keely was to feel their skin collide. He tore at Keely’s shirt, an animalistic sound rumbling in his throat. Dominic was branding him, making his own claim, and Keely was so turned on that he was about to explode in his jeans.

He lay back on the mattress and let Dominic have his way. Once Dominic had his shirt ripped open, he began to work on Keely’s pants. His movements were wild, unforgiving, and dared Keely to interfere, to stop him.

Keely swallowed when he saw the raw hunger in Dominic’s pretty arctic-blue eyes. The man wasn’t kidding around. He meant to fuck Keely to within an inch of his life. That was fine with him. He had missed feeling Dominic’s beautiful cock pound into his ass so damn much.

Dominic shackled Keely’s wrist and pulled him close until bare skin met bare skin. The sensation sent shivers all over Keely’s body. Dominic was such a big man.

Keely loved it.

“I love you, Keely,” Dominic confessed. “No matter what happens, never doubt that.”

“That was never our problem.” Keely wished it had been that simple.

Keely wrapped his arms around Dominic’s shoulders, pulling him close. He captured Dominic’s lips, feeling the warmth spread inside of him at his mate’s scent. He inhaled through his nose, parting his lips as Dominic’s tongue pushed inside his mouth.

Keely wrapped his legs around Dominic’s thick waist, groaning when their cocks brushed against each other. An anxious whine fell from his lips. Keely wanted to feel Dominic inside of him. His cock was already hard and painful, needing release so damn badly.

Dominic broke the kiss, nibbling his way down Keely’s neck. His lips traced a sensuous path of ecstasy. He took Keely’s mouth again and again—drugging kisses, enflaming kisses. Keely felt like he was going to come any second, and Dominic hadn’t even fucked him yet.

“P–please,” he stuttered, fighting for air.

“Yes?” Dominic prompted, his voice gentle, coaxing.

“Fuck me, Dominic. I want you.”

Keely lay back and pulled his knees up to his chest, offering himself to the man. Dominic’s eyes were like summer lightning. They were compelling, magnetic, pulling Keely in as the man grabbed the lube and began to stretch him. He writhed under his lover, losing his mind as he felt Dominic’s thick fingers inside of him.

Keely began crying out loudly when Dominic added a second finger and went in search of his prostate. He felt so full and wonderful. A third finger quickly joined the first two, thrusting several times before they were removed.

Dominic rolled Keely onto all fours as he lined his shaft up with Keely’s aching hole and pushed inside, both gently and insistently. Looking over his shoulder, Keely saw that Dominic’s eyes suddenly burned with an intense hunger that took Keely’s breath away.

Keely closed his eyes, braced his hands against the headboard, and pushed back. One hard thrust buried the thick, steel-hard erection into Keely’s body to the hilt. Keely could feel his heart struggling to keep up with the demands his arousal was placing on it as Dominic began to move inside of him.

“I’m going to come in your hot, tight ass,” Dominic whispered into Keely’s ear. “I’m going to fill you with my cock and fuck you until you can’t walk.”

“God, yes!” His throbbing cock bobbed gracefully, the cool air sweeping around its heat, teasing Keely further. He arched his back higher as a breathless moan escaped his lips “So deep…inside. God, Dominic…I can feel you.”