STORY EXCERPT

Stephen stared at his reflection and grimaced. It was no wonder people shied away from him when they saw him coming. Everything was in sharp contrast to the polished urbanite he had presented to the world just the year before. A lot had happened since then, not the least of which was nearly dying. It had taken months for him to recover. Once he had done so, he had testified against the man running the organization he had infiltrated, helping put that man in prison for a very long time. When the trial was over, Stephen had gone to great lengths to change everything about himself.

Gone were the tailored clothes, replaced by worn jeans, T-shirts, and heavy leather boots, all of which had seen better days. He no longer shaved twice a day. There was two days’ growth of hair on his face at the moment. The biggest change to his face was the tattoo covering much of the right half of it. It was bold, in the tribal style of his Samoan ancestors, helping to disguise the fact he had been shot in the face. Reconstructive surgery had helped a lot, but there was no way he would ever look as he had before the attempt on his life. The tattoo wasn’t about vanity, however. He wasn’t ashamed of his scars or the other damage beneath them. The tattoo changed his appearance radically, made him appear more dangerous, which seemed to prevent people from doing more than glancing at him.

Pushing away from the sink, Stephen bent to pick up the tattered duffel at his feet. He slung it over his shoulder and headed for the door, thinking he could kill for doing more than splashing water on his face. He knew he was getting a bit ripe. A hot shower and soap were only a fantasy at the moment, as he put as many miles as possible between his past and his future.

Chuckling, Stephen headed to where the bus was waiting. The smell coming off of him was also doing a good job of keeping people away.

* * * *

Five hundred miles later, Stephen got off the bus, relieved to know it was the last one he would be taking in his journey toward his new life. As he walked away, he knew it wouldn’t take long to find a ride. He wanted a hog, a down and dirty beast to go with his new persona, but had to settle for handing over a grand for a piece of crap pickup truck. Despite the seller’s vow that it “runs real good,” Stephen wasn’t certain it would even get as far as the limit of the town. Tossing his duffel on the passenger seat, he put the key in the ignition, his eyebrows lifting in surprise when he heard the engine for the second time. Obviously a bit of a warm-up helped a lot. It did sound good for its age. Maybe it just had to get its old parts moving for a bit. He had paid extra for a new battery, so he didn’t have to worry about that. He had checked the oil and the transmission fluid. Both had looked good with nothing suspicious in either. The belts had looked in fair condition, too, as did the tires. After backing the truck up and looking for any fresh fluids on the snowy ground, he had been satisfied and handed over the money to the man sweating bullets of worry.

Stephen could have laughed, if the situation wasn’t so fucking serious. He was planning to disappear forever. In this day and age of modern technology, doing so wasn’t as simple as a guy riding off into the sunset on his favorite horse. A new identity had been created for him, but he had little confidence it would remain a secret. Money and power had a way of influencing the weak. There were also those who could be bought for a price. And if that didn’t work, threats against a person or their family could make an otherwise honest person give up information. He had no family left, so that was something he didn’t have to worry about.

With a full tank of gas and a map, Stephen first headed south, driving nearly a hundred miles before turning back east. A tight smile pulled at his mouth. He had known for the past few days that he was being followed, and he had a fairly good idea who it was doing the following.

Leaving his diminutive friend behind had been a difficult decision, perhaps the hardest he had ever made, but Stephen had known it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it seemed he should have passed that memo along to a certain person, the man he had foolishly allowed himself to fall in love with. He hoped the regret and the pain he was feeling wouldn’t last long, because they were terrible things to live with.

ADULT EXCERPT

Jumping off the bed, Jade ran to where he had put the pink case. The latches clicked open and he rooted around as Stephen watched. When Jade found the bottle he held it up triumphantly, before searching the case again. He pulled out a strip of condoms and headed back to the bed, leaping the last few feet to land on it with a bounce so hard he nearly shot off the other side. Stephen grabbed him around the waist, saving Jade from landing face-first on the floor.

“Easy there. I’d rather fuck you than sit in an emergency room.”

“Me, too.”

After tossing the lube and condoms on the bed, Jade peeled off his pajamas. Stephen’s breath caught in his throat as he got his first look at Jade’s beautiful little body. It was the first time he had seen it in its entirety. Seeing Jade in the boy shorts he wore to swim in didn’t count. Creamy mocha skin covered the man. Like Stephen, Jade was mixed race. Each one had contributed to make him into what he was.

“Oh, honey, you are beautiful,” Stephen told Jade as his admiring gaze skimmed over every inch it could. Reaching for the condoms, he separated one from the others and ripped the foil. “Come here. Help me get undressed. I want to make love to you.”

“Will it be making love?” Jade asked, reaching eagerly for the waistband of Stephen’s sweats. He lifted as Jade pulled, easing them over the long, thick erection beneath. Stephen chuckled as Jade got his own first look. He might have felt the size of Stephen’s cock, but he had never seen it before. “Wow. Glad I decided to be prepared for anything. I was hoping you would agree we should be together.”

Jade continued to stare.

“What do you mean?” Stephen asked, kicking away the clinging sweats. Reaching between his thighs, he massaged his aching balls.

Scrambling around, Jade showed Stephen that he had inserted a butt plug while he was in the bathroom. The man was full of surprises. One thing was certain, Stephen thought with wry amusement, he doubted a life with Jade would ever be boring.

Reaching for the open condom package, he took out the latex disc and rolled it on. Stephen then grabbed the bottle of lube and flicked open the cap. He poured a generous amount into his palm, warming it for a moment before applying it to his throbbing cock. As he did so he watched Jade reach back to play with the plug, pushing and pulling it until it was nearly out of his ass, stretching his asshole wide, before pushing it back in. His ass sucked it back up, something Stephen thought was fucking hot.

“Come here. Let me play with that.”

Jade backed up and straddled Stephen’s torso, giving him easy access and an even better view. Smooth balls were there, too, tempting Steven to suck on them. He would, but later. There was something much more pressing at the moment, a hunger he needed to assuage. Grasping the base of the plug with the hand not covered in lube, Stephen pushed and pulled on it much as Jade had done. He watched with near fascination as it went in and out. It wasn’t as large as his cock, but it had certainly speeded up the process of preparing Jade for receiving the thick length of his flesh in his dark channel.

Pulling the plug free finally, Stephen tossed it aside and grasped Jade. He turned him around so they were facing each other. The light from the bedside lamp was illuminating his delicate features, the great dark eyes, and the full, pouty lips.

“Last chance,” Stephen murmured softly as they stared at one another. “There’s no turning back after this.” The warning was clear. Once Stephen took possession of the other man, he would never give him up.

Smiling, Jade shook his head. Then he leaned down to press his lips against Stephen’s. “I don’t ever want to go back. We have a fantastic future ahead of us.”

Stephen wondered if confidence was a fault. Jade’s positive attitude was refreshing.

As Stephen held Jade by the hips, Jade lifted up slightly and reached back. His fingers stroked Stephen’s slick cock for a moment, before taking hold of it and guiding it to his waiting hole. The head pressed against and through the ring of twitching muscles. Electric sensations buzzed through Stephen’s body and his breathing quickened as Jade lowered himself slowly along the length of Stephen’s cock. Their gazes locked, they moaned in unison.

Jade finally bottomed out. His small hands were splayed on Stephen’s chest. They didn’t move, they didn’t breathe, as they became accustomed to the new sensations running through their bodies.

Moving his hands, Stephen slid them over Jade’s slender thighs. They were smooth under Stephen’s palms. He explored them as he made his way back up to Jade’s hips. His fingers curled around the firm mounds of the man’s ass. Jade’s breathing was ragged now. His body was trembling. He was gorgeous, irresistible, and obviously temptation incarnate.

Giving the flesh in his hands a firm squeeze, Stephen said encouragingly, “Ride me, honey.” The silky heat encasing his cock was an amazing sensation, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It felt wondrous, as if this was his first time. “Take your pleasure on my cock.” Stephen was surprised to see the dark eyes brimming with tears. Had he hurt Jade as their bodies joined? The possibility frightened him. “What’s wrong?” he asked almost fearfully.

Jade sniffled and moved tentatively. “You just feel so perfect inside me,” he confessed in a whisper.