Toxic (The Complete Series): Contemporary Gay Romance Read online

  LIAM

  When I walked back into the room after calling Bea, Tate was under the covers. His eyes were closed but I could tell he was awake.

  I saw bare shoulders and swallowed hard. “Are you… naked?”

  His lips moved in a smile. “Yes. If that’s okay.”

  It was more than okay. I wanted him completely naked. I wanted him to show me things I’d never experienced before. He loved me. Tate Porter loved me. Those words were so sweet, so perfect, I hadn’t been able to say anything. I just wanted to let them sink in.

  But soon I’d tell him how I really felt, too. It was crazy and fast, but also perfect. And right. I loved Tate and he loved me.

  How had I gotten so lucky?

  I tugged off my jeans and then pulled off my shirt. When I saw Tate’s eyes open, my cheeks heated.

  “Don’t watch me,” I said, embarrassed.

  “You have a beautiful body.”

  “I’m not used to…I’m not used to this. I want to be with you in every way—for you to see me, but this is new.”

  He closed his eyes again and I smiled to myself. I was going to have to get over this. Get used to this. I could be myself around him and I didn’t want to be anyone else.

  “No, wait,” I said. “Open your eyes.”

  He obeyed, his gaze locking on mine. He didn’t say a word as I took off my boxers, but his eyes traveled the length of my body. Every part of my flesh burned where his gaze touched. I could feel how much he wanted me without him even touching me. Without a word.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said. “I want you.”

  “I want you, too. However you’ll take me.”

  He held out a hand. “Come here.”

  I was still shy, still unsure about myself, but Tate was gentle, and it never took long for passion to take over.

  I removed my glasses and then slid under the covers with him, taking his kiss as he pressed against me. His hands were warm, moving everywhere like he couldn’t get enough. His tongue plundered my mouth and I tried not to be self-conscious as I touched him. As my hand traveled under the covers and I stroked his dick.

  It twitched under my hand, pulsing as it lengthened.

  Tate hissed out a breath. “Fuck, that feels good. Everything you do feels good.”

  His words gave me courage, and soon I was laying on top of him, my own cock pressing hard against his. His hips moved, causing friction between us, so much that pre-cum leaked from the head of my cock.

  I kissed down his torso and licked his nipple. His hands fisted in my hair, telling me how much he liked that. My whole body was awake, and I throbbed for him, for a release I wanted him to give me.

  “I…” I looked up into his eyes. “I want you inside me.”

  He held my gaze for a long moment. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Please. I want you.”

  He didn’t hesitate, just reached to the end table and pulled out lube and a condom. My heart raced with anticipation and a small amount of trepidation. What if I fucked it up? What if it wasn’t good for Tate?

  “Relax,” he said, rolling over the top of me.

  He put on the condom and kissed me again, making me forget my worries. His hand stroked my cock, soft tugs that made me moan. I was so hard, I didn’t think I could take this much longer.

  Then he moved lower, lifting and spreading my legs so he could touch my ass cheeks. I don’t know when he’d put the lube on, but I could feel it as he rubbed me, sliding a finger into the slit and rimming my anus.

  My breath hitched.

  “It’s okay,” he said, kissing my cheek, my mouth, and then moving to my earlobe and nibbling. “Just relax. Just feel. I’ll go slow. And we can stop whenever you want.”

  I let the tension leave my body, closing my eyes and allowing myself to simply feel. As he rubbed me with one finger, then slowly slid it inside. I hiked my legs back farther so he could press in deeper.

  “Yes,” he murmured. “Just relax. The more you relax, the better it’ll feel.”

  He maneuvered his finger, stretching me and hitting deeper and deeper inside. Then he added another finger.

  “Okay?” Tate asked.

  “Yes. That feels good.” I squeezed my eyes tighter when he hit a good spot. “Oh, god.”

  I heard the smile in his voice when he said, “Good.”

  His lips found mine again, and as we were mid-kiss, his fingers left me, and I felt the head of his cock instead. Thick and smooth, pressing against my tight hole. I wiggled my hips, loving the feel of him so close to me.

  Wanting more.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispered.

  I did as he said and watched his face as he slid inside of me. He moved forward just slightly, then pulled back—the same motion over and over again until he was completely inside of me, buried in the tight opening.

  His lips parted, eyes going dreamy. “Fuck. You’re so tight. You feel so good, Liam.”

  He felt more than good. I had no idea I could feel so close to someone. That I could see his face and he could see mine as he penetrated me. Then he started to move, slow strokes that felt right. Earth shattering. And when his hips swiveled and he hit the right spot, I cried out.

  “Fuck—Tate!” More. All I could think what that I wanted more

  And Tate gave it to me. Now that he’d found the right spot, he hit it over and over again. I bit my lip hard, trying not to shout.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Yell if you need to.”

  My body spasmed and tightened up. “I can’t—I’m going to—”

  “Yes, come for me.”

  The orgasm slammed into me. My body shook as I spurted against Tate’s stomach. He grunted and shoved into me one more time before he went over the edge as well. His arms came around me, my dick pressed to his stomach as we climaxed together.

  “Shit,” he whispered, breath hot on my ear. “Fuck, that was good.”

  Pleasure raced through me. He was still inside, and so sated I couldn’t help but think my first time had been a success.

  He brushed his thumb on my cheek and stared into my eyes. “You okay?”

  “More than okay. I’m glad I did this with you—that you were my first.”

  He smiled. “Me too. Stay there.”

  He got off of me and disappeared for a moment. I heard running water, and when he came back, he carried a wet rag. My cheeks burned when he started wiping me down.

  “I’m not going to lie,” he said, smiling. “It’s fucking sexy when you get embarrassed like that. Your cheeks get red and you can’t meet my eyes. Liam…I’m just cleaning you up.”

  “You do that a lot. Take care of things. Take care of me.”

  He laughed and wrapped the rag around my dick, tugging slightly. “I think we both just took care of each other.”

  I grabbed the rag from him. “My turn.”

  He lay down and let me wipe his chest and stomach with an approving nod. “See? Give and take. I’m not trying to stifle you, Liam. Or make you think I don’t believe you can take care of yourself. But I do want to be here for you. I can’t help it.”

  “I understand.” Especially because I knew his true feelings. “It’s natural to want to take care of the one you love. That’s why I want to take care of you, too.”

  His eyes burned into mine. “What are you saying?”

  “I love you, Tate. I have since the beginning.”

  He sat up and took my face between his hands. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I love you, too, Liam. I always have.”

  Chapter 16

  One month later

  TATE

  It was killing me to wait here like this. Liam had gone back to his dad’s house, to tell him once and for all that he wasn’t coming back. And that if he didn’t get his act together they might never have a relationship.

  And he wanted to do it without me. I wouldn’t have agreed, but he brought Bea and another friend with him s
o he wasn’t alone.

  I couldn’t stand the thought of him putting himself in danger, but I also had to let Liam do this his way.

  I wanted to be there for anything and everything he did, but I understood he was still finding his place.

  Lucky me, his place was at my side—and mine was at his. We loved each other, and I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else.

  But I still didn’t like it. I picked up my phone and checked it for the third time as I paced the small space in the office.

  “He’s not back yet?” Mason asked from the doorway.

  I glanced up. “No. Not yet.”

  “And it’s killing you.”

  I sent him a glare.

  “Hey.” He held up his hands as he strolled into the office and sat in one of the chairs at the desk. “I get it. You want to make sure he’s safe.”

  “I do. I should have gone with him.”

  Mason made a face but didn’t say anything.

  “I can tell what you’re thinking,” I said, glaring at him again. “I wish you’d just be happy for me.”

  “I am happy for you. No, really.” He crossed his arms. “I know I made things hard for you and Liam when you first got together, but it’s just because I didn’t want to see you hurt. He’s a good guy and I’m happy for you.”

  My lips curved. “Jealous?”

  He snorted. “Yeah, right. I’m not made for love.”

  “You say that now, but one day you’ll meet someone and that will change.”

  Mason laughed. “Sure. Whatever.”

  My phone dinged, and I pressed the screen to see the message. It was from Liam. Everything went well. We’re leaving now.

  I blew out a breath and sat in the other chair. “They’re leaving now.”

  Mason smiled. “See? Everything worked out. He going to keep staying with you, then?”

  “Yes. I told him I’d support whatever he wants, but he wants to stay. And it makes sense. We’re…” I shrugged, not able to put it into words. “We’re right for each other.”

  “It’s the real thing, then?” Mason asked. “Like…happily ever after?”

  Seriously, I nodded. “Yes.”

  I could picture it already, asking him to marry me. Moving into a house together. We had our whole lives ahead of us.

  “Tell me before you propose—just so I have a heads up,” Mason said.

  I glanced at him sharply. “Why’d you say that? About proposing?”

  “Because I know you.” Mason grinned at me. “You commit. You stick. When you know it’s right, you’re in one hundred percent. I admire that about you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Mason stood. “And I agree, by the way. You and Liam are right for each other.”

  “Thanks,” I said, surprisingly touched.

  If Mason was on board, that made things so much easier.

  “Back to work,” Mason said as he left.

  A few minutes later, Liam came through the door. He walked straight to me and wrapped his arms around me.

  “I’m so glad that’s over,” he said, voice quiet.

  Concerned, I pulled back to see his face. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. It’s fine. I just…he was angry, and he didn’t want to hear anything I had to say. But…it needed to be done. I am who I am, and I’m happy with it.”

  I smiled and kissed him. “I’m happy with who you are, too.”

  He returned my kiss. “You’ve always accepted me for who I am. I love you for it.”

  Our future danced through my head again, all the things we’d get to do and all the fun we’d have together. And this was just the beginning.

  “I love you, too,” I whispered. I backed up as I kissed him, keeping him close.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  I grinned as I shut the office door. “Your shift doesn’t start for another twenty minutes. I’m holding you captive until then.”

  I felt his cock press against my thigh. “Horny.”

  “Only for you,” I said. “Always.”

  “Always,” he repeated, then lost himself in the kiss.

  ONLY YOU

  MASON

  I thought opening Toxic with my best friend gave me everything I ever wanted in life. But when I saw him fall in love with the man he’d been crushing on for months, I realized something was missing on my life, too. Then I meet Ryan for the first time, and it’s like things make sense again. I think I might be ready to take another chance on love. Until I find out he has a kid. All my insecurities come rushing back in. My heart tells me Ryan might be the one, but my head tells me I’m just setting myself up for another let-down.

  RYAN

  Mason is sexy as hell and has a reputation for being a player. After a long week, he’s exactly what I need. Just for one night, I want to lose all my inhibitions and be with him. But when he discovers I’m a father, his reaction is more than I planned for. I wasn’t looking for another father for my kid, but Mason has a bond with him I’ve never seen before. Can I trust that Mason is over his bad-boy ways, or am I destined for heartbreak?

  Chapter 1

  MASON

  It was busy, even for a Friday. Toxic had hardly seen a slow day since I’d started advertising our band and doing themed nights. Above that, though, everyone in town knew that Toxic was one of the best bars around.

  It was atmosphere, sure. An old firehouse with the pole still gracing the center of the room. We didn’t let people use it anymore, though, because alcohol plus fooling around on a pole was not only dangerous, but drunk women (and plenty of drunk men) liked to use the pole for stripper dances while the music was playing.

  Tonight, we had the doors open in back, a nice breeze blowing in from a warm late-summer evening. The band started a new song, a Mellencamp cover that always pleased the customers.

  I watched my business partner, Tate, grab his boyfriend’s hand and pull him to the dancefloor. He was acting like a kid again—acting younger and more carefree than I’d ever seen him.

  I stepped behind the bar to pick up the slack, feeling like I’d done this more than usual lately. Tate was usually the one on the floor and I handled the background business aspect of it all.

  But I couldn’t complain. Not too hard, anyway.

  Tate was in love. And he’d found the perfect man.

  “They’re like parasites,” Bea said next to me. She was Liam’s best friend. And, if anyone could relate to how I was feeling, it was her. “They can’t stop latching onto each other.”

  I chuckled at her joke, grabbing two shot glasses and setting them on top of the bar. “I was going to say magnets, but I like your comparison better. The image is a lot more…real.”

  Her lips curved as she watched Liam and Tate. Liam leaned in and kissed Tate like they were the only two on the dancefloor. She sighed.

  “You think the honeymoon phase will ever wear off with those two?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No. Because then they’ll get married and it’ll start all over again.”

  I nodded in agreement and couldn’t help the flicker of jealously that ran through me. Normally, I didn’t even blink at the idea of other people being in love. In fact, because of my history, I kind of thought of love as more of a hindrance than a blessing.

  After all, I’d been in love before and it had almost broken me. I’d taken the leap, told my partner that I loved him, and then I’d found out he was cheating on me.

  With Tate, of all people. But Tate hadn’t known either. We found out we’d both been played, and it sucked.

  Since then, I kept things light. Easy. Or, at least, I tried to. Even that mentality wasn’t as interesting as it used to be.

  I looked back at the dancefloor, and my mouth dropped open in surprise when I saw Tate get down on one knee.

  “Did you know about this?” Bea asked, nudging my arm.

  “I knew it was coming, but not tonight…”

  Then my heart twisted with
something I wasn’t familiar with. It wasn’t jealousy this time. It was longing.

  I rubbed my chest as Liam threw himself at Tate, as Tate laughed, his smile wide. His eyes closed.

  Love.

  “Ow,” Bea said, putting her hand over her heart as well. “Am I supposed to feel this jealous? Because…” She didn’t finish, just sighed and poured a shot for someone.

  “I hear you,” I murmured.

  When Tate looked over, I gave him a smile. Despite my own longing, I was happy for my partner. He deserved it more than anyone.

  “Let’s give it up for the newly engaged couple!” Nate, the lead singer of the band, said into the microphone.

  His sultry voice was met with more cheers and applause.

  “Drinks on me!” Tate said above the noise.

  More cheering and chapping. Nate glanced over and winked at me. My lips curved and I nodded at him.

  “What was that?” Bea asked, glancing back and forth between me and Nate. “Are you flirting?”

  With a laugh, I shook my head. “Just playful—not serious.”

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “I promise. I…” My words died on my tongue. Bea was an employee. And since when did I need to talk about my personal life? I mentioned things to Tate here and there, but mostly there was nothing to talk about.

  I went on dates, I had fun. That was the entire story. I didn’t get attached and didn’t commit because I wasn’t interested in that kind of life. But I also didn’t cheat, didn’t lead anyone on. I was up front.

  People still called me a player, though, and I guessed that was true enough. I liked variety, I liked new people. I liked to keep a full social schedule.

  Up until a few weeks ago, at least. Nate and I flirted off and on. We’d even sat at the bar and had drinks last week. But it hadn’t gone any further than that.

  “Not feeling it?” Bea asked.

  “Exactly. I wish, though.”

  She chuckled and glanced at Nate. “Right? That voice! God, and then paired with his eyes and his muscles and…” She lifted a shoulder. “Whatever. There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

  “I couldn’t have said it any better.”