Free Bindings and Books by CM Corett

found only the shadowy form of his lover.
    The shadow’s caress drifted tormentingly lower, toward his stomach.
    A harsh groan escaped his lips. “James.”
    The movement stopped.
    The rough sheets filled his clenching fists. “Please.”
    The caress began again. It moved closer toward his stirring arousal, sliding, pressing, and enticing, sending heat through his lower body.
    His short breaths quickened. His hands blindly searched for and found shoulders to clasp, drawing them upward. “Kiss me.”
    Lips pressed against his neck, teeth grazed his ear.
    He moaned and turned his head, pressing his lips against warm skin. He inhaled a long, deep breath… and froze. Not James!
    Frantically, he pushed and kicked, and his body twisted. Desperate to escape, he fell from the bed and scrambled across the room to claw at the light switch.
    The harsh light illuminated the figure on the bed like a spotlight.
    He inhaled sharply. “Brody! What the hell are you doing?”

Chapter 13
     
    Text To: J ames
    From: Ash
    Maybe we should take this time
    to re-evaluate our relationship.
    Maybe age gap is too much. Ash
    ____
     
    Text To: Ash
    From: James
    Ash, what do you mean? J
    ____
     
    Text To: Ash
    From: James
    Ash, please answer your phone. J
    ____
     
    James paced around the bookstore muttering beneath his breath. I hate texts! They don’t explain. They can’t show intonation or emotion! They are the stupidest things ever invented! Did Ash want some space? Did he want to move out? Break up? Find a younger man? The text was driving him crazy.
    One, two, three, four, five steps across the bookstore. Six, seven, eight—
    It usually helped. Why the hell isn’t it working?
    He looked around the store. A frowning Stephanie watched from behind the counter. Probably wondering if she should call someone about the crazy man. From the travel section, an elderly woman eyed him nervously, ready to bolt if he turned his craziness toward her.
    All eyes turned to the door as the shop’s bell tinkled, heralding a new arrival. Seeing her chance to escape, the elderly lady moved with surprising speed to exit the shop before the maniac had a chance to focus on her.
    “Rachael!” He grabbed his sister in a bone-crushing hug.
    “Hey! What’s wrong?”
    “He’s gone, and I don’t know what to do.”
    She frowned and pulled away. “Who? Ash? You said he was going away for a few days to stay with Brody. I thought you were okay with it?”
    He jerked unsteady fingers through his hair. “I was until I got the text. Now I think he’s going to leave me.” He began pacing again. “I don’t know what I should do. I’ve texted and tried calling him. He won’t answer.”
    “Okay, calm down and tell me about the text.”

Chapter 14
     
    T HE SILENCE stretched.
    James cleared his throat again. “Ash, what happened at Brody’s?”
    Ash shifted slightly on the couch and released an audible breath. “Brody still has feelings for me.”
    “What? I didn’t even know he was gay. Wait! What do you mean by still ?”
    “Yeah, it turns out we used to be in a relationship. Evidently we broke up about four months before I met you.”
    “Well, I guess that explains a lot. Brody has acted like he hates me from the day we met.” James shifted restlessly on the couch and drew in a long breath. “And how do you feel about Brody?”
    Ash’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, God. No! That’s never going to happen.”
    “Okay.” The breath left his lungs with a whoosh. “And what about the text?”
    “What? What text?”
    “The one about reevaluating our relationship.”
    Ash stared blankly at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    James pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans and scrolled through his texts before handing Ash the phone.
    “Shit!” Ash jumped to his feet and retrieved his phone from the kitchen bench. He scrolled through his sent messages. “Shit!” Returning to the living room, he stood looking out the window