by Jamie Morgan
PRAISE FOR JAMIE MORGAN
This is a great little story that had me smiling.
I liked the characters in this story and I liked the story in itself.
Yes going to reread it again.
—Amazon Reviewer
Really cute and interesting story with a storyline that is full of action and adventure and exciting characters. If you enjoy a good M/M romance then this is the perfect story for you.
—Amazon Reviewer
PRAISE FOR JAMIE MORGAN
This is a hot, quick short story. It's just enough to give you a little info on the characters and initiate a relationship. I enjoyed the characters and especially the seduction of Soren.
—Booksprout Reviewer
Short, hot and very entertaining! Soren runs from his small town and terrible rumors to get a new start. And what a new start he gets with his neighbors! Definitely worth the read!
—Booksprout Reviewer
PRAISE FOR JAMIE MORGAN
This is a nice short read that will leave you wanting more, the chemistry between the characters was sizzling, I look forward to reading more from this author.
—Cristal, Amazon Reviewer
PRAISE FOR JAMIE MORGAN
This may be a short story, but there is a lot of action for so few pages. The story is easy to read, the characters are fun and laid back, and the action is anything but. Laid perhaps, but not laid back. No angst, just to friends getting what they have always wanted but didn't have to courage to explore. A quick and dirty steamy read.
Highly recommended.
—Doug, Amazon Reviewer
The Boys Next Door
Frat Boys Series, Book One
Second Edition
Copyright ©2019 Jamie Morgan
Cover Art by Willsin Rowe
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
A Taste of Hazing
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Other Titles by Jamie Morgan
About The Author
About
Going to the U of C always brings new opportunities...
When Soren moves into his new apartment on the outskirts of the University of California campus, he is looking for a new start. Fleeing his hometown to escape the pain of a break up, he isn't interested in hooking up with anyone. Or so he thought.
He is surprised when he easily strikes up a conversation with the sexy-as-sin man next door. Zach invites him over for dinner and to meet his roommate, Joel.
Soren finds out Zach and Joel have been experimenting with each other, and want him to join in on their fun and games. Should he take the golden opportunity for a triple man play time with no expectations and no strings attached, or walk away until his broken heart is mended?
Chapter One
“What the hell did I pack into this one?” Soren mumbled to himself as trudged back up the three flights of stairs to his new apartment, forcing one aching foot after the other. He'd been up and back down these stairs what felt like a hundred times today, but in reality was probably only ten. Man, he was out of shape. Something he needed to rectify soon now that he'd moved out on his own and entered the rat race of the big city.
“I don’t know,” a gravelly whisper answered in his ear. “Do you need some help?”
The deep baritone voice came at him so fast and so close by that Soren stumbled backward and into the wall, surprise lending a hand to the outright fatigue he felt at that moment. It had been a long day; so long, in fact, he wondered if he weren't imagining the voice at his ear that sent chills racing down his spine with only a few little words.
Soren gasped when the heavy box suddenly left his arms, though he was sure he had a good hold on it.
Seconds later, over the top of the corrugated, brown cardboard, he caught sight of the most enchanting set of gray eyes, framed by fringes of dark hair. The steely silver eyes sparkled, the tiny lines at the corners of them indicating the other man's smile even though Soren couldn’t see the guy's mouth yet.
With his hands pressed against the wall, now supporting him since his legs threatened to give out entirely while his heartbeat thumped a triple-time rhythm in his chest, Soren felt even more unsteady now than when he’d carried the blasted heavy box.
“Uh… Ummm…”
The other man laughed, the sound a low rumble in his chest that Soren swore he felt vibrate in his own, despite the fact the other guy was now a few feet away.
“Didn’t mean to catch you off guard. Where were you headed with this?”
“304?” He was so proud of himself for getting that much out, even if it came out sounding more like a question instead of a statement. Like this sexy, dark-haired guy would know where Soren was going, right? Dumb. Why did he feel tongue-tied under this man's gaze all of a sudden?
“Really? Well, come on then. I’m 302.” The man winked as he turned away from Soren and took the last few stairs on a jog, leaving Soren a tempting view of his powerful backside, full ass, and muscles bulging down through his thighs, all perfectly displayed by a pair of tight, blue jeans. “So, you have much more to move in?”
“Uh, a few more boxes and a couple of bags. So, no, not much more. Been at it for a while, and the steps were starting to kill me after the long drive into the city.”
“Oh yeah, where’d you come from?” The guy stopped beside Soren's apartment door, but turned to the side to let Soren open it. He leaned against the wall like he was holding an empty box, perfectly posed like a plain clothed delivery man, one like you see in the calendars, the ones guys salivate over when they haven’t had a date in a while.
Okay, guys just like Soren.
“Four hours south of here, small town.”
“A small town boy in the big city, huh? Watch out for the nut jobs.”
“Ah, yeah. I can take that box now. Thanks,” he mumbled, taking his key back out of the door rather than opening it and inviting the man inside to put the box down.
“Bad timing on
that piece of advice. Sorry. Guess there is no way to convince you I’m not one of those nut jobs now, right? How about a change of subject? So, what did you come here looking for then?”
“A job. Fun. A place where nobody knows my name.” Soren bit down on his lip to stop the flow of words from coming out of his mouth.
What the hell are you babbling on for?
“What's wrong with your name?”
“Nothing. A personal joke.” His laugh caught him by surprise, making it turn into more of a choking sound as it came out. “Look, I appreciate the help more than you know, but you ask a lot of questions.”
“Sorry. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to be rude. Just, a good looking guy like you… Well, I got curious. What can I say?”
“A better line,” Soren laughed. “I’m a sweaty, disgusting mess. In fact, I haven’t showered in days. So, what's your angle? Are you just a compulsive liar or a compulsive flirt, or really one of those nut jobs?” Funny, though, Soren didn’t feel scared at all. Maybe his sister was right, the first smooth-talking guy would con a small town boy like him in a heartbeat.
“You wound me. I’m not lying. You are beautiful, sweaty or not. Maybe I like the look of a hard working man, one with a mission.”
“Okay. Well, thanks then. I’ll take that box now.”
“You aren’t inviting me in?”
“Now you're getting creepy. Let me tell you, my sister warned me about guys like you.”
“Did she? Guys like me. How am I exactly? And what did she tell you?”
“Oh, Lord, you should have heard the things the woman told me before I left!” Soren laughed hard, seemingly breaking the tension that had been starting and stopping between them. “She really didn’t want me moving here and she used every horror story in the book. You could be a flirt, a guy just trying to get into my pants. Or, you could be an ax murder, flirting so you can rape and then kill me, or anywhere in between. I’m not supposed to talk to strangers. And yet here I am!” He threw his hands up in the air.
“Well, hopefully we won’t be strangers for long. I actually live right next door with another guy named Joel. I’m Zach, by the way. We're both students at the U of C. It’s the middle of the semester, so I’m guessing you didn’t come for the classes.”
“Well, I hope to eventually. My first priority was to get out of the little hometown. Then, to save enough money to go to college or apply for student loans, and make enough money to be able to at least eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich now and again while keeping a roof over my head. I will even give up the jelly!”
“I hear you. And, I apologize. Really. I’m a future psych major, and, well, I ask a lot of questions. Always have. So, I figured psych was my calling. Joel is always telling me to stop analyzing him and just let him be. He's pre-med, too. Polar opposite of me, though. We don’t get each other at all, but we do get along well enough. Too well, maybe.” His eyebrows shot up the same second he tipped his head to the side.
“What do you mean by that?” Soren asked, realizing they were still out in the hall. The door to his apartment was still closed, so he at least made an attempt to open it again as Zach stood there with his mouth open, at a loss for words for the first time. “Sorry, me asking too many questions this time. Here, bring that box inside rather than standing out here holding the thing. The muscles you must have in those arms. Shit! Sorry, I can’t believe I said that out loud.”
Zach laughed as Soren slipped inside his apartment. He prayed the guy was telling the truth about not being one of those nut jobs. Or even in death he was going to be pissed if he proved his sister right by getting himself killed his first day in the big city.
Zach placed the box on the floor next to all of the others Soren had lugged up the stairs. He had packed everything he could into his car, like he was never planning on going back. Ever. At this point, even visiting back home was questionable.
“You’re staring off into space, man. Must be some story you are running from. But, I’m not asking!” Zach put his hands up, palms toward Soren, defensively with the cutest shrug to his shoulders. “Just offering an ear, should you ever need one. Okay? Maybe someday, either when I have a degree or you trust me, whichever comes first, you will feel you want to talk to someone about it and that someone will be me?”
“You really a psych major?”
“You want to come look at the stack of books in my apartment?” he grinned. “Tell you what, come over for dinner tonight. Mac and cheese, a beer or two, a step up from peanut butter, and you can check them out. I know Joel is going to want to meet you when he gets home from work.”
“Work… Where does he work?”
“Just on campus in the cafeteria. I work in the bookstore. How about you, you got that job for peanut butter and maybe jelly yet?”
“No. That comes tomorrow, hopefully. I will take whatever I can get. I don’t start college right off, I…” he left off, cautious about revealing too much. He still hadn’t seen the proof Zach was actually a psych major and Soren didn’t need the rumors from home to follow him here. This was starting over, not spill your guts to the first person you meet. He’d just had no one to talk to back home, no friends left, not his sister, and this guy in front of him now just had that thing about him that said spill your guts to me. He could use a friend like that, but maybe not the one living right next door to him that he would have to see every day. More a stranger he could spill his guts to, which, in the event they judged him, he would never have to see again.
Maybe I should start looking for a truck driver, huh?
“Look, let me help you get the rest of your stuff out of your car. I don’t mind at all. It’s a Friday night. I was just coming in for food and an evening on the couch. Too tired to party, anyway,” he ushered Soren first out the door, “One thing, though. You have yet to give me your name.”
“Sorry. It’s Soren.
“Soren it is then.”
Chapter Two
Damn, but the man was easy to talk to. Soren had almost slipped several things into their easy conversation. But, he’d given himself a stern talking to in the shower as he got ready to go over to Zach and Joel’s for dinner.
He would have thought the evening would at least have gotten off to an awkward start, but that could not have been further from the truth. Joel was as laid back as Zach, just as sincere and honest it seemed, too. Both were far too easy to talk to, not to mention excessively easy on the eyes, which was the only thing causing any discomfort at all, only just to him.
“So, you’ve seen the psych books now, you have anything you want to get off your chest? I'm all ears. Doctor–patient confidentiality applies, even for college students.” Zach laughed lightly, obviously trying to make a joke out of what he said, but failing to hide his curiosity, or was it genuine concern?
Maybe concern is just what you so desperately want to see.
“Really?” Soren laughed, sitting in an old mismatched chair across from the two hot guys on the couch. “No, I think I’m good. I’ve probably taken up enough of your time today. I should head back home, what with the long walk and all to next door, and get to work unpacking myself.”
“You’ve been no trouble at all. In fact, I’ve loved getting to know a little about you, what you will tell anyway.” Zach winked.
“Why are my secrets of such interest to you, anyway?” Soren asked, arching an eyebrow and shaking his head.
“I was just teasing that time. Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. You just have something about you. My spidey senses are tingling. Something is troubling you, something you obviously ran away from. It’s not just the future head doc in me, but there is honestly something else about you. I really want to get to know you better. A sixth sense, if you will, that you’ve met someone that will soon become very important to you. Now, wait, I know you are back to thinking nut job, but I'm just being honest here. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
“You will have to forgive
my roommate here,” Joel spoke. “He likes to analyze everyone. An internal drive to help everything from lost puppies to, well, you name it, among humans. He has a big heart. Just can’t stand for anyone to suffer. I will vouch for his abrupt honesty even if maybe said a touch too soon.” Joel crinkled his brow up at his roommate.
Soren had been listening, but what really caught his attention was the way that as Joel spoke, he patted and then rubbed Zach’s thigh, higher and higher up as he went. The motion was too hard to be just friendly. Soren stifled a gasp when he noticed that Zach’s package increased in size in his pants. Joel followed his gaze to where he was looking, went to speak, probably to explain their relationship status, but Soren waved him off.
“No need. I think it’s great.” He got up to leave them to it.
“Then why are you leaving?” Zach got up to stand beside him at the door, his hand resting palm flat on the wall to one side of Soren's head.
“Honestly, I was starting to feel like a third wheel. You guys are great, and I'm thrilled to have such nice neighbors. It has been great to meet you, really…”
When Soren paused, Joel made his way over to them. “I don’t want you to go either. Pardon me for being so up front here now, but really, something about you… We would like to make you a third. Not talking sex tonight, but maybe a little cuddling, share the couch, watch a game or a movie. I’m sure I’m being inappropriate here. Saying things too soon. But, this is college, a time for freedom and trying out all sorts of new things. Right?”