Forbidden

by Skyler Snow

  “But digital art? Didn’t you ever want to have your own show? Like in a gallery?” I couldn’t help asking.

  “I guess I would, but I knew that video game companies are always looking for artists. I’m too pretty for the starving artist life,” he said then burst out laughing. “Besides, I love drawing for games. How great is it to create something people will enjoy for decades in their own homes?”

  I smiled at him. He was definitely beautiful. “I’m glad you found what you’re looking for.” I bit my lip, my eyes examining him. “And you certainly are too pretty to be starving.”

  His eyes widened as his cheeks flushed at my words. He didn’t say a thing, not that I expected him to.

  I didn’t laugh to cover up because I meant every word, but when the silence dragged on, I said, “Ready to see my fruit bowl?”

  Why did that sound so dirty?

  We spent the rest of the afternoon painting together. Of course, Elliot’s art blew mine out of the water, but I was kind of proud of what I’d done. At least it didn’t look like random blobs and actually resembled fruit. I knew I’d never be an artist, but that wasn’t the point. I loved spending time with Elliot.

  I glanced over at his canvas and smiled. “That looks amazing. I’m putting it on the wall.”

  Elliot’s cheeks pinked and he shook his head. “Not this! It was just a random thing. Let me make you something better.”

  I raised a brow. “I don’t think so. We painted these together, so I’m putting it up.” I grinned at him. “I don’t know why you try to argue with me. I’m stubborn.”

  “Yeah, you are,” he mumbled. “Fine. You can put mine up if yours is right next to it.”

  I glanced at my own canvas and made a face. It was a good practice run, but no one wanted to see my artwork! It was still off, shaky, and the colors weren’t perfect like Elliot’s.

  “I don’t know…”

  “That’s the rule!” Elliot cut in quickly. “Mine goes up, if yours goes up. So, what’s it going to be, Scott?”

  Hearing my name on his tongue was way too much to handle. I wanted to hear him say my name like that while he was underneath me. A breathy moan, a languid sigh. Hearing him call me Daddy would be even better.

  I shook my head. Why the hell couldn’t I think straight with him around? It was like my mind was mush and I couldn’t make it do what it was supposed to. I grabbed our pictures and put both of them up on my dining room wall. When I stepped back to admire them, Elliot was right by my side.

  “They actually look good up there.” He tilted his head up at me, and the smile on his lips begged to be kissed. “Don’t you think so?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Elliot patted my arm. “We’ll do another lesson tomorrow if you’re up for it. I think I’m going to lie down for a bit.” He bit his lip then opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but didn’t. Slowly, he pulled his hand away. “I should get some rest.”

  I nodded and watched him walk away. My eyes lingered until he turned the corner and disappeared into his room. I could still feel his warm hand on my skin. I brushed my fingers over the spot he’d touched and licked my lip.

  Elliot had already collected the art supplies, so I put them aside and returned the stools to where they belonged. I still couldn’t stop thinking about him leaning in so close to me. Elliot was right there if I’d just leaned in a little more.

  Nope, I couldn’t keep thinking about it. My body was revved up with thoughts of holding Elliot in my arms, stripping off his clothes, and climbing on top of him.

  I made a beeline to my bedroom and shut the door. On second thought, I threw the lock just in case. I moved over to my bed while I unzipped my jeans and kicked them off before I climbed onto it. For a moment I felt odd, doing this while Elliot was in the same house as me, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed some relief before I burst.

  I slid open my drawer and slipped out the lube that had only been used on me for I couldn’t even remember how long. Even having someone over for something casual hadn’t happened, and I wasn’t looking for it. I wasn’t looking for Elliot either, but I couldn’t escape my attraction to him, no matter how hard I tried.

  The lube filled my palm, and I wrapped it around my already-stiffened cock. I sucked in a sharp breath. Just that touch made my body tense and my toes curl.

  A soft moan of pleasure left my lips, and I quickly pressed them together. If Elliot heard me, I would never recover. I tightened my grip and shifted my hips up, thrusting into my palm as I gripped my inner thigh with my other hand.

  I could just see Elliot on my lap, riding me. His lips parted as breathy moans filled the air, both of his hands resting on my chest, his nails digging into my skin and his fingers brushing over my chest hair. I could feel his thighs squeezing my body and his hole twitching around my length.

  My body tensed, my stomach clenched, and I groaned long and low as I came with Elliot on my mind. I opened my eyes, and for a moment, I felt as if I’d see him right there with a smile on his face. Of course, that didn’t happen.

  I pushed myself up and started to clean up. How am I going to keep doing this? I can’t be away from Elliot, and I don’t want to be.

  My phone rang and I almost jumped out of my skin. I quickly tugged on a pair of boxers and grabbed my cell. Jack. Shit. I closed my eyes and tried to wipe away the images of Elliot’s lean body on my cock. I couldn’t talk to my best friend while I was still daydreaming about fucking his son. That was just too wrong.

  “H-hello?” I pushed the phone against my ear and tried to force my brain to cooperate. “What’s up, Jack?”

  “Just checking on my boy. I keep texting him, but I know if I call too much it’s just going to irritate him. Kids.” He chuckled. “How’s he holding up out there?”

  “He’s fine.” I tried to calm my racing heart and tried again. “I mean, he seems to be adjusting well to his friends and LA. We bought some art supplies today, and he’s been showing me his work.”

  Jack laughed. “He’s always been so happy to show off his work. Is he eating all right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I try to make sure he eats something other than popcorn and drinks something other than Mountain Dew.” He laughed. “He still complains, but he eats it.”

  “Sounds like my son. How about you? How are you holding up? Is he driving you crazy?” I could hear his smile through the phone. “I know you’re used to living on your own now. It must be difficult having someone around all the time.”

  I thought about it. With anyone else, yeah, I might have been annoyed or ready for them to go. I was used to being on my own and I valued my privacy. It was different with Elliot. I wanted him by my side all day, every day.

  “No,” I said slowly, my stomach twisting as I realized that I really wanted to tell Jack what was going on, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t able to force myself to tell him how much I wanted to be with his son. “It’s been all right,” I said slowly. “Elliot is as sweet as he’s always been.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Jack was quiet for a minute. “Are you sure everything is okay? I don’t want you to be put out. Maybe I should come and find a place for Elliot to stay. I mean, he begged me not to, but it might be for the best, just to get him started and—”

  “No!” I shot up. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that. Elliot and I have been having fun. Let him stay.”

  “Well, okay.” Jack sighed. “I just worry about him. Keep a close eye on my son, Scott.”

  I felt like an asshole even thinking it, but Jack had no idea just how close an eye I wanted to have on his son.

  “I will.”

  We hung up, and my heart clenched in my chest. I was lying to my best friend. I should have told him. My teeth buried into my bottom lip until they ached.

  I’ll tell him if things go anywhere. Right now, it’s just a crazy crush that I need to handle on my own.

  I tried to tell myself that was a
ll it was, but I wasn’t so sure. Elliot had taken up a space in my mind and if I wasn’t careful, he’d take up space in my heart too. He’s already dangerously close.

  7

  Elliot

  As I walked toward the kitchen, I could hear Scott moving around. I rounded the corner slowly and saw that he was about to blend a green smoothie. He turned on the blender, looking at his phone as he made his drink. Almost like he could feel my presence, he looked up at me and stopped the blender, sending me a smile.

  “Good morning, I was about to wake you. I thought you’d want to do something with your last few days of freedom, maybe a hike or the beach...” He spoke casually, but for some reason, I felt like maybe he really wanted me to say yes.

  “Sure, a hike sounds great, as long as you know that green monstrosity does not count as breakfast. I’m going to need something fried,” I replied, trying to match his casual tone.

  “Fried?” His hands flew to his chest, then his eyes widened as he let out a mock gasp. “The absolute horror!”

  My reply was crossed arms and a look that let him know just how funny he was not. I was starving, and unlike him, I couldn’t survive on the smoothies, salads, and densely packed meals that kept him looking like a lumberjack.

  The smile I got in return was almost intoxicating. I had to look away before I stared at him like an idiot.

  “How about I make something fried today if you let me make something healthy tomorrow. I will surely make a good eater out of you.”

  “Good is a matter of opinion,” I replied as he brought out the ingredients for what would become a stack of pancakes. Yum. “Pancakes are yummy.”

  “But they are definitely not nutritious,” Scott said. “We have to make sure you eat balanced meals, so that your energy doesn’t flag when you’re at work.”

  I couldn’t help smiling. He sounded so concerned. “Okay, Mom,” I teased.

  He made the pancakes really quickly and plated them for me in a delicious stack, with butter and syrup on top. I ate while he cleaned up, my eyes studying him when he wasn’t looking. For someone so muscular, there was fluidness in the way he moved. I could watch him forever.

  “Anyway, thanks for breakfast. I’m surprised they weren’t gluten- and everything-under-the-sun free,” I teased again while washing my plate and placing it on the drying rack.

  “Okay, smart-ass, why don’t you go get ready for that hike and meet me at the door in ten.” He packed a backpack as he spoke, and I got a look that told me he didn’t appreciate my humor. But the twitching of his lips said he wasn’t mad.

  The trail was a fairly easy one and I could swear Scott’s eyes were on me, but every time I looked his way, he seemed to be focused on the ground. We walked in comfortable silence while birds tweeted overhead and creatures skittered just out of eyesight.

  “I know most people go to Griffith Park when they come to LA, but I like my hikes tranquil, and when you have a view like this at the overlook, it’s pretty-damn worth it,” Scott said, breaking the silence when we got to the overlook of Corral Canyon that showed an incredible view of the Malibu coast.

  “It’s the only coastal canyon in LA County. I’ve always loved the water,” Scott said, breathing in the ocean air, then removing the backpack and taking a seat facing the impressive landscape.

  I was looking out at the view. It was truly breathtaking, untouched, and raw nature. In that moment, I wished I had brought at least my sketchbook. When I looked down at Scott, he was staring up at me with a look I couldn’t quite place before his face broke out into a smile. He patted the ground for me to sit next to him.

  “I wish I’d brought a few supplies.” I sighed, taking a seat beside him. As I was speaking, he reached for the backpack he had taken off.

  “I thought you might say that,” he said, bringing out a sketchbook and a couple of pencils and some charcoals for me.

  I looked at him in a stunned silence. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  I got a small shrug in reply.

  Usually, I would be uncomfortable with someone else touching my art supplies, but honestly, it was so thoughtful, I couldn’t help smiling.

  “What are you going to do while I’m doing this?” I said, motioning to my sketchbook.

  “I thought I’d do a few training circuits here, and you can do your thing. There’s extra water in the bag and some healthy snacks,” Scott teased. Before I could reply, he was up and had stripped his shirt off.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my eyes going wide as I came face to body with all that muscle. I tried to breathe as my body heated up… Wow, his physique was amazing.

  There was a questioning look on his face when he replied playfully, “Circuits like I told you, or did you want me to give the specific number of burpees and crunches I’m going to do?”

  I could swear he winked at me, but I wasn’t sure if I hadn’t started hallucinating. I could barely concentrate on my sketch as I watched Scott move. He was clinical in his movements, precise and fast. His face was the most serious I had seen, yet he looked completely in his element, almost relaxed.

  I shook my head and snorted. If it were me, I would be a huffing, sweaty, red mess. And not the hot kind of sweaty…

  Like Scott. But I decided to shove that thought all the way down, even though I had to admit, it was getting harder and harder to do. My growing attraction, apparently, didn’t want to be silenced.

  He did about five reps of each exercise before he finally took a break. Scott took out one of the bottles of water and poured it over his head. I could swear everything was happening in slow motion as the water dropped down every crevice of his abs to the indented V at his waist.

  Oof. Daddy.

  I shook my head and buried it back into my sketchbook. My face burned, and I was a little worried I was going to pass out if I had to keep seeing Scott half naked and now wet. That wasn’t even fair.

  Get a grip, Elliot.

  Scott sat back down next to me, using his shirt to clean his body before getting his phone out and making himself busy. He didn't seem like he was in a rush. I knew he was waiting for me to let him know when I was ready to leave. I looked down at my sketchbook, and of course it was empty. Scott had my full attention.

  I decided, fuck it, he was a more interesting subject than the canyon.

  I started sketching him in pencil. It was like my mind had memorized every line and curve of his body.

  Questions swirled in my mind about Scott as I sketched him. He was this person I’d known for so long, but somehow didn’t know, too.

  “Why California?” I couldn’t help asking.

  I felt Scott’s eyes on me without having to look up. I immediately lifted my sketchbook closer to me so he wouldn’t see what I was working on.

  I looked at him from the corner of my eye and saw him shrug.

  “Well, I did the corporate thing for a while, but it felt all wrong.” Scott seemed to be staring into the canyon, so I took the chance to study him more openly. “So, one day I quit my job, sold my house, and I started traveling.”

  He looked over and caught me staring, “I was finally free. I did that for a couple of years and then one day I decided to settle again.”

  “And you thought, California?” I asked.

  “Mmm, I met this guy while climbing Machu Picchu, and we got to talking. He’s an investor—not that I knew that then. He said, if I was ever in LA, I should look him up.” Scott’s lips lifted at the side. “By the time I stopped in LA, I was ready for roots again, but not the whole nine-to-five gig.”

  “So, you decided to work at a gym?” I said. “I guess it makes sense since you love all the energetic stuff so much.”

  He chuckled. “Energetic huh? I guess that’s one way to put it, and yeah, I got my PT certifications, and then I started my own gym. Took a few years, but we’re doing well now.”

  “Wait, you own the gym?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice.

  “I do,” h
e said. “...and two others.”

  “Wow, Dad didn’t say that. Does he know?”

  “He does. Your dad and I don’t have many secrets,” Scott said. But then he got a funny look on his face.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Of course. We should get going though”—Scott got to his feet as he spoke— “before it gets too hot.”

  “Okay.” I closed my sketchbook and handed it to him to put in the backpack.

  We started making our way down, quietly at first, but then I looked his way. “How long have you known my dad?”

  Scott looked down at me. “Freshman year of college,” he replied. “He was my roommate.”

  “Wow, that’s a long time. Before I was even born.”

  “Yup.”

  “What about you, where are your parents? Do they ever come to visit? I don’t think I ever heard you or Dad mention them.” I wasn’t sure why I pushed, but honestly, I wanted to know more about Scott. He’d been such a huge part of my life, and I had only scratched the surface of his.

  “They’re dead.” His tone was clipped, and I knew I had struck a nerve.

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.

  We made the walk down in silence, and it was definitely not comfortable. My stomach knotted thinking about Scott being mad at me.

  Fuck, why was I so nosey? I’d probably brought up some bad memories for him. I usually didn’t try to stick my nose into other people’s business, but I’d gotten a little carried away.

  The next thing I knew, I felt myself falling forward. My heart dropped into my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut, tensing up. Soon, I’d feel the hard ground and my body connect, and it wouldn’t be pleasant.

  Except, the ground never came. Instead I was wrapped in muscular arms. When I opened my eyes, I was flush against Scott’s warm chest. He looked down at me, his eyes concerned and a light frown on his face.

  “Careful now,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself and mess up your first day at work, huh?”