SPEECHLESS
Also by Nicole Edwards
The Alluring Indulgence Series
Kaleb
Zane
Travis
Holidays with the Walker Brothers
Ethan
Braydon
Sawyer
Brendon
The Club Destiny Series
Conviction
Temptation
Addicted
Seduction
Infatuation
Captivated
Devotion
Perception
Entrusted
Adored
The Coyote Ridge Series
Curtis
The Dead Heat Ranch Series
Boots Optional
Betting on Grace
Overnight Love
The Devil’s Bend Series
Chasing Dreams
Vanishing Dreams
The Devil’s Playground Series
Without Regret
The Pier 70 Series
Reckless
Fearless
Speechless
The Sniper 1 Security Series
Wait for Morning
Never Say Never
The Southern Boy Mafia Series
Beautifully Brutal
Beautifully Loyal
Standalone Novels
A Million Tiny Pieces
Inked on Paper
Writing as Timberlyn Scott
Unhinged
Unraveling
Chaos
Naughty Nice Holiday Books
2015
Speechless
A Pier 70 Novel
Book 3
Nicole Edwards
Nicole Edwards Limited
PO Box 806
Hutto, Texas 78634
www.NicoleEdwardsLimited.com
www.slipublishing.com
Copyright © Nicole Edwards, 2016
All rights reserved.
This is a self-published title.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Speechless – A Pier 70 Novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Image: © Pavlo Vakhrushev | 123rf.com (front cover image - 35248917); © carther | 123rf.com (back cover image - 17825407)
Ebook Image: © magenta10 | 123rf.com (formatting image - 14284060)
Cover Design: © Nicole Edwards Limited
Editing: Blue Otter Editing www.BlueOtterEditing.com
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-939786-63-0
ISBN (print): 978-1-939786-64-7
Gay Romance
M/M interactions
Mature Audience
Dedication
This book is dedicated to anyone who suffers from depression, who knows someone who suffers from depression, who has lost someone to this illness, who works to eliminate the stigma associated with suicide, and who helps to raise awareness for this disease. We are the voice and we need to be heard.
Dear Reader,
This book touches on some very sensitive subjects, including suicide and depression, all of which should not be taken lightly.
If you or someone that you know suffers from depression or has thoughts of suicide, please, I encourage you to seek professional help.
If you are in crisis, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
For more information or resources on suicide prevention:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
http://www.afsp.org
Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Prologue
Thursday, June 2nd
TEAGUE CARTER TRIED to ignore Hudson Ballard. Hell, he’d tried to ignore the bastard for the past … what? Two years now? Maybe three? Who freaking knows and who really cares. Regardless, it was getting more and more difficult as each day passed, but he wanted to think he’d done a pretty decent job all this time.
Until now.
Until today.
Until this fucking cruise, where he’d seen more of Hudson than he cared to.
Yup, Teague had mastered the art of avoidance or so he’d thought. But here on this stupid cruise ship, with the way Hudson was watching him, avoiding the man was damn near impossible. To the point that Teague simply wanted to punch him. In the mouth.
But he hadn’t.
No, he had settled for drinking himself into oblivion and it’d worked. He could no longer feel his fingers or toes, and his tongue had long ago gone numb thanks to the whiskey he’d been drinking like water. Chasing it with beer helped, too. It’d been the only way he could handle watching Hudson talk to the guy he’d brought on the ship with him. Stupid asshole.
He peered over his shoulder at Hudson, noticing the big guy was watching him intently. Teague had the sudden urge to stick out his tongue, but he knew that was petty and childish, and he was doing his best not to give in to those impulses. Shit, he was twenty-five years old, for fuck’s sake. He could act like a grown-up when need be.
Still didn’t mean he liked the fact that Hudson had brought along a plus one on this trip. Teague was pretty sure someone had said the guy’s name was AJ, but he wasn’t positive. Nor did he give a fuck. What the hell kind of name was that, anyway?
“A. J.” Teague smiled to himself as he began saying the letters faster. “A. J. A. J. A. J. Age. Age. Age. Age. Age.” He laughed because they now sounded funny and made his tongue tingle.
He rolled his eyes and lifted his empty glass. Too bad the bar was closed already. Then again, the reception was over, which meant the private room would probably be closing soon, too. The alcohol was definitely helping to keep him from thinking about Hudson. In fact, he’d done everything in his power not to pay attention to Hudson and his new boy toy. The boy toy who had been signing to Hudson earlier and was now talking to Milly.
Did anyone else find that strange?
Gay guy. Straight girl. No matter how you calculated
it, the math didn’t add up.
Damn. He’d obviously had far too much to drink, because it sure as shit looked like Milly and the guy were flirting it up. But that couldn’t be the case. The asshole was here with Hudson.
Hudson the Prick.
Mmm-hmm, that was what Teague had started calling him. It was a good name for him, too.
When his head started spinning again, Teague knew it was time to get to his cabin. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make that happen, but he figured he’d get there eventually. If not, he could always lie down on the floor and take a nap. It wasn’t like anyone would be worried about where he was or who he was with. Unlike everyone else on this stupid cruise, he didn’t have a plus one. He was rolling solo, like always.
Oh, wait. Roan was, too.
Whatever.
Roan wasn’t important right now.
“Son of a fucking bitch,” he muttered, holding his empty glass. No more whiskey and no more bartender meant heading back to his room was a definite must.
He managed to twist in his chair and get his feet firmly on the floor, but when he went to stand, the room started spinning again. He had to sit back down. Luckily, no one had moved the chair or he would’ve been on his ass on the floor, and he was seriously questioning whether or not he could’ve gotten up from that point.
Okay, one more try.
Again, Teague pushed to his feet, this time remaining upright long enough to get away from the table. He started in the direction of the door, hoping he would make it. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot.
Wait, which foot was he on?
He looked up at the door. That was a long-ass way from where he was, but…
Shit.
He stumbled again and grabbed the nearest chair. “If the ship would stop rocking, I’d be fine.” He wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but the words helped his tongue not feel so numb, so he continued to ramble as he pushed away from the chair and made another go at getting to the door.
Unfortunately, the door disappeared from view when a giant body stepped in front of him.
Fucking great.
Now he had to deal with Hudson the Prick.
Teague instantly looked at Hudson’s hands as he signed. He had absolutely no fucking idea what Hudson said, but if he knew Hudson, it was going to be something that involved telling Teague what to do. So he replied in kind. “Thanks for the bit of advice, Dad.”
The next thing Teague knew, he tripped on his own foot, and the world tilted sideways. Just as he was gearing up to kiss the floor, Hudson’s enormous arms wrapped around him, keeping him from face-planting. Because he was too drunk to do otherwise, he allowed Hudson to get him to his feet by putting his arm around his back.
Hmm. The guy smelled good.
Then again, he always smelled good.
Something dark and woodsy…
Had to be cologne. The expensive shit, at that.
While Hudson guided him toward the door, Teague tried to ignore the heat that seared him from Hudson’s touch. He hated how fucking good it felt for someone to be touching him like this. He wasn’t sure anyone had ever attempted to take care of him or given a flying fuck whether or not he made it where he needed to go, but it seemed Hudson was doing just that. Sure, Teague had friends, kind of, but most of them would’ve laughed their ass off once Teague hit the ground. They wouldn’t have helped him by any means. And since he had no family…
Teague was distracted by Hudson’s scent.
“Why the fuck do you have to smell so good?” He tried to peer up at Hudson, wanting to look into those emerald-green eyes. “And why the hell aren’t you with your boyfriend?”
He knew better than to expect an answer from Hudson. The guy was mute; he couldn’t speak. If he signed a response, Teague wouldn’t understand, anyway. And truthfully, he didn’t want an answer to that. He’d done his best not to think about Hudson and that guy sharing a room, sharing a bed…
He shook his head, trying to dislodge the stupidity that was bouncing around inside his brain.
Hudson helped him onto the elevator, then pointed to the panel by the door.
Teague reached out and hit a button. Seven was a good number. It was random, sure, but that was because he couldn’t remember what floor he was on.
When they got to the floor, Hudson helped him out, still holding him upright as he led him down the hall. For some reason, this didn’t look like the right one, but Teague really didn’t know. His vision was blurry, so he couldn’t tell for sure. The carpet was different, maybe?
“Not my floor,” he mumbled, trying to remember what floor he actually was on. “Room number doesn’t have a seven.”
Or did it?
He felt Hudson’s arm tighten around him, and he got the sense Hudson wasn’t pleased with him, but he didn’t give much of a fuck. No, he didn’t give a fuck at all. The thought made him chuckle.
No fuck at all.
It seemed like forever before they finally made it to the right floor. It had only taken another detour on the wrong one before he got lucky. This one looked like the right place. And this—he reached out his arm and pointed—was the right door. Maybe. When they stopped, he noticed Hudson’s hands moving, but he didn’t know what Hudson was saying, so he frowned back at him.
Not wanting to touch Hudson any more than he had to, Teague attempted to stand up on his own. “Fuck. Why’s the room spinning so damn much?” And who stretched it? The last part he kept to himself because his lips felt funny.
He peered up at Hudson at the same time those penetrating green eyes glared back at him. He was tempted to ask him what his problem was, but then…
Son of a bitch.
Hudson’s hand dove into Teague’s pocket, dangerously close to… Oh, fuck. Just a little to the left…
No, wait. Not to the left. He wasn’t supposed to want Hudson touching him.
He tried to jerk away. “I didn’t say you could touch me.” Teague shifted his hips, trying to keep Hudson’s hand from brushing against his dick.
Unfortunately—or was it fortunately?—Hudson’s hand disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Hudson unlocking the door, pushing it open with his foot, then maneuvering Teague forward until the door was pushing against his shoulder. While he let Hudson do all the work, his brain started conjuring up images of a naked Hudson in the room with him.
Mmm. He liked that idea. “I knew one day I’d get you to my room. Didn’t think it’d be so soon.” It was true. He’d had a million fantasies over the years about Hudson. He’d used those fantasies when he jacked off, in fact.
As they neared the bed, Teague found himself staring up at Hudson, his eyes trained on the guy’s mouth. He wanted to know what those lips would feel like, what his tongue tasted like… Mmm. Those lips looked good. They’d look really good wrapped around his dick.
He quickly looked into Hudson’s eyes. They didn’t look happy. They never looked happy.
When Hudson nodded toward the bed, Teague once again focused on Hudson’s mouth.
“Fuck, I’ve wanted to kiss you for so goddamn long.” He didn’t mean for the words to come out, but so help him, he couldn’t stop talking. “Sometimes I wish I could hate you as much as I pretend to.”
That was also true. He would prefer the hatred to these overwhelming cravings he had for the man. He hated that he wanted him so fucking much.
Hudson once again urged him closer to the bed, using his bigger body to shift Teague backward, but before he hit the mattress, Teague gave in to his desires. He reached for Hudson, latching on to his neck and pulling him down until their mouths were crushed together. Warmth penetrated him, but Hudson seemed to resist, but only for a second.
If he hadn’t been drunk and so fucking horny, he would’ve questioned why the hell he had instigated this kiss. He didn’t do the kissing thing. Ever.
But he couldn’t bring himself to care right now.
&n
bsp; And then Teague experienced an earth-moving lip-lock that rocked him to his very soul. The way Hudson took control, gripping his chin as he fucked his mouth with his tongue… Oh, shit. He never wanted it to end. He wanted to climb this man’s giant body, to devour him whole, to take everything Hudson was willing to give him.
The room began to spin again, but Teague didn’t let go, clinging to Hudson while their tongues dueled. His dick was swelling and throbbing, desperate to feel Hudson’s touch. The arm around his waist tightened as Hudson deepened the kiss, making Teague see stars. It was fucking fabulous.
And then it was over.
Hudson’s warmth disappeared as Teague fell onto the bed. Lifting his head, he saw a blurry form, but it didn’t seem to be getting closer.
“Where’re you goin’?” he called out to Hudson, not wanting him to leave.
But then Hudson was gone, and Teague’s eyes opened, the sun blinding him, making his head pound from the hangover that wreaked havoc on his brain and his stomach in equal measure. He closed his eyes, willing the dream to return. He wanted to see what happened next. He wanted Hudson to come back, to join him on the bed…
Son of a bitch.
As he felt the ship rock beneath him, Teague sighed. His mind was once again playing cruel tricks on him. It was morning, he was still dressed in the stupid tuxedo, lying on the bed, trying to recall that dream…
Yep, his mind was definitely playing cruel, cruel tricks.
One
Friday, July 1st
“GIANT ASSHOLE!” TEAGUE kicked a box out of his way as he pretended to be looking for something.
He wasn’t.
Looking.
More like, he was trying to cool the fuck off because he couldn’t deal with being in the same room with Hudson for one minute longer. The man made him…
“Son of a— Stupid, motherfu— Giant fucking asshole!” Teague kicked the box again, then thrust his hands through his hair and tugged. It was a wonder he had any hair at all, what with Hudson irritating him to the point he wanted to yank it all out.
Teague growled, gritting his teeth.
Hudson frustrated him to the point of insanity. And for no apparent reason, either, which, yes, Teague knew was stupid on his part. Still, he couldn’t stop his reaction to the man. It wasn’t that he liked the guy. No way. Definitely not that.
Speechless (Pier 70 #3) Page 1