Tied to Trouble (Gamers)

by Megan Erickson

  And Owen came.

  He threw his head back and growled his orgasm because it felt so good and because Chad had gotten the best of him. His toes curled in his shoes, and his thighs shook. The rhythm of his hand faltered, but it was okay because then Chad’s hand was there, helping to finish him off.

  When Owen could focus again, he lowered his head to see Chad watching him, an odd expression on his face. And then Chad was coming, and as he watched his mouth drop open, his eyes closed as he pumped his hips and shot all over his stomach, Owen thought he’d won, too. Because watching Chad come apart, that smirk drop from his lips and his entire face etched in bliss—that was a prize, and something that would fuel Owen’s fantasies for a long time to come.

  When Chad’s eyes opened, he blinked at Owen. And Owen opened his mouth, to say what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe thanks or you’re fucking hot or let’s do this again but not in a bookstore.

  But then that smirk returned to Chad’s lips. And he said lazily, “If I’d known all it took was a finger in your ass to get you to move faster, I would have done that instead of breaking traffic laws.”

  And just like that, Owen wanted to punch his face. He took a step back and began to fix his pants. “Oh, fuck you, you bastard.” He grabbed a roll of paper towels to clean up, glad to see that he’d caught most of the evidence of their dalliance in his hand.

  “Aw, don’t be like that, O,” Chad said, not moving to pull up his pants. He leaned against the wall, softened cock hanging out of the fly of his jeans. He still looked effortlessly hot. Which pissed Owen off even more.

  “Quit calling me that.”

  “I feel like I earned the right to call you a nickname since your hand was down my pants.”

  This had been a mistake, as Owen had known it would be. But like an idiot, he’d done it anyway. And now all he wanted to do was get the fuck out of here and the fuck away from Chad and that goddamn smirk he wanted to kiss off his lips. “You’re an idiot. I can’t believe I did this. This…” He waved a hand around. “Screwing in a fucking bookstore closet with”—he gestured to Chad—“someone like you.”

  An expression Owen couldn’t read flitted across Chad’s face before it returned to his cocky smirk. “Oh, right, someone like me. The criminal who crosses center lines. I kick puppies, too.”

  Owen grabbed for the door, but Chad stopped him and leaned forward. “Just a warning—you might want to look in the mirror. Because you sure as hell look fucked out.”

  “Fuck you,” Owen spat.

  Chad shrugged. “Maybe some other time.”

  Owen growled and flung the door open, stalking through the bookstore with his head down. When he reached his car and threw himself behind the steering wheel, he remembered he never had gotten his fucking book.

  Chapter Four

  The beeping was like needles stabbing his eardrums.

  Chad shoved his head under his pillow and frantically waved his arm around, searching for the sound that made him want to chop off his head.

  He knocked some shit from his bedside table on the floor until he found the source.

  His cell phone.

  He growled and shifted his head out from under his pillow so he could squint at the screen.

  Austin.

  Why the fuck was his sister’s guy calling him?

  Chad glanced at the time—nine in the morning. Way too fucking early to answer a phone call when he’d worked last night until midnight and then spent the next two hours getting shit-faced.

  The beeping stopped, then started up again ten seconds later. Chad was about to decline the second call when a shiver of fear stopped him. What if something had happened to Marley?

  So he pressed the answer button and managed to find his ear through his mop of tangled hair. “’Lo?”

  “Hello, Chad.”

  He braced himself on his elbows and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Is Mars okay?”

  A pause. “Why wouldn’t Marley be okay?”

  “You’re calling me at the fucking butt crack of dawn, that’s why.”

  Austin gave a long-suffering sigh. “Dawn was three hours ago.”

  “Whatever,” he mumbled. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine. Marley is having a girls’ day with Chloe and Sydney. I need you to meet me at the Willow Diner at eleven fifteen.”

  Chad blinked at the wall.

  “Are you there?”

  “Eleven fifteen in the morning?”

  Another sigh. “Yes,” Austin said drily.

  “I’m sorry, but why? I mean, if you want some bonding time, maybe we can set a date a little further in advance—”

  “I don’t ‘bond.’ I need to speak with you, so can you be at the diner by eleven fifteen?”

  This guy was seriously too much. But he made Marley happy, so Chad dealt with it. “Yeah, sure. Do I have to shower?”

  Silence.

  “Uh, okay, I’ll take that as a yes,” Chad muttered.

  “I appreciate your dedication to hygiene while in public.”

  Chad rolled his eyes. “They better have pie, and you better be buying it.”

  Austin hung up without answering him.

  Chad dropped his phone onto his sheets and then smashed his face into his pillow.

  Last night was a little vague. He remembered grabbing Ace’s ass, though, so he’d have to apologize for that later. But after a week of beating himself up over what happened with Owen, he’d needed to let off some steam.

  He’d gone home alone, though. Which wasn’t unusual. Despite all his flirting, he rarely went home with anyone. He was a tease, as Marley often said.

  Even though Owen probably thought Chad seduced unsuspecting bookstore customers on the regular, that was the first time he’d ever done something even close.

  But he’d lost it around that guy. Owen had this magnetic presence, this shield that made Chad want to claw and scratch until he saw beneath it. He hadn’t been able to get the image out of his mind of Owen in the throes of his orgasm. He’d been beautiful, with his head thrown back, glasses askew and hair out of place. That pale throat marked from Chad’s teeth and lips.

  And that dick. Holy hell, that fucking dick. It was long and thick, and how the hell did that guy even walk around with that club in his pants? Chad hadn’t been that far off when he’d drawn a third leg on the Dapper Dick.

  Because damn, Owen was packing.

  The thought of his girth made Chad salivate, because yeah, he wasn’t even going to deny that he wanted to know what Owen felt like in his mouth. Even though he was a little scared of that thing ever breaching him.

  It wouldn’t happen though—hell no, not when Chad opened his fucking fat mouth and pissed off Owen. Why couldn’t he have just enjoyed the moment? But the whole situation had made him feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, and shooting off his mouth was what he did when he felt cornered.

  Chad groaned and hauled himself out of bed. He padded to the bathroom, glad he could forget about that whole awkward situation for one night but pissed it’d been nothing permanent. What he needed right now was a shower and coffee and probably something to soak up the remaining alcohol in his stomach. And then he’d figure out what the hell Austin wanted.

  By eleven o’clock, Chad wasn’t feeling much better. But at least his body and clothes were clean. He couldn’t do much about those bloodshot eyes, though, so he shoved his mirrored aviator sunglasses over his face and hopped on his bike.

  The fresh air blowing on his face made him feel a little better, and by the time he arrived at the diner and checked his side mirror, he didn’t have that pale, hungover look anymore.

  Willow Diner had a fifties throwback vibe and was known for its milkshakes and burgers. There was a long counter full of coffee-drinking regulars and red pleather booths lining the wall. Chad ran his fingers through his hair and scanned the diner for Austin, sunglasses still firmly on his face. He spotted Austin’s dark head in a corner booth and made his w
ay back there, stepping aside as a family of six passed him. He nodded to the kids and shot them a grin.

  He was looking over his shoulder, making faces at the baby in his father’s arms when he nearly ran into the booth where Austin sat. “Oh, hey, man.”

  “You’re late,” Austin said without looking up at the menu.

  “Uh, yeah, sorry, traffic was bad,” Chad lied.

  And as he went to slide into the booth opposite Austin, he realized they weren’t alone.

  Not at all.

  The person sitting across from Austin with wide blue eyes, a pair of clearly expensive dark jeans, and a button-down plaid shirt?

  Right, it was Owen. The same guy who’d jerked them off together in a supply closet.

  He was right there, staring at Chad with a mixture of horror and regret and a whole lot of panic.

  And Chad’s headache came back with a vengeance.

  …

  Owen blinked and blinked again.

  Because there was Chad, standing at the end of their table. Large sunglasses covered his eyes, and he wore a pair of torn, faded jeans, motorcycle boots, and that damn leather jacket. He was a walking, talking, James Dean wet dream.

  Austin hadn’t said Marley’s brother would be here. He’d just told Owen to show up, and Austin was the kind of guy who said jump and people followed.

  So Owen was here, and now Chad was here, and shit was about to get even more awkward really quick.

  Because Owen was 95 percent sure Chad had no idea who he was. Sure, he probably assumed Owen was some sort of employee at Gamers, but he probably didn’t know Owen was as close to his sister as he was.

  Austin waved his hand between the two of them. “Chad, this is Marley’s former assistant, who took over her position when she was promoted. Owen, this is Chad, Marley’s brother.”

  Chad was shell-shocked, Owen could tell, because he hadn’t moved, and his lips weren’t smirking, and was he pale? But without seeing his eyes, Owen had no idea what Chad was thinking—he just hoped he didn’t blurt out that yeah, they knew each other already, in a biblical sense.

  And just when the silence was getting way too loud, Chad shoved his sunglasses on top of his head and nodded stiffly at Owen. “Nice to meet you.” Then he plopped into the booth beside Owen, sprawled lazily with his legs spread, and gestured for the waitress. Owen sucked in a breath as the heat from Chad’s body warmed his side. There was that leather smell again, intoxicating and so damn addicting. The man was inches away, the same man Owen hadn’t been able to forget since their dicks touched. Just the thought of it made his cock perk up.

  He needed to pull it together. They were in public, for God’s sake.

  Austin was looking between the two of them thoughtfully, but he made no comment, casually sipping his coffee like this was just a normal day. After Chad ordered a coffee, he laced his fingers together on the table. “So why am I here?”

  “You are here,” Austin said, “because I need your help. Both of you.”

  Owen glanced at Chad out of the corner of his eye. Despite his deceptively casual position, the guy was strung tight. “I’m sorry,” Chad said. “But I’m going to need you to spit this out quickly, because it’s getting close to my nap time.”

  “And everything has to revolve around you?” Owen snapped before he realized what he said.

  Chad’s gaze whipped to him, and bloodshot eyes narrowed. Austin’s eyebrows lifted. And Owen wanted to melt into his seat.

  “I’m sure you’ve got exciting Saturday plans, too.” Chad sipped his coffee. “Like organizing your bookshelves, maybe? I bet you hate when books are out of place.”

  Owen glared as Austin cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, but have you met already?”

  “No,” Owen blurted, at the same time Chad said, “Briefly.”

  Austin’s eyebrows stayed elevated for a moment. Owen bit his lips together so he didn’t say anything further. And Chad didn’t seem like he was going to be forthcoming. In fact, he’d dropped his sunglasses down back over his eyes.

  Austin gazed at them steadily and then shrugged, his expression returning to neutral. “Okay, well, to the point, I need your help because I’m planning Marley’s proposal.”

  Chad’s sunglasses clattered to the table. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Austin’s cheeks pinked, but it was the only indication he was emotional about this whole situation. “I’m asking your sister to marry me. And I want…a very specific proposal.” He turned to Owen. “You know her better than a lot of people, plus you are organized and professional.” Then he switched his gaze to Chad. “And you—well, you’re her brother so I figure you should be involved.”

  “Uh, thanks,” Chad muttered.

  “And,” Austin added, “you know how to throw a party.”

  Owen needed clarification. “I’m sorry. You want us to help you propose to Marley?”

  Austin nodded. “I know what I want, but I’m not good at orchestrating social events. That’s where you two will come in.”

  “Wait, wait.” Chad waved a hand. “I’m still stuck on this proposal thing. You’re asking Mars to marry you?”

  Austin blinked at him. “I love her.”

  Chad opened his mouth, seeming to grapple for words, before he licked his lips and plunged ahead. “I know that, but, dude, I just…marriage? Really? That’s a life commitment, man.”

  Owen elbowed him. “Are you questioning him about this? He wants us to help him with the proposal, not counsel him on the future of his relationship.”

  Chad’s eyes sparked, and he opened his mouth, but Austin cut him off. “I already called your mother and father to tell them I plan to propose.”

  Chad rolled his eyes. “Of course they’re going to say yes. They think marriage is just another form of dating and have each remarried more times than Jennifer Lopez.”

  Owen didn’t return that with snark. Marley had mentioned before that their parents were divorced. She still seemed a little sad about it, but Chad seemed bitter.

  Owen closed his eyes. No, no way was he going to feel bad for Chad or get involved in this guy’s feelings. It didn’t matter if he was Marley’s brother—he was kind of a jerk. And Owen didn’t have to like him to plan a party with him.

  Leaning forward and softening his voice, Chad said, “Okay, so I’m assuming you’ve made the decision and you are definitely proposing.”

  Austin seemed reluctant to look away from Chad. “Yes, definitely.”

  Owen glanced at Chad, who was staring off into the center of the diner, clearly lost in thought. Owen reached under the table and gripped his knee to bring him back to attention. This was a big moment for Austin, and while he understood Chad might be caught off guard, this was his future brother-in-law. Because Owen knew Marley would for sure say yes.

  Chad jolted at the contact but didn’t pull away. The tension in his body was evident through the firm muscle in his thigh, but slowly, he relaxed and then looked at Austin with a smile that didn’t seem too forced. “Sorry, man. I just…was surprised. And I’m a little hungover, so my manners are shit. I’m happy you’re proposing. I know you love Mars, and she loves you so, yeah. I’m happy.”

  Owen told himself to remove his hand, that it’d done its purpose. But those jeans were soft and that thigh was warm and didn’t Chad deserve a little reward for manning up? So Owen slid his hand just a little bit higher on Chad’s leg, using the inseam as his guide. Chad tensed up again, and Owen stopped, but then slowly, very slowly, while Austin was busy ordering something from the waitress, Chad spread his legs just a little wider, so his knee brushed Owen’s.

  Owen wasn’t breathing, and he wasn’t sure Chad was, either, as Owen extended his small finger and nudged, just a little, against the bulge in Chad’s jeans.

  “Chad.”

  Owen froze. So did Chad. And Austin was staring at both of them like they’d gone insane. Austin cleared his throat. “I asked you what pie you wanted. That was your requirement for show
ing up, dressed and showered, yes?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Owen saw Chad’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Lemon meringue.”

  As another reward for answering, Owen nudged his balls again. Chad sucked in a breath but kept it quiet so that Austin and the waitress didn’t even notice.

  A beeping sounded, and Austin frowned at his phone. “Ah,” he said. “I have to take this call. I’ll just step out front.”

  Owen found his voice. “Sure.”

  Chad nodded woodenly.

  Austin slid from the booth and made his way to the door, phone at his ear.

  Chad didn’t move. His hands were clasped on the table in front of him, and he stared at the now-empty booth across from them. And Owen… Well, Owen was fucking hard and uncomfortable and despite how horribly their last meeting went, he couldn’t think of anything but getting his hands on Chad again. He wanted more skin. He wanted to bite and nibble and lick.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen then slid a napkin in front of Chad. “Write down your address.”

  Chad didn’t move, but his eyelashes fluttered.

  Owen reached up and cupped Chad, then squeezed the hard ridge in his jeans. Chad moaned softly, and Owen suppressed a victorious grin. “Write down your address, because I’m coming over as soon as this meeting is over. You understand?”

  Chad’s chest rose and fell, and for several agonizing seconds, that was the only indication he was even alive. Then he snatched the pen, hastily scrawled an address, and slid the napkin back to Owen. Then, slowly, he turned his head, his lips curling, until they were in that oh-so-familiar smirk. “Can’t keep your hands off me, huh? Like my speed more than you thought you would?”

  That damn smirk. Owen should grab the napkin right now and rip it up in front of Chad’s face, but his dick was running the show now, so instead, he squeezed harder, longer, until Chad made a protesting sound in the back of his throat. Owen eased up and returned the grin. “We’ll see just how fast you are when you’re on your knees at my feet with my cock in your mouth.”

  Chad licked his lips. “Can’t wait.”