by G. R. George
Table of Contents
Excerpt
You Don't Know Jack
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Preview the next book
Note from G.R.
eBooks by G.R. George
G.R. recommends … Sami Lee
Excerpt
When Jack arrived at Dev’s house, a red compact car sat in the drive. Steam rose from a warm hood, which meant the car hadn’t been there long. It alarmed Jack to find the front door wide open, but it alarmed him more to see Dev in what appeared to be an intimate embrace with another man. He considered leaving. He was carrying two bags of Italian take-out, lasagna, bread sticks, house salad, and a world-class tiramisu.
No, he wouldn’t leave. Dev would have to send him away. He strode to the door with more confidence than he felt. “Am I early?”
The question startled both Dev and the handsome stranger as they turned their heads simultaneously to stare at him standing in the open doorway.
“Uh, hi, Jack,” Dev said. “You’re right on time.” He pushed the other man away from him. “Michael was just leaving.”
The guy—apparently Michael—laughed. “I was?”
Dev pursed his lips. “Yes, you were.”
“Is this your plan?” Michael’s brow narrowed as he assessed Jack’s leather jacket and faded jeans. “He seems a little pedestrian, even for someone like you.”
Jack barely controlled his temper. “Oh, I don’t know.” He put the food bags just inside the door and sidled up close to Dev. He put his arm around Dev’s waist and yanked him close. “I think I’m just pedestrian enough.”
In a brash and reactive moment, and an urgent need to wipe the smug look off Michael’s face, Jack leaned in and pressed his lips to Dev’s mouth. He’d meant the gesture to be quick, for effect, but Dev surprised him by cupping the back of Jack’s neck and deepening the kiss. Jack parted his lips and welcomed the invading tongue into his mouth.
Jack put both his arms around Dev, kneading his back, groping and grasping as their tongues tangled in a frantic dance of passion. His hard cock pressed painfully at the buttoned fly of his jeans. When Dev rubbed his own rigid bulge against Jack’s, he moaned. Desire flooded every cell in his body with a heat he’d never experienced. His skin sizzled at Dev’s every touch. Holy, snowman, he’d always thought it would be good with Dev, but he’d never imagined just how wonderful it would feel to be in his arms.
The slamming door stopped them both mid-grope. Dev’s tongue went still in Jack’s mouth for a hesitant second, before he pulled back. His wide-eyed stare, that of a child caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar, or in this case, his hand trying to get into the neighbor boy’s pants, made Jack laugh. After another shocked second, Dev started to laugh as well. Awkwardly and reluctantly, they moved apart.
You Don't Know Jack
Holiday Hotties Romances, Book 2
G.R. George
Published 2016 by Book Boutiques.
ISBN: 978-1-944003-14-2
Copyright © 2016, G.R. George.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Book Boutiques.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or events is wholly coincidental. The names, characters, dialogue, and events in this book are from the author’s imagination and should not to be construed as real.
Manufactured in the USA.
Email [email protected] with questions, or inquiries about Book Boutiques.
Blurb
Science Professor Dev Garson has always loved the winter, and the only thing that would make him happier than fresh snow on the ground is a new boyfriend for Christmas. When his high school crush Jack returns home after a ten-year absence, it stirs up old feelings of unrequited longing and desire, but Dev worries he’s setting himself up for heartbreak.
Jack Moroz has come home to take over his father’s business—that of a Jack Frost. It’s his job to cut a path of winter across the northeast territories for the holiday. He has always avoided relationships, because, as a creature of magic, he can never be truly honest with a partner. When he runs into Dev again after a decade at the North Pole, he knows there are a million reasons why dating a human is a bad idea. But Jack can’t get past the one reason he should give the nerdy professor a chance—having Dev near brings him incredible joy. It doesn’t hurt that Dev is still sexier than a candy cane dipped in chocolate and just as lick-able.
After an accidental fall on the ice, Dev begins to see the world and Jack in a whole new way. His head injury has him seeing the real Jack Frost, but the same twist of fate that draws these two men close may also tear them apart.
Chapter 1
Dev Garson squinted as the midday sun bounced off his snow-blanketed yard. The air, much like the temperature, was brisk and exhilarating. Overnight, a foot of the white powder had fallen. It was the coldest winter his little town had experienced in a decade.
“Bring it on,” Dev said with a smile as he shoveled his drive. He wore thermal overalls, winter boots, and an oversized parka with a faux fur-lined hood as he shoveled the two-car driveway leading to his garage.
He worked at the local community college as a professor in the science department, and with only two weeks left until the end of the fall semester, he, like his students, was ready for the winter break. Especially since he’d recently ended things with his off again-on, again-off again boyfriend of five years. Michael Corrigan seemed to dump him every year when it got close to Christmas. Dev had decided this year to beat the older man to the punch, but this time for good. Corrigan, the history chair at the college, was deeply closeted and regardless of the promises he’d made to Dev in the past, he intended to stay that way. It pained Dev to think about how much time he’d invested in a relationship that could never be more than Michael’s dirty secret. He’d been glad when he’d finally lost the last shred of hope for the two of them. Michael, who had been used to controlling their splits, hadn’t taken it well.
Dev let the cold envelop him as he pushed thoughts of his ex from his thoughts. The chilly breeze made him feel alive. He smiled, as the idea reminded him of the first line in Hans Christian Andersons’ story of the snowman who fell in love with a stove. It is so delightfully cold,” said the Snow Man, “that it makes my whole body crackle”. Another doomed-from-the-start relationship.
It made him sad, and on this cold, blustery snow day, sad was the last thing Dev wanted to feel. No more thoughts of Michael, he told himself. No more thinking about men, period. Although, with no siblings and his parents out of state, the Christmas holiday was looking might lonely. At least this year, he wasn’t dealing with heartbreak.
The laughter of children down the street shook him from his reverie, and the large flakes floating on the air gave him a moment of pause. He leaned against his shovel, tilted his head back, and took a deep, cleansing breath. He stuck out his tongue as a fat flake drifted slowly toward his face and waited for it to land. When the chilly jewel touched down, he smiled, his tongue still out. He waited for it to completely melt before closing his mouth.
“What are you doing?”
The low, masculine voice surprised Dev. He leaned too hard on the shovel. The blade bent under the increased weight. His feet slipped beneath him, legs flying in the air, and he fell hard on his ass. His c
heeks warmed—the ones on his face, that is. A difficult feat considering the below-freezing temps.
A hand, belonging to Jack Moroz, reached down to him. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Jack, who was around Dev’s height of six foot, was much broader across the shoulders. His attire included a bomber jacket, jeans, and a pair of black boots, all of which highlighted his masculine physique and none of which seemed appropriate for this Arctic-like day. The man styled his black hair short on the sides and longer on top, young Elvis-style. And, other than a few fine lines around his eyes, Jack hadn’t changed much in the past decade.
Dev avoided eye contact as he reluctantly took Jack’s hand and allowed the dark-haired man to pull him to a stand. He let go immediately before taking a step back. No sense in giving the guy the wrong impression. Like the one that might make it seem as if Dev would gladly give up air if it meant he could stare into Jack’s aquamarine colored eyes until his heart stopped.
Yep, that would definitely be the wrong impression. He reminded himself he was done with dudes. Although, Jack wasn’t just any guy. He’d been Dev’s first major crush. Unrequited as it had been. It dawned on Dev that he didn’t really know what had happened to Jack after high school. He’d always just assumed he was out in the world living a perfect life, with a perfect girlfriend or wife, and a perfect job.
“What?” Dev asked when he’d realized he’d zoned out while Jack was still talking.
Jack’s lush lips tugged up into a grin. “I said elephants like to sit in pineapple pudding.”
Dev shook his head and fought to keep a silly grin off his face. “That’s really random.”
“Yes,” Jack said with all seriousness. “I know.” He grinned again. “You look good, Dev. It’s been a long time.”
“You too.” Dev heart raced under Jack’s jewel-toned gaze. Jack remembered him, and that fact alone put some zing into Dev’s mood. “I mean, you look good. Healthy.” Healthy? Really? He might have well have raised the “no game” flag. As if game would help. Jack wasn’t interested in him in a romantic way. The idea was moronic wishful thinking. “It’s been a while.”
His schoolboy fantasies awoke as he remembered how often he’d dreamed about kissing Jack. Those lips, the way they curved, his upper lip thicker than the lower, were the star feature in most of Dev’s masturbation fantasies until well into his college years.
“Earth to Dev.” Jack tapped his arm. When Dev blinked at him, Jack smiled and said, “There you are. Let’s try this again.” He held out his ungloved hand. “Hello, Dev.”
“Hello.” He felt sixteen again—tongue-tied and ridiculously awkward. Dev stripped the glove off his right hand and shook with Jack. His skin tingled where it made contact with the gorgeous man. “I, uhm…” He dropped the shovel. “Hi.”
Jack grinned again. “I see you still live with your folks.” He pointed to Dev’s house. “Or are you just visiting?”
“It’s my place now.” Dev picked up the shovel and scooped up a load of snow from the drive and pitched it into the yard. “They moved to Texas after they retired, down by the Gulf. You know, where it’s warmer year round.”
Jack nodded. “I used to wonder what your room was like. Maybe you’ll show me sometime.” He winked, a wicked sparkle in his eye.
“You’re teasing me.”
Jack leaned in, his face a few inches from Dev’s. Dev’s stomach fluttered, and he felt light-headed with the growing buzz of pleasure at Jack’s sudden nearness.
“All I needed was an invitation.” Jack stepped away. “It’s nice to see you’re still around.”
Dev settled in for another scoop of snow and changed the subject. “I’ve always liked the cold. It’s silly, but I get melancholy for the snow. Winter is the best season.” It wasn’t just the snow. He remembered the frost pictures on his bedroom windows that appeared every year with sub-zero temperatures. His parents could never see the beautiful art etched in crystal, not the way he had. He smiled. His mother equated it to cloud animals and praised him for his imagination. She couldn’t understand that Dev saw more than bunnies and dragons.
In hindsight, she was probably right about those apparitions. He hadn’t seen a single one in years no matter how much frost built up on his windows.
“The cold weather makes you happy?” Jack snorted. “I don’t hear that very often.”
Dev tucked his chin. “What?”
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you fell?” Jack asked.
Dev blushed again. “No, sadly, just my ass.” Against his better judgment, he pivoted his eyes to Jack’s face where they locked gazes. Jack grinned when Dev’s mouth parted slightly. Nooooo! God, he hoped he’d managed to keep his tongue in his mouth.
“I might need to check your ass out later to make sure it’s not broken.”
“Please don’t mess with me. I’m fragile right now, and I might take you seriously.”
“I hope you do.”
“Oh? So I should be impressed because you finally know I exist?” Dev’s frustration at his own lack of confidence forced him to challenge the notion that someone like Jack—gorgeous and edgy—would be interested in someone like him—average and nerdy.
“I noticed. I always thought you were cool.”
Dev shifted his eyes to meet Jack’s gaze. He’d never been adept at gauging sarcasm or sincerity, so he generally chose to err on the side of sarcasm. He shook his head. “Yeah, right.”
“Are you playing hooky today?” Jack asked, shifting the awkward conversation to another new topic.
Dev shrugged and gestured to the snow surrounding them. “Classes have been canceled on account of weather.” He sounded grouchy, but he couldn’t help it. He’d always been lousy at hiding his emotions. “Have you moved back or are you just visiting?”
“I’m just visiting for the winter. My dad needed some…extra help, and I agreed to take on more responsibility in the family business.”
Just visiting. Dev’s belly did a little flippity-flop. He was glad and sad all at the same time. Glad, because he wouldn’t be tormenting himself pining over the gorgeous Jack Moroz, and sad, because, well, pining was wholly underrated. “It really is nice to see you again.”
Before Jack could reply, a pink quilted bundle of exuberance hurtled toward Dev, knocking him down in the process. The back of his head hit the freshly shoveled asphalt.
“Baby!” Shelly Marsters, Dev’s neighbor and best friend, pulled down the muffler covering her mouth and kissed him soundly on the lips. “I knew I’d find you out here in this glorious weather.”
He knew when she was being sarcastic. “Ow,” he said, blinking away stars as the bright burst of pain on the back of his skull dulled. Shelly didn’t seem to notice.
“I had to put on five layers of clothes just to step out the door.” She rolled off Dev and onto her back. The padding made her look like a pink marshmallow, all fluff and stuff. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared up at a gaping Jack. “Oo-la-la-la. You are one sexy snow angel.”
From this angle, and with the bright glare directly in Dev’s eyes, Jack glowed. His skin took on a silvery white sheen, his black hair had a bluish cast, and his green-blue eyes twinkled like a dying star.
Shelly, still on the ground next to Dev, whacked him across the chest with her pillowed arm. “Don’t be rude, Dev! Introduce me to this handsome stranger.”
Dev groaned. “Oh, right. You’ve never met Jack. He moved away a few years before you bought the house. His dad is Mr. Moroz,” he explained as if Shelly needed to know Jack’s history. He sat up, bracing himself with his palms on the ground behind him. “Shelly meet Jack. Jack. Shelly.”
“Nice to meet you, Shelly.” Jack’s lips were pulled into a tight smile, and tiny frown lines creased the corners of his eyes. “How long have you all been together?”
Dev’s face flushed with heat again. Shelly laughed. “Seven years.”
“That’s great,” J
ack said, but his furrowed brow and downturned lips contrasted his words. “I’m happy for you.”
Oh, God. Jack thought he was a vagina-loving heterosexual. He needed to put a stop to that notion immediately. “She’s teasing.”
“Oh.” Jack’s eyes brightened again. “In what way?”
“Alas, we have too much in common for it to work.”
“Really?” Jack asked, his smile warming. “I’ve never heard that as a relationship deal breaker before.”
“Well, the problem is that I like dick.” She winked at Jack. “And so does Dev.”
“Shelly!” Dev’s friend had zero filter for a medical professional.
The right side of Jack’s mouth tugged up in a crooked grin. “Oh. I get it.”
“I’m sure you do,” she said. “All. The. Time.”
Dev gave her what he hoped was a convincing shut-the-fuck-up look. “I’m sorry about Shells.”
Shelly shot Dev with a don’t-you-dare-apologize-for-me glare then bolted upright. She covered her mouth. “Oh, Dev. You’re bleeding.”
He reached behind his head and touched the sore spot. He brought his hand around so he could look. Bright, red blood wet his fingers. “I don’t feel so good.”
Shelly got on her knees and grabbed his arm. “Help me,” she said to Jack.
“Maybe he should see a doctor.”
“I am a doctor,” Shelly told him. “Now help me get him inside so I can get the wound cleaned and see what the heck is going on under all that blood.”
The ground wobbled around Dev. “I’m dizzy.”
“We’re going to get you inside,” Jack said.
Dev felt a hand hook under his other arm. He turned his head in that direction. Jack. The man still sparkled like diamond dust. “Shiny.” A loopy smile played on Dev’s lips. This close he could smell a mixture of peppermint candy and sugar cookie dough on the man. “You smell like Christmas,” he said.
Jack smiled. “Can you stand?”
“I think so.” His feet only touched the ground for a few seconds. In the next instant, two strong arms lifted him from the ground.