by J. M. Dabney
King
Executioners Book 3
J.M. Dabney
© 2017 Jami Dabney (Hostile Whispers Press, LLC)
ISBN-13: 978-1-947184-06-0
Editor: Laura McNellis
Cover Artist: Winterheart Design
To my readers, you all make these stories possible.
Contents
1. He Was More Than a Flirt and No Name Fuck
2. Lincoln Shouldn’t Be There
3. Don’t Start, Melanie
4. King Was Acting Weird
5. Why Wasn’t This Easier?
6. A Crews’ Kids’ Playdate
7. Broken Bones and Heavy Meds
8. Be a Gentleman, King, Be a Motherfucking Gentleman
9. What Now?
10. Blue Balls were Hell
11. King Needs to Relax
12. King Was Going to Lose his Fucking Mind
13. Morning After
14. So, I Can Call Him Daddy?
15. What do You Say, Baby, Want to Make it Official?
16. Vegas, Here We Come!
17. Kidnapped!
18. Lullabies and Encores
Epilogue
About the Author
One
He Was More Than a Flirt and No Name Fuck
Through the applause, Andrew King and his band, Executioners, took one final bow and waved as they walked off stage. He smiled at the loudest one in the crowd. Lincoln Church, his ex-brother-in-law. The man rarely missed one of their shows, but they only really played at Brawlers, a gay bar, on the outskirts of their hometown. The band was more a hobby than anything, none of them had dreams of fame. They were asked plenty when they’d get themselves a contract and live a life as rock stars—that wasn’t for them, and two of the reasons waited for his bandmates. He watched his friends as they hurried to their partners.
Ghost was married to Harper, and they had a baby on the way by surrogate. He watched as Ghost scooped the petite Harper into his arms and she seemed to just melt into the man. They exuded enough happiness to fill the whole room.
Joker was married, and it was a full-time job keeping the man out of jail, he felt sorry for Dem, Joker’s husband. Dem stayed on his stool and opened his arms. Joker hated being touched but seemed to relax as he walked into his husband’s arms. It was nice to see. A lot had changed since Dem came into Joker’s life and he couldn’t believe how much. Joker even smiled on occasion, well, when the man wasn’t scowling and trying to get himself thrown in jail. Sheriff Camden Pelter had a full-time job on his hands just keeping Joker under control. Throw in the rest of the Crews, and he was surprised Camden hadn’t run as far and fast from Powers as he could.
Sin and Saint, the youngest of his band, were still single, but they had their eyes on a man who was on the run every time they were around. He didn’t doubt the twins would get him eventually. Camden didn’t have much choice. The twins were obsessed, and everyone found it amusing except the Sheriff.
But fuck, he was jealous of what his friends found. Everyone thought he was just a flirt and a fuck, but he wasn’t. He was just terrified of ruining his friendship with Linc. He loved the man. The whole ex-brother-in-law thing ruined his chance. His ex-wife knew he was gay before he did.
He’d loved his wife, but not in the way she’d deserved. They’d done what was expected when they’d dated for several years, and Melanie ended up pregnant. She was currently off at college while he took care of their son, Mal. She came home on breaks and for the Summer, the occasional weekend. She was actually home this weekend, so she was spending quality time with Mal. Being away from their son killed her, but for him, he wanted her to have every opportunity, and that meant college. For as long as he’d known her, she wanted to be a nurse, and he needed her to take the chance.
They had an odd little family, yet it worked for them.
He stepped up to the bar and took the beer the bartender Twitch handed him with a huge smile. He nodded his thanks and smiled wider as a strong arm circled his waist.
“Amazing as always, King.”
Linc gave him a tight squeeze and took his own refill from Twitch.
“Thanks.”
Linc let him go, and he almost moved closer to silently ask Linc to put his arm around him again. Linc was the perfect guy. He was sweet, caring, intelligent, handsome, and King loved the man’s softness. Linc was a big guy. Shorter than his own six-three, but Linc was chunky, he had this rounded belly that had a bit of a jiggle to it, his arms and thighs thick. Linc was also hairy as fuck. He’d lost count of the times Linc played the main star in all his jerk-off fantasies.
Linc was a science teacher and high school football coach. He never felt quite good enough even to be Linc's friend. Melanie, Linc, and he co-parented Mal since they’d brought the baby home from the hospital.
He drove trucks during the week, sometimes over the road that kept him away for days at a time, but Mal stayed with Linc. He loved when Linc watched Mal at his house because Linc would sleep in his bed. Linc’s scent would still be on his sheets when he came home. It was the best sleep he’d have all week.
As some guy came up to him, he frowned as Linc stepped away. He turned his head to ask Linc where he was going only to see the man smiling as he started a conversation with one of the bouncers, Bull. King turned down the invite to head outside. He and the man had hooked up before, but it was getting old not being able to have the one he wanted. It also caused him guilt to be propositioned with Linc so close. They wouldn’t ever be more than friends, and that killed a piece of his heart every time he was reminded of it.
Linc always stepped away to allow him space to find someone—to hook up—but that wasn’t what he wanted. He had let people think what they wanted, although, it was getting harder to pretend and deny the truth. Melanie knew him better than anyone, and she protected all his secrets no matter how much she hated it.
His phone vibrated in his back pocket, he pulled it out to find Melanie’s picture on the screen, and he rushed for the front door. He stepped out into the cool night air and took a long deep breath. The breeze felt good on his overheated skin.
“Hey,” he answered.
“Shit, I hate calling you.”
“Melanie, don’t even start, what’s going on?”
He and Melanie had been best friends long before they were a couple or co-parents. Most would probably think their relationship weird, but to them, it was natural to go from husband and wife right back to best friends.
“This is so stupid, but Mal’s in bed and I really want ice cream.”
He chuckled. “What kind and what else do you need?”
“Just the usual, oh, and you know.”
He chuckled, he knew the woman better than he knew himself most days. He sensed her moods even when they were hundreds of miles apart.
“How can you still be embarrassed, we were together for eight years and friends since we were ten.”
“Come on, don’t make a big deal out of it, I want my fucking ice cream.”
“I’ll get everything packed up and be home in an hour or so.” He walked away from the door as it opened and the overpowering bass of the music inside made it hard to hear.
“Perfect, I have homework to do, and a presentation to prepare for. It’s going to be a long night.”
“You got this, Melanie.”
“I know, see you soon, love you.”
“Love you too. We’ll take a movie break when I get home.” They didn’t spend enough time together. He lived under a constant shadow of guilt for the time he didn’t have for Mal, Melanie, and Linc. He worked as a trucker to afford to take care of them, so they wouldn’t have to work harder than they needed to, but lately the cons wer
e outweighing the pros. He’d been doing it for years, and at thirty, he didn’t want to have to find a new job—especially when finding a new one wouldn’t be as well-paying as the one he already had.
“Sounds perfect.”
“Is Melanie okay?”
He disconnected the call and turned to find Linc behind him. The man looked gorgeous in faded jeans and a v-neck t-shirt that exposed the thick hair that he knew covered the man’s chest and stomach. It matched Linc’s dark blond hair.
“She wants ice cream.”
“Do you want me to take care of it so you can finish up here?”
The man was selfless, Linc was always the first one to offer to help. He did it without even thinking of getting paid back. He didn’t even expect a thank you.
“No, do you want to help me pack up? It was a rough week. I’d just like to go home.”
“Sure. Are you okay? Want to talk about it?”
“I’m fine, I just think I need a vacation, and I might do that later this Summer. We can go somewhere.”
And by we he included Linc and Melanie because to him, it was always the four of them.
“That would be good for you, Melanie and Mal.”
He didn’t correct him, Linc still tried to give him and Melanie space when she was in town. It was as if he didn’t want to intrude on their time with Mal. Linc was always included. He and Melanie had talked about it, Linc was as much a father to Mal as he was.
“Want to come over and watch a movie with Melanie and me, like the old days?”
“That would be great. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Deal.”
They headed back inside and made quick work of breaking everything down with Joker and Ghost helping. Sin and Saint had taken off to stalk the Sheriff who was seated in a back corner having a beer by himself. The man had company he hadn’t expected. Finally, they had the van packed up and said their goodbyes.
“Meet you at the house,” Linc called as he hopped into his car.
He watched until Linc was inside and the man pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the direction of his cabin. He jumped into the van and drove off toward town. His mind wandered to places it shouldn’t. He loved Melanie. She’d been his best friend in high school, and when they’d started dating, it seemed like the thing to do. Melanie was bisexual, she’d told him early on in their friendship, but her family wasn’t accepting, and neither was his. He’d felt like such a hypocrite when he hadn’t shared he was gay. When they’d had sex, it hadn’t been fireworks, but they’d had a great relationship. They never argued. When she’d come to him and asked him if he was gay, she hadn’t been angry when she asked, more disappointed that he hadn’t confided in her.
They’d divorced but continued to live together. It was natural. They’d grown impossibly closer. Nothing really changed except they didn’t share a bed anymore. They’d agreed to never keep secrets from each other, but he didn’t know how she’d handle knowing her ex-husband and best friend had been in love with her brother for years.
He’d wanted to tell her and ask for advice, but he didn’t want to deal with the weirdness that might come from it.
He turned into the parking lot of the only twenty-four-hour gas station in town. He got out and hit the alarm, he strode across the parking lot to get what Melanie needed, then head home to his family.
Two
Lincoln Shouldn’t Be There
Linc downed another glass of ice cold water and tried not to stare into the living room. The doorway perfectly framed King who was seated on the couch, Linc’s sister’s head rested on King’s thigh. That’s the way he’d left them a few minutes ago. He shouldn’t be there, but he couldn’t help himself. No matter how many times he’d tried to ignore his love for his former brother-in-law, it wouldn’t go away.
He could almost pretend they were an actual family, him, King and Mal. He loved his nephew like his own. During the week when King was on runs, he’d leave work and go pick Mal up from the babysitter. They’d spent the afternoon at the park or playing, they’d have dinner, and then call King to say goodnight. Sometimes he and King would talk after Mal went to bed.
When the calls would end, he’d close his eyes and pretend King was beside him. The worst nights were when he was curled up in King’s bed. Surrounded by King’s things and his scent, oh, how many times had he resisted the urge to stroke one out. He felt his face heat and poured himself another glass of water.
He smiled as Mal ducked into the kitchen rubbing his sleepy eyes, he was a mini-version of King. He walked forward and picked Mal up, the kid’s big boy bed made it easier for Mal to come search them out. He’d nearly had a heart attack the first night he’d watched him after they’d got him the bed and didn’t find Mal tucked under the covers.
He’d found him on the couch curled up under King’s huge leather jacket asleep. King had laughed his fool head off when he told the man the story.
It had hurt his feelings for a split second. He’d always been a bit on the fat side his whole life and men had made a habit of laughing at him. That wasn’t King. He’d felt like an asshole for the small slip. The man was adamant that he was a handsome guy and bitched him out more times than he could remember for putting himself down.
He cradled Mal to his chest and carried him into the living room, King looked up and patted the spot beside him. He started to lay Mal down, but King pulled them both down. Mal stayed on his lap but leaned his head against King’s bicep. His heart kicked up a few notches as King laid his arm on his lap and took Mal’s left hand. He noticed Melanie tilted her head back to look at them. She seemed so content.
He scooted down enough to put his feet on the coffee table and settle in to finish watching the action movie King and Melanie chose.
King and Melanie held hands, she giggled when King tickled her, and he tried to focus on the movie.
He remembered the first time he’d seen King. He’d moved back to Powers to take over a teaching position at the local high school. The Saturday after he’d settled into his apartment, he’d driven across town to his parent’s place.
In the front yard, mowing the grass stood the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He sat in his car and watched. The quickness of his attraction took him by surprise but not nearly as much as the hurt when Melanie came out of the house and wrapped herself around the young man.
“I should go home,” he whispered so as not to wake Mal which was stupid with the movie blaring.
King turned, and his long goatee tickled the side of his neck.
“What, why? You always crash here.”
“Melanie’s home for the weekend, you two should—”
“No, you’re staying, no need to go home.”
“Come on, Linc, stay, I don’t get to see you enough,” Melanie pleaded as she stuck out her bottom lip.
“Don’t do that, you know I can’t say—”
Whatever he was going to say ended when he was subjected to King and Melanie pouting at him. For nearly a decade, they’d struck him weak with those twin pouts. He could understand why they’d stayed best friends so long. They were nearly identical in temperament.
“You want me to put Malcolm to bed,” King started to get up.
“No, he’s fine.”
He tightened his arms around his nephew. His family life hadn’t turned out easy after he came out when he left for college. Melanie always stood beside him and made sure he knew he had her support. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell rule made family functions uncomfortable. They ignored Melanie’s bisexuality. She’d married and given their parents a grandchild. It wasn’t like he hadn’t dated over the years, and he’d thought for a brief time he’d found the man of his dreams; that hadn’t turned out to be the case.
The breakup was amicable. They hadn’t been suited. He had wanted different things from life. Marriage, kids, romance, Denny wasn’t ready for any of that and hadn’t been sure he would’ve ever gotten to that point.
He had the lif
e he wanted, he had Malcolm, and he was allowed an active role in his nephew’s life—almost like a dad. The only dark spot of it all was he didn’t have King.
Andrew King was perfect. Caring. The perfect father. King always made him feel included.
His life was Mal, his job, and King, the small family they’d made together.
“You’ve been quiet, not unusual, but, are you okay?”
He turned toward King and noticed Melanie was asleep, curled up on her side with her face buried against King’s stomach. Jealousy of his sister made him feel petty and bitchy.
“Just tired.”
King squeezed his knee and shifted closer. King had taken a shower when he got home, and he smelled of a spicy soap scent. A shirtless King was a sight to behold. Bulky, powerful muscles, King didn’t have a washboard stomach, but firm and hinted at abs. King had a thick mat of chest hair.
He had wanted the man too damn long. Nights like these were the hardest because they gave him an idea of what belonging to King would be like and it turned painful when he had to walk away.
“Why not go get in my bed? I’ll get Melanie settled in her room.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, clenching his teeth. In bed with King, it was like a dream come true. No, he couldn’t do that, it would be too much temptation and being around King while the man fully clothed was bad enough.
“You can’t sleep on the couch.”
King was a restless sleeper. A few nights he had come out to check on King and found the man sprawled and cursing where he’d rolled face first onto the floor.
“We can share then. Plenty of room.”