by Lyn, Viki
Chris’s voice trembled. “You did this for me?”
“Partly, yes, but for me too. I don’t want us to be apart. And I’ve completed what I set out to do. Winter Media is financially healthy. I need a new challenge.”
Chris stared at the building without saying a word. Graham chewed on his lower lip wondering if his surprise was a bad one. Did Chris prefer the long distance between them?
Snap went Chris’s seat belt as he yanked open the car door. “Then you better show me around.” He turned back to Graham. “Come on. What are you waiting for? This is exciting.”
Chris headed for the entrance of the old warehouse with Graham a few steps behind. When Chris turned around, his bright eyes said it all. “This is great. I want to hear all about it.”
Relief rushed through Graham. “So you’re happy about this?”
“Happy doesn’t come close to how I feel. We’ll be together. I want our love to be the soul of Secretus, as was Pete and Bob’s. Happy? I’m ecstatic.”
Graham hugged Chris, feeling his husband’s warmth. They were starting a new chapter in their relationship. Graham was excited and nervous, but best of all they were both crazily in love.
The End
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Out Of Bounds Except
Out of Bounds, Viki Lyn, copyright 2018
Chandler Stowe lounged across the overstuffed chair, his legs swinging off the armrest, trying not to think about his past. Blessedly alone in the teachers’ lounge, he pressed the cold compress across his eyes. He had forgotten about the horrendous allergy season in this godforsaken town. While his artistic side loved the flowering acacias, his sinuses rebelled.
Well, he would make the best of the situation. He’d promised Robyn he would get out more, and teaching an after-school art class at Cholla High was his first step in getting his life back together.
The door creaked on its hinges, an awful, fingernails-down-a-chalkboard noise. Chandler pressed the icy compress tighter and waited, hoping whoever walked in would see he was resting and leave.
No such luck. Heavy footsteps echoed on the linoleum floor.
The scent of musk hit his nostrils first, followed by an underlayer of cologne. Masculine scent—very masculine.
The smell of a good and sweaty man.
Chandler sat up and removed the compress. When he blinked into awareness, he almost gasped.
A tall man walked past him, and Chandler caught a glimpse of some very nice assets: mile wide shoulders; muscular back; thick, corded thighs encased in pressed khakis that showed off a round ass; and a tight—yes, very snug—polo shirt. Those were some well-defined biceps bulging from the short sleeves.
The hunk didn’t bother with an introduction as he headed for the coffeepot, where he poured day-old coffee into a chipped mug, then zapped it in the microwave.
Chandler circled the base of his left ring finger with his thumb and forefinger. “Hi, I’m Chandler Stowe.”
The man turned around. “Yeah. Heard about you. The LA artist, right?”
Chandler nodded, but before he could speak, the man looked him over from top to bottom with a pair of impossibly blue eyes. Chandler’s heart skipped. Yeah, skipped. And shit, it’d been a while since he reacted this way because of some man’s attention focused on him.
The man’s gaze stopped at the compress Chandler gripped in his lap. “Need some aspirin? I think there’s some here.” He flipped open a cabinet door above the sink and removed a white plastic bottle. He tossed it toward Chandler.
Chandler caught it with ease. “Allergies. It’ll pass.”
“Yeah, they’re a bitch this time of year. So they got you teaching a class?” He leaned against the counter and drank slowly. The cup seemed too small in his broad hand—a hand that could crush the cup to smithereens.
“I’m doing it gratis, so we’ll see how it goes.” Chandler uncapped the bottle, and dry swallowed a couple of pills. “You seem to know about me. And you are…?”
“Titan Douglas. I’m the football coach.”
Chandler almost laughed. No shit. Of course, this hunk had to be the coach looking like that. And then a spark of recognition made him sit up straighter. Everyone in Cholla knew of the Douglas family; their ancestors had practically built the town.
Being younger than Titan, he’d never gone to school with the guy, but you couldn’t live here without hearing about Boy Wonder. Strange that the once-NFL star had set up house in a town of less than a few thousand residents. He had to be wealthier than God and could live anywhere.
“Tim Douglas, right?”
Titan peered over the rim of his coffee cup. “No one calls me that, except my grandparents. My mom starting calling me Titan. The nickname stuck.” He shifted on his feet. “Sorry to hear about your dad.”
Chandler’s father died a few weeks ago, one of the reasons why Chandler came back home. To help his father during his last days, then tie up any loose ends.
“Thanks but after my mom died, he had a hard time of it. I don’t think he wanted to live without her.”
“He always treated me well. Is that why you’re back in town?”
“That and other things. You know Robyn? She teaches here. She’s the one that talked me into teaching an art class. Sports aren’t the only game in town.” Although some rumble and tumble with this man might be fun.
“Folks here would disagree with you.”
“I plan on changing a few minds.”
“In this town? Good luck.” The deep chuckle rose from Titan’s chest, and when he smiled, two dimples popped out. A delightful surprise. “Although”—he ran his hand across his chest as he kept his piercing gaze on Chandler—”you might be the one to change someone’s mind.”
Prickly heat rushed over Chandler as he watched Titan’s hand glide across the muscular chest. Oh boy, it was trouble when his gut twisted into knots. Titan stood real quiet with that half-crooked smile. Chandler felt naked under that intense gaze. All that primal energy seemed to be aimed right at him, which was crazy—Titan had to be as straight as they came.
Chandler tossed the aspirin bottle back to Titan, who caught it with one hand and set it on the counter.
“Nice throw.” Titan grinned. “Ever gone out for football? A little more muscle and you’d make a great wide receiver with those quick reflexes.”
Chandler’s stomach lurched at the implication that Titan had even noticed his body. The coach had to be playing with him.
The big, bad jock was teasing the gay boy—just like high school.
Chandler set the compress on the armrest. He picked up his jacket from the back of a chair. Best to beat it out of there.
“Well, I should go,” Chandler said. “It was nice meeting you.”
Before Chandler could escape, with a few quick steps, Titan met him at the door. The coach swallowed up the space between them, blocking out the rest of the room. That smell of male sweat wafted under Chandler’s nose.
“I hear you have Rory Stewart in your class.”
Chandler paused. “Yeah. The tall redheaded kid with spiky hair?”
“That’s the one. Rory’s one of my better players. Even though it’s off-season, make sure your lessons don’t interfere with his training. My boys need to keep up their strength, and they have weight training after school.”
Chandler shrugged. “It’s a free country, last I heard. If Rory chooses art over football, it’s not my concern.”
“Yeah, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Titan ran his hands through his s
hort hair, and the strands glittered with gold highlights as they righted themselves. Then he glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. “Ah fuck.”
“Something wrong?”
“My assistant’s gone for the day, so I lost my ride.” Titan sucked in his lower lip, then shrugged as if he’d made up his mind about something. “Did you drive here?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Can I bum a ride from you? My car is in the shop. You’re the only one here besides the janitor.”
A grin lit that ruggedly handsome face, those generous lips revealing even white teeth. Chandler didn’t want Titan in the close quarters of his pick up truck. Not after this strange banter between them. He didn’t want any complications like unrequited lust in his life. Titan would take up the front seat, and their bodies would be in close proximity. But he didn’t want to make enemies of the most famous resident in Cholla. Titan had given the town folks something to cheer about—the Cholla High’s first winning season since 1938.
“Sure, no prob.” Chandler hoped this would prove true. Titan Douglas looked like a whole lot of trouble.
Books by Viki Lyn
You can find all of Viki’s Books at her Amazon Author Page!
Blue Skye
Ryan’s Harbor
John’s Match
A Rumored Affair
Out Of Bounds
Books by Viki Lyn and Vina Grey:
For The Bite of It: Book 1
Audio version: For The Bite of It: Book 1
A Bite In Time: Book 2
Audio version: A Bite In Time
Love’s Last Bite: Book 3
Orbus Arcana Box Set
Long, Tall Cowboy
About the Author
Viki Lyn
Multi-published and award winner, Viki Lyn is a successful writer of gay paranormal and contemporary romance. After reading and collecting whatever she could get her hands on, she wrote her first male/male romance. And that was ‘it’ for her. She never looked back. Also check out her books co-written with Vina Grey, her partner in gay romance.