On a Roll by Beth Bolden (best historical biographies TXT) 📕

Gabe thought dreamily, as his hands pulled Sean even closer against him, until he could feel all of that lean, strong body pressed against his, maybe it didn’t. All he could feel right now was Sean. He’d wanted him, just like this, for so long now. Despite all his annoyance that first day, he’d wanted to do exactly this, even then.

It was just as good as he’d always imagined it would be.

Actually, it was better.

But then, before he could start to think of what he could do next, without maybe getting arrested for public indecency, it was over.

Sean was pulling away, his mouth missing from Gabriel’s, and then slowly, he dragged his body away too. Until they were standing with too many inches between them and an increasingly distressed look on Sean’s face.

He opened his mouth, and instantly Gabe wanted him to close it, because he was going to say something he didn’t want to hear.

But Gabriel had always considered himself a very stupid man, so he let Sean say whatever it was that was apparently more important than kissing.

“We . . . we shouldn’t have done that,” Sean said, then licked his lips, like he could still taste Gabriel on them. Like he couldn’t quite get enough.

Gabriel already knew that he couldn’t get enough. Even if he had Sean naked in his bed, it wouldn’t be enough. He hadn’t even gotten him there yet, and he still knew that he’d always be wanting more.

He forced himself to focus. To try to handle this right so that he wouldn’t scare Sean away. So Sean wouldn’t scare himself away. Rolling his eyes, Gabe shoved his hands into his pockets. Mostly so he didn’t try to touch him again. “Could you be any more cliche?” he asked.

“What?” Sean looked shocked.

“I mean, that is such a cliche, right?” Gabriel said. “You sure didn’t seem to think it was a mistake when it was happening.”

Sean licked his lips again. “Well, that was because . . .”

“Because you really liked it? Believe me, I know. I was there.”

“No,” Sean said. Then hesitated. Like he hadn’t really meant to say that. “Actually . . .”

“Yeah, I know,” Gabriel said. “You enjoyed it.”

“But it’s such a bad idea. What are we going to do about the truck name? We can’t just tell Tony, sorry, we got so busy fucking that we never decided who should give up the name.”

Gabriel was momentarily very distracted by the idea of them being so busy fucking that they couldn’t even do anything else. Even the premise felt solid; like if they finally got their hands on each other, that was absolutely something that could happen.

In some faraway future, if Sean lets it happen, Gabe thought ruefully.

“I don’t see how they have anything to do with each other,” Gabriel said.

Sean eyed him skeptically. “Seriously?”

“They aren’t related,” Gabriel insisted, though even he wasn’t stupid enough to believe it. And Sean? Definitely not that stupid.

“I think they’d be hard to separate,” Sean said slowly.

“Do you want to have sex with me?” Gabriel asked, even though he knew better. His fragile ego might not be able to handle Sean’s answer. But then, if he was being truthful, how could it be anything else but the truth? But yes? He’d felt Sean’s cock, a hard line against his thigh, only a few minutes earlier.

But then, there was always the possibility that Sean would lie. To Gabriel. Or to himself.

“I . . .” Sean hesitated. “I do,” he finally finished. Gave Gabriel a timid glance, like he was afraid that once he’d admitted it, Gabe would press him against the wall and continue to ravish him.

It was a good idea. Gabriel wanted to do it more than he wanted to take his next breath. But he knew if he pushed now, well, it would never happen. If he was going to get Sean naked underneath him, it was going to have to be Sean’s choice.

He was a stubborn, infuriating man, and Gabriel had discovered that as difficult as that made everything, it was also kind of a turn-on.

“And do you want me to have the truck name?” Gabriel asked archly.

Sean didn’t even hesitate this time. “No,” he said emphatically. “Absolutely fucking not.”

“Then, there you go,” Gabriel said with a wave of his hand. “They’re not related.”

“What are you saying, that we can argue about the truck name during the day and fuck in the evenings?” Sean’s forehead creased in confusion. Like he wasn’t quite sure he could compartmentalize that way.

Frankly, Gabriel wasn’t sure he could either. But trying was better than not ever getting a chance to feel Sean the way he wanted to so desperately.

He’d thought he’d wanted him before all this, but now that he’d gotten a taste? He thought he’d go mad with it.

Gabriel nodded. “Exactly.”

“Or,” Sean said after a long, fraught pause, “we could try something else.” He took a step closer, crowding Gabriel against the brick wall again.

“Try what?” Gabriel’s voice came out in an awkward squawk as Sean’s hands rested on his shoulders, creeping up towards his neck, tucking behind and tangling in his hair.

“This,” Sean said, and laid another hot-as-fuck kiss on him. The kind of kiss that would keep him up late tonight, his hand fisted around his cock, as he imagined every dirty, filthy thing he wanted to do to this man.

Sean’s tongue was agile and quick and also slow as molasses, sliding over Gabriel’s leisurely, like he owned it. Owned him.

And goddamn it, Gabriel liked that even more.

One of Sean’s hands trailed down his chest, towards where his cock throbbed in time with his heartbeat, trapped behind the zipper of his jeans. Ten more seconds, and Sean would know just how hard he was.

But then, Gabriel realized with a start, he already knew.

Sean’s mouth left his two seconds before his hand reached just where they both wanted it to be, and then, like some kind of black magic, his hand was gone too, and Gabriel was left