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

“Oh, good,” Tony said. He clearly was dying to ask what was going on. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other once, and then again. “You still know that you’ve got to figure out the name change thing, right? That,” he said, gesturing to where Gabe’s hand was settled on Sean’s back, “doesn’t change anything.”

“We know,” Gabe said, the edge of his voice distinctly annoyed. “We got the memo, okay?”

“Okay,” Tony said awkwardly. “Well, I’ll let you get to . . . whatever you need to do in your truck . . . when we’re closed . . .”

He took off, heading towards the fire pit, and Gabe and Sean both burst into laughter. “Oh, god,” Gabe gasped, between deep gales of laughter, “I thought his head was gonna explode.”

“It might still,” Sean said. “Look at him, he’s telling Lucas all about it.”

And yeah, he was. The way Tony’s hands were gesturing in their direction as he relayed what had just happened to his boyfriend were unmistakable.

“I really was worried for a second,” Gabe confessed as they walked the last few feet to Sean’s truck. “Tony brought up the name, and I thought, this is it. This is the cold water I’ve been dreading.”

“Cold water?” Sean questioned as he made a big show of digging in his pocket for his keys. Though he had no intention of actually unlocking anything. He’d just wanted to get Gabe alone, and behind the truck, where nobody could see them.

“Yeah, make you decide that this was all a bad idea,” Gabe said with a self-conscious shrug. “Change your mind, or something.”

Sean stared at him intently, at the concern shadowing his handsome face. At the need in his dark eyes. “I’m not going to change my mind,” he said. Didn’t Gabriel understand what he was going through? It felt like he was waking up after being numb for almost five years. Every inch of his skin felt like he was on fire, burning for the man in front of him. He’d never felt desire that threatened to bring him to his knees, metaphorically and literally, but he was feeling it now. He’d never expected to feel it for Gabriel, but it was undeniable and once he’d stopped fighting it, he’d realized just how impossible it was to resist.

“Oh good.” Gabriel not only sounded embarrassed, he looked embarrassed.

Sean might not be as big or as broad as Gabriel, but he didn’t fight when Sean took his arm and pushed him up against the side of the truck. “I want you,” he said, their lips nearly brushing. He could feel Gabriel’s whole body tense against his, and Sean pressed into him even more forcefully. “I want you so bad. I’m not going to change my mind about that. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”

“I think . . .” Gabriel cleared his throat, his arms sliding around Sean’s back, tugging him in even closer. “I think you really mean that.”

Sean didn’t even bother answering, he reached up and kissed Gabriel. Each and every time they kissed, it felt more natural, more right, like instead of spending the last two years fighting with their words, they should’ve been using their mouths for a very different purpose.

Gabe’s hands slid up his body and cupped his head, tilting it so he could delve deeper into Sean’s mouth. Maybe Sean had started the kiss, but Gabe clearly intended to finish it. And that, Sean thought with satisfaction, was exactly what he’d hoped. He’d wanted Gabe to quit holding back. To forget entirely about the leash he’d put them on.

All he’d need was a little extra encouragement, Sean knew, and he’d give in. He slid a thigh in between Gabe’s, panting into his mouth as they kissed and kissed, his hardening cock rubbing against Gabe’s. He’d just decided that it would be okay to reach down, to feel Gabriel’s huge hard-on for himself, when a voice interrupted them.

“Well, this isn’t what I expected to find back here.”

Gabe tore his mouth from Sean’s, and they sprang apart.

It wasn’t Tony. Or Lucas. Or Tate. Or even Ash.

It was that guy that Ash had invited; the one who’d been hanging around the lot so much in the last month.

The one who wore that hard, unrelenting expression most of the time.

Lennox, Tony had said his name was. But nobody knew if that was his first name or his last name, or anything else about the guy. He wouldn’t share any other tidbits about himself.

And now he’d just discovered them practically dry humping against Sean’s food truck.

Sean sold this guy a chicken caesar salad wrap at least once a week. His face flared with the bright red of embarrassment. They might be more casual about things than most restaurants, but they were still supposed to be professionals.

“Uh,” Sean said, “I’m sorry. I . . . we . . .”

“Were obviously preoccupied,” Lennox said in that stiff voice of his. Sean didn’t think he’d ever seen him relax. Not once.

“A little,” Gabriel said apologetically. “Sorry about that.”

Lennox didn’t acknowledge the apology. His expression didn’t soften even a fraction. It was still as stiff as the leather jacket he was wearing. A leather jacket in summer in Los Angeles. Sean wasn’t sure he understood what the fuck the guy’s problem was. But even if he was cute, he wasn’t sure Ash knew quite what he was getting into.

“I’d heard things were wild down here after hours,” Lennox finally said. Still refusing to crack a smile. “I guess some rumors are true.”

“We . . . uh . . .” Gabe shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s not always like this.”

Except, it kind of was. There was Tony and Lucas, who had never met a vertical or horizontal surface they didn’t want to fuck against, and then there was Tate and Chase, who were always looking for some kind of dark corner. And Sean wasn’t even counting the single guys, specifically Ren.

They were kind of