Defined By Deceit
A.E.
Via
Genre: Gay contemporary romance * Publisher: All Romance eBooks
Date of Publication: June 1, 2016 * ISBN: 978-1-943576-91-3
Number of pages: 289 * Word Count: 77000 * Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill
Book Description:
He tried to drown his demons, only
to find they could swim.
Life isn't always fair. Llewellyn
Gardner knows that first hand. He was on the fast track—college dreams, a
boyfriend—until one night of extreme passion changed everything. Eight years
later and out of prison, he still lives with the aftershocks of that night.
Everywhere he turns there’s another reminder of crime people insist he
committed, so he runs away to a new town to start over.
For Shane Smith, Jr., owner of
Smith Construction, there’s something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man
with the overly expressive eyes and dark past. Shane sees the good in
Llewellyn— it’s why he hired him—and he isn’t going to let the man cut himself
off from the world.
Llewellyn isn’t sure what to think
about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, he’s
worried. What will happen if Shane doesn’t believe the truth about his past?
Excerpt:
“Llew, don’t break
anything!” Moss half-yelled, half-laughed while his boyfriend chased him around
his parents’ mansion-sized home.
“Your ass is mine when I catch you… literally!” Llewellyn yelled as he rounded the large kitchen island. His boyfriend was his best friend as well as his lover. In the small town of Emporia, Virginia, they were likely the only gay students in their high school. That anyone knew about. A kid that moved there from Los Angeles a few years back was gay and unashamed of it. He was colorful and flamboyant because he felt free to be himself. The community had been so cruel to him and his family, that they were run out of town so fast Llew didn’t remember the pretty boy’s name. He did remember being envious, though.
“Your ass is mine when I catch you… literally!” Llewellyn yelled as he rounded the large kitchen island. His boyfriend was his best friend as well as his lover. In the small town of Emporia, Virginia, they were likely the only gay students in their high school. That anyone knew about. A kid that moved there from Los Angeles a few years back was gay and unashamed of it. He was colorful and flamboyant because he felt free to be himself. The community had been so cruel to him and his family, that they were run out of town so fast Llew didn’t remember the pretty boy’s name. He did remember being envious, though.
It was by sheer
accident that Llew and Moss discovered each other’s sexual orientation in the
first place. They were football teammates and both attended a party hosted by
one of the cheerleaders during their freshman year. Rosie Jameson’s parents
were traveling salespeople who left her and her twin sister home alone every
couple of weeks. So that meant at least twice a month the teenagers had
something fun to do in their dreary-filled-with-retirees town. Llew and Moss
got shit-faced drunk, and ended up alone in Rosie’s father’s den watching WWF
Smack Down. Moss couldn’t hide his hard-on while watching the oily, ridiculously
hot, and ripped wrestlers writhing and rolling all over each other in the small
wrestling ring. When Moss looked horrified that Llew had busted him and was
ready to bolt, Llew smirked at him, and pulled up the hem of his long hoodie,
exposing his own erection. The conversation they had that night changed their
lives. They didn’t immediately fall in love, but things progressed fairly quickly from that
point.
They were so young
back then; they just wanted to be friends. They needed someone to talk with openly,
a friend they could drop the mask with. The mask they had to wear
twenty-four-seven with everyone else.
When Llew got
pneumonia in their sophomore year, neither his mom nor dad could afford to take
time away from work to stay home with him all day. Moss was there every day
before and after school, taking care of him the same way a significant other
would. Llew knew then that things had changed between them. He suddenly saw
Moss’ blond shaggy hair as sexy instead of messy. He’d noticed that his friend’s
once scrawny frame had benefited from their hours in the weight room after
school. Now his best friend was seventeen years old, with fashionably tousled
hair, bright blue eyes, and a tightly packed body.
“Stop chasing me,
I’m tired.” Moss rounded the corner of the media room, and hurdled over the
couch in the formal living room like the track star he was.
“Then stop
running,” Llew huffed back, quickly closing the distance when Moss slowed down.
Llew tackled his boyfriend onto the plush carpet, pinning him beneath his much
larger body. He gripped both Moss’ wrists together above his head, and used his
other hand to push back the long bangs that had fallen over those blue eyes. He
loved Moss so much. They’d been inseparable from the moment they met six years
ago. Seamlessly transitioning from friends to lovers, now all they talked
about—well, Llew talked about—was leaving for college where he could love on
Moss freely.
When they first
moved to Emporia, Llew’s father owned a small landscaping business and was
contracted to service the mayor’s property. Llew was ticked off he had to help
his father every summer. Kids would tease him when they looked out their
windows or rode by on their bikes on their way to the YMCA pool. While he
hauled away overflowing bags of cut grass, Moss had come out of his mansion and
started shooting baskets at the hoop in his immaculately paved driveway, but
not before giving Llew a bottle of water and extending him an invite to play
along. Although Moss was wealthy, the son of the mayor and sixth generation
heir to the McGregor Empire, he never looked down on the working class like his
parents did.
The mayor and his
wife weren’t bad people; they were wonderful to the townspeople. In spite of
that, they always felt that their son could do better than the company he chose
to keep. After Llew’s parents died last year in a car accident, they took pity
and stopped giving him and his older brother dirty looks. His now
twenty-six-year-old brother was his only living relative and had moved back
home to take over their father’s business and make sure Llew graduated.
“You get sexier
every day, babe.” Llew ground his stiffening cock into the hard thigh beneath
him. “What time are your parents coming home?”
Moss opened his
eyes. The usually bright blue irises were the color of the sky before a
thunderstorm, dark and smoldering with lust. “Mmm. In about an hour.”
“Damn. I could
fuck you so hard right now.” Llew spread his legs wider, and drove down hard,
pulling a strained moan from his boyfriend.
“Would you throw
me around first? Slam me against the wall and take it has hard and fast as you
wanted?” Moss moaned, his hips rising up to meet Llew’s punishing thrusts.
“Ahhh, God. Hell
yeah, I would. You’re such a fuckin’ pain slut, babe.” Llew groaned, pulling
hard on Moss’ hair. His guy was into hardcore fucking, and Llew couldn’t deny
that he loved that shit, too. It was smoking hot. Moss would scream his name,
bite, and scratch him while he pounded his tight ass. No matter how hard he fucked
him, Moss would beg for more. He loved being tied down, gagged, and even
slapped a little. Llew had almost twenty pounds on his track star, so he was
careful with him, but oh, how he got a head rush from controlling him. They
were limited to backseat fucks most of the time, but every now and then Moss’
parents would be out late at a charity dinner, or some official function, and
they’d have well into the night to explore their ever growing need.
“I would love for
you to be bad right now, Llew, but you gotta go. I don’t feel like hearing my
parents’ shit.”
“Damn. How come
they think I’m not a good enough friend for you?” Llew sat up, turning his back
to his boyfriend. He pushed his hand through his thick, brown hair. “I’m the
fuckin’ star running back on the football team, and I have the eighth-highest
GPA in our class. Goddamn. You think they’re setting the bar a tad high on
who’s worthy to hang around you?”
Moss rose to his
knees and draped his long arms around Llew’s neck. He kissed him softly behind
his ear, whispering in that voice that always calmed him. “Soon we’ll be away
at college. I’ve already gotten into UCLA, and I know your acceptance letter is
coming any day now. The scout couldn’t say enough good things about you,
right?”
Llew just slightly
nodded his head.
“Okay, then. We’ll
be together. No one will give us a second look if we’re holding hands there. Or
kissing. Or touching.” Moss punctuated each statement with a kiss to Llew’s
neck.
“What if your dad
finds out we’re seeing each other while you’re in school? What if he stops
paying your tuition, or rent, or some shit? Would you like… stop seeing me?”
“Stop worrying.
Damn. You’re driving me crazy with all these questions.” Moss stood abruptly,
walking further into the media room, fixing the pillows they’d knocked off the
couch during their roughhousing. Eliminating any trace that Llew had been
there.
Moss had begun to
insist that Llew not be around when his parents were home, anymore. Said it was
easier for him. How? Llew had no idea. As far as anyone was concerned, they
were friends. Just like so many other kids at school.
“Hey. Alright, I’m
sorry. You’re right. Being together is all that matters. We’ll always be
together.” Llew cupped Moss’ cheek, tilting his head up to look at him. He
didn’t comment on the look he saw in his guy’s eyes, but he noted something was
off. He’s probably stressed with exams and everything coming up. He didn’t have
time to think about it any longer, since the front door beeped to indicate
someone was coming in.
Moss pushed him
away, almost causing him to fall over the low coffee table in front of the
couch. “Shit, babe, calm—”
“Don’t fuckin’
call me that. Are you crazy? Hurry up! Get your stuff,” Moss whispered harshly,
his eyes wide and terrified. It wasn’t like they were in there getting high or
something.
Llew shouldn’t
have let Moss’ words bother him, but they did. You would’ve thought he was on
the Feds’ most wanted list the way his boyfriend was acting. He yanked his
backpack off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. When he got to the
marble foyer, he tried to ignore the disdainful look Moss’ father threw him.
“Good evening,
Mayor McGregor, Mrs. McGregor, how are you?” Llew said in his most polite
voice.
“Oh. Hello,
Llewellyn. I’m just fine, thank you. If you’ll excuse me,” Mrs. McGregor said,
on her way past him. She never wasted time on pleasantries with him.
“What are you boys
up to at this late hour?” Mayor McGregor stood eyeing them cautiously, one hand
in the pocket of his dress pants, the other leaning on the mahogany foyer
table.
Llew looked at his
watch. It’s not even seven o’clock. “Um, I just stopped by to give Moss his AP
History notes back. He loaned them to me—”
“Why don’t you
have your own notes, Mr. Gardner?” Mayor McGregor said, standing taller and
removing his suit jacket, his face tight and impassive.
“Father. Remember
I told you—”
“Mr. Gardner can
speak for himself.” Moss’ dad cut him off.
Llew looked back
at his friend and saw how he hung his head at his father’s tone. “A couple guys
on by brother’s crew caught the flu, so I missed my last two classes on Monday
to help out at the business.”
“I see,” Mayor
McGregor said casually. “Why don’t you two step into my office for a quick
chat?”
“Father, Llew’s brother is waiting for him.”
“Father, Llew’s brother is waiting for him.”
“Sir, I know
you’re extremely busy. I didn’t mean to infringe on your family’s time.”
Both of them were
trying to avoid any type of chat, conversation, pow-wow, or anything else with
Moss’ father. He was intolerant to say the least; but whatever he wanted to
discuss with them wasn’t going to be fun.
“I’ll be brief.”
His tone and his expression said that it wasn’t an option.
Moss sat ramrod
straight in one of the two wingback chairs facing his father’s large desk. Llew
placed his backpack on the floor and gingerly sat in the other chair. He wasn’t
slouching, but he wasn’t about to sit at attention like he was in front of the
President of the United States, either. Although the design of Mayor McGregor’s
office could fool you into thinking you were; it was even oval-shaped. The
American flag stood tall behind him, just in front of the royal blue curtains
flanking the window. The wall was adorned with degrees from UCLA and Harvard.
Expensive-framed pictures of Mayor McGregor with influential politicians were
mounted on the adjacent wall, and sat on three large bookcases. Llew’s head
whipped around from the massive thirty- by-twenty-inch framed family painting
when Mayor McGregor cleared his throat.
“How’s the
business going for your brother, Llewellyn?”
Llew looked to his
boyfriend, but of course, his head was tucked low, not meeting his father’s
eyes. Well, this pompous bastard didn’t intimidate Llew. His father had
instilled good moral values in him and his brother before his death. Llew had
no reason to hang his head.
“Business is doing
well, sir. Leslie’s even picked up some commercial properties in Colonial
Heights. He’s had to hire a third crew to cover the demand,” Llew said proudly.
His brother had really done well with his father’s legacy.
“Are you going to
be joining his crew after you graduate in a couple months?” Mayor McGregor
inquired casually. He had dismissed Llew’s proud statement, continuing to
follow his own agenda, without bothering to look at Llew as he shuffled some
papers around on his executive-style desk.
“Yes, sir. I’m
going to work for him like I do every summer. Then I’ll be leaving for college
in the fall,” Llew said, trying unsuccessfully to meet Moss’ eyes.
Mayor McGregor’s
bushy eyebrows shot up, almost to his hairline. “Oh, really. Ahh, yes. You
probably got an athletic scholarship.”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“What school have
you chosen?”
“I haven’t yet,
sir. I’m still waiting to hear back from my first choice.”
Moss finally
turned his head towards him, eyes begging. What the hell? Llew looked tiredly
at his boyfriend, knowing that he was pleading with Llew not to mention the
possibility of him attending UCLA. Honestly, though, how was that going to be a
secret any longer, once he was accepted? Word traveled quickly in their parts.
No doubt, his big brother would be bragging all over town, too. It had been his
parents’ dream for both of their sons to go to college. Unfortunately, Leslie
had to leave during his second year in graduate school to bury his parents and
take care of Llew.
“And your first
choice?” he asked impatiently.
Llew and Moss
continued to watch each other. Moss’ brows scrunched together with annoyance.
Fuck that. Llew was pissed now. True, they were both in the closet; because it
just wasn’t worth the trouble to come out in their town. He hated when Moss
made him feel like he wasn’t even worthy of being his friend. Why couldn’t they
go to the same school? UCLA was ranked number twenty-three in the nation’s top
universities. It took more than just the ability to catch a football to get in.
Moss should be proud of him, not only as his boyfriend, but as his best friend.
“Virginia Tech,
sir.”
“Mmm. They have a
good athletic program. You should fit right in, Mr. Gardner.”
Llew’s jaw was
clamped shut so tight, it ached. He released a calm breath before adding, “They
have a top-ranked engineering program, sir; since I also have an academic
scholarship.” Llew held back his grin at the faint redness that was creeping
over the mayor’s pristine white collar. Llew had already been accepted to
Virginia Tech, but he couldn’t stand the thought of being twenty-four hundred
miles away from his boyfriend.
If his father were
here, he’d tell Mayor McGregor exactly what he thought of his son’s athletic
and his academic accomplishments. He wouldn’t let anyone talk down to him. He
wanted to do his father proud, but he loved Moss, he’d do anything for him.
They only had to endure this bullshit a little while longer.
“You know Moss
will be attending the family alma mater, UCLA, to carry on the McGregor
tradition. You boys have been inseparable since middle school and I’ve
tolerated it because it—”
“I’m sorry, sir.
Tolerated it?” Llew interjected, his anger quickly bubbling to the surface.
Mayor McGregor sat
forward, his hand tightly gripping the polished surface of his desk. “Yes,
tolerated it. Boys will be boys. Now it’s time for Moss to grow up and be a
man, leaving childish things behind. He has a duty and obligation to his
family’s name.”
Llew didn’t know
why he looked at Moss then, but he did. How could he sit there and allow his
father to degrade someone he loved like that? Did Moss consider him to be a
“childish thing” in his life?
“I understand,
sir. I best be getting home now, my brother and I have plans,” Llew said as
respectfully as he could muster, already standing and slinging his book bag
over his shoulder. They had nothing more to discuss.
************************
About
the Author:
A.E. Via is a best-selling author
in the beautiful LGBTQ erotic genre. She’d been reading gay romance exclusively
for over ten years before she decided to submit one of her own stories for
publication. Her writing embodies everything from spicy to scandalous. Her
novels often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking
depths. When she’s not clicking away at her laptop, A.E. devotes herself to her
family—a husband and four children.
Although she’s still a fairly new
author, she has plenty more to come.
For more information on other books
by A.E., visit her website:
Tour Giveaway:
3 ecopies of an ARe Out For You
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