His Skittish Sub Read online

  Damien Rosetta comes to his best friend’s wedding with the date from hell. Of course, that’s the perfect time for fate to put the man of his dreams in his path, the very moment he can’t do a thing about it. Damien can’t get the man off his mind, and when fate finds another way to bring the pair together, Damien isn’t taking no for an answer.

  Lucas Cullen was supposed to meet Damien at the bachelor party, but chickens out before the night barely begins, never meeting the man. One look at the sexy Damien, and Lucas’ shyness takes over. When he gets a second chance at the wedding, his tongue ties in twenty different knots and he blows another shot. Friends orchestrate one more meeting, knowing the third time’s gotta be a charm.

  Damien is entranced. He can think of nothing but Lucas and having the man, but he’s thwarted at every turn. Can Lucas get over his shyness and surrender before it’s too late?

  His Skittish Sub

  A JLC Construction Story, 5

  by

  Kelex

  M/M, SPANKING, BONDAGE, BDSM,

  SUBMISSION, ANAL SEX, RIMMING,

  AND ORAL SEX

  Twisted E Publishing, LLC

  www.twistedepublishing.com

  A TWISTED EROTICA PUBLISHING BOOK

  His Skittish Sub

  A JLC Construction Story, 5

  Copyright © 2015 by Kelex

  Edited by Marie Medina

  First E-book Publication: July 2015

  Cover design by K Designs

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2015, Twisted Erotica Publishing, LLC.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  His Skittish Sub

  Chapter One

  Damien Rosetta lifted his glass of champagne, already feeling the sway of a little too much alcohol for the night. He wasn’t drunk, but he felt no pain. Given the joyous occasion, he was allowed a little extra room for celebration. Damien’s best friend had just married the man of his dreams. “A toast!” he cried, haphazardly clinking a fork against the bottom of his flute.

  A smile spread across his face as the conversations died away. Candles flickered from the tables as strings of light littered the whole space. The soft light, along with the slight buzz Damien had, gave the world a hazy glow. A warm late summer’s breeze came off the lake and billowed across those assembled. The large willows the tables were situated near undulated in that breeze, their long limbs swaying romantically around them. All eyes were on him, including the groom—and the groom.

  “Golden, we’ve been friends for many years. Though we lost touch, separated by an entire country, once we saw one another again a few weeks ago, it was as if nothing had changed. All through law school, we stood shoulder to shoulder… because we were different. We shared that difference and it bonded us, against the assholes of the world and the jerks on campus. It wasn’t easy, but we moved on and built great lives for ourselves. We excelled in our careers and found professional happiness.” Damien paused, flinching slightly, the words just not rolling off his tongue quite right. He pushed his rambling thoughts aside and focused on the two men before him and their night. His smile widened as he saw the love radiating from both men. “Seeing you now find your soul mate and get married brings me joy, and I am blessed to have reconnected with you in time to share this special day with you.”

  Golden’s eyes shimmered slightly as he stared up at Damien, before he turned to smile at his handsome new husband, Jax. Damien felt his own eyes sting slightly, seeing the two men, very much in love. He was being way too corny. He’d attribute it to the excess alcohol, because he wasn’t the teary-eyed, emotional type. Before he turned into a total cornball, it was time to change the tone. “But, between the bachelor party and this reception, you’re turning me into a drunk!”

  Everyone chuckled around him. He lifted his glass higher and grinned widely. “To Golden and Jax… may you find all the happiness in the world and live to be two old men rocking together on the front porch, hand in hand, as much in love then as you are now.”

  A round of hear-hears murmured around him before they all drank from their glasses. A round of light clapping concluded the moment. Once Damien had taken a sip from his own glass, he moved to the table where Golden and Jax sat and offered handshakes for them both. “Thanks for including me, Golden. I can’t tell you how great it is to see you this happy.”

  “I couldn’t imagine you not being here,” Golden said with a smile. “Now it’s your turn.”

  “Me?” Damien frowned and then turned to look at his piss-poor choice of a wedding date. Ansley hung off the arm of some lumberjack looking fellow, surrounded by other men, flirting away. The L.A. native had been Damien’s boy toy as of late, but he’d already been growing bored with the man. But when you felt the need to hide your true self, it was easy to grow bored.

  Irritation rippled through Damien as he watched Ansley, but then, it was out of embarrassment, not jealousy. He turned to look back at Golden. “Not me. I’m nowhere near ready for happily ever after.”

  Damien lied. He was more than ready for it; he just didn’t have the right person yet. There was a side to Damien that Golden didn’t know, and couldn’t know, and for that reason alone he would know it when he saw the right one.

  And he didn’t want Golden to start his matchmaking, especially when he should be focusing on the man at his right. Damien had been on the rough end of Golden’s matchmaking a few times in college, and it had never ended well. He’d find his own happily ever after, without his friend’s help.

  “No, I think you’re ready,” Golden said, looking past Damien to Ansley. “We just need to find your Mr. Right. You can’t be happy with… with… that. Whatever that is.”

  No music played, yet Ansley was dancing suggestively with said lumberjack. It was disrespectful. The married couple hadn’t even had their first dance. Ansley had been a thorn in his side for the last two days, and Damien was more than ready to take the man back to L.A. and be done with him. “That is nobody special. I just didn’t want to come stag. Now I wish I had. I’ll get him to calm down.”

  “Wait,” Golden said. “You know, I have the perfect man in mind for you.”

  Damien lifted both hands in front of him. “No. Just no. No matchmaking, Golden.” He glared at his friend to punctuate the point. No way was he going through that hell again.

  “I’ve gotten better at it, trust me. Just ask Chance and Linc. They’re quite happy after I worked my magic.”

  “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

  It was Golden’s turn to glare at him.

  “I’m glad Chance and Linc have hit it off, but stay out of my love life, Golden.”

  Golden continued to glare. “Fine. I won’t interfere. But please do something with Mr. Nobody Special. While most of our guests are fine with seeing a man grinding between two other men, some of them are a little more conservative.”

  “If they’re not fine with it, then that’s their problem,” Jax murmured.

  Golden rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. There are some who don’t want to see a drunk man or woman grinding all over two others, regardless of the gender.”

  “It’s our day, and I don’t care what other people think,” Jax shot back.

  Damien looked over his shoulder at Ansley who was, just as Golden said, grinding between two men. He left the wedding couple to bicker and headed straight toward the one who started the chaos in the first place. Lumberjack seemed to have a near twin brother, an
d both of them were all over the Hollywood hopeful.

  Ansley was a terrible actor. He couldn’t even feign interest in Damien for the entire night. How the man figured he’d make it into movies was beyond Damien. He stopped behind the trio and watched for a second, curious if his date would even notice his presence.

  “Ansley?”

  Ansley turned to look over his shoulder, not stopping the grinding of his hips. “Yeah?”

  “I think it’s time to sit down.”

  “But I’m dancing,” Ansley answered, turning and not paying Damien a bit of attention. The actor brushed a hand down Lumberjack A’s face, tangling his fingers in the long beard the guy had. Lumberjack smiled, lust shining in his eyes.

  Damien grabbed Ansley’s arm and dragged him off the dance floor and through the willows to a more private spot. He stopped and spun, facing the younger man. “I didn’t bring you here to make a fool of yourself.”

  “You dragged me out here to Timbuktu and now expect me not to have fun? It’s boring. I won’t sit here and do nothing all night. I’ll make the fun if I have to.”

  “You’re embarrassing yourself… and me.”

  Ansley rolled his eyes and leaned his body against Damien’s. The smell of alcohol proved the man had consumed much more than Damien had, but then, Ansley was a party boy. “Oh come on. This party’s a drag. Let’s go back to L.A. and find a real party.”

  “This is my best friend’s reception.”

  “You came, you saw, you did your little speech. There’s nothing left. I heard rumors of a big industry party tonight. I’m sure they’d let you in being Trent Gaines’ attorney and all. We have time to make it if we leave now.”

  “I’m not abandoning the reception,” Damien said, his tone brooking no argument.

  “Then don’t expect me to sit in a corner, bored,” Ansley responded, and started walking back to the dance floor, likely to return to the two lumberjacks he’d been writhing against.

  For some reason, anger roiled in Damien’s chest. It wasn’t jealousy. He simply didn’t want to deal with the nuisance. He grabbed Ansley’s arm and spun the man around.

  “I think it’s time I took you back to the hotel.”

  “Seriously?” Ansley cried.

  “Or maybe send you on back to L.A. alone. Maybe you can try to get into that party you want to attend instead of staying here as my guest.”

  A look of panic flashed across Ansley’s face. He stepped closer to Damien and ran his hands down Damien’s chest. “I want you there with me, Damien.”

  “I’m staying at my best friend’s wedding reception. Go if you choose, but if you stay, you’d best stay out of trouble.”

  Ansley pouted slightly and wrapped his arms around Damien’s neck. “I’m sorry. I am. I’m behaving badly, aren’t I?”

  Damien clenched his jaw. Ansley was a really bad actor.

  “Hey, you two! We need the best man up here to help cut the cake,” Chance called from the edges of the party. “Golden’s asking for you.”

  Damien disentangled himself from Ansley’s hold. Without a look behind him, he returned to Golden and Jax. He continued to ignore his date and kept his attention on the cake cutting and the subsequent mess as they smooshed it into one another’s faces. Soon after, the first dance was announced and he stood back as Jax and Golden took the dance floor. A little spike of jealousy hit him, watching the men laughing and hugging—two people who obviously cared deeply for one another.

  Will I ever have that?

  Ansley came up and wrapped an arm around Damien’s waist, almost on cue.

  Apparently not.

  “Dance with me, Damien.”

  Damien wasn’t in the mood, but if Ansley was with him, the man couldn’t be causing chaos anywhere else. He let Ansley coax him onto the dance floor. The first song was an old-school ballad and Damien nearly forgot how terrible a date Ansley had been. The soft lights, the gentle breezes, and a hot man in his arms…

  And then a faster song started and Ansley became a little too animated. Wild party boy came out and caused a scene, reminding Damien exactly why Ansley needed to go. He grabbed the man and started making his way to the edges, but the drunken lush pushed Damien into another man.

  “Sorry,” Damien said, turning to look at who he’d bumped into.

  His stare met an ice-blue one that nearly took his breath away.

  “It’s okay,” the other man said, his voice soft, yet firm.

  Those eyes held his a few seconds longer before breaking away. Damien turned back to Ansley just as another slower song started. He pulled his date into his arms and spun them around, so he could spy on the man he’d bumped into. Short, spiky sandy blonde hair and beard framed a gorgeous face. He was shorter than Damien’s six-three, but only by a few inches. His body looked firm under his well-cut suit.

  Best part was, the man’s gaze drifted to Damien’s as he danced with a very lucky fellow. Damien smiled and watched as the man grinned and looked away.

  A fire lit in Damien’s gut. The chase was on.

  “Time to throw the garter belts!” Golden screamed, after the crowd had been dancing a while. “My best man needs to get right up front.”

  Damien grimaced, sensing Golden still had something up his sleeve. Like the obedient child, he moved away from Ansley and got into place, hoping Golden wasn’t about to embarrass the hell out of him. Awaiting the tossing of the ceremonial garter belts, a large crowd of men closed in on the dance floor. Damien had no plans to rush for the garter belt, but when it landed on his chest, there was no escaping it.

  Golden turned and smiled widely when he saw the red lace hanging from Damien’s fingers.

  “Time for another dance, Mr. DJ,” Golden cried.

  Damien looked to his left as the music started again, to see who he would be paired with… and saw it was his accident victim. A smile formed on his lips. Lucky me.

  The guy drew off his suit jacket and handed it to another man, the one he’d been dancing with. The vest he wore was form-fitting and showed a trim waist. He tugged his black garter belt up his arm and gave Damien a shy smile.

  “Go on,” Golden said from Damien’s side. “Dance with him.”

  Damien didn’t need to be told twice. He walked closer and offered a hand to the mystery man, who took it and danced into Damien’s embrace. The music was slow, allowing Damien to get close.

  He smells too good. “I’m Damien.”

  The man smiled wanly. “I know. You’re Damien Rosetta.”

  He nodded. “Does my reputation precede me?”

  “Golden… Golden has spoken about you before.”

  “Ah, I see. Good things, I hope?”

  Another smile. “Very good.”

  Damien watched a flow of emotions cross the handsome man’s face as they danced. He was somewhat stiff, as if he wasn’t comfortable in Damien’s arms. The guy looked off around them, smiling to those in attendance, but didn’t seem able to look at Damien. He’d have to do something about that.

  “And you are?”

  “A friend of Chance’s,” the guy answered, not looking up at Damien.

  A name. Give me a name. “Are you purposefully being obtuse?”

  Those ice-blue eyes finally turned on him, and he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. That slow, shy smile returned. “No, I wasn’t trying to be.”

  Damien stared into the man’s eyes, transfixed. He felt his body responding, need slowly firing from deep within.

  “Enough of that,” Ansley said, suddenly appearing at Damien’s side. “He’s my boyfriend. My turn for a dance.”

  Before Damien could disentangle himself from Ansley, his mystery guy was gone, disappearing into the crowd. “Go sit down,” Damien spat at Ansley as he searched the gathering.

  “I’m your date, Damien. You’re supposed to dance with me.”

  “Go back and dance with your lumberjacks,” he said off-handedly, moving through the dance floor to the tables. “And you are
not my boyfriend. Get that clear.”

  Damien knew he’d been too snide with Ansley, but the man needed to see the light. Damien wasn’t going to be the cash cow Ansley thought him to be. Their little wild ride was over.

  He searched the crowd for the next thirty minutes for his dance partner, but came up short.

  The rest of the night, Damien was both there and not there. He kept an eye out, hoping to catch sight of the intriguing man, but apparently his chance was lost and the man was gone. Damien couldn’t get his dance partner out of his mind.

  “Dammmien…” Ansley slurred from his side a few hours later.

  “It’s time to go,” Damien said curtly. It was past time to go, in fact, but he’d hoped… hoped he’d catch another glimpse.

  “No, dance with me, Damien.”

  Ansley’s drunken actions were all the more pronounced now that Damien had completely sobered. He rose to his feet and grasped Ansley’s elbow before urging the man across the yard and past the stunning, newly remodeled lake house, which had been a wedding gift from Jax’s brother. He shoved Ansley into the passenger side of his Maserati and then moved to the driver’s side. Damien glanced across the party, hoping for one last chance.

  With a sigh of regret, he climbed behind the wheel and drove back to the hotel. At least he hadn’t taken Golden up on his offer of a room. He could take his embarrassment back to the hotel and hole up there for the night. Once morning came, he could get Ansley back to L.A. and out of his life.

  Forty minutes later, they clambered into the room and Damien shut the door behind them. Ansley climbed across the bed and stretched seductively, a light to his eye and a come hither look on his face.

  “Come sit by me,” the man cooed.

  “I’m in no mood,” Damien spat. He eyed the room’s couch and wondered if he should sleep on it or force his tactless guest to. Pulling off his sports coat, he laid it over the back of the chair before loosening his tie.