New Neighbor Read online

  Benjamin “Benji” McGill has always been the runt of the litter. Be it his family or his group of friends, he’s always felt like he was less than, flying under the radar. Unseen.

  The fifth wheel.

  When Mac moves across the hall from him, he thinks he senses interest… but then, why would a big, buff ex-Marine be interested in him? But every time Benji runs into Mac, he can’t deny the electric tension between them.

  Is it all in his head?

  Throwing caution to the wind, he asks Mac out on a guys’ night with his group of friends. It’s a safe risk… and maybe he can see if the sparks he feels can turn into an all-out inferno.

  New Neighbor

  In Bed, Book Three

  by

  Kelex

  MM, GAY, CONTEMPORARY, TOY USE

  Twisted E Publishing, LLC

  www.twistedepublishing.com

  A TWISTED E-PUBLISHING BOOK

  New Neighbor

  In Bed, 3

  Copyright © 2018 by Kelex

  Edited by Marie Medina

  First E-book Publication: September 2018, SMASHWORDS EDITION

  Cover design by Cover by K Designs

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2018, Twisted E-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.

  All characters depicted in sexual acts in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

  NEW FROM KELEX

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  Dedication

  To men like Mac…

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Epilogue

  Also By Kelex

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Moving Day…

  “All that hard work… for nothing,” Benji muttered as he stared into the full-length mirror. Sighing, his stare washed over his reflection. He was just as scrawny as he’d ever been. For weeks, he’d been going to the gym obsessively, trying to add some bulk to his too-lean body. He’d increased his food intake and yet—nothing. His buddy Jesse had given him some bulking powders to add to his morning drinks, but all Benji still saw in the mirror was a ninety-pound weakling.

  Of course, he wasn’t quite that small, but some days it sure felt like it.

  He gave himself another cursory glance, trapped within the swirling disappointment churning in his gut. At least he did see a tiny bit of definition here and there where it hadn’t been before. But when one didn’t have muscles in the first place, there wasn’t much of anything to define.

  Benji sighed, curling a bicep and eyeing the muscle… or lack thereof.

  “Worthless.”

  After another long sigh, he drew on his track pants and a t-shirt, and then sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his running shoes. He wasn’t going to let the image in the mirror defeat him. Another trip to the gym was the only way to get the results he wanted. As he neared the front door of his apartment, he heard several deep voices on the landing. Peeking through the spyhole, he saw a few muscle-bound guys carrying boxes heading toward the empty apartment across the hall.

  “There goes my quiet,” he murmured quietly. The small building only had two apartments per floor. He’d enjoyed nearly two months of peace having a floor to himself, especially after his rowdy neighbor had been kicked out. Now he’d have to share the floor again. Hopefully they’re not as bad as the last one.

  Benji checked the guys out, inspecting each one and wondering which one it was. Both his and the other apartment were singles, so he doubted it was all of them. Better not be. Three big, buff guys—built exactly as he hoped he’d one day be—would make a lot of noise.

  A hint of jealousy filled him as he stared them over. Their biceps bulged, the sinew and flesh stretched tight.

  His gaze roamed over their firm bodies, feeling a little whisper of excitement.

  A smile played across his lips as he observed every square inch…

  All of them looked military. They had buzzed heads and one even wore camo pants and an army-green T-shirt. He was sure he saw the glint of dog tags in the low light of the hallway. All three of them were hot as hell…

  Any one of them would be perfect eye candy.

  Benji sighed again.

  One of the guys turned suddenly, peering at his door—as if the man sensed Benji stood behind, watching. The guy’s light, golden stare narrowed, and Benji could only feel a tightening in his chest. The guy was gorgeous. Gorgeous. A pair of keys hung from his thick fingers under the box he carried…

  It’s him.

  Benji’s heart fluttered a bit. He drew away from the door, feeling as if he’d been caught playing voyeur. He was perfectly in his right to check out his new neighbor, so Benji wasn’t sure why he felt so embarrassed. He reached for the knob, but paused.

  Guess I can’t leave… not yet, anyway. He didn’t want to walk out and all but shout that he’d indeed been at the door snooping.

  Although, I don’t want to wait too long. I should say hello to my new neighbor.

  It would be the neighborly thing to do.

  Plus, it would give him a chance to ogle the guys a little more.

  Benji stepped into the small kitchen and grabbed a glass before filling it from the water dispenser on the fridge. He took a sip, listening in as he heard the men go into the apartment. After washing another sip down his dry throat, he grabbed his gym bag and keys before opening the door.

  The big guy who’d caught him was standing in the opposite doorway and spun to face him as soon as he stepped out into the hall.

  “Hey,” the guy mumbled with a nod of his head.

  “Hey,” Benji mumbled back, trying to give an equally cool nod of his head and sure he failed miserably. My gods, he’s gorgeous. “Ah, I gu-guess you’re my new neighbor?” What the fuck? I haven’t stuttered since middle school. Heat filled his face.

  “I am,” the guy answered. He took a step forward and offered a hand. A large hand. “The name’s Mac.”

  Benji looked down at the paw and knew it had to be twice the size of his own. And then he realized he was being unintentionally rude and shot his hand out, knocking into the big one and making a total fool of himself. “Sorry,” he mumbled before righting his hand and shaking. “Nice to m-meet you, Mac.”

  “Nice to meet you…” he dragged the last word out, raising a brow.

  Benji lifted his stare from that hand enveloping his to get caught in an amber stare that nearly took his breath away. His lips parted. His eyes widened. He felt a fluttering feeling in his gut.

  He’s gorgeous.

  “Ahhh… are you going to tell me your name?” Mac asked, frowning.

  Benji looked back down, shame filling him as he saw he was still shaking Mac’s hand and hadn’t let go. I don’t wanna let go.

  He could feel the heat in that touch. It seeped into him, molecule by molecule. Yet he let go. “Benji. Sorry. N-no. Not Benji. It’s Benjamin… my friends call me Benji… although it sounds like I’m a five-year-old kid… and I’m not… and I hate that nickname, but how do you tell your friends you hate it, you know? So I just let them… I guess…” Stop rambling. You sound like an idiot. He tried to relax, knowing full well he looked anything but relaxed. “Yeah.”

  An odd smile crossed Mac’s lips. “How about just Ben
? Does that work?”

  Benji looked down, knowing his face had to be beet red. “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Ben works, too.”

  “You lived here long, Ben?”

  Benji loved the way Mac said his name. “Here?”

  “Yeah, here,” Mac said, humor in his tone.

  Benji lifted his head and met those golden eyes. His stare drifted to the wide smile and barely remembered the question he’d just been asked. Did he just move a little closer? Oh god, he smells good. “I’ve lived here for a few months.”

  “Another newbie to town, hmm?” Mac asked.

  “Oh no, no… I went to Emory. Graduated a few years ago… I’ve lived in the area for nearly a decade now,” Benji answered. He looked up and saw a bit of confusion on Mac’s face. “I thought you meant the building… I’ve been here in the building for a few months.”

  “Ah,” Mac said. He grinned and took another half step closer. “I guess I know who to ask about the city, then.”

  “Sure, sure,” Benji said, nodding his head. The walls of the hallway seemed to close in around them. All he could see was Mac, big and muscled and gorgeous and smelling amazing and that smile…

  The other two guys popped out of the apartment, eyeing Mac.

  “Ready for the next load?” one asked.

  “Yeah, if you two lazy asses are finally ready,” Mac said, turning away slightly.

  Benji’s body grew a little slacker—after he was no longer under the close scrutiny of his new neighbor.

  “I had to pee, dude,” one of the other guys said before eyeing Benji. “Who’s your friend?”

  “My new neighbor, Benji,” Mac said before turning to eye him. “Excuse me… Ben.”

  Benji felt his face flame again. He didn’t care which name Mac used… any of them sounded wonderful coming across the gorgeous man’s lips. Benji lifted a hand to wave a hello at Mac’s friends, trying not to act like a dumbass.

  No more than he already had.

  “These guys are my friends Tevan and Julio. You’ll likely see them around here from time to time,” Mac said.

  “Nice to meet you,” Tevan said.

  “Same,” Julio added.

  “Nice to meet you guys, too,” Benji answered.

  “You headed to the gym?” Tevan asked, pointing at his bag.

  “Yeah, I was.”

  “You should stay here and help us unload Mac’s U-Haul. All the exercise you’ll need for the weekend,” Tevan said. “Plus Mac’s promised beer and pizza when we’re done.”

  “You can’t just draft my new neighbor into unloading my shit,” Mac growled over one shoulder at Tevan.

  “It’s called work smarter, not harder,” Tevan answered before turning to Benji. “And why lift weights when you can lift boxes? Same difference.”

  “I… I don’t mind helping,” Benji said. “Lifting is lifting, right?”

  “See,” Tevan said, turning to Mac with a grin.

  “He’s just being nice,” Mac said, pushing Tevan down the hall, toward the stairs. He turned his head to Benji. “Get out while you can.”

  But I don’t want to go. Not now…

  Julio offered a polite nod and followed the pair down the hall.

  I’d really like to help. Benji stood there a moment before gripping his gym bag’s strap. Staying to help would keep him in the vicinity… but then, he wasn’t totally sure Mac wanted him there. It didn’t sound as if he did.

  Benji waited until he couldn’t see the trio any longer before he moved. He headed for the stairs, trying to act nonchalant. Once he made it to the lower landing, he saw the guys pulling boxes from the back of Mac’s U-Haul. As he headed for his truck, Mac turned to stare.

  He felt that stare down to his very toes. Looking away, he was sure he wasn’t seeing what he thought he saw…

  But damn if it didn’t feel like interest.

  A smile came to his lips as he slid behind the wheel and started the engine. He pulled out of his assigned space and headed for the gym.

  Ten minutes later, he slid into a space at Hard Bodies Gym, knowing full well he’d never truly belong there. He showed his ID card at the front desk and then went straight for the weights… and felt like all the huge muscle-bound gods were watching him and silently judging.

  After a few deep stretches, he went to the leg press and adjusted the weights. He jumped on the machine and had barely gotten a set done when his friend Jesse showed up.

  “Hey, man.”

  Benji turned his head. “What’s up?”

  Jesse rolled his eyes. “Same shit, different day.”

  Benji chuckled before pushing his legs out, starting another set. He struggled with the weight, but he needed to push himself harder. If he was ever going to build muscle, he needed to go past expectations…

  “I don’t know what’s up with Adam and Clay, but it appears they’re not on speaking terms at the moment,” Jesse said as he sat on a piece of equipment beside Benji.

  “They get into another argument?” Benji asked.

  Jesse hopped to his feet, walking as he talked. Benji knew that meant Jesse was up to something. He always paced when he planned out strategy. “No idea. I can’t get either one of them to talk about it. Adam completely shut me down yesterday when I asked. And Clay—well, he pretty much did the same just now.”

  Benji extended his legs, frowning as he pushed with everything he had. As he held the weights for a moment, he turned to Jesse. “I’m sure they’ll work it out. They typically do.”

  Jesse shook his head. “I get the feeling that’s not going to happen this time around. The vibe I got… it was just weird.”

  He walked closer and lifted a hand, forcing Benji to stop. After pulling out the pin, Jesse reset the machine for a better weight. “I keep telling you less is more. It’s about the repetition, not the amount of weight. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “I need to build muscle mass,” Benji said.

  “Why?”

  Benji frowned. Because I want to be stronger.

  Because there’s a hot guy moving in across the hall from me who’s so out of my league.

  Just like most guys are out of my league. Not that you would know that I’m into guys because I’ve never had the fucking courage to tell you. “I just do.”

  “You know… that I know a thing or two about the body, right?”

  Benji narrowed his stare. “Just because you considered becoming a doctor doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing.”

  “It was sports medicine. And hey, I took all those anatomy classes and worked part time as a PT assistant for a year before I switched degrees.”

  Benji chuckled. “Still doesn’t mean shit, Jess.”

  “I just don’t want you getting hurt. Again.”

  Benji rolled his eyes. One pulled hamstring and they were always treating him like he was fragile. He wasn’t fragile.

  “Anyway… Adam and Clay…”

  “Those two argue all the time. Give it a few weeks and they’ll be fine,” Benji said.

  “No. I think we need to get them in the same space and make them face one another,” Jesse countered. “That way we can gauge the temperature and see how bad it is this time.”

  “If they’re pissed off at one another, how are we supposed to get them to come?”

  Jesse grinned. “We lie.”

  “That’s not cool.”

  “If it’s for a good cause?”

  Benji lifted a brow.

  Jesse continued. “We tell each one of them that the other can’t make it and then persuade them both to come. They show up, and we go all ninja on them and don’t let them go until they’ve made up.”

  Benji looked up at him from his seat on the leg press. “Fine. But we need to eat this time. Hayden got blasted last time because he hadn’t eaten first—and I hadn’t had much myself. The following day wasn’t fun.”

  “You’re such an old man,” Jesse said with a smile.

  “You two
gonna use the equipment or run your mouths?” a big buff dude asked, moving in close. Benji froze. All those guys intimidated the hell out of him.

  “Almost done,” Benji said, frowning. He lifted the weights too quickly—apparently forgetting the loss of weight. They clanged hard, and Benji felt every eye in the place on him.

  “Amateurs,” the big dude said before sauntering off to find another piece of equipment.

  Jesse looked back at Benji. “That new Chinese place opened up around the corner from Jackson Street. We can hit there, grease up the old stomach, and take a walk on down the row. Say Friday night?”

  “Sounds good,” Benji said. “You’re going to call Adam and Clay, right?”

  “Can you call Clay? I just tried a little bit ago. I don’t want to sound like I’m nagging.”

  “You know I suck at lying,” Benji said. He wasn’t in the mood to be Jesse’s co-conspirator, but knowing how much of a weakling he was, he’d just be talked into it eventually. It was easier to just say yes and get it over with.

  “Come on, Benj—you can do it!”

  Jesse smiled as Benji rolled his eyes.

  “Fine,” Benji answered.

  “Good. I’ll call everyone else,” Jesse said. He looked to the right and saw big and beefy walking back. “Better finish up before we piss off the natives.”

  Benji pushed his legs up again, slower this time. His mind swirled, imagining himself as the fifth wheel once again. Maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.