No One But You
Contemporary gay romance
Lovers Stacy James and Levi Wright keep their relationship
hot and spicy by enjoying the little things in life. Levi welcomes Stacy home
from a business trip by delighting his partner with a quick trick in the men’s
room of a local pool hall. An offhand
comment by a stranger cools Stacy’s ardor, and sets in motion a chain reaction
that rocks the very foundation of Levi’s world. He’s never cheated on Stacy,
but Stacy has sudden doubts.
On his own, Levi is tested in his discoveries – about Stacy,
their relationship, and about the kind of man he wants to be. One thing he
knows for certain. He’s not losing Stacy over a careless whisper that isn’t
true, but will the only man he’ll ever love forgive his angry words?
Stacy made the worst mistake of his life telling his lover
to find another place to sleep. Levi might be younger, but he’s a man, with a
man’s pride. Stacy draws on all his experience to walk a road full of detours
and pitfalls to meet Levi halfway, and bring him home. Because for Stacy,
there’s no one but Levi.
EXCERPT
“Can you just let go of your notion that I’m missing out on
life? I don’t feel like I am.”
“Okay. But here’s the thing, Levi. I want…”
“Just stop. I love you.”
To my utter shock, Stacy grabbed both my wrists, his
powerful grip tight enough to bruise. His gaze bored into mine, freezing me
cold.
“You stop, Levi. You listen, just this once. You’re so
afraid I’ll be pissed if I see you get a hard-on for some other guy, you run
from me when I want to talk about it. Do you think that in five years I’ve
never seen another man that gave me a little tingle? It happens to everyone,
lover. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”
My voice didn’t want to work. “I’m not you.”
“No, you’re not. I’ve never cheated on you, Levi.” He looked
at me for the longest moments of my life, his eyes gone black with some emotion
I had no name for.
I knew. I knew.
"I heard what the bartender said the other night. You
need to know that if it ever happens, and you trick some guy, you don’t need to
keep it from me. I
expect you to first, be safe, and second, to tell me so we
can be more careful.”
Ice water tossed in my face would not have chilled me more
than his words.
"What the fuck is going on here, Stacy? I've never
cheated on you. Never. And
I'm not starting now."
“Levi, we've been together a long time, and as a couple,
we've enjoyed unprotected sex for quite a while now. Do I need to be
concerned?"
A fine trembling seized my body. This conversation was out
of control, the potential for disaster increasing by the second. My stomach
clenched in on itself until I fought back the dry heaves. The world spiraled
around me, going black at the edges. I
broke free of his hands.
"I love you. I never cheat on you. And yet you sit
there and ask me if it's possible I could have given you the clap - or
something worse? Maybe I should be the one worrying! And you have to do it
here? You motherfucker! I have to go in there and work!" I choked, unable
to breathe. "I never…"
Stacy's arms came around me. I shoved him away, holding him
at bay. The words came as I managed a deep breath. Horrible words that I
couldn’t stop from pouring out of me in my anger and pain that he didn’t know
me well enough to believe how much I loved him.
“Why don’t you go get a fucking blood test since you can’t
trust me! Now you listen to me. You decide whether or not you love me enough to
have me hang around, because if I’ve gotten a little old for you, you should
tell me. I’ll step aside so you can go find yourself another sixteen year old!”
He drew back like I’d struck him, which I had. I’d lashed
out, hitting him with the most damaging words I owned. He’d been falsely
accused of having sex with a sixteen-year-old boy when he was twenty. The boy
had lied – Stacy hadn’t touched him – but the accusation had almost ruined
Stacy’s life. The pain lingered, and I, who loved him so much, knew the wound
lingered in him, unhealed at its deepest point.
And I used it against him.
I reached for him and this time he batted my hands away.
“I’m sorry, Stace. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“You said it, so you did mean it. Now get out of the car. I
can’t be with you right now.”
My stomach roiled. “Stacy, please. We need to go back home
and talk this out.”
He refused to look at me. The cold rage in his voice didn’t
completely disguise the hurt.
“No, we don’t. Going home won’t fix this, Levi. I need some
time alone. Do us both a favor and find someplace else to sleep...”
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
NO ONE BUT YOU
Available at
iTunes/Apple: itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1254948037
Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-one-but-you-k-c-kendricks/1027226183
Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/3kZEMO
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1233175
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/dp/B073QFSRFQ
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073QFSRFQ
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073Q8GBXD
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B073Q8GBXD
_*_*_*_*_*_*_
KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys:
Visit my bookshelf at:
Social media links:
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys
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