EXCERPT: Pepper Espinoza's On A Bruised Road
An Excerpt from On A Bruised Road
Pepper Espinoza
Genre: LGBT Paranormal
Length: Novel Plus
Price: $7.99
http://www.loose-id.com/prod-On_A_Bruised_Road-1011.aspx
Edwin Masters isn't a big gearhead, but he has spent his entire life lusting after one particular car-a 1962 Alfa Romeo Spider 2600. It's not the flashiest car, it's not the fastest car, and it's not the most collectible car, but he loves it. Edwin knows he'll pay any price for it. When he buys it, it changes the entire shape and meaning of his world, but not in the ways he might have predicted.
Cooper James, the young man who died behind the wheel forty-seven years earlier, haunts the Spider and he wants a life. He wants Edwin. So he reaches out, sucking Edwin into a deepening abyss by exploiting demons from a past Edwin can't break from.
Edwin resists, struggling against the phantom in favor of an attractive, exciting young man who wants to be with him, Carson Heston. Carson holds the key to Edwin's salvation, but every time he gets close, Cooper terrorizes him. Edwin knows he'll be lost forever if he submits to Cooper's dark promise of release and relief, but that might be the only way to save Carson's life.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, dubious consent, ménage (m/m/m), voyeurism.
~ * ~
In hindsight, Edwin couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he surpassed Cathy and Blake in potables consumed. Carson just kept buying, and Edwin kept drinking and laughing at Carson's jokes. The oldies kept playing, one after another. A few times, he heard Roy Orbison's voice, but by then, the beer had clouded his brain to the point that he didn't even care. So what if somebody in the bar liked oldies and Roy Orbison? It was nothing to worry about.
He also couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he decided to pass over his car keys to Carson. He seemed like the trustworthy sort, and he was definitely more sober. Edwin shouldn't have let a kid get him drunk. But Carson was so good to get drunk with. He was funny. He was cute. He didn't mind paying for the drinks. And with each beer, Edwin forgot a little bit more. He forgot about his near-death experience. He forgot about mysterious green eyes. He forgot about Cathy's meddling. He even forgot about the car, until Carson asked for his keys.
"God, this is a nice car to drive," Carson said as soon as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I mean it. This is really nice."
"Yep, I love it."
"I'm going to have to get you drunk again, so I have another excuse to drive it."
"I might be up for that. Maybe. You're being careful, right?"
"Right," Carson confirmed.
"And you're not drunk, are you?"
"No, I stopped drinking hours ago."
"Hours?" Edwin looked around. "It's so dark."
"It's pretty late. We were in Cherry's for a while."
"God, I guess so. Do you know where I live?"
"You're Cathy's neighbor, right?"
"Yep."
Carson gave him a sideways glance. "Then I know exactly where you live."
"You're doing okay, right? You're driving okay?"
"I'm driving just fine."
Edwin nodded. "Good, I just wanted to be sure that you're driving okay. Since I ordinarily wouldn't let anybody drive my car."
"I'm not going to hurt your car," Carson promised. "Do I get a reward if I get you and your car home in one piece?"
"Sure. What do you want?"
"Anything I want?"
"Sure."
"I'll have to think about it."
Edwin ran loving fingers over the dashboard. "You don't know what you want?"
"Oh, I know what I want. Well, I'm pretty sure I know what I want. But I'm not sure if you're going to be up to it."
"Oh." Edwin waved his hand, dismissing the notion. "I'm up for anything. You'll see."
"I certainly hope so."
Edwin caressed the dashboard again. It felt good. Warm to the touch. Since he bought the car, he hadn't taken the time to appreciate it properly. This was the first time he had sat in the passenger seat. He had never seen the world from the passenger seat of his Spider. Of course, he was barely seeing it now. Everything was dark, and what wasn't dark was fuzzy. And he kept getting distracted by Carson's profile. He had such a great nose. Not many people had truly great noses, but Carson undoubtedly did. To go along with his truly great mouth.
He also had really long legs. Too long to fit in the backseat? Edwin almost asked, but he hadn't completely lost control of his mouth. There was no reason to ask if Carson could fit in the backseat. They weren't a couple of teenagers with no space and no privacy of their own. They were both adults, and Edwin had a perfectly fine bed.
"Why didn't you buy a Mustang or a Cadillac or something?" Carson asked.
"Because I like this one. Drive carefully. This car has already been in one accident, and once is too many."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, back in sixty-two."
"Are you speaking as an eyewitness?" Carson teased.
"Hey, I may be old, but I'm not that old."
"Nah, I don't think you're old."
"I could be your father."
"But you're not, and never say those words again."
Edwin laughed, and Carson flashed him an amused smile. He had a good smile. Not too toothy -- he didn't look like a shark or anything. Edwin was still mulling over that smile when Carson pulled into Edwin's driveway as if the place belonged to him.
"Oh. How are you going to get home?"
"I was hoping you'd drive me. Or I could catch a ride from Cathy."
"I'm pretty drunk. So is Cathy, for that matter."
"You won't be tomorrow."
"You're inviting yourself to stay the night?"
"You did say you'd reward me."
"Come on in, then."
As soon as he stepped out of the car, a startlingly cool breeze stopped him in his tracks. It lingered on his flushed skin, sharp enough to clear his mind as a shudder raced down his spine. The hair on his neck and his arms stood on end, and his stomach twisted itself into knots. He felt vaguely queasy, and he gulped for breath, trying to fight the urge to vomit the copious amount of alcohol he had consumed.
"You doing okay over there?" Carson asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine. Come on."
The farther Edwin got from the car, the better he felt. The chill disappeared first, and after that, his stomach settled. The fuzzy feeling around his head didn't go anywhere, though. If anything, it worsened as he approached Carson. Cathy had done a good job; he would give her credit for that.
"Do you want me to unlock the door?"
"No, no, I got it. Wait." Edwin patted his pockets. "Where are my keys?"
"I still have them."
"Oh, right. Then maybe you should unlock the door."
"Yeah, maybe I should."
Another blast of cold air greeted them when Carson pushed open the door, but this, Edwin knew, was just the air conditioner. He shut the door behind him, blocking the light from the street, and his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness.
"Here." Carson's fingers closed around his, and Edwin didn't mind the pressure or the warmth. His skin was rough -- what did he do for a living? Was he still in school? For the life of him, Edwin couldn't remember. Even if somebody put a gun to his head, he wouldn't be able to remember. Had they already kissed? Edwin didn't know, though it seemed unlikely. He would definitely remember the taste and shape of Carson's perfect mouth. "Where's the bedroom?"
"Straight down the hall."
"You do this often?"
"What?"
"Let strange guys bring you home and put you into bed?"
"No, not at all. But it's been a strange weekend. Did I tell you that I almost died today?"
"No. It sounds awful, though."
"It was."
"What happened?"
"I wasn't paying attention, and I almost drove off the road. Cooper saved me, though."
"Who's Cooper?"
Edwin blinked. "What?"
"Who's Cooper?"
"Why are you asking about Cooper?"
"You just mentioned him."
"I don't.I don't know who you're talking about."
"Okay," Carson said slowly. "That's fine. Maybe he's just another guy who likes Spiders. I bet that's a pretty small community."
"Yeah. Not as many as there should be," Edwin said as they stepped into his bedroom.
"So.this is it?"
"This is it," Edwin confirmed. "I know, it's not much."
"It's perfect."
"Oh, good."
"Yeah." Carson closed the space between them, eliminating the final inches that had separated the two of them. He was just about an inch taller than Edwin, and his blue eyes caught the silver and orange light from the window. Edwin's cock stirred. "Good."
They moved at the same time, Edwin leaning forward as Carson tilted his head. Their mouths met, and he tasted beer, but it wasn't unpleasant. Carson's lips were firm and smooth, and when he parted them to invite a deeper caress, his breath was impossibly warm against Edwin's face. They were both tentative, feeling each other out, testing each other's boundaries. But Edwin didn't have any boundaries. A fact that Carson learned quickly.
Edwin locked his arms around Carson's solid body, and they stumbled toward the bed without breaking the kiss. There were too many clothes between them, but Edwin honestly didn't know what to do about that. His fingers weren't exactly cooperating, and Carson's kisses were more intoxicating than any of the alcohol had been. Especially since he still tasted of beer, and his skin smelled like spicy soap, and his body was perfect. Trim, light, hard in all the right places.
Carson pressed him to the bed, his hands working at the buttons on Edwin's shirt. A flare of panic almost made him push Carson away -- he hadn't been to the gym in weeks. He had been slacking off and always had a thousand excuses to justify his decision not to work out. But he wasn't Carson's age anymore, and the older you got, the more your body became interested in betrayal. What if he looked flabby and fat? What if Carson took one look at him and lost his boner?
"Edwin?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there something wrong? You just sort of froze there for a second."
"No, no, nothing wrong."
He gripped the back of Carson's head and dragged his mouth down. He focused on his lips and ignored the doubts and insecurities trying to plague him. Carson made short work of the shirt, tearing it open without regard for the flying buttons. His hands were hot on his chest, fingers tangling in the short, springy -- maybe a little gray -- hair there. He scraped a nail over Edwin's nipple, and the skin hardened in response.
Carson shifted his attention to Edwin's pants, and the first brush of pressure against his hard cock made Edwin jerk his hips, bucking against Carson's hand. Carson swallowed each hungry sound from Edwin's throat, and Edwin thought he felt a smile on his mouth. Was he amused by how hungry Edwin was for the attention? Or did Edwin's eager response please him? Edwin hoped it was the latter. Either way, Carson wasn't stopping. He unzipped the fly, pushed his questing fingers past Edwin's boxers, and gripped his shaft with firm fingers.
At the first contact, heat enveloped Edwin. The pressure was exquisite and excruciating, almost immediately taking him to the very height of pleasure. He gasped in shock, his body going rigid beneath Carson's, unable to withstand the friction or the heat. He reached down, fumbling at Carson's fingers, as if trying to confirm that he was alone, touching Edwin without any further aid.
"Edwin?"
He opened and closed his mouth, trying to explain but unable to find the words. How could he possibly tell Carson that his hand was the very best thing he had ever felt in his life? Instead of an explanation, he only managed a strangled, desperate "More, please. More."
Carson frowned but complied, pumping his wrist rapidly. Edwin rocked his hips, lifting halfway off the bed with each downward stroke. The heat increased, became unbearable, raged through his body, licked at his veins. He couldn't stand it, but he never wanted it to end. As soon as he had that thought, the pleasure exploded, shattering him, and his cock erupted in Carson's closed fist.
"Jesus," Carson murmured.
"I'm sorry, that was." Edwin shook his head. "I don't know what that was."
"I.um.I think I should go."
Edwin blinked. "What? No, you don't have to go."
"I think I should." Then, to Edwin's horror, he actually pushed himself off the bed and tucked his shirt into his pants.
"What? Look, I know I'm going to need a bit of time to recover, but in the meantime, I can."
"No, it's not that, it's just. I mean, it's not you. You're great. You really are."
"I'm great. That's why you're running out of here as fast you can?"
"I'm just. Do you have a roommate or a cat or something?"
"No," Edwin said slowly.
"Maybe I'm more drunk than I thought."
"Carson."
"I'll call you sometime."
"Yeah. Do that. I owe you a few drinks. Do you want me to call you a cab?"
"I'll just go over to Blake and Cathy's. I had fun tonight."
"Right."
Edwin waited until he heard the front door slam before falling back to his bed. Carson wasn't going to call again. What had he done that was so disturbing? Besides come like he hadn't had sex in twenty years? Or was that in the area of unforgivable sins?
Edwin covered his eyes with his arm, blocking his view of the room. The aftershocks of his orgasm still twitched through him, but Carson's abrupt and mysterious disappearance sapped any pleasure he might have had from the experience.
"Son of a bitch."
© Pepper Espinoza, September 2009
All Rights Reserved