I love him. And I know he loves me. So why is he pulling away from me? — Ash
Settled in his new life in Singapore with the man he has loved his entire life finally at his side, Ash Colby has never been happier. Not only does Luke fulfill him body and soul, their future together could not be any brighter.
Luke still cannot believe that Ash is finally his. But although he loves Ash more than life itself and has finally found a partner who can satisfy his carnal needs, Luke doesn’t want to get in the way of the young Colby heir’s future. When he decides to give their relationship some breathing space, Luke cannot foresee the despicable act he will commit the night Ash finally challenges him about his cool behavior.
With their love and their future at stake, can Ash force Luke to face his fears and admit they truly do belong together? Or will Luke’s stubbornness and remorse tear their burgeoning relationship apart?
Find out if Ash and Luke find their happy ever after in this fifth novella in the hot, contemporary romance series Nights by A.M. Salinger. Note from the author: Although each book in Nights can be read as a standalone, you will enjoy this series even more if you read the books in order!
This is a novella length MM romance with a HEA.
Luke Rutherford leaned against the sliding door that opened onto the sun deck and took a sip of his coffee while he watched the man in the pool. His gaze followed the clean lines of Ash Colby’s shoulders and his strong, toned back before lingering on the powerful legs scissoring through the water. Legs that had been wrapped around Luke’s hips only hours ago when they were making love and that had gripped his body with savage ferocity when Ash came apart beneath him, his hole quivering and clenching hungrily on Luke’s dick while he bowed his spine and cried out in mindless pleasure.
Luke still couldn’t believe the gorgeous young man cleaving the water so seamlessly twenty feet from where he stood was finally his. Having doted on Ash since the day he was born and been consumed with desire for him for the last six years, Luke had always imagined his forbidden love for the boy who had grown up looking up to him as a brother was doomed from the start. Furthermore, as Ash’s former guardian and the current trustee of the Colby trust fund, Luke had known acting on his carnal urges would blur the boundaries of acceptable behavior, even after Ash turned eighteen and stopped being his ward. Besides, Luke hadn’t ever once imagined Ash would even care for him in that way.
That Ash had been in love with him for even longer than he had, had come as a complete shock to Luke.
It wasn’t until Luke had forcibly relocated Ash from Stanford to Singapore two months ago that the complicated charade both men had been playing for the last five years finally came crashing down around them. Uprooting Ash from the only life he had ever known in the US was not a decision Luke had taken lightly, the drastic measure having been forced upon him by the actions of Ash’s estranged Aunt Catherine Bernardino—the sister of Ash’s dead father, Charles Colby.
Half a decade after Luke squashed the beginnings of a deadly plot that could have ended Ash’s life and delivered the substantial inheritance locked in the Colby trust fund to his only living relative, Catherine, the woman had had the gall to contact Luke again to blackmail him. Having paid her and her husband off handsomely to get the hell out of Ash’s life for good, Luke had not taken kindly to her threat, nor had he been able to control his rage when he discovered the true extent of the damage the woman who had nearly destroyed his and Ash’s relationship had caused all those years ago.
It was only Ash’s presence that quelled his burning desire to find and physically hurt Catherine that day. Ash’s touch that soothed Luke’s agonizing pain at the realization that he had inadvertently hurt the person he loved most in this world. Ash’s kiss that transformed the storm inside his heart into a maelstrom of passion that had seen Luke take the young man’s virginity, finally making him his in every sinful and sacred sense of the word.
It was also Ash who had abruptly ended the nightmare situation Catherine had been trying to create to extract more money from Luke. Having broken the permanent injunction order forbidding the Bernardinos from making any form of contact with Ash, the couple had had a petition for contempt filed against them in California in the last month and were currently facing jail time. Add to this fresh evidence gathered by the PI firm Luke had had keeping an eye out on them showing the fraudulent investments they had made with the money Luke had given them five years ago, and Luke knew he and Ash had finally seen the last of the Bernardinos.
With Ash settling into his new life at the university in Singapore and their relationship coming along in leaps and bounds, Luke had never known such happiness.
His dick stirred as Ash completed his final lap and climbed out of the pool, sunlight dancing on his glistening, honey-colored skin, and toned limbs. Not only was Luke utterly and blissfully content, he had also never been so completely and utterly sexually satisfied.
Luke had discovered he possessed a high sex drive when he was still in his teens and had bedded plenty of women and men over the years to fulfill his formidable carnal needs. Yet the gratification he found in Ash’s arms was something new to him. More than the searing pleasure of being inside Ash’s body, more than the fierce orgasms they achieved every time they made love, what Luke treasured above all was the sense of completeness he found in Ash’s arms. He had never felt so whole in his entire life. It was as if they were two pieces of a puzzle, made for one another from the day they were born and destined to be together for eternity.
The fiery ardor of their first night together had only gotten stronger in the last two months, with Ash as eager to explore his burgeoning sensuality as Luke was keen to teach him. Seeing Ash discover what a sexual being he was had become Luke’s new addiction, as was watching the young man climax. It was a craving that had been too long denied, a secret obsession that consumed Luke whenever they breathed the same air.
Ash dried himself with a towel and headed toward him, oblivious to the filthy thoughts crowding Luke’s mind. “Morning.” He rose on his tiptoes and dropped a chaste peck on Luke’s lips, his steel-blue gaze bright. “I thought I’d take an early morning swim before we started our day. What time is John’s housewarming party again?”
Luke placed his coffee on the garden table, looped his arm around Ash’s waist, and pulled him in tight before swooping down to take his mouth in a searing kiss. Ash moaned and eagerly parted his lips, letting Luke in. Their tongues clashed deliciously. Ash dropped the towel and gripped Luke’s shoulders, his glazed eyes fluttering closed under the sensual assault.
Luke was rock hard by the time he ended the kiss.
“It starts at two,” he murmured, his pulse racing erratically.
John Peace, Luke’s secretary, had finally given in to his long-suffering partner’s wishes and bought a place with him.
“What do you have to do before then?” Ash asked hoarsely, his hips twitching and his erection digging into Luke’s left thigh.
Luke swallowed a groan.
You. I want to do you.
Although Luke wanted nothing more than to take the young man in his arms and go straight back to bed to fuck the living daylights out of him, some urgent paperwork needed his attention. Being the head of the billion-dollar Rutherford Industries and the only surviving heir of the Rutherford dynasty meant hardly a day passed when Luke didn’t have something to do for work, even on a Sunday. Not that he minded it. He would never have driven Rutherford Industries to the dizzying heights of success they had achieved since he took command of his family business had he not truly been passionate about the job.
Still, Luke always made sure to find time for Ash since he’d moved the young man in with him. Like having dinner together every night even if it meant Ash coming over to his office in Marina Bay and bringing the meals their housekeeper, Xin, prepared for them when Luke was having a late night at work. Or their lazy Sunday mornings when they would have breakfast out on the sun deck and relax in each other’s company.
“I need to look over some documents,” Luke said reluctantly. “You?”
Ash grimaced.
“I have a couple more hours to do on an assignment due tomorrow.” He wrinkled his beautiful nose. “Remember that international architecture and design competition I told you about—the one in Madrid? Well, my supervisor at Stanford and my new professor here entered me into it without telling me first. The deadline is in six weeks. I have to work on that project as well as all my regular coursework.”
Luke’s heart swelled with pride. He’d always known Ash was incredibly talented. The fact that the people around Ash were acknowledging this in their own way thrilled Luke like few things could.
He dropped a kiss on Ash’s forehead and tipped his chin up.
“You can do it. I believe in you.”
Ash smiled, his eyes sparkling with happiness. His expression faltered a moment later. “Shit.”
“What?” Luke said, tensing up.
Ash tugged his lower lip between his teeth and dropped his gaze to Luke’s mouth. “I really wanna have sex right now.”
Luke groaned at the sinfully sensuous look on Ash’s face. This kid will be the death of me.
“Don’t,” Luke muttered. “I’m only barely holding on myself.”
Ash’s eyes widened when his gaze dropped to Luke’s glorious erection tenting the front of his pajama bottoms. He grinned and ran his index finger along Luke’s hard length.
“What a brave trooper.”
Luke shuddered, his cock jerking at Ash’s teasing touch. “You’re playing with fire, Ash,” he warned gruffly.
Ash looked up at him, his eyes darkening, his expression utterly unrepentant. “We gave Xin the day off, right?”
Luke nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Ash’s lips curved in a seductive grin. He raised his hands to his hips and took off his swimming trunks.
Luke’s pulse spiked as his hot gaze roamed Ash’s delectable, naked body and his straining, flushed dick.
Ash arched an eyebrow. “I bet I can halve the time it takes to complete that assignment. Why don’t you look over your documents and come find me? I’ll be in the bedroom.” Ash licked his lips and palmed Luke’s cock lightly. “Waiting for you to sink this—,” he tugged playfully on Luke’s shaft, causing him to groan, “—so deep inside me, I’ll see stars.”
Ash headed past Luke and gave him a come-hither look over his shoulder as he sashayed into the mansion, the swimming trunks swinging carelessly from his index finger.
Fuck.
Luke vacillated for all of five seconds before following Ash.
His reason fled when he entered the bedroom and found Ash lying on their bed, fingers already working lube into his ass while he stroked his hard dick, his thighs open wide in an unmistakable invitation, his blue eyes dark and sultry with desire.
Luke was inside Ash in less than ten seconds and brought him to his first orgasm in under five minutes.
They barely made it to John’s housewarming party.
Luke still couldn’t believe the gorgeous young man cleaving the water so seamlessly twenty feet from where he stood was finally his. Having doted on Ash since the day he was born and been consumed with desire for him for the last six years, Luke had always imagined his forbidden love for the boy who had grown up looking up to him as a brother was doomed from the start. Furthermore, as Ash’s former guardian and the current trustee of the Colby trust fund, Luke had known acting on his carnal urges would blur the boundaries of acceptable behavior, even after Ash turned eighteen and stopped being his ward. Besides, Luke hadn’t ever once imagined Ash would even care for him in that way.
That Ash had been in love with him for even longer than he had, had come as a complete shock to Luke.
It wasn’t until Luke had forcibly relocated Ash from Stanford to Singapore two months ago that the complicated charade both men had been playing for the last five years finally came crashing down around them. Uprooting Ash from the only life he had ever known in the US was not a decision Luke had taken lightly, the drastic measure having been forced upon him by the actions of Ash’s estranged Aunt Catherine Bernardino—the sister of Ash’s dead father, Charles Colby.
Half a decade after Luke squashed the beginnings of a deadly plot that could have ended Ash’s life and delivered the substantial inheritance locked in the Colby trust fund to his only living relative, Catherine, the woman had had the gall to contact Luke again to blackmail him. Having paid her and her husband off handsomely to get the hell out of Ash’s life for good, Luke had not taken kindly to her threat, nor had he been able to control his rage when he discovered the true extent of the damage the woman who had nearly destroyed his and Ash’s relationship had caused all those years ago.
It was only Ash’s presence that quelled his burning desire to find and physically hurt Catherine that day. Ash’s touch that soothed Luke’s agonizing pain at the realization that he had inadvertently hurt the person he loved most in this world. Ash’s kiss that transformed the storm inside his heart into a maelstrom of passion that had seen Luke take the young man’s virginity, finally making him his in every sinful and sacred sense of the word.
It was also Ash who had abruptly ended the nightmare situation Catherine had been trying to create to extract more money from Luke. Having broken the permanent injunction order forbidding the Bernardinos from making any form of contact with Ash, the couple had had a petition for contempt filed against them in California in the last month and were currently facing jail time. Add to this fresh evidence gathered by the PI firm Luke had had keeping an eye out on them showing the fraudulent investments they had made with the money Luke had given them five years ago, and Luke knew he and Ash had finally seen the last of the Bernardinos.
With Ash settling into his new life at the university in Singapore and their relationship coming along in leaps and bounds, Luke had never known such happiness.
His dick stirred as Ash completed his final lap and climbed out of the pool, sunlight dancing on his glistening, honey-colored skin, and toned limbs. Not only was Luke utterly and blissfully content, he had also never been so completely and utterly sexually satisfied.
Luke had discovered he possessed a high sex drive when he was still in his teens and had bedded plenty of women and men over the years to fulfill his formidable carnal needs. Yet the gratification he found in Ash’s arms was something new to him. More than the searing pleasure of being inside Ash’s body, more than the fierce orgasms they achieved every time they made love, what Luke treasured above all was the sense of completeness he found in Ash’s arms. He had never felt so whole in his entire life. It was as if they were two pieces of a puzzle, made for one another from the day they were born and destined to be together for eternity.
The fiery ardor of their first night together had only gotten stronger in the last two months, with Ash as eager to explore his burgeoning sensuality as Luke was keen to teach him. Seeing Ash discover what a sexual being he was had become Luke’s new addiction, as was watching the young man climax. It was a craving that had been too long denied, a secret obsession that consumed Luke whenever they breathed the same air.
Ash dried himself with a towel and headed toward him, oblivious to the filthy thoughts crowding Luke’s mind. “Morning.” He rose on his tiptoes and dropped a chaste peck on Luke’s lips, his steel-blue gaze bright. “I thought I’d take an early morning swim before we started our day. What time is John’s housewarming party again?”
Luke placed his coffee on the garden table, looped his arm around Ash’s waist, and pulled him in tight before swooping down to take his mouth in a searing kiss. Ash moaned and eagerly parted his lips, letting Luke in. Their tongues clashed deliciously. Ash dropped the towel and gripped Luke’s shoulders, his glazed eyes fluttering closed under the sensual assault.
Luke was rock hard by the time he ended the kiss.
“It starts at two,” he murmured, his pulse racing erratically.
John Peace, Luke’s secretary, had finally given in to his long-suffering partner’s wishes and bought a place with him.
“What do you have to do before then?” Ash asked hoarsely, his hips twitching and his erection digging into Luke’s left thigh.
Luke swallowed a groan.
You. I want to do you.
Although Luke wanted nothing more than to take the young man in his arms and go straight back to bed to fuck the living daylights out of him, some urgent paperwork needed his attention. Being the head of the billion-dollar Rutherford Industries and the only surviving heir of the Rutherford dynasty meant hardly a day passed when Luke didn’t have something to do for work, even on a Sunday. Not that he minded it. He would never have driven Rutherford Industries to the dizzying heights of success they had achieved since he took command of his family business had he not truly been passionate about the job.
Still, Luke always made sure to find time for Ash since he’d moved the young man in with him. Like having dinner together every night even if it meant Ash coming over to his office in Marina Bay and bringing the meals their housekeeper, Xin, prepared for them when Luke was having a late night at work. Or their lazy Sunday mornings when they would have breakfast out on the sun deck and relax in each other’s company.
“I need to look over some documents,” Luke said reluctantly. “You?”
Ash grimaced.
“I have a couple more hours to do on an assignment due tomorrow.” He wrinkled his beautiful nose. “Remember that international architecture and design competition I told you about—the one in Madrid? Well, my supervisor at Stanford and my new professor here entered me into it without telling me first. The deadline is in six weeks. I have to work on that project as well as all my regular coursework.”
Luke’s heart swelled with pride. He’d always known Ash was incredibly talented. The fact that the people around Ash were acknowledging this in their own way thrilled Luke like few things could.
He dropped a kiss on Ash’s forehead and tipped his chin up.
“You can do it. I believe in you.”
Ash smiled, his eyes sparkling with happiness. His expression faltered a moment later. “Shit.”
“What?” Luke said, tensing up.
Ash tugged his lower lip between his teeth and dropped his gaze to Luke’s mouth. “I really wanna have sex right now.”
Luke groaned at the sinfully sensuous look on Ash’s face. This kid will be the death of me.
“Don’t,” Luke muttered. “I’m only barely holding on myself.”
Ash’s eyes widened when his gaze dropped to Luke’s glorious erection tenting the front of his pajama bottoms. He grinned and ran his index finger along Luke’s hard length.
“What a brave trooper.”
Luke shuddered, his cock jerking at Ash’s teasing touch. “You’re playing with fire, Ash,” he warned gruffly.
Ash looked up at him, his eyes darkening, his expression utterly unrepentant. “We gave Xin the day off, right?”
Luke nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Ash’s lips curved in a seductive grin. He raised his hands to his hips and took off his swimming trunks.
Luke’s pulse spiked as his hot gaze roamed Ash’s delectable, naked body and his straining, flushed dick.
Ash arched an eyebrow. “I bet I can halve the time it takes to complete that assignment. Why don’t you look over your documents and come find me? I’ll be in the bedroom.” Ash licked his lips and palmed Luke’s cock lightly. “Waiting for you to sink this—,” he tugged playfully on Luke’s shaft, causing him to groan, “—so deep inside me, I’ll see stars.”
Ash headed past Luke and gave him a come-hither look over his shoulder as he sashayed into the mansion, the swimming trunks swinging carelessly from his index finger.
Fuck.
Luke vacillated for all of five seconds before following Ash.
His reason fled when he entered the bedroom and found Ash lying on their bed, fingers already working lube into his ass while he stroked his hard dick, his thighs open wide in an unmistakable invitation, his blue eyes dark and sultry with desire.
Luke was inside Ash in less than ten seconds and brought him to his first orgasm in under five minutes.
They barely made it to John’s housewarming party.
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Nice cover indeed!
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt! Thanks for the chance ♥️♥️♥️
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteYou're a new author to me and I'm looking forward to reading your books
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading this.
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