Someone Worth Saving Read online

  “Someone Worth Saving”

  An MM Gay for You Romance

  Jerry Cole

  © 2020

  Jerry Cole

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/.

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2020.03.18)

  http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Jim Rich, Jim Adcock, RB, JayBee, Jenny and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Authors Note

  Books by Jerry Cole

  Chapter One

  She sighed as he sank his cock inside her. He was huge, threatening to stretch her more than she anticipated…

  Andrew sighed and pressed delete. God, that sounded awful. Something that a hack would write. He wasn’t a hack. This was his lifestyle, and he could write better than that.

  But writing a sex scene always had him groaning and practically pulling his hair out. They were never easy to put down on paper. After writing several of them over the years, Andrew still didn’t have the hang of it.

  What had possessed him to write romance? He should have stuck to something like crime or horror. His father had told him that those genres would fit him better as Andrew had poured over those books when he was younger. But there was something about romance that drew Andrew in. He found the twists and turns in a love story more enticing than a crime novel. That had driven his father to distraction when he came home from work, sometimes with a colleague or client, to find his son curled up in a chair reading Danielle Steel or one of the latest Harlequin books. He found it an embarrassment.

  Andrew found it enlightening. He had a huge amount of respect for Danielle Steel. Well into her seventies and almost two hundred novels under her belt. He hoped that, one day, he could do that himself. A writer was what he wanted, and if it meant breaking barriers, so be it.

  If only he could get the sex scenes sorted. They had to be different and exciting, but that was getting harder to do. Andrew found himself flying through the rest of the book, the words pouring out, but as soon as the characters got into the bedroom - or the kitchen, the pool or on the living room couch - he dried up and found himself staring into space.

  As his mother had said before, he was a strange man. But she said it was affection and ruffled his hair as if he were ten years old again. His father simply didn’t talk about his successes at all, choosing to keep to more neutral topics.

  Andrew missed talking to his father like they actually knew each other.

  With a heavy sigh, he stood and picked up his fitness tracker, fastening it to his wrist. Maybe a brisk walk around the park would help get the creative juices flowing. A bit of fresh air always gave Andrew a little buzz. Then he would get back to it.

  The phone started ringing, making Andrew jump. He scowled at his cell phone, which was buzzing away across his desk. Why hadn’t he turned it off when he sat down that morning? Andrew hated interruptions; he could never get going again when his schedule was knocked off-course.

  Growling, he snatched it up and answered without checking the caller ID. It was more than likely his father asking if he wanted to reconsider that job he had managed to find for Andrew, something that would be more appropriate. Andrew wasn’t in the mood for that.

  “Yeah?”

  “Catch you at a bad time?”

  Those sweet tones were certainly not of Richard Chase.

  “Claire!”

  “Were you expecting someone else?”

  “I... I don’t know.” Andrew flinched and ran a hand over his face. “Sorry, I’ve just been fielding calls from Dad lately.”

  “He’s still trying to make you do a regular job, is he?”

  “Pretty much.”

  Claire laughed.

  “Andrew, you’ve never been a regular guy. Making you do a regular job isn’t going to turn you into one.”

  Andrew grunted. At least someone close to him understood. His father tried far too hard to turn Andrew into a younger version of him, but all in vain. It was why their relationship was strained; Andrew didn’t want to get into the mold, choosing to make his own.

  “How’s the book going?” His editor asked. “Got anything good going?”

  “I was doing okay until this scene.”

  Andrew gestured at the laptop. The document was still open, and it seemed to be sneering at him from across the room. Andrew huffed and turned away, starting to walk around the room.

  “Let me guess. You’re doing a sex scene from the lady’s point of view?”

  “Yep.” Andrew sighed. “You tell me that I’ve got to see the sex from both sides, but it’s really difficult.”

  Claire laughed.

  “How do you think a woman feels when she has to write them from the man’s point of view? I’m sure they go through the same problems.”

  “But they know what a pussy looks like. I don’t.”

  Which made his choice of genre when Andrew decided to become a writer all the more amusing. He wanted to write what he had read, follow in their footsteps. Straight romance was not as simple as people made it out to be, especially when it was steamy. It had to be a page-turner, so that’s what Andrew wrote.

  Three books later with another two in his contract, and Andrew was still strug
gling with the steamy parts.

  “You’ll be fine, Andrew. You always get through it.”

  “That’s because I have an awesome editor to make sure it doesn’t suck.”

  Claire giggled.

  “You are such a flatterer. You don’t need me to do any major changes. This one will be a bestseller, just like the others.”

  “They wouldn’t be if I didn’t have you around, Claire.” Andrew reminded her. “It is your name on the cover.”

  That had been Andrew’s idea to use his friend and editor’s name on the cover. He would write, Claire would tweak it and do the necessary appearances that came with the bestseller. They had been friends for years and Claire was always heavily involved, so she knew the ins and outs. People would call it cheating, but Andrew had known at the start that a romance novel with a man’s name on the front was not common, and he didn’t hold much hope of anyone picking up his book. With Claire’s name, however, it would be different.

  Gender shouldn’t matter in books, but it did. It had more restrictions than Andrew ever expected.

  “I could never write what you do.” Claire said. There was a shuffling of papers her end. “Have you ever thought of branching out into different sub-genres instead of steamy contemporary? Then you could use your own name, if you wanted.”

  “Like what?”

  “Gay romance is popular. You could try that.”

  Gay romance. That would be an idea. Andrew had considered that, but then he had discarded it. He had ideas that he wanted to get down, and gay romance wasn’t part of his ideas back then.

  Maybe now? Andrew slumped onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

  “I’ll have a think about it. I’m not exactly experienced in that area, either.”

  That had Claire bursting out laughing, the sound so loud Andrew had to pull his cell phone away from his ear for a moment.

  “That’s just a bunch of crap and you know it!” Claire declared.

  “You haven’t seen how bad I am with dating guys, Claire.”

  Being a romance writer had a lot of myths attached to the title. People assuming that those who wrote steamy novels had an exciting sex life, enough to singe the sheets, was one of them. Andrew was so introverted it was amazing that he knew what sex even was. His social anxiety kept him from going out much to meet people, especially in groups. His father was frustrated at that, constantly telling Andrew that he needed to find a girl and he wouldn’t be able to find out locked up in his apartment.

  That man was reaching for something that was never going to happen.

  “I thought you were seeing someone. A private eye? Lee, did you say his name was?”

  “Lee? He’s just an old friend from a few years back. We meet up for drinks every now and then, but I wouldn’t say we were dating.”

  “Meeting up for drinks implies a date, Andrew. Especially when it’s you.”

  Lee. The man floated across Andrew’s mind. Someone who had come to his rescue when he was in high school, his actions making a load of weight come off Andrew’s shoulders. They had stayed connected over the years, meeting up regularly. Andrew had wondered if there were some sparks between them, and that Lee found him attractive. He was twelve years older than Andrew, a more experienced man. And Andrew was drawn towards him.

  The way to describe Lee was tall, dark, Irish and gorgeous. Downright gorgeous. Andrew felt his heart miss a few beats whenever the private investigator walked into the room and his cock kept waking up, straining against his jeans. It was a wonder that he was able to sit still comfortably while Lee sat opposite, carrying on as if he hadn’t noticed Andrew’s discomfort.

  Attraction was healthy. But Andrew was too scared to go further than that.

  “Besides, he’s straight.” Andrew said. “At least, I think he is.”

  “How do you not know?”

  “Claire, gay men do not come fitted with gaydar.”

  Claire giggled.

  “I thought men would just know when someone was gay.”

  “Well, I can’t figure it out until they’re practically gyrating on my lap, and even then, I’m slow to take a hint.”

  “I know you are. I’ve met Lee and I think he’s gay, if not bisexual.” Claire sighed heavily. “It’s a damn shame. That man would be any woman’s wet dream.”

  Andrew laughed.

  “You would say that. I’ve never seen a woman go through so many men like you.”

  “What can I say? I love sex.”

  Claire certainly did love sex. Andrew had known his friend since they were in high school, one of the small group of people who believed that Andrew wasn’t a bully and a creep. And she had gone through a lot of men. She was a year out of university, and Andrew had lost count of her tally a long time ago. And Claire wasn’t shy about declaring it to other people.

  That certainly livened up an evening.

  “Speaking of sex,” Claire went on, her voice sounded co-conspiring. “If you and Lee are up for a threesome with a woman in the near future, you have my number.”

  “Claire!”

  “What? Might as well make the offer now. I can certainly teach you a few things about the naked female body.” Claire giggled. “Might help you with your sex scenes.”

  Andrew wasn’t sure about that. He sat up and started walking around the room again.

  “Was there a specific reason you called me?”

  “Oh, sorry. I just wanted to remind you about the deadline our publisher gave us. Now might be a good time to ask if you wanted an extension on it?”

  The deadline. A month away. More than enough time to finish off the book. Andrew knew he could do it. Claire was a stickler for timekeeping, which worked perfectly with Andrew’s work method. Unless he ended up in a hideous accident where he couldn’t use his arms, Andrew had no reason not to work.

  “I should be fine for it.”

  “Just making you aware. Jenny messaged me and said she was going to get tighter on deadlines now. No slacking and letting them know well in advance if we need an extension.”

  “When have I ever let you down on a deadline?”

  “Fair point. You’re more rigid in your work than I am.”

  Claire coughed, and there was the sound of swallowing. Andrew could see her now, taking a walk around her apartment complex to get her step count up for the day, swigging on her regular fruity water. She did it every evening, which Andrew found amusing, but Claire said it kept her fit and she got to think.

  Whatever floated her boat.

  “Is the story coming together well?” Claire asked.

  “As always.” Andrew scowled at his laptop. It sat there on his desk, almost as if it was gloating at his frustration. “The chemistry between the characters is there but pretending I’m a woman during sex so I can get into the moment is never easy.”

  “You’ve had a cock inside you, Andrew!”

  “Claire, do you have to say that in a communal area?”

  “They’ve heard stranger things from me. This won’t be any different.”

  “I’ll remember that.” Andrew muttered. Aloud: “What’s different between a cock inside a woman and a cock inside a man? Do you want a biology lesson?”

  “No, thanks. Oh, the book cover designs have arrived. They look awesome. I’ll bring them over tomorrow. You’ll love them.”

  Andrew chuckled.

  “You always say that.”

  “Well, Rosemary is a huge talent.”

  “I won’t argue with that.” Andrew looked at the clock. He had planned to go to the gym, which wouldn’t be happening if he didn’t get a move on. “I’d better head out. If I can get through that scene, I can leave the rest until tomorrow.”

  “Post-sex break.” Claire laughed. “Good luck.”

  Andrew rolled his eyes as he hung up. Claire was brazen and she didn’t mince her words. Having a conversation with her in public was both embarrassing and amusing, depending on how loudly she said it. As far as Andrew was aw
are, his friend didn’t have volume control.

  But at least she had stuck around. Those friends Andrew had had until eighth grade had distanced themselves from him very quickly once that damn profile page popped up pretending to be Andrew. He had explained himself and shown his actually online profile, but practically nobody had believed him. His parents believed him, and they had seen the devastation that Andrew went through. Andrew could count on one hand who stood by him throughout those five years of hell, including when he had been beaten up at high school and how he had ended up dropping out of the baseball team because his teammates didn’t want him around.

  It was a wonder Andrew had managed to get through high school.

  Thankfully, his father had looked up a private investigator who was good with computers and he came across Lee Brown. The man was a wizard when it came to finding out what others needed to know, and he had immediately put the family at ease. He had found the man - or rather, teenager - responsible for putting Andrew through so much stress. It wasn’t even anyone who knew Andrew. It had been an eighteen-year-old sociopath who decided to bully everyone else because he was being bullied.

  Andrew had sympathized, to a point. No one else set up a profile about someone else to be mean to complete strangers. That was just disgusting behavior.

  Needless to say, the teenager had been arrested, and it came to light that he had done it to more than just Andrew. Seven other people, complete strangers all over the country who had been trying to figure out who was impersonating them. Joseph Gulliver had gotten a year for each person he pretended to be.

  That was something, but the damage was done. Andrew couldn’t salvage his reputation. However, Claire had stuck with him through it all, and Andrew would be forever grateful for that. You didn’t get gems like her every day. Andrew knew he would be a fool to let her go.

  If it weren’t for her determination and persistence, Andrew wouldn’t be where he was now. She was a rock.