Can’t Hide My Love

Can’t Hide My Love

Sara York

When desire is this strong, there’s no running from it.

Alec Harper has had a thing for Preston Gentry since high school. The one taste he got of the man only whet his appetite, now he has the opportunity to slake his need and get over the jerk. Preston isn’t walking away, though, and Alec can’t hold back. Their lust drives them into each other’s arms, but something hotter, and purer has developed beneath the surface. And it’s something neither Preston nor Alec can let go.

As a college football coach, Preston can’t afford to be gay. His job is on the line, but his heart knows what it wants. Being with Alec means he’ll be outed and he could lose his job. But some things are more important than pleasing the public…like love…

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.

CAN’T HIDE MY LOVE

Out For You Series

Copyright © 2015 SARA YORK

ISBN: 978-1-943576-07-4

All Romance eBooks, LLC Palm Harbor, Florida 34684
www.allromanceebooks.com

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with out written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First All Romance eBooks publication: June 2015

Alec Harper ran through the copse of trees, ducking under the low-hanging limbs, trying to bat them out of the way and failing miserably. He winced at the pain on his neck as one of the branches scratched him. His arms were peppered with little scratches, and his face stung too. But Alec didn’t slow, he kept moving if only to convince himself that he could get away. If he could make it to the field beyond the break in the trees, then maybe he could outrun his pursuer—or he could hide, because he would never be able to run faster than the guy following him.

The truth was, he’d turned to the geek side when he entered high school and spent more time in front of his computer than he did outside, which had left him slow when compared to the other boys here.

The sound of leaves crunching underfoot and heavy breathing drew closer, increasing his panic. A massive tangle of limbs blocked him, forcing him to find an alternate path. If he didn’t have to duck, he had to step over obstacles to wind his way through the maze of branches, trunks, and logs. Why he’d agreed to do this was beyond him. He preferred spending the weekends building robots, or trying to get a program to run, to playing pickup ball games.

A building loomed at the edge of the field, the shadows deep, giving him hope for a hiding place. Ten feet to go, he raced forward. Then five more feet and then he was there, running behind the building and into the deep shadows. His breath came in gasps and he had no time to recover as the person who’d been chasing him rounded the corner.

Alec turned to see that the guy didn’t even hesitate as he ran straight to him, his hands on Alec’s shoulders, his body closed in on him, pressing him against the wall. The laughter was a shock to Alec’s ears, sending a tingle of fear tracing over his limbs.

“Fuck, Alec, that was awesome.”

It was Preston Gentry, the star of the football team, the guy who’d been named homecoming king and would be crowned prom king in less than a week. He was beautiful, athletic, and all around amazing—really, Preston was the most amazing boy in school, and Alec had no hope of ever getting a guy like him.

Preston tugged Alec’s arm and dragged him even closer. “Come on, get in here with me.”

Alec was helpless against Preston’s grip, but the truth was he’d follow Preston anywhere. Not that Preston had asked him to go with him before, hell, the guy had totally ignored Alec until tonight, but he would follow Preston even into this scary bathroom when it was pitch dark and they were being chased. The guy was so freaking hot that Alec couldn’t breathe, much less think with him so near.

The door closed behind them and Preston turned the lock, securing the door to the small room that served as the boys’ public restroom at the park. The evening was warm, the scent of flowers and fresh cut grass filled the night, and in here, antiseptic burned his nose along with the dull scent of piss and something else darker.

Preston laughed again but he didn’t move away. Alec’s back was pressed against the cold tile and Preston positioned his hands on the wall beside Alec’s head. Preston’s laugh change as he leaned in close, almost touching Alec. He tried to calm his racing heart, but his body was having none of it. Alec’s dick had responded the closer Preston got, getting harder than ever before. But Preston was straight, very straight, and Alec was exceedingly gay.

“We should go,” Alec said, his voice crisp.

“Na, let’s wait out the round. They’ll run off to the other side of the park once they realize they can’t find us.” Preston was even closer and Alec swore he heard Preston sniff him.

Alec stiffened and tried to move away, but Preston closed the distance, his chest pressing against Alec’s. The world spun as his blood raced then stalled in his veins. How could Preston be doing this to him? He didn’t think Preston was homophobic, but maybe this was some big setup to destroy him. Alec started shaking then he felt Preston’s fingers trail down his arm, scarcely grazing over his sensitive hairs.

“Preston, we should—”

“Kiss.”

Frozen in place, he let Preston Gentry—only the hottest guy in school—kiss him. It was wonderful and terrible all at the same time. His dick was so hard he’d never be able to hide what he was feeling. This had to be some joke to Preston, but it was real for Alec. What if Preston’s friends were recording this? The thought sent panic racing down Alec’s spine and he pulled away, but Preston was right there, his body pressing against Alec’s, his hands insistent as he exposed skin by pulling up Alec’s shirt.

Before he could say no, Preston had Alec’s shirt pulled up to his armpits and one hand down Alec’s shorts, caressing his dick. They both gasped as Preston stroked him, their lips separating, allowing him to gulp in air. The air didn’t stop his head from spinning or his dick from throbbing.

Preston acted like he knew what he was doing. He was calm and confident, his hands manipulating Alec like he’d already done this a hundred times. Alec had no idea where to put his own hands or how to touch Preston. Lost to the sea of emotions and lust, he stood with his arms at his side, feeling more dorky than ever before.

He’d only really seen one other guy’s erect dick and that was on a porn site. He’d caught a few quick glances of soft dicks in the bathroom at school, but he sure as hell had never touched another guy’s prick.

Preston pushed both of their shorts low, and then their dicks were touching as Preston stroked them together. Alec clutched at the wall, then clung to Preston, squeezing the guy’s shirt so hard he feared he’d rip it. Preston’s breath was hot on his neck and loud in his ears. Alec’s mind started to buzz and his legs shook.

“I’m gonna—dammit, Preston.” Alec was shaking like a leaf, his balls pulled so tight he wondered if they’d ever go back in place.

Preston was doing something with his hand, reaching away, then his touch was back just before Alec blew his load. Preston was smart and had grabbed napkins. The harsh paper scratched the tip of his dick, but he didn’t mind. He’d just come with Preston—freaking hot Preston—star of the football team, Preston Freaking Gentry.

How the hell had this happened?

Preston tossed the napkins to the floor. His lips sought out Alec’s, their tongues twining together in a passionate dance that had Alec wondering if the world had flipped upside down. His lungs started to work again, and his brain cleared enough for him to know he wanted more.

Then Preston pulled up his own pants and gave Alec a quick kiss before unlocking the door and bolting, his laughter ringing out over the field as he raced away. Alec slumped to the floor, his emotions on edge, his mind blank.

“Fuck,” he said as he hung his head, tears burning his eyes. His first sexual experience with another guy had been in a bathroom—a public bathroom that was messy and gross. He hoped he wasn’t sitting in any type of mess but he had no will to move. This was just the type of hookup he swore he’d never participate in.

It took him ten minutes to pull himself together enough to catch up with the other graduating seniors who attended his church. Most were seated around a huge bonfire, cokes or tea in their hands—no beers since it was a church event—and though the church frowned on displays of affection, most guys had their girlfriends wrapped in their arms.

These people had no clue how hard it was to be different. The world was their oyster. They had everything to look forward to and nothing to block their path. They were popular, good looking, and straight. Preston Gentry was no exception in terms of having someone in his arms. Amanda, Preston’s girlfriend, was right there, a smug smile on her face as she rested her head on his chest. Alec knew the little tryst he’d had with Preston in the bathroom meant nothing, but seeing how little it meant to Preston hurt worse than breaking his arm, or when he had his wisdom teeth out. This was real pain that twisted through his body and crushed his heart.

Alec stood in the shadows watching as Amanda held up her hand, showing a friend something shiny on her finger. Alec’s stomach dropped as she beamed at Preston. Amanda tilted her head and shifted, moving closer to Preston. The lips that had just kissed him, making him feel more passion than he ever thought possible were being kissed by Amanda.. Alec didn’t have to guess what the ring meant. Preston had done his little gay thing then ran back to Amanda and asked her to marry him, or at least be promised to each other before they drifted off to college.

His stomach pitched and he spun, heading away from the fire. He’d made it fifteen feet before the food he’d eaten earlier came up. Why had he let Preston do that to him in the bathroom? He should have pushed him away, but he’d been spellbound, his reason for saying no had melted away as the god-like man had kissed and held him.

About twelve years later

Last semester, before he graduated from his doctoral program, Alec had mastered his facial expressions, working hard at giving nothing away. Few students liked him when he was a teaching assistant in Boston, and now that he’d moved here for an interim position as a professor, he didn’t intend on pampering these kids either. This wasn’t high school, and he prided himself on being harsh. Giving these students an inch now would mean they would think they could take more later. If he stayed here at this university, he would need to be known as a badass.

Plus, it was high time these young adults figured out that the world was an unforgiving place that would eat them alive if they didn’t put forth an exceptional effort. One thing he expected and wouldn’t budge on was that his students were to turn in papers on time. If they wanted easy, they should have picked something like business or education for their degrees. The night before, one of his students had come to his office and cried because Alec had told the guy to piss off. Well, he’d not actually said those words, but he’d made it clear that he didn’t care to hear excuses, especially not from a guy who was a football star. If a student signed up for one of his classes, then he’d best be sure to do the work. And that was what he’d told Danny, the student who’d whined yesterday, not caring that Danny would miss out on playing football if he didn’t get a good grade.

He was almost done for the night when the door to his office opened and a man, much older than his students, stepped in and cleared his throat. Alec glanced up, catching the shy grin along with a sharp jaw dusted with a bit of dark stubble. A ghost of a memory hit him and he blinked, wondering if he knew the man from somewhere. One beat of his heart passed and it all came back. He felt like he’d been slammed in the chest with a football.

“Excuse me, Professor, I have a—holy shit, Alec, is that you? Oh God, I should have known from the last name, but Jesus, I never—I’m such an idiot. I didn’t know you were a professor here. When did that happen?” Preston smiled, his eyes widened as he stepped closer, coming around Alec’s desk, invading his space.

“I-I just moved—started working here.” Alec gulped in a breath, steeling himself against the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Preston had thrown him off guard. He didn’t allow students to come to his side of the desk—actually, he didn’t allow a lot of things, and he sure as hell didn’t like people getting in his personal space unless he invited them in. And he sure as hell hadn’t invited Preston Freaking Gentry.

Alec tried to act cool and calm by lifting a brow and taking a step back, but Preston was too fast and pulled him into a hug, his arms wrapping around Alec, his hands plastered on Alec’s back. The years melted away and he was in that dingy bathroom, trapped between Preston’s body and the wall. The fact that his dick was a traitor, getting hard when he wanted it to stay soft, angered him to no end. The desire to shout
Fuck you and get out
wound through him, turning his stomach and making his hairs stand on end. Instead, he disentangled himself from Preston’s arms and stepped away, trapping himself even more in the corner of his office.