This is the first week of the Silver Shorts. My story In The Dark is below but if you would like a copy of all the participating authors stories you can download a free copy at the Silver Publishing,
CLICK HERE
Our prompt this week: "This closet ain't big enough for the both of us..."
Here’s a list of all the authors who contributed stories this
week:
RJ Scott
T.L.K. Arkenberg
Lily Sawyer
L.M. Brown
Julie Lynn Hayes
Cherie Noel
AJ Jarrett
Diane Adams
Freddy MacKay
Chris
Quinton
Be sure to get your copy and as always happy reading!
In The Dark
AJ Jarrett
"Excuse me," Caleb said in a rush as he
sidestepped
party goers and rushed down the hallway. He glanced over his
shoulder to confirm that his ex, Wes, just strode into the
party
with a hot piece of arm candy next to him.
Caleb didn't care that Wes had met someone else and
was moving on with his life, no, what he did care about was
being caught flying solo in front of his ex and his new
flavor of
the month. He shouldn't care, but he had some pride to keep.
The
split was amicable, but he still didn't want to come off as
the
lonely loser of the two. To be pitied would be an insult.
He and Wes met the beginning of their sophomore year
in college when Wes came looking for a tutor so he wouldn't
get
kicked off the football team. If he didn't get a passing
grade in
his English Lit class, he would be benched and ultimately lose
his scholarship. Being the nice guy that he was, Caleb
agreed to
help him. He had a weakness for hot guys in need.
They started out as friends, than gradually became more.
The late night study sessions became getting breakfast
together
after a long night of making love. That went on for a
blissful
nine months, then they parted ways. It wasn't for lack of
feelings,
just they grew up, and with that, apart.
It was so cliché their relationship, the hot jock with the
nerdy intellectual. They were batting in completely different
leagues, but they both held on to the hope they would work
through their differences. No such luck.
Caleb glanced over his shoulder and a disappointed sigh
passed his lips. He did miss the man. Wes sure knew how to…
"Oh shit!"
As if he could hear Caleb's thoughts, Wes looked up and
caught
his eye. He so wasn't going to look like the needy desperate
ex.
Reaching The End of the hallway, he cursed when it didn't
lead
to a back door, taking away his escape route. He could hear
someone calling out his name, but he didn't acknowledge it,
he
needed to hide. Caleb turned in a circle, debating his options.
Going to the first door, he turned the knob and ran into the
room,
shutting the door behind him. It was dark, but he didn't
want to
turn the light on and give away his location.
A light knock on the door had him stumbling across the
room and opening the closet door and stepping inside.
Pathetic,
but he couldn't go back in time to erase the last two
minutes, so
that left the only option of hiding like a chicken.
The closet door front had horizontal wood slates so he
could see a little bit, but with the darkness he couldn't
make out
much. He held his breath as a man came into the room. The
man's face was veiled by the blackness in the room, and he
couldn't tell if was Wes or not.
The stranger stepped farther into the room and shut the
door behind him. As if he had a homing device to find
chicken
shit losers, he walked straight to the closet door. Caleb
covered
his eyes as the man opened the door.
"Hey," the man said in greeting. "Why are you
in the closet?"
Caleb started to bring his hands down from his face to
confess his foolishness to a complete stranger, when the
sound of
the door knob turning had him acting before he could think
about
it.
He grabbed the man by the shirt front and yanked him
into the closet with him. Caleb wrapped his hand around the
guy's mouth when he parted his lips to speak. The overhead
light
flicked on, and Wes stood in the doorway. He looked from
side
to side, oblivious to the only other door in the room, and
turned
to leave. But not before his new hottie boyfriend came up
behind
him.
"Babe, what are you doing?" the sexy boyfriend
asked.
"Oh, nothing." Wes wrapped his arms round the
guy's
waist and kissed him on the lips. "I thought I saw
someone I
knew come in here." He shrugged. "Oh well, I guess
I was
wrong. Let's go get a drink."
Caleb stood still as he watched Wes turn down the
switch, leaving the room in total darkness again. He
released the
breath he had been holding and let his hand fall away from
the
stranger's face. Now he just had to wait for a little bit
until the
coast was clear. If he left now and got caught coming out of
the
bedroom Wes just checked, he didn't think he could make up a
believable lie quick enough. As it was, he wasn't sure why he
even ran. It's not a crime to be single.
"So, what was that about?"
Caleb jumped in surprise when the stranger spoke. He
turned to get a better look at the guy, but between the
tight
quarters and hanging clothes, he couldn't make out much. But
he
did feel like he owed the guy an explanation for holding him
hostage in the closet.
"That," Caleb pointed toward the door, "was
my ex and
I'm guessing his new boyfriend." He ran his hand across
his
forehead, wiping away the sweat that started to bead up.
"Shit,
did you see that guy? He looked like a fucking Channing
Tatum
clone."
As the man beside him began to laugh, Caleb shoved the
hanging shirts to the side. The man made snorting sounds as
he
tried to contain his merriment. "What is so
funny?" he snapped.
"Oh nothing," the man said in a high pitch squeak.
After
a few deep breaths, he sobered up. "I just never heard
anyone
describe us like that before; thanks."
"Huh?" Caleb reached up and pulled down on the
string
hanging from the ceiling. Light flooded the small area and
he
gasped in shock. A carbon copy of the guy feeling up his ex
stood right in front of him. What the hell? "You're
fucking
Channing Tatum's clone's double." Caleb pulled the cord
again
to shut the light off and sank back against the wall,
grunting in
pain when he bumped his head
on the closet's top shelf. The
likeness between the two could only mean one thing.
"Once again, thanks." The clone double held out
his
hand. "Hi, I'm Liam and that was my brother Luke. We're
twins."
"I kind of figured that out." He shook Liam's
hand. "I'm
Caleb." His pulse sped up as he realized his little run
and hide act
had just been witnessed by the brother of the guy sleeping
with
Wes. Just perfect. Sinking to the floor, he crossed his
legs; the
tight confines of the closet didn't allow enough space for
him to
stretch out.
He heard some shuffling, then Liam sat next to him.
Liam was quite a bit bigger than him and had to fold his
large
frame into a pretzel just to take a seat.
"So I have to ask—why are we hiding in a closet? Still
got feelings for Wes?"
Caleb turned his head to so fast he bumped Liam in the
nose. Liam let out a groan.
"Sorry." Caleb reached his hand out to run his
fingertips
along Liam's nose. The skin was so smooth and soft; he let
his
hand drop to cup the side of Liam's face. "Are you
okay?"
Heat radiated off of Liam like a space heater. The faint
scent of his cologne met Caleb's nose and he took a deep
breath.
If only he met this gorgeous man under different
circumstances.
When Liam didn't respond, he jerked his hand back, not
knowing if his touch was welcomed. Just because he and his
brother were twins didn't mean they both batted for the same
team.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Liam rubbed his nose. "This
closet ain't
big enough for the both of us."
"Well, you don't have to stay," Caleb shot back.
He
hated the situation he was in. Running from an ex he didn't
have
feelings for anymore and being stuck in a closet with a sexy
as
sin man, who just happened to be said ex's new lover's
brother.
"Don't change the subject. You didn't answer my question."
Caleb had no clue why Liam wanted to know what his
feelings for Wes were. He could only assume he was making
sure that he wouldn't be a problem to Wes and Luke's budding
relationship.
"Do I still have feeling for Wes? No. I just,"
Caleb
paused, unsure how to explain his actions. "I just
haven't had a
chance to do much dating since we broke up, and of course
the
first party I choose to go to, I run into him." He let
his head fall
back on his shoulders. "Then, to top it off, he has a
hot new
boyfriend." Caleb turned toward Liam. "So I ran in
here instead
of looking like a loser. Pretty pathetic huh?"
"It's not pathetic, but neither is being at party
alone.
Don't most people go to parties to meet people?"
"Yeah, I guess. I didn't look at it like that."
Caleb sighed.
"Does this make me an even bigger loser?" he asked
Liam.
"No, it makes you human. I mean, we as people don't
like to deal with that awkward first encounter with an ex
and
their new partner. No one knows what to say, then you're
just left
staring at each other like idiots." Liam shrugged.
"I get it."
"Thanks."
They sat there in the closet talking and getting to know
one another to pass the time. Liam was in no hurry to leave,
and
Caleb enjoyed the company he offered. They talked about
school
and their majors. Came to find out they were both attending
school to become teachers.
Liam was also minoring in physical education so he
could have the opportunity to become a high school football
coach in the future. He said he enjoyed playing the sport
but
didn't see himself pursuing it further after he graduated.
Being a
football star was more his brother's forte.
The more Liam talked, the more Caleb started to like
him. He wasn't just good looking, but smart to boot.
Whenever
he was with Wes, Caleb always found himself having to
explain
everything he said but with Liam, he didn't have to. To be
able to
have a conversation with another person that wasn't just one
sided was refreshing. With every passing minute, Liam
knocked
down the stereotype that all jocks were morons, because he
was
far from it.
"Can I confess something to you?" Liam asked.
"Sure." He barked out a laugh. "Can't be as
bad as what I
confessed to you. So spill it. I'm all ears." He nudged
his
shoulder against Liam's and felt the man stiffen.
"I kind of knew who you were before we got stuck in
this closet together."
"What?" Caleb sat up on his knees and turned the
light
back on. His heart skidded to a stop as Liam looked up at
him
with the greenest eyes he had ever seen. In the emerald
depths,
he could see a vulnerability that he hadn't heard in Liam's
voice.
"I found this picture of you in Wes's room when I was
looking for a pencil in his desk."
Caleb stared at him blankly, not sure where his picture
and a pencil went together.
"Since you no longer tutored him, Luke asked me
to," he
explained. "When I asked who the guy in the picture
was, he said
his ex-boyfriend." Liam barked out a laugh. "I
actually stared at
the picture for so long I thought my eyes would cross."
He sat there and listened to Liam's confession. The
thought that Liam sought him out all from just one little
photo
was actually really sweet. "So I take it you liked the
picture?"
"Yeah, I did." Liam looked at him and
grinned.
"That's quite a gamble, don't you think?" Caleb
asked.
"Pictures can be deceiving. I could have been a total
douchebag."
Liam sat with his lips pursed as if thinking about what
Caleb just said. "That's very true, but I've seen you
around
campus and I know that to be false." Liam rested his
hand on
Caleb's thigh and scooted a little closer. "See, I
believe in fate
and I feel like it led me to you."
"Are you fucking kidding me with that?" His
eyebrows
shot up to his hairline as his skepticism rose. Caleb was a
man of
facts, he didn't believe in what he couldn't see and to hear
Liam
talk about fate had him questioning the guy's sanity.
"No, hear me out." Liam turned to his side and
rested
one of his long legs over Caleb's lap. The warm pressure of
the
heavy limb had his skin tingling under his clothes.
"When I saw
that picture, my heart skipped a beat. Your smile radiated
off the
paper like a spot light. Your ruby colored lips," Liam
lightly
rubbed his thumb over his lips and Caleb moaned at the
gentle
touch. "Your tan skin with just a hint of sunburn on
your cheeks
spoke volumes. You had this carefree happiness about
yourself
that flowed through that picture. I knew then I had to at
least
meet you to see if the real thing was as good as the
picture."
Caleb sat speechless. He had no words to compete with
what Liam had just said. No one had ever spoken such sweet
words to him before. He had to know if he in fact did live
up to
Liam's expectations so far.
"So what do you think of the actual man?" he
whispered
as he stared at Liam lips.
"I think the man is whole hell of a lot better than the
photograph." Liam closed the distance and brushed his
lips
across Caleb's. He teased the seam of Caleb's mouth and just
as
he opened for Liam's invasion, the man pulled back.
"Plus, I find
odd behavior like running and hiding in closets very
attractive in
a man."
Caleb smacked Liam's arm as he began to laugh. "You
ruined a perfectly good moment." Caleb started to giggle. He
pushed at Liam's chest, and Liam grabbed his wrist and
pulled
him forward.
"I also like having a lover I can laugh with."
Liam shifted on the floor, stretching his legs out as far as
he could before they hit the wall of the closet. He lay back
and
tugged on Caleb's hand to follow him down. They lay
awkwardly on their sides, pushing shoes and other clutter
out of
the way to make room for them both to lie somewhat
comfortably in the small space.
Caleb nuzzled his nose against Liam's, then turned to
lightly rub his cheek against the other man's. Was it
horniness or
the innocent charm about Liam that made him want him so
much?
He ran his fingers through Liam's short brown hair and
lowered his head the fraction it took to press their lips
together.
He wasted no time sliding his tongue into the velvety warmth
of
his mouth. Their tongues twined together, each trying to
gain
control over the other.
Caleb took a deep breath and slowly let it out through
his nose. His unabashed desire had him reaching for Liam's
belt
buckle, then undoing the fastening on his jeans. The crown
of
Liam's cock peeked out at the top, begging for attention.
Caleb
eased his hand into Liam's jeans, pushing past the waistband
and
letting his hand curl around the impressive erection.
As he gave a teasing squeeze to the length, Liam
grabbed his hand. "You don't have to do this,
Caleb."
"I know I don't have to, but I," he dropped a kiss
to
Liam's swollen lips, "want," another kiss,
"to."
What control Liam had snapped. He quickly reached
down, freeing Caleb's cock. With their pants both pulled
half
way down their legs, they lay close, pushing their growing
erections against one another. Warm flesh against warm flesh
stirred the fire growing between them.
Liam wrapped his long warm fingers around both their
cocks and began to move his hand up and down. Caleb released
a breathless cry, thrusting his hips forward for more of the
sensual touch.
Very slowly, Liam rubbed his thumb against the head of
Caleb's cock, spreading pre cum over the sensitive tip. His
pace
picked up, and Caleb bit down on his lower lip to help
strive off
his need to come. A tingling sensation curled around his
balls,
signaling his orgasm had neared.
Dropping his hand down over Liam's, he squeezed tight.
Sensing his need, Liam pumped his fist harder. As his orgasm
roared to the surface, Caleb threw his head back, the
tendons of
his neck bulging as his eyes fluttered closed. His balls
drew up
tight as white-hot sparks shot from his cock and wetness
covered
Liam's hand.
Still super sensitive after his orgasm, his body shook as
Liam speed up his hand, on the cusp of his own release. Liam
took his lips in a bruising kiss as he came. Letting his
hand slow
down to lazy caresses along their softening lengths, Liam
nipped
and bit at his mouth. Caleb moaned and pushed further into
Liam, mixing their combined juices together.
They laid there in their afterglow, letting their pulses
returned to normal. Caleb rubbed his fingers along Liam's
scalp,
enjoying his soft little mumbles of pleasure.
All too soon, the knowledge that he and Liam laid on the
floor of someone else's closet came rushing back. His kissed
Liam one more time then reached up to grab one of the
hanging
shirts. Liam looked at him questioningly, and he just
shrugged
his shoulders.
"I'll throw it in the hamper on our way out. We can't
walk out there with jizz on ourselves." He chuckled as
he wiped
away the residue of their jerk off session.
"Oh, shit." Liam whispered. "Still a little
sensitive, be
careful with that hand."
They both broke down into peals of laughter that turned
into more kissing and fondling. Caleb didn't want the night
to
end. It started off shitty, but ended with a bang. A bang in
the
form of Liam.
Standing upright in the closet, they straightened their
clothes and stood in the dark, just staring at one another.
Caleb
didn't know what to say. They both started to speak at the
same
time.
"You go first," Caleb suggested.
"Okay." Liam beamed a smile at him. "Let me
start off
by saying I don't typically do this." He waved his
hands around,
indicating the whole closet episode. "But there's just
something
about you. I would really like to see where this can
go."
Caleb mentally gave himself a pat on the back. He liked
Liam, and the best part about being stuck in the closet
wasn't the
sex they shared, but the conversation. The getting to know
him
and realizing he did actually like the guy. He wouldn't lie
to
himself and say it wouldn't be weird dating the brother of
the guy
who was now sleeping with his ex.
"I would love to, but do you think your brother will be
okay with this? I don't want to come between you guys."
He had
to put it out there for Liam to decide. Luke was his brother
and
family came first. He and Wes weren't on bad terms, but he
didn't want to create a problem for anyone else, even at his
own
expense.
"Why should it? He's fucking Wes, not you." Liam
wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his forehead.
"Now, if he starts to put the moves on you, then we
will have a
problem."
Caleb laughed. "Not going to be an issue. I kind of
have
a thing for this one twin in particular."
"Oh really." Liam ground his hips into Caleb's,
pressing
his semi erect cock against his thigh.
"Yeah really." Caleb smiled against Liam's lips.
"He's
smart, sweet and oh my god, so hot."
They started to laugh and it turned into another toe
curling kiss. So distracted, they didn't realize the bedroom
light
had come on until the closet door swung open.
"I thought I saw you two come in here!" Wes stood
in
front of them with a huge smile on his face. "See, Luke,
I told
you they would be a good match."
"Huh?" Caleb and Liam said in unison.
"After we caught you drooling over his photo for like
the
hundredth time," Luke pointed at him, "Wes and I
talked about it
and decided it was our duty to introduce you two to each
other."
"You two genius's came up with that all from me staring
at a picture." Liam stood with his arms crossed.
"It didn't seem a
bit odd to set your brother up with your new boyfriend's
ex?"
Caleb nodded his agreement. It was strange that they
would want him and Liam to meet, and possibly start dating.
He
wouldn't begrudge whatever brought them together in that
dark
closet, he was just glad they did.
"What's with the attitude? I thought I was doing
something nice," Luke whined.
"I'm not complaining, I just got to hear the reasoning
behind this. No offence, but you two don't seem all that
into
matchmaking."
"I was my idea," Wes confessed. "After
getting to know
you from all the tutoring sessions we had together, I
realized you
were a lot like Caleb. Smart and funny. You guys made
learning
fun for me. Talking to you was like talking to him."
"So you're okay with this?" Caleb took a step
forward
and rested his hand on Wes's forearm.
"Yeah, I am. At first, I thought it would be a little
weird
and old feelings might get in the way." A thoughtful
expression
crossed his face. "But you and I were always better
friends than
lovers, and friends do stuff like this for each other."
"I guess they do." Caleb smiled at Wes then turned
to
face Luke. "Are you good with this, too?"
"Totally." He wrapped his arm around Wes's
shoulders.
"If my brother is happy, then I'm happy. Also, you
don't strike
me as a relationship wrecker or the type to sleep around on
the
guy you're dating." Luke winked at him.
"No, I'm not."
He chuckled. "I'm a one man kind of
guy."
"That's good to hear," Liam whispered into his ear
as he
wrapped his arms around Caleb's waist, pulling his back
flush
against his chest. "Because you're all mine."
Caleb sunk back into the embrace and a happy sigh
passed his lips. He turned his head to capture Liam's lips
in a
quick kiss.
"Enough of that." Luke covered his eyes. "I
wanted you
to be happy, but fuck, I don't want to watch you two get it
on.
Jeez."
"Oh Luke, stop complaining." Wes grabbed Luke's
hand
and started to lead him toward the door. "Hey, do you
guys want
to come hang out with us? They just popped another
keg."
Liam turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised in
question. Caleb nodded to the unspoken question. "No,
we're
going to pass. It's getting late, so we're just going to
call it a
night."
"See, I told you they were just alike," Wes
whispered to
Luke as they left the room.
Caleb turned in Liam's hold and twined his arms around
his neck. "Call it a night, huh?"
"Well, I was kind of hoping we could call it a night
together. You know, go back to your place and see what
happens."
Liam placed soft kisses along his jaw line and Caleb
tilted his to the side to give him more room to play. How
could
he say no to such a tantalizing offer?
The End
Kip pulled his car into his parking space and turned off the
engine. Sweat started too trickled down the side of Lance’s face. The drive
back to Kip’s place just didn’t seem long enough. Now he was faced with what
would happen next. He knew what he wanted to happened but feared that Kip might
have changed his mind.
