Table Of ContentMORE THAN ANYTHING
… “Want to turn off the lamp?” Des asked softly.
“Okay.” Shayne actually liked the idea. If it was dark, well, Des wouldn’t see all
his flaws or try to guess what he was thinking. He reached over and turned the
knob, turning the room to darkness, save for a small sliver of moon coming in
through the window blinds.
Des took hold of his hand and wrapped his fingers around Shayne’s palm. “How
much experience do you have, Shayne?” He decided to be honest. No sense
lying. “Just a little.”
lying. “Just a little.”
“Like what?”
He shrugged in the dark. “I went with my mother and grandmother in the
summer to visit family in Ohio. There was this guy who lived near my relatives
and we played around.”
“When you say played around, did you—” Shayne swallowed. “Yes. O-only a
couple of times, though. The other times we just jerked each other off and did
some blow jobs.” Des had started to stroke his fingers along Shayne’s hand, to
his wrist and up his arm. Tingles of awareness went through him and straight to
his cock, causing it to harden instantly.
“Were you… did he fuck you?” Des asked.
He felt his ears burn, which was silly to blush when you were lying in the dark.
“Yes.”
“And you liked it? He didn’t hurt you?’
“I did and, no, he didn’t.”
Those fantastic fingers now caressed his biceps, drawing little circles.
“Would you let me fuck you?”
Oh, God.
He opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a squeak…
ALSO BY SHAWN LANE
At Long Last The Beach House The Best Gift Car Wash
Galaxy’s Heart The “His” Series His One And Only Hitting It Big The
Impersonator Jake’s Regret Lawyers In Love Lost Between Manfred’s Curse
Most Likely To Succeed Only For Him Only Forever Only His Heart Only In His
Dreams The Other Side Pulling Away Sorcerer’s Lover, I & II The Squire Still
The One Sweet Reunion Ticket To Ride Twice In A Lifetime Until The End Of
Time
MORE THAN
ANYTHING
BY
SHAWN LANE
AMBER QUILL PRESS, LLC
http://www.AmberQuill.com
MORE THAN ANYTHING
AN AMBER QUILL PRESS BOOK
This book is a work of fiction.
All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination, or have been used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely
coincidental.
Amber Quill Press, LLC
http://www.AmberQuill.com
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any
means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of
brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.
Copyright © 2011 by Shawn Lane ISBN 978-1-61124-196-9
Cover Art © 2011 Trace Edward Zaber PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA To Shayne, with love
MORE THAN ANYTHING
CHAPTER 1
Shayne Ralston walked out of the university bookstore, his arms full of
textbooks, too many textbooks, he soon realized, as they promptly slipped out of
his arms and onto the ground in front of him. Rolling his eyes at his own idiocy,
he dropped to his knees to scoop up his purchases.
“Here, let me,” a deep voice said from above him.
At first Shayne wasn’t sure the guy behind the voice spoke to him, but then
someone knelt beside him and swooped up his scattered books in no time.
Shayne glanced up, ready to thank his helper, and met the most intense green
eyes he’d ever seen.
“Hi.”
Shayne blinked. Not only were the eyes spectacular but the rest of the guy went
right along with them. High cheekbones, dark 1
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wavy hair, beautiful white straight teeth, and dimples.
“Um.” Smooth Shayne. He rolled his eyes at himself again.
His helper stood and, reaching down with one hand, pulled Shayne to his feet.
“You should get a book bag or a backpack.
Makes it easier to carry your books.” He glanced down at the ones he held in his
big hand. “Tough courses.” Shayne nodded, knowing he was an idiot, just
staring at the tall, broad-shouldered god of a man.
“Des, come on!” someone shouted.
“Gotta go.” The guy handed the books to Shayne. “See you around.”
And then he ran off toward several burly guys, all suspiciously having that jock
And then he ran off toward several burly guys, all suspiciously having that jock
vibe.
Duh, Shayne, what else?
“What are you doing?” his best friend, Bart Smith, asked, suddenly there at his
elbow.
“Proving what a dork I am, on my first day, as usual,” Shayne said, shaking his
head. “Who was that? The guy who helped me.” Bart, a short, slim redhead, had
been his best friend since kindergarten. “Are you kidding? What rock have you
been living under? Don’t you remember him?”
Shayne frowned. “No. Why?”
Bart sighed dramatically. “He went to our high school. He was a senior when we
were sophomores. Desmond Stratton. Student body president. Quarterback. He’s
on the university’s football team, too. All those guys were. Rumors are he’ll go
pro eventually.”
“Oh.” Shayne stared after the direction the jocks had gone.
“Totally out of our league, Shayne.” Bart patted his arm.
“Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s into tits and ass.” 2
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He nodded. “Aren’t they all? Besides, I’m not here to find a boyfriend. I’m here
to get my history degree.” Bart snorted. “Boring. Economics is where it’s at.
Come on.
Let’s get something to eat. I’m starved.”
*
A few hours later and with a couple of classes firmly under his belt, Shayne
opened the door of his old beat-up truck in the campus parking lot. He glanced at
opened the door of his old beat-up truck in the campus parking lot. He glanced at
the sky and frowned at the approaching clouds. The morning, when he had to be
indoors, had been bright and sunny.
Getting into the truck, Shayne turned the key in the ignition and… nothing.
“Oh, please no.”
Grimacing, he tried again… and again.
“Need a jump?”
The sudden deep voice at his window had Shayne screaming like he was a
victim in a horror movie. His face burning hot, Shayne turned his head to see
Desmond Stratton standing at his window looking sheepish.
Shayne rolled down his window. “Uh, hi.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me, er, exactly.”
“You screamed,” Desmond pointed out.
“A startled scream is all. What did you want?” He winced at the sharpness in his
own voice.
“Wondered if you needed a jump. Sounds like your battery.” Biting his lip,
Shayne nodded. “Maybe. You know about cars?” Desmond shrugged. “Not
really, but I do have jumper cables 3
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and know how to do that. Desmond Stratton.” When Desmond stuck out his
hand, Shayne figured he should shake it. His hand looked very small in
Desmond’s big paw.
“Shayne Ralston. Nice to meet you, Desmond.”
“Des. That’s what all my friends call me. I’ll pull my car over here and we can
give you that jump. Be right back.” Shayne watched Des run off toward a group
give you that jump. Be right back.” Shayne watched Des run off toward a group
of other parked cars. Sighing, he got out of the truck and opened the hood. He
might not know shit about cars but he knew that much had to be done.
It seemed like he was destined to make an ass out of himself in front of Des. Not
like it would matter really. The guy wouldn’t be interested in someone like
Shayne, not even as a friend. And if he realized Shayne was gay, he’d probably
punch his lights out.
A minute later, a black Mustang pulled into the empty spot next to Shayne’s
truck. It took every bit of strength he had not to roll his eyes at the muscle car.
Straight as a damn arrow.
Des got out carrying cables. His smile was brilliantly beautiful.
“How old is this truck anyway?”
“Well, um, pretty old. It was my gramps’s, actually. Not sure what year it is. I
just needed a way to get to school.”
“Well, that’s cool,” Des said. “Let’s get you going.” Shayne watched as Des
went to his car and popped the hood and then connected the cables between the
two vehicles.
“Okay, Shayne, go ahead and try to start her,” Des called.
He nodded and got back in his truck. After two attempts, his truck came to life.
And Shayne heaved a sigh of relief.
Des came around to the driver side of his truck. “Let’s leave it for a moment. I’m
betting you really need a new battery. You going straight home?”
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“Yeah, I was.”
“You live close by?”
“You live close by?”
“About twenty minutes or so,” Shayne said.
Des scrunched up his face. “Hopefully that will be long enough for the charge. If
you have trouble in the morning you might have to have it charge again. You
want my cell number in case you have to call me to jump you?”
Shayne blinked. The thought of Des jumping him sped up his pulse and had him
feeling ridiculously warm. Not to mention half-hard. Which, of course, he hoped
to God Des didn’t notice. And, duh, Des didn’t mean that kind of jumping
anyway.
“I have the Auto Club,” he blurted out. Part of him wanted to kick his own ass
for that, but really, the more often he saw Des the sooner it would become clear
to the jock that Shayne was gay and probably punching bag material.
“Oh, okay.” Des’s beautiful smile didn’t dim one bit. “Hey, if you aren’t in any
hurry to get home, me and some of the guys are going over to Mario’s Pizza.
Maybe you’d like to meet us there?” Instant panic assailed him. A pizza place
full of homophobic jocks? Not in a million years. He just wasn’t that stupid. He
only hoped he didn’t look as queasy as he felt “I really need to get home,” he
said softly.
Des nodded. “All right. Some other time, maybe?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll get the cables.” Des went and disconnected everything. He waved the
cables. “See you, Shayne.”
“Thanks again, Desmond.”
“Des.”
“Uh, yeah, Des.”
Shayne pulled out and drove away feeling a bit like maybe he’d 5
