Beautifully Backed Read online

  Beautifully Backed

  Candied Crush #8

  Charity Parkerson

  The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Brief passages may be quoted for review purposes if credit is given to the copyright holder. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Any resemblances to person(s) living or dead, is completely coincidental. All items contained within this novel are products of the author’s imagination.

  —Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18.

  Copyright © 2020 Charity Parkerson

  Editor: BZ Hercules & Consultants

  Photographer: Pick-Your-Pic

  ISBN: 978-1-946099-78-5

  All rights reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  About the Author

  Introduction

  A single night of powerful connection collides with a cruel twist of fate. No matter the outcome, Sergio and Tobin are meant to be.

  Sergio went from the streets to being one of the highest-paid soccer players in the world. For the most part, he has tried to stay humble. The change in his circumstances doesn’t mean his life is easy now. He meets a lot of users and has a hard time saying no. Tobin is the first person he’s met since hitting it big who doesn’t want a thing from him. Yet Tobin needs him more than Sergio could possibly know.

  Tobin has no clue Sergio is famous. In a moment of living life to the fullest while he can, Tobin takes Sergio home for the night. While it is the greatest night of his life, he has no plans to repeat the experience. Everything recently changed for him and Tobin is in no place to start a relationship. He must accept Sergio as the temporary gift he is, except he doesn’t take into account Sergio’s determination.

  Sergio isn’t the type to be pushed aside. Tobin is in his sights now. Unlike everyone else, Tobin deserves Sergio’s help and he’s not taking no for an answer. All he can do now is hope that life doesn’t steal Tobin before Sergio can save him.

  One

  Considering Sergio’s friend Valor had made it to forty without ever being married, Sergio was more than a little surprised—in a good way—to be sitting at the guy’s engagement party. It thrilled Sergio to no end to see Valor finally settling down. Although it was a little strange to see Valor marrying a man two years older than Sergio’s twenty-four, but who was he to judge. When it came to love, Sergio wasn’t exactly killing it. For someone with a five-million-dollar-a-year contract with an L.A. pro soccer team, the Lancers, and several lucrative contracts with advertising agencies, he would have thought he would have better luck with the guys, but no. He only met users or cheats... or both. That didn’t mean Sergio planned to quit. In fact, he couldn’t stop gravitating toward Valor’s man’s best friend, Tobin.

  Tobin was a tiny blond with light green eyes and a blush that made all the muscles in Sergio’s stomach tighten with lust. The moment Sergio had walked into the engagement party, his gaze had found Tobin and his feet had been headed Tobin’s way before Sergio could have a second thought. While Sergio would normally be a little guarded with someone new, he was a good ninety percent certain that Tobin had no idea who Sergio was—other than being Valor’s friend, of course. Sergio couldn’t stop flirting with him. Watching the man blush was too much fun.

  “Tell me, Tobin, what’s your favorite color? Do you want to sit on my lap?”

  Tobin’s gaze dropped to the floor. A gorgeous blush touched his cheeks. “It’s red. What about you?”

  “It’s green. The exact shade of your eyes, to be more specific. You’re a baker, right? What’s your favorite food and do you plan to take me home tonight?”

  Tobin met his stare again. “I’m a pastry chef and Mexican food, but not like Tex Mex. Do you know what I mean?” Tobin became more animated, talking with his hands. “Like, not the California style bastardized version of Mexican food, but like authentic. Does that make sense?”

  A laugh burst from Sergio. “Yeah. I’m Hispanic.”

  Tobin blushed again as Sergio pointed out the obvious. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. You’re adorable.” Sergio barely stopped himself from stroking Tobin’s jawline. He looked like he had soft skin. Sergio wanted to find out. “I love pizza,” Sergio added, hoping to soothe Tobin’s embarrassment. “I’m not a chef, like you, but I sure as hell can cook you some authentic Mexican food. That’s another reason you should take me home. I’d make it worth your while.” Sergio eyed Tobin’s body with every ounce of heat he felt. He bit his bottom lip. Damn. Tobin looked sexy in his gray button-down shirt and dark jeans. “In more ways than one,” Sergio added, so there would be no misunderstandings about what would happen if Tobin took him home. He quickly changed tactics again, trying to keep Tobin off balance so he wouldn’t run away. “Do you like watching sports?”

  Tobin curled his nose. “Not especially. It’s not that I hate them, or anything. I just get bored and stop paying attention. Since you asked, I’m assuming you do. Which is your favorite?”

  “Fútbol.” Sergio stared intently at Tobin, looking for any signs that the man played games with him. Tobin wouldn’t be the first man to pretend not to know him in hopes of getting closer.

  Tobin’s forehead furrowed. He looked adorably confused. “Do you mean American football or soccer?”

  A smile exploded across Sergio’s face. Tobin wasn’t playing him. He really didn’t know Sergio played professionally. “Soccer.”

  Tobin’s expression cleared. He smiled. “Oh. My mom tried to make me play that when I was four. She said I refused to run back and forth with my team. Instead, I kept dropping to the ground and crawling around so I could pick dandelions.”

  Sergio couldn’t stop smiling at the laughter in Tobin’s eyes. “I bet you weren’t much smaller than you are now.”

  To his surprise, Tobin’s smile slipped away. “I’m sure.”

  Sergio hadn’t meant to insult him. He found Tobin adorable. Apparently, he had hit an insecurity. Sergio hated that. He wasn’t that guy. He liked making people smile. Sergio scrambled to expose a weakness too so they would be even. “I grew up in the streets, living in homeless camps and shelters. That’s how I met Valor. He was one of the cops who spent time with the teens. We would play basketball and whatnot. He’s been good to me—made sure I didn’t stay without a home, you know? How did you become best friends with a famous actor like Reid?” Sergio had to keep Tobin from asking too much about his past. He still wasn’t ready for Tobin to find out he was famous in certain circles. Sergio liked that Tobin thought he was just some guy.

  Tobin was back to looking open again. His insecurities had disappeared. “I have a deal set up with the Coastal Arts Center where Reid does a lot of his theater work. A few days a week, I restock their green room with baked goods to keep the crew fed. Reid is a force of nature. He just kind of adopted me as his friend. I don’t remember being consulted. It was like I was there working one minute, and Reid swept me out the door the next. He talked a mile a minute while taking us to lunch.” A sexy smile touched Tobin’s lips. “I don’t think I even told him my na
me until we were leaving the restaurant. It’s pretty much been like that ever since.”

  Even though Tobin laughed at the memory, Sergio didn’t want Tobin to walk away with a similar story about him. “What’s your last name?”

  Tobin looked taken aback by the question, but he still immediately answered. “Sader. What’s yours?”

  “Costa. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-four.” Tobin kept immediately answering Sergio’s questions without an ounce of reluctance.

  Sergio’s smile was out of control. “Me too. You never answered me about sitting on my lap.”

  Another blush exploded across Tobin’s face. He dropped his gaze again.

  Sergio shook his head. “Damn.” Even Sergio heard the humor in his curse. “The shy ones get me every time.”

  To Sergio’s surprise, Tobin’s gaze lifted and met his with a bravery Sergio had never seen in his life. “I’m not shy.”

  A wicked smirk touched Sergio’s lips. He couldn’t stop it from happening. Tobin tempted him on every level. “Prove it.”

  Tobin stood. A surge of disappointment shot through Sergio. It seemed he had gone too far. When Sergio didn’t move, Tobin held his hand out. “Are we going, or not?”

  Sergio shot to his feet and linked fingers with Tobin. No way in hell would he turn down Tobin’s offer.

  Tobin didn’t immediately head for the door. His gaze swept the room. “Reid picked me up, so you’ll have to drive.”

  “Sounds good.” Especially since Sergio had no intention of leaving his Porsche here. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Tobin. Sergio couldn’t believe Tobin truly meant to take him home.

  Tobin still seemed a bit absent. “I thought to tell Reid bye, but I don’t see him.”

  Sergio nudged Tobin toward the door. “I saw Valor and Reid sneaking away a few minutes ago. I get the feeling they’re not worrying about their guests right now.” He forced his stare from Tobin and searched the room with his gaze. He spotted Dawson nearby. Dawson was like a son to Valor. Sergio knew he could trust Dawson to let Valor know they had gone. He caught Dawson’s eye and signaled they were leaving. Dawson nodded, and Sergio steered Tobin toward the door. “Dawson will let Reid know I’m taking you home.”

  “Okay.”

  Tobin didn’t sound like he had any doubts, but Sergio held tightly to his hand anyhow as they headed out. He had Tobin now. Sergio wouldn’t lose his chance if he had anything to say about it. He knew a good thing when he saw one.

  All of these thoughts about how he couldn’t believe he was doing this kept trying to shove their way inside Tobin’s head. Tobin kept pushing them away. Sergio’s gorgeous car said a lot about how far out of Tobin’s league he was, but Tobin didn’t care. This was for one night only. Sergio had been on his bucket list since they met at Valor’s place months earlier. Tobin wouldn’t let any amount of good sense get in the way this one time. He only had this one life. Tobin intended to live it his way.

  As they pulled into the parking lot of Road Clan bar, Tobin worried Sergio might take one look at where he lived and realize how far beneath him Tobin was. But if he ran, then Tobin would know Sergio wasn’t worth his time anyhow. So he squared his shoulders and directed Sergio to the back-parking lot of the biker bar.

  “Circle the building. There are a couple of reserved parking spots back there.”

  “Okay.” Sergio dragged out the word, as if confused by the directions Tobin gave. He still followed Tobin’s instructions without argument.

  Tobin pointed at an empty space next to his delivery van. “You can park there.”

  Without a word, Sergio swung wide and backed into the spot. As they slid from the car, Sergio’s alarm chirped.

  Tobin flashed him a smile. “Don’t worry. You’re my guest. Your car is safer here than anywhere in the world. No one would mess with the guys in this place.”

  Sergio shrugged. “I’m not worried.”

  Tobin waited for Sergio so he could take his hand. When their fingers linked, he headed for a metal staircase next to the building. He spotted Damon through the bar’s window as they headed up. He gave the burly bar owner a small wave. Damon returned to gesture.

  “You live above a biker bar? Isn’t that noisy as hell?”

  Like the move had been choreographed to coincide with Sergio’s question, the loud music blaring from inside lowered. Tobin chuckled. “No. The guys know I live upstairs and Damon, the owner, he makes sure they keep it down when I’m home. Everyone who comes here are regulars and it’s like a big family.” Tobin didn’t add that he didn’t know what he would do without these guys. Some days were much harder than others, and these burly bikers with hearts of gold kept him going.

  As they came through the door, Sergio looked around. Tobin knew what he saw. His apartment was pretty small but cozy. The brown overstuffed couch had been chosen for comfort rather than style. He owned a smallish TV and had more books than most. His kitchen was nicer than the rest of the apartment, but that was because he worked from home. Thankfully, Damon let him use his storeroom for most of his supplies. Otherwise, Tobin wouldn’t have anywhere to sit. From nowhere, Tobin’s nerves frayed. He had invited a stranger to his place. Sergio was obviously rich and incredibly sexy. He could have anyone. Tobin’s apartment had to be the worst place Sergio had ever stepped foot in since he left the streets. What had he been thinking bringing Sergio home? Then Sergio’s gaze moved his way and didn’t budge. The dark scruff on his jaw made Tobin’s palms itch to touch it. His dark green eyes sparkled with intelligence. Tobin wanted to hear his every thought. This was only for one night. Tobin had to keep reminding himself of that fact.

  A sweet-looking smile touched Sergio’s lips. “It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind. I’m cool to just hang out and talk or whatever.”

  Something about Sergio always seeing his shyness and discomfort too clearly made Tobin want to be the opposite. Sergio was completely out of Tobin’s league. Tobin wanted to be on his level. There was only one way Tobin could achieve that. He had to be braver than he felt.

  “You should strip.” Honest to god, no one was more surprised than him by the demand. He wasn’t this person, but Tobin didn’t take it back. It was too late now. He had already been way too bold, and now he wanted to see where this insanity took him.

  Sergio shrugged off the open button-down shirt he wore over a skintight slick-looking t-shirt. Tobin held his breath as Sergio tossed the shirt aside and untucked the shirt from his black pants. With the shirt untucked, Sergio reached over his head and pulled the material over his head and off his body in one smooth motion. Tobin moved a step closer. He couldn’t stop himself. Sergio was every bit as sleek beneath his shirt as Tobin expected. Sergio had a runner’s body. Each muscle was well defined. Not like a guy who spent too much time at the gym, but like a man who used his body like a tool. Sergio looked as if he had been carved from marble. Tobin’s hand reached out with no permission from his brain. His skin looked pale against the dark skin of Sergio’s torso as he traced the lines of Sergio’s sculpted abs.

  “Jesus. What’s it like to be flawless?” Tobin couldn’t stop the question. He had always wondered what it felt like to be beautiful like Sergio.

  “I wouldn’t know since I have a thousand imperfections.”

  Tobin wanted to roll his eyes at that obvious lie, but he was too busy enjoying the sensation of Sergio’s soft skin beneath his fingertips. Hunger rose inside Tobin, stamping out all hints of discomfort. Tobin went to work on Sergio’s belt. The leather felt expensive as Tobin pulled it loose. “I want to see the rest.” Tobin no longer recognized himself. He wasn’t the type of guy who stripped men bare and demanded to see their bodies. Sergio made him feel a level of desire he had never experienced before. It was like Tobin starved for him.

  Tobin easily sent Sergio’s pants and boxer briefs to the floor. He stooped to strip them all the way off along with Sergio’s shoes. When he glanced up and found himself staring at Sergio’s cock,
Tobin disappeared inside himself. There was no fear or embarrassment. Tobin could do anything without regret. He was in control here. After all, he was still fully dressed. Sergio was the one on display. Tobin had all the power. So he licked Sergio’s dick.

  Sergio hissed.

  The feeling of control grew in Tobin’s chest, making him bolder by the second. He wrapped his fingers around Sergio’s cock and sucked the tip.

  “De puta madre,” Sergio whispered as he buried his fingers in Tobin’s hair and held on.

  Tobin put his heart into pleasuring Sergio. He didn’t think. Tobin simply acted, following the sounds Sergio made to keep up whatever actions made him the loudest. He felt Sergio’s muscles tense and Tobin braced himself for Sergio to blow. Instead, he found himself on his feet. Sergio’s mouth covered his. It wasn’t until their tongues brushed that Tobin realized he had sucked Sergio’s dick before they even had their first kiss. It was like he didn’t recognize himself anymore. A small part of him was horrified by his actions. The rest of him was mesmerized by Sergio’s kiss. His kiss was a mixture of teasing and hot. He made Tobin chase him, then rewarded him by sucking hard on Tobin’s bottom lip. Tobin scratched at Sergio’s chest, trying to get closer.

  “Where’s your bedroom?”

  Tobin motioned down the hall. “The only open door.”

  “Let’s go.” Sergio shuffled Tobin that way, walking him backward while still trying to steal his kisses.

  Sergio kept an eye out, steering Tobin around furniture until they reached the bed. At the edge, he began stripping Tobin. “Tell me you have condoms here and I don’t have to go out to my car.”