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  Texas Sun

  Book 7 of the Texas Soul Series

  Sara York

  Copyright © 2019 by Sara York

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About the Author

  Also by Sara York

  Chapter One

  Lafferty Miller’s lips cracked into a wide smile as the huge brute pounded his fists on the table. The jerk didn’t scare him, though it was obvious other people were terrified based on how they backed away, some even left the bar. He threw back his head and laughed before sobering to meet the brute’s gaze.

  “You don’t scare me,” Lafferty drawled. “I don’t give a fuck if you think gay guys shouldn’t be here. Go to hell.”

  “You little—” The guy lunged at Lafferty, and he ducked, plowing forward, slamming into the dude’s midsection. Solid muscle met his head, and he bounced back, staggering as he tried to gain his footing.

  “I’m going to make you pay.” The roar filled the space, sending more people fleeing.

  Those were the last words Lafferty heard from the guy before the doors banged open, and a cop stepped in. Lafferty crawled under a table, weaving his way to the back of the bar and the back door. This wasn’t the first time he’d made an exit like this, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

  He raced out into the alley and ran around the corner, right into the arms of a waiting police officer. He gasped, the cop gasped, and they both scrambled as they wobbled to the left then the right before Lafferty disentangled himself and stepped back.

  “Where are you going so fast?” the officer asked.

  “Away from the fight in there.” He threw a glance over his shoulder and shivered. “It’s dangerous in there. A fight broke out, and I ran.”

  The cop narrowed his gaze and nodded. “Stick around. We’ll be questioning people. Stand over there with the group of patrons from the bar.”

  “Sure thing.” Lafferty headed to the other bargoers, some he recognized, and settled in beside them. He slowly turned, meeting the cop’s gaze who’d sent him over here. He smiled and waved as he moved to the back of the pack.

  The cop’s lips tilted up in a sneer before his attention was drawn to someone else. Lafferty saw an opening and made his escape. Slinking low, he moved away from the center of activity and did his best to blend in with the rest of humanity who’d come to find out why four cop cars had descended on the bar.

  Laughter bubbled up as he raced away from the chaos he’d created. The place he was staying reminded him of La Bohéme and not the Ritz Carleton, where most people who knew who he was imagined he stayed.

  Lights spilled out over broken fire escapes dotted with the glow of cigarettes. The pungent scent of weed floated along the alleyway, following him to the small room he was renting on the basement level at the end of the building. He turned the key in the lock and opened the door. He sighed as he stepped in.

  “Honey, I’m home,” he called out to the empty place as he shut the door. No one lived with him in this small, one-room apartment.

  He stepped over to the tiny kitchenette and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, then took three steps and dropped to the beanbag in the corner just as thunder boomed outside. He twisted open the beer and flicked the bottle cap in the general direction of the trashcan. It bounced off the wall and landed in the middle of the linoleum floor.

  “I’ll get it later.”

  The first sip of beer felt good on his throat. The next sip, he tasted the hops and sighed, enjoying the flavor. This was the life.

  Lightning flashed and more thunder rumbled. Rain fell, leaving him feeling melancholy. Memories of him and Matthew on the streets surfaced, and he pushed them away. Lane and Gresh had seen taken him in, making sure he’d never be homeless again. He had everything he needed, but for some strange reason, the ragtag atmosphere of this part of Greenwich Village called to him. This area was fresh and unadulterated by the wealth hindering most of the people he met when he traveled in the circles Lane and Gresh had introduced him to. Sure, the cowboys at the ranch were good people, and there were a few good people in Houston who he actually liked, but he felt alive in this place, almost like he really was on the edge of the world looking out.

  Seeing Matthew a few weeks ago had been a kick. He wasn’t sure what was going on with him, but Lafferty found it odd how his brother had been in New York the same day as an assassination attempt on the president. He’d not wanted to think about the implications.

  The scrape of something brushing against his door made him sit up fast. His heart hammered as he scrambled over, setting his beer down on the small table by the one chair in the room. The door didn’t have a peephole or any way for him to look out and see what was on the other side. Thunder crashed, and the rain sounded like it picked up. He flipped on the light and took a chance as he tugged the door open.

  Some wet little dude fell in, his eyes wide as he scrambled to stand. A string of words Lafferty didn’t understand flew from the kid’s mouth.

  “What? Speak English.”

  The kid wobbled and stumbled in his quest to stay upright. He was sopping wet, the coat he wore stank, and the grunge on his hands and face made him look wild. Lafferty didn’t hesitate and grabbed his arm, keeping him from falling. The dark-eyed kid stared up at him, fear shining through.

  A ghost of a memory floated through his mind. This kid wasn’t dangerous. He was probably hungry, tired, and now he was afraid. Lafferty’s heart squeezed, and he forced himself to calm as he reached back and shut the door, blocking out the rain.

  “What is your name?”

  The guy swallowed before he opened his mouth. “A-Andries.”

  “Andries. Your name is unique. Why are you on the streets?”

  The kid glanced at the door then back at him. “I’m lost and have nowhere else to go.” The kid’s lips thinned, and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Lafferty. For a second, Lafferty thought the guy looked older. “What is your name?”

  The guy had a unique accent Lafferty couldn’t place. “Lafferty.”

  The guy’s nose wrinkled and lines branched out from the corner of his eyes. “Talk about odd names.”

  He ignored the comment about his name. He’d heard it all. “Why don’t you use my bathroom, get cleaned up, maybe shower. I have some extra clothes. We can wash these, and then in the morning, you can get some food while you tell me what’s going on.”

  Andries ducked his head, and a shiver raced through him. He lifted his chin, a determined slant to his lips made him again look mature. “How much?”

  Lafferty didn’t understand the question. “How much what?”

  “I-I.” Andries’ cheeks turned pink. “I can do anal if you need it.”

  Anger filled Lafferty. Memories from his past surfaced. He wasn’t going to make this kid have sex. “No.”

  Andries flinched. “No, what?”

  “I don’t want sex. I’m doing this to be nice. Clean up, shower, and then we can talk after we both get some sleep.”

  Andries’ eyes narrowed, and Lafferty again noticed the age-
showing lines. Later he’d get the full story, but for now, Andries needed to shower.

  “Are you being real? No sex, you’re letting me shower and eat without sucking you?”

  Lafferty sighed. “Yeah, kid, I’m letting you shower.”

  “I’m not a kid.” Andries’ jaw jutted out before his expression softened. “I’m not.”

  “We can discuss it later. Get out of those clothes and toss them out of the bathroom. I’ll wash them in the sink while you shower.”

  Andries started removing his clothes. When he peeled off his shirt, revealing pale skin with a trail of dark hair down the center of his chest, Lafferty turned around.

  “You shy?” Andries asked.

  “No. I don’t need to see you naked.”

  The kid who said he wasn’t a kid laughed. Something dropped to the floor, and he assumed it was the kid’s pants. The aroma of unwashed body wafted over him, pushing away any desire. The guy was living rough. Lafferty knew the feeling. He knew what it took to survive in the wild.

  The sharp slide of metal on metal, indicating the shower curtain was being pushed back, was followed by the sound of water running. Lafferty turned and found Andries standing in the bathroom door, his hands on the door jamb, his body on full display. Lafferty rolled his eyes and glanced away but couldn’t keep his eyes off the man and glanced back.

  “Shower and get dressed in the clothes I put in there. Then we can get some sleep.”

  Andries shrugged and stepped into the shower-tub, moaning loudly. Lafferty ignored the sexy sounds coming from the room. After he delivered a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to the bathroom, he concentrated on preparing beans for coffee the next morning. He may be trying to live like a bohemian, but he’d grown used to certain luxuries, like whole bean coffee, freshly ground in a burr grinder and brewed to perfection in an expensive coffeemaker.

  The twerp had been in the shower for over ten minutes and had stopped moaning. Lafferty wasn’t going to check on him because he was afraid of what he’d find.

  The man’s clothes were filthy and would take more than a quick rinse in the sink. He’d have to soak them in the tub.

  The water cut off, then the shower curtain rings slid over the rod, making a metallic screeching sound. He needed to replace a few that were rusted. A few minutes later, Andries stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes on the ground.

  “I found a toothbrush and used it.”

  “Good, I’m glad you found it. Do you want to sleep on the bed?” Lafferty asked.

  “What about you?”

  “I’m good on the beanbag.”

  “No, I can sleep there. It’s better than the asphalt I normally sleep on.”

  Lafferty grabbed an extra sheet and blanket along with a pillow and took them to the beanbag.

  “I’m sorry,” Andries said.

  He spun back and lifted his eyebrows. “About?”

  “Acting like a shit. It’s been a while since I’ve been treated like a human and not a sex toy. Thank you.”

  He nodded and looked around, trying to find anything else to focus on other than the cute guy in front of him because the last thing he wanted was this man to freak out because he really was attracted to him.

  “Do you have any food?”

  Andries’ question pushed him into action. “Yes.” He stepped over to the tiny freezer and opened it. “I have leftover pizza and a boxed meal I can microwave quickly.” He shut the freezer and opened the refrigerator. “Oh, this. It’s leftovers, but only from lunch. It’s chicken and pasta.”

  Andries’ eyes rounded. “Sure. Sounds good.”

  Lafferty heated the food while watching the guy look around. He hoped the kid wasn’t planning on stealing anything from him. Andries’ gaze met his. The man’s eyes shone brightly with anticipation. After he’d showered, the kid looked different. His hair was curly and black, but a little too long to be considered tame. His skin was pale, but it looked like he’d burned recently based on the flakiness. His eyes were dark pools Lafferty could drown in. Thoughts he shouldn’t be having surfaced.

  “How old are you?” Lafferty asked.

  Andries blinked at him then shrugged. “You want the real answer or what I tell others?”

  “Real.”

  “I’m twenty.”

  Lafferty lifted his brow. “I said, real answer.”

  “I gave you the real answer. I’m really twenty. I know I look younger. You probably thought I was sixteen, maybe seventeen. It gets me more money if I say I’m fifteen or younger.”

  “So, you’re on the streets doing tricks?” Lafferty noticed the way Andries sucked in a breath and how his cheeks grew darker.

  The microwave beeped, and he turned to take the food out. When he turned back, Andries didn’t look like he wanted to bolt.

  Lafferty set the food on the table and sat across from him, watching as Andries inhaled the meal. When the food was half gone, Lafferty started talking.

  “When I was fourteen, I was kicked out and on the streets.”

  Andries looked up mid-chew. His eyelids narrowed, and his lips thinned after he swallowed. It took him a moment, but he finally spoke. “You were young. What happened?”

  “My parents found out I liked guys, so they kicked me out. On the streets, I found another gay kid, and we became friends. We looked after each other.”

  “Ever have to trick to get cash?”

  Lafferty nodded, not wanting to think of the time. “It wasn’t fun. I sucked someone, and it was easy money. Then a guy wanted me to let him fuck me. He wasn’t easy on me.”

  Andries shoveled more food into his mouth and talked around the food. “What happened?”

  Memories of meeting Lane and Gresh flashed through his mind. The first day at their house had been wild. He missed Matthew, but having Jump and Daniel around was sweet.

  “You’re deep into it,” Andries said.

  He blinked and then shrugged. “Sorry. Memories.”

  “What happened on the streets?”

  “I was lucky.” Luck didn’t really express the depths of what he’d been through or how Lane and Gresh saved him.

  “How so?”

  “The kid I met, Matthew, he made me go to this holiday dinner thing at a church. There was this guy serving food, and he started asking questions.”

  “He didn’t want to fuck you?” Andries asked.

  “God, no. He and his husband are good people. We were lucky. Actually more than lucky. They took me in and made my life so much better. They adopted us.”

  “So why are you living in a dump like this?”

  Lafferty let his eyes linger on the broken cabinets, the stained paint, and crappy furniture. Why was he here, really? They had money, and he could have insisted his dads let him rent a condo on the east side, or maybe the upper west side. He could have made a case for it, but he’d picked this one-room apartment with chipped paint and bad smells.

  “I know this sounds weird, maybe it is weird, but I needed to remind myself where I came from.”

  It was only half the truth. Four months ago, Lafferty had been in a bar in Houston picking up a guy. The man had treated him like shit. He’d been used like a hooker then shoved out the door while still naked. The man had called him trash. He’d begun to wonder if maybe he was trash. What if the man had been right and he wasn’t worth what Lane or Gresh said? What if he was supposed to live in a shithole?

  “So you moved here just to punish yourself?” Andries shook his head. “If I could…”

  He didn’t finish the sentence, and a faraway look drifted over his expression. Lafferty waited a moment then lifted his eyebrows.

  “Could what?”

  The kid shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Lafferty lifted his eyebrows. “I told you mine, you should tell me yours.”

  Andries finished the food and took the plate to the sink, washing it before setting it in the drying rack. He turned to face Lafferty but didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m ready to slee
p.”

  “So your clothes were too much for the sink. I need to drop them in the tub and let them soak.”

  “Sure. But what about tomorrow?”

  “Well, you can let them dry all day tomorrow while you hang here and eat some food, and maybe we can figure something out. Or we’ll head to a laundromat and dry them, then you can be on your way. It’s your choice.”

  Andries nodded then shrugged. “They need to get clean. It’s been a while.”

  Lafferty picked up the pile of clothes, careful not to let them touch his own clothes. They weren’t just smelly, they stank. He wasn’t sure how Andries had worn them.

  “Anything in the pockets?” Lafferty asked.

  “Maybe.” Andries came over and dug through his pockets, turning his nose up as he explored. “Jesus, I smelled this bad. It’s awful.”

  “You were pretty ripe.”

  “You get used to it after a while.” Andries dropped the pants and underwear into the tub.

  Lafferty pushed down the plug and started the water. He poured in clothes detergent and some laundry booster.

  “I’ll close the door while it soaks. It’ll take a while.”

  “Sure,” Andries said.

  “You take the bed,” Lafferty said. “I’m good with the beanbag.”

  Andries glanced at the beanbag and then the bed. “You’re not going to try and fuck me?”

  “No.”

  Andries shrugged as he washed his hands. After he finished, he stepped over to the bed and stretched out, pulling the sheets over his body. Lafferty washed his hands and then settled on the beanbag, getting comfortable. He closed his eyes and drifted off. Later, Lafferty woke to the sound of coffee gurgling in the pot. The sun was up, he could tell by the light streaming in.

  “Hey, I started the coffee. I hope you don’t mind.” Andries was smiling at him from the kitchenette.