by Skyler Snow
Forbidden
Strictly Off Limits Book 1
Skyler Snow
Rheland Richmond
Contents
1. Elliot
2. Scott
3. Elliot
4. Scott
5. Elliot
6. Scott
7. Elliot
8. Scott
9. Elliot
10. Scott
11. Elliot
12. Scott
13. Elliot
14. Scott
15. Elliot
16. Scott
17. Elliot
18. Scott
19. Elliot
20. Scott
21. Elliot
Sneak Peak - Unedited
Also by Skyler Snow
Also By Rheland Richmond
Skyler Snow
Rheland Richmond
Copyright © 2020 Skye R. Richmond & Skyler Snow
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.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is pure coincidence. As are any similarities to any businesses, events or locations.
All products and brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holder and or company. I do not own the rights to these, nor do I claim to.”
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1
Elliot
“Seriously, Dad, I’m fine. Can you stop worrying, please.” I sighed for what felt like the fifth time today.
“Are you sure you don’t want Scott to pick you up? He wouldn’t mind,” my dad said.
“Well, it’s too late now. I’m already waiting for my luggage. I’ll order an Uber or grab a cab outside the airport.”
“Make sure you let Scott know when you get in the cab or send me the license plate.” I could hear the worry in his voice and I sighed again.
“Dad, I promise I will get an Uber and I will send the info to you, okay?” I wasn’t about to send Scott the info like I was some child.
“This is Los Angeles, son. Promise you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. Remember, I’m twenty-four. I went to college; I can take care of myself.”
“I know, but you’ll always be my kid, so promise you’ll stay safe.” I heard the love in my dad’s voice and a pang of homesickness hit me. Like I had the past few days, I wondered if moving all the way to LA was a good idea. This was the farthest I’d ever been from my dad.
“Love you, Dad.” My voice sounded choked even to my ears.
“Love you too, son.” My dad’s voice was muffled too, and I had a feeling he was getting as emotional as I was. “I know Scott will take excellent care of you.”
“I’ll text you when I get in.” I ignored the Scott taking care of me part since it was futile to argue with him. My dad still thought of me as a kid.
“Okay, Elliot, be safe.”
I hung up and finally took a second to collect myself, then ordered my Uber. Like I promised when it arrived, I sent the information to my dad. Sometimes he worried too much, but it had always been just the two of us so I was used to it.
When the Uber dropped me off at the address Dad had given me, I looked up at the apartment building. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it was actually nice.
My palms started to sweat. I hadn’t seen Scott in a while, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
I looked down at the text Dad had sent, “Don’t worry about anything. Scott will give you a place to stay until you get on your feet.”
Then I looked back at the apartment building and let out a breath. Okay, you can do this. I still felt like staying at my dad’s friend’s house was childish. Like going away on vacation and having to stay with your parents’ friends so they could monitor you.
Still, I didn’t have much of a choice. Staying at a hotel would be too expensive and my friends that lived in the city were still trying to settle down. I didn’t want to be a burden on them.
I ignored the voice that said I was going to be a burden on my dad’s friend as well. Then focused on the one that said it was only until I started working a week from now. Until then, I was going to have to make do living with Scott.
Okay, that sounded ungrateful, but still...
I set down my bags and took a deep breath, checking the apartment number one last time. Number fifty-three. This was it. I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms on my jeans before knocking on the apartment door.
There were some noises inside before the door swung open and I almost stumbled back. I remembered Scott being a big man from my childhood, but I had been small then. Everyone looked large. However, I was older and taller now, and the man standing in front of me was a fucking lumberjack.
“Hello there, Elliot! My God, you’ve grown. Come on inside, come in!” Scott took my bags and carried them as if they weighed nothing. It left me a bit miffed since I had just lost my breath lugging them all up to the apartment, wanting to make sure that it didn’t inconvenience Scott at all. But it seemed that he was better equipped to handle them anyway.
“Aren’t you supposed to be like, fifty?” I blurted as I watched in amazement as Scott lifted my suitcases, even the one that was supposed to be rolled.
When I realized what I’d said, I felt my face heat. I quickly tried to say something—anything—to apologize. Scott simply chuckled. He turned and walked into the apartment leaving me to follow. We stopped in the living room where he turned to face me.
“Just turned forty-eight, actually. Still, I’ll take it as a compliment.” Scott’s lips twitched, and his eyes danced. I sighed in relief. At least he wasn’t upset at my thoughtless comment.
Scott was a familiar face from my childhood. He’d visited my father nearly every week, and damn, it seemed that he hadn’t changed at all. He was still a tall, muscular man with that full beard that I had always been fascinated with. Although now his hair was more salt and pepper than black. That was almost the only sign that Scott had aged at all. Well, besides the deepened laugh lines, but he wore them well. And everyone knew salt and pepper was distinguished.
Plus, the man looked like he went to the gym often. One glance at those muscles and I knew that he could pick me up and toss me across the room. Although that wasn’t saying much. I was very slender, always had been. Compared to my own bordering-on thin frame, the man was a giant.
Even with all that, I wasn’t worried. I knew I was safe with Scott.
“I’ll move your bags into the guest room and then we can sit down for a beer or two.” Scott smiled at me and I couldn’t help smiling back. Relief washed over me as I realized that perhaps this wouldn’t totally suck.
He shot me another smile and I returned it. Yeah, this wouldn’t be nearly as awkward as I had first imagined. Scott was just the same as before. I’d always thought he was cool because he never treated me like some annoying kid. He treated me like I was a person. I’d always loved that.
Scott disappeared into a hallway and I had a moment alone to look around.
The apartment was nicer than I had imagined. There was a wide-open space where the kitchen was divided from the living room by a dining table. The decorations made the place seem homey and rustic. A few woodwo
rking statues were scattered about, but I knew that Scott hadn’t made any of them. They had been gag gifts between him and my father for years. Pictures of Scott in the mountains, deep in forests, and sailing the ocean hung on the walls. There were a couple of pictures of my family as well. It almost felt like home already.
I relaxed a little more. Maybe Dad was right after all. Spending time with Scott would be good for me. Having him around made me a little less homesick.
“So, Elliot, how are you? It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.” Scott's voice behind me made me jump and when I turned around, Scott pulled me into a hug. I could feel his chest rumble with laughter as I relaxed against his strong body. I could feel just how big Scott was now that I was pressed up against him. His arms were hard with muscles and his shirt strained a little at the button to cover up his chest. This was familiar too, and I almost expected him to pick me up, like he had when I was a child.
“I’ve been good!” I wheezed as Scott gave me one last squeeze before letting me go. It was a little intimidating, but Scott had always been an affectionate man. He ruffled my hair before going to the fridge and producing two beers. He handed one over to me before sitting down on the couch. He placed his feet on the coffee table just like he used to do when he would come for a visit.
“So, what is this I’ve heard about you being some sort of artist now?” Scott cracked open his beer. He watched me as I took a seat at the dining room table, struggling to open my own beer.
“Yeah, I make art for video games now. I start working next week, so I should be out of your hair soon.” I finally opened my beer and regretted it the moment I took a sip. I had never been much of a drinker, much to my father’s great disappointment. Something about the flavor had always bothered me.
“Oh, feel free to stay. Lord knows I’ve stayed at your house for most of your childhood, anyways.” I couldn’t help smiling as I placed my beer on the table. Scott was charming and had the ability to put people at ease, no matter the situation. “What’s been going on? You got a girl?”
“Ah, not really.” I felt my face grow a little hot and looked down at my drink. It wasn’t a sensitive subject, but I was always a little embarrassed to admit it. I was getting to the age where all my friends were either getting engaged or God forbid, married. I was still single. The string of girlfriends I had in college all seemed a little bland and the relationships had ended on a sour note. “College really just kinda sped past me.”
Scott waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Girls dig artsy guys like you! At least that’s what I’ve heard of this younger generation.” Scott waved his hands around, gesturing toward me, before he took another drink from his beer. “And maybe you’ll meet someone at work.”
My heart fluttered. Scott had read my mind and it was just a bit unsettling to hear it said out loud. I had been hoping to meet someone and it was part of the reason that I was so on edge. Moving to a new city, having no real place to stay permanently, new people to work with, it was a lot to handle. There were so many changes and I desperately hoped that they would bring some fun into my life. I nodded and took a deep drink of beer, trying not to grimace at the taste of foam and yeast.
“What about you? Still living like a hermit in the Alaskan wilderness?” Both of us laughed at the old joke. Scott never married, even though he had plenty of opportunities. It ended up being a joke between him and my father for the longest time.
“I’ve got plenty of life in me, Elliot. I’ll find someone soon enough.” His laugh was deep and genuine, and I nodded. That’s just how Scott was. He didn’t seem to be a part of reality. Scott did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to. He had spent most of his life traveling the world and then took my family on his adventures. Now, he had settled down in the city just because people didn’t expect it from him. He was a strange man and the best type of person there was.
The conversation trailed on for a few hours as we caught each other up on our life stories, and Scott poked fun at my younger self. Before I knew it, the apartment was starting to go dark and I had two empty beer cans next to the one in my hand. My head was starting to go foggy and I was dozing off a bit.
“Boy, did you learn nothing in college?” Scott’s voice had grown louder with every drink and I snapped to attention. He was throwing away his empty beer can and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “What did you do, study? Why are you such a lightweight?”
“Apologies for graduating a year early, Scott.” I raised my can up before finishing it off. Scott’s grip on my shoulder tightened and I opened my eyes to see his amused face in front of mine.
“There you go!” He swept up the empty cans and helped me to my feet. I clung onto his hand trying to steady myself, and I heard both of us laughing at my clumsiness. “Now, get some rest. Lord knows you need it after all that traveling to get here.”
I stumbled through the apartment and into the guest room where he had left my bags. I glanced at them. Nope, unpacking can wait until tomorrow. I yanked my clothes off, tossed them haphazardly over a chair and the floor, then collapsed onto the bed.
2
Scott
I watched for a moment as Elliot unsteadily made his way into his bedroom, smiling to myself. He was so different, yet so similar, to the boy I had watched grow up. His bright blue eyes, pale complexion, and his nervousness, hadn’t changed much since I had last seen him. Only, now he was all grown.
I tossed the empty cans in the recycle bin and rinsed out the dishes left in the sink. When I was done, I opened my fridge to make sure I had food for breakfast. There was enough for scrambled eggs and toast for us to share tomorrow. It looked like I might need to go grocery shopping.
I probably should have already done the shopping knowing Elliot was coming, but I shrugged to myself. There wasn’t much I could do about it right now.
I debated having another beer before bed but decided against it. I wasn’t sure if it was Elliot showing up or simple nostalgia, but the memories of the past floated into my mind.
I’d stayed in contact with Jack, Elliot’s father, even after I had taken off and stopped visiting regularly. He had, of course, given me updates on how Elliot was doing throughout the years. He’d even sent a few pictures every once in a while like the proud father he was. Nothing could have prepared me for the young man showing up at my door.
I guess there was a part of me that had partially been expecting the same little boy from my memories to show up. Holding his crayons in one hand and nervously fidgeting with his clothes with the other. But that definitely was not the case because Elliot was all grown up now. All grown up and attractive as sin.
“Shit,” I hissed under my breath. I tried to push him out of my mind, but he crept back in. His slender frame, the lithe grace in his stride, how soft his curly hair looked now. He was still the same person, but he had grown into adulthood with a beauty that I hadn’t expected.
Fuck. Don’t even go there, man.
Jack had told me before that he thought Elliot might be gay, although the kid had never said anything.
Yes, remind yourself he’s a kid… your best friend’s kid.
I’d never said anything to Jack one way or another about my sexuality. He must have known because he’d reached out to me. Maybe, it was the fact that I hadn’t actually dated anyone during the decades I had known Jack, and he’d simply assumed.
Not that he was wrong.
I’d long suspected he knew, that we ever spoke about it. Still, there was a painful twist in my stomach. My head told me that Jack wouldn’t give a shit if I was gay or not. There was always that silent worry that nagged at me. It was irrational because Jack was a good guy; we couldn’t have been friends so long if he wasn’t. But I’d been born in a time where you weren’t out and proud.
There was a part of me that was happy that Jack trusted me enough to let Elliot stay here, assuming what he did.
“That’s why he’s off-limits, Scott,” I muttered to myself.
Jack trusted me. I knew he did because he loved his boy. I couldn’t break that trust. I wouldn’t. He trusted me to look out for his kid; that’s all that really mattered to me.
Okay, that was a lie. I blamed it on my slightly intoxicated state. I was finding it difficult to stop my mind from wandering back to Elliot.
He was stunning. It was hard to imagine someone who looked like that would be single for very long. I hated to admit it, but there was a hopeful voice in my head that thought back to Jack’s worries.
Maybe Elliot is gay. A flicker of hope that lasted just a moment longer than it ever should have flared before a million rational thoughts flooded my head. If you could call them that.
Maybe he’s just shy. Or he was busy studying, like he said. And why should it matter if Elliot’s into guys or not? He’ll be into boys, not grown men. Not his father’s friend.
I did some quick math in my head and startled at my realization. He’s only twenty-four. I am more than twice his age. There’s no way in hell it’ll work out, Scott. I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself. What was I freaking out over? There was nothing to work out.
It was the alcohol, I reasoned. It was the loneliness or just the fact that I hadn’t really been with anyone in so long. It wasn’t Elliot in particular. I just needed to get out of my house more often.
I ignored the voice that said the boy was just my type.
I ran my hand through my hair, calming down a bit. It felt perverted to be thinking about Elliot like that—like there was even a chance that he would be interested in me.
