Loving
You
GIOVANNA REAVES
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Giovanna Reaves
All rights reserved. Copyright Acknowledgement
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from the author. This book contains sexually explicit materials and is intended for suitable and mature adults.
Copyright © 2016 by Giovanna Reaves
One Night-Stand Series.
Editing Provided By Pam Ebeler http://www.undividedediting.com/
Cover Provided by Karrie Jax
Dedication
Dedicated to my best friend, and my lover who has stood by me in all things.
“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”
-James Baldwin-
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Trademark Acknowledgement
Blurb
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thank You
About The Author
Acknowledgement
Thank you, Pam, Katie, and Pipa for your wonderful advice and suggestions. To all my friends, thank you. I could not have completed this book without you all. Thank you for purchasing and reading this book.
To my husband who pushed and encouraged me not to give up when at times I felt as if I should.
Giovanna (Gia) Reaves
Trademark Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Coke A Cola
Jack Daniels
Rihanna “Work”
Google
The Weekend “The Hills”
Wonder Woman
Blurb
After catching his fiancé cheating, Ethan Beaumont needed to get away. Ethan decided a spontaneous weekend in Las Vegas was just what he needs. He was not expecting on running into the dashing and sexy Tyler Hamilton, the man he'd had a crush on since the day they met.
Tyler Hamilton, known for his love ’em and leave ’em attitude, just got back from tracking a bioterrorist and needed some downtime. Asked to go to Las Vegas to close a business deal by his business partner and twin brother, Lucas, Tyler decided to take time to relax as well. Running into Ethan Beaumont, Tyler made him an offer Ethan couldn't refuse.
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, will that be the same for Ethan and Tyler?
CHAPTER ONE
Ethan stowed his small carry-on bag in the overhead compartment then sat in his seat. Sighing, Ethan ran his hands over his short-cropped hair. The past couple of weeks were a definite eye opener for him in many regards.
First, he could not believe that his best friend Christen Travers was pregnant after a one-night stand with some hot guy he picked up in a bar. And he was hiding it from his family. Ethan could only imagine how difficult things would soon become for his friend. Christen would most certainly need help if he decided to keep the baby, but would likely be too proud to ask for any.
On the other hand, Ethan could not blame Christen for not wanting to tell his family. The whole Hamilton clan had a way of taking things over and trying to fix everything. Ethan hoped if they did end up finding out, they’d give Christen a chance to work it out on his own.
Ethan chuckled at how alike, he and Christen were; keeping important things that were going on in their lives from the people that cared a great deal for them. Their like personalities pulled them together and was how they became fast friends during their first year of college.
That was probably why he understood his friend's decision to keep the pregnancy a secret. Having a child was an enormous responsibility, something he was not sure if his friend was ready for, well not yet anyway. He only hoped that when the time came, his friend would trust his family to help him.
He knew that that wouldn't be easy for Christian. As an only child, Ethan didn't trust easily either; never had and never would. Ethan didn’t want to leave his friend alone, but knew the longer he stayed, the more irritated Christen would become. Ethan had to admit that he and Christen were both stubborn and prideful men, hating to have anyone come to their rescue or try to fix their problems. Ethan tried to put himself in Christen's position, pregnant and not knowing where the father of his child was. He didn’t want to think about it. Ethan only hoped that his friend knew what he was doing.
Ethan looked up and smiled, thinking that there were some benefits to boarding first class. He hoped the boarding wouldn’t be much longer. The long line of passengers boarding the plane was making him anxious. Ethan was eager to get to Las Vegas and forget about his problems, even if it was only for a weekend. He had taken time off and made an impromptu visit to Christen, which was when he had found out about his friend's unexpected situation.
Beside spending time with his friend. Ethan had also met his best friend’s new boss, Mark Colvin and co-worker, Rebecca, both of whom he got along with. Christen could be a bit standoffish to people he didn’t know and Ethan hoped that his friend would open up a bit to his co-workers. He would have stayed and helped Christen a bit more, but Ethan needed some time to himself.
“Excuse me.” Ethan looked up at the sound and watched as an agitated passenger tried to push through the crowds of passengers, trying to get to his seat. He shook his head, wondering where the hell the man thought he was going; there was a line of people trying to get to their seats as well.
We are on a fucking plane, idiot. Wait for your damn turn like everyone else.
He sighed, hoping to calm what he was feeling on the inside. Maybe a drink will help.
No longer caring about the passengers boarding the plane, Ethan looked down at the ring on his finger, tempted to take it off and flush it down the toilet once the aircraft took off. He kept it on for show while he was staying with Christen, as a constant reminder that he was lying to his friend, and in some way himself. Ethan wasn’t sure why he had yet to take off the engagement ring Sean had given him. Looking away from the ring, he stared out of the window, gazing at his reflection. Ethan didn’t recognize the person staring back at him.
Before meeting Sean Pearson, Ethan knew who he was and what he wanted in life. He had never doubted the way he looked before Sean, and as much as he had wanted to please the man, he missed his shoulder length, natural curls that once framed his face. Instead, he wore it in a short buzz cut that was starting to grow out. His multi-colored eyes once sparkled and complimented his caféau-lait complexion, but had since dulled by the pain he had endured.
With each relationship he entered, Ethan found himself changing so much of himself. All his partners had to do was make a subtle remark about something they didn’t like about his appearance and he would change it. His relation
ship with Sean might have been short in the eyes of some. However, Ethan had never put a time limit on how long it took to fall in love. He honestly cared for Sean but somewhere along the way he lost who he was, simply to make his lover happy.
He shook his head in disappointment. Ethan had thought Sean was different, one of the good guys. However, his expectation had been shattered. A couple weeks ago, he had walked into their newly shared home, the one that he paid for, to find his fiancé fucking one man and being fucked by another.
Ethan was numb with shock. Thinking back on that moment, he guessed he should have at least suspected something was wrong with their relationship before then. It had never occurred to Ethan that Sean would cheat on him, but in hindsight he should have recognized signs of cheating. After all, his mother cheated on his father while he was growing up.
Ethan had been even more shocked to see Sean bottoming, considering that fact that he hated it. Or that was what Sean had told him the first time Ethan tried to top him. It had been their first night together. They had been hot and heavy for each other, so caught up in the passionate moment Ethan hadn’t been thinking about who was going to be on top. When Ethan reached for the lube, before he could either hand the bottle to Sean or ask him to get on his hands and knees, Sean had stopped him and explained that he did not like being taken and preferred to top during sex.
Ethan knew that was an utter lie, and it was another thing he unconsciously changed about himself. Before he and Sean started going out, Ethan had enjoyed being versatile in and out of the bedroom.
Ethan shook his head and remembered how embarrassed and heartbroken he had been then, standing there, watching his then lover getting it on with two random men. In his anger, Ethan recalled reaching out and picking up the first thing his hands came in contact with, throwing it at the three men.
Ethan chuckled as he recounted the shocked look on the faces of the men at the unexpected sight of him standing there. Sean had quickly pulled himself together and away from the two men and began apologizing profusely. But his words went completely ignored.
Ethan didn’t stick around after Sean told his fuck buddies to leave. He had no idea where he was going when he walked out. Ethan remembered one of Sean’s lovers bumping into him in his haste to run. They looked younger than Ethan, and he didn’t want to know where the fuck Sean had found them. Ethan couldn’t believe that something like that happened to him.
What could Sean say? He was caught red handed.
No, their relationship wasn’t perfect. Granted, he knew that with a long distant relationship it required a lot of work from both partners. But he was trying to make things better. Ethan was gone a lot, traveling back and forth between New York and Chicago, mainly because of his job.
It was a few hours after his altercation with Sean that Ethan had heard from Christen. He had been sitting in the park, contemplating his next move, when his friend had called and said he needed him. Ethan had wasted no time using Christen as the perfect opportunity to get as far away from Chicago as soon as possible.
He hadn’t told Christen about what happened because he was too ashamed and hurt. Besides, his friend was dealing with his own issues; finding out that he was pregnant. It seemed selfish for Ethan to add his problems to the mix. Considering his situation of his cheating lover, Ethan had various emotions in regards to Christen’s pregnancy.
Jealousy being at the top of the list.
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome aboard flight…” Ethan heard the captain’s voice on the loudspeaker and mentally shut it out. He didn’t even register the flight attendants when they began the flight safety instructions. All Ethan could think about was how hurt he felt at Sean’s betrayal. He’d had failed relationships before, where he and the other guy seemed to drift apart. However, as far as he knew Ethan had never been cheated on before. And that was what hurt worse than anything else.
While he had been visiting Christen, Ethan had made sure his phone was on silent. He did not want to speak with Sean, who continued to call him regularly. Ethan wondered if maybe he was dwelling too much on the situation. More than once others had commented that he took things too seriously and held on too tightly, letting little things affect him deeply.
I should have said no when he asked me out the second time.
Ethan and Sean met when he was clubbing one night with a couple of his coworkers after a stressful work week. It so happened that one of Sean’s friends was getting married in a few days and wanted to have a wild night one last time before tying the knot. Sean, who was originally from Chicago, enchanted Ethan. Sweeping him off his feet. Ethan chuckled quietly to himself.
Cliché as it were, they spent the rest of the night dancing and talking about everything under the sun. Growing up, having children, and their jobs. Their wonderful night turned into morning, where they sat facing each other in an all-night diner having an early morning breakfast watching the sunrise. Sean’s slicked back brunet hair and charming moss green eyes pulled him in. If only Ethan had known that the man he cared about would have cheated on him.
He was happy when Sean asked him out for a second date. They had a connection, and Ethan wanted to see where it would lead. One date led to another, and before Ethan knew it, he was buying property in Chicago, and Sean was proposing marriage.
Ethan and Sean bonded over the fact that they both had lost their fathers. Losing their fathers, who were also the role model in their lives, impacted them greatly. Sean’s dad was killed when he was sixteen, and his mother lived in a nursing home and was dependent on on him for monetary support. Sean also had a sister who he hadn’t spoken to in years because of a falling out they had. It saddened Ethan; he thought that Sean would be the one. He sighed at the thought of giving up looking for the love of his life.
They had their differences and had argued like any other couple. But there were times he would see a different side of Sean that he couldn’t explain. Sean would get angry at Ethan for the smallest things. He thought his lover simply needed time getting used to their relationship. Ethan had ignored the things he felt Sean was hiding from him. Questions he left unasked, but Ethan was happy for the first time in years. To be more precise, it was the first since the death of his father.
Ethan missed his father, they were best friends and acted more like brothers than father and son. According to the police and medical reports, James Beaumont took his life because of depression. Something Ethan refused to believe. Maybe he was delusional in his thinking and was looking past the real reason for his father's death, but some things did not sit well with him. He was heartbroken when his father died, his world was shaken. But his mother continued on as if nothing had happened. It was evident to Ethan that she cared nothing for his father. It could also be the reason he found it easy to blame her for his father’s death.
Ethan hadn’t seen or spoken to his mother in weeks, maybe months. The only time she called was when she wanted something, namely money to support her habit of monthly playthings. Their relationship was strained and uncomfortable, without his father there as the buffer between them. Ethan and Simone had absolutely nothing in common.
He could count on one hand the times he and Simone had sat down and had a decent conversation that didn’t result in her belittling him or them arguing about her treacherous ways. At times, he wondered if his mother even loved him. Simone, Ethan had always referred to her as Mother or Simone. Never something affectionate like Mom.
God, how have I gone this long without realizing I have mommy issues?
Ethan supposed he shouldn’t complain; he had a decent childhood thanks to his father. He wanted to believe that James didn’t know about Simone’s affairs. It would be foolish to think that his dad stayed with her because he still loved her. James Beaumont was not a weak man, which was why Ethan found it hard to believe that he killed himself. It confused Ethan as to why his parents stayed together for as long as they did if his father knew Simone was cheating on him.
Ethan pr
omised himself long ago that he would never be in a relationship where cheating was involved. Why should he? Despite it all, he had his pride to think about. He didn't need or want anyone to take care of him. He was financially stable thanks to his many great-grandfathers who had the foresight to invest wisely.
Ethan shook his head and hoped that one day he could forgive his mother. Maybe she had her reasons to cheat, or maybe his parents had an open marriage that he was not aware of. If his father had a mental illness, it hurt that his parents kept it from him. Ethan never noticed any signs that something was wrong or that he was sick. It still begged the question, why didn’t they confide in him.
Ethan looked around the plane and noticed the attendants were serving refreshments. He needed something stronger to dull his thoughts. No matter how much he tried to stop thinking, his mind would not turn off. He took out his phone and began to scroll through pictures he still had of his father.
Growing up, many would comment that Ethan looked like his father, but if he was honest with himself, Ethan never saw any resemblance to either of his parents. Granted, his mother had blue eyes, and he had his father’s complexion and possibly brown eyes, but that was as far as it went. Ethan’s eyes were a mixture of blue, brown, green, and gray with a black ring.
“Good looking guy,” the man sitting next to him commented.
It was a picture of Ethan and his dad standing together, his father’s arm draped over his shoulder. They were looking at the camera and laughing at something silly, no doubt a joke his dad told him. Ethan was looking at his father, who would always be his hero.
Ethan didn’t look up, but nodded his head. “Yeah, he was. He was my dad,” he answered.
“At the word was, I take it he is no longer with us?”
Ethan shook his head and finally looked up at the guy who was talking to him, meeting intense ink black eyes enough to startle him. “He...he died a couple of years ago.” The man looked a couple years older than him, maybe in his early thirties with a brown complexion and a bald head.
Loving You: Mpreg Romance (My One-Night Stand Series Book 2) Page 1