A BonyDee Challenge, part 4

We are a week out from release day and thought you needed a little teaser, along with the actually competition, as you know we created a prologue and from there each author came up with a story.

But first here’s the links

Goodreads

Amazon ǀ Smashwords ǀ ARe

THE CHALLENGE

Jonah swayed as he walked up the steps. A drink in one hand and the other one, trying its hardest but never quite, touching the rail.

He was drunk, he knew it, and didn’t care.

His sister had recently announced her engagement to Vince, one of his best friends. They had spent the better half of the evening having an uncomfortable family dinner with his parents. His mother was in a particularly unforgiving mood, as she wasn’t good with surprises. Especially ones she hadn’t orchestrated. His sister being with Vince had only been a fling in her eyes while the rest of them had seen it for what it was.

Their engagement hadn’t shocked him one bit. 

Jonah decided after the disastrous dinner they needed a get together, a party, and he wasn’t minding it one bit.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Jonah drank the rest of his drink and looked around. Why was he up here again? Was he looking for someone? Just doing the rounds? It took him, longer than he cared to admit to remember, that he was in fact looking for someone and therefore able to proceed.

He was up here looking for Scott, because Scott was the bee’s knees and he wanted a bit of nooky.

 They’d been officially unofficial for the last two weeks and Jonah was head over heels. He was trying his hardest not to blurt that out.

He had always been quick to fall in love, which made dating difficult. Every man he had ever dated either ran off within the first few weeks, which was roughly about the time all the sex happened, or he had scared them away by telling them he loved them.

His partner before Scott had been the worst one, The Arse, as Jonah so artfully dubbed him, had used his words of love against him. He was finally free of the bastard and able to get with Scott one of his good friends and a guy he’d had a crush on back in high school. Scott knew him, which made dating a whole lot easier.

Jonah really liked the guy. Had he mentioned before?

He walked towards the end of the hallway, it hosted a few guests along its wall and in its big window seat. Nice and comfortable with the most beautiful view Jonah had ever seen.

This was the house Janey would end up calling her own. She already lived here with her boy—pardon fiancé—not that Jonah’s parents knew, not really, but more to do with not wanting to make it official than anything else.

“Hey guys, have you seen Scott?”

“Ah…” Paul made a noise from the corner seat, his arm coming up to point at a door a few back down the hallway. “I think I saw him duck in there.”

Jonah nearly tipped over as he looked in the direction before catching himself. Mumbling a “thanks” as he lumbered back down the hallway.

He opened two doors before he found one leading into a bedroom and heard sounds Jonah would probably have understood better had he been sober. In his sloshy state it didn’t register.

As his eyes made their way to the bed, his heart stilled, clearly its reflexes quicker than his brain. It took him a moment or two to realise the noise, the naked limbs, the smell.

Scott was cheating on him with Hank, a friend of Janey, and one Jonah had mistakenly thought was straight.

“How dare you!” Jonah shouted, he would have thrown the glass still in his hand if he’d realised he was holding it. Instead, he used it in lieu of a weapon, pointing it at the cheater on the bed.

“Jonah, babe, what’s wrong?” Scott didn’t look at all like he should have, which should have been extremely guilty.  Instead, he just seemed alarmed and maybe a touch panicked.

“What’s wrong? Really? You’re cheating on me!”

Scott moved off the Hank, his cock hung semi erect, the condom messed up the perfection. Jonah was too angry, too heartbroken to notice he was the only one dressed in the room.

“Cheating? How can we be cheating? We aren’t dating.”

“Aren’t? What the fuck have we been doing then?”

“Having fun. Seeing if we’d fit,” Scott spoke softly, as he stepped closer. Jonah moved back. “Honestly Jonah, I didn’t think you wanted more than that. You hadn’t exactly been the most vocal. I thought all I was to you was a fuckbuddy.”

Jonah’s mouth opened and closed.

“I… we were dating. That’s what we’ve been doing. You don’t fuck around on a person you’re getting to know. Not without opening your mouth and telling them what’s going on.” He took a breath as his voice cracked up, his vision blurred.

“I thought you were different. I thought you really liked me.”

“I do.” Emotions thickened up Scott’s tone as he watched Jonah fall apart. It seemed he finally realised he’d done something that could ruin them.

“I can’t believe this is happening again.” Jonah went on, clearly not listening to what Scott was saying. “Every time.”

“Not every time,” Scott spoke as he finally got closer,  his hands cupping Jonah’s arms. “I want that. I want everything with you. I promise, I didn’t think it’s what you wanted with me.”

“I...”

“Please babe, can we start over—can we move on from this, just us. No one else. Together, dating. A complete relationship. It’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”

“I…”

“Can you think on it? Sleep, sober up and then we can talk. Really talk like we should have done after that first night. I want what you want. Promise. I want everything with you. Will you give me another chance?” His eyes glistened, the realisation that he was losing everything clear in his words, his actions.