Typhoon toby, p.1
Typhoon Toby, page 1
Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Acknowledgments
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
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Epilogue
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Copyright
Typhoon Toby
By R.L. Merrill
Forces of Nature: Book Two
On the surface, Toby Griffiths appears to have it all—talent, money, a brilliant mind, and model good looks. With his best friend, Reese, he’s built an empire as a singer/songwriter.
But beneath that glittering exterior, Toby suffers the lasting effects of abuse. To keep his tempestuous past where it belongs, he insists on anonymity with lovers—no names, no personal information. But a vacation fling in Bali changes all that, and he can’t get his recent playmate out of his mind.
Therapist Spencer Hart left Bali with a bad case of pneumonia and a broken heart. Although he’s recovering, he’s shocked to find his secretive partner on TV, and he’s determined to see him again. Spencer arranges to attend one of Toby’s fundraising galas, and their reunion is tense.
Toby tries to stick to his rules… until a New Year’s kiss with Spencer washes away the last of his resistance. But Toby is a man with secrets, and when the storm comes ashore, it could devastate not just his professional life but his fledgling love affair and his longtime partnership with his best friend.
Will Spencer stand by his side and help him weather the storm as Toby faces his worst fears?
To Mom
Thank you for instilling in me both a love of dance and the desire to make this world a better place. You have supported me through all of my performances and have always believed in me. Everything I have accomplished was made possible by your guidance, wisdom, and love.
Acknowledgments
I AM grateful to the team at Dreamspinner Press for believing in my stories and sharing them with the world. I’m so happy to have joined such a positive organization, and I look forward to many more collaborations.
My fellow Dreamspinner authors—over this past year, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of you in person, and you have all welcomed me with open arms. I thank you for your support. It’s nice to know that many of you are just a Messenger post away if I have questions or am having an existential crisis. My inbox is always open to reciprocate.
Special thanks to my beta readers Wendy, Karen, Kristine, Chandra, and Staci as well as my awesome readers in Ro’s Roadies of Romance. You all shared in the joy and tears of Toby’s story and encouraged me to not give up. This book was made possible because of your support. You guys rock.
My dream team—Ellay, Kimberlie, Kerrigan, and Cynthia. You are always there when I need you, and your feedback has been invaluable on this journey. I love the community we’ve formed and will treasure your friendship always.
The members of the San Francisco Area and Silicon Valley chapters of RWA are some of the most brilliant and generous writers in the industry today. I love our meetings and the sense of creative collaboration and determination you inspire in me. I’ve learned so much from all of you, and I hope that I have been able to support you as well. I’m also grateful for the online camaraderie of the Rainbow Romance Writers, and I’m proud to be a member.
Mis amigos—Anthony, William, Sarah, Kolja, Travis, Walter, and Zoya. Thank you for sharing in my special moment as we watched the fire dance in the sky. I’ll never forget that night and the journey we took together. Muchas gracias.
And I save the most important for last—my husband, my children, my family. I love you and appreciate all you do to encourage and motivate me. I’m still working on that laundry.
Stay Tuned for more Rock ’n’ Romance….
Chapter One
October 2016
Bali, Indonesia
“IF YOU’RE going to just sit there and play with your dessert, you might as well come play with me.”
Toby had caught the man watching him several times while he stirred his fork around in some fluffy white cloud of sweetness. Toby had been sipping some fruity concoction…. He loved that phrase. It seemed so fitting at a gay-only resort, The Spartan, to imbibe alcohol in a stereotypical way that also sounded like cock.
“I can see you debating your options. ‘Should I stay and finish my coconut cream pie, or determine whether or not this guy is as good as I imagine he could be.’ Well, not to spoil your cream,” Toby said with a laugh, “but I am that good. As soon as that waiter brings the bill for me to sign, I’ll be heading out to the beach beyond those chairs over there.” He gestured with his chin toward the moonlight shining over the calm Bali sea that lapped at the shores of the resort. “You’re welcome to come… along. It’s an exquisite evening.”
Toby winked at the man, who gazed at him with an expression full of confusion, amusement, and, well, lust. When Toby turned on the charm, few men could resist the invitation.
Just then the Indonesian waiter set the bill down on the table with a nod and a gracious smile. Toby made a production of leaning over the table, resting his arms in a way that was sure to make his modest muscles stand at attention, and cocked his hip out to place his perfect ass on display while he signed the check.
Toby was proud of the body he’d cultivated since he outgrew his gawky teenage phase. It had taken him years to reach that point, sure, but when he gave up on his graduate studies in favor of living as an artist with his good pal Reese Matheson, he had plenty of time to focus on his self-improvement. Physically. What better way to attract potential suitors then to have a body like Ashton Kutcher topped off with pouty lips, a strong jawline, and sultry eyes? Life was much easier when people assumed you were just a pretty piece of ass with few brain cells, and Toby used that assumption to his advantage.
One last lingering glance at his would-be playmate and he made his way out of the pool-side bar and down to the beach, his discarded button-down slung over his shoulder. He heard the distinct sound of a chair pushing back from a table, followed by footsteps. Toby smiled to himself. He had a pocket full of condoms and lube and not a care in the world. Bali was clearly the right choice for his vacation destination.
On the sand it was harder to detect the footfalls behind him, but Toby was confident that he was still being followed. Toby had spotted him shortly after the man arrived the day before—alone, pensive, obviously on his first foray into gay-singles vacationing. He looked about as comfortable as the new kid in middle school on his first day of class. But Toby was intrigued. The guy wasn’t much older, perhaps even early thirties like Toby, which wasn’t his usual weakness.
But there was just something about him. He didn’t look like part of the “community.” The gym may have been a passing fancy, but he wasn’t a regular attendee, and his skin hadn’t seen much of the sun, which was probably smart on his part. But his hazel eyes were alert, inquisitive, and were surrounded by the longest lashes Toby had ever seen in nature. They most likely brushed his cheekbones when he closed his eyes, and they seemed to get lost in his heavy brows when he opened them. Beautiful.
Toby paused at the crest of sand just before it sloped down to meet the caress of the ocean. He breathed in the humid air and caught a hint of smoke from the grills on the back patio of the resort. Then he felt a presence at his back, and he smiled.
“I was hoping you’d agree that you’d had enough dessert.”
The man chuckled softly and moved in so close his chest brushed Toby’s bare back. He doesn’t wax. Perfect. Toby reached an arm above his shoulder and slid his fingers into the man’s dark curly hair. The man’s breath on his neck gave Toby a shiver, and his lips brought on goose bumps. His teeth, well, they caused quite a physiological response. Toby dropped his head back and smiled.
“He bites. I wouldn’t have guessed.”
The man brought his strong arms around Toby’s stomach as he molded the rest of his body to Toby’s back. Toby gasped—someone else was having a strong physiological response.
Toby turned to face the man. “I wonder if he bites anywhere else,” Toby whispered just as the man claimed his lips in a needy kiss.
THE NEXT morning the rains were relentless. A slip of paper had been pushed under the door declaring an oncoming tropical storm was stronger than previously predicted and informed the guests that a typhoon warning could be in effect later in the day. Guests should remain inside the main building and avoid the beach.
“Darn,” Toby said as he joined his new friend back in bed. “It appears we’re stuck inside. I wonder what we can do to pass the time?”
The man grinned sleepily. Toby had kept him up until the early light of dawn filtered into the room. They’d had appetizers out on the beach and decided to find a bed for the entree. Toby’s had been the closest. After several courses, Toby had taken pity on the man and allowed him a few hours rest. Now they had the rest of the day to explore each other and determine what other types of meal they could enjoy together.
One day turned into two and then three. Toby was elated with the results of the trip. Normally he’d find a partner or two to scratch an itch and he’d spend the rest of his vacation writing or trying to rest his overtaxed brain. But this man was the perfect playmate. Neither of them felt the need to share any personal information—including names—yet they talked for hours between their sexual escapades. They ate together, watched movies, watched other men hook up….
At the end of the week, Toby’s lover was showered and dressed before Toby woke.
“I’m leaving today.”
They hadn’t discussed it. They hadn’t bothered with details. Toby never did, but for the first time, he felt something akin to despair.
“I’m finding I don’t want to let you go.”
His lover bowed his head and put his hands on his hips. He wore faded jeans and worn tennis shoes with a plain white T-shirt. Suddenly Toby had a million questions. He wanted to know where he was going, who he was going home to, what he did for a living—all no-nos in his previous encounters.
“I don’t want to be let go,” his lover said in a sad voice. “But you’ve made it clear that this is it.”
That was true. Several times in the past two days, Toby’s lover had asked semi-prying questions, but Toby had brushed them off or taken a more intimate approach to make him forget what he was asking. Now? He almost regretted not answering him.
Toby stood naked from the bed and approached the man he’d come to think of as Hazel Eyes. He was maybe two inches shorter than Toby and with a stockier build that Toby had become very familiar with over the time they’d spent in each other’s arms. He placed his hands on the man’s jaw and lifted his gaze.
“Trust me when I tell you that you’re better off with the memory you’re leaving with. If you thought that little storm we experienced was a disaster, you have no idea what a typhoon my life is. I can inflict more pain and suffering than one of these cyclones they worry about around here. I have, and I’d never want to do that to you.”
The storm hadn’t ever reached typhoon status, but several trees and powerlines around the resort had been knocked down. They’d been without electricity for the first forty-eight hours, and there’d been some flooding, but only minimal cleanup had been required, and they had barely felt the effects of the storm. He wanted it to stay that way.
“I think we did pretty good weathering that storm together,” his lover whispered. Toby would miss the way his voice hitched when Toby touched him. He’d been a much more vocal lover than Toby expected, and that was a major turn on.
“We did. And I want it to stay that way.” Toby kissed him lovingly, and his heart raced dangerously at the thought of letting him go. But it was the only way. He couldn’t bring anything home from his trip… or anyone. He had rules. That was how he managed to maintain his sanity.
His lover smiled sadly, his lashes wet with unshed tears. “I guess I should thank you for giving me an alternative to finishing dessert.” He shook his head and turned for the door.
Stay. Be more than my vacation pastime. Be more. Say you don’t care that I’m a natural disaster.
His guest looked back once more from the doorway. His sad smile was gone. He closed the door, and Toby fell back on the bed. He buried his face in his pillow and screamed.
“Fuuuuuuck!” He threw the sheets and pillows off the bed and kicked a blanket across the room, but he had enough sense not to wreck the place. Instead he opened his mini fridge, helped himself to all the bottles of booze, leaving the juice bottles behind. He’d drink himself into oblivion for the remainder of his stay—it was that or spend the rest of the time beating himself up for letting that beautiful man walk away and cursing himself for being such a fucking case that he couldn’t even entertain the idea of being in a relationship.
Chapter Two
November 2016
Malibu, California
BACK IN sunny California, Toby could finally breathe again. He’d had so much alcohol in Bali that he almost forgot the man’s smell, his touch…. Toby bleached his hair and cut it short, not wanting to remember how the man’s fingers had felt when he ran them through his naturally dark brown hair. He didn’t even unpack. Instead he shoved his suitcase into a donation box so he wouldn’t have to touch or smell anything that might have carried a piece of him away from Bali.
Toby was home now, and his partner in musical crime needed him. Toby liked being needed, so he could dive right into whatever crisis Reese had created for himself and forget all about Hazel Eyes with the luxurious hair and the ass he’d loved sinking his teeth… and other things, into.
Reese had chosen wisely when he bought the cottage for his grandfather. He preferred his townhouse in Santa Monica across the street from the beach. It was nearer to Beverly Hills and to great restaurants, but he could see the benefit of a backyard with mostly private beach access.
Toby found Reese in the kitchen, moping over a plate of spaghetti. He was quite despondent. When Toby asked the cause, Reese looked up with an expression so forlorn that Toby knew he had been right to bring the vodka, and he poured them each a drink.
Toby suddenly realized that a lot had changed. Reese had never really cared a whole lot for his appearance, being blessed with natural good looks that attracted women and men alike. Toby had initially been attracted to him, but as they got to know one another, Toby knew they were destined to be partners strictly in the musical, not the biblical sense. Now Reese was sporting a chic hairstyle and looked as though he’d actually taken some time to style it. And his skin was glowing, with the exception of the huge scar….
“What the hell did you do to your face?” Toby asked him.
Reese shook his head and sighed. “I’m so far gone I need a defibrillator.”
Toby asked again what was going on and what woman had him in such a state.
“His name is Jude. You’ve met him. He’s Grandpa’s caregiver.”
Holy shit. Reese had finally embraced his true nature. “You mean that beautiful Filipino boy who works here? Oh gawd, tell me everything. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a boner by proxy.”
And Toby meant it. He’d flirted with Jude when he was invited over for holiday meals with the Mathesons. The kid looked as though he had a body made for sin, all covered up in those shapeless scrubs, and Toby was incredibly curious. But Jude had always been immune to Toby’s advances, despite the fact Toby knew he was barking up the right tree. In other circumstances, Toby would have pressed the issue. But he respected Reese and his grandfather too much to really lay on the charm. If he had, the poor boy would have been defenseless.
“When Jada threw me out, I decided, without thinking of anyone else, that I’d move in with Grandpa. Jude didn’t say a word. He just gave me that damn eyebrow, and he left. I’d always been attracted to him. He’s so damn professional and all, I never knew where I stood with him, you know? But then I come back here and I find out that, shit, taking care of the old man is damn near impossible for someone like me.”
“Hurricane Reese?” Toby asked.
Reese grunted. “Anyway, Grandpa took off on me a week later, and I was desperate. Jude came back, and it was like magically everything was more manageable, even the moments when the old man forgot who I was or when he thought I was Dad. Jude just makes everything better. I’m totally fucking enamored with him. And then I found out that when I moved back in, the guy had been living in his truck. Can you believe that shit? He didn’t say a word, just left here and started sleeping in his fucking truck. I caught him, dammit. I was so mad. I kissed him—like, lost my shit and kissed the hell out of him.
