Essence of Time (Stewart Realty) Read online

  Other Liz Crowe Books

  Available from Sizzlin’ Books:

  Stewart Realty Series:

  Floor Time

  Sweat Equity

  Closing Costs

  Essence of Time

  Standalone Titles:

  Vegas Miracle

  Coming Soon:

  Escalation Clause (Stewart Realty Book 5)

  You can find out more about Liz Crowe and her books (including a complete backlist)

  on her website: www.lizcrowe.com

  Sizzlin’ Books is a Division of Tri Destiny Publishing

  Find us online at www.sizzlinbooks.com

  Essence of Time (Stewart Realty, Book 4)

  Copyright 2012 Liz Crowe

  A Tri Destiny Publishing – Sizzlin’ Books Publication

  Cover Art Copyright 2012 by JJ Silver Designs

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. They may not be re-sold or given away, except as provided in promotions sponsored by Tri Destiny Publishing or the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and you did not purchase it, win this copy during a promotion or, if not purchased specifically for your use only, then please delete this copy, notify us at [email protected]. We encourage you to purchase your own copy and support the author’s hard work in their craft.

  Essence of Time

  By

  Liz Crowe

  For Joe

  Contents

  Book List

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Part I: Rob

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Part II: Blake

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Part III: Rob and Blake

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Part IV: Lila

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Author Biography

  Part I: Rob

  Chapter One

  The room heaved with bodies, lights, booze and energy. Rob sipped from his red cup, observing. As a pledge in the fraternity he had zero play. Less than zero really. But the female options in the room kept eyeballing him. So he felt good about his odds. He stood up straighter, arranged his face in “I don’t give a shit” lines. Easy. He raised the cup to his likely target across the room, letting her see him flick his gaze first down, then up, her luscious form.

  “Nice one.” Some guy moved up beside him. Rob glanced over, annoyed at the distraction. “Watch me work.” The tall, gangly, black-haired, fellow pledge tossed over his shoulder as he started toward Rob’s target. But stopped when Rob put a firm hand on his arm.

  “Hold up dude. That one’s mine.”

  The guy looked back at him, his blue eyes twinkling. “Not likely.”

  Rob raised an eyebrow. “Watch me work, asshole. Take notes.” Rob made his way across the room, absorbing the glare of the guy behind him as he narrowed in on the girl of the night.

  Later, he sat on the fraternity house roof, listening to the clamor of a busy Midwest college die down in the early Saturday morning hours. Rob looked over as the dark-haired guy crawled out of the nearest open window.

  The guy stretched his long legs out and sighed with satisfaction. Rob took another hit, enjoying the cool night air on his bare chest, then turned, holding out the joint. “Rob Frietag. Nice to meet you.” The guy laughed so hard Rob was half afraid he’d tumble off the roof onto the quad below. Finally he stopped, and accepted what Rob passed over to him.

  “Yeah, you too.” He took a long draw, let the smoke trail out his nostrils before answering. “I think we may have hit on something here. She was…” He trailed off.

  Rob kept his eyes trained on the horizon. “Worth the effort, I’d venture.”

  He took the joint back, shooting the guy a dark look. But his open, handsome face revealed nothing but contentment. And considering they’d just doubled-teamed a girl the first day they met, it made Rob chuckle. “You got a name, partner?”

  They both looked up at the female noises floating out of the window. “Jack. Jack Gordon. And I think we have a lovely four years ahead of us Rob.” Rob turned away again, letting the combination of post-orgasm and weed coat his aching brain. “And may I just say, you are off the hook man. Truly. I thought I had play but you, you define the word ‘game.’ ” Rob looked over his bare shoulder, taking in Jack’s long lean torso, his jeans clad legs.

  “I guess.” Rob looked away again. “Sounds like you’re up again.”

  “All right, I think I can rise to the occasion.” Jack leaned forward. “You okay man?”

  “Yeah. I am superb. I’ve got life by the throat. Every fucking day.”

  “Nice.”

  Rob heard his new friend sigh, stand, stretch and duck back inside the open window, to the sounds of feminine squeals and deep, masculine laughter. He sat, contemplating how this new chapter of his life had started.

  ****

  Two Years Later

  “Up and at ‘em asshole!” Rob flicked the blanket back, revealing his roommate curled around an attractive blonde female. “We have a schedule, remember?”

  Jack groaned and groped for the cover. His bedmate squealed as lights flooded the early morning gloom of their room. “Dude. Go the fuck away.” He tugged the t-shirt-clad woman toward him. Rob smirked at the girl, who smiled at the sight of him.

  She stretched, and Rob couldn’t help but admire the long line of her tanned legs and the sight of that sweet, pink…he shook his head. The girl made a pouty face and turned over to drape one of her legs over Jack’s. “Where did you go last night?”

  “Rob doesn’t do sleepovers sweetheart.” He kissed her hair and made a pleased sound as her hand disappeared under the sheet.

  Rob frowned. “Nope. Sorry doll. Mr. Gordon and I have to get the fuck out of dodge. We have reservations and I refuse to miss a second on the slopes. Vayámonos. Time for the walk of shame.” He smacked the smooth skin of her ass, biting back the urge to dive into the bed and sandwich her like they’d done not too many hours before.

  But the humming energy in his ears kept him standing. Despite the distinct sounds of unhappiness coming from his friend’s side of the bed. He clutched the paper in his pocket, the one that spurred him once again to jump into life’s fray. At that moment, he needed more than a place for his cock. He needed action, required forward motion, immediately.

  “Sorry my love.” Jack sat and shot Rob an angry glance. “But my friend here is right. We gotta hit the road.” The girl slid off the huge bed, wrapped the sheet around her thin frame and flounced into the bathroom without another word.

  “You fucking owe me for that,” Jack grumbled, as he tugged on shorts and stretched before stumbling into the tiny kitchen for coffee. “Jesus.” He sipped, leaning against the counter as they both watch
ed the woman emerge, dressed, her long hair scraped back into a ponytail.

  She sauntered over to Rob and put a hand right on his zipper. He grinned and leaned in to kiss her, temptation mounting as she thrust her tongue into his mouth and molded her body to his, keeping the pressure on him until his cock responded in kind. “Mmm…” the girl’s throaty voice made the room darken. The adrenaline rush pounding through him took on a life of its own. Suddenly, he needed to fuck something so bad it hurt.

  He gripped her arms. Tore his mouth from hers. “Okay, you convinced me.” She grinned, unzipped him, and slipped to her knees. “Nope.” Rob gripped her arm and pulled her back up, turned her around to his roommate, friend and partner in female defilement. Jack raised an eyebrow over his coffee cup at the sight. Rob whispered in her ear, cupping a firm breast at the same time. “Suck his cock baby. Like you mean it.” She grinned over her shoulder at him.

  “You guys are so bad,” Rob laughed as he put a hand on her arm. But she needed none of his encouragement. Jack’s cock was out and down her throat in the blink of an eye.

  Rob smiled as the other man fisted his hands in the girl’s hair, spread his legs and fucked her mouth. It was quite a sight. Rob ran a hand up and down his own shaft watching her wet lips cover Jack’s thickness, lick her way around his swollen head, lap at the fluid beaded at the tip. Jack’s voice was low. “Yeah baby, now swallow it, that’s it, all the way down. Yes…” his voice ended with a breathy hiss. The girl’s hand disappeared under Jack’s balls, and his hips took on a more meaningful rhythm. “God!” Jack cried out as his face reddened and the girl moaned. Rob saw creamy fluid leak out of the corner of her mouth. She gave him one last lick, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Rob grabbed her, making her squeal, dove into her mouth with his tongue, tasting the salty tang of what Jack had given her before propping her up against the wall. He ground his own need against her. “You want more?” He gasped, meaning it. He was not about to force himself on anyone. She nodded, reached down and slipped her lacey excuse for panties down and off as Jack handed him a condom. Rob gave her the latex and exhaled slowly as she rolled it down his length.

  “More than okay,” she whispered, biting on his earlobe. “But I’m about to be better, I think.” Rob nodded, lifted her and held her up with his arms as she wrapped her lean legs around him. He slid into her with one long wet stroke, making them both moan. It didn’t take long. When he was in this frame of mind, he came fast and could do it five or six times a day. Besides, it was her idea… “Jesus!” He grunted and felt his whole body tingle as the orgasm gripped him.

  “Yes!” The girl cried out as Rob pounded into her up against the wall, his body pinning hers, forcing both of her legs up and around his waist. She gripped his shoulders, crying his name, and held him tight as the blessed release of orgasm blinded him for a few seconds.

  “Make it quick partner.” Jack yelled over the girl’s loud squeals of ecstasy. Rob kissed her again, lifted her up and off him, then wandered into the bathroom to clean up and gather the rest of his shit for their trip north. He walked out, duffle bag over his shoulder.

  “Later, babe,” he patted her ass as she readjusted her skirt. “We’ll call ya.”

  The girl stuck her tongue out at him, making him smile. Yeah, she knew the code. “We’ll call ya,” from the Rob and Jack tag team meant, “have a great life and thanks for your time.”

  Jack chuckled and pulled on a pair of jeans draped over a nearby chair, gave the girl a wholehearted kiss good-bye. “Dude,” He grabbed water bottles and fruit as they watched the girl wander out onto the street to her car. “You are gonna kill me.”

  Rob smirked. “But you’ll die happy, won’t you, asshole?”

  Jack roared with laughter and tossed the keys to his truck to Rob who caught them mid air. “Yeah. You speak the truth my friend.”

  “So, can we please go now that you’ve gotten off?”

  “Me?” Jack tried to look shocked. Rob flipped him off as they pounded down the narrow, smelly stairway to the garage beneath the building. By the time they pulled out onto the street and parked behind a beat up van, the sun was high in the sky.

  “God dammit,” Rob grumbled as he shoved his sunglasses up his nose. “I’m gonna miss a whole day of powder, you dick.”

  Jack downed an entire bottle of water before answering. “Hey,” he pointed toward the group gathered by the van. “Who the hell is that?” Rob glared at him a minute before peering out at the group.

  Rob took in the familiar forms of their usual crew—four fraternity brothers, the female cousin of one of them, a friend of hers who’d been hanging out with them all lately, and… “Whoa.” He slipped the Ray-Bans down and took in the tall form of the unknown woman seated in the back of the van. She had one foot propped on the bumper, a beer in one hand, the long ebony fall of her hair hanging over one sunglass covered eye. There was no disguising her perfect hourglass shape. A little taller and fuller than Jack’s type, she made Rob’s scalp tingle. A new sensation and one he didn’t care for much.

  “Holy Penthouse pet, man.” Jack slapped his shoulder. “This trip just looked up as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Shut up.” Rob threw the truck into park and climbed out. Something felt strange. His usual restlessness buzzed between his ears, but the sight of the new girl had set him off even further. Although he had just gotten off, his cock had stirred back to life. Annoyed, he stayed behind the truck a minute.

  “About time, dickheads.” A petite redheaded girl leapt up into Jack’s arms. He caught her and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “It’s his fault Suzanne,” Rob nodded to the group. “I have beer. What’s your contribution?”

  “Same. A couple of bottles Smirnoff, OJ, chips and salsa. We can get the rest there.”

  “Asshole!” Jack shifted Suzanne to his back. “What food did we bring?”

  “I got it handled, Gordon. As usual. All you have to do is bring your swinging dick, preferably washed.” Rob rolled his eyes at the new girl, who hadn’t moved from her perch. He felt her eyes on him, even from behind her Oakleys. Unnerving. He forced himself to drag his gaze from the pale blue jeans hugging her hips, the way she put the brown bottle to her lips like it was a… “Can we fucking go now people? I arranged this god damned junket; let’s get on with it.”

  He watched Jack drop Suzanne back to the sidewalk and saunter over to the new girl. “Who’s your friend?” Jack spoke and sat, ignoring Rob completely.

  Rob gritted his teeth, a sudden surge of jealousy making him dizzy. She looked up at him, ignoring Jack.

  “Oh that’s Christine.” Suzanne clamored in next to her. “Christine, that’s Rob and Jack.” She rummaged around in one of the three coolers and emerged with three beers, tossed one to Jack and one to Rob. Rob opened his, downed half then tipped the bottle to the vision still sitting motionless at the back end of the van. His heart pounded a little too hard for his taste when she slid her sunglasses down and appraised him up and down.

  “See anything you like?” He kept his voice light, sucked back the beer to hide his discomfort. The entire tableau of people, his fraternity brothers, including his roommate, and the few girls invited on this trip disappeared when her eyes narrowed at his words. He raised an eyebrow, at a loss for the first time in years. A corner of her incredibly full lips lifted, at the same moment Jack draped an arm around her. She didn’t even acknowledge him. Kept her deep mocha-colored eyes trained on Rob’s. He leaned on the truck. The moment spun out between them, as his body started responding involuntarily.

  “Nope.” Her voice was low, smoky, and dismissive.

  Jack laughed. “Hot. And has great taste.” He handed her his beer. She took it without looking at him, took a drink and didn’t say another word. “I think I’m in love.” He leaned into her. She moved away imperceptibly while Rob watched the whole thing play out, a strange humming noise starting in his brain. Fine. Two can play the ignoring game.
And I always win. She’ll be begging for it by tonight. He gave her his best slow, sexy grin then turned the rest of the group, ignoring the impulse to run his tongue along the curve of her full, pink lips.

  ****

  Rob’s skin felt hot and cold all at once. The wind whipped at his jacket. Snow blinded him as he shot down the hill past his group. The compulsion for movement had him in its firm grip. The need for speed, urgent calling for edginess, and the sheer adrenaline rush of being alive poured through his body. Fuck yes. This was how to live. All the years of bullshit, of “maybes,” “hopefullys,” and “don’t get too used to being healthys” blown away for six more months. He gripped his poles harder as the wind hit him from the side, nearly forcing him off the already rutted track. He heard shouting from somewhere, but crouched down, urging more speed from the physics of downhill motion, needing it more than his next lay.

  He swerved to avoid trees; loving the sensation of his leg muscles engaging, of his core keeping him upright. He was alone. Once again. In the dark. The snow flew straight at him, burned into the few exposed centimeters of skin on his face. Alive. That’s what he was. Alive. His thighs burned. He grinned, relishing the pain. He hit bottom, sliding to a perfect stop, throwing snow onto the waiting forms of Jack, Suzanne and a tall, white-garbed woman with coal black hair. He felt high, utterly flying with energy, heard himself laughing like a maniac. But the sound died on his lips at the look on his friend’s face.

  “What the fuck man?” Jack stalked up to him, awkward in ski boots, putting his sunburned face inches from Rob’s. Rob glared at him, but sensed the anger radiating from the group. “You are out of control.” Jack stayed up in his grill, gripped his bicep hard. “Do you have any idea what you just did?” His breathing was heavy. Rob narrowed his eyes, suddenly unsure.