A Lover's Game Read online

  “A Lover’s Game”

  An M/M Gay Romance

  Max Hudson

  © 2020

  Max Hudson

  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 of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2020.04.22)

  http://www.maxhudsonauthor.com

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Bob, Jon Niehus, RB, JayBee, Naomi W., and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Table of Contents

  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 One

  Charlie

  “Not bad—for an elf.”

  Charlie smirked at Elias as he lifted the dice sitting in the center of the glass table. Beneath the dice was a carefully constructed map made by a light blue dry-erase marker, part of it wiped by the books decorating the edge of the glass. He blew on the dice, shook them in his hand, and tossed it over the table, watching intently to see how they landed.

  Roger snorted as he made a note in his leather-bound book. “What a poor roll for a bard.”

  “Hey, my lute has lured more enemies to their deaths than Mike's silly dwarf magic.”

  “I'll have you know my dwarf magic is plenty suitable for our enemies. Do you remember the last time I rolled during an encounter?”

  Charlie laughed. “You took the whole caravan of thieves out in mere minutes!”

  “So, I suppose my enchanted hammer looks a lot more useful now, huh?”

  “Let's just see where my bard takes us today.”

  Roger cleared his throat. “And so, the celebrated bard, Palamor, steps forward with his lute. He plucks a few strings only for one of them to snap.”

  “I guess you should have picked up those new strings from the market we passed back in Rerdon,” Elias remarked. “I'll pick up the slack with my cleric.”

  He reached for the dice just as Roger sighed loudly.

  “What is it?” Elias asked.

  Roger shook his head. “I wasn't done.”

  “My apologies to the narrator.”

  Charlie smiled warmly in Elias's direction. He glanced at his phone that he had hidden under the table, cleverly positioned beneath one of his chaotic good handbooks. He typed a quick message, sent it, and then redirected his attention to the table.

  “Our cleric steps forward,” Roger narrated. “And decides to procure his precious short bow. You may now roll.”

  Elias reached for the dice. He repeated the same gesture as Charlie—blowing on the dice and subsequently shaking them in his right hand—before releasing them across the table. They clacked as they smacked the glass and came to a prompt halt in the center.

  Roger lifted an impressed eyebrow. “Our cleric fires directly at a dire wolf. What a wonderful demonstration.”

  “A great thanks to the narrator,” Elias chimed. “I'll roll again.”

  As he repeated his motions, Charlie studied his features. He had short, sandy brown hair that fell over his forehead, covering most of the skin down to his eyebrows. His black-rimmed glasses hid the symmetrical shape of his eyes but didn't detract from the warm brown color of his eyes sitting behind the lenses. His brows were thick, matching the rest of his plentiful body hair, and his lips parted in concentration with his next roll.

  He extended his arm and the sleeve of his shirt lifted, revealing a well-drawn barbed wire tattoo sitting on his upper arm. As he released the dice, he flexed slightly, reminding Charlie that despite his thick frame, he was relatively strong. The cut of his muscles caused Charlie to gulp.

  Charlie loosened the tie around his neck. “Excellent toss.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  “Quite superb.”

  “I have decent aim.”

  He chuckled. “As do I.”

  “Are we quite finished being weird?” Roger inquired sharply. “Or are the adventurers seeking a romantic side quest?”

  “No side quests here, My Lord,” Charlie replied. “Continue.”

  “How kind of you to offer.”

  When Roger looked away, Charlie rolled his eyes, exaggerating the expression to Mike and Ivan who sat to his right. Theo sat across from him and to the left of Roger, bursting with giggles.

  “Is our mage losing his mind once again?” Roger teased.

  Theo shrugged her shoulders. “You know that's why they call me Mr. Giggles.”

  “A suitable nickname for the most maniacal mage in the entire Delver's Guild!” Elias commended. “And a handsome fella at that.”

  “You're too kind!” she expressed happily. “Now, about those wolves...”

  “They're closing in!” Roger continued. “The leader of the wolves—a massive beast standing at least ten shelvens tall with dried blood coating the front of his gargantuan paws—towers over the crew. Their last effort may be fixed upon the dwarf, ranger, and monk.”

  The campaign group gasped dramatically and then fell into giggles, inspiring Charlie to join in.

  “How tall is ten shelvens?” Theo inquired. “I don't recall that slang from the main book.”

  “We've gone off the books, love,” Mike replied. “Or don't you remember the last meeting we had?”

  “Well, there was beer involved.”

  “Ale was served, yes,” Ivan agreed. “But didn't you take notes?”

  Theo froze, glancing furtively at Roger. Roger didn't appear to have heard the question or he chose to disregard it entirely. Still, she sat frigidly as if the air in the room had dropped a few degrees.

  Charlie cleared his throat. “How dare you question our best scribe!”

  Ivan laughed nervously. “I was just teasing, Palamor.”

  “Bracken does his best to cheer up the crew,” Theo stated in reference to Ivan. “Let him have this one, bard. Go on and play your lute in the corner.”

  Charlie guffawed. “Oh, I see. You only need my assistance in matters of wolves. Fair enough then, good sir!”

  “Although our adventurous elf cleric struck with his bow, the leader of the wolves remains st
eadfast. Can our giggly mage overcome him?” Roger narrated. “Mr. Giggles, it's your turn to roll for initiative.”

  Theo lifted the dice from the table. As she started to roll them, Charlie felt his phone buzz beneath the table. He glanced through the glass to see Elias had responded to his text.

  “How long will it take?”

  Charlie frowned as he wrote, “Stanley has been taking his time with his lawyer. I don't even know how we're going to share custody of Scotty.”

  “You should take Scotty. He doesn't even care for that dog.”

  “I should, but I can't. This legal battle is draining me enough as it is. Running off with the pup will make it worse.”

  Elias hummed next to Charlie. He lifted his phone closer to his face, lighting up his features with the screen.

  Roger cleared his throat forcefully. “Is our elf bored?”

  Elias perked up and dropped his phone into his lap. “Sorry.”

  “We agreed we would keep our phones out of the way, Dervish.”

  “My apologies to the narrator.”

  “Do you want to put your phone in the kitchen?”

  Elias shook his head. “No, I can keep it in my pocket.”

  “I don't know if I trust you.”

  When Roger looked away, Charlie rolled his eyes again. He fixed the collar of his shirt and then unbuttoned the cuffs, folding them up to his elbows.

  “How did Mr. Giggles do on initiative?”

  Roger coughed. “Were you also not paying attention?”

  “I'm just asking for a repeat.”

  “Mr. Giggles nailed the lead wolf with a fire blast. We're moving on to Hemslough, our celebrated dwarf magician with his enchanted hammer!”

  Mike slid forward on the couch. He reached for the dice and rolled it immediately, cheering at the results. “My hammer strikes strong and true!”

  “High level damage—an excellent hit, Hemslough.”

  “I thought so as well.”

  Roger chuckled lightly. “Will our ranger take out the rest of the group or will the team be forced to take stronger measures?”

  Ivan laughed. “A dragon-born ranger is always ready for his foes! I'll roll for my mace.”

  “What a sensitive weapon,” Theo teased. “Do you really think you'll take them down with that little thing?”

  “Darling, haven't you ever heard that size doesn't matter?”

  Charlie guffawed. He fiddled with his phone again, sending another quick text to Elias.

  I don't want to get him called out again, he considered carefully. But I need to talk about this. It's been weighing on me too much.

  “You'll have to land higher than a ten if you want to get anywhere with that thing,” he teased. “Pray to your tentacle creatures for strength!”

  “You know I'm not religious,” Ivan joked. “Here we go!”

  As he rolled the dice, Charlie redirected his eyes to his phone. A new text from Elias appeared. He noticed the three dots at the bottom of the screen bouncing, indicating that Elias was typing more.

  “He can't hold you hostage in a divorce forever,” Elias had written. “Besides, it's not like you cheated.”

  “Sometimes, I wish I had.”

  “Don't say that.”

  “You should really pay attention before Roger smashes your phone.”

  Elias huffed audibly but wrote, “Whatever.”

  Charlie shook his head. He focused on Ivan who was visibly upset. The conversation that had erupted in the background while he was focusing on his phone wasn't clear, but he assumed that Ivan had fumbled the dice.

  Roger laughed maniacally. “The wolves are closing in! Can our dedicated Palamor do much more with his music?”

  “I'll do my best,” Charlie replied. “Let me grab my enchanted flute. That might do something more.”

  “Roll for your flute, Palamor.”

  Charlie grabbed the dice. He furrowed his brows in concentration, imbibing the whispers of encouragement from his group. Everyone but Roger was cheering in hushed voices for him. He licked his lips, took a breath, and blew forcibly on the dice in his right hand. When he shook them, he felt Elias subtly place a hand on his knee.

  He smiled wide as he released the dice. “Come on, flute!”

  The dice scattered across the table. One of them skittered to the floor, rolling well past the chair on which Theo sat. Theo gasped and dropped to the ground.

  “Don't lift it!” Charlie reminded her. “Leave it where it lies!”

  “You got a five over here!” she announced.

  “And a six here!” Ivan noted.

  Charlie cheered. “The flute was effective to lure the wolves away!”

  “Not yet,” Roger corrected. “You still have to wait for Dervish to strike again with his bow—if he can manage it.”

  “I'm sure I can manage it,” Elias claimed. “I'll bring our team to victory!”

  Elias rolled for his short bow. When he landed a fifteen total, he raised his arms high in the air, inviting shouts from the other players. Charlie joined the loud overlapping chants and wrapped Elias in a hug. He kissed Elias's cheek, recoiling when he realized what he had done.

  At least no one noticed that.

  The cheering continued as Charlie stood. He placed his hands on his hips. “What says the narrator?”

  Roger shrugged. “The narrator says that the team is made of champions worthy of any foes.”

  “You seem disappointed.”

  “Well, it didn't go as planned.”

  Charlie chuckled. “When does it ever?”

  “If people would just stay off their phones, maybe it would go as planned.”

  Elias huffed. He didn't say a word as he brushed past Roger, heading for the kitchen. Charlie went to follow but was intercepted by Ivan.

  “Good job on that, old boy,” Ivan complimented. “How's everything going at home?”

  Charlie frowned. “Eh...it's a lot.”

  “Yeah, you holding up okay?” Mike inquired, stepping up beside Ivan. “Do you need a place to go?”

  “No, I'm actually doing quite well with the new apartment.”

  “Well, you just let us know if you need anything, bud,” Ivan offered. “We're always here for our friends.”

  Charlie smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  Ivan clapped Charlie on the shoulder before heading to the kitchen with Mike. Theo followed them.

  Charlie stretched. “Good game, narrator.”

  “It was something,” Roger snorted. “So, what's going on with you?”

  “Oh, it's not really that big of a deal.”

  “It sounded like a big deal.”

  Charlie shrugged nonchalantly. “Just relationship problems.”

  “Can't keep your girl straight, huh?”

  “Something like that.”

  Roger nodded. “Well, I hope things are okay.”

  “Thanks, buddy.”

  When Roger left the living room, Charlie sighed with relief.

  I hope no one mentioned the divorce to him, he reflected timidly. Otherwise, I might have more than simple campaign problems on my hands.

  Chapter Two

  Elias

  Elias nudged his way onto the porch.

  He shook his head. “You would think Mike would get a bigger porch considering our group has grown.”

  Mike chuckled. “Hey, deal with it. This is the cheapest apartment I could find on my budget.”

  “I think it's swell,” Theo chimed from the corner. She raised a beer bottle. “Here's to another successful campaign night!”

  Elias raised his water bottle and clinked it against the other glasses. He searched the small porch for Charlie to no avail. As he turned to the cloudy glass sliding door, he noticed Charlie lingering in the living room.

  He faced his team. “I should gather our bard.”

  “Yes, bring the bard outside! We should celebrate with a jaunty tune,” Mike vocalized. “Toss me a loaf of bread. Would you ple-
e-e-ease?”

  “Ugh, don't let the dwarf sing,” Theo teased. “I've still got a headache from throwing flames.”

  “Mr. Giggles? With a headache?” Mike joked. “There's no possible way!”

  “Perhaps I need some dragon-born magic to cure the headache.”

  Mike laughed. “Well, I suppose you'll be seeking Bracken the Kracken later.”

  Ivan perked up. “Did somebody call for me?”

  Theo smiled warmly. “I need your magic.”

  “Ah, well, you can join me later if it pleases the Lord of Giggles.”

  She giggled and shook her head, raising her beer to her lips. As Ivan made his way toward her, Elias took the distraction as his cue to disappear. He slid the porch door open and popped inside, sliding it closed behind him. The boisterous conversation was immediately dulled by the glass.

  He approached Charlie. “Doing all right there, bard?”

  “I'm not much in the mood for singing.”

  “That's all right. Would you care to grab some coffee?”

  Charlie shrugged. “I'm broke, too. If only our campaign exploits earned us real gold, then I'd be set with this divorce.”

  Elias glanced around. Once he noted that all the team players were outside, he turned back to Charlie. He whispered, “Is it really draining you that much?”

  “Stanley has been insufferable.”

  “I'm sorry, doll. We can talk more over a cup if you like.”

  Charlie laughed. “Again, I'm broke.”

  “Well, I suppose that makes two of us.”

  “Then, why offer coffee?”

  Elias shrugged. “It's what friends do, right? They offer each other things. I have plenty of coffee at my apartment. It's small but there's plenty of room for comfort.”

  “I think I could do with that.”

  “Shall we bid farewell to the crew?”

  Charlie peeked behind Elias. He wore a worried grimace, the sort that spoke of a thousand secrets.

  At least, that's how it seemed to Elias.

  He swallowed hard. “Are you all right?”

  “Nobody has told Roger about my...situation...right?”

  “Of course, not, buddy.”