Macho

By Enrique Cruz

Creed
Every time I’ve given my heart away, it’s been scorched. Falling for a young kid like Jared is out of the question.
His sadness draws me in, and I want to protect him from the agony I see hidden behind his innocent, young eyes.
I’ve known that pain myself, and I’ll do anything to help him, except...
Do I have to give him my heart?
Do I even have a choice?
Justin
I'm a survivor, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect myself. I've never been in love before. It's the last thing on my mind, until I lay eyes on the older man who runs Macho, the gym of choice for bodybuilders. He acts like my protector, but fails to realize he might need some protecting too. He acts like a burly tough guy, but underneath the bravado beats the heart of a fragile, fellow survivor. Is it possible he'd ever love a scrawny kid like me?

Macho is a May/December romance novella between two survivors who never thought they'd find happiness, much less with the man of their dreams. There is no cliffhanger, and has a HEA. This edition features the bonus short story, Hero.
Trigger Warning- this novella contains scenes of domestic violence and abuse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SS Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370511303

Enrique Cruz

Enrique Cruz loves to write, and no topic is off limits. There is nothing better than entertaining others through the written word. Cheers, and enjoy his books!

Book preview

Macho

Macho

Enrique Cruz

Cruz Publishing

Copyright © 2017 by Enrique Cruz

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

To my family and friends who’ve gently pushed me forward whether I liked it or not

Contents

1. Jared

2. Creed

3. Jared

4. Creed

5. Jared

6. Creed

7. Jared

8. Creed

9. Jared

10. One Month Later- Creed

Afterword

Thank You

11. Bonus Story- Hero

Hero

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

About the Author

Chapter 1

Jared

The smell of sweat and chlorine filled the air of the gym, a rugged atmosphere dripping with testosterone. The metallic clank of free weights dropping to the floor after a set of brutal reps was the only sound except for the grunts and groans of the men surrounding me. The intensity of the men’s workouts gave it a religious aura; men worshipping themselves and those surrounding them. The bare bones decor of the former warehouse was stark, unforgiving, and intimidating.

Macho was off the beaten track, and it was mostly men who frequented it. The only frill if you could call it that was a lap pool, used for precisely that, swimming laps. Anyone caught floating around or attempting water aerobics would have been laughed out of the place in a heartbeat. There was no coffee shop, no clothing store selling pastel exercise clothes or designer supplements. This was some hardcore shit.

Precisely why I was there.

My shirt stuck to my bony chest as I finished my reps, eyes glued to the mirror to catch any mistakes I might make. Most of the guys here had friends helping them, but I’m new. Compared to the beef all around me, I was a measly lamb chop. I’m lucky because I’m tall, but I have no muscles, yet. Couple that with bad eyes helped by thick framed glasses and I was a prime target for bullies at school, and at home. Good thing for me I was at college now, and most of that shit was behind me. That was my biggest reason for lifting weights; I never want to be bullied again.

You done with that? A deep voice rumbled, startling me.

I looked up to see who was speaking, surprised since no one ever did.

Oh shit, it’s God, or at least that’s how I think of him. My heart rate sped up, and I felt lightheaded. His height and sculpted body were incredible, something only seen in the fitness magazines hidden under my mattress.

Um, yeah, I was just finishing up. I grabbed my towel to clean the equipment, hands shaking, then started putting weights back on the rack.

Dude, no worries, I got it. My eyes widened as God reached down and picked up the barbell, his huge hands handling it like the pick-up sticks I still had from childhood. Mom kept my room exactly like it was when I was a little kid. Embarrassing, but no one came over during breaks from school, so it didn’t matter much.

Thanks. I looked up into God’s deep set brown eyes, so dark they seemed almost black. I tried to keep them there instead of where they really wanted to go. Total fail; my eyes had a mind of their own. I looked God up and down before I caught myself staring. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my shorts, and realized I was holding my breath. I exhaled and shook my head.

I’m Creed. You’re new at this, aren’t ya? I must have looked confused, and I could feel my face growing hot.

I mean, you’re new at working out and stuff, right? He said, smiling at the new kid in the gym. I brought my eyes crashing down to the floor, afraid of being called out for my lack of, well, lack of everything.

Yeah, I guess so. I’m just tired of being so scrawny, so I…

Yo Creed, spot me, okay man. One of Creed’s friends cut us off, not noticing I was standing there. Creed smiled at his buddy, then looked down at me.

Hey, nice to meet ya. If you need any help with your workout, just let me know. We were all new to this at one time. Talk to you later. He held out his hand to shake. His thick lips curled back in a smile, perfect white teeth gleaming against his olive skin and black, close-cut beard. I grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake, hoping it was manly enough, then feared I might have squeezed too hard.

Once God turned around to follow his friend, I rubbed my palm against my cheek. I was in awe of the calloused texture and strength in Creed’s grip. Damn, I have soft, babylike hands compared to his. I looked around the gym, in awe of the sheer masculinity of the place, hoping one day I’d fit in, and have a body like Creed’s. Even better, have someone like Creed to… I’d better turn off those thoughts before I get carried away. No use wishing for what you can’t have, right?

Ihave a secret; I like guys, and not just to pal around with. I’d kept it to myself since I’d started crushing on my best friend Seth in the sixth grade. Dad and my older brother hated gay guys, and considering how they currently treated me, I wasn’t ready to come out of that particular closet just yet. Mom was no help either, allowing Dad and her sons to treat her like a low-paid maid. She was a zombie most days, exhausted from taking care of her boys.

I used to have zero patience or respect for her, so I’m not blameless when it comes to how she’s been treated. I grew up thinking it was her role, to wait on us quietly, to run errands and cook meals. A year away from home opened my eyes. I don’t know why she allowed us to mistreat her, but I made a conscious effort not to now, though her meek obedience to the men in our family made trusting her with my secret out of the question.

I kept family interactions to a minimum, breezing through the house to my bedroom where I could be alone. I wanted to take care of the raging horniness I’d had since I left the gym. It was easy to do, since they ignored me most of the time. When I got there the first thing I did was strip out of my smelly gym clothes, then slid my hand under the mattress for my reliable jerk-off material.

Dad was in IT, so I don’t look at porn online, resorting to old-fashioned magazines to get off. I laid my head back on my pillow, grasping the base of my length, squeezing it until a pearl-like drop of pre-come oozed out of the slit. I groaned at the pressure building up inside, and slowly my hand worked it’s way up and down, my eyes closed, the muscle mag unopened. Who needs it when all I have to do is remember the sight and the smell of God.

Thoughts of him were enough. I imagined his giant frame on top of me, pressing his cock against mine. In my head he was spreading my legs apart with his massive thighs. I want my first time to be with a man like him, self-assured, confident, cocky even. It wasn’t just his physique that turned me on, it was his swagger, his perfect smile that glowed whenever his plump lips turned up, wet and…

Yo, Jared, open up. My brother Glen turned the doorknob back and forth, frustrated with it being locked. He pounded on the door, shoved at it, and I was afraid he would break it down if I didn’t let him in. My hard-on immediately vanished.

Asshole. I muttered, grateful I’d locked it. I threw the magazine under the mattress and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

What do you want? I stated, then opened the door. Glen was always around, ready to pick on me every chance he could. He was also the family embarrassment. He’d been dishonorably discharged from the Army for unknown reasons, and ever since he’d lived at home, picking up odd jobs around town for spending money. Like Dad he