Wish List

By K.A. Mitchell

Blindfolds. Handcuffs. Submission.

There's so much Jonah Kendrick hasn't tried, and so much he wants to explore. But just before Christmas he finds a ring box in his boyfriend's desk. Jonah panics. He loves Evan and their sex is hot, but how can Jonah be ready for forever, when there are so many items on his Naughty Bucket List? Desires that might drive Evan away.

Evan's noticed Jonah has been distant. His usually talkative and cheerful boyfriend is preoccupied. The seemingly straitlaced Evan stumbles across Jonah's wish list of sexual kinks, and Evan realizes he may not have to hide his true nature from Jonah after all. The Dom in him wants to see Jonah on his knees, begging, submitting, but Evan isn't sure Jonah's ready to accept what being Evan's sub would mean.

The two lovers must figure out how to share their hidden desires with each other before their secrets permanently damage their love.

26,000 words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781426894756

K.A. Mitchell

At a very early age, K.A. Mitchell decided that Ken and G.I. Joe made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie fell off sharply. Today she still loves hanging out with imaginary friends and making up stories. Even better, people pay her to read about them. Now the author of over twenty-five gay romances, she guarantees happy endings for even the surliest of heroes, despite all their baggage.

Book preview

Chapter One

Tape. Where was the goddamned tape?

Jonah dug through a couple of drawers in the kitchen. He could have texted Evan, but beside the lie Jonah had told about already having wrapped the stupid action figure for Evan’s cousin, he knew what Evan’s answer would be. Same place it always is, babe.

It wouldn’t be such a crisis if Jonah wasn’t already late. Hadn’t he promised he’d be ready to go at six? But he’d gotten home late, then he couldn’t find where he’d stuffed the present. Then he’d had to find wrapping paper. Hell, he hadn’t even packed yet.

Jonah’s gaze lit on Evan’s desk, a desk with paper and pens and neatly organized bills, since Evan insisted on quaintly paying stuff like the mortgage and his car with paper checks instead of online. Lately, Jonah had been wondering if someone had taken the sexy, fun guy he’d fallen for and replaced him with a staid sixty-year-old.

Digging through the top drawer, Jonah found a computer printout receipt. That wasn’t like Evan, to get something online that he’d need to hang onto a receipt for, especially not something that looked like it had a bar code on it, like an advance movie ticket. As Jonah got a better look at it he realized it was for a train ticket. Two train tickets. To New York, on December 30. Under that was the printout of a hotel reservation, the Marriott in Times Square. For the thirtieth through the first—New Year’s Day which meant—

Evan was taking Jonah to New York for New Year’s Eve.

Every bit of irritation vanished on a giant wave of excitement. Evan had been hinting about a big surprise for Jonah’s birthday. But this—this was something he’d been dreaming about most of his life. Ever since he made the paper as the first local New Year’s Baby, he’d been telling everyone that the big party was for him. Growing up less than three hours from New York put the biggest New Year’s party in the world tantalizingly close, but somehow Jonah had never made it.

How could Evan have managed to get a reservation? Jonah had heard the rooms were wildly expensive and booked years in advance.

Shit, he hoped he wouldn’t blow the surprise. It wasn’t like he’d been snooping. Once, his mom had taken back the Transformers set that was all he’d wanted for Christmas because Jonah had accidentally found it in the closet. This really had been a mistake. Yeah, that excuse hadn’t worked with his mom. Evan wouldn’t be a jerk like that, but Jonah hated the idea of ruining this for him. Evan got such a kick out of the whole present-giving thing, had given him something small every month for the first year they were together.

Jonah folded the papers the way he’d found them and was about to slide them back into the drawer when he saw the box. A jewelry box. Heartbeat loud in his ears, because this really was snooping now, he drew the box out. Why would Evan have a jewelry box hidden in his desk?

Maybe it was something for Evan’s mom, but then why wasn’t it wrapped and ready to go? Jonah had never been particularly interested in jewelry. He had both his ears pierced, but wore only small squares of cubic zirconia now that he had a wear-a-tie job, and a leather and silver cuff he sometimes wore when they were going someplace dressy.

Maybe Evan had decided to give him an upgrade to the real thing. The idea gave Jonah an unexpected rush of warmth in his stomach. A big trip, diamond earrings—Evan wasn’t scraping by, but he wasn’t rolling in cash either. His ad work paid a lot more than Jonah’s IT job with the school district though.

Guilt soured Jonah’s stomach. He’d gotten Evan a few fun gifts, an adventuresome lube that was supposed to tingle on contact, but it didn’t amount to much in the face of the trip to New York and diamond earrings. If he knew what was in the box, he could be ready. And maybe pick up something extra for Evan. He had a few days and a little breathing room on one of his credit cards.

He flipped open the lid. It wasn’t earrings. It was a ring. Rings, actually. Everything south of Jonah’s belt got uncomfortably high and tight until he was damned sure his balls were trying to climb into his body to get away from the scary things in that box.

Wedding rings.

Interlocking bands, one white gold with yellow gold accents, the other the reverse. An arrow over lapping at the point with a diamond to make up the circle of the male symbol made it clear they were intended as gay wedding bands.

The grating, grinding sound of the garage door shook Jonah out of his stare. He slid the box back where he’d found it, shut the drawer and bolted out of the room and up the stairs.

At least he could be sort of packed.

Jonah was stuffing an extra pair of jeans in his suitcase when Evan came in, waving the half wrapped package.

Thought you wrapped this?

Yeah. Ran out of tape. Couldn’t find any.

It’s in the left bottom drawer of my desk.

Jonah couldn’t remember what drawer those rings had been in. He shut his eyes for a second. Oh. The top.

Did you pack a tie for Christmas dinner?

Yes, Mom.

Just trying to help.

And Jonah wouldn’t be acting like this if he didn’t feel so guilty and terrified about what those rings meant.

Sorry. I’m just—traffic—and—I’m sorry I’m not ready yet. Jonah turned away to zip up the case.

Babe. Evan wrapped his hands around Jonah’s neck and pulled him into a kiss, hot enough, wet enough that Jonah forgot what was making him so miserable. It’s okay. I figured we wouldn’t leave until seven or later. Told the folks not to wait up.

Oh. The fact that Evan wasn’t pissed off, was actually being nice about the fact that Jonah couldn’t get his ass in gear to get anywhere on time, only made Jonah feel worse.

Yeah. The place was dead so I left early. Figured I’d come home and help you pack.

Pack was what Evan said, but the way he said it sounded like something else to Jonah’s dick.

Great. Now he was guilty, nervous and horny.

Jonah sidestepped the hand reaching for his crotch, heading toward the bathroom to scoop up shaving stuff.

Did you just blow off sex? Evan followed him.

I don’t know. Was that actually an offer?

Would Evan do it now? Here? Was that the plan? Come home early, fuck, then down on one knee for a different reason? Was the box now in Evan’s back pocket? Maybe Evan was hoping to surprise his family with their—Jonah choked on the word—engagement.

Oh sweet fuck. Evan wouldn’t do it in front of his family, would he?

Evan tipped his lips in a half-smile and arched a brow. It was. A firm offer.

Jonah had to backtrack to find the source of the dry humor in Evan’s voice. Usually Evan’s smutty puns made Jonah laugh. And want to jump him.

Right, well, I was thinking that traffic’s gonna suck the whole way, so we should get it over with as soon as possible.

The sex? Evan’s wry expression didn’t shift at all, but Jonah knew him well enough to read the flash of surprised hurt in his eyes.

The drive.

Fine. Evan went back into their bedroom and scooped the half wrapped box and Jonah’s suitcase from the bed. I’ll finish this and load the car.

Jonah thought about calling him back, apologizing, but he wouldn’t be apologizing for the right thing. This weird tension felt all too familiar lately. Like they were both always trying to say something they weren’t sure they were ready to spit out.

Maybe now he had an idea of what it was Evan wanted to say.

Chapter Two

After Evan neatened up the half-assed wrapping job Jonah had started on Matt’s toy and finished wrapping and tagging it, Evan snuck in a quick check of his breath and deodorant. In the almost two years they’d been dating, Jonah had turned down sex exactly once. Evan