You Don't Know What Love Is Read online

  

  Suncoast Society

  You Don’t Know What Love Is

  Colton still can’t believe Rom wants to spend the rest of his life with him. The only thing that would make this more perfect is if Colton’s grammy was still alive to see it happen. Colton’s parents throwing him out at age twelve, just because he was gay, gave him emotional scars he still struggles with, even now. Maybe he is “bad” the way they claimed.

  Rom regrets he never met Grammy, or that his own parents aren’t alive to see him marry his sweet snuggle puppy. He’s bound and determined to get hitched to Colton, even if it means giving up all control over their wedding while Kent and the grannies plan the shindig of all shindigs. He tries to love Colton’s pain away, but some wounds can’t be healed.

  But what happens when words from the past are brought to light? Will it help heal both men’s hearts and finally allow them a chance to escape their old, mutual anguish?

  Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 25,395

  YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS

  Suncoast Society

  Tymber Dalton

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  You Don’t Know What Love Is

  Copyright © 2019 by Tymber Dalton

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-610-5

  First Publication: January 2019

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For Hubby, and for Sir. He knows why.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tymber Dalton is the wild-child alter-ego of author Lesli Richardson. She lives in the Tampa Bay region of Florida with her husband (aka “The World’s Best Husband™”) and too many pets. Active in the BDSM lifestyle, the two-time EPIC award winner and part-time Viking shield-maiden loves to shoot skeet and play D&D with her friends. She’s also the bestselling author of over one hundred and fifty books and counting, including The Reluctant Dom, The Denim Dom, Cardinal’s Rule, the Suncoast Society series, the Love Slave for Two series, the Triple Trouble series, the Coffeeshop Coven series, the Good Will Ghost Hunting series, the Drunk Monkeys series, and many more.

  She loves to hear from readers! Please feel free to drop by her website and sign up for her newsletter to keep abreast of the latest news, snarkage, and releases. You can also find all of her Siren-BookStrand releases under all four of her pen names on her author page on the BookStrand site.

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  For all titles by Tymber Dalton, please visit

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  Author’s Note

  This is book 89 in the Suncoast Society series. You do not have to read all the books before this one to understand the plot or characters—most of the books in the series are standalone.

  Colton and Rom first appeared in Numb as a Statue. Kent, Tim, and Paul are featured in Through With Love and appear in other books.

  Some of the characters in this book appear in or are featured in previous books in the Suncoast Society series. While most of the books in the Suncoast Society series are standalone works which may be read independently of each other, the recommended reading order to avoid spoilers and to not miss any backstory can be found on the Suncoast Society series page, along with character information and other trivia, on my website at:

  http://www.suncoastsociety.com

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  YOU DON’T KNOW

  WHAT LOVE IS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  YOU DON’T KNOW

  WHAT LOVE IS

  Suncoast Society

  TYMBER DALTON

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  Life is perfect.

  That Tuesday evening, Rom lay comfortably snuggled in Colton’s arms after they’d made love.

  His boy, his huge and handsome snuggle puppy of a man.

  The man of his dreams.

  The man he was going to marry.

  Only five-ten to Colton’s six-four, Rom loved that his broad-shouldered Adonis—complete with the appropriately named abdominal definition to go with that moniker—willingly submitted to him. Wore Rom’s collar.

  Wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rom.

  Rom fought the urge to simply drift to sleep like this, comfortable though it might be. For starters, they were both covered in cum, and with Colton’s softening cock still wedged inside Rom’s ass, they needed to clean up.

  Secondly, the delicious aroma of the roast Colton had cooking in the oven wafted through the apartment and made Rom’s stomach grumble.

  Third—Rom wanted to savor the fact that Colton had just proposed to him.

  Again.

  The first time happened on Saturday, when Rom was in the hospital after accidentally ingesting turkey that had been fried in peanut oil, and he’d had a severe allergic reaction to it.

  “How much longer until dinner’s ready?” Rom managed to mumble.

  Colton’s fingers gently stroked Rom’s back, soothing him and sending him dangerously close to falling asleep. “It’s almost done, Sir. We have time for a shower before I pull it out of the oven.”

  Rom sighed. “You’re spoiling me, baby.”

  He felt Colton’s breath against the top of his head as he nuzzled Rom’s scalp. “I plan to spend the rest of my life spoiling you, Sir.”

  Rom tipped his head back. “Do the grannies know they’re getting a wedding out of us yet?”

  Colton smiled. “Do we have an apartment full of grannies right this minute, all of them giving us unsolicited wedding planning advice? That’d be a nooo. Because once I tell them, I can almost guarantee the plans will be out of our hands. Sir,” he added.

  Rom had told Colton the wedding plans were up to him. Rom honestly didn’t have a preference, as long as they stayed within their budget, and that at the end of the ceremony they were married. In fact, Rom ran his thumb over the gold band now residing on his left ring finger, his heart racing a little as the thrill of knowin
g his boy had, in essence, collared him, too.

  Pledged his heart and life.

  Had shown Rom he was in this for life and wanted him.

  Everything Colton had done for and with Rom, from when they were first introduced by Kent, proved to Rom that Colton was in this for life.

  He’d never felt a need to check Colton’s phone for signs of cheating.

  He’d never worried Colton might not be where he said he was.

  No insecurity that someone Colton might meet while working at or working out at the gym might usurp Rom’s place in Colton’s heart.

  There’d never been a moment of mistrust on Rom’s part, because the man never gave Rom a reason not to trust him.

  For the first time in Rom’s life, he truly felt at peace. This was a terrifyingly foreign concept to him, but one he was eager to embrace.

  God knew his start in life had been marred by tragedy.

  Colton’s hands drifted lower and settled on Rom’s ass, cupping him, his fingers warm against Rom’s flesh where he playfully squeezed.

  “Don’t fall asleep on me yet, Sir,” he said.

  “Mmmm.” Rom tucked his face against Colton’s neck. “That roast smells too good for me to fall asleep.”

  Rom’s stomach chose that moment to loudly gurgle, making both of them laugh.

  Colton rolled them onto their sides, untangling limbs, and his limp cock slipping from Rom’s ass. He nibbled on Rom’s neck. “I’ll go check on the roast, Sir.” He sat up.

  “We really should take a shower.” He held up his hands, wiggling his fingers at Colton. “Help me up, baby.”

  With a smile, Colton climbed out of bed and rounded it, reaching for Rom’s hands. His sweet sex god.

  Sigh.

  They stepped into the shower together. Colton quickly finished first and left to go check on their dinner.

  Alone now, Rom closed his eyes and leaned against the shower wall. Part of him wanted to break down crying with happiness that he’d finally found his soulmate.

  Part of him wanted to cry that his parents weren’t around to meet Colton, and that Colton’s grandmother had passed before Rom could ever meet her.

  This is my life.

  * * * *

  Colton hummed to himself as he walked out to the kitchen—naked, natch—and checked on the roast.

  Which, actually, was done. He grabbed hot pads and pulled the pan out of the oven, setting it on top of the stove.

  I miss you, Grammy.

  It was her recipe he made tonight. Once he’d moved in with her she’d taught him how to cook, how to take care of himself. While he hated that his parents had disowned him, in retrospect, this was for the best. What he’d learned from her was how to succeed in life. Not just domestically, with cooking and cleaning and laundry and other skills, but in business and personally.

  No telling what would have happened to him had she not stepped in and basically taken him away from his parents.

  Yes, they’d disowned him, thrown him out. But Grammy had also rescued him from them, in more than one way, even before that horrible day happened. She’d laid the foundation of trust and love that had given him the strength to admit his truths and live authentically.

  He’d never be as happy as he was now if his life hadn’t taken the early and painful detours it had.

  Rom walked out and joined him in the kitchen, slipping his arms around his waist from behind. “That smells soooo good, baby.”

  Something else he loved about Rom that he never had with anyone else he’d been with before was how touchy-feely Rom was. Rom preferred to be naked when alone at home—and had started instilling that comfort in Colton, too. Whether it was while snuggled together on the couch and watching TV, or going somewhere together in the car, Rom liked touching him.

  “Thank you, Sir. Grammy’s recipe.”

  He felt Rom’s sigh against the back of his right shoulder. “I have a lot to thank her for,” he said, then pressed a kiss against Colton’s shoulder. “I wish we didn’t have to wait to officially make you mine.”

  Colton turned in his arms and draped his around Rom. “We could try eloping.”

  “No,” Rom said. “Like you said, the grannies would revolt. Aunt Roberta would hunt us down, drag us back, and she and the grannies would sit on us until they threw us a proper wedding.”

  “It was just a thought.” Colton sighed. “I don’t want to risk losing you again.”

  Rom gently cupped Colton’s face in his hands. “It was a stupid accident, and it reminded me to be more cautious in the future. It was totally my fault for letting my guard down. I’m fine.”

  A shiver of the bad kind rippled through Colton. “I’ve never felt so scared in my life. Even losing Grammy didn’t scare me like that. I mean, obviously, I hated losing her, but she’d spent years raising me and training me and making sure I’d be ready when I eventually lost her. She knew I’d lose her, and so did I. I’m not nearly ready to lose you, Sir.” His voice cracked at the end as he stared into Rom’s gorgeous brown eyes.

  Rom’s gaze softened as a smile curved his lips. “You’re not going to lose me.” He dropped his hands to Colton’s ass and squeezed, where he’d just put marks a short while earlier. “We have too much fun ahead of us, baby. I’m twenty-eight, and you’re thirty-two. I know life can be short but I want to live it and not worry about what I can’t control.”

  Colton’s cock twitched with interest where it lay pressed against Rom’s.

  From the way Rom’s smile turned evil, Colton knew he’d felt it, too. He squeezed Colton’s ass harder, fingers digging in and making Colton moan, finished hardening his cock. Then Rom patted him on the ass and released him.

  “Dinner, buddy,” Rom said. “I’ll give you dessert when we’re finished.”

  * * * *

  Rom immediately realized his miscalculation, that Colton was dangerously close to dropping back into subspace. Not that it was a bad thing, but yeah, now that Rom’s stomach was growling, and with the roast out of the oven and deliciously scenting the whole apartment, he realized he was starving.

  One of the comforting things about Colton was how he loved to take care of Rom, cook for him, do things for him. Nurture him.

  Thank you, Grammy.

  Even though Rom never met her, he silently thanked her every day for how she’d raised Colton, the lessons she’d instilled in him.

  The love she’d given him, which had helped mold him into the sweet man he was today. That his loving, giving heart and soul came wrapped in a gorgeous package was only an extra blessing.

  The man Colton had grown into would not exist had he remained with his parents and been subjected to years of mental and emotional abuse simply because he was gay. Had Grammy not helped Colton channel his anger into healthy outlets, the Colton Rom now knew never would have been.

  Colton glanced back at him and caught Rom watching him.

  “What?”

  Rom shook his head and leaned in for a kiss. “Nothing. Just counting my blessings, with you at the top of the list.”

  A sweet blush filled Colton’s cheeks. “Thank you, Sir.”

  Rom nuzzled noses with him. “Thank you, baby.” He sighed. “I take back what I said earlier about meeting you at lunch tomorrow to get the marriage license. Let’s see what the grannies have planned. I know we need to get it at least three days in advance, but I don’t know how long they’re good for once you get them. If the grannies decide it’s going to be in a couple of months, I don’t want it to expire.”

  “You’re right, Sir. And I do have a class tomorrow afternoon. As much as I’d like to get it tomorrow, it’d help my schedule if it wasn’t tomorrow.”

  “That settles it, then. You know the grannies will set the date. Once we know that, we can plan better.”

  Rom tried to help Colton finish the dinner preparations, but Colton fussed at him until Rom gave up and went to sit on the couch, where they usually ate in front of the TV.

  Still,
he smiled. His boy loved taking care of him, even when Rom wanted to help out.

  I’m a damned lucky guy.

  Later, with dinner consumed and the kitchen tidied, Rom led Colton back to the bedroom.

  Their bedroom.

  Because that’s what it was, now, right? They hadn’t spent a night apart in weeks, except for Rom’s overnight stay in the hospital.

  After Rom put Colton’s collar and cuffs back on him, he stood at the end of the bed with Colton in his arms, staring into his eyes by the soft light of the LED candles, when Colton spoke.

  “When can we move your stuff in, Sir?”

  No reason to be coy or cautious any longer. Moving him in with Colton would happen—and it was what Rom wanted to happen. “I’ll start bringing small stuff over every day, fill my car on my way home from work. We can have me moved out by the end of this month, and I’ll let them know I’m not renewing my lease.”

  Colton’s smile filled Rom’s soul with light. “Really?”

  “Really. If you’re willing to put up with me—”

  “Red.”

  Rom frowned. “What?”

  “Red, Sir.” He untangled himself from Rom and cupped Rom’s face in his hands. “I want a rule that Sir can’t put himself down like that.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. Would you tolerate me talking about myself like that?”

  Rom started to answer him when he mentally pulled up short and really thought about it.

  “No,” Rom finally said. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

  “Rom, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I get it. You’re a control freak. I think I’ve proven I’m good with that. Really good with it. I like that about you. I’ve spent my adult life hoping to meet someone who’d want that kind of control over me. It’s not ‘putting up with you,’ it’s loving you for who you are. That’s all there is to it. I’m not perfect and never claimed to be. You need to treat yourself the way you’d treat me—like you love who you are.”