The Delicious Series: The First Volume

by Stella Starling

  Danny was totally focused on what he was doing, his lower lip caught between his teeth as he brought his vision to life. He was incredible.

  “Yes, that’s it,” Danny finally said, stepping back to admire his work. He had paint smeared on his fingers, and a streak of blue decorated his cheek from when he’d reached up to brush his bangs out of the way. He didn’t seem to notice. “That’s much better than what I drew before. More you,” he said decisively, grabbing the sketchbook to compare. Then he suddenly blushed, sucking his lower lip into his mouth and eyeing Mace like he finally had something other than art in mind. “Except for the, um, angle,” he added, his breath quickening as his pupils dilated with lust again.

  Danny’s hands on him had already made Mace hard, but now the look on Danny’s face made his cock jerk almost painfully in the tight confines of his jeans. He hooked his thumbs into Danny’s pockets, pulling him within reach and marveling all over again that Danny allowed such things when, not so long ago, Mace wouldn’t have believed he’d ever have the right to touch him like that.

  “I like this angle,” Mace said, his voice coming out like gravel as he leaned down to taste the irresistibly fluttering pulse at the base of Danny’s throat.

  “I do, too,” Danny agreed breathlessly, flattening his hands against Mace’s chest and smearing what he’d drawn into new patterns. A shame, but Mace couldn’t complain, because Danny’s hands on him were fucking magic. “But originally, I had something a little different in mind,” Danny added, the words coming out in those little panting breaths that Mace had already learned to recognize as being harbingers of really good things to come. “Can I… ?”

  Danny pushed Mace away without finishing his question, wiping his hands against his own t-shirt to get the paint off and then dropping to his knees. He licked his lips, looking up at Mace with blown pupils as he started stroking Mace’s cock right through his pants.

  Pleasure spiked through him, the moment almost too good to be true. And yes, there may still have been some paint on his fingers, but Mace couldn’t bring himself to even think about caring. Christ. Danny was so damn sexy staring up at him like that, that he took Mace’s breath away… but obviously not all of it, because a moment later, when Danny unzipped him and pulled his cock out, he still had enough air left to groan Danny’s name.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he gritted out, more because he figured he should than because he had any desire whatsofuckingever to stop what Danny was so clearly intent on doing. It was the kind of thing Mace would have said in the past, but Danny wasn’t his past, and every time he looked at Mace… touched him… blessed him with that wide open smile, Mace let himself inch a little bit closer to believing that he just might be his future.

  “‘Have to’?” Danny quoted back, laughing with obvious delight and then, without any other warning, licking him like he was candy.

  Mace moaned, his head falling back as he threaded his fingers through Danny’s hair. Danny licked him again, and he pressed his lips together so he wouldn’t beg for more. JesusfuckingChrissstttttttt. That mouth. Mace dragged his eyes open and looked down again, as enraptured by the sight as by the way it felt to have Danny taking care of him this way.

  “I don’t have to, but I really, really want to,” Danny said, pausing to yank Mace’s pants down to his thighs and then licking his own palm. He wrapped his wet hand around Mace’s length and started to stroke, staring up at him greedily. “God, you look so hot. Do you mind if I...?”

  The question startled a laugh out of Mace, one that came out sounding more like a groan. Mind? Yeah, no. The opposite. All those big feelings were back tenfold, choking him up again, but luckily Danny didn’t make him answer, just wrapped those pretty lips back around his cock and swallowed him whole.

  “Jesus, Danny!” Mace gasped, his hands tightening around Danny’s head as his hips thrust forward with a mind of their own. “Fuck, that’s good. That’s… so fucking… so… good, baby.”

  Mace’s heart was suddenly trying to pound right out of his chest. He’d been blown before, but never… joyously. And now? He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, his orgasm already barreling down on him like a freight train. Yes, it felt amazing, but just watching his dick disappear into Danny’s lush, perfect mouth was almost good enough to get him there all on its own.

  He ran his thumbs over Danny’s lips—pink and wet and stretched so wide around him they’d turned white at the corners—mesmerized by the look on his face. Danny had his eyes closed and looked completely blissed out, alternating between sucking him deep and then popping off to run his open mouth down the length of Mace’s cock... rub it against his face… worship it with lips and tongue and cheeks and then, fucking Christ, take it back into the tight, wet heat of his throat again.

  Mace’s balls had pulled up tight and an urgent, overwhelming heat pooled at the base of his spine. He wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. Danny had every last ounce of his attention, and when those gorgeous eyes of his suddenly snapped open, filled with lust and joy and things Mace had no name for, looking up at Mace like he was the one getting off?

  It was fucking over.

  “Danny, fuck, I’m gonna come,” Mace panted, doing his best to give warning even though he could already tell it was too late. Every muscle in his body contracted at once, tightening down until he became nothing but one huge, pulsing wave of pleasure. He shot down Danny’s throat so hard and fast that his vision actually whited out.

  Mace groaned, his release an endless slice of heaven that turned him inside out, threatened to wreck him, made him want to capture this one, perfect moment and live in it for the rest of his life. His knees went weak as his body shuddered with the force of it and he thrust out a hand to catch himself, marking Danny’s wall with a colorful handprint.

  He hadn’t even realized he’d gotten paint on his hands—had no idea when that had happened—but now he could see it in Danny’s hair… on Danny’s face… streaked over his cheeks and throat and those gorgeous lips. Jesus, Mace must have had his hands all over him and not even realized it.

  And he liked it. Liked having marked Danny. Liked the way Danny had marked and painted and all but laid claim to his body, too.

  “That was amazing, baby,” he said once he finally could, which was true and also totally inadequate. And not just because Danny could suck dick like it was an art form, but because… Danny. Every moment he was in Mace’s life was a gift, and Mace was fucking blessed, more than he deserved to be.

  Danny was wiping his mouth, smiling up at him with those sparkling eyes that were always so damn happy to see him, leaning against his thighs and looking up at him like no one else had, ever.

  Blessed.

  Mace would never take it for granted.

  He pulled Danny to his feet so he could kiss him, groaning again when he tasted himself on those lips that he’d just decided he loved more than life. He slipped Danny’s shirt off and pulled him close even though it smeared paint on everything. Danny just laughed though, arching against him—thank fucking God—because Mace needed to touch him. Needed to run his hands over all that smooth skin, needed to find a way to make Danny understand how much he meant to him, even if it was too soon and too much and almost too fucking good to believe in… to hope it might last… to trust that it could.

  He tugged on Danny’s hair, tipping his head back to kiss his throat.

  “More, please,” Danny whispered, melting against him.

  More? Another gift. Mace was pretty sure he’d give Danny anything, and more was a privilege, not a favor. He licked his way down Danny’s pale chest and scraped his teeth across those sensitive nipples that always earned him sexy little whimpers that he was pretty sure he’d never get enough of.

  Danny ground against him, gasping out his name, and Mace felt a hot surge of satisfaction when he felt how hard Danny’s cock was.

  “Fuck, you really did like doing that, didn’t you baby?” Mace asked, wrapping one arm aro
und Danny’s waist to hold him steady and palming him through the denim. “Is this from blowing me?”

  “God, yes,” Danny panted, fumbling to open his own pants. “Mace, please… oh God.”

  “Anything,” he said, pushing Danny’s hands out of the way to take care of him.

  “Yes,” Danny moaned, wrapping himself around Mace’s body and rubbing against him. “More. Touch me. I want your hands on me. Please.”

  Mace grinned, the same joy he’d seen on Danny’s face earlier rocketing through him. He could give Danny that. Or…

  He stripped off the rest of Danny’s clothes, pushing the art supplies aside so he could lie him back on the little table and loving the way Danny let him do it... manhandle him… make him feel good the way he wanted to.

  “My hands, huh?” he asked, fisting Danny’s leaking cock while he took a minute to enjoy the way it made Danny’s eyes roll back in his head.

  “Yesssssssssssssss,” Danny moaned, back arching off the table beautifully.

  Mace’s spent cock tried to perk up at the sight, but it was too soon. Didn’t matter. It wasn’t the only part of him that could swell, and seeing Danny enjoy his touch made Mace’s heart feel like it had grown too big for his chest.

  Danny was so fucking beautiful it hurt, and he wanted Mace.

  Mace cleared his throat, swiping a thumb over Danny’s leaking slit and then bringing it up to taste.

  Danny’s eyes widened.

  “How about we try my mouth instead?” Mace suggested, his lips quirking up on one side as his pulse ratcheted up into the red zone. He never had before and wasn’t sure he could make it good, but he wanted to. Desperately. And even though Danny didn’t answer—at least, not with coherent words—Mace was going to assume by the hot-as-fuck sounds he made when Mace dropped to his knees and gave it a try that he had no objections, either.

  15

  Danny

  The little bell at the door announced someone entering the bakery, but Brandon was covering the front counter, so Danny ignored it in favor of adding contouring lines to the pink and green teddy-bear-shaped cookies on the prep table in front of him. Mace was supposed to stop in so they could have lunch together, but it was a little early for that.

  “Wow, that’s big,” he heard Brandon say, which made him snicker, still thinking of Mace.

  “That’s what she said,” came the reply.

  Ugh, not Mace.

  Danny rolled his eyes, the sound of Tad’s smarmy voice from the front of the store all too recognizable by now. Gavin was expecting some new equipment so it really wasn’t that surprising, but still, Danny was happy to stay in the back and avoid the slimy UPS driver today, since Brandon working the front counter meant he could.

  “Is that a new cupcake design?” he heard the Tad-the-manwhore ask Brandon, followed by a suggestive laugh as he dropped his voice into a low rumble that Tad no doubt assumed was sexy. “They look… tempting.”

  God, what an asshole.

  “Yeah, they’re new!” Brandon’s voice answered. “Limited edition.”

  The kid was both straight and clueless, qualities that were probably pluses when it came to dealing with someone like Tad. At the least, those factors would keep Brandon from being as skeeved out as Danny felt every time the smarmy UPS driver came into the bakery.

  “Nice,” Tad said, the lecherous lilt he gave the word making Danny’s skin crawl.

  “Danny made them in honor of Gavin’s birthday,” Brandon said, still not sounding creeped out.

  Danny set down the cookie he’d just finished and reached for another, trying and failing to tune out Tad and Brandon’s voices. Too bad he’d misplaced his earbuds again. And seriously, couldn’t Tad just make his delivery and get out?

  Apparently not, since from the sound of it, he was intent on something between an interrogation and flirting.

  “Gavin’s the owner, right? When is his birthday?”

  “It already passed. June sixth. We’re going to carry the cupcakes all month, though. Do you want to get some?”

  “Hm. Tempting. But I’d be more tempted if they were for your birthday…”

  Danny broke the cookie in his hand. Oh God. Seriously? What was Brandon, like twelve years old? Okay, probably sixteen or seventeen, but still. Jesus. Tad really was a creep.

  “Mine isn’t until September,” Brandon answered the guy with an easy laugh. “Which is kind of funny, ’cause all of us here have these double-digit birthdays. Gavin’s is six-six and mine is nine-nine.”

  “And what about the other one? Danny?”

  Ew.

  “His is in December—” Brandon started to say, right about the time Danny had had enough of listening to Tad flirt with a minor. And okay, fine, the idea of Tad asking anything at all about Danny’s personal business was definitely cringe-worthy, too.

  He dropped the cookie in his hand, raising his voice to talk over Brandon as he headed toward the front counter. “Brandon, can you go box up the online orders, please?”

  As vomit-inducing as having to deal with Tad was, Danny couldn’t in good conscience leave the kid to deal with being hit on by Sir Slutsalot all on his own.

  “Sure, Danny,” Brandon said cheerfully, heading to the prep area Danny had just left without a backward glance.

  “He’s still in high school, Tad, God,” Danny said as soon as Brandon was out of earshot, hoping like hell that Tad would pick up on the utter disgust in his voice even though he kept it to a whisper.

  “Jealous?” Tad asked, leaning against the counter and looking Danny up and down with a smirk.

  Ugh. No.

  Danny crossed his arms over his chest, Tad’s gaze leaving him feeling a little violated.

  “Don’t worry,” Tad went, his eyes settling on Danny’s mouth. He licked his lips. “That kid isn’t the one I really wanted to see here.”

  “Whatever,” Danny said, refusing to engage. Tad had been their UPS driver for a few months now and he’d so far managed to ignore every version of “not interested” that Danny had thrown at him. Best just to get him out the door as quickly as possible. “Do you need me to sign for the package?” he asked, holding a hand out in a gimme gesture.

  “You want my package?” Tad asked, leering at him and making no move to hand over the delivery paperwork.

  God, the man was unbelievable.

  Tad tapped the paperwork, his eyes shifting to the oversized box he’d wheeled in on a dolly. “This one came with a shitload of insurance. Must be valuable. Is that what your boyfriend does to keep you happy? Buys you pretty things and then pretends they’re business expenses?”

  “Jesus, Tad,” Danny said, rolling his eyes. “Gavin isn’t my boyfriend, he’s my boss, and it’s a proofing cabinet.”

  The bell on the door tinkled again, and Danny glanced up, forgetting Tad for a split second when he saw that this time, it was Mace. Now that man was the epitome of “delicious.” Too bad Tad was still yapping at him and distracting him from enjoying the sight. Still, Danny couldn’t help grinning, his heart doing the kind of glittering twirl that Cindy had pulled off after her fairy godmother had used a little magic to give her that gorgeous dress before the ball.

  “A proofing cabinet, huh?” Tad asked, leaning on the counter and blocking Danny’s line of sight. “Can’t say I know what that is exactly, but I can see it’s definitely… big.” He lowered his voice but otherwise ignored the fact that someone else had entered the bakery, carrying on with what he must actually consider a pick-up line. “And I can tell you want to get your hands on it, don’t you, sugar?”

  Tad reached out like he was going to try to touch Danny’s hand, and Danny flinched, yanking it away.

  Tad laughed. “Don’t be shy now. I’m guessing you like ’em big. In fact, I bet that pretty little mouth can take—ooph.”

  His disgusting come on was cut short when Mace grabbed him by the back of the neck and jerked him away from the counter, a thunderous expression on his face.


  “What did you just say to him?” Mace demanded.

  Danny’s breath caught, his disgust at Tad replaced by a fluttering heat in his bellow. God, he’d gotten so used to smiling-Mace lately that he’d almost forgotten how threatening not-smiling-Mace was capable of looking. Not that Danny minded at the moment. Not at all.

  “Get your hands off me,” Tad blustered, twisting away from Mace. “This is a private fucking conversation, asshole!”

  “Not anymore,” Mace said, sounding dangerous as he moved to stand between Tad and Danny. “Looks to me like Danny’s not interested in having a private conversation with you.”

  “Oh, Danny’s interested, all right,” Tad sneered, because apparently he was stupid. “The little cocktease is all over me every time I come in here.”

  Danny gasped in outrage. That lie was just insulting. God. As if.

  “He’s. Not. Interested,” Mace growled, totally invading Tad’s personal space as he leaned in to emphasize each word individually. “And don’t fucking talk about his mouth again. Don’t even look at it. You’re not allowed to even think about it.”

  “Why the fuck do you care?” Tad asked, narrowing his eyes at Mace as he stood his ground.

  Mace smiled at him coldly, and Tad swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he finally seemed to clue in to the fact that he was digging himself into a dangerous hole.

  “Because Danny is mine,” Mace said, advancing on him. And maybe Tad wasn’t quite as dumb as he seemed, because the guy immediately started backing up toward the door, an ugly look flashing across his face as Mace crowded him.

  Then he smiled tightly, raising his eyebrows and trying to laugh it off as he held his hands up in mock-surrender. “Hey, man, I think you misheard me. I’m just making a delivery here.”