by Cate Ashwood
I wanted to splinter him apart, to watch him fall to pieces in my hands. All I could do was feel him, the sensation of his body squeezing my cock, his heat surrounding me. I fucked him hard, and I felt the pleasure curling up inside me. Sounds came from me I had no idea I was capable of making, but I didn’t care. I wanted Chase to hear me. I wanted him to know how amazing it felt to be with him like this, but I was incapable of forming the words.
I let my body speak for me, my hips thrusting forward, and Chase moved back to meet me movement for movement. Each time I drove forward, I stumbled closer to the edge. I was close, so close, but my orgasm was just out of grasp. I hung there, balanced on the razor-thin edge of pain and pleasure, waiting for the inevitable rush.
Chase’s breath was coming in pants, raspy and broken. I felt it more than I heard it, my hearing dulled by the rush of blood in my ears. When I wrapped my fingers around the swollen flesh of Chase’s erection, he sobbed, his head falling forward. I stroked him, unable to force my hand to move in a regular rhythm. I had lost control completely, and just as quickly the pace of my thrusts began to falter.
A moment later, Chase came, the heat of his release spilling over my hand as he rode out his orgasm. His muscles contracted around my cock, impossibly tight, and like that, my own orgasm slammed into me, spasms of pleasure coursing through me as I climaxed, emptying into his willing body.
It took some time for the room to stop spinning. I slid my arm across his chest and held on, as though he might float away if I loosened my grip. We stayed like that for a moment, both of us struggling to draw enough air into our lungs. Eventually, our heartbeats slowed and I pulled out.
My brain hadn’t returned to being fully functional, but I was aware enough to realize sex with Chase was… I searched my mind for a word that would adequately describe it but came up blank.
It was everything.
After a quick cleanup, I dragged him to the couch with me and into my arms, then pulled the blanket from the back over us both. We’d need to make something to eat eventually, but for now, dozing off together sounded just about perfect.
“Hey, Alec?” Chase asked, his words almost slurred. I knew how he felt. I was wrung out and boneless, ready to fall easily into sleep.
“Uh huh.”
“Is it weird I don’t want them to know?”
“Who?” I asked, my brain not quite able to catch up with what he was saying.
“Our friends. I don’t want them to know about this.”
“We don’t have to tell them. Not any of their business, is it? Wasn’t part of the original arrangement, and we’re sticking to all the rules laid out. No reason for them to know about the… extra stuff.”
Chase hummed happily and shuffled in closer. I tightened my grip around him and closed my eyes, letting my body relax against his.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chase
“Which one should we get?” Alec asked, his hands on his hips as he stood next to me.
The aisle seemed to go on for miles, bottles upon bottles of wine I knew nothing about. I spotted one to my left and grabbed it. “How about this one?”
Alec looked dubious. “Did you pick that because of the label?”
“No,” I said indignantly. “The name played a part. Gray Fox. Who doesn’t love a gray fox every once in a while?” I winked at him.
“It’s less than ten bucks… doesn’t that mean it’s probably shitty wine?”
I shrugged. “No idea. But it’s made in California. They’re known for making good wine, aren’t they?”
Alec still didn’t look convinced, but he took the bottle from me before grabbing another. “We’ll get this one too. It has a medal on the label. Can’t be all that bad if it won an award, right?”
“Sounds like solid logic to me.”
Alec turned and headed for the cash register.
We were on our way to Reid and Jo’s for a double date slash wine tasting slash games night. It was beyond suburban-married-couplesque, but Brynn and Serena had tickets to a musical that night, so when Jo had asked if we wanted to forgo Webster’s in favor of some Chardonnay and a round or two of Scrabble, how could we say no? (Trust me, we tried our hardest to come up with a reason.)
We arrived right on time, wine in hand, and Jo looked happier than I think I’d ever seen her as she ushered us inside, insisting we make ourselves at home.
I didn’t think she meant it. If she had, I’d have been sitting in my boxers on her couch, one leg draped over Alec’s as I went to town on a bag of BBQ Fritos. Instead, I kept my pants on and sat down.
After spending so much time doing whatever I wanted to Alec, it felt weird to keep my hands off him now. I trusted Jo would keep anything she saw to herself, but Reid was another story, and we didn’t need to catch seven kinds of shit from Serena and Brynn. So instead of butting up next to him on the sofa, I chose the armchair near the window.
I still wasn’t sure why I didn’t want our friends knowing about the change in our relationship. Maybe because at least one of them would gloat and chant “I told you so” until I lost my shit. Or maybe because the new bond between us still felt so tenuous. It was temporary, but it wasn’t only that.
It was just mine.
I didn’t want to let anyone else in on it, and a twisted little part of me felt like if the others knew about us, it would lose some of its shine. I didn’t want to share. Alec was mine, and only mine. For another nine days anyway.
“Wine?” Reid offered, holding a bottle in each hand, his fingers wrapped around the necks.
“Uh, red? I guess?” I said, gesturing to his left hand. Obviously, I wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but then again neither was Reid. The whole evening had definitely been Jo’s idea. She was excited and I couldn’t begrudge her this, even if it wasn’t really up my alley. Something told me other than Serena and Brynn—who frankly would have been much more comfortable at a wine-tasting night—they didn’t have a lot of couple friends.
Since Alec and I were only going to be a couple for a little more than a week longer, we could indulge her this once.
I looked over at Alec, who sat on the left side of the couch wearing the sport coat he’d bought for my park opening. Fuck, he was handsome. Not just because of the jacket. I wanted Reid to fuck off to the kitchen so I could take a minute to grope him, just a little.
Alec met my gaze and smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners in that way that told me he knew exactly what I was thinking, and I smiled back at him. The look was conspiratorial, and I knew without a doubt that minutes after we got home that night, I’d be pinned down on the mattress and he’d be doing his best to make me forget my own name.
I couldn’t fucking wait.
I shook away the thought. Unless I wanted an erection along with my glass of Pinot, I needed to get my mind out of the gutter and remember we were not alone.
I looked up to find Jo staring at me with the same starry look in her eyes she got when she watched the old Audrey Hepburn movie Sabrina. I shook my head as dismissively as I could and looked away. Reid, with his ever-perfect timing, showed up right at that moment with two glasses of wine.
“Is that the Malbec?” Jo asked, her attention, for the time being anyway, pulled away from Alec and me.
“I think so?” Reid replied, handing a glass to each of us.
Jo looked pleased. “You’re going to love this one, guys. It’s supposed to be earthy, with hints of plum and violets.”
“Mmmm,” I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. Usually, I preferred my drinks to taste better than dirt and flowers, but she looked so pleased. She watched eagerly as I took the first sip. “Mmmm,” I repeated.
Truthfully, it wasn’t bad. Tasted a lot like every other red wine I’d ever drank.
“I’m so glad you like it,” she said, scurrying to the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a tray in each hand. “Proscuitto-wrapped figs with a balsamic drizzle.” She held up the plate in her left ha
nd. “And charcuterie.”
“That’s meat, right?” I asked gleefully.
“Yes, Chase. It’s meat,” she replied, placing the dish in front of me on the coffee table.
“This looks amazing, Jo. You didn’t need to go to all this trouble for us,” Alec praised.
She waved her hand in his direction. “Oh, it was nothing.”
The surreptitious look Reid shot us behind her back told a different story.
“I’ve made different appetizers to pair with each varietal of wine we have,” she informed us. I imagined her using the same voice on her second-grade students and held back a laugh as I imagined angry parents storming her classroom, demanding to know why she was liquoring up their kids.
As it turned out, wine and appies were my thing. Well, the appies were anyway, although three—or was it four?—glasses in, the wine was quickly becoming very much my thing as well.
I had a pleasant buzz going, my skin was warm and tingly, and everything seemed to have a sort of pleasant glow I’d never noticed before. Alec was the glowiest of them all, and it took everything I had in me not to spend every moment staring at him.
Fuck, he was so goddamn beautiful, and when he laughed at something Reid said, I came scarily close to dropping right to the floor and proposing for real.
“Time for a game?” Jo asked as she scooped up empty plates and stacked them easily in one hand.
“Strip poker?” I supplied once she’d returned, tearing my gaze away from Alec and redirecting to her. It took a moment for my eyes to focus, but when they did I saw her laughing at me.
“Something a little less nude,” she countered.
I waggled my eyebrows at Alec. “I’ll have to wait until I get home, then. I can do that. I’m a patient guy. Only one person I’m interested in seeing naked anyway.”
Alec chuckled then, and I wasn’t sure if it was at the look of surprise on Reid’s face, or at the notion I was in any way patient.
Without missing a beat, Jo picked up a box from one of the shelves beside the TV. “Pictionary?”
I laughed. “You guys are going to get your asses handed to you. I design things for a living, remember?”
“You draw straight lines and trees on a computer. Your job in no way qualifies you as a Pictionary specialist,” Reid taunted.
“We’ll have to see about that. I’m assuming Alec is on my team and you two are together?” I said, gesturing between Reid and Jo.
“Works for me,” Reid replied. There was a challenge in his voice and it got my blood pumping. Alec and I were going to wipe the fucking floor with him.
Jo disappeared down the hall, returning a moment later with two easels complete with oversized pads of paper and more colored markers than I’d seen in my life.
“You come prepared,” Alec said.
“Perks of the job. I’ve got stickers and glitter too, if you think that would help.”
“I think we’re good.”
Jo set everything up and Alec and Reid stood up, each grabbing a marker and getting into position.
“On your marks, get set, go!” Jo cheered, flipping the little timer over. The boys drew frantically, and Jo and I started throwing out guesses, each of us yelling over the other person’s voice.
“Man!… Fireman!”
Alec nodded enthusiastically and made the universal motion for “keep going.”
“Stripper!… Fireman stripper!… Magic Mike!” I screamed.
And so it went until the full minute ran out, and Jo had three cards stacked in front of her and all I had was a fucked-up drawing of a man dancing on a pole with flames beneath him.
“Fireman pole.” Alec laughed as he collapsed back on the couch.
“I think stripper should count,” I protested. “Do firemen actually use poles anymore if they’re not taking off their clothes?”
“Definitely does not count,” Reid said.
“We’ll get ’em next time,” Alec said, leaning over the arm of the sofa to hand me the marker.
I finished the last few sips of wine in my glass—it was getting tastier and tastier as the night wore on—then got up and flipped the page as Jo took her spot next to me.
“Three… two… one… go!” Reid shouted.
I checked my card. My word was Internet. I got to work, drawing as quickly as my now-sluggish fingers could go.
“Box… TV… Laptop!” Alec guessed, and Jo giggled next to me. I shook my head and kept drawing. I sketched a stick man sucking another stick man’s dick on the screen. My logic was flawless. Porn was the primary use for the Internet… Alec had to make the leap, right?
Nope.
Once more the minute lapsed, and Reid had a stack of four more cards in front of him while Alec had failed to guess.
“We’re off our game tonight,” I said.
“Sorry. Got stuck on the blowjob.”
Alec didn’t sound sorry. I laughed. “Who wouldn’t get fixated on a good blowjob?”
“The box says ages twelve and up. I don’t think a lot of parents of twelve-year-olds would be too pleased if their kids were drawing guys fellating one another,” Reid pointed out.
“They’re prudes, then. If we had kids, we’d be way more lenient,” I said.
Alec nodded and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reid and Jo share a look.
“What?” I asked, maneuvering around the coffee table with more effort than it normally would have taken. Rather than sitting in the chair I’d occupied all night, I chose the couch instead, wedging myself beside Alec.
“We’re out of wine,” Jo said. “I’ll grab another bottle.”
I leaned into Alec, feeling more at ease than I had all night. He put his arm around me, settling my body against his. It was exactly where I wanted to be, and all thoughts of keeping our relationship a secret had evaporated hours ago.
When Jo returned, I saw her gaze dart between us, but she didn’t say anything as she filled our glasses. Honestly, I couldn’t actually tell the difference between the wines, but I was feeling relaxed and loose, and I certainly didn’t want to move.
Rather than continuing the game, Reid launched into a story about a guy he knew from work, and I tried to nod at the appropriate times, but all I could concentrate on was the sensation of Alec next to me, the weight of his arm around my shoulders, the way I could feel each breath he took as his ribs expanded and contracted.
This, this right here, was perfect.
“I should probably get him home,” Alec said. The words were distant, and I had no idea how much time had passed. I could still feel the tendrils of sleep wrapped around my brain, and it was a struggle to open my eyes.
Alec pulled me up with him and walked us to the door. I let him lead me, my body following his instinctively. He pulled my jacket over my shoulders, and I leaned against him, my eyes already closed, my head against his chest.
“He’s going to have a wicked bad hangover tomorrow,” Reid said.
I knew he was right. The room began to spin, but I didn’t give a shit. I was happy. I could have stayed that way forever, Alec’s hand in my hair, holding me against him.
When he spoke, his words reverberated through me. “He’ll be okay. I’ll take care of him.”
I hummed happily, and then I heard Jo laugh.
“Get him home and into bed,” she said.
For a half a second I thought about making a joke, her comment too easily inviting sexual innuendo, but I kept quiet. Speaking was too much effort at that point.
“I will,” Alec assured her. I felt another set of arms around me—Jo’s this time—and then Alec ushered me out the door and onto the street where a cab waited for us.
When we got home, Alec helped me to my feet and took my hand before leading me into the building. Inside, I stepped into his arms again and kissed the side of his neck, just wanting to be close to him. I felt his pulse beneath my lips, steady and reassuring. He was so fucking perfect, I ached with it.
He pulled me to
the bedroom and pressed me against the wall where he kissed me, slow and sweet and seductive. I melted against him, wanting this feeling to last forever. This was bliss, the wine and Alec and the quiet of the apartment surrounding me and pulling me into a serene sense of calm.
With gentle hands, he undressed me and guided me to the bed. I climbed in and waited as he removed his own clothing before coming to lay beside me. His body was warm, heat emanating from him as he pulled me to him and maneuvered us until his body was above mine, pressing me into the softness of the sheets. I opened my legs wider, cradling his body with my own as he kissed me again. The room spun in the other direction as I felt the hardness of his erection slide against my own.
I let my body respond, bucking up against his, searching distractedly for that tight pressure that would send me soaring. In the distance, though the sound came from underwater, I heard the snick of the cap of the lube, and then Alec was there, pushing slowly into me. He reached between us and wrapped his hand around my cock, stroking in time to his thrusts. It was languid and easy, an unhurried pursuit of pleasure that made me delirious with happiness.
Alec knew me—knew every nuance, every quirk, every kink. He knew exactly how to wring every ounce of bliss from me and make me liquid in his arms. Colors danced in my head and I bit back the words I so desperately wanted to say in the moment. But now wasn’t the right time.
He kissed me as I came, swallowing the sound of my cries as I spilled over his fist, and not a minute later he followed me over, his orgasm steady and even as he filled me.
I fell asleep with him still inside me, happy and sated and warm.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alec
Sparks flew through the air, skittering and then fading away as I inspected Jason’s product. I was pleasantly surprised with how well both brothers had done in their few weeks at Liberty, and I had all but decided to offer them permanent jobs if they wanted them. The work was solid, and their work ethic was even better. They’d been early for each and every one of their shifts without a single sick call. That wasn’t something I could have said weeks earlier for the men they were replacing.