Nate tensed, a garbled sound of protest coming from him before Adam distracted him with his mouth and tongue, taking him deep into his throat and swallowing around the head of Nate’s cock. While he did this, he played with Nate’s puckered entrance.
“Fuck,” Nate muttered, his hips jerking upward.
Adam grasped the opportunity and played with more aggression. Soon Nate twisted and squirmed and didn’t protest when Adam stroked his finger inside.
Nate swore again and shivered, climaxing suddenly.
Yes! He wanted to shout in elation, but he was too busy swallowing. Gradually, Nate’s dick softened and, with a final stroke of his tongue, Adam lifted his head. He removed his finger from Nate’s ass.
They stared at each other. Nate was the first to look away. Adam waited for him to say something. He didn’t.
What the hell had he expected? A bloody medal? Sighing, Adam climbed off the bed and stalked to the en suite without another word. He started the shower and stepped inside, closing the glass doors after him. The shower was large enough for three adults, with several showerheads, designed to massage and offer all sorts of sensual delights. Wasted today.
He grabbed a handful of the shower gel from the special dispenser and scrubbed it over his chest and under his arms. Closing his eyes, he let the water pour over him. The squeak of the shower door snapped his eyes open.
Nate stepped into the cubicle, closing the door after him. “Why did you run off?”
“I didn’t think there was anything to say.”
Nate reached for the shower gel and squirted some into his palm. “You took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to wake up that way.”
Adam shrugged. He thought they’d talked about that, settled it already. A man could take only so much rejection before he walked away. The way Nate ran hot and cold didn’t bode well for the happily-ever-after dreams he’d been busy conjuring.
Nate grabbed a washcloth and lathered it up. “I didn’t think you’d sulk.”
Stung, Adam muttered, “I don’t sulk.” He glared at Nate, his right hand clenched at his side.
“Then finish your shower and come back to bed,” Nate said. “It’s still early. We don’t need to be anywhere until this afternoon.”
A spurt of anger made Adam testy. “Don’t do me any favors.” He scrubbed his groin, ignoring his hard-on and the hungry burst of pleasure. He would not jerk off with Nate watching.
Nate grasped one shoulder and jerked Adam around to face him. “I’m not. I want this.”
“What about Rosa? Is she going to come between us all the time?” Damn, now he sounded jealous.
“Rosa is dead. I’m not.” Nate sighed. “Look, Rosa was a large part of my life. I miss her. I’m going to think about her sometimes. But I have feelings for you and I want to explore them.” His brown eyes burned with intensity. “If that’s what you want.”
Another silent stare as they measured and weighed each other’s responses.
“Okay?”
Adam relaxed a fraction. “Okay.” Hell, he hoped Nate wasn’t stringing him along. He didn’t think he could bear that.
Nate smiled and closed the distance between them until their chests touched. Lowering his head, he snatched a kiss, laughing when their noses collided. Finally, they managed to get it right, and the teasing kiss turned serious. Their lower bodies brushed, cocks rubbing together. Need simmered through Adam. Longing. He wanted to grip Nate’s hips and thrust into him, using hard, no-nonsense strokes until they both shuddered with the power of their desire. Yeah, that was what he wanted.
Wasn’t gonna happen. Not yet.
Adam was afraid if he pushed Nate too hard, he’d run again, despite his brave words of wanting more between them. Of course, there were alternatives.
Adam pulled away. “You ready to get out yet?”
Nate reached for the gel. “Give me a bit longer.” He washed and rinsed off the soap while Adam pushed open the door and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, he dried off rapidly before wrapping the damp towel around his waist and heading for the phone.
By the time Nate came out, he’d ordered breakfast and coffee and pulled on a pair of jeans.
“I thought I’d find you in bed,” Nate said.
“I ordered coffee.” Adam’s breath caught. Nate was eyeing his chest in a distinctly predatory manner.
Nate’s eyes narrowed. “Good idea.” He opened his mouth to say something else and stopped when someone knocked on the door. “Better go and put on some clothes.”
“Don’t dress on my account.” Adam grabbed some money from his wallet for a tip and went to answer the summons.
“Check to see who it is first,” Nate warned, pausing on his way to the bedroom. “Make sure they’re wearing the same uniform as the guys last night.” He disappeared, returning seconds later, buttoning his jeans as he strode barefoot across the luxurious carpet.
Adam snorted, but squinted through the peephole anyway. “It’s someone on the staff,” he said, opening the door.
“This time.” Nate sauntered over to the curtains and pulled them back, letting in the early morning light. “It might not be every time. Caution won’t hurt. Too many strange things happened yesterday.”
The young woman picked up the breakfast tray off her cart and carried it into their room, setting it on top of a small wooden table.
“Thanks,” Adam said, handing over a tip.
She thanked him and left.
“Nothing sinister about her,” Adam said.
“Smug doesn’t become you.”
Adam grinned, liking that Nate didn’t treat him like royalty. Some of the management team did because he was the lead singer, the rising star. If Nate thought he was talking shit, Nate told him. It had always been that way. “Want some coffee?”
“Yeah.”
Adam poured two cups and handed over a black to Nate, doctoring his own with cream and a packet of sugar.
Nate stared at him over his steaming coffee cup. “I thought it was your hard-on making you testy, and all the time it was lack of caffeine.”
“Why are you pushing?” Adam demanded. “Is it so I’ll take charge and you won’t have to think? Because if it is, you should reconsider. I’m not doing anything to you or with you without your approval. No way am I gonna give you the opportunity to cry foul at a later date.”
Nate sipped his coffee. “Damn, you’re no fun.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know. It’s true I’m having a few problems readjusting my thinking. It’s been Rosa for me for a long time, ya know?”
Adam nodded, although he couldn’t stop his leap of resentment toward the woman. He strove to hide it and thought he managed okay because Nate’s expression didn’t alter. Adam took a deep breath and shoved Rosa to the back of his mind. He didn’t need to think about her. “I envy you having a constant partner. I haven’t had any serious relationships.”
“Why?” Nate settled on a chair by the window and stretched out his legs.
Adam watched the flex of Nate’s chest, admired the play of muscles beneath the denim of his jeans. He stared into his coffee cup when what he really wanted to do was close the distance between them and run his hands over Nate’s sexy body.
“Adam?”
How much should he tell Nate? Stick close to the truth. That might work best. “I lived in a small town and didn’t get out much. I had commitments at home.”
“What sort of commitments?”
Adam didn’t think Nate was ready to learn about his family history. He’d tell him later, if it looked as if they really had a future. That would be time enough to tell him tales about Kokopelli and his family bloodlines. “My father wasn’t well. They needed me to help out on the ranch.”
“How come I never knew you came from a ranching background?”
“Because I live and breathe music,” Adam said with a chuckle. “We’ve always talked about songwriting and bands and the next gig on the ho
rizon. Farming isn’t my thing.”
“What about your father?”
The humor fell away. “He disowned me. Didn’t want a queer son. It didn’t matter to him if I was in the closet or not. He didn’t appreciate skeletons in his family closet. We argued. I left.”
“That’s rough,” Nate said, his brown eyes saying more, holding sympathy. Understanding. “It’s hard to believe you haven’t had a serious relationship.”
Hell, he hadn’t wanted anyone else once he’d seen Nate. “I haven’t had a chance. We’re on the road for months at a time. There isn’t the opportunity for more than a casual hookup. I’m fine with that.” Or at least he used to be okay with that. Now he wanted Nate.
“So, this is casual for you?” Nate’s eyes held a hint of vulnerability and hurt. Adam hurried to reassure him.
“Now I’ve met someone I could get serious about,” Adam said, going with honesty. “If he has the guts enough to go for it.” Yeah, that was the truth. The words felt right, made him feel confident about the future. He really was in this for the long haul.
“You calling me a coward?”
“If the hat fits.”
Nate exhaled, the sharp sound hanging in the air between them. “Since Rosa, I haven’t looked at another woman. You know that.”
“And men?”
“Adam, hell.” He dragged an agitated hand through his hair. “Before Rosa, I had a few casual relationships, but once I met her, that was it.” He glanced at Adam. “I have slept with a couple of men. Experimented.”
“Yeah? You never said. So, you’re not a virgin?”
“No, and you never asked. You were too busy trying to seduce me. Are we going to eat or not?”
A change of subject. Adam hid a smirk. Nate never talked much about himself. They were alike in that respect. Turning away, he grabbed the covers off the food, then handed a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs to Nate.
“Cade and I need to sort out replacement guitars this morning, and I’ll have to buy another sax.”
Nate frowned. “Damn, I’d forgotten about that.”
“Good to know the thought of sex with me drives everything from your head.”
Nate ignored Adam’s comment and reached for his cell phone. “I’ll ring Cade now.”
“He’ll be pissed,” Adam said. “You know he hates waking early.”
“He’s gonna be pissed anyway,” Nate said. “Finding new instruments won’t be easy.”
All true. He’d had his guitar and sax for a long time. They were like old friends and almost an extension of him. Playing another one just wasn’t the same. Anger built in Adam, his hands clenching around his knife and fork. The culprit should start running, because if he managed to grab them, their life wouldn’t be worth living. “Morgan has a spare. That will take care of one of us. The pub owner is a keen musician. He might know where we can get our hands on replacements.” Adam forced himself to start eating his breakfast. He listened to Nate organize Cade to meet them at the hotel. Next he rang the owner of the pub.
“All sorted apart from the sax,” Nate said. “The pub owner has guitars you can borrow. They might have a lead on a sax as well. We’ll know in a couple of hours.”
Adam smiled in bemusement. “I could have done that. I don’t need you to take care of me.”
The color bleached from Nate’s face. He set the cell down on the coffee table with a firm click and stood abruptly, heading for the en suite.
“Wait. Dammit, Nate.”
Nate didn’t look back. The door shut in a demand for privacy, and Adam sank back onto the couch. Damn, it was two steps forward, one step back with Nate. He didn’t know where he was with the other man, and it killed him.
Justin’s bedroom door opened, and Lara let out a shriek of horror. Justin whipped the covers over her head, tugging her trembling body close to his side while he tamped down his anger. The heavy curtains jerked back, the bright morning sunlight highlighting his father’s grizzled appearance and determined face.
“Justin, the petitioners have arrived for the day.”
“I was busy,” Justin said in a mild voice, fighting an inward struggle for calm. He made sure the covers hid his chest from his father’s view. The last thing he needed was for his father to notice the absence of the Kokopelli tattoo. That would cause problems. Lara hadn’t mentioned the subject, and he didn’t like to bring it up with her and highlight his predicament. Part of the reason for his favoritism in regard to her was the fact she didn’t disclose anything of a private nature to others—not as far as he had noticed. His father wouldn’t be quite as reticent. Justin met his father’s gaze and waited.
“Send the slut home. You sully the Kokopelli name.” Distaste dripped from each word. “No wonder crops are declining and people drift from the old ways with the example you give them.”
An old argument and one Justin tired of. “I will be ready in half an hour.”
Their gazes clashed, and for once Justin didn’t back down from his father’s will. A look of surprise, followed swiftly by a clipped nod, brought relief to Justin. His father crossed the lavish room with rapid steps, exiting without another word. Justin glanced at his watch, knowing the clock ticked. His father would expect his presence in the conference room in exactly half an hour. If he didn’t arrive, his father would come looking for him. Again.
Justin climbed from the king-size bed, grimacing at his erection. “You’d better go, sweetheart,” he said. “And stay out of my father’s way, hmmm?”
“He called me a slut.”
“I know. He’s upset with me and taking it out on you. I’m sorry.” The one good thing to come from this was meeting Lara. Although he slept with others, Lara was his preferred lover. She understood him, never pressured for a commitment where other women might have taken advantage of the situation. “Are you helping with the petitioners today?”
Lara smoothed her hair. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll see you later.”
Justin headed for the shower and, half an hour later, strode into the conference room where he met with the petitioners. A sense of peace came over him, as it always did when he walked into this room and pulled on the Kokopelli mantle.
His father had had his time as the caretaker of Kokopelli magic and freely passed the gift to Adam. After their bitter argument, they’d forcibly removed the power from Adam and his younger brother had left. Now his father and the other elders considered Justin unworthy. He would not go down without a fight.
Despite the flash of anger at his father, Justin forced his mouth into a gentle smile and glanced along the line of waiting women. Young and old, they all wanted one thing. They wanted Justin to give the gift of fertility to their family, to bring fruitful crops and riches. Each day the lines were longer, the pressure to perform greater.
And something was making the magic falter.
Forcing aside his anxiety, Justin went to the start of the line and spoke with the first woman.
“How can I help you?” he asked, already knowing what she required. Past her childbearing years, she most likely required help with her failing crops. As if the current drought was his fault!
“If this crop fails, the bank will foreclose on our farm. It has been in my family for four generations,” she whispered.
Justin held out his left hand, the one bearing the ceremonial Kokopelli ring. Smiling through tear-filmed eyes, she clasped his hand in hers so tightly he feared for his circulation. “Good fortune to you,” he replied, waiting while she collected herself and kissed his ring.
The pattern repeated for the next two hours with Justin murmuring the same words over and over until he felt like a robot. With the doors constantly opening and closing, the temperature rose inside the conference room, the air conditioning system laboring to maintain the setting on the dial.
“One moment, please,” Justin said to the next person in line, a beautiful teenager with a sultry smile that probably gave her parents nightmares. He stepped a
side, speaking to Lara in an undertone. “No more. Tell Pedro to cut off the line and send the rest home.”
“Yes, Justin.” Lara bustled away, her sensuous form covered with a shapeless robe. The fabric whispered as she departed and, sighing, Justin turned back to the waiting teenager. He wished he could work out a way to delegate, but unfortunately, contact with the people was one of the mainstays of the Kokopelli tradition.
“How can I help you?” Justin asked the teenager.
“I don’t wish to have a child,” she said. “I’m too young. I want to enjoy myself before I tie myself to one man and become fat with a baby.”
Justin jerked with shock. He suspected his mouth dropped open a fraction before he regained control. The girl’s dark brown eyes dared him to disagree, attitude spilling from every line of her curvy body. She really expected him to condone this when Kokopelli spread fertility?
“Kokopelli brings fertility,” Justin reminded her, fighting the masculine urge to let his gaze wander her tits. The last thing he needed was to give her more ammunition.
“He’s not doing such a great job lately,” she retorted, thrusting back her shoulders, her firm breasts moving another inch closer to his chest. “The crops have failed again because of the drought, and birth rates have decreased. The women around here are barren.” She tossed her head, setting her glossy black curls in motion.
“Then I don’t understand why you’re petitioning me,” Justin said.
“I figure it’s something you’re doing. You have the power to make people and crops fruitful, and it stands to reason you have the ability to do the opposite. My observations say you’re using your powers to amass wealth. Naughty, naughty.” She waggled her finger in a chiding motion, her lips pursed in a sexy pout.
Justin knew his mouth dropped open this time. What the hell should he say to that? The sly grin made her look like a contented cat. It jerked him back to his senses. “I suggest if you don’t wish to conceive, you abstain from sexual contact. That is the correct way.”
She scowled, her eyes flashing with the beginnings of a temper tantrum. “If I wanted a lecture, I would speak with my parents.”
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