Reunited: Matchmakers Book 4

by Declan Rhodes

  “Why would I make up a whale sighting?”

  By the time we approached the rail, at least ten fellow passengers had joined us. We watched a massive tail fin appear and applauded while hoping for more.

  Unfortunately, the whale decided he’d given his only show for the afternoon, and the crowd eventually broke up. Kenneth asked, “Do you want to get a drink? Or, if you’d like, we can sit on the deck under a blanket and cuddle.”

  “I’ve got something else in mind. I’ve been waiting for the best moment, and I think this is as good as any other.”

  The rest of the whale watchers were gone. We were alone on the deck with sunshine and an endless expanse of blue water beyond the rail. I took hold of Kenneth’s left hand and dropped to one knee.

  When I looked up into Kenneth’s eyes, I saw joy and the sparkle of tears forming. It was a far cry from the “deer in headlights” look I noticed after my disastrous proposals in the past. While we continued to gaze into each other’s eyes, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small box.

  Kenneth placed his right hand over his mouth, and his left hand began to tremble.

  “Kenneth Taylor, will you make me the happiest man on earth? Will you marry me?”

  I’ll not know to this day whether Kenneth was teasing me in the next moments, or he was simply too choked up to say anything. He squeaked out, “I…” Then, his voice faded, and he said, “I” three more times before he could continue.

  I fought hard to stop myself from offering verbal encouragement to continue. I was a paragon of patience as I waited, and my aging knee began to hurt.

  “Yes, I will!”

  The words burst forth, and Kenneth spread his fingers wide to accept the ring. I slid it onto his ring finger, breathed a sigh of relief, and then kissed his hand.

  He started to reach down to hug me, and I said, “No, please. Help me up first. My knee…hurts.”

  Kenneth braced himself against my body to allow me to stand. “I didn’t think about that. I bet it does hurt. I knelt the day before we left to dig something out of one of my cupboards. It was no fun.”

  “I’m glad you don’t mind the idea of marrying an old man.”

  “Middle-aged. 40 is what? The new 20?” Kenneth threw his arms around my neck, and we kissed. I’d not noticed anyone else approaching as I proposed, but a smattering of applause arose when our lips met.

  I whispered into Kenneth’s ear. “I guess we have a small audience. I hope you don’t mind the spotlight.”

  “Mind that somebody saw the best man in the world give me a ring? I want to shout it from the rooftops. At last! We’re on our way to forever at last.”

  Epilogue - Daniel

  Blake was so excited on the phone that he could barely talk. I grinned from ear to ear while I listened.

  “Can I put the phone on speaker so Kenneth can hear the good news, too?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure. I…I don’t know if I can talk, but I’ll do my best. Oh, my God! Daniel! He did it!”

  Kenneth pushed his way up next to me on my sofa and nibbled on my earlobe while I rested the phone on my lap. I didn’t know whether I’d be able to talk either with Kenneth’s behavior distracting me. He was always wickedly amorous early in the morning.

  Blake shouted so loud that the phone speaker crackled. “I’m engaged, Daniel! Can you believe that? I was the guy who accepted that I’d be a lonely bachelor forever. I knew that I would never find anyone who wanted me.”

  “And along came—oh, man—Hunter, right?”

  Kenneth slipped one hand between my legs. I was only wearing boxer shorts. Blake called at 8:00 a.m. minutes after Hunter popped the question.

  “Oh, man? What’s going on there?” Blake paused. “Don’t worry. Who cares? It’s like this. Hunter was so sexy there on one knee that I made him let me take a photo after the ring was on my finger. We’d just finished eating breakfast. The kitchen still smelled like fried bacon.”

  Kenneth whispered in my ear. “Maybe we need a double wedding,” and then his hand cradled my balls.

  A low rumbling groan escaped the back of my throat. “Uh, Blake, this is fantastic news. I couldn’t be happier for you, but I think you need to call Iris, too, if you haven’t done that already.”

  My breath quickened while Blake said, “Yeah, she’s next on the list, and then I’ll tell my parents. They thought they’d never get to go to a wedding.

  “And thank you for the call, but I do need to go. Hug Hunter for me. I love you both.”

  “And congratulations from me, too!” exclaimed Kenneth.

  I heard Blake say, “Oh, so that’s what’s up there. Two horny men can’t…” I hung up on the call.

  Kenneth dove beneath the blanket I had wrapped around myself and pulled it over his head.

  I said, “How the hell can I…oh, fuck!”

  I threw the blanket on the floor. Kenneth already had my boxer shorts down around my knees, and he’d sucked one of my balls into his mouth.

  He wasn’t in the mood to talk, but I scolded gently. “Maybe it would be polite to ask when your partner is on the phone whether…oh, damn.”

  I reached out for Kenneth’s shoulders. My body was on fire from his attention to my cock and balls. He was moving a little too fast for a lazy Saturday morning, and I tugged on his upper arms to pull him forward for a kiss.

  “I didn’t give you a kiss earlier because you were too busy talking.”

  Kenneth pushed his tongue into my mouth when I parted my lips, and I sucked hard. For a brief moment, I reflected on the phone call from Blake. All was right with the world. All three of the Match Made partners were engaged to be married. It would be possible to have a triple wedding if we all wanted that.

  While our tongues tangled together for a marathon kiss, Kenneth pulled his hands forward and rubbed my chest and shoulders. He came up for air briefly and asked, “Did you say you had a sore spot after the gym the other day?”

  I flashed a wicked grin. “Maybe more than one.”

  “Show me.”

  I touched my right bicep with my index finger. I felt a twinge in it during my curls at the gym. “This muscle was a little sore.”

  “Mmm, that’s unfortunate.” Kenneth lowered his head and kissed my bicep. He nibbled, licked, and kissed until all of the soreness was long forgotten.

  I squirmed beneath him and whispered, “I think there was another sore spot.”

  “Yeah? You didn’t tell me you had two.”

  “Right about here.” I gently slapped my left pec. I’d pushed hard on the upper body two days ago. “Maybe it can use a little TLC.”

  My cock was fully erect resting against my belly when Kenneth’s lips fell upon my left nipple. He trailed his tongue in a lazy circle around it and then sucked with his teeth, barely grazing the tip.

  Kenneth’s erotic techniques weren’t new, but, as in all other aspects of his life, he became a more confident lover, too. I thought our sex was fantastic in the first two years of our relationship, but there was no comparison with the present. Experience, intelligence, and confidence all combined to move the quality of our sex life off the charts.

  I arched my back when Kenneth’s teeth gently bit. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to sting. With the rest of my body fully aroused, the light pain felt more like a rush of carnal pleasure.

  “And do you know where else was sore?’

  Kenneth looked up. He had that expression of sexual abandon in his eyes. “Where? Please, Daniel, tell me.”

  “Right about down there.” I made the last one up, but I knew that neither Kenneth nor I would mind.

  I slowly slid my right hand down over my chest and abs, and my fingers crawled over my treasure trail down below my waist. Kenneth’s face followed in their wake. He licked, sucked, and chewed his way to the mark.

  I wrapped my fingers around the base of my cock and held it away from my body until Kenneth’s lips arrived. His warm wet tongue sent shocks through my system. I let go
of my cock and dug my fingertips into the sofa, holding on while the sucking began.

  It was more than a simple blow job. Kenneth gently pushed my lower legs up and back until he had access behind my balls. I handed over the lube from the drawer of the side table.

  With two fingers slicked up, Kenneth reached under me while his lips and tongue continued to lavish attention on my cock. In the past, I rarely let anyone take full control of my body, but I was ready to go there at any time with Kenneth. In the past, I never knew that anyone ever wanted to go there with me, but my future husband was the man. He grew to love taking the lead, and his sexual confidence soared.

  “Oh—fuck!” The two fingers slipped past my ring, and it caused my eyelids to flutter. In my early years of sexual activity, all of the actions and sensations focused on my cock, balls, and backside. With the seasoning of age, I discovered that my entire body could be involved, which took me to higher and higher levels of ecstasy.

  Kenneth began to whisper. His voice was low, rugged, and insistent. “You want to come for me, right, Daniel? You can’t wait for me to push you over that edge. Am I right about that?”

  My breath caught, and I panted for air. “Yes, please.”

  “Let me know just how much you want it, Daniel. Let me know that you want me to take you there.”

  I started to babble, but I knew that all of the words were the truth. “You’re the only man that can take me there. It’s the best place in the world, the land of pleasure, the place of perfect love. Oh, fuck, Kenneth. I’m close. I’m so fucking close.”

  My hips bucked, and my balls tensed. Kenneth stopped sucking for a few short seconds, and my body trembled. I was losing control. I couldn’t hold out much longer.

  With his hand, Kenneth took over from his mouth and stroked my cock. It was the signal that broke through all of the noise. He was ready for me to shoot my load. I pushed my head hard back against the sofa with my mouth thrown wide open.

  A wracking shudder raced through my body, and then my cock erupted. Hot cum shot in an arc onto my belly.

  “That’s it! Good man. My love. My perfect man!”

  Kenneth’s words of praise slowly sank in while two more rounds of orgasmic intensity swept through my body.

  “Oh, holy…” I buried my words in Kenneth’s lips, pulling him up close for a hard, passionate kiss.

  Kenneth rested his head on my chest, and I panted to catch my breath. He said, “I guess you know there’s a positive side to having to wait ten years for me to say yes to your proposal.”

  “And you’ll explain that to me now?”

  Kenneth idly played with the hair on my chest. His words echoed in my ribcage. “If I’d said yes back then, you’d have married an immature man, almost a kid.”

  I chuckled softly. “I don’t know whether I should ask this question, but who would you have married?”

  “Daniel—always Daniel. I’d have married you, but the version I have now is phenomenal in ways I could never have imagined back then. If we didn’t need to find our paths through the forest, we might have never arrived at today. Now I know how to truly love you.”

  Mismatched - Matchmakers Book 1

  Reviews

  “First and foremost, what I absolutely adored about this book was the way the author wove the humor throughout, even managing to insert it seamlessly into one of the the love scenes.”

  “The old saying that oil and water don't mix and opposites do attract can said to be the essence of this story. But tragedy of huge proportions shake both men to the core and make each stronger when both deal successfully with the cards they are dealt.”

  “Hank and Luke have an amazing connection and then life happens and now Luke has a lifetime commitment to his darling little niece. How do you navigate life and find your path with so many responsibilities and changes? ”

  Hot-shot lawyer Hank Donovan and motorcycle maintenance man Lucas Dean were hopelessly mismatched until a lakeside kiss, a death in the family, and a little girl named Jasmine turned their world upside down.

  Lucas Dean, owner of Cycle Shift, a motorcycle maintenance and second-hand shop, wants a match who’s as much of a free-spirit as he is, and someday he wants to be a father. His business partner, Jerry, thinks Match Made is the perfect way to find the dream partner.

  Hank Donovan, one of the hottest names on the local legal scene, is lonely, although he’s the last to admit it. He buries his fears that he’ll never find a man in courtroom success and a stunning view of Lake Michigan from his living room window. Kids are out of the question, but there must be a single man out there who can bring Hank his happily ever after.

  When Daniel and Blake match up Hank and Luke, it’s a guaranteed success. Or it was supposed to be, if it weren’t for the computer error that put the mismatched pair together for a disastrous first date.

  A last-ditch second-chance outing puts the wheels of fate into motion, and they just might cure Hank’s loneliness, make Luke a dad, and give a precocious little girl named Jasmine a permanent home.

  Read Mismatched

  Geeked - Matchmakers Book 2

  Reviews

  “I'm glad that so much good was able to happen, during the course of this story, both for Blake and Hunter personally, but also for so many other characters in this book through the center that Hunter manages.”

  “Blake and Hunter are steamy, sweet, and kinda perfect. I loved the skinny ties, introduction to being a trekkie, disco music and walks along the river boardwalk.”

  “A fine story of discovered attraction that becomes full blown love. ”

  From the outside, self-described computer programming geek Blake Moss is a straight, happy-go-lucky partner in the rising gay matchmaking company, Match Made. On the inside, the facade he’s built since a traumatic breakup nearly a decade ago is starting to crack.

  Hunter Schultz, former football jock, is still licking his wounds only months after walking out on his incompatible boyfriend, Robert. Devotion to his job as head of the city’s LGBTQ+ youth center helps him make it through the rough patches.

  The CinderFella charity auction sponsored by Match Made and benefiting the youth center brings Blake and Hunter together in an unexpected way. After a last-minute confession from Blake, his boss, Daniel, buys him a date with Hunter.

  Blake is terrified, and Hunter is intrigued by the quirky man who’s fascinated by old dance music and science fiction TV. Against all expectations, the future looks like it might be bright until Robert’s jealousy intervenes, and Blake’s anxiety flares.

  Read Geeked

  Duped - Matchmakers Book 3

  Reviews

  “The main characters in this series are fun. They connect with the other people in the books and draw you into the story like you are their best friend. I couldn't wait to see how it was going to turn out.”

  “The first thing I have to say is that the cover is beautiful and fits the book very well. This story of an actor and a zookeeper is beautifully put together. The insecurities they have and get over makes for very light angst. Everything that needs to come together does with finesse.”

  “I absolutely ADORED Alex... Finn, didn't sit well with me at first but with knowledge comes understanding and the more I got to know him the more I loved him.”

  Finn Weston charms millions of TV viewers each week, and Alex Ramsey rises to the challenge of saving a tiny endangered wolf pup's life. Unfortunately, when closeted Finn finds his perfect man in Alex, they both struggle with how to keep the relationship's rough waters from tearing them apart.

  Finn is an accidental TV action star. After an astonishing rise to the top, he has everything, except a partner who knows the real Finn and not only his onscreen alter ego. Finn wants his first man, and he wants a perfect one, handsome, intelligent, and sexy, who's also culturally out of touch. The Match Made matchmaking service has found him.

  Alex is a zookeeper fleeing liars and cheats to take refuge in the guileless lives of animals. H
e doesn't have much free time, but what there is he spends alone curled up in a classic TV comfort zone. At first, his self-inflicted solo existence is a relief, but it quickly evolves into empty feelings that Alex wants to shake.

  Pairing Finn with Alex, the Match Made computer hit the bullseye. They are entranced with each other. Unfortunately, Finn keeps his TV secret too long, and a family of endangered red wolves fills almost all of Alex's time. The relationship's road turns bumpy, and the light at the end of the tunnel dims. Can friends, fans, and co-workers steer shining star Finn and heroic Alex to calmer waters before stormy weather tears them apart for good?

  Read Duped

  About the Author

  Declan Rhodes is an author of gay romance. He is fascinated by exploring male/male relationships in a world changed by worldwide progress in lgbtq civil rights.

  He is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and loves men, cooking for friends and family, travel, and long walks along the shore of Lake Michigan not necessarily in that order.

  declanrhodesbooks@gmail.com

  Also by Declan Rhodes

  Matchmakers

  Mismatched (Hank and Luke)

  Geeked (Blake and Hunter)

  Duped (Finn and Alex)

  The Mathesons

  First (Mason and Kyle)

  Cowboy (Tate and Simon)

  Hero (Benji and Jax)

  Winner (Jamie and Angelo)

  Baseball and Softball

  A Brand New Ballgame (Chase and Aaron)

  The Money Pitch (Mo and Jack)

  First Time Up (Eric and Harley)

  Distant Replay (Andy and Zane)

  The League 5-Book Boxed Set

  Pitchers and Catchers 5-Book Boxed Set