by Avery Katz
“Come take another shower with me.” Justin cupped my toweled behind and kissed my neck. His offer was hard to refuse. I drowned in his deep green eyes and imagined doing all sorts of wicked things to his body.
“I just showered.” My voice sounded unconvincing. He grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. Once we were inside, he took off his shirt and tossed it at me.
“Come on. There’s no rule against showering twice. Trust me.” He winked at me before unzipping his pants and pulling them down his legs. He teased me with a series of sexy poses and brushed his hair off to the side just the way I liked it. He was too attractive for his own good.
I could picture us doing this every day.
“If you insist.”
“Oh, I do insist.” He undid the knot on my towel and stripped me naked.
His eyes darkened with lust as he stepped closer and traced my chest with his fingertips. I held my breath and felt my cock respond to his feathery touch. I raised my hand to his jawline and stroked his beard. I loved the way it tickled my chin when we kissed.
Justin’s breath suddenly hitched. He pulled me into the spacious shower stall and turned on the water. The shower head spluttered into life. The rainfall mode quickly turned the bathroom into a tropical oasis. I cupped the back of his neck and kissed him some more. He moaned into my mouth and moved his hand to my cock. His fingers were pure magic. They awakened my desire and made me push him against the tiles and deepen the kiss. My tongue cherished his flavor while my chest rubbed against his own.
The cascading water soaked us both as we devoured each other. Electricity sizzled between us. It flowed rapidly through my veins. It made my heart beat faster, and my passion increase tenfold. Our physical and mental connection was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
“Shit. Justin. I need you now.”
He switched places with me and pushed me against the wall.
“Fuck. Me too.” He kissed his way down to my cock and kissed the tip before motioning for me to turn around. The lukewarm water cascaded down my chest and made his hair look like damp, smooth silk. I spun around to face the pink flamingo tiles and closed my eyes. He kneaded my ass cheeks and spread them apart. He teased me with his talented tongue and had me curling my toes, begging him to fuck me. He showered my back with kisses and rose to his feet. His hot breath tickled my ear as he pressed his chest against my back and pushed his soaked digits past my puckered entrance. His other hand found its way back to my hard cock while he stretched me with his fingers. I welcomed the familiar sensation with open arms.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard. This ass is mine.” He whispered in my ear. His deep voice turned my insides into mush. I pressed my palms flat against the wet tiles and drowned in an ocean of pleasure.
Justin suddenly grabbed my hips and replaced his fingers with his cock. I moaned and pushed back onto him. He groaned sexily and told me to touch myself. I wrapped my fingers around my throbbing cock and stroked my shaft to the rhythm of his thrusts. The pressure started building with every stroke. He rocked in and out of me at a steady pace, his hands never leaving my hips.
I loved the way he took control of my body. When he started moving faster, I did too. The sounds of our lovemaking filled the steamy bathroom. My fingers flew over my cock as the pressure increased tenfold, and more precum started leaking down my shaft.
“Fuck, baby. I’m going to cum.” He moaned into my neck.
I arched my back and rocked back into him. He practically growled and fucked me faster. When my orgasm hit me, I cried out his name and came so hard, I almost passed out. The tension in my shoulders and arms disappeared, leaving behind a euphoric sensation. I was floating on a cloud when Justin came. He shuddered and melted into me.
We basked in our orgasms before crawling out of the bathroom. All I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle with him, but we had a dinner to attend.
“We need to get dressed.”
“Shit. Kate. I forgot.”
He went to his bedroom but kept the door open. I watched him walk in a daze for a few seconds. It was adorable.
“Are you okay in there?”
“Yeah. I just need a minute.” He scratched his damp hair and opened his closet. He rummaged through his shirts and jeans before fishing out a salmon Lacoste shirt and a pair of slim trousers. He loved to air dry, so unlike me, he did not have a towel wrapped around his waist. I licked my lips and forced myself to look away. I needed to focus on the task at hand.
I was in the middle of buttoning up my shirt when the doorbell rang. Justin, who was putting on his shoes, stood up in an instant. He told me to stay in the bedroom and holstered his gun.
“Where is your phone? Keep it close just in case.”
“Okay.” I nodded and quickly finished buttoning up my shirt. Justin was not taking any chances, especially after what happened. His body language switched from relaxed to alert in a matter of seconds. I leaned against the door-frame and watched him make his way down the hall. Moments later, I heard him open the door. Five familiar voices erupted all at once. They belonged to my brothers and their spouses. Greg had the loudest voice of them all.
“Where is he?”I went downstairs and greeted them in the foyer.
“I’m right here.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” Greg strode over to me and hugged me. Danny and Freddy joined him. They almost suffocated me with their collective arms. Tommy and Evan were the only ones missing. They had moved to Paris and were involved in some grand renovation project at the Louvre.
“We heard about the shooting. Are you alright?” Freddy asked while ruffling my damp hair.
“Yes. Now please give me room to breathe.” I half-heartedly complained. They all stared at me with concern written all over their faces. “Danny, do not cry. I’m perfectly fine. See?”
He blinked away his tears and nodded.
“You should come stay with us.”
“Look, I really appreciate your concern, but Justin and his team are taking care of it and so are the San Francisco police. We gave them our statements straight away.”
“Good.” Freddy nodded. “So, are you going somewhere? Because those cufflinks scream dinner.” He added while eying the silver horses Danny had once bought me for my birthday.
I told them about our dinner invitation, so they insisted on tagging along. I gave Justin an apologetic look. Feeding an army of Lockridges was certainly not on his sister’s agenda.
“Are you kidding me? Kate will be thrilled.”
“Are you sure? Kate probably prepared dinner for four, not two.”
He chuckled.
“Nope. I’m pretty sure she went all out for you tonight. And when I say out, I mean she prepared a banquet fit for a future king. She lives for that shit.”
We piled into our respective cars and drove down to North Beach where Chad and Kate’s house was located. It was a cozy Mediterranean style home with birdhouses and feeders adorning the front lawn. The tall, vibrant woman met us at the door. She screamed in delight when she saw us all standing there in her small porch. I almost lost an eardrum in the process.
“Oh, my God!” She gushed and invited us in. The interior of the house smelled like vanilla scented candles. Like Justin had mentioned earlier, she really went above and beyond when it came to dinner. She had shrimp cocktail appetizers waiting for us in the living room and a feast worthy of an emperor in the dining room. Chad was in charge of filling our cups with bourbon whiskey. The combination was simply sublime.
Justin was incredibly sweet and affectionate with me. He made sure I had enough food on my plate and touched me in full view of everyone. His brilliant smile awakened the butterflies in my stomach and made me feel like a teenager once again. Our public display of affection did not go unnoticed by my brothers. Greg gave me knowing looks over the table while Nathan sent me funny yet crude texts on my phone. He teased me about making googly eyes at Justin.
Freddy pulled me aside after dinner and asked me abou
t him.
“So, did you call off the whole wife hunting thing? Because it sure seems like it.”
“Yes. We should probably stop calling it wife hunting. It sounds so wrong.”
“So, this means no Mrs. Ruppy in the future, eh?”
“It depends. I’ll have to ask my grandmother for her blessing first.”
Freddy frowned. “May I ask you a question?”
“You just did.”
“Oh, you know what I mean.” He rolled his eyes at me. “Why did you think that the pressure of having an heir would fall on you?”
I shrugged. “I just had the feeling everyone expected it of me. It was a given.”
“Cousin, you sometimes sound like an old man, not someone in his early thirties. Our grandmother will offer you both her blessing and support. She’s the last one to ever argue about your life choices. Trust me on this. Freddy knows best.”
Chapter 21
JUSTIN
I went to the kitchen to ask my sister about dessert and came back to find Ruppy and Freddy chatting privately in the corner of the living room. I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. Being surrounded by the Lockridge brothers made me feel slightly intimidated. Intimidation didn’t really exist in my dictionary. It was a foreign concept to me.
Ruppy’s siblings were laid back and very well mannered. Kate was smitten with them. She wore a dreamy expression on her face during dinner and asked Chad to pinch her arm more than once. The dishes she served for dinner were most definitely from a gourmet catering service. Not that anyone minded.
On the contrary. The food was fucking delicious. I was afraid she’d embarrass me by making her bland chicken casserole. We both knew her cooking kind of sucked.
“More bourbon?” Chad asked. His voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I nodded and watched him refill my empty glass. I wondered what the crown prince and his favorite cousin were talking about. They were probably discussing me. Yep. It made sense. Yeah, Ruppy and I had pledged our love to each other, but there was no mention of forever. Promises were not made either. Nothing was sealed with a kiss. Freddy and my prince were very close. I could tell. The guy probably hated me for pointing a gun at him.
I drank my bourbon and listened to Chad describe his run-in with a famous celebrity. Danny and Greg tried to guess who it was while their husbands chatted about real estate. Ruppy and his cousin finally joined us on the L-shaped couch. Kate was still in the kitchen, so it was just us, boys. Ruppy sat beside me and placed his hand on my knee. I was so fucking proud of him for following his heart and wearing it on his sleeve. I smiled and finished the rest of my drink.
“Is this Jim Beam?” I asked Chad.
“Yep. You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Kentucky’s best.” He nodded. “There’s more where that came from.” He rose to his feet and grabbed the bottle from the coffee table. “Does anyone want a refill?”
Everyone raised their hands. I shook my head and placed my empty glass on the table. I caught Freddy studying me with his eyes. I felt like a creature trapped under a microscope. He took a sip from his drink and swallowed.
“So, Justin, tell me more about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything.” He replied with a dimpled smile and a slight shrug of his shoulders. “From your favorite ice cream flavor to your biggest fear. I need to pick your brain.”
“My brain is an endless rabbit hole. Just ask Alice.” I jokingly said. “Having a dry sense of humor was necessary if you grew up in Washington like we did. The dreary weather eventually gets to you, which is why we moved to sunny California.”
“Yeah. Our cousin Tommy used to live in Seattle before he moved to Paris. He always complained about the absence of sunlight, but he loved painting in the rain.” Greg said. “I miss that Crazy Ass kid.”
“Me too.” Freddy sighed before giving me his undivided attention. “So, what made you want to become a bodyguard? Was it the element of danger or the fact that you were built for it? You certainly look like a warrior. All you need is a sword and a matching shield to blend in with the Roman statues in our palace.”
“Right? This is exactly how I pictured him when we first met.” Ruppy beamed.
“Well, I used to work for the CIA before starting my private security business with Chad.” I disclosed. They deserved to know what I did for a living before moving to San Francisco. I briefly described my mundane tasks and the endless piles of paperwork I had to process.
“Why did you quit? I heard the salary and benefits were great.” Quin asked.
Shit. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and stared down at my lap.
“I worked as a field officer for two years. During that time, we were required to recruit assets for the agency. It was a very high-stress environment where a million things could go wrong. We called it ‘cruising for burgers,’ but it was not as easy as it sounds. Long story short, someone died.”
Ruppy must have noticed the distress on my face because he changed the subject right away.
“Danny, tell Justin about your new stable and the massage pads you bought to pamper your horses.” He snickered. “Next thing you know, he’ll be serving them gourmet carrots.”
“Hey. Do not make fun of my babies or I will tell Justin about your EVP recorder and other ghost hunting equipment I found in your wing. Oops. I just did.”
Ruppy glared at his brother before giving me a sheepish smile.
“Don’t listen to him. The so-called ghost equipment belongs to Tommy. He told me to hold onto them. I have no time to play Ghostbusters. You know that.”
“Yeah. Right.”
“Please feel free to call him and ask him. He claims to have seen strange apparitions in the hedge maze, so his husband ordered a bunch of shit from Amazon and had it delivered to the palace.”
“A haunted castle? How interesting.” Chad got up and went to the other room. He returned with a mountain of board games in his arms. “Who would like to play Mansion of Madness?”
“Count me in,” Danny said.
“Me too. This feels like a blast from the past.” Nathan grinned.
Ruppy and I chose to opt-out of the game. I went outside to get some fresh air and he followed. We both sat down on the comfy couch swing and stared up at the starlit sky.
“Penny for your thoughts.” He kissed my shoulder, prompting me to look at him. His eyes were like shiny beacons in the dark. Reliving the past was not easy, but he deserved an explanation for my night terrors. I wanted to spill my guts for the sake of our relationship. Transparency was the key to everything. At least that’s what they taught us in college.
I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.
“Thanks for changing the subject. Freddy sure is protective of you, huh?”
“Yeah. They all are.”
I took a deep breath and dug my shoes into the grass below.
“There’s a reason why I quit my job at the agency, and it wasn’t just the paperwork. I was severely injured, and the field agent who died was my partner at the time. We were hooking up on the down-low.” I revealed. “We were on a covert mission to hire an asset in a country I’m not allowed to disclose. The asset sold us out to his criminal organization and handed us over on a silver platter. My partner was killed on the spot. He was fatally shot, but I managed to survive a bullet to the shoulder.”
“Oh, no. Justin. I’m so sorry.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and dug my fingers into my thighs.
“Maybe if we hadn’t gotten sexually involved, he would still be alive right now. Something was off about that mission, but I failed to see it. Mixing business with pleasure clouded my senses and made me fuck up big time.”
“You can’t fault yourself for loving someone, baby,” Ruppy said in a soothing tone. He draped an arm over my shoulders and held me close to him. His warmth and affection were exactly what I needed.
I shook my head. He had it all wrong.
“It wasn
’t even love Ruppy. It was lust. And if I could get distracted by lust, then loving you might end up with me failing you and putting your life in danger.”
“Don’t be silly. You won’t fail me.” He leaned in and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss that managed to calm my nerves. When I stared into his lilac blue eyes, the past became a distant memory. It was nothing but a bad dream.
“I want you to come to Raplen with me to meet my grandmother.” He whispered against my lips. How could I resist him after such a kiss? I was ready to jump into the ocean if he asked me to.
“Why? Not that I would ever say no to such an awesome request.”
Ruppy smiled. “Because, silly boy, I found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Aw, isn’t this sweet.” An amused voice said from the French doors behind us. We both turned our heads to find Danny standing there. His face broke into a teasing smile. “Ruppy, I was beginning to doubt that you had it in you.”
Ruppy flipped him the bird. “Talk to the finger, butthole.”
“Welcome to the family, Justin.” Danny chuckled. “By the way, I came out here to tell you that dessert is finally being served. Kate had a slight mishap in the kitchen, but Nate saved the day as usual. You’re welcome.”
And just like that, I felt the pressure and tension in my shoulders ease off a bit now that Ruppy knew all about my past. Spilling my guts turned out to be the right thing to do. He linked his arm through mine, and we walked into the dining room together. Kate was feeding the princes and their spouses something unidentifiable.
“Is that a chocolate fudge cake or an ancient block of stone?” I whispered in Ruppy’s ear.
“Guess we’re about to find out.”
Chapter 22
RUPPY
After dining with Kate and Chad, we returned to our temporary residence. I was in desperate need of an aspirin thanks to Danny and his chatterbox of a husband. Nate needed a new pair of eardrums because his voice was too loud when he spoke. He was on his way to becoming deaf thanks to his singing career. I once attended one of his concerts, and the bass speakers almost killed me. That being said, I was blessed to have them by my side tonight. Their presence gave me the boost I needed to come out and show my true feelings for Justin.