Building Bridges (Sater's Creek Book 4)

by Megs Pritchard

  Kian snickered next to Rory. “Man, your face.”

  “Fuck off, both of you. You’re both adopted!”

  Lachlan stormed out of the dining room and shoved the door open as he headed toward the barn. He needed to see to Sampson, but he needed to calm down first. He slowed to a walk and paced outside the barn doors, breathing deeply.

  “I shouldn’t have been honest,” he muttered to himself, then instantly regretted the words. He didn’t lie. It didn’t help anyone by lying, and it was too complicated to keep track of the lies. He’d been honest with Elias, but now he needed some time-out because his own feelings had messed with his head.

  His cell beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket, staring at the message.

  How are you? Not too tired?

  Lachlan scratched his cheek, wondering if he should reply to Elias’s message. Shoving it back into his pocket, he walked into the barn to Sampson. He had work to do. He could reply later once he knew what the fuck he was doing.

  How are you? Not too tired?

  Elias stared at the message he’d sent over an hour ago and put his cell down. Maybe Lachlan was too busy to respond. Sighing, he looked back at his computer, but he found his eyes drawn to his cell every few minutes. Why wasn’t Lachlan responding?

  “How are you doing, little brother?” Bax asked as he slapped Elias on the back.

  “Just peachy,” he muttered.

  “What? He didn’t come over last night?” Bax pulled up his chair next to Elias and pointed to a line of code. “Mistake there.”

  “Fuck. I’ve been looking at that for at least ten minutes.”

  Shrugging, Bax pushed his chair. “Fresh set of eyes, bro.”

  Elias grunted and fixed the problem, then carried on where he’d left off. “Thanks.”

  “No probs. Are you gonna tell me?”

  “Not much to tell. He came over, we ate, and he left this morning.”

  Bax grinned over at him. “Nice. About time you had some action.”

  Elias smiled despite how he was feeling over Lachlan’s lack of response. “Might get some more.” Or at least, he hoped so. Maybe Lachlan had changed his mind, but he’d said he wanted to see him again. It had been just sex after all.

  “You need it, and he seemed like a nice guy.”

  “Wasn’t one of his sisters in your year?”

  Bax sat back and frowned. “Siobhan, the eldest of the bunch. Nice too. Must run in the family. I’ve talked with Rory a few times, and he seems like a good guy.”

  “Must be to live with Tucker.”

  “Yeah, but, man, they are happier than pigs in shit.”

  Elias laughed, nodding in agreement. “And they have Keegan. Would you have ever pegged Tucker as a dad?”

  “Not back then. He was too busy fucking every girl he could get his hands on.” Bax shook his head. “Man, how times have changed.”

  “He’s happy, though, right?”

  “Oh yeah. He said he didn’t even know he was attracted to Rory. It took Brad spelling it out for him, and then he just went for it.”

  Elias grunted. “Typical Tucker, then.”

  “Fuck, yeah. Once he’s made up his mind…”

  Elias nodded, and once again, his eyes strayed to his silent cell. Sighing, he got back to work, waiting impatiently for Lachlan to answer. He managed to fix another problem, and when he looked up at the time, he realized another hour had passed.

  Checking his cell, he saw that Lachlan still hadn’t responded.

  “Put the thing down.”

  “In a min.” Elias typed a message, then sent it. Maybe he’d reply now.

  Wanna meet up again?

  He put his cell down and waited for Lachlan to respond. If he hadn’t heard anything after waiting another hour, Elias knew he’d be blown off. He gritted his teeth as he replayed what Lachlan had said. He wanted to see where this went. Wanted to spend more time with him. Had he lied just so he could get off?

  His cell beeped, and Elias almost knocked his coffee over as he rushed to grab it. Bax laughed behind him, but Elias ignored him.

  I can’t right now. Too much going on.

  Elias stared at the message, his brow furrowing as he reread every word. He knew Seamus had been to the doctors but had been told everything was okay. Was there more going on?

  Do you need any help?

  No, we’ll be fine.

  Elias read the message, his eyebrows arched up, and rubbed the back of his neck. Was this Lachlan trying to tell him that nothing more would happen between them?

  Are you sure? I can help if it’s the farm. He sent the message, then rubbed his lips. Was he pushing too much now? Shit, he hated overthinking every action he made.

  No, but thanks.

  Yeah, Lachlan was definitely saying that last night was it. Elias growled softly. What had Lachlan said? That he wanted to see him again, or had that been a lie? He said what he meant, and now he seemed like he was saying it was over without actually saying the words.

  Elias threw his cell down and heard Bax say, “What’s up?”

  “He got what he wanted, and now he’s not interested.”

  “He doesn’t come across like that.”

  Elias lifted his cell and showed Bax the messages. “Take a look at that, then.”

  Bax read the messages and grunted, “Give him time.”

  “If he just wanted to fuck, he should have said so. He didn’t need to give me some line about wanting to see what happened between us.”

  Bax winced and gripped his shoulder. “Sorry, Eli.”

  Elias shrugged and sighed deeply. “Fuck it. He had his fun.”

  “And so did you. But you’re right. He should have been up front from the start. Neither of you is a kid.”

  Elias grunted. “Time to move on, I guess.”

  “Sorry, Eli. I know you like him. Otherwise you wouldn’t have kept trying with him.”

  “Maybe he couldn’t let go of the past. I was a nasty fucker to him.” Maybe he was getting what he deserved. Maybe this was some form of payback for the way he’d treated Lachlan.

  “Then why come around here and have sex? Doesn’t sound like the kind of thing he’d do, from what I’ve heard. More like punch you in the face, which he’s already done.”

  “I need to let it go. Guess I saw more than there actually was. Doesn’t help he said the same shit to me. Maybe it’s just too much for him, considering our pasts.”

  “Maybe.” Bax sighed. “Let’s get this finished. We have a deadline to meet.”

  Elias nodded and stared at the cursor blinking on the screen. His head wasn’t in it now, but he had a job to do if he wanted to get paid. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed heavily. Time to get some work done and forget about Lachlan. It was clear the man had already forgotten about him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  LACHLAN LAUGHED AT the tale Jeremiah was telling them. Another date that hadn’t ended the way he’d wanted, which meant no sex for Jeremiah.

  Dev shook his head, a smile on his face. “Bad luck, Jer. I had a great night. The woman I took home kept me going all night.”

  “Fuck. You.” Jeremiah sat back and pointedly looked away, making Dev laugh.

  “I got laid,” Lachlan murmured.

  “You did?” Jeremiah squeaked. “Spill.”

  “Three times in one night. Damn good too. Might go back for another round.”

  “Who was it? Do we know him?” Abe asked, leaning his elbows on the table.

  Lachlan winced and nodded. “Yeah, you kinda do.”

  “Elias!” Dev burst out laughing and pointed at Lachlan. “You banged him, didn’t you?”

  Sighing, Lachlan shook his head. Why did he hang out with these guys? “Yeah, I did.”

  “And you want seconds?” Jeremiah leaned closer, asking, “He was that good?”

  Lachlan licked his lips and smiled. “Oh, he was.” He leaned even closer and whispered, “He swallows too.”

  J
eremiah jerked back and punched him in the arm. “Bastard. We don’t all like it, you know.”

  “I know. I met a couple who don’t like ass play at all.” Lachlan shrugged. “Not everyone likes anal sex.”

  “That’s true. I’ve met some girls who love it and others who cringe at the thought of a man touching them there. Different strokes.” Abe watched the dance floor and shrugged. “I can take it or leave it.”

  Dev didn’t comment but pointed to the dance floor. “I’m hitting that and seeing who’s willing.”

  He stood and disappeared into the crowd. Lachlan stared at the drink in his hand and thought about his night with Elias. The chemistry had been amazing, and Lachlan had wanted Elias again and again.

  Three times hadn’t been enough, but the way he’d felt with the man had been enough to make Lachlan cautious. Elias could mean too much to him, and he wasn’t willing to go down that road again. He had been hurt, used, and the experience had left him a little more than jaded.

  He’d liked having sex with Elias, loved it in fact, but he wanted friends with benefits. That’s all he could cope with at the moment and all he was willing to give too. He’d seen the look in Elias’s eyes when he’d agreed to go back and had known he would have to distance himself.

  If Elias wanted more nights like the one they’d shared, he needed to know the rules, and the first one was no relationships. At all. They could have fun, lots of hot, amazing sex, but that was it. That was all Lachlan was willing to give.

  He lifted his head and saw Jeremiah watching him. Abe had disappeared, and Lachlan assumed he was on the dance floor too, looking for a woman and trying his luck.

  “Elias.”

  Lachlan glanced at Jeremiah and then back to the dancing crowd. “Elias.”

  “What’s going on? Was it a one-night fuck?”

  “One night, three fucks.” Lachlan grinned when Jeremiah choked on his drink. “What can I say. The man loves my dick.”

  “I’ve seen your dick.”

  “You know he fucked Jerry?”

  Jeremiah’s eyebrows shot up. “Your ex from high school?”

  “One and the same. Turns out good old Jerry was Elias’s first too. Bastard gets around.”

  “You know Jerry’s single. Again.”

  “Almost as bad as me.” Lachlan sighed.

  “He’s way worse than you. He’s had more dicks than all the gays in this room put together. Not that there is anything wrong in that if that’s what you want, but he has a reputation now.”

  “Not surprised. He couldn’t wait to fuck when we were younger. We were fifteen the first time.”

  “I remember you coming into school and telling me all about it. I was so jealous. I didn’t even have a boyfriend, and you were having sex.”

  “You were right to wait. At least your first time didn’t hurt.”

  “No, it didn’t, but he was older and more experienced. Shame, it couldn’t work.”

  “Yeah, it would be difficult what with the wife and kids.”

  Jeremiah winced and nodded. “Not like I knew about them.”

  “No. The fucker lied to everyone. I feel for the wife not knowing what a bastard she’s married to and those kids…” Lachlan shook his head. “I could never live a life hiding who I was. Marrying a beard and having a family.”

  “I felt sorry for him when I found out… after being pissed off at him. Still, he was damn good in bed and out of it.”

  “What about you and Abe?” The crush on the straight guy story. Jeremiah had always liked Abe, but Abe wasn’t into men at all.

  “Never gonna happen. We’re friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be.” Jeremiah drew patterns on the table, his face falling. “I wish… it’ll never happen, though.”

  “You can’t waste your life waiting for him. He’s never going to see you that way.” Lachlan reached across the table and gripped his shoulder.

  “I know, but he’s everything I could want in a man except he isn’t gay. It’s like some sort of joke, isn’t it? The gay man wants the straight man; only we’re never gonna get it on.”

  “I’m sorry, Jer.” Lachlan was. He’d seen the way Jeremiah had looked at Abe over the years and knew how deep his feelings ran for the man. If only things could be different, but there was no chance of Abe switching teams.

  “Go on and hit the floor, Lach. See what’s hot there for a hot young gay stud like you.”

  “Or you. I’ve seen a few looks shot your way. You go out, and I’ll keep the table. I did get lucky the other night. My dick might need some more recovery time.”

  Jeremiah gave him a weak smile but nodded and stood, draining his beer. Lachlan watched him walk onto the crowded floor, disappearing quickly and leaving Lachlan alone with his thoughts.

  Elias. Yeah, he wanted to take that ass again, feel it squeeze his dick as the other man came. Watch those hazel eyes cloud over with lust, his body tight and… shit. Now he sat in a bar, thinking about fucking Elias again. Maybe he should take his own advice and get out there and see what was available.

  A hand job or blow job would keep him going, but even thinking that made his stomach turn. Elias had tried to reach out to him, and Lachlan had blown him off and not in the orgasm-ending way.

  Maybe he should go over to see Elias. Find out if the chemistry they had the other night would still be there tonight. Find out if Elias felt as good as Lachlan remembered.

  Who was he kidding? He simply wanted the man again.

  Abe jogged up to the table, his hair plastered to his forehead and a huge grin on his face. “Man, there are some hot women out there tonight.”

  “You’re in luck, then?”

  “Always,” Abe winked. Patting his pockets, he said, “I left my condoms at home. You got any spares?”

  Lachlan’s mouth fell open. “You cheeky fucker!”

  “Aww, come on. I’m getting laid tonight. Just give me one.”

  Grumbling, Lachlan pulled out his wallet and threw one at Abe. “There.”

  “Go to Elias and fuck his brains out.”

  Lachlan grunted. Abe disappeared, and Lachlan caught Jeremiah’s eye from where he stood between two men. Jeremiah grinned and ran his hands over the arms of the man in front of him as the one behind kissed his neck. Well, even he was getting lucky tonight. Maybe he should go to Elias’s after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  IT HAD BEEN a long week, and it was now Friday night. Elias had heard nothing from Lachlan and had attempted to put the man out of his mind. It was time to move on. He sat relaxing, watching football on the TV when there was a knock on the door.

  Standing, he stretched and walked over to the door, smiling when he opened it. The smile slid from his face when he saw who it was.

  “Gonna let me in?” Lachlan asked, standing with his hands in his jacket pockets.

  “Why should I?” He’d heard nothing in days, and now Lachlan turned up, expecting to be let in.

  Lachlan shrugged and grinned. “Why not?”

  Elias looked him up and down, unable to stop his eyes from staring at Lachlan’s body. He swallowed when he noticed the bulge in Lachlan’s jeans. Had he come around for sex? Time to find out.

  “You came here for sex?”

  Lachlan didn’t answer but instead asked, “You gonna turn me away?”

  The fucker had come for sex. Elias ground his teeth together and said, “I should.”

  Lachlan smirked, his eyes traveling over Elias’s body. Elias knew for certain he’d notice the hard-on he was rocking. Not like he could hide it in the jeans he wore. “You won’t.” Lachlan’s eyes dropped and focused on Elias’s dick. “You want this as much as I do.”

  “So, we’re what? Scratching an itch?” Elias needed to know what the fuck was going on. He wasn’t being used and thrown away again, even if he had enjoyed every second of it their first time together.

  “Yeah. You have a problem with that?”

  He gripped the door, taking several deep b
reaths. He did have a problem with it. He really did, but he also wanted to feel Lachlan again. He knew what he wanted. Stepping back, he held the door open for Lachlan to come in. Lachlan grinned and walked past with a swagger to his steps.

  Elias briefly closed his eyes as he shut the front door. Was he making the right decision? He wanted Lachlan, but he didn’t just want the sex. He wanted more. Maybe this was the only way he could get it. Give the man what he wanted for now and hope it became more as time passed.

  Lachlan walked straight to the stairs. No need for talk, then. Elias followed, his eyes glued to Lachlan’s ass, watching the muscles move underneath jeans that hugged it like a second skin. He could feel his teeth ache with the need to take a bite, and he would do just that.

  Lachlan stripped as soon as he entered Elias’s bedroom, and Elias stopped to watch. The man certainly wasn’t shy. He licked his lips, watching Lachlan push his jeans and briefs down and then kick them off. His hard dick bounced with every move he made, and Elias’s mouth watered at the thought of tasting Lachlan again.

  Lachlan stood naked, watching Elias. “Well?”

  Elias coughed, clearing his throat, and stripped. He was aware of Lachlan’s hot and heavy gaze as he dropped his clothes next to his feet. Once he was naked, Lachlan closed the distance between them and ran a hand down his chest and abs.

  “Well?” Elias asked, using the same word Lachlan had mere minutes earlier. Lachlan chuckled and stroked Elias’s dick, causing him to hiss at the other man’s touch.

  “Bed,” Lachlan said as he released Elias’s dick.

  Elias nodded and followed him over to the bed, feeling off balance by the fact that Lachlan was in his bedroom. Again. Elias had been certain their one night together was all he would have, but now Lachlan was here, and they were going to have sex.

  What would happen after tonight? What would Lachlan say this time? Elias was too old to play games, and he wanted to know exactly where he stood.

  “Just sex?” he asked.

  Lachlan didn’t answer. He lay on the bed, waiting for Elias to join him, his eyes watching every move Elias made. Elias sighed when he realized Lachlan wouldn’t answer.