Beauregard and the Beast

by Evie Drae

  Bo swallowed, his heart thrumming to life in an erratic rhythm. His pulse jumped at his throat. What was Lulu’s game? She couldn’t be trying to get rid of him. If nothing else, she’d made it clear she wanted to be with Bo and she wanted to go home. “Oh. Crap.”

  Lulu hadn’t wanted Bo to mooch off Adam. Her goal hadn’t been for him to soak up a salary while living hundreds of miles away doing nothing to earn it. She’d wanted him to keep his job in Vegas because she wanted to go home. Not to an apartment in Berkeley where she’d spiraled into depression, but to the place she’d lived happily all her life. To the place she and Bo belonged.

  Giving Adam’s hand a squeeze, Bo slipped his fingers free. He dug his cell out of his pocket and shot Lulu a text. He waited, on the edge of his chair, until she replied. Barely twenty seconds later. He could almost hear the eye roll in her words when he read, Took you long enough, genius. Yes, I want to move home. TO VEGAS.

  “Everything okay?”

  The note of concern in Adam’s voice brought a grin to Bo’s lips. He tossed his phone on the table and crawled back into Adam’s lap, thrilled when Adam’s mouth stretched to match his own goofy smile.

  “Sounds like I’m moving home.” Bo laughed when Adam’s beaming face cracked even further, his gray eyes sparkling with delight. “Mind telling me what your answer was? It’s imperative I know now.”

  Adam cocked an inquisitive brow. “My answer?”

  “To Lulu’s question. The one you didn’t deign to get the specifics on because the answer would be the same either way.”

  “Oh, that answer.” Adam smirked and gave Bo’s backside a squeeze, tugging him closer. “It was a resounding yes.”

  Bo rolled his hips so their cocks grazed. They both moaned and the hold Adam had on his butt strengthened, his eyes turning smoky with desire.

  He hadn’t thought he’d have another opportunity to broach the subject he’d meant to discuss in the hotel all those weeks before, but presented with a second chance, Bo found himself wavering.

  He didn’t want to remain Adam’s PA. Of that much, he was sure. He needed to find employment elsewhere. Something outside their relationship that could support him and Lulu while allowing him and Adam to date. Unhindered. Without any undue risk to his financial stability or any unnecessary guilt for Adam.

  If their relationship didn’t work, they both needed the freedom to step away without any negative consequences. Otherwise, how could they trust the other wasn’t sticking around to avoid hardship or discomfort?

  But it wasn’t his employment status that had Bo pausing. Adam would agree to those terms easily enough. It was the thought of moving back to Vegas and living apart from Adam. The very idea made his skin crawl. After living together for so many months, this house felt like home to him. Especially when he got to sink into bed with the man he loved every night.

  But could Lulu find herself a home here?

  More importantly, would Adam want her to?

  “Babe?” Adam knuckled under Bo’s chin, forcing their gazes to meet. “Talk to me. I can see your gears turning. Don’t shut me out. Let me help. What’s got you worried?”

  Bo licked his lips, taking a moment to relish the flash of longing that darkened Adam’s eyes as a result. He laced his fingers behind Adam’s neck and rubbed his thumbs into his hairline. When Adam closed his eyes and purred, the knot of nerves in Bo’s belly loosened. “What if I told you I don’t want to come back as your PA?”

  Adam squinted one eye open, cringed, then opened them both. “I’d say I’m not surprised. I’d also fully support any decision you feel is right for you, but I’d ask you to consider allowing me to keep you and Lulu comfortable until she’s better. Now isn’t the time to be starting a new gig. Lulu needs you here, at home, helping her heal. We can get some home health nurses to come during the day, but she needs her brother too. Her healing isn’t going to be purely physical, after all. She’s been through a lot.”

  Bo’s pulse quickened. He tightened his hold on the back of Adam’s neck. “And by ‘home,’ you mean—”

  “Here.” Adam’s faced hardened. “I mean here. In our home. Just because you went to Berkeley to take care of Lulu for a few weeks doesn’t mean this isn’t still your home. I want you and Lulu to move in with me for good. I love you, and for some insane reason, that darling little monster has grown on me too. But don’t tell her that. I enjoy our sparring.”

  “Yeah, when you aren’t breaking my eardrums with your painful attempts at harmonization.” Bo chuckled, the sound choking at the back of his throat when realization dawned on him like a brick falling square on his head. He let his hands fall from Adam’s neck to rest on his shoulders, then squared his own. “Cheese and rice, Adam, you can’t drop a nuclear bomb and act like the world didn’t tilt on its frickin’ axis as a result.”

  Adam drew back his chin and inclined his head to the side. “Asking you to move back in is a nuclear bomb?”

  Bo snorted. “No, but saying ‘I love you’ sure is.”

  When Adam turned ashen, his eyes popping and jaw dropping comically wide, Bo grinned. So it hadn’t been a purposeful admission. Who cares? It needed to be said. Bo had hoped he felt the same—had all but convinced himself he did—but hearing the words spoken aloud did strange and wonderful things to his insides. He gave Adam’s shoulder a gentle shove, careful not to put any real pressure in case there were hidden bruises. Which there undoubtedly were. “Don’t worry, I love you too, you big squishy-hearted oaf.”

  Adam growled and thrust to his feet. Bo squealed, latching on with all four limbs at the sudden shift in his equilibrium. Not that Adam would ever let him fall. Not that Bo could ever think he would.

  “Can I take you to bed?” Adam’s voice was gruff, husky with desire. “I think it’s time we made love. Proper like.”

  Bo rocked his hips and groaned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ADAM slid into bed with Bo still clutching on to him like a monkey. A ridiculously sexy, far-too-clothed monkey. A few of his bruises twinged at the disservice, but he ignored them. The only thing he cared about at that moment was getting Bo undressed. He needed to touch him and feel the warmth of his skin against his own.

  Bo clawed at Adam’s T-shirt, panting, writhing, and whimpering. “Naked. Now.”

  “As you command, my love.” Adam winked and extracted himself from Bo’s needy grip. He yanked off his T-shirt and reached for Bo’s, giving it a tug before realizing the other man had gone still beneath him. “Bo?”

  “Oh, baby.” Bo’s face pinched, and he touched a tentative fingertip to a purple welt on Adam’s ribs. Only one of many. Nothing he wasn’t used to following a full-out fight, but Bo had never seen him this banged up. They wore more protective gear and tended to cut each other a little slack in the practice ring, but it was a brawl to the death in the octagon. Under all those stage lights, surrounded by the roar of a crowd who hungered for blood and pain, no one held back.

  Not even a smart-mouthed old fuck who claimed he didn’t want to win. Especially in the face of an angry, ferocious opponent out to hand his balls to the highest bidder. Adam’s natural defenses had kicked in almost immediately, which meant he’d given it his all. Zaragoza’s win had been hard-fought and well-earned.

  “I’m fine, babe.” Adam gave Bo’s shirt another tug. “I haven’t had my hands on you in weeks. What I need right now is you. All of you. Don’t you dare hold back or go easy on me.”

  Bo laughed when Adam pulled at his shirt yet again. He raised his arms and allowed the piece of clothing to be removed before laying a sober gaze on Adam. “I won’t hurt you.”

  Rolling his eyes, Adam hopped from the bed and dropped his drawers. “You aren’t gonna hurt me. I’m the Beast. The Beast eats pain for breakfast.” That, and Adam was used to going about his daily life pretending to be fine, even after a brutal fight. He was used to pushing through the pain.

  To rest on your laure
ls is to admit defeat. It was a phrase his father uttered frequently, and one that had stayed with him all these years. He’d never let Adam rest, no matter the circumstance.

  Pleasing his old man, while a ridiculous goal, had always been something Adam strived for. Giving up that stress to be perfect, to perform to his father’s exact specifications, would be one of many benefits to his retirement. The best of which lay sprawled on the bed before him, still unacceptably half-clothed.

  “Help a brother out, would you?” Adam gave Bo’s jeans a yank. “Undo the fly. These puppies have gotta go.”

  Bo complied, a small smile curving his lips. When he was finally naked, he stretched out his arms and Adam slipped into them. Their bodies molded together like two parts of the same puzzle, cut into jagged, messy pieces made to fit one within the other.

  Despite the incessant urges driving him to grind his long-deprived cock against the supple warmth of Bo’s welcoming body, Adam lay still. As did Bo. An unspoken swell of emotion passed between them, and their grips tightened.

  “I love you, baby.” The words came out muffled, as Bo’s face was buried in Adam’s neck, but they were clear enough to send a zing of unfettered joy straight into Adam’s heart.

  He pulled away enough to give Bo space to tip his head at Adam’s urging. When their eyes met, Adam’s heart swelled even further. Bo blinked at him with tears glistening on his lashes, his glasses smudged and askew. Adam removed the frames, setting them aside before stroking his thumb over Bo’s cheek to collect a single escaped tear. “I love you too, Beauregard Wilkins.”

  Bo sighed, smiling drunkenly. “That sounds mighty nice.”

  “Mmm.” Adam hummed his agreement, finally rocking his hips to assuage the rampant hunger aching through his groin and belly. “Make love to me. I want our first time, like this, to be special. I want to feel you inside me.”

  Bo froze, his eyes widening. “I’ve never… I mean, you’ve never either, right?”

  Chuckling, Adam rolled them so he was flat on his back and Bo straddled his hips. “No, I’ve never been the receiver. I’ve never wanted that before, but I’ve dreamed of doing it with you. I want us to be equals—in all things—and that starts here. In bed.” He ran both hands up Bo’s thighs, enjoying the strained whimper that followed. “I want you to claim me, as I did with you in that hotel. Skin to skin, heart to heart. I want to be yours.”

  “I won’t last two pumps at this rate.” Bo panted out the words, resting his weight on shaky arms, his palms seated over Adam’s pecs. “Maybe we should wait until—”

  “No way.” Adam took Bo’s leaking dick in hand, giving it a few gentle tugs that sent Bo’s back arching and a slew of incoherent mumbles tumbling from his lips. “Unless you’re opposed to the idea—which is 100 percent okay, you can always say no—then I want you buried inside me when you come. I don’t care if it’s three seconds, three minutes, or three hours.”

  He meant every word. He’d dreamed of finding that unique connection with Bo since far too early in their relationship. The desire to be filled by another man had never been one to pique his interest, nor had it ever been anything requested of him. Quite the opposite. The Beast was always expected to be dominant and in control.

  But with Bo? Adam wanted to give as much as he received. He wanted their love to find equal footing, not follow stereotypes and demands only fit for the outside world. In their little bubble, they could be and do whatever they wanted. And Adam wanted to give Bo the gift of vulnerability. Both his own and Adam’s.

  Bo placed a gentle hand around Adam’s wrist and pulled, a delightful little groan toppling from his lips when Adam released his cock following the silent demand. With trembling guidance, he moved Adam’s hand to his own dick, wrapping their joined hands around it and returning the sweet, tormenting favor with a few pointed strokes. When he used his other hand to cup and knead Adam’s balls, Adam clenched his jaw and garbled out a moan.

  Smirking, Bo kept up the actions, rocking his hips in time with the movement of their linked hands. “Can you reach the lube?”

  Chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, Adam nodded. He reached blindly for the nightstand, knocking several items to the floor with a loud crash before finding the handle to the top drawer and giving it a forceful jerk. Thankfully, the lube was on top. He snatched it free and tossed it on the bed by Bo’s knee.

  Bo unthreaded their fingers and raised a brow when Adam let his hand fall to his side. “This is gonna be quick, baby. I need you as close to that edge as possible so I stand some semblance of a chance at making you feel good. You keep working toward that goal while I get us prepped.”

  Laughter—strained, horny, ridiculous laughter—bubbled up Adam’s throat. If Bo had any idea how much effort he’d put into not coming over the past few minutes, he’d be making much quicker work of that lube job. “Babe, I’m thirty-eight. Not outta my prime yet, but no spring chicken either. Trust me, if you think you’ve got it bad, that’s nothing compared to where I’m at. If I hadn’t been running multiplication tables at the back of my mind for the past ten minutes, that request would be pointless. Trust me, I’m on edge. I’m very, very on edge.”

  Bo cracked a grin, his flushed face lighting up like it was Christmas fuckin’ morning. “Well, thank goodness for all the GED prep. I told you memorizing those multiplication tables would be beneficial eventually.”

  “Yeah, it’s gone a long way toward increasing the value of my sex life, if nothing else. It’d be a shame if I blew my load before the man I loved got his beautiful dick inside me, now wouldn’t it?” Adam smirked, obliging Bo’s silent request to bend his knees. When that first press of lube-slickened fingers met his ass, rubbing in small, gentle circles, he closed his eyes and hummed with pleasure. “Go ’head. I’m ready.”

  There was a low grunt, followed by an increase in pressure as Bo’s fingers slid inside. He worked them slowly in and out while Adam focused on breathing. It wasn’t a sensation he was used to, but it wasn’t an unpleasant one. Especially not when Bo twisted his hand, crooked his fingers, and stroked. A jolt of molten pleasure radiated from somewhere deep within Adam’s groin. “Holy fuckin’ shit.”

  Bo chuckled. “Now you see why I have absolutely zero issues with being a bottom. Just wait. It gets better—at least for me—when you’re filled to the brim and getting stimulated from every possible angle. Including these delicious abs grating against my dick.”

  When Bo’s fingers trailed over Adam’s stomach, he blew out a breath and gripped his wrist. A hint of desperation he didn’t even try to hide laced his words when he spoke. “Please. Take me. Give me that. Give me everything.”

  It was selfish of him to demand such things. To ask Bo to give so much when he had every intention of simply lying there and taking it. But that’s how it worked. The give and take weren’t always equal at first, but they always were by the end.

  Bo pulled his fingers free, the empty sensation that followed a strange and needy one. Adam shifted his hips, fisting his hands into the comforter beneath him to stop himself from flipping Bo over and taking what his body so desperately wanted. Because it wasn’t about gaining release wherever his ravenous, rutting cock could find it. It was about the very basics of love, of sharing mutual pleasure, and of cherishing the man who owned his heart.

  With shaky, uncertain movements, Bo lined himself up at Adam’s entrance, raised a questioning brow to be sure Adam was ready—which he so fucking was—and pressed home.

  Adam released his death grip on the comforter and instead wrapped his arms around Bo, pulling their bodies flush. His bottom lip was split, swollen, and tender—the only reason he hadn’t stolen a kiss and likely why Bo hadn’t tried, either—but when his heart filled near to bursting at their connection, he couldn’t give two shits about a little pain. He slid a palm behind Bo’s neck and brought their mouths together, groaning when Bo opened for him without question.

  Then he moved. Sweet, delicious little hip r
olls that sent a shock of decadent desire through every nerve ending in Adam’s body. Bo was right. There was nothing quite like the feeling of being filled by the man you love, with every possible pleasure point stimulated in unexpected and delightful ways.

  Bo tore his lips from Adam’s. He scrunched his face into a determined scowl. “Crap. I told you I wouldn’t last….”

  “Go ahead, babe. Come for me.” Adam’s voice was husky, a testament to his own strained attempt at control. If Bo let go, so could he.

  Nodding, his breath coming in ever-shortening gasps, Bo arched his back, dug his nails into Adam’s chest, and cried out as his release shuddered through his body. Adam clung to the edge a moment longer, only enough to revel in the beauty of Bo’s surrender, then fell right along with him.

  Bo was the first to move. He peppered kisses over every inch of Adam’s exposed flesh he could reach, then shoved to his hands. He grinned, mirth sparkling in the emerald gems of his eyes. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  “Okay.” Adam drew out the word, a smile of his own pulling at his swollen lip. “Shoot.”

  “I’ll move my bratty, pain-in-the butt sister into your—no, sorry, our—home. I’ll even let you shell out money to keep me here with her until she’s well enough that I can get another job, but only on one condition.”

  Adam’s heart, still struggling to settle to its normal speed, thumped with renewed vigor. “Name it and it’s yours. Anything. Everything.”

  Bo’s grin turned wicked. He thrust his hips where their bodies still connected, sending a zing up Adam’s spine. “You’ve gotta let me do that again. Maybe more than once.”

  “Oh, babe.” Adam guffawed, drawing Bo back into his arms. “We can do that every time if you want. Anytime you want.”

  Bo snorted. “No way. I’m not giving up the pleasures of being a bottom. How about we take turns?”

  “Fair enough, but there is one area of concern I’d like to address.” Adam brushed a kiss over the crown of Bo’s head when he simply hummed in question. “While Lulu’s living here, can we relax the rules? At least a little?”