I shrugged. “Yes, and I don’t know what to tell you, Gage.” Well, that was the truth. I sure as hell couldn’t tell him about my psychic abilities. Suddenly, I had what I considered to be a brilliant idea. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? “Well, I was standing here, wishing I could see him better, and I happened to remember that I had some old binoculars in my closet. I had them when I was a kid and they weren’t very good, more a toy than anything, but I dug them out anyway. When I looked through them, I could see him much better and I swear, it was Emmanuel.”
“Mm hm. Okay, let me see them so I can look down there.”
Fuck! I looked around the room, glancing at tabletops, even walked over and opened drawers, pretending to look for them before going back to stand at the window with what I hoped was a confused look on my face. “I must have taken them back downstairs.”
“I see. Okay, we’ll check them out later, but right now, I have another question that’s more important.”
He moved over behind me, standing so close I could feel the heat off his body. He leaned his head over my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. Then, he whispered in my ear, “I’m just curious how you ever get those fucking jeans on, and, more importantly, how the hell do you get them off?”
I rubbed my ass against his groin and enjoyed the sound he made in the back of his throat. It was almost a growl. It was sexy as hell and went straight to my cock. I turned in his arms and dropped to my knees, my hands reaching for his belt. I managed to get it open and was about to unbutton his pants when he stopped me. Noooo! What is wrong with him? Why is he stopping me? I looked up at him with what I was sure was a very confused look. It may have been a little desperate, too, but I hated to admit that.
He smiled down at me, taking hold of my biceps and pulling me up. “Why don’t we take this to the bed? I’d like a demonstration of how fast and easy you can get out of those jeans.”
I laughed, pulling my t-shirt over my head and tossing it on a chair. I toed off my shoes, unbuttoned my jeans, pulled the zipper down and shimmied out of them, along with my underwear, making sure Gage got a full view of my ass. I was naked and on the bed in less than two minutes, while he just stood there watching and looking like he wanted to devour me. It was very sexy, and my dick was hard as a brick so I just lay back on the bed, stroking it slowly and staring into those turquoise eyes. “I think one of us is overdressed, don’t you?”
He laughed and started ripping off his clothes. When he was naked, I slid over to make room for him and he crawled onto the bed. Before I could even think about moving, he’d rolled over on top of me, pushing my legs apart and kneeling between them. He took hold of my wrists, moving my hands above my head. He looked down at me and said, in that sexy, growly voice, “Leave them there. Don’t move them.” He didn’t move, just kept staring until I nodded and then, he said, “Good.”
He began by kissing me, exploring my mouth thoroughly with his tongue before ending the kiss and sliding his lips across my jaw to my neck where I felt him licking and sucking all the way down my collarbone and chest to my nipple. It was ready and begging for attention. When he took it into his mouth and sucked, then nibbled it with his teeth, I couldn’t be still. The whole time he was nibbling on that nipple, he was pinching the other one between two fingers. Since my nipples had always been sensitive and a big turn-on for me, I was writhing and moaning and pushing my cock against his stomach to get some friction. I only moved my hands from above my head, once, because I wanted to touch him, but he stopped what he was doing and looked at me. We stared at each other for a second before I realized why he’d stopped, and I put my hands back where they’d been. He went back to nibbling and pinching which felt wonderful. I also recognized, in that moment, that just that small amount of control he had over me was hot as hell. He was nibbling down my stomach toward my dick and I couldn’t wait to feel his mouth on it, but he by-passed it and I groaned. Then I felt his tongue sliding down the inside of my thigh and just before he reached my groin, he stopped and took a gentle bite out of my thigh. Honest to God, I thought I might come right then.
Finally, finally, he took my cock into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the head before spearing it into the slit. It felt wonderful, but I wanted more. “Gage,” I groaned.
“Hm?”
“Gage, I want you to fuck me.”
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. “You sure?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m sure.”
“Lube? Condoms?” When I started to point toward the bedside table, he stopped me. “Stay just where you are. I’ll get them.” Once he had them on the bed, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to just feel. He spread my legs and licked my balls and I heard the click of the lid on the lube. I waited—the anticipation was killing me. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was really only seconds, I felt a finger teasing my entrance, slicking it with oil, before sliding just the tip in. I moaned and wiggled, trying to get more. Gage understood what I wanted and slid the finger all the way in, grazing across the bundle of nerves that almost made me jump off the bed and come right then.
I felt a second finger enter me and scissor out, stretching me, getting me ready for his cock—he had no idea how ready I was. After another moan, which was pretty much involuntary, I managed to say, “Now, Gage, I’m ready now.”
He removed his fingers so he could “suit up”, so to speak, and I felt empty. Once he had the condom on, he asked, “What do you prefer—on your back or on your knees?”
What? “I don’t care. Just fuck me.”
He put his hands on the back of my thighs and pushed my knees to my chest. “Okay, then. I prefer this way. I want to be able to look at your face.” I only had time to nod once before I felt him pushing slowly into me. When he was all the way in, he stopped to let my body adjust, which was good since he was very well-endowed.
I was so desperate for it by that time that it only took a second before I was begging. “Fuck me, Gage. Please, now.” He began moving slowly and it felt good, but I wanted more. I looked up at him. God, he was gorgeous. “Harder. Faster.” I hate to admit it, but I think there was whimpering involved by then. He increased his pace, hitting my prostate about every third stroke. I felt a familiar tingling at the base of my spine and I only had time to whisper his name before my balls tightened up and I came all over my stomach and chest. It only took him a few more strokes before he found his release, yelling my name.
Neither of us seemed to be able to move for a minute, but finally, he pulled out of me slowly and fell down beside me on the bed. “Damn,” was all he said.
“Yeah,” I said. Have I mentioned that I’m known for my conversational skills? It’s a gift. I turned my head on the pillow to look at him—it seemed to be the only thing on my body that I could move at the time. “I’ve never done that, you know.”
He raised up on an elbow and looked at me. “What? You’ve never had anal sex before? Goddammit, Rafe!”
I laughed. “No, no, no. I’ve had plenty of that. I’ve never been able to come without me or somebody else touching my dick.”
I started to get up, but he stopped me. “Where you going?”
“I’m going to get cleaned up. I’ll be right back.” He nodded and lay back down.
I was only gone for a few minutes and when I got back, he’d removed the condom and was lying there spread-eagle with his eyes closed. It was quite a sight and one that I could get used to pretty easily. When I crawled back onto the bed, he opened his eyes and had a scowl on his face. I was shocked because I’d thought that everything had been good—really good. So, of course, I had to ask. “What’s that look for?”
“Define plenty.”
I was lost. I had no clue what he was talking about. “What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about that little off-hand remark about you having plenty of anal sex. Have you fucked the general gay male population of New Orleans or c
an you make an estimation?” He frowned at me. “Define plenty.”
I was thrilled. That attitude was jealousy if I ever heard it. I smiled sweetly at him. “Gage, defining plenty, I’d say two guys more than once. I guess that’s not really that much; I definitely used the wrong word, and I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” he said, trying for nonchalance. “I was just curious.”
I curled up next to him, laying my head on his shoulder and running my fingers lazily through the hair on his chest. He wasn’t a bear, but he had just enough to be sexy and...manly. “Oh, okay. I’m glad you’re not upset.” Oh, God, he was so cute, and I was so fucked.
Chapter Six
Gage
I woke up in a totally dark room with a warm body next to me—no, make that on me. There was a head on my shoulder, an arm across my chest, and a leg thrown over one of my thighs. I knew this wasn’t my bed, so where the hell was I, and who was this sprawled over me? It only took a second for me to remember. Rafe. And possibly the best sex I’d ever had. This was bad—very, very bad. I was still worried about the differences between us. He was young for me, not just in years, eleven years wasn’t that much, but in experience. I’d been in the military, had seen things I never wanted to think about again, and had been a cop long enough to see more of the sleazy underbelly of society than I could have ever imagined. I was jaded and cynical and he was just… well, cute as hell.
He was also lying to me. I’d bet a month’s pay that there were no binoculars anywhere in this damn house. So, how did he get a closer look at the guy? Had he gone outside to confront him? Could he be making the whole thing up?
I didn’t have time to give it much thought, because he began to stir. He moved his leg on mine, hooking it tighter around my thigh, and at the same time, he slid his hand across my chest, snuggling even closer to me. Jeez, he was a cuddler—and I absolutely was not and never had been. Another difference between us. Usually, if someone tried to cuddle with me in bed, I’d feel suffocated. So, why the hell was I holding him on my shoulder and nuzzling the top of his head with my chin? And why the hell did it feel so damn good?
We lay like that for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything. Finally, he unwrapped himself from around me and rolled over onto his back, stretching. He let out a big, loud yawn, the kind that’s so big your jaw pops, and said, “I’m starving. What time is it? Are you hungry?”
I laughed at how his mind seemed to jump around like a frog. “Yeah, I’m hungry, and I don’t know what time it is. I have no clue where my phone is because I have no idea where my pants are. I think my phone may be in the pocket.”
“Never mind. I got this.” He turned away from me for a second, and I thought he said something, but it was so faint that I couldn’t be sure. He turned on his back again and looked up at the ceiling. “It’s ten minutes till eight. No wonder I’m hungry; I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
I looked up toward the ceiling and saw the time there. “Hey, how is that up there? That’s cool. I’ve been meaning to get one of those clocks that displays the time on the ceiling, like that.” I figured that’s what he was doing when he turned away from me. He must have rolled over to push a button on a clock somewhere to illuminate the time on the ceiling, and I’d just imagined that he whispered something. Except, I didn’t see any damn clock. Shit, was this old house getting to me?
“Um...yeah, it’s pretty cool. Now, let’s talk about something important, like food.” I was looking at him as he snapped his fingers and the lamp on his bedside table came on. I could have sworn I saw his lips moving as he snapped his fingers, but I didn’t hear him say anything. At first, I thought I must be seeing things when the lamp came on without him even touching it, but then I realized it must be one of those lamps that was touch and sound sensitive. I’d never seen one that worked with certain sounds, but that had to be it.
I lost that train of thought, though, when he jumped off the bed butt-ass-naked and strolled over to a dresser across the room. Opening a drawer, he pulled out some pajama pants and stepped into them. He didn’t bother with a shirt. He looked over at me. “Come on, lazy, let’s go forage for some food.”
“I need to get going, Rafe. I have to work tomorrow.” I’d gotten off the bed and was searching the floor for my clothes. I found my underwear and pants first and began sliding them on while I scanned the floor for my shirt.
“I have to work tomorrow, too.”
“Yeah, but I have to be there at six in the morning. And what time do you have to be on the job?”
He smiled. “Oh, somewhere around ten-ish, but you have to eat, Gage, so you might as well stay here with me and have a sandwich or something. As a matter of fact, I have a whole pizza in the fridge that I picked up yesterday and never ate. All we have to do is nuke it, and I can make us a salad real quick, if you’d like one. Please stay.”
He looked up at me with those dark, mesmerizing eyes and that little pouty thing he did when he wanted to get his way, and I was lost. I sighed. “Okay, but I have to leave as soon as I finish eating. And all the pouting and flirting you do to get your way is not going to change that. Got it?”
He gave me a big smile and reached for my hand. “Great. Come on. I’m so hungry I think I’m about to pass out. And, by the way, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I absolutely do not use pouting and flirting to get my way.”
I couldn’t even respond to that. I just rolled my eyes and followed him down the stairs, observing how those pajama pants rode low on his hips and fit snuggly across his sweet ass.
When we walked into the kitchen, I was surprised to see that, unlike the rest of the house, it had been updated. I must have looked shocked, because Rafe frowned and asked me, “Is something wrong?”
“No, I guess I didn’t expect that everything would be so modern.” I didn’t say what I was thinking, which was that I didn’t expect it given how run-down the rest of the house was. It was implied, though, and I was afraid he’d be insulted.
He wasn’t, though. I could tell that he knew exactly what I was thinking and just laughed. “What did you expect—a wood-burning stove and an old icebox?”
It sounded stupid when he said it, but I guess I had expected some old dilapidated appliances and paint peeling off the walls. I smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Maybe not quite that bad, but…”
“I know what you mean. It’s unexpected because the rest of the house is such a mess, inside and out.” He was walking to the refrigerator and talking to me over his shoulder. I was still staring at his ass in those pajama pants and trying to stay focused on what he was saying. He pulled out a pizza box and continued, “This room was bad. Maybe not as bad as you expected, but pretty awful, so Beau and I decided to fix it up. Even Sophie got involved. This was just before she married Christophe, and I think she wanted the house to be fixed up.” He used his hands to make air quotes as he said fixed up. “Anyway, we were all working and paying no rent, so we figured we could afford to come off some money to fix the old place up. We bought a new stove and refrigerator and painted the walls and the cabinets ourselves.” He’d been smiling at the memory, but then his face became sad. “Then, Beau went away, and Sophie got married, and nothing else got done. Now, they’re both gone.”
I wanted to comfort him, so I walked over and put my arms around him, hugging him close. He sort of melted into me for about thirty seconds before pulling away and turning toward the microwave. He smiled over his shoulder at me. “Did you decide if you’d like a salad with your pizza?”
“No. The pizza will be enough.”
“Okay. This will be ready in just a minute. There’s beer in the fridge if you want one.”
“Yeah, I’ll have one. But just one since I have to drive home.” I got each of us a beer and took them over to the table. Just as I was about to sit down, I could have sworn that a woman in a long white dress walked past the doorway. I blinked a few times, then cleared my throat.
> “Uh, Rafe, you did say that you’re here alone, right?”
He brought our food to the table and said, “Yes. Why?”
“Then who was that...I thought I just saw a…” I stopped in mid-sentence. What was I going to say—that I saw a woman walk past the kitchen door?
He had a puzzled look on his face. “You thought you saw what?”
“Nothing. It was nothing. I must have been seeing things.” He nodded and gave me a concerned look, but I had the feeling he’d known what I was about to say. More secrets? I decided to let it go, and we ate our pizza, drank our beer, and discussed nothing in particular. As soon as we were done eating, I told him, “I need to get going. Let me help you clean up.”
He shook his head. “It’s only a couple of plates. I think I can handle it.”
I nodded and pushed my chair back, getting ready to stand up, but he got up first. Before I could move, he was around the table and had straddled my lap, facing me.
He circled his arms around my neck and put his cheek next to mine. Then, he whispered in my ear, “You don’t have to leave, you know. You could stay the night.”
I had my hands on his hips, and his body was so close to mine that I could feel his cock thickening against my stomach. God, it was so tempting, but I thought it was too soon. There was definitely a strong attraction between us, what they call chemistry, I guess, but would it develop into a real relationship? Did I want it to? If I was honest with myself, I’d have to admit that I wanted this to be more than a booty call, but did he? I gently pushed him off my lap, standing up and pulling him up with me. I never let go of him and looked him straight in the eye. “Not tonight. Another time, I hope.” I smiled down at him. “Today was great, by the way.”
He reached up and kissed me on the cheek. “Yeah, it was.”
“I need to go now.” Rafe nodded, and we walked to the front door together. I started out the door, but stopped and turned back to him. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Haunted (Witches of the Big Easy Book 3) Page 7