by Unknown
He dug deep for his manners. “It’s none of my business.” His fingers slipped on the buckle fastening, and he gritted his teeth. Keep your mouth shut, he told himself. And then get the fuck out of here.
Kelly hadn’t gotten the memo. She stepped toward the coffee machine and flicked a couple of switches. A low level hum filled the kitchen, and Joel tried not to look at her butt. Anton’s T-shirt came to the top of her thighs, and if she reached up to the shelf for a mug, the T-shirt might ride up.
Fuck. What was the matter with him? Having dirty thoughts about Anton’s part-time lover. He was a lech.
He felt even more of a creep when Kelly spun on her toes and caught him staring. “Coffee? Or do you prefer tea?”
“I’m good, thanks.” His voice came out stiff, on the edge of rudeness, and Kelly’s lower lip wobbled.
“I’m sorry.”
Joel didn’t want to have this conversation. His confused emotions were too close to the surface already, and he wanted to cling to what dignity he had. “I have to go.” He tugged the straps on his boots, wrestled them under control, and stood. His jacket was still in the lounge, but he was only about thirty seconds from leaving.
“I’ve really fucked up, haven’t I?” Kelly swiped at her eyes, and Joel saw the tears glistening on her lashes. Jeez. He hated it when chicks cried. It made him feel so helpless. He felt obliged to do something, he just didn’t have a clue what.
He thought longingly about grabbing his jacket and fleeing. He’d chalk the fling up to experience, and try to avoid bumping into Anton on the Magline. He’d get over him, but on that depressing note, he made the mistake of looking at Kelly. Her blue eyes were glossy with unshed tears, and he felt like a jerk. She waited for his answer, and Joel rewound the conversation in his head. “I’m sure you haven’t.” He managed a kindly tone this time, but her mouth twisted, and she looked away from him.
“I forgot you were here. I’ve gotten used to Anton being on his own, and I just wanted a hug, and then you were there as well. And I thought, why not?”
Her words flowed rapidly, and her breasts heaved under the T-shirt. As tits went, they were impressive. At least a C-cup, maybe even a D. With a wince, he realised he’d no idea what she’d just said.
“Well?” She asked. “Can we do that?”
Chapter 4
Joel stared at Kelly, confusion and discomfort battling inside him. Fuck. He’d no idea what she just asked him.
She stepped forward, twisting her hands together as she moved. “I know it’s a big ask. But please. Just forget I was there. We don’t have to tell Anton, and I promise I won’t do it again.”
It was a huge effort, but he managed to lift his gaze from her chest. He mustn’t look at her breasts. He already knew what they looked like, from seeing her in bed. Her nipples were the colour of cherry blossom. Christ. He needed to think about something else before his dick ended up with zipper marks along its length. He daren’t stand up, not while his hard-on raged inside his jeans. So inappropriate.
Footsteps in the hall dragged his attention away from the pink-cheeked girl to Anton. With mussed hair, and wearing just a pair of boxers, he looked good enough to eat, and Joel felt another rush of regret at the situation.
“What’s going on?” Anton’s voice was husky with sleep, and he yawned as he looked first at Kelly, and then Joel. “Hey, babe. Not leaving are you?” He was speaking to Joel, and the concern in his voice was unmistakable.
Before he could reply, Kelly turned around to face Anton. “I just asked the same thing. I was about to make breakfast, if either of you are hungry?”
Joel didn’t know what to say. Lying to Anton wasn’t right, but then again, making a half assed excuse about why he had to leave, didn’t sit well either. Should he just be honest? Tell Anton why he was so freaked out?
Kelly looked back at him over her shoulder. “Stay,” she mouthed. “Please.”
Fuck.
His gaze was drawn back to Anton, standing in the doorway. He held himself stiffly, chin tipped up and arms crossed, as though bracing for attack. Or rejection. Disappointment clouded his eyes, and Joel felt like a prize ass for hurting his lover.
If Kelly did as she promised, and kept out of Anton’s bed, could Joel stay? He looked back at her, at the wobbly lip and the anxious eyes.
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. If he left, all three of them would be pissed off.
“I was, um, going to get some bagels.” He grabbed at the lie that came to him. “For breakfast.” He huffed out a breath and forced a smile for Kelly. “For all of us.”
Her radiant smile made his cock ache. Jesus Christ on a piece of toast. He was going nowhere right now, except maybe the express elevator to hell?
“You don’t need to.” Anton took a step into the kitchen. “We’ve got bagels already, and English muffins.”
“Or I could make some pancakes.” Kelly leaned back against the chiller, her gaze bouncing between the two of them.
Anton closed the gap to stand next to him. He bent down and cupped a warm hand around Joel’s neck. “I was hoping to wake up next to you again.” His lips were impossibly close, and irresistible.
Joel tilted up his face, and Anton took the hint. One soft kiss, tender and sweet, and then another, and Joel melted.
“It’s still early,” murmured Anton. “You sure you’re hungry?”
“Hungry for you,” Joel replied, and it was the truth. He wanted to believe Kelly, and he didn’t want to walk away from Anton, not yet. Not while it was so new and intense, to say nothing of the best sex ever.
“C’mon, babe.” Anton tugged at his hand. “Let’s go back to bed for an hour. I need my beauty sleep if I’m going to keep a hot stud like you. I don’t want you dumping me for some pretty little boy toy.”
Joel’s decision was made. Glancing up at Kelly, she gave a little nod, her smile lighting up her face. “Good call,” she said. “Why don’t we just have a big brunch later?”
“Mmm huh.” Anton pulled Joel to his feet. “We can work up quite an appetite in an hour. What do you say, lover?”
“Fuck, yeah.” He delighted in Anton’s happy laugh. God, he was hot. He was crazy to have thought about walking away from him.
They’d almost made it out of the kitchen, Anton’s arm looped around his middle, when Kelly threw her arms around Joel’s neck. “I’m glad you’re staying.” Her generous breasts pressed against his chest, and reminded him of the scene he’d woken to. The image of Kelly, naked in bed, was burned on his retinas. His cock jerked in excitement.
No. He was jonesing for Anton, not his female roommate.
And definitely not both of them at the same time.
To be continued…
To see how Joel met Anton, read BLACKOUT (48-hours #1) in Sexy To Go Vol. 2.
A breakdown and blackout on the late train home, could be bad news. But for Anton, stuck in a carriage with the sexy stranger of his dreams, it could be the hottest encounter he's ever had.
Look out for DAYLIGHT (48-hours #3) – coming soon
Roping His Cowboy (One Night With A Cowboy)
Sorcha Mowbray
Chapter One
“Four years, Shane. Four years of shooting for a national championship and the closest we’ve come is getting eliminated in the first round of nationals three years ago. I don’t wanna live on the road forever, man.” Except it’s the one way livin’ with you makes sense.
“I hear ya’. I’m tired, too.”
Silence hung thick in the ratty motel room as they each carried a sweat coated bottle of beer to their lips and pulled a long swig. Brig cut a glance to his right and watched as his best friend’s esophagus worked to pull the cold liquid down his throat. He repressed a groan as an image of the familiar face tipped up at exactly the same angle swept in but this time he fed his cock down his throat. Shit. The raunchy, sexy images were popping into his head more and more frequently. To the point he hadn’t laid a hand on a buc
kle bunny in over a year.
Despite the fact Shane never ogled girls with the rest of the guys—he’d always chalked it up to his gentlemanly nature—he never would’ve pegged his roping partner as gay. Then one afternoon his economics class let out early and he decided to see if Shane wanted to get some extra practice in. He had a key to Shane’s apartment since he often flopped there between classes. The place had been quiet, but the familiar old red pickup sat in the driveway so his teammate should have been home. He’d wandered back toward his room and gently nudged the cracked door open.
To his shock, he found a fully clothed Shane on his knees swallowing a solid seven inches of long hard cock as he made happy slurping noises punctuated by Johnny’s low growls. The dark haired guy’s words rang in his head.
“That’s it, Shane. Take it all, like you always do.” He reached down to fist his hand in the blond mop of hair and pumped his hips into Shane’s face. “Suck it good, man.”
He’d spun around and bolted from the scene unsure what to say or do. It wasn’t that he had a problem with his buddy being gay, it was that he’d never said anything. And there was the small issue of the hard on he ignored as he fled the scene.
A few months later, drunk, horny and alone Brig found himself jerking off to the memory. After graduation they’d gone on the road together. Sometime during the first year he started replacing Johnny with himself. Imagined how it would feel to shove his own cock down his best friend’s throat and fuck it like he never could with the girls he’d been with. The fantasy grew over the years until after he pumped his load down Shane’s throat he pulled him up, spun him around and fucked him in the ass with a dick that never flagged. Because, deny it all he might, something about that golden boy really flipped his switch.
Except he wasn’t gay. He liked women. He found them sexy and soft and…different.
“Hey, maybe we should sign up for a dating service? One of my friends gave me the name of this site that seems to have a seriously uncanny ability to match people with their perfect partner.”
But I’ve found mine. Where the hell had that thought come from? “Dating service? I don’t know man.”
Shane shrugged and focused his dark brown gaze on him. “Couldn’t hurt could it? Come on. Just for shits and giggles. Fill in the questionnaire.”
Silence.
“You don’t even have to show it to me. Just do it and send one in.”
Three beers in Brig found his resistance to the ridiculous idea crumbling. “Fine. What’s the site?”
“Soulmatesdating.com. And be honest or it won’t work. My friend said the more honest you are the more likely it is to work.” Shane grinned and Brig found his stomach doing an all too familiar slow roll.
God, when had he fallen for another guy? How had it happened? He pulled up the website on his laptop and started filling in the questions. A glance over at Shane showed him frowning in concentration at his computer. With a shrug, he looked back at his screen. First question: Do you prefer women or men? A familiar voice in his head urged, be honest. He typed one word.
Either.
His gut twisted, but it seemed a weight lifted. He suspected he wasn’t really into men as much as he was into Shane, but he’d seen a man or two over the years who struck him as attractive in a sexual way. Not many. But one or two. And then there was his best friend and the star of all his porny fantasies. He was all man and he definitely turned him on. Focus. Fill in the rest of the questions. And when he hit send a small spark of hope ignited in his chest.
***
Six months later…
Shane’s heart pounded in his chest as the saddle creaked with each restless shift of his horse, Smoke. On the other side of the chute Brig sat calmly astride Thor. All around them the crowd rumbled with subdued anticipation. This was the Justin Boots Playoffs championship round for Team Roping. If they won here they would seal a spot at the National Finals Rodeo—the NFR.
This was a big event. Pushing aside the distracting thoughts he listened as the announcer introduced them.
“Next up is header John Brigham paired with heeler Shane Goodson. These two have been burning up the standings on their way to the NFR in Vegas.”
No pressure. Shane snorted. His best friend in the world stared into his eyes, and he stared back. He gave a thumbs-up and then Brig nodded. The steer shot down the chute between them and they took off after the target. The steer cleared the chute clean with the hunky header right on his tail. Rope high he followed only slightly behind. Then Brig hooked the horns and turned the beast so he could cut the corner and snare the heels. Their horses faced each other, ropes drawn tight stretching the back end of the animal between them for a moment. Just long enough to stop the clock at 4.5 seconds.
Their time put them at the top of the leader board. With two more teams to go in the final round they’d know soon if they won.
They exited the arena and quickly returned to the area behind the chutes so they could watch the remaining teams. Brig climbed up next to him on the rail. “Nice job. That ought’a cinch it for us.”
“Damn it. Don’t jinx us.”
Chaz and Dean, their biggest competition, went next. The header, Chaz, shot out and snagged the horns clean, but the steer wrestled a bit and tried to go heavy to avoid the second rope. He had to fight a bit to get him turned clean so Dean could catch the heels. By the time they stretched the cattle the clock showed 5.10 seconds.
“Well folks, that leaves these boys in second place for now,” the announcer confirmed.
The last team was introduced and then the steer started down the chute. But something went wrong as the header turned the animal the heeler cut in too close and couldn’t catch the feet right.
No score.
Brig wrapped his beefy arms around him and for a moment Shane knew heaven. He inhaled the scent of man, horse, leather, and a trace of soap. So fucking sexy.
Baseball, laundry, pot roast…
Down. He needed his boner to go down. Now. Preferably before his best friend figured out how badly he wanted him. Then he let go and turned to accept congratulations from the circle of well-wishers surrounding them. They’d done it. They were headed back to the NFR.
***
Two blocks from their motel was The Rusty Nail. It was a local honky-tonk where most of the rodeo cowboys hung out when they were in town. Largely because it was stumbling distance to their beds. Brig sucked back another beer glad neither he nor Shane had to worry about getting home beyond who was gonna lean on who while they walked back to the room.
For maybe the tenth time that night he sent another wannabe rodeo queen packing. Tonight was about him and Shane. His friend pulled up beside him at the bar and grabbed his beer. “Saw another sad-eyed cowgirl pass as I came back. Turned her down, too?”
Did he think it was strange he hadn’t claimed one of the many girls offering to be his trophy tonight? He hadn’t bothered in so long he didn’t think it would seem strange anymore. “Not my type.”
“Long hair, red lips, tits, ass, willing. What about that combo ain’t your type?” The sexy blond cowboy’s eyebrows would have pushed his hat off if they got any higher.
“Over processed. Too sparkly. Not my thing.” Brig shrugged and swallowed more beer. Please, let this go.
“Damn. I’m impressed. I figured you were holding off, focusing on the Finals. But since we’re in, I guess I figured you’d break this celibate streak.”
“Ain’t about that.” It’s about you. God, how he wanted to tell him the truth. But the big tough cowboy was too scared to tell his friend how he felt. To tell him the truth about who starred in all his jerk-off material.
“Huh.” Shane tipped up his beer and swallowed the last of the golden liquid. “Well, I think I’ve had enough celebrating for one night. I’m gonna head back.”
“Yeah? We probably should call it a night. Got a long drive tomorrow to Oregon.”
Together they left and started down the street to their
motel. Shane yammered on about the other teams they would be up against at the Finals. Man, he loved breaking down the competition and seeing where they needed to improve to stay competitive. Then he changed topics as they hit the parking lot of the dump they called home for the night. “So you remember Johnny, my old roommate?”
The name came out the dark like a sucker punch to the gut. He stumbled. “Johnny?”
“Yeah. You okay man? I didn’t think you had so much to drink you couldn’t walk.” Shane’s big expressive brown eyes filled with worry.
“I’m fine. Just hit a big rock. So what’d he want?” He tried not to growl the last part, but it was a near thing. Shane rarely talked about the guy after he suddenly moved out their senior year of college. They showed up after class one day to find all his stuff gone. No note. Nothing. He had moved in with Shane after that.
“Nothing really, just wanted to see how I was doing. Guess he came across an article about us and he decided to look me up.” Something almost vulnerable crept into his voice.
“He say anything about that disappearing act he pulled?”
They unlocked the door to their room and stepped in. Shane shut the door and locked it behind them. “Yeah. He apologized for lighting out like that.”
“That’s it? No explanation?” Brig wanted to punch the jerk in the face. He’d always assumed it had been some lover’s quarrel but obviously Shane wasn’t gonna tell him that since he wasn’t supposed to know he was gay.
“You know, some things came up unexpectedly. He had to roll.” Shane seemed to shut down after that.
Silence stretched taught between them and Brig considered telling him he knew he was gay, but it seemed like such an invasion of privacy. And, if he was honest with himself, it still stung that after all these years of being friends there wasn’t enough trust for Shane to come out.
They stripped down to their boxers and Shane disappeared into the bathroom. He decided to get a glass of water from the sink and had just set the empty glass down when the man of his fantasies stepped out of the bathroom and into his arms.