by Neve Wilder
I blinked rapidly as Shay delivered a soppy-sweet promise to Aaron about choosing him for eternity. On any other occasion, I might’ve rolled my eyes at the sappiness, but the way they were staring at each other so besotted and sincere formed a canyon in my gut, filled only with vague emptiness and a kind of freewheeling desire that intensified as I glanced back at Dane. His freshly shaved jaw was set, and his attention upon my brother and Shay was deeply fond. When his gaze snagged on mine, warmth spread through me at the glimmer in his eyes I read first as humor, then as slightly mischievous.
Images from the video flooded the back of my mind anew: the perfectly-defined muscles of Dane’s back and bicep rippling as he caned the other man into a squirming, sobbing mess. The sexy-as-hell moans, cries, and sharp smacks. And Dane’s voice. Jesus. He wasn’t as cold or distant as I’d assumed Doms were—no doubt enhanced by plenty of other videos I’d watched. And they’d gotten me hard, too. But Dane’s easygoing warmth in the scene, the way he’d caressed the guy, kissed him, how he spoke in tones that alternated between commanding and soothing, made me all the more curious what he’d be like in the bedroom with someone like me.
Then there was the matter of the “gift” that had been waiting for me at the front desk this morning. The hotel clerk had called me over as I headed through the lobby and presented me with a red-ribbon wrapped nylon bag that made my breath catch in my chest. The tag read, “Didn’t want you to feel left out. If you’d like to know how to use them, just ask.” I’d popped a boner immediately, visualizing the roguish expression I imagined must have been on Dane’s face when he delivered them.
But I hadn’t gathered enough courage to bring it up yet.
When we’d walked down the aisle together earlier, he’d laid his hand over the top of my forearm and I’d basked in the warmth and weight of it, the casual confidence of his touch and how natural it had felt. The close proximity reminded me of when we’d been tight in high school, before he’d come out and things had changed. Or, more accurately, before I’d gotten weird.
Another twinge of regret passed through my chest, and I took a deep breath, pushing it aside when the ceremony finished. Dane extended his arm for me as the wedding party began to file down the aisle.
“Do you need my handkerchief?” he asked sotto voce as we walked.
“I’m not crying, my tear ducts are just…no.”
“It was a moving ceremony.” He cut another look my way that I didn’t dare acknowledge, certain his expression was filled with a tiny bit of concern, but mostly humor. “Sure you don’t want that handkerchief?”
“The pollen count is really high today.” I sniffed imperiously.
“It’s a very soft handkerchief. Highly absorbent.”
“Do you remember that time I punched you?”
“No.” I caught Dane’s frown as he seemed to search his memory. “When did that happen?”
“Soon if you don’t quit offering me your stupid handkerchief.” But dammit if the smile quirking the corners of his mouth didn’t cue one of my own. “I’ve got it under control now,” I promised. “I’m just a little hungover, which makes my emotions hyperactive. I’ve also got a wicked headache.”
“A wet handkerchief also makes a wonderful cold compress. Just lay it across your brow, close your eyes—”
Conveniently outside the ballroom now and away from the eyes of wedding guests, I punched him in the arm, and then we both started laughing like idiots until the wedding planner scowled at us and herded us toward the lobby doors.
There were pictures to be taken next, in what seemed like a thousand combinations before we were released to the reception where the other wedding guests had already found the bar and hors d’oeuvres. I got caged in by relatives for an eon, updating them on my job, the fact that no, I didn’t have any children or a serious relationship, yes I enjoyed my work very much, and how were their kids, dogs, cats, work life?
Dane circulated through my periphery, his charming smiles and gestures magnetic. Now at the bar, now talking with Shay, now laughing with Chase. I narrowed my eyes that time and then blinked the stab of unwarranted jealousy away.
Finally, I found myself with a third sea breeze in my hand and no one in front of me. After dropping my glass at a table, I made my way onto the dance floor and bumped hips with Shay to the beat of a Prince song.
Shay wrapped her arms around me. “You’re not really mad that you didn’t get a gift bag, are you?”
“I used my own tears as lube when I jacked off last night. With my hand, by the way, since I had no toys and am not a total skeeze.”
She swatted me. “Chase has been giving you the hard-core eye all afternoon. He’s not the only one, either. Maybe there’s more in store for you tonight than a solo hand job.”
I considered her brow waggle skeptically. “Are you really that interested in my love life?”
“If you’re not the one getting married and you’re single, isn’t a weekend lay half the fun of a wedding?”
“Oh, silly me. Here I thought it was supposed to be about rejoicing in the union of the couple.”
“You’ve been doing weddings all wrong, then.”
“You’d know.” I pulled a face at her. Of course, she and Aaron had gotten together at one of Aaron’s classmates’ weddings five years ago.
“I’m just trying to figure out who’s gonna make the first move.”
“Do you mean with Chase?” I skimmed a look over the crowd, but it was Dane I was searching for.
“Him, or—”
“Hands off my wife,” Aaron cut in with a grin, and I released Shay into his hold.
“Just sayinnnnng,” she trilled over her shoulder before Aaron dipped her low and made her shriek.
Left without a partner, I glanced around. There were dance floor politics in play: a group of women dancing in a circle I didn’t dare interrupt, more than a few couples bobbing and swaying beside me. After ten seconds of uncertainty, which edged well into the awkward dude standing solo on the dance floor territory, I slunk off to the side and bumped right into Chase.
“Hellooooo, handsome,” he drawled, or maybe slurred, as he toasted his drink against my forehead. I couldn’t help but laugh as I wiped away the wet streak of condensation left behind. He seemed fun, and the music was loud, and he was right there, so when he set his drink down and tugged on my hand, I let him lead me back into the middle of the floor. Maybe his hands weren’t exactly the pair I’d most hoped for, but he was animated and engaging enough, and we danced to a couple of songs, laughing and catching up when the volume of the music allowed.
“I meant to get your number last night, but you vanished before I could.” He pouted.
“Shay had some errands she needed me to run.” And then I’d been busy jacking off solo amid a sea of sex toy wedding gifts—not a highlight I planned on mentioning, of course.
Chase spun in my grip and pressed closer as the tempo slowed with the next song. “But you’re staying here at the hotel, right?”
I nodded, vaguely wondering how he knew.
“Hmmm. Just an elevator ride away, then.” His gaze locked with mine, and I saw both the promise and subtle question within. I considered it, I’ll admit. I’d completely lost track of Dane, and here was a man all but screaming no-strings-attached sex, which had been my goal in the first place. He might even be the better choice over Dane, since I had all kinds of complicated feelings about my former best friend.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as Chase nuzzled his nose against my neck and inhaled.
“God, you smell good.” He dropped his hands from my waist to my ass and squeezed. “Very firm tush, too. Bonus points for that.”
I barked out a laugh. “I don’t remember you being… You were so shy in high school.”
“Mm-hmm, well, I was a shrimp with social anxiety and body image issues.”
“How’d you get over that?”
He leaned back a little and gave me a broad smile, alo
ng with another hard squeeze to my ass that made me clench up. He hummed approvingly. “Medication. Age has also been great for diminishing the number of give-a-fucks in my bucket. You know what else helps? Alcohol! I’m going to grab another drink. You want? I can run grab ’em and be right back.”
I decided I did want, and turned back to the dance floor as Chase made his way to the bar—thrown once again into the partner shuffle. But it turned out I didn’t have to make any decisions because a second later a strong pair of hands slid over my hips and my back was drawn brusquely against a firm chest.
“Know what I’m wondering?” Dane’s voice rumbled close to my ear. He was body heat and gravel-laced tones and possession. I melted against him and knew at that second I was kidding myself if I thought I’d be even remotely satisfied taking Chase up to my room. This was the man I wanted tonight.
The only one I wanted.
“Whether anyone will notice if you take the fruit display home with you tonight?” I tried to angle my head back to glimpse his expression, but Dane tightened his grip and the most I managed was to bump my nose against the underside of his jaw and catch a whiff of his cologne. Light and peppery. Probably expensive. Extremely addictive.
His laughter vibrated against my back like a purr. “Very funny. And no. But along similar lines, I’m wondering what you went back and purchased at Ace’s Wild today.”
Twisting within his hold, I looped my arms around his neck, happy to marinate in his clean, masculine scent and the steadying sensation of his arms locking low around my back as we swayed, hardly aware of the music.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I was simultaneously relieved and intrigued that Dane hadn’t brought up the canes he’d left me; the unmentioned thrummed between us, strangely arousing.
“Do you remember when we had sophomore English together and Mrs. Hampton asked you if you’d read Tess of the D’Urbervilles?”
I arched a brow. “Your point?”
His hand pressed more firmly into my back, thumb tracing the gulley of my spine. “And when your mom asked you about that bowl she loved that you accidentally dropped that time we put four bags of popcorn in it?”
“Still waiting for the point.”
Dane raked his teeth over his lower lip, then gave me a devilish smile. “The corner of your mouth still trembles the tiniest bit when you’re lying.”
I faltered, wondering if it was true and struck by the fact that he’d noticed my mouth in the first place back then.
“So what was it? Plug? Dildo?” He cocked his head assessingly. “Not handcuffs. Not a flogger. Nothing too complicated for you, I’m thinking.”
“Not handcuffs or a flogger.” Someone bumped against my back, and I tightened my arms around Dane. “It was more along the lines of entry-level. And I’m not telling you.”
“We’ll see.” He arched a brow, and even that was sexier than it should’ve been. Because in it was the more grown-up version of the challenging looks he’d given me when we were teens and he was about to dare me to do something stupid. But I’d always met his challenges head-on.
“You’re flirting with me,” I blurted. I mean, obviously he was, but for some reason the awareness came on a delay, possibly because just being pressed up against him like this was both novel and a little overwhelming. There were few places we weren’t touching right now, and even those were heating up.
“I am. Welcome aboard. Can I continue? Because I’m enjoying it.” Dane slid his hands down my back, and our hips bumped. I was certain he could feel how turned on I was the same way I could feel his erection against me. When he pressed his thigh between mine, ever so casually, I stifled a gasp as my cock rubbed against hard muscle.
His lips moved along my jaw. “I swear it’s gotten harder to be with the people you actually want to if you’re part of the wedding party. I’ve been trying to find you since we got to the reception, and every time I took a step in your direction, I got caught up in something else.”
“Sounds treacherous.” I rolled my hips, achy pleasure moving through me at the friction. There were too many people around us and too much clothing between us for it to be truly satisfying, but electricity built between us like static buzzing, waiting to discharge on contact. “Maybe you just suck at the art of small talk and need to strengthen your arsenal of removal tactics. The best one is to simply glance over the shoulder of the person and give a subtle nod, like you’ve spotted someone else and are acknowledging them.” I demonstrated by looking just past Dane’s shoulder and up-nodding the back of someone’s head. “Then look back to the person”—I looked back at Dane—“and let them finish their sentence before saying, ‘It was so nice to see you, Dane. Insert-name-here just arrived and I need to go tell him hello.’”
“Or how about this?” Dane imitated my over-the-shoulder glance, but at the last minute he ducked his head close to my ear, flicking his tongue against my earlobe and sending a shiver racing up my spine. “I’m leaving right now because I want to fuck you so badly it’s making my teeth ache, and if I watch you leave with Chase, I might grind my jaw to dust with envy.”
My lips parted, but no words came immediately. I shot a wild glance over my shoulder and spotted Chase, holding two drinks in his hand as he chatted with another guest, body angled toward the dance floor like he was trying to get back to me.
I looked back at Dane, pulse hammering in my chest, my throat, and my cock. “I wouldn’t suggest saying that to Grandma Merkle, because she’d likely start talking to you about how wonderful her new set of false teeth are. But,” I continued as he started to smile, “if that’s an offer, I’m taking you up on it and we’re leaving right now. On the condition that you break in that new set of canes on my ass, because I’ve never done anything like that before, and I’ve always wanted to.”
Dane’s expression shifted to one of pleasant surprise. “Not what I expected you to say, but noted. You’re not exactly wading into it here, are you?”
I shrugged. Maybe Chase’s attitude had rubbed off on me. Maybe it was the visit to Ace’s Wild, or the messages from Jason. Maybe it was Dane, himself. But my bucket of fucks felt surprisingly light and the idea of ending the weekend without experiencing the man who’d haunted my dirtiest fantasies for years was unfathomable right now.
I squared my shoulders. “I want some down and dirty, kinky, no-holds-barred sex. If you do, too, fantastic. I’m your man.”
He looked me over appraisingly, and I could tell he was fighting back a smile. “Top or bottom?”
“Bottom with an occasional sprinkle of topping. But in this case, bottom all the way. I want to be topped into next week and my ass striped red like Christmas bunting.” I ticked my head toward the door impatiently.
“Christ,” he muttered, then caught hold of my arm and turned me around. “Let’s go.”
As Dane steered me through the crowd of revelers toward the ballroom doors, I managed to catch Aaron’s eye and give him a farewell wave. Shay, drawn by his lascivious return smile, aimed a shit-eating grin in our direction. I started to give her the finger before lowering it as Chase cut into my line of vision and stopped in front of us, halting our exit route to Kinksville. I tried to hold back an impatient frown, but probably failed.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Chase dropped his voice to a stage whisper without giving either of us a chance to respond. “I make a great third. Creamy filling, if you will.”
He made a popping sound with his lips, and my mouth fell open. What the hell did one say to that? Actually, probably plenty of people would say yes, but for all the smut-strewn paths my mind wandered, a threesome with Dane was infinitely unappealing.
I wanted him all to myself.
My gaze ticked toward Dane, because maybe he didn’t?
“I don’t share well with others,” he said simply. The tiny growl I detected on the tail end of his drawl had me tightening my grip on his hand. Damn, that was sexy.
“Well, fucknuts.�
�� Chase huffed, and then, with a rueful smile, said, “Enjoy yourselves. I guess.”
I blinked as he turned and flounced off, and Dane inclined his chin toward the door. “If we get intercepted one more time, I swear I’ll start undressing you right here and put you over my knee.”
I laughed, although a part of me wondered if he really would, and an even larger part of me thrilled at the prospect of Dane yanking my pants down and spanking my ass in any setting. “Grandma Merkle would have a stroke.”
“Grandma Merkle would give it a five-star rating; let’s just say I’m motivated right now.”
“Fuck’s sake, quit talking and move faster, then.” I tugged his hand, and we sped toward the lobby doors before we could get interrupted again.
6
Dane
If there’d ever been a more potent combination of words in the English language than I want to be topped into next week and my ass striped red like Christmas bunting, I didn’t know them.
I couldn’t get Cole to my apartment fast enough. He’d wanted to return to his hotel room to grab the set of canes I’d given him, but I cut him off, explaining that I had plenty of my own. The way his eyes had gone hot with untempered desire turned me on more than anything had in months.
We cut through traffic across the street toward my apartment catty-corner at the end of the block, his hand locked tightly with mine and a kind of desperation in the way we rushed toward the building.
Once the elevator doors slid shut behind us, I backed Cole against the opposite wall, pinned his hands above him, and laced my fingers with his. His breath came in rough pants of exertion. His dick was obscenely hard and prodding me.
Old fantasies swam in filthy fragments through my mind, creating a riptide effect on my libido that had me damn near growling as he sucked in another breath and pushed his hips against me.