Colors of Love

by Jess Dee

Seth released his finger in favor of his neck, sucking hard, but stopping just short of leaving a mark. Then he kissed Luke again, making love to his lips and his mouth. Oh yeah, Seth was definitely in the mood for long, languid kisses, and God help him, Luke could not complain. No longer wanted to. He just wanted to kiss Seth, taste his desire on his tongue, make love to him. Forget their history and his past and their lack of a future.

  Every time Luke got inside Seth, and every time Seth kissed him, Luke lost just a little more of his heart. Seth’s mouth on his, Seth’s ass around his dick, their nipples rubbing together…

  Of course he loved him. How could Luke feel any differently?

  No matter how wrong Luke was for Seth, no matter how much Luke fought against everything Seth dreamed about, every damn time he got close to Seth, he got caught up in loving the kid just a little bit more.

  Seth never made love to anyone else the way he made love to Luke. Seth responded, he gave his all to any sexual interlude, but he gave it physically. Emotionally, he held back. Except with Luke. When they were alone, he gave everything. His joy, his pleasure, his fears, his confusion. His trust.

  His goddamned fucking trust.

  Seth couldn’t trust him. Ever. History had proved that. His mother and the social worker had proved that. Anger sizzled through Luke, anger towards himself, for not being able to be the man Seth believed him to be.

  He broke the kiss, rested his weight on his arms, which he planted on either side of Seth’s shoulders, and lifted his torso up. Then he began to fuck Seth in earnest. Maybe if he pounded hard enough, he’d pound the violence out of his blood.

  He slammed into the welcoming depths of Seth’s body, buried himself deeper and deeper with each thrust. Christ, deep as he went, he couldn’t get deep enough. Couldn’t get so deep that he could hide from his fears.

  God help him, he tried. He drove into Seth. Fucked him hard. Threw every bit of desire and anger and frustration and love he had into his thrusts. Still, his doubts haunted him.

  Still, he feared hurting Seth. Feared it so much he suddenly realized the very act of fucking Seth this hard might hurt him, and immediately Luke lessened the attack, calmed his wild bucking.

  Seth was having none of it. He groaned out a complaint the second Luke backed off, clung hard to Luke’s shoulders for support and slammed his ass onto Luke’s cock.

  Both men moaned at the sensation. Seth clung, slammed, moaned and kissed Luke again. And again. Wouldn’t release his mouth, wouldn’t let Luke’s cock go for more than a millisecond at a time.

  Luke angled his hips upward slightly, knowing that every time he thrust, he would hit Seth’s gland. Seth’s moans became louder. Breathless pants turned to rapturous gasps, spurring Luke on.

  Luke shifted Seth’s leg so his foot hooked over Luke’s shoulder. Both men groaned as Luke went in deeper still.

  Seth began to sweat. Moisture slickened his skin. His nipples stood up, beaded and erect, and once again he grabbed his dick, tugged on it. Luke leaned in, licked Seth’s nipple, tasting the salt on his skin.

  Seth’s hand knocked against his stomach repeatedly as he pumped his erection.

  Concentration was lost to Luke. He couldn’t focus properly, couldn’t get his mouth around Seth’s nipple. Not when he felt this damn good. Not when his dick was enveloped in raw, wet heat, and the sounds Seth emitted were guttural and raspy.

  Not when every nerve in his body screamed for release.

  He needed to come. Needed to let go of the orgasm building in his balls, in his prostate, in his throbbing cock. Needed to explode inside the man he loved—no matter how much he wished he didn’t.

  Needed to come, but couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Not before Seth. Seth had to take his pleasure first, find his release before Luke. Because God knew if he didn’t, Luke wouldn’t have the energy to finish him off after.

  Luke ached to whisper sweet nothings to Seth. Ached to tell him he loved him. Wanted to beg him to stay in his arms—now, forever and always. Wanted to tell him to stay the hell away, to stay safe. Wanted to tell him how much he hated himself for having the potential to hurt him.

  But he didn’t. He shut up and fucked Seth. Fucked him deep and hard and fast, letting out every single iota of frustration and pain and love he felt in his thrusts.

  Deeper, harder, faster.

  Deeperharderfaster.

  So goddamned deep he lost himself in Seth’s body.

  So goddamned deep he almost missed Seth’s shameless cry of ecstasy. So damn deep he was hardly aware of the way Seth’s hand had angled his cock upward and ceased moving, and his back had arched into a blissful curve. So deep that when thick, white strands of come hit Luke’s chest then dripped onto Seth’s, he was almost oblivious to their significance.

  Almost.

  But Luke could never totally lose track of Seth’s actions. No matter how lost he was in Seth’s body.

  So when the tangy scent of Seth’s come hit his nose and the glazed look of satisfaction and bliss pierced Luke’s addled brain, his reaction was gut-deep. He let go of every last bit of self-control and slammed into Seth’s body. Over and over, faster and faster until light became dark and dark became light, and he saw and felt nothing besides acute, all-consuming pleasure.

  Luke’s orgasm blindsided him, wiping all conscious thought from his head.

  He was a heaving mass of stimulated nerve-endings, and each nerve ending registered more gratification than the next.

  By the time the whirlwind ended, Luke had not an iota of strength left in his arms. He collapsed atop Seth, breathless and boneless, conscious of only three things. The warm, wet remains of Seth’s orgasm squishing between them; strong, lean arms holding him tight; and the softly sung words of a song vibrating in his ear.

  “Now, forever and always, we have each other.

  “I am yours, and you’re my lover.

  “This is it, you have my heart.

  “We’ll build on it, it’s just the start.”

  Shit.

  Luke knew he had to act. Had to do something drastic. And he had to do it soon, before Seth had him believing in his goddamned concept of now, forever and always.

  As he lay there, breathless, panting, and so sexually sated his cock seemed to silently hum its content as it shrank, the plan that had taken root earlier began to grow.

  It was a brilliant plan. A foolproof plan. A plan that would work for him and Seth and the benefit of the entire band.

  Seth had given him the idea when he’d mentioned their threesomes. Mentioned how no matter who joined them, the third person was always just a sexy fuck, a way of spicing up their sex life and nothing more.

  But what if the third person wasn’t just a fuck? What if he or she was a perfect match for Seth? What if the next someone Luke found to bring into bed with them was the kind of someone Seth could fall in love with?

  Initially, any sexual encounter would have to be between the three of them. If Luke refused to participate in the beginning, Seth would immediately be suspicious. But slowly over time, Luke could withdraw, leaving Seth and that third person alone more and more often, until finally he’d be able to pull away altogether.

  It would be an ideal solution to every one of his problems. He’d be able to walk away from the kid without hurting him, because Seth would now love someone else.

  Perfect plan, no?

  Yes. Perfect.

  The only difficulty would be finding someone good enough for Seth. Someone with dazzling characteristics, who’d sweep Seth up in his or her love and never let him go.

  The search would not be simple. Nor would it be easy. Because, in the end, Seth truly did deserve the best, and just where could Luke find that one ideal person?

  Chapter Three

  On just the other side of the door where Kaz, Tasha and their friend Sophie stood, the voices of forty thousand or so people filled the Sydney Football Stadium with a deafening roar. Women shrieked, and high whistles pierced the air. The crowd was
restless and excited, anticipating the start of the concert. Demanding the start of the concert. It began a slow clap which increased in speed and sound until thunderous applause echoed through the door.

  Not that it had any effect. The concert was not scheduled to begin for another ten minutes, and even then, it would be the supporting act walking onstage, not Speed.

  Kaz was only vaguely aware of the noise, only vaguely aware that just meters away from where they stood were three seats with their names on them. Three seats that they’d been denied access to.

  Frustration and irritation should have shuddered through her. It had shuddered through her, violently—until the man had stepped into her vision. And then her mind had blanked, her irritation had floundered, and she’d found herself staring, spellbound, as he made his way over to them.

  It wasn’t just his looks that had her head reeling, although those in themselves would set any woman’s heart on fire. It was the effervescent swirl of color vibrating around him that took her breath away.

  The man’s aura was a multihued rainbow, his energy electrifying. It amazed Kaz that she was the only one who noticed it. With color that bright and that varied, the entire stadium should turn to look at him.

  A halo of orange surrounded him, while turquoise streaks weaved their way through a cloud of viridian around his head. Varying shades of pink hovered near his chest and salmon seemed to pour from his hands. With every stride of his long legs, he emitted amber and caramel hues. And underneath that, wrapped in a very fine line around his entire being, was a charcoal-grey halo.

  Brightest of all however, was the carmine red that encircled his chest. The exact shade of carmine red that had vibrated from the trees surrounding her home for the last week. The carmine red that told her change was a-coming.

  Oh, my. What a vibrant mass of perfect male.

  Lust hit Kaz smack in the middle of her lungs, leaving her winded. Surely it wasn’t legal for anyone to look that good? Especially someone with such a contradictory accumulation of color.

  The closer he got to Kaz and her friends, the brighter the orange glowed, letting her know this was a man in charge. A born leader. The carmine seemed to fade ever so slightly.

  He smiled when he reached them. “Ladies.” He spoke in an accented voice, either American or Canadian, Kaz couldn’t be sure. “I’m sorry to do this to you, but it seems there’s been a mix-up with your tickets.”

  Kaz tried to concentrate on the problem at hand. It was a big one, and it needed to be cleared up. But holy heck! Up close, the guy wasn’t just good-looking, he was in-your-face, wicked-hot gorgeous. With a quadruple dose of oh-my-God sexy, to boot.

  One glimpse at him didn’t just make her lose her train of thought, it made the walls of her pussy twitch and her breasts tighten. The confidence and poise that pulsed from him in that orange hue made her want to push up close and rub herself all over his tall, muscular frame. The charcoal-grey fence around him made her want to take him in her arms and comfort him. Something was upsetting him. More than upsetting him. Something he held very close to his person, so close Kaz was pretty sure no one else knew about it, had the potential to devastate his world.

  Fortunately, Tasha spoke up, because Kaz seemed to have forgotten how to talk, and someone needed to challenge the man about the problem at hand.

  “What kind of mix-up, exactly?” Tasha asked.

  Yeah, focus, girl. There’s been a mix-up with your tickets. Don’t ya wanna know if you’re gonna get to see the Speed concert?

  He looked at Tasha. “They were double-booked.”

  Even the constant buzz of sound behind them could not mask Sophie’s horrified gasp.

  Sophie should be horrified. Standing meters away from their assigned seats and being denied access was not Kaz’s idea of fun. Well, it hadn’t been—until he’d arrived. Now she’d be only too happy to spend the duration of the concert watching him instead of Speed.

  “It’s not a problem.” His voice was so calm and so positive, Kaz couldn’t help but believe him. She couldn’t help but want to snuggle up in his arms either. “I’ll find you alternative seating. If you’ll just follow me?”

  Oh, yeah. Here was a guy used to being in charge. Used to ensuring everything ran smoothly. Here was a guy who was super-confident in most everything he did. His orange aura told Kaz that. It also told Kaz to trust him, because he wouldn’t disappoint her.

  A moment’s silence followed his request. Sophie and Tasha seemed to be mulling over his offer. Kaz remained quiet because the power of speech still eluded her. Which wasn’t a bad thing—if she could talk, she strongly suspected she’d volunteer to follow him all the way to the ends of the earth if he so wished.

  Then Tasha nodded, breaking the impasse. Kaz nodded too as she narrowed her eyes to take another look at the man, wondering about the grey strip around him. What had happened to cause the grief and sadness he held so close? And did it have anything to do with the change she knew was coming?

  When her gaze settled on his eyes—his beautiful brown eyes—she had to catch her breath. He was looking back at her, with…well, with almost as much interest as she looked at him. And perhaps with a hint of surprise? Or maybe he was just surprised to find her staring at him with such open curiosity. And what about the buttercup yellow that had snuck into his aura? She hadn’t noticed that the first time she’d looked at him.

  The man blinked, his eyes widening as his gaze flickered down her body and back up again. It wasn’t a leisurely once-over—although Kaz felt it deep in her belly, which seemed to flutter with a million butterflies. It was a quick glance, almost imperceptible, except Kaz was staring at him so intently she couldn’t help but notice. And he knew it.

  A magnetic pull danced between them, making her want to shuffle up close.

  Had Tasha and Sophie not been standing beside her, she would have taken a step forward. As it was, she had to force herself to replace her foot on firm ground and not move.

  But then he smiled, a smile so sexy it made Kaz smile too. And shiver. She couldn’t help herself. She stepped closer. She would have taken another step if he hadn’t blinked once again and then directed the full force of his beam at Sophie.

  Lucky Sophie.

  “This way, please.” With a gallant motion of his hands, he indicated they should follow him. He turned and led them halfway around the jam-packed stadium, the only place in the city big enough to hold all of Speed’s fans.

  Tasha and Sophie trailed tentatively behind him, but Kaz felt no such compunction. She fully intended to keep pace with this man. She was going to talk to him if it killed her. Maybe he’d give her some clue as to the connection between the message from the trees and the carmine emanating from him.

  When he noticed her beside him he shortened his strides to match hers.

  Nice. A gentleman.

  “So, does this happen often?” she asked as they walked. “Double-booked seats at concerts, I mean.”

  This time when he smiled it was all for her, and it made her feel warm all over. “Honestly?” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I usually don’t get involved in seating issues.”

  “You don’t?”

  He shook his head, drawing her attention back to the turquoise and viridian shades there. Here was a man determined to become something better than he was, determined to rise above the situation he was born into. He was also a man who experienced strong emotion. Lord, but she wanted to get to know him better. So, so much better.

  “It’s not part of my job description,” he said.

  “Oh.” Yikes, that didn’t sound too reassuring. Lucky Sophie and Tasha hadn’t heard him. “If that’s the case, will you be able to find us other seats?”

  “You have no concerns there—we already have. I think you’ll be happy with them. They’re much closer to the stage than your original ones.”

  “Bonus.” Kaz grinned. Their original seats had been so far back the only way they’d have been able to see the band wi
th any clarity was by looking up at the massive screens hanging above the platform. “Mind if I ask you a question?” She wanted to ask him a million questions. Find out everything she could about him. Wanted to understand all those colors in his aura.

  She saw everyone in terms of color. Every single person. So why did this guy grab her attention? What was it about him that made her want to understand just what it was he thought and felt that made his colors glow so enticingly? Or so concerningly.

  “Not at all. Ask away.”

  “If this isn’t part of your normal job description, then what is?”

  He scratched his head and said in a slightly amused voice, “Well, let’s see. Speed members would probably call me their general workhorse and gopher, but I like to think of myself more as band manager.”

  Kaz tripped over her own feet.

  He caught her arm, steadying her before she could fall, and his hand burned about a hundred degrees on her bare skin.

  Kaz’s jaw dangled open. She slammed it shut. What the…? “Y-you’re Luke Struthers?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve heard of me?”

  Heard of him? He was her brother’s idol. His role model. While Kaz had daydreamed about the cute-as-hell Jordan Speed, her brother had expounded the virtues of Luke Struthers. He’d spent hours explaining to her why the man was a legend. How he’d used his marketing and promo skills to take three unknown brothers and turn them into superstars.

  Now that she thought about it, the man did look like the pictures Ollie had shown her. “Uh, yeah. Your name’s been mentioned once or twice around my parents’ house.”

  “Once or twice is enough for me.” He grinned. “Usually it’s the Speed brothers who are mentioned by their fans. Not their band manager.”

  “My brother’s just completed a course in marketing. He, er, wrote a term paper on you. You’re kind of his hero.”

  “I’m flattered.” He was. Kaz could see it in his eyes. “Tell your brother I say hey.”

  “I will.” She couldn’t wait to see Ollie’s reaction. He’d likely drop dead from jealousy. Demand to know every detail about their meeting. Kaz would tell him. She’d just leave out some important bits. Like the instant desire that had struck her. Like the way he made her heart race like crazy. Like the four bajillion goose bumps that had broken out over her skin.