Hollis grabbed the lube and coated his fingers before slipping two of them inside Ian. He pushed them deep. Ian was now writhing on the bed and panting. Hollis was so turned-on, pre-cum oozed from his dick as it ached to get inside. But he took his time, also loving the feel of Ian’s smooth walls around his fingers. He watched his fingers disappear inside his husband, watched the way Ian lifted into each thrust, his movements fluid and graceful.
“Love watching you like this,” he said under his breath. “Holy shit, you’re gorgeous.”
“Want you inside me,” Ian groaned. “I’m okay, I promise.”
Slicking himself with lube, Hollis came over Ian and nudged his opening with the tip of his dick. Heat surrounded him as he pushed inside. There was nothing like this, like the feel of Ian around his cock. Soft, slick walls enveloped him and he pushed deeper, bracing his hands on the bed on either side of Ian. Ian pushed back into him, making him go even deeper. Hollis groaned and flicked his hips, knowing he was rubbing over Ian’s prostate. The man loved sex like this, loved when Hollis held him down.
“Yeah,” Ian gasped. “Move inside me.”
The tight, wet heat went to Hollis’s head and he rocked into Ian, his rhythm disjointed as pleasure surged through him. It raced through him like wildfire, and his movements picked up as he sank into that delicious heat over and over. He leaned down, pressing his lips to Ian’s back, tasting sweat.
Ian moaned and moved with him, his hands coming up to brace against the headboard. He undulated his hips, driving Hollis mad with how hot he was. Ever mindful of Ian’s injury, Hollis slowed down his movements, the deliberate thrusts bringing him closer and closer to the edge. He didn’t want this to end, so he gritted his teeth and pulled out. Ian went still, glancing over his shoulder in question.
Hollis wanted to turn him over but worried about the pressure on his head, so instead, he drew Ian up to his hands and knees. He could reach around and stroke Ian’s cock like this. Ian quickly got with the program and positioned himself in front of Hollis. Hollis couldn’t resist running his fingers over Ian’s hole, still soft and open from their lovemaking.
He pushed back inside that tight heat and groaned.
“Fuck.” Ian’s voice broke on the word and he tightened around Hollis.
Hollis lubed up his hand and reached to wrap his fingers around Ian’s cock. The satiny skin felt so good against his palm, and he tightened his grip and stroked. Ian grunted and spread his legs more, his hips moving in rhythm with Hollis. The tight clutch of his body, the sleek muscles moving underneath his skin, all of it dazzled Hollis. He rubbed his thumb over the tip of Ian’s cock, feeling the slick wetness of pre-cum. It was all so hot, he felt close to blacking out. A ragged moan left his lips as he worked to get air into his lungs.
He leaned down and opened his mouth over Ian’s skin. “There’s nothing like this,” he whispered. “Nothing.”
“I know.” Ian looked at him over his shoulder, those beautiful brown eyes hooded with lust. “Love this. Love you.”
“Love you so goddamn much.”
Hollis stroked Ian faster, loving the glazed look that filled his expression. He pressed as deep inside him as he could, his eyes rolling back into his head. He wanted to pound the man hard but kept up the slow, careful movements that were really just as good. He could pay attention to every sensation like this.
Ian clenched around him and he grunted as he felt his orgasm hovering on the edge. He wanted Ian to come first, so he stroked down to his base like Ian loved, then twisted his hand on the way back up to swipe his thumb over the tip again.
“Oh!” Ian cried out, squeezing his ass.
“I’m coming. You first, baby.”
“It’s there. I’m there!”
Ian’s whole body tensed up and he yelled as he came, spilling over Hollis’s hand, his hold around Hollis’s dick like a vise. Hollis’s movements stuttered and he shoved into Ian three more times before pleasure rushed through him. He grasped Ian’s hips and held on, riding the waves, his vision going black as he squeezed his eyes shut. He shuddered and couldn’t stop his hips from pushing into his husband a few more times before he started to feel too sensitive. He slowly pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to Ian, who plastered himself over Hollis. He wrapped his arms tight around him, kissing his temple. “Want me to go get a towel for cleanup?” His words came broken through his harsh breaths.
“No, I like it like this.” Ian nuzzled his chest. “Is it just me, or does it feel like that’s getting even better?”
“Always good,” Hollis panted. “Always.”
They lay there, catching their breaths, sweat cooling on their skin.
“I never knew sex could be like this before you,” Ian said softly, stroking his hand down Hollis’s side.
His weight felt good on top of Hollis and he tightened his arms. “Sex wasn’t like this before you. It could be good, but nothing feels like the way we do together. And yeah, it seems to be getting even better. Don’t know if I could live through it improving more.”
Ian chuckled and kissed his chin. “Not to sound cheesy, but I’m pretty sure love has something to do with it.”
“Oh, there’s nothing cheesy about that.” Hollis nuzzled into Ian’s hair, taking in the scent of sweat and shampoo. He thought of him lying on that floor. Defenseless. “I would die if something happened to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. I’ll be paying better attention from here on out.”
“Yeah, but he came into our damn home. I can’t get past that. This is our sanctuary from the world, you know?”
“It still is. We’re beefing up security, and I doubt he’ll return. He knows we’re on to him now. Or her. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”
“True. I haven’t found anything on Ginger yet, but I’m looking.” He looked down at his husband and stroked his hands over the silky curve of Ian’s back. He gently tugged Ian so their faces lined up, and he kissed him. Ian’s lips were so soft and warm, and he slid his tongue into his mouth. Ian was his home. His everything. Every single day, he thanked the universe for putting this man in his path.
Ian kissed him back, his hands coming up to frame Hollis’s face. “Mmm. We keep this up, and I’ll be ready for round two.”
“As intriguing as that sounds, I think you should rest.”
Ian sighed and snuggled down onto his chest. “As long as you lie here with me, too.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He held his husband long into the night, relishing his weight on him, his scent, and the soft brushes of his breath over Hollis’s skin. He didn’t sleep for a long time, too wound up and worried.
Chapter Ten
Over the next four days, Ian felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin. The constant worry made his muscles ache and nausea creep through his stomach. The physical toll this was taking surprised him, but the emotional toll was worse. He still couldn’t believe someone had attacked him in his home and whether he liked it or not, Hollis was checking in with him a lot more often than usual. So were his friends.
It did warm his heart that he had so many people who loved him.
But he couldn’t kick the worry over Rialto, couldn’t stop wondering who it was and what exactly they were after other than destroying his livelihood. Why they’d physically attacked him. Ian wracked his brain constantly, trying to come up with who it could be and kept hitting a blank.
He spent those days at the restaurant, reassuring his employees, and keeping an eye on the foot traffic, which still hadn’t lessened. Either people weren’t paying attention to the reviews or they just didn’t care. As of right then, it seemed his business might weather the storm. But he couldn’t ditch the bad feeling that followed him around like an evil shadow.
When Rowe called a meeting Monday afternoon at Ward Security, Ian and Hollis drove there together. Ian frowned at the trash in the back seat of his husband’s blue Chevelle as he got into the vehicl
e. He gave Hollis a look.
Hollis glanced at him as he pulled the car out of their driveway and smirked. “Hey now, this is my space and I keep it the way I like.”
“You like having all this junk in your car?” Ian picked up a bag that had come from a fast-food restaurant. “And are we going to have to talk about your diet when I’m not around?”
Hollis’s grin was wide. “No, it doesn’t bother me to have this stuff in the car. It gets cleaned out eventually. As for my diet, you know it’s mostly good, but every now and then a guy just wants a Big Mac.”
Ian rolled his eyes and tossed the bag into the back seat as Hollis laughed.
“I hope they’ve found something,” Ian said as he watched the city scenery go by.
Hollis reached across the seat to touch his hand. That little contact helped to settle the swarm of butterflies trying to escape his stomach.
They arrived at Ward Security and walked inside the building to find a self-defense class going on. Noise filled the big, open space, and Ian had to wonder if a lot of the men and women in the class joined it because it was being run by Sven. The man was a beautiful giant with his long blond hair and massive, muscular form. Ian loved his much smaller boyfriend, Geoffrey. Ian glanced around to see if Geoffrey was hanging around and spotted him off to the side, talking to a group of people.
Geoffrey saw him and jogged over, his blond hair flopping over his eyes. He threw his arms around Ian’s neck. They’d become friends over the years, so he was no longer surprised by the blond man’s effervescence. Or the stuff that sometimes came out of his mouth. Geoffrey lacked a filter and as usual, he didn’t disappoint.
“If it isn’t the famous Chef Banner. I saw that magazine spread of yours and was wicked jealous. Mine wasn’t nearly that big. My spread, that is.” He winked. “I haven’t yet had the chance to explore how we rate in other areas.”
Ian shook his head. He knew Geoffrey was one hundred percent faithful to his boyfriend, so the man was just fucking with him. “I saw the article about you and your big sale. How’s the new app doing?”
“It’s in the final stages now and just awaits a launch.”
Ian waved toward Sven, who was demonstrating how to break out of a hold. It was with a very small woman, so he was being obviously gentle. “You come to all his classes?”
“When I’m not working. I just love watching him work. So damn sexy.” He gave a demonstrable shiver.
Hollis chuckled, his hand on the small of Ian’s back. “I think half his class is here for the same reason. Some are pretty blatant—just watching.”
“What do you mean half?” Geoffrey laughed and pointed at his boyfriend. “There’s a reason Rowe has Sven lead this course.” His expression grew serious. “Why are you here? Are you getting a bodyguard? Is there a reason you need one?”
“No, I have a meeting with Rowe and the triplets, that’s all.”
Geoffrey lowered his voice. “Listen, I’ve seen the reviews lately and just wanted to say that anyone who has half a brain could tell they’re not true, that someone has it out for your restaurant.”
It didn’t make him feel better knowing anyone had seen the damn reviews, fake or not. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. Figuring out who is the hard part.”
“Is that why you’re here? I’m being very nosy, aren’t I?” He grinned and it was so cheeky, it made Ian smile. Geoffrey had zero remorse when it came to being nosy and curious. “I’ll let you get to your meeting. Sven and I have reservations at Rialto next weekend, so I’ll see you there.”
They said good-bye to Geoffrey and took the stairs up to Rowe’s office. Rowe looked up at them when they walked in, his red hair a disheveled mess, a scowl on his rugged face.
“Hey,” he said. “Just a sec and we’ll head over to the triplets’ room.” He poked at the keyboard of his computer a few times, cursed, then stood up. “I will forever hate the paperwork part of this business.”
“I’m with you there,” Ian said. “It amazes me how much paperwork goes into a restaurant when all I want to be doing is cooking and talking with the customers.”
“I prefer being out in the field and leaving Andrei to this crap, but I took more of it on since Daci’s arrival.” He went to the door. “I hope the triplets have some good news.”
They walked down the hall to a big room filled with electronic equipment and a conference table. Gidget was on her computer with Quinn leaning over her chair and pointing to something on the screen. He looked up. “Hey, Ian. Hollis.”
Gidget waved them over to her computer. She had several screens around her, and she pointed to one that was frozen on a scene from behind Ian’s restaurant. “The only thing suspicious on the tapes was this guy painting graffiti on the brick at the back of Rialto.” She frowned at Ian. “It would have helped me if I’d known I was looking for a graffiti artist.”
“Wait, when did you deal with that?” Hollis asked, coming around to look at the screen.
“I didn’t say anything about it because it happened right after the magazine came out, and it was your standard hate stuff. I dismissed it entirely—just painted over the words. It’s not like I haven’t dealt with that kind of thing before. Since opening Rialto, I think we’ve been hit with this kind of graffiti about a half dozen times.” Ian squinted at the image.
“But if this happened recently, when all this other stuff is going on, it’s important,” Rowe pointed out. “Do you recognize this person at all?”
“How could I? They’re wearing a hoodie. But it’s too big to be Ginger. She was tiny.”
“It’s not a tall man, but a man nonetheless,” Gidget pointed out. “Look at the ropey forearms.” She zoomed in on the arms. “Also, whoever this is uses drugs. See the track marks?”
“I don’t think we’re dealing with Ginger in any of this anyway,” Hollis said. “She took a job in Louisville and has been out of town this whole time. Took me some time to track her down.” He looked at Quinn. “What about the IP addresses?”
Quinn shook his head. “That’s a dead end. Tracked them back to a library.”
“So we have no leads?” Rowe barked out. “We’re hitting a wall on this. Any ideas on who would want to hurt you, Ian?”
“Hollis and I have already gone over this, and the only person we came up with has been out of town this whole time. She could still be putting out some of those reviews, but I can’t help but feel this is all coming from the same person. The only logical explanation is another restaurant owner, but why come to my house and physically hurt me?”
Rowe nodded. “You’re right, that was too personal.” He paused and chewed on his lip a moment as he stared at Ian. “I hate to say this, but what about someone from your past? Not everyone who worked for Jagger was arrested.”
Ian wrung his hands. “But that’s been such a long time. Why would anyone carry a grudge that long and why start attacking me now?”
“Who knows?” Rowe answered. “It could be anything. They’re still out there.”
Hollis cleared his throat. “They are, Ian. I saw one of them not too long ago while on surveillance with Shane.”
“You did?” Ian frowned as his gut began to churn. Anger pierced his belly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Hollis reared back at his tone. “Because I didn’t want to worry you.”
Ian shut his eyes and counted to ten while his fury grew into something that blacked out the corners of his vision. “I’m never going to be safe, am I? Never going to be free. Here I am working on building this life with you and my restaurant and…kids.” His eyes opened as he focused on Hollis, and he knew his expression was bleak. “How do we bring foster kids into our lives if we’re still dealing with this shit?”
Hollis grabbed his shoulders and squeezed. “We don’t know this is coming from one of Jagger’s men. Like you said, that’s a long time to carry a grudge, and why have a grudge against you to begin with? You were a victim.”
“Maybe because I
killed him?”
“It’s been years.” He tried to draw Ian into a hug, but Ian pulled away. He was still pissed Hollis hadn’t told him about seeing someone from Jagger’s crew. He was pissed over the entire situation, and he stalked away from everyone and ran his hands through his hair.
“I can’t bring kids into my world. I should have never thought I could.”
Rowe came to him and cupped his face. “If anyone in this world deserves to have kids, it’s you, so don’t you dare give up on your dreams over this. We’ll figure it out.”
But Ian was inconsolable. He stepped away from Rowe and returned to the computer screen. He looked at the hooded figure and tried to make out anything familiar about him, looking for tattoos, a glimpse of a face. Whoever it was, he wasn’t really that much bigger than Ginger, but he agreed that it was a man and a drug user. He’d seen marks like that in the past. “Can you run this back a bit? Does his face show up at all?”
“No,” Gidget answered. “I’ve slowed it to a crawl and watched the whole thing. He’s extra careful, like he’s aware he’s being filmed. What did the graffiti say?”
“Homophobic slurs. But I can’t imagine someone being so upset that I’m gay, they’d go through all this. I mean, that kind of hate can’t still be real, right?”
“Hell yeah, it could be.” Rowe scowled. “All this started right after the magazine article came out, you said?”
Nodding, Ian hugged his arms around himself because he still couldn’t believe someone would hate who he was enough to try and destroy him. “Then this could be anyone. We have absolutely nothing to go on. No leads at all.”
“We know it’s a man, and we know he’s a drug user.” Hollis walked to him and again tried to draw him into a hug, but Ian tensed up, causing his husband to frown.
“That’s not enough,” Ian said, drawing in a shaky breath. “It’s just not.”
Chapter Eleven
Ian shrugged off his jacket and hung it in the hall closet. The trip to Ward Security had been more painful than he’d been expecting. He’d thought they’d be able to walk away with some lead or clue as to why he was being targeted. But the information that came out of the meeting had left him feeling sick to his stomach and so damn frustrated.
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