by Morgan Brice
“You won’t. I’ve been thinking about this all day, and I have some ideas.”
“All day? Really?”
Simon nodded. “Uh huh. ‘Cause it’s been so long.” He said with a little moan. “After all, a man’s got needs.”
Yep, Vic’s pants were definitely tighter in the crotch now. Vic ambled toward Simon and stood with one leg between Simon’s. He pulled Simon to his feet, slotting them together so Simon’s cock rubbed against Vic’s thigh. “I might have some needs myself,” Vic said, letting his voice drop to a husky growl that sent a shiver through Simon. “Been just as long for me, you know.”
“Better be.”
“Always,” Vic said, bucking a little harder against Simon and getting a thrust of hips in return. “So…what kind of ideas did you have?”
Simon gave him a wicked grin. “Get naked with me, and you’ll find out.”
Without the injury, that would have been Simon’s cue to wrap his legs around Vic’s waist to be carried off to the bedroom. Doing that didn’t sound like a good idea at the moment, so he settled for kissing Vic long and slow, licking and nipping, until the bulge in Vic’s jeans was rock hard.
“Bed. Now.” Vic’s dark eyes were almost all pupil with arousal, and his face was flushed. Simon kissed Vic’s cheek, and couldn’t wait to feel his stubble against other parts of his body.
They kissed, groped and fondled their way into the bedroom, but all the while, Simon knew Vic was keenly aware of not hurting him, careful not to bump into his sore leg or make him twist. That protectiveness warmed Simon’s heart, making him feel loved and cherished.
They’d gone days without sex before, usually when one of them was sick or injured, or Vic ended up pulling double shifts. That made everything all the hotter when they got down to it. Vic insisted on carefully stripping Simon out of his shirt, then easing his jeans and briefs off carefully over his thighs, and tossing his socks toward the door. When Simon was naked, Vic stood back, appreciating his body like a starving man at a buffet.
“Damn, you’re fine,” Vic said with a grin.
Simon shimmied his way on the bed until he was stretched out, one leg pulled up and to the side, putting his very hard and leaking cock on full display. He gave himself a shameless tug and met Vic’s gaze. “Like what you see?”
“You know I do.”
Simon gave a little shrug. “Then how about you get naked and show me?” God, he’d never been such a tease before Vic, but then again, none of his few prior lovers had ever made Simon feel confident and accepted the way Vic did.
Vic took his time, making a show of shedding his clothes. When he wriggled out of his shirt, putting his inked shoulder and arms on display, Simon felt his cock leak, painfully hard. Tracing those tats with his tongue was Simon’s new kink, and Vic loved it. The gleam in Vic’s eyes told Simon that his lover knew exactly where Simon’s mind had gone, and couldn’t wait to make those luscious daydreams into reality.
Simon’s eyes followed every move of Vic’s hands as he undid his belt and popped open his button-flies. With a shimmy of his hips, Vic dropped his jeans, and then toed out of his socks, leaving just his barely-there briefs with a very prominent wet spot where the material strained against his cock. Never breaking eye contact, Vic eased the waistband of his tiny briefs down over his dusky, swollen prick and let them fall to the floor, exposing the infinity symbol tat in the cleft of his groin that he’d added just for Simon.
“I want in you so bad,” Vic admitted, as he climbed onto the bed and stalked his way up Simon’s body on his hands and knees. Simon could smell Vic’s arousal, along with the clean eucalyptus of his favorite soap and a hint of sweat. That just fanned the flames higher. “How can we do this, so you don’t get hurt?”
Simon wanted to feel Vic’s gorgeous cock deep inside him, filling him up, claiming him. Possessing him, to reassure both of them that no ghost or entity would ever come between them. He ached for that, but Simon knew that no matter how they attempted it, he’d end up putting too much strain on the newly healed stitches. So that reunion would have to wait.
“It all counts as having sex,” Simon said, letting his voice drop a bit lower than usual. He always felt a bit silly when he tried for seduction, but from the gleam in Vic’s eyes, his lover didn’t find him silly at all. “How about you let me suck you—while you’re showing me how much you missed me?”
Vic didn’t waste any time. He positioned himself on all fours with his cock in easy reach of Simon’s mouth, and his own lips perfectly angled to handle Simon’s straining erection.
Simon was torn between wanting to savor every sensation—the musk of Vic’s pre-come, the warm velvet of his shaft, the weight of his dick on Simon’s tongue—and wanting to swallow him down to the back of his throat and suck him senseless. He compromised and licked a stripe up Vic’s cock that made Vic shiver and groan, then swiped his tongue over the head, and around again to slip into the slit.
Vic answered by pouncing on Simon’s swollen shaft like a wild thing, deep throating him in one move, nuzzling into Simon’s dark, wiry thatch and breathing in his scent. That drove all subtlety from Simon’s mind, and he wrapped his arms around Vic’s trim hips, digging his fingers into the globes of Vic’s fine ass and making sure he couldn’t get away as Simon feasted on his cock.
Simon wanted to thrust into Vic’s hot mouth, but Vic put a hand on Simon’s hip, holding him down. Sure, part of it was to keep from straining his stitches, but Simon also knew Vic enjoyed getting to Simon and making him desperate to come. Simon returned the favor, sucking and licking, humming and teasing until he felt Vic tremble. On a lazy weekend, they could edge each other for hours, exploring every inch of skin and sensation, adding fingers and toys for good measure.
But now, even a few days felt like forever, and Simon was torn between wanting to make the pleasure last and giving in to the climax that threatened to roar through him like a wildfire.
Vic made the choice for them. He slipped a spit-slick finger down Simon’s crease, teasing at his tight pucker, then pressed inside and angled for his spot, at the same time that he swirled his tongue over the head of Simon’s weeping cock and then took him down to the root.
Simon channeled his arousal into owning Vic’s straining prick, bobbing up and down as he hollowed his cheeks and flicked his tongue. Vic tensed, then flooded Simon’s mouth with his spend, seconds before Simon shot his load and Vic swallowed it down. Simon licked Vic clean, fondling his softening dick with his lips and tongue as Vic pressed a kiss to the inside of Simon’s thigh.
Vic rolled to one side, careful not to put any weight on Simon’s injured leg. Then he maneuvered himself around until his head was beside Simon’s, and leaned in for a kiss, mingling their flavors. Simon raised a hand to cup the back of Vic’s head, deepening the kiss, while the other hand caressed the strong muscles of Vic’s back. After a few moments, they pulled back, and Simon wondered if his own eyes were as lust-blown as Vic’s, who looked like Simon had just rocked his world. That thought made Simon’s heart do a crazy little happy dance, to think he could put that look on Vic’s face.
“That was…wow,” Vic breathed.
“Yeah. Wow.” Simon leaned in for another peck, enjoying the feel of Vic’s stubble against his cheek and the warmth of his body along his side.
From out in the kitchen, Simon’s phone chimed, a reminder to take his bedtime dose of pain medicine. He started to get up, but Vic laid a hand, gently but firmly, on his chest and pushed him back down.
“I’ll get it. Need to make sure everything’s locked up and turned off. How ‘bout you get under the covers and wait for me, so you don’t get cold?” Vic kissed his temple as if the journey entailed more than a few dozen steps.
Sleepy and sated, Simon wasn’t in a mood to argue. He slid under the sheet and pulled the blanket and comforter up to his chin. Myrtle Beach winter temperatures still got low enough that good blankets were a requirement for a good night’s sleep. In min
utes, Vic was back. He held out a pill and a glass of water. Simon accepted both gratefully, then sighed as he eased back down onto the pillow.
When Vic returned again, he put both their phones on the nightstand and then joined Simon under the covers. Simon nestled close, resting his head in the crook of Vic’s shoulder and slinging an arm around his waist. Vic stroked Simon’s hair, while the tip of Simon’s tongue lazily traced the closest black swirls of Vic’s tattoos. From the way Vic shivered, Simon figured that Vic might have discovered a new kink, too.
“Did we ever decide what to do for Valentine’s Day?” Vic sounded tired and totally blissed out.
“We talked about going out for dinner and getting a matching tat. Maybe some kind of protective symbol. Jay always runs a couple’s special at the shop.”
Vic stroked up and down Simon’s back. “Matching tats, huh? You don’t have any ink. That’s quite a commitment.”
Simon chuckled. “No, this is quite a commitment,” he replied, splaying his fingers wide on Vic’s chest. “A tat’s just a symbol. I already asked Gabriella for ideas. I mean, if you still want to.” Suddenly, Simon felt a little unsure, like he was rushing things. After all, they’d only just moved in together.
Vic reached up to take his hand, twining their fingers together. “Of course I still want to. I want you…this…us…more than I ever thought I’d want anything. It scares me a little how much.”
Simon kissed his chest, flicking the nipple with the tip of his tongue for good measure, loving how Vic shivered. “I want you just as much. You’re totally stuck with me.”
“I can live with that.” Vic’s voice was warm and sleepy. Simon nuzzled closer, welcoming the way he felt safe and loved in Vic’s arms. If he had anything to say about it, they’d both live with that for a long, long time.
Witchbane Series
Witchbane
Burn, A Witchbane Novella
Dark Rivers
Badlands Series
Badlands
Restless Nights, A Badlands Short Story
Lucky Town, A Badlands Novella
The Rising
Cover Me, A Badlands Short Story
AFTERWORD
Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite places, and many of the locations used in this book are real, although I’ve tweaked them a little for the sake of the story. Once upon a time, pirates were the scourge of the Carolina coast, taking advantage of a shoreline full of coves and inlets that made great places to hide. Major shipping lanes were just offshore, and the depths are littered with the wrecks of unfortunate vessels lost to storms and pirates.
Socastee Manor doesn’t exist, but there are plenty of old, historic houses like Hopseewee Plantation and Hobclaw Barony to explore. When you visit the boardwalk, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble picking a spot where Grand Strand Ghost Tours might have its storefront. If you can see the SkyWheel and the famous Gay Dolphin Gift Shop, you’re in the right place.
If you’re curious about some of the side characters Simon interacted with, like his cousin Cassidy Kincaide, Teag Logan, and ex-priest Travis Dominick, they have their own series. Cassidy Kincaide is the main character in the Deadly Curiosities series set in Charleston, SC, all about getting cursed and haunted objects out of the wrong hands and saving the world from supernatural threats, and Teag Logan is her best friend. Dante Morris, the privateer ghost, is the star of three prequel Deadly Curiosities short stories set in the 1700s: Among the Shoals Forever, Steer a Pale Course, and The Low Road. The Low Road tells the story of that cursed set of bagpipes Gabriella mentioned. The stories are available individually in ebook, or in the Trifles and Folly 2 collection in ebook, print, and now on audiobook. Look for Dante to play a role in the fourth Deadly Curiosities novel, Inheritance.
Travis and his partner Brent Lawson are the stars of the Night Vigil books, starting with Sons of Darkness, hunting down demonic danger in and around Pittsburgh. And those other hunters who called Simon for advice? That was Mark Wojcik from our Spells, Salt, and Steel series, snarky monster hunting in the wilds of Pennsylvania. (Those are all written under my Gail Z. Martin name.) The other caller was Seth Tanner, the main character of my (Morgan Brice) Witchbane series.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Of course, it takes a village to bring a book to life. Thanks first of all to my husband, Larry N. Martin, for all his editing and work behind the scenes. Also thanks to our editor, Jean Rabe, cover artist Natania Barron, and our beta readers and launch team: Amy, Andrea, Anne, Annmarie, Ashby, Barbara, Carolyn, Carra, Cheryl, Christopher, Darell, Donald, Emma, Jocelyn, Karolina, Kathryn, Kristy, Laurie, Lee, Lisa, Lynn, Manda, Mindy, Renae, and Vickie. Your eagle eyes helped to make this book the best it could be. Thank you also to the bloggers, reviewers, and signal boosters who help others hear about the book. I am deeply grateful to all of you, and I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, most of all, to my readers, who mean the world to me. Because you read, I write.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure, and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after.
Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, and more explosions.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Watch for additional new series from Morgan Brice, and more books in the Witchbane and Badlands universes coming soon!
Where to find me, and how to stay in touch
On the web at https://morganbrice.com. Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a new release! http://eepurl.com/dy_8oL.
Facebook Group—the place for news about upcoming books, convention appearances, special contests, and giveaways, plus location photos, fantasy casting, and more! Look for http://www.facebook.com/groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice You can also find Morgan on Twitter: @MorganBriceBook and Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail): pinterest.com/Gzmartin.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
1. Simon
2. Vic
3. Simon
4. Vic
5. Simon
6. Vic
7. Simon
8. Vic
9. Simon
10. Vic
11. Simon
12. Vic
13. Simon
14. Vic
15. Simon
16. Vic
17. Simon
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author