Robert laughed.
“You were supposed to call me. You’ve been free the whole week.” Alex studied him.
Robert refused to feel guilty.
“Christ, Robin. You were working? It’s spring break,” Alex said.
“That’s what I told him when I had to drag him here to have some fun,” a deep voice said behind him.
Robert stilled the shudder that Miguel’s deep voice had caused. Alex met his gaze, his amusement plain. Robert stuck out his tongue at him. Alex laughed and stuck out his hand.
“Alex Hayes. Thanks for inviting me. I missed my own poker games.”
“Miguel Rodriguez, and these are my brothers Tomas, Hector, and Malik. We’re always happy for fresh meat we can win money from,” Miguel replied as they shook hands.
Robert shifted so he could see Miguel, his brothers, and Alex. Miguel introduced the rest of the guys around the room to Alex. He listened absently as the men spoke around him.
“Yeah, I bought that house. No, it wasn’t someone bilking me.” Alex’s response caught his attention.
“Alex can find the diamond in a haystack. He knows houses. I’m sure the one he bought will be a beauty in no time. He’s helping me find a place where I can have my lab,” Robert said.
“Lab?” Miguel asked, a frown on his face.
“So I can work on some of my projects at home. The place I have now doesn’t have a big enough lab for some of my more complex projects.”
“So you’re some sort of scientist?” Tomas asked.
Robert was uncomfortable with the way he stated the question. It was as if he was being interrogated. He shrugged it off as him being sensitive.
“Yes. I work in the science department at the university. I teach classes and do some research and development.”
“So what else do you do?” Tomas asked in an aggressive manner.
“Tomas,” Miguel said sharply.
The two men looked at each other. Tomas gave a slight nod, then looked back at Robert with a smile. Robert didn’t know what was going on.
“So, you’re looking for a house?” Tomas asked in a friendlier tone.
Robert continued to wonder what was going on, but answered. “Yeah. Alex sent me info on some places. He’ll be helping me to find one. He’s good at spotting the strengths and weaknesses in houses.”
“Robin knows me so well,” Alex agreed.
“Robin?” Miguel asked, amusement in his voice.
“Only Alex calls me that. He does it to irritate me.” Robert poked Alex.
“Yep, I do. Not to mention your voice.” Alex laughed.
Robert could see the questioning look on the men’s faces.
He changed the subject quickly. “Oh, yeah. Malik and Tomas are landscapers, Alex.”
Alex’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s usually the hardest to find. I don’t mess with the yards of my houses. I hire professionals. Do you do residential places? And if you do, can you come by and check my house out?”
“We do both commercial and residential. I’m busy later, so I can’t make it,” Tomas replied. “Can you, Malik?”
“I can come by later, after the poker game. We usually have had enough by 7 p.m. or so,” Malik answered.
“That sounds good,” Alex replied.
“We’ll talk. Excuse me. It’s my turn to win some money,” Malik said.
“In your dreams,” Tomas quipped.
“In both of yours. I’m gonna win the money,” Hector said. “Come on, Miguel. Prepare to lose.”
“Look who’s talking, big fellas. Mr. Who-Loses-His-Shirt-Every-Week.” Miguel laughed.
He winked at them and went to the table to join his brothers.
“They are all so yum,” Alex said.
“Don’t even think of making a pass at any of them. They’re all straight. Hell, Hector’s voice gets soft when he talks about Sim, his woman,” Robert warned.
“I’m not interested in another piece of ass, Robin. If I was, I could have had it with the waiter the other day when we had dinner,” Alex said softly.
Robert looked at him. The look on Alex’s face was sad.
“What’s going on, Alex?” Robert asked.
“I can’t talk about it. Let’s just say that I’ve learned that a quick fuck isn’t worth it. I want more, although I don’t deserve it and probably will never have it.”
The sorrow in his pale gray eyes made Robert reach for him.
“Oh, Alex-bo. I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I know, Robin. I know. I don’t think I ever can. I’ll be fine.” Alex patted Robert’s hand.
“Hey, Robin, come lose some money,” a voice called.
Robert looked over at the table. Hector had an evil look on his face. The rest of the guys joined in chanting “Robin, Robin.” Robert looked back at Alex. Alex grinned wickedly, and Robert returned it. They went over to the table and sat down. Alex took the cards and started to shuffle. He sped up and did a few tricks. With a smooth move, he passed the deck to Robert. Robert shuffled some more and flicked out the cards onto the table in a spread out pile. He scooped them up, then started to deal. He and Alex chuckled at the stunned expression on the men’s faces.
“Oh man, Miguel. You brought ringers. We are so going to get our asses kicked,” Malik groaned.
“Hush up, you whiner, and take it like a man. You usually win. ‘Bout time you lost some.” Miguel grunted.
Robert looked up and met Miguel’s twinkling eyes. He smiled and continued to deal. As the day wore on, the groans became grumbles, then good-natured ribbing and heckling as he and Alex proceeded to win all the men’s money.
“That’s it, boys. I’m out and gotta go.” Longoria said. He stood and put out his hand. “Nice meeting you both, and I’ll see you next week. The game is at my house. Miguel will give you the schedule of where the games are. We rotate between our houses. I need to win back some of my money.”
He shook Alex’s hand, then Robert’s, and took his leave. The rest of the men echoed his words, and before Robert knew it, everyone had left except for him, Alex, and Malik.
“See you next week, bro. Robin, I’m gonna win some money back. Come on, Alex. Let’s take a look at what type of landscaping you need for the house.” Malik walked to the door.
“See you next week, Robin. Thanks for having me, Miguel,” Alex said, waving as he followed Malik.
Robert looked around the room. He started to clean up.
“You don’t have to do that. We know if the game is at your house, clean up is on you,” Miguel said.
“We can get this done quicker if you talk less,” Robert replied.
“Yes, sir.” Miguel laughed.
They quickly cleaned up and set the living area back to rights. Robert picked up some of the filled trash bags and followed Miguel, who held some too. They went through the kitchen, then out the back door. Robert gasped. The ocean was practically in the backyard. The private stretch of beach was beautiful. There was a fence with a gate that separated the beach from the backyard. Rich flowers and trees spread around the backyard. He could bet that Tomas and Malik had done the landscaping. If this was a sample of what they could do, Alex would be very happy. It was an oasis. A table and chairs were under one of the trees closest to the ocean. From his own condo, Robert could barely see the ocean. He added a view of ocean to his mental list of things he wanted in a house.
“Robert!” Miguel called.
Snapping out of his daze, he hurried to the side of the house. Miguel took the bags and placed them next to the ones he had carried. Then they returned to the backyard and stood looking out at the ocean.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s one of the reasons my parents didn’t want to just sell the house.”
“Your parents?”
“Yeah. This is my childhood home. We grew up running around the yard and playing on the beach. When I got it, I made some changes, but basically it’s the same as when we grew up. It’s big for one person, but
I love it,” Miguel said.
Robert had wondered why he had a house too large just for him. It being his childhood home explained a lot. Carefully, he glanced at Miguel. Those muscular legs were spread apart, and his strong hands were on his waist. Robert stifled a whimper.
He’s straight. Straight. Robert kept repeating that to himself.
“So, Prof, what are you up to tomorrow?”
“Huh? Umm… probably still working on my paper.” He shrugged.
“Can you take some time off from that and come out with me? I have to pick up a TV armoire for one of the bedrooms upstairs. It’s a real beauty, but it needs lots of work. You and Alex talked about working on houses and furniture, so you can help me.” Miguel’s tone was wheedling.
The excitement in his tone got to Robert in a primal way. He wanted the same excitement directed at him. He shook off foolish thoughts and agreed. They made plans for the next day, and Robert left. He waved at Miguel as he drove away. As he thought of Miguel and how easy it was to spend time with him, Robert had to keep reminding himself that they were just friends.
“JUST FRIENDS. He’s straight,” Robert said as he waited for Miguel to answer the door.
It was his ritual to repeat the reminder before he spent time with Miguel. In the last five weeks and four days they had spent together, sometimes it worked, while other times he couldn’t wait to go home and jerk off, imagining it was Miguel touching him. It was pathetic, but he couldn’t seem to say no when Miguel asked him to do something. Since that first game, he and Alex had become regulars at the poker games. As Miguel had mentioned, the players changed based on each player’s schedule. From his count of people at the various games, there were about twenty or so of them who played. Alex had even offered his house to be added to the rotation once it was more livable. Robert couldn’t offer his place; it was too small. Although he, Alex, and sometimes Miguel went looking, he still couldn’t find a house he wanted.
In addition to those times, he and Miguel had been to many garage sales, picking up pieces for Miguel’s house. He had spent many weekends working on restoring the pieces with Miguel. Besides that, they had gone to the beach to surf, out to eat, to fairs, and lots of other outings. It was what he would imagine a romance would be: getting to know each other, spending time together, fun and camaraderie. Too bad Miguel was straight and therefore off limits.
“Just frien—” Robert said as door opened.
He swallowed the rest of the words as he got a look at a glistening bare chest. Robert gulped. He licked his lips as water slid down sculpted muscle.
“Sorry. I’m not ready. I had to take a shower. I took longer sanding the wardrobe than I had planned.” Miguel’s voice was muffled.
Robert was grateful Miguel was toweling his hair, giving him time to compose himself. Miguel slung the towel over his neck.
“Come on in. I’ll be ready in a sec.” Miguel stepped back.
Robert entered, closing the door behind him, and walked deeper into the room. He stopped, whimpering, as Miguel turned and started to walk away. The shorts he wore hugged his ass perfectly. His thighs moved, flexing muscles. Robert bit the side of his hand. His gaze traveled up, taking in the strong back, broad shoulders, thick neck, and slightly curly, damp hair. Miguel stopped and looked back at him. Robert dropped his hand and took a step back. Hunger blazed in Miguel’s gaze. But that was impossible.
“When are you going to make a move? I’m tired of waiting.” Miguel’s voice was low and deep.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Robert’s addled brain was on overload.
Miguel sighed and faced him. Involuntarily, Robert’s eyes dropped, and then his mouth fell open in shock. Miguel was hard, and from the look of it, his cock was huge. Robert licked his lips, then jerked his eyes away. Miguel was amused.
“Like what you see?” Miguel purred.
“God, yes.” Robert flushed as he realized what he’d said, and he rushed to correct it. “Umm… no… look….” He screamed, frustrated, yanking at his hair.
“I can think of better things to do with your mouth than scream,” Miguel growled.
Robert dropped his hands and gawked. Miguel smiled and lowered his gaze. He licked his lips and looked back up at Robert.
“A lot more things.”
“You… can’t say things like that,” Robert gasped.
“Why?”
“Because you’re straight!” Robert yelled.
“Boy, are you slow. I haven’t been straight since I kissed Andres under the bleachers.” Miguel chuckled.
“What?” Robert couldn’t process what Miguel was saying.
“My brothers were right. Damn it, I can never let them know. I should have just told you.” Miguel sighed.
“Your brothers?”
“Yes. They said if after so long you hadn’t figured it out, I should just put us both out of our misery and make my own move.”
“Move?”
“Yes, move.”
“But you’re straight. Your brothers are too. I don’t get it.” Robert yanked his hair again.
Miguel laughed hard. “Even if you keep saying it, that won’t make it true. I’m queer, and as for my brothers, some aren’t so straight. Hell, some of the poker buddies aren’t, either.”
“Who?” Robert goggled as he registered what Miguel had said. “Tomas, Hec, and Malik are gay? No. Hec talks about Sim, his wife, all the time,” Robert interjected.
“You’ll have to figure out about my brothers and the others. But Simon would be really offended being called a woman. Then again, he might laugh first, then kick your ass.”
“Simon?” Robert was having a problem following what Miguel was saying.
“Simon Harris is Hec’s partner,” Miguel said calmly.
Robert’s mind raced. Sim was a man, not a woman. His mouth dropped open.
“Simon Harris the actor? The heartthrob who is every gay man’s wet dream?” Robert asked breathlessly.
“He makes you hot, huh? Yes, that’s him. Simon will be most pleased.” Miguel grinned evilly.
“What! You can’t tell him that!” Robert cried.
Miguel’s grin became wicked. “What’re you going to give me if I don’t?”
Flustered, Robert backed closer to the door. Miguel stalked toward him. It reminded him of a predator on the hunt. He gulped, took another step back, and put up his hands. Miguel kept coming. Robert’s hands brushed Miguel’s bare chest. Robert moaned, and Miguel growled at the touch.
“But… you’re straight,” Robert whimpered.
“Let’s see what we can do to convince you otherwise,” Miguel whispered.
Robert tried again. “You—”
Miguel kissed him, cutting off his words and clearing all thought from his mind.
Chapter Three
THE HUNGRY claim Miguel laid made him want more. Robert’s eyes closed. Miguel wrapped his strong arms around him, pulling Robert tighter against his body. His lush lips moved against Robert’s. His tongue licked across the seam of his lips, seeking entrance. On a gasp, Robert opened. Miguel stroked his tongue inside, demanding and aggressive. Moaning, Robert clenched his trapped hands against Miguel’s chest. Miguel licked inside Robert’s mouth, then suckled his tongue. A sting of a bite on the tip of his tongue made Robert whimper. Miguel drew away from their kiss slowly. Blearily, Robert opened his eyes. He bit back a groan at the heated look in Miguel’s darkened brown eyes. Robert had been right. They were bottomless and intense.
Miguel leaned back in and kissed him again. His tongue speared inside, dueling with Robert’s. He suckled, then bit on the tip. Robert shuddered, the bite resonating right to his sac. He relaxed more fully against Miguel’s chest, moving against him. Miguel’s hardened cock pressed against Robert’s own heavy erection. Robert spread his hand on sweat-slickened skin, moving sideways on Miguel’s chest. He felt his nipple and pinched. Miguel growled in his mouth, the sound vibrating down Robert’s throat. Suddenly, Miguel pulled away
.
“We need to take the edge off.”
“What?” Robert sputtered, unable to form a coherent thought.
Miguel moved just a little closer to Robert, almost touching their lips. “I want you too much. I’ve been waiting too long to have you. Can I have you?” he whispered against the shell of Robert’s left ear after shifting his head.
A fine line of goose bumps broke out along Robert’s skin in the wake of Miguel’s breathy words. Robert’s lips parted, and his head tipped to the side. Miguel licked along the side of his neck. Robert turned slowly to look at him. His lips parted, but nothing came out. The look in Miguel’s gaze was hungry and possessive. Before Robert could form an answer, Miguel claimed his lips in a hard kiss. Everything that Miguel was feeling was in the kiss. All the hunger and need. Yet there was something more that Robert figured he was imagining. There seemed to be care there, a tenderness that he had only felt when he was in a committed relationship.
Don’t be silly. This is just about sex. Don’t put more into it than that. Miguel continued to kiss him with a commanding possessiveness that made him feel Miguel owned him. Miguel pulled away to press his mouth against Robert’s neck, to suckle his ear lobe as his hands undid Robert’s belt and pulled down his pants. He dropped to his knees, slid Robert’s boxers down, and pulled his cock free.
“Miguel….”
“Mine,” he growled while glancing up at him.
He waited, not saying anything else. Robert studied the sexy man on his knees and sighed his acquiescence. Miguel closed his lips over the bare tip of Robert’s cock. Eyes locked on his face, he suckled it gently. Robert shuddered at the softness that contrasted with the fierceness of Miguel’s face. There was a deliberate restraint to his movement. The lines of intense pleasure on his face made him seem like a fierce conqueror. Miguel slowly sucked the thick length into his mouth. He suckled it tenderly, placing just a little pressure against the erection before pulling back to take delicate swipes at the full shaft with his tongue. He hissed as he played with the sensitive, engorged tip.
Miguel licked the first drops of pearly liquid leaking from the tip. He flattened his tongue to press it firmly across the whole head. A shudder of pleasure ran through Robert. His head dropped back, hitting the door. Miguel held Robert’s thrusting hips with those long fingers and firm hands. Robert gripped Miguel’s shoulders, his fingertips digging in. His shoulders were rigid and tense. Miguel gripped the base of Robert’s erection with one hand while the other cradled his balls. Miguel pulled back to press soft kisses against Robert’s tip as he gave his testicles a gentle squeeze.
Something in Common (Dreamspinner Press Bundles) Page 4