Something in Common (Dreamspinner Press Bundles)

by Talia Carmichael

  “Tease.” Bur flopped back on the bed, putting his hand over his eyes.

  The sound of running water came. Hands gripped his hips. Bur sat up, glancing down. Gerald knelt between his legs, opened his mouth, and sucked in Bur’s cock.

  Bur dropped onto the mattress, moaning. “Gerald.”

  Gerald rubbed his tongue on his shaft. He pulled on Bur’s balls as he blew him. Bur gripped Gerald’s head, pushing into his mouth. Gerald choked, then pulled off. Bur stilled. Gerald slid down on his cock again, sucking urgently. Blunt fingers pushed under him. Bur canted his hips. Gerald rubbed his fingers along his crease. Bur whimpered. After the first time, Gerald had had him three more times. It left him sore, since it had been awhile since he’d had sex. Gerald pushed in with his fingers, working them in and out. Bur rode his fingers, pushing into his mouth.

  “Gerald,” he moaned.

  The suction increased, and the fingers sped up. Bur rocked as heat pooled in his belly. His sac went tight, and then he shook as he came. Gerald continued his ministrations on his shaft. Bur relaxed, sighing. Gerald released him, and then he straddled Bur, leaning over and kissing him. Gerald’s hard shaft rested against his stomach. Bur licked inside his mouth. Gerald leaned back slightly.

  “Giving my first blowjob was fun. I think I’m going to have to have your dick in my mouth often,” he said.

  “For your first, you did well.”

  “Just well, huh? You were shuffling and puffing really hard. But don’t worry. I’ll get better.” Gerald smiled wickedly.

  Bur’s cock twitched. If Gerald got better, Lord help him. Gerald placed his hands over each other on Bur’s chest, then rested his chin on them, watching Bur.

  “When are you going to fuck me?”

  Bur stared at him, then retorted, “When I feel like it.”

  “Good. You seemed hesitant when I asked last night.”

  “Demanded. We have all the time in the world to explore each other, Gerald. We don’t need to do everything at once,” Bur rubbed his back.

  “Time. That sounds as if you plan to be around.”

  “I do,” Bur promised.

  He’d been unsure of being with Gerald. But in the last few weeks, he knew he wouldn’t walk away. Bur would see where this would lead.

  “Me too.” Gerald kissed him.

  Bur rolled them over. He widened his legs, rubbing against Gerald. His cock hardened as it slid beside Gerald’s. They rocked together, the friction of their movements increasing. Then they gasped in each other’s mouths, coming together. Bur slowly pulled back from their kiss, then laid his head against Gerald’s chest. He closed his eyes, yawning.

  “An hour and the alarm will go off again,” Gerald warned, his voice sleepy.

  “If I’m going to be staying over, I’ll get you up.”

  “I’m hard to wake up.”

  “I have my ways. Don’t worry. I’ll get you up.” Bur imagined the most pleasurable ways he could wake Gerald.

  BUR PLAYED the bridge he was working on. He stopped, not really in the mood to fiddle with it, put down his guitar, and stood. He wandered over to the window and sat on the window seat. The plush cushions gave under his weight. He bent his knees, bringing them up and resting his cheek on them. In the last week, he’d spent every night at Gerald’s. They would leave together in the morning and go about their day. Bur would head to Gerald’s place when Gerald got off work and wait on his front porch until he got home. Then they would spend the night together. They had gotten into a familiar routine.

  Today, with the news they had gotten about the centers, there was too much work to do for him to go by Gerald’s as he got off work. The construction schedule had been adjusted, and now it wouldn’t be completed until the end of May. With that, they had to start changing their plans for readying the inside of the centers. He had planned to go after they finished for the day, but when he saw it was getting so late, he decided he’d call Gerald and tell him he wouldn’t make it by tonight. All of them—his brothers, he, and the two heads and two seconds of the centers—had been planning for the changes. Enrico had been there via video-conference. They were already working even harder to get everything finished. Now, with the change, the work to adjust scheduling was going to be aggravating. They had to change their opening date to August. Since they were opening in August, they decided to make it August 13, a year to the day from when they first broke ground for the center, and their birthday. It was amazing how much had happened since then.

  “Why are you sitting here in the dark? Come to bed,” Gerald said.

  Startled, Bur glanced toward the living room doorway. Gerald was in pajama bottoms.

  “I didn’t realize you were here.” Pleasure filled him.

  “Where else would I be? I’ve gotten used to your cover hogging. We both have an early morning. Come to bed.”

  Bur stood and made his way to him. At his side, Bur leaned against him, raising his head. Gerald kissed him gently, then turned them, leading him to the stairs.

  “You just want to cuddle,” Bur teased.

  “You’re the one who likes that stuff. Cover hog.” Gerald smiled.

  Bur slid his hand around his waist as they ascended the steps. In a few moments, they were in his bedroom. He noted the bag and saw Gerald’s uniform hanging on the outside hook of the closet.

  “I’m going to get a shower.” Bur moved toward the bathroom.

  “Hurry,” Gerald said.

  Bur looked over his shoulder. Gerald was already spread out on his bed. He turned and did indeed hurry.

  The next morning, they came down the stairs. In the kitchen, they made a quick breakfast and sat.

  “Morning.” Harper came in.

  “Morning,” they replied.

  Harper made his own meal and joined them. Gerald finished and stood, then put his dishes in the sink. He returned to the table, pulled Bur’s head back, and kissed him.

  “Call me if you can’t come by tonight.”

  “I will,” Bur said.

  “Okay. See you, Harper.” Gerald headed toward the kitchen exit.

  Bur followed him with his gaze. The way his uniform pants hugged his ass had to be appreciated. Gerald opened the door and left. Bur looked across the table. The sad look on Harper’s face surprised him. Harper noticed him watching, and the twist of his lips matched his expression.

  “Sorry. I was thinking about Karl. I sat where you did and watched him leave for work, ogling his ass in those uniform pants.” Harper’s chuckle was fond.

  “I didn’t think I had a uniform thing, but seeing Gerald dress in it… it just does something to me.” Bur thought of what had happened to Karl. “Before Karl….”

  He trailed off, rethinking asking.

  “Are you wondering about whether, before he got shot and killed, did I think about it?”

  Bur nodded.

  “I did. It’s what being with a cop entails. You never know if you’re going to get that dreaded call or visit. It’s nothing anyone should experience,” he said vehemently. Then he sighed. “I was lucky it was Gerald who came and told me. Having him do it was comforting. He’s been a rock through the whole thing. There for everyone. He’s the jovial joker, but when you need someone, he’s the one people go to.”

  Who does he go to?

  Harper spoke, bringing his attention back to their conversation. “Everyone has you to thank for saving us from the ‘Ramirez intervention.’” Harper made the quotation mark gestures in the air.

  “What?”

  “With the way he was acting, we thought we’d have to sit him down and get him to listen that he didn’t need to sacrifice and be with me. We had it all planned out too. We’d do it on his three days off. His mother would lure him to her house. Then we were going to lock him up there and take turns talking sense into him.”

  “He wouldn’t have stayed there,” Bur said.

  “He sure as hell would have. We had a schedule so he would never be alone. And if his mother
told him to stay, he would have.” Harper chuckled, then said, “Hell, when you all started dating, his mother called me to make sure I wasn’t the man Ramirez was thinking of introducing her to. She was relieved to hear I wasn’t. I didn’t tell her it was you. That’s for you and Gerald to do when you meet her.”

  Since he didn’t have any intention of meeting Gerald’s mother, Bur didn’t respond to his statement. He changed the subject.

  “How are things at the store?

  They drank their tea and discussed what was going on with Harper’s store, and then the center.

  DARKNESS HAD already fallen when Bur rang Gerald’s doorbell. On Wednesday, he hadn’t made it to Harper’s until close to midnight. He already knew Gerald would be waiting for him, although when he’d called to tell Gerald he wouldn’t be by his house, he hadn’t said he would come to Harper’s. Each day he had found Gerald waiting for him. When he went to his room, Gerald had indeed been there, already asleep. Bur had joined him. Today, he was grateful that he wouldn’t be working late. Although he was used to long nights when he worked, it was much different working on the center. He would take working all night on a song rather than pushing around paperwork and the million other tedious things to be done. The door opened. Bur trudged tiredly into the house, carrying his overnight bag.

  “You look as bad as you sounded on the phone. Go get into the shower, then bed. I’ll bring you up something to eat.” Gerald took the bag and headed to the kitchen.

  Bur didn’t comment on the looking-bad crack. He followed his directions. In Gerald’s room, he headed right into the bathroom. After a quick shower, he dried off. It was then his tired brain realized Gerald had taken his bag with his clothes. Grumbling, Bur wrapped the towel around his waist and headed for the bedroom. Gerald walked in with a sandwich on a plate and his bag. Bur retrieved the bag and took it to the bed, then opened it. He pulled out his shirt. A hand touched his back, and he flinched. He silently cursed himself. He was always careful to keep his back averted as much as possible. Always kept his shirt on until they went to bed.

  “You do that whenever I touch your back. Does it hurt?” Gerald asked.

  “It’s an instinctive reaction. No, it doesn’t hurt.” He shifted away.

  Gerald held him. Bur glanced at him. The soft expression on Gerald’s face and in his eyes made him still.

  “May I?”

  Bur watched him, then turned his back to him. When he felt the touch this time, he was ready. Gerald traced his fingers over the tattoo on his back. He periodically paused over puckered flesh, then continued on. Bur waited for the questions.

  “It’s covering something. What happened?”

  “I fell onto a glass table.”

  “But why is there such puckered scarring that I feel?”

  “It got infected,” Bur stated dispassionately.

  “Why didn’t you get it taken care of?”

  “It was. But it still got infected.” Bur tensed.

  He really wasn’t ready to discuss this. Not now.

  “The tattoo. I keep trying to figure it out, but each time I think I see something, it changes.” Gerald traced the tattoo again.

  “I drew it before I had it inked on my skin. It’s called elusive. What did you see?”

  “A good name, since that’s what it does for me. At different times, I’ve seen a chameleon and dragon, but they keep changing between the two, so I’m not sure. Then once, I could swear it was a phoenix. But with the swirling design all over it, I’m not sure if there’s actually anything to see.”

  Bur’s breath caught, and then he asked, “If you were to think of me and the images you saw, what would you say they mean?”

  “The chameleon is your ability to blend.” Gerald traced a finger over the left side of his back before shifting to the right and doing the same. “The dragon is your wisdom.” Then he ran his finger down the centerline of Bur’s back, pausing to stroke the most puckered scarring. “The phoenix is your survival instinct. You’re a fighter, Bur. The stories you’ve told me about your time in England show that.” Gerald rubbed the flesh, then lowered his hand. “I’m being fanciful. Those images probably aren’t even in the tattoo.”

  Bur turned to face him. “They all are. And you touched where they each are.”

  “Really? That—”

  Bur cut him off. “They’re all me. Each ink means something deeply personal to me.” He pointed to his shoulder. “Family—my brothers, who are my solidarity.” He tapped the one on his pec. “My bandmates—they feed me creatively, brought me back when I needed it most.” Bur gestured to his back. “My journey and what I have learned.” He stepped closer to Gerald, taking his hand. “You saw what was there hidden in the tattoo. You see me.”

  “I do.” Gerald’s gaze was steady.

  Bur grabbed him, manhandling him to the bed. He pushed him down. Whipping off the towel, Bur dropped it, then grabbed the lube and condom. He quickly donned the condom, coating it with slick. He put more on his fingers, then knelt between Gerald’s legs. He slid his hand under him. Gerald lifted his hips. Bur pushed in, readying him quickly. Gerald moaned and arched. Bur adjusted and pushed in farther. He growled as he entered that ring of muscle. He shook as he felt Gerald around him for the first time.

  “You see me,” Bur said, and he started to thrust.

  GERALD GRUNTED as Bur pushed into him. The blunt hardness inside of him was a foreign sensation. It felt nothing like Bur’s fingers. Yet Gerald was compelled to move against him. He hissed as Bur filled him completely. Gerald moaned, arching.

  “You see me.” Bur’s tone was fierce.

  He thrust, a hard motion.

  “I do,” Gerald moaned, repeating what he had said.

  “I can’t be gentle,” Bur whispered.

  “Screw gentle,” Gerald gritted out, rocking with him.

  Bur moved faster and faster, his taking rough and untamed. Gerald gripped his ass tight, matching his motions. His cock was being abraded between their bodies. Gerald arched, moaning as he pulsed, coming. Bur continued to pound into him, making incoherent grunts as he plunged into Gerald’s hole.

  “Bur.” Gerald clenched his crease.

  Bur growled, a loud rumble coming from his chest. He gripped Gerald’s hair, yanking his head back and licking along his neck.

  “Gerald,” Bur moaned, biting down on the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

  Gerald groaned, wrapping his legs around Bur’s hips, undulating under him, moving. Bur released his bite, his breath blowing on Gerald’s sweat-slickened neck. Bur jerked, then shuddered. Gerald held him as he came, stroking along his back. Bur collapsed on him, breathing harshly. Gerald panted as he tried to catch his breath. Bur shifted off him, disposing of the condom and donning another on his already reviving erection. He covered Gerald again, but hesitated. The slight soreness in his well-used passage tinged as Gerald moved his ass, seeking the penetration of his lover. Bur slid back into him, moving slow and easy. Bur stared, his pale green gaze gentle as he took him. Gerald’s breath caught at Bur’s expression.

  “Gerald,” he said in a hushed tone.

  Gerald moaned as his sensitized shaft pinned between them was stimulated. Bur braced his elbows next to his head on the mattress. He continued to stroke inside Gerald’s passage, moving with a steady pace. The pleasure rose in a steady rhythm. Gerald’s breathing matched their motion, and Bur’s slowed to match. Bur kissed him tenderly, stroking his tongue inside his mouth. Leisurely, they dueled tongues, tasting each other. Gerald licked Bur’s lips, pressing quick kisses on them. Bur whimpered, his measured thrusts driving Gerald to the precipice of release.

  “Bur,” Gerald moaned.

  Bur shivered, arms tense. “Gerald.”

  He shuddered as he came, and Gerald orgasmed. Bur continued to stroke leisurely, then stilled. He withdrew, removed the condom, and got rid of it. Bur drew the covers over them and pressed against Gerald’s side. Drowsy, Gerald shifted, facing him and sliding his
leg between Bur’s. He held him as they went to sleep.

  GERALD WINCED, shifting on the couch. “I’m on my way over now to pick up the desk.”

  “Okay. I’ll have dinner ready,” his mother replied.

  “See you in a few. Bye.”

  “Bye.” She hung up.

  Gerald clicked off the phone and stretched. He grimaced at the twinge in his ass. A smile curled his lips. Although he was sore from last night, he was already fantasizing about Bur fucking him again.

  “You should have soaked in the tub as I told you to this morning.” Bur walked into view.

  Bur sat, placing his hand on Gerald’s thigh. Concern was on his face. Gerald kissed him, then leaned back.

  “I will when we get back.”

  “Where are we going?” Bur asked.

  “To my mother’s. She has dinner for us,” Gerald said.

  He hadn’t told her Bur would be coming, but his mother always cooked enough. He wanted to introduce them. Bur’s expression changed. Gerald couldn’t define what it was. Bur stood and walked toward the living room door.

  “You’ll have to go without me. I have some work to do,” Bur replied.

  His tone seemed off. Gerald stood and followed him. Bur made his way to the back of the house and into the home office.

  Gerald leaned against the doorjamb. “Didn’t you take the day off to spend with me?”

  “Yes. But since you’re going to your mother’s, I can catch up on some things. Have fun.” Bur smiled.

  Gerald frowned. “But I wanted you to meet her.”

  “You don’t want to keep your mother waiting.” Bur made a shooing motion of his hand.

  Gerald strolled toward him, going around the desk. He kissed him, then straightened.

  “You sure you can’t come with me?”

  “No. I’ll get some work done, and when you get back, we’ll soak in the tub. Now go.” Bur pushed at him gently.

  Gerald did as he bid. Bur’s expression replayed in his mind as he went to his mother’s. At the house, when he had dinner and chatted with her, he kept seeing it. It wasn’t until he was on his way back home that it dawned on Gerald what it was. Repulsion.