by Cameron Dane
Not giving himself any more time to think, Sirus blurted out, “Can I ask you a dumb question?”
Grey’s focus snapped up from his plate, meeting Sirus’s gaze. “Sure.” His lips thinned and his jaw clenched. “Although now I’ll feel like a fool if I can’t answer it.”
Grey didn’t crack a smile as he made that comment, but Sirus did. “I’m gonna guess you rarely—if ever—have to worry about looking foolish.”
“I like to be prepared,” Grey answered. “That’s just good business.”
Sirus would bet money Greyson Cole made that his motto in every aspect of his life.
Even sitting here at dinner, on vacation, his jeans and button-down shirt looked tailor-made for him. Shit. They probably were.
Taking a swig of his tea, Grey spoke from behind the rim of his glass. “What did you want to ask me?”
Sirus tried to hide his smile. “Actually, my question is about your business.”
The rigidity in Grey didn’t loosen one bit. “Then other than my partner, there isn’t anyone more qualified to answer than me. Shoot.”
So no joking or small talk. Check. “Well, I’ve met John on a couple of occasions now, and he has mentioned that you guys own a venture capitalist firm.” His face heating, Sirus added, “I was just wondering exactly what that means. What is it you and John do?”
He quickly held up a hand. “The stripped-down version will do fine.”
“Stripped-down?” The tone of Grey’s voice made it sound as if Sirus had insulted him. “Okay. Well, let’s say you have a big idea, or even just a really good but maybe radical idea. You need help getting it past phase one, launching it into something big.
You need capital, maybe more than a bank will give you based on just having a big concept. You come to us, you make a pitch, and if we think you have a good head on your shoulders and everything it takes to make your dream a success, except the money, then with investors John and I court, we’ll get you the money and aid you in the steps to creating a profitable business. We’ve been very successful at reading people and knowing which risks to take. When the profits start rolling in, we reap some of that reward, as do the investors. Eventually most of the business owners buy our percentage out and go on to be very successful on their own, but some stay with us, whether because they feel they need the support we offer, or they know they want to keep growing and will need more money down the line. That’s what I do.” Grey finally did smile, and it was wry … and downright sexy. “The stripped-down version. ”
Sirus had the grace to blush. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s all right.” Grey pushed back in his chair and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. “What do you do?”
“I drive a truck.” Sirus resisted the gut-level urge to apologize for his blue-collar existence. “Not nearly so glamorous as what you and John do, but I like it. I’ve been able to see a lot of the country through driving, and I own my own rig so I make my own hours. There isn’t anybody I have to report to, so I can come and go as I please and live on as much or little money as suits me. In fact, I found my cabin by meeting someone while on one of my routes. I came through these mountains a couple towns over, broke down, and had to spend a few nights with the locals. I met the woman who owned all four of these cabins before she ever put them on the market. We were talking about what we do over some burgers and fries. When she said she owned a handful of cabins on the four corners of a lake, I said, ‘If you ever want to sell one, give me a call.’ She laughed and told me she was getting them ready for sale. She brought me right up to look at them the next day, and I bought the one across from this one. I saw the water and these mountains and knew I’d come home.”
“Where are you from originally?”
“Grew up in DC. Most of my family still lives there.”
Grey settled in and crossed his arms against his chest. “Big family?”
“Big enough.” Sirus smiled, but at the same time, his chest squeezed with old wounds. Better not to think about that. You can’t change her. The smile stiffened on his lips, but he forced it to remain there. “Mom and Dad, four brothers, and one sister.”
“Where did you go to school?”
“Didn’t.” Trying to fight it, Sirus couldn’t stamp down the knee-jerk reaction to justify his lack of structured education. “I did fairly well in high school, but I always felt confined, like I couldn’t breathe. College didn’t feel right for me, so I didn’t go.”
“I assume since you’re the only one here that you’re not married and don’t have a wife stranded back at your cabin without water.”
Sirus quirked his head to the side and studied Grey a little more intently. “Nope. Not married.”
“Ever been?” Grey asked, barely letting a pause exist between a response and his next question. “Are you divorced?”
“Never been married.”
“How about engaged?”
“Not even engaged.” Sirus crossed his arms against his chest and drilled the man with an unwavering stare. “Would you like to know my political affiliation next? Maybe how much I paid for my cabin? Or perhaps whether or not I claim a particular religion?”
Grey sat across from Sirus and didn’t so much as flinch at the dryness in Sirus’s tone, let alone show a reaction on his face. “How many questions do you get before I get to ask another of you?”
Grey raised a brow, but other than that didn’t respond.
Suddenly needing to move, feeling like this man could see straight through his clothes right into his soul, Sirus grabbed his plate and stood. He moved to the sink but paused before turning on the water. He looked over his shoulder back to the table where Grey still sat. “Are you trying to figure out if I’m going to fleece you in the dead of night while you sleep? What exactly are you hoping to find out about me with all those questions, Grey?”
Greyson Cole’s poker face remained firmly in place. “Just trying to make conversation.”
“Now why don’t I believe that?”
Grey got up and moved to the sink to rinse his plate too. Standing so close, the guy somehow exuded dominating cool—while at the same time made it hard for Sirus to find his breath. “You don’t have to believe it.” Grey’s voice reeked of quiet command. “I don’t owe you anything else.”
Gritting his teeth, Sirus responded, “Ditto.”
The air in the room charged with electricity, creating tension Sirus could feel like a touch against his flesh.
Still standing so very close, Grey somehow managed to get the water running, rinse his plate and put it in the dishwasher, without ever giving up his position. “So then we understand each other,” he finally said. “Good.” With that, he walked away, leaving Sirus standing in the kitchen alone, stunned, and confused.
Chapter Two
Hours later Grey rolled over in bed, cursing his inability to sleep. He fucking knew what was keeping him awake too: his behavior with Sirus after dinner. Damn it. Grey didn’t know what the hell had gotten into him. Sirus was just trying to have a perfectly nice conversation, and Grey had to go turn it into the third degree. He might as well have shone a bright light on the man and read him his rights. If Grey had ever acted like that with one of his investors or clients he would be out millions of dollars or a potential moneymaking venture.
Sirus isn’t business, asshole.
Grey growled in the dark as his cock stirred in his sweats, reminding him just how little Sirus had to do with his life back home. Grey never let himself even think of his clients and investors as having any kind of life beyond business, let alone view them as sexual beings. Grey liked having a successful business and a roof over his head that said business provided, and he intended to keep his life prosperous for a very long time. The quickest way to kill that success would be to blur the lines and hit on clients, employees, or investors.
Sirus isn’t any one of those things, idiot.
No, Sirus didn’t have anything to do with Grey’s busin
ess, so Grey didn’t understand what in the hell had gotten into him to start grilling the man so hard in the kitchen. It was clear the guy just wanted to talk and have a pleasant evening. Nevertheless, while sitting across from Sirus in the kitchen, deep-seated warning bells vibrated loudly through Grey’s insides. On instinct, he had turned the conversation around onto the asker. Never give them anything real of you first. Grey lived by that philosophy for most of his life, had been doing so as a teen before putting phrase to the thought, something that eventually ingrained itself on his very being. He had achieved great success in high school, college, and business by staying true to those words.
Sirus didn’t want to know your soul, you jerk. He made dinner conversation and, with one question, you went off the deep end.
One reason and one reason only stirred in Grey’s mind to explain—although not justify—his behavior. Three years without a date. Fact was, Grey didn’t know how to converse with people anymore when it didn’t relate to the job. Other than his sister and John, everyone else in Grey’s life had ties to his work. Hell, even John did, for that matter. Grey could turn on the work-schmooze on instinct. Until tonight, he hadn’t realized just how rusty his social skills had become. He snorted at the thought. Maybe sharing a cabin with Sirus for a few days wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He could practice banal, meaningless talk and sharpen his skills. He used to be pretty damn good at nonsense conversation. Had to be. If he didn’t have a bunch of crap at the ready for when he went out on dates he would spill his guts just like everyone else in the world did.
Grey didn’t spill his guts. On top of that reminder, he brutally chastised himself that Sirus hadn’t asked for any truly personal information. The man had zero interest in Grey’s life beyond a thank you for giving him use of a room, and so Grey had no real reason to feel overly guilty for his behavior. Yet, still, Grey couldn’t fall asleep. He reasoned that his insomnia must be related to something else entirely.
Maybe he was worried about being away from the business. He’d purchased this cabin five years ago, but the truth was he never made use of it. His sister stayed here more than he did. When buying the place, Grey had grand plans of taking regular long weekends to unwind, but when it came right down to it he always had pressing business that took priority over a vacation. He wasn’t used to being away from work, but today he had quickly, without any planning, taken himself out of his routine. That had to be why he couldn’t sleep. Maybe if he just checked his email and skimmed a few proposals he could satisfy himself that everything down in Raleigh was fine without him. Perhaps then he could let himself relax enough to get some much needed rest.
Crawling out of bed, Grey inhaled sharply as his bare feet met the hardwood flooring, drawing out a shiver. He didn’t tend to sleep in much more than a pair of sweats, but he might have to reconsider that while up here in the mountains. He moved into the hall quietly, not wanting to disturb his cabin mate. The guy had a fierceness to him, and while Grey’s instinct was to puff up even bigger and intimidate with his presence and intelligence, the fact was Sirus Wilder could rearrange a person’s face and internal organs with a few quick punches. Grey wasn’t a stupid man, and he didn’t discount that notion for one second.
Except when you acted like an asshole during dinner, inciting the man’s anger without thinking twice.
Grey growled, commanding the jerk voice in his head to shut the hell up and go to sleep. He was in the process of cursing himself for making a noise and possibly bothering Sirus when the creak of a mattress spring drew Grey’s attention to the very man’s bedroom door—and the fact that it was only half-closed. The squeaking sound came again, this time followed by a low, rumbling moan that rushed through Grey more potently than the most expensive whisky on the market. His cock stirred a tent in his sweats, forcing him to stifle down a moan of his own as he moved in the direction of Sirus’s bedroom. Right before he reached the door, Grey edged back against the hallway wall, angled his shoulder into the plaster, and slid a sideways glance into Sirus’s bedroom.
Jesus Holy Christ.
The man was nude, and goddamnit, he was stunning. No towel this time, Sirus lay tangled on top of his quilt in stark naked glory. Grey swallowed hard at the picture the man created. The blunt angles of his face appeared harsher, with deeper shadows filling in the rougher places. A thin line of light highlighted a sensuous mouth, half open with nearly silent rapid breathing. A wide beam of moonlight highlighted Sirus’s wide, muscular shoulders and chest, his cut, defined stomach and long, lightly haired legs. The deep olive tone of his skin burnished with almost a bronze hue in the moon’s natural light. Beyond that, what Grey kept darting his focus back to time and again as he tried to mentally process every piece of Sirus Wilder, was Sirus’s big hand … stroking his even bigger, fully-erect cock.
Jesus Holy Christ.
The man really was huge all over. Grey couldn’t even hazard a guess on girth and length, but fuck, Sirus’s dick certainly matched his body, there could be no mistaking that. Grey’s mouth watered as he watched, rapt, as the shiny head of Sirus’s dick came in and out of view with every swipe of the man’s hand. Damn it, Grey loved a mouth full of cock. He probably craved giving a blowjob just as much as he liked getting them. He missed the smooth heat of another man’s dick pushing past his lips, of getting that first hint of salty precum on his tongue, or the slowly building slide of his partner pushing his length inside, filling Grey’s mouth with every inch of his prick. Jesus, Grey would have to relax his throat and work hard to take all of Sirus, but his jaw dropped open a little bit right where he stood, imagining the pleasure in learning to take it.
Sirus suddenly started pumping his cock faster through the tight fist of his hand, and his body writhed all over the bed in that way a person only lets happen when they know they are alone. Deep, needful noises escaped Sirus’s lush, fucking kissable mouth, vibrating a frequency through the air that reached Grey with a sharp, palpable wave.
Unable to walk away or even to turn his head, Grey pushed the front of his sweats down and freed his erection, taking it firmly in hand. Exquisite sensation rushed through Grey as he stroked his penis in time with Sirus’s motions. He held himself in a painfully tight grip, imagining that Sirus would have a rough hand and would give a punishing jerk-off to a cock—as it appeared he gave himself right now.
Mesmerized, Grey watched Sirus slide his hand up his body and stick two fingers in his mouth, wet them, and then rub them back and forth over his large nipples, tweaking the darker flesh until both tips stood out in pinpoints, making Grey want to nip them to see if Sirus would cry out with pleasure. Grey’s cock jumped in his hand and his balls pulled heavy with cum, begging for a rough touch. Grey nearly groaned with need, and just then, Sirus dragged down on his length and kept right on going, reaching between his legs. He played with his nuts, alternating between rolling and pulling on his sac—exactly what Grey needed too. Grey quickly followed suit, taking his weight with a good tug; switching back and forth between his member and his balls until it wasn’t enough and he used both hands, biting his lip and fighting the coiling need for release.
“Mmm … yeah…” Sirus’s deep voice carried through the night. Even though he had his eyes closed and looked like he was a thousand miles away in fantasyland, it was as if Sirus took his cue from Grey’s unspoken needs. He two-handed his testicles and cock, spread his legs wide, dug his heels into the sheets, and thrust his hips in earnest with every move. Grey didn’t think he had ever seen such pure masculine beauty as he saw in Sirus Wilder right now, with his mouth open and his skin pulled taut over cutting cheekbones, perspiration glistening over every inch of his body, throwing every defined line of hard muscle into pure, shadowed perfection.
Grey’s entire body buzzed with sensation and he swore to God it felt like a thousand tongues licked his flesh all over, sending his nerve endings in a frenzy. With his gaze locked on Sirus, Grey fisted his too-hard erection harder and faster, uncaring that he didn�
��t have quite enough lubrication and it hurt a little bit. He ached all over with the need to come and he couldn’t stop. Grey started thrusting his hips in counterpoint to Sirus’s thrusts, imagining he had his cock buried deep in Sirus’s ass, and that every time Sirus came down, Grey shoved up, taking the man’s smooth channel to the hilt.
It had been so long since Grey had taken another man, in any way, he almost whimpered with the imagined tight inferno of Sirus’s snug hole smothering his cock with suffocating heat. Grey’s hip thrusts turned jagged and off rhythm and he began leaking more than enough precum to lubricate his length for the job. His balls squeezed and pulled up ultra-tight to his body, so fast Grey didn’t feel the endgame hit before it overtook him and shoved him right into orgasm.
“Ohhh, fuuuucckk…” He clamped his teeth together as he jerked and released, spraying cum with the hottest jolt of pleasure, not stopping until he spit a half-dozen milky lines onto the doorjamb and floor.
A hoarse, male shout yanked Grey’s eyes open and straight onto the picture of Sirus’s hips thrust up in the air, shooting a load onto his chest and neck … his eyes wide open, looking right at Grey as he did it. With desire, and not revulsion, in his stare.
Oh, shit.
Sirus was gay. Moreover, Grey could see it in the man’s eyes: Sirus now knew Grey was too.
No, no, no. He didn’t need this complication right now.
Grey pulled every discipline he had ever taught himself into play and didn’t dart his gaze away from Sirus’s. Instead, he stared the other man down without flinching or blinking, schooled his features to indifference, stuffed his cock back into his sweats, and walked away.
Never let them see you sweat.