Jamie swallowed the unwanted desire. Damn the man! He seemed to know exactly what Jamie liked. His thoughts strayed to what other things Piter might know he craved in his deepest fantasies. Heat flushed his face under the man’s lurid gaze, and he turned quickly away, putting a hand under Nico’s arm. Piter took his other side and together they half carried the feverish Nico to the vehicle. Jamie kept him balanced on the seat while Piter sat behind him, pulling Nico against his chest.
“See you at the cabin, love. Don’t dawdle.” Piter gave him a lewd wink, then turned on the engine and guided the snowmobile away from him.
Jamie’s fear mounted when they disappeared into the trees. It was obvious they knew each other, but was Nico safe with the outrageous man? He scowled in the direction they’d gone, acknowledging that part of his mistrust came from jealousy. Piter was breathtaking, his face that of an angel, though the glint of wickedness in his eyes sent a shiver through him. Had Nico and Piter been lovers at one time? His heart stumbled at the thought, though Nico had made it plain his affections didn’t include Jamie.
“I’ll make sure you’re safe, then stay out of your life,” he told the sounds of the engine, which faded incongruously with the chime of silver bells. Wind-driven ice stung his face, and he pulled his scarf over his mouth and adjusted his goggles. It would be another hour before he reached the doctor’s cabin. Without looking at the heavy gray sky, he drew a breath and trudged along the snowmobile’s tracks.
Chapter Five
JAMIE LEANED against a tree to catch his breath. He gazed at the brightly lit cabin below him with dull eyes, exhausted, chilled to the bone. The hike through the driving snow had taken longer than he’d anticipated. Piter should have come back for him.
He stifled the caustic thought. The man owed him nothing. Drawing in a lungful of air warmed by his scarf, he started down the gentle slope toward Doctor Meiden’s cabin. Piter’s snowmobile was parked out front, but the doctor’s was missing from the open shed on the side of the house where he kept it. Must be out on a call. In this weather, he might be gone for the night.
Smoke rose from the chimney of the attractive A-frame, and Jamie stomped up the steps to the wide porch, anxious to get into the warmth inside. His hands shook as he unlaced the snowshoes and pulled off his snow-encrusted boots. Lifting his hand to knock, he frowned and tried the knob, pushing open the unlocked door. Heat enveloped him and he stumbled across the threshold, whimpering in relief.
Piter looked up from where he sprawled on the couch in front of a roaring fire. A grin leapt to his face, and he sprang to his feet and hurried across the room. “There you are!” He helped Jamie remove his coat. “I was becoming worried.” He unwound the scarf from Jamie’s neck, his fingers lingering on his skin. Plucking the hat from his head, Piter quickly loosened Jamie’s braid and ran fingers over his scalp, sending prickles along Jamie’s nerves.
Jamie stepped away from him toward the living area, Piter’s touch affecting him more than he cared to admit. “Enough! I just want to get to the fire. Where’s Nico? Did you see the doctor and his son?”
“No one was here when we arrived and I put Nico to bed in the guest room.” Piter arched a brow. “Do you have any more questions or shall we join him?”
Piter’s low chuckle thrummed through Jamie, and he hoped his thickening cock wasn’t noticeable under his layers of clothing as the image of the three of them together jumped into his mind. He knelt at the hearth and put his chilled hands out to the hot blaze. Piter sat beside him, their shoulders rubbing when he reached for the poker and stirred up the fire, sparks shooting up the chimney. Wisps of white-blond hair caressed his porcelain skin and framed the wide green eyes that tugged at Jamie’s soul.
He groaned under his breath, an ache mounting inside him to crush those wicked lips under his own, taste his honeyed tongue. He wanted to strip Piter naked, take what he wanted from that enticing body hiding under sweater and pants. Recalling the length and weight of Piter’s dick against his own in his dream, his mouth watered. He needed to have the fleshy ridges of that gorgeous cock sliding along the roof of his mouth, pushing down into his throat. His cum would be sweet nectar.
God! Jamie stumbled to his feet, Piter’s knowing smirk only fueling his lust. He frantically searched his mind for any distraction….
“You could have come back for me,” he shouted, clinging to that tiny spark of anger.
Piter’s lovely eyes widened in surprise, though laughter lurked in the green depths. “I only just now got Nico to eat something, then put him to bed.” Piter blinked up at him from where he still knelt at his feet, and Jamie burned wherever his gaze lingered. “Shall I feed you and put you to bed as well, lover?”
Jamie swallowed a groan, then turned on his heel. “I’m going to check on Nico,” he mumbled and fled to the hallway. Having had dinner with the doctor and his young son, Andy, on several occasions, he knew his way very well. Would they return soon from whatever call the doctor was out on? Jamie didn’t like the thought of being alone with Piter while Nico was so helpless. But with the weather worsening, the doctor might stay with whoever he was helping.
He slipped into the softly lit bedroom, closing the door behind him. Only a small amount of light filtered through the curtained windows, but Piter had lit a candle on the bedside table, illuminating Nico’s pale face on the pillows. Jamie touched his cheek and smiled at how cool it felt. His fever had broken! And he seemed to be sleeping naturally, his breathing easy. Whatever Piter had done was working, however reluctant Jamie was to admit it.
With a last caress on Nico’s cheek, he crossed to the bathroom, stripping on the way. He’d gotten chilled and knew the doctor would insist he shower to bring up his core temperature had he been there. Jamie lingered under the hot spray until the cold left his bones. When finished, he towel dried his long hair, ignoring his reflection in the mirror. He pulled on his satin panties, enjoying the silky material against his skin. Patrick had liked them as well, one of the few of Jamie’s kinks that he didn’t ridicule. Jamie wondered if he’d ever get the chance to learn what Nico liked. Pulling back on his lightest sweater and pants, he returned to Nico’s bedside.
Nico still slept and Jamie couldn’t resist bending and placing a small kiss on his lips. He longed to climb into bed and pull him close, but Nico didn’t want him. Did Nico want Piter? The thought was a knife in his chest, and he rounded the bed, throwing himself in a chair under the window. What should he do? Nico was obviously being well taken care of. He felt like a fool for leaving his cabin to chase after him, a man who’d shoved him away.
Jamie sighed, his eyelids growing heavy as exhaustion sneaked up on him. Maybe he’d sleep a little, then head back to his cabin. Night was falling, but he knew his way back well enough.
NICO WOKE up and smiled at him from the bed. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t stay away,” Jamie confessed, breathless with desire. This time he knew he was dreaming and determined to enjoy every minute. He caused an answering spark to flash in Nico’s eyes and Nico crawled from the bed, his heavy cock swinging as he approached Jamie.
Nico’s expression turned lustful and he placed his hands on the arms of the chair, pinning him in place. “I missed you,” he confessed, kneeling between Jamie’s knees. Nico didn’t kiss him, simply lifted his shirt and stared at his chest. Jamie sucked in a breath, then joy filled him when hunger darkened Nico’s eyes.
Nico licked first one nipple, then the other, moving between them as he sucked and nipped, slowly driving Jamie crazy.
“Please,” he panted, shuddering when Nico dipped his mouth lower, burrowed beneath the waist of his pants. After undoing the button and zipper, Nico’s breath caught. “Bellissimo,” he murmured. “Beautiful.” He cupped Jamie’s balls, rubbing them through the satin as he nudged the panties aside with his lips and sucked on the head of his aching cock. Jamie moaned, arching his back as pleasure burst through him. He tangled his fingers in Nico’s dark
curls. His pants were tugged lower and the hot mouth engulfed him, Nico laughing around him when he shouted.
JAMIE’S EYES flashed open as he came awake, blood rushing madly in his veins, heart pounding. What…? Disoriented, he stared at the blond head in his lap. His pants and panties were pushed low and he cried out and shoved Piter from him, managing to gasp out, “What are you doing?”
Piter licked his lips, eyes dancing with mischief. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Get away from me.”
“No.” Quick as a wink, he climbed onto Jamie’s lap, straddling him. “Nico doesn’t want you, but I certainly do.” He leaned forward, grinding their cocks together. “The things I can do to you! Draw out your pleasure to a fine point, hovering between pain and ecstasy until you beg for the shuddering release I can give you.”
Fire tore through Jamie at his words. He pictured them twined together, muscles straining, his mind reeling into bliss while Piter shoved thick inches into him.
“No!” Jamie thrust the man off his lap and scrambled to his feet. He backed away until the wall stopped him, breathing hard as Piter came up to him.
The man leered and grabbed his straining cock. “You can’t deny you want me,” he murmured, his breath hot on Jamie’s cheek. He licked up his neck and couldn’t have missed the shiver that swept his body. With a low chuckle, he rubbed Jamie, squeezing hard. “Oh, you are a naughty boy!”
Jamie’s heart clenched at the familiar words, dread knotting in his stomach. “Get away from me,” he hissed. It surprised him when the man pulled back. Fury swept Piter’s face, and for just an instant his perfect mask slipped and Jamie caught a glimpse of his hidden nature: malevolent, dangerous, as if he were a dark creature in the guise of an angel.
Then Piter laughed, shattering the image as he continued to pump Jamie’s cock. He leaned in and nipped his bottom lip, drawing blood. “Whatever you say, baby. I’ll leave you to Nico, though he’s made it clear how much you disgust him. But know this—you won’t deny me forever, and on that day, I’ll have my revenge.”
Jamie watched, feeling battered as Piter flung away from him, out of the room. He wanted to follow, make sure he left, but he still felt Piter’s hand on his dick, the heat of his mouth closing over him. With a desperate moan, he raced across the room and knelt at the shower. Yanking his pants out of the way, he grabbed his painful shaft and jerked, hard and fast. Heat pooled in his stomach, the bliss he didn’t want licking at his balls. With a desperate groan, he came, his spunk shooting against the tiles, sliding obscenely toward the drain.
With a last grunt, he slid to the floor, resting his forehead on the cool linoleum. Tears burned his eyes but he blinked them away. For a moment, in his dream, Nico had wanted him. But in reality he wasn’t what Nico desired in a man. Loneliness clawed at his heart, but he put that aside as well. Determined not to give way to grief, he climbed to his feet. After rinsing out the tub, he impatiently adjusted his clothes and went into the guest room to check on the sleeping man.
Jamie stood for several long minutes at the foot of the bed, watching the rise and fall of Nico’s chest, silently rejoicing that his lungs sounded clear. However much Piter frightened him, he had somehow cured Nico, and Jamie would need to find a way to thank him.
Jamie’s eyes traveled lovingly over the outline of the strong body under the blankets, lingered on the handsome face etched into his mind. He wished he could brush the dark curls off his forehead, see Nico open his amazing eyes and smile at him. The distress and confusion of Piter’s assault remained. He wanted someone to love him. Sadness tightened his chest and he turned away before he gave into the impulse to crawl into bed with Nico and wake him up, beg him to kiss his hurt away.
The cabin seemed oddly deserted when he entered the living area. Where was Piter? Damn, he wished the doctor and Andy would come back. On impulse he hurried to the front door and pulled it open. The snowmobile was gone. Piter must have left, even though night was closing in on them. Snow continued to fall and Jamie closed the front door, his thoughts running in circles. What was going on? There was something strange about Piter. How had he seemingly cured Nico? How did he get inside Jamie’s head the way he did? Was he psychic? Jamie had never believed in it before.
But the biggest question was how Nico had become involved with the dangerous man in the first place. Jamie shivered as a chill of dread traveled his spine. What had Piter meant about getting his revenge?
He ran a hand through his still damp hair, beginning an intricate braid on his way to the fireplace. The thought that he was a pawn in Piter’s treacherous game frightened him, but he also felt the stirrings of anger. He wouldn’t be used, not ever again.
The fire crackled on the hearth, and he knelt to stir it up and add more wood, wanting the house warm when Nico woke up. Bright Christmas paper littered the coffee table, as if the family had been called away from wrapping gifts. Jamie plucked a discarded gold ribbon from the pile and wove it into the ends of his hair. A savory aroma broke through his musing and he lifted his head. Piter had said something about feeding Nico. He crossed the living room to the attractive kitchen, his mood lifting at the pictures of John Meiden and his young son pinned on the refrigerator. He spotted the small cup of flowers in the center of the table in an alcove. Probably from one of John’s thankful patients.
Jamie chuckled. Or they could be from Anna MaGee, the new secretary at the doctor’s office in town. John had been going on and on to Jamie about her the last time they’d gotten together for dinner. Had it been a month ago already? He wondered how their romance was progressing. Maybe that’s where the doctor was now.
Hunger drew him to the covered pot simmering on the stove. His mouth started watering when he lifted the lid. Sure enough, it was John’s amazing lamb stew. Piter must have found it in the refrigerator. After dishing up a large bowl, he carried it back to the fire and sat on the shabby, comfortable couch, relaxing for the first time that day. Good food and a warm fire, and best of all, Nico slept safely close by.
He dug into the hearty dish, and it was a few moments before the hair on the back of his neck prickled. His gaze darted around the living area, and he sat up when he spotted Nico looking at him from the bedroom doorway. He grinned back before he recalled the last time they had been together, and his smile slipped, though he stood and beckoned Nico over.
“You look better,” he said when Nico crossed to him and dropped on the couch with a sigh. He was wearing flannel pants and a heavy tee shirt, probably clothes John kept on hand for the stray visitor. Being this far out from town, the few scattered cabins in the area took in anyone caught in one of Michigan’s sudden winter storms. Jamie kept spare clothing and food on hand at his own place for the same reason. Looking at Nico while the man warmed his hands at the fire, he was glad of it. If they tried to make it into town in the storm….
Nico glanced up and captured his gaze. Jamie caught his breath at the expression in the hazel eyes he wanted to lose himself in, as if Nico regretted Jamie’s involvement. He swallowed around the lump that formed in his throat. “Are you hungry? There’s plenty of stew left.”
Nico’s sweet smile almost broke him, but Jamie gathered the ragged pieces of his pride together. He could do this. Make sure Nico made it through the night without a relapse, and then he could return to his cabin and lock out the world, the way he liked it.
Nico’s voice brought him back to the moment. “I could manage a few bites, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Here, we can share mine.”
He picked up his bowl and sat beside Nico. Glad to have something to focus on besides Nico’s face, he stirred the stew and lifted a spoonful to Nico’s lips. He watched the gorgeous mouth open and take his offering. Nico swallowed and licked a smudge of gravy off his lips. Jamie moistened his own lips, feeling slightly dazed. God, he wished he could kiss him, feel those soft lips on his own. His body tingled with the thought, and he shyly raised his eyes.
Hot blood scor
ched his neck and face at the hint of amusement in Nico’s gaze. What the fuck was he doing? Why had he thought it necessary to feed the man? “Here, I’m sorry.” He shoved the bowl of stew into Nico’s hands and rose to his feet, stumbling in his hurry to reach the front door. He needed to get out of there, despite the storm. Lock himself away in the quiet rooms of his cabin and hide. Maybe the humiliation and pain he endured with every lover could finally end.
“Jamie.”
Nico’s soft call stopped him, and he stood clenching his hands at his sides. His chest heaved with emotion, and a sob choked his throat when Nico came up and put his arms around him from behind.
“Whatever you might think, I wasn’t laughing, Jamie. I find you adorable. Won’t you come back to the couch, let me explain?”
Jamie shrugged. “Nothing to explain. I’ve been acting like a lovestruck fool from the moment I first saw you. I apologize. Now let me go, please.”
“Not until I’ve had my say. Now come sit down with me.” Nico’s firm tone sent a shudder of need through Jamie. He wished he had the right to curl up in the man’s confidence and let Nico take care of him.
Instead, he shrugged again and feigned indifference. “Whatever you say,” he muttered, and let Nico lead him to the couch. He sat with his arms folded over his chest while Nico settled a few feet away. Jamie’s parents had manipulated him for years before he broke free of their control. He’d be damned if he let these two men take their place.
“I’m happy with who I am,” he muttered, and winced at the randomness of his statement.
“As am I.” Nico tucked a strand of hair behind Jamie’s ear when Jamie shot him a surprised look. “I realize I know nothing about you, my little angel. Where are you from? Who are your parents?”
Jamie blinked at the change of conversation, then shrugged. “I grew up on the West Coast, a small town outside Seattle, Washington. My parents are Brian and Cathy Brannen. They may still live in the same house. I don’t know. We don’t speak.”
Nicolas Page 4