by CJ Bishop
“We’re just playing,” Cole murmured. “Practicing for a special show. Dane’s about to get married. This is our last chance to get at him.”
“Does Angel know about this?” Max cocked an eyebrow at Dane.
“No. But he’ll forgive me when he sees the show.”
Max chuffed. “Not if you perform the show before the wedding, and he has to keep his hands to himself when you get home.”
Dane laughed low. “I’ll make it up to him.” He held out his hand, his smile turning dark and evilly sexy. “Join us.”
Shivers raced through Max as his eyes helplessly followed the sway of their bodies. Gabe pushed closer to Dane’s ass, his bulge pressing between Dane’s firm, flexing cheeks. Oh my God. His cock thumped and throbbed in his pants. Perhaps it was a good thing Horatio hadn’t come to the club with him today. If he’d been standing right here beside him, watching this—they would be fucking by now. His thoughts jumped back to that morning, not helping his current situation one bit.
• •
“No, no.” Max laughed anxiously and stopped Horatio with a palm to his chest, preventing him from entering the bathroom with Max. “No sharing the shower this morning.”
Horatio pushed against his hand and leaned his face close, lips grazing Max’s mouth. “Who’s going to know?” He kissed him, deep and sensual. Max almost gave in, then caught himself at the last moment.
“We would know.” He gave Horatio a much quicker, less passionate peck on the lips. “We’re men of integrity, aren’t we?”
Horatio chuckled. “Not when I’m horny, I’m not.”
“You can handle it.”
“I’m trying,” Horatio groaned. “But you’re cockblocking me.” He grabbed Max’s hips where his pajama pants rode low. There was no shirt to shield his bare skin from Horatio’s hot fingertips.
“Stop,” Max laughed in agony. “You’re supposed to be making this easy on me—not hard.”
“When was that established?”
“It was implied.”
“I don’t remember that.” Horatio fingered the elastic band of his pajamas. “Just let me shower with you. I promise not to get handsy.”
“You’re lying,” Max snorted.
“I’ll prove to you I can be strong. A man of integrity.”
Max was skeptical. “You just said you weren’t a man of integrity when you were horny.”
“A man can change.”
“In two seconds?”
Horatio grinned. “It’s possible.”
The man was too damn adorable, standing there before him; hair messed, mahogany eyes lit up with sexual heat, crooked grin on his handsome face. “Well, even it was possible for you,” Max said. “I don’t have that much faith in my own integrity with you all wet and naked in the shower with me.”
• •
It had taken all Max’s strength of will to resist Horatio and lock him out of the bathroom. Once in the shower, he’d had to do a little handling himself if he hoped to make it through the day. He knew the club boys wouldn’t help the situation any, but hadn’t expected this.
This was too much.
Max stared at Dane’s outstretched hand. “No…” he shuddered. “I don’t think so.”
“What’re you afraid of?” Gabe teased. “That you won’t be able to resist our hotness?”
“Something like that,” Max openly admitted.
“Aw, come on, boss.” Cole murmured, lips quirking. “We can make room for you right here in front of Dane.”
Max had been in front of Dane before. And though he was wholly devoted to Horatio…memories didn’t erase themselves. Dane was one hell of a lover, and that was just a fact. In his heated state of mind, digging up old memories such as those was gasoline to his already ignited body.
Fumbling with the doorknob, Max shifted off the door and pulled it open. “I better go,” he rasped. “For your sakes.” The guys laughed as he backed out the doorway.
Across the club, Carl looked his way, clearly amused.
Max returned to the bar, his brow beaded with sweat. As soon as he approached, Carl shoved an ice-cold beer into his hand, a grin on his face. Max scowled. “I should fire your ass.” He tipped up the bottle and guzzled the contents.
Carl chuckled. “I wouldn’t blame you.”
♦
“Poor boss man.” Gabe smiled and nuzzled the back of Dane’s neck. “He looks like he may not make it through.”
His breath unsteady, Dane groaned, “And we will?” Gabe’s hard bulge rubbed up and down between his cheeks—and all Dane could think of was that morning with Angel. Half asleep, the boy had snuggled up close behind him, his morning “wood” sliding between Dane’s ass cheeks, his firm cock-head nudging Dane’s hole. On any other morning, he would have shoved onto his lover’s pole and went at it. Resisting wasn’t something he was used to, not when it came to Angel. Learning to tell one’s self ‘no’ was a fucking hard lesson—in more ways than one.
“You’re not having fun?” Gabe nipped the short hairs at the nape of his neck and squeezed his waist.
Cole pushed closer and rubbed their cocks together. “Feels like you’re having fun.” He brushed his lips across Dane’s cheek, his hot breath puffing Dane’s face. “Feels like you having a lot of fun.”
“That’s the problem,” Dane shuddered. “I’m having too much fun. I’m gonna break out of these skimpy threads if I’m not careful.”
“We’ll break out with you,” Gabe chuckled low, voice hoarse with lust. He rubbed his hands up Dane’s ribs, their hips pivoting in unison. Cole caught the rhythm, and the two men pinned Dane between them, their hard cocks massaging him front and back.
Dane shivered fiercely. “Seriously, guys,” he swallowed thickly, his balls knotted tight and aching like a bitch. “You keep that up, and I’ll fucking blow my juice.”
“There’s nothing in the rules that say we can’t dance,” Gabe whispered sexily against his neck. “Whatever happens…happens.”
Cole’s mouth touched his throat, his strong lips tugging damp, sensitive skin. His body pushed closer to Dane, and his hips gyrated smoothly, mashing his crotch erotically against Dane’s throbbing cock.
“Oh…fuck…” Dane shuddered hard, and his head fell back on Gabe’s shoulder.
Shifting his stance, Gabe leaned against the desk, half-sitting on the edge with Dane’s ass in his lap, still rocking to the rhythm of the music. “Mmm…baby,” Gabe breathed in his ear. “Your moves are so fucking hot.” His erection strained the thin fabric, delving deep between Dane’s cheeks, bumping his entrance.
Cole raised one leg and pressed his foot against the edge of the desk, his crotch slightly scissored between Dane’s thighs as his whole body swayed and rolled in a wave-like rhythm, thrusting Dane to the edge. “Feel good?” he trembled, smiling. He swiveled his hips in a slow arc, grinding his cock around and around on Dane’s engorged package.
“You fuckers,” Dane whimpered breathlessly.
“I believe that was a yes,” Gabe murmured to Cole over Dane’s shoulder.
“Fuck…” Dane clutched Cole’s waist, fingers digging in, pulling him harder against him. His leg curled up around Cole’s hip, further cinching them together, and opening his cheeks a fraction, allowing Gabe to venture deeper. “Oh my God…” His head lifted off Gabe’s shoulder and fell forward. He bit down on Cole’s hot, sweaty shoulder muscle, puffing between his gripping teeth. “Uuhh!”
The urgency in Cole’s movements heightened. “Now, don’t you wish you’d indulged in us before Angel swooped in and stole your heart?” He groaned and sucked Dane’s neck as Gabe raked his teeth across Dane’s shoulder blade, his urgency matching Cole’s. “God, baby,” Cole shuddered tightly. “We would’ve fucked you so good.”
Gabe held on fiercely, panting unevenly. “Think we could talk Angel into a ménage à quad?”
If they asked before the wedding, while Angel was all fired up…they might have a chance. Dane could h
ardly speak, though, and simply managed a weak, “Maybe…” His hands slid tensely up Cole’s back, fingers gouging his hot, straining muscles. “I thought we were supposed to be practicing for the show?” he gasped.
“You don’t think this would make one hell of a show?” Gabe panted in his ear.
Dane whimpered and his leg squeezed Cole’s hip as the man simulated the motions of fucking while keeping with the beat of the music. Gabe lifted off the desk, pushing Dane up with him, and pumped his crotch rhythmically against Dane’s ass, matching Cole’s moves.
“Fuck…” Dane shuddered. “Guys…” His cock pulsed and leaked, balls churning with cum, as Cole raked his hard bulge all over Dane’s throbbing member. “I’m…I’m gonna fucking lose it…”
“That’s okay,” Gabe breathed heavily on his neck. “You’ll find it again.” He rubbed his hands around front and caressed Dane’s inner thighs, grazing his package—then sank to his heels in time with the music, caressing Dane’s legs, his lips gliding over the swell of his ass cheeks then up again, leaving kisses along his spine.
“Oh my God…” Dane clenched his jaw, his breath coming harder, faster. Don’t be pissed, Angel, baby—I’m thinking of you! His nails dug into Cole’s back and he shoved his ass against Gabe’s rock-hard crotch, his body jerking with the force of the orgasm. “Fuuuck!” Cum surged up his shaft, pumping into his G-string. “Uuuh! God…” He choked on a strangled cry, gasping hard, and clawed Cole’s back furiously. “Shit!”
Gabe hugged him tight and sucked his neck, hot breath puffing against his sweaty skin. “Yeah, baby,” he groaned stiffly, cock rubbing up and down through Dane’s ass. “That’s how we do it.”
Cole kissed him hard on the mouth, shoving against him, mashing their junk as he rolled his hips. “Fuck, yeah, it is,” he shuddered breathlessly, then grinned against Dane’s mouth. “We do that on stage for the customers and we’ll walk away rich men.”
Trembling, Dane chuckled and sagged against Gabe’s hot body, “True,” he panted. He released a hard breath. “I need a nap.”
Chapter 5
“I assume that before you were prescribed the testosterone, your doctor discussed with you and your mother in-depth about transgender issues?”
Noel sat on the sofa next Noah, huddled up close to his brother. “Yes,” he whispered.
“That’s good,” Devlin murmured. “Did your doctor set you up with a therapist? Someone to help you address the psychological side of it?”
Noel shook his head.
“He didn’t suggest a therapist?” Devlin frowned.
“He did,” Noah offered. “But mom said our medical plan didn’t cover it, and it was too expensive. She said Noel was coping fine and didn’t need a shrink.”
That seemed rather short-sighted and even somewhat ignorant for a woman who worked in a drug rehabilitation center. Surely someone in her position would understand the importance of therapy, in multiple matters. “She didn’t consider it at all?”
“One time,” Noah said quietly. “She talked to Jim about it. I overheard them. She was gonna try to save up some money to put toward a few sessions for Noel, but Jim said it was a waste of good money, that therapists were quacks and Noel was fine.”
“And she just dropped it because he vetoed the idea?” Devlin was stunned.
Noah nodded. “She didn’t like fighting with Jim. She said confrontation stressed her out, so she just went along with most of what he wanted.”
“Forgive me for saying so,” Devlin murmured. “But in the case of Noel’s emotional well-being, that seems very irresponsible. Her children’s welfare should have come first, confrontation or no.”
“It’s okay,” Noah whispered. “I thought she was irresponsible, too.” He wrapped his arm around Noel and hugged him close. “I tried to sort of be his therapist for him, tell him there’s wasn’t anything wrong with him, and he wasn’t a freak. But…but I didn’t know how to answer his questions or explain things that I didn’t understand.” His eyes glistened. “I tried to help him but I couldn’t.”
Noel raised his head as tears filled his eyes. “Yes, you did.” His quiet voice trembled. “You helped me a lot. You…you were the only one who made me feel completely normal.”
Devlin knew where the bulk of Noah’s guilt came from. He’d been helpless to keep Noel safe from Jim Evers. Noel didn’t blame him, but he blamed himself though simple logic insisted that he wasn’t physically capable of putting a stop to the abuse.
“After I get you set up with a specialist in this field,” Devlin told Noel. “We’ll discuss with him, or her, about scheduling a meeting with a therapist, and possibly getting you into a support group. Would you be okay with all that?”
Noel looked nervous and fearful. Noah held him tighter. “Would it be okay if I went with him?” he asked. “At first, anyway. Until he wasn’t scared to go alone?”
“I’m sure that would be fine,” Devlin murmured. Noah filled his heart with warmth and pride. He reminded Devlin of Abel and the way Abel had always done his best to protect and care for Savannah. “I really think these things would be good for you, Noel. A support group will show you that you’re not alone, that there are many others out there just like you, and that the way you are isn’t so uncommon and certainly not unnatural. The things Jim told you, said about you…” Devlin’s gut knotted with anguish and fury. “None of that was true.” His voice softened. “You’re not a mistake, son. And the longer you’re a part of this family, the more you will understand that.”
Muffled words drifted from Noel as he pressed his face to Noah’s shoulder. Noah murmured, “So do I.”
“What did he say?” Devlin asked curiously.
A small smile formed on the boy’s face. “He said he liked this family.”
Devlin laughed softly. “I’m glad. This family likes you, too. Loves you both.”
The doorbell rang. Devlin left the living room and answered the door, finding Clint on the other side. No Axel.
Clint dragged his palm over his mouth. “I just wanted to check in on the boys. Is Noel home from the hospital?”
“Yeah.” Devlin stepped back and motioned him inside.
“Is he feeling all right?”
Devlin closed the door. “Yes. He’s feeling much better. He’s going to be okay.” He pointed down the short entry hall. “They’re in the living room.”
The boys looked up when Clint entered before Devlin, and their eyes lit up. Clint walked to the sofa and sat down on the opposite side of Noel, perched on the edge of the cushion. “How you doing?” he asked Noel.
“Okay,” Noel said quietly, his eyes repeatedly jumping to Clint’s face.
Clint looked at Noah. “You okay, too?”
“Yeah,” Noah nodded, a small smile touching his lips. He shifted on the sofa. “Do you want your hat back?”
“It was a gift from Axel,” Clint admitted.
Noah untangled from his brother. “I’ll go get it.” He crawled off the sofa and left the living room, a gimp in his step.
Clint watched him go, then glanced at Noel as the boy repositioned on the cushion, appearing more nervous without Noah there. “Devlin says you’re feeling better.” Noel nodded. Clint touched the boy’s cheek. “Good to hear.” He turned his stare on Devlin. “Noah’s limp,” he said. “Is it permanent?”
“I don’t know for sure yet,” Devlin told him. “There’s a possibility that the bone can be reset to heal properly.”
“Reset?”
Devlin cleared his throat. “It would have to be re-broken then set again. It’s not an uncommon procedure. He would be under the whole time, of course, so any pain he might experience would be post-surgery discomfort. Properly cared for, he would heal fairly quickly.”
“Are you going to have it done?”
“It’s up to Noah,” Devlin said. “I won’t force him.”
“He said he wants to do it,” Noel interjected quietly.
“What?”
“His legs hurts him a lot,” Noel whispered. “Sometimes…he feels embarrassed because he limps, like people are gonna make fun of him.”
Devlin stared at the boy; this was the most he’d said in one shot since bringing him home from Chicago. “Well, if he wants to go ahead with the procedure, then I will get everything set in motion as soon as he’s ready.”
Noel went quiet again. Noah returned with Clint’s hat and handed it to him.
“Took good care of it,” Clint nodded and put it on. “Did you like wearing it?”
“Yeah. It’s a cool hat.”
“I guess we’ll have to get you one of your own.”
Devlin smiled as Noah’s face lit up.
“One for your brother, too.” Clint looked at Noel. “You want to be a cowboy?”
Noel pursed his lips in a shy smile and nodded.
“Cowboys are cool,” Devlin winked at Noel.
“Some of them,” Clint said. “And some are just grumpy old cusses.” A smile tugged his lips. “You boys will be the cool kind.”
Devlin chuckled at Clint’s implication that he wasn’t one of the “cool” cowboys. Devlin—and surely everyone in their extended family—would arguably disagree.
♦
Noah sat down by Noel and the other boy leaned against him. The tension in his body from before had eased. Noel liked Clint; he had told Noah, after meeting Clint for the first time. He really liked Devlin and Abel, too. He was already starting to feel safe here. So was Noah.
“I wanted to ask you…” Devlin spoke to Clint. “If maybe you and Axel, and Kane and Cochise, would mind if we had a little get-together out at your places. Give the boys a chance to meet some more of the family. A casual gathering so they can get to know everyone.”
Clint nodded. “Not a problem.”
“Would tomorrow be too soon?” Devlin asked. “It could be a pre-wedding party as well.” He laughed. “Us grooms may need some psyching up before the big day.”
Clint chuckled low. “Not getting cold feet, are ya, Doc?”