by Jet Mykles
“Not before. You’d never have slept with me.”
They shared a warm chuckle. “And now?”
“I don’t know. I just…” He shrugged, eyes still averted.
Rabin could barely stand how adorable Izzy was. So cocky and sure most of the time, but then he exposed an incredibly vulnerable side. Rabin vowed, right then and there, to make it his duty to shelter that softer side. “Hey.” He licked the curve of Izzy’s jaw. “Can we do it this way? I want to see you. All of you.”
A sigh shuddered through Izzy. “O-kay.”
Carefully Rabin lifted one knee, encouraged when Izzy’s thigh slid sideways to give Rabin room to come down inside. They did the same with the other side, positioning Rabin between Izzy’s legs where he wanted to be. He lapped at Izzy’s neck as Izzy bent his knees. Rabin sat up, letting his hands slide down Izzy’s sides before he picked up the bottle of lube again. Izzy lay quiet in front of him, watching him pour liquid on his palm, then taking the bottle from him so Izzy could coat his own cock with it too. Izzy caught up his knee and pulled it to his chest, spreading his groin open to make it easier for Rabin to find his entrance. It was like coming home. Aim, push. Rabin watched Izzy’s eyes flutter shut as that tight opening adjusted around his cock. He grabbed Izzy’s shoulder, leaned on it, used it as leverage as he pushed steadily into Izzy’s body. A gorgeous flush colored softly curved cheeks, and sweat glistened on his brow, plastering little tendrils of black hair to his skin. Rabin leaned forward as his cock reached its limit, embedded inside Izzy’s body. He braced his hands on the mattress to either side of Izzy’s head and just looked his fill. White teeth bit a plump lower lip to a gorgeous red, raven brows crowded down over tightly shut eyelids. But gradually Izzy’s eyes blinked open. He sought and found Rabin’s gaze.
Rabin smiled. “I love you.”
The sigh swept through Izzy like the wind through a secret passage. He lifted his hands to wrap around the back of Rabin’s neck. “God. I love you too.”
The words he’d been waiting for. The words he’d known hadn’t been spoken yet but he’d been willing to wait for. Sooner than he thought. Caught him off guard. Actually made his body buck, a quick jerk of his cock out, then back into Izzy’s body. They both hissed at the intense surge of pleasure.
Rabin lowered to his elbows, close enough to kiss the mouth that had said the words, the only mouth he ever wanted to kiss again. Sliding his arms under Izzy’s back to hold him secure, Rabin thrust steady and slow, wanting Izzy to feel every inch of him. Eager lips sucked at his, a willing tongue twining with his. Izzy’s legs lifted and nimbly wrapped around Rabin’s waist, his hands alternately grasping Rabin’s hair, then his back, then hair again.
“Harder,” Izzy finally demanded.
Rabin obeyed gladly, shifting his knees to a better angle. Back up to his elbows, curled over Izzy, he blinked sweat from his eyes so he could watch Izzy’s face. More of a flush, mouth open now to help him breathe.
“God, Rabin, harder.”
He reached down, intending to grip Izzy’s cock, but Izzy stopped him, brought his arm back to where it had been. Brown eyes glittered feverishly. “Just fuck me. That’s all I want.” Exposed completely, eyes filled with love, Izzy kept his gaze steady under eyelashes that tried to flutter closed.
“God.” Rabin was going to lose it. It was too much. The velvet squeeze around his cock, the tight wrap of legs around his waist, the hot, writhing body beneath him, and the look of love flooded his senses, took his control away. Growling, he thrust hard into Izzy’s body, doing all he could to keep his eyes trained with Izzy’s as the explosion started at the base of his spine. He cried out, lunging now, and it was Izzy this time who braced him, held him, spurred him on with words he only heard as driving, undeniable notes at the crescendo of a symphony.
He might have blacked out a little. He found himself with his face tucked into the curve of Izzy’s throat, with his lover’s arms and legs still wrapped securely around him, although now a little more loosely, more comfort than clutch. Rabin’s breath labored in and out of his lungs, the sweat on his chest mingling with the heated moisture on Izzy’s. Even as his breath calmed, Rabin didn’t feel the need to move. Well, except for a small shift that straightened the arch of his back. It had the unfortunate side effect of sliding his cock out of Izzy’s body, but he couldn’t have denied the protest in his lower spine.
It wasn’t until he heard the soft sniff that he realized Izzy was crying.
“Hey.” He tried to pull away so he could look at Izzy’s face, but the smaller man was wrapped so tightly that Rabin couldn’t get free. He had to settle for nuzzling just under Izzy’s chin. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” came the watery protest.
“Iz.”
“Nothing, I swear. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“You’re serious about all you’ve said? All of it?”
This time he used a little muscle to free himself, needing to see Izzy’s eyes. A few tears trickled from the corners of those chocolaty depths.
“I’m serious. About all of it. I swear.”
“Even if it ruins your life?”
“It won’t ruin my life.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Hey. I’m not Greggory, okay? I want to tell the world about you.”
The smile that dawned on Izzy’s face was one Rabin wanted to cause for the rest of his life.
“I don’t care about the world.” Izzy gave him a brief kiss. “Just you.”
Epilogue
Rabin had only spent time with him the one night, but he’d know Danny anywhere. He watched his friend stroll into the O’Hare baggage-claim area, a backpack slung over one shoulder. His strawberry-blond hair was pulled into a loose tail, kept back from his handsome face. With the faded Grateful Dead T-shirt and ripped jeans, he looked every inch the California boy that he was.
“That’s him.”
Beside Rabin, Izzy stopped waving to a little girl tugging along a bright pink suitcase and lifted his head to scan the crowd. “Where?”
“The blond in the Dead shirt.”
“Oh. Oh.”
Rabin frowned down at the rapt gaze Izzy fastened on Danny. “What?”
“Mmmm. He is gorgeous. I see why you were tempted.”
Impulse had Rabin’s hand at Izzy’s side, poking where he knew Izzy was ticklish. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Izzy laughed and danced out of arm’s reach.
Rabin grinned, then turned to wave for Danny. But the blond had already seen them. They met with a hand slap and grip, then pulled into a hug and back slap. “Good to see you, man. How was the flight?”
Danny shrugged, letting his backpack slip to the ground. “Long. Boring. Pretty typical.” He turned to face Izzy.
Who was smiling up at him. Danny wasn’t as tall as Rabin, but he was still a few inches taller than Rabin’s boyfriend.
Rabin made introductions. “Izzy Rose, Danny Champion. Danny, this is Izzy.”
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” they both said, almost in unison. Rabin groaned and shook his head while they both threw back their heads and laughed. That effectively broke the ice, and they moved into a spontaneous hug. Some of the tension in Rabin’s shoulders eased. He’d been sure they’d get along; he just hadn’t been sure how long it’d take.
But he needn’t have worried. Izzy took charge like the bossy little thing he was and directed Rabin to stand to the side with Danny’s pack while he and Danny went to get Danny’s bags. Rabin didn’t quite get that, but he obeyed, then figured it out as he watched Izzy chatting away at his new friend out of Rabin’s earshot. They made a pretty sight, Danny in his colorful tie-dye and Izzy in one of his rainbow shirts, this one blazoned in gold with It takes balls to be a fairy.
Danny came back to Rabin with a large suitcase. “Dude,” he said with a grin, “your boyfriend’s a trip.”
Rabin pushed the case up against the
wall beside him. “Yeah, I know.”
Danny slapped his arm once, then went back to join Izzy, who had managed to charm a young mother and her son.
Eventually the pair headed back Rabin’s way, Danny pulling another large suitcase behind him and Izzy tugging a slightly smaller one.
“…always knew he was talented,” Izzy was saying, as though he were catching up an old friend, “but we never thought he’d be famous. He didn’t like being around people, for God’s sakes.”
Danny laughed at that. “I can’t even imagine.”
“He hates crowds. He’s better at it now, but oh man.”
Rabin reached for the handle of the suitcase behind Danny while handing the backpack to his friend. “Are you talking about Brent?”
Izzy wasn’t remotely repentant. “Of course.”
Rabin shook his head as he and Danny made the switch. “He’s gonna kick your ass.”
“Pfft. Only if he can catch me. Besides, Danny won’t tell.”
Danny looked at Rabin, his blue eyes filled with mirth. “Of course not.”
Rabin could easily see that Danny had fallen for Izzy’s ebullience, just like everyone did. “Let’s go.”
They headed for the parking lot, conversation paused as they maneuvered through the crowd.
“So, hey,” Rabin started as soon as they were relatively alone, headed toward where they’d parked Izzy’s Mazda, “I talked to Gordon.”
Danny nodded. They hadn’t met, but that would soon be rectified. Rabin had talked about the Knights’ new manager enough when he’d spoken to Danny over the phone.
“Turns out he knows Lance Hoff.”
“The bass player from The Might?”
“That’s the one.”
“Damn, you run in the best circles.”
Rabin had to laugh. The car chirped when he pressed the key fob. “That’s not the best part. He says Lance and Noble both are leaving The Might. You know they’ve never gotten it together after that second album, right?”
Danny stopped, facing Rabin. “Dude, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Izzy popped open the hatchback.
“Probably. He wants to introduce us.” Rabin lifted the heaviest of Danny’s three suitcases into the trunk. “He sent Lance a rough recording Brent and I did of one of the new songs, and Lance liked it.”
Danny maneuvered the second suitcase in beside the first. “No fucking way.”
“Yep.”
“The fucking Might?”
“The best part of ’em, anyway.”
Izzy laughed. “God, I don’t even know who these people are.”
Danny shook himself and lifted the last suitcase into the trunk. “Most people don’t. They never made it anywhere on the charts. Most people think their music’s too complicated.”
Rabin grinned at his lover. “But musicians like them.”
Izzy rolled his eyes. “That explains it, then.”
They climbed into the car, Rabin driving, Izzy beside him, with Danny in the back. As they left the airport, Rabin filled Danny in on Gordon’s plans for the Indigo Knights as well as the tentative schedule Brent and Rabin had worked out for studio space. When Danny mentioned needing to find a job, Izzy suggested the pizzeria near his school and even offered to set up a meeting.
They took Danny to Rabin’s apartment, which was soon to be Danny’s apartment. Danny would be taking over the lease now that Rabin had pretty much moved in with Izzy at Brent and Hell’s. Izzy hadn’t wanted to move, and Brent and Hell both assured Rabin that it was okay. “We don’t want to lose our cook,” Brent had said. Rabin couldn’t blame them. So while some of Rabin’s stuff was still in the apartment, he’d cleared most of it for Danny.
Danny looked around and shrugged. “Chicago. Never thought I’d live here.”
“If you can stand the winter, it’s a great place to be,” Rabin told him, laughing because he knew Danny had never lived in snow. He grinned at Izzy, who sat on the stool by the kitchen counter. “Magic happens here.”
Danny saw the look and laughed. “I certainly hope so. Seriously, though, thanks for calling me.”
Rabin nodded. “Feels right.” And it did. He felt at home with Danny like he used to feel at home with Zane, better maybe since he was older now, without the teenage angst. “I’m glad you came.”
“You going to kiss now?” Izzy joked.
Rabin laughed. “No.” He pulled Izzy off the stool and into his arms. “All my kisses are for you.”
Izzy hugged him back. “Good.”
“Y’know, I’m really glad you two got back together,” Danny mused, watching them. “You make a good couple.”
Izzy leaned back enough to look up into Rabin’s face. “Yeah, me too.” He giggled. “He made it easy.”
~ * ~
Chapter One
“You almost ready?”
Danny didn’t look up from the suitcase he was wondering how he was going to close. “Almost.” He pressed and pushed at the square canvas case, but it just wasn’t going to do it. “Damn. Of course it has to be a winter wedding.” Standing, he puffed out a breath and shook his head.
“I got a bigger suitcase if you want to use that.”
“No.” Danny pointed blindly toward the closet, still glaring at the case. “I’m taking the garment bag for my suit, and it’s already full. I don’t want to pay that much for luggage.”
Cash wandered into his line of sight, staring down at the case that sat on the mattress-on-top-of-box-spring that served as Danny’s bed. “Can’t you hitch a ride with one of your rich friends on a private jet or something? Then you could take all you want.”
Danny gave his roommate a rueful look that was wasted since Cash was looking at the suitcase. “I’m not a big-enough deal—yet—for a jet. Besides, Brent and Hell are already long gone, since they’re in the wedding. Lance and Noble have money, but not that kind of money.”
“Damn.” Cash leaned forward and put his weight on the soft top of the charcoal-gray case. Danny took the opportunity to admire his profile. Two years younger than Danny, Cash was unconsciously beautiful. Thick-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses and a sloppy overhang of hair that wanted to be both brown and blond vied to hide inquisitive brown eyes. He had a slim build under a green thermal shirt, a bright yellow Sesame Street T-shirt, and jeans that were baggy on his frame. Even a pimple near the corner of his mouth did nothing to detract from the gorgeous curve of his bottom lip or the saucy jut of his narrow chin. Danny watched Cash kneel, then crawl around the case to the center of his bed, and tried his best not to think of other, more fun things they could be doing than packing.
“Here.” Cash put all his weight on his arms to try to hold the top of the soft case closed. “Can you get it now?”
Danny knelt beside the bed, the better to get a grip on the zipper that would seal his suitcase shut. If it also put his shoulder right up against Cash’s, that was just a happy coincidence. If it allowed him to fill his sinuses with the scent of a clueless computer nerd who probably hadn’t showered since the morning before, so be it.
They gave it a good try, but it wasn’t going to happen. Expelling air past his lips, Cash sat back on his heels. “What have you got in there?”
“Only the essentials.”
Cash watched as Danny opened the case all the way. “Jesus, no wonder.” He picked up a thick blue knit sweater. “This wouldn’t fit in there alone.” He picked up another sweater of similar bulk. “How many of these did you pack?”
“I’m going to upstate New York to a ski resort. I’m a California boy, remember?”
“Well, yeah. But you can’t expect to fit all this in a carry-on. You’re only gonna be gone for four days.”
Danny took the two sweaters Cash held and crossed his tiny bedroom to where the garment bag hung on the closet door. “Maybe I can hang these in this.” Although that might stretch them. And he already had two necessary suits in the bag. Damn it. He looked good in those sweat
ers too.
“What’s this?”
Danny glanced over his shoulder to see what Cash was holding. “Toiletries.”
Cash hefted the stuffed-to-bursting faux leather bag. “Get out.”
“What?”
Cash blinked those amazing eyes at him. “You really are gay, aren’t you?”
Danny gave him a withering look, then morphed it into an eye flutter. “You finally noticed.”
Cash laughed, dropping the toiletry bag onto Danny’s mattress. “I guess I’ve never seen you act so…gay before.”
Danny froze, considered, then turned around to face Cash with one hand cradling the sweaters and the other propped on his hip. “I think I might be insulted by that phrasing.” He threw in a good toss of his shoulder-length hair to go with the prim tone he used.
Cash smiled, that slightly embarrassed curl of lips that made Danny’s balls tingle. “Don’t be.” He waved his hand at Danny’s overstuffed bag. “This is just way over the top. What have you got in there?”
“Essentials—hair products, shaving gel, razor, cologne, lube, condoms.” He said the last to get a reaction from Cash.
Didn’t work. Cash just frowned. “You can’t take that stuff in a carry-on, you know.”
“Oh shit. You’re right. Fuck. Looks like I’ll need the third bag anyway.” Sighing, he turned to his closet.
“Do you really need all this stuff?” Cash asked as Danny rummaged through a surprising pile of crap on the floor of the closet. He’d only lived there three months, and he was rarely home.
“What stuff?”
“Isn’t it a hotel? Won’t they have shampoo and gel and…stuff?”
Danny heard the pause, wondered at it, but let it go. “Well, yeah, but I’m very choosy.” He backed out of the closet with a second, matching bag in hand. He raised a hand to lovingly comb through his strawberry-blond locks and fluttered the eyelids of his bright blue eyes. Modesty aside, his sisters and plenty of lovers had informed him of his best assets, and he used them to advantage. “No one looks this good by accident.”
Cash just snorted, which made Danny laugh.