by Lucy Lennox
He closed my lips with his fingers and smiled up at me. “Nope, don’t be sorry. You’re right. I’m just not used to it.”
“Are you okay with it all? I know going from little to no family to this insanity is a bit much.”
“It’s amazing, West. Truly. I always envied Griff his huge crazy adopted family, and now I have my own. And so does Pippa.”
I leaned down to brush my lips against his. He tasted like the peppermint candy cane he’d eaten in the car on the way over here.
“Always. I love you, Nico.”
“I love you too. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” His face bloomed dark pink, and I thought about what a difference it was, seeing him now compared to when he’d first arrived after Adriana’s funeral. He’d gone from being a defensive prickly pear to an expressive, loving partner. Granted, he was still a work in progress—we both were—but he didn’t seem to second-guess my commitment and love for him anymore.
When we made our way out to the family room area, the room was full of people talking and laughing. Holiday music played in the background, and bowls of eggnog and punch covered the kitchen island counter. All kinds of cookies and cakes from the bakery were displayed on the big kitchen table along with big pots of chili and soup Grandpa had made. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an award-winning chili in the bunch, but everyone seemed okay settling for second best.
As the night wore on, many of us bundled up and made our way out to the bonfire. Everyone seemed to have gotten a buzz on, and Nico was happily chatting with my sister Hallie until Mrs. Parnell walked up with a big grin.
“Hi, Nico! I’m so glad to see you. George is desperate for me to book you for a cake like the one you did for Clyde. Please tell me you can squeeze us in the first week in January.”
Nico smiled. “You’ll have to call Rox and ask her. She keeps the schedule. I know we’re booked through New Year’s for painted cakes though, so call her soon.”
“Will do, will do. Say…” She looked around as if to make sure no one could hear her even though everyone could. “How are you feeling now that ole Curt is gone, huh? You know, after the thing with Daniel Warner came to light? Can you even believe it?”
Her grin was downright shit-eating, and I reached out a hand to Nico’s back before realizing what I was doing. He leaned his weight back into me slightly before responding.
“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I hope Curt finds a nice man one day who’s not actually married. How about that?” Nico gave her a polite smile, and I wondered if I was the only person who realized how deliberately he’d snuck in the fact that Curt would wind up with another man one day. If only his and Daniel’s coupling hadn’t been so destructive to poor Jenn’s life as well as that of their young son. Lucky for Pippa, my brother Cal had told me about the affair the minute he’d realized the man he’d seen on the boat was the same man trying to adopt Pippa.
Mrs. Parnell continued, barely taking a breath. “Well, I also heard the new police officer hired to take Curt’s place is a nice homosexual man like yourself. So what do you think about that?”
Nico snuck me a look of incredulity, and I shrugged. I wished I could tell Nico her rudeness came from too much drink, but she was this way stone cold sober too.
“Well, Mrs. Parnell,” he said, reaching for my hand. “I believe I have my hands full with Dr. Wilde right now, but I’ll see if maybe Stevie wants to take our new officer some of his special nut clusters.”
I choked on my beer and yanked my hand out of his grip to cover my dripping face.
Nico gave her a serene smile until she tittered and tottered away to find someone else to gossip with. Meanwhile, I noticed my cousin Felix standing nearby, swaying precariously on his feet. I reached out a hand to steady him, and he turned a drunken grin on me.
“Hey there, Westerley,” he said with a giggle. “Having fun?”
“I am indeed. Looks like you are too. What’s gotten into you? You normally don’t drink. Just feeling the holiday spirit?” I teased.
“Nope,” he said, popping the end of the word with his lips. “Mommie Dearest is at it again. The big movie, you know? The one about that woman… that woman… the woman with the thing?”
His eyebrows came together as his brain fought to find the right words.
“Doesn’t she play the head of the CIA in that big spy thriller coming out Christmas Day?”
“That’s the one,” he said miserably. “It’s going to kill at the box office.”
“Sorry,” I said, unsure of what would make him feel better. “Are you going to do your usual and just try to lie low until the media dies down?”
His face lit up, and he swayed again, reaching for my elbow to right himself. “Nope. Not this time. Doc and Grandpa are sending me on a sebat… sebat… a research trip,” he said with a hiccup.
“It’s probably a good idea to get out of Dodge. Although I’ll miss you if you’re not here for Christmas, Felix. What are you researching for?”
“Thesis stuff. Going to a castle-type place. They have good stained glass there for me to do. I mean study. I mean write about. Research, you know? Overseas. In Europe.”
He emphasized Europe, pronouncing it like your rope, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds good, buddy. You ever been there?”
“Barely been out of Texas. What about you, Westlake? You gonna take Nicopotamus somewhere sometime? You should come see me at the cattle… The cattle… The castle.” His tongue seemed too big for his mouth and he stuck it out a little to make room.
I bit my own tongue to keep from laughing. I had seriously never seen my shy little cousin this chatty. It was adorable.
Nico leaned in from the other side to whisper in my ear. “What’s wrong with him?”
I turned and put my mouth against Nico’s ear, running my tongue across the array of earrings there before answering him. He shivered. “He’s adorably shit-faced. Gonna be feeling it tomorrow.”
Nico leaned around me to smile at my cousin. “Hey Felix, buddy. How ya feeling?”
“Your hair used to be purple,” he said.
I thought Nico was going to bust something from holding back his laugh.
“Yes. Indeed it did,” he said through a smile.
“And now it’s like… rainbowy more. Or something.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Exactly. All the colors of the rainbow,” Nico said, running his slender fingers through his mane and letting the colors peek out in the firelight. I fixated on those fingers, thinking back a few hours to where they’d last been. We’d played a rousing game of Doctor, and I’d been the lucky recipient of the prostate exam.
My dick stirred in my jeans, and I swore under my breath when Nico gave me a knowing look.
“West, are you feeling okay?” he asked all fake innocence. “Did you need a doctor?”
I groaned and turned my face into his neck. “Don’t tease me, jackass,” I mumbled quietly.
Nico leaned back around me to smile at Felix again. “Sorry, Felix. West isn’t feeling well. I think I need to take his temperature really quickly. Be right back, okay?”
Felix swayed a little more, and I motioned to my brother Cal to come stand with him.
Nico grabbed me and pulled me toward the bunkhouse. Oh goody, bedtime, I thought with a grin.
Only, before opening the door to the bunkhouse, he veered sideways and dragged me around the back of the building until stopping abruptly and throwing me against the outer wall.
“What—” I began before I realized what he was doing. His hands reached for my belt buckle, and I heard the light clink of metal as he pulled it open. Cold hands reached into my underwear, and I hissed. “Jesus, baby, you’re gonna shrink everything until there’s nothing good left in there.”
“I’ll warm it back up with my mouth,” he promised, lowering himself to his knees with a feral grin.
“Fuck,” I gasped as his cold hands were replaced by his hot mouth. My
hands came up to comb into his hair, and I looked around to make sure none of my family members were nearby.
“Someone might hear us,” I choked out.
“Who the fuck cares? It’s not like everyone doesn’t know we’re together.”
I smiled down at him as he returned to his task. My fingers reached into his long locks and caressed his head.
Nico wasn’t holding back. He licked and sucked and pulled as if his life depended on it, and within moments, I was coming down his throat, my teeth biting the jacket sleeve over my arm to muffle my shout.
As soon as I caught my breath, I reached into my wallet for the condom and lube and pressed it into his hand. He looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Please, Nico?” I asked. I turned around and faced the wall of the building, putting my hands out in front of me on the rough boards after shucking my pants and boxer briefs down to my thighs. My ass was hanging out in the cold night air, but I didn’t care. I wanted my partner to use me for his pleasure. I wanted him to feel good.
“God, you’re so fucking hot like that. I want to take a photo for our family album,” he said with a laugh. His hands fumbled with the supplies until I heard the snap of latex and felt freezing cold digits brush my hole.
“Jesus fuck, that’s cold. Dammit, Nico,” I growled.
“You should have brought that useless baby wipes warmer piece of crap. The only thing it’s good for is keeping our lube warm,” he said as he pushed farther in.
I hissed and pushed back on him, wanting this part of it over as fast as possible. Once his fingers were warm inside me, they felt amazing. I loved it when Nico stretched me. He was so sweet and gentle, and he got the cutest little worry furrows over his eyes whenever he did it.
I reached a hand back for his wrist and pulled it around my front. “Enough of that shit. Get on with it.”
He brought his lips to the back of my neck and laughed. “Bossy, bossy,” he scolded. “I’m going to go in slow motion as long as you’re giving me attitude like that.”
The fat head of his cock brushed lightly against the sensitive skin of my hole, and I thought I was going to scream with impatience.
“Now you’re using my words against me.” I sighed. “Cruel bastard.”
“What comes around, goes around, Dr. Wilde,” he cooed. “Bend your knees, you big goof. You’re like ten feet tall. My damned dick doesn’t reach.”
I did as he asked. The tip pushed farther in, and we both groaned.
“Shhh.” Nico purred. “We don’t want any witnesses while I make you whimper like a baby, do we?”
I let out a sound that absolutely was not a whimper.
“That’s it,” Nico teased in my ear. Gooseflesh was up over every inch of my skin at the sound. “That’s it, West. God, you’re so tight. I love running my hands over this fine ass and knowing it’s mine.”
His hands squeezed my ass cheeks, and I clenched around him in response, making him groan again. The first time he’d asked to top me, I’d hesitated. I was unsure whether or not I’d be okay letting go of control. But fuck if it didn’t blow my damned mind. Feeling Nico’s cock inside me and ceding control of my body to him was one of the most exciting milestones of our sex life so far. He knew I loved it. And there had already been nights we’d argued over who got to bottom.
But we both loved to top too, so I knew we had plenty of fun ahead of us.
My cock jumped as Nico’s thrusting hit my spot, and I grabbed for the wall again.
“Fuck, baby. Right there. Gonna come.” I gasped.
His inked hand came around to clamp over my mouth just as I opened it to shout his name. I felt his teeth grab into the skin at the base of my neck, and I sucked in a breath at the slight jab of pain. For some reason the sensation caused my dick to jump again and more come spilled out.
Nico’s cock twitched inside me as he finished releasing, and his warm arms came around me strong and tight.
“I love you so much,” he said quietly as he caught his breath.
“Does that mean you might agree to marry me some day?” I asked, knowing what his answer would be. I’d already brought it up before and noticed him blush deep red every time I did it.
“No,” he said.
“Liar.” I snorted, knowing with one hundred percent certainty we would be together forever.
I turned around to face him while he removed the condom, tied it off, and stuck it in a pocket. Instead of putting my arms around him, I reached under the hem of his shirt to warm my cold hands on his warm belly.
Nico sucked in a breath. “God, we should go inside. Your fingers are fucking freezing.”
I ignored him and ran my hands up his chest to take advantage of his warmth. “That’s what I have you for. To warm up my cold skin.”
Nico’s lips widened into a grin as his sparkling blue-green eyes met mine. “Speaking of your skin… I was wondering if you’d let me give you some ink.”
My heart kicked up with excitement. I’d never gotten a tattoo before, but I’d known being with Nico meant it was only a matter of time.
“What exactly did you have in mind, Nicopotamus?” I teased.
“That’s not a thing. Just because Felix got drunk and stupid, doesn’t make that a thing now,” he said with an adorable pout.
“Hmm, I’ll take that into consideration. Back to the ink. Continue.”
His grin returned. “The design I have in mind is circular in nature. It goes around some very delicate skin and might hurt like a bitch. But I know a doctor who can get his hands on some decent painkillers if you really need them.”
Fuck. He wanted to tattoo my dick. No way.
“Nico, if you think I’m going to let you put needle near my—”
He was laughing before I could get the word out. “No, West. God. Not that. Not your precious tongue depressor. I was thinking more about one of those talented doctor fingers I like so much.”
“You want to tattoo my fingers?” I pictured knuckle sets and wondered what mine would be.
L-I-V-E L-O-N-G
S-T-A-Y W-E-L-L
B-I-T-E D-O-W-N
P-L-S C-O-U-G-H
F-L-U-E S-H-O-T
L-O-L-L-I-P-O-P
“What are you doing?” Nico asked.
“Wondering what knuckle tatts I should get. Any ideas?” I asked.
“Um, West, babe… I was not picturing you with a knuckle set. I was thinking more along the lines of a simple band of ink around the third finger of your left hand.”
I blinked at him.
“I mean, not… It doesn’t have to be anytime soon or whatever. Just maybe someday. If you want…” He blew out a loud breath, his exhale clouding in the cold air. “Never mind.”
“Oh thank god,” I said with a giant sigh of relief. “For a minute there I thought you wanted me to get something epic that would require, like, a serious commitment. But a slim band on one little old finger? Pfft. No problem.”
I smirked at the cutie, waiting for him to realize what I was saying.
“Really?”
“Is there room for you to get one too so we can be twinsies?” I teased.
“Shut up, jackass. I’m being serious.”
I leaned down until our foreheads were pressed together. “Nico Salerno, that permanent ink has been in my skin already for weeks. If you’d like to make it visible to everyone else, I’d be more than happy to do that as soon as we wake up tomorrow. Just say the word, and I’m there. I love you. And you’re the sweetest fucking thing in the entire world. The minute I can show you off as mine forever, I’ll be the happiest man alive.”
Nico’s face widened into a grin. “Sweet talker. Have you been sipping from Felix’s cup?”
“No, but I do like how your hair is rainbowy more,” I said, running my fingers through it.
“Thank you for loving me the way I am, West.”
“Thank you for coming home with me where you belong, Nico.” I leaned in to kiss his beautiful face befor
e pulling him behind me toward the door of the bunkhouse to get warm.
Felix’s slur cut through the night as he approached us from the direction of the bonfire. “Yo! Wait up, guys. Nicopotamus, where’d you go?”
“Goddammit, tell him that’s not a thing,” Nico muttered, holding my hand.
“Face it, babe,” I said with a laugh. “It’s a sign you’ve become an official Wilde child. Whether you like it or not.”
Letter from Lucy
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Facing West, the first book in the new Forever Wilde series!
There will be more Wilde tales to come, so please stay tuned. Up next will be Felix’s story as he goes on an adventure to a cattle… cattle… castle-type place and meets a special someone who’s hiding a big secret from him.
Be sure to follow me on Amazon to be notified of new releases, and look for me on Facebook for sneak peeks of upcoming stories.
Please take a moment to write a review of Facing West on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews can make all the difference in helping a book show up in Amazon searches.
Feel free to sign up for my newsletter, stop by www.LucyLennox.com or visit me on social media to stay in touch.
To see fun inspiration photos for all of my novels, visit my Pinterest boards.
Finally, all Lucy Lennox titles are available on audio within a month of release and are narrated by the fabulous Michael Pauley.
Happy reading!
Lucy
About the Author
Lucy Lennox is the creator of the bestselling Made Marian series as well as the creator of three sarcastic kids. Born and raised in the southeast, she is finally putting good use to that English Lit degree.
Lucy enjoys naps, pizza, and procrastinating. She is married to someone who is better at math than romance but who makes her laugh every single day and is the best dancer in the history of ever.
She stays up way too late each night reading M/M romance because that shit is hot.
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