by Ashley Ladd
Stumped, he sat on Cecilie’s step and stared unseeingly ahead, trying to figure out the puzzle. Since it was a Saturday, Bianca wouldn’t be at work. At least, she normally wouldn’t be. Just in case, he called her employer, but no one answered except the answering machine.
“What are you doing on my property?” Cecilie asked, displeasure basking in her voice.
A shadow fell over him, and he looked up into a fuming female face with accusing, reptilian eyes. Unfortunately, it was alone and had auburn hair with several scary red streaks. The woman also stood there about two inches shorter than his Bianca. “Is Bianca here? I have to talk to her.”
Cecilie put her hands on her hips and snorted. “No.”
“She’s not here?” He pushed himself to his feet.
“Are you deaf? I just said that. And no, you can’t see her.”
“So you know where she is? It’s urgent.”
Cecilie glared and didn’t budge. “After that display last night, I doubt she’ll ever talk to you again. I wouldn’t. I really don’t care to speak to you, either.”
Despite his disappointment and rising anger, he kept his practiced smile in place. “It’s…complicated. Please.”
“What part of no don’t you understand? And you can thank me for keeping her from jumping into bed with Johnny Depp and company. Now git. Shoo!”
Johnny Depp? Huh? He didn’t like the sound of that one bit.
“What’s going on with Johnny Depp?”
Cecilie rolled her eyes. She jerked her thumb at the road then waved her cell phone in his face. “Do I have to call the cops? Please leave. Get this into your thick skull. She doesn’t want anything to do with you. Get lost.”
He muttered under his breath as he ambled to his feet, “Some welcome home.”
He wished an Iraqi bullet had gotten him square between the eyes. Shrapnel in his heart would’ve been easier than this.
* * * *
Ty racked his brain for where Bianca could be if not at home and not at Cecilie’s. He called her parents even though he didn’t think she’d run to them. She hadn’t. Her brother had no idea where she was, either. Or so they said.
Stymied, Ty hunkered down at home, knowing she’d have to show up eventually to feed the cat and get a change of clothes. Finally, come Sunday evening, Cecilie strolled in.
The cat that had been hiding from him, meowed and wove between her legs, tickling the woman with her fluffy tail. Ty narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “Where is she? Haven’t I been punished enough?”
Cecilie jumped and clutched her throat. She whirled around, and her gaze pinpointed him with hatred. “None of your beeswax.”
Ty closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He’d never been a fan of Cecilie, and he was less so as the days passed. “Please.”
Cecilie sucked in her breath. “I can’t. But I’ll try to get her to call you. Maybe she’ll tell you where to get off, and it’ll be the end of you.”
Ty tried not to show his disappointment and notched up his chin. She’d echoed his thoughts, except in reverse. But he didn’t want to trade unpleasantries. He had more than enough drama in his life. “Fair enough.”
By the next evening, Bianca hadn’t called, and Ty was losing hope. He played computer games to anesthetise the pain. What wasn’t numbed was acted out aggressively shooting little green aliens on the screen and putting out ‘hits’ on his virtual mafia enemies.
When the doorbell rang followed by a knock, his heart jumped.
He rocketed out of his chair so fast it crashed to the ground. He jumped over it and leapt for the door.
His breath came in short bursts, and his lungs hurt. He stopped by the entryway to calm down and catch his breath. Then he realised Bianca wouldn’t knock on her own door, and his heart fell. His shoulders sagged, and he rolled his head to get the kinks out of his neck before reaching for the door.
Brendan, prettily posing and pouting, leaned against the wall. His flesh was bronzed with foundation and his lips were rouged. He cocked his finger at Ty and arched his brows then he pushed off against the wall with his booted foot and tsked at Ty. As he swaggered across the hall, his gold earring caught the light, winking.
“I’ve been emailing you, but you don’t answer. Am I persona non grata now? What gives?”
Ty opened the door wide to let in his former lover but couldn’t find strength enough to summon a smile. He raked his fingers through his too short hair and grimaced. “I haven’t looked at my email since I’ve been back.” He hadn’t had the heart and only now wondered if Bianca may have decided to write him rather than telephone. She’d always hated the phone. He kicked himself and wished Brendan would leave him alone to check his computer.
“Well, you should. You’ll find a gazillion messages from me.” Brendan peeked into the living room then the kitchen filled with fast food bags Ty had left on the counters in his funk. He pirouetted then clamped his fist on his hip.
In tight black jeans and a muscle shirt, the other man was mouth-watering. Ty mused at his reaction. Was he gay, not bi?
But no, he wouldn’t be so fractured over Bianca if that were true, would he? So he was just a slut?
As if his dick didn’t want to make a liar out of him, it flexed. It was all he could do to contain his groan.
Brendan’s gaze zeroed in on the movement, and his grin blossomed. Lighted, his face was a joy to behold. “Where’s our third musketeer?”
Ty wasn’t sure if he should buy the innocent act. He folded his arms over his chest and gave the other man the once over. His voice came out strangled, and he cursed himself. “No. I’m mad at you. Seth lied. That was a total set up, wasn’t it? Bianca was at my welcome home party, wasn’t she? She saw us, and now, she won’t talk to me. Don’t pretend you don’t know. Why’d you tell him to do it?”
Brendan put his hand over his chest and made an ’o’ with his mouth. “Moi? N’est pas. I would never.”
Ty screwed up his lips and stifled an oath. “Give it up. I know you did it. Why?”
Brendan plopped into a nearby lounger and propped his feet on the coffee table. “Okay. I’m guilty. For once, I wanted your attention. All of it. I’ve missed you like crazy. Besides, it’s not like Bianca’s not seen us kiss before…and more. Much more. She loved to watch your cock stroke in and out of me. Close up.”
Blinded by the memory, Ty shook his head and buried his face in his hands. Bianca gave so many mixed signals he didn’t know how to read them. But if Bianca hurt even half as badly as him, she was in lousy shape. “Yeah, but I totally ignored her the first day I came home. She must think I don’t care about her.”
Brendan wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips. “You mean how I feel when you lavish her with affection and I come second? Not that I wanted her to feel that way. I’m not heartless. I just wanted to come first with you, and when you carried me off to bed and made such sweet love to me, I forgot she was there.” He looked heavenward then crossed his heart. When he levelled his gaze back on Ty, his heart overflowed in it. “I love you, man. With all my heart and soul. I was so scared you wouldn’t make it home alive. Sue me.”
Ty couldn’t breathe. He just stared. His heart flipped. Tingles danced up his spine.
Love?
He was in love with Bianca. He wanted to marry her, but fucking Brendan was a lot of fun. He craved Brendan’s big cock spreading his tight ass. He loved the way the guy kissed, the way he stuck his tongue all the way into his mouth. Ty was about to burst into flames just thinking about fucking Brendan. He’d missed making love to him like hell.
Was that love?
Holy shit!
He groaned and rubbed his two-day growth of beard. Was he in love with two people at once? Was that possible? Was it okay even though Bianca had given her blessing for him to fuck and be fucked by Brendan? For the past couple of years, he’d thought it acceptable because it turned on Bianca so. She’d really gotten into watching them fuck and be fucked by two
men.
“God, I’m in a mess of trouble.”
Could he, should he marry Bianca if he was in lust with someone else? Even if he loved them both?
It seemed he had a lot of self discovery to do about himself.
Brendan rose and closed the distance separating them. He knelt in front of Ty and laid his head in Ty’s lap. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
Curious, Ty had to know. “Are you in love with Bianca, too?”
He hoped so. He’d feel somewhat better if the triangle was even.
Brendan caressed Ty’s leg, sneaking his hand along his thigh, closer to his cock. “I love her, I find her sexy, but no, I’m not ‘in love’ with her like I am with you. I ache for you. Every day you were away, I was in agony. It was torture.”
Ty felt that way about Bianca, and yet, he was about to burst into flames the way Brendan was touching him. “Keep that up, and I’m going to burn to a crisp.”
Brendan saucily smiled up at him as he zeroed in on Ty’s cock. “That’s the idea. You won’t mind if I cool off? I’m so hot I’m about to explode.”
Ty felt guilty and turned on all at once. He desperately needed love and solace, and he wasn’t able to turn it down.
When Brendan unsnapped his pants and dragged them off, Ty wasn’t in any shape to protest.
When Brendan bumped and ground his hips in a striptease, Ty slid down in his chair and pumped his cock. When Brendan belted out a Mick Jagger tune and wiggled his ass, Ty couldn’t hold out.
“I’ve missed you, man. I dreamed about your big cock fucking the hell out of me, making me come long and hard. God forgive me, but I love how your cock feels screwing me.” He also loved the musky taste and the feel of it in his mouth. It was so sexy, so decadent, the way sex should be.
Brendan winked and flicked his tongue as he danced forward.
Ty couldn’t keep his gaze off Brendan’s cock which grew before his eyes. Unable to help himself, he slithered off the couch and onto his knees. He licked his way up Brendan’s legs and flicked his tongue across the tip of Brendan’s cock. It tasted so wonderful he took a longer sip of his lover’s nectar.
When Brendan moaned and pressed his groin in Ty’s face, he smiled and released it. He licked his way up Brendan’s belly and let his hands mould the other man’s sculpted body. He laved Brendan’s nipples and playfully nipped. He closed his hand around his lover’s cock and absorbed the frisson that raced through him at the touch. His cock was so warm, so velvety soft yet hard. His hair was so crisp and springy.
Quaking, Ty stood and pulled Brendan’s hips to his.
They dirty danced, dipping each other to the floor. Finally unable to take Brendan’s cock rubbing against his for another moment, Ty lowered his lover to the floor and coaxed him to turn over.
His heart pounding against his ribs so hard they were in danger of breaking, Ty whispered in Brendan’s ear, “Get up on your knees so I can stick my dick in you and send you to the moon.”
Brendan groaned. “I thought you’d never fuck me again. What are you waiting for?”
“What an impatient little bitch you are.”
Brendan twisted and grasped his cock and wiggled his brow. “You call this little? This Goliath? Count yourself lucky I’m yours.”
Ty’s mouth watered. He warmed his hands and held Brendan’s cock between them. Then he slid his fingers along the underside of his penis, seeking out his hotspots. He massaged the million dollar point in back of Brendan’s scrotum then cupped his testicles and gently squeezed each one in turn, getting off on the sound of Brendan’s moans.
Brendan regarded him with hooded eyes. “You’ve learned some new moves, lover, Should I be jealous?”
Memories taunted him . Many long, lonely nights he’d kept himself from going crazy by spending them with myriad fictional lovers he’d downloaded on his computer. He’d also indulged in non-fiction how-to sex books, some with erotic pictures. He was much better acquainted with his own body now thanks to the Kama Sutra and other texts than before his stint overseas. “Not at all but I read a lot.”
Brendan squirmed when Ty scraped his nails lightly over his scrotum. “I’ll have to start blogging less so I can read more. Did you bring any of those naughty books home? We can read them to each other.”
Ty wished he could have but hadn’t wanted to risk the Army’s ire so he’d ditched them before shipping home. But he memorised the url’s of his favourite book stores. “No, but it’s easy enough to get them again.”
He cracked a grin and winked. They’d have this, one last glorious time together before he gave himself fully to Bianca. “I have other new moves you’ll love.”
“Show, don’t tell.”
Ty couldn’t wait to pleasure him. With the heel of his hand he massaged the fleshy mound of skin over his pubic bone. He caressed the perineum, the smooth piece of flesh between Brendan’s cock and anus, and loved feeling his lover’s erection grow.
Now that it was long and throbbing, he couldn’t resist stroking the glans and squeezing it until drops of pre-cum pearled out of the pink slit. Longing to give his lover the best sex of his life, he ran the pad of his thumb over the velvety ridge at the back of the glans paying particular attention to the coronal ridge. He buried his head between Brendan’s legs and flicked his tongue over the hot spots. He let his tongue flutter down the underbelly of the cock then sucked the meaty flesh into his mouth. As he continued, he varied pressure. Finally, he took the cock into his mouth and deep-throated it. When Brendan came, Ty swallowed every drop of his cum.
“You rock my world like no one else.”
Ty couldn’t wait another moment he was so hot. He turned Brendan and clamped his hands on his hips then he worked lube onto his cock before fucking his lover’s ass.
“God, I’ve missed you, No one fucks me like you do,” Brendan said, his voice breathy.
Ty pounded Brendan hard, arched back and howled. Then he quaked and came long and hard, shuddering inside his lover.
“My turn.” Brendan swivelled around then mounted Ty. After he was buried deep, he slammed into Ty and his balls slapped Ty’s ass. “Tell me this doesn’t feel awesome, that you could live without this. That you would want to. I dare you.”
Could he give this up? Or did he want Brendan’s cock in him nightly? Would he crave Brendan’s heavenly kisses and his strong arms?
But could he give up Bianca? Would they make him chose? Would they break his heart? Would he break one of theirs? Or both. That would kill him as much as them.
Rainbows sprang before his eyes and rapture made him forget his pain.
Finally, Brendan pulled out and dragged Ty into his arms. They lay together naked and tangled until their breathing returned to normal.
Ty caressed Brendan’s broad shoulders and ran his hands over his lover’s flat stomach. His gaze drank in the body beautiful enough to be a Greek statue.
Brendan sighed and kissed Ty’s neck and snuggled closer. “Isn’t this perfect? Just you and me sated by our love? We should get a bearskin rug, a blazing fire, and champagne. I’ll tantalise you with chocolate-covered strawberries and drizzle hot soy wax down your stomach to your cock then I’ll give you the best massage you ever had.”
Brendan slid his finger under Ty’s chin and lifted it, forcing Ty’s gaze to meet his. “I brought you presents.”
Ty’s heart raced so fast he had difficulty breathing. His heart swelled with bliss. “You did?”
Brendan swept his tongue across Ty’s shoulder blades down to his nipples. “Um hm. Naughty sex toys. I read about them in this new blog I found and I’ve been dying to try them with you.” He squeezed Ty’s nipples. “Nipple clamps, butt plugs, and beads. You haven’t lived yet.”
Mindless to everything except this mind-blowing pleasure, Ty was about to moan his agreement when a sound in the hall spooked him and reality blazed into his skull. His heart ground to a halt, and he couldn’t breathe. Then it sped up so fast he
feared his heart would explode. Adrenaline blasted through him, and he jumped up and dumped Brendan on his ass.
“God, it’s Bianca. She’ll wig if she finds us this way.” He grabbed his clothes and threw Brendan’s in his face. “Dress for heaven’s sake! Hide! Don’t just lie there with your cock dangling all over.”
Brendan gaped at him then his eyes narrowed. Hot, bright colour suffused his neck and travelled up to his cheeks. He didn’t budge. “Why? She’s seen us together lots of times. She started this.”
Ty tried to drag in breath and couldn’t. He searched his brain for a good answer. Finally, he opted for the truth. “Because this is different. She’s acting weird. She’s not cool with this, us, any more. I don’t want to lose her. I love her.”
Except for the thud of his Adam’s apple in his throat, Brendan froze. “You love her? What about me, man? You love me, too, right? All those letters we exchanged while you were in Iraq, all those webcam sex sessions we indulged in. The mind-blowing sex we just had. I thought you loved me with your whole heart.”
Ty felt like a heel. While he was having hot sex with Brendan, his world rocked. He forgot everything else. He was bewitched. But when he floated back to the real world, his heart and soul ached for Bianca. He had to end this. He couldn’t take the wounds clouding his lover’s eyes. He’d never meant to hurt him. This was just about having fun. If he’d thought Brendan loved him, ached for him the way he ached for Bianca, he’d have ended this long ago. He’d never realised what dangerous weapons hearts and penises were. Now, he knew. Too late.
“You’ve been playing with me. I have a heart, too.” Brendan echoed his thoughts and rose to his feet. With jerky movements, he tugged on his clothes and swivelled towards the door. “You need to decide who you are and who you want. And I won’t wait forever, soldier boy. I have feelings, too. And I need love.”
Simultaneously, Ty bristled and felt like a scoundrel. This wasn’t fair. “You knew coming in to this that Bianca and I were a couple, that we were engaged to marry. I never said I wanted to change that.”