Be Loved (At Last, The Beloved Series Book 3)

by Stella Starling

  He arched up, thrusting into Brandon’s hand, and tried to remind himself that he’d had a different vision of how this would play out. One where he was the strong one, for once, empowered to take back control of his life from Peter’s manipulations, pushing Brandon down onto his back and—

  “Oh.” Shane’s mouth fell open with the sound, and his hands found their way onto the back of Brandon’s head as Brandon’s mouth closed around his cock.

  This worked, too.

  Sometimes, there was just as much power in letting go as in taking charge. At the moment, Shane was more than happy to let himself go. To let the heat and suction and Brandon’s perfect, perfect rhythm take him away. Brandon looked up at him, lips stretched wide and a smile shining from his eyes, and Shane fell in love all over again.

  Brandon pushed his legs farther apart and settled deeper, looking like he planned on giving Shane’s cock his full, undivided attention for the duration, and it felt so… damn… good… that Shane almost let him.

  “Oh my God, Brandon,” he panted, his fingers tangled in Brandon’s hair. “Please d-d-don’t… don’t…”

  Brandon laughed, popping off. “Don’t what, honey?” he asked, grinning as he sat up, kneeling between Shane’s legs so he could press his own hard cock against Shane’s wet one, stroking them together. “Don’t stop? Don’t go too fast? Don’t… oh, God, Shane….”

  Shane groaned as Brandon’s teasing questions faded, obviously overcome by a rising urgency of his own. Brandon had a way of working Shane’s body that sometimes made Shane think Brandon knew it better than Shane did himself. But no matter how good it was, nothing turned him on more than seeing Brandon start to lose it.

  Brandon leaned over him, bracing one hand next to his shoulder as he worked their cocks together. The short, hot bursts of his breath washed over Shane as the rhythm of his hand sped up, and the playful light in his eyes turned into a searing heat as he brought them both closer and closer to the edge.

  “Love you, Shane,” he panted, a red flush spreading over his chest as his excitement rose. “Shane… Shane… honey…”

  “Wait,” Shane gasped, even though, oh God, a part of him didn’t ever want Brandon to stop.

  He spread his hands over Brandon’s chest, the heat of his smooth skin almost singeing Shane’s palms. He loved how tight and hard his muscles were, loved feeling the rapid beat of Brandon’s heart throbbing under his hand, the way Brandon’s skin quivered under his touch.

  Shane pushed, rolling over as Brandon laughed in surprise and getting them back to where they’d started. Brandon on his back, Shane straddling him. This time, though, with no clothes between them, it was so… much… better.

  “I could look at you all day,” Brandon said, his eyes roaming over Shane as his hands did the same. “You’re gorgeous, Shane. Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you inside me,” Shane said, grinning down at him. “You were going to make me come too fast, Brandon.”

  “I can’t help it, Shane,” Brandon said, his hands tightening on Shane’s ass as he not-so-subtly urged him to grind against his cock. Brandon gasped, then grinned, doing it again. “You always say I’ve got all this patience, but… mmmmmmmm… I don’t think you know what you do to me.”

  “I know what I’m about to do to you,” Shane said, making himself reach for the condom. It was so, so tempting to forget it, but they’d get there eventually.

  He used his teeth to tear it open, which made Brandon say some dirty things that Shane honestly hadn’t known he had in him… which just turned him on all the more.

  “You going to ride me, honey?” Brandon asked, grabbing it out of his hands and covering himself.

  Shane nodded, his cock jerking against his stomach at the words. He reached for the lube, using it on both of them. Before he’d done much more than touch himself, though, Brandon proved true to his word.

  He really was out of patience.

  “Please tell me you’re ready, Shane,” he said, lifting Shane up before he could answer and depositing him right on top of his cock.

  Perfect aim.

  “Holy… fuckkkkkkkkkkkkk…. Brandon,” Shane gasped, stretched to the max as Brandon filled him completely.

  “Yeah,” Brandon said, grinning fiercely as he palmed Shane’s ass and rocked him forward, then back. Again. And Again.

  “Oh my God,” Shane gasped, his whole body coming alive as Brandon thrust up into him. “Bran… Bran… Brandon.”

  He leaned back, bracing his hands on Brandon’s hard thighs and moaning when the position brought his prostate into perfect alignment with Brandon’s relentlessly driving cock. Nothing ever felt as good as Brandon inside him, but this… this…

  “My God,” Brandon gasped, wrapping a hand around Shane’s cock. “Do you know how beautiful you look right now, Shane? Come for me, honey.”

  Shane would have done anything for Brandon. Anything. But that one was easy.

  In fact, he couldn’t have stopped it if he’d wanted to.

  Shane let his head fall back and his eyes drift closed, his orgasm rising up inside him in an unstoppable wave as his whole world narrowed to Brandon.

  To the hard, glorious pressure inside him as he thrust and thrust and thrust, making Shane want to cry and shout and beg all at once as his pleasure built into something explosive… to the slick friction of Brandon’s strong hand on his cock, overloading his senses as he worked it into a frenzy… to the firm guidance of the grip Brandon kept on his ass, driving him toward a kind of fulfillment that he could already tell would wreck him completely…

  It was all that existed.

  And when Brandon’s muscles bunched and flexed underneath him, when Brandon gasped out his own urgency in hot, panting breaths that wound around Shane’s heart and heightened his need into something unbearable, he broke.

  Shattered.

  Came apart into a million pieces of bliss, crying out Brandon’s name as he shuddered atop him and pumped out his release. It was exactly what he’d needed. It was perfect.

  He collapsed on the bed next to Brandon, rolling toward him, and Brandon grinned at him, looking sweaty and sated and sexy as hell.

  Shane grinned back.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  And even though Shane was still leaving, that was really all that mattered.

  There was no room for anything else

  Chapter 19

  Brandon

  Brandon opened the door to his apartment, the silence irritating him. Luis had commented on his sour mood earlier, but, thankfully, hadn’t given him too much grief over it.

  Brandon knew he was being a little bit ridiculous. Over the past ten years, there had been plenty of times when he and Shane hadn’t seen much of each other. Days… weeks… long stretches during his years in the army. And then, of course, while Shane had been with Peter, months had often passed between visits.

  Somehow, though, the two days since he had dropped Shane off at Melody’s house felt infinitely harder to bear.

  He wandered into the kitchen, exhausted but hungry, and tossed his keys and his phone onto the counter instead of putting them where they should be. Pulling open the fridge door, he stared inside blankly before letting it swing shut again.

  He wasn’t actually hungry. He and Luis had picked something up toward the end of their shift. While Shane had been living with him, though, Brandon had gotten used to coming home to some sort of glorious smell from the kitchen, to the taste of home-baked deliciousness and a warm feeling of connection every time he walked in the door.

  He missed it.

  He missed Shane.

  Brandon leaned back against refrigerator, pinching the bridge of his nose as if that would squeeze out the frustrated impatience he was feeling. He’d been all set to go bring Peter in on Sunday, right after he’d taken Shane to Melody’s, but Shane’s words had rung in his ears.

  …do it right, Brandon, even if it takes a little longer�
� do it so he doesn’t bother us anymore…

  Brandon had driven by Peter’s house, confirming that his car was in the driveway, and then gone into the precinct even though it was his day off.

  He was glad he had.

  The leader of the tech team, Lee Marlin, had told him that they were on to something. Lee had been excited, explaining that the lead they’d found should give them the evidence they needed to book and hold Peter.

  But, so far, Lee’s team hadn’t been able to get what they needed. Lee said that they were tracking activity that should directly tie Peter to the threats against Kelly—as well as the vandalism and B&E—but apparently Peter’s skill at covering his tracks online wasn’t making it easy for them.

  Brandon gave up on the idea of eating, heading down the hall with the intention of having a quick shower before bed, but when his phone vibrated on the counter behind him, he spun on his heel, scooping it up. He was only mildly disappointed that it wasn’t Shane, since it was the next best thing. Lee Marlin.

  “You’ve got something for me, Lee?” Brandon asked in lieu of a greeting.

  On the other end of the line, Lee laughed. “We do. Finally.”

  Brandon grinned, wedging the phone between his ear and shoulder and pulling the notepad out of his pocket. “Hit me. Tell me what I need to know so I can go pick him up.”

  “Slow down,” Lee said. “We’ve got something, but we still need confirmation. It’s behind a corporate firewall.”

  Brandon blinked, his tired mind lagging a few seconds behind. “bLoved’s?” he finally guessed.

  “Right,” Lee said, then proceeded to rattle off what sounded like a foreign language as he explained how they’d tracked Peter’s activity, and what was stopping them from the final step needed to qualify for an arrest warrant.

  Brandon wasn’t all that techy, but wasn’t that what Lee’s team was for? To do things like get behind firewalls and track down the information hidden there? He bit back the question, stifling a sigh as he realized just how much his exhaustion was compromising his thinking. Well, exhaustion plus his emotional involvement. Of course Lee couldn’t do that.

  Their job was to uphold the law, not break it.

  “How can I help?” Brandon interrupted, his impatience getting the best of him. “You need to speak with someone from bLoved?”

  “That’s right,” Lee said. “Preferably whoever designed the firewall.”

  Brandon nodded, then realized that of course that wouldn’t translate. “I’ll get right on it.” he said. “Send me exactly what you need, and I’ll figure out how to get in touch with the right person.”

  With the threats against Kelly Davis, Brandon was sure that he’d be able to get immediate cooperation. Sleep could wait.

  He wanted this thing done.

  “Do you see the kind of fucked-up bullshit that this guy is sending Kelly?”

  Jase Walker’s voice blasted out of the speaker on Brandon’s phone as Brandon booted up his laptop to receive the encrypted email Jase had sent him. Jase was one of his closest friends, but, more importantly at the moment, he was also the bodyguard from Brandon’s uncle’s security team who had been assigned to protect Kelly Davis.

  After contacting Jase to see if Kelly could authorize them to get the information Lee’s team needed, Brandon had gotten even better news: it was actually Kelly himself who’d set up the firewall. Brandon had forwarded Lee’s information to him through Jase, and while he’d waited for Kelly to do whatever technical things he had to on his end, Brandon had made himself a cup of coffee. Maybe not the smartest thing after being awake for the past twenty hours, but definitely necessary if he was going to have a clear head.

  Because if this was going to give him what he needed to bring in Peter? There was no way in hell that Brandon was going to put it off just so he could get some beauty sleep.

  “I’m pulling it up now, Jase,” he said, leaning against the counter and blinking at the screen of his laptop in an attempt to focus. He took another gulp of coffee, ignoring the fact that it was too hot for gulping, and clicked on the email Jase had forwarded him.

  The first bit was technical gibberish responding to whatever Lee had sent. Brandon forwarded that to Lee immediately, tapping out a text message on his phone to make sure that he saw it right away.

  The other email was a screenshot showing a series of threatening private messages from Kelly’s bLoved profile:

  Did I scare you away?

  Running won’t save you; it doesn’t change what you’ve done.

  Eye for an eye; you’ll get what’s coming to you.

  I’m going to make you suffer in the same way you made me suffer.

  Who are you to stand in the way of true love? Even when I get mine back, don’t think I’m going to let you have yours.

  Seattle, huh?

  You look a little too happy. We can’t have that.

  Jase was right, fucked-up was a good word for it. The tone of the messages gave him chills, and even without Lee’s confirmation, he was one hundred percent certain they were from Peter. And if this was the kind of vitriol that Peter turned on a total stranger who he had arbitrarily decided had done him wrong, what would he do to Shane—someone he was emotionally invested in—if it came to that?

  “This Peter guy knows I took Kelly to Seattle,” Jase said grimly.

  Brandon had already let him know that his phones may have been compromised, and he was grateful when Jase didn’t say anything more. Wherever he had Kelly stashed now, Brandon didn’t want to know. Not that Jase would tell him. They may have been friends, but Jase was a professional and Brandon trusted him to do his job. He was just thankful that he’d been able to pass Kelly Davis off to someone he knew he could count on.

  It left him free to focus on what he had to do here in Chicago to keep Shane safe.

  “He may know that you’ve left Chicago, but he’s still here, at least,” he reassured Jase.

  “You’re sure, Brandon?”

  “Yep,” Brandon said. “Visual confirmation within the last hour.”

  Brandon had continued to drive by Peter’s house before and after every shift, keeping tabs on him the old-fashioned way, given that he’d started to suspect any of the more high-tech methods could potentially be compromised. That morning on his way home, Peter’s car had still been in his driveway, parked right where he’d seen it every day since Sunday. He’d also noted house lights going on and off at different times, and the newspaper that had been on the front porch the day before had been gone that morning.

  So yes, he was sure.

  “Those messages he sent Kelly don’t sound like empty threats, Brandon,” Jase said. “It worries me that he tracked us to Seattle. That he’s looking for us.”

  “But he obviously hasn’t been able to track you beyond that,” Brandon said, agreeing with Jase. The rock through bLoved’s window and the note Peter had sewn into Kelly’s pillow proved that he was willing to take action. “He’s not going to make a move against Kelly if he can’t find you.”

  “We can’t let that happen.”

  “We’ll get to him first, Jase,” Brandon promised. “As soon as our team verifies the information Kelly just sent, it will be enough for us to bring him in. This will be over soon.”

  “Good,” Jase said emphatically. “This shit needs to end.”

  “Preach it, brother.”

  Brandon scrubbed a hand over his face as they ended the call. Peter couldn’t make a move on Kelly without being able to find him, but Peter knew exactly where Shane was.

  Thank God he still seemed to be operating under his sick delusions of love when it came to Shane.

  Brandon scrolled back up to the very first private message Peter had sent Kelly, staring at it until his eyes blurred as he waited for Lee to get back to him with confirmation that he could go take Peter in.

  My hate is as strong as my love… but you’ll find that out soon enough.

  Chapter 20

  Brando
n

  Brandon pushed Peter’s doorbell for the third time just as Luis pulled up to the curb. They were both technically off shift, but Luis hadn’t hesitated to be his backup when Brandon had called with the news that they finally had a green light to pick Peter up.

  If, that is, they could find him.

  Brandon frowned, wondering what kind of game Peter was playing at now. His car was still in the driveway, and a light in the upstairs bedroom had clicked off just as Brandon had parked. There was no way Peter didn’t know he was there.

  “Brandon,” Luis said, getting his attention as he stepped out of his car. He gestured toward the rear of the house, and Brandon nodded.

  Peter didn’t act like the kind of criminal who would run, but better safe than sorry.

  He gave Luis a minute to make it around back, then reached for the doorbell, resting his other hand on his holstered sidearm. He’d never used it in the line of duty, thank God, but given the escalating nature of Peter’s threats against Kelly Davis, and his veiled innuendo against Shane, Brandon was glad to have it.

  Just before he made contact with the doorbell yet again, a dim red light glowing from the darkened corner of the covered porch caught his eye. He frowned up at it—surveillance camera—and his cell phone immediately vibrated in his pocket.

  Even before he pulled it out, he had a bad feeling.

  Did you finally figure out I’m not home? I haven’t been for days, Brandon Byrne.

  The text came through from a blocked number, and when a second one followed hot on its heels, a chill went through him.

  Wave for the camera, cop. And don’t worry, I’m watching over Shane, too.

  Brandon’s cold anger instantly morphed into fear for Shane, and he sprinted for the squad car, calling for Luis as he went. He hit the speed dial for Shane’s new number as he slipped into the driver’s seat, but after two rings it wasn’t Shane who answered.

  “Bartoli’s Pizzeria.”

  “What happened?” Luis asked, skidding to a stop near Brandon’s car.