The Alcove (Lavender Shores Book 7)

by Rosalind Abel

  He started to nod and then looked around, pausing at each of the different sex acts before looking back at me. “I don’t know. I’ve never been a fan of sex in a pool; it’s not nearly as sexy as they make it on TV.”

  “No problem.” I motioned to a doorway that led to a darkened path. “I know—”

  Russell grabbed my hand, stopping me. “Changed my mind.” He pulled me to him, running his hand over my back and over the towel to squeeze my ass. “How about we relax for a minute? Let me get used to the place, used to being naked with you in front of everyone. If we… start now, I really won’t last, and I want to enjoy you like I couldn’t the first time.”

  I let my hands do a little traveling of their own over his back. “You seemed to enjoy it, if I recall.”

  “That I did.” He bent and playfully bit my bottom lip. “I’m going to make this better. I know what I’m doing now.” He tilted his head to the pool. “Plus watching you swim naked sounds like pretty great foreplay to me.

  I couldn’t disagree there. In way of answering, I slipped my hand into the knot of his towel, gave a twist, and pulled it away. The condom and lube packet I’d forgotten about fell to the floor.

  Russell stiffened, and glanced over at the nearest grouping of men who’d paused in their activities to look our way. He started to cover himself up and chuckled. “Well, I guess I might as well get used to it.” He bent and swiped up the condom and lube, then motioned for my towel. “Okay, troublemaker. Show off all that ginger goodness.”

  Though it was far from my first time at a bathhouse, I didn’t normally get naked in such a spotlit way. Typically I waited until I was in a smaller room or darker space before removing my towel. But the hunger radiating from Russell as he looked at me took away every ounce of insecurity.

  Russell groaned, gave another glance toward the observers, stepped into me once more, moving slightly as he pressed against me so his cock stroked over my abdomen while he lowered his lips to my ear. “I probably shouldn’t admit this, but”—his fingertips stroked over my shaft as his erection continued teasing my skin—“since the Male Box, I’ve been trying to relive that night with you, over and over again. In every guy, I’ve found some aspect of you. Your hair color.” As his hand and cock continued their teasing, his other hand ran through my hair. “The way your lips curve.” His fingers traced my bottom lip, causing me to shiver. “Your moonlight skin.” His touch smoothed over my chest. “A pair of blue eyes.” His gaze met mine. “Did you know, nobody has the exact same shade of blue as you?”

  I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The touches over my body set me on fire, and his admission of thinking about me over the years, searching for me in that way, screamed that my heart was in danger. So much danger.

  “There’s no other Jasper Getty that I’ve found.” He lowered his lips to mine for the briefest of kisses. “You changed my world.” Something flickered in his gaze, something that wasn’t lust, or teasing, or even kindness. Maybe he felt it, regretted it, as it disappeared instantly, and he stepped away. “Come on. Swim with me.” He took my towel, the condom and the lube packet, and tossed them along with his, onto a nearby chair, before walking to the edge of the pool. He looked back with a wink and dove in.

  I stood on the edge, watching him glide under the surface of the water. The colored lights flickering down from the ceiling and embedded in the walls of the pool, glimmered over the muscles of his body as he moved. He could’ve been Neptune in that moment, or some other Greek god sent to tempt mortal men to sin.

  Or to fall in love.

  I tried to shake that thought. Shake it away before he broke the surface and saw it in my eyes. I couldn’t fall in love with Russell Wallace. All we had was the now. However many hours, days, or weeks until the Neal drama was over. Companionship was fine, lust was fine. As much sex as we could handle—at a bathhouse, at a hotel, in my apartment, anywhere we fucking wanted to—was fine. Even friendship, a line we’d silently crossed days and days ago, was fine too.

  But not love. Not if I wanted to survive the aftermath of him. He’d just promised to not run away from the bathhouse like before. But he was going to walk away. That was a given. We both knew it.

  So no, he most definitely could not see love in my eyes.

  He made it nearly across the pool to the shallow end before he broke the surface. He gave a couple more strokes, swam past two men pressed against the wall kissing, then stood. The water was shallow enough that it only came to his upper thigh. He turned to face me, rivulets of water running down the endless muscles of his body, his still partially stiff hard-on skimming the surface of the pool, every inch of him truly godlike. But even at that distance, as he looked over at me, I saw the very thing I was trying to hide.

  Turned out, we were both in danger.

  Then it was gone, replaced with a twinkle and lust before he motioned. “Hurry up, little merman, dive in.”

  Eighteen

  Russell

  As soon as that strange little man, Charlie, had brought up the bathhouse books, and Tyler said there was one nearby, I fought against the desire that rose in me. Not so much a desire as compulsion—to relive those moments with Jasper. The ones I’d relived in my mind countless times over the years.

  I’d not fought them because I thought they were wrong, or embarrassing, or because decent people didn’t go to places like that, or some shit. I fought the desire because if one taste of Jasper all those years ago had been unshakable, what would a second one do?

  Stupidly, it wasn’t until I was tracing Jasper’s body beside the pool that I realized the obvious. I’d already had a second taste of Jasper. And a third, and fourth. And no matter how many tastes I had, I’d never be satisfied.

  It was already too late.

  I tried to play it off. Tried to make it a game. Dove into the pool and lectured quite loudly in my mind with every stroke. I was making things bigger than they were. And I needed to knock it off. If I allowed myself to fantasize, even for a moment, that I could have Jasper whenever I wanted, it would lead nowhere good.

  Maybe it was that stupid Lavender Love book. More than likely just Lavender Shores itself, and all the picture-perfect gay couples who strolled about as if they were in a romance novel instead of real life. But that wasn’t me. I didn’t live in Lavender Shores; a person like me didn’t live in Lavender Shores. People like me didn’t live in the pages of a romance novel.

  Then I broke the surface, turned around, and faced the facts. Lavender Love wasn’t responsible, nor was Lavender Shores. It was Jasper’s fault. He was the one making me think this way. Making me feel these things. It was all his fault. And not just because he was beyond fucking gorgeous as he stood there naked and lithe by the edge of the pool, but because of all the things he was. His kindness, his bravery, his geeky little self.

  Luckily I didn’t have to give in to the realization. We were smack dab in the middle of the bathhouse. Distraction was at our fingertips.

  He dove, and by the time he reached me, I was fully back under control. Back in the present moment. We were in a fantasy world for sex, where I could have any kind of sex I wanted, and I was with the redhead I’d been searching for in everyone else for seven years. That was all that needed to matter.

  Jasper rose out of the water, the blue and purple lights shimmering over his wet, pale skin, and he stepped to mere inches from me. “Never been called a merman before.” He reached out, grabbed my cock, and gave a playful tug, which only made it begin to stiffen fully again. “If I’m the Little Merman, does that make you Ursula? You’ve got the tentacle for it.”

  I burst out a laugh and splashed water at him. “Dear God, Jasper. I think that was the least sexy thing anyone has ever said.” I splashed him again. “I was quite literally just thinking what a geek you are, and then you go and prove it.”

  He laughed and tried to evade the splashes, but his smile faltered at my words, and I realized my mistake. One that should have been obvious.


  “Hey.” I moved closer, pressing against his body. “Hey.” I waited until his eyes rose to mine. “I mean that in a good way. I find your geekiness very sexy.”

  “Shut up.” There was no heat in the words, just embarrassment, and he released my cock and attempted to step away.

  “I do.” I took hold of him, wrapping my fingers around his thick shaft. “Your geekdom is hot. And you being a book nerd, all curled up with your stacks of novels—” I growled. “—I don’t know, dude, it does things to me.”

  He chuckled, and his smile returned. “You’re a sick man, Russell.”

  I kept stroking him, feeling him grow harder and harder under my touch. “Oh, I am. It’s true. A sick, sick man.” My other hand found his balls dangling below the surface of the water. “I don’t know what it is, but when you have those glasses on—which I should’ve made you wear in here, by the way—and you’re sitting there reading away, completely lost in some other world, I might be sitting there pretending to read a cozy mystery, but really I’m just picturing pounding your ass.”

  He barked out a laugh, and his cheeks flared scarlet. “Shut up. You do not.”

  I yanked his dick, just hard enough to make him yelp. “Oh, I do. You’re simply reading, all innocent and sweet, the good little book nerd you are, and I’m picturing throwing your legs behind your head as you have your nose stuck in a novel, and just plowing that ass within an inch of your life.”

  Jasper sucked in a breath.

  “Yeah?” I jerked him again and brought my lips to his ear. “You like that? You like the idea of your bodyguard using that bookworm ass of yours?”

  “Fuck.” His curse was barely audible as he trembled.

  Over his shoulder I noticed that the couple who had been getting it on against the edge of the pool were making their way to us. It was clear what they had in mind. So much for a swim and making things last. Which was fine with me. My words weren’t only affecting Jasper. I kept tugging Jasper’s dick as I continued to whisper. “I want in you. Right now. Take me wherever you had in mind before we got in the pool.”

  He leaned back slightly to look at me, his pupils blown and his voice hoarse. “You wanted to wait.”

  “Now.” I changed my tugging for a hard squeeze. “Give me your ass now.”

  He swallowed and managed to nod.

  We headed out of the pool before the couple made it to us. I felt a little smug and satisfyingly greedy while their gazes followed us as we walked around the edge of the pool to retrieve our towels and supplies.

  That’s right, fuckers. You want him, but he’s mine. All mine.

  Luckily, the place Jasper had in mind was only two rooms over. We reached a doorway covered in a thick layer of thin plastic strips that shimmered in the light. Jasper stuck his hand in dividing the sections and stepped through. Steam rolled out as he held it open for me to follow.

  The steam room was unlike any I’d ever seen. The entire place was a sphere, every surface covered in smooth white marble. Though dim, with the steam and the colored lights shining behind crystal sconces, the room glowed with a nearly mystical quality. Around the circumference, the marble jutted out to form two levels of wide, smooth benches, before dipping to finish the curve of the wall and then jutting out to cover the floor.

  There were already a few men in the space, three spread out and sitting by themselves, and two different pairs of couples in differing degrees of passion.

  Jasper grabbed my hand and led me directly across the room to the most open section. He took his towel and spread it out over the top level of marble benches, and then placed mine directly below on the bottom one. He stepped up, placed the condoms and lube packets on the bottom towel, turned around to face me and sat on the edge of the top row.

  I knew I was supposed to go to him, but I couldn’t move for a moment.

  He was otherworldly, the multicolored lights slowly shifting around and playing over him, the steam wafting over his skin, making him glisten and appear slightly blurry. “God, Jasper. You’re so….” There was no word good enough.

  He scooted a little closer to the edge, spread his legs, then lowered his hand to his jutting erection.

  “Fuck, yes. Show me.” He began to stroke, and I found my cock and began to mimic his rhythm.

  With the warm mist swirling around them, his heavy balls swung enticingly as he worked his cock.

  I felt another body step up beside me, and whoever he was, he didn’t touch, so he didn’t matter.

  “I thought you were going to use my ass.” Jasper kept stroking, but he met my gaze through the steam. “Use my bookworm ass, isn’t that what you said?”

  I nearly came at the guttural words and released my cock instantly. “I will. Just keep doing that. Just for a bit more.” I was committing every single detail to memory. This moment was going to last for the rest of my life.

  The man beside me stepped forward. “I’ll use your bookworm ass.”

  That got me moving. I stepped forward and smacked a hand on the man’s chest and pushed him back. “That’s my ass.”

  For a second, he looked like he was going to argue, then he took a step back and folded his arms over his chest.

  I turned back to Jasper. The man had a point. What the fuck was I waiting for. Within two steps, I closed the distance, and knelt on the lower bench between Jasper’s legs. Bending, I lowered my head and took his balls into my mouth, running my tongue over the skin, groaning at the taste of him.

  “Fuck yes, Russell.”

  I managed to look up from between his legs, paused to watch him work his cock right before my eyes, then refocused beyond to meet his gaze. As I pleasured his balls, I ran my hands up his calves, over his knees and thighs, then began to stroke up his flat stomach and smooth chest.

  He closed his eyes and let his head fall back.

  When he released his erection, I pulled off his balls and took him into my mouth. Somehow, he seemed larger than he had previously, and his heated cock stretched my throat as I took him deep. The salty taste of him already coated my tongue and throat, and still I kept my hands moving over his body, loving the feel of his hard muscles.

  Jasper’s fingers curled into my hair, urging me on.

  I rose slightly on my knees so I could take him deeper. And he used the moment to shift his hips, and began to thrust.

  “I’m not going to last, Russell. But don’t stop, please don’t stop.” His words were barely more than panted cries above me, and his fingers tightened so hard that his grip yanked my scalp.

  Somewhere in my mind I became aware of hands moving over my back, over my hips and thighs, but they didn’t matter. They completely did not matter. I didn’t stop. Redoubling my efforts on his cock—rising up, swirling over his head and then slurping him down as deep as I could take him, and then he began to thrust in earnest. I held perfectly still as he pumped into my mouth, thrusting so hard that his heavy balls smacked against the underside of my jaw.

  He thrust and thrust, hardly withdrawing before shoving in deep, barely allowing me any air. Like it mattered, who the fuck needed to breathe?

  Tears streamed down my cheeks from the pressure against me and I held tight to the back of his knees, encouraging him on.

  Then he cried out, gripping my hair so hard that it hurt, and he exploded, surging into my throat. It was more than I could handle, his load filling my mouth, causing me to choke, but still he held me to him, thrusting deeper as he called out my name.

  When he released his grip, I pulled off his cock, sucked in a ragged breath, and swallowed as much of him as I could.

  “Fuck.” His chest heaving, Jasper grinned down at me. “Sorry. I’d planned on making it last.”

  Still trying to catch my breath, I licked my lips. “You kidding? That was perfect.” I stood, maintaining my place between his knees and began to stroke, ready to cover him with my come.

  He gripped my wrist, holding me still. “No. I want you to fuck me.”

 
I hesitated. “You sure? Won’t it hurt since you just—”

  “Fuck me.” He gripped tighter. “Fuck your bookworm’s ass.”

  “Hell yeah.” Not missing a beat, I retrieve a condom and lube. With the slickness of my skin, and the dampness of the air, the condom packet proved difficult, so I handed it to Jasper as I went to work on twisting the cap off the lube.

  He managed it in record time and slid the condom onto me. As I slicked the lube over my shaft, Jasper leaned back, resting against the wall, and lifted his spread legs revealing his hole.

  There were groans and curses of approval from the men around us, and I became aware of the touches over my back, ass, and legs once more. And again, they didn’t matter. I barely felt them.

  It was only then I noticed the two men sitting on either side of Jasper, running their hands over his body. They didn’t matter either.

  He brought his legs up high, and the sight of him spread for me was beyond anything I’d ever seen.

  At that moment, one of the men lowered his head and began to kiss and lick up Jasper’s neck.

  “None of that.” I grabbed the guy’s shoulder and pulled him back.

  He turned to me with a growl. “Fuck you, man.”

  I gave a growl of my own. “He’s mine. Knock it off.”

  He started to dive back in toward Jasper’s neck, and I pulled him back again, harder that time. “Did you hear me, fucker? Keep your mouth to yourself. He. Is. Mine.”

  “Goddamn, dude.” Despite his bluster, the man got up and left.

  Another man took his place, stroking Jasper’s arms and chest and stomach, but he kept his lips to himself.

  I refocused on Jasper, and nearly laughed when I saw his pleased, amused grin. Bending my knees slightly to line up with his entrance, I secured my left hand on the wall behind Jasper’s head and met his gaze again through the mist.

  Though his smile was heated and wicked, Jasper’s eyes were completely serious and full of meaning. “That’s it, Russell. Fuck your man.”