Next Best Thing

by Charity Parkerson

  “The art of erotic massage and orgasm denial. Nice. Well, the massage part, anyhow,” Tucker said as Orion reclaimed his earlier seat. “I could do without the orgasm denial.”

  Orion winked as he tucked his books inside a canvas bag. “I gave Mister a card for Cubs for Rent. Don’t worry. I didn’t mention you, but I was thinking, he would be great for like parties or whatever. I imagine people would pay a lot to spend time with a BDSM master. The scandal,” Orion said wickedly.

  That was a good idea. “My sexy genius.” Orion beamed at the praise. Tucker wanted to give him everything. “There’s not much to pack up and I’m sold out of books now. Should we start gathering our stuff? I have plans for you.”

  Orion stood and worked on pulling Tucker’s cart out from where it was hidden beneath the cloth covered table. “Do I get to know these plans?”

  While holding Orion’s gaze, Tucker nodded. “First, I plan to fuck you. Then, I’ll take you to a nice dinner. Afterward, we’ll come back here, and I’ll make love to you until you fall into an exhausted and useless heap.”

  “This sounds like a solid and well thought out plan.”

  Tucker chuckled at Orion’s serious tone. He was so ridiculously in love with this sexy weirdo. He couldn’t wait to have him alone. Tucker had never been more scared in his life that he would wake up and find out his happiness was all a dream. His life had been too hard. Orion was the one thing he could not lose.

  Tucker tried not to grind his back teeth on the way to the elevator, since Orion had already called him on it once. He was just damn impatient to have Orion alone. Several people stopped them along the way, asking Tucker questions about upcoming books and his plans for the night. Tucker smiled, nodded, and answered as much as he could.

  Standing outside the elevator doors, Tucker considered throwing a fit. They had already learned from several back-and-forth trips that waiting on the elevator was a lesson in patience. The hotel was large and only had two, and if everyone was trying to get somewhere at the same time—like authors and readers all leaving an event at the same time—it was better to take the stairs. Unfortunately, even though Tucker had sold out of books, he still had too much stuff on a cart to carry up three flights of stairs.

  By the time the door slid open, ten people stepped out, and he got his cart loaded onto the elevator, Tucker was ready to scream. When the doors closed behind them, Tucker lost what little patience he had left. One look at the sexy eyes that had ensnared him at first sight, and Tucker snagged Orion by the back of the neck. He hauled Orion forward and captured his mouth. Tucker didn’t hold back. He poured months of longing into their kiss. The pressure in his chest eased. With one final nibble of Orion’s bottom lip, Tucker pulled away.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

  “I’m happy to be of service,” Orion said, sounding serious and making Tucker laugh. Orion was completely unique. It was obvious he didn’t truly know how much power he held over Tucker. He didn’t get that Tucker had never loved anyone else. Orion didn’t see that Tucker would go to any length to please him, but he would. Tucker had every intention of being so far beneath Orion’s skin that Orion couldn’t escape him. He had been waiting too long. No more. Tucker planned to steal Orion’s world.

  Seven

  The hour and a half drive from San Antonio to Austin turned into two hours thanks to the church-releasing-and-headed-to-lunch-afterward rush hour. It turned out, two hours was exactly two hours too long for Tucker to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted more. While Tucker was ninety-eight-point-eight percent completely batshit insane, and he recognized it had only been four months, he wanted everything with Orion. The past four months had been grueling, backbreaking, and soul crushingly filled with longing on his end.

  Now that Orion had touched him, Tucker wanted to unleash all the crazy. He was already wondering how much longer he had to wait before he could start moving Orion’s stuff to his place. He knew which room they could turn into a library. Christmas wasn’t that far away. Would Orion feel cheated out of a real gift if Tucker used the occasion to propose? He could buy him more gifts than just that. Tucker smiled, uncaring if he looked crazy. He could take Orion to Aspen for Christmas. Tucker had never been, but he wanted to go. He liked snow. Sort of. In theory. It didn’t snow in Austin very often, and when it did, it wasn’t much.

  His smile fell. All those plans were insane, right? Orion would rightfully run for the hills if Tucker sprang all that insanity on him. He made it until he was sitting in his garage. Tucker snatched up his cellphone and dialed Orion’s number. He didn’t bother with hellos when he answered.

  “Hang up if you’re still driving.”

  A gorgeous chuckle brushed his ear. “I’m home. I’m just now dragging everything in the house.”

  “Hey, speaking of your house, do you rent or own?”

  “Um. I rent. Why?” Orion sounded adorably confused.

  “When is your lease up?” He covered his eyes. “Never mind. Can I come over?”

  “What’s going on, baby? Don’t you need to see your brothers and find out your scheduled appointments and all that?”

  Tucker bit back a growl. He didn’t want to be an adult today. “Yeah. I guess.” Tucker perked up again. “Grab some clothes and come stay here with me tonight. You know my brothers love you and I love you and I want you here.” Yeah. He wasn’t needy at all.

  Orion was silent for so long Tucker expected to get shot down. “Give me a couple of hours, okay?” Orion finally said. “I have some laundry to do and whatnot, but I’ll get there as fast as I can.”

  The tension drained from Tucker’s shoulders. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

  “I love you.”

  Tucker couldn’t resist the happiness in Orion’s voice. “I love you too. See you soon.”

  “See ya,” Orion said, disconnecting their call.

  “This is certainly a different tone than the one you left town with,” Toby said, appearing out of nowhere.

  Tucker fought a blush. “Yeah. I guess so. He was at the book conference.”

  Toby blinked before a huge grin spread across his face. “So, you finally told him about your alter ego, huh? I told you he would love that.”

  “Actually, he was furious to the point I didn’t think we’d be okay there for a minute when he first found out. It looked like keeping secrets was going to be the thing that finally pushed him over the edge with me. It worked out, though.” Tucker felt his smile grow. “It ended up being a damn good weekend.”

  Toby eyed the back of the truck. “Well, I came out here to see if you needed help carrying anything in, but it looks like they wiped you out. That’s awesome.” He rocked back on his heels. “So, I’m guessing, now that you finally won Orion, you’ll want me to take you out of the dating rotation too, huh? I never expected Tanner and you to drop out so quickly, but I understand.”

  Damn. Tucker hadn’t thought about any of this. He hadn’t been thinking of anything but Orion. “I don’t know. Probably. I can’t imagine going on dates with other people will go over well with Orion. But, hey, Orion gave our card to a BDSM master who does live demos. The guy is pretty hot too. Orion thinks some of these rich people will trip over themselves to have Mister do demonstrations at parties.”

  Toby’s eyebrows rose. “The guy’s name is Mister?”

  Tucker shrugged. “It’s possible it’s a pseudonym. He’s an author.”

  Toby seemed to turn inside himself a bit. “It sounds like we need to hire Orion too. That would be a great addition to our team. I can see people wanting that. Scandalous parties are a growing trend. Hopefully, he’ll call.” His eyes cleared as he focused on Tucker. “I’m going to get mushy for half a second and then leave it alone. I’m really happy for you. Tanner and you. I never thought any of us would have a normal life, but y’all are trying. If we have to shut down the business tomorrow, so you two can have the life you deserve, then that’s what we’ll do. I just want everyone to
have the happiness they deserve.”

  “Why are you talking about shutting down the business?”

  Tucker jumped and spun as Orion appeared behind him—like missing the guy had conjured him. “Hey. I thought you needed a couple of hours.”

  Orion shrugged, looking as serious as ever. “I changed my mind and headed on over. No one answered at the house. So, I used the GPS tracker I placed on your phone to find you. That’s a joke, by the way. I could hear you two talking when I got out of my car.”

  Tucker snorted. He thought Orion was hilarious. He had literally no deliverance when it came to telling jokes. That’s what made him so funny. Before he could say as much, Orion focused on Toby.

  “Is there some way I can help with Cubs for Rent? I don’t want you to have to close.” Orion kept his gaze locked on Toby even as he moved to stand in Tucker’s hold. “Did Tucker tell you I gave a guy at the conference a card?”

  Toby nodded. “Thanks for that. I hope he calls. With Tanner married and now Tucker being out too, I don’t know how to keep things moving forward without help. I can only accept so many dates myself and our staff isn’t growing as fast as I hoped.”

  Orion’s forehead furrowed. “Why would Tucker be out?”

  “Well, I mean,” Toby said, dragging out the words. “You two are together now, finally I might add. It can’t be conducive to a good relationship for him to keep accepting dates.”

  To Tucker’s surprise, Orion shrugged. “Well, I mean, it’s not real. It’s just a job, right? Kind of like going somewhere with a friend... in a way. If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t be here.”

  Toby blinked. “Wow. I feel like I just met like an actual adult, and now I don’t know how to act around you because that’s never happened to me before.”

  Orion shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “You’re a treasure,” Toby said back, sounding sincere and proving why Tucker had always been proud to be his brother. Toby glanced around as if he had made himself uncomfortable. Tucker got it. They hadn’t been raised to be normal or share feelings. “Well, I guess I need to head out. I plan to stop by the rehabilitation center and check on Loyal.”

  “Is that your friend who had the bad wreck?”

  At Orion’s question, Toby met his gaze again. “Yeah. He should get to go home soon. They’ve been teaching him how to live a normal life in a wheelchair and he’s been working on trying to walk again, even if it’s just a few steps here and there to make it easier to live alone. He has the heart of a lion.”

  “And a lifetime ban from the zoo,” Tucker said, cutting in.

  Orion bit his bottom lip and shook his head, but Tucker could see the smile he tried to hide. Being used to his idiocy, Toby kept talking like nothing happened. Tucker couldn’t stop smiling. He loved making Orion laugh, even if it was at him and not with him.

  As Orion nodded along while Toby talked about Loyal, Tucker realized something. Orion was the serious adult they didn’t know how to be. He went to work every day, made decisions on his own, and took things to heart. Tucker was proud to be with him. Orion’s gaze slid his way, catching him staring. He smiled, and that pride doubled. Tucker would give whatever it took to keep him happy. Nothing in his life mattered more.

  He had so much to do around his place it wasn’t funny, but it was Tucker. It was Tucker and that goddamn question about when Orion’s lease ended. That question was under his skin. It was eating his brain. Orion needed to know why. Instead of working up the courage to ask, Orion chose instead to seduce Tucker the instant he had him alone.

  As they cleared Tucker’s bedroom door, Orion’s hands found Tucker’s waist. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around Tucker and pressing against his back. Orion inhaled Tucker’s scent as he pressed his cheek to Tucker’s spine. He had watched Tucker so many times and wanted to hold him just like this. Orion couldn’t explain the emotions bursting through him now that he was free to touch Tucker as he pleased.

  Tucker stroked his arms. “Are you okay?”

  Orion nodded against his back. “You make me happy. I think I should’ve been saying that more. You’ve always made me smile and laugh. I go to bed thinking about you and wake up to thoughts of you. I should’ve been telling you that every day. You deserve that from me.”

  Tucker turned in his arms. “Your touch burns me alive. I’m toast,” he said with a chuckle as Orion rolled his eyes. He lifted Orion’s feet from the floor until they were face to face—like Orion was a tiny kid instead of a full-grown man. Tucker’s expression was serious despite his bad joke. His gaze was intense as he held Orion’s stare. “I love you.”

  Orion wrapped his legs around Tucker and held on. “I love you too.”

  Tucker laughed at his antics. The sound swelled Orion’s chest. He wasn’t the jokester. Tucker did a lot of laughing at him, because of his awkwardness, and inability to do anything Tucker tried to get him to do. It was rare for him to actually pull a laugh from Tucker by playing around.

  “You should take off your pants.”

  Tucker huffed. “Just my pants? Nothing else? I’m starting to think you’re only interested in my dick.”

  “Well, I mean, I plan to take my pants off too. So, we’ll be even.”

  Tucker chuckled. “I guess I finally found something you’re willing to do with me that you enjoy.”

  A smile stretched Orion’s lips. “Maybe you should’ve been throwing different balls at my face.”

  Tucker roared with laughter.

  Orion took a steadying breath. He loved that sound. “Your laughter makes me wish I had a better sense of humor.”

  To his surprise, Tucker’s good humor disappeared. His expression turned serious. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I never smiled and meant it before you.”

  Orion didn’t care if Tucker was being truthful. His heart definitely didn’t care. That hopeless organ lapped up every word. “Do you plan to take me to bed now?”

  Without a word and with Orion wrapped around his body like a monkey, Tucker headed for the bed. He crawled onto the bed and eased Orion down before settling between his thighs. He held Orion’s stare as he lowered his head. Orion’s heart pounded so hard his heartbeat thumped in his ears. Tucker’s intensity was mesmerizing. He was worth a million possible heart breaks. Tucker was worth all the missed chores and delayed errands. Orion was scared of what he was willing to give up for any amount of time with Tucker.

  Tucker’s lips brushed Orion’s. Orion took a hard breath as Tucker’s kiss knocked the air from his lungs. Tucker’s hand slid down Orion’s body and slipped beneath his ass. He tilted Orion’s hips before grinding down on him. Orion gasped around Tucker’s tongue. Tucker kissed a path to Orion’s neck. Orion sucked air as Tucker’s hips rocked. He slowly made love to Orion in their clothes. Orion’s feet moved restlessly. He was slightly frustrated. Orion wanted more. His skin was on fire. Tucker held him in place as he kept up the pace, moving against him. If Orion had ever come in his clothes, he couldn’t recall the instance. It was about to happen now, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  “Oh, fuck. What are you doing to my head?”

  Tucker moved back to his lips. “Making you feel how much I love you,” Tucker whispered before deepening their kiss.

  Jesus. He felt it. It built in his chest. Orion fought to get closer. His body was wound tight. A whimper filled the air. It took Orion a moment to realize he was the one making the sound. He couldn’t stop. “I’m going to come.”

  “I want it,” Tucker growled. “Give it to me.”

  Orion dug his fingers into Tucker and held on. Reality was slipping away. All Orion knew was the sensation of Tucker moving against him. Orion’s breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t drag anymore air into his lungs. Everything stopped. Orion’s stomach caved. The first spasm hit. A cry burst from Orion. Tucker didn’t stop. He dragged every bit of pleasure from Orion until Orion was no more than a puddle of uselessness beneath him.


  A chuckle escaped Orion as his current predicament sank in. He was fully clothed with cum filling his underwear and shorts. “I’m a mess.”

  “I’ll clean you up,” Tucker said, pushing from the bed.

  A hint of disappointment sneaked in at Tucker’s willingness to stop when Orion hadn’t gotten a chance to make Tucker fly. Then, Tucker turned and met his stare. He looked turned on and in love. The mixture completely wrecked Orion’s mind.

  “Come and take a shower with me.”

  Orion practically leapt from the bed and rushed to join Tucker. He had never been more excited to drop to his knees in his life. Tucker had no idea what Orion could and would do for him. He wouldn’t stop until Tucker screamed his name and begged for peace. Orion would keep this man happier than he had ever been in his life, because that’s exactly how Tucker made him feel.

  Eight

  Orion chewed his bottom lip and stared into the dark as Tucker toyed with his fingers. Tucker’s hand moved to Orion’s hip. His fingertips swiped up and down Orion’s bare skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. He should be exhausted. Tucker had definitely done everything in his power to completely drain Orion. But that damn question about his lease wouldn’t let him sleep. It grew and grew, pressing on Orion’s brain until he thought he might scream. He couldn’t take it. “Why did you ask about my lease earlier?” The question burst from Orion with way more intensity than necessary.

  Tucker pulled him closer and kissed his neck. “It doesn’t matter. I was hoping... it doesn’t matter,” he repeated, making Orion insane.

  “It ends on the fifteenth of next month,” Orion said before he could take it back.