Chase again took one nipple, this time with his mouth, tracing around the tight bud with the tip of his tongue before sucking it into his mouth and nibbling on it. The growl Rhys released was very satisfying and only served to egg him on more. He pinched and tugged on the other one as he kept the suction and nibbling up on the first, determined to reduce Rhys to a begging, trembling mass of sexy man.
“God,” Rhys yelled when Chase’s other hand slid around to his ass, digging his fingers into the meaty flesh there.
“No, you don’t call his name. You only call mine.”
“Huh?” Rhys sounded confused, but Chase didn’t care.
“You call my name,” Chase again demanded. He punctuated the order by pinching and twisting harder on the nipple between his fingers. “Say my name, Rhys.”
“Chase!”
Please, please, please have thought ahead, Chase begged mentally. He’d not intended to take Rhys to bed again, at least not yet, so he wasn’t as prepared as he should have been.
He squeezed and rubbed Rhys’s length, enjoying the tremble and the mewling noises coming from him. “Supplies, in my bag,” Rhys barely managed to gasp out, flailing toward a black duffel beside them.
Chase pointed at the bag, one eyebrow quirked. Rhys immediately dropped into a squat, pulled the bag over, and rummaged in the side, a triumphant look on his face as he presented the items to Chase.
He tugged Rhys back to standing before pushing him until he sat on the edge of the bed. Chase prowled closer, taking his fill of how decadent Rhys looked as he kicked off his shoes and slacks.
The moment he was in range, Rhys started working on Chase’s buttons. One of Chase’s hands snapped out, snagging Rhys’s wrist to stop him; the other went to his hair, tugging Rhys’s head back sharply to meet his eyes. “No. You watch. You don’t touch without permission.”
Chase watched in satisfaction as Rhys swallowed but nodded, dropping his hands. Chase took a step back and ran his hands over his tight, indigo silk-and-spandex T-shirt-clad chest, taking time to rub his nipples as Rhys trembled, hands gripping the edge of the bed hard. The growl and moan he heard from the other man had him so excited, he almost skipped the teasing. Almost. After a few moments, Chase began to slowly inch the shirt up his lithe body, deliberately torturing the delicious man before him.
Once the shirt was off and set aside, Chase toed off his shoes and socks before moving to stand between Rhys’s thighs. Rhys moved forward as if in a trance, trembling as he panted.
Chase started to speak, but the sudden pinch and pull of his belt silenced him. When Rhys’s fingers slipped just under the waistband of the trousers, Chase gasped and jutted his hips out more, sucking in his tight abs to make it easier for Rhys to unbutton and unzip.
The dark silk boxers under Chase’s pants helped them shift down faster so he could step out of them. Rhys took his time looking up and down Chase’s body, swallowing hard when his gaze again zeroed in on Chase’s package, something the boxers did nothing to hide.
Rhys started to push down those boxers when Chase stopped him. “No, not yet, Rhys. Up,” Chase demanded, tugging Rhys back to standing. Once up, Chase quickly divested Rhys of the last of his clothing, taking in the size and breadth of the man before him.
Before he could second-guess himself, Chase dropped to his knees, rubbing his face against Rhys’s swollen cock, chuckling lightly at the gasps and twitches his touch elicited. Chase took a deep breath, reveling in the deep, musky scent that enveloped him. Running his hands up and down Rhys’s thighs, Chase nuzzled the base of the gorgeous cock before him, his mouth watering.
Taking pity on Rhys, Chase nudged him. “Sit, big guy. I don’t want you falling on me.”
Rhys moved faster than he would have believed possible, yet was still somehow graceful. Once he was seated, Chase ran one finger up the underside, tracing the vein until he got to the head. Using his thumb, he spread the viscous fluid weeping there around the soft, silky skin. He teased and toyed with the foreskin a moment, enjoying the sounds the light touches drew out of Rhys.
Chase was so focused on the member before him, he was startled when Rhys suddenly threaded his hands through Chase’s hair, gripping and yanking him forward a little. He couldn’t help the moan that slipped out: while he preferred to be in charge, he did love the power and strength a partner like Rhys could bring to the bed.
“You may tug or touch, but don’t you dare pull my hair out. It’s also not a handle,” Chase said, batting his eyes and deliberately jerking his head away to make Rhys pull his hair again.
“Fine, but please, Chase… stop teasing.”
The whimper that came out of Rhys when Chase finally wrapped his lips around the crown made him chuckle. He loved having the power to reduce a man to a shivering mass of desire, though with Rhys it was somehow different than with anyone he’d been with before. A feeling he staunchly ignored as he set a fast pace, sucking and flicking his tongue around Rhys’s cock as he hummed. He massaged Rhys’s balls as he continued to devour his dick, loving the little noises and not so little thrusts. Drawing up to focus on the crown alone, he pulled down on Rhys’s sack, a little harder and longer each time.
“Oh God! Please, Chase…. Oh, fuck me! Gonna… gonna, ohhh….” Rhys bellowed as he suddenly shot down Chase’s throat. Chase swallowed greedily, making sure not to miss a drop. He continued to lick and tug until Rhys was writhing and whimpering again.
Chase considered pulling down his boxers and getting off right then, but decided he wasn’t done with Rhys, whether the big guy knew it or not. Slowly he climbed up onto the bed, dragging Rhys with him.
Letting Rhys have enough time to calm his breathing some, Chase continued to pet and caress him the entire time. When he thought Rhys was composed enough, he leaned in and nibbled Rhys’s bottom lip lightly. “Ya know.” Rubbing his leaking cock against Rhys’s grooved abs, Chase murmured against his lips, “I still have a problem here, and only your pretty little ass will do, Rhys. I’m gonna fill you up, then fill you up!”
GASPING AWAKE, he tried to turn over. Chase realized there was a heavy furnace sprawled across his lower back and shoulders. It took him another moment to dredge through his memories from the night before…. Rhys? O M G!
Before he could decide what to do or how he felt about what he’d done—again!—he was rolled and pulled back against Rhys. He could feel how hard Rhys was as he ground against Chase and murmured against his ear, “G’morning.”
Chase closed his eyes as Rhys’s mouth traveled down his throat, nipping, sucking, and kissing before finally returning to his ear, where he gently bit down on the fleshy bit. Without thinking, he pushed back against Rhys and moaned. “Morning.”
He moaned again as Rhys slid his hand down his chest and began rubbing circles across his abs, lower with each circling but never quite reaching his now eager shaft. “I love the little noises you make. So sexy.”
“Damn,” Chase groaned when Rhys finally wrapped his huge hand around his throbbing cock. Struggling to regain some kind of control, Chase cleared his throat. “Rhys, we shouldn’t—”
“Yes, Chase, we should.” Rhys kept up his dual assault on Chase, stroking him just the way he liked while continuing to nip and nuzzle at his neck and ear. “God, I want you. Please don’t run again,” he begged, his voice so deep Chase felt more than heard him.
Chase whimpered as what Rhys was doing mixed with his own desire for the man who held him. The clench of want in his gut had him nearly begging, demanding some form of satisfaction from his dream man. Though he knew this was real—oh God was it ever—he didn’t want to think about later, when the “real world” would again intrude, and he would have to face what he had done and what was probably going to happen now.
He suddenly found himself flat on his back and the covers ripped off their bodies. Rhys moved so fast, it startled Chase, but before he could protest the new position, Rhys swallowed his cock to the root. Rhys set a fast pace as he bobbed u
p and down, the slurping sounds driving Chase mad with want.
Pulling off with a pop, Rhys looked up into Chase’s eyes. “Damn, baby, you taste so good,” he growled, before once again devouring Chase whole.
Chase grasped the sheets next to him, his other hand traveled downward to settle under the heavy fall of Rhys auburn hair, alternately massaging the base of his skull and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“Rhys, oh God! I’m…. Can’t…. Please….” Chase begged, thrusting his hips to plunge deeper into Rhys’s mouth even as he tried to call out a warning.
Instead of backing off, Rhys dropped a hand to Chase’s balls, kneading with gentle tugs added as he hollowed his cheeks with mind-numbing suction. Keening his pleasure, Chase emptied down Rhys’s throat, shaking and arching off the bed. Never letting go of Rhys’s hair as he lost track of time, place, and reason, his reality whited out.
After a while, though he had no idea how long it was, the world came back into focus, and Rhys leaned over him saying his name repeatedly. “Chase? Cariadon?”
The look on Rhys’s face baffled him. “Rhys?”
“Oh, thank God! You had me worried, baby.”
Chase looked down, confused.
Rhys cradled his head with large, strong hands, lifting his face until their eyes met again. “Chase, baby, you passed out on me or something. Are you okay now?”
The gentleness and compassion in Rhys’s voice and motions caused a lump to form in his throat. Chase nodded, not certain his voice would work right then.
“What, what did you just call me?” At Rhys’s blank look, he explained, “You said something other than ‘Chase.’”
Rhys looked confused, but then his eyes widened. “Um, nu, nothing.”
“Rhys!”
“Cariadon. It means ‘love’ or ‘dear one’ in Welsh,” he mumbled.
Chase quickly gazed around the room, not ready to deal with what Rhys was saying, and his gaze landed on the alarm clock on the nightstand behind Rhys and froze. “Oh my God! Please tell me that’s not the time.”
“Huh?” Rhys looked over his shoulder then back at Chase. “Uh, yeah. I think that’s about right. Why?”
“Why?” Did the man seriously just ask him that? “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I should be downstairs in like five minutes to meet James and Seth. I’m one of the witnesses for their legal wedding this morning. You know they’re flying to Iowa for that one, and then this evening they do the public one. Mel and I, as the best men, are going with them. Damn, damn dammit! I gotta shower and get dressed and get down there fast. Ugh! I’ve got to get back to my room first,” Chase snapped, glowering at Rhys. He knew it wasn’t Rhys’s fault, but he hated being late, and today was the wrong day to fall behind.
Before Rhys could respond, Chase was up, throwing his clothes from the night before back on and practically flying out the door, leaving a confused and frustrated Rhys in his wake.
RHYS STOOD by the large bed he and Chase had shared only moments before, wondering if he should be worried Chase was using the wedding as an excuse or if the smaller man was right, and he really was running late for his best friend’s legal wedding before the public wedding. Before he could get too maudlin, his phone rang.
He scooped up his jeans, pulling out his cell to check the display.
“Mark? What’s up this morning,” he asked, forcing his voice to be more cheerful than he felt.
“Nothing good, man. There’s been another suicide, but this time our cop friends think there might be something hinky—their word—about the scene. Think you can come in for a little bit?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. He figured his time would be better spent focusing on solving who was killing gay guys in town than sitting around the B&B mooning over Chase, especially if their department contacts were asking for help now. “But I have to be back in time for the ceremony. I mean, I am part of the wedding party and all.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, man. Just want to get a few things started. You know the drill.”
“I do. All right, be there in a bit.” Rhys hung up before moving to take a shower and get dressed for work.
As he set out twenty minutes later, it suddenly dawned on him that Dal had never come back to their room. Bemused, he thought back to how Dal had acted with Chase the night before and wondered if he’d deliberately set out to make him jealous and get him to stake a claim on Chase, or if he hadn’t come back because he’d found someone else to go home with. The latter idea bothered him as much as the former, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, deciding he could always ask later.
When he got to his bike out front, he smiled at what was on the seat: a single white rose tied with a ribbon and a short note.
Forgive my abrupt leaving, Rhys, but I had to go. Maybe we could discuss whatever this is between us soon?
C
Grinning despite what he was leaving to deal with, he felt lighter than he had in ages. A sense of hope for the future took hold for the first time in years. He tucked the rose and note in his jacket, then headed to the office. Wonder how you save a flower?
Chapter 11
THE ROOM was overflowing with calla lilies, rose petals and buds, ribbon, and the finest linen, all in crisp white, pale dusky blue, or soft silver, giving everything a light, romantic feel. The expansive room filled with soft notes wafting about as if in invitation to come, sit, and relax. To one side there was a huge dance floor, and to the other was the reception area, already heavily laden with the wedding cake, a fully stocked bar, and more tables than Chase had any interest in counting, though he knew the number and had personally helped to plan and set out the place cards.
The wedding party was still decked out in their matching classic gray cutaway-style tuxedos with dusky blue and silver diagonal-striped euro tie and waistcoat. Each man also wore a silver-wrapped and accented double Picasso calla lily boutonniere. James’s had a tiny paintbrush worked into his, while Seth’s held a miniature Celtic tree of life and griffin charms. Well, they had—for the wedding and during all the innumerable pictures, and for about the first thirty seconds of the reception. After that, all bets were off on who was still posh and who was relaxed and a little rumpled.
As the dinner and speeches wore on—Chase was certain he’d never heard so many toasts in his life—the dance floor opened up for partiers to enjoy. As Seth walked up to him, Chase wondered how long before the music and dancing would shift from elegant to fun and loud.
“Chase?” Seth extended his hand, a soft smile on his lips. “Would you do me the honor of a dance?”
“Me?” Chase squeaked.
“Traditionally, it’s a mother’s or father’s dance, but as you’re the only member of James’s family….” he trailed off, his hazel eyes piercing.
“Really?”
“Well, now that he and I are married, he has Danni and me, but yes, you are his family, so please,” Seth asked again, holding his hand out.
“I’d be honored, sir.”
The two men took to the dance floor, smiling as they quietly tried to one-up the other. The crowd laughed and catcalled until the song was over, and Seth moved on to another dance partner.
Chase went back to the bar to get another drink. Tonight, though, he was more careful about alcohol consumption, not ready to deal with the events of the previous night, or the morning for that matter. The shoulder bump startled him just before he managed his first sip of the Jack and Coke, hold the Jack.
“Come here often?” a deep, rumbling voice teased.
“Oh God,” Chase groaned. “That has to be the lamest pickup line. Ever.” Chase turned and took in the man before him. Dal, dressed to the nines in his formal wear, was breathtaking. Almost as amazing as his wayward brother.
“No, I’ve heard worse. Trust me.”
Chase smirked.
“Sad but true. So, why’re you over here instead of out there showing off?”
He shrugged. “Just needed a drin
k before I return to the happy couple.” Chase looked to where his best friend and his new husband were sitting, Seth having escaped the dance floor again. “Jamie looks so good,” he added softly. He was happy for his BFF yet jealous of him at the same time.
“Yeah, he does. They both do.”
Mel, Seth’s best man and lawyer friend, appeared at their side, all flushed grins and joy. “Chase, there you are. You ready?”
“Yep. Give me just a minute and I’ll begin. ’Kay?”
Mel nodded, turned, and headed back over to where his beautiful wife, Britt, stood. Dal raised his brow pointedly at Chase. “Begin what?”
“You’ll see,” Chase replied, barely able to get the words out past a sudden fit of giggles at the look on Dal’s face.
“Should I be worried or supportive of whatever it is you two are up to?”
“Supportive, of course.” Chase looked around the room, his gaze snagging on Rhys. What caught his eye was Rhys focused on him. Well, more the scowl fixed on his handsome face. Chase never had been able to figure out the man’s mood swings; now was no different.
Dal cleared his throat, drawing his attention away from Rhys and the memories of their shared time together.
“Huh?”
“Chase, what are you and Mel up to, and what’s so fascinating over there?”
“Oh, uh, nothing. I mean nothing’s fascinating. As for what we’re up to…. You wanna help?” Chase asked, batting his eyes as he looked up at Dal, his head cocked slightly.
The groan Dal let out only made Chase’s smile bigger. “Why do I have a feeling I’m going to regret this?”
“No, no, no. I promise, this is a good thing. Now, come here and be my muscle,” Chase explained, wrapping one hand around Dal’s biceps and tugging. “Please?”
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