by Ts McKinney
“No, no Victorians’,” Colton answered quickly. “I remember that you weren’t particularly fond of Rory’s house when you first came here. Let’s get with the realtor and see if there are any new, more modern, houses going up on the north side of the island.” He pulled Jagger even closer to him. “If you want, I’ll build you the biggest house in Key West.” Leaning forward, he snagged Jagger’s puffy lips with his teeth, tugging playfully. “You deserve the best, Wildcat, and I want to be the one to give it to you. I’ll take care of it. I know a guy that builds houses, so I’ll see if he could squeeze our project in. He’s the best in this area.”
“See, Colton,” Jagger said slowly. “That’s the problem. I don’t want the biggest house in Key West. Hell, I don’t mind if we have the smallest house in Key West as long as we’re living together in it.”
“But you deserve it,” Colton argued weakly. He didn’t like the way this conversation was going, he felt like Jagger was manipulating him into a corner and then he was going to spring something on him. He needed to be smarter, out maneuver the maneuverer. He wanted to give the nicest of everything to his man. Other than funding Haven, his money had been useless to him. Now he wanted to use what he had to prove his love to Jagger. “You deserve it and I want to be the one to give it to you.”
This was going to be harder than Jagger had anticipated. “What if I don’t want it? What if I want something smaller, something closer to our friends? What happens then?”
Colton gnawed his lip. Yep, he was being maneuvered. “What if I know what’s best for you?”
Jagger stared at him. He loved Colton, loved him more than anything on the earth. He was the final piece to his puzzle, what made him feel whole. Colton was his everything. Having said that, he really wanted to punch him in the face. Really, really hard, a right uppercut and then maybe a jab to his perfect nose. He tried again, “What’s wrong with a Victorian house on this block again?”
“You haven’t liked Rory’s house from the beginning. No…no Victorian houses. They just aren’t your thing. You need something better.” Colton’s hand patted Jagger’s ass. “Let me talk to the builder.”
“You aren’t listening to what I’m saying, Colton. You’ve got to stop this ‘Colton knows best’ shit,” Jagger snapped. Hell, he hadn’t meant to go all grouchy on him but trying to talk to the man was more frustrating that trying to explain cost reductions to Landry. “Sometimes Jagger knows best.”
“Are you mad at me?” Colton asked. He looked shocked. Bright green eyes studied Jagger in complete bewilderment.
“I’m not mad at you, Colton. I’m frustrated with you.” Jagger tried to squirm off Colton’s lap – it just didn’t seem appropriate anymore, but Colton wouldn’t have any of it. With a tight grip on his hips, he kept him permanently locked down. Giving up any attempts of trying to dance around the truth and hope Colton caught on all by himself, Jagger finally said, “You can’t live your life making decisions based on what you think is best for me, Colton. First of all, you aren’t always right, I know this probably shocks you, but it’s the Godfearing truth. Sometimes you’re even wrong. Secondly, catering to me all the time is bullshit. This relationship is a two way street, babe. We both should be happy…and satisfied – not just me. Every decision can’t be based on what you think is best for me. It won’t work.”
“But I want you to be happy, Wildcat. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“Yes, if it’s at the expense of your happiness.” He kissed Colton’s pouting lips. “Anyway, you might not always be right on what makes me happy. I happen to love the Victorian houses on this block. No, I’m not fond of all the pink on Rory’s house, but his is the only one like that. I happen to know you love the old Victorian homes. To me, it sounds like we should look at some Victorians. End of story.”
“Fine,” Colton answered with a small smile. “I didn’t know you were going to be such a baby to get your way.”
“Oh, good Lord, you never stop, do you?” Jagger kissed him again and then tried to stand up. Again, Colton was having none of that. Meeting him eye for eye, Jagger said, “I’m not letting you fuck me in the kitchen with Landry and Brookes right down the hall and Rory and Riley right outside the French doors. It isn’t going to happen…at least not this morning. That will take some mental preparation on my part.”
Colton barked out a laugh. “Well, that’s something you won’t ever have to worry about, Wildcat. No mental preparation needed. There won’t be any voyeurism in our future.” He gripped Jagger’s ass with both hands. “Hell, no, I’m not sharing this bubble of lusciousness with anybody else!” When he reached up to kiss his lover, Jagger yanked his head back. Uh oh. What in the hell had he done now?
“Why not?”
Colton frowned. “Why not what?”
“Why not any voyeurism? I know you’ve done it in the past. Group sex. Threesomes. Gang bangs. Toys. Sex swings.” He arched a brow at Colton. “I could go on and on for hours on what you’ve done in the past…but no longer do in the present.”
Colton hesitated, once again feeling like he was walking into a trap but not knowing how to get out of it. “Well, I no longer do voyeurism because you don’t do it. All that shit you just mentioned? That’s the old me. It isn’t you, so it’s no longer me. Simple as that.” Colton frowned and asked, “How do you know about all that shit, anyway? My friends talking trash about me?” Colton couldn’t imagine any of his guys dredging up dirty laundry like that, but he needed to know for sure. He would be kicking somebody’s ass and kicking it hard…and soon. Jagger didn’t need to hear bullshit like that.
“No, Colton, your friends aren’t talking about you.” He shrugged. “Anyway, what if they were? It isn’t like you’re cheating on me or anything like that. It’s your past. I have a past, too, you know.”
That earned another laugh from Colton. “Yeah, babe, but your past is not dirty and tawdry like mine.” He chuckled softly and slapped Jagger’s ass playfully. “I’d rather keep my naughtiness hidden away from you sweetheart. If it wasn’t Rory or Landry, who told you crap about me? Gang bangs? Seriously? Why would anybody bring that shit up?”
Jagger frowned. He was so frustrated with Colton, but at the same time he had to admit that even knowing he was barely holding his anger at bay, Colton still had the same effect on him. Sure, he still wanted to punch him in the face or shake him so hard that his teeth rattled, but at the same time, his lover remained his lifeline of love. Sitting in his lap, feeling Colton’s hardness and warmth against him, made him feel settled…and loved. He felt cherished. Important. Valuable. Those were all warm and fuzzy feelings and made his heart stir around in his chest. Colton’s hard cock pushing against his ass made other, just as stirring, feelings flow through him. How in the hell was he going to make Colton understand that he wasn’t breakable? He might not have the experience the rest of the guys had, but that didn’t mean it was too late to start traveling down that particular path. No, he wasn’t interested in gang bangs, whatever the hell they were, but he refused to be the catalyst that changed Colton.
“How did I hear about that shit? Let me see, Colton,” he said slowly. “People wrote reviews about your performance on the Key West travel website! Reviews, Colton,” he stressed. “About your sexual prowess and your…creativity.”
He wasn’t lying and that shit had been hard to read about. Damned hard. It’d also glaringly reminded him of how inept he truly was in the bedroom. Colton had to be bored stiff with his performances. Hell, he was.
“Please tell me you’re lying,” Colton murmured as he hung his head in shame. Why in the hell would people write shit like that?
“Let’s focus back on the present instead of the past, okay,” Jagger suggested. He could see he shouldn’t have admitted to Colton that he’d read the reviews. Hell, the guy would blow a stack if he read some of the reviews on The Island House website.
Shaking his head in confusion, Colton asked, “What is the present
, Wildcat? Where is this conversation going? Are you mad at what you read?” He gulped. “Because I would be. I understand if you’re mad at me.”
“Oh, good Lord, Colton. I’m not mad about what I read,” Jagger huffed. “I’m mad because I’m not getting that same…same…” He shook his head and felt the blush burn at full blaze level on his cheeks. “Never mind, forget I said anything.” He tried to stand up and was yanked back down again. He’d had about enough of that, so he shoved Colton back, hard, and stood up. Once standing, he was quick to put some distance between the two of them.
Colton was on his feet in record time, but didn’t close the distance between them. He stood there, mouth wide open and hands braced on his hipbones, and stared at Jagger. Disbelief was written all over his face. Disbelief and maybe disappointment. Jagger wanted to disappear. Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? Why did he have to go and always fuck everything up? Would he always be this pathetic when it came to dealing with other people? Hell, dealing with people he loved.
Finally, Colton whispered, “Am I not pleasing you in the bedroom, babe? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Not pleased in the bedroom? Jagger couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Colton not know how pleased he was? He fucking screamed it from the rooftops whenever the other man touched him. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “That’s ridiculous, Colton. You know I’m more than satisfied.” Jagger struggled for the right words. “It’s just that you were so…adventurous with sex before I came into the picture. I don’t want to be responsible for taking that away from you. The fact that you used to behave a certain way and now you don’t told me that I’m the reason for that change. I don’t want to be the reason, Colton. I want to be your everything.” Now he just sounded stupid. Relationships were so damned hard. He should’ve known he would fail at them – especially on the communications side of things.
Since he realized he was losing ground, he plowed ahead nervously. “Do I want gang bangs? Hell, no, I don’t want that shit. Threesomes? Not for me. Whatever the hell you can dream up that happens between you and me? I’m all for trying any of that.” He took a step closer to Colton. Then another. And another. He didn’t stop until their chests were flat against each other. “You have to stop protecting me, Colton. That’s not what I’m looking for. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with a man that loses himself while trying to find me. I need you to trust me, to know that I’ll tell you if I don’t like something or if I’m not comfortable with trying something new.” His lips captured Colton’s in a rough, determined kiss. “Trust me.”
****
Colton collapsed back down onto his chair, pulling Jagger with him. He wrapped his arms around the man he loved but said nothing.
His mind was going crazy as he thought back to all the hints Jagger had been trying to drop. He’d hinted at a scene in front of people at The Island House and Colton had squashed that without any consideration. He’d brought home the bag of toys from Landry’s club and he’d made fun of them, teased Jagger about some of them, and then tossed them aside…completely forgotten. Fuck…he’d gone vanilla. Jagger was right. His desire to please Jagger, to not rock their relationship boat, was causing him to hold back. He thought he knew what was best for Jagger, not the other way around. Hell, Jagger had been completely alone for most of his life. He was one of the strongest people Colton had ever encountered and he was treating him like a fucking creampuff when he should be trying cream pies, instead. He’d been so blind.
Shit, he wasn’t even letting him vote on the house they bought because he thought he knew what was best for Jagger. How many times had Jagger tried to tell him what he wanted and he’d refused to listen? Too damned many times.
“Shit, Jagger. I’m sorry,” Colton whispered. He tunneled his nose into Jagger’s neck and breathed in the scent of his lover. Several deep breaths helped calm his galloping nerves. He’d spent the majority of his life wanting Jagger Jameson and when he’d finally gotten him, he’d tried to put him on a shelf and just admire his beauty, inner and outward. He was fucking selfish, always had been. That shit needed to change. Fast.
“I don’t want you to be sorry, Colton. I just want you to trust me. I know I’ve made mistakes, been weak when I should have been strong. I’ve hidden when I should’ve been brave. I know that, but I’m trying so damned hard to change. You’ve given me the courage to change.”
“I need to tell you that I think you are the strongest man I’ve ever met. You need to know that,” Colton explained as he placed his hand over Jagger’s heart. “You’re strong right here.” His hand raised to tap the side of Jagger’s head and added, “And you’re strong here. You’ve survived so damned much, fought so damned hard. You deserve better than me trying to protect you from shadows, spiders, Victorian houses, and kinky sex.” He laughed softly. “Hell, you need to be protecting me from shit.”
“Let’s not get carried away, Colton,” Jagger murmured. “We both know I’m not strong. At least, not yet, but with your help, I can get there.” His blue gaze met Colton’s emerald one. “Let me try to fly, babe. Let me fly because I know you’ll be there to catch me if I fall. For the first time in my life, I know there’s somebody there for me. I trust you. I never thought I’d be able to say those words to another person. I love you and I know you love me. I’ve been searching for this my whole life. Hey, who would have known that the arrogant rich boy that I hated on sight would be the one to give it to me?”
“Love you,” Colton whispered against his lips. “Love you so damned much it hurts.” Another kiss and then a nibble at Jagger’s full bottom lip. “Hop up, Wildcat. I’m going to call the realtor and see if she has any Victorians for us to look at today.”
Jagger smiled. “And tonight?”
“Tonight?” Colton asked with a smirk. “Tonight, I’m going to rock your fucking world, Wildcat.”
“Hell, yeah, you are,” Jagger answered calmly.
His voice sounded calm, but Colton could sense his excitement at his seductive promise.
“How do you think you’d feel about getting that pretty ass of yours spanked? Hard. Spanked really hard.”
It was Jagger’s turn to smirk. “Hmmm. Well, I think there’s a chance that I’ll either like it or I’ll end up spanking your ass.” He kissed Colton tenderly and whispered, “Thanks for trusting me, babe. I promise I’ve got this. If something gets to be too much, I’ll let you know.”
“I love you,” Colton answered before he dipped his lips to Jagger’s collarbone and started sucking. “I love you so damned much.”
Chapter 11
“Jeezus! Would you two please get a room,” Landry teased as he and Brookes intruded on the Jagger/Colton love fest. “We’ll all be so damned glad when you two finally get tired of each other!” He grinned like a fool as he said the words. His comment was a big fat lie. He couldn’t get enough of their love story and neither could the rest of the gang.
Colton flipped Landry off and kept sucking on Jagger’s collarbone.
“I’ve gotta run, kitten. I’ll swing by in about two hours to pick you up,” Brookes told Landry and then yanked him tight for a kiss goodbye. “Last night was…epic,” he whispered before disappearing down the hall and then out the front door. The man was moving like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. Landry didn’t give a fuck he was being ditched first thing in the morning for Brookes’ unknown treasure hunting job because last night had been epic.
And, for the first time in Landry’s life, it was about so much more than just sex. He’d slept with a man…in the same bed…all night long. They’d cuddled. He would’ve never believed it to be possible but here he stood, living proof that he was capable of a snuggle, cuddle, and spooning! He grinned at Colton and gave him a thumbs-up. “If you make a mess, clean it up.” He blew a kiss in their direction, grabbed a pancake, and carried it outside to find Rory and Riley. When he stepped outside into the already warm Key West morning, he stuffed a bit
e of dry pancake into his mouth to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. Never in his life had he thought his heart was capable of this kind of happiness.
Yes, there were things about Brookes that he didn’t know – things that should trouble him because his life had taught him to be wary of secrets. He knew secrets tended to lead to “bad” things, but something was telling him he didn’t have anything to worry about where Brookes was concerned. He had no idea where he was rushing off to or why this mystery was more important than him, but his instincts—the same instincts that had kept him alive on the streets—told him not to worry.
Shit, no, that was his heart telling him not to worry. His instincts were screaming from the tiptop of their lungs. For the first time in his life, Landry refused to listen. He wanted this too badly. Brookes was meant to be his. As he stepped out into the sunlight, he wondered if anything had ever really been his. The club was his, but that was different. Money bought that. Alexander had been his, but they’d been kids and their time together had been short. No, he supposed no person had ever been his…before now.
****
Two hours later, Landry was sunbathing on one of Rory’s lounge chairs while he waited for Brookes to come back and pick him up for their date. Their date. Ha! Who would’ve ever thought? He hadn’t thought he was dating material but here he was, about to have his second one. His body and mind were buzzing with excitement. Everything felt perfect. Well, almost everything. After Jagger and Colton had left, Rory and Riley had been acting strangely…especially after they’d heard he was going out with Brookes again. He didn’t know what was up with those two, but had a feeling he probably wouldn’t approve.
They acted…guilty. What in the hell did they have going on? He didn’t think it involved their ongoing sex drama of whom would top whom, it was something else. He frowned as he stared at them behind his sunglasses. Typically, they’d be floating around in the pool, arguing about any and everything they could argue about. They’d spend the first couple of hours nitpicking at each other, then they’d start looking at each other with those hungry Iwannafuckyou looks, and then they’d end up disappearing for some hot and heavy petting which Landry assumed led to oral sex. Not today. Today they were sitting at one of the round tables tucked underneath a huge umbrella, their computers sitting in front of them but untouched. Weird.