Syncopation

by Jodi Payne

  Kyle was watching him, listening to him laugh and smiling back. He raised an eyebrow, and Kyle just shrugged at him.

  “Thanks for coming today. I liked having you there.”

  “It was amazing, cher. So many moving parts, so pretty.” Kyle’s talent made his heart damn happy, if he was honest.

  “You see it. You get it, I think. I saw how you were watching. A lot of people think ballet has to be so sophisticated all the time, but it’s just dance, you know?”

  “It’s beautiful to watch. Like a great band sounds.”

  Kyle was running wet hands over his skin as they talked, stroking them down his back, over his shoulders, drawing lines on his chest.

  “You know, the day that I met you and I texted Timmy, all I did was tell him you were hot. Which is true, but I never thought for a second you’d be interested. He totally set us up after that. Did you know? He told me all about how he told you I wanted a date and got you to agree.”

  “He’s a shit.” Colt owed Timmy a beer. “I am hot, though. Smokin’.” He winked over, waggling his eyebrows madly.

  “You are sizzling. On fucking fire. Too damn hot to handle.” But Kyle handled him anyway, sliding fingers around his shaft and squeezing gently. “Good thing we’re in a tub.”

  “Uh… uh-huh.” Kyle made him dizzy, made him want to sing.

  “I think we’ve got something here, Colt. You know? I think this is more than a maybe. I think I’m falling in pretty deep.” Kyle leaned in and kissed him.

  Colt reached up, tracing a line around Kyle’s ear. He got it. There was something about Kyle that was… bigger than either one of them.

  Kyle kissed along Colt’s jaw to his ear, sucked in his earlobe and then continued down the line of his neck to his shoulder. Slow and sensual attention, nothing rushed, like they had forever to spend right here. He hummed softly, fireworks firing all under his skin. Oh, he could get used to this—long and slow and easy.

  “If you had your guitar right now, tell me about what you’d be playing.” Kyle leaned back and reached for the glass of wine on the edge of the tub.

  “Mmm. Something slow and lazy, something that feels like giving thanks.”

  Kyle sipped some wine and then offered him the glass. “Hm. I’m not sure I know quite what giving thanks sounds like.”

  “You know what it feels like, I know.” He could see that in the lines of Kyle’s joy.

  His lover smiled at him. “I do. This is what it feels like.” Kyle went back to tasting him, over his shoulder and across his collarbones, down part of his arm. “Just like this.” The hand on his cock pumped slowly, long strokes from hilt to tip where Kyle’s thumb circled and swept across the head each time.

  He arched, his eyes rolling up into his head. “Uh. Uh-huh. Just like….”

  His entire body lit up like the Fourth of July.

  “Just like that.” Kyle’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ve got plenty of gratitude to show you. More than you can handle.” His grip grew firmer and the strokes a little faster.

  “Cher—” Jesus help him, he wanted that touch to keep on, over and over.

  “Love.” Kyle didn’t let up on the kisses or the contact, and his lover just kept on speaking to him. Soft words, praising words. “You are beautiful, you know that? Everything inside you just shines on the outside. It’s irresistible.”

  “Listen to you.” That this fine, fine man thought he was worth a plug nickel made him groan. He was just another picker from the swamp, one of a thousand, but he’d take those sweet, needy words.

  Kyle hummed to him, a low appreciative sound, and that hand kept moving, firm and steady like it knew him, knew what he wanted. “Love your sounds. Your moans, that little song you sing to me, the way you call me ‘cher.’ Feel good, baby?”

  “Better than. Better than, cher. You got me, all the way around.”

  “Good.” Kyle kissed him deep, tongue sweeping through his mouth.

  Oh, praise Jesus. Kissing Kyle was the closest to God he’d ever been without his fingers bleeding on the strings. He pushed in, offering himself up, heart and soul. Their tongues tangled, amazing sounds trapped between them.

  He felt Kyle’s chest expand as his lover sucked in air. The kiss grew heated and urgent, and Kyle groaned heavily, then shifted and helped him sit up on the edge of the tub. Kyle’s mouth was on him not a second later, drawing him in.

  “Cher!” He arched, hands going white-knuckled on the edge. “Please!”

  That mouth was heaven on earth.

  Kyle’s tongue pushed up and dragged along his length as he slid in and out of that luscious heat. His lover hummed and encouraged him, fingers digging into his thighs.

  Colt let himself loose, let all his need out as he arched and drove in deep.

  Grunting, Kyle opened for him like it was everything he wanted. Wet, warm hands slid around and cupped his ass, squeezing.

  “Need you like air.” It was the truth as he knew it, swear to God.

  He felt Kyle’s fingers on his balls, rolling first, then adding pressure, and Kyle swallowed, throat working and rippling over him.

  “Gonna,” he warned, even though it was damn near too late, because he was sliding over the edge. Kyle swallowed again, fingers bruising into his asscheeks. Pleasure washed over him as he shot, his balls aching as he spent.

  Not missing a beat, Kyle sucked until he was empty, hot tongue painting long strokes all the way up his shaft. “Mmm. Good, love.” At Kyle’s coaxing he slid off the side of the tub and back into Kyle’s lap.

  “Make me crazy.” Colt danced against Kyle’s heavy erection, loving on him, pondering whether Kyle would let him ride.

  Moaning, Kyle nodded, almost as breathless as he was himself. “Need you, baby. So bad.” Kyle’s hands flailed for a second, and then he took him by the jaw and kissed him.

  “Want you to fuck me, cher. You into that? Me?”

  “Yeah. Into that. Fuck.”

  He nodded, reaching down to stroke that heavy cock, from base to tip. “Gon’ feel so good.”

  Kyle gasped. “Fuck. Already does.” He nearly slid off Kyle’s lap as his lover’s long legs unfolded out of the water, but Kyle caught him. “Couch. Stuff in the glass box on the side table.”

  “Look at you, bein’ all prepared!” He clapped, tickled as shit.

  “I’m a fucking Boy Scout. Pick one.” Kyle’s voice sounded like he’d swallowed gravel.

  He grabbed a rubber and a little packet of lube. “I’m drippin’ on your floor.”

  His lover laughed at that. “All-weather couch. Tile floor. And your skin looks great wet.” Still, Kyle grabbed a small towel and dried off a little before handing it to Colt while he smoothed on the rubber.

  Colt got himself sopped up, then crawled up on the sofa.

  Kyle helped him settle on his knees and took his hands, hooking his fingers over the back of the couch. Then his lover leaned over him, opening the lube and whispering in his ear, “Tell me again how good it’s going to be?”

  “You’re gonna open me up and turn my soul inside out, cher. I want it. You. Me.”

  Cool lube and a slippery finger pressed up against his hole. “Right. Fuck. Just want to disappear in you.”

  “Mm-hmm. Want to feel you for days.” He wasn’t averse to a good, hard fuck.

  Kyle nodded, and he felt the intrusion of one slippery finger, swirling and stretching him, slicking him up. “I’m going to make you forget your name. Forget yourself. I’m going to make you sing a whole new song, lover.” A second finger joined the first, and Kyle groaned behind him. “You feel good already.”

  All Colt could do was nod and sink into it, trusting Kyle to show him what he wanted.

  A few more slow, firm strokes of his fingers, and then Kyle’s hand left him and gripped his hip instead. He felt the pressure of Kyle’s cock against him, pushing in, sweet and slow, sinking deeper little by little as they breathed together. “Colt. Tight, my God.”

&n
bsp; “Uh-huh.” He groaned, not out of pain, but in desperation. The burn was deep, rich, and he needed.

  Kyle reached around and gave his cock a tug, caressed his balls, and then suddenly they were there, his ass pressed up against Kyle’s hips. “Mmm.” Kyle moved behind him, gently at first, fingers holding on to him and keeping things sane. But he could feel Kyle’s desire building. His lover’s cock jerked inside him, and Kyle groaned loudly. “Want you.”

  “Cher.” He braced himself, ready to take it and ride. Kyle’s cock was a solid fire, throbbing inside him and making him breathless. Those fingers pulled at him. Kyle’s hips rocked against him a couple of times, then took him suddenly, strong and deep, rhythmic and powerful. “You feel so good, baby.”

  A bass beat started pounding in the base of his skull, throbbing in a way that promised to take him right over.

  Kyle didn’t tire and with the control of an athlete, urged that hard cock deeper still, shoving against his ass with every thrust, threatening to slice him right in half.

  “Cher!” The sound tore out of him, loud and raw and pure need.

  “That’s right, baby. Remember me, forget yourself. Sending you right out of your head.” Kyle’s voice was rough and dark but hardly sounded winded at all. That same relentless rhythm rocked him over and over.

  His world spun, tightened to his ass and the pressure of that heavy cock.

  Kyle grunted and leaned heavily over his back, bracing one knee on the couch. “Fuck, you’re so… oh God.” Kyle panted in his ear as the pace grew faster. “Fuck, baby.”

  He sobbed, humping back onto Kyle, taking every inch, every fucking thing Kyle gave him.

  The pace nearing frantic, Kyle whimpered and groaned for him, no sign of the composure he had just a few moments ago. “Want… oh fuck. Colt!”

  He could feel Kyle start to tremble, a heavy presence at his back, strong hands grasping his hips and bruising into his flesh.

  Colt moaned, the ache from Kyle’s fingers enough to shove him over the edge, make him shoot and bear down on Kyle’s cock.

  Kyle cried out, long and loud, orgasm rocking them both, hips jerking and then finally going still. “Fuck. Fuck, love, so good.” Kyle dropped dozens of kisses on his back, and words of praise and love across his skin.

  “So good.” He sounded broken to his own ears, just cracked.

  “Everything.” Kyle slipped away for a second and then quietly coaxed Colt back into the hot tub. “You are everything, love.”

  He sank into the water, floating close. He needed to touch, to be there with Kyle, to connect.

  Kyle drew him in, tracing fingers over his skin and through his hair and whispering to him in soft tones, “I’m not going anywhere, love. Settle in. Breathe, baby.”

  “Sorry. I just….” He needed to be held. Kyle had liked to break him.

  “Shh. No. Not sorry. Let me hold you, okay? It’s good. It’s perfect.” Kyle kissed him, gentle and slow. “Let me take care of you.”

  He put one hand on the center of Kyle’s chest, feeling the strong, steady heartbeat. Lord have mercy, he loved this beautiful son of a bitch.

  Kyle cupped a hand around his and just stayed quiet, the two of them indulging in the water’s warmth and in each other. For a long while the only sound in the room was the music of their breathing and the rhythm of the bubbling water.

  He sent a prayer of thanks up, for this moment, for this feeling, for this man.

  Finally, Kyle reached over and refilled the wineglass from the bottle on the edge of the tub. After taking a long sip, Kyle offered him the glass. “Have some, love. Share it with me.”

  “Mmm. Thank you.” He sipped, his eyes going heavy at the way the wine coated his tongue.

  Kyle watched him, taking the glass back when he was done. “Tired? Should I take you to bed?”

  Colt had the sneaking suspicion that he’d follow Kyle anywhere he wanted to go. “I’m easy, cher. I jus’ want to be with you.”

  “Let’s sit here awhile, then. Finish the wine. See if you get silly.” Kyle winked at him. “And I’ll find the closest guy and make out with him.”

  Chapter Nine

  KYLE FINISHED laying out his shoes on his dressing table carefully, in the order that he would use them, heels all lined up in a perfectly straight line. Without needing to think about it at all, he moved on to the next part of his preshow ritual and laid out paper towels and his makeup brushes, also in the order he would use them.

  He had his iPod on, his Diet Coke next to the mirror, and was wearing his silver satin robe as he sat down and got to work.

  On the far end of the table was a bouquet of flowers from Katie. His sister never forgot an opening night, even when she couldn’t be there. She’d be the only one of his siblings—of his entire family—to know or care, but at least he had the one. He wouldn’t complain.

  But even better than the familiar comfort of Katie’s bright gerbera daisies was the exciting, surprise vase of roses from Colt. Jake had hand-delivered them, which meant that Colt had arrived and was somewhere in the theater. Knowing his lover was there made him smile.

  He broke ritual long enough to read the card for the third time, touched and grateful that he’d been made that kind of priority. “You got this, cher,” the note read, and he smiled. He did. The company was ready, he was ready, but Colt’s confident words steadied him and helped the opening-night nerves dissolve to a low simmer.

  He put on his makeup, only being interrupted by Jake calling time. Right on schedule he finished his makeup, put the brushes away, and went for his tour of the stage.

  He was standing center-center as Jake gave the five-minute call. He touched his fingers to his lips and then bent over, touching them to the mark.

  “Merde,” he said out loud as the rest of the company joined him onstage and the dance captain gave her opening-night pep talk. Nearly everyone touched the center mark as well on their way to places.

  “Merde!” Jake said to him and shook his hand, the last piece of his ritual. Now he had his focus.

  The next couple of hours were an intense and wonderful blur of music, dancers, applause, and finally, curtain calls. He realized that he hadn’t firmed up with Colt the after-show plans, and he hoped his lover wouldn’t wait for him in the lobby but would know to just come backstage. The perk of being a significant other.

  When he got back to his dressing room, though, there was a note on his dressing table. He picked it up and opened it. “Son,” it read. “Your mother and I saw this evening’s performance and are waiting in the lobby to see you. Dad.”

  Well, the note was signed “Dad” and not “Mr. Alexander,” so he wasn’t being disowned. Yet. His hands started to shake. His parents were here? They stayed for the whole thing? He picked up a bottle of water and sat down hard in his chair.

  His phone buzzed, the vibrations catching his attention, and he grabbed it. There was a text from Colt.

  So good. So goddamn good. Tell me how to see you?

  Oh, shit. His parents were going to hate Colt. He grinned at that and texted Colt back.

  The flowers were inspiring! Hit the stage door. Jake will let you through.

  He drank the water down while he waited in the dressing room doorway for Colt, wondering what the hell his parents could possibly want from him and why they didn’t tell him they were here before the show. Something was up.

  “Oo-ee, cher. That was so good. Are you proud?” Colt’s voice preceded his huge, happy smile. He couldn’t live under a cloud with that shining on him.

  “Come in, baby.” Kyle tossed the note on the table and held his dressing room door open. “I am so proud. Crazy proud. You had fun?”

  “I had a ball. It was even better today.” Colt came to him, offering his lips.

  Kyle pulled him right in for a taste and let the door swing closed. “Mmm. Thank you for coming. It means a lot.” He knew what it meant that Colt had come. He still wasn’t sure about his parents. “My parents are here.
”

  “Yeah?” Colt searched his eyes. “You want I should disappear, cher? I know that some folks ain’t pleased.”

  He sighed. He wanted Colt to stay, for the two of them to stand up to his parents, but he couldn’t force that choice on Colt. “I can’t even tell you why they’re here. They’ve never come to an opening before. Nothing is going to make them happy. I don’t want you to feel—”

  He looked up at the knock on the door. “Jake?”

  “It’s us, Kyle.” His father’s voice was unmistakable and sounded impatient. “Did you get our note?”

  He looked at Colt. “Go or stay, it’s up to you. I’m introducing you as my lover if you stay.”

  “I ain’t ashamed of you, cher. I’ll stand with you, no worries.” Colt squeezed his hand and offered him another one of those smiles, eager, happy.

  Kyle smiled and kissed him. “I’m proud of you too. Thank you.”

  “Kyle?”

  Kyle went to the door and opened it. “Mom, Dad. What are you guys doing here? I thought you were waiting in the lobby.”

  His mother kissed his cheek and then brushed by him. “We got tired of waiting. This is your dressing room?”

  “Yes. Did you enjoy the show?”

  “Some of it.”

  His father followed her in. “Some of it was too….”

  “Gay?”

  His mother looked at him. “Sad.”

  He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Why are you—”

  “Oh. Excuse me, I didn’t…. Who is this?”

  Who is this. Because heaven forbid the woman say hello before she knew whether Colt was beneath her.

  “Ah. Mom, Dad, this is my lover. Colt Boudreaux.”

  He waited while the room dropped ten degrees. His mother looked Colt over, said absolutely nothing, and then looked back at Kyle. “Your sister gave us her tickets when she found out she couldn’t be in town, and she….”

  “She asked us to see you dance.”

  “Wasn’t he amazing, y’all? He was stunning.” Colt grinned over at his parents, just bold as brass.

  Kyle smiled and took Colt’s hand, watching his father’s face.