Drawn Together (31 page)

“You know, there’s this thing, even in Sodom and Gomorrah, we like to call trust,” spat Yamane. “You robbed me, you ditched me, you left me stranded in some roadside motel, and you took away my right to fight my own damned enemy. Do you think I’m the kind of man who would let my very young lover die for me?” Rory was speechless.

“Your deputy talked to me like I should be grateful. Apparently you had a plan; you had help and information you didn’t mention to me at all. Did you stop to think how scared I was for you?”

“I could not, would not, let her kill you.”

“Who are you, Dr. Seuss? Could not, would not. You were wrong to leave me out of it.

It was my problem. To take it out of my hands like that showed just how little faith you had in me.”

“I would do it again,” said Rory, implacable.

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“Even knowing how it turned out?” asked Yamane, taking his car keys out of his pocket. “Even knowing I’d find the first way out of that dump and you’d be stupid enough to come after me before I cooled off enough to talk to you rationally? Even knowing I’d break your heart and go back to Japan and feel like the world’s biggest shit for weeks?”

“I would never take a chance you’d be harmed. Ever. Even if it meant losing you forever to the next guy with a good story and a cell phone.”

“You are an unrepentant shit,” spat Yamane.

“But there’s always more where I came from, isn’t there?” Rory called over his shoulder as he walked back toward the house.

Yamane sputtered, hesitated, and then ran after him. He threw his arms around Rory’s waist, halting his progress and holding him there.

“You will be sorry,” he murmured against Rory’s strong back. “I will make you so sorry.”

“I’m already sorry.” Rory turned in Yamane’s embrace to kiss him. Perversely, he could not let Yamane go. “I’m sorry I ever met you. I’m sorry I ever loved you.” His strong fingers caressed Yamane’s face as though he were memorizing every detail. “And I’m damned sorry my grandparents are home right now.”

“Come with me,” urged Yamane. “Tonight, right now, come with me.” Yamane took him by the hand and pushed him into the passenger seat of the car. When he got into the driver’s seat, Rory said nothing. He gripped Yamane’s hand tightly as they drove off into the night.

* * * * *

Yamane opened the motel room door, and Rory walked in first. Rory had the unpleasant thought that this was the same motel where Amelia had killed three people, but knew it wasn’t the same room. That room was still sealed off and unavailable for use, probably forever, because St. Antoine’s Parish was a small town and few people would allow visitors to remain ignorant of the incident for long.

Yamane shut the door behind them and leaned against it. “Who’s taking care of the puppy?”

“Grandmère.” Rory gazed at his lover and his mouth went dry. Yamane wore his usual jeans and a white shirt with one of his mandarin coats, this one black with creamy orchids just down the opening on the side where it was tied together. Although it was essentially a black dress with flowers on it, he still seemed elegant in a masculine way. Rory allowed the man’s beauty and charisma to fill his senses. He stood quietly, waiting for Yamane to move.

“Do you need to call her?” Yamane asked. “Will she worry?” Drawn Together

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“She was watching through the window.” Rory hadn’t seen her but had no doubt it was true. He relaxed his shoulders slightly, trying to breathe regularly. Around Yamane, he hardly felt like he could breathe at all.

Yamane came farther into the room. “Would you like a drink?” Rory nodded and watched as Yamane got two of the plastic-wrapped cups from the in-room coffee service and poured healthy shots from a bottle of bourbon he retrieved from the nightstand. “Do you want me to get ice?” asked Rory.

Yamane slipped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He shook his head. “What am I going to do with you, Rory?” He blew out an exasperated breath.

“Tonight? Anything you want.” Rory downed his drink in one swallow and got up. He began removing his button-down shirt, a short-sleeved, cream-colored plaid that he wore over a tight T-shirt. He pulled both shirts off over his head while Yamane watched him. It made him feel good when he saw the appreciation in Yamane’s eyes.

“Rory --”

Rory pulled him to sit down on the bed. “Make a memory with me so that when you’re half a world away I still feel it.”

“Rory.”

Rory reached out to unbutton Yamane’s white shirt. “Yamane?”

“Hm?” Yamane’s muscles rippled as Rory lightly skimmed the shirt down his arms.

“Do you ever” -- he nipped at Yamane’s neck and slid his mouth down to Yamane’s unpierced nipple -- “I mean, would you ever consider…?” He licked Yamane’s chest and moved to the other nipple, his favorite, the one with the small gold ring through it. He took it into his mouth and his mind went blank.

“What?” Yamane reached out a hand to stroke Rory through his jeans.

Rory moaned, luxuriating in the feel of his lover’s hand on his rigid cock. “I want you inside me. Do you ever do that?”

“What?” Everything stopped as if someone had yelled freeze.

Rory ignored Yamane as he tried to push him away.

“Rory, are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.” Rory looked him in the eye. “I want you inside me. I want that guy to be you. I’ve thought about it since last time. I…regretted not asking before.”

“Rory.” Yamane’s eyes were concerned. “Have you thought… I mean…?” Rory raised his eyebrows. He gave Yamane a look and said, “Well, duh.” Yamane appeared to be at a loss. “No one -- hardly anyone -- ever asks me that.”

“Forget it then, if it doesn’t appeal. I just thought, maybe --” Rory resumed his exploration of Yamane’s creamy skin.

“Rory, stop,” Yamane said finally. “I’m afraid.” 190

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“Afraid?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t top very often. I told you, people have preconceived notions. I want to --”

“Ah, cher.” Rory pulled Yamane to him, dying to feel him skin to skin. “Some seducer of innocents you turned out to be.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yamane.” Rory captured Yamane’s face and held it between his palms. “I love you, and I trust you. Do you want to share that part of yourself with me?”

“Yes.” Yamane grinned. “Oh, hell yes.” He pushed Rory down onto his back, and his hand traveled to Rory’s zipper.

“Then do it,” Rory told him. “I want you to do it.” Drawn Together

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Chapter Thirtyone

Whatever Rory expected after having made his daring offer, it wasn’t the slow, lazy seduction Yamane was treating him to now. Yamane divested Rory of each remaining stitch of his clothing and was now, literally, examining, tasting, and playing with every square inch of his body. Rory thought he would die from the sheer sweet torture of it.

“Are you trying to put off the inevitable? Honestly…if you’re not into this --” He felt a hand firmly close over his mouth.

“Shh, love. I’m taking a self-guided tour.” He swept a hand down between them to stroke Rory’s balls, and Rory gasped and closed his eyes.

“Do we have to have the lights on?”

“Yes.” Yamane slipped his tongue into Rory’s belly button and swept it down the light line of hair that led to the triangular tuft of wiry red hair that grew over his cock. He teased Rory’s erection lightly with his lips and tongue, and Rory jerked up off the bed in response.

Yamane laughed lightly.

Rory felt him leave the bed for a moment, and when he came back, he was naked and carried a toiletry bag. In seconds, his mouth was on Rory again and Rory’s mind went blank.

Rory felt a finger tease around his hole, circling, sliding, moving, but never quite entering.

He strained toward it, wanting Yamane to touch him in that most intimate of places.

The finger, slick with lube, finally surged past the barrier of strong muscle, then played, entering and leaving him until he wanted to see what would happen if it went deeper. He pushed toward it, and it slipped in farther. He liked this game, a duel of sorts between his body and Yamane. The finger found its way in deeper until it was joined by another. Yamane maneuvered it around --

“Whoa!” Rory jerked. “Oh, that!”

“What? Was that good or was that bad?” Yamane grinned at him.

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“Oh, good.”

“Ah.” Sweat started to bead on Yamane’s brow, and the hair next to his face became damp as he continued.

Rory moved between his mouth and his fingers, growing mindless with pleasure. “Oh,” said Rory with wonder, thrashing against Yamane’s hand. “How come it feels like that?”

“Later,” Yamane ground out. “Anal 101 later.” He licked Rory’s balls, tugging them, pushing his face into Rory’s thighs and stroking his cock with his free hand. “Okay, Rory?”

“Mm…” Rory gripped the sheets. “Yes, damn…”

Yamane removed his fingers, and Rory felt empty. He watched as Yamane rolled a condom on his thick, uncut cock, and gasped as a dollop of cold lube hit the skin of his perineum. Yamane’s fingers returned to work the lube into his hole, and Rory sighed with pleasure. He let out a strangled cry when Yamane touched his prostate again.

Rory took a deep breath as he moved and stretched to accommodate Yamane’s fingers.

He wanted to take Yamane into his body completely; he wanted Yamane to break him open and tear him apart.

Rory stopped Yamane with a hand on his. “I want you in me.” Yamane hovered over him for the briefest of moments. He kissed Rory deeply on the lips, his tongue probing the younger man’s mouth. He hesitated at the entrance of Rory’s body, rocking and nudging against Rory’s hole until Rory knew he’d never wanted anything as badly as he wanted Yamane’s cock up his ass.

“Yamane.” Rory wasn’t too proud to beg.

“Open for me,” Yamane said, lifting Rory’s leg with a surprisingly strong forearm.

“Here I come, love.” He pushed his way in. “Okay?” Rory nodded and concentrated on breathing as he was being filled, expanded, and sometimes, it felt, exploded by Yamane’s body. Once he was in, Rory moved experimentally, shifting his hips a little, watching Yamane’s face. He wanted to taste Yamane, to devour him.

He reached up and roughly pulled Yamane down for a deep, searching kiss. Yamane’s slick tongue stroked over his, and he felt Yamane everywhere, over him, inside him, surrounding him with heat and scent and man.

Yamane slipped back slightly, driving into Rory at a different angle.

Rory’s head dropped back and he uttered a grunt that sounded savage even to his own ears. “That…that!” He grunted again. “Do. That. Again.” The hair around Yamane’s face was damp with sweat and his breath came in gasps as Rory felt his fine ass pump that uncut cock into him like a piston. Yamane’s tight abs brushed Rory’s dick against his body, the friction smoothed by Rory’s precum and his sweat.

He felt blood rise beneath his skin all across his chest and face as he soared in his lover’s arms.

“Yamane.” Rory panted, fisting the sheets on the hotel bed. “There, oh harder.” Drawn Together

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Rory felt himself slide over the edge. His entire body tightened, his senses exploded, and he felt a hot splash of cum travel over his belly and chest. “Yamane,” he whispered, as he gave himself over completely. “Yamane…”

Yamane watched as orgasm washed over Rory’s features. His lover’s eyes went out of focus as his back arched until his body jumped and shuddered and clenched around Yamane’s cock. Warm, sticky wetness flowed between their bellies as Rory clamped around him like a vise. Yamane thought that was the most erotic thing he’d ever felt.

The aftershocks of Rory’s orgasm continued as Yamane plummeted into his own.

Yamane’s muscles stopped working as he poured himself into Rory’s ass, and he slipped onto Rory’s body with an inelegant flop.

Still gasping for what seemed like a long time, he carefully pulled out, removing the condom and tossing it aside. Even that seemed to waken every nerve ending on his skin as he clutched Rory’s body to him, feeling every hair, bone, and muscle scrape and bump and flex beneath him.

Yamane opened his eyes and found Rory watching him. He slid up that big, slippery body to lick and kiss away the sad expression on Rory’s face. As they fell asleep together, Yamane pressed his cheek and body close to Rory’s as if there were too much air, too much space, and too much skin between them.

* * * * *

When the sunlight finally teased him awake, Yamane discovered that Rory had been to the bakery while he slept. He and Rory ate pastries, drank coffee, and licked crumbs off each other. “Rory, I have to go to New York,” began Yamane.

“Really, when?” Rory seemed surprised and not a little disappointed.

“Tonight,” said Yamane. “I’m promoting an art book, so I have to go for that. I’ll do some cable talk shows and Internet chat rooms and then a gallery show. I’ve never exhibited paintings. It’s new for me.”

“That’s great, isn’t it?”

“I wish you could go with me,” Yamane admitted.

“I start school the first week in August. That’s only a couple of weeks away. I’ll have to find an apartment that takes dogs and move, but I’ll come see your exhibit if I can. I’m not too fond of New York. You’ll have to promise me I’ll see as little of it as possible.”

“I’ll only show you the finest hotel ceilings.” Yamane smiled, but then it faded quickly.

“You don’t think that’s all we have, though, do you?”

“No, but maybe it’s all we get… I don’t know.” Rory sighed. “If that’s all we get, we’ll make it enough, won’t we?” He put his head on Yamane’s chest.

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“Yes,” said Yamane resolutely. “Yes, we will.” Drawn Together

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Chapter Thirtytwo

Yamane kept his eyes closed for most of the flight, but he didn’t sleep. When the plane landed, he was almost the first to get off. There was a long wait until his baggage started slipping down onto the carousel, during which Yamane watched the other travelers as they chatted up their families or greeted friends.

Yamane was lonely. And maybe, he thought, it was a deeper loneliness than he’d ever experienced, even in his solitary world. His life had been populated by business acquaintances and hit-and-run lovers. No one had ever opened him up to the possibility that the kind of love he’d never experienced would feel this good. He’d mocked romantic love.