Reunion (10 page)

His answer knocks the shit out of me.

“Okay, I can do that.” His voice is soft and low. “There’s nowhere else I want to be.”

Well fuck me. I did not expect that. I’m floored, completely fucking floored! I look back to see if he’s joking with me. Did I hear him correctly? But Nico’s bright blue eyes scream sincerity at me, his hands are clenching in and out of fists against his thighs as he tries to stay in control.

“What did you just say?” I can feel the effects of the tequila drain away, leaving my mind clear and focused my eyes bright as I scrutinize him.

His face is taut and the muscle in his cheek is pulsing as he grits his teeth before answering. This time his voice is loud and clear. “I said I can do that. I can and will stay. I want to be here with you. For you”

My mouth opens to question him but he holds his hand up to stop me.

“Don’t Ryan, don’t go there. I’m staying.” Taking a step back so he can lean back against the island in the middle of the room, crossing one ankle over the other and his arms across his chest he continues to stare at me.

“You don’t know what I was going to say?” I know that he does and it bugs me.

“Yes I do, you were about to ask me why. You want to doubt me.” His eyes turn icy as he pushes himself away from the counter and prowls towards me. “Don’t ever doubt me again Ryan.”

He reaches his hand behind my neck and pulls me hard against him. His mouth pounds hard onto mine, his teeth pull at my bottom lip before his tongue invades my mouth, controlling, dueling against mine as he seeks for my submission. With his hands now travelling down the contours of my back kneading and clutching at my skin beneath my clothes, he reaches for my hips, gripping them hard, his fingers digging into my skin.

I push into his groin as my hands tangle in his hair pulling it hard in my fists. As I rub my hard cock against his he breaks away and pushes me away.

“What? Why have you stopped?” My palm rubs against the outline of my hard and seeping dick.

“We are not fucking here. I want you in your bed but not tonight. Tonight you are going to sleep off the tequila before we fuck again.” His hand is stroking his own erection as he tries to tame it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! We decide to be together, to commit to each other and we’re not going to celebrate that? No fucking way! Get your ass upstairs, don’t make me get my handcuffs!”

I see his eyes flare at the thought of being restrained. “You like that idea? Hmm I’ll keep that in mind. So no more pissing about, Nico. I want you. Tonight your ass is mine.”

I let my hand slide over the swelling in his pants and hear his quiet moan as I rub against him. “So come on lover let’s go and get naked.” I whisper into his ear as I stroke his ass with my other hand sliding down the crease to reach in between his thighs. “What do you say?”

I feel his nod as his head rests on my shoulder. “Good boy.” He chuckles at that.

“I kind of like you like this, taking charge.” He looks at me through heavy eyes, dilated with desire.

“That’s good to know. Come on let me love you, Nicky.” We move away together our hands linked.

Waking up slowly I feel like I’m cocooned in cotton wool, my head feels as fuzzy and warm as my body. I can hear someone breathing next to me, where am I? Ryan. I’m here with Ryan. I’m here in bed with Ryan. I stretch my limbs and back and feel the pull in my muscles, especially my backside. This makes a small smile cross my face and I hear a small, very quiet snicker from my bed partner. I can feel his eyes on me but I’m not ready to wake up yet, it’s too early to be awake.

“Stop staring at me Ry.” I turn to face him but still keep my eyes closed.

“I can’t help it, you’re so handsome. And you make cute noises when you sleep, it’s adorable. This is the first time we’ve woken up in bed together, I’m enjoying the moment.” I can feel his breath on me as he gets closer, a very soft press of his lips on mine.

My eyes open slowly, blinking at the glow of sunlight flooding the room. I bring them into focus on Ryan’s face, my smile makes another appearance but it is much bigger now.

“Fuck, I love your dimples.” He kisses one on my cheek. “Good morning gorgeous, how do you feel? Did you sleep well?”

I stretch out again and this time I wince at the ache in my thighs and butt. “I feel thoroughly well fucked and I slept amazingly, thank you.”

I see him propped up on one arm holding his head on his hand. “You look far too good for this time of day, when did you wake up?” My hand reaches out to his and our fingers tangle together, we are both smiling broadly.

Letting go of my hand he reaches out to stroke my hair from my eyes and forehead.

“I know it’s long, I should get it cut today.” But Ryan shakes his head.

“No I like it, keep it like this. For me, please?” His fingers grasp it and tug firmly. “I love how I can pull on it, especially when your mouth is wrapped around my cock.” His husky voice washes over me causing a shiver to run over my skin as his mouth almost touches mine.

“Fuck Ryan, I’ll grow it as long as you like.” My tongue flicks out and slides over my bottom lip and I watch as his eyes follow its path.

“Shit, my dick is fucking hard now Nic and I know I can’t take your ass again.” Ryan groans.

“No babe, my ass definitely needs to recover at least for today.” I wink at him then let my eyes slide down his body, my smile widens as he follows my eyes and with his hand he moves the sheets away from his body baring his amazing muscled stomach and further again to expose his bare cock, so smooth and beautiful. I think mine is longer but the girth of his is bigger than mine. I chuckle, no wonder my ass is fucking aching

I watch avidly as he takes hold at the base and works his hand slowly up the rigid length. As he reaches the head, his hand constricts further and I see a bead of his juices form over the slit and then start to flow down the glossy head. Fuck this, I can’t watch anymore.

“Lose the hand baby.” I lean over to reach the shiny pulsing head, with my mouth open my tongue darts out to capture his essence. Just the taste of him makes me moan and sink my mouth over the head and slide down his thick shaft.

“Jesus Nicky, you look fucking amazing, don’t make me wait.” His voice sounds pained as he thrusts his hips high. His dick plunges deeper towards my throat, nudging past my gag reflex into my throat.

Pulling back I breathe in and take him deep again. As I suck and start to move up and down his length I grip his balls and torment the soft skin of his taint, sliding a finger up to his ass and the tight ring of muscles. Prodding against his entrance I nudge my finger into his hole, matching the movements of my mouth and finger, moving quicker and deeper.

It’s only moments later I feel Ryan’s body stiffen and his cock harden, and with a roar he comes. My throat and mouth fill with his hot release, his muscles clench tight around my finger as I stroke his most sensitive spot, drawing his climax out longer.

Before he can come down from his high I coat my cock with lubricant and slide into his ass, going balls deep in one thrust. Keeping him still as I roll over him, I look down at his flushed skin and glazed eyes, taking in the whole picture of his perfect face.

“I love you Ryan, I have always loved you.” My hips are slowly sliding against him forcing me deep inside him. As I lean down to kiss him I see a tear slip from his eye breaking my heart. “I’m not going anywhere babe. Not ever leaving you again.” I kiss the tear away before kissing his full soft lips.

“Thank you Nico, thank you for coming home. For finding me again, I don’t know how much longer I would’ve coped.”

We kiss passionately as we come to climax again.

*

I look up at Ryan as he piles mountains of fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes onto our plates and laugh. “Are you trying to fatten me up babe? How can you stay so fit eating this every day? I run a gym and still have to carefully monitor what I eat to stay fit. This isn’t fair.” I pretend to pout as he places the plates on the table but he laughs and pecks me on the lips.

“I don’t do this every day Nic, but I decided after the amount of calories we burnt off last night and this morning, that we were good to go with this.” He moves back to get the coffee pot and then sits down.

“So what’s going on today? What plans have you got? You must have had something lined up before I turned up and took over.” I realize just how starving I am and soon demolish the huge breakfast. “I think I’m going to have to go for a run, I normally run every day so my legs will get twitchy if I don’t.”

“I don’t think it’s such a good idea for you right now.” He glances up at me and smiles.

“I’ll be okay, I think I can remember my way around here. You could come too, do you run?” I look him over, he looks like he runs.

“I do, but it’s not you getting lost that’s my problem. First, you’ve…”

I interrupt him. “There’s more than one reason?” I cock an eyebrow at him and smile wryly.

“Yes there’s more than one, so first is the fact that you took a serious beating to your body less than two days ago, which left you with a slight concussion and bruised ribs, I don’t think running will do either of them any good. Secondly, and I believe this is the most important. It may not be safe for you running on your own. I can’t imagine Team Palmer is feeling particularly kindly towards you.”

“I thought you said they wouldn’t dare come near me.” I stand up pushing my chair away before I grab the empty plates. I’m feeling very fucking irritated and annoyed.

“I did and I meant it, but who’s to say that his brothers or father, hell any of his friends could be out and see you. They may decide to set on you or harass you; I just think we should be careful.” He is standing beside me now re-stacking the dishwasher as I place the detritus of breakfast away.

I snatch the pan out of his hand and glare at him petulantly. “What are you doing? There was nothing wrong with how I had stacked it.”

“You were doing it all wrong. Don’t ignore me either, I’ve got a gym room here, you can run here if you would like.”

“I wasn’t doing it wrong I was doing it differently, that’s all. I obviously haven’t received your dishwasher loading pdf. Do you have a laundry one too? Maybe you should make a cleaning schedule too, while you’re at it.” I’m pissed now, it’s not even about the damn dishes. It’s about the crappiness that is my life. On paper I have everything; I have fame, I have money, I have a great life. But now I have to drag it through the courts. I’m beginning to have second thoughts of prosecuting the assholes, what if they dig up some of the videos?

I look across to Ryan, expecting him to be just as pissed as I am but the little fucker is trying not to laugh. He’s not even trying that hard. The sight of him laughing stills my anxiety and my annoyance disappears. I love this uptight OCD control freak.

“It’s not funny, you little prick!” I grab a towel to flick against his ass.

“Oh it is! A fucking pdf! That’s priceless and your face, you looked like you wanted to stamp your feet.” He laughs again and pulls me into a hug. “Oh baby, I’m sorry I’ll let you load the washer any way you want to.” He kisses my forehead. “But I’m not giving in on the running, I’m serious about Palmer.”

“Fine, I’ll use the treadmill and before you complain again, I promise to go easy. But you weren’t too concerned about my ribs last night.” I laugh at him now as he blushes.

His gym room is well stocked with the best equipment, it looks like a mini version of the gyms I have. He even has posters of me on the walls. I love it; we’ll have to have some shots of him too.

“This is good Ry, where did you get the idea to use this equipment?” I look over at him and see a blush spread up over his neck and face.

“I may have seen an article in a health magazine that was extolling the merits of this stuff.” He grins at me sheepishly.

“You sneaky bastard! Have you been stalking me?” I’m flattered at the thought of him looking for me.

“I prefer to call it enthusiastically following. But yes Nico Angeles I have been monitoring your career. Does it bother you? It was the closest I could get to you.”

“Why didn’t you get in contact?” This conversation suddenly seems more important to me than running.

“You left me Nicky, we had said ‘I love you’ for the first time, we planned to tell our parents and then you disappeared. Nothing, you left no trace. Why would I hurt myself again by seeking you out? I believed I was the reason you left. You had second thoughts about being with me but were too afraid to tell me. I thought your parents hated me for making you leave. You didn’t love me as much as I loved you, I didn’t need to be told that again.”

I watch the look of utter devastation form on his perfect face as he stands still in shock. I see a tear form at the edge of his bright blue eyes.

“Nicky, I’m sorry I…” I stop speaking when he holds his hand up.

“Ryan, I can’t believe how much damage I left you with. I wouldn’t let myself look you up; I told myself that you would quickly hate me and move on with your life. We were eighteen and we loved each other, I can’t believe how much I fucked up. I expected you to be married, that you would have found a good man who treated you right. I hoped for that because I wanted at least one of us to have found love again. I don’t know where to start making it up to you.”

I walk over to him and place my hands on his hips and my thumbs rest on the awesome V muscles on his hips. “Nicky, trust me I don’t care anymore, we have fifty years ahead of us, we will soon forget about the ten we had apart. Maybe it’s better it happened this way, perhaps we wouldn’t have made it if we had stayed together at eighteen.”

I laugh when he growls his disapproval. “Never baby, we would never have split up.” His mouth is on my neck now nibbling the skin with his lips and teeth.

“Okay, maybe not but I’m a great believer in everything happening for a reason. I’m not saying your rape and beating were a necessary part of your life but we have both fought battles and demons and we are stronger men for it. Together and apart.” It’s my turn to lick his neck as his hands travel around my waist and into the back of my shorts.

I break away from him but with my hands on his hips. “Are you bothered about running? I’ve got something I want to show you.”

“If it’s in your shorts then I’ve seen it before and as much as I love it I need a rest.” I love hearing his laugh.

“Come on then, we’ll go to the TV room.” He lets me hold onto his hand as I drag him out of the gym room.

“Your house is way too big for just you. You do realize that, don’t you?” I look around and take in another room, this one has large soft sofas and a huge TV mounted on the wall opposite. “Whoa I thought I had a big TV, Christ it must be what 79”?”

“Nah 84”. I like to watch the game on a big screen, so shoot me.” I laugh. “No I want to show you some pictures of me over the last ten years, would you like to see them?”

“Hell yes I would! Do you want to see some of me too? I know you’ve seen the publicity ones, but I have some private ones too?”

“God, I’d love to, go and grab your laptop, I’ll set it up here.” I drop a kiss on his lips before he goes.

This is amazing, I never thought I’d really get to share this with him but the whole album was set up for him, if I ever had the chance to show him. Some of them may hurt him but my life did have to go on. It takes just a few minutes to hook the TV and computer together and I get the first picture on ready for when he returns. It’s our prom picture.

I’ve grabbed a couple of bottles of water and I sit waiting for Nico. When he stands in the doorway I watch his face as he see the photograph.

“I can’t believe I walked away from you Ryan, but look how young we are. Jeez that was more than a lifetime ago.” His smile is faint but it’s there and I’m pleased. “Come on then, how do you want to do this?”

“We don’t have to look at all of them on the screen, I just wanted you to see this. Maybe we could share a couple at a time and talk through what was going on.”

“Yeah, I’d be more comfortable looking at the smaller screen. I’ll go first.” He sits next to me and opens up his laptop and the first picture I see is him laughing with Franco.

“Tell me about this one.” I sit back with my arm across the back of the sofa my fingers stroke through his soft hair.

“This was just after my first shoot, Franco was laughing at the photographer trying to hit on me.” He relaxes against my touch and continues to talk about his mentor, his friend, his savior. We come across another where Nico has his arms around his friend in a sad embrace.

“What’s going on here?” My hand is now on the nape of his neck, running featherlike touches over his skin.

“This was after his diagnosis, Troy captured this. It’s one of my favorites even though it is so painful it feels so true and right. He had just said a strange thing to me there, I was having trouble holding myself together.” I watch as he takes a deep breath as the emotion in the picture overwhelms him.

“It’s okay Nicky, take your time. I love how much you are sharing with me.” I kiss his temple and hold onto his shaking hand,

“He said he was able to cope with his diagnosis because I was his guardian angel sent to him to help him through his troubles. He said the angels had been surrounding him guiding him down a street he had never been on before on the night he found me, my own were summoning him to me. His said he could cope with death as he had been living with the weight of it on his shoulders all his life.”

“I don’t understand, what is the connection?” I’m trying to work it out but I’m so wrapped in his story I can’t think straight.

“Oh it’s because of our names. I’m Angeles and his was De’ath. My life made sense at that moment. I had to leave you because I needed to be with him. But after his treatment failed he became very insistent that I come and find you. He told me I had punished myself enough and you had suffered enough.”

“How would he know about my life?” I find it strange that a man I had watched for years knew about me.

“Oh Franco knew everything, he never divulged anything but I think he kept an eye on you.”

“I don’t know what to think about that.” I feel confused.

“Can we see some of yours now?” He asks, I can see Nico is worn out for now so I bring up some of mine.

The first few were just of me and a couple of our old schools friends but we moved on to my army time. I watch his face closely as he studies one of me and my buddies crammed into a tent full of cots and makeshift cupboard. We are all laughing and pulling muscleman poses.

“You look happy.” Nico’s voice breaks through my memories.

“I haven’t thought about it for a long while, but I was. I liked the structure, we had a job to do and we planned it meticulously but we fooled around a lot too. The camaraderie was genuine, the friendships were strong. ” My hand reaches out and touches the screen.

“What are you thinking Ryan, don’t hide from me.” He comforts me this time.

“That’s Isaac, we had a brief fling. More a letting off steam and frustration thing but it was fun for the time it lasted, we knew we weren’t looking for anything more. We couldn’t, we were in a war zone, we didn’t know if we would survive the next turn in the road.” I drop my hand and automatically rub my bicep.

“Do you keep in touch?” Nic’s voice is a whisper or maybe I’m just lost in my thoughts.

“No, Isaac didn’t come home. I lost him and three other buddies one afternoon. It was an ambush I didn’t think any of us would survive, but two of us did. Ben lost a leg but he survived and I walked away basically unhurt.” My hand reaches for my arm again rubbing against the ink, but my mind is still in the desert and the secrets I have to keep.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Nico’s hand reaches across me and moves my hand away. “What are these?” He looks at the rows of numbers on my upper arm.

“It’s the service numbers of each of the buddies I left over in the desert.” I try to move his hand away but he doesn’t release mine.

“Fuck Ryan, there are, what…” I watch him count the rows and columns. “Ten, Jesus there are ten of them.” He turns his face to mine and covers my mouth with his; I can feel the emotion pouring through his kiss. “How the hell did you get out alive?”

I laugh dryly “My CO couldn’t believe how many times I got out alive. He told me I must have a guardian angel looking after me somewhere.” I find myself unable to look into Nico’s eyes but when I do he has them tight shut controlling the stem of tears.

“Your tattoo? The one on your back, it’s of an angel. Fuck Ry, I can’t deal with this.” His eyes open again. “When did you get that done?”

“Just before my first tour, I was talking to Leif Anders, d’you remember him? Yeah well, we had a couple of beers before I went and he said you’d better take a guardian angel with you, so I did. I took you on my back. I had the artist add your image to the face. Not to look like you but more the essence of you.”

“Jeez, I don’t know what to think or what to say Ryan. This is a lot to take in.” He stands up and walks a couple of steps away from me.

“You’re overthinking this Nicky, it was just a couple of comments said in jest. It doesn’t have to mean any more than that. I was lucky, that’s all I was just very fucking lucky.” But I shudder at another memory.

My eyes move over to the photo on Nic’s screen. “Shit Nico, what the fuck is this?”

“What?” He sits back next to me and looks at the photograph. “Fuck!”

I can see his back as he lies on a table, the outline of his beautiful tree tattoo. It’s just the trunk and branches, none of the leaves had been added yet. But the weave of the branches as they spread up and out over the widest part of his back spell out my name. It is so subtle that from a different angle I might not have caught it, my fingers trace the letters.

“How did you see that, nobody else that’s seen this picture has ever commented? Shit, apart from Franco. He saw it, he just never spoke of it but I remember the way he raised his eyebrows and had a smug smile on his face when he looked at it.”

“It’s covered up now with all the leaves, why did you bother with doing it just to hide it?” I run my hand down his back and feel him tremble under my touch.

“I needed to know it was there. I wanted you under my skin, you were in my heart, you were on my mind, after I got the tattoo, I had you on my body too.”

“This wasn’t what I thought this would be like, I thought we would laugh at the silly things that had happened I didn’t expect it to be so cathartic, so freeing. I’m glad this happened Nic.” My eyes look back at the slideshow on the screen now. “Whoa! Who the fuck is that pretty twink lying naked over you?”

Nico throws his head back and laughs loudly. “That delicious piece of jailbait is Troy. Although he’s not jailbait he’s twenty three, he was only just legal when he met Franco. That’s why you only ever saw Franco with me; he would have been hounded if he courted Troy out in front of the press.”

“Why is he naked on top of you, I mean he’s very nice to look at but you said he wasn’t your type?” He’s still laughing at me.

“No he’s way too fragile for me, but Franco liked the contrast of our bodies together, my darker skin against his pale milky flesh, my muscles to his fragility that sort of thing. There are a few more of us so you may not want to look through many more.” I laugh as he wiggles his eyebrows at me.

“Hell no I want to see them.” I snatch the computer from his lap and move the cursor across to see the next.

“Whatever, I’m going to get a beer do you want one?” He smirks and shakes his head as I laugh at the screen.