Savior: A Tattered Club Story (Tattered Social Club Series Book 1) (16 page)

“Can we at least agree,” Niko whispered between gently prying Ethan’s full lips apart. “Let’s take this slow and see where it goes? I can’t make promises right now, Ethan. I can give you what I am and you have to decide if it’s enough.”

Ethan finally gave Niko’s tongue access and nipped on his upper lip. “Will you have a party for my birthday? I might be able to let you fuck me if you throw me a twentieth birthday bash. I’ll wear something sexy. A tight tank top? Skinny jeans? Maybe walk out of the back naked. You could jump out of a cake for me. Wait,” he teased, pushing against Niko’s thick chest. “How about you dance for me like Channing Tatum? Oh, I want that.”

Niko grinned, leaning back to gain the warmth of Ethan’s mouth. He never wanted to stop kissing those sweet lips. “Seriously?” He stole another kiss, this time Ethan moaning into his mouth. “You want to walk out of my bedroom naked to a room full of people?” He growled with the pressure of Ethan’s slender fingers against his straining cock.

“Yup, they can see how excited you make me. I’ll be hard as a rock. So will you. Don’t lie. You’ll toss me over the couch and fuck me in front of everyone.”

The thought sent a shiver through his arms and he fisted the hair on the back of Ethan’s head. “Jesus, where did you come from? Yes, I want to fuck you so bad I can’t walk straight. I’ve never been this hard.”

Ethan pushed him so hard, he skipped a couple of steps back. “Come in my mouth.”

Niko’s stomach rushed like the tip over when falling down the hill on a roller coaster. “Here?”

Ethan got on his knees and looked up with a cheesy ass grin. “Yes, I know you aren’t boyfriend material and I’m going to have to deal with that, but if I keep my thoughts straight, I can see us being friends with benefits.”

Ethan made quick work of tugging Niko’s jeans and underwear down his thighs. Niko looked over at the door. He heard footsteps. Was that a voice outside the door? Did someone knock? He looked down. Hot silk engulfed the head of his cock and his hips jerked. He scrambled back. “Get over here.” He pressed his back against the door.

Ethan crawled over, unzipping his shorts along the way. When he pulled out his long cock, Niko almost blew his load. God, he was an asshole if he couldn’t even last long enough to get head.

“I love your cock, Niko. I love the way it tastes, the thick vein—” His voice muffled around the girth. “The way it fills my mouth.”

“Goddamn, you talk filthy.” Niko pumped his hips to slide his cock onto Ethan’s hungry tongue. “I want to fuck you. When can I fuck you?”

Ethan leaned back on his heels leaving Niko to stroke his cock. “Can I come while you fuck me?”

Niko’s balls tighten, his cock grew painfully stiff. “Yes, I want you to come all over. Jesus, Ethan, your dick is so—I have to come.”

Ethan leaned forward and swallow the length of Niko’s cock until the tip tapped the back of his throat. Niko‘s shoulders tightened when the heat jetted from his body. The ripple of Ethan’s throat drew out the last of the spasms. He was spent, exhausted, and embarrassed because he’d never come so fast with anyone.

His body jerked when Ethan popped the head of his cock out of his mouth. “I want to come, too.” Ethan stood and Niko leaned his head on the back of the door. Was he really going to do this again? This shit just got real and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He wanted Ethan’s thick cum all over his face and, right now, he was too weak to fight the desire.

He reached down, stroking Ethan’s impressive length as he knelt. There was no way he was going to be able to take all of it down his throat, but he opened and sucked. With his tongue exploring the vein running along the shaft, he teased the clear fluid leaking from the slit in the tip. He liked the taste. Earthy, unmistakably male.

Ethan was probably embarrassed as he’d been because within three or four minutes Niko was taking quick swallows to fill his gut with his cum. He was thankful when Ethan slapped his hand over his mouth. With every jerk of his hips, a guttural moan was muted under his palm. He liked that he was verbal letting Niko know he was out of control. At least they had that in common. When nothing else seemed to fit together between them, they shared this attraction.

“Niko?” Scarlet softly knocked on the door. “I haven’t seen Ethan in a while. I sent him back here and he never came back. Do you think he went upstairs? And your client’s been waiting. He’s had two cups of coffee.”

Niko wiped the back of his hand over his lips.
Shit. Shit.
“Bathroom.” He shuffled to his feet and quickly pulled up his jeans. “Give me five and I’ll be ready. Just cleaning up.”

“Okay, I’ll give him a complimentary cigar.”

Ethan snickered and whispered, “Cleaning up, all right. You’ve got some of my cum on your shirt. I guess I filled your mouth pretty good.”

Niko dipped his chin and saw the white blob. Today he’d worn a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. For some fucking reason he’d hoped Ethan would like it. “Shit,” he grumbled and started unbuttoning the shirt. Thank God he wore a white tank top underneath.

Ethan tucked his dick back into his underwear and zipped his cargo shorts. “You’re so sexy, Niko. I want to lick every tattoo. Even with that oh-crap face, you’re still adorable.”

Niko looked up. Most people stared at his ink and quickly looked away. Not even the women he’d been with had wanted to lick his ink. They all wanted to lick his dick, but he wasn’t down for that. Ethan was the first person to wrap his lips around his cock since the guy in the bathroom.

When Ethan righted the hem of his snug T-shirt, Niko reached over and grabbed his hand. “I can’t be your boyfriend. I can…I can be something else. I have no idea what, but I can be this.” He leaned down to make up the difference in their heights and pressed his sticky lips against Ethan’s soft mouth.

Ethan drew his arms around Niko’s neck, instantly making the tension in his gut still. “Friends with benefits, then.” Ethan curled his lips up, but it wasn’t a genuine smile. Ethan wanted more, and he felt like a total douche asking for something physical with no attachments. He wasn’t built for the whole relationship thing.

“I’ll just find a boyfriend for the emotional stuff. Maybe he could join in sometimes.”

Niko fisted the sides of Ethan’s T-shirt. “Like fuck you will. This arrangement is you and me. Got it? No fucking boyfriends.” Niko hated the way the smile faded and a genuine one bloomed. “What are you smiling about?”

Ethan peppered soft kisses along the shades of grey-and-white sand trickling down his hourglass tattoo. “I want to kiss your neck for days. Why this one? Why an hourglass?”

“Time.” Niko stepped away. He needed distance, from what he didn’t know. “I shouldn’t have any left, but the clock keeps giving me another minute then another hour.”

Ethan’s sweet smile disappeared as he picked up the rolls of paper towels. “I’m glad the clock keeps going. I think I’m going to want you around for a while longer.”

When Ethan grabbed the doorknob, for a split second, Niko didn’t care who was on the other side. He wanted him to stay, to lie on the table and let him explore every freckle, every scar, hell every cell on that tender, lithe body.

But he let him go. He had no idea how to make someone stay. Empty promises weren’t something he could give and no matter how much he wanted to call out for him to come back, the reality was—fuck being gay—he’d never had a relationship. Was this what people did? Torture each other until one caved and all hell broke loose?

Niko headed to the bathroom, fuming at the thought of Ethan laughing in bed with another man. A boyfriend. He closed the bathroom door and turned on the sink. The cool water splashing on his face dampened his simmering temper.

If he was the man who got everything done, why couldn’t he do this? Had he pushed too hard? He pumped the dispenser several times, filling his palm with soap. As the suds ran through his fingers, he imagined Ethan in the shower, fluffy white clouds spilling over the valley between two raised pecs. Slick skin stretched tight over a slender six-pack. Holy hell. Niko leaned his fevered forehead against the cool wall.

He studied his reflection in the mirror. How could two men be so different?

Friends with benefits?

Niko turned and grabbed the doorknob. He’d give Ethan benefits so good he’d never want a boyfriend again.

*****

Niko paced outside the apartment door. With Casper calmly sitting on his haunches, tail wagging, he walked back and forth on the small landing. The fur ball had been excited ever since Niko clicked the leash to his collar. The walk over should’ve lasted longer than it had, but what started out as a casual stroll ended up in a brisk walk.

Now, what in the hell was he supposed to do? Standing outside the apartment felt too real, like when the thud of the gun echoed against the worn yellow and pink linoleum floor. Niko fought the flinch teasing his shoulders. He’d run that night when his mother had screamed and used every dish towel in the place to stop his dad’s bleeding wound.

A kid with a record looked guilty running when the victim, lying on the dirty kitchen floor with a shattered femur had ratted his son out. Just like running over here. He looked guilty on both occasions.

Stopping the frantic pacing, he slid down the wall and sat next to his panting dog. The moment he started to pet Casper’s smooth head, the fur ball leaned in and pressed this wide rib cage against Niko’s thigh. Just a guy and his dog. Maybe that was the way it should be. His life had worked out this way for a reason.

What in the hell was he doing here anyway? Not being gay but wanting to fuck Ethan was a disaster. If tonight happened, there was no going back. He couldn’t
unimagine
having his cock in Ethan’s ass. After kissing those sweet, eager lips, there would be no woman who’d be able to release the tension in his gut. The coil in his stomach tightened. Would he even be able to get a hard-on with them anymore?

He leaned the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes. The steady up and down of Casper’s breathing calmed his nerves. Maybe Ethan wasn’t home yet. He could leave. No harm done. The guys wouldn’t know he’d been here. Hell, he could bury these feelings, or whatever in the hell they were.

“Are you coming in or setting up camp out here?”

Niko opened his eyes. Ethan stood in the doorway with a kitchen mitt on one hand and a spatula in the other. Niko laughed, which made the breath he’d been holding come out in a honk. “What in the hell are you doing?”

“Apparently, trying to figure out why a man is stalking my door. Hi, Casper.” Ethan waved the spatula at the dog. “I figured you’d be hungry so I made tacos, but if you’d rather sit out here for the evening, I can bring you a plate.”

Niko hung his head and smiled. “Smart-ass.”

“I like to think so. Come on, it’s ready. Scarlet took me to the store so I’ve got some goodies for us.”

Niko flattened his palm against the wall and stood. “Goodies? So, you’re all Betty Crocker and shit now?”

“I guess,” Ethan leaned back into the doorway, giving Niko and Casper room to pass. “The chef who cooked for Charles taught me a few things. She set an ice pack on the counter when she made breakfast.”

Niko turned, the statement taking him off guard. “Ice pack?”

Ethan shut the door and walked past, his gaze focused on the little kitchen area. “I guess I looked pretty bad after a session.”

Niko lost his appetite. The fucking bastard beat the shit out of Ethan and he’d taken it…for money. “That’s fucked up, Ethan. Was the money really worth it?”

When Ethan whipped around, Niko braced his hands on his hips. Ethan’s jaw twitched, eyes going dark. “We all do a lot for money, Niko. I assume you’ve done things you’re not proud of. Yes, I took shit from a guy who beat the crap out of me and paid for things I needed. Did I lose my self-respect? Yes. Did I lose who I had been before I met him? Yes. But, now, I want to do this on my own. I’m working hard to not let that happen again. If you want to judge me for what I’ve done, then you can leave.”

Niko rubbed the smooth skin on his chin. Yeah, he knew exactly what the guy was saying. He’d lost his soul more than once and, thanks to The Professor, he’d built a life to get it back. “I get it.” Feeling the tightness in his abs start to release, Ethan’s shoulders relaxed. “So, we’re starving over here. Are you going to feed us or do we have to sit outside again?”

A smile bloomed on Ethan’s handsome face.
Such a baby face.
His gut tightened. “You’re young.” He didn’t realize he’d blurted out the statement until it was in the air.

Ethan laughed and turned to grab two plates from the counter. “I turn twenty next week. You didn’t seem to mind my age when you had your cock in my mouth.”

Niko didn’t like the hand he’d been dealt on that one, but Ethan was right. Nineteen seemed like a kid, but next week was twenty and the four-year age difference wasn’t such a big deal. Ethan set the plates on the coffee table. Niko’s hands were hot, the burn making his fingers curl and flex. He didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to talk about anything. He needed Ethan upstairs in bed. “Now.” Unable to find the romantic words he knew Ethan probably wanted to hear, he skipped the verbal foreplay. “Upstairs.”

Ethan slid his hand down his face. Was he changing his mind? Had Niko shown his cards and now the dealer was wiping him out? For a second, he was ready to turn, hit the door, and forget this night ever happened. “Wait,” Ethan said, his pale hand latching onto Niko’s bicep. “Don’t go. I see it on your face. You’re scared. I’m here to enjoy this as much as you are. It’s been a long time for me and I’m nervous, too.”

The long lashes fell and lifted as Ethan’s pretty eyes pleaded for something, the same thing, Niko believed, that he was seeking. “Okay,” he whispered. This night was going to change every cell in his body. Like the night he ran, fear gripped his heart, but just as he’d stood tall when his mother drove away from the facility in which he’d been placed, he’d survive this, too.

Ethan slid his tender hand down the bumps and valleys of Niko’s painted arm. “I can’t wait to lick every one of these.”