What We May be (5 page)

His hand jerked in Rick’s, startled more than anything else.

It didn’t break the contact, but it was enough to pull Jared forward, his eyes darting around for a moment to see if anybody was listening.

“Why are you so surprised?” Rick’s quiet question yanked his focus back, only to see that he had leaned closer, too. Now their noses were only inches apart, and he got another hint of 37

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the man’s sexy scent. “You think because of what I do, I’ve sworn off sex?”

“No, it’s just…” His hand fluttered in Rick’s direction.

“Look at you.”

“Are we back to that again?”

“I don’t think it’s such a bad assumption to make. You’re built like a linebacker. Nobody thinks of linebackers taking it up the ass.”

Rick smiled at his blunt language. “Clearly, they don’t know what they’re missing then. But if you don’t top, that’s okay. I switch, no problem.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t top.”

His nostrils flared, and his pupils noticeably dilated more.

Rick’s desire was a potent beast between them now, one Jared was having more and more trouble not acting on. “But…?”

“No buts.” Jared licked his lip. When had his mouth gotten so dry? “If that’s what you want, why are we here?”

“I promised you a drink.”

“I think I’d like the other choice more.”

“And you’ll get it. I promise that, too.”

Jared was going to hold him to it.

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The nerves he’d felt approaching Rick’s door earlier that night were nothing compared to the excitement bubbling beneath his skin at approaching it the second. Rick was nothing but a bundle of surprises. Down to earth, Jared had expected. Gorgeous and muscled and preferring to bottom than top? Not so much. Wanting Jared to bend him over and fuck him into the bed until neither one of them could walk—as Rick had whispered hot and heavy in his ear during the cab ride back to his apartment—had definitely not been on the radar.

As Jared leaned his shoulder against the wall next to the door, his gaze slid down Rick’s body. Six and a half feet of 39

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solid, lickable muscle. A perfectly molded ass that not even his off-the-rack pants could ruin the shape of. A very distinct bulge at his groin, the one that still had Jared’s fingers tingling from groping in the taxi. All his for the next eight hours. Rick wanted to get pounded into the mattress? Jared was more than happy to oblige.

The door swung open into darkness. Casting him a soft smile, Rick tilted his head toward the interior, then vanished inside without uttering a word. Jared followed, bound to him by the invisible threads of their desire. He nearly collided with Rick’s back where the man had paused to snap on a small lamp, but after catching himself, closed the rest of the distance to wrap his arm around Rick’s waist.

Rick groaned, grinding back against Jared’s erection.

“You’re killing me here.”

“I’m killing you?” Jared smoothed his hand downward, finding the thick line of Rick’s cock and squeezing. “You’re the one who had the dirty mouth in the cab. I think you’re getting exactly what you deserve.”

“Not yet,” came the ragged reply. “But hopefully soon.”

He engulfed the hand Jared had on his cock and led him away from the door, his path unerring through the apartment.

Jared was too focused on the broad back to waste time looking around. The only room he cared about was the one Rick was intent to reach.

That one mirrored its owner to a T. A large bed was shoved into the corner, proof of a man used to being on his own and not having to worry about a partner having room to 40

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get out in the middle of the night to take a piss or get a drink.

The thick, navy comforter was faded and wash-softened, but there was a mountain of pillows at the head, too many for a single occupant to use. Rick obviously had a weakness for them. The rest of the room was unremarkable, except for a guitar mounted on a stand in the corner and the towering wardrobe he had instead of a closet.

Rick turned around and promptly brought his hands up to Jared’s face, holding his head still as he bent forward for a kiss. Jared clutched at his waist at the first contact, already open, already hungry for the slide of Rick’s tongue across his own. Broad thumbs stroked his cheeks as Rick devoured him, which did nothing to quell the quivering in his muscles. It was the breathless anticipation of
more
that did it to him. It always had. The burst of succulence on his tongue, where desire and opportunity crashed headlong in an unbridled explosion.

Jared tugged at Rick’s shirt, desperate to feel the muscles laid bare against his fingertips. It came free in short, jerky motions, bumping their hips together to send shocks through his cock with each jolting contact. Rick groaned each time they touched. His kisses grew almost savage, all sharp edges.

Gone was the easygoing date he’d had most of the night. This one was hopped up and horny as hell. Jared got a little bit harder just thinking about it.

Somehow, the shirt finally came free, giving him room to slide his hand up the smooth expanse of Rick’s back. Muscles rippled beneath his palm. A shudder wracked through Rick.

When Jared dug his nails in, Rick finally released his face and 41

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gasped for breath.

“Hang on.”

Rick stepped back only far enough to undo the top few buttons of his shirt before yanking it unceremoniously over his head. It exposed his broad chest, the dark blond hair just thick enough for Jared to curl his fingers into later on when he wanted. For now, Jared yielded to the temptation of bending down to flick his tongue over a flat nipple.

The result was electric. Rick jerked at the simple touch, goose bumps erupting from his skin, visible even beneath the coarse hair. His already ragged breath froze, only to be let out in a single, shuddering exhalation. His hands curled into fists at his side, clenching and unclenching as he struggled with his desire. But when he grappled to try and get Jared’s jacket off him, he hesitated.

Jared frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Rick took a step back. A step in the wrong direction. “As excited as I am, I’ll rip that off you if you let me undress you.

Maybe you should do it. I’ll take care of mine then.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say having his favorite Cavalli suit torn to shreds because Rick wanted him just that much would be worth it, but then Jared realized what he’d been about to say and cut it off at the knees.

He flashed Rick a smile as he began to strip. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but the fact that you have enough focus to even think about not ruining my suit means you aren’t nearly as worked up as I want you to be.”

Rick toed off his shoes, his hands working furiously at 42

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opening his worn leather belt. “Oh, I’m worked up. I just know that’s what’s important to you.” He grinned and shoved his pants down, using the weight of his belt to help them crumple to a mass on the floor. “Of course, getting you pissed off so you fuck me harder might’ve been a good idea, too.”

The retort died in his throat at the first sight of Rick’s powerful thighs and the thick erection bobbing between them.

The guys Jared usually went out with had standing appointments for wax jobs, which often made even their cocks look effeminate. Rick probably didn’t even realize salons offered those kinds of services. He wouldn’t quite qualify for bear status, but hell if he didn’t ooze masculinity from every pore. A prominent vein ran from the flared crown to the even thicker base, and pre-come glistened at the slit. Even his balls were a mouthful, and Jared sank to his knees before he could stop himself.

His hand folded over Rick’s, holding him steady as he sucked the head past his lips. Rick made a choking sound before settling his other hand on Jared’s shoulder. Not to drag him back to his feet. To hold him down.

Jared smiled and looked up through his lashes. He swirled his tongue around the tip, wetting it further, before seeking out the pre-come that had teased him with the first taste. A moan escaped both of them when he sealed his mouth again and sucked. God, Rick tasted good. The vein throbbed against his lips, echoing his own racing pulse, and he sank a little bit lower in order to get the weight of the shaft against his tongue.

“Love your mouth,” Rick rasped. He skimmed his hand up 43

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Jared’s neck to trace the stretched lips around his shaft. “First time I saw you, all I could think about was what it would be like to feel it.”

Jared pulled off, licking around the head. “I probably would’ve blown you that night if you would’ve let me.”

Another groan. “You’re not supposed to make me regret taking so long to hook up, you know.”

“Oops. My mistake. Let me just make it up to you.”

He swallowed Rick back in, pushing his hand out of the way to be able to grip lower around the base. Jared hummed as he bobbed his head, as much for himself as for Rick. He wasn’t convinced he’d be able to take it all into his throat, but damn if he wasn’t going to try. The thought of Rick grabbing his head to fuck his face had him fumbling with his fly to free his own cock.

His lips tingled by the time Rick tugged at his hair.

“This’ll be over before we get to the good stuff if you keep that up.” Rick stepped back, too, as if the added distance would help. “You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“I might have a little one.”

Jared straightened and went back to work on his half-discarded clothing, watching Rick move to the bed through heavy-lidded eyes. The man had a body like a marble statue, flexing with every sinuous movement. His torso twisted as he reached for the nightstand, cutting each muscle in stark relief, and he pulled out a box of condoms and a jar of lube. When he faced Jared again, his gaze narrowed in on Jared’s cock, his 44

WHAT WE MAY BE

nostrils flaring as he practically growled.

“That’s not a little one.”

Jared smiled. “No, not really.” He draped his pants along with his shirt and jacket over the arm of the nearby chair. He had felt an initial draft when he’d first unbuttoned, but now his skin was hot and tight, ready to split open at the first contact, he feared.

When Jared bent one knee to the edge of the bed, Rick grabbed his hand and yanked him forward. Jared fell onto his chest, chuckling at the haste, but the sound was obliterated by the crush of their mouths again, Rick’s broad fingers clasping Jared’s ass to fully align their bodies.

Every pound of Rick’s heart tattooed onto Jared’s skin.

Within the circle of Rick’s arms, there was no way to move or adjust his position, though the last thing Jared wanted was to lose the hard press of that thick cock against his hip. They ground together, creating new sensations, new fires, all the while never giving up on the kisses.

Rick was the one to shift first. He spread his legs, letting Jared slip between them, and braced his heels on the bed.

Jared rocked backward, and his cock dragged along Rick’s shaft, leaving a trail of pre-come in its wake. Instinct told him to thrust forward, but he held firm, not yielding to the urge until the wet tip nudged Rick’s balls.

“God, you’re going to feel so good,” Rick murmured. With one last squeeze, he let go of Jared’s ass to scramble to the side for the lube.

Jared caught his wrist. “Not yet.”

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Rick groaned. “You’re not actually going to make me wait, are you?”

Shaking his head, Jared nibbled down to Rick’s chest, licking along the hard muscle until his mouth watered. “I’m just going to use other ways to get you slick first.”

“Oh, God.”

But he didn’t stop Jared, not when he bit at Rick’s nipple, not when he dragged the flat of his tongue over it. The coarse hair scraped over Jared’s already sensitive skin, and he deliberately rubbed harder to make it burn. Rational thought was gone. They acted entirely on base needs, the most carnal desires. Rick’s strong fingers touched everywhere they could reach for as long as he could, finally settling on Jared’s head.

Jared licked down the twitching shaft only once. He’d already had a taste of Rick’s cock. Now he wanted a taste of his ass.

Rick lifted his hips to help, spreading his legs even wider.

His balls were as heavy as they had promised to be, but Jared lingered on them for only moments. He rolled them around his mouth, first one and then the other, and let his fingers explore the warm crease between the other man’s buttocks. Heat radiated from both of them. What would happen when they finally came together? Would they be able to even last? Jared couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this aroused by a lover. Hell, he couldn’t even remember his own last name right then, either.

The first touch to Rick’s tight pucker made Jared shiver.

The muscle was clenching and unclenching, over and over again, in Rick’s anticipation of penetration. If he’d had any 46

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doubts about Rick’s eagerness—which he hadn’t—that would have dispelled them, right there. Jared abandoned the heavy sac to move downward, savoring the velvety skin behind the balls for long seconds first. His cock ached. There was a wet patch on the blanket from the pre-come that had already soaked through it. Part of Jared thought he could probably come with just a few pulls of his length and his tongue in Rick’s ass.

The only problem with that was they both wanted more.

“Know what I thought that first night?” Grasping the taut flesh and spreading the cheeks even farther apart, Jared looked up Rick’s body until the other man met his gaze. “I couldn’t stop staring at your ass. You have no idea how glad I was that you were gay.”

“I’ll bet about as glad as I was that you actually called me.”

“How could I not?”

Rick snorted. “You’d be surprised.”

Jared blew across the hole, watching it tighten before he leaned in and dragged his tongue over it. Once wasn’t enough.