Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  Which reminded him…

  “I hate to be a killjoy,” he said. “But is there anything else I should know about before we settle in for the night? Y’all order pizzas?” He swept his gaze over the room. “Or strippers?” It was a bachelor party, after all.

  Joey and Gabe, the two grooms, looked horrified. “God, no, no strippers,” said Gabe. Then he snapped his head around and glared at Trent, who was quietly setting up a seriously impressive number of bowls and plates of food, not to mention lining up cocktails and shots along the small bar. “Right, Trent,” Gabe said pointedly. “Because I know Blake told you no strippers.”

  Trent smirked, licking barbecue sauce off one of his fingers before casually slugging back a shot of tequila from the bottle. “Nah, dude,” he said in a low voice that rumbled from his chest. “To each their own, but I find paying someone to get naked for you a little skeezy.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Much more fun to just find a nice girl who wants to do it of her own accord.”

  “Or nice dude,” said Elion, raising his beer. Blake slapped him playfully.

  Trent raised his own beer. “Or dude.”

  “Yes, well,” said Blake. “Some of us don’t have to try and find anyone to do that anymore, do we?”

  He kissed Elion’s cheek as Gabe snuggled closer to Joey.

  Raiden made a retching noise as the rest of the guys laughed. “Blurgh, happy people are gross. Levi, get over here with the other singles and let’s turn up the music.”

  The room naturally divided into two, with the two couples on the sofas discussing wedding plans and the three single, straight guys gravitating towards the bar.

  Mostly straight.

  Levi bit his lip as Trent handed him a beer and the three of them clinked bottles. As much as he tried, he was struggling to get Raiden’s words out of his head. Could it be that it was more than just enjoying getting his cock sucked? Could he have a thing for guys? Not as much as women, but could it be there, lurking?

  If it was, it couldn’t happen with Raiden. So he took a swig of beer and committed himself to finding a balance between keeping his wits about him and participating enough so Raiden didn’t feel he was being watched and judged.

  “This is awesome, TJ,” Raiden said. He picked up a slice of pizza that had obviously arrived before they had. “Thank you, man.”

  Trent leaned against the counter and smiled. “It was a group effort,” he said.

  He had a similar build to Levi and wore a simple vest that showed off the body art on his light brown arms. Half of his dark hair fell in thick waves to his shoulders and the rest was tied in a knot behind his head. His dark eyes were framed with thick eyebrows that gave him a slightly scary look. Levi could see why he was popular with the ladies. There was apparently a new one on his arm each week, according to the internet.

  He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This job had turned him into a goddamned fanboy.

  “It actually worked out better that you couldn’t make last night,” Trent continued. “This way, we all made it, and as fun as the gig sounded, it’s better to just hang. Catch up.”

  Raiden looked at the others. “Well, almost all of us. I guess Reyse was too busy?” he said ruefully.

  Trent arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, he is busy,” he admitted, referring to the fifth and final former member of Below Zero, Reyse Hickson. “But I think he finds it hard, don’t you? Like, he’s feeling guilty he’s such a huge success.”

  “You’re hardly struggling for work,” Levi commented. “I liked that last movie you did, with the terrorists in Paris.”

  Like Joey, Trent had gone into acting after the band had split. Levi had never thought much of him, but as part of his research, he’d bothered to watch a couple of the more action-orientated films he’d done. They weren’t half bad.

  Raiden scoffed and punched Trent’s impressive bicep. “Better than the puppy day care one,” he said with a snicker.

  “Or the one where you voiced an animated trash can,” Joey added with a hoot from across the room.

  Trent gave them a playful smirk. “You can all suck my magnificent cock,” he said to a collective cheer.

  It reminded Levi a little of hanging with his guys on tour. Makeshift bunks set up under a tent big enough to house a dozen or two dozen men, all blowing off steam in various ways. Namely ribbing the shit out of each other. For the first time in a long while, he felt somewhat at ease. Like he’d come home.

  “Let’s just be grateful the four of us could make it,” Trent said, presumably returning to their conversation about Reyse. “Hicks will come back to us when he can.”

  Raiden gave his friend a thoughtful smile and touched his arm. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “Good, because you owe us a shot,” Trent said playfully. He vaulted around the bar with surprising agility, scooping up the tequila bottle as he went.

  “Another one?” Raiden groaned. “I’ve hardly eaten anything.”

  “Do you really think there’s any getting out of this?” Gabe said in exasperation as Trent dropped into the seat beside him. “Come on, get over here.”

  “You too, Levi!” cried Elion excitably.

  Trent shook his head as he lined up shot glasses. “Boss man is working, no shots for him. Unlike the rest of you pussies.” With a wicked grin, he thrust a bowl of lemon slices into Blake’s lap. The large number he’d prepared did not bode well for the evening.

  Levi was impressed at Trent’s consideration, and Raiden gave him a small smile and pat on the back before heading over to sit on the sofa. But Levi felt an itch at the back of his mind, as if he wanted Raiden’s friends to like him, to approve of him. This wasn’t high school, so he was a douche for even legitimizing such a thought. But on the other hand, it took a hell of a lot to put him on his ass.

  “I think this US Marine can handle one,” he said, perching on the sofa arm next to Raiden.

  “Yes!” Elion cheered. “That’s the spirit, dude. See, Raiden. He doesn’t have that much of a stick up his ass.”

  Raiden froze. “I, uh…”

  Levi chuckled. Of course Raiden had told his buddies that Levi was a stiff. That was his job, after all. “I think Ray here needs to do a double for that,” he said slyly, arching his eyebrow down at Raiden. Was it his imagination, or did he tremble slightly?

  The suggestion that Raiden do two got a cheer and several whoops from the other guys. “I like this one,” said little Joey, who was already a bit worse for wear. He leaned over and patted Levi’s knee. “I think you should keep him, Ray.”

  Raiden laughed, glancing nervously at Levi. He didn’t say anything though, instead groaning and complaining loudly as Trent pushed two full shot glasses into his hands.

  There wasn’t anything to say, anyway. Levi wasn’t going to be sticking around. Once the job was complete, he’d leave Raiden and move on to the next client.

  That’s just the way it was.

  14

  Raiden

  Raiden wasn’t that drunk. He could still stand up on his own two feet. He even managed to walk in a straight line when Gabe asked him to. Even though the table got in his way. Someone must have moved it.

  When Joey started crying because he loved everyone so much, Gabe bundled him up and escorted him back to their room, making soothing noises as they left. Then Elion got a little too handsy with Blake, so they disappeared as well before they could get indecent. That left TJ, Levi and Raiden.

  Raiden should have been getting sleepy after their long day traveling then imbibing a shit ton of booze. But he was alert and fidgety.

  He and Levi were on opposite ends of one couch, and TJ on the other. They’d stopped doing shots, thank fuck, and had been playing twenty questions before Blake and Elion had gotten too horny and ditched them. Now Levi and TJ were engrossed in a rather serious beer mat flipping contest. They were each up to six coasters each.

  Raiden was trying to sober up a bit with a glass of water and a bowl of pretzels he was curr
ently devouring. He was watching the guys flip their coasters intently, like it was an Olympic sport. He gasped as Levi snatched a pile of seven from the air, then coughed on pretzel bits.

  “Nice catch,” he wheezed.

  Levi shrugged, like it was nothing. “Wanna play?”

  Raiden shook his head. “Think I’ll leave it to the pros.”

  TJ stretched then scratched his chin. “Actually, I might head out. You guys are probably beat.”

  Raiden checked his watch. “You’re going to bed already?” That wasn’t like him.

  TJ winked. “I don’t have a room here, bro. Gonna hit a club, see where I end up.”

  Raiden was going to ask why he hadn’t booked rooms like the others, but that would be far too organized for TJ. “You’ll need to crash at some point,” he said with a frown. He leaned over to find the remote and turned the music off. “Why don’t you crash on my sofa?”

  TJ gave him his signature raised eyebrow. “And what if I have a lady friend?”

  Levi sat up, fishing his key card out of his cargo pants. “Why don’t you take my room?” he suggested, offering out the card. “It’s still empty. I could take the couch in here.”

  Raiden’s heart skipped a beat. It was just because Levi was obsessed with keeping an eye on him and probably feeling extra jittery after working out the GPS got hacked. The couch was a long way from the bedroom.

  TJ gave Levi a lop-sided smile. “Sure, man,” he said, glancing at Raiden. “Sounds like a great plan.”

  Raiden wanted to demand what that look meant, but TJ was already on his feet. He clapped Levi on the back, then saluted at Raiden. “See you later,” he said with a grin, then slipped out the door.

  Levi stood as well, carefully not looking at Raiden as he brushed his cargo pants down. Raiden’s heart was thumping loudly in his chest. Rather than let himself be overwhelmed by it, Raiden lounged back on the sofa, licking salt granules from his fingers.

  “So, that was you absolutely, definitely not doing shots?” he asked slyly.

  Levi scowled and began picking up dirty glasses to take to the mini-bar. Housekeeping wasn’t going to hate them, but they had given them a fair bit of work for the morning.

  Raiden sighed and hauled himself upright to lend a hand. Levi was doing his best not to look at Raiden and work around him. So naturally, Raiden was doing everything he could to get in his way.

  “Enough,” Levi growled. He spun around and looked at Raiden after the third time he deliberately got under his feet. “If you’re that drunk, I suggest you just go to bed.”

  Raiden tossed the last cold pizza slice in the trash, then piled the box up with the other recyclables. “All you’re stuff’s still in there. Don’t you want to get it out first?”

  “I know how to be quiet,” Levi grumbled, stacking up more glasses. “I was a reconnaissance Marine.”

  Raiden was still drunk enough that it seemed like a good idea to ease his way between Levi and the bar. He grinned up at him impishly, spurred on by Levi’s obvious irritation. “You know,” he said. He rubbed his thumb across his lower lip, like he was deep in thought. “That’s a pretty huge bed. It wouldn’t be much of a hassle to share.”

  Levi went still as the color drained from his face. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

  He tried to move away, but Raiden just shimmied back in front of him. “Why not?”

  He touched his hand to Levi’s hip, which Levi immediately batted away. “Because we agreed not to.”

  “But,” Raiden whined. “We’re stuck in this room together. It doesn’t have to mean anything. Come on, aren’t you curious?”

  Raiden was more than curious. Despite his earlier promises that he was going to stay away from Levi and keep their relationship professional, in his intoxicated state all he could think of was Levi’s mouth claiming his own. How he rubbed his cock against Raiden until he came.

  “Raiden,” Levi growled. “You’re drunk, cut it out.”

  “I will,” Raiden said. He held his hands up. “If you tell me you don’t want it. Don’t want me.”

  He studied Levi’s icy blue eyes as they flickered back and forth. “This is a bad idea.”

  “That’s not what I asked,” Raiden whispered. He slid his hands up Levi’s firm chest. He stood still as a marble statue, but he didn’t push Raiden away. “I never said it was a good idea. But it could be oh so good.”

  “How would you know?” Levi said. He stepped forward, forcing Raiden to back up into the bar. “You ever been fucked?”

  Raiden’s breaths were coming out ragged. His mind flooded with images of Levi fucking him, making him mute for a moment. “You ever fuck a guy?”

  “No,” said Levi a little too quickly.

  Raiden laughed, dizzy with desire. “Oh, you’ve done something, though, haven’t you? This isn’t entirely new territory for you, is it, Marine?”

  He rubbed his hands over Levi’s pecs, feeling his nipples harden under his t-shirt. He was panting too, little puffs that made Raiden’s hair flutter.

  “I’m offering you more sex,” Raiden continued. “Surely you’re not going to let the fact I’m a guy stop you?” He leaned in closer. “A tight hole is good no matter where it comes from, right?”

  Levi groaned, then grabbed Raiden’s shoulders. Raiden could feel the bulge in his cargo pants, and his mouth watered at the idea of fulfilling his wish to touch his prick this time.

  He fisted the material of Levi’s shirt. “I want your cock in my mouth. In my ass. If that’s not something you want, I’ll walk away now and shut the door. Never mention it again.” He smirked and licked his lower lip provocatively. “One-time deal, my friend.”

  Levi’s jaw was so tight it looked like it might snap. All the color that had rushed from his cheeks had come back in a deep blush. He looked so fucking hot when he was aroused.

  “We can’t always have what we want,” he ground out.

  Raiden rolled his cock against Levi’s through their pants. “No. But who says we can’t have this?”

  “My job.”

  “You’re off the clock,” Raiden said, glancing at all the empty beer bottles and shot glasses. He could still taste the tequila on his lips despite the water and pretzels he’d had. “Your uncle never needs to know.” He pressed against Levi, who was still not moving, and whispered in his ear. “Tell me you want to fuck me, Levi. Please.”

  In a sudden flurry of moment, Levi surged forward, seizing Raiden to sit him on the bar. Glasses crashed to the ground as he grabbed Raiden’s face and kissed him furiously. Raiden surrendered immediately, clutching handfuls of Levi’s blond hair and wrapping his legs around his waist.

  “Tell me,” Raiden demanded as Levi kissed down his throat, biting at his collarbone. “Tell me how much you want my ass.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Levi snarled. Raiden just grinned until Levi came back up to savage his mouth again.

  Raiden moaned and thrust his pelvis against Levi’s hard stomach. “Been thinking about your cock,” he mumbled between kisses. “When I saw you. At the ranch. I bet it’s gorgeous.”

  “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Levi asked. He grabbed the back of Raiden’s neck to look into his eyes as he panted.

  Raiden licked his lips. “Just have an open mind, I guess,” he said truthfully. “Come on, G.I. Joe. I’d let you ravish me right here, but there’s a perfectly decent bed through there.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And a bag with condoms and lube in it.”

  It wasn’t that he’d been planning on seducing Levi. Far from it. Sex was just something that tended to happen on tour. It was always kind of crazy. Raiden was extremely glad now that he’d come prepared.

  Something shifted in Levi’s eyes. Raiden felt him stop fighting.

  Raiden slipped off the counter, pushing Levi backwards to the bedroom while they kissed sloppily. Levi’s large hands roamed over Raiden’s back and pawed at his ass. Oh, he wanted it all right.

  Raiden
was surprised how not nervous he was. He knew anal was supposed to hurt if you didn’t do it right, or even when you did do it right. And he’d read a fair number of testimonials from guys who had massively freaked out at the idea of having someone inside them. But none of that seemed to bother him as they stumbled back into the bedroom. They tripped and Levi pressed him against the wall as they regained their footing.

  This was all he cared about. Feeling Levi claiming him again. Dominating him.

  Levi picked him up once more and Raiden dug his fingers into his back and shoulders. He wanted to bruise that beautiful inked skin with marks of his own. He wanted to get Levi’s shirt off and maul him.

  Spinning the both of them, Levi walked the few steps to drop Raiden unceremoniously onto the bed. Raiden panted and shuffled backwards, pushing his hair from his face. “Well, come on then,” he said, hoping to goad Levi into action. He was looking down at Raiden like he was assessing him, summing him up.

  Sure enough, Levi crawled on top of him, like a predator who had caught his prey. “You want me to fuck you?” Levi growled.

  That was probably the closest he was going to get to admitting that he wanted this. That Raiden turned him on. Raiden felt like they were at the point of no return. They couldn’t deny their attraction any longer after this.

  He didn’t want to. Life was too short, so why not see where this took them. In that moment he knew he was hard as a rock and felt like his skin was on fire. Only Levi could soothe the burn.

  “Yeah,” Raiden said. “Why not? I bet you give a magnificent pounding.”

  Finally, he reached out and palmed Levi’s own hardon through his cargo pants. Even through the material he felt amazing. Raiden wanted him inside him.

  “And I bet you’re a filthy fuck,” Levi said back at him. He skin was flushed and damp. Raiden was desperate to taste more of it.

  A look flitted across Levi’s face, like he was thinking too hard about what they were going to do. Thinking wasn’t necessary, only action.