by Keely Jakes
“And ye live in North Carolina,” Sully said. “But we’ll figure something out. And while we do, we can Skype and text and message as much as ye want ta.”
Dane nodded, though he knew once there was an ocean and more than 3600 miles between them things were bound to change. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go to my room first and I’ll pack and bring my bags to your room. I also need to talk to Austin about settling the bill for my room. Then we’ll call room service, get naked, and relax.”
“Yes, mo run. Whatever ye wish.”
Chapter Eight
On Sunday morning, Sully woke Dane gently. He turned on the mattress, slowly pushing the covers down Dane’s body until his long, slim cock appeared. Blowing a warm breath over the flesh had it stiffening in response. Licking the length and then kissing the man’s furry balls had Dane moaning softly and shifting under his touch.
“Good morning, mo run,” Sully whispered as he licked his way back up Dane’s length and took the head between his lips.
“Mmmm, Sully,” Dane moaned as his hips began to lift from the bed.
A moment later, the man shifted, and Sully could only moan as Dane parted his lips and gobbled up his own cock. It was an easy morning wake up as they slowly drove one another up the mountain of arousal. Their actions mirrored each other as they licked, sucked, and played with the other man’s balls.
Eventually Sully felt himself tipping over the edge. “Dane, come with me,” he panted.
He took the man’s entire prick into his mouth and sucked hard. At the same time his own hips locked and his seed shot across Dane’s tongue. His man swallowed every drop even as he came in Sully’s mouth.
Once they had cleaned each other up and caught their breath, Sully turned around and pulled Dane into his arms. “Come home with me,” he whispered, half-afraid to speak any louder for fear of shattering the warm, easy moment.
“I can’t,” Dane said softly, his voice sounding a little watery. “I don’t have a passport. But I can at least come to the airport with you and sit with you until your flight leaves. Mine doesn’t leave until this afternoon.”
His heart aching, Sully brushed a kiss over Dane’s hair. “I’d like that verra much, mo run.”
Dane sniffed trying not to cry as he burrowed closer. “I’d like that, too.”
****
Sully held it together as they packed their bags, checked out of the hotel, and made it to the airport. After checking his larger bag through to Glasgow, Sully followed Dane to the security lines. His going through TSA with his briefcase was surprisingly fast and easy. He looked around and frowned when Dane wasn’t right behind him.
Looking around he found Dane had been pulled and was at a station having his bag gone through. He walked over, but stayed far enough away the security agent did not notice him. It took another few minutes before Dane’s bag was cleared. The man looked to be near tears as he pulled his carryon and joined Sully in the airport proper.
“Problem?” Sully asked he turned and caught up with the man who hurried away and down the corridor toward the gates.
“I don’t think they liked the swag I had packed in my bag. Something about paper is now setting off an alert and they had to look and swab my bag to make sure I’m not carrying anything explosive.” Dane kept walking, though it was apparent he wasn’t sure where he was going, he was just walking. “I understand they have to be careful and all, but I think their machines should be able to tell the difference between books and postcards and an IED.”
“Well, it’s over and done with, mo run. Take a deep breath and relax. We’ve got some time ta do some shoppin’ before I hafta get ta me gate.”
It took a little doing, and buying his lover a stuffed armadillo, but Dane’s dark mood finally passed. After walking through all the stores along the corridor, they made their way to the far end of the building to Sully’s gate. They had just arrived when the counter agent began the boarding process.
Dane’s sad expression nearly broke Sully’s heart. Instead of simply walking away, he pulled Dane in for a long, strong-armed hug. Bending his head, he said softly, “I love you, mo run. I’ll text you when I get to Philadelphia, and again when I get home tomorrow. I’ll expect a text when you get home tonight. Yes?”
“Yes, Sully. I love you, too. And I’ll figure out how to get a passport tomorrow,” Dane said.
With great reluctance, Sully squeezed the man one more time, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he released him and walked away. He did not look back, knowing that if he did, he would never get on the plane, and that would cause some serious problems back home.
****
Dane stood at the window and watched until Sully’s plane rolled away from the gateway. Once the big plane was out of sight, he turned and started back down the corridor. He needed to get lunch before he headed to the gate where he was to depart from, which was located at the other end of the building. But first he needed a few minutes alone, which was challenging in an airport full of Sunday travelers.
Ducking into the first men’s room he came to, he awkwardly closed himself into a stall and gave himself a few minutes to cry, something he was happy he’d been able to control until that moment. After mopping up, he finished his business, washed his hands, and left the restroom.
It took a creamy hot chocolate from the coffee vendor, and a platter of barbecue ribs with steak fries, before the pain in his heart eased enough for him to think. Arriving at the gate, he settled in for a three-hour wait, pulling out his tablet, and started doing research.
By the time he boarded the plane he was well informed on not only what was needed and how to apply for a passport, he had discovered he could spend up to six months in Scotland as a tourist. Which would be more than enough time for him to either fall completely in love with Sully and then figure out how to spend the rest of their lives together, or fall out of love and return home again.
He arrived home beyond exhausted. He had texted Sully as soon as the plane had landed, and now, all he had strength for was to drop his luggage by the door to his apartment. After digging out the stuffed armadillo Sully had bought him, he stripped as he walked across the living room and into the bedroom. By the time he reached the bed, he was naked. He crawled into bed, and, holding Arnie the Armadillo close, he was asleep before the blankets fully settled over him.
****
Over the next four weeks, Dane and Sully messaged back and forth many times a day, sharing bits of their lives, their interests, and problems. Then, five weeks to the day after their initial meeting, Sully stopped answering his text messages. His once a day emails were terse and succinct, a big change from his prior messages. Dane answered the emails as he normally did, sending news about his day, his accomplishments, and his latest story that had snapped together on his flight home. He had been writing for hours every day on the story, determined to finish it before his passport was expected to arrive. Once he had that most important document, he had decided to take an extended trip to Scotland, though he had yet to tell Sully that little fact. Problem was, when Sully’s emails changed to stilted notes that did nothing to assure him of Sully’s continued interest, the story stopped flowing.
“What’s going on?” Dane muttered to the computer after a sleepless night of tossing and turning. This morning there was no word at all from Sully. Dane was not sure whether or not he had said something to upset the man who now held most of the pieces of his heart. “Have you given up on us already?”
Scrubbing his hands over his face, Dane fought against the tears of frustration, anger, and sadness pressing for release. Taking a deep breath, he wrote one last email, asking just those questions. Once he hit send and received confirmation that the message was sent, he turned off his computer.
Rising from the dining table that doubled as his desk, he went back to bed. He would try to write later, maybe.
Or maybe not.
****
Sully climbed out of the back seat of the cab, h
is cheeks burning when three women walking down the sidewalk stopped, turned, and whistled. Looking down, he brushed a hand down his backside to make sure his kilt didn’t fly up in the breeze that had picked up since he had left the hotel. He was determined to make the next few minutes memorable for his man, which, in this case, meant looking like a peacock on a chicken farm.
When another whistle sounded, he hurried across the sidewalk. Had these people not ever seen a man wearing a full-dress kilt before?
Pushing his way through the front door of Dane’s building, Sully climbed the steps and marched down the hall, determination to claim his man in every step. When he reached Dane’s door, he stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and hoped the man was still speaking to him. The last three days had tested his patience, but if Dane agreed, it would be worth it.
Lifting a hand, he knocked three times, solid hits that he hoped did not give away his anxiety. As he waited, he prayed Dane was home and he would not slam the door in his face when he finally answered.
Hearing a chain rattle behind the door, then the soft thunk of a deadbolt, Sully frowned at the door. There was no security peephole, which served him well, but was not safe for Dane. Moving from here into a building with a doorman and better security would be one of the first things they would deal with, once his man agreed to his plans.
Taking a breath, Sully forced himself to smile as the door opened a few inches, stopping when a chain pulled tight. A moment later, part of Dane’s face appeared in the opening. His man looked tired, the one eye he could see dull as his lank hair.
“Hello, mo run,” Sully said.
Dane’s eye went wide, right before the door slammed shut. The chain rattled again and then the door flew open, slamming into the wall behind it. In the next instant, Sully had a man wrapped around him holding so tight he could barely draw breath. Wrapping his arms around his love, he shuffled them into the apartment and closed the door. No reason the world had to see their reunion.
“You’re here. You’re really here,” Dane muttered when he finally lifted his head from Sully’s chest. In the next heartbeat, he had released Sully and stepped back out of arm’s reach. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Why did you stop texting me?”
“Aye, Dane, I’m here,” Sully said as he dropped to one knee before the man. “I stopped texting because I broke my phone and haven’t gotten a new one yet. I didn’t tell you I was coming because I wanted it to be a surprise.”
He needed to finish the surprise before his body overruled his brain and they spent the rest of the day in bed making up for lost time. He had vowed to himself that the next time he loved on his man they would be married, but for now he would settle for them being engaged.
Reaching into the watch pocket of his vest, Sully pulled out the wedding rings he had carried on him since he had bought them two weeks before when he had begun making secret plans for this very moment.
Looking deep into his man’s eyes, he said, “Dane Murphy, my mo run. Will ye do me the honor of marryin’ me?”
****
Dane stared at the man, not comprehending exactly what was going on. Sully was here, down on one knee, and holding up what looked a pair of gold and silver braided rings. The fact that he was dressed in what Dane recognized as a full-dress kilt, from leather gillies to a silver-colored tam, which brought to memory a character from his favorite time-traveling Scottish series.
Instead of answering the question hanging between them, Dane reached up and pinched his arm. “Ow,” he said when the pain registered.
“What are ye doin’, mo run?” Sully reached out and took Dane’s hand and pulled it away before he could pinch himself again.
“Making sure this isn’t a dream,” Dane answered honestly. “I’ve dreamt of this moment so many times over the past few weeks, I needed to make sure I wasn’t still asleep.”
“Oh, mo run, this is no dream. I’m here, on my knee, waitin’ for yer answer ta me proposal. I gave ye me heart in Texas, and it took me until I was somewhere over the ocean ta realize that I needed ye in me life, me bed, and me arms. So, sweet, sexy Dane Murphy, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
Dane took a deep breath before taking the steps that separated them. Resting his hands on Sully’s shoulders, he looked deep into the man’s eyes. He had never expected this, but refused to back away just because life had taken a left turn in the last five minutes.
“Yes,” he murmured. Then the practical side of his brain kicked in. “Where will we live?”
“Where’re ye wish. Here or Scotland, I dunna care, as long as ye sleep in me arms each night from now until we draw our last breaths.”
“I’d like to live in Scotland, at least part of the year,” Dane said. “Will you wear a kilt for me at least once a week?”
“Only if ye promise ta wear one as well. Then we can stalk each other,” Sully answered solemnly.
Sully looked so serious. Dane knew there was only answer he could give the man. Smiling down at his kilted love, he said, “Yes, Tyrone Sullivan McKellen, my Sully, my hero. I love you so much. Yes, I will marry you.”
The End
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Other Books by Keely Jakes:
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
JACK AND THE GINGER WITH A TWIST
Team Paladin, 3
Keely Jakes
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
“Griffin? Where have you been? Oh, my God, where are your clothes? Is that blood on your shirt?”
Griffin Bowers could not answer the questions his roommate continued to throw at him. He didn’t think Teddy Jackson, best friend since forever, and roommate since they left home for college, could talk that fast. Teddy was always calm and laid back.
He knew he needed to answer. He just didn’t have the energy. It took everything in him just to stay on his feet, though leaning heavily against the doorframe helped. A lot.
Teddy’s questions would have to wait until he was able to think past the horror and pain of the past seven days. Who knew going clubbing without his best friend would turn out so horribly wrong? Teddy had been sick with the flu, but Griffin had wanted to go dancing.
That had been his first mistake. His second was to drink from a cup someone else had given him. From that point, until a couple hours ago, his memories were distorted, twisted, and hard to recall. Except for the pain, which he was sure would be with him for a long time to come.
Releasing the doorframe, Griffin stumbled into the apartment. His goal was one of the wooden chairs in the corner they referred to as their dining area. He couldn’t hold back a cry of pain when Teddy’s arm touched his back as his friend helped him the last few feet.
Once he sat down, Teddy went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers and a bottle of the sugar-laden sports drink they liked. “Drink this.”
Griffin couldn’t open the bottle. Teddy took the bottle and easily twisted off the top before handing it back. He then held out two pain tablets in his palm. Gratefully, Griffin took the medication and drank several swallows of the fluid. He stopped when his stomach rolled, threatening to send everything he had just swallowed back up again.
Setting down the bottle, he looked at Teddy, unable to stop the tears that had been falling since one of the guards had carried him out of hell. “We’ve got to leave here before he comes to take me back.”
Teddy looked at him as if he was crazy. Griffin knew he sounded like his cheese had flipped off its cracker, but the only way to keep them both safe was to run. Preferably before anyone showed up to take him back.
Or worse.
Before he could say anything further, Teddy handed him a
small container of cottage cheese from the fridge and a spoon. “Eat that. It will be easier on your stomach than any of the leftovers. After we get you cleaned up and you rest, you can tell me the story from the beginning.”
Griffin nodded as he picked up the spoon. Though it was delicious, after three bites he put down the spoon. He was too tired and scared to eat more. Though his friend was careful, he could not keep down the groans as Teddy helped him stagger to the bedroom.
“Please, don’t tell anyone I’m here. No one can know,” he begged as Teddy helped him to the bed.
“Don’t worry, Griffin. I’ll take care of you,” Teddy promised. Griffin knew he was speaking the truth. Teddy had been taking care of him since they had met in kindergarten.
Before Teddy could clean him up, Griffin collapsed onto the bed and allowed the black abyss of unconsciousness to drag him under its spell.
****
Teddy had just finished tucking a blanket around his best friend when a heavy knock sounded on the hall door. With his friend panicked about someone taking him back, but currently unable to answer any questions, Teddy retrieved the handgun he kept hidden on the highest shelf of the linen cupboard. Griffin would have purple kittens if he knew there was a gun in the apartment, but Teddy refused to take chances.
Heading to the front door, Teddy flicked the safety off then held the gun behind his leg. Peering through the peephole he had installed shortly after they had moved, he found a familiar face staring back at him.
Quickly unlocking the three locks and throwing open the door, Teddy rushed into his half-brother’s widespread arms. “Oh, thank God, you came,” Teddy said.
“Of course I came. You said it was an emergency. Sorry it took me so long, but we were snowed in. What’s going on?”
