“It’s that easy for you?”
“For me to what?” Beau asked, his head tilting as though he were trying to figure Ethan out.
“You think it’ll be easy to work here with so much…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He was beginning to rethink the urge to bring this topic up. Ethan wasn’t sure he wanted to go this route. He damn sure wasn’t acting like himself.
He knew Beau well enough to know he could easily offer the guy a job, and he’d be completely professional. However, Ethan was suddenly sick of professional.
“So much what, E?” Beau questioned, his voice seductively low. “Temptation?”
The next thing Ethan knew, he was the one up against the wall and Beau had both hands flat on the wall beside his head. The heady scent of coffee and man assaulted his senses. The room seemed to spin as he was overwhelmed with everything he’d suppressed for this man.
“Temptation,” Ethan confirmed in a choked whisper, letting his eyes wander to Beau’s lips.
“Do you want to ignore it? If you do, I will.” Beau paused, seemingly waiting for Ethan to meet his gaze. When he did, Beau said, “For you.”
God, why did Beau sound so damn sincere? Every single word he spoke seemed to be selected with care, always ensuring he said the right thing. It was clear that the attraction between them was potent, strong enough to ignite this wildfire that threatened to disintegrate them both in an instant.
Yet, this man claimed he was willing to ignore it.
For him.
Unable to speak, Ethan shook his head no.
Maybe he had lost his mind, or maybe he was even more tired than he thought. Either way, Ethan had just lost the will to fight this anymore.
♂♂
The moment Ethan had backed him up against the wall ranked right up there amongst the most pleasurable experiences of Beau’s entire life. Maybe in the top three. Including the very first time Beau kissed Ethan. And every time since.
At least that’s what he thought until Ethan succumbed to his dominance only seconds later. That one took the top spot on the list.
With Ethan trapped between his body and the wall, Beau found himself searching for oxygen. He was in control, yet he felt like he lacked any control at all. That’s what being near Ethan did to him.
Beau studied Ethan’s expressive blue-gray eyes as he searched for something to say; something that would relay exactly what Beau was feeling. “I need…”
The words wouldn’t come.
“Don’t say it,” Ethan told him, his voice low and hoarse.
There was a brief pause as they stared into one another’s eyes and then Ethan said the three words that Beau never actually thought he would hear.
“Just do it.”
Beau swallowed hard. The urge to close his eyes and get lost in Ethan’s voice was so strong, he wasn’t sure how he fought it. Maybe because he wanted to stare into Ethan’s eyes, to try and see what he was feeling.
With as much restraint as he could manage, Beau leaned forward, forcing his hands to remain on the wall beside Ethan’s head as he pressed his lips to Ethan’s.
Soft. Gentle. Oh God.
Perfect.
A desperate growl tore from his chest but somehow he managed to keep his feet planted on the floor, his hands on the wall and a few scant inches between their bodies as Ethan’s head tilted ever so slowly, the kiss pulling Beau under.
Lord help him. It was too much. Just the softness of Ethan’s lips against his own was so wonderful, Beau had to remember to breathe.
When Ethan licked the seam of his lips, inviting Beau into a much deeper kiss, he felt his heart pound against his ribs. Oh God. A second later, they were lost to one another, their mouths the only part of their bodies touching, their tongues on a tentative exploration. Beau’s entire body was hard.
The urgent moan that vibrated from Ethan’s throat had Beau pulling back. Before he could get too far away, he found himself flush against Ethan, solid arms wrapped around his body, pulling him closer.
Panic streaked through him. He’d never felt anything like the intense awareness pulsing through his veins. Never.
The gentle press of Ethan’s smooth, warm lips had turned into a maelstrom of desperation, an eagerness to get closer all but consuming him. When Ethan’s determined fingers dug into the muscles of his back, Beau knew he was about to be pushed too far. This was more than he could handle, more than he could deny himself.
Beau remembered his need to keep his hands off of Ethan the night before. The only thing he could come up with to ensure he didn’t push Ethan too fast. He’d waited for this moment for so long. Too long.
Gently pulling back, Beau cupped Ethan’s face in his hands, the coarse bristle of his stubble scraping against his fingertips while he visually grazed every beautiful inch of Ethan’s face. From his lips, which were red from their kiss, to the storm clouds brewing in his intense gaze. The man stole his breath and all of his common sense.
Ethan seemed to be waiting for him to do something, but Beau was at a loss. He didn’t know what to do or say. He just wanted more of this man. His taste. His warmth. His passion.
Crushing his mouth to Ethan’s, Beau let go. He aligned his body wholly with Ethan’s, chest to chest, thigh to thigh, pushing him into the wall as he sought his touch along every part of him.
Ethan’s incredible hands returned to his back, gripping him, trying to pull him even closer as the kiss ignited into something so powerful, Beau wasn’t sure either one of them would survive it. Sliding his fingers into Ethan’s hair, Beau controlled the kiss, tilting Ethan’s head slightly so he could thrust his tongue deeper, the point where their tongues touched like an open electrical connection that was linked to every nerve ending in his entire body.
Just when he thought he couldn’t handle anymore, Ethan’s hands drifted down his back and then gripped his ass purposefully, pulling him forward, their cocks grinding against one another through the confining denim that separated them. Even that was more than Beau had ever imagined it could be.
He was panting, hardly able to keep his mouth against Ethan’s as the pleasure intensified, his body morphing from a series of nerve endings to one giant cluster of sensation.
“Oh, God,” he moaned against Ethan’s mouth, unable to stop himself. “So good.”
Ethan seemed to be spurred on by Beau’s words as he gyrated his hips, causing the friction along Beau’s cock to increase. If Ethan kept it up, Beau was going to lose it. Right here.
Breaking the hold Ethan had on him, Beau backed up, separating their bodies entirely as he sucked air into his lungs. He stared back at Ethan for long seconds, the panic rising up inside of him. This feeling… it was so foreign to him, he wasn’t sure his body could handle that type of pleasure.
To think he’d spent his entire life forcing himself to be someone he wasn’t… And now – after so many years wasted on a pursuit of happiness that was going in the wrong direction – he was finding out that this was what he had denied himself. His physical reaction to Ethan was so unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It made every other encounter seem mediocre, and here he was, completely dressed, staring into the most mesmerizing eyes he had ever seen.
As though Ethan was shocked back into reality, his body tensed, and he took a step to the side, but before he could put that emotional gap between them once more, Beau moved closer. Suddenly scared that Ethan would withdraw and Beau would never find this again, he forced him against the wall. Another tortured groan rose up from his chest.
“This…” Beau began. Paused. Swallowed. “Sorry.” He tried to collect his thoughts.
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” Ethan said quietly.
Beau cupped his face once more, far gentler than he thought himself capable. “No. Wait. I’m not sorry about that.” Beau studied him momentarily. “You better not be either.” His breaths were still labored, his body still rock hard. “It’s just… I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Ethan’s eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly and Beau was instantly on him, pressing his mouth securely to his luscious lips, his tongue seeking the incendiary spark that had lit him up from the inside out.
It wasn’t until the song on the radio changed again that Beau pulled his lips from Ethan’s. He didn’t move away, just stared down at him. “Are you seriously listening to this?”
Ethan seemed confused for a moment, but then the sexiest grin Beau had ever seen tipped the very edges of his kissable lips.
“What? Don’t like my music?” Ethan asked breathlessly.
“I just wasn’t sure it was possible for two Walkers to have such… interesting taste in music. I’m not sure whose is more out there, yours or Zane’s.” Beau’s heart beat with the rhythm of the music.
When Ethan glared at him in mock anger, Beau lowered his voice and said, “And just to make something perfectly clear… I like every single thing about you, E.” With that, he let Ethan go, feeling as though he’d given away too much of himself in that one statement.
As Don’t Drop That Thun Thun by Finatticz thumped through the shop, Beau turned away.
He didn’t make it very far before Ethan was up against his back, his iron hard cock pressing against his ass and nearly making his knees fall out from under him. Thick arms wrapped around him from behind, Ethan’s palms flattening against his chest as his lips came down to the sensitive skin just beneath his left ear.
Beau sucked in a breath. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that was the moment he fell in love with Ethan Walker.
Chapter Eleven
♂♂
Ethan was holding Beau for all he was worth, and he didn’t want to let him go.
Not that he would let him know that.
For some reason, he didn’t want to stop touching him. Had they been somewhere private, somewhere they didn’t risk any sort of interruption, Ethan would’ve pushed Beau further. Gotten even closer. Held on longer.
Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of his mind, Ethan knew there was something he was forgetting. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the distance he’d been hell-bent on maintaining. However, there was something about Beau’s hesitance that had rattled him. An innocence maybe. Or maybe he was just caught up in Beau’s reaction. He seemed genuinely floored by what was happening between them. Ethan felt it too, and since he had more experience in this area than Beau, he knew without a doubt that this connection they had established was rare.
He would agree whole-heartedly with Beau – what had just happened between them was unlike anything Ethan had ever felt before. And as far as intimacy goes, they had merely shared a kiss. Several actually. But those kisses had rocked him to his very soul. For him, a kiss had never been more than a means to get to the final encore. Except with Beau. With Beau, a kiss was so much more.
And now he was holding Beau in place, wanting to beg him not to move. Not to walk away. As much as he had previously denied his desire for him, Ethan was immersed in a desperate need that bordered on insanity and holding on was the only thing that he could do to keep himself from shattering into a million pieces.
When Beau’s warm hands came up and flattened against his, Ethan dropped his forehead against the back of Beau’s neck, relishing the warmth that penetrated him. He didn’t know if he’d ever felt like this. Not with any man he had been with. Including Gavin. Although there was an underlying hunger that couldn’t be ignored, the comfort was what lured him in.
For the first time in a long time, Ethan felt like he could breathe. As though the weight that had been resting on his chest, making it difficult to draw air in, had finally been lifted. Not only was it an amazing feeling, it also scared the shit out of him.
“Can we get out of here for a little while?” Beau asked, breaking the silence.
The question surprised him. The idea of being somewhere alone with Beau, for even a little while like last night, was the most appealing offer he’d had in quite some time. Ethan lifted his head and released Beau, waiting until he turned to face him. “What did you have in mind?”
Ethan watched Beau’s throat work, his Adam’s apple sliding sensually down and then back up as he swallowed hard.
“Somewhere… I don’t know. Somewhere private, maybe.”
Now it was Ethan’s turn to swallow around the lust that had tried to escape as soon as Beau said the words. Not wanting to risk what might come out of his mouth, Ethan nodded his head.
Grabbing his keys from the small office, Ethan followed Beau to the door, his heart picking up a strange pounding rhythm that he felt as well as heard.
Once they were outside, Ethan turned to lock the door only to be stopped when he remembered the toolbox still sitting on the flatbed wrecker. He’d left it on the truck the night before, only because he had completely forgotten it was there, what with all of the evading Beau he’d been doing during the day.
“Think we should get the toolbox down first?”
“How about we just drive the wrecker inside?” Beau suggested.
Good idea. With one of the heavy duty bays empty, the wrecker would easily pull inside without a problem. Reversing his direction, Ethan went back inside to grab the wrecker keys and tossed them to Beau while he went to the controls that would open the bay door.
Several minutes later, Beau had the wrecker pulled inside, and Ethan closed the door behind him. Both anxious and nervous, he turned to face Beau, wondering if things had changed in the last few minutes. Had Beau come to his senses? Ethan damn sure hadn’t, but he’d realized when it came to Beau, he didn’t think clearly most of the time anyway.
“You still looking to get out of here?” Ethan asked, trying to remind himself that this was Beau’s idea. Not his.
Beau’s devilish grin sent sparks shooting through his veins. “Yeah.”
“What did you have in mind, Bennett?” he asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. The intense craving that burned like a roaring fire threatened to drop him to the floor any second, and he seriously needed to get his mind on something else quickly, or he’d run the risk of thinking this through.
Just when Beau was going to say something, the sound of tires on gravel brought Ethan’s attention up short. There, with the absolute worst fucking timing in the world, was Zane, hauling ass toward them like the cops were on his ass.
Once the truck skidded to a halt, Zane climbed out, approaching them with a mischievous grin on his face.
“What’s up? Y’all taking a vacation or what?”
Something like that, Ethan thought to himself but didn’t say a word.
“Did you get your stuff from Dillinger’s yesterday?” Zane asked Beau.
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, by the way, for helping with that,” Zane said to Ethan before turning his attention back to Beau. “I would’ve come, but I was due for my weekly ass ripping from Travis.”
Beau laughed, but to Ethan’s ears, it sounded strangled. Like he wasn’t comfortable.
Beau nodded to Ethan. “He came to the rescue.”
Ethan watched the interaction between Beau and Zane. For as long as the two of them had been friends, practically able to complete the other’s sentence, today their easy camaraderie seemed slightly off. He couldn’t help but wonder whether that was because he was there or if it was something he just hadn’t picked up on lately.
“Where’re you two off to?” Zane asked, glancing down at his watch.
“Nowhere,” Beau said hurriedly.
Well, there was his answer. Beau obviously didn’t want Zane to know what was going on here. Ethan should’ve been relieved because he damn sure didn’t want his brothers – or anyone for that matter – in his business. The reminder that Beau was just now experimenting with the part of himself that he recently discovered was a slap to the face as well.
And an enormous reminder that Ethan was getting into something he would likely regret in the future.
Without givin
g it another thought, Ethan turned around and unlocked the office door. Returning to work was his only option at this point. He didn’t want to see Beau. Didn’t want to think about what had just happened between them or what he wanted to happen between them. And it wasn’t like Ethan wanted his brother to know that he lusted after Beau anyway.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
For half a second, he’d actually embraced who he was, not caring whether he hid himself from view or not.
Fuck.
Beau was getting to him. In ways Ethan wasn’t ready to embrace. And Ethan knew he should just be grateful that Zane’s horrible timing might’ve just saved him from a world of heartache that he wasn’t at all ready to experience.
♂♂
Beau watched Ethan disappear inside the shop, but he didn’t make a move to go after him. Not with Zane standing just a couple of feet away.
“What’s going on?” Zane asked, clearly picking up on the tension.
“Nothing,” Beau said, obviously too abruptly because Zane’s dark eyebrows launched up toward his hairline as he looked back at him skeptically.
The heavy duty bay door opened, revealing the wrecker and his toolbox still strapped down. “You keeping that here?”
“For now. I didn’t have anywhere else to store it.” Beau wasn’t sure whether Ethan was still going to let him work for him, so he tried to sound as nonchalant as he could.
“You could’ve called me,” Zane told him.
“I tried.”
As though he didn’t believe him, Zane grabbed his phone, thumbing through the screens. “Sorry, at that point, I was probably trying to dislodge Travis’ boot from my ass. It wasn’t pretty, and the rest of the day sucked ass,” Zane answered with a frown. Glancing over at the truck and then back to him, Zane asked, “Need help getting that down?”
No. “Yeah.”
Beau fell into step with Zane, trying to pretend that nothing had happened between him and Ethan. It wasn’t like he had to try hard since Ethan had managed to disappear entirely. Looking around as he moved to the control panel on the wrecker, Beau finally spotted Ethan when he walked around the side of the truck. Ethan’s muscled legs were sticking out from beneath one of the Walker Demo trucks parked inside.
Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) Page 10
