“Everything is gone,” Maksim said against Marshall’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around Marshall’s waist.
Marshall nodded. He knew how his ground floor looked now. Empty. “I lost you, and then I lost me,” Marshall admitted. “You walked out the door, and I snapped. Nothing matters without you.”
Maksim’s hold tightened on Marshall. “It hurts my chest, thinking of all the irreplaceable things that were in that case.”
Marshall turned in Maksim’s arms and cupped the man’s face between his hands. For a moment, he simply held Maksim’s stare. He looked as tired as Marshall felt—like their souls were weary. Being without each other had drained them.
Maksim shoved Marshall’s shorts down his hips, taking his underwear with them. “Get in the shower, man child. I’m about to fuck you.”
Maksim felt deadly. He couldn’t believe Marshall had destroyed all his trophies. Marshall was the playful one who always smiled. Yet he’d flown into a fit of temper and demolished all the things that meant the most to him. Maksim couldn’t give that back to him. He wanted to spank Marshall for hurting himself. He wanted to comfort him. Instead of doing either, he stripped while watching the water slide down Marshall’s gorgeous body.
Marshall watched him every bit as intensely. Neither of them would escape this encounter without teeth marks denting their skin.
Once he’d shed his clothes, Maksim closed the distance between them. Each step he took was measured. He was stalking Marshall, torturing himself with the thought of being inside this man who ate at his mind, enslaving him.
“I’ve met countless men.”
Marshall blinked, looking like he’d been slapped. “Wow. I didn’t need to hear that.”
Maksim boxed Marshall in, crowding him against the shower wall. “You’re the only one who’s ever touched my heart. I’ve never told a soul I love them, but I can’t stop wanting to tell you.”
Marshall’s expression softened. “Okay, that somewhat makes up for the oversharing.”
“The idea of anyone other than you ever touching me again makes my skin crawl.”
Marshall visibly bit back a smile. “I’m almost over your original confession.”
Maksim palmed the man’s erection. “It doesn’t feel like you’re angry to me.”
“That’s because my dick has belonged to you since the first time you touched it. You may as well put a little coat and tie on it and take him to work with you. That’s how much you own my cock.”
The darkness that coated his mind at seeing Marshall’s destroyed trophy room disappeared. “How did I survive the last three weeks without your humor?”
Marshall’s eyes fell closed. He visibly sucked air as Maksim toyed with his balls and fingered his asshole. “Damn, please tell me you jacked off a lot. That’s the way I’m picturing you getting by.”
With a chuckle that sounded evil even to him, Maksim pressed his lips to Marshall’s chest and pumped two fingers inside Marshall’s ass. “Yes, it was like that. Except, now that I’ve met a clown, I play with myself while watching stand-up comedy instead of porn.”
As Maksim hoped, Marshall laughed. The sound died on a moan when Maksim urged his legs apart so he could milk the man’s prostate. “God, you’re such a tease.”
“There’s no condoms in this shower,” Maksim said, pointing out the obvious. “I want this sexy asshole squeezing my dick, but I have to wait. That doesn’t mean you need to suffer. I love watching you come.” Marshall sucked in a hiss when Maksim teased the sensitive nerve endings in his crown. “Your cheeks are flushed and you bite your lip—like you don’t want to beg.” Maksim leaned in and sucked Marshall’s bottom lip between his teeth. He savored the sensation of Marshall’s dick slipping through his fingers. “Every time you break, you steal another piece of my soul,” Maksim whispered against Marshall’s mouth.
Marshall shoved him away and dropped to his knees. All Maksim could do was stare down the line of his body as Marshall licked his cock from crown to root. Marshall had only sucked him once before. Maksim wasn’t bothered. Marshall wasn’t exactly the typical gay man. Now that Marshall had his lips wrapped around Maksim’s dick, Maksim didn’t know how to react. He loved coming while he was buried root deep in Marshall’s ass, but he wasn’t about to balk at the amazing blow job Marshall was giving. It had been his intention to tease Marshall until he cried for mercy. Now Marshall was the one in control. Maksim was at his mercy. He’d sign his car over to Marshall if the man asked in that moment. Marshall did something with his tongue that had Maksim’s eyes rolling back. He grabbed Marshall’s hair and hung on. The pressure tightening his balls was just out of reach. It slowly crawled up his shaft. Maksim braced his palm against the wall, expecting his knees would give out at any time. A loud gasp reverberated off the shower walls as Maksim exploded. His vision darkened at the corners. Marshall didn’t let up.
“I love you. Fuck. Marshall. I love you.” Maksim heard himself rambling, but he couldn’t stop. He fucking loved every little thing about Marshall and he would tear the world down before he let a single goddamn thing touch them again.
Marshall couldn’t stop touching Maksim. From the moment they fell into bed, exhausted and dripping, Marshall’s hands wouldn’t stop tracing Maksim’s every line. Marshall kissed Maksim’s shoulder. “I’ve been thinking,” he said with his lips brushing Maksim’s skin with each word. “I’d like to find a way to see you more often. Even though I don’t have any clue how we’d pull it off, I’m between seasons, and I miss you when you’re not around.”
Maksim snuggled closer to Marshall’s kisses, making Marshall smile on the inside. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about something since before everything went wrong.”
The uncertainty in Maksim’s tone had Marshall massaging every inch of the man he could reach, hoping to ease any worries he had. “Let’s hear it. I want all your thoughts.” The way Maksim’s cheek curved let Marshall know he was smiling. Marshall had to kiss it. He placed tiny kisses below the man’s ear until Maksim laughed. “Damn, I love that sound.” Maksim’s breathing hitched. Marshall’s touch turned sexual. His playfulness disappeared as he lightly sucked the spot he’d been kissing. Marshall palm slid across Maksim’s hip, heading for the man’s cock.
Maksim spoke up, making Marshall forget his plan. “I’m thinking about starting my own scouting business. One where I could work and live anywhere—like here.”
“Are you serious?” Marshall didn’t wait for Maksim to answer. His excitement ran too deep. “Don’t play with me now. Are you being freaking serious? You’d be amazing. With all your connections and your eye for talent, you’d be the number one agency in no time.”
“Huh,” Maksim said, sounding thoughtful. “At that first hint of your excitement, I thought your response was headed in a different direction.”
Marshall urged Maksim onto his back where he could meet the man’s stare. “Why do you sound disappointed?”
Maksim’s mouth lifted in one corner and he shrugged. “I guess I crave too much at times. It is not the money or success that has me wanting to take a new path. It’s you. You’re here. I wish to be where you are.”
Marshall shifted positions until he settled between Maksim’s thighs. With his chin resting on his hands crossed over Maksim’s chest, he held the man’s stare. “This idea of yours will give me exactly what I just said I wanted. You always give me everything,” Marshall said with a shrug. “I’m proud of you. Let me be excited for your accomplishments,” he begged, hearing the boast and need in his voice, but incapable of stopping. “You have no idea how much pride grows in my chest every time I look at you and know—somehow, for some reason—you chose me. I think you’re amazing.”
Maksim’s heart was in his eyes. He brushed Marshall’s bottom lip with his thumb. “Come here.”
At Maksim’s harsh-sounding demand, Marshall immediately complied. He loved Maksim’s kiss. Hell, he just loved Maksim.
Maksim’s throat burned
. His eyes felt funny—like tears threatened to emerge. Marshall always made him feel more than anyone. When he’d tossed around the idea of freelancing or starting his own agency, he’d been scared as hell Marshall wouldn’t want him around that often. At best, he’d hoped Marshall would be a little happy at the idea. Maksim never dreamed Marshall would react the way he did. He never imagined Marshall felt the way he did.
As their tongues brushed, so too did their erections. Marshall rolled his hips, as if slowly fucking Maksim. A moan rose in Maksim’s throat. He wanted that. “You should make love to me, man child. I’d love to feel you inside me.”
Marshall froze with Maksim’s bottom lip held between his teeth. He released him and lifted his head. His gaze moved over Maksim’s face, as if searching for any sign of doubt. Maksim knew what he wanted. The desire written in Marshall’s expression deepened his longing to feel Marshall pushing his way inside, owning him.
“Do it,” Maksim whispered, urging him on.
Marshall lowered his head once more and captured Maksim’s lips. The man split his attention between stealing Marshall’s kisses—lips brushing and clinging—and finding a condom. Maksim didn’t move. He stayed still, letting Marshall take charge. They were an odd couple—he knew. At heart, they both preferred to be on top, but they’d both equally surrender to the right person. They were each other’s right person.
Marshall’s lube-coated fingers toyed with Maksim’s asshole. Since that was exactly what he was in the mood for, Maksim’s dick leaked on his stomach. Maksim bit his bottom lip, holding back an orgasm. Need clawed at him. Marshall pushed his knees higher. The man’s cock probed at Maksim’s asshole. They held each other’s stare. Marshall moved slow. His dick pushed past the ring of tight muscles. Maksim gasped. Goddamn, the penetration was everything he wanted at the exact moment he craved it. Marshall changed angles, ensuring he hit the right spot. Maksim arched into the man’s thrust, needing everything. He sucked air through his mouth, fighting the urge to hold his breath and focus on nothing more than the pleasure. Maksim swore Marshall would kill him with ecstasy the way he moved slow and pumped deep. Goddamn, the man rolled his spine at the perfect fucking angle. No one had ever made him feel like this.
Sweat glistened on Marshall’s skin. “I won’t last long like this,” Marshall said, sounding ragged. “You feel too good. I wasn’t ready for how amazing you feel.”
Jesus, Maksim’s dick twitched and leaked like he was getting head. That was how much Marshall’s words fucked with his mind. He couldn’t take it. Maksim reached between them and tugged at his cock, needing relief. As much as he never wanted the moment to end, his brain screamed for release. It didn’t take much. He’d been too close to the edge. A few short strokes had the pressure building inside him exploding into waves of spasms. Words and moans escaped him. None of it made sense. All he could do was feel.
A loud gasp rang through the air. “Oh, my god, Maksim. Jesus, I can’t take it.” A guttural sound escaped Marshall as the man’s weight pinned him to the bed, pushing the air from Maksim’s lungs. He didn’t care. Oxygen didn’t matter. They were more connected in that moment than ever before. Maksim’s eyes stung. He’d never expected anyone to get under his skin. In fact, he’d taken several steps to prevent it. Maksim never once considered settling down. He always thought relationships sounded bland and boring. Being with only one person sounded stale. With Marshall, sex got better every time. They never got old. The more time they spent together, the more Maksim craved. He loved Marshall, and it happened so easily. Maksim already knew one day he’d wake up and refuse to ever leave Marshall’s side again. They were those soul mates he’d always heard about.
There was an odd vibe to the room—like a hollowness. Marshall’s eyes shot open. The bed was empty. He blinked at the spot where Maksim had been when he’d fallen asleep. The spot was smooth, as if he’d never been there at all. Marshall’s stomach cramped. Had it been a dream? Maybe the constant pains in his chest—the ones that kept him up every night since losing Maksim—had finally sent him over the edge. His gaze moved to the bathroom. The door stood open and the light was off. Marshall’s throat swelled. He couldn’t climb from the bed and not see Maksim today. His spirit was too weary.
He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. His fingers connected with something under the covers. Marshall dug it out. The darkness that set in at finding Maksim gone lifted when he realized it was a note. How it had ended up under the covers, Marshall would never know, but he did move a lot in his sleep.
Too excited to sleep. Went to work out.
Marshall threw back the covers, and headed for the bathroom. Maksim was coming back. It hadn’t been a dream. Marshall ran through his morning routine while trying his damnedest not to smile like a crazy person the entire time. He didn’t bother getting dressed. There was no point. If Maksim was back, Marshall intended to haul the man right back to bed. Maksim planned to quit his job. He’d be here almost every day. The excitement had Marshall damn near jumping in place. He fought the urge to bounce from the walls. They needed a trampoline. That random and ridiculous idea carried him through his search.
A loud bang sounded from the ground floor, along with a string of Russian curses. Marshall jogged down the stairs. “I have an idea,” Marshall said as he descended the stairs. “We should put a tramp—”
Three sets of eyes turned his way. The words died a swift death. Rage slammed into Marshall’s gut. Trent turned his face away, but Maksim held his gaze with no shame. It was a ballsy move considering he had his foot resting in Henley Steele’s lap. The man was married, for God’s sake—to Kieran Steele—a man who’d ruin Maksim if he learned Maksim touched his husband. Not to mention, Maksim was his, goddamn it. “Did I miss a party?”
Henley stared at him like a deer in headlights. “Jesus,” he breathed, eyeing Marshall from head to toe and back again, reminding Marshall he was nude.
“Guess who I ran into outside the gym?” Maksim said, his voice heavy with laughter.
“I thought I heard cursing. It never occurred to me you had another man down here, rubbing your feet.”
A line appeared between Maksim’s eyes. “I stepped on some glass.” Before Maksim could say anything else, Marshall muscled Henley out of the way and took over inspecting Maksim’s foot. Henley kept his face averted as he filled the empty spot next to Trent. The cut didn’t look too bad, but Marshall didn’t want it to get infected.
“I’ll find you some antibiotic cream and a bandage.”
“Why don’t you find some clothes while you’re at it,” Maksim snapped, bringing Marshall’s gaze back to his. Maksim didn’t look happy.
“Everyone here has the same equipment. Why do you sound jealous?”
“Oh, no. Nope,” Trent said, keeping his face turned away. “I can attest that we absolutely do not have the same equipment. Holy shit.”
Henley stayed focused on Trent. “Right? I’m trying to forget having seen it. Otherwise, Kieran will kill me.”
“Wait. I thought y’all belonged to that club,” Trent said.
Henley shook his head. “We quit doing that.”
“Huh,” Trent said, sounding thoughtful. “It’s been an informative day. The biggest BDSM couple I know has given up the lifestyle, and my friend should give up football for porn.”
Henley grinned. His eyes swam with laughter. “Jesus. You’re not lying. I’ll never be able to look at him the same now that I know how ginormous his—”
“Are you two finished?” Maksim snapped, cutting Henley off. “That ginormous cock belongs to me.” He focused on Marshall. “Go put some goddamn clothes on.”
Marshall shook his head. Despite the situation, Marshall couldn’t stop smiling. Maksim’s possessiveness was hot as hell. He gently set Maksim’s foot aside. After coming to his feet, Marshall leaned in and captured Maksim’s lips. Trent already knew about them. If Henley hadn’t, Maksim’s jealousy and Marshall’s nudity had cleared up everything. He knew Henley wo
uldn’t talk. The man had his own set of secrets. In truth, Marshall didn’t give a fuck about any of that. He loved Maksim. Maksim obviously loved him. He needed the man’s kiss.
“Damn,” Henley muttered. “Don’t get him hard. I’m already jealous as hell.”
“You’re married,” Trent argued.
“I’m not dead,” Henley shot back. “And what about you? I thought you were seeing someone.”
“Technically, but you’re not supposed to know that. I don’t want to lose my job.”
“La, la, la. I’m not listening,” Henley said, sounding like a kid. “Do not tell me a thing. If my husband is going to be forced to pull your ass from a sling for fucking a league player, I want to be able to plead ignorance.”
While the two exchanged verbal blows, Marshall pulled Maksim to his feet and led him upstairs. He made sure Maksim didn’t put any weight on his cut.
“Come on, sexy. I’ll fix you up while they work out their shit. Then you can explain to me what they’re doing here.”
“Helping me set up connections for my new venture,” Maksim said, clearing everything up before they even made it to the bedroom.
Marshall led Maksim to the bed and urged him to sit before searching out the first aid kit. He came back with what he needed. He gently cared for Maksim’s cut.
“What were you saying about a tramp when you were coming down the stairs?” Maksim asked, laughing.
“We should put a trampoline downstairs now that my trophy case is gone.”
“You say that like I’ll be living here.”
Marshall glanced up. “Maybe you will.”
Maksim’s amazing violet gaze stared at him, as if assessing his seriousness. “Maybe I will.”
He definitely would. Maksim just didn’t know it yet. Marshall fully intended to take over this gorgeous man’s life—one giant leap at a time.
Bang (Hard Hit Book 13) Page 8
