Relay

by Layla Reyne

  Mouth drifting, Alex ran his tongue along the length of his jaw. “Next time I tell you to shave this, don’t.”

  Dane’s head fell back, giving Alex full access to his sensitive neck, and his dick jerked, testing the limits of his sweatpants. “Holy fuck.” The curse rolled easily off his tongue, the assault on his senses more than warranting it.

  “Eyes forward, Ellis,” Alex said.

  Dane struggled for the strength to right his head, every bit he had powering his thrusting hips, his other head, but he reached for a reserve, straightening. And was handsomely rewarded for the effort. Alex sat back on his thighs, reached behind his neck, and yanked his tee off over his head. Dane sat frozen for a moment, everything he’d wanted to touch and taste the past two and a half weeks there for the taking. And he couldn’t decide where to start.

  Reading his dilemma, Alex wove a hand in his hair and drew him forward, bringing Dane’s lips to the crevice at the base of his neck. “Start here.”

  That he could do.

  He kissed and lapped, returning the torture, while his hands climbed Alex’s body, gliding over ripped abs, tight obliques, and toned delts. The muscled torso was so much harder, more defined, than when they were kids. But God, did it still taste like heaven. Kisses drifting lower, he nuzzled the little patch of dark hair at the V of Alex’s sternum, the prickle on his face divine. Alex’s answering moan was divine too, rocketing Dane’s dick to the edge of pain. He ventured out, the attentions of his hands and mouth converging on Alex’s nipples. Dark, rosy circles that shriveled and tensed when he pinched, licked, and took each nub between his teeth.

  Alex’s hips jerked, slamming down, his cock demanding attention too. Dane grasped the rigid length through Alex’s track pants, fisting and stroking. Alex rested his forehead against his, panting as he thrust into Dane’s hand, while the back of Dane’s knuckles wreaked havoc on his own cock.

  It wasn’t enough. He needed a better grip, on both of them.

  Fighting elastic, he shoved the waistband of Alex’s pants and briefs down, then his own, far enough to get their dicks out and in his palm, together. Then he lost his grip on reality as he stroked them as one, his entire world focused on the feel of them together in his hand—hard, hot, and slicker by the second. He buried his face in Alex’s neck, sucking hard enough to bruise, but unable to stop himself.

  “What do you want, babe?” Alex whispered in his ear, hot and gravelly, the endearment driving Dane wild.

  “Want you to fuck me.” There’d been no doubt in Dane’s mind that that’s where this was going. He wanted Alex on him, in him, more than anything. More than medals, more than sponsorships, more than the dollars in his trust fund. He’d give it all up if Alex would just make love to him.

  “Then take me to bed,” Alex rumbled, and Dane didn’t have to be told twice. He ran his hands down Alex’s back, inside his pants and briefs, and palmed that perfect ass, boosting Alex into his arms as he stood. Alex wrapped his legs around his waist, and they stumbled down the hall, banging walls along the way as Dane’s legs wobbled each time Alex nipped behind his ear or licked the hollow of his throat.

  In the bedroom, Dane knocked his duffle off the bed and then, knee to the mattress, laid Alex out, yanking off his pants and briefs in one go. He grabbed Alex’s flailing hand with one of his, pinning it to the bed, and took the base of Alex’s cock in the other, pumping, while he teased the length of it with a long swipe of his tongue. “I’ve been thinking about this, about being right here, since the club. I wondered if you’d still taste the same too.”

  Alex’s fingers clenched in his as his hips shot off the bed.

  Dane smirked up at him. “That an invitation?”

  Alex growled. “Fuck yes.”

  He circled the tip with his tongue, taking Alex into his mouth, loving the feel of him, the salty, musky taste, the smell that was all his own. Alex’s hand spasmed in his again, and Dane placed it on his head, encouraging Alex to pull at the strands, needing that edge of pain to stave off his own mounting pleasure.

  Everything about blowing Alex was so heady though, so much a pleasure in itself, that Dane got lost in rhythm, not at first noticing when Alex’s tugging became urgent. It wasn’t until nails scraped over his scalp, sending a painful arrow of need straight to his dick, propelling him right to the edge, that Dane gasped and Alex’s dick slipped from his mouth.

  “Get up here,” Alex ordered.

  “Why’d you stop me?”

  “I’m still not sure this is real, and if I only get one chance at this, I want to be inside you when I come.”

  Dane crawled up the length of his body and rested his elbows on either side of Alex’s head, framing his handsome face in his hands before diving in for another long, thorough kiss, reaffirming all those promises he’d made today. “This is real, Alex. It’s not a one-time thing. I love you.” He rolled his hips, and Alex’s softening expression shifted to wanton, a keening moan rumbling out of his throat. “And I want you inside me too.”

  “Then get the rest of your clothes off, now.”

  He stripped the rest of the way as Alex reached in the side drawer, tagging a condom and lube. They repositioned so Dane was on his knees, Alex behind him as he rolled on the condom. “I’ll go slow,” he said. “It may hurt.”

  Dane looked over his shoulder, praying to God he didn’t come from the sight of Alex naked and erect, slicking himself with lube. “It won’t,” he gritted out.

  Alex raised a brow. “Others?”

  Dane shook his head. “It’s only ever been you there. And toys.”

  Alex grinned as he squirted more lube into his hand. “How’d you hide those from your parents?”

  “In a lockbox. With my swimming medals.” Alex laughed, big and full-bodied, and it was the most seductive thing Dane had ever heard. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

  Alex’s laughter eased into a soft smile, and he leaned over Dane, nuzzling his cheek as his slick fingers teased him open. “You’re pretty beautiful too, Big Red.”

  Dane groaned, riding back on Alex’s hand. “I always imagined it was you. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. Please.”

  Kissing the nape of his neck, Alex nudged his knees farther apart and pressed the tip of his dick against Dane’s opening. But despite how much he wanted it, Dane tensed. It’d been so long, and yes, he’d used toys, but being with Alex was so much more. And Alex was so much bigger.

  Alex smoothed a hand over his hip and around, taking his erection in hand. “Easy, babe,” he whispered.

  The stroke over Dane’s cock, as smooth as the voice in his ear, distracted him from the tension, and when Alex pushed a second time, Dane gave himself over. He grunted at the initial pressure, then groaned as the pain gave way to fullness, to a sensation inside him he’d been missing for far too long.

  “I need to move now,” Alex said, after giving him a few seconds to adjust. His voice was no longer smooth, but as rough and full of need as Dane’s.

  Pushing back in answer, Dane encouraged the movement Alex promised. It was everything he’d missed and more. Alex all around him—blanketing his back, grunting in his ear, fisting his cock, and filling him full. Over and over, in a race against their bodies, barreling toward the wall, and reaching the finish when Alex panted, “Come for me,” in his ear.

  Dane had no choice but to follow his captain’s orders.

  He came, hard, spilling into Alex’s tight grip, as Alex’s thrusts became erratic, pounding to his own finish. The last thrust was the best, filling Dane full, and Alex stayed buried inside him a long shuddering minute, until they both collapsed on their sides.

  Alex’s heat disappeared from his back, and Dane heard him yanking open drawers, then the whoosh of tissues pulled from a box. A wad appeared over his shoulder, and Dane cleaned himself up. They ditched the tissues off the side of the bed and rolled chest to chest.

  Slinging a leg over Alex’s hip, Dane wrapped him up, in his body and the covers. Alex sn
uggled down, kissing the hollow of his throat again, and Dane was sure his heart would tear through ribs and skin and offer itself to Alex.

  “Are you really here?” Alex mumbled, half-asleep already.

  Dane hugged him tighter. “Yeah, I’m here, Cap,” he said, dropping a kiss on his head, nose buried in the dark curls he loved so much. “And I’m never turning my back on you again.”

  The blaring alarm clock jolted Alex awake. He threw out an arm, slapped it silent, and shoved the infernal device off the table to the floor, the least it deserved for being so rude. Groaning, he blinked open his eyes, meeting the shadowy gray light of predawn morning. On a stretch and inhale, consciousness came flooding back. The pleasant ache in his thighs and back, the lingering smell of sex, his morning wood eager but not desperate. Satisfied after a night of multiple rounds. He rolled onto his back, seeking out his bedmate, and met . . . nothing.

  Alex shot up, his first instinct to panic and think the worst, chest clenching against an impending wave of familiar heartache. Dane had left again, had set him aside once more. He’d been on the edge of sleep, but Alex swore he’d heard Dane promise to never leave again. And the same promise had been in every kiss they’d shared yesterday. Had Dane broken that promise already? History lent itself to that conclusion, but fuck if Alex hadn’t thought they’d changed the course of history last night. His and Dane’s future finally headed a different direction, together.

  He’d believed him.

  Bracing a hand on the empty side of the bed, Alex felt warmth under his palm. Dane hadn’t been gone long; maybe he was still in the apartment. Alex inhaled a shaky breath, preparing to call out his name, and swallowed the scent of freshly brewed coffee instead. The ringing in his ears waned, and Dane’s deep Southern drawl came through. The words were muffled, Dane speaking low on the phone, but the familiar rumble calmed Alex’s racing heart.

  But not his racing thoughts. He collapsed back on the bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling. Dane was here in his apartment, had been here in his bed last night and at his family’s farm yesterday. He was really here, but for how long? Was that his parents on the phone? What would they threaten him with this time? Everything about Dane’s actions yesterday and his lovemaking last night showed Alex he loved him, but was that love strong enough to withstand the inevitable assault? From Dane’s parents, the press, from whatever they faced with USOC.

  USOC.

  Test results.

  Alex shot up again and swung the rest of the way out of bed. He grabbed a pair of clean sweats, hauled them on, and made a beeline for the kitchen table. On it, the computer continued to run commands in the black box. Still not done yet.

  A warm breeze wafted around his legs, and Alex followed it to the open patio door. Dane stood outside on the tiny cement balcony, phone to his ear, the other wrapped around the back of his neck. Dressed in his sweats from last night and nothing else, with the first rays of sun peeking over the horizon, his pale skin glowed and his red-gold hair shone like fresh-struck kindling.

  Alex was so entranced by the sight he almost missed the words.

  “Roger’s on board. We might lose a couple sponsors, but we’ll gain more.” A pause, then a transformation came over Dane similar to the one outside the kitchen earlier this week, when he’d faced down his father. Hand dropping and fisting at his side, he straightened his spine and shoulders, tipped up his chin, and held his head high. But when he spoke, Dane’s words carried a certainty Alex had never heard before. “I don’t care what the press thinks, and I sure as hell don’t care what your congregation or customers think. I love him, and I won’t turn my back on him, ever again.”

  Dane was here. He wasn’t leaving. This was real.

  Warmth filled Alex’s chest, chasing away the chilly tendrils of doubt and propelling him forward. He laid a hand on Dane’s lower back so as not to startle him, then glided it around his waist. He circled Dane’s chest with the other, hugging him from behind and nuzzling the crevice of his spine.

  Dane tangled their fingers together on his chest. “You can keep your money,” he said into the phone. “And you can keep your mansion. My home is wherever Alex is.” Dane didn’t give them the chance to respond. Just hung up and tossed the phone on the little wrought iron patio table, the clatter loud in the otherwise quiet morning. He blew out a shaky breath, and Alex hugged him tighter, happy to shoulder the extra weight, especially after witnessing that stand.

  “You might have a new roommate, when this is all said and done.” Dane lifted his hand, kissing the palm. “I hope Carla doesn’t mind.”

  Alex turned him in his arms and held his face in his hands, staring into scared but determined blue eyes. “I love you, Dane Ellis.”

  Heat warmed the cheeks beneath his palms, and Dane cast his eyes aside, suddenly shy. “You didn’t say it last night. I didn’t know.”

  Alex wove his fingers into Dane’s hair, furthering the charming disarray. “I wasn’t sure it was real, that you wouldn’t be gone in the morning.”

  Dane’s eyes cut back to his, a spark of mischief there to match the smirk curling his lips. “Even after round three?”

  Alex leaned in for a lazy, languid kiss. “I woke up and wasn’t in your arms. I panicked, but then I smelled the coffee and heard your voice. Heard what you said to your parents.”

  “I meant every word.” Dane pulled back, hands wrapped around his wrists. “Every word I said to you last night and to them just now.”

  “I believe you.” Alex brushed a kiss along his jaw, the auburn stubble tickling his tongue and stirring blood in other places. Morning wood hardening past merely eager.

  Dane was right there with him, capturing his mouth in another kiss that quickly ratcheted up to needy. Flipping them, Alex pressed Dane’s back against the glass door while Dane slipped a hand inside his sweats, palming his ass. Alex groaned and lifted his ass, forcing Dane’s fingertips to skim his crease. Dane didn’t like to top, but that didn’t mean Alex didn’t like to be teased too, to be filled too, one way or the other.

  Dane took the bait, dipping his hand lower, running a finger around his rim, and Alex ground his erection against Dane’s, showing his appreciation. “Round four,” he mumbled, and Dane’s smile curled against his lips.

  Then died when the computer inside pinged. A tiny beep as loud as thunder rolling across the open plains. He tensed in Dane’s arms. Would there be anything they could use in the decrypted files? What if they found nothing? His career and future, and now Dane’s too, were on the line.

  Big hands clasped his shoulders, lightly shaking him out of the rising panic. “We’re going to find a way out of this,” Dane said.

  “What if there is no magic bullet?”

  Dane rubbed his thumbs over the sensitive spot at the hollow of Alex’s neck, tongue following in its place, obviously trying to distract him. “Then you come to Madrid and cheer on your boyfriend.”

  Distraction working, Alex looped his arms over Dane’s shoulders. “My family needs me here.”

  “Then we make sure our phones don’t have roaming charges, and you watch your boyfriend on TV win the relay gold and dedicate it to you.”

  Alex nuzzled his temple, chasing away the lingering disappointment with the much better part of that sentence. “You like that word, don’t you? Boyfriend.”

  “I do.” Dane tilted his face in for a kiss, grinning. “And I’ll come home and put my gold next to my boyfriend’s in that awesome carved case next to his bed.”

  “No more medals with sex toys,” he said in mock scolding.

  “I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”

  Alex laughed. “Nope, babe, sorry.”

  Head hung, Dane peeked up through his lashes, smiling wider. “I love it when you laugh.” Dane grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. “Let’s go, we’ve got work to do.”

  At the table, Dane pulled the computer to him and was opening windows and sifting through information faster than Alex could comprehe
nd. It was hard enough to comprehend that Dane, the lost love of his life, had returned, was a hot computer nerd, and was sitting shirtless in his apartment, hacking USOC records.

  “This is yours, right?” Dane asked, pointing to the screen.

  Alex leaned over his shoulder, examining the test results. His name and medical ID number were in the right spot, and the blood draw date on the left, above the results, was also correct. As was the first drug listed, Verapamil, a medication he took daily for esophageal spasm, a condition he’d been diagnosed with in college. He tapped that line. “That’s how I know it’s me. Daily medication.”

  “All right, give me a few minutes, and let me dig for an older version of this file.”

  “Coffee, then?”

  Dane glanced up, lips puckered for a kiss, which Alex gave to him.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “There will never be a no to that question.”

  Laughing despite his nerves, Alex worked in the kitchen, filling their mugs, Dane’s more cream and sugar than coffee.

  “Gotcha!” Dane shouted with a smack to the table.

  Alex hurried back over. “What’d you find?”

  “It was buried deep, but I found a ghost of the first version.” He had two test results open on the screen, side by side. “That’s it, right?”

  Alex checked all the markers again. “Yes, that’s the same one.”

  “Except not.” Dane highlighted the differing results for the performance-enhancing drug. POS on the later version Alex had been shown. NEG on the ghost of the original. “Notice anything else different?” Dane asked.

  Alex shook his head.

  “Because it’s hidden.” He made a couple clicks and keystrokes, and another number popped up in the footer. “User ID for the person who entered the data.”

  “They’re different too.”

  “Exactly.” He hovered the cursor over the one on the second set of results. “This is the person who sank you. The person my parents are paying.”