by Erin M. Leaf
“I’ll get out first. There’s a ton of people out there, probably because of your impromptu interview from earlier,” the big man said, opening his door and getting out. Dave followed him out the passenger side. The four people in back waited until the two men made their way to the back door. He opened it, and Charlie stepped out, holding back the paparazzi.
Lisa flinched as Jake peered at the crowd waiting outside. “Shit!” He ran his hands through his hair. He looked down at his wrists and Duncan knew he was thinking about how easily the bonding tattoos had been discovered.
“It’s okay.” Duncan reached over and placed his hands over Jake’s, stopping their fidgeting. “We weren’t going to keep it a secret forever.” Jake looked up and, not for the first time, Duncan cursed the bond that heightened their desire for each other. Jake’s eyes showed everything he felt and Duncan’s cock jerked behind the zipper of his jeans. Both men winced, then laughed.
“Let’s get this over with,” Jake said. Duncan took a deep breath and stepped into the chaos, then reached in to give Jake a hand out. He was grateful for Dave and Charlie’s protection as they held the crowd clear so the two men and Lisa could step onto the sidewalk.
“Duncan! Duncan! Is it true? Can you confirm the rumors of your bonding?” Duncan paused and held up a hand. The crowd quieted.
“Yes, it’s true. We’ll release more information later, but right now we’ve got to get ready for the show.” Duncan dropped his hand and made his way to the back door of the Nokia theatre, pulling Jake behind him. He knew it was a mistake to touch the other man as the physical contact only made him want to get closer, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to touch Jake. He wanted to hold his hand where everyone could see. He imagined himself ripping off Jake’s clothes and his lover moaned as they stepped into the dark hallway. Lisa and Charlie slipped away as Dave wrestled the door shut.
“I’m going to make sure the other entrances are secure,” Dave said, rubbing his eyes. The man looked tired, but Duncan was too aware of Jake’s hand on his to say anything to his head of security. He had to get them out of here.
“Do you know where my dressing room is?” Duncan asked before Dave could leave, shoving his free hand in his jeans pocket to hide his obvious erection. Jake plastered himself to Duncan’s side and they both shuddered. What the hell was going on? Their bond was complete. Why were they suddenly feeling so desperate? Duncan noted that Dave and Lisa didn’t seem to be having such a hard time.
I think it’s because I’m so far away, Emma thought to them. Duncan knew she’d left the school. He could feel her driving. How could her thoughts come through so clearly? They’d been trying all day to talk telepathically, but the most they’d managed to do was exchange mental images and emotions. What was happening to their bond?
He looked at Jake who shook his head. I don’t know either, Jake thought to him.
Be careful! Duncan thought to Emma, worried the changes in their bond would affect her driving. He felt her nod as Jake snaked his hand around his waist, turning and pressing his thick cock against Duncan’s hip. Duncan barely choked back a groan as his own arousal ramped higher.
“At this rate, I don’t think I’m going to care if we can’t find somewhere private,” Jake rasped in Duncan’s ear.
Duncan nodded shortly. It wasn’t this bad this morning, he thought. We’re probably okay for a while, then the longer we’re apart the worse it gets. He felt Emma’s agreement and hoped she’d make it home okay. It couldn’t be easy to drive if she was feeling the effects of this as strongly as they were.
Maybe we can talk now because the bond thinks it’s an emergency. Like, maybe we aren’t supposed to be this far apart, so the bond thinks there’s something wrong and ramps up, Emma thought to the men.
There is something wrong. We’re too fucking far apart, Jake thought irritably and Duncan winced.
“I don’t think your dressing room is ready yet,” Dave said, oblivious to their internal conversation. He eyed the two men with sympathy before he turned and walked down the hall. Jake groaned and shoved his head into Duncan’s neck.
“Jesus.” Duncan ground his teeth. This is ridiculous, he thought, then gasped as Jake grabbed him and shoved him against the wall.
“I can’t wait. That’s it,” Jake said, pressing one of his thighs between Duncan’s legs. They both moaned at the friction and some of Duncan’s iron control broke. He grabbed Jake’s hair, pulling his head back. He mouthed a kiss against Jake’s jaw, enjoying the way the other man’s stubble rasped against his lips, then he slid his mouth up and they were kissing wildly. Duncan groaned and shoved back, flipping their positions. He pushed Jake up against the wall, using his height to lift the other man so that they could rub against each other better. Dimly he felt Emma stumbling up her walkway and he had a moment to think, thank God she’s safe, then Jake bit his lip and Duncan lost it completely. He sucked Jake’s tongue and started unbuckling the other man’s jeans, cursing under his breath when he couldn’t get the zipper down. Jake’s cock was so hard it made it impossible to open his pants and Duncan tugged at the catch ineffectually for a minute until Jake put his hands over his, stopping Duncan’s useless attempt to get at bare skin.
“We can’t do this here,” Jake gasped.
Duncan moaned and batted at Jake’s hands. “Are you insane? I’m going to lose my mind.” Duncan pressed his hand against Jake’s cock, hard enough to make the other man flinch. “If I don’t get my mouth on you in the next thirty seconds I’m going to come in my fucking pants.”
Jake shuddered and Duncan started to slide to his knees, thinking, Jake will give in, he has to be just as desperate as I am—he could feel Jake’s arousal as acutely as his own, but Jake caught him under his arms and dragged him down the hall. Jake tried one door only to find it locked, then two more before he found one that was open. They stumbled inside a supply closet and shoved the door shut behind them. The only light was the eerie green of an emergency exit sign but Duncan didn’t care. He pushed Jake against the door and dropped down, slipping his hand into the other man’s jeans. Jake’s cock jerked and Duncan’s mouth watered. He could feel Emma suddenly, right there with him in his mind as he tugged Jake’s pants down. Fuck the zipper, he thought as he shoved aside the other man’s boxers and sucked the head of Jake’s cock into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring the silky skin and sweet tang of Jake’s pre-cum. A hundred miles away Emma gasped and fell back on her bed. She scrabbled at her panties, ripping the elastic and Duncan grinned around the cock on his tongue as Jake stuffed the heel of his hand into his own mouth the muffle his shout.
Duncan sucked hard, too aroused for finesse. Jake’s dick throbbed as he scraped his teeth against the rim. He pulled off with a pop and shoved Jake’s pants down more, manhandling the other man until his legs were spread more. He shoved two fingers up against Jake’s mouth. “Lick.”
Jake gasped and obeyed, licking and nipping at his fingers until Duncan pulled them away. He sucked Jake’s cock back in and slid his wet fingers down behind the other man’s balls and into his opening, fucking the other man with them as he tongued around the slit of his cock. Jake shuddered and froze and then he was coming as Duncan deep-throated him and swallowed. Both of them moaned as they felt Emma orgasm on her own fingers, hair messy and back arched off the bed. Jake slid down the door, cock still pulsing weakly as Duncan scrabbled for his own zipper, barely pulling his erection out in time to come on the floor instead of in his pants.
“Holy fucking fuck,” Jake gasped, still shuddering.
Duncan laughed weakly then jumped as someone tried to open the door. “Fuck!” The door shoved against Jake’s back and both men pushed back on it.
“Just a minute!” Jake yelled as he tried to pull his jeans up and press against the door at the same time. Duncan buttoned his pants with his left hand and looked around for something to wipe the spunk off his right hand. He could hear Emma snickering in his head as he finally gave up and wiped
it off on his T-shirt. He hoped that the jacket he wore would cover the stains as someone banged on the door.
“Duncan! Are you in there?”
Jake looked at Duncan who laughed and stood up. Why did this keep happening to them?
“The fucking paparazzi are all over the fucking venue. We need you to stop fucking around and get your ass out here!” their keyboardist yelled.
Jake snorted as he finally got his pants fastened. “Eric really gets himself worked up about stuff, doesn’t he?”
Duncan smiled, feeling too blissed-out from his orgasm to care very much about Eric’s impatience. The man needed to chill out anyway. He was always freaking out about something. “I’ll be right there Eric!” he called, then leaned into Jake, kissing the other man softly. He smiled as Jake closed his eyes, savoring the contact. “Man, I really love you.”
“Ditto,” Jake replied. He opened his eyes. “Now get out there and deal with Eric before I punch him again.” Duncan laughed, remembering the last time that happened. Eric had a tendency to say stupid things when he was drunk.
“Yeah. He had a fit when he found out I was bi. I bet he’s freaking out over the bonding thing now.” He felt Emma’s concern in the back of his head and sent a quick reassurance her way. “Whatever. If he can’t deal with it, he can leave. The only reason I kept him in the band after his last homophobic rant was because he had a contract,” Duncan said, smoothing his jacket down over his shirt.
Jake nodded. “If it comes to that, I can play the keys.”
Duncan stared at Jake, ignoring the pounding on the door. You hate playing in front of an audience, he thought.
“Yeah, well, I’m not going to let Eric fuck things up because he can’t handle us sleeping together. I like playing keyboards. I just wasn’t interested in the fame. I think it’s too late now for that.” Jake smiled and kissed Duncan, then turned and opened the door. Both men blinked in the light from the hall. Eric stood just outside, fist raised to pound on the door again.
Jake stepped back quickly. “Whoa, man, relax!”
Duncan frowned. Eric looked beyond pissed, his blond hair tousled and his face red. His eyes were bloodshot, like he’d been drinking. He watched Eric sway on his feet and wondered if the man was on drugs or something.
“What the hell? You’re fucking each other now? I didn’t sign on for this,” Eric said, venomously.
Duncan felt his temper finally rise. “If you have a problem with us, the door’s that way.” He pointed to the exit down the hall. He watched Eric glare at them, his face growing redder.
“I let it slide when you told Oprah you were bi last year because I thought you did it for the publicity, but now—” Eric broke off, struggling. “You too Jake?” He raised a fist and Jake pulled Duncan back.
“Get a grip, Eric!” Jake said angrily. He’s lost it.
Duncan nodded, then shoved Jake to the side as Eric charged. “Jesus Christ, Eric! What the fuck?” He ducked as Eric threw a punch and then Dave and Charlie were there, grabbing Eric and shoving him up against the wall just inside the closet. Duncan looked down at the floor and winced, hoping none of them noticed the wet mark on the floor. Jake snorted at Duncan’s thought, then pulled him out into the hall. Both men sensed Emma watching the scene though their eyes. Her concern for them and disgust for Eric made Duncan feel a little better.
“What do you want us to do, boss?” Charlie asked.
Duncan sighed. “Let him get his stuff and leave.” He looked at Eric who fought against Charlie and Dave’s hold. “I’ll send your check to you. You’re done.”
“Fuck you, faggot! I wouldn’t work for you now if you begged me! And I’ve got a lead on another gig anyway, with more perks than playing for you ever got me!”
“Quiet, you,” Dave growled and yanked him out of the closet. He and Charlie frog-marched him down the hall as Duncan sagged against the wall.
“I didn’t expect that. I mean, I knew he was nuts, but I didn’t think he’d totally lose it,” Jake said, leaning into Duncan. He dropped his head into Duncan’s neck. “Like you’d beg that asshole for anything.”
Duncan laughed. “I’d beg you for a whole lotta things.”
Jake lifted his face and grinned. “Oh yeah? I’d like to see that.”
Duncan’s mouth went dry and they both felt Emma rolling her eyes at them. You don’t have time for another go-round, she sent, then faded into the back of their minds.
“She’s right. You need to do sound-check and I need to practice. It’s been a while since I played all the songs and since tonight’s show is acoustic, it’d really suck if I screwed up.” Jake pushed away from Duncan and started down the hall. “Come on.”
Duncan smiled and followed his lover’s gorgeous ass down to the stage.
Chapter 9
Jake woke with a start as the car slid to a stop. “We there?”
Duncan turned the ignition off and smiled as Jake rubbed his eyes and fought to wake up. “Yeah, we’re here. It’s late. Emma’s asleep.”
Jake yawned as Duncan opened the door and got out of the car, stretching in the cool night air. His jacket and shirt rode up, revealing a thin sliver of skin for Jake to admire. Even exhausted, he’s a gorgeous bastard, he thought. No wonder I turned gay.
Hey! I heard that! Duncan thought back at him, grinning. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. “And anyway, you didn’t just turn gay. I think you were leaning toward bisexual, but you were too lazy to ask any guys out. Too many women throwing themselves at you.”
Jake snorted. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I honestly didn’t think about it.” He grabbed Duncan’s hand. “You know, I don’t need you to haul me out like a damsel in distress,” Jake said, grumpy with exhaustion.
“Then get your ass out of the car. I want to get out of these clothes and crawl into bed with Emma,” Duncan replied, heartless.
Jake groaned, both at how tired his body felt and at the thought of them naked together in Emma’s bed. He felt her stir as their proximity and arousal seeped into her sleep, bringing her closer to consciousness. He stepped around the car to help Duncan with their bags.
“You were great tonight, by the way,” Duncan said as they closed the trunk and walked up the sidewalk.
Jake smiled. “Thanks. I’m not used to performing in front of such a large audience. I was a little nervous.”
“You were wonderful. I don’t know why you were nervous. You spend all your time organizing my life. You’re around crowds of people all the time, and you’re usually telling most of them what to do, too. You’re more than comfortable being in the spotlight.” Duncan smiled.
Jake paused outside of Emma’s screen door. “Yeah, but the crowds are there to see you, not me. I’m just your manager. I’m not the star.”
“Well, after tonight, I have a feeling things will be different. Between the bonding and this performance, the fans are going to go crazy.”
Jake sighed and opened the door. “I’m afraid you’re right. You didn’t look after the show, but I checked my laptop and the internet basically exploded. We made the top entertainment headline on most of the news sites. I was afraid to look at the blogs.” He stepped inside and held the door open for Duncan.
“Do you regret it?” Duncan paused, whispering in the dark.
Jake shook his head. “You know I’d do anything for you.” He was about to kiss Duncan when something flashed in the corner of his eye and turned to look. He thought he saw a man and a woman, ducking down behind one of the neighbor’s front hedges. He could swear the man was wearing the same ugly cap Eric liked to wear offstage, with the plastic beer bottle stuck to the front. He frowned and looked out into the darkness, waiting to see them again, but all was quiet.
“What is it?”
“I thought I saw something, a flash of light like a reflection off of a buckle or jewelry.” Jake peered down the street but saw nothing. The trees rustled in the late night breeze and he shivered, stepping back to let
Duncan inside. “For a moment I thought I saw Eric with some woman. Wow, I must be really tired. I’m seeing things now.”
Duncan nodded and stepped in, letting the screen door swing shut behind him. Jake winced when it banged against the doorframe and he hoped it hadn’t woken Emma up.
“No such luck,” Emma said softly, stepping into the pool of light that fell into her living room from the street light outside. Jake smiled, taking in her long white nightgown. She looked innocent and young, her hair tousled from sleep. Duncan sighed and slipped past him to hug her close. Jake swung the oak inside door shut and threw the deadbolt before turning and dropping his bag. When he stepped forward, Duncan opened his arms and gathered Jake into their hug. Jake dropped his head down and inhaled Emma’s sweet scent, her hair tickling his nose with the fruity shampoo she’d used earlier that day.
“I love the way you smell,” he murmured into her skin, then opened his mouth and licked her neck. She trembled and he grinned against her cheek. He felt his cock fill again and thought to himself, Seriously? Like he hadn’t had enough sex in the past few days. Then Duncan angled his body and pressed his thick erection against Jake’s thigh. Oh. At least it wasn’t just him.
“No, it’s not just you,” Emma said, her voice throaty. Both men shivered.
“Let’s take this to bed.” Duncan stepped back, shrugging off his jacket. He let it fall onto the floor and Jake’s eyes caught on Duncan’s muscular torso, the tight T-shirt he wore hugging his pecs and clearly outlining Duncan’s pierced nipples. Jake wanted to go slow this time, run his fingers and mouth all over Duncan. He wanted to memorize what it felt like when Duncan slid into his body. He wanted Emma to suck him while he learned the texture of her hair. Duncan groaned and Emma stared, catching his thoughts.
