Full Tilt Duet Box Set

by Emma Scott

“I’m going to die of jealousy.” Phoebe pouted. She gave her brother a dirty look. “Why do I hang around you so much?”

  “Good question,” Grant retorted.

  I smiled against Teddy’s lips, basking in happiness. Such a relief to have friends look at us with only joy and affection.

  The parade carried on into the evening. I jostled Teddy’s arm as an enormous alligator in bright green made its way down the street. Thousands of strings of brightly colored beads dripped from its open mouth, and its krewe—two dozen people in blue and silver—threw beads and plastic coins at the cheering spectators. Another float called the Bacchawoppa, resembled Moby Dick, if Moby Dick had been kidnapped by drag queens. The giant whale was painted to look as if it were wreathed in colorful seaweed, and its krewe threw beads from within the rolling blue waves surrounding it.

  Night fell fast. Big E gave Yvonne a ride home, and Grant and Phoebe took off with other friends. Theo and I watched until the last float passed, then meandered through the Garden District, past groups of revelers in sugar-skull makeup, street musicians playing saxophones and accordions, groups of friends draped in beads and holding sloshing drinks in their hands. The city was intoxicating enough for me, its streets pulsing and breathing. Even the shadows danced.

  I felt my pulse quicken, exhilarated by the night and by the man beside me. His eyes met mine, burning with a hunger that made my legs tremble.

  Theo took an abrupt turn, heading down an alley between a café and a smoke shop. In the shadows that smelled of sweet cigars, he pressed me against the wall. His body, hard and strong, pinning mine, his hands all over me, his mouth crushing mine.

  I moaned into his mouth, my own hands clawing mindlessly at the muscles in his back, crawling up to his soft hair. My legs parted, wanting to wrap around his waist so he could take me right then and there. His hand slipped under the swaying tassels of my flapper dress to cup between my legs. His fingers found the sweet spot through silken material that dampened under his touch. My body undulated against the wall with the force of him, stoking a rising heat. I clung to his neck, astonished at how fast he was driving me to climax.

  “God, yes,” I hissed through, then nearly cried out in agony as he took his hand away. Then Theo dropped to his knees, lifting my dress.

  “Oh God. Oh God, wait. Teddy…”

  “You want me to stop?”

  I glanced around the deserted alley, realized the passersby on the street couldn’t see us. “No.”

  He went back up my skirt, and tugged my panties aside. Then his mouth was on me and I had to bite back a scream. It took seconds for his tongue to suck and lick me through a titanic wave of pleasure. I flailed against the wall, nothing to hold on to but Theo’s shoulders as the ecstasy flooded me. My head fell back against the bricks and I stared at the muted stars above my new city.

  Still Theo didn’t stop. He delved deeper into me, his tongue and grazing teeth and the deep vibrations of his grunting voice driving me toward another crash. He went at me like he was a starving madman and I was his feast, the only thing that could satiate him.

  A second orgasm ripped through me, and I gasped soundlessly, my voice whispering through the alley when I really wanted to scream. I needed to scream. I needed to have Theo naked, in my bed, where I could ride him until he came. And then make him come again.

  Theo came up from under my skirt, his face flushed red in the meager light, his lips and chin wet with me.

  “Home,” I whispered. God, it seemed so far away. Too far.

  We looked hopelessly for a cab, standing hand in hand on the street, breathing heavily, my wig askew, my lipstick smeared. By some miracle, a cab pulled up near us and we ran for it, diving into the back almost before its passengers had finished getting out. In the slow crawl of traffic, Theo shifted beside me, restless and impatient. His hand landed on my thigh, over my dress. I looked out the window, bit at my thumbnail and spread my legs ever so slightly.

  “God, Kace…” he breathed.

  His hand was large and rough and warm on my skin. I shifted again, pressing into his touch, and his hand slid higher up my thigh. I tilted my hips, needy and desperate. I bit back a tiny cry, as his palm slid over me, his fingers pressing down in small circles.

  My hand crept across his lap, to the bulge in his jeans. He was hard and hot through the dense cotton and I stroked the length of him.

  I bit my lip harder.

  The cab ride was maddeningly slow. The keys to my front door wouldn’t cooperate. Too many steps from the door to the couch, where I pushed him down. Just enough light came from the kitchen to see Theo’s eyes dilate with desire. I could tell by the clench of his jaw and the way his eyes raked over me, he wasn’t going to wait much longer.

  I tore off my wig and hurled it away, then peeled the dress off my body and let it pool at my feet.

  “Take your shirt off,” I said and reached behind to unclasp my black lace bra. Theo grabbed the back of his collar and hauled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to the sight of him shirtless—lean muscle covered in beautiful ink down one pec. The other side glinted with that piercing that made me lose my mind.

  I stripped off my panties, leaving me in a garter belt, heels, and a dozen ropes of colorful beads. Slowly, I knelt in front of him. My hands glided down the tops of his muscular thighs, then back up on the inside. I reached for his buckle as he bent to kiss me—a searing kiss, his tongue brazen in my mouth. I unzipped his pants and freed the hard length of him.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I said. It wasn’t the most masculine word, but I meant it that way. His masculine form, every part of him, was perfectly beautiful in my eyes.

  “Fuck,” he said through gritted teeth as I put my mouth on him and around him, my hand stroking him slowly, then faster. I would have taken him all the way, but he gripped my shoulders.

  “Kace,” he managed. “I want to be inside you. Now.”

  I rose from kneeling and straddled his lap. Beads hung over my breasts but he roughly brushed them aside to get at my nipple, biting and sucking as I sank down onto him.

  We both froze for a heartbeat, feeling him inside me, hard and heavy, buried to the hilt in my wet heat. His hands dug into my hips, driving up into me as I ground down against him.

  “So good,” he hissed tightly. “God, you feel so good.”

  “Don’t stop…” I cried, almost incoherent now. “Never stop.”

  My hands found his jaw, held his face and kissed him deeply. Then I let go to grip his shoulders and ride him hard, ride him until the ache in my lower belly unfolded, expanded and then detonated. I could scream now. I yelled his name out, my back arching as his own orgasm erupted inside me.

  His arms wrapped around my back and he pressed his forehead to my heart, nuzzling my breasts through beads. I pulled back and held his face in my hands, staring down at him, brushing the damp hair off his forehead. Off of Theo’s forehead. My Theo.

  My universe.

  Kacey

  I woke with the morning light creeping over my bed and Theo’s warm breath wafting over my neck. I snuggled closer to him, pressing my backside against his lap. Up close, the tattoos covering his arms were mesmerizing. Intricate swirls and whorls of fire, faces and shapes. Each flowed into the other, blending to make a perfect whole.

  He stirred behind me, and cinched his arms tight. My skin shivered where he began planting kisses along my neck.

  “Morning,” I murmured.

  “Morning.” He kissed the bare skin of my right shoulder blade. “This part,” he murmured sleepily, “this is all mine.”

  I smiled and wiggled against him as a thrill shot along my spine. “All yours.”

  “Any idea what the tattoo will be?”

  “Not yet, but it’s going to be the first tattoo in your new place, remember?”

  He made a sound deep in his chest. “Don’t remind me. I don’t want to think about Las Vegas right now.”

&nbs
p; I rolled over in his arms, traced the hard line of his jaw. “I hate falling asleep at night when you’re hundreds of miles away.”

  “Me too.”

  “I meant what I said. That I can’t do it anymore, Teddy. I can’t live over the phone, only seeing you once every few weeks.”

  “I can’t do it either, Kace.”

  “So I’m going to do what I promised that night in the desert. When we scattered Jonah’s ashes. Do you remember?”

  Theo’s eyes widened, I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “I asked you to stay with me,” he whispered.

  I nodded, tears welling in my eyes. “I will. I’ll stay. I won’t ever leave you again. No more broken promises.”

  “But what about your life here? Your friends and your music?”

  “I can make music anywhere. I can sign the contract and still be with you. But no touring. I want to stay put and write a new album. New songs about new chapters in my life. Songs about you and me.”

  “Kacey…” He shook his head.

  “Sure, I’ll miss my friends,” I said, “but I can visit them. I can miss them but I can’t miss you anymore.”

  “It means telling Oscar and my mom.”

  I nodded. “I know. But I’m not afraid. They love you and they want you to be happy. Are you, Teddy?”

  “God, yes. I never thought…”

  I grazed the back of my fingers down his cheek. “What, baby?”

  “That this was for me. That I'd have something like this. This feeling… I can’t explain it.”

  “You don't have to. We’ll go back and tell your mom and dad the truth. We didn't plan this. We’ve spent too many months living apart. Too much time on the phone. Our first kiss was on the phone, Teddy.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, it sure was. But it counted.”

  I laughed as he nuzzled my neck, kissed my throat, then bit my earlobe.

  “When do we need to go back?” I asked. “Not soon, I hope. I want you all to myself for a few more days. In this house before I sell it.”

  “You’re really going to move to Las Vegas?”

  “Yes. But I won’t have anywhere to live. Can I shack up with you until I find a place?”

  Theo looked about to say something, then took the words back. A small smile appeared. “You can shack up with me permanently. If you want.”

  “I want.” I ringed his neck with my arms. “I want that a lot.”

  I kissed him softly, then deeply, my body waking up to him. I fell back into his arms, as we tried to satiate the need that always burned between us. After, we pulled on the bare minimum of clothing and we headed to the kitchen to satisfy our hunger for actual food.

  Theo cooked us scrambled eggs and sausage. He ate standing up on the kitchen side of the counter, while I sat on the stool opposite. Outside it was raining again.

  “I’ll miss that too,” I said.

  “What?”

  “The rain.”

  Theo looked thoughtful a minute then said slowly, “You sure you want to move back?”

  “Yeah, I am,” I said.

  “You told me Vegas is filled with too many memories.”

  “It is,” I said. “But I love those memories now. They don’t haunt me anymore. They remind me of the gift Jonah gave me.”

  I slid off the stool, went into the kitchen and slipped into his arms. “I didn’t know what love was until Jonah. I’d given up on looking for it. I thought the comfort of a man’s body was the best I could get. But Jonah saw past all that. He showed me I was worthy of love and that I could love someone in return. I could give all that I had for someone else. He gave me that gift, and then he showed me how to use it.”

  I reached up to stroke Theo’s cheek. “I know what I feel now. I know my heart. It’s been forever altered, but it’s not broken anymore.”

  “God, Kace.” He shook his head. “Jonah… You know, he…”

  “What, baby?” I asked. “You can talk about him. Let’s talk about him. For the first time, it feels okay.”

  “It is,” he said. “Finally, it is.” He looked like he was about to say more when his phone buzzed on the counter, Eme Takamura - Wynn Galleria on the display.

  Theo frowned as he answered “Hello? Hey, Eme.”

  “Tell her I said hi,” I whispered. My smile faded as Theo’s face morphed from concern to shock. His features folding in, his own smile vanishing and his eyes filling with fear.

  “Why?” he said, his voice thick. He was pacing the living room now, his hand carving through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I felt my stomach drop to my feet, biting my lip to keep from interrupting.

  “Okay. Okay, fine. When?” He stopped pacing. “Tomor— What do you mean, tomorrow?”

  Now I was scared. “What is it?”

  “Fine,” he snapped into the phone. “We’ll leave now.”

  Theo hung up and looked at me. “Eme says the Wynn Galleria is shutting down. They’re moving all the exhibits out immediately to make room for more casino space.”

  “Why?”

  “They weren’t making enough money.”

  I leaned against the counter for support. “Where will Jonah’s glass go?”

  “Pittsburgh,” Theo said. “Carnegie Mellon is going to take it permanently.”

  I closed my eyes as relief gusted out of me. “Oh, Teddy. Thank god. That’s a good thing.”

  “How is that a good thing?”

  “Because it means his art isn’t going to be shut away in some storage unit,” I said. God, just the idea of it made me ill. “It’s not going to be taken down and stored in bits and pieces in boxes. His legacy…it’s going to go on.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not…” Theo inhaled raggedly. “He’s not…home.”

  I went to him, wrapped my arms around him. “I know,” I whispered, thinking of his cathedral. His peace.

  He let me hold him a moment, then pulled away, his voice hard again. “If we leave now, we might make it. To see it one more time. Before they dismantle it.”

  “You pack our clothes,” I said. “I’ll find us the fastest flight back.”

  The best flight I could find left Saturday morning and arrived at McCarran at two in the afternoon. We raced to his truck in the long-term parking, then hauled ass down the Strip to the Wynn Galleria.

  We were too late.

  Wilson, the security guard on duty, shook his head and unlocked the door for us. “You have about an hour,” he said. “Then the contractors show up and start tearing down walls.”

  “Why so fast?” I asked.

  “Money, miss,” Wilson said. “Why else?”

  He let us into the gallery and we walked down its long side. It looked like it had been looted. Nothing on the walls except outlines where paintings had hung. Placards described sculptures no longer there. At the end of the hall, I put my hand in Theo’s and we rounded the corner together.

  Tears sprung to my eyes. Nothing remained. Only cables and wires, hanging down from the ceiling like stringy hair. Empty hooks and fasteners where a sun had blazed and where water had flowed. The platform where the sea life had lurked was empty except for some sparkling pieces of orange glass.

  Theo slowly knelt by the broken glass. His fingers pushed small shards of shattered orange glass around the cement. I worried he’d cut himself. I doubted he’d feel it if he did. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard and shining, staring at the glass as if he could will it to become whole.

  He picked up a shard.

  “Careless…clumsy…assholes,” he seethed, his chest heaving. He turned to me, the tears standing out in his eyes, the pain floating on the surface. “Didn’t they know? This is it. This is all that’s left of Jonah. If it breaks, it can’t be fixed. It can’t be replaced. Didn’t they know that?”

  I shook my head.

  His voice cracked open. “There isn’t any more.” His face crumpled and he hunched down over his knees. “He’ll never make any more. It can’t b
e replaced. He’s not here to fix it. He’s not here. He’s…”

  He sank his face into his hands. A sob ripped out of him. Then another. I put my arms around his shuddering shoulders as Theo finally let it all go. All the pain he’d kept buried for so long. He buried his face against my neck, and I pulled him to me, kissed his hair, his cheek, his temple. I didn’t say a word. I held onto him, same as he’d held onto me when I was drunk and drowning.

  “Jesus.” He turned away from me to wipe his eyes on his sleeve. He heaved several deep, shaking breaths, then turned his gaze back to the empty gallery.

  “It’ll be at Carnegie,” he said, his voice hoarse. “It’ll be there forever.”

  “It will,” I whispered, wiping the tears from his cheeks. “And we can go see it any time.”

  Theo nodded. He took one more deep breath in and exhaled. “I love you.”

  It was so simple it almost went straight past me.

  I love you.

  I looked at him, leaning back a little, stunned. He turned his head to me, his eyes still wet and red-rimmed. “I love you. I’m done keeping it inside. I’m done being afraid to speak what I feel because what I feel for you…” His hands came up to my head, around my cheek and under my hair. His handsome face was no longer chiseled in stone, but open and naked and raw. “I love you. I’m in love with you and I will be for the rest of my life.”

  Deep in my heart, the answering echo, rising to the surface after being denied so long. Pushed down and ignored out of my own guilt. Dismissed out of worry what others would think. Buried because of my own fear of putting my heart in another’s hands, stepping back up to the table and going all in one more time, risking everything.

  What if I lose?

  I looked at the man next to me and knew that no matter what happened, I’d already won.

  “I love you too,” I whispered. “I love you, Teddy. I do. I’m in love with you.”

  His face crumbled even more, and he struggled to take in a breath. “God, I wanted to hear that for so long,” he said, pulling my forehead to his. “I’ve loved you for so long.”

  “I’ll tell you every day of our lives,” I said against his mouth. “I’ll say it a million times. I love you. I’m so in love…”