SleepyHollow2BookBundle

by Ranae Rose

  In what somehow seemed both the shortest and the longest moment of Brom’s life, they were both hurrying past the threshold, stumbling to the bed and collapsing onto it, their limbs tangling together. Blood surged through Brom’s veins, pounding in his ears and making his cock throb as he pinned John against the mattress and took his lips in a deep, mouth-fucking kiss.

  John kissed back with equal passion, and arched, thrusting his hips against Brom’s.

  “Christ, John.” Brom ended their kiss as his head began to swim, his thoughts muddling as John’s cock ground against his. Even through their clothing, it felt unbelievably good. Feeling every bit of the tension that had been mounting inside him since he’d pleasured John the night before, Brom thrust back, pressing John deep into the mattress. “Are you sure you’re ready for this—” he flexed his hips once more, unable to resist “—again?” He hated how he’d ended things the first time, but God, he was eager to try again.

  “Yes.” John’s cock slid slow and hard up the length of Brom’s as he twisted beneath him, placing his hands in Brom’s hair and burying his fingers in his locks. With surprising force, he pulled Brom close and their mouths collided.

  John must have truly forgiven him, for he held nothing back as he slid his tongue into the deep hollow of Brom’s mouth. When it had gone on for a while, and Brom felt so hard he couldn’t stand it, he pulled away, putting a deliberate end to the kiss.

  With as much speed as he could muster, Brom began to divest John of his clothing. Even the first flash of the man’s collarbone was a thrill, and the more layers he removed, the deeper Brom’s need grew. Tracing the faint stripe of hair that ran down John’s chest and disappeared beneath the waist of his breeches, he slipped a hand inside, unable to resist letting his fingers brush the head of John’s cock, even if only for a moment. The breeches came off quickly, along with shoes and stockings, and at last, Brom had John right where he wanted him – naked, in his bed.

  John rose to his knees and pressed his hands to Brom’s chest, his fingers flying over the buttons of Brom’s waistcoat and skimming beneath the layers below, stripping him until they were both completely bare. Kneeling opposite of John on the bed, Brom shivered with desire at the sight of the man across from him. John was all lean muscle, glossy hair and incredible grey eyes. Brom pulled the ribbon from John’s hair, letting it spill over his shoulders. Perfect.

  John leaned forward, and his erection brushed Brom’s, skimming down the length of it. Brom groaned and seized John around the waist, pulling him close. With their bodies tight against one another’s and their cocks trapped together, he sighed, letting his breath stream over John’s jaw. Pressing his lips against it, he kissed a trail from near John’s throat to his lips, one of which he took between his teeth, biting lightly.

  John moaned, digging his fingers into Brom’s shoulders and leaning against him. His breath was hot, and his lip trembled in response to Brom’s bite. An incoherent sound rose from the depths of his throat – a curse, or perhaps a plea, it was impossible to tell. But Brom could feel John’s enjoyment radiating from him, causing him to grip Brom’s shoulders hard enough to leave bruises. He let go of John’s lip and licked where he had bitten, smoothing his tongue over John’s slick mouth and past his teeth, invading the wet recess beyond.

  John kissed back, bit back and moaned, flexing his hips against Brom’s, causing their cocks to press together with unbearable pressure. Brom was left feeling bereft when John pulled away, panting, his lips inflamed. He had a wild look in his grey eyes, and for a moment they locked with Brom’s. Then he dropped onto all fours, facing away from Brom, who was still on his knees. In one quick motion, John thrust back, pressing his ass against Brom’s groin in demand.

  “Christ,” Brom breathed, his balls drawing up tight against his body as he looked down at John’s bowed head, perfect back and tightly-curved ass, which was as snug against his groin as it could possibly be. His cock rested on top, thick and deep-pink and aching, and it would only take a moment to put it inside John. “Christ.” He ran a hand wistfully over one of John’s hips, letting his fingertips skim over one half of his ass and dip into the cleft between to touch him, teasing his entrance and groaning when John thrust back against him, nearly causing Brom’s fingers to breach him, to delve inside. “No, not like this.” He wasn’t about to risk making the same mistake he had last time. “On your back.”

  After a moment’s pause, John sank onto the mattress, rolling over to face Brom.

  Brom lowered himself on top of John, settling between his thighs. “I want to see your face when I take you – I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s you.” He reached over the edge of the bed with one hand, retrieving the small glass bottle he’d set on top of the bedside table in preparation for what was about to happen.

  John was breathing hard beneath Brom, his eyes still wide, alight with a feral gleam that Brom recognized as the burning, undeniable need for release. He wasted no time in pulling the stopper out of the bottle and pouring a little oil into his palm before rising onto his knees again and smoothing it over his cock, making it gleam. This wet, he’d slide inside John’s tight channel in an instant. His cock throbbed at the thought, and his balls ached at the sight of John sprawled before him, open and ready. With his oil-slicked hand, he fondled John’s balls before reaching below, slipping a finger into him.

  John arched against the mattress and thrust down with his hips, burying Brom to the knuckle inside him. With a feeling of relief, Brom added another finger – clearly, their first time hadn’t made John reluctant to let Brom enter him again. In fact, John’s channel tightened around Brom’s fingers, gripping them tight and making him wish he’d thrust his cock inside instead. Withdrawing, he lowered himself between John’s legs again.

  Brom took his cock in his hand and guided it inside John’s body, locking gazes with the man as he slid inside him in one long, slow thrust.

  John squeezed his eyes shut and moaned, wrapping his arms tightly around Brom’s neck. The embrace increased the heat burning inside Brom, and he leaned into it, pressing a brief kiss against John’s lips as he rocked his hips. “How is it?” His voice came out rougher than he’d expected, as if John’s hold was choking him from the inside. Maybe it was.

  “As good as the first time,” John breathed. “No, better.”

  Brom thrust again, a shiver of delight running down his spine when John writhed beneath him, embracing him even more tightly. “I didn’t think the first time was good for you.” Brom lifted a hand and smoothed a thumb across John’s cheekbone, tracing the faint scrape that reddened it.

  “It was. At the end I was confused, angry – but it felt good. And now I know the truth.” He bore down with his hips, sinking Brom to the root.

  “Damn it,” Brom breathed. “You’ll make me spill myself too soon. Be still.” He tried not to sound as if John’s admission of pleasure had him glowing from the inside – which it did – as he unwrapped John’s arms from around his neck and pressed them against the mattress, pinning them down. He missed the feeling of John wrapped tightly around him, but liked looking down at him while he was unable to move much, other than a faint rocking of his hips that sent fresh heat surging through Brom’s entire being.

  Brom thrust hard into him and groaned in satisfaction when John cried out. Taking the cue, he thrust harder, faster, his heartbeat escalating along with John’s gasps. As the intensity built, he kept his gaze on John’s face, refusing to give himself the chance to forget exactly which man he was making love to. The sight of John’s damp lips, parted in ecstasy, and the dark lashes fringing his closed eyes, kept Brom in the present, and the ghosts of the past at bay.

  John’s cries were wordless, but the meaning was clear in their sheer rawness, in the way that his channel tightened around Brom’s cock, threatening to milk him dry. Liquid warmth hit Brom’s belly as John came, and the sensation sent his desire spiraling out of control. With a deep groan, he thrust hard, sp
illing himself deep inside John.

  It had been so long since he’d known such absolute release that he’d forgotten what it felt like. He rode the sensation to its peak and beyond, stilling only when the pleasure faded and his motions became faintly painful. As he withdrew, the bliss remained. Hot, wet and feeling strangely light, he lowered himself onto the bed beside John.

  A shimmer of heat seared his skin when John buried his hands in Brom’s hair, his fingers tight against his skull, and drew him close for a last, lingering kiss. Brom had thought his body incapable of experiencing more erotic sensation, at least for a while, but was proven wrong. Heat unfurled inside him and made his lips tingle as they melded with John’s, and the other man’s breath filled his mouth. Finally, he let his eyes drift shut, and knew he wasn’t in danger of forgetting it was John beside him.

  * * * * *

  Brom rode the gelding he’d worked with the day before, using the trip as an excuse to exercise the horse and to help it grow accustomed to the surprises it might encounter on the road. It had spooked once, when a fox had darted across their path, but otherwise, they’d passed the morning at a moderate pace, with no significant issues. Now, Brom slid from the saddle and put a rope halter on the animal before tying it to a tree by the edge of a small cemetery by an even smaller church. It had taken him nearly two hours to reach the place, which lay in a village about the size of Sleepy Hollow, but already, he felt that the journey had been well worth it.

  Walking among the grave markers, he scanned the names as he pulled a small bouquet from his pocket. It was composed mostly of soft pink primroses, with the occasional wildflower mixed in – those, he’d plucked from an empty field, while he’d taken the primroses from the small flower garden his mother had left behind. The petite blossoms cascaded over his fist in a muted riot of pastel colors, the combination of soft shades reminding him of youth and innocence. A certain set of carved block letters caught his eye, and he halted before a modest stone.

  Sarah Evers. He’d never met the girl, but had heard many a story about her from her brother. Though she’d died young, and only a couple years ago, grass had sprung up thick and green over her grave, as if the earth had never been disturbed.

  Kneeling before the stone that bore her name, Brom set his bouquet at the foot of the marker. The green ribbon he’d tied the stems with gleamed faintly in the sunlight, a little lighter than the grass. He reached out and ran a thumb over one of its fraying ends one last time, feeling the evidence of several years’ hard wear, then rose, exiting the cemetery and leaving the ribbon where it belonged.

  His horse stood by the tree he’d tied it to, eyeing the road impatiently. Brom unknotted the rope and climbed into the saddle, equally eager to be on his way. John had promised to accompany Brom on a hunt that afternoon, after he finished his first day of teaching at the schoolhouse. Brom doubted they’d actually accomplish much in the way of hunting, but that was all right. The thought of being alone with John again called to Brom, drawing him back to Sleepy Hollow.

  HAUNTED PASSIONS

  Sleepy Hollow, #2

  CHAPTER 1

  John had never thought that his heart could be ripped out by just a few simple words, and yet, that was exactly how he felt. “We’ll be announcing our engagement tonight…” Brom’s voice echoed in his memory. “I wanted to let you know myself.”

  “God damn you, Brom,” John said, wiping dampness from his forehead with his sleeve. The curse was a distraction, a failed manifestation of some emotion he didn’t know how to express – he didn’t really mean it. A part of him broiled with anger, but it was a small part; mostly, he felt dreadfully sick. He pressed a hand to his stomach, conscious of the leaden weight that had settled there when Brom had laid his hand on his shoulder, just before he’d delivered the news.

  John had known that something was wrong as soon as Brom had touched him. Brom’s touch had been tense, his hand stiff and awkward as it closed ineffectually on John’s shoulder. Brom Bones had never touched anyone like that before, and likely never would again. He was a man who always knew what he wanted, a man who laid hands on a body with confidence, already sure of what he intended to do. John knew that, perhaps better than anyone. But Brom’s hand had nearly slipped off of John’s shoulder as he’d told him of his engagement to Katrina. “God damn you…” John rasped, his stomach contracting around its burden as he touched his shoulder, seeking some trace of heat, some proof that Brom’s fingers had really rested there so recently.

  There was none. Only the rough fabric of his coat and the autumn chill that hung in the air and had worked its way into every stitch of his clothing, every fiber of his being. He felt as if he were already dead. Soon, he would be.

  He drew a pistol from beneath his coat, caressing the barrel. There was promise in every inch of the cold steel – the promise of oblivion. It called to him, the temptation carried on the biting night breeze. He glanced over his shoulder, promising himself that it would be for the last time. His heart jolted and sped at the sight of the large farmhouse looming in the distance, its windows glowing with candlelight. The spry, shadowy forms of dancers darted back and forth behind the glass. Everyone was making merry, celebrating a good harvest, and perhaps Brom and Katrina’s engagement – had they announced it yet?

  No. He wouldn’t dwell on it any longer – not the engagement, anyway. Brom and Katrina themselves, however, were different matters altogether. He turned resolutely, forcing himself to face the dark forest that stretched at the edge of the Van Tassel farmlands. Under any other circumstances, the sight of it at this time of night would have sent a chill down his spine. But what did it matter now? If there were wild beasts afoot, they could do no greater harm to him than his own hand, and if there were spirits lurking… Well, he was about to join them.

  Squeezing his eyes shut, he committed his thoughts to Brom. The man’s face formed perfectly in front of his mind’s eye, complete with the oh-so-familiar strong jaw, dark eyes and even darker hair. It curled a bit at his temples and at the nape of his neck. And it felt like silk, slid easily between one’s fingers, like sweet spring grass after the rain… John inhaled, smelling not the autumn night, but the spring afternoon during which he’d first met Brom seven months ago. The memory was a double-edged sword, sweet and bitter at once. His entire body tingled, hot despite his thin clothing and the bitter wind. “Brom…” The man’s name was a whisper on his lips and was quickly swallowed up by a rushing breeze that tore several locks of his hair loose from their ribbon and whipped them across his face. They tickled his mouth, teasing, like the memory of Brom’s lips.

  Katrina had lovely lips, as well. A mouth like a rosebud, in fact, and cheeks that were just as pink. He’d tasted those perfect lips just once, and had perhaps taken the experience too seriously. A wry bark of a laugh escaped him, and his thoughts spiraled rapidly toward the dark place inside him that Brom had opened up with his words. Struggling for control over his unruly emotions, he thought of Katrina’s eyes. Blue and sparkling, they were more brilliant than the brightest summer sky. Framed with golden ringlets, her face was just as perfect as Brom’s. Picturing them together was both the most beautiful and most excruciating thing he could imagine. Shoving the image from his mind, he thought finally of himself.

  Though his eyes were still closed, he had no trouble seeing himself as he was: a slender figure against the dark wilderness, clad in threadbare clothes that whipped around him as a particularly violent gust of wind howled by, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He was young, and more than a little afraid of death, when he really thought about it. If anyone had been there with him, they probably would have been able to see that, would have been able to read his face like a book. But he was alone, and morbidly aware of that fact. Another vicious breeze tore his ribbon loose and carried it away. His hair flew with it, each strand stinging his face. He relished the petty pain for what little distraction it provided from his greater suffering.

  The w
ind stilled, leaving him alone with the knowledge of all his inadequacies. He hadn’t decided to take his own life because he was angry with Brom or Katrina. In all honesty, he wished them well. He was going to end his existence because he wasn’t worthy of a man like Brom, or a woman like Katrina. When he’d found out that his chances – however flimsy they’d been in the first place – of ever having lasting happiness with either of them were nonexistent, he’d realized that they were all he really cared about. At some point since he’d arrived in Sleepy Hollow, his world had shifted on its axis and begun to revolve around Brom and Katrina, his two secret loves. And now his world was over. Swallowing the last of his inhibitions, he pressed the barrel of the gun firmly to the side of his head. “Christ – Brom, Katrina… I love you both, but neither of you will ever belong to me, and it’s more than I can bear.”

  His heart beat hard and fast, his pulse thrumming in his ears so that he almost didn’t hear the faint sound of hoofbeats coming from somewhere in the distance. Was someone riding through the wood, about to discover him? He didn’t have time to wonder who it might be – not if he was going to pull this off before being seen and losing his nerve. He squeezed the trigger and something rushed unseen out of the darkness and gripped his arm so hard he thought the bones would snap.

  The explosive boom of the discharging pistol threw him off balance, and he fell, ears ringing. All the breath was knocked out of him when he hit the ground, and the earth seemed to sway and pitch beneath him, like a ship on a storm-tossed sea. The pressure was still there on his arm – could it be the angel of death?

  “God damn it, John!” A deep voice growled from above, shockingly familiar. “What do you think you’re doing?”