by Zoey Marcel
Heller pushed Heath backward so he landed on the bed. He trapped the other man in his carnal stare as he shucked his pants and underwear at the same time. His massive erection sprang out of hiding.
Heath took his shirt off and then divested himself of his shoes, socks, jeans, and boxer-briefs. He reached for Heller, who jerked the man toward him and mauled his face. They came crashing down on the queen sized bed together.
The man beneath him whimpered when their genitals met. Heath felt warm and smelled clean and male, although his body felt cool by comparison since Heller had just gotten done working out. He loved the way his strong chest stuck to Heath’s.
Heller reached for some lubricant and drizzled a line of the oily slickness down their shafts. He held Heath captive in his heated leer while smearing the lube around in provocative strokes and getting their endowments oiled up. When their rods were nice and slippery Heller lay down on him again.
It was the biggest turn-on the way the cowboy’s cock plumped and shifted beneath him while Heller rubbed his fat, throbbing dick against Heath’s erection. He matched the tempo of their kiss to the rhythm of the dry-humping. When he rocked slowly against Heath’s groin he kissed him gently, relishing the soft, broken pants coming from him.
Then he would ramp up the speed and grind his sweaty crotch against his Heath’s cock and balls like they had to come within a certain time limit. During those assertive strokes he ravaged the hell out of Heath’s mouth, groaning like crazy when he felt the man wrap his legs around him.
A soul-deep rush flowed through his body. It felt like a debilitating possession of lust and something meaningful and threatening.
Heller broke the kiss and peered down at the other man. “Say you’re a bitch.”
Heath smirked and caressed his cheek. “Only if I can be yours.”
Heller’s heart clenched. He stared down at the man beneath him and ran his thumb in delicate lines over Heath’s bottom lip.
“You’re all mine.”
He followed the murmur with a steamy kiss, slowing everything down again. Heath put his arms around him and Heller rolled to his side, hiking the cowboy’s leg over his. Both men fondled each other’s junk while they kissed. After a bit more grinding and stroking Heath came first and spilled his load all over their bodies, his helpless cock throbbing furiously in Heller’s hand.
Heath panted as he rubbed Heller’s meat faster in his hand. A few moments later Heller shot off all over them, pulsing in Heath’s stimulating grip. They lay there for a minute, catching their breath before showering together.
Both slept in Heller’s bed on clean sheets, cuddling and nuzzling one another. This intimacy was hardly conducive to making his enemy pay, but it was really difficult to think of Heath as the bad guy with him snuggled up close. His warm breaths fanned Heller’s bare chest and he looked peaceful and lovable while sleeping, like a content hamster snoozing.
Heller kissed the guy’s head and breathed in the clean scent of his shampooed hair. It was a challenge not to throw him onto his belly and fuck him to death when he felt Heath’s semi-hard length occasionally twitching against him while he slept. He restrained himself, but his dick was crabby because of it.
The next morning Heller woke up alone. Heath was gone. It really shouldn’t have surprised him and in a way it didn’t. What did catch him off-guard was the sense of regret over waking up without him. It was irritating that his feisty little bottom endeavored to take control and hadn’t stuck around for breakfast. Heath was asking for a switch to his perky ass. After it was nice and rosy with marks of who was really in charge, Heller would plow into his tight asshole and pound the reminder of his place back into him, fuck him into submission. Heath would love it.
Still, the emptiness lingered. Heath wasn’t here. Heller hadn’t changed his mind about getting revenge on the stuck-up cowboy, but it didn’t change how he felt. He missed him.
Chapter Thirteen
Heath strolled through the grocery store in Stone River. Last night had been wonderful. Not only the combustive sex with Heller, but the fact that the man had kissed and cuddled with him left him elated.
He’d wanted so much to stay longer and sleep in with the guy, but he’d had to leave while it was still dark out in hopes that no one saw him there.
While checking out the produce and trying to remember what the hell it was he was supposed to buy, Heath noticed the McAlisters’ cook, Trudy, hustling over toward another older woman.
“Greta, the things I have to tell you,” she said.
Greta was beaming. “Oh good. I have so many things to tell you, too.”
“I’ll go first. Did you hear about Danielle Hartwell?”
His head jerked.
“No. What has she done now?” Greta asked.
Trudy waved her off. “It’s not what she’s done. It’s what happened to her, or rather what almost happened.”
Heath was all ears.
“Heath!”
Damn it. Not now.
He turned to see his father, Malachi Brodie, approaching with a stout blonde who wore a cheery smile.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Malachi said. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Peggy. Peggy, this is my youngest son, Heath.”
Peggy’s face lighted up as she shook Heath’s hand. “Bless you, dear. I’ve heard so much about you.”
She had? When? Who the hell was she?
Heath tried to snap himself out of his confused daze and the temptation to strain to hear the gossip the two ladies nearby were engaged in. “Good things, I hope.”
Peggy laughed lightly, a genuine laugh like she was a real sweetheart. “Yes, all good things. Malachi adores you and your brother. It’s so good to meet you at last.”
At last? How long had his father known this woman? Why hadn’t he said anything?
“Yeah, you, too,” Heath mumbled.
Peggy looked up at Malachi and gently touched his arm. “I’m going to go finish shopping.”
“All right. I’ll see you later.” Malachi gave her a warm smile and watched her go, blowing her a kiss after Peggy blew him one.
Heath’s brain broke. All thoughts of the lady gossip had gone out the window. It was so strange to see his father getting friendly with a woman who wasn’t his mother or Carsten’s. Malachi’s wife had passed away years ago and he had never once dated since.
Now almost two decades later there was Peggy.
What the fuck?
His father changed his stance so he was focused on him again. “Well, what do you think of her?”
It took Heath a few seconds to form a coherent sentence. “She seems nice. Where did you meet her?”
“At the hospital. I went there to see someone who was sick. Peggy’s a nurse there. We started talking and hit it off.”
“That’s great, Dad. How long ago was this?”
“About three days ago.”
Heath’s eyes popped open. “Three days ago? That’s it?”
Malachi gave him a curious glance. “The world was created in six days. Why should taking three days to initiate a relationship with a woman be such a scandal?”
“It’s not. You’re fine. I’m just surprised is all. You haven’t dated anyone since Carsten’s mom died and then years later, out of the blue, you decide to start dating again? I thought you were content on your own.”
“I was. Peggy made me see things differently.” Malachi gave his arm a pat and flashed him a quick smile as he started to walk away. “I’d better go find her. Take care of yourself.”
“I try to.”
Malachi went off after Peggy, and Heath saw that the women had dispersed. Greta was gone and Trudy was exiting the produce department. He had to get to her to know what almost happened to Danielle. Was his Sugar okay? Was her life in peril? Did something good happen to her?
“Heath!” a youthful male called to him in a loud whisper.
He rubbernecked to see Sean Friel sneaking over to him.
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Goddamn it. He wanted to go talk to Trudy and find out what was up. All these fucking distractions.
“What is it?” Heath tried not to be impatient with the younger man.
“Who was that woman Malachi was with?” Sean asked.
“You should know. You live with him.”
The Scot’s light green eyes grew dim. “Not anymore. I live with my uncle now. My da wanted me to. I moved out three days ago.”
“You don’t look too happy about it. Your dad sounds kind of controlling.”
“He is.”
“I know the feeling.”
“Who is she?”
“Malachi said her name was Peggy. They just started dating a few days ago. I guess she’s a nurse or something. They met at the hospital.”
Heath didn’t see Trudy anymore. He really needed to go looking for her before she left the store. He threw a quick glance at Sean, noticing that he seemed depressed, probably because his dad bossed him around. He could relate.
“Hang in there, Sean. Soon you’ll be away at college and you can make your own rules. You won’t have to worry about your bossy father or this judgmental little town anymore. I’m sorry I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to catch someone before they leave.”
“I understand,” Sean said quietly, head bowed.
The poor thing looked so tragic. Heath waved his hand in front of the guy’s face to get his attention. “Hey. It really will be okay. I used to live with my pain in the ass father. Now I’m living on my own and getting ready to start my career. It’ll be the same for you after you move away to New York.”
Sean forced a weak smile, eyes glistening.
“You okay?”
He nodded.
“We can talk if you need to.”
“I’ll be fine. You should go catch whoever you need to before they leave.”
“Yeah, I guess I’d better. I’ll see you later.”
Sean waved at him as Heath left the produce department in search of Trudy.
He found her on an aisle, reading the label on a box of crackers. He figured he looked like a basket case the way he’d jogged down the different aisles with his cart, picking up even more speed when he finally saw Trudy.
He charged toward her with his cart, making her large eyes bug out in panic like she feared collision. He swerved the cart at the last minute, bringing it to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, the thing that made it stop was a beefy biker made of muscles and all things scary. The bald, brown-bearded skyscraper of a male glared at him and made a fearsome grunting sound as he crowded him.
Heath gulped nervously. “I’m sorry about that.”
The thug stepped closer. Maybe he wasn’t a bad guy, but it was obvious he had some unpleasant violence on the brain. There was a beautifully detailed tattoo of a pissed-off grizzly bear on one of his arms. He wondered if this was Bear, one of the members of the Princes of Hell motorcycle club. Heller had mentioned that name before.
Freakin’ Trudy stood there gaping with big, starry eyes like she was watching a pivotal moment in a movie.
Heath swallowed, making a last-ditch effort when he saw a similar evil bison tattoo on this man that had been on Heller. He was definitely a member. “I’m friends with Heller.”
The giant stopped and his expression eased. “Watch where you walk, cowboy.”
“I’ll be doing that.”
The biker’s gaze shifted across the aisle, and Heath looked over his shoulder to see what had caught his attention. It turned out to be a young man that appeared to be around Sean’s age, probably a few years older. The guy had a crazy turquoise hairdo and it looked like he wore makeup. The biker stared at him in an intense way that didn’t seem to harbor any of the violence he’d implied toward Heath.
The young guy with bright hair peeked over at the biker and grinned really big. The way his jaw moved suggested that he was chewing gum. If Heath remembered right, that was one of Sean’s friends, Percy Gibbons or something.
After studying a Pringles container so fucking closely he could have written an essay on it, Percy smirked a little at the biker and then sauntered off. The tattooed brute, possibly Bear, made a low growl as he watched him leave.
Jesus, get a room, guys.
Bear turned around and walked away in the other direction.
Okay, nothing subtle about that.
Trudy squealed with delight. For a second he’d forgotten she was there. So had the other men, apparently. “Oh, wait until I tell Greta about this.”
Heath made a face. “No. Spare me my dignity.”
“If you insist.”
He almost rolled his eyes, knowing she would tell everybody. “I’m not generally this nosy, but I overheard you talking with Greta, something about Danielle Hartwell. Is she okay?”
“Someone tried to kill her recently.”
“What?” he shrieked.
“Yes, it was quite a scare. Siegfried and Chuck saved her.”
“They did?”
“Yes, you remember the butler and the gardener.”
“I remember.” The news shocked him. His poor sweet Danielle. “Who attacked her?”
“Someone with an interesting manly name. Garret or Kevin.”
“Gavin?”
Trudy pointed at him. “Yes, Gavin, that was it.”
Heath couldn’t believe the surge of worry that came over him, the anger at Danielle’s ex. “His ass had better be in jail.”
“Chuck and Siegfried killed him.”
He was relieved to hear it, but there was some part of him that was unnerved by the fact that the man who used to work for his father was capable of murder. Regardless, Heath was grateful. Danielle’s life had been saved because of it.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. The McAlisters took her away for the weekend to relax, but they’re back now.”
Heath bolted.
“Have a lovely day, Heath!”
“You do the same!”
He loved her. He fucking loved Danielle Hartwell. He needed to tell her.
But he loved Heller, too. Did the man feel the same for him? Heath knew Heller liked him, but what if that was as deep as it went? They’d run together and sleep with each other until the sand ran out and Heller decided it was time for a new piece of ass, be it male or female.
That hurt. He knew he could tell Danielle how he felt about her, but he would probably have to keep his adoration for Heller a secret. The older man knew that Heath cared about him, but he didn’t know how deeply, and it was probably better that way.
He would take what he could get from Heller and be with him for as long as the guy let him. And when it was over he would still have Danielle. He just hoped that she could pick up the pieces of his broken heart. If not, he was just going to have to learn to live with half a heart and the beautiful memories he’d made with Heller.
* * * *
Danielle dumped more fertilizer into the flower beds. The weather had been cooler lately since it was early October. She kept snagging her ponytail on the hedges, which was annoying.
A jerking at the gate made the lock rattle like someone fiddled with it. She looked up from where she sat on the ground, unable to see the idiot who couldn’t open a simple gate.
“Son of bitch,” a man grumbled in a low voice.
More rattling followed, shaking the hedges that wanted her hair. She considered getting up and opening the gate for whoever it was, but in truth, she found listening to his frustrated mumbling to be a hoot.
“Stupid motherfucking gate,” he griped in a slightly louder but still subdued volume. “You asked for this, you white picket bastard.”
The faceless male kicked the gate open and busted in. Danielle immediately rose when she saw Heath Brodie standing there, her cowboy.
He stared at her, bold determination in his eyes. The moment was beautiful, like something off the big-screen. And then the swinging gate came back and hit him on the ass, making him jump and cuss. She
stifled a giggle. Ah, reality. He was still a hottie, though.
He marched toward her and then ensconced her in his strong arms, plastering his mouth on hers. A soft moan betrayed her delight. She was about to touch his face when she remembered that she wore dirty garden gloves.
“Fish,” she blurted, breaking the kiss.
He grunted and devoured her mouth again.
Reluctantly, she pushed him away as best as she could without using her gloved hands. “Crap.”
“Excuse me?”
“Fish crap or fishy guts in the fertilizer, I think.”
He gave her a brief “What the fuck” look before noticing her soiled gloves. “Oh right.”
She pulled the gloves off when he let go of her. Beaming, she said, “Okay, now go ahead.”
He yanked her to him and captured her tongue with his again.
“I heard Gavin tried to kill you,” he said in between sampling her lips.
“Yes, it was awful.” She peppered his lips, tiny moans slipping out over his yummy, skilled mouth. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
She threw her legs around him and climbed up him when he wasn’t expecting it and he lost his balance. The hedge grabbed his ass and he pulled away, sinking to the grass with her in evasion.
“I had this fancy, poetic speech planned,” he said in between nibbles. “But fuck it. I like this better.”
“Me, too. All the things I wanted to tell you,” she panted.
“That’s very interesting.”
His mouth crashed on hers again and they rolled around in the grass together in a rabid make out and mock fucking session.
“I love you, Danielle.”
She brushed her hand over his face and drank in the breathtaking warmth of his sepia stare. “I love you, too.”
The touching gaze and bonding silence ended with sloppy wet noises of greedy kisses and the quiet, licentious grazes of groins humping through clothing.
A slight creaky sound might have been the screen door opening. Her older brother Dominic’s voice confirmed this. “That had better end in marriage.”
Heath broke the kiss, looking sheepish as he climbed off of her and helped her up. “Sorry, sir. I just missed her.”
