All Bets Are Off

by Marguerite Labbe

  Ash caught Eli’s arm before he started to climb the stairs and tugged him deeper into the shadows of the building. “I never thought I’d have a professor who was such a tease,” he said, trapping Eli between himself and the brick wall.

  “Me? I’m not the one who was talking about secret getaways in the middle of class today. That was all you, Georgia.”

  “My motives were pure.”

  “Liar.” Eli chuckled, snagging his fingers around Ash’s belt to tug him closer. “Behaving is proving to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

  “You sure as hell don’t make it easy,” Ash replied, wrapping Eli’s ponytail around his hand. “I’ve been thinking about doing this all throughout dinner.”

  Ash thought he was prepared for the sizzle of desire when he kissed Eli, but he’d been sorely mistaken. For the past several weeks, he’d been thinking about touching Eli again, tasting him, and now the feel of Eli’s body against him, the heat of his eager mouth, was as potent as the smooth whiskey on Eli’s tongue.

  Eli made a small, urgent sound in the back of his throat and pressed himself closer. Ash’s cock throbbed to life, aching inside his jeans as he pinned Eli against the brick. Ash felt like a fucking teenager again, stealing a kiss behind the school with the realization and spice of knowing they could be caught at any minute.

  Ash slid his lips down Eli’s throat and turned his head to rub the day’s worth of stubble against the other man’s smooth skin. Eli’s hands fisted in his shirt, his breath coming quicker as his thighs parted. Ash bit back a curse as his cock ground against Eli’s hip and Eli did the same to him in return.

  This was really getting out of hand. They should stop. His neighbor was going to turn on that kitchen light any moment, and damned if that wouldn’t kill the mood. Ash’s body had something else to say about it, and he found himself nudging Eli’s legs open a little wider so he could step between his thighs.

  “Yeah,” Eli breathed against his ear, circling his hips against Ash’s. “Just like that. I had almost this exact fantasy, only it was against my office door.”

  Ash closed his eyes and shuddered as that image hit his brain. He nipped Eli’s jaw, grateful for the cold, early October night air against his skin because the rest of him was on fire. Every time Eli’s cock throbbed, his own answered. Searching lips found Eli’s mouth, and Ash kissed him deep, muffling their groans.

  A good portion of his fantasies had involved Eli’s office and that gorgeous hardwood desk. It would look even better with a naked professor sprawled on it with his hair unbound around his shoulders. Bound. Yeah, a naked Eli with his hands tied over his head. Fuck, Ash wasn’t going to make it through another class.

  Ash slid his hands down to cup Eli’s ass through his worn jeans. The soft material clung to him, letting Ash feel every ripple of muscle as they moved together. Eli pulled back, nipping Ash’s jaw. Their breath steamed in the night air.

  “You’re going to have me coming in my damned jeans.” Eli didn’t ask him to take it upstairs, and Ash was enjoying the illicit thrill of this moment too much to suggest it himself.

  Ash licked the pulse at Eli’s throat as he laid his head back against the brick. “Do you want me to stop?” Ash rasped.

  “Oh, fuck no,” Eli whispered back. “Don’t you dare.”

  Ash shuddered and gripped Eli’s ass tighter, half lifting him as his hips began to work in a deliberate pattern. He felt the vibration of Eli’s almost silent groan against his lips. The heat from Eli’s cock seared against his own as their dicks ground together. Eli’s hands slid under his shirt, and Ash flinched from the chill of his fingertips against his skin. Eli laughed softly, his breath sounding a little ragged.

  “Evil,” Ash said, retaliating by sucking on his throat, biting and nipping. He’d see his mark on Eli the next time they were in class, and the thought filled him with the primitive urge to see Eli marked as his. At least for the time being.

  Neither one of them were kidding themselves. As much as he felt a connection to Eli, this wasn’t going to last past graduation. Eli had a home here and Ash was moving on. It didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy each other until then.

  Ash kept an ear out for the sound of anyone approaching as his heart raced. Their hips rocked faster, and Eli’s breath panted against his cheek. The urge to turn Eli around, work those worn jeans down around his thighs so Ash could sink his cock into his welcoming heat, was almost overwhelming. Then Eli dug his fingers into his sides, and Ash kissed him hard before Eli could cry out.

  Electricity zinged through him and his entire body tensed as Eli came, shuddering in his arms. He bucked against Ash, fingers digging even harder into his skin. Ash felt Eli trembling as he made little, urgent, desperate sounds in his throat. It had to be the fucking sexiest sound he’d ever heard and was more than enough to send him right over the edge.

  He broke his mouth away from Eli’s, panting hard, shivers racing down his spine as his orgasm tore through him. “Goddamn, Eli,” Ash groaned softly against his ear. He’d only meant to kiss the man, not have his way with him outdoors, against a wall.

  He felt Eli’s body shake he laughed silently. “Is that a good goddamn or a bad one?”

  “Good. You tempt me, Dr. Elijah Hollister.” Ash kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’ll take your bet, but if I win, you have to wear something for me for the rest of the semester.”

  Eli drew his head back to study his face. Ash’s eyes had adjusted enough to the dim light to be able to see the mingled curiosity and wariness in Eli’s expression. “What? Not a rival team’s gear, is it?”

  Ash shook his head. “Nope, something in keeping with the spirit of your bet. Something from my ‘kink drawer’, as you call it. Something that should remind you to behave, and if you don’t behave there will be consequences.”

  “Consequences, huh? Well, now you have my complete attention. What is it?”

  Ash gave Eli a wicked grin as he pulled back. “I think it’ll be more interesting if I don’t tell you. Anticipation and all that, like you said.”

  “Throwing my own words back at me, huh.” Eli straightened, narrowing his eyes at Ash. For a moment, Ash wondered if he’d back out on the bet, but he should’ve known better. Eli wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. “Either way, the kink drawer gets used. As long as you don’t dress me in women’s underwear or Yankee gear, I agree.”

  “How can you even equate the two?”

  Eli shrugged, grimacing as he took a step away from the wall. Ash sympathized. He had the same uncomfortable wet spot in his jeans. At least his apartment was right up the stairs. “You’re right, the Yankee gear would be worse.”

  Wayne’s hands shook, forcing him to set down the plane before he made a mistake and ruined the piece. He ran his hands along the grain of the wood, checking for splinters as he tried to calm his nerves. For once his favorite pastime wasn’t calming him down at all.

  He kept piling on mistake after mistake. First, that hurried search of Eli’s office, where terror of being caught and frustration had made him so damn careless. He’d torn through that office as if a bear had been nipping at his heels. Every time he thought about that god-awful mess he’d left behind, he felt a little more ashamed of himself. He should’ve taken it in sections over several days instead of marauding through there like a maniac. The thought of breaking into a public building again had him breaking out in sweats.

  And then, to make matters worse, he’d allowed himself to be guilted into trying to make it up to Eli. He should’ve walked away when he saw that he was sitting with Ash. That man saw right through him. Wayne just knew it.

  He gave up for the night, carefully put away his tools, and cleaned up before heading from the woodshop into the house. His dad’s nurse, Ms. Parisot, had gone shopping for groceries, but she’d left dinner warming on the stove.

  Wayne washed his hands and went to go check on his dad. He sat in his wheelchair in front of the TV, watching a baseball ga
me and toying with an envelope. He turned his head as Wayne came into the room and slipped the envelope into his dressing robe pocket. The side of his face always seemed to drag down more when he was tired, and it sagged tonight.

  It was all Wayne could do not to show how much it upset him. It was considerate of Eli to keep asking about him, but it would be even nicer if he’d do what was right and hand over the card. “Hey, Dad. Did you already eat?”

  His dad grunted and nodded. He didn’t talk much at the end of the day. Wayne thought that he must be embarrassed by how slow the words came, or how they slurred together. Wayne just wanted to see him stop having to struggle for everything. His dad pointed to the TV. “Watch… with… m-me?”

  “Sure. Just let me get a plate. I’ll be right there.” The corner of his dad’s mouth lifted in a tired smile. Wayne’s resolve hardened as he returned to the kitchen. He couldn’t back down now. Since going through Eli’s things wasn’t working, clearly he was going to have to take other steps.

  Chapter Nine

  Eli tucked his cell phone back into his pocket and adjusted his baseball cap with a grin. It was a freezing night to be going to a game. His ass would be numb before the end of the night, his fingers stiff with cold, and knowing him, he wouldn’t even notice until the last out.

  If only it wasn’t a school night. He didn’t get down to Boston that much, and it would’ve been nice if the game had fallen on a weekend. He would’ve talked Ash into staying the entire time. Even if he preferred going up to his camp, he would’ve liked the chance to experience the city with Ash.

  “What’s this place?” Eli asked as he met Ash in front of a neon sign emblazoned “Grady’s.” “I don’t think I’d ever been here before.”

  “I’ve been dying for some good ole southern soul food.” Ash opened the door for him, and Eli was struck by a wave of warm air redolent with the aroma of cornbread, greens, and fried chicken. Small tables crowded together with red-and-white checkered cloths over them, and the exposed brick walls were lined with pictures of blues singers. “Especially now that it’s getting so much colder. You don’t mind?”

  “Hell no, I haven’t had any since this summer. My mother’s from Tennessee, and my cousins really know how to barbeque.” They pulled out chairs, and Ash reached over, tugging the tie from Eli’s hair.

  “It’s a damn shame to keep doing that,” Ash said as he sat down and picked up one of the plastic menus. “I like your hair down.”

  “You have more to say on how I dress and keep my hair than certain other people who will not be named tonight,” Eli said with a chuckle. Ash had pitched a fit when he’d shown up at class with a turtleneck on after the stunt they’d pulled outside his apartment. And the hot eyes Ash had kept giving him made it very difficult to remember that he was supposed to act professionally in return.

  “I’ll have even more to say when you lose the bet,” Ash said, snickering. “And just so you know, I have my prize on me right now.”

  “Really?” Eli set down the menu and eyed the man across from him. It wasn’t anything big, then, not like a body harness. He wouldn’t put it past Ash to want him to wear a getup like that under his clothes during class. He definitely wouldn’t be able to concentrate then. His mind had run the gamut between benign and downright naughty ever since the bet had been placed. And he still didn’t have any clue as to what it could be.

  “Oh, you know it. I wanted to be prepared, just in case, especially after you cheated me out of getting to see my mark on your throat,” Ash added in an undertone as the waitress approached.

  She set down a bowl of yeast rolls and cornbread with honey butter and took their orders. As soon as she left, Eli leaned across the table. “Bullshit. You accosted me in my office so you could get a look at it.”

  “Not the same as ogling it in class and knowing I put it there.”

  Eli narrowed his eyes and crossed the cock ring off his mental list. No, Ash would’ve picked something he could see, most likely something discreet. Damn, now he really had no clue about what it could be. Though there was no real sense in obsessing over it since Ash was going to lose.

  Sixty-one more days until the end of the semester. After all the final exams were taken and all the grades turned in, then Eli would call in his bet. Now he just had to last another two months with blue balls. He’d almost had it under control until Ash had pinned him against that wall and driven him insane. He’d never been with a guy before who could get him so damn worked up when they hadn’t even screwed yet.

  “So, you ever think about moving down to Tennessee, where the weather is much less evil this time of year?” Ash asked, cutting into Eli’s thoughts, just as his cock started to ache.

  “Come on, it’s not that bad. It’s not even November yet.” Eli cut open a steaming yeast roll and slathered it with butter.

  “Don’t remind me that I have at least another five or six months before I’m brought out of my misery.” Ash drank half of his sweet tea in one go and sighed happily.

  “I take it that means there’s going to be no more hikes after the first snowfall hits?” Eli wagged his brows and continued in a wheedling voice, “I have extra snowshoes.”

  Ash gave him a mournful look. “You’re just a glutton for punishment. No, I’ll go. It’ll keep me in shape. Then cold-weather training midwinter won’t be such a shock to my system.”

  Neither said it, that the hiking gave them just another excuse to be in each others’ presence. They’d migrated from seeing each other in class twice a week, to Ash joining him on hikes some weekends, to having dinner at Dingers on Wednesday nights. Though they rarely dined alone. They were often joined by most of the other kids in their class, who had somehow heard of the spot and joined them to do homework and hang out.

  Thank God Britton never got wind of that. And the kids provided a good buffer. How they never picked up on the sexual tension, Eli didn’t know. He felt like he was on fire every time he was around Ash and consumed with thoughts of him when he wasn’t.

  And it wasn’t just the sex, even if Eli tried to kid himself that it was. He really liked Ash. He hadn’t felt a connection like this since… well, it was better not to dwell on Jeremy. It only made him think that his relationship with Ash was doomed to end just as Eli’s other relationships had: as soon as he got good and attached.

  “But no,” Eli said, returning to Ash’s original question. “I’ll never settle down in Tennessee. Even if my cousin Gareth is one of my best friends and would love to have me there, my dad and I handle each other better when there are several states between us.”

  “What happened? Did you not ever get along or did it all go sour later on?”

  “A little bit of both.” Eli was in too good of a mood to let the memories spoil his night. “We never understood each other. I was always more interested in doing my own thing than following the status quo. Dad tried to overcompensate by regimenting everything to death, and I retaliated by rebelling just because.”

  “I can picture that without any difficulty at all.” Ash sat back as the waitress set down the platter of smothered pork chops and sides of black-eyed peas, collards, and what looked like homemade macaroni and cheese instead of processed crap. Eli had to grin at the satisfied gleam in Ash’s green eyes.

  They sat for a few minutes in companionable silence as they ate. Ash was easy to talk to; Eli didn’t share his childhood stories with just anyone.

  “But the shit really hit hard the summer I turned fifteen. School had just ended, and I was head over heels for this guy who was a grade ahead of me. He was teaching me all kinds of fun things until we got caught by his dad not two weeks into our vacation.” Ash winced in sympathy, though in truth the humiliation from that incident had ceased to sting years ago. “There was no hiding what we were doing or pretending it was something else. Not with the half naked lip-lock we had going on.”

  “What happened after that? Did the guy’s dad hush it up or make a big stink?”

&n
bsp; “Oh, he hushed it up, alright. The man who caught us was the commander of Dad’s base. His response was to get Dad reassigned to Alaska.” Eli shook his head as he dished himself some more greens. “It wasn’t like Alaska hadn’t been a possibility before. My parents had been happy to get Georgia instead, and according to my dad, I ruined it for them. Even shipping me off to my grandparents up here didn’t help. He was still furious when I returned for school.”

  Eli’s heart flipped as Ash just looked at him with empathy in his gaze. Jesus, he could really find himself falling for Ash, with his boy next door looks and the sexy smattering of freckles on his nose and cheeks. Ash was a genuinely nice guy, one of the good ones that could be trusted. Someone who’d made it clear that he was looking to head out as soon as he graduated. Man, Eli could really pick them, couldn’t he?