All Bets Are Off

by Marguerite Labbe

  “Who’s supposed to be tempting who?” Ash asked, his hand sliding down Eli’s back. “You’ve got me all turned around.”

  Eli cupped Ash’s cock through his jeans and laughed softly. “And turned on too, I can tell,” he said, giving Ash’s cock a rough squeeze that had him groaning.

  “Jeezus,” Ash groaned. “Fucking cocktease. C’mere.”

  “Me?” Eli lifted a brow as he straddled Ash’s lap. “Me? Oh no, buddy, if anyone is the cocktease, it’s you with that damn bet.”

  Ash cupped Eli’s ass in his hands and pulled him closer. He hadn’t actually come to seduce Eli, at least not right away. Ash had just been looking forward to spending some time with him, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to shove him off his lap if Eli was offering. If anything, their weekend together had fueled his fantasies even more. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing, Doc.”

  “For who?” Eli leaned over him and grazed his lips across Ash’s jaw and down to his throat. “You or me?”

  “Fuck if I can remember anymore.” Ash slid his hands under Eli’s shirt, his brain short-circuiting as he touched Eli’s skin. There had been a whole argument power play somewhere in there, but he’d lost track of it. With a groan, he turned them both, tumbling Eli onto his back on the couch. “What made you change your mind and save me from blue ball hell?”

  “I was there with you.” Eli lightly bit Ash’s throat. “And I sure as hell wasn’t planning on letting you win any bets when you came over.”

  “Was it the flowers?” Ash had meant them as kind of a joke, but if this was the reaction he got, he’d buy a whole damn hothouse of them.

  Eli’s laughter vibrated against his throat, and when he lifted his head to look at him, his eyes were lit up. “No. They’re nice, but definitely not worthy of just handing you a win on a bet.”

  “Then what?”

  Eli cupped Ash’s face between his hands as he lifted up to kiss him again, a quick, heated taste. “Because you matter far more than he does.”

  Ash stared back at him, stunned. His brain was still whirling when Eli tugged him down for another kiss. He might have won, but somehow it felt more like Eli had. Only he wasn’t quite sure what Eli had won and he really couldn’t bring himself to examine it more closely with Eli’s tongue tangling with his own.

  “Oh,” he said as their lips parted and Eli laughed again. “Okay, then.” One idea sneaked past everything else crowding his brain. He could have Eli naked again. “Hot damn.”

  He knelt up to tug off Eli’s shirt and his own, tossing them over the arm of the couch. He leaned over Eli, sliding a hand over his long, lean torso and side. “You make me crazy. So fucking out-of-my-mind crazy.”

  Nails scraped lightly on Ash’s skin, and Eli sat up, pressing a kiss to his dog tags. “The feeling is mutual. Come on, I’ve wanted you in my bed for months now. As much as we like to get started on couches, I want room to play.” He rose and grabbed Ash’s hand, leading him toward the stairs.

  Ash had to be fucking dreaming. This was another midnight fantasy, and he was going to wake up with a wicked boner and aching balls. The air upstairs was cool enough to raise goose bumps on his skin as he followed Eli down the hallway to his bedroom. No sooner had they crossed the threshold than Ash tugged Eli back against him. “No more games, Eli. Not from you or me, okay? No more waiting and hedging. We can still keep it a secret at school, but from now on, you are mine.”

  A shiver ran through Eli, and his hands came down to clasp Ash’s arms at his waist as he leaned back into him. “You swear that, Georgia?”

  There was a little catch in Eli’s voice, barely there, that had Ash wondering about what he had told him once. How Eli always seemed to find the right guy at the wrong time. Had he had his heart broken before? Was that why he kept distancing himself? Ash kissed the side of Eli’s neck, his arms wrapping around him more securely. “I swear it, Eli.”

  He responded by tugging Ash toward the bed. The moon shone through the frost-edged windows, bathing the room in a cool, blue tinge. Ash’s heart beat faster as Eli undid his belt. He kissed Ash’s chest, then knelt in front of him, kissing his stomach as he undid his jeans. Ash threaded his fingers through the weight of Eli’s hair with a soft groan as he felt warm breath brush over the head of his cock.

  Eli slid his mouth down, and as Ash’s cock sank into Eli’s hot mouth, Ash decided that his fantasies had nothing on the reality. Eli’s tongue teased his shaft, rubbing wantonly, sinking a little lower with each rock of his head until he’d taken Ash the all way in. Ash groaned, his fingers flexing in Eli’s hair. “Damn, Eli, you’ve got a beautiful mouth.”

  Eli responded with a little hum that vibrated through him before he began bobbing his head with a suction that made Ash’s knees weak. Fingers slid between his thighs to chafe his balls, and then Ash gasped as one wicked finger slid back, searching until it found his entrance. “Fuck, gorgeous, are you looking to pitch tonight?”

  Cool air touched his cock as Eli drew off of him. He gave Ash a little push toward the bed, and Eli’s teeth flashed in the dark with his grin. “Lie down before your knees give out on you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ash murmured, watching Eli stand up as he lay back on the bed. The cool comforter felt good against his skin, because his body was on fire. Eli quickly got rid of the rest of Ash’s clothes, stripping him bare before kicking off his own jeans and joining him on the bed. A drawer rattled next to the bed, and Ash shivered as a cold bottle rolled against his leg.

  “Sorry about that.” Eli snatched up the lube again and poured some into his hand and then rubbed his palms to warm it, all the while staring at Ash in a way that had his heart racing. He wanted to touch Eli all over, press lingering kisses against all his favorite spots and savor the anticipation building between them.

  Ash smiled and reached for him. “You can come down here and warm me up again.”

  “Oh no, troublemaker, I’m calling the shots now.” Oh, the wicked promise that was in Eli’s smile. Ash’s cock surged as Eli moved out of immediate reach of his hands. “I’m going to set you on fire, Georgia.”

  “I think you already have.”

  Eli stretched out between Ash’s thighs and took his cock deep into his mouth again. Damn, the man wasn’t kidding. Ash hadn’t even had a chance to get accustomed to the perfect heat of Eli’s mouth when a warm, slick finger circled his entrance.

  Ash’s heart skipped a beat. It had been a long time since anyone had fingered him. He groaned as Eli’s finger pushed inside. He’d forgotten how good it could feel. The dual sensation of the hot suction on his cock and the slow thrust inside him soon had his cock jumping and aching for more. Ash raised his knees, bracing his heels on the bed so he could rock his hips and move with Eli.

  Eli’s hair swept across his skin and tickled his thighs. With a low groan, Ash tunneled his fingers in it again. “I swear, don’t you ever let any of them talk you into chopping your hair off.” He loved the way it looked in the light and the heavy, silken weight of it that begged to be touched. He loved how it represented Eli’s rampant individuality and stubbornness.

  Eli lifted his head and kissed Ash’s thigh. “I think I would be in more trouble with you if I did cut it than I would be with anyone else for keeping it long.”

  Before Ash could respond, Eli’s mouth enveloped him again. A second finger pushed into him, increasing the ache. It had been a long time since he’d been fucked. But instead of scissoring and stretching as he’d expected, Eli seemed content to finger him. His head started to bob faster on Ash’s cock. Ash’s hands tightened in Eli’s hair as it became harder to think. “Oh fuck, Eli.”

  Ash’s hips jerked as fingers nudged his spot and Eli swallowed around him. Ash’s balls tightened as the tension rose in his body. Curses fell from his lips while Eli played him inside and out. Fingers twisted, manipulating his spot ruthlessly between thrusts that got increasingly harder and faster.

  Ash’s heart pounded, his breath b
roken by moans and pants. Fucking him wasn’t what Eli had in mind. That thought seared into his brain and threatened Ash’s control. “Fuck… fuck, Eli… gonna come.” He eased his grip on Eli’s hair so the man could pull off of him if he wanted.

  Eli moaned, his tongue lashing the head, his hand working the lower half of Ash’s cock in silent encouragement. Just a little bit longer. Ash chanted curses under his breath, interspersed with Eli’s name. Then the tension exploded as fingertips rubbed his spot just right.

  Ash groaned low in his throat, lifting his hips in tight, hard rocks into Eli’s wicked mouth. “Oh fuck… oh fuck, Eli.” His heart pounded fast enough to make him dizzy as he came. He lifted his head, groaning at the sight of Eli’s lips wrapped around him as he continued to suck and stroke with his tongue until Ash was spent.

  Ash released his grip on Eli’s hair, and Eli lifted his mouth slowly, his eyes gleaming in the faint light. He crawled up Ash’s body, pressing kisses to his stomach and chest until he reached Ash’s mouth. “Feeling warmer?” he asked with a husky laugh.

  Ash drew him down for a deep kiss, tasting himself on Eli’s tongue. “You’ve definitely made me forget that New England hell is about to descend with a vengeance.”

  Eli curled up against him, head on Ash’s shoulder, his thigh over Ash’s and his arm around his waist. Ash could feel the throb of Eli’s hard cock against his side. “I can keep you warm all winter.”

  “I have no doubt about that.” Ash captured his mouth, sinking into the kiss as Eli moaned. “You don’t have to run downstairs to make sure nothing burns, do you?”

  “I set it to warm earlier. Stay. I’m not ready to move just yet.”

  Ash wrapped his arms around Eli and held him close. This was what drew him to Eli again and again—the warmth of his smile, the closeness he allowed with a select few, the way that he seemed to look out for everyone but himself. When Eli had used his prickly temper and that cool reserve to hold Ash off, it had driven him nuts because he knew what Eli was really like underneath.

  “No more pushing me away, okay, Eli?” Ash ran kisses over Eli’s jaw, lips nibbling as Eli tensed. “Let me stay in. I don’t know why you do that.”

  “Because….” Eli’s arm tightened around Ash’s waist as he lifted his lips for Ash’s kiss. “You’re leaving, and I just don’t want to think about that.”

  “Then don’t.” Ash kissed him until the underlying tension left Eli’s body and his cock throbbed rhythmically against Ash’s thigh. He wished he could meet the guy who had hurt Eli enough to make him afraid. He’d punch him in the face. “We never know what tomorrow is going to bring. I learned that the hard way. We make each other happy now, let’s enjoy that.”

  Ash slid his hand over the curve of Eli’s ass and then between his thighs to cup his hard cock through his underwear. “After all this time of thinking of touching you, now that I’m here with you, I don’t think I’m ever going to get you out of my blood.” And he couldn’t find a damn thing wrong with that.

  “I know what you mean.” Eli’s lips moved on Ash’s skin, teeth lightly scraping as he rocked his hips into Ash’s touch. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

  Desire surged again at the plea in Eli’s voice. Satiation never seemed to last long before Ash was eager to have him again and again, until they couldn’t move. He rolled Eli under him and knelt up just long enough to pull the underwear down Eli’s long legs. “I’m not going to stop. Not unless you tell me no.”

  “You said no more games, no more bets. We’re together now, Ash. I’m sure as hell not going to say no to you right now.” Eli wrapped his arms around Ash, tugging him down. They both groaned as their bodies came together, fevered skin against fevered skin. Ash’s cock hardened a little more as it rubbed against Eli’s rampant shaft, slick with precome.

  Ash kissed him, his tongue delving into Eli’s mouth. The man made him so hungry with his hot mouth and eager hands, those wicked sounds that lodged in his throat. Eli’s hands gripped his ass, rocking Ash against him as Eli ground his own hips. “Ash,” Eli gasped as he tore his mouth away. “Reminds me of that encounter behind your apartment.”

  “A memory that has kept me company more than one night lately.” Ash shuddered as Eli’s mouth found his ear, and he nipped hard enough to make it sting. Eli pressed the lube into his hand and curled his fingers around it.

  “I’ve been dreaming of you fucking me for the last two weeks. And I’ve been about to come out of my skin since you cornered me in my office.”

  Ash smiled on a rush of satisfaction. Eli played it so damn cool sometimes that it was hard to tell how much he was getting to him. “Really, do tell,” he whispered as he popped the cap on the lube. “How close was I to being able to indulge in my fantasy of having you bent over your desk?”

  “Too close. Britton would’ve heard me screaming your name.”

  Ash groaned at the thought of Eli screaming his name, period. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t give in because I would’ve hated for us to get caught. Even if I still want to get you into a compromising position in that office.”

  “I still want to pull you down on one of those overstuffed chairs in the special collections library and let you have your way with me,” Eli said, sliding one leg up to hook over Ash’s hip. “I guess some things are going to have to remain fantasies.”

  Ash snickered and slicked his fingers. “Saying something like that is waving a red flag in front of a bull. Damned if I’m not going to find a way.” Both his fantasy and Eli’s. Anything could be done with the proper amount of planning.

  Eli moaned as Ash stretched him, nipping at his ear again. “Hurry up, I’m impatient for you.”

  It was hard to concentrate on getting Eli ready when he kept whispering wicked encouragements in Ash’s ear. How the hell was a man supposed to concentrate? “Behave yourself.”

  “That entirely defeats the purpose. And you’re not one to talk after I’ve been trying to get you to behave for how long now?” Ash heard the fumble of fingers on a box, the tear of foil, and then a few moments later Eli rolled a condom over Ash’s cock and gave it a squeeze. Ash groaned as Eli wiggled out from under him and pushed up onto his hands and knees. He tossed Ash a smile of pure deviltry over his shoulder. “Be bad with me, Georgia.”

  Ash rose up behind him, his heart pounding as he stroked his hand over Eli’s back, following the flow of muscles from shoulder to hip. His cock nudged against Eli’s cleft, and he moaned, arching his back and rocking toward Ash. “I’d be a fool to ignore an invitation like that.”

  He guided his cock, groaning as it found Eli’s entrance. They began to push together, Eli pressing back as Ash thrust forward. They both moaned as his cock sank deep inside Eli. “Fuck, yeah, just like that,” Eli breathed.

  Ash wanted to hear the sound of Eli’s voice just like that for a very long time. Ash’s hands clutched Eli’s hips as Eli clenched around him. Ash leaned over him, hands braced on the mattress, teeth grazing Eli’s shoulder as he thrust. The man got under his skin and made him crave more. He couldn’t remember another lover getting to him like this.

  “Harder,” Eli groaned, grinding back against him. “Been too long.”

  Ash pressed his forehead against Eli’s shoulder, panting as he snapped his hips harder. Eli continued to encourage him between moans and soft gasps. Harder. Faster. Rougher. Until Ash’s head swam. He straightened again, his hands braced on Eli’s shoulder and hip as they ground against each other.

  Damn, Ash loved the long line of Eli’s back, broad at the shoulders and lean at the waist. He wrapped an arm around Eli’s stomach and hauled him up against him so that Eli was straddling Ash’s thighs. Eli groaned and slipped an arm around Ash’s neck, twisting around to kiss him as Ash drove into him.

  “Feels so good,” Eli groaned against his lips. “More.”

  Ash smiled and cupped Eli’s balls in his hand, gently rolling them, fingers playing with the silky, fragile skin. “How’s that? You li
ke me touching you there too, don’t ya?”

  Eli shuddered and clenched around him. “Damn right I do.”

  “How about this?” Ash teased, wrapping his hand around Eli’s cock and starting to stroke him in rhythm to his thrusts. “You like that, my sexy professor?”

  “Oh fuck.” Eli’s head fell back on Ash’s shoulder and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re a dirty fuck, Ash. What do you want me to say? ‘Please pound your teacher’s ass and I’ll give you a B’?”

  “B? I’m insulted. I guess I’ll have to try harder.” Ash ran his thumb over the head of Eli’s cock, savoring the slick wetness. He circled his thumb around the stiff peak of Eli’s nipple and gave it a pinch.

  Eli jerked in his arms with a rough groan. He curled his fingers over Ash’s hand on his cock, urging him to stroke faster. “I revise… my opinion. You’re the teacher’s… pet. Just keep doing that.”