by Jan Springer
Sander and cocked an eyebrow, looking disappointed. “Just one kiss?”
“Get your ass back over here and I’ll give you more kisses than you can handle,” Daniel promised.
Sander winked at him and poured two cups of coffee and grabbed a couple more plates. He heaped them with more pizza and some fruit and set them on a tray that Madilyn had been thoughtful enough to supply. Then he rejoined Daniel on the couch.
While they ate, they exchanged garlic kisses.
“I think you have the best-tasting pizza lips I’ve ever come across on a man,” Sander said softly as he brushed his lips against Daniel’s mouth.
“Hmm and do you eat pizza with all your men?” Daniel teased.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he breathed.
Sander’s tongue prodded against Daniel’s teeth and he opened. He in turn pushed his hot tongue against Sander’s. The daring touches made him heady and Sander bolder. He thrust into his mouth and Daniel suckled his tongue.
Daniel swept his hands over Sander’s belly, enjoying the smooth, hard muscles twitch beneath his fingers. Then Daniel pulled his mouth away and licked along Sander’s neck, loving the rush of arousal shifting through him. His hunger to taste Sander’s flesh gushed to an incredible need.
He kissed lower, following Sander’s rapid pulse. He swept his kisses across his shivering shoulders and down across his sparse, velvety chest hair before meeting his destination and sucking a hard nipple into his mouth.
Sander moaned and hissed. The erotic sounds made Daniel push his hands against Sander’s chest until he was lying on his back on the couch. Sander’s eyes were heavy-lidded with lust.
Sander reached out to Daniel. Daniel’s hands clutched Sander’s shoulders and he climbed over him. Their legs intertwined and their hard, thick erections and scrotums pressed, rubbed and gyrated against each other. The roughness sent volleys of pleasure searing through Daniel. He caught Sander’s mouth and fused with his moist, possessive lips.
Daniel lost control as wicked sensations cascaded over him. He bucked and jerked against Sander, who thrust and gyrated against his body and shaft, creating a fantastic friction that increased his pleasure. Every muscle in his body tensed with excitement and anticipation. Every nerve ending sizzled and sparked. In a split second both of them exploded.
Intense pleasure snapped along Daniel’s shaft and balls and pounded into his abdomen. Against his mouth, Sander murmured a warning he was coming. Daniel joined him in a magnificent release that tossed him into ecstasy. Jets of hot semen spurted onto his belly as Sander came and then Daniel didn’t care about anything and he let go as well.
* * * * *
As Madilyn pressed a button and quickly slipped on her oven mitts, she watched the stainless-steel oven door slide open and inhaled the succulent odors of cheeses, polenta, wine-marinated Black Angus ground beef and the various other ingredients she’d used to make Daniel’s favorite polenta lasagna.
She removed the heavy casserole dish and set it upon the stove to cool and then moved to the next oven to check on the bread. She smiled as she remembered how cute Sander had looked, red-faced and embarrassed, the bedsheets tugged up tightly to beneath his chin as she entered Daniel’s bedroom to find Daniel fast asleep in bed with Sander lying by his side, staring wide-eyed at him.
She’d suspected a long time ago that the two men would make a perfect match. How could they not? They had so much in common. They both loved to work and during Sander’s previous visits to the parties Daniel threw, Madilyn had made it a point to discreetly chat with Sander. She’d discovered Sander and Daniel shared many similar culinary tastes. They also shared a love of water sports, swimming, spending quiet nights at home and playing with children.
She hadn’t liked Jacques as a mate for her boss. Jacques had been arrogant, pushy and mean to staff members. Sander on the other hand was always sweet and courteous. Sander came from the same background as Daniel. They knew how it was to be poor. They respected how others lived and they didn’t frown down their noses like some rich people did.
She was glad she’d asked Sander to come here to the island and she was ecstatic that Sander and Daniel had spent the night together.
A moment later, as she settled the hot loaf of fresh-baked bread onto the cooling tray, a happily humming Daniel strolled into the kitchen. From the corner of her eye, she caught him stop and quickly compose himself.
She’d expected him to be a bit ticked off at her for not telling him she’d asked Sander to come so she wasn’t surprised at the command underlying his deep voice when he spoke.
“Have the staff left for the day?”
“Yes, it’s just you and Sander and I.”
He relaxed but his voice was still commanding.
“Then I’d like to have a word with you.”
Uh oh. Here we go.
“Sure thing, Daniel. Just let me grab the meat pie out of the oven and we can chat.”
She’d expected him to get excited and drool over the food she’d lain out on the counter for supper. She’d hoped he would forget about what she’d done in sneaking Sander here and that instead he would compliment her on making so many of his favorites but to her surprise he didn’t. Had she done all this work for nothing?
Irritation plowed through her and she punched the button for the third oven. After the door slid open, she snatched the pie with her gloved hands.
“Where’s Sander?” she asked after she placed the meat pie beside the lasagna and bread. She tore off her gloves and hung them on a nearby hook.
“Getting dressed.”
“Oh? So late?” she teased and tossed him a grin. He didn’t return one. Instead he scowled at her.
She hoped Sander and he hadn’t already had a fight.
“My, so serious,” she said.
“I thought I’d take a moment and talk with you…about last night.”
“Sure thing.” She forced herself to keep her voice sunny and bright despite the sudden nervousness fluttering in her belly.
Usually Daniel was tense and irritable due to the fact he was overtired with all his work. She understood that and it didn’t bother her at all when he chewed her out about one thing or another on any given day. But since coming to the island his demeanor had slowly improved and it had been a joy not to hear this stern voice for several days.
“Take a seat at the kitchen table and I’ll be right with you.” She needed a moment to give him some time to cool down and for her to gather her courage.
He made a grumpy sound and did as she asked.
Oh crap. She hoped she hadn’t done something terribly wrong. Mentally she checked her daily to-do list and couldn’t come up with anything she’d missed.
She inhaled a deep breath to steady her suddenly jumpy nerves and a moment later she joined him at the table.
“What’s up?” she asked.
He glared at her. Yep, he was still pissed.
“I asked you not to call Sander. Why did you go against my instructions?”
“Oh…is that it?” Might as well play it down. “Well let me see. When you hired me, you hired me to look out for your best interests. That’s what I did, Daniel. I was concerned for your health. Sometimes you are too stubborn for your own good. Sometimes someone else is more objective and that’s what happened yesterday. If you want to fire me so be it. But I did the right thing.”
She braced herself for the ax to fall. But it was okay if she got fired. She would miss the responsibilities and she would miss Daniel terribly but she’d saved most of her money over the years because she never wanted to be in the situation she’d been in when her old girlfriend had dumped her.
Chantelle had managed to drain their joint bank account before leaving a Dear Jane note informing her they were through and that she was moving in with someone else. Madilyn had been alone and penniless in Chicago. She’d been totally ostracized by her family and most friends back in Minnesota after she’d come out to them and she’d ha
d no one to turn to for help.
As luck would have it, Daniel had come into her life one night in a bar. She’d just spent her last few bucks on a beer supper to drown her sorrows. He’d offered her some money to get her back on her feet. She’d been thankful for his help ever since. She’d learned her lesson of not depending on anyone and she’d learned it well.
“Where in the hell did you get a stupid idea like that?” Daniel snapped. Now he appeared angrier than he’d been a moment ago. “Don’t you realize how valuable you are to me? You’re one of my best friends. One of a very few who I trust implicitly.”
She relaxed. “Then why are you so pissed off?”
“Because…” He stopped and blinked in surprise. He stared at her and then slowly shook his head.
“Because?” He looked so cute when he was perplexed. Sweet lines appeared at the sides of his mouth, and his brows dipped into a sexy scowl that any man would love.
“I’m mad because I should have set this whole thing up with Sander myself.”
“You’re welcome.” She grinned.
Daniel laughed. “Thank you. But you still owe me a pie from Mrs. McAdams, remember? You mentioned it last night…”
“Man, you are one tough guy to please. I would have thought Sander would have been a better dessert than Mrs. McAdams’ apple pie.”
Daniel shrugged and grinned.
“He comes in a close second.”
“You better not let Sander hear you say that,” she teased.
“Madilyn, you are a treasure. Thank you again. When’s dinner?”
“Give me five minutes and everything will be done. You two are eating out on the back deck. Go on and get Sander and I’ll serve.”
“Join us, Mad. I want you to get to know Sander more. I think he’s the one.”
Excitement rocked her.
“If he’s the one, then I sure as hell am not hanging around. This is your time. Use it wisely, Daniel.”
“In other words don’t screw it up.”
Madilyn laughed. “You said it, not me. But just so you know…I think he is the one for you too. I’ve suspected it for a while.”
Her breath caught as Daniel smiled. She’d never seen his eyes twinkle so brilliantly. And the pain that had haunted those cute eyes for so long over Jacques was gone.
“Go on and get your man. I’ll bring the food out and then I’ll make myself scarce.”
Daniel nodded. “Thank you, Mad. From the bottom of my heart.”
Emotions welled and she clutched her chest. She could only nod and rush away before he saw the tears threatening to dribble from her eyes.
Gosh, being a matchmaker was such an emotionally tough yet rewarding job.
Chapter Five
“Madilyn is a great cook. Last night she introduced me to polenta lasagna, this morning to a champagne cocktail with chocolate pancakes. Where in the world did you find her?” Sander asked as he pushed back his chair and patted his full belly.
Last night he and Daniel had gone swimming in his pool, had more sex in the shower-toy room, made love throughout the night and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Early this morning Daniel had dragged him out of bed, telling him they were going for a ride on his yacht.
Hell, until he’d seen the shiny white sixty-footer docked and waiting for them he hadn’t known Daniel even had a yacht.
“Not only is she the best organizer and assistant, she’s the best cook in the world and she’s trying to get you to like me through your stomach.” Daniel grinned, looking out across the shining cherrywood deck of the luxury yacht. Pride laced his voice and laugh wrinkles creased the sides of his eyes.
Sander would have to make it a point to get Daniel to smile more often as he looked way too sexy and irresistible when he did.
“Oh I get it. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Sander acknowledged.
“Exactly. And if you look over there, you can see our destination for the next few days.”
Sander followed to where Daniel was pointing. Through the curls of white mist hovering over the green-blue ocean waves, he could easily make out a large white building with a red tile roof. The two-story house had dark-green shutters at each window and it was tucked in about a hundred feet back from a white sandy beach.
“Wow, nice.”
“Home sweet home away from home,” Daniel said softly.
“Yours?” Sander asked. The house was much smaller than the other one they’d left about an hour earlier. Smaller and cozier. Like a big cottage.
Daniel nodded. “It’s on the opposite side of my island. I use it when I want a change of scenery. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”
The white-stucco house loomed closer. It truly looked picturesque with an abundance of palm trees towering over and around the building. A couple of blue lounge chairs sat on the beach. Bright fuchsia-colored standing umbrellas kept the chairs in the shade and there were an abundance of towels folded neatly on a nearby wooden picnic table.
“For us?” he asked.
Daniel nodded. “Everything is set up for us. We’ll be totally alone for the next few days. Madilyn has had the fridge and freezer stocked with everything we need. No need to worry about security as they are out there and I pay them to not be seen. We can even skinny-dip in the ocean. There’s also a pool, a hot tub and a sauna in the back.”
Nice. Very nice. But he wanted to see Daniel naked again.
As if he knew what Sander was thinking, Daniel turned his hot gaze onto him.
“And plenty of condoms. Inside that house is where I am going to finally take you, Sander.”
Sander’s ass clenched around the butt plug that he had worn for the better part of the past couple of days, most of the time forgetting it was even there. He trembled at the huskiness in Daniel’s voice and when he looked over at him Daniel’s green eyes were lust-filled.
“I’m ready. And I can’t wait to finally take you too, Daniel.”
Daniel nodded. “Tonight we’ll take each other. And I have the perfect spot picked out. We’ll just have the whole day to get through. Can you handle it?”
“I can handle anything as long as I have you,” Sander admitted.
He couldn’t wait for him to send the yacht on its way so he could be alone with Daniel again. The delay had been worth it. Tonight they would take each other anally. He was glad Daniel had made them wait. It would make it that much more intimate and memorable.
* * * * *
Daniel was exhilarated. Sander had inspected his injury and said that his wound was healing nicely and wouldn’t attract sharks, so the two of them played in and out of the ocean most of the day.
After giving Sander a crash course on keeping an eye out for barracuda, sharks, moray eels and jellyfish, Daniel had also instructed him to not touch the dangerous coral as it could break off or injure him. They’d slathered each other with waterproof sun lotion, placed on protective footgear and went skinny-dip snorkeling with waterproof digital cameras along the colorful reefs beneath the hot sun.
After a quick lunch of salmon sandwiches and fruit, Daniel had taken Sander on an intimate sailing adventure on his custom-made schooner, Attraction. He taught Sander how to navigate around nearby uninhabited islands and how to steer clear of coral reefs.
While anchored off one of the islands, they’d sucked each other’s dicks on the deck with the sails flapping overhead and then they’d explored a small island where they collected seashells. They’d followed up with an afternoon nap on the warm sand beneath the shade of some palm trees.
Upon returning to the beach cottage, they shared a scrumptious barbecue supper of sirloin steak covered in black truffle shavings and Beluga caviar.
Complete happiness made it seem as if he were literally floating. With both of them wearing nothing but shorts, Daniel showed Sander through the beach house, giving him a complete tour of his private oasis. He loved that Sander liked the tastefully decorated three-bedroom cottage and the poo
l out back. But there was something else he wanted to introduce Sander to.
“Come on, I want to show you what’s down these stairs,” he said as he opened a heavy oak-planked door and switched on the lights to reveal a narrow staircase. Red bricks and square black beams lined both walls, and black wrought iron were the hand railings on both sides of the steep stairs.
Daniel started down the stairs.
“Ah, another wine cellar. I could go for some cold wine.”
“Well actually there is wine down there but it’s not a wine cellar. Come take a look. Make sure you hold on to the railings as it is rather steep. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Not when they were so close to fully consummating their relationship.
“An underground swimming pool, perhaps?” Sander asked as he followed.
“Close but no cigar.”
As Sander named off a few other things that might be under the house, Daniel grinned and kept repeating the close, no cigar line. His excitement mounted as they reached the bottom of the stairs and he ushered Sander along a well-lit hallway.
“Man it’s quiet down here,” Sander said softly.
“It’s the most peaceful place on Earth.”
Daniel grinned as Sander started whipping off another round of other possibilities of what could be down here.
“You’d never guess so save your energy. You’re going to need it for the rest of tonight.”
Sander fell silent and to Daniel’s surprise, a moment later Sander curled his fingers against Daniel’s palm. The intimate gesture swelled some raw emotions deep inside his chest and he didn’t hesitate to intertwine his fingers with Sander’s. He squeezed Daniel’s hand and he felt loved and full of love.
“Brace yourself,” Daniel warned. He pushed open the door and led Sander into the room.
* * * * *
Sander loved the firm feel of Daniel’s warm fingers intertwining with his own. He hadn’t even thought about holding Daniel’s hand until just now. It had just happened. And it felt so right. So normal.
As Daniel opened the door and brought Sander into the room, disbelief whispered over Sander’s senses. Daniel had been right. Sander would never have guessed what the billionaire had beneath this house. Actually they weren’t even beneath the house.
