by Susan Laine
By the time they reached the well-dressed crowds milling about under the old-fashioned, colorful strobe lights, however, it became clear the two of them weren’t the center of attention. A heated row on the other side of the gymnasium had everyone’s attention.
“What’s going on?” Boone asked a group of four girls nearest to them.
A pretty brunette huffed, not even glancing their way as she was too busy rising on her toes to peer over people’s heads. “Cole Walker two-timed Callie Weston in the locker room—”
“No, in the boy’s bathroom,” a blonde girl with braces interjected.
The brunette scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. Anyway, Cole was seen making out with Sally Ericson ten minutes ago in the bathroom—”
“Twenty minutes ago,” the blonde cut in again.
“Shut up, Molly.” The brunette glared at her friend. “Anyway, Callie and Sally started a screaming match, and then a total catfight. I saw actual scratching and hair-pulling.”
“Cole tried to stop them but only ended in the middle of things. Never break up a fight between two cheerleaders.”
“Yes, and now Principal Howe and Miss Pearson are there too.” The brunette chuckled. “Best prom ever.”
The girls giggled loudly and walked off, probably in search of a better vantage point to the unfolding drama. Boone and Merry exchanged glances and simultaneously rolled their eyes.
“And here we thought we’d be the center of attention tonight,” Boone said with a laugh.
Merry chimed in, “Good thing the prom king and queen have provided everyone with far more scandalous entertainment than two guys holding hands.”
“You know what this means, don’t you, Mer?” Boone waggled his eyebrows at Merry’s puzzled look. “Now’s our best opportunity to dance together at the prom.”
Merry hesitated, his lower lip caught between his teeth. Boone didn’t let up. He tugged on Merry’s hand until he gave in and they stepped onto the dance floor. Thankfully the band kept playing slow tunes despite the raised voices and tussle going on in the background.
Boone twirled Merry around twice before pulling him flush against him and wrapping his arms around his waist. Smiling but with mild reproach, Merry acquiesced and placed his hands on Boone’s shoulders. After a while they found their rhythm, shifting their feet sluggishly to the slow music, holding each other close.
“Is that Taylor Swift they’re playing?” Boone grunted, displeased. “I really don’t want her song to be our song. All she sings about are freaking breakups.”
Merry chuckled. “Who’d you prefer, then? Justin Bieber?”
Boone groaned with imagined agony. “God help us, no!”
When Merry sighed happily and rested his head on Boone’s shoulder, Boone knew that moment was pure paradise and that it didn’t matter whose song was playing. He embraced Merry tighter, letting the new song whisk him away. The argumentative noises, catcalls and hoots, laughter and chatter, all faded away to nothingness. The only thing that mattered to Boone was Merry in his arms.
“I love you, Mer,” Boone whispered in Merry’s ear.
Merry’s hug tightened briefly. “I love you, B.”
Then a devilish instinct took over Boone. With flourish, he dipped Merry backward on the dance floor, a surprised yelp escaping Merry. Boone dove in and kissed Merry, and not a sweet innocent kiss for public venues either. When he pulled back, Merry’s eyes had gone glossy.
“How was that, babe? A romantic-gesture kiss.”
Merry chuckled breathlessly, his cheeks pink in the dim light. “Nice.” Then he licked his lips with a baffled look in his eyes. “Why am I tasting… chocolate and strawberries?”
Boone laughed as he straightened Merry up again. “That’d be the kissing lip balm.”
Merry’s eyes widened as he touched his lips in wonderment. “They’re getting hotter.”
“It’s a special lip gloss that warms up and then almost burns when kissing.” Boone had picked a combination of two lip balms to get the right effect: flavor and heat. “That’s the gloss kiss. Like?”
Merry blinked, panting a little. Then he smashed their lips together and really gave it his all. Boone let his best friend and lover take control. It was sort of sexy. Merry wasn’t often a take-charge kind of guy, so this novelty pushed Boone’s buttons like nobody’s business.
When Merry withdrew, his eyes held an incandescent dark light. “We’re leaving. Now.”
Boone saw absolutely no reason to argue.
Chapter 13
THEY DIDN’T get past the garage. Still in the car, Merry proceeded to rip off Boone’s clothes, straddle him, and kiss him like he meant business. Boone managed to maneuver them to the backseat, as awkward and tight-spaced as it was, where they lay flush together, naked and horny, and rubbed against each other till they came, seeing stars.
Afterward they stayed in place, holding on to each other, panting hoarsely, sweaty and hot and radiating afterglow. Though it was uncomfortable, Merry was in no hurry to move, and Boone seemed content as well.
“Is it always like that?” Merry asked after a while, his voice rough and cracked. “So… intense?”
“Never been like this with anyone else.” Boone buried his face in the crook of Merry’s neck and inhaled. “So fucking hot, like I can’t breathe or function if I can’t have you then and there. Need you so bad all the time.”
Merry beamed, practically bursting with pride and love and joy. “Glad I’m not the only one feeling that way. You have no idea how close I was to sexually assaulting you on the dance floor, for fuck’s sake.”
Boone laughed, giving Merry goose bumps where his breath fanned hotly over Merry’s skin. “That’d have been a sight. We’d not only have been banned from ever attending any dances or socials, but we’d have been expelled and probably arrested too.” He nuzzled Merry’s neck, peppering him with lazy kisses. “Plus… if you hadn’t ordered us to leave, I would have fucked you on the dance floor too.”
Merry grinned, delighted with how he affected Boone. “So, B, you think this’ll last? Us, I mean?”
“Yeah. And here’s your proof.”
Boone scooted up a bit, hovered over Merry, and then kissed him. He cupped Merry’s cheeks and caressed them gently with his thumbs. His kiss was slow and sensuous, Boone taking time to suck on Merry’s bottom lip, trace both lips with his tongue, and then delve deep to lick the inside of Merry’s mouth. It was warm and arousing, and Merry grew hard again.
“I love you, Mer,” Boone whispered over Merry’s lips. “You’re not just some gorgeous guy I’ve got the hots for. I love spending time with you, having fun, playing games, working out, even studying. When we’re together, no matter what we do, I’m simply happy. And I fully plan on being with you for the rest of our lives, till we’re so old and wrinkled we’ll need truckloads of lube and blue pills just to get it up for five seconds.”
Merry giggled, but he blinked back tears. Boone had never been shy about showing his emotions to Merry, but this was different. They were different now, aware of each other on a whole new level, one composed of love and sensuality, as well as brotherhood and friendship.
Boone smiled back. “That was the forever kiss. Just. For. You.” Merry hugged Boone and brought their lips together for a long, slow kiss. When they came up for air, Boone chuckled. “You know, without me even showing you, you just nailed the slow-motion kiss.”
Surprised, Merry asked, “Really?”
“Yeah. French kiss at half the speed, or even slower if one’s able. Or two, as the case may be.”
Merry pursed his lips suspiciously. “You have the record on that, do you?”
Boone shook his head, grinning. “Never met anyone I’ve wanted to kiss longer than a minute or two. Except for you, of course. We can kiss again, full slow-mo, and see where that gets us.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Merry to titter and blush. “Break some records other people might have. Say… thirty minutes?”
&nbs
p; Merry let out a whoop. “Thirty minutes of nothing but kissing? Impossible.”
Boone quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? To the best of my recollection, which is perfect by the way, we’ve surpassed thirty minutes of kissing not once, but twice.”
Merry’s cheeks burned. “O-oh. Right. F-forgot for a moment.”
“Of course, to truly break our own record and other people’s, we should do a slow-mo of each kiss on the list.” Boone’s wicked smiled made Merry’s blood race below his belt. “Or, more to the point, every kiss we’ve already practiced.”
Merry gasped. “B-but that’d take, like, days.”
“Or longer. That’s the best part, you know. Slowing down to speed things up. I’m game if you are.”
The idea had merit, Merry had to admit. In fact, he was more than a little inclined to let Boone have his way with him. Then again, Merry had other plans for tonight. In his honest opinion, he’d waited long enough to try every damn thing he’d heard about, read about, and watched avidly on gay-porn videos.
“The slow-mo kiss is connected to another kiss,” Boone said, startling Merry out of his musings. “That’d be the nonstop kiss.”
Merry’s blood boiled, and his dick grew so hot and hard it was as if he hadn’t come at all ten minutes ago. “That sounds time-consuming and arduous and….” Hot as hell and sexy as sin, he finished in his head. That was absolutely something they should try, and soon too.
“Wanna try it, bae?” Boone asked, grinning. “The trick is not to overdo your tongue, or the kiss will be over before it has even started. In and out, leisurely and sweet.”
Merry gulped. His mouth had gone dry from desire burning within him. Why did Boone have to tease him with every darn naughty promise in the book?
“Exactly how did you become the world’s greatest expert on kissing?” Merry asked. Was it all from research, or was Boone drawing on previous sensual exploits? Rationally, Merry knew he had no real reason to worry even if that were true, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy. Just a small one.
Boone bussed Merry’s cheek. “With you of course, silly. Duh. Applied research at its finest.”
Relieved in spite of himself, Merry giggled.
Boone scrunched his nose. “It’s smelling ripe in here, and I feel gross. How ’bout a shower?”
Merry hummed in anticipation of pleasure. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”
Two minutes later they stood under the spray in Boone’s bathroom, lathering each other up while hot water sluiced over their nude forms. Merry smiled when he noticed Boone take extra care cleaning Merry’s nether regions, his gaze riveted, glued to his actions as he used the sponge on Merry’s cock and balls.
“I think I’m clean there,” Merry needled his lover, who was also his best friend. Forever.
Boone smirked, not raising his gaze. “Just making sure. ’Cause soon we’ll get dirty all over again.” Then he looked up. His eyes shone with love, deeper than a friend’s love but in essence the same too. “I’m looking forward to sleeping next to you, with you in my bed, and I can’t wait till morning when I get to give you your first… wake-up kiss.”
“You’re such a closet romantic,” Merry murmured. “Who knew?”
Boone shrugged as if he were being modest. But Merry recognized his proud grin and lack of eye contact for the signs they were. Boone kissed Merry on the lips, a hot touch full of moisture and the promise of sex. Merry succumbed instantly, going pliant against Boone’s strong body, and kissed back with equal fervor.
“That was the, uh….” Boone swallowed hard, his voice cracked, and he took a deep breath before continuing, “The wet kiss. Different from the shower or the bathtub kiss. There’s also a pool kiss, but that’s just bragging.”
Chuckling, Merry licked Boone’s lips. “Loved it.” He was getting the hang of this whole sexual-teasing thing. “Remember the first time we kissed?”
“The time when you almost broke my nose, or what came after?”
Merry snorted. “After. Dumbass.”
“Yeah.” Boone smiled. “Best kiss ever. Well, actually no. There were plenty of amazing kisses that came after. But it was pretty memorable.”
Merry wrapped his arms around Boone tighter, and Boone reciprocated by encircling Merry’s waist. Their bodies and private parts aligned delightfully. “Our first successful kiss was a wish come true for me. I’d waited for it with anticipation and dread. When your lips touched mine, it was a dream made manifest. Gave me such a rush.”
“You sure have a way with words, Mer.” Boone kissed him, and Merry relived the excitement and anxiety of their first real kiss all over again.
This time, however, it was Merry who broke the kiss. “I’m turning into a prune. Time to get out. Besides… I have designs for tonight.” He grinned seductively at Boone’s stunned look.
As they stepped out of the shower and reached for their towels, Boone asked in a nervous voice, “What have you got planned, bae?”
Merry rolled his eyes. “Another kissing lesson, naturally. Duh.” Then he tossed aside the towel and closed the gap between them, snuggling Boone’s hot, still-moist body. And he wasn’t shy about touching those firm muscles, tight lines, and soft curves. “Only this time I’ll be the teacher and you’ll be the novice.”
Boone’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. Then his face melted into a lewd grin. “I like the way your mind works, babe.” He threw the towel in the laundry basket and closed his arms around Merry. “Are we doing, like, the ‘best of’ collection, or—”
“Everything. From start to finish. Everything you showed me.” Then Merry wrinkled his nose and laughed. “Well, except the bump on the nose.”
Boone nodded and winked. “Excellent plan. I wholeheartedly agree and approve.”
Without warning, Boone lifted Merry onto his shoulder in a fireman’s grip and slapped Merry’s bare bottom, undoubtedly leaving a red handprint of ownership on his skin.
“Let’s get started then, shall we? My beautiful randy buck.”
Merry cackled maniacally all the way to the bedroom as he rode over Boone’s shoulder. When his best friend, lover, and boyfriend dropped him unceremoniously on the bed, jumped his bones like a hungry beast, and kissed him with a vengeance, Merry knew why loving Boone felt so natural.
Because his love felt like coming home.
More from Susan Laine
A Before… and After Story
Romance novels always end with a happy ever after. Right?
Evan and Adam are best friends, but they don’t know everything about each other. For one thing, Adam doesn’t know Evan writes and publishes gay romance novels until he discovers one while snooping on Evan’s laptop.
This revelation changes their relationship in ways neither could’ve imagined. Adam’s reaction to reading Evan’s stories is not what he expected, nor is the new way he’s looking at his lifelong pal. After all, Adam is straight, or so he’s always thought, and that is what Evan believes about Adam as well.
When Evan admits he might be bisexual, Adam suggests he try dating girls to find out for sure, but when Evan follows his advice, Adam is caught off guard by his feelings of jealousy. And when the date proves Evan isn’t bisexual, but gay, Evan’s request that Adam find him a guy might be the last straw.
How can Adam admit he wants that guy to be him? His epiphany will either end their relationship—or change it into something wonderful in their very own friends-to-lovers romance.
The Wheel Mysteries: Book One
Magic is in the air when Gus Goodwin, a pagan shopkeeper and owner of the Four Corners’ occult shop, meets a Niall Valentine, a mysterious PI investigating the disappearance of a local witch named Joy. What starts out as harmless flirting and information gathering soon turns into a partnership, with both men determined to solve the case.
Then bodies begin to pile up. Someone is using fire and water to kill witches associated with Joy, and it is up to Niall and Gus to find out what’s going
on. But when their friendship blossoms into something else, the unknown dangers looming ahead become even more frightening. If they can’t solve the murders soon, they’re going to get themselves killed.
Sequel to Sparks & Drops
The Wheel Mysteries: Book Two
A month and a half into their relationship, PI Niall Valentine and his occult shopkeeper boyfriend, Gus Goodwin, are hoping for a little time alone, but they’re thrown into another murder mystery.
Niall’s client, Angelina Talbot, is certain her new husband attempted to kill her, ambushing her in their bedroom, half-naked and covered in blood. Scared out of her mind, Angelina hit him with a lamp and ran away. Florian Talbot lies dead in the bedroom, his head smashed in with a lamp—but the door is locked from the inside. Is Angelina truly an unwitting murderer, or are more sinister forces at play?
With a family of eccentrics, borderline criminals, and Satanists, the real killer could be any number of people wandering the mansion that night under the cover of darkness. The entire Talbot clan thrives in secrecy. Still unfulfilled and utterly perplexed, Niall and Gus are tasked with shedding some much-needed light on the shadowy case.
Sequel to Devil’s Own
The Wheel Mysteries: Book Three
When Gus Goodwin’s friend and mentor, Juliette Hayes, asks him to find out who’s stealing small sums from the cashbox of her Moonlight Haven Coven, Gus agrees. What’s the worst that could happen? They catch a small-time thief and, with any luck, retrieve a few bucks. Gus enlists the help of his boyfriend, PI Niall Valentine, and Niall’s retired police officer father, Owain, to go undercover and solve the mystery.
On the night of the next full moon ritual, however, the coven is struck with a fatal blow.
Now Gus and Niall face more than a murder mystery. The coven is torn apart, and along comes an eccentric psychic and Tarot master—plus a familiar face both Gus and Niall had hoped was long gone. As fireworks ignite and wild cards are spread, Gus and Niall have their work cut out for them.
