Harmless (Pier 70 Book 4)

by Nicole Edwards

  Roan appreciated the fact that he didn’t have to go into detail. It wasn’t easy talking about his mother. Sure, he shrugged it off and pretended it didn’t bother him that she’d left, but deep down, he still felt the pain from it.

  “Did Seg tell you about the time he shot a puck in the house and broke his grandmother’s lamp?”

  Roan smiled, enjoying the fact that Deb seemed in tune with his discomfort. She never made it apparent that she was probing into his life. “He didn’t, no.” Roan glanced over to see Seg rolling his eyes.

  “He was eight. His father and I heard the noise and we instantly knew what it was. However, like any creative eight-year-old, when we asked Seg what happened, he insisted that he’d been watching TV and the lamp just shattered.”

  “It was magic,” Seg said, deadpan.

  “Never mind the fact that his hockey stick was lying on the floor in front of him or that the puck was still protruding from the metal frame that surrounded the bulb.”

  Seg grinned cheekily.

  Deb laughed, then peered down at Liam, who was smiling up at her. “I was thinking that Liam and I would go into the living room,” Deb said, her gaze darting between Roan and Seg. “Then after the two of you do the dishes, maybe you could spend some time together.”

  Heat infused Roan instantly. He knew he shouldn’t be embarrassed, yet he was.

  “Thanks, Ma. If you need anything, let us know.”

  “When does he take a bottle?” she asked Roan directly.

  Roan glanced at his watch. “Anytime now.”

  Deb nodded. “Good. If you want to make that for me after the dishes are done, I’ll be happy to feed him.”

  Deb got to her feet, grinning down at Liam as she walked out of the kitchen. Roan didn’t move from his seat.

  “You all right?” Seg asked.

  Roan shook his head, but he said, “I will be.” And he would. It would take a little time to get used to this.

  “Let’s get the dishes done.” Seg leaned in closer. “Then we’ll go make out in my bedroom.”

  If this man wasn’t careful, Roan was going to spontaneously combust.

  Talk about embarrassing.

  Twenty

  SEG FELT LIKE A TEENAGER.

  More so than he’d ever felt like one before. Even back when he was in high school. Because hockey had taken over his life at an early age—by his choice—Seg hadn’t spent much time doing simple, adolescent things such as making out with someone he liked. Sure, he’d had girls flock to him because he played sports, but he’d spent his time perfecting his game, his desire to make it into the NHL a driving force he hadn’t been able to shove to the side.

  Perhaps his lack of interest stemmed from the fact that he was gay, even if he hadn’t realized it at that point. It was true, he hadn’t experienced any stop-the-press type feelings for any one particular girl. Or guy, for that matter. Thinking back on it now, maybe he’d been trying to figure it out, and focusing on hockey was just easier.

  So this … making out with Roan made him feel like he was fifteen years old. Although, he wasn’t sure a fifteen-year-old should be doing what they were doing.

  Seriously. Roan was half naked, lying on Seg’s bed, his shirt on the floor, his jeans around his ankles, and Seg had two fingers buried in his ass, fucking him slow and easy.

  “Seg…” Roan breathed out roughly, his rough groan muted against Seg’s neck.

  “Do you like that?” Seg whispered. “Like when I finger fuck your ass?”

  “More than you know.” Roan’s hands clutched at Seg’s T-shirt, his body tense.

  “Good. Because I’m enjoying the hell out of it.”

  Roan groaned when Seg shifted his finger, seeking that one spot he’d recently learned of that would blow Roan’s mind.

  “Oh, fuck … oh, fuck…” Roan buried his face deeper into Seg’s neck, his words muffled by Seg’s shoulder.

  The man was clutching him tighter, his breathing coming as fast as his heartrate. Seg briefly wondered if he could get off on this. Simply by watching the overwhelming pleasure consume Roan.

  “Seg…” Roan groaned softly. “More. Please.”

  “I’ll get you there, I promise,” Seg assured him as he continued to penetrate Roan’s ass. “Promise.”

  Hell, he could’ve gotten Roan off twice already, but Seg wasn’t ready for that yet. He enjoyed the fuck out of teasing the man. Not to mention, God only knew when he’d get to see him again, and Seg wasn’t ready to be done.

  He shifted his position so that his mouth was inches from Roan’s dick. Strong fingers latched into his hair, and Seg chuckled. Apparently Roan was hanging by a thread.

  “Finish me,” Roan commanded, his voice nothing more than a gruff whisper. “Right now.”

  Seg opened his mouth and took Roan’s thick cock to the root. He sucked roughly, bobbing his head up and down slowly, then faster, his fingers still fucking Roan’s ass, matching the pace of his mouth. Roan managed to control the pace by tightening his grip on Seg’s hair. Seg had no choice but to give in, to allow Roan to fuck his face.

  Suddenly, Roan jerked his hair, causing Roan’s dick to fall from his mouth. Seg moved again, this time leaning down to brush his lips against Roan’s, inhaling the man’s choppy, rough breaths. The guy was so fucking sexy like this.

  He had absolutely no idea how many minutes passed because he was so caught up in listening to Roan’s rough growls and spine-tingling moans. If he was right, Roan was lost to the sensation, focused solely on getting to the finish line.

  “Oh, fuck … oh, fuck … oh…”

  Yeah, just like that. Seg’s fingers moved faster, pushed deeper as Roan’s body tensed. The man was…

  Right there.

  When Roan reached for his cock, Seg stopped him with a firm, “No.”

  Roan’s eyes snapped open.

  “Only I get to touch you.”

  Knowing he’d been tormenting Roan for long enough, Seg shifted so that his mouth was in line with Roan’s cock again. While he continued to thrust his fingers into Roan’s ass, he sucked the swollen head into his mouth, applying suction.

  “Son. Of. A…” Roan’s fingers clutched Seg’s hair and he yanked at the same time he erupted.

  Hell yeah.

  Roan came roughly and Seg swallowed him down, licking and laving gently before pulling his fingers from inside him, then shifting on the bed, crawling over Roan as he did.

  “Damn, that was hot,” he whispered against Roan’s lips.

  “My turn,” Roan insisted.

  Seg shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  The sheer disappointment in Roan’s golden gaze both made him laugh and stole his heart. He would never get enough of this man. Not if they lived to be two hundred years old.

  “We need to get back downstairs,” Seg told him.

  “Oh, shit.” Roan tried to sit up abruptly, but Seg held him in place with his body.

  “Relax. I’m sure my mom’s having fun with Liam. She’s probably completely in love with him and ready to plan our wedding.”

  Roan’s eyes went wide, and Seg suddenly regretted throwing that out there. He hadn’t meant anything by it. Or had he?

  “I … uh…” Seg pushed off the bed and got to his feet. “Why don’t you go downstairs and I’ll meet you there in a sec.”

  Before he could make it to the adjoining bathroom, strong fingers clasped on to his bicep, successfully spinning him around. He was face-to-face with Roan.

  “Don’t you run from me, Colton Seguine,” Roan demanded, his eyes bright. “I heard what you said. I also know it was innocent, so don’t freak out.”

  Funny. Usually Seg was the one saying that. Roan was the one prone to freaking out, not Seg.

  He forced air into his lungs and tried to relax. In fact, Seg was so focused on breathing he didn’t even notice as Roan unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. It wasn’t until Roan’s fist was wrapped around his dick that reality sank in.
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  “My turn,” Roan repeated, grinning.

  Seg choked out a laugh as Roan tugged him toward the bed, his hand still gripping Seg’s dick. He was about to question him when Roan pulled open the nightstand drawer and retrieved a bottle of lube. Seg’s dick twitched in Roan’s hand.

  “Oh, shit…” Seg sighed as Roan slicked his hand and began stroking Seg’s dick. Slowly at first, then faster, his fingers tight around his shaft.

  “Like that?”

  “Fuck yes.” Damn, it felt good. Too good.

  Seg tried to hold on as he watched his cock tunnel in and out of Roan’s slippery hand. The sight had his balls drawing up tight, his cock pulsing. He was going to come. No two ways about it.

  “Roan… God, yes…” Seg threw his head back and came violently, his entire body shuddering as his cock spurted in Roan’s fist. He wasn’t sure what the appeal was about Roan stroking his dick, but it did it for him. In a big way.

  “Now we should really go back downstairs,” Roan said.

  Seg peered at Roan, noticing the man’s wicked grin. Unable to help himself, he grabbed Roan’s hips and yanked him closer, crushing their lips together. He kissed him roughly, his fingers digging into his skin. He didn’t want to let him go. Not now. Not ever.

  “I want you to stay the night.”

  Roan pulled back, staring into Seg’s eyes. The man didn’t have to say a word for Seg to realize that wouldn’t be happening.

  “I want that, too,” Roan admitted. “But you know that’s not a good idea. Not tonight.”

  Seg nodded. He did know. “But you’re coming to the game on Saturday?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Well, he’d settle for that then.

  For now.

  BY THE TIME ROAN GOT Liam into his own bed two hours later, he was wishing he’d agreed to stay at Seg’s. He’d started missing him about the time he stepped out of the house.

  Maybe it made him a pussy to want to spend time with the man, but he couldn’t help himself. Hell, he wanted to spend every waking minute with Seg. Even after tonight. After meeting Seg’s mother. Not that it was a bad experience. Quite the opposite actually. She was probably one of the few people in the world who had openly accepted Roan right from the beginning. She made him feel as though he was important to her and that surprised him.

  Thanks to his own experiences, Roan was prone to remaining on the defensive when it came to people. Sure, he’d had a few people in his life who’d accepted him. Cam’s father was the first one off the top of his head. However, Roan had never come to expect people to look at him with anything other than confusion or disgust. It was a flaw in his design, he supposed, but that didn’t mean he was going to change.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket.

  Hockey boy: When you get Liam in bed, call me.

  Roan smiled to himself as he made his way to his bedroom after shutting off all the lights and making sure the doors were locked. He quickly stripped off his clothes, grabbed his cell phone and climbed into bed. The room was dark, except for the small nightlight in the hall that provided a dim glow. Roan had figured he needed it after he’d run into the door at least three times when getting up with Liam in the middle of the night.

  Roan dialed the phone.

  “Hey.” Seg’s rough whisper greeted him on the other end of the phone.

  “Hey.”

  “Liam asleep?”

  “Yeah.” Roan smiled. “I think your mom wore him out.”

  “They did play forever.” Seg chuckled. “And she talked about him nonstop for about an hour after you left.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah. She adores him. Then again, most people do.”

  Roan felt warmth in his chest. He knew that Seg adored Liam, too. He could see it in the way the man looked at him, held him, spoke to him. And to think, Roan had been terrified of introducing the little boy to anyone. If he’d only realized it sooner…

  Hindsight being twenty-twenty and all that shit.

  “What are you wearing?” Seg asked, his tone dropping an octave.

  “Nothing.” Roan pushed the sheet off, his dick thickening from the sound of Seg’s voice alone.

  “Hmm. I like you in nothing.”

  “Do you?”

  “Fuck yeah.” Seg’s breathing sounded rough, choppy.

  Roan reached down and palmed his dick. “I wish you were here.”

  “Me, too. So fucking bad.”

  The warmth in his gut bloomed outward, filling his entire body. It had been far too long since Roan had felt like this. Hell, maybe he hadn’t ever felt like this. Whatever it was, he liked it. A lot.

  There was the sound of something rustling. Roan figured Seg was getting comfortable.

  “Are you in bed?” Roan questioned.

  “I am. Right here in my bed wishing you were here.”

  “What would you do to me if I was?” Roan asked. He knew where this was going and he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity. Tonight had been a mere tease when he’d been with Seg. Not that this would be much more than that, but still.

  “First, I would kiss you,” Seg replied. “And from there, I’d trail my mouth all over your body. I want to feast on you for hours. I want to map your body with my tongue.”

  “Mmm.” Roan liked the sound of that. His dick did, too.

  “Can you imagine that, Roan? My tongue sliding all over you?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “I want to feel your mouth on me,” Seg whispered. “And I’m not talking about on my dick.”

  “No?” Roan grinned, his hand tightening on his dick.

  “I want your mouth everywhere.” Seg’s voice deepened, his tone raspier.

  “You want to feel my tongue on your ass, don’t you?” He knew Seg loved that.

  A strangled groan was the only response he received. It was enough to spur Roan on.

  “I’d put you on your knees,” Roan explained. “Your chest flat on the bed. I’d be kneeling behind you, running my hands over your back while I licked your ass, fucking you with my tongue, getting you ready to take my cock.”

  “Fuck…”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want me to make you come that way? Tongue-fucking your ass?”

  Seg grunted.

  “I could eat your ass for hours, Colton. Make you beg me to fuck you. But I wouldn’t give in.”

  Another grunt.

  “Are you jacking off?”

  “Yeah,” Seg groaned. “Keep talking.”

  “That’s what I’m gonna do next time I see you,” Roan told him. “I’m gonna bend you over and lick you until you can’t take anymore. Then I’m gonna ram my dick in your ass and fuck you. Hard.”

  Roan was stroking himself roughly, the image he painted in his own head more than he could stand. He wanted Seg more than he wanted air. He needed to feel the warmth of the man’s body strangling his dick.

  “Roan … damn…”

  “Come for me, Colton. Come while you’re thinking about me fucking your ass. Taking you. Claiming you…” Roan jacked himself faster. “Owning you.”

  “Fuck!”

  A rough growl followed and Roan knew Seg was coming. Unable to hold back, he came, too, his eyes closed, the sound of Seg’s mumbled groans echoing in his ear.

  The only thing that could’ve been better would’ve been to hold Seg in his arms while they drifted off to sleep. However, he wasn’t going to dwell on that right now.

  One day.

  One day real soon, he got the feeling things were going to end up exactly the way they were meant to.

  Twenty-One

  “WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA THIS afternoon?” his mother asked when Seg walked into the kitchen early the next morning.

  He shrugged. “Completely up to you. I’ve got morning skate, but then I thought I’d take you to lunch. Maybe head over to the Oasis since it’s supposed to be nice.” The restaurant that ov
erlooked Lake Travis was one of his mother’s favorites in town. Since Seg didn’t do much eating out, he tended to go to places he knew she enjoyed when she was here.

  “That sounds perfect.” Deb sipped her coffee. “I like Roan.”

  Well, that was random. Seg pulled his head from the refrigerator and peered over at her. “I’m glad.”

  “Y’all are cute together.”

  Seg choked on a laugh. “We’re not cute together,” he argued.

  “But you are.” Her grin widened. “But neither one of you is as cute as Liam.”

  “I won’t argue with you there.”

  She turned to face him. “Did you ever plan to have kids?”

  He was shocked by the question, but he knew he shouldn’t be. His mother often asked random questions, but this quite possibly could’ve been the most off-the-wall.

  “I hadn’t given it much thought. I mean, sure, I wanted them. One day.”

  “Is that because you thought you were gay?”

  Pouring milk into his coffee, Seg cast a quick look at his mother. “No.” He put the milk back in the refrigerator and shut the door. “I’m serious when I say that hockey has been the most important thing in my life. Even above relationships.”

  “Until Roan.” Her smile softened.

  “Yes.” Seg felt a blush creep up his neck. “Until Roan.”

  “They say when you know, you know.”

  Whoever “they” were … they were right. Seg had known right from that first look.

  “Where did you meet Roan anyway?”

  “I told you. At a bar.”

  His mother’s curiosity had increased, it was evident by the way she crossed her legs and rested her arm on the table. “You did mention it.” Her grin said she was happy his answer hadn’t changed. “Did he approach you? Or vice versa?”

  Seg sipped his coffee. “I approached him.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Seg’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “How do you figure?”

  “When the two of you are together…” She smiled again. “It’s obvious you’ve got a good handle on the situation. Although I can tell Roan’s into you, I can see a little hesitancy there. Like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  Looking away, Seg pretended that didn’t hit too close to home. How his mother could get that from Roan in the short time they’d spent together, he didn’t know. But it was true. Seg got the sense that Roan always had one foot out the door, ready to throw up those protective walls if necessary. Seg only prayed he never gave Roan a reason to run from him, because the guy’s running shoes didn’t have much tread left.