He hopped as he pulled off his socks, and Blake let out a tiny laugh. “Damn, but look at you. All that skin. Muscle. I knew you’d be something spectacular under the clothes.”
Derek preened for just a second, pleased that Blake found him attractive. Then Blake opened his arms, and Derek slid on top of him. He was careful to hold up some of his weight so as not to crush Blake completely, but he pressed them together so they could both feel everything.
Blake let out a whimper and thrust his hips up, seeking more contact. Derek adjusted their position so Blake could spread his thighs and Derek could settle between them. They both let out a satisfied sound when their pelvises connected, and Blake tugged on Derek’s shoulders, demanding he get closer.
Derek kissed him again, holding nothing back, and fed from Blake’s mouth. He wanted the cotton between them to disappear, but that had to be Blake’s call. They’d get to that if it was what Blake wanted. For the moment Derek was content with the kissing. He could get off just on that and the rubbing if that was all Blake was ready for.
Blake broke this kiss and slid his lips along Derek’s jaw and down his neck. Derek tilted his head to give Blake all the access he wanted. The warm, wet press of his mouth, the little licks of his tongue, and his teeth on Derek’s Adam’s apple made Derek squirm. He wanted to touch, but he needed his hands to keep his weight from crushing Blake.
“Your skin feels amazing. So smooth and hot.” Blake roamed his hands down Derek’s back as far as he could reach and then back up over his shoulders and down his chest. He tweaked Derek’s nipples, rubbing and playing as he worked on Derek’s throat with his mouth. He trailed his fingers down to Derek’s stomach. “This definition is insane.”
Derek hummed a happy noise and nudged Blake’s head to the side so he could do his own tasting. He kissed the long column of Blake’s throat, worked his way down, and bit down on Blake’s collarbone. Blake jerked and let out a sweet-sounding moan. Then he grabbed Derek’s dick through the cotton of his shorts.
A low, deep groan tore out of Derek. He breathed deeply to get control of himself. Just that much, and he was ready to go off. He wanted—needed—it to last. But he’d been waiting for so long that his body was betraying him. He took a breath of Blake scented air and then another and then rolled over onto his back. Blake’s head popped up, surprise and a little hurt on his face, but Derek didn’t give him a chance to worry. He tugged Blake, wanting him to straddle his hips. “I want to touch too.”
Blake’s eyes bled to black as the pupil dilated even more. His voice was a low growl as he commanded, “Get your boxers off.”
Derek slid them off and tossed them to the floor. A second later a just-as-naked Blake lifted a pale thigh over Derek’s hips and settled down. The heat of their flesh was insane, and Derek hissed as Blake’s ass slid over his cock.
“Will you look at this?” Blake’s voice was filled with awe. He held Derek’s penis, tested its weight, and rubbed his thumb over the head. Derek groaned. He wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the sensation, but he couldn’t look away.
“I have never seen a more perfect dick.”
Derek’s chuckle morphed into a moan as Blake stroked him and played with the precome at the head. For a moment he had to grit his teeth so he didn’t go off right then. “Looks perfect next to yours.”
“Yeah.” Blake grinned. “Is that what you want?”
Derek wanted all of it. Everything. Again and again. What he said was, “Hand job, blowjob, or fucking?”
Blake sucked in a fast breath, and his muscles went tight as he squeezed Derek so hard that it hurt. But instead of answering, Blake retaliated with his own question. “Top or bottom?”
“Top.” He didn’t even hesitate. Derek could bottom if he had to, but he preferred it the other way.
“Fucking. Definitely fucking. Please.” Blake’s voice was hardly more than a breathy moan.
Derek chuckled at Blake’s enthusiasm. He reached up and eased Blake down. “Come here and kiss me.”
Blake lay on top of him, wiggling and grinding while Derek devoured his mouth. As Blake sucked on his tongue, Derek slid his hands down Blake’s back to his ass. He kneaded Blake’s cheeks, spread them apart, and, with a thrust of his hips, slid his cock between.
Blake whined and thunked his head down on Derek’s sternum. “God, please.”
“Okay, okay. Let me get the lube.” He’d used it a lot over the past few weeks to relieve the constant tension. It was right on the bedside table. He kissed Blake’s neck, his cheek, his eye as he slid Blake sideways so he could retrieve the bottle. Blake sprawled out, his dick red, hard, and leaking on his stomach. Derek bent to give it a kiss.
“I have to get condoms out of the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
He was there and back in less than a minute, but he nearly dropped the condoms when he saw Blake on his hands and knees in the middle of the bed. His ass was pushed up, one of the pillows was under his hips, and he looked back over his shoulder to give Derek a salacious smile.
“Come here. I need you.”
Derek needed Blake just as much. He tore open a condom and rolled it down his dick, then got on the bed and knee-walked till he was in position behind Blake. As he slathered some slick on his cock, he bent down and kissed that perfect, round ass. Blake gasped and moaned, and Derek slid a lube covered finger inside his tight hole.
Neither of them had the patience for slow right then. Once Blake was stretched and slick, Derek pressed his cock against Blake’s hole with one hand and grabbed onto Blake’s hip with the other.
“Okay, B. Take me in.”
Slowly and steadily, Blake moved backward, impaling himself on Derek’s hard shaft. Derek squeezed hard at the base to keep himself from peaking too soon. The way Blake’s ass stretched around him, rippling and hugging his dick, almost made him shoot. Every time Blake paused, Derek ran a hand up and down his back and let him know without words that they would move at Blake’s pace.
“Does it look as hot as I imagine it?” Blake’s voice sounded strained, and he eased back another inch or so and then forward again, only to immediately thrust back.
“Hotter. Christ, B. This is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Blake moaned and repeated the back and forth motion a couple more times. Then he took a deep breath, pushed out, and slid all the way, until Derek’s pubes brushed his ass. Blake howled, his skin mottled red with the strain, and Derek used every ounce of his willpower to remain absolutely still.
“Oh, God. You’re so big. You feel so good.” Blake moaned again, long and low. Then he snaked his hand past Derek’s balls and touched the spot where they were joined. “You’re all in.”
“I am. Tell me when you’re ready.”
Blake nodded, wiggled for a minute, and rocked back and forth. Finally the tension eased out of him. “So good. Move, Derek. Please.”
Derek leaned forward. He covered Blake’s back, enveloped him in his embrace, and gently started to thrust—slowly at first, so they could both get used to it. He picked up the pace as he kissed Blake’s neck and found a hot spot right below his left ear. When his lips touched it, Blake shuddered and a soft wail issued from his lips. Derek latched on and sucked hard. He didn’t care that he would leave a mark.
“There. There. There. That’s so good.” Blake groaned out the last word and panted out a few breaths. “Do it just like that.”
Derek grinned against Blake’s skin and kept up the steady pace. As his climax loomed, he thrust harder. The headboard banged against the wall, and Blake grunted out a little sound every time Derek pushed in. Every stroke brought them closer until Derek was banging in, chasing his orgasm.
“Come on, B. Come for me, baby. You want to come, don’t you? What do you need?”
“Right there!” Blake moved his arm, and Derek knew he wanted to stroke himself. “Keep banging that spot and—ahhhh!”
Blake’s whole body tensed as his muscles contracted rhythmically a
round Derek and drew him closer to the edge. Derek kept thrusting, drawing it out until Blake relaxed and seemed unable to catch his breath. Derek licked the sweat off his neck and hummed.
“Want me to pull out and finish on you?”
Blake shook his head violently. “Come in my ass.”
Derek moaned, adjusted his position, and started thrusting again. It didn’t take him long, A few good thrusts and one squeeze from Blake and he howled out his orgasm. He pushed in hard, and his dick jetted come into the condom. His body gave tiny jerks, and he sucked in a few fast breaths as the orgasm ebbed, and he rested his forehead against Blake’s shoulder blades.
Reluctantly he eased out of Blake’s body, and Blake immediately collapsed. Then he made a face, rolled off the come-soaked pillow, and hissed as his ass hit the mattress. Derek jerked his head up from where he was dealing with the condom.
“You okay?”
“Oh yeah.” Blake gave him that sexy, sleepy smile. “I’m gonna be a little sore, but I recover fast.” He gave a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
Derek laughed and tossed the condom in the garbage can by the side of the bed. Then he threw the pillow to the floor. He’d have to wash the case. Blake immediately pushed into his arms when he lay down. He smelled like sweat and sex and Blake—it was his new favorite scent.
With a happy sigh, he slowly and sweetly kissed Blake and pulled him even tighter. “I’ve been wanting this… you… for a while.”
“I know.” There was something in Blake’s tone that made Derek’s instincts prickle, and he wanted to ask what he meant, but Blake kissed his collarbones, and Derek settled into postcoital lassitude.
“We’ll get up in a minute, take a quick shower, and then have some soup.”
Blake perked up, his eyes bright. “You made soup?”
Derek chuckled and kissed his nose. “Yep. Beef vegetable.”
He squinted his blue eyes. “Homemade, right?”
Feigning a scandalized gasp, Derek put a hand to his heart. “Would I ever serve you anything out of a can?”
“No, of course not. What was I thinking?” Blake ended with a laugh and cuddled back in. Derek reveled in his warmth and the rightness that settled into his chest. That was exactly how things were supposed to be. Derek knew it deep down.
Eventually they got up, cleaned up, and ate the soup wearing just their boxers. Derek couldn’t stop touching Blake, and the soft smile Blake gave him whenever he did told him Blake didn’t mind at all. When Derek suggested they make it an early night, Blake raced him to the bedroom.
Chapter Fourteen
BLAKE slid out of bed as carefully as possible. Derek snuffled, reached, and then settled again. For a long moment, Blake admired the way the moonlight seeping in from a crack in the curtain illuminated Derek’s dark skin. Then he gathered his clothes from where they were strewn on the floor and padded down the hall to the bathroom. When he was cleaned up and dressed, he made his way out into the living room. He found his bag and pulled out his phone.
Seventeen minutes after one in the morning.
He blew out a breath and looked around. Derek’s place was cozy and masculine. The big furniture made sense, since Derek wasn’t a little man. Blake pictured cuddling with Derek on that large couch, tucked against Derek’s chest so the leather didn’t stick to his skin. He could be comfortable there.
Except he wasn’t.
He knew they’d made a mistake, but he couldn’t stop himself. The way Derek looked at him with those hooded, desire-filled eyes. The way Derek’s breath caught, the way his hand felt on Blake’s body. Everything about Derek turned him on—had from the first moment he saw him in the conference room. So while he didn’t regret actually sleeping with Derek—how could he when it was the most amazing experience he’d ever had?—the connection between them went deeper than that. And that was exactly why Blake couldn’t let things go any further.
Blake tugged on his boots, then put on his hat, scarf, and coat. He found a scrap of paper in his bag, wrote a quick note, and left it with Derek’s tea mug. Then he silently walked out onto the porch, shut the door behind him, and made sure it locked. The frigid air burned his lungs for a moment, but the shock cleared his head. He knew he was doing the right thing, even if his chest ached and it was hard to breathe.
With a quick tap to his phone, he called his brother.
“Whassa matter?” Sam’s voice was sleepy, disoriented, and Blake felt just the tiniest bit bad for waking him.
“I need you to come get me.”
“Why are you whispering? What’s wrong?” Sam no longer sounded half-asleep. His tone was on high alert, and Blake heard the sheets rustle as he sat up.
“Nothing. Just… I’m at Derek’s. Come get me.”
A moment of silence and then an explosive breath. “Of course. Where’m I going?”
“Watercress Road.” Blake hadn’t paid attention when they drove there the day before, but in one of their many conversations, Derek had mentioned where he lived. He turned to find the house number. “Seventeen twenty-one.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Thanks, Sammy.”
Blake tucked his phone away and bounced on the balls of his feet to keep his blood moving. While the days had been getting slightly warmer as January waned, the temperature at night was still dropping into single digits.
Sam’s car rolled to a stop in front of the house twenty minutes later. Blake hurried down the walk and got into the car. The heat blowing from the vents was a relief, and he dropped his bag into the footwell and held his hands out to ease the sting of cold.
Without a word Sam pulled away from the curb and headed toward home. Blake had been sure his brother would pepper him with questions about why he was running away from Derek’s house in the middle of the night, but Sam remained silent, his gaze fixed on the road.
“You okay?” Blake asked quietly after ten minutes of silence.
Sam shrugged. “You?”
“Same.”
Sam actually cracked a smile at that, and not five minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of Sam’s condo. He got out, retrieved his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. Sam bounced the keys in his hand and looked off at the skyline.
“Want to come in?”
Blake thought his brother needed to talk more than he needed to find out what was going on with Blake. “Sure.”
They stripped off their outerwear in the front hall, and then Sam led the way farther into his house. His condo was the exact mirror image of Blake’s, and it always took Blake a second to get oriented when the living room was on the left instead of the right.
“You want something to drink?” Sam offered.
“No thanks. You want to tell me what’s going on?”
For a second Blake thought Sam would respond in kind. But instead he sighed heavily and headed for the couch. Blake followed and sank into the cushions on the other side. Sam fidgeted.
“Yesterday was intense, huh?”
Blake nodded. It sure had been for him because of the ghostwalk and what had gone on after. He wasn’t surprised Sam was feeling some strain too. The death of a ghostwalker would hit any of them hard, and it was the first time Sam had experienced anything like that. It took Blake a moment, and then he remembered.
“Is this about King?”
“Christ.” Sam blew out a breath and let his head fall back to rest on the back of the couch. “I love Dom. He’s an amazing anchor and takes care of me so well. I was lucky to get him straight out of the gate, when we were both young and new, because we’ve developed this amazing relationship. He’s my best friend.”
“But?” he prodded gently.
“Michael is in a whole other league.” Sam turned his head so he could see Blake out of one eye. “And I know what you’re thinking. It’s not just because I’ve been crushing on him for pretty much forever. Okay, sure. That’s probably a tiny part of it. But Michael just knows, deep down, without asking, exactly what to do.
Dom gets it because we’ve been doing it for twelve years. Michael’s care was something else altogether.”
“He’s a Guardian. I’m sure it was like, epic-level anchoring.”
Sam cracked another smile at Blake’s attempt at a joke. “I didn’t really think the gene would make a difference. I mean, I know everyone says it does. But I really thought that nothing could be better than familiarity—you know, when you truly trust someone and you have the experience to back it up. But I really think it does. Make a difference, I mean.”
“Yeah.” Blake thought the same thing, once upon a time. Until Derek.
“Speaking of,” Sam said, turning his head more so he could look at Blake full-on. “Why were you sneaking out of your anchor’s house at a quarter after one in the morning?”
“After Archie….” Blake blew out a breath. “Derek wanted me to come home with him because I reacted really badly. And his care and concern was so deep, and he was there and perfect and gorgeous and—”
“You slept with him?” Sam’s tone was incredulous.
Blake nodded.
Sam shot up straight, shock all over his face. “You really did? Oh my God. Blake.”
“I know,” Blake groaned and sank deeper into the couch.
“So? How was it?”
The little brat shouldn’t have asked, but Blake found himself remembering exactly how it was, and he couldn’t control the way his body flushed with heat at the reminder. “Perfect. Exactly what it should be. But I can’t get involved with him.”
“Why the hell not?”
Blake squinted at his brother. Was he serious? Apparently he was. “It’s an unwritten rule that pairs can’t form romantic entanglements.”
“Romantic entanglements,” Sam repeated, his tone mocking. “Unwritten means it’s not actually against the rules. Frowned upon, sure. There are reasons. But if you find your person, and he just happens to be your anchor, then you can’t turn your back on it. Don’t look at me like that. The attraction just pours off the both of you when you’re within ten feet of each other, so don’t even try to deny it.”
Ghost of a Chance Page 11
