Strong Signal (Cyberlove #1)

by Megan Erickson

  On the screen, my moans grew louder, and I knew it was the moment when I’d been on the verge of coming.

  “Yeah, Kai.” Garrett dipped his head low enough for me to take in his dark eyes and finger-grooved hair. “Say my name when you finish. I’ll be saying yours.”

  My heart pounded in my chest, a steady brump brump brump. My gasps on the video told me I was coming, and Garrett was too. His fist was a blur on his cock, and my name dripped from his lips like honey.

  His cum-splattered abs rose and fell as he caught his breath. I didn’t move either, and I didn’t think I was breathing, until he leaned forward. Garrett gazed right into the camera, but didn’t say a word, just stared intently. I swore he could see me, sitting on my desk chair, hard as a rock, red-faced and filled with so much want, I was brimming with it.

  My screen went black.

  I finally exhaled, but it was rough. I didn’t know how to process that video. This was something personal he’d done for me, listening to me. Sure, I’d made one for him, but he didn’t know it’d been brand new, and I was a pro. Kind of. So Garrett doing this for me…God, the idea hit me in the chest like a bullet. This was getting real and big, and I wasn’t sure how in the world I was going to handle it when he came home. When he was close. When he’d suggest meeting.

  Fuck, never mind. I couldn’t think about that. For now, he was online, just like every other part of my life. Right? That’s what I told myself, even though my mind was screaming at me that I was lying.

  Whatever.

  I ignored my aching dick and hit reply.

  Garrett,

  That’s hands down the best present anyone has ever given me. I give you a B- for camera positioning (I can teach you, I have lots of practice) and an A+ for technique. Your dirty talk was basically like a million bonus points.

  Um…I guess this is the time to tell you…that video you watched? Of me? I lied a little. I made it recently, and I got off by picturing you.

  Talk soon, O Bearded One.

  —Kai

  * * *

  April

  Garrett: Kai.

  Kai: What?

  Garrett: Honey Badger and Dog are best friends.

  Kai: You named him Dog?

  Garrett: I never said I was creative.

  Kai: I’m laughing right now.

  Garrett: Shut up.

  Kai: I’m so glad we brought them together.

  Garrett: Me too. Honey Badger was lonely.

  * * *

  Kai: Shawn was right. His mom’s BF is a total ass.

  Garrett: Why’s that?

  Kai: *shrug* He’s just…not very nice. I don’t think he likes the gays. And he’s lazy. I think he might be a mooch.

  Garrett: I’ll take care of him for her.

  Kai: Hahaha I bet. Oh! And Shawn finally asked out Keandra.

  Garrett: Oh yeah? Way to grow a spine, kid.

  Kai: He’s taking her to prom. I’m on corsage duty.

  Garrett: That sounds painful.

  Kai: Yeah, don’t ever buy me flowers, okay? I’d rather have a Game of Thrones mug. Or ice cream.

  Garrett: You’re my dream guy.

  Kai: Back at ya, babe.

  * * *

  Garrett: I got caught.

  Kai: What??

  Garrett: Jerking off to that video you sent me the other night.

  Kai: Oh shit. Someone walked in?

  Garrett: Yep. The dude who shares my bunk. He got busted defying lights-out orders and came back early. I’ll have to start hitting the hay earlier too tbh

  Kai: Good thing my sleep schedule is crazy ;) We will still be able to talk a lot.

  Garrett: I know, right? In two months this will be over, anyway. Then we can talk in person.

  Kai: haha yeah…

  Kai: Er, so, did your roommate or whatever like…see the video? Because I’m not sure if I’m okay with a random watching me drill myself to orgasm with a giant dildo.

  Garrett: LOL No. He saw my dick though. Not fazed one bit.

  Kai: Good. ;) Maybe I’ll make another one for you some time.

  Garrett: Maybe. I have an idea about that.

  Kai: Oh?

  Garrett: Uh huh. But I’m on break and need to get back to the shop, so I’ll tell you later. Can we Skype?

  Kai: We can!

  Garrett: Awesome.

  * * *

  Garrett

  I returned to the vehicle bay in an amazing mood. My idea involved taking our long-distance sex to another level, and I was nervous but mostly horny in advance. The video he’d recently made for me had firmly planted the idea in my head.

  He’d been so amazing. And had definitely done a steady escalation of events.

  The video had started with him slicking up a dildo. He’d sucked it while staring at the camera, then he’d lubed it and his ass up. Watching him finger himself had had me eagerly panting like a dog in heat. I’d already been close to coming by the time he’d started fucking himself. He’d started slow before going hard. So goddamn hard. The sound of it sliding in and hitting against his skin had caused me to tremble, and I’d been moaning with him by the time I assumed he’d started nailing his sweet spot. He’d said my name as he came, and my insides had become molten.

  I couldn’t wait for him to whisper it in my ear while I was balls deep inside of him.

  “Wakey wakey, Reid.”

  I’d been leaning over the hood of an MRAP, staring into space instead of propping it open, but I stood up straight when Costigan’s voice filled my ear. He snaked a hand around my hip and grabbed my balls.

  “Whatcha thinking about?”

  “Move your hand before I crack your head open.”

  He bumped his crotch against my ass. My eyes flicked around, seeking other people in the vicinity, but we were alone.

  “Aw, come on, Reid. You’ve been playing hard to get but I know you want it. I miss the way you used to moan for me like a good little slut.”

  Sucking in a breath, I tried to calm the anger coursing through me.

  “What can I do for you, Costigan?”

  “Get on your hands and knees like a good bitch, and let me cream pie that hole.”

  My lip curled. “Been staying up late with Pornhub again?”

  “What else can I do without a base bitch to ride my cock?”

  I slammed my elbow into the center of his chest. He released an oof and backed away.

  “You need to stop getting your feelings hurt so easy, Reid.” Costigan rubbed the center of his check, glaring at me through his stupid aviators. “I might start to lose patience with this bullshit attitude of yours.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re expecting from me. Or why I should care.”

  “Bro—I was just messing around about Ramirez, and you took it to your head. If you’re a fucking queer in your own life, that’s your own business. I just want to fill that hole.”

  The steadily building rage was very close to hitting a peak. “You must think you’re something special to believe you’re getting a piece of me while talking all that bullshit.”

  “I know I’m something special, sweetheart.” His accent made it sound more like sweethawt. “And I’m a pretty prime cut for you to be turning down. You think you can do better?”

  “I already have better than some Jersey Shore reject who thinks I’m going to spread my asscheeks just because he’s desperate and isolated on this shit base.”

  Costigan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You fucking someone else? Who?”

  “Someone who isn’t human garbage. And someone who isn’t in denial about also being into guys. At first I pegged you for straight, but now I’m not so sure.” I looked him up and down. “I think you’re just too much of a punk to admit you love cock. You probably want to be dicked out and breeded yourself.”

  His hands balled at his sides, and his back went rigid. “Just because I’ll jizz in you doesn’t mean I’m gay. Tight holes are in short supply, and I heard you don’t mind gett
ing passed around by a couple of guys.”

  Awesome. Not only were they talking shit about me being gay, but apparently they’d also turned me into the base slut. It hit my hard limit and I responded by cocking my fist back and slamming it into his face. The Captain America-looking bastard barely flinched, but I sure as hell did when he came back at me with a two-punch combo that had me on my ass and the back of my head slamming into the bumper of the MRAP.

  “Shit!” Costigan dropped to his knees beside me. “You okay, man?” When I didn’t respond, he swore under his breath and eased me into a prone position on the floor with his hands bracing my face. “Reid, say something, you motherfucker.”

  I blinked several times to rid myself of the stunned feeling. Once my vision cleared, I managed to sneer at the proximity of his face.

  “Fuck off.”

  Costigan released a relieved breath. “Jesus. You went down like a ton of bricks. Glass fucking jaw.”

  Smacking away his hand, I pushed myself into a sitting position. “I don’t have a glass jaw, you stupid asshole. My head slammed into the bumper.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Costigan patted my chin. It was a struggle to not lash out again. “Look, this is bullshit. We should be banging not fighting. I don’t know why you’re being such a stubborn bitch about this.”

  “Because—” I smacked his hand again. “I. Don’t. Want. You. Now get the fuck away from me and let me finish my work with my concussion.”

  “You don’t have no concussion, Reid. Don’t be a drama queen.”

  He was probably right, but I was pissed off that he’d fucked up my world with a couple of hits. I didn’t leave the base a lot, but I could totally hold my own in a fight. Always had. Maybe he was on steroids.

  “I know I come off like an ass,” he said. “But I just liked kicking it with you, bud.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have let protectiveness of your fragile masculinity turn you into a giant douchebag. Just because I’m gay it doesn’t mean I want you to be my boyfriend. I primarily just want you to go fuck off somewhere in a hole and never come out.”

  Costigan’s eyes narrowed. “Screw you, Reid. I hope you get gangbanged while concussed.”

  “Yeah, me too. You’re not invited.”

  He flipped me off and turned on his heel, storming away. Good riddance.

  With a bruised face, and equally battered ego, I’d have to somehow get into the right frame of mind to Skype Kai later on. At least one thing was certain—he could always improve my mood.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Garrett

  My jaw and cheekbone were swelling pretty good by the time I got back to my tent, but I texted Kai anyway.

  Garrett: You ready?

  Kai: Give me fifteen minutes :) Wrapping up a round in the arena.

  Perfect.

  I cleaned up as best I could, stripped off my sweaty gear and stayed in nothing but my underwear, and tried to fix my hair. It was a lost cause with as wild as it was growing out. The only patience I had for trimming hair was spent on my beard. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about the blossoming splotch of purple on my face.

  By the time we were connected on Skype, and I got a strong enough signal for his image to stabilize, my stomach was tightening with excitement. Costigan was already forgotten.

  “What happened to your face?” Kai immediately exclaimed. “Did you—”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I’m fine. No big deal. It was an accident.”

  Kai’s expression grew suspicious. “An accident,” he repeated. “It looks like someone punched you.”

  “Well, someone did, but it’s not a big deal.”

  “Who?” Kai sat up straight, overprotective and absolutely gorgeous as his silky dark hair fell over one of his eyes. “That bastard you were messing around with? The one who’s defaulted to homophobe?”

  “That’s the one.” I really didn’t want to talk about Costigan. “But it’s fine, babe. We’re good now. We have an understanding.”

  Kai’s lips pursed. It was amazing how easily he saw through my attempts to brush the incident aside.

  “Tell me what happened or I’m going to be really upset. If I showed up looking like that you’d be furious, and you know it.”

  I’d have been screaming and punching things already. “Fine.” I recounted the story and made sure to tell him I’d thrown the first punch. “It’s not a bunch of guys beating me with pillowcases full of hard soap or anything, Kai. It was just a disagreement, and now we know where we stand.”

  “Uh huh.” He’d hunched forward again. “But what if he tells other people and they gang up on you?”

  “It’s nothing I can’t handle.” My chest puffed out a bit at his skeptical look. “Look, the truck was behind me and I wasn’t on my guard enough. If I hadn’t been in some blind rage—”

  “I’m not doubting your prowess, Garrett. If you couldn’t handle yourself you wouldn’t be there.” Kai released a loud exhale. “It just sucks because I can’t do anything to help you while you’re dealing with gross homophobes. And if something happens, I wouldn’t even know.” He bit his lip and glanced away for a minute, his chest heaving with a deep breath.

  “Hey,” I said, drawing his attention again. “It’s the same for me. How do you think I feel when those creeps in Chat get at you?”

  “Yes, but they can’t reach me. I’m safe with a screen between us,” Kai said sharply. “Why do you think I spend so much time online?”

  He was right. I knew he was right. But there was something about how he said those words that got under my skin. Did he feel that way about the kinder people in Chat? The ones who had become friends? Did he feel that way about me? The questions popped into my mind one at a time until I couldn’t think of anything else. “Gotcha.”

  Silence lapsed between us, and a tension that had never been there before. He averted his eyes, but I didn’t. I watched as he nibbled on his thumb with a downcast gaze and hunched shoulders. There was no defiance in him, and he wasn’t lashing out. Something else had to be going on. It just sucked that we weren’t close enough, and the trust wasn’t strong enough, for him to confide in me.

  “So, I can go if you want. We can do this another time.”

  “No!” Kai’s eyes widened in horror. He held his hands up. “No, no. Really. I wanted to see you.”

  “Are you sure? Because—”

  “I’m sure, damn it. I’m just freaked out about you being potentially gay bashed.”

  Some of the tension left my shoulders. I leaned against the wall with my pillows bunched at my lower back. “And I told you I’ll be fine. I had more interesting things to talk about than Costigan.” I glanced at the door before focusing on Kai again. “I was thinking about them when he snuck up on me. Instead of working, I was planning this chat.”

  “Oh?” Kai’s lips curled up at the side. “What were you planning?”

  “Primarily how I was going to convince you to get naked.”

  His mouth fell open. “Oh. I—yeah, I could see how you’d need a plan for that.”

  A lance of lust soared through me and coasted on my knotting nerves. If there was ever a time I’d felt simultaneously panicky and horny, it was now. What if he thought this was weird? What if I scared him off? “You into it? If not, I won’t bother saying more, and we can just talk FWO.”

  “I…” Kai shifted on his bed and scooted back so I could see his long toned legs, strong thighs, and the black briefs he wore with his hoodie. “Will you be naked too?”

  “After a while.”

  Intrigue flashed in those big blue eyes. “What happens during the ’while’?”

  “I tell you what to do, and you do it.”

  Kai wasn’t breathing hard enough for me to hear it, but I could see the rapid rise and fall of his chest. The way he squirmed on the bed and absently reached down to adjust himself. Fuck yes. He was into it.

  “Take off your hoodie.”

  With only the slightest hesi
tation, Kai unzipped it and tossed it to the side. His smooth unblemished flesh was totally bared for the camera. I let my eyes feast on it, and the more I looked, the harder he got. I could tell by the way his briefs stretched out.

  But still….

  “I’m going to get nasty so tell me if you wanna abort.” I wet my lips and kept my hands at my sides. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, just tell me, okay?”

  Kai nodded slowly, but he didn’t tell me to stop. He just looked at me with dilated pupils and quickening breath.

  “I can do this with you,” he said, and it was almost like he was talking to himself. “I want to do this with you.”

  “Good.” My attention returned to his underwear. “Show me your dick.”

  I could hear another sharp inhale, but Kai lifted his hips and skimmed out of his briefs. His erection stood straight against his stomach. I’d never been so desperate to have something in my mouth. The idea of tasting him, of smelling him, drove me insane.

  “Can I touch it?”

  “Yeah. But…” I clenched my hands, nervous again. “Not with your hands. Not yet. Since I’m not there, your hands are gonna be my hands. Your mouth is gonna be my mouth.” This was one of those moments when he could very well tell me to go fuck myself like the pervert I was. “Let’s see how flexible you are.”

  “I’m really fucking flexible,” Kai breathed, his voice trembling. “Just tell me what to do.”

  “Lean against the headboard and pull your knees back.” It came out in a gravelly rush, and my voice only pitched lower once Kai was in the position. I ached at the sight of the rounded curve of his ass, and that tight hole. “Wrap your arms around the back of your knees.”

  “Jesus, Garrett….”

  “Do it,” I growled. My hand found its way into my lap, and I squeezed myself through my underwear. One touch and I was trembling. I wanted to get off so badly it nearly consumed me, but I was going to wait. “And now lean forward again. Until you can touch your dick with your lips.”

  I’d only meant for him to suckle the head, but Kai’s lips curled into the filthiest smirk I’d ever seen right before he crossed his legs behind his head, leaned forward, and swallowed himself to the root. I had no idea how he could bend that way, but it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. Watching his fingers dig harder into his thigh as he bobbed his head and sucked his own dick—it was hotter than any video on his site. Hotter than any goddamn porn vid I’d ever watched.