by Shea Balik
As much as he hated to release his tasty prize, Gabriel also wanted to have Lakyn completely naked and at his mercy. Pulling back, he smiled at Lakyn’s whimper as his hips thrust forward in an effort to get Gabriel’s mouth where he wanted it.
But Gabriel was determined to get Lakyn’s clothes off first. Reaching down, he unlaced Lakyn’s shoes and helped to keep Lakyn upright as he pulled them off. Then he did the same for his socks. Impatient, Lakyn shoved his pants down before Gabriel had a chance to, and kicked them off.
Happy that his lover wanted him as much as Gabriel wanted Lakyn, he surged to his feet and quickly divested his own shoes, socks and pants until they were both standing there completely naked, their eyes feasting on each other.
As one, they reached for the other. Their mouths once more fused together in a kiss that had Gabriel’s head spinning and toes curling into the wood of the porch.
Their knees buckled and they tumbled to the mattress, bodies still touching, still striving to get closer. No matter how many nights they had spent together, it was like this every time. They just couldn’t get close enough. Even buried within each other’s bodies, they always wanted more.
Gabriel released Lakyn’s mouth and kissed a path along his jawline before working his way down the corded muscles of Lakyn’s neck. He nipped with his teeth then soothed the skin with his tongue, giving Lakyn as much sensation as possible. He wanted to make this as good as possible for their first time after admitting they loved each other.
Gabriel smiled at the thought as he made his way to one nipple, scraping the nub with his teeth then blowing on it. Lakyn arched up as if silently begging for more. Except he wasn’t exactly silent. The moans of pleasure that streamed from his mouth told Gabriel just how much he was enjoying every moment.
Fingers threaded into Gabriel’s hair, tugging him closer to Lakyn’s body. “Please, Gabriel,” Lakyn begged when Gabriel didn’t do as Lakyn was trying to direct.
But Gabriel was in charge this time and he wanted to draw this out as long as possible. To make Lakyn fly. He bit down on one nipple at the same time his fingers twisted the other.
“Yes,” Lakyn shouted to the sky. “Gabriel.”
Gabriel’s cock twitched. Damn, but he could get used to hearing that sweet voice shouting his name. This time, he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked, while flicking the other nipple with his fingers.
A deep groan reached his ears as Lakyn’s back arched up for more. As if in direct response to Lakyn’s sounds, fluid dripped from Gabriel’s dick. The need to be connected in the most intimate way to this man was imperative.
With that thought in mind, Gabriel reached for the lube they had brought out and slicked up his fingers. This time, he scraped his nail over one nipple, bit down on the other, and slid two fingers into Lakyn’s channel at the same time.
“Love,” Lakyn shouted, his body striving for more.
Two fingers might have been a bit much to start with, but as much as Gabriel wanted to wring every bit of pleasure from Lakyn as possible, he also was desperate to feel those tight muscles around his cock. Plus, if he were really lucky, by the end of the night he would be able to feel Lakyn inside of him.
He may have two days off but when he was with Lakyn, time tended to fly. He was sure that even forever would pass in the blink of an eye with Lakyn.
“Please, Gabriel, I need to feel you inside of me,” Lakyn pleaded. His hips were working to rub his dripping prick against Gabriel’s thigh and thrust down upon his fingers.
Wanting nothing more than to be connected with Lakyn, he reached out to snag a condom and quickly opened the wrapper. Seconds later he was covered. Lakyn tilted his hips up and grabbed onto his knees to pull them to his chest.
Gabriel lined up his gloved cock and wished he could be bare. He’d never once in his life even considered having sex without protection, but with Lakyn, he wanted no barriers. He met Lakyn’s gaze. “I want to get tested.”
Lakyn’s eyes widened. “Really? You mean it?” he asked.
“More than anything,” he said as he pushed forward. The ring of muscles let Gabriel in, gripping him and pulling him further inside. “Damn,” Gabriel moaned. “You feel so amazing.”
He could only wonder what it would feel like without the condom. One day soon. For now, he wanted to enjoy this moment. They had each confessed their love and deserved to be celebrated without thoughts of anything else intruding.
When he was fully buried, Gabriel stared at where they were connected before his eyes met Lakyn’s. “I love you,” he whispered, tears blurring his vision. He’d never thought he’d actually find someone he could give his heart and soul to. Someone who would accept him for who he was and not the vision his mother had for him.
Yet, Lakyn not only took him at face value but he encouraged Gabriel to just be himself. To be happy with who he was and not worry about what anyone else thought of him.
Lakyn reached a hand up to cup his face. “I love you, too, Gabriel.”
Gabriel needed to be even closer. Lakyn spread his legs to allow Gabriel to lean in and kiss him. Gabriel wished he could capture this moment, hold it for a later time when he needed to remember.
“Now move,” Lakyn said when they broke the kiss.
Gabriel chuckled. “Yes, sir.” He couldn’t blame Lakyn. His own cock was threatening to mutiny if he didn’t the show on the road.
He started off slow, but Lakyn was having none of that. “Hey,” Gabriel joked, loving that they could laugh during sex. “Stop trying to top from the bottom.”
Lakyn rolled his eyes. “If you don’t speed things up, I’m going to flip you and take over.”
That sounded like a great idea to Gabriel. In a move he had no idea he was even capable of, Gabriel did just that. Lakyn, who was now on top of Gabriel, stared down at him in surprise. But it only took him a moment to recover and take over.
With his hands braced on Gabriel’s chest, Lakyn bounced up and down. Gabriel bucked up to meet him, their bodies slamming together as they chased their orgasms. “You know, as long as you’re open to new positions,” Lakyn said a bit breathlessly. “I’ve been wanting to bend you over that rock that overlooks the waterfall.”
Gabriel had no trouble imagining doing just that. Apparently his dick loved the thought, for his balls pulled up tight and his orgasm was yanked from his body. “Yes,” he screamed as he grabbed onto Lakyn’s hips and pulled him down as Gabriel thrust up once more.
As he filled the condom, Lakyn’s own dick sprayed ropes of seed over Gabriel’s abdomen. Just knowing his lover was coating him, marking him, had Gabriel’s cock twitching in interest.
Lakyn smirked as he gazed down at Gabriel. “So somebody has a freaky side, huh?”
Gabriel grinned up at Lakyn. “With you as my partner, there isn’t anything I’d say no to.”
Lakyn leaned down and placed a kiss to Gabriel’s lips. “I’ll remember that, love. But for now, I think I’m going to need a nap.”
Gabriel agreed. Nothing sounded better than being wrapped up in Lakyn’s arms. Fortunately for him, he would have the rest of his life to experience that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I should have asked Zoey to join us.” Lakyn sat across from Aidan, stunned. The offer the casino was making was more than generous, but there was no way he could do it all himself and still work in town. Not without Zoey helping him.
Aidan sat back in his chair, staring at Lakyn for a moment before saying, “I want to make this clear. We’re more than happy to include Zoey in on this, but you are the one we’re making the offer to. If you say no, the deal doesn’t extend to her.” Aidan leaned forward, his arms resting on the desk. “That’s why I didn’t suggest she join us.”
Lakyn wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he went with what was screaming the loudest in his brain. “Why?” None of this made any sense to him.
Aidan smiled. “Utopia was already considering adding a spa when the incident with the ma
yor occurred. When I agreed to take over running Utopia, I made sure our parent company, Titan, understood that I would do whatever I could to stop Mayor Murphy from destroying Cedar Falls.”
A scowl appeared on Aidan’s face. “As much as it pains me to say, the mayor has made that quite the challenge at times. Fortunately for me, and Cedar Falls, it is in the casino’s best interest to keep the town from failing.”
Lakyn could understand that. Without the town, Utopia would be in the middle of nowhere. There was enough entertainment on the property itself to warrant short weekend vacations. But with a thriving town that offered more to do, extended trips would keep guests staying at the casino for longer periods.
“So I’m only being offered this because the mayor went after me?” Lakyn wasn’t sure he was okay with that.
Aidan nodded. “Correct.”
That wasn’t exactly what Lakyn wanted to hear. “May I ask why I wasn’t considered for this before?” He really prayed it wasn’t because Aidan didn’t think he wasn’t good enough. Normally Lakyn wasn’t so insecure, but that was before he’d lost so many clients. It had been a week and a half and the calls had finally stopped coming in to cancel, but not before he’d lost twenty clients.
The number was too staggering for Lakyn to think about for long. He had maybe two months to find enough new clients to take their place or Lakyn would be forced to get another job. Then, like a gift from Heaven, the perfect job was being dropped in his lap. Except it was only there because the mayor went after him.
Ouch. That really hurt his pride. Then again, he really didn’t have another option but to grab ahold of the opportunity being handed to him on a silver platter.
“Honestly?” Aidan asked him.
Lakyn nodded. He may not want to hear it, but he would prefer the truth.
“Titan Industries isn’t known to contract out an opportunity to make money.” Aidan stood and went to the map of the property on his wall. The casino, hotel, and restaurants were only a small portion of the land it sat on. “We’ve only been open for just over two years and already we’ve added a fourth restaurant to the original three.”
Aidan pointed to an area away from the casino itself but still on the property outlined on the map. “We are in the works to add a campground and possible waterpark. Utopia is making money. Lots of it. As I said, we were already planning to put in a spa, but it would have been run by Utopia. It took me two weeks to convince corporate that this would be a better idea.”
At least it wasn’t because Aidan didn’t think Lakyn was good enough.
“Becoming an employee of Utopia and managing our spa would be another option, if you’d prefer,” Aidan offered.
Lakyn wouldn’t. “No. But I need to think about this.” He was still reeling from losing so many of clients. To have this suddenly happen, Lakyn felt as if he were in some sort of alternate reality.
“Of course. But I can only give you twenty-four hours,” Aidan said. “Obviously, I understand you need to talk with Zoey and bring her onboard if this is to work. I’m hoping within a few months to have at least four more massage therapists working for you.”
Several minutes later, Lakyn left, unsure what to do. He wandered down the hall and suddenly couldn’t breathe. Seeing an alcove that was out of the flow of foot traffic, he pressed his back against the wall and slid down onto his butt.
It all seemed too surreal to be happening. In less than an hour he went from practically having to close his part of the business to opening a second location that would most likely bring in more money than he’d ever hoped to make.
He was tempted to pinch himself to make sure this was real, for it just didn’t seem possible. Lakyn had grown up poor. He’d started his own business in hopes of one day being financially secure, but this…well, never in his wildest dreams had he thought he could make as much money as Aidan was projecting.
Slowly, his lips lifted into a smile. His dreams were finally coming true.
“Don’t touch me.”
The gruff, angry voice brought Lakyn out of his thoughts. He looked up from his position in the alcove to see Crow, one of the head security men at Utopia, facing off against the new chef from Bliss. Lakyn hadn’t met the man, but he thought his name was Tarquin. From the gossip he’d heard, Tarquin was a narcissistic ass. Then again, according to gossip, Lakyn was a pervert who used being a massage therapist to touch people inappropriately, so Lakyn was willing to reserve judgment.
Tarquin crowded Crow against the wall, pressing closer until their bodies were touching. “We both know that’s not what you want.”
Fire burned in Crow’s black eyes, but Lakyn had the feeling it wasn’t all anger. “Get the fuck away from me, Tarquin, before I put you on your ass.”
Tarquin chuckled. “Go ahead and try, but we both know that’s not going to happen either.”
Lakyn had to admit Tarquin seemed to be sure of himself. Maybe that gossip wasn’t far off the mark.
Crow pushed against Tarquin but either he wasn’t really trying or Tarquin was strong enough not to move. Based on Tarquin’s knowing laugh, Lakyn assumed it was the former.
“You’ll need to try harder than that to be convincing, pet,” Tarquin murmured.
Pet? Suddenly Lakyn wished he were anywhere but there at the moment. Glancing around, Lakyn tried to make himself smaller when he realized he was stuck. If he moved they would see him and know he’d been watching, but it he didn’t, Lakyn would be forced to witness something he shouldn’t.
Tarquin’s hand cupped Crow’s cheek, his thumb caressing the outline of Crow’s lower lip. “It is time for you to stop pushing me away, pet, and give in to what I can give you.”
Lakyn willed his eyes to close, but he just couldn’t. From what everyone had been saying, Crow hated Tarquin, but it was obvious that wasn’t exactly the case. The struggle in Crow’s eyes as he both dreaded and eagerly anticipated Tarquin’s lips to touch his as he leaned forward was too much for Lakyn to turn away from.
Just as their lips were no more than a hair’s breadth apart, Crow pushed, for real this time, forcing Tarquin to take a step back. “I said leave me alone.”
Lakyn wanted to cry at the anguish he saw etched on Crow’s face. The man was obviously still not over losing Kayden. The two had been together for about a year when Kayden had been killed. But there was more to the story than that. The job of a lifetime across the country had been given to Kayden, one he couldn’t turn down, not even for Crow.
Kayden had been one of Lakyn’s clients. He’d confessed to knowing Crow wasn’t the one for him. It killed Kayden to have to admit it, but the decision to take the job and leave Crow behind had been too easy.
If Kayden had left, Crow would have been able to move on. But he’d been killed by a psychotic man instead. According to the gossip, Crow wasn’t moving on. He was stuck pining for someone who had known they weren’t meant to be. Maybe it was time for Crow to know that.
Crow and Tarquin stood there a foot apart for several minutes, just staring at each other. Tarquin’s jaw gnashed several times, his hands clenching into fists as if he was having to force himself to stop from grabbing Crow and shaking him.
Finally, Tarquin’s hands relaxed. “It’s time to bury the dead.” His words were harsh and clearly cut Crow deeply. “I’m not going to wait forever, pet.” Then Tarquin turned and stalked away.
Crow leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. A tear slipped from under his lashes and fell down his cheek, betraying just how miserable he was.
Lakyn sighed. He needed to do this. He’d considered Kayden a friend and Kayden would never want Crow to suffer like this. Standing, he gathered his courage and stepped away from the alcove.
“Crow,” he said softly.
Those midnight black eyes stared at him, sadness etched in their depths. “Lakyn.” Crow seemed confused for a moment, then it was gone, along with the emotion that had been in his eyes to be replaced with a mask of professionalism. “What c
an I do for you?”
“It’s what I, hopefully, can do for you,” Lakyn said taking a step closer. “Kayden was my friend and he wouldn’t want you throwing away a chance at finding happiness, not for him.”
For a brief second, that pain was back in Crow’s gaze before he hid it once more. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What happened to Kayden was tragic.” Tears stung Lakyn’s eyes as he spoke about his friend. “He loved you, but he would be the first one to bitch-slap you for remaining stuck in the past.”
Crow jerked back as if Lakyn had indeed slapped him. “What do you know about it?” Crow’s voice was hard and unyielding. “I loved Kayden.”
Lakyn hated himself for what he was about to do, but Crow needed to get over Kayden. “He loved you, too, but he was still going to leave you in order to live his dreams.”
Crow reeled back, slamming into the wall as if Lakyn had punched him.
“Kayden believed life was too damn short to not live it to the fullest. He may have loved you, but he also knew you weren’t the one for him, or the decision to leave you for a job wouldn’t have been so easy for him.” Lakyn felt like a heel for hurting Crow like this. But after what he saw with Tarquin, Crow needed a reality check before he let the opportunity for love pass him by. “You need to get on with your life.”
Tears streamed down Crow’s face. “How am I supposed to do that? Maybe if he’d left me, it would have been easier, but he didn’t. He died. How can I say I loved him if I move on?”
“By honoring what he would have wanted. What he lived for.” Lakyn countered.
Crow slumped further into the wall. “I don’t know if I can.”
Lakyn imagined it wasn’t easy for anyone who lost a loved one to move on, but Kayden was right—life was too damn short to live in the past. “You need to try,” he said before leaving Crow to his thoughts.
It was time for Lakyn to take his own advice. He had the chance for all his dreams to come true and it was time for him to reach out and grab them. Taking his phone out, he dialed.
