by Ts McKinney
“Whatcha doing?” Landry asked and noted they both jumped like they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
“What? When? Now?” Rory said quickly. “We’re just sitting here. Why?”
“Yeah, just sitting here,” Riley added, like Rory’s answer hadn’t been enough to cement the fact that they were up to no good.
“Hmmmm,” Landry answered with narrowed eyes. “Looks like you’re doing more than just sitting there.” He paused and then corrected, “No, it looks like you both are getting ready to do something, I just don’t know what that is or why you’re both so nervous about it.” Landry heard the French doors open and a wave of warmth washed over him. Brookes was back. He couldn’t have stopped the silly smile that curved his lips if his very life depended on it. Rory must have noticed it as well because his eyes darkened with some unknown emotion. Rory wasn’t jealous of him, so what in the fuck could be going on?
“What’s that look for, Rory?” he asked. “Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not!” Rory scoffed. “Why would I be mad at you? It’s not like you’ve done anything wrong,” he said. He was talking to Landry but his eyes narrowed angrily when Brookes placed a possessive hand on Landry’s shoulder.
Interesting.
“Hey, guys.”
Brookes’ voice was as husky as usual and the sound of it caused another set of waves to wash over Landry. These waves were purely sexual in feeling. It was shocking how just the man’s voice could make him turn into a puddle of unset Jell-O. He bet this was how teenagers felt in high school—a time when youth was controlled by hormones. That’s exactly how Landry felt. Controlled.
“Morning, Brookes,” Riley answered. He put on a feeble attempt at looking friendly. Rory didn’t even try.
“What are you doing here?” Rory asked abruptly, foregoing any polite greeting altogether.
Landry had had about enough. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was already sick of it. Brookes was his. They needed to accept that and welcome him into their circle of friends. “He’s here to get me for our date, Rory. Do you have a problem with that?” Landry snapped irritably. Yeah, he’d had enough of Rory’s attitude.
“You don’t date, Landry,” Rory explained calmly as if Landry was incapable of making decisions for himself.
“He does now,” Brookes growled. “If you’ve got a problem with that, you and I can discuss it together—just the two of us.”
“Maybe we should,” Rory quipped and stood up swiftly.
Riley moved quickly and was standing between Rory and Brookes before Landry could even get out of his chair. “Stop being an ass, Rory,” Riley warned quietly. “Brookes is Landry’s guest. You need to slow your roll and calm your shit down.”
Landry was standing, hands on hips and glare on face, by the time Riley issued his warning to Rory. Riley had been nice about it, Landry wasn’t in the mood for nice. “What the fuck is your problem, Rory? You’ve been acting weird all morning and I’m sick of it. Either say what’s on your mind or shut the fuck up and quit acting like a dick.”
“Easy, kitten,” Brookes interrupted. “He’s just being protective of you. I get it. He doesn’t know me and he isn’t sure if I’m good enough for you. I respect that. I respect that he wants what’s best for you but,” his eyes turned to Rory before he added, “in all fairness, you should give me a chance to prove myself before you shape your opinion of me, don’t you think?”
“Sure. Whatever. Prove yourself, big guy,” Rory quipped. “I’m real interested in seeing that.” He took a step toward Brookes and added, “We’re all protective of Landry. Don’t fuck with him.”
“Too late for that,” Landry replied smoothly. “We’ve already fucked several times. Get over yourself, Rory. I don’t need a protector, I need a friend. Somehow you’ve gotten your role in my life confused.” He went to Rory, pulled him into a hug, and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to fucking kill you for being such an ass to Brookes.”
Rory hugged him back. “You may end up thanking me.”
“Stuff it, Rory. Get over yourself.” To Riley, he said, “Put something in his mouth to shut him up.” He turned to Brookes and said, “Let me grab a shirt and let’s hit the road. I’m excited about our date.” He turned and sent another warning frown in Rory’s direction. “And, yes, I date.”
****
When Landry and Brookes disappeared through the French doors, Riley turned to Rory and said, “Way to be discreet, man.” He shook his head from side to side. “You were a total ass and Brookes hasn’t done anything to warrant that shit.”
“Yet,” Rory answered quietly before turning to his computer. “Now, let’s start digging. He’s got something to hide. I can smell the lies oozing off his body and I’m going to expose him for what he is.” Rory booted his computer up and tapped his foot, as if wondering where to start.
Riley rolled his eyes and said, “You’re not Sherlock Holmes, Rory. We’ll probably find a Facebook page, a Twitter page, and maybe, just maybe, a Snapchat page. I think we’re just being overprotective of Landry. He’s acting differently than he ever has and it’s throwing us for a loop. Maybe we need to sit back and trust him to make the right decisions.” Riley was saying all the right words, but was busy getting his computer ready for an internet search, as well. Rory knew that Riley hadn’t been friends with Colton very long, but Landry had been a part of his life for years. They’d met years ago when he’d been traveling to Key West with his family for a vacation and after he’d left, they’d exchanged hundreds of emails. Before long, they were close friends and Riley had visited Landry at least twice a year for the past four years.
“It’s strange that Landry never introduced you to his friends, especially seeing how tight they all were.”
“I’m not going to waste a lot of time wondering about the whys and whats. Landry and I are good friends and I don’t intend for doubts and misunderstandings to interfere with what we have.”
“Listen to me, you little shit,” Rory growled. “We’re in this together. I’m counting on you to help me be the common sense of our group. Landry’s falling head over ass for this guy and we don’t know who the fuck he is or what he’s after. You can’t tell me he just happened to hear about Landry’s new BDSM club, took a leave of absence from his regular job, if he has one, and clears his fucking calendar to spend the next few months in Key West!”
Riley frowned thoughtfully. “Well, when you say it like that…”
“Yeah, some shit’s not adding up. You and I are going to dig and dig until we get all the information we need in order to form an opinion of Jericho Brookes that’s based on cold, hard facts instead of the muscle and tattoo factor.”
Riley snorted out a laugh. “So you noticed all the muscles and tattoos, too, eh? The dude is totally put together like a freakin’ brickhouse. Do you get muscles like that from BDSM kink? If so, maybe we need to show a little more interest in what Landry’s club is offering.”
Rory was grinning when he looked up from his computer, but that grin froze on his face when his eyes met Riley’s. God, the guy was beautiful. He had those crazy amber colored eyes that had gold sparkling around the edges. He was intelligent, witty, fun-loving, and a good person that valued friendship the same way Rory did. Riley was a perfect masculine specimen…except for those Godforsaken kissable lips. They were so fucking soft, he could spend hours upon hours kissing those lips. His skin was getting a seductive Key West tan and thanks to naked sunbathing at Rory’s pool, he knew for a fact Riley was tanned all over. Hell, they were practically identical in their builds…and their competitive spirits.
That’s where the fucking problem rested. They were both too damned competitive for their own good. Neither one of them were willing to give an inch and Rory suspected that if one of them didn’t take the high road and be a grown man about it, they were at risk of losing what could be the best damned relationship either had ever experienced.
Shit…h
e could love this man. He could spend the rest of his life loving Riley French. Suddenly, he wanted Mackenzie to meet Riley. His brother, the only family member he was close to, needed to meet Riley because Rory just decided they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. He didn’t know how in the hell it was going to work, but, dammit, he was going to make it work.
“Why are you staring at me?” Riley asked. “You’ve got a weird look on your face. I’m not giving you another blowjob this morning. It’s my turn, anyway.”
Rory smiled and shook his head. No, now wasn’t the time to let Riley know he’d just decided their futures together. Hell, they argued over whether the toilet paper needed to roll over or under, he couldn’t imagine Riley taking his ‘decision’ very well. They would argue about it, probably always argue about every detail of their lives. It was what they did best. Well, except for the oral sex, heavy petting, and sexual innuendos, they did those pretty damned good, too.
“I’m not staring,” he answered. How could he convince Riley they belonged together? Give his ass up? Sure, it really wasn’t that big of a deal—other than the whole competitive shit. He’d bottomed before. He wouldn’t mind doing it again…if it was with Riley.
He needed to focus more on Landry’s problem and less on Riley’s ass. When the whole Jericho Brookes shit storm settled, he would take the time to persuade Riley they needed to make their relationship something more permanent.
“Okay, let’s do this,” he muttered and turned his eyes away from the gorgeousness sitting next to him. He needed to keep his eyes on the computer. When he looked at Riley, he couldn’t think about anything else except them being together, in bed and out of it. Hells Bells, did Jagger Jameson bring the stupid lovebug flu with him when he showed up in Key West?
“Do what?” Riley blinked slowly, like he was snapping himself back to reality.
“Researching Jericho Brookes. We’ve got to find out what he’s hiding.” He nudged Riley with his shoulder. Sparks sizzled throughout his body with the innocent touch. “What did you think we were doing?”
Just say it! Say you feel the same way I do! The voice pleaded inside Rory’s head, pinballing off all the other issues he needed to resolve. What was it about Kentucky that made him so nuts?
“That. That’s what I thought we were doing,” Riley muttered.
His eyes were darker than usual and his cheeks were flushed, proving to Rory that he wasn’t immune to the pheromones swimming all around the two of them.
“Okay, so how do we do this? Just punch in his name and see what comes up?” Riley asked as he jerked his eyes away from Rory and down to his computer. His fingers, long and strong, started tapping wildly on the keyboard.
“Yeah, I guess that’s as good a place as any. Hell, I don’t know the first damned thing about online snooping,” Rory said as he shut his computer and leaned to peer over Riley’s shoulder. He supposed there wasn’t any point in the both of them punching in the same information. Anyway, this way he could spend some quality time soaking up Kentucky’s delicious scent.
“Hmmmm,” Riley murmured as he studied the screen. “Looks like he has his own BDSM website. Nice. Wanna peek at that or are we looking for something entirely different?”
Rory inched closer. “I have no idea what we’re looking for, Kentucky. My brilliant plan didn’t go past punching in his name. I guess we surf around his website and see if anything jumps out.” Another inch closer. Fuck, he really needed to focus. He didn’t trust Brookes around Landry. He needed to get his mind off his own cock’s stalkerish attitude on Riley. If he didn’t get the wicked thoughts and images out of his head, he wouldn’t ever be able to find out what it was Brookes was hiding.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Riley agreed.
Chapter 12
Landry tried to not grin like a fool as he climbed into the topless Jeep Brookes had rented for the day. His date looked gorgeous this morning, even sexier than he had looked all sleepy and sex-rumpled this morning…in bed with him. Oh yeah, he’d slept with a man last night! Not just fucking, there’d been sleeping and cuddling and Landry was still basking in the pleasure of it.
Brookes was wearing a skin tight black t shirt that clung to the muscled planes of his body like a second skin. It showed every delicious bump, hill, and valley. The sleeves of the shirt had small slits cut on the edges to make more room for his bulging arm muscles. The left arm had a tattoo sleeve that made Landry’s mouth water. Baggy board shorts couldn’t begin to hide the thick package he was sporting between his legs or the tight ass that probably still had nail dents in the flesh where Landry had gripped him too tightly last night. Flip flops finished his casual fashion statement. Brookes was the type of man that would look good in whatever he put on his body…and even better when he took it off.
Landry couldn’t help but love the way the other man towered over him in every possible way. He was taller, thicker, and darker. More powerful. Seductively strong. It made him feel safe and feeling safe was a pretty damned big deal to him – he’d spent too many years not feeling safe at all. Life on the streets had been deadly and even now, six years removed, it wouldn’t take much to turn him back into that terrified teen trying to survive as a child in a man’s world. The violence, abuse, and lure of drugs was an everyday occurrence, a battle he’d been forced to fight when he should have been deciding between being in the band or joining the cheerleaders.
He forced his mind away from the sad thoughts of his childhood, not wanting that world to interfere or intrude on his new world. “How was treasure hunting this morning?” He quipped playfully as he let Brookes give his ass a boost up into the Jeep. Brookes answered by smacking his ass and then walking around to his side of the vehicle and climbing inside. Before starting the engine, he reached over and grabbed the back of Landry’s neck and tugged him closer. Their lips met and danced like the last two hours they’d been apart had been much longer.
“Successful,” Brookes finally answered when they were forced to come up for air. “My job here is almost finished. I briefed my boss this morning and have a feeling he’s as ready as I am to call this one complete. As a matter of fact, I’m supposed to pick him up at the airport this afternoon, so I may have to cut our date short.”
Brookes was smiling easily as he backed the Jeep out of Rory’s shaded driveway. Landry’s heart was breaking in two. He was finished? Leaving? He was fucking happy about being finished? What. The. Fuck.
Landry felt his heart plummet. What had he been thinking? That what he and Brookes were sharing was going to last forever? He glanced over, almost afraid for Brookes to see the look on his face. The man had been so in tune with his emotions that he’d surely see that his leaving comment had devastated Landry.
No…Brookes was whistling through his teeth, a huge smile on his face, as he drove them toward the beach. Landry couldn’t help but think Brookes had already clocked out.
****
“Something seems…off,” Landry commented as he and Jagger crossed the street together. They were headed to the club because Sage had texted Landry telling him something was off with the inventory. Naturally, Landry called Jagger because he knew very little about inventory, bills of lading, or packing lists—all the things Sage mentioned in the text.
Jagger frowned and asked, “What do you mean? About the inventory? Don’t worry about it, Landry. There’s nothing wrong with our inventory. I personally checked the shipments to the packing lists. We’ve received everything we’ve been charged for. Sage is just overly nervous. The kid is jumpier than I am.” As they walked past one of the bars close to their club, Sin, one of the most popular transvestite performers on Duval Street, strutted over and squeezed Jagger’s ass.
“How’s Colton’s little Wildcat doing today?” he asked as he winked in Landry’s direction.
Everybody enjoyed toying with Jagger because they knew he was skittish. Landry tried to smile, but knew his efforts were weak, at best. Brookes had devastated him ear
lier. His heart still ached. They’d gone on their date and Brookes had been extra nice, extra attentive…extra fucking everything.
He was still leaving him. His boss was flying in to finish the mysterious treasure hunting deal and then Brookes would fly away.
“Colton’s Wildcat is doing fine today,” Jagger answered with a grin. “How’s Sin?”
“Utterly Sinful, darling!” Turning to Landry, he continued, “Hasn’t it been fun to watch Wildcat come out of his shell? Another few months and he’ll have Colton chasing his own tail!” He gave an exaggerated wiggle of his ass and said, “Ta ta, boys! Have some wicked fun at your club tonight!” He whirled back around. “Speaking of which, where is our delightful Colton today? I wanted to talk to him about a friend that needs some help.”
“He’s at Haven today but I’m sure he’ll answer his cell if you call. Do you have his number?” Jagger asked, immediately serious when Sin mentioned someone needing help.
“I’ve got it, love. I’ll call if you think it won’t bother him to be interrupted while he’s working.”
“Never a bother,” Jagger answered quickly. “Call him.”
When their friend moved on, Landry said, “Colton doesn’t usually work at Haven on Friday. What’s going on?”
With a shrug, Jagger said, “They called him in about something. He didn’t seem upset, so I didn’t push for answers.” Turning to Landry, he asked, “Should I have? Pushed, that is. Sometimes I worry that I don’t respond the right way to certain situations.”
