It was Jack who continued for Frank. He went to put his arm around his husband. “When Frank read about the charity raffle that H2H was putting together, he saw it as a chance to get you two together.”
“Are you telling me you rigged the raffle?” Knox said in disbelief.
“No, no, no,” Frank said quickly. “No, not at all. But I knew the chances of you both winning the raffle were slim to none.”
“So how did you manage it?” I asked.
“I, uh, convinced the owner of this studio to donate more than one date. He’s a friend of mine and Jack’s.”
I looked around at all the people in the room and remembered what the instructor had said about there being so many winning couples that they were having multiple sessions to accommodate them all. Knox seemed to be realizing the same thing because he said, “How many dates did he donate? Didn’t the instructor say something like fifty?”
“Um… yeah, around fifty, I think,” Frank hedged.
“Exactly fifty,” Jack said.
“What are you not telling me?” Knox said as he eyed both men.
Jack squeezed Frank’s shoulders. “In for a penny, in for a pound,” he said softly to his husband.
Frank sighed. “I entered you and Ryan in all fifty raffles in the hopes you’d both win. I figured it would improve the odds. As much as I wanted you two to meet, I refused to cheat.”
“Cheat? How would you have—” Knox began.
“I know one of the guys who works at Heart2Heart… we went to college together,” Jack said. “Once you both legitimately won, I called him and asked if there was any way the system could ‘randomly’ pair you up.” Jack paused and then said, “We also covered the costs associated with donating fifty dates because the owner of this place couldn’t actually afford to do that.”
“All of that must have cost a fortune,” I said.
“We were happy to do it. The charities that H2H gives to do amazing things for our community,” Jack responded.
“Oh fuck,” Knox muttered. “So are you telling me that it was one of you who was pretending to be Ryan in those messages we exchanged?”
Frank raised his hand slightly. “Guilty,” he whispered, but he didn’t look at all guilty. It looked like he could barely contain his laughter.
Knox dropped down into the chair I’d been sitting in before I’d been covered in flabby naked man.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” he choked out.
I started laughing because I’d seen those messages. There hadn’t been anything super inappropriate, but Knox and I –well, not me so much as his uncle, apparently– had exchanged some flirty messages.
“Ryan,” Frank said as he came to stand in front of me. He didn’t grab me by the arms like he had Knox, though. I suspected it was because he didn’t want to make me nervous with his touch. It suddenly occurred to me that I’d always been really careful about how people touched me at work, whether in passing or in greeting. I hadn’t realized until just now that I’d always shied away from physical contact.
So I definitely hadn’t managed to keep the aftereffects of my past in the past where they belonged.
Was it strange that I actually wanted Frank to touch me the way he had his nephew?
“Ryan, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt either of you. I was going to tell you both the truth after your date but I didn’t realize you’d be in this group tonight. Jack and I volunteered to be the models after the original couple had to drop out, but Knox said your date wasn’t until next weekend.”
“Because I didn’t want a certain old geezer to stick his nose where it didn’t belong,” Knox groaned. There was no harshness in his words, just exasperation.
Frank waved him off. “He’s a good man, Ryan. He’s kind and gentle and thoughtful. He puts others before himself and he works hard. Did you know that besides his regular tattoo business, he donates his time to cover people’s scars with tattoos?”
“Uncle Frank—”
“It was one of the reasons his ex walked out of the relationship. He wanted Knox to stop donating his time and resources because he knew Knox had the talent to make it really big. Peter wanted to open up a big chain of shops, but the time and money involved in something like that meant Knox would have had to give up donating his services—”
“Enough, Uncle Frank,” Knox said gently as he stood. Frank looked at Knox, then me. I could see he wanted to say more that would “sell” me on his nephew, but he nodded and held his tongue. Then he did what I’d been wanting him to do and carefully reached for my upper arms. His hold was loose and gentle.
“I’m sorry, Ryan. But only about the way I got you two together. I should have found a different way that didn’t involve deceiving either of you.”
I almost smiled at his rebellious tone.
“It’s okay, Buddy,” I said. I pulled my arms free, but only so I could hug him. I loved how hard he hugged me back. “Okay, one thing,” I said as I put some space between us. “I’m going to have to call you Frank now. Too many butter ball things will be in my head now whenever I hear the name Buddy.”
Frank laughed and patted my shoulder. “Uncle Frank is fine.”
“He didn’t say uncle, Uncle Frank,” Knox pointed out.
“What? Huh?” Frank said as he cupped his ear like he was suddenly hard of hearing.
“Come here, you old busybody,” Knox muttered as he pulled the older man into his arms. I heard him tell his uncle that he loved him, then he was hugging Jack and telling him the same thing.
Frank clapped his hands together and said, “Okay, let’s do this.” He went to reach for his robe when Knox grabbed his hand.
“Nope, no way, not happening. Ryan and I are leaving.”
“What? Why?” Uncle Frank asked. “Two men in their purest form of undress is a beautiful thing, Knox.”
Jack and I both laughed. Knox just put his hand up and then reached for me. “If that robe moves, close your eyes,” he said to me. “We’ll feel our way out of here.”
I chuckled as Knox quickly led me from the building. I was still trying to process everything that had just happened by the time we reached the curb where his motorcycle was sitting.
“Ryan, I’m so sorry—”
“Is it true?” I interrupted.
“Yeah, I think it’s true. He’s just crazy enough to set all this up but I know him, Ryan. He never meant to hurt or upset you… he and Jack are so happy that I think it just makes him blind to the fact that not everyone gets a fairytale ending.”
“No,” I said as I stepped a little closer to him. I didn’t like how he’d distanced himself from me, both physically and figuratively. “Is it true what he said about you and your ex? And the stuff you do for people with scars?”
Knox was clearly caught off guard by my question. “Oh, um, yeah.”
“That’s amazing… what made you start something like that?”
“My mom… she died of breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, two rounds of chemo, all of it… but it kept coming back and she couldn’t beat it. A few years ago a woman came into the shop and asked if I could design something for her to cover her scars… she’d had a mastectomy and had decided against reconstructive surgery. When I was finished she was so happy with the results, but for me it was like…”
“Like what?” I prodded as I closed my fingers around his.
“Like I was part of her journey. And…”
He hesitated for a long moment. His voice sounded thick when he continued. “And while I was doing the tattoo, it felt like my mom was there with me, you know? I couldn’t do anything for her when she was sick, but it was like I was helping her by helping that woman.” Knox actually wiped at his eyes. “Stupid, right?”
I shook my head, fighting back my own tears. “No,” I whispered. “No, it’s…” Since I couldn’t find a word for it, I stepped into him and pulled him down for a soft kiss. “She’s so proud of you, Knox. So damn proud.”
&nb
sp; Knox let out a little choking sound, then nodded. I kissed him again, then again. Over and over until he began kissing me back. His arms went around me and he began kissing me hungrily when we heard someone wolf whistle at us. I’d completely forgotten we were on a very public sidewalk. Knox and I separated and both laughed nervously.
“Come on, I’ll take you home,” Knox murmured as he reached for one of the helmets.
I shook my head. “Nuh-uh, mister. You owe me a date.”
Knox looked shell-shocked for a second, then he smiled wide. I felt that warmth inside of me again.
“Okay, what did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Can I have anything?”
He blinked in surprise, then let out a little chuckle. “Anything,” he agreed.
I stepped into him again and he automatically put his arms around me. I curled my finger at him and he immediately dropped his head. But I didn’t kiss him like he seemed to be expecting. Instead, I put my mouth against his ear and told him exactly what I wanted.
CHAPTER 6
Knox
“I WON,” I called as I practically fell onto the blanket, the soft sand beneath cushioning my fall. I flopped onto my back as Ryan came to a stop above me. He was panting.
“No fair, you have longer legs.”
I chuckled at that. “You cheated and I still beat you.”
I still couldn’t believe we were at the beach and that it’d been Ryan’s idea to make the four-hour trip to the coast in the dead of night. I was so sure my uncle’s crazy shenanigans had doomed my chances with Ryan, but by some miracle, here we were.
There’d been a little bit of awkwardness once we’d gotten to the beach, so I’d suggested we take a walk after I’d spread out a little blanket on the sand. We’d ended up walking for a good hour on the deserted beach, the clear sky and bright moon and stars our only company. Ryan had slowly started to open up the more we’d talked. It had been heartbreaking to learn that the physical abuse I’d suspected he’d suffered had actually been at the hands of his parents when he’d been a kid, but I’d managed to temper my reaction when he’d told me. Ryan hadn’t gone into much detail, saying it wasn’t “first date” kind of talk, but I knew in my heart that I’d eventually hear the entire story because there would be future dates… there had to be. I’d never really understood what my uncle had talked about when he’d reminisced about meeting Jack for the first time, but now I did.
“That kiss was the ‘go’ sign,” Ryan said as he stood above me.
“And the hand on my crotch? What sign was that?” I asked with a laugh.
Ryan grinned, then grew serious. I held my breath as he shifted his weight, then moved so he was straddling my body. He lowered himself to one knee, then the other, then settled his ass on my lower half. His hand moved behind his body and gently palmed my dick through my jeans. “Are you talking about this?” he asked as he rubbed me. “Is that the sign you need clarification on?”
I shook my head as I reached up to grab his hips. I held him firmly as I sat up. He ended up pressed against my bent legs. “No,” I said as my mouth hovered against his. “I—”
I groaned when he gripped me harder through my pants. I kissed him hungrily, then flipped us so he was flat on his back beneath me. “I got it now,” I said before feasting on his mouth once more. Ryan opened his legs so I could settle between them. The feel of his cock pressed against mine had me seeing stars and I began grinding against him.
“Is this okay?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his upper body so I was as close to him as I could get.
He seemed unable to speak because his breaths were coming out in heavy pants. He nodded frantically as his fingers dug into my back.
I slid one hand down to his ass to hold his writhing body still as I began pumping my hips like I was buried deep inside of him.
“Knox, please,” Ryan groaned as he cupped my face. Even in the darkness, I could see the need in his expression, could feel it in his hold and the way his body cradled mine. I stilled only long enough to reach between our bodies and work our pants open. Ryan cried out and bucked up against me when I took his dick out of his pants. He fucked my hand frantically and only protested when I stopped. My fingers fumbled to free my own leaking cock. My intent had been to jack us both off but when the heat of his damp shaft met mine, I wrapped my arms around him and slammed my mouth down on his. I ground against him hard and fast. The friction of our dicks sliding against one another had us both succumbing to the blinding pleasure within a minute. Ryan cried out against my mouth when he came. The feel of his cum splashing against my cock and groin triggered my own release.
“Fuck,” I moaned as the violent orgasm ripped through me.
Ryan and I clung to each other as the pleasure cascaded over us for what seemed like days. When my body finally began to come down, I used my elbows to lift some of my weight off him. I rolled onto my side, taking Ryan with me. We were both too out of breath to talk, but even minutes later when I was capable of speech, I had no clue what to say. How did you put into words such intense emotions that were raw and new and utterly… perfect?
Ryan cuddled against me and ran his fingers up and down my arm. Several more minutes passed before he said, “Knox?”
I loved that there was no uncertainty in his voice. Maybe that meant he’d felt the same things as me.
“Yeah?” I responded as I pulled him closer to me.
“What’s your idea of a perfect second date?”
Relief flooded through me at the question.
“I’ll tell you when our first date is over… which if I have anything to say about it, will be in fifty years or so.”
I felt Ryan smile against my throat. He shifted a little and slowly pushed me onto my back, then climbed on top of me. He ran his finger along my cheek as I settled my hands on his ass. “My onion,” he murmured, then he kissed me. Predictably, the kiss deepened, but Ryan was the one to pull back. “I know you said your perfect first date included watching the sun set, but will watching it rise do?”
I nodded because my throat was too thick with emotion to speak. Ryan searched out my arm and lifted it so he could look at my watch. “We’ve got a couple more hours to kill until the sun comes up. Whatever shall we do?” he asked.
I laughed and rolled him on his back again. “I can think of a few things.”
We spent the next two hours kissing, laughing, touching, and talking, and by the time the sun started peeking over the horizon, I had Ryan sitting in front of me, his back pressed to my front and my arms around him. I kissed the side of his neck, the shell of his ear, and any other place I could reach as the night gave way to day and our private little sanctuary began to get busy with early morning beach-goers.
“Should we go?” I asked.
Ryan shook his head. “Let’s stay a little longer, okay?”
Pure joy shot through me. “A little longer,” I agreed. Though I knew in my heart it wouldn’t just be a little longer.
It would be forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Catching Orion.
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ALSO BY SLOANE KENNEDY
(Note: Not all titles will be available on all retail sites)
The Escort Series
Gabriel’s Rule (M/F)
Shane’s Fall (M/F)
Logan’s Need (M/M)
Barretti Security Series
Loving Vin (M/F)
Redeeming Rafe (M/M)
Saving Ren (M/M/M)
Freeing Zane (M/M)
/> Finding Series
Finding Home (M/M/M)
Finding Trust (M/M)
Finding Peace (M/M)
Finding Forgiveness (M/M)
Finding Hope (M/M/M)
Pelican Bay Series
Locked in Silence (M/M)
Sanctuary Found (M/M)
The Truth Within (M/M)
The Protectors
Absolution (M/M/M)
Salvation (M/M)
Retribution (M/M)
Forsaken (M/M)
Vengeance (M/M/M)
A Protectors Family Christmas
Atonement (M/M)
Revelation (M/M)
Redemption (M/M)
Defiance (M/M)
Unexpected (M/M/M)
Shattered (M/M)
Unbroken (M/M)
Protecting Elliot: A Protectors Novella (M/M)
Discovering Daisy: A Protectors Novella (M/M/F)
Pretend You’re Mine: A Protectors Short Story (M/M)
Non-Series
Four Ever (M/M/M/M)
Letting Go (M/F)
Twist of Fate Series (co-writing with Lucy Lennox)
Lost and Found (M/M)
Safe and Sound (M/M)
Body and Soul (M/M)
Crossover Books with Lucy Lennox
Made Mine: A Protectors/Made Marian Crossover (M/M)
The following titles are available in audiobook format with more on the way:
Locked in Silence
Sanctuary Found
The Truth Within
Absolution
Salvation
Retribution
Forsaken
Vengeance
Logan’s Need
Redeeming Rafe
Saving Ren
Freeing Zane
Finding Home
Four Ever
Lost and Found
Safe and Sound
Body and Soul
Made Mine
Catching Orion Page 4
