Reckless (Pier 70, 1)

by Nicole Edwards

A smile formed and Gannon felt a flood of relief fill him.

  “I’ll let myself out,” Cam said, moving toward the shower door. “Thanks for dinner last night.”

  Gannon smiled. “Any time.”

  Something flitted across Cam’s face, an emotion Gannon didn’t recognize. “I may just take you up on that.”

  And with that, Cam stepped out, leaving Gannon alone with his thoughts and his now aching dick.

  Twenty-Five

  Cam made it back to the marina before anyone else showed up, which was surprising considering it was after eight when he stepped into the office. He started a pot of coffee, skimmed the appointment book, and prepared himself for the ass chewing he would likely receive from Roan once he came down. There was no way his buddy hadn’t noticed that Cam’s truck hadn’t been in the parking lot last night, which meant he was going to hear about it this morning.

  Just as he’d predicted, Roan appeared a little after eight thirty, dark circles beneath his eyes as though he hadn’t slept last night.

  “You all right?” Cam asked, concerned, watching Roan closely.

  “Yeah,” Roan said on a slow exhale, wiping his hand over his face. “Had to go pick up my sister last night.”

  Cam stood up straight. “Everything okay with her?”

  Roan grabbed the carafe and poured a cup of coffee, wiping his hand over his hair, brushing down the spikey strands. “No.”

  The finality of that one word surprised Cam. Roan’s sister had been in and out of drug rehab for the last three years. While Roan’s family—all except Roan’s mother, who’d abandoned the family when Roan was a teenager—and friends banded together in an effort to help her get clean, she hadn’t been as on board with the plan as everyone else. And now, it appeared she’d relapsed. Again.

  “Where is she?”

  “My dad’s house.” Roan sipped his coffee and leaned back against the counter. “I told her I’d stop by later today to talk. She’s pretty fucked up.”

  Cam was close to Roan’s family because he and Roan had been best friends since elementary school. He’d known Roan’s sister, Cassie, almost her entire life. She was four years younger than Roan, the youngest of three children, the baby of the family.

  Cassie had taken it hard when their mother had bailed on them, blaming Roan for her inability to remain in a house where the devil lived. The devil being Roan because he was gay. Cam still remembered that day, the day she had packed a suitcase and walked out, telling Roan and Cam that they’d burn in hell for their sins.

  The only thing they could figure was that she’d been eavesdropping on their conversations. At the time, Roan had been interested in a guy at school, and they’d talked about it a few times.

  Apparently she hadn’t been exaggerating, because she’d left and she’d never come back.

  Although Cam had known her leaving had hurt Roan, he hadn’t been sorry to see her leave.

  “Want me to go with you?” Cam offered.

  “Not this time. She doesn’t want anyone to see her this way, and I can’t say I blame her.”

  Cam understood. “Well, if you change your mind, just let me know.”

  Roan nodded, then pushed away from the counter, once again running his hand over his short hair. “You stay with Burgess last night?”

  “Gannon,” Cam corrected. For some reason, he didn’t like the way Roan used Gannon’s last name. It seemed oddly impersonal. “And yes, I stayed with him.”

  Roan turned to look at him, and Cam saw the worry in Roan’s golden eyes. “Y’all gonna make a go of this?”

  Cam shrugged. “One day at a time.” He hoped like hell things continued the way they had been going, but he’d long ago stopped trying to predict the future. In turn, he’d also stopped getting his hopes up, because it never seemed to work out in his favor.

  As far as he was concerned, they would continue to take things slow. Although slow at this point was relative. It was still to be seen where this was going, because Cam still worried that their differences would eventually interfere and they’d be forced to look at things a little more rationally. Right now, the sex was going to steal the show, and though they’d probably be able to ride the tide of sexual attraction for a while, there was no guarantee that it would last.

  Always the pessimist, Cam thought.

  “For what it’s worth…” Roan turned to face him fully. “I’m happy for you.”

  Cam wasn’t sure if there was something else Roan wanted to say, but when he left it at that, Cam offered a smile. “Thanks.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna pass off one of my afternoon appointments to Teague,” Roan said, holding his coffee cup in both hands. “I’m exhausted and I’m sure tonight’s gonna be another long night. I think my stepmother is hoping for an intervention. I figured I’d catch a nap in a bit if I can.”

  “No worries. And if Teague can’t get it, I’ll cover for you.”

  Roan nodded, then, with coffee cup in hand, headed toward the back door. “I’m gonna go check on Hudson. Be back later.”

  Cam watched his friend walk out, saw the tense set of his shoulders, and wondered what else was bothering Roan. For the past few weeks, he’d been acting strangely. Though strange for Roan wasn’t exactly foreign. However, the guy who was usually quick-witted and even quicker to laugh now seemed to be weighed down by something. Whether or not it was his sister, Cam couldn’t say.

  He only hoped that Roan would talk to him if he needed to. They’d always been close, but now that he thought about it, that relationship had been a little strained in recent weeks.

  The reason for that … Cam had absolutely no idea.

  But now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  Roan forced himself to walk away, not to look back at Cam.

  His heart was in his throat, his chest aching.

  He hoped that he had managed to mask his true feelings back there, but he was so damn tired he wasn’t sure. Between his family problems and Cam sleeping with Burgess…

  Roan groaned, thrust his hands through his hair once more.

  Having to deal with his sister, his family… It wasn’t easy, but it never had been. Last night, he’d been content to sit on the pier and drink himself stupid with Teague, but before he could do that, his phone had rung. His stepmother had called, insisting that Roan come over to talk to Cassie.

  So he had. He’d pushed aside his own issues and made it his mission to deal with Cassie and her problems.

  And now, he felt as though he had to do it without his best friend. The only thing he wanted to do was to walk into Cam’s arms and let him hold him for a few minutes, to tell him everything would be all right.

  Not that he’d ever done that before, but it wasn’t the first time he’d thought about it.

  And now he might never have the chance. Cam was with Gannon, and with every passing day, the more they spent time together, the happier Cam seemed to be. Sure, it looked as though Cam was attempting to play it safe, but Roan could tell Cam was falling—hell, he could already have fallen—in love with Gannon.

  Not that he was surprised. From what Roan knew of him, Gannon seemed to be a good guy. It was evident he cared about Cam, and Roan couldn’t fault him for it. As much as he wanted to interfere, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. One minute, he felt as though his heart might shatter in his chest; the next, he was scolding himself because he couldn’t really be in love with his best friend—or so he wanted to believe.

  Yep, he was confused.

  Above all else, he truly wanted his friend to be happy. Roan was the idiot who’d kept his feelings to himself. All these years, he’d feared ruining their friendship, making Cam hate him. Keeping his mouth shut had been the only way Roan knew to make sure things didn’t end up awkward between them. Had they made a run at it and things didn’t work out, Roan couldn’t have lived without that friendship.

  So maybe it was better this way.

  Cam was
happy and Roan would eventually move on.

  Maybe.

  “What are you doing?” Milly asked, closing the door when she stepped into Gannon’s office.

  Gannon stopped pacing. “Nothing. Why?”

  “Because you’re making me dizzy with all this back-and-forth. And you’re making the guys nervous. What’s wrong?”

  Gannon sighed, then moved around his desk and stood beside his chair, gripping the headrest to keep from pacing again. “I need to remind Cam that I’m going to Singapore on Friday.”

  “Why? Well, other than the obvious and it’s nice when one boyfriend tells the other boyfriend his plans.” Milly smiled.

  Gannon wanted to smile, but he couldn’t. “He freaked when I went to California,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, but you came back safe and sound.”

  That wasn’t the point, but Gannon didn’t feel right sharing Cam’s deepest, darkest secrets with anyone. Not even Milly. He was honored that Cam had shared them with him. Telling Milly… Well, that would be like betraying that confidence even if she was Gannon’s closest friend.

  “I don’t think it’s that simple for him,” Gannon muttered.

  “What’s not that simple? Is he worried you’ll cheat?”

  “No,” Gannon said defensively.

  “Good. Then at least he trusts you.”

  Trusting Gannon didn’t seem to be Cam’s issue. Trusting the universe … now that was a different story.

  “Well, why don’t you surprise him? Show up at his place, bring dinner, watch … whatever it is you guys watch on TV. And after your smexy time, you can tell him.”

  “Smexy time?” Gannon tilted his head and peered at her over his glasses.

  Milly simply smiled. “Yep. And in the glow of an orgasm, he’ll take it in stride.”

  Gannon doubted that, but he kept that to himself. “Is that some sort of hetero manipulation technique?”

  “No, it’s a technique that works on all men. Gay or straight. Y’all are easy like that,” Milly said, but he could tell she was teasing, probably attempting to lighten the mood. “But seriously, you’re gonna give the guys ulcers if you keep this up. They’ve never seen you like this.”

  It was true, Gannon usually managed to keep his personal life—what little of one he’d had—out of the office. It only went to prove how important Cam had become in Gannon’s life in recent weeks that he was allowing this to interfere with work.

  “You’re right,” he told her, lowering himself into his desk chair.

  “So, you’ll do what I said?”

  Gannon lifted an eyebrow in question.

  “Romantic dinner, smexy time, orgasm … boom. Reminder.”

  Shaking his head, Gannon didn’t reply as Milly sauntered out of his office.

  He watched as she stopped a few feet from his door, her back to him.

  “Don’t worry, y’all,” she called out, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Gannon’s not freaked out about the game release.”

  He could practically hear the sighs of relief from the others.

  “He’s just in love,” Milly tacked on after a dramatic pause.

  Dropping his head to his desk with a painful thud, Gannon closed his eyes and prayed like hell that hadn’t just happened. But the chorus of applause that sounded told him it had.

  “Don’t worry, boss,” Milly said a moment later, her voice lower this time, “At least now you won’t think about your problem because you’re dealing with your public humiliation.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered, not bothering to look up.

  “You’re welcome. That’s what I’m here for.”

  Shaking his head—rolling his forehead on his desk—Gannon sighed.

  That woman.

  Twenty-Six

  Cam was sitting on his sofa, a baseball game on the television, when a knock on his door surprised him. Figuring it was Roan or Dare coming by to hang out, he hollered to let his friend know the door was unlocked.

  But when the door opened, it wasn’t Roan’s or Dare’s face staring back at him.

  Cam couldn’t contain the smile that lit from within him, working its way through his entire body and finally making its way to his face.

  “Hey,” Cam greeted Gannon. “What’re you doin’ here?”

  Gannon returned the smile, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Holding up a bag, he said, “I brought dinner.”

  Cam glanced down at the bag. “Don’t tell me it’s a frozen pizza again? I still have the last one you brought.”

  “No frozen pizza,” Gannon confirmed, turning the bag around.

  “Chinese?”

  “Thought we’d do somethin’ different.”

  “Works for me.” Cam sat up, dropping his feet to the floor and moving over to make room for Gannon. “Sit.”

  Gannon glanced over at the television as he came to sit beside Cam. “I’ve never understood why people like this sport.”

  “Well, I’ve never understood how people can spend countless hours playing video games, so we’re even.”

  Chuckling, Gannon retrieved the cartons from the plastic bag. And when he handed Cam a plastic fork, Cam reached over and pulled Gannon to him. Without hesitation, he kissed him. Sweet, simple, but it was enough to have Cam’s dick hardening. He’d been thinking about Gannon for the past couple of days, wanting to see him again. Rather than be too forward and push himself on Gannon, he’d been waiting for Gannon to make the next move.

  Needless to say, he had, and Cam couldn’t have been happier than he was right then.

  “Eat,” Gannon whispered, his hand resting on Cam’s thigh.

  “What if I’m not hungry for food?” Cam mumbled against Gannon’s mouth, unable to resist touching him.

  “What are you hungry for?”

  “Hmm,” Cam groaned, sliding his mouth down Gannon’s jaw. “You smell good.” So fucking good.

  Although the food smelled delicious, Cam couldn’t focus on anything other than the rich, spicy scent emanating from Gannon. He’d missed him the last couple of days, eager to pick up where they’d left off in Gannon’s shower.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he told Gannon. And now that he was there, Cam knew there was no way he could focus on food right now.

  Sliding his hands beneath Gannon’s shirt, Cam forced it higher until he was insistently maneuvering it over Gannon’s head. The beast within him, the one that had been caged for these past few weeks, was ready to get free, desperate to feel more of Gannon.

  “Ah,” Gannon moaned when Cam nipped his shoulder, forcing him down onto his back.

  Cam easily worked his way over Gannon, one knee between his legs, his other foot on the floor, holding him above him.

  “I’ve been thinking about you,” Cam admitted, keeping his voice low as he kissed Gannon’s neck.

  “That right?”

  “Mm hmm. A lot.”

  “What about?”

  Cam continued trailing kisses over Gannon’s warm skin, then stopped briefly to meet Gannon’s eyes. “About all the things I want to do to you.”

  “I like the way you think,” Gannon said, a smile flirting with his mouth.

  “I thought you might.” Cam reached down and worked the button on Gannon’s jeans free. “Need to taste you.”

  “This wasn’t what I had in mind when I came over,” Gannon said, his tone raspy with arousal.

  “No?” Cam looked down into Gannon’s eyes.

  “Not that I’m complaining,” Gannon reassured him, making Cam laugh.

  “Good.” Cam continued to work Gannon’s jeans down his legs, stopping long enough to pull off Gannon’s loafers and toss them to the floor.

  Loafers.

  As nerdy as that was, it didn’t dim the raging lust that coursed through him. Everything about Gannon—nerdy or not—turned him on.

  Everything.

  Rather than start at Gannon’s mouth, Cam began trailing kisses up Gannon’s legs once he’
d relieved him of his clothing. He didn’t rush, making sure to linger on all the sensitive spots, cataloging them whenever Gannon would moan. He wanted to make him crazy. As crazy as Cam was.

  Cam forced one of Gannon’s legs up, resting it along the back cushion of the couch, then positioned himself between Gannon’s legs. Brushing his lips over the insides of Gannon’s thighs, he continued to watch him, enjoying that bewildered expression.

  “Cam,” Gannon groaned when Cam licked him, sliding the flat of his tongue across Gannon’s balls as he worked his way to Gannon’s other thigh.

  “Hmm?”

  “Love your mouth on me.”

  Yeah, well, Gannon wasn’t the only one. Cam loved exploring every inch of Gannon’s delectable body, the intoxicating scent, the warmth of smooth skin over sleek muscle, the salty taste of him. If Gannon would allow it, Cam could do this all damn day.

  Gannon’s back bowed when Cam laved his balls once more, licking, sucking.

  “You’re gonna kill me,” Gannon groaned.

  “Want me to stop?” Cam asked with a chuckle.

  “Fuck no. Never.”

  Cam resumed feasting on him, teasing him but not touching his thick cock, currently standing eager and proud. When Gannon reached for Cam’s head, he pushed his hand away.

  “No touching,” Cam warned. “Put your hands behind your head.”

  The annoyed glare that Gannon shot him made Cam grin, but he continued to torture him, watching the way Gannon’s dark eyes turned nearly black with arousal.

  Needless to say, dinner was going to have to wait.

  At least until Cam had dessert first.

  Gannon wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through this unscathed.

  Honestly, he hadn’t been thinking about sex on the drive over. Not entirely, anyway. He’d really come to have dinner with Cam, spend a couple of hours with him.

  But like he’d told Cam, he definitely wasn’t complaining.

  Cam hadn’t done anything more than use that wicked tongue and those delicious lips, and Gannon was ready to explode. When Cam ordered him to put his hands behind his head, somehow he managed to obey. Watching Cam as he explored, his damp hair—obviously from his shower—tickling the insides of Gannon’s thighs … it made him want to beg and plead for Cam to put him out of his misery.