Angel Without

by Rhiannon Ayers

  Riley grinned. “Yep. That’s the place. Whole town’s about as big as a postage stamp, but they’ve got tourists coming in for miles around. Nice place to visit—not so much to live, though. Not enough jobs to go around.” He stopped there, hoping like hell they’d let the subject drop. He did not want to go into detail about his family. He was all for learning more about the two of them—his own past, he could do without.

  Fortunately, Maddox seemed to pick up on his discomfort, because he guided their conversation to more mundane topics. The three of them sat around the kitchen island, just chatting, until Amber finally finished her slice of pizza. Maddox and Riley managed to kill off the rest of the pie while she ate her single piece, making him smile inwardly. She was so little. So delicate and petite. Yet he sensed a core of steel in her, a strength that could easily rival his own.

  Ah, hell, who was he kidding? She was definitely stronger than him. That was a no-brainer, what with all she’d been through. Riley couldn’t even imagine surviving the things she had. His own pathetic problems couldn’t hold a candle to hers.

  “Oh, I forgot to charge my phone!” Amber said, popping off her stool like a jack-in-the-box. “Be right back!”

  Maddox and Riley watched her race up the stairs, the taller man with a soft smile on his face. The moment she was out of sight, those gray eyes turned Riley’s way, and he found himself held motionless as that innate charisma washed over him.

  “Thanks. For staying. For eating with her. She seemed a lot more comfortable, didn’t she?”

  Throat choked with lust, Riley could only nod. Something buzzed in the room, and Maddox dug around in his back pocket, finally pulling out a cell phone. He raised an eyebrow at the screen, looking up as Amber starting coming back down the stairs.

  “It’s Sidri. Tucking us in for the night.”

  Amber sighed, stopping on the very last step. “I guess that means we should go to bed.”

  Jesus fuck, he could not be in this house when the pixie went up to her bed. Not without exploding. Riley jumped up, moving so fast his stool slid backward a good three feet. Maddox stood more slowly, slipping his phone back in his pocket as both men headed for the living room. Riley was all set to make a beeline out the door when Amber said, “Riley. I need to tell you something.”

  He stopped, watching her closely. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light, and she had a cute little smile on her face. When he just stood there, she made a come-hither motion with her finger, making him bite back a groan. He approached, slowly, and stopped about a foot away from her. With her standing on the last step, she was a lot closer to his height. Perfect for kissing the living daylights out of her. His whole body vibrated with the need to touch her, take her in his arms. He suppressed the urge—barely.

  Amber leaned forward, resting a small hand on his shoulder, and put her lips right next to his ear. “Something you should know about Maddox,” she whispered, her voice almost a purr. When he drew back, looking into her eyes with a frown, she gave him a wicked little grin.

  “He wants you.”

  “Wants me to what?” Riley said, his throat full of broken glass.

  Amber leaned forward again, this time resting a hand on his cheek as she looked into his eyes with an earnest, honest expression. “He wants you, Riley. The same way you want him. Trust me. Maddox wants you. What are you going to do about it?” Then she pulled back, gave him a little wave and wink, and sauntered off up the stairs, leaving Riley standing there with his jaw on the floor.

  No the fuck way. No way did she really say that to him. No way. No. Fucking. Way.

  Riley turned, expecting to find Maddox looking at him with murder in his eyes. Amber had just outed Riley, for Christ’s sake. The guy would be totally disgusted, probably freaking out. Cringing inside, Riley studied Maddox’s expression—and was utterly shocked to see lust looking back at him.

  Clearing his throat, Riley croaked, “She…she just said…”

  “I know what she said,” Maddox said quietly. He never took his eyes off Riley’s face. “I gave her permission to say it to you.”

  That sound that just came out of Riley’s mouth? Definitely not a whimper. Nope, nothing so embarrassing would come out of him at a time like this. Hands shaking, he took a step back.

  “She…she just said…Did she really mean…” Damn it, his brain was going in a million different directions, and none of them were the same direction as his mouth. He licked his lips, started panting as Maddox took a step closer.

  “I don’t think that’s the question we’ll be asking,” Maddox said silkily. He took another step.

  “What…what…question?” Riley stammered. He couldn’t take his eyes off Maddox, couldn’t help basking in the heat that rolled off that fucking amazing body. If he came any closer…

  “The question is,” Maddox rumbled, “do you want me, Riley?”

  Okay, now that was a whimper. There wasn’t enough air in the room. Wasn’t enough air on the whole damn planet to make up for what Maddox took up, just with his presence alone. Riley had never felt this hot, this twitchy, this jumpy in his life. Felt like someone slipped millions of Mexican jumping beans under his skin and set all of them off at the same goddamned time.

  Maddox took yet another step. “Do you want me, Riley?” he asked again. He was so close, Riley could feel his breath washing across his face. Riley tried to step back, to gain some room to think, but fetched up against the bannister. Shoulders heaving, he tried to force sound out of his mouth, without success.

  Maddox glanced down, watching as Riley licked his lips convulsively. Those gorgeous eyes of his were pure silver now, shining so bright they were like twin moons in the darkness.

  “Answer me, Riley. Do you want me?”

  Could he? Could he answer Maddox? Could he tell the truth? Could he take the risk?

  “Yes,” Riley said, the word popping out of his mouth before he could catch it. Cringing, he waited for Maddox’s reaction, waited for the revulsion, the condemnation, and the hatred he knew was coming. As he watched, eyes as wide as dinner plates, Maddox closed the distance between them…

  And kissed him.

  Chapter 10

  Holy. Fuck.

  A shudder rippled down Riley’s spine as those soft lips touched his own. He was kissing another man. Kissing Maddox. Never, never, never in his life would he have thought this would happen. Yet here he was, locking lips with another dude, so fucking turned on he wondered if his shorts would catch on fire. With a groan brought up from his very toes, Riley threaded his fingers through Maddox’s belt loops and pulled the man close, kissing him desperately.

  And Christ God in heaven, the man could kiss. Maddox’s tongue invaded his mouth, battling with his own so fiercely, so possessively, Riley quickly lost himself in the feel of it. Maddox owned him with lips, teeth, and tongue, exploring every corner of his mouth like he wanted to map it from the inside out.

  Riley was used to being the aggressor, used to chicks who expected him to lead the way all the time. Now he found himself drowning, so swept away by the aggressive way Maddox kissed him, he could do nothing but go along for the ride. In no time, he was panting, his cock waging all-out war on his zipper, fingers digging into Maddox’s jeans as he held on for dear life.

  And everywhere Maddox touched him, Riley burned.

  Finally, at long last, when Riley was spinning from lack of air and ready to melt into a puddle on the floor, Maddox pulled back and looked in his eyes once more.

  “I want you, Riley,” he said softly, sincerely. “Always have. But I won’t force you. Your choice. Will you be with me tonight? Will you let me show you what it could be like, between you and me?”

  “What…about…Amber?” Riley gasped. Most of his brain cells had already headed south, but he had enough integrity to get that one question out.

  To his surprise, Maddox smiled softly, running his thumb across Riley’s lower lip. “Tonight is about you and me. We’ll talk about Amber another ti
me. She’s the one who started this train, if you’ll recall. But it’s up to you whether we follow that track all the way to the end. You need to tell me what you want.”

  Riley shivered. “I want…you,” he strangled out, so turned on he was buzzing like a drunk bumblebee. “Please.”

  Maddox groaned, mashing their lips together for another hard, hot, tongue-fucking kiss. Then he pulled back, rested his forehead against Riley’s as he grated, “I want our first time to be in a bed, Riley. My bed.”

  He paused, fished something out of his pocket, and tucked it in Riley’s front jeans pocket, fingertips brushing his hard-on. Riley gasped, body convulsing. Maddox shot him a smoldering look, but didn’t stop talking.

  “That’s my key. Go next door. Leave the door unlocked. I want you to go upstairs. Go to my room. Then I want you to strip. By the time I walk in, I want to see you naked, lying in the middle of my bed, stroking that glorious cock while you wait for me. Will you do that for me, Riley?”

  And how the fuck was he supposed to walk that far with a dick the size of Texas? Shaking, Riley moaned as Maddox’s sensual command worked its way into his bloodstream. He could picture it already—Maddox, walking into his bedroom to find Riley naked on top of his sheets, hard cock in hand. Watching Maddox strip out of his work clothes, never taking his eyes off Riley’s hand job. Just the picture in his head was so fucking hot he was ready to explode. He licked his lips and managed a nod, too far gone to get words past the knot of lust in his throat.

  Maddox flashed one of those heart-stopping smiles, kissed Riley again, and took a big step back. Panting uncontrollably, Riley stumbled toward the door. He paused on the threshold, looking back, hoping against hope he hadn’t just dreamed that whole damn thing. But Maddox still stood there, eyes bright and lips kiss-bruised, so fucking sexy it nearly brought Riley to his knees. Maddox met his eyes, gave him a nod. With a last shudder, Riley bolted out the door.

  Odds on, this was a dream. Just another wet dream, like any of the million others he’d had since meeting Maddox. But, just on the off-chance it wasn’t, Riley picked up his pace, hopping both sets of steps and cursing his shaky hands while trying to stuff the damn key in the lock. When it finally clicked, Riley shuddered again and bolted inside, leaving the door unlocked as instructed. He took the stairs three at a time, breathing hard, but not from exertion. Anticipation, lust, and a healthy dose of fear rocketed through his body, making it hard to tell up from down.

  He was standing in the middle of Maddox’s bedroom, staring at the enticingly empty king-size bed, when he heard the front door slam.

  * * * *

  The moment Riley disappeared out the door, Maddox sagged against the banister, thinking, He really wants me. And I really want him. And Amber made it possible for both of us to admit it.

  Shivering, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He regretted his deception earlier, telling Riley it was Sidri texting him good night, but he hadn’t expected Amber to have called his phone the moment she got upstairs. It had been on in his pocket this whole time, on mute. Hand shaking, he thumbed the button and put the phone to his ear.

  “Angel?”

  “God in heaven, Maddox. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

  He chuckled, loving the sexy little purr in her voice. “I take it you watched us kiss?”

  “Did I ever!” Amber said lustily. “Jesus, I thought Riley’s clothes were going to melt off him, he was so hot for you.”

  Taking a deep breath, Maddox headed for the back of her house, locked the patio doors, and closed the blinds. Then he made his way back toward the front door. “You’ll need to come downstairs and lock the door, angel. No use getting sloppy tonight, especially since your protectors will be…hmm, distracted.”

  “Of course. Go! Go! Go! Don’t keep him waiting!”

  Chuckling, Maddox headed out the door, closing it softly behind him. “I’m going. I’ll put the phone back on mute in a minute. And what will you be doing, Amber? What will you be doing while I’m making love to Riley?”

  She moaned breathily. “Getting myself off,” she said in that sexy, silky whisper of hers.

  “As many times as possible,” Maddox agreed with an appreciative growl. He stopped on his front stoop, hand on the door handle. “This phone better stay on tonight. Understand me? I want to know you’re there with us the entire time. And Amber? Next time, you’ll be in the room with us. I promise you that.”

  “Looking forward to it,” she assured him. “Now go.”

  Shaking his head at the command in her tone, Maddox thumbed the mute button once again, took a deep breath, and went inside to claim his man.

  * * * *

  The sound of the door closing was like thunder rolling in the distance. Riley shivered, cursing himself for the fear that made him hesitate. With trembling hands, he reached over his head and snagged his T-shirt, bunching the soft gray fabric between his fingers as he pulled upward. A cool wash of air from the ceiling fan danced over his too-hot skin, making goose bumps rise and his nipples tighten. Panting now, he balled the shirt between his hands as he listened to Maddox’s footsteps on the stairs.

  He was close. So very close. But Riley couldn’t make himself reach for his fly. Couldn’t make himself take off his jeans and get on the bed as he’d been told. He could only stand there, shivering, while he waited, wondering if Maddox would be pissed he hadn’t followed orders.

  Though his back was to the door, he knew the moment Maddox walked in. Riley could feel his presence like a wall of heat approaching his back, could tell by the way the room got suddenly smaller. He closed his eyes, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as Maddox stopped a few feet away.

  “Change your mind?” That deep, growly voice echoed through Riley’s body, all the way down to his toes.

  Riley shuddered. “I’m not gay,” he said in a strangled whisper.

  To his utter shock, Maddox laughed. “I know.”

  “I saw you…kissing Amber.” He paused, cleared the lust from his throat. “So you’re not gay, either.”

  Another sultry chuckle stropped across his naked back. “No, I am most definitely not gay.”

  Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Riley turned to face the other man, his expression pained as he fought for words to explain the turmoil rolling through him. “I don’t…understand this. I’ve never…wanted a guy before. Not even close. I don’t…I don’t understand why I want you.”

  Maddox’s eyes went quicksilver, his face so full of blatant hunger it took Riley’s breath away. He took a step forward, gently pulled the balled shirt from Riley’s hands, and shook the material out. He tossed it across the lowboy at the foot of the bed, never taking his eyes off Riley’s.

  “I do,” Maddox assured him, those two little words so full of sensual promise, Riley almost dropped to his knees. Maddox took a step forward, bringing his heat even closer. “I do understand, Riley. And I can help you understand it. But only if you want me to. I won’t force you. You need to make the choice, every step of the way. And if you change your mind, I won’t hold it against you. Your choice. Your decision. Tonight is all about you.”

  Riley swallowed, hard, as some of the fear bled away at Maddox’s quiet assertions. He could change his mind. That was good to know, since his mind was the one with the problem getting wrapped around this whole situation. His body, on the other hand, was screaming at him, every cell in it yearning, straining toward Maddox, vibrating with the need to touch and be touched. Nope, his body had no problem whatsoever with this scenario. Only his head needed to catch up.

  Riley licked his lips, cleared his throat again. “I’m afraid,” he confessed in a strangled whisper. “Afraid it’s…going to hurt.”

  Maddox’s expression softened. He took a half step forward, slowly reached out both hands, and slid his index fingers through Riley’s outermost belt loops. Riley gasped as Maddox ran his thumbs across the soft skin beneath his navel, just above the button on his jeans.


  “I won’t lie to you,” Maddox said softly, sincerely. “There may be a little pain. At first. It can take time to adjust, the first time. But it doesn’t last, and most men find they’re addicted to the stretch, the burn of that first penetration.” His silver eyes sparkled as Riley whimpered, hearing those words from Maddox’s lips.

  He continued in a rumbly whisper, “Makes them feel like men, Riley. Men are supposed to endure a little pain, push through it, knowing there is a tidal wave of pleasure on the other side of it. They live for that little bite of pain, live for the pleasure that follows. It becomes a burning in your blood, a need unlike any other.”

  He paused, stroked both thumbs through Riley’s treasure trail, making him moan. Those two tiny points of contact had more power than a dozen electrodes attached to his skin. “I can give you that. If you’re willing to trust me. If you’re willing to give yourself to me. But only if you want to. I won’t force you to experience something you don’t want. Ever.”

  Riley’s whole body was shaking as Maddox exerted quiet, insistent pressure against his sides, drawing him closer, until there was barely half an inch separating them. It was the most natural thing in the world to reach up and wrap both hands around Maddox’s biceps. Riley might be heavier, but Maddox was definitely taller. He found himself looking up into those quicksilver eyes, darting glances at those sinful lips as Maddox continued weaving his spell of seduction over the two of them.

  “Will you trust me, Riley?” Maddox whispered.

  “It’s not about trust,” Riley croaked, hating himself.

  “Yes, it is. Trusting me. Trusting yourself. Trusting that, together, we can make magic. Trusting the rest of the world to take care of itself for a while, without your worrying about anything but the pleasure we can build together.”

  “It’s the rest of the world I’m worried about, Maddox.” Riley winced, his fingers squeezing the heavy muscle in the taller man’s arms, marveling at the strength he found there.