Breaking News

by Ella Frank

  Cutting the engine, I looked to my passenger. When I offered him a tight smile, he shook his head. “I’m not fooling you for a second, am I?”

  “If you mean do I think you’re as put together as you look right now, then hell no.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “When did you get so good at reading me?”

  “It’s a natural talent. Kind of a plus in my field.”

  Yes, I supposed it would be. I let out a sigh. “I don’t know why I’m still so damn jumpy. It’s frustrating. Logically I know Kyle’s gone, that what happened is over and I should be able to put this all behind me, but—”

  Sean turned and put his hand on the back of my seat. “But it doesn’t feel that way. I know. It’s gonna take you some time to work through all of this.”

  “How much time?”

  “I can’t tell you that. One thing I can tell you is I’ll be here, no matter how long it takes.”

  “Thank you.”

  Sean reached out and ran his fingers along my jaw line. “You’re welcome. Now let’s go.”

  We crossed the parking lot in silence, and when we reached my private elevator, Sean held his hand out. I handed over my keys, and when the doors opened and we stepped inside, I moved in close to him and took his hand.

  As the elevator started its ascent, Sean said, “Did you decide where you’re going to take me for lunch after this?”

  “Where I’m taking you?”

  “Yeah.” He smirked. “We have to celebrate my return to solid foods. If I had to drink one more bowl of beef broth, things would’ve gotten ugly.”

  “You told me it was the most delicious thing you’d ever tasted.”

  “Maybe after twenty-four hours of not eating. But a week later? No. I need more in me than that.”

  It wasn’t the time or the place for where that comment made my brain go. But there was no helping it, and when Sean bumped his arm into mine and winked, I chuckled.

  “Sex jokes? Really, Sean?”

  “Who’s making sex jokes?”

  “Don’t even try to act like you don’t know what you just said. That ship has sailed.”

  Sean’s eyes lowered to my lips. “I was just making a comment about how hungry I’ve been this week. That’s all.”

  If he was trying to distract me, he was doing a damn good job of it. My mind had now shut down to everything other than the fact that we were standing very close to one another in my private elevator.

  “Do you remember when I first moved in and I asked whether this elevator had cameras in it?”

  “Yes. You were grilling me about my past hookups.”

  “I was,” Sean said, backing me up against the side wall. “You said you sure hoped it didn’t have one.”

  I remembered. I’d been acting out, trying to get a rise out of him, and he’d just kept on going as though he hadn’t heard me.

  “Did I?”

  “You did.” Sean placed his mouth by my ear. “What’d you get up to in this elevator, Xander?”

  The warmth of his breath against my neck sent a shiver down my spine. I reached for his hips, and when he moved to put a foot between mine, I automatically rubbed up against him.

  “Sean…” I turned my head, and we were so close that our noses brushed.

  “Did you do this?” Sean wrapped an arm around my waist, bringing me even closer, and the delicious pressure he added between my thighs made my cock throb.

  “Sometimes,” I said, and then angled my head so I could nip at his lips.

  Sean groaned and slid a hand around to the back of my neck. He tugged me forward to capture my lips, and a rumble of pleasure vibrated out of me.

  His hands crept around my waist to cup my ass, and I thrust up against his thigh, slamming my eyes shut. Damn he felt good, and tasted even better. But just as I was beginning to really relax into it, the elevator dinged and came to a stop.

  Sean reluctantly raised his head. “You’ll have to show me what else you did next time.”

  I could feel his erection straining against mine, and nodded. “I’d like that.”

  “You fucking better.” He took my hand and tugged me out of the elevator, and as impossible as it seemed five minutes ago, I laughed. It was a carefree sound that just burst free of me, and even though I knew what I was about to do would be hard, with Sean by my side, I knew I could get through it.

  16

  Sean

  “LEFT OR RIGHT?”

  We’d just stepped into Xander’s foyer, and as the familiar surroundings came into view, he sidled up beside me and said, “Let’s just go and get our things.”

  Our things? Oh shit, that was right—I still had a duffel bag here. Weird.

  I turned us down to the right, and as we made our way past the pool and gym, I noticed Xander’s hand tightening around mine and couldn’t help but wonder if he was remembering the day he’d received the roses.

  Not about to ask him, I kept us moving. When we reached the room I’d used during my stay here, I pushed the door wide.

  Like a perfectly preserved moment in time, my room looked exactly the way I’d left it. There was a pair of jeans slung over the end of a messily made bed, and a jar of hair stuff Xander had given me sitting on the nightstand. A towel was hanging on the back of the accent chair by the wall-sized window that overlooked the city. I remembered in perfect detail throwing it there before I’d pulled on my tux.

  I let go of Xander’s hand and walked into the space and looked around. “The last time I was in this room, I was getting ready for our date.”

  “That sounds about right,” Xander said, his eyes taking a quick inventory of their own before coming back to me.

  “Want to know something I didn’t tell you that night?”

  “Yes.” Xander crossed the room to stop in front of me. “Tell me.”

  I slipped my hands into the pockets of my shorts and grinned. “I was so damn nervous.”

  The confession was worth the slight embarrassment I felt when a beautiful smile crossed Xander’s lips.

  “Were you?”

  “Yep. Totally fucking nervous.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “I was about to take Alexander Thorne to some fancy awards night. Tuxedo and all. I didn’t know what I was doing. How to talk, how to act…”

  Xander blinked at me, and the warm expression that entered those stunning eyes of his made my heart thump.

  “You were perfect,” he whispered, and reached for my hand. “I was so proud to be there with you.”

  Jesus. Who knew such a simple statement could hold so much power? Xander had been proud to be there…with me.

  That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. Xander had known me a long time now, most of my life, and I’d given him many reasons to think a whole number of things about me. But to think that he’d felt pride when standing beside me on one of the most important nights of his life? That was…wow.

  “You look surprised.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “Why? There are plenty of things about you for a person to be proud of. You’re a dedicated detective, an amazing older brother, a badass bodyguard, and…”

  “And?”

  Xander touched his fingers to my shirt and smiled. “And you kiss like you should give a master class in it.”

  I laughed, recognizing his jab immediately. “What can I say? I learned from the best.”

  Xander’s eyes lit up from the smile that graced his lips, and I couldn’t help but trace my thumb over the top of them.

  “I’m glad I was with you that night for many reasons, anchorman. But the main one was to see you surrounded by people who admire you, people who look up to you. And if you were proud to be there with me, just know that I was ecstatic to stand next to you.”

  Xander’s cheeks flushed, and when I let go of his hand and asked, “Do you want to go and grab some clothes?” he glanced over his shoulder, and his indecision was clear.

  He was still so uneasy here, the one
place he used to consider his sanctuary, and it was heartbreaking to see.

  “Xander?”

  He turned back to me, his eyes wary, his brow furrowed. “I’ll wait here with you, if you don’t mind. Just for now.”

  I scooped up my jeans and shook my head. “No problem. It’s not going to take me long.”

  Xander grabbed the towel off the accent chair and took a seat, and as I moved around the room picking up my clothes, I kept my attention on him. He had one eye on me, but every little sound he heard throughout his house made him jump.

  Once I’d stuffed the final shirt in my bag, I came over to him and dropped it on the floor. “All done.”

  Xander looked to the bulging duffel by his feet. “I have no idea how you got all that in there.”

  I shrugged. “By not caring how it comes out at the other end.”

  “Okay, you have a point there. I do care about that.”

  “I know. You have your suits laundered overnight after every broadcast.”

  “The station does that, not me.”

  “Mhmm.”

  “They do.”

  “I believe you.”

  “No, you don’t. You think I’m a snob who lives up here in his fancy-ass high-rise indulging in his uppity ways.”

  I couldn’t stop laughing at Xander’s put-out tone, because those were my words. But now that I’d gotten to know him, now that I’d lived with him both here and in my bare-bones bachelor pad, it was obvious he didn’t need fancy surroundings to shine. He did that all on his own.

  “Okay, so maybe I said that, but I’ve had time to reevaluate since then. This place suits you.”

  Xander opened his mouth, but before he could fire back, I held my hand up.

  “Not in a snobby, flashy kind of way, but in the sense that you deserve the best. You work hard, you put in sixteen-plus-hour days every day—and sometimes on the weekends. You should spend your money however you like. This is your sanctuary. Don’t listen to me.”

  Xander fell quiet, and for a second I thought I might’ve said the wrong thing.

  “It doesn’t feel like my sanctuary. I don’t even know if I can be alone here anymore.”

  I wished like hell I could take away the fear he was feeling. This was supposed to be his safe space, and instead it felt anything but.

  I crouched until I was eye level with him and took his hands. “You can, I promise you. You just need to take it back. Make it yours again.”

  Xander shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I wish it was that easy. But every little sound, even the ones I used to know off by heart, they make me jump ten feet. I feel like a paranoid nutcase.”

  “Stop being so hard on yourself. You just found out that this Kyle guy— who not only turned out to be a stalker but probably a whole lot more—was in your house on more than one occasion. If you weren’t feeling a little paranoid, I’d be worried. But it’ll pass, and until then, you can stay with me.”

  “And what if that takes a year, two years?”

  “I don’t care if it takes for-fucking-ever. You have a place with me for however long you want it.”

  Xander’s eyes widened, but then an expression I’d never seen before entered them. It was soft, hopeful, and full of something else that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. But whatever it was, it made my heart swell.

  “Okay, let’s get you some clothes and head back to my place.” Xander nodded, and I tugged him to his feet. “Bet you never thought that would be a place of comfort, right?”

  I laughed and headed out into the hall, then stopped in front of his bedroom doors and looked back to see him just behind me.

  “You okay?”

  Xander walked up to me and placed a hand on my arm, leaning into my side. “I am now.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I just realized something. It’s not the place that makes somewhere special or comforting, but the people—or person—in it. Thank you for being here with me.”

  I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, and as I opened his bedroom door, I knew with absolute certainty that there was nowhere else on earth I’d rather be.

  17

  Xander

  IT’D BEEN A long day. A long week, really. Sean unlocked his front door and held it open for me, and I headed inside and made my way down to his bedroom with my suitcase in tow.

  We’d decided on Mexican takeout for dinner. Soft chicken tacos and cooked rice seemed like something Sean could stomach, and since he’d balked at the idea of any kind of soup, I’d decided this was a better option for him than a steak. I’d gone for some fish tacos myself, and while he was busy getting it ready, I headed into the bathroom to freshen up.

  A quick look in the mirror told me I was in desperate need of some sleep, and my longer-than-usual hair was flopping down into my eyes. I was a far cry from the usually put-together newsman the nation saw five nights a week. But considering I hadn’t slept more than a handful of hours in days, the disheveled man staring back at me wasn’t that much of a surprise.

  A light knock on the door made me quickly splash some water on my face and then open up. Sean offered up a smile, and I noticed his eyes looked a little tired around the edges also.

  “You ready to eat?”

  “Actually, I’m beat. Would you mind if I lie down for a bit? You go ahead. I know you’ve been waiting all day for it.”

  “All week,” Sean said with a smirk, and then he walked down the hall and into his bedroom, where he drew the curtains. He turned back to where I stood just inside the door. “Why don’t you get in bed and warm up a spot for me? I’ll join you in just a bit.”

  I nodded and took a deep inhale as he walked out the door, carrying his familiar scent with me to the bed. I stripped down to my briefs and slid beneath the cool sheets.

  Off in the distance I could hear Sean moving around the kitchen, and where every little noise back at my place had made me jump, this familiar soundtrack was music to my ears. It let me know he was close by, that there was just a hallway between him and me, and when I finally heard him enter the bedroom, my entire body relaxed.

  The shifting of material told me he was undressing, and when he gently moved back the sheets and climbed inside, I closed my eyes and willed him to put his arms around me.

  As if he’d heard my thoughts, Sean shifted to his side and scooted in close behind me. “Ahh, this is the first time I’ve been able to do this in a week. You don’t mind, do you?”

  He wrapped his arm around my waist, and when he flattened his hand on my lower abs and tugged me back until his cock nestled in against my backside, I couldn’t stop my low moan.

  “Don’t mind at all. Feels good,” I whispered into the dark room. I reached down to cover his hand with mine. “You feel good.”

  “Hmm, so do you.” Sean kissed his way up the back of my neck and when he nuzzled in under my ear, goosebumps covered my skin. “You cold?”

  His voice was a sexy, throaty baritone that made every nerve ending in my body come alive. “Not cold, no.”

  Teasing fingers flirted with the elastic of my briefs, and Sean nipped at my earlobe. “Hot, then?”

  I arched my head back until it was resting on his shoulder. “Getting hotter by the second.”

  Sean grinned. “Yeah, you fucking are. I’ve been waiting all day to get my hands on you like this again.”

  His erection was thick and hard against my ass, and I thrust back against it. I linked my fingers with his and slipped them inside my briefs. “Touch me?”

  “Thought you’d never ask,” he said, then bit down onto my lower lip and brushed his palm over the head of my dick.

  “Yes,” I groaned, and directed his hand down until his fingers were wrapped around me. “God, Sean…”

  “I know.” He gave a nice, hard pull and ground up against me.

  This past week had been a series of highs and lows, restraint and frustration, but this moment was pure perfection. With one hand down my briefs moving in
time with his, I reached back with my other and gripped the back of Sean’s hair. Then I took his mouth in the kiss I’d been dying to give him all day.

  It wasn’t gentle, and it wasn’t smooth—it was rough and raw, full of emotion. All thinking had ceased for now; there was no room here for anything other than feeling. Sean’s tongue found mine, and they tangled in a delicious mating of the mouths. My eyes fluttered shut and I gave myself over to the power of the moment—to the power of us.

  My mind, my body, my spirit were all his, and while I knew this kind of vulnerability came with a price, it was time to let go. It was time to trust that whatever we were sharing was going to be the light that guided me—guided us—back to a place where we could heal and grow together.

  There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted more of this, more of him, and I knew right then that I’d do whatever I must to have him.

  18

  Sean

  JESUS, XANDER WAS perfect. He felt perfect, tasted perfect, and fit into my arms like he was made to be there.

  I didn’t know how I’d missed him all these years, but I sure as hell wasn’t missing him now. Every inch of me was aware of him. Xander writhed in my arms like he’d never felt this good in his life—and I knew exactly how he felt.

  My cock was so hard for him that I was surprised it hadn’t burst through the cotton of my briefs. As it was, it was making a hell of a mess inside them, but what did I expect with Xander’s cum coating my hand, his tongue tasting every corner of my mouth as though I was his favorite ice cream?

  I hadn’t known what to expect when I crawled into bed with him tonight. Today had been long and exhausting for the both of us. But when he’d curled back into me, inviting me to touch, that had been it. My tired body had woken up and remembered how much it wanted him.

  “Sean,” he said against my mouth, and then pulled away. He shifted to bury his face in the pillow, and I moved in behind him and rocked my hips a little harder against his.