by Evie Drae
Ellis nuzzled into Henry’s neck. To regain some semblance of privacy, he lowered his voice and spoke against Henry’s ear. “You made us appointments to get tested. We’re being safe in the meantime. That’s all that matters. Don’t let what others think affect what we have.”
“Fuck, I…” Henry bit his lip and shook his head, as if shaking away the thought he’d almost spoken aloud. “You’re too good to me.”
They pulled up outside what Ray had always condescendingly called a McMansion in a sprawling desert housing development. It was a bit cookie cutter, yes, but it was leaps and bounds nicer than the Boulder City home Ellis slaved to the bone to finance and maintain all in the name of Ray’s comfort and his own emotional preservation.
When Henry knocked on the door a few minutes later, it was opened almost immediately by a tiny sprite of a woman with her auburn curls piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She closed her light gray eyes with an exasperated groan and clutched on to Henry’s wrist. “Tell me you’re sober. My wife is staring down the bottom of wine bottle number two for the evening. I’m about to crawl up the walls.”
As if just realizing Ellis stood a step behind Henry, she craned her neck around his shoulder. Her brows popped wide as she tugged Henry in the door and shoved him into the depths of her home before locking a Cheshire-cat grin on Ellis. “Well, hello there, stud muffin. You must be He Who Makes Cin Turn to Mush himself. I’m Lizbeth.”
She held out a hand, and they shook hello. Ellis liked her already. “Nice to meet you. Name’s Ellis if you’re looking for something a bit shorter to call me, although I’m okay with that extended moniker too.”
Lizbeth tipped her head back on a cackle. When Henry tried to speak, she elbowed him in the gut, then pointed in the direction she’d already attempted to shove him in once. “Drunky is thataway. You’re on duty now. Baby-on-board and I deserve a break.” Henry squinted his gaze, but Lizbeth snapped her fingers and pointed once again down the hall. “Go. Don’t worry about us. I’ll take good care of your boy. Ellis and I are going to get acquainted somewhere far, far away from the shitstorm you inherited. Good luck, rock star. You’re gonna need it.”
With that, Lizbeth hooked an arm through Ellis’s, hip bumped the door closed, and guided him in the opposite direction from the way she’d aimed Henry.
Ellis peered over his shoulder and snickered at the sight of Henry standing in the foyer exactly as they’d left him, a bemused expression contorting his features into an adorably beleaguered mask.
Lizbeth led them into a comfortable sitting area decorated in what could only be called desert chic. The walls and ceiling were cream stucco, but the floor was a copper-toned stone tile with weathered wood moldings. The L-shaped couch and single armchair were a teal twill fabric with gold, white, and salmon accent pillows. Several cacti in planters dotted the space and red clay pottery in various shapes and sizes were spotlighted on the stone hearth.
She pulled him onto the couch beside her and brushed the back of her hand over her forehead. “Being married is a chore. Don’t ever do it. Unless it’s to Cinder, of course. That boy may be a stubborn ox, but he’s got a heart of gold. Although”—she narrowed her gaze, trailing it up and down Ellis in an overt and critical assessment—“you’ll have to pass muster before we’ll permit you to have his hand. We protect what’s ours. Consider yourself warned.”
“Noted.” Ellis rubbed at the back of his neck but relaxed a fraction when Lizbeth’s expression softened.
“Any who.” Lizbeth kicked her feet up on the gold and marble coffee table and laid a protective hand over her baby bump. “We’ve certainly heard a lot about you lately. Do you have anything to say for yourself, or should we take Cin’s glowing accolades as info enough and move on to the interrogation portion of this little chat?”
“Ah…”
Lizbeth snorted and bumped Ellis’s shoulder with her own. “I’m kidding. Cin hasn’t given me any reason to doubt your worth, and he’s a big boy. However, I meant it when I said we protect what’s ours. So if you’re thinking of breaking his heart, I suggest you put at least a zip code or two between Kumi and me before you do, capisce?”
Ellis almost busted out laughing until he realized Lizbeth was being stone-cold serious. He coughed to cover the almost-mistake and rubbed his sweaty palms over his jean-clad thighs. “I can’t promise how things will turn out between us, because I’m not blessed with future sight. However, I can promise to treat Henry with the respect, devotion, and care he deserves.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes welled-up with a filmy layer of tears. “Ohmygod, did you call him Henry?” She fanned herself and sniffled. “Damn hormones. I’m not usually a crier, but seriously. That might be the cutest damn thing I’ve ever heard.”
Frowning, Ellis tried to think back on his conversation with Henry when he’d learned his true identity. Henry had agreed to let Ellis continue calling him by the name he’d known him by up until that point, but had he mentioned anything about keeping that between them? Had Ellis just royally fucked up?
“What did I say? Why are you so pale all of a sudden?” Lizbeth sat forward, her eyes wide. “It looks like someone hooked a Shop-Vac to your circulatory system and drained you dry.”
Before Ellis could think of something to say other than silently flapping his lips like a fish out of water, a loud crash echoed from the hallway, followed by a high-pitched squeal, a shout from Henry, and then a roaring, drunken cackle.
Lizbeth rolled her eyes and levered off the couch belly first, one hand supporting her back as she padded toward the sound of chaos. “Kumiko Matsura-Hodges, what the hell are you doing?”
Henry stumbled into the room, looking frazzled and harried. He flopped onto the couch beside Ellis and curled into him. “Hold me. I think she broke me.”
Swallowing to coat his dry throat, Ellis circled an arm around Henry’s shoulders as he nuzzled into Ellis’s neck. “What happened out there?”
“Damn woman has lost her mind.” Henry shook his head, planting a line of kisses up the column of Ellis’s throat. “One minute we’re having a perfectly bizarre conversation that I couldn’t repeat or make sense of if I tried, the next she’s barreling down the hallway in search of… Raisinets? I think?”
“Raisinets?” Ellis scrunched his nose. “As in, the candy?”
“Hell if I know. I couldn’t make a lick of sense out of anything she said. I kept having to pry her hands off the carving knife because I think she was trying to demonstrate how to pop the cork off a wine bottle with it. Which, I don’t think you can do. There might be something about doing that with a champagne bottle, but those corks are different, and I…” Henry’s rambling petered out with a muffled groan as he buried his face in Ellis’s shoulder. “She totally killed my high off being high, man. Can we go home?”
Lizbeth entered the room then with a tall, slender, and gorgeous Japanese woman leaning heavily on her slim shoulders. She shot a pointed glare at Henry as she and her drunken charge fell in a heap onto the sofa, practically landing on top of Henry. He skittered out of the way and wound up in Ellis’s lap.
“He wouldn’t… lemme…” Kumiko squinted an angry eye at Henry, her finger pointing with wobbly focus in his general direction. “Wanna to jus’ open…”
“This is the last time I’m leaving you in charge. Did you let her have more?” Lizbeth kicked Henry in the shin as she attempted to keep Kumiko propped up beside her. He cried out and placed a hand over the injured spot, but she bobbled her head in response, bulging her eyes in exasperation. “That was deserved, my friend. I’m the one that’s going to have to clean up her vomit at 3:00 a.m., not you.”
“Drinkin’ fer three, bay-bee.” Kumiko’s slurred words were broken by a hiccup as she placed a hand over Lizbeth’s stomach and giggled. “Muh girls.”
Henry perked up at that. “Did you find out the sex? Is it a girl?”
Casting a warm smile at Kumiko, filled with more love than Ellis could e
ver hope to illicit from another, Lizbeth nodded and covered her wife’s hand atop her baby bump. “Yep. We’re having a little girl. Found out today, which is why Kumi has damn near drank our wine cellar dry.”
“Drinkin’ fer you.” Kumiko hummed, dropping her head to Lizbeth’s shoulder.
“Yes, love, I know.” Lizbeth stroked a gentle hand down Kumiko’s sleek black hair, then shifted her attention to Henry and Ellis. “She thought it would be cute to celebratory drink for all three of us. You can see how well that turned out.”
Henry scoffed as he rubbed at his shin. “Yeah, not well at all. She’s gonna get an earful as soon as she’s far enough free of tomorrow’s epic hangover to grasp the words coming out of my mouth.”
A loud snore rang through the room and Lizbeth sighed. “Well, looks like she’s finally down for the count. Would you gents be willing to help a preggo lady out and carry this deadweight to bed?”
Henry bounced off Ellis’s lap and pointed square at his chest. “You’re the muscle in this relationship. I can still barely move after the workout you put me through yesterday. I’ll navigate to the bedroom if you carry her ass there.”
Lizbeth’s eyes twinkled with mischievous delight. “I can only imagine what kind of workout you boys were getting up to—”
“Nope, not going there, Liz.” Henry held up a hand and shook his head. He locked gazes with Ellis and motioned to Kumiko’s slumped form with a questioning chin tilt. When Ellis gave a nod of agreement, Henry waited for him to scoop Kumiko into his arms, then led the way to their bedroom.
They deposited Kumiko in bed, then left Lizbeth there to tuck her in. Henry urged Ellis toward the front door. “Come on, let’s get the hell outta here while Liz is otherwise occupied.”
Feeling more than a little overwhelmed after the whirlwind of the past half hour, Ellis gladly followed Henry out the door. As they piled into the SUV and headed for Henry’s, Ellis closed his eyes and let his head fall against the back of the seat.
Apparently, being part of Henry’s life came with more than the pandemonium associated with his rabid fanbase and eager media vultures. It also came with a circle of friends who loved and adored Henry in a way Ellis had never experienced before.
He was grateful for their presence in Henry’s life, because he deserved that kind of devotion and support, but Ellis couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy bubbling under the surface. Even if Henry wanted Ellis in his life, would his closest friends accept him?
As if he could read Ellis’s mind, Henry placed a palm against Ellis’s cheek and guided their gazes together. “I’m sorry for bringing you to meet them tonight. Wasn’t the best timing. I’m sure Lizbeth was a bit out of sorts after dealing with Kumi’s sloppy drunk ass all evening, so ignore anything she may have said that has you looking so forlorn, okay? They’re great gals, but the Matsura-Hodges household was a hot ass mess this evening. We’ll do a redo when Kumiko has her wits about her, and Lizbeth isn’t gnashing her teeth in wifely frustration.”
Ellis welcomed Henry’s soft lips and the promise of not only a pleasant evening to come, but of unconditional acceptance and steadfast adoration. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” Henry traced a thumb over Ellis’s jaw, undoubtedly marking the spot still bruised by Ray’s fists. “Anything.”
“Did I screw up by calling you Henry in front of Lizbeth?”
Henry drew back his chin, pinching his face in confusion for the briefest of moments before a wide grin stretched his lips. “Oh, I bet she liked that, didn’t she?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Not at all, babe. Henry’s my name, and it’s what you call me. Has Lizbeth razzed me for having such an uncool given name when I’m supposed to be some ‘trendsetting’ pop star? Absolutely. But I love that you call me Henry, and I’m not ashamed by it one bit. At least, not when it’s coming from you. However, I’ve threatened pretty much everyone else with life-altering limb breakage if they so much as utter the name. Consider it further proof of how special you really are.”
When Henry winked and drew Ellis back in for another deep, delicious kiss, all the weight of worry slipped free of Ellis’s shoulders. Henry knew how to make him feel special in a way no one ever had before. And tonight, Ellis would do everything he could to make sure Henry understood how mutual that feeling was.
Chapter Eighteen
When they finally got home after what had turned out to be a far more eventful evening than expected, Cinder barely got the front door closed before Ellis was on him. Those soft, sweet lips crushed over Cinder’s, and that hard, beautiful body pinned him against the wall.
Never one to turn down anything Ellis had to offer—especially after he’d admitted to his discomfort with taking control—Cinder sank into his touch. He dropped his head back and allowed Ellis to feast at his throat, nibbling and kissing his way from Cinder’s jaw to the hollow of his collarbone, a place he’d only recently discovered to be an indelible erotic zone.
On the tail end of a moan, Cinder gripped Ellis’s biceps. “If you’re not careful, I might wind up taking advantage of you. I’d planned to let you go to sleep after such a long, action-packed evening, but—”
“What if I want to take advantage of you for a change?”
Ellis’s gruff voice blew over Cinder’s ear, sending every last trace of his sanity packing up and heading south. When his knees gave out as his head swirled with dizzying and dirty thoughts, Ellis caught him by slipping his knee between Cinder’s legs. The feel of that work-hewn muscle flexing against his growing erection was enough to draw a feral growl up Cinder’s throat. “I’m all yours, baby.”
With a gravelly laugh, Ellis pressed closer still, until he’d trapped Cinder against a literal rock and a hard place—Ellis’s rock-solid body at his front and the hard inflexibility of the wall at his back.
“Thank you for making tonight so completely perfect, and for making me feel so special. Always.” Ellis nipped at Cinder’s earlobe. “Now, I want to make you feel special. Will you let me?”
Ellis rolled his hips and sent Cinder’s thoughts spiraling into the gutter. He forced a façade of coherence to the forefront with what little lucidity remained in his upstairs brain. “I always feel special around you. And shouldn’t I be the one thanking you for the utter flawlessness of this evening? After all, you were the one who surprised me with the most thoughtful, brilliant date I’ve ever—Ngh.”
Chuckling, Ellis traced his tongue over Cinder’s collarbone again before sucking gently at the sensitive skin. Rather than stopping to allow Cinder a moment to gather his scattered thoughts, Ellis slipped his hands behind Cinder’s knees and lifted him off the ground.
Yelping first in surprise, then tipping back his head on a howl of laughter, Cinder clutched at Ellis’s shoulders. He didn’t even try to stop his hips when they discovered the delicious friction Ellis’s abs brought to his aching, needy cock and rocked of their own volition.
Ellis’s muscles bunched and flexed with seamless, sinewy grace as he carried Cinder from the front door all the way to the master bedroom at the back of the house. Cinder traced his insatiable hands and greedy gaze over every inch of Ellis’s body he could reach from the distinctly sexy vantage point of being wrapped around Ellis’s torso as he carted Cinder around like he didn’t weigh one-hundred and seventy-five pounds.
Damn but Ellis was strong and gorgeous and sweet and—
“Oh god.” Cinder cut off his own thoughts when Ellis dropped them both to the bed, falling on top of Cinder and almost immediately grinding their dicks together. “Yes, more of that, please.”
Ellis nuzzled into Cinder’s throat, continuing to rock his hips with gentle thrusts that kept Cinder craving more but didn’t come near close to enough to give him everything he wanted.
Would anything with Ellis ever be enough? Cinder wasn’t sure that would be possible. He’d always want more. Need more.
“Can I undress you?” Ellis’s soft words feathered over Cinder’s
neck. “You’ve done so much to make me feel good, touched me in places and ways I’d never experienced before. I want to do the same for you.” He faltered, his breath drawing sharply in before wheezing back out. “I mean, I’m sure others have—”
“No.” Cinder shook his head, placing a finger over Ellis’s lips before guiding his head up so their gazes could meet. He shook his head again for emphasis. “What we have is different. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before as well. You’ve already done that for me. You do it every time you look at me the way you do. Every time you offer me that tentative, loving touch. Every time you let me touch you.”
Ellis nodded, a small smile creeping up his lips. “Well, then, maybe it’s time we share another first?”
Tilting his head, Cinder brushed a knuckle down Ellis’s cheek. “I want to be all your firsts. Any you have left; I want them to be mine. And vice versa. There’s no one else I want to give any part of me to. Not anymore. Not after you.”
Breath hitching, Ellis bit his lower lip. “I…” He blew out on a measured exhale before grinning. “I definitely feel the same.”
“Okay, good.” Cinder beamed to match Ellis before popping his brows a few times in quick succession. “So what’s this latest first we get to try together?”
A flare of rosy pink colored Ellis’s cheeks, but it stemmed from somewhere lower than usual. His throat blazed with splotchy redness that disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. “I’ve never had another man at my mercy.” His eyes widened, and he immediately shook his head. “That came out wrong. I don’t want to do anything bad, I just… I want to lay you out on the bed, take off all your clothes, and kiss every inch of your skin. I want to touch you and taste you and burn every feel and every flavor into my memory bank. Basically? I want to make you feel good, and I want to be the one doing all the work for once.”
