Page 16 of Breaking Through the Doubt (Espen Jetties #4)

16

COREY

Ding.

Another one? The thought passed through my mind like a bolt of lightning. It wasn’t that I didn’t love the extra influx of customers, but with the artists I had, we couldn’t handle every tattoo request. Even Lila, who normally focused on piercings only, had done a few simple walk-ins. Her designs were always beautiful. She just preferred to focus on piercings.

Emilio stopped in my station after bringing his last customer up front. Sitting in my chair, I had my head back against the wall, taking a moment to refresh before my next client came in.

“We need to hire someone.” The weariness in his voice was all I needed to hear.

“I know.” I opened my eyes and lifted my head. “We can’t keep going on like this.”

The last two days had been out of control. From the moment I walked into the shop yesterday morning, after Leslie’s fight at the bar hit the news, I could barely keep my head above water.

Emilio sat down on my tattoo chair and leaned back, putting his feet up. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the money.”

“It’s too exhausting,” I finished for him. “Starting Tuesday, I’m going to start pushing Karli on simple designs. If we can get her and Lila to take some of the simple walk-ins, we can focus on the longer jobs until we find someone.”

“I’m down for that.” He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. “The cleaning and prepping before each new client makes those small designs a pain in the ass.”

Lifting a brow at him, I glanced at where he sat in the chair. “Like you leaving me to clean my chair again?”

He laughed and pushed himself up, then stood. “Exactly like that. I’m going to go and clean my station.”

I threw one of my markers at him as he turned the corner laughing. Quickly, I wiped down the chair and went up front to get my next appointment.

One after another, I inked different tattoos into people’s skin until the clock finally hit nine. I locked the door and practically fell against it. Unlike in the past, the energy that everyone normally had for going out and having fun on Saturday night was drained.

Karli sat behind the counter, clicking through the computer, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused.

“Let’s get this cleaned up quick and get out of here.”

Each step took effort. We’d finished cleaning in record time and everyone went directly to their cars, headed for home. I made it to the elevator and leaned against the back wall, gripping the handrails to keep me from sliding down to the floor. All I wanted was a glass of water, a snack, and my bed. A real meal could wait for the morning. I was too tired to even bother ordering something.

The ding sounded above me, and the doors opened onto my floor. I stepped out of the elevator and looked down the long length of hall to my door.

My feet came to a halt when I realized I wasn’t the only one in the hallway. Suddenly, the exhaustion I felt a few minutes before melted away. I stood up straight and picked up my pace.

I hadn’t seen Leslie since the night before, when he promised he was okay to drive home. We’d shared a brief kiss then he walked out the door. I’d hoped to learn how things went when he got to the arena today, except I hadn’t heard from him, and there had been no time for me to talk.

I didn’t waste a second and walked directly up to him, wrapping my arm around his waist. “I was exhausted until I saw you waiting here for me.”

His muscular arms embraced tightly around my back. “I hope you don’t mind me coming over.”

My mind instantly went to our nights on the phone. I pushed those thoughts aside. Leslie had shown up at my door for a reason, and I wanted to know what it was. “Not at all. Come inside and we can talk.”

I reached around him and unlocked the door, letting him inside. I dropped my stuff by the door and led him into the living room. Afraid to ask about what happened today, I busied myself. “Did you want something to drink? Water? Iced tea?”

He grabbed ahold of my hand. “I’m good. Sit with me.”

I let him lead me over to the seat next to him. His shoulders were relaxed, which gave me the courage to ask, “How did everything go today?”

He sighed. “Kasper and Coach were disappointed in me, which is what it is. It was my fault. I deserve their anger. Kasper gave me the chance to explain what happened. He didn’t have to. He’s a good guy.”

“So, everything’s okay?”

“It will be. I could have done better, but I also could have been a whole lot worse. I have to remember I’m a reflection of the team. Finding ways to de-escalate rather than fuel the fire is what I should be doing.”

I placed my hand on his thigh to offer comfort, not thinking about the effect it would have on the rest of my body. I swallowed hard. “Maybe you need to find new ways to burn off some of that energy.”

I hadn’t meant to turn our conversation from his struggle to desire. It didn’t stop my dick from perking up at the thought of getting more of my hands on him. I glanced up into those light-brown orbs to see his reaction. What I found there were eyes that were smoldering. His pupils dilated and his breathing picking up pace. Seemed like my hand on his thigh had the same impact on him as it did on me.

Maybe that was the answer. The way for him to relax and stay that way, even when people pushed his buttons. When we talked on the phone, or should I say jerked off together on the phone, he’d become so calm afterward, even when they lost and he thought he hadn’t put his best out on the ice. Maybe what he needed was a release. And not one brought on by his own hand.

With that thought, I pushed a little further. Not too fast to upset him, just enough to see if we were on the same page. I squeezed his thigh and heard him suck in a bit of air.

“Maybe I do.” He closed his eyes as I slid my hand farther up his thigh. He covered my hand with his and I instantly stopped moving. “Touch me.”

I leaned forward and connected my mouth to his. His warm lips invited me in, begging me to taste more of him. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, tasting and teasing his. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss. Lips moving and cocks growing hard, each of us fighting for dominance in the kiss.

This was the fighting Leslie needed to do. Fighting with me for control. I’d give it over gladly, but I could push him first. Make him realize this was a better way to exert his energy.

Wanting more of him, I broke the connection of our lips and stood. I threw my leg over his and settled onto his lap. For the first time since I met Leslie, I felt his hard cock pressed against mine. Even through the fabric of our pants, I could tell he was a large man.

It had been a long time since I had my mouth on a man, but it had to be like riding a bicycle. Once I got on, instinct would take over.

I cradled his face in my hands. “I’m going to keep touching you until I put my warm mouth around your cock, and you come down my throat. Is that enough for you?”

“Please,” he moaned.

I captured his lips once again, thrusting my hips against his. The hard outline of his cock against mine did insane things to my body. I knew the moment I took his dick from his pants I’d lose all control. My tongue darted into his mouth as I continued to grind against him.

Leslie’s hips moved with me until the rhythmic grind became too much. I could feel the tingling at the base of my spine. There was no way I wasn’t getting my mouth around him before I came. I tore my lips from his.

A groan of protest left him, and he reached up, trying to grab my face to bring me back to his lips. It would have worked if I hadn’t already been sliding off his lap. I lowered my knees to the floor. I reached for his pants, keeping my gaze on his and watching the wild look in his eyes while I popped the button and slid the zipper down slowly.

I pushed apart the fabric of his pants and could see the outline of a wet spot on his boxer briefs. Fuck. I dipped my fingers beneath the waistband and tugged his cock free. Longer than I originally thought, I practically licked my lips at the sight of the red tip leaking all over the place.

My mouth watered. The salty, bitter flavor on my tongue was one of my favorite things about sex with a man. I leaned forward and glanced up into his gaze while I licked a wet path up the length of his shaft.

“Corey,” Leslie groaned.

I did it again, loving the fire that raged in his eyes. I ran my tongue up and dipped it into the slit. The musky flavor of Leslie burst across my taste buds.

I had to have more.

Knowing there was no way I could take all his length, being so out of practice, I wrapped my hand around the base of his shaft, then parted my lips and took him deep into my mouth, close to hitting the back of my throat. Sliding down, I tightened my lips and sucked hard as I lifted my head.

“Again.”

I popped my mouth off him and leaned up, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. “Gladly. I told you; I’m going to keep doing that until you come down my throat.”

“Yes.”

I lowered my head again. This time, Leslie sank his fingers into my hair, tugging on the ends. I hollowed my cheeks and began moving my mouth up and down his shaft in earnest. Each time I reached the top, I swirled my tongue around the tip before sucking hard on it, then dropping my mouth back down again.

Leslie’s hips started to thrust up. Deeper and deeper I took him with each pass of my lips. My own balls were tight against my body. His warm cock sat heavy on my tongue.

“I’m going to come.”

I tightened my lips around him, telling him without words I couldn’t wait. I kept moving, taking him into the back of my throat. At the same time, I reached down and popped the button of my jeans and tugged out my own cock. Each stroke of my hand matched the movement of my lips.

The grunts and groans above me only made the need to come worse. He shouted out into the room. The moment the first bit of cum slid down my throat, I couldn’t hold on any longer. My balls tightened and I came all over my hand.

His hips thrust forward with each spurt, and I swallowed every bit of it down. I kept sucking from him until he used the grip on my hair to tug me off.

“I can’t take anymore,” he panted.

Somehow, I managed to leverage myself up off the floor and onto the couch next to Leslie. He was lying back with his eyes closed, trying to catch his breath.

I lay there next to him, letting my own body settle. I reached up and caressed his cheek. “I think that could be a great way to get you to relax from now on.”

“You might be on to something.”

“Well, feel free to come and see me anytime.”

Leslie smiled and kissed my lips. “I think I will.”

I snuggled in closer to him, letting him recount his conversations with Kasper and Devon. I listened while he aired his fears and desires. Even with the talks we had while we were apart, these two nights of conversations made me feel closer than ever to Leslie. It was a path I wanted to continue to explore.