Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

Caleb

Only an hour outside of DC and the world was completely different. The penthouse suite of the luxury hotel was everything Caleb had demanded—spacious, elegant, and secure. He wasn't often frivolous with their money, but the idea of trying to keep them all safe and comfortable while running the kick off of a political campaign without running water or electricity was enough to give him nightmares. He had standards, after all. It would only be for a couple days. At least the electric company had promised as much. Even that felt like too long, but when the entire grid of the country’s capital got wiped out, it made sense. Replacing transformers, wiring, and the infrastructure behind it all took time. The fact that their neighborhood would be back on almost a full week before places like Luke’s was a stark reminder of their privilege that he wouldn't soon take for granted. Location, location, location.

The floor-to-ceiling window was cool against Caleb’s forehead as he nursed the glass of scotch in his hand, lost in his thoughts as he scanned the reflection of the room against the background of city lights and the pocket of darkness in the distance. It was like a gilded cage, the thick glass promising privacy and protection from the muted sounds of traffic below. Soft amber light infused the stark, expensive furnishings with a warm glow. The open floor plan, sleek and modern, boasted the best of the best. The massive couch in the seating area was home to a huddled body fighting sleep with the blue glow of some mindless video on his tablet, the chunky headphones causing Parker’s hair to stick up in all sorts of crazy directions. Each blink was longer than the one before it. It’d only be a matter of moments before he was lost to dreamland. Caleb hoped those dreams would be the whimsical makings of an innocent mind, not the haunted recollections of their reality.

The sound of running water broke Caleb from maudlin musing before the tap was shut off again. Aromas of fresh linen, hotel-grade citrus soap, and the ghost of Elias’ cologne, warm and grounding beneath the sterility of luxury, stirred him into movement. As if sensing his approach, the bathroom door opened a crack, steam billowing from within like a tempting neon sign screaming “Now Open” into the dim light of the suite. He set his glass on the counter en route to the promised land of a freshly showered Elias.

Slipping through the door, Caleb let his eyes wander over the reflection in the mirror and promptly shut the door behind him. The harsh overhead lighting did Elias no favors. His face was drawn tight with exhaustion, the troubled thoughts etched into the fine lines around his eyes. His silver-dusted hair was in disarray from a rough toweling, and the same towel clung to his hips with enough temerity to free his hands, which were braced on the counter as though it were the only thing holding him upright. Elias’ frosty blue eyes found Caleb’s in the mirror, a small smile playing over his lips despite the weight clearly torturing his mind.

“He asleep yet?” Elias’ voice was rough around the edges.

“Just about. I'll wrestle him into the bed once he’s well and truly down for the count.” Caleb crossed the tiled floor and slipped his arms around Elias’ narrow waist to toy with the dusting of hair below his navel. Their gazes locked again in the mirror, Caleb’s cheek resting against the side of Elias’ bicep. The way Elias looked at him was quietly devastating. He was a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, his toes perched on the precipice of something irreversible. The ache in Caleb’s chest was like a punch to the sternum.

“It's not too late to back out.” Elias whispered the words so quietly, Caleb would have strained to hear them if they were blessed by the acoustics of a luxury bathroom.

“Mm. That’s not really your style though, is it?” Cay nuzzled his cheek against Elias’ shower-warmed skin. His smile was subtle and sad, but it was the best he could muster.

“No,” he croaked with a heavy sigh, lifting one hand to rub it roughly over the silver-dark goatee Caleb adored. “No, it isn't. Are we making a mistake?”

Cay had two choices: carefully curate the perfect, evasive response he was good at or tell him the truth. Since this was Elias and not some stuck-up politician blowing hot air up his ass, the choice was simple. He would never, ever lie to his El.

“Not a mistake, no. But we both know there are risks. The reward is worth it, in my opinion. And we’re in this together. Hell or high water, I'm with you. You're stuck with me.” Caleb turned to press his lips to Elias’ shoulder.

His frame sagged with another lengthy exhale. “Good.”

The shift in the air was subtle, the cloying steam becoming charged as they moved in unison. Elias turned and grabbed a fistful of Caleb's shirt, pulling them flush as his head dipped, lips hovering in silent request just a breath away from Cay’s as they inhaled one another. Closing the distance between them, he sought the connection and melted into the slow-burn devotion of the kiss. It wasn't hurried or desperate. Elias tasted like mint toothpaste and exhaustion, like resolve and longing, like a man who needed someone to shore up his walls and restore his foundation. He tasted like Caleb's entire world.

His fingers found Elias’ jaw, tilting his head just right to deepen the connection, his tongue promising his husband that he wasn't alone. For a moment, the campaign, the chaos, the fear—it all disappeared. For a moment, it was just them.

Elias’ body became more pliant with each sweep of Caleb's lips, every thrust of his tongue inspiring a soft whimper of pleasure in return. Their cocks grew hard between the press of their bodies and it only took a matter of seconds before Elias had to break their kiss with a ragged gasp.

“Babe, please?” Need made Elias’ whisper warble.

“Use your words,” Caleb soothed in return.

“Babe, please. Help me forget.” Elias clung tighter, his hips rocking in a slow gyration, seeking friction and release. “Help me remember.”

“Oh, baby doll…” Caleb swept his hands down the planes of Elias’ chest, drifting lower still to dance delicate fingertips over his stomach before plucking the towel loose with a deft flick of the wrist. “Can you be quiet?”

He gasped, soft and hushed, before nodding eagerly, his pupils blown wide and his eyes rounded even wider. The need sloughed off his body in palpable waves that took Caleb’s breath away while simultaneously making him feel at least ten feet tall. The juxtaposition between them was a heady thing—Elias stark naked while Cay remained fully dressed was a potent visual that caused Caleb’s dick to twitch in his pants.

“I'm not going to be gentle, El.” Caleb tickled his fingertips over Elias’ stomach and watched the muscles ripple beneath his skin.

“Good.”

“I'm not going to take my time.”

“Perfect.”

“I'll help you forget your name, and remember who you belong to.”

“God, yes,” Elias groaned, his head lolling back to expose the long column of his throat to Caleb’s famished lips. The pounding of his pulse became the path Caleb’s tongue traveled, the connection to his blood flowing through his veins inspiring a mirrored throbbing in his own dick.

“Turn around and grab hold of the vanity.” Caleb reluctantly stepped back, the space between them causing a shivering chill to race over his overheated skin. Elias was quick to comply, his eyes catching Caleb’s in the reflection of the mirror, his expression eager, wanton, desperate. Cay had to stifle a groan of need as Elias pushed their toiletry bag across the counter before bending over the vanity with a clear invitation.

After digging the bottle of lube from their bag, Caleb stepped back to admire Elias’ body on display. The smooth sweep of his spine, the round globes of his ass, the bated breath heaving his chest cavity—it was a powerful image that forced Caleb to squeeze his cock through the slacks lest he come from the sight alone. Beseeching icy blue gaze remained locked on the mirror, the stare penetrating despite the fact that they made eye contact through the reflection. Caleb hastened to unfasten his belt and free his dick from the confines of his jock with hands that shook from pure anticipation. Sex with Elias would always, always be overwhelming in all the best ways.

Caleb nudged Elias’ feet even farther apart, compensating for their height difference and somehow making the scenario even hotter in the process. The snap of the bottle opening caused a shudder to run through Elias’ body as he arched his back and muffled a quiet groan that turned into a gasp as Cay deposited a generous dollop of the substance at the top of his ass.

“Shh. Don't make me gag you with my tie, baby doll. It's a silk blend I'm rather fond of.” Caleb ran a soothing palm down Elias’ spine before shifting his hand to spread the lube further, plunging a single finger into his tight pucker without so much as a warning nudge. “Can you stay quiet? Can you hold it in while I wreck my perfect little hole?”

“Yeah. No. Fuck, babe… fuck me.” Elias rocked his hips back, his words a delectable whimper of pure desire.

“Mmhmm. That's the plan. Whose in charge right now, boss man?” Caleb withdrew his finger, replacing it with two and immediately getting down to the business of unraveling his needy husband.

“You. Always you. Jesus Christ, I need it. Please?”

Caleb had meant every word he said. This wasn't going to be gentle, nor would it be slow. It would be everything they needed. Quick and efficient, he scissored his fingers, stretching the taut channel of Elias’ ass with the occasional pressure applied to that bundle of nerves that made his man whimper. There was no way in hell this would be a silent affair. The thought of it thrilled him to no end. He abruptly withdrew his fingers when the whine pitched higher.

“Ah, ah, ah. So loud. Too loud.” Caleb reached his free hand toward the tap and slapped the faucet on full blast. He wouldn't win them any respect from environmental lobbyists if they knew about his wanton water waste to drown out the sounds of their fucking, but that felt a lot like not his problem. He had priorities. Namely, getting inside his husband's ass five minutes ago. After liberally coating his length with lube and adding an extra squirt to Elias’ needy little hole for good measure, Caleb aligned the head of his dick and applied a tease of pressure.

“Eyes on me, baby doll.” Caleb tapped a finger at the base of Elias’ spine until his hooded eyes met Cay’s in the reflection. “Hold on tight.”

“Good God, yes—mmngh!” Elias gasped, tensed, and then melted with a guttural groan as Caleb surged forward, burying the length of his cock to the hilt in one fluid, urgent thrust. He wiped his lube-slick palm off on the sweaty skin of Elias’ lower back before leaning forward to place his hand over Elias’ mouth.

“Good boy, El. Your ass is going to be the end of me.” Caleb pressed deeper before retreating, his own voice growing strained as the cincture of muscle gripped his cock in molten heat. Too tight, too hot, too perfect. The thoughts it inspired were purely primal. With a muffled grunt, he drove his dick back inside Elias’ body.

The wild look on Elias’ face was enough to disintegrate the last of Caleb’s composure. He set a brutal pace, skin slapping against skin and muffled moans echoing off the tile and only barely concealed by the sound of running water. Each thrust made Elias’ body jerk, his eagerness to meet Caleb move for move quickly becoming disjointed and out of sync as they crashed together. Caleb was startled by how swiftly the tell-tale smolder of his impending orgasm bloomed. He needed Elias to get there first, and fast, or it would all be over entirely too soon. He slammed his cock as deep as he could before stilling, his hand snaking around Elias’ waist to grab hold of his straining dick.

“This cock? This pretty, pretty cock?” Caleb gave a long, taunting stroke from root to tip before toying with the precum-coated foreskin. “This cock is all mine, and next time, you're going to fuck me with it.”

Elias’ response was a toe-curling moan buried deep in his chest as he rocked his hips in jerky movements, fucking himself on Cay’s cock as he fucked the tunnel of his fist.

“You like that idea, boss man? You want me to hold you down and ride this perfect cock? You want to give me all this cum? You want me to take this cock?” Caleb quickened his hand, aggressively jerking Elias’ dick as he resumed the punishing pace of his hips. Drenched in sweat and already too close, he shifted his stance to drive deeper and adjust the angle until the first strangled cry came from Elias’ mouth. Bingo. Caleb redoubled his efforts and pushed through the burn in his thighs as they chased the euphoria of the finish line.

“Give me your cum, baby doll. Give it to me before I fill this hole with mine.” Caleb clenched his jaw and all but drove them through the edge of the vanity. All the signs were there, he just had to push a little harder. Elias cock grew harder, his ass clenched tighter, and pervasive tremors coursed through the muscles of his back and thighs. Caleb groaned in appreciation.

“That's it, good boy. Fucking come for me. Give it to me. It's mine.” Caleb surged forward again just as Elias’ knees buckled, rendering him pinned to the vanity and held up by the sheer force of Caleb’s cock buried deep and his fist pumping Elias’ length. A throaty, perpetual moan muffled only by Cay’s palm over Elias’ mouth filled the room as Elias’ body seized with the power of his orgasm. Ropes of thick, hot cum burst from Elias’ dick, shooting across the front of the vanity and coating Caleb’s fingers. It was all he needed—his own body tensed and spasmed, his cock throbbed, and his cum erupted into the confines of Elias’ ass in a flood so profound, it seeped out with each jerky thrust Caleb used to milk every last drop from them both.

Completely spent and gasping for air, they melted together into a boneless heap on the vanity, Caleb's hand falling from Elias’ mouth to brace himself on the surface of the counter. Elias’ panting turned into a breathy chuckle as his forehead fell against the mirror, his soul-piercing blue eyes crinkled at the corner as a lazy smile spread over his face.

“Fuck me sideways, you're cute as fuck,” Caleb murmured, his lips tracing the slope of Elias’ neck as he smiled in response.

“No, I won't be doing any sideways fucking, love.” Elias reached back with a shaky hand to brush a sweaty curl from Caleb's brow. “I did very much like the idea of you riding my cock though.”

“Mm. Same. I need you pinned down and writhing as I have my way with your delicious body.”

The shiver of pleasure his words inspired in Elias was a power-trip of the best kind. These moments were his favorite—the languid, sensual seconds immediately after intense sex, where they basked in the tiny touches, shared breaths, and murmured promises while still joined together, reluctant to part. In these moments, it was just them.