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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Gray

“Things are better with your brothers, though?” Cash asked.

He’d video-called me to check in, and I’d unloaded all my worries about the debt and my awkward position after hooking up with our banker.

“It’s day to day, but yeah, I’ve told them why I left, and they’ve mostly forgiven me,” I said. “They won’t ever forget, though, you know? I don’t know if Axel will ever really rely on me again.”

“Give it time,” Cash said. “You have to show him you’re reliable.”

Maybe. But even if I convinced Axel I’d changed, he’d never forgive us if we had to sell the junkyard out from under him.

I hated that he’d assumed we would, and yet, we didn’t have many options, did we?

Declan dipped into view on Cash’s end. I’d gotten to know both of them when I helped renovate a B&B and build a greenhouse in Swallow Cove, Missouri, one of many places I’d lived in the past decade.

“Hi, Gray. I hope things are going well back home.”

I didn’t have it in me to explain again, so I just nodded. “Cash can tell you all about it.”

Cash grinned. “Oh, yeah, Gray’s been busy. He’s already got himself a man up there.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Ding-dong.

“Someone’s at the door!” Bailey called, stating the obvious.

“So answer the door!” Holden called from the back of the house.

The door opened. A murmur of voices reached me.

“Gray, it’s your banker dude!” Bailey called up the stairs.

“Sorry, guys, I have to go,” I told Cash and Declan. “Someone’s at the door for me.”

“I wonder who it could be,” Cash said, wiggling his brows. “Maybe that nonexistent man?”

I didn’t answer him because he was right, and he’d gloat about it. I just told him goodbye and headed for the stairs.

Halfway down them, I spotted Holden heading for the door. “It’s Emory? We should really talk about?—”

I rushed the last few steps to beat him there. “Nope. No business.”

I reached past Bailey to take Emory’s hand. “He’s not here to talk shop. Unless—you’re not, are you?”

“No. I know it’s too soon to be here. Way too soon, right? It’s just that…” He trailed off, gaze flicking to Holden and Bailey.

“Sorry for my nosy brothers. They don’t know when to make themselves scarce.”

Emory smiled, though there was a strained quality to it. He looked tired. “That’s okay. I don’t care what they think. I don’t want to care what anyone thinks.”

“Good.” I pulled him into a hard kiss. “Come up to my room.”

Bailey and Holden took the hint, retreating. I led Emory up the stairs.

When we got to my bedroom, I turned and pulled him closer. “Are you okay?”

He ducked his head. “So it was too soon to come back. I knew it. It’s like dating 101.” He froze. “Not that we’re dating. This is just—I don’t know the rules for this. I’ve never done these things with a guy before, and to be fair, I didn’t do a lot of them with women because I mostly had relationships and—” He covered his face in his hands. “God. Sorry for the word vomit.”

I tugged his hands down, but he was avoiding my gaze. I slipped two fingers under his chin and tilted his face up.

“There are no rules, Emory. We’re not playing games.”

He licked his lips. “Okay.”

I bent down to brush my lips over his. “I’m not complaining, but we didn’t plan to meet tonight, did we?”

Emory sighed, pressing his forehead to mine. “I needed a reminder.”

“A reminder?”

“Of how this feels.” His gaze met mine. “It’s so new, but…I guess I really need it. Need you.” He bit his lower lip.

“Then I guess you better have me,” I teased. “Take whatever you need, golden boy.”

With a fierceness that surprised me, he grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me into a wild kiss.

My cock kicked.

I’d enjoyed every part of our first hookup—even when Emory had been more tentative. But the strength and aggression of a man really did it for me too.

Emory held me in an iron grip and kissed me thoroughly, his tongue sweeping in boldly. He bit down on my lower lip, tugging a groan from me.

We crashed into a wall—this damn room seemed all wall sometimes, being in the attic—and Emory plastered himself against me, grinding his hard cock on my thigh.

I pulled the hem of Emory’s shirt up, and he broke the kiss long enough to tug it over his head.

I hadn’t gotten a good look at his body last time. His torso was long and lean, his stomach taut. He was so slim I could see the shape of his collarbones and ripple of his ribs, and yet the sharp angles only made him sexier.

He reached for my T-shirt, yanking it up and off.

“Fuck, that ink. So sexy. I’ll just never get over it.”

I chuckled. “Maybe you should get some.”

His gaze shot to mine in surprise. “You think I could pull that off?”

I looked at the miles of creamy, smooth skin on display. “You’re a blank canvas, golden boy. But you don’t have to stay that way.”

He looked away, blinking hard, and I worried I’d said the wrong thing.

“Don’t get me wrong. You’re gorgeous just how you are. I don’t care?—”

He pressed forward, kissing the words from my lips. “Stop talking.”

“You could always fill my mouth with something,” I teased.

“And let you have all the fun? No way. Get naked.”

I smiled as I reached for my fly. “So bossy. I like it.”

Emory caught my hand, raising it to stare at my bruised knuckles. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Just banged them up in the shop.”

Technically not a lie, but Emory didn’t look convinced. Good thing he hadn’t seen them yesterday. The swelling had gone down, leaving them only a little stiff and scabbed where the skin broke.

“I swear, it’s fine. I had a disagreement with the wall, that’s all.”

“Okay.” He raised my knuckles, brushing a soft kiss over them that made my gut flutter. “Then I guess we’ll just have to make sure you don’t have to use your hands too much.”

Heat spiked, and I grinned. “I think we can think of something.”

I stripped off my jeans and briefs, letting Emory drink his fill of my naked body. My cock was fully hard, jutting out from between my thighs.

“Still like what you see?”

Emory licked his lips as his gaze skated from my chest to my dick and thighs and back up. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. No doubts.”

“So, what do you want me to do next?”

“What?”

I smiled teasingly. “You’re the boss, remember?”

He swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing, and damn I wanted to suck that spot so hard he’d be sporting my mark for a week.

I grasped my dick with my good hand, squeezing as the pressure built to do something. Anything.

“Get on the bed,” he said.

I followed orders, returning to my bed and reclining back against the pillows. I spread my legs, giving him a good view as I slowly stroked my cock.

Emory leaned over me. I pressed a hand to his chest, stopping him. “This bed is for naked people only.”

His eyebrows shot up, and then he chuckled and backed away to shove down his preppy shorts and boxer briefs. My mouth watered as his cock came into view. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind another taste of that smooth, hot length. It was an angry red but still looked so damn pretty.

Perfectly shaped, just like Emory.

He climbed into bed with me, more tentative now as our bare skin came into contact. “Is this okay?” he asked. “Is it too…”

I drew him into a wet kiss, goose bumps erupting as his body came down on mine. His thigh skated over mine, his hip nudged my aching cock, and his hand landed on my pec, palm grazing my nipple.

Half a dozen erogenous zones sparked at once, and we both gasped.

“Too intimate?” Emory asked.

“Intimate is good,” I murmured, moving my mouth to his neck and giving in to the desire I’d had to kiss and nip.

He moaned softly. “Fuck.”

I slipped a hand down, cupping his ass and squeezing one firm cheek. He rocked against me, grinding his cock into my hip with a harsh breath.

I pulled him harder against me, bucking up to rub my cock against any part of him it could reach. There was too much friction without lube, but I couldn’t make myself stop long enough to get it out of my side table.

“Wait.” Emory pulled back. “I want to get my mouth on you.”

“Great idea.”

He started to slither down my body, but I grabbed his arm. “Turn around instead.”

“Turn…” His eyes widened as he got my drift. “Okay, um, yeah. Good idea.”

We repositioned until Emory was kneeling over my body, his dick only inches from my face.

“I don’t really know how to do this,” he said.

“Don’t stress it. Anything will feel good. I’m about to blow just from looking at your ass.”

He laughed. “I seriously doubt that.”

I cupped each of his cheeks and squeezed them, ignoring the faint throb in my busted fingers. “Oh, trust me. This ass looks good enough to eat.”

I parted his cheeks to let air brush over his hole, and he gasped.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

I shifted my grip to his cock. “Something to look forward to another time, then.”

I tugged his hips down and tongued the head of his dick.

He groaned low in his throat. “Fuck.”

I curled my tongue around his cockhead, then cupped his balls in my hand, giving them a squeeze. Emory hadn’t done much more than fist the base of my cock, but I was more than happy to entertain myself while he worked up the nerve to suck his first dick.

I thought he’d probably start with a timid kitten lick. Maybe kiss the tip of my dick and gradually work his way up to putting me in his mouth.

Instead, he fell on my dick, licking and sucking me like I was the best-tasting treat he’d ever had. It was sloppy but so enthusiastic I nearly came on the spot.

I rolled us onto our sides so I could take him deeper into my mouth without choking. Emory whimpered, mouth still wrapped around the tip of my dick, as I took him to the root.

He attempted to follow my lead, sucking a few more inches in, using his hand to work my lower shaft while he made love to my cockhead with his lips and tongue.

His mouth was wet and hot—his teeth a little too sharp when they scraped over my skin—but it was the sounds he made that heated my blood the most.

Whimpers, greedy slurps, the occasional low groan that seemed to rise up from deep inside.

I palmed his ass and yanked him in deep, swallowing around his cock. He went rigid, back arching.

“Gray! I’m gonna?—”

Cum poured over the back of my tongue. I swallowed, ignoring the bitter taste and focusing instead on the muffled sounds of pleasure he made around my cock, body trembling with orgasm.

His mouth went slack, and I had to fight not to fuck his mouth. Emory wasn’t ready to be choked with a dick just yet.

“Golden boy,” I said in a strained voice. “I’m so close.”

He made an apologetic sound and got back to work, bobbing his head, jerking and sucking me in tandem.

One long suck did the trick.

“Gonna come,” I gasped as my orgasm rushed toward me.

Emory pulled off, working me with his hand as I shot. A spray of cum streaked across his chin. Another hit his cheek.

I groaned at the sight of him, so fucking dirty, and twitched with an aftershock.

He sat up, swiping a hand over his face to clear the cum away.

“Come up here,” I rasped.

Emory turned around, and I tugged him close enough to lick the few flecks of cum he’d missed on his face.

“Didn’t mean to give you a facial.”

He snickered. “Well, I could have swallowed. I should have, but?—”

“No,” I corrected gently. “There’s no should. You only ever need to do what you want, what you’re comfortable with. You’re still figuring out what you like. That’s the point of this, right?”

Emory’s gaze locked on mine. “I know, but this…this isn’t just some experiment, is it? I mean, I know it’s not a relationship. I’m bi. I’m exploring that. But I don’t want you to think I’m using you to check off items on a list either.”

I brushed back the golden hair falling into his eyes. “Aren’t we all just using other people for something? As long as we both consent, I don’t see any harm.”

“I’ve never looked at it like that.”

I kissed him lightly. “You don’t have to overthink things with me. Let’s just enjoy each other. If you want to stop, tell me. I’ll do the same. It doesn’t have to be complicated, golden boy.”

He smiled faintly. “No, I guess not. It’s about the only thing in my life that isn’t.”

“Join the club,” I said with a sigh.

We lay tangled together for a few minutes until the urge to clean up overtook me. I rolled out of bed. “I’ll grab a wet cloth.”

Emory nodded. “Thanks. It’d be awkward to walk out of here all covered in cum. What if your brothers try to talk to me on the way out?”

I grimaced. “Sorry about that. Holden’s anxious about the loan issue.” I hesitated. “I don’t want this business shit between us when we’re like this, but I also don’t want you to get sideswiped. We’re probably going to visit the bank soon.”

“Okay…”

“Holden thinks there have to be other options we haven’t discussed. Something to fix this. We didn’t cause this problem, and it’s just not fair.”

“I’m so sorry, Gray. I wish I could just make it go away for you.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. Let’s leave the bank talk at the bank, okay? It doesn’t belong here, while we’re both naked and covered in cum.”

Emory reddened. “You have a way with words.”

I chuckled. “Still so shy after demanding I get naked and feed you dick, huh?”

He blushed harder. “Shut up.”

I tugged on a pair of boxer briefs and reached for the doorknob. “Since you asked so nicely…”

Emory flopped back into the pillows with a smile, his naked body loose-limbed and relaxed.

Whatever had driven him to come here tonight, the sex must have worked. He looked more at ease than I’d ever seen him.

I watched him for a long minute—until he glanced over, questions in his eyes. I smiled sheepishly. “Just admiring the view. Be right back.”

I forced myself to leave the room before I did something ridiculous like invite him to stay the night. That wasn’t what this was. We’d just had that conversation.

Emory was exploring his bisexuality, and I was the lucky asshole who got to help him do it. And considering all the baggage with our loan, it was best that no feelings were involved.

Especially when I didn’t know if we’d save the business—or how long I’d stay in Riverton.

I’d never leave my brothers in the lurch, but eventually, they wouldn’t need me anymore. When that day came—when I was no longer welcome in their home—I’d have to hit the road again.