Wait Until Dawn by Bailey Bradford (book club suggestions .txt) 📕

“You saw her?” Carlin whispered, eyes huge as he paled.

“I did. She’s doing great, really.” Rich almost suggested that Carlin be happy for her, but that seemed too weird of a thing for him to say.

“Thank you,” Matt said, putting an arm around Carlin.

“So we all have messages?”

That question came from Zeke Matthers, who Rich didn’t know, nor did he know Matthers’ husband, Brendon, though they’d introduced themselves when they had arrived. “Yes, and I won’t keep you waiting. Mrs. Matthers said she loves you both, and she considers you to be husbands, because if the world were a better place, that’s what you would be to each other.”

Zeke ducked his head and shielded his eyes with a hand to his brow. He tugged Brendon to his side and both men snuggled closer to each other.

“That’s not all she had to say,” Rich continued after Zeke seemed to pull himself together. Rich gestured at Laine. “She said you and Zeke need to stop blaming yourselves for what Eva did. Eva made her choices, those are exactly Mrs. Matthers words.” He had no clue who Eva was, but apparently, the message meant a great deal to Laine and Zeke both.

Laine seemed to relax in a way he hadn’t before, as if a burden were eased from his shoulders, and Zeke once again leaned on his husband.

“I’ll sure try, Mrs. Matthers,” Laine vowed. “Thank you.”

“Also,” Rich added, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but Conner likes to watch you two. You know.”

Sev narrowed his eyes. “We do know, actually. It’s like some threesome with a voyeur.”

“Guy’s gotta get his kicks where he can,” Laine muttered. “I guess.”

Laine’s cowboy hat went flying across the room and down the hall.

Laine leaped up from the chair. “Damn it, Conner, don’t you dump my hat in the toilet!” He strode purposefully in the direction his hat had been taken.

Sev sighed and got up. “Well, we do appreciate you passing along the messages, and everyone is very, very glad you came back.”

“Especially me,” Chris said, framing Rich’s face in his hands.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” Rich said, just for him.

“You love me.” Chris stared into his eyes.

“I do,” Rich admitted.

“I love you, too.” Chris gave him the sweetest kiss, and Rich knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be—with his love, and their friends, living and appreciating each minute they had.

Epilogue

Chris sucked one of Rich’s nipples until it was a stiff ruby peak. Rich whimpered when he scraped his teeth over the bud while his fingers plucked the other.

“Chris, come on, please fuck me! It’s mean to torment me like this after making me wait for days!”

Chris grinned around the tit between his lips, giving it a good tug before letting it go. His amusement faded when he thought of how close he’d come to losing this man. “You were dead, dead, for several minutes! Don’t tell me it doesn’t take several days to recover from that!”

Rich nodded. “Yeah, I felt like shit until today. Now I feel like a horny guy whose fixing to become a horny bitchy guy if you don’t get that dick in me soon! Preferably before your mother gets here, but hey, if she shows up during and hears all the noise, I don’t care at this point.”

As close as Chris was to his mom, that was a line he didn’t care to cross. “Hand me the lube.”

Rich’s victorious whoop warmed Chris all the way to his toes. He caught the bottle Rich tossed to him and quickly opened it, pouring it over Rich’s balls, then lifting them to pour more down Rich’s crease. Rich had assured him the scar running from right beside his anus to the divot of his butt cheek wasn’t going to be a problem, and Chris could see the scar didn’t reach the tight hole, but still. He wasn’t a small man anywhere, and he didn’t want to hurt Rich, who hadn’t been fucked since before he’d got that scar, so how could either of them know if it’d be a problem? Definitely going in slow and easy.

Something smacked him in the chest then plopped onto Rich’s thick nest of curls.

“Pushy much?” Chris teased as he picked up the condom package, already conveniently torn open.

“I prefer eager, which should flatter you and inflame your ego and all that shit.” Rich nudged his ass against Chris’ fingers. “You haven’t seen pushy yet, but it’s coming if you don’t hurry up!”

Chris pulled the condom from the package and tossed the wrapper on the floor. He sheathed his dick carefully, ensuring the reservoir was roomy enough for the piercing. He hadn’t had a condom break on him yet, but there was always a chance. Another reason to be extra cautious, although he knew they were both clean. Swapping body fluids wasn’t something to be done lightly, and definitely not without a long-term commitment. Chris coated his shaft liberally, wanting to be ready as soon as Rich was stretched.

Moving up on the bed, Chris sealed his mouth to Rich’s, pushing his tongue into his lover’s mouth as he pushed his finger into his hole. Rich moaned as his ass clenched Chris’ finger. Damn, if it’s that tight a fit for my finger… He was going to go mad before he had Rich ready to fuck.

Chris licked and nibbled at Rich’s lips as he slowly finger-fucked him. Rich’s hissed demands for more were ignored, his ass was still too tight, but Chris did decide to help him relax. He laved a trail down Rich’s sternum, then proceeded to suck and bite his way to the leaking cock he ached to taste again.

“Yes, suck it,” Rich ordered, his hands already pressing against the back of Chris’ head. Yeah, he liked his bossy bottom, bossy top, didn’t matter, he just plain and simply liked Rich, a lot. Chris swirled his tongue around the crown, rolling the ball of his piercing under the rim, teasing at the sensitive underside.