Chapter One #3
From the front, Ethan’s package was barely wrapped in that Speedo. In fact, he had an erection in the picture, so NOTHING was left to the imagination.
NOTHING.
Gene was honest.
“I’m going to die in Puerto Rico,” he said, again. “This is what will kill my ticker. You in that Speedo is going to be what gives me the big one. Not the crazies. Not Javier Hughes—but that flimsy, scant piece of white material covering the goods—MY GOODS,” he said, proprietarily.
And that thrilled Ethan.
When Gene got all masculine and bossy, it gave him butterflies in his belly.
Sue him.
He liked being this man’s other half.
Because he wasn’t sure which he liked best, again, he flipped the picture and saw the back view. For a few seconds, he admired the perfection.
Of.
Ethan.
You couldn’t see the material. It was flossing some truly spectacular cheeks, and he was a true admirer of the man’s flawless, sculpted ass.
You could bounce a half-dollar off of his buns, and that Speedo left NOTHING to the imagination. It was all there for the eye to admire.
Also, from behind, between Ethan’s legs, you could see a healthy peak of the back of his balls.
Yeah, Gene was horny.
No, he was beyond that, but he couldn’t think of the word for what he was feeling.
Ravenous?
Feral?
Addicted?
Whatever it was, he was absolutely feeling it.
Ethan kept his voice low.
“I thought it was only fair,” Ethan admitted. “You’re going to wear a banana hammock, so I got one of my own.”
Oh, it was a good day to be him. While Ethan might like seeing a bear in a banana hammock, nothing truly was as spectacular as a tan Native in a white Speedo.
Hot.
Freaking.
Damn.
“Tala,” Gene whispered, tucking that Speedo into his pocket for safekeeping. “When we get to the room, I need you so badly. I don’t think I can control myself. I hope you meant what you said about leaving Ethan at home, because I don’t want to miss a second with Tala.”
Ethan grinned.
And that was the point.
For one of the few moments in his life, he wasn’t worried about anything. He was free, and Gene was his partner in life.
So, he was honest.
“I want you to go wild. You won’t hurt me, Gene. I’m not breakable like that. We’re at a whole new level in our relationship.”
Oh, he was aware.
And he liked it there.
“I’m going to get rough,” he said. “We’re going to need a safe word. Normally, I trust myself not to need one, but today…with you, I’m going to definitely need one—more so for me, than you. You’ve pulled Daddy out, and he’s going to have his Tala.”
Ethan stared into his eyes.
“Mustang,” he offered, picking their safe word—giving him that. It was definitely more so for Gene than him, because he wanted his lover to lose it and do whatever he wanted to him.
It would be a cold day in Hell before he uttered any freaking safe word.
Bet.
On.
It.
Gene heard him, and nodded in acknowledgement. All he could hope was that Ethan didn’t get scared because he’d never seen him go this hard, and what he had planned in his head would test the man.
In so many ways.
“And you’re okay with me…?” he began.
He stopped him.
“My love,” he whispered, staring into his eyes. “I’m good. We’re a couple. You don’t have to protect me all of the time. Let me be me. Let me explore this new world that is our relationship. I deserve the right to see what lives in all the corners and experience them.”
Damn.
He was right.
The last thing that he wanted to do was stifle Ethan’s ability to feel out this part of his life. Gene had years to play in these shadows.
Now, Ethan could too, and he would willingly walk beside him.
“You’re not going to use that safe word, are you?”
He laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
Oh, thank God.
With nothing but admiration and adoration, Gene ran his fingers down Ethan’s jawline, enjoying his mate.
This was going to be for life.
He knew it.
“I love you, EJ. We’re going to have an exciting vacation,” he admitted. “I can’t wait to land and begin.”
That’s how he felt.
Ethan hoped this vacation put them deeper onto this path because he knew Gene would never leave him, and he certainly would never leave Gene.
He’d never felt safer in his life, and for the first time, ever, he didn’t have to worry about anything.
He.
Was.
Safe.
“I love you too, Babe,” he stated, grinning. “Bring on the adventure. I’m ready.”
Only, they wouldn’t be ready.
Not.
Even.
Close.
* * * Blackhawk & Cantrell * * *
The Same Plane
The Back
When Corbin and Will bought their secret tickets, they got lucky that their seats, the last two available, were the furthest from Ethan and Gene.
And the bathroom.
There was no doubt that Gene could get his kink on at any moment, and they didn’t want to be discovered.
Not yet.
They were going to surprise the two men when they got to the resort.
Wouldn’t they be shocked when they just popped up, catching them off guard?
There was nothing like interrupting Mom and Dad from completing any kind of kinkery.
From the layout of the resort, they knew that some of the rooms had their own beachfront space. Unfortunately, they didn’t know where the men would be, or if they were on an upper floor. That was where they were betting, since the cost of the lower rooms was pricy.
Feds were public servants, so the bet was the cheaper room since they likely wouldn’t be leaving it much.
So, for them to find them, all it would take was a walk down the beach to find Gene and Ethan when they were out in the sun.
Will leaned in and kept his voice low.
“I feel bad we’re encroaching on their vacation,” Will admitted. “If they wanted us with them, they would have asked. Maybe we should leave them alone.”
Oh, Corbin didn’t feel bad.
Not.
At.
All.
“We’re family, and we’re not going to impede their vacation. We’re just going to torment them and do things ourselves after we bust some ass.”
Oh, and Will knew what they wouldn’t be doing.
Sex.
Corbin was still twitchy, and Will wasn’t going to push him over it. There was no point making him upset, and having a breakdown.
It had been touch-and-go for the last few weeks. Yes, as time progressed over the almost five weeks, the man had gotten better, but he was still not himself.
And Will was more than good with that. What he wanted was for Corbin to find his way back to him so that they could get married.
That was the goal.
After all, he’d meant what he’d said about sex not mattering in the grand scheme of things.
If he could never have sex with Corbin again, if that boat never returned to port, he was good with it. They were going to have fun on vacation.
The rest would work itself out at some point.
“I did some research,” Will began. “So we can have some fun together.”
Corbin didn’t say anything, simply because he hoped Will wasn’t expecting sex.
Honestly, he just couldn’t do it yet.
His erection had not made an appearance—even after waking up each day.
Even his morning wood was MIA.
While he’d spoken to his therapist about it, she’d told him to just let it happen naturally, and that one day, it would be back.
Oh, and talking to a woman therapist about his PTSD related lack of libido was definitely horrifying.
Call him crazy, but he’d never seen this one coming, where he’d be talking about his dick to a woman.
He.
Was.
Horrified.
Corbin had to hope that Will would stick around long enough to see its return.
Only, if he was being honest with himself, he knew that a part of him still feared he’d run at some point.
“What do you have in mind exactly?” Corbin asked, curiously as he tested the waters.
Will pulled the brochure out and showed Corbin so they could plan their vacation.
“I want to see the coral and the fish,” he said, grinning as he pointed at the picture in the brochure to the all-inclusive gay resort.
Immediately, Corbin relaxed.
The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Will if he brought up sex. Oh, he’d try, but there was no way he could pull it off.
Corbin was better, but not back.
“And look,” Will said. “There’s a moonlight dinner on the water. We can go, have dinner, and maybe take a walk on the beach.”
When Corbin’s face had some tension, Will knew why.
“I’m not trying to get into your pants, Corby. You can breathe. I wanted to look for seashells so that we can bring them home and put them in a bowl so we can remember this first vacation together. We can do all the couple-y things, and not have sex.”
He touched Will’s face, and rested his forehead against his.
“You know I still want to get back to that, right?” he asked.
Will nodded.
“Corbin, I’m not thinking about it. I was thinking about parasailing. Can we do that too?” he asked. “I’d love to see the water from above.”
Yeah, he had a good man.
That was for sure.
Oh, they could.
Softly, Will kissed him on the lips.
“I meant what I said, Corbin. Sex is nice, but being here with you to do all the fun things is just as good. I’m not going to pressure you. When you’re ready, we’ll go back there.”
He needed to know.
“And if I’m not ready ever again?” he asked, worried about the worst-case scenario.
Will stared into his blue eyes. In them, he saw their future together as a couple.
But…
He also saw his worry.
“Then, you’re not ready. What happened to you is devastating. Losing you would have been a nightmare for me. If I need to cum, I have a hand, Babe. I can service my own needs for sex, and then enjoy all the fun we can have as a couple.”
Corbin hoped that was the case. Only, that sounded like being single. For him, in his head, he wasn’t willing to question it because it might mean losing Will, and then, he’d have absolutely nothing.
What wouldn’t he give to have his libido back?
He couldn’t even muster the thoughts to want to touch his own dick.
PERIOD.
When he took a piss, that was as far as he could go. Because of what happened, he was still in pieces.
He just didn’t want to lose Will.