14. Chapter Fourteen #2
Instead of initiating force, though, he playfully lifted Bronx over his shoulder again and carried him down the hall toward the bedroom to deposit him onto his bed.
Bronx landed on his back with a soft bounce then fisted the fabric of Cavalari’s polo shirt before he had a chance to stand upright again.
One firm tug on the shirt and Cavalari was willingly falling onto the bed beside Bronx.
Their laughter and heavy pants of breath quickly died when both of them realized how damn close they were lying on their sides facing each other.
Once again, their connection simmered below the surface like a dormant volcano about to blow and the adrenaline rush that came with that knowledge was heady.
Cavalari tried to shift away to create more space but Bronx stopped him with another hand-hold on his shirt.
Cavalari did his best to relax into the spot Bronx had designated for him then deft fingers reached to stroke the chiseled features of Cavalari’s face.
Bronx watching his own fingers map out every inch of his features fascinated Cavalari.
Bronx drew a line over each brow, dragged a fingertip down the length of his nose, fanned four fingers over a cheek bone, caressed his lips, and then slid lower to glide over the dark bristles of Cavalari’s stubble.
This was enormously intimate, like something a long-term lover would do but certainly not them.
Cavalari was about to pull away when Bronx began to speak.
“Please don’t pull away,” Bronx said in a velvety, pleading tone. “Let me celebrate the victory of that interview with you.”
Cavalari shook his head slowly. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said. “There are other ways we could be celebrating than on your bed.”
A light flashed in Bronx’s eyes and his plush lips curled up into a sexy grin. “The best celebrations always happen in bed. Don’t you know that?”
“You’re trouble. Do you know that?”
“Perhaps, but I think we make one helluva team,” Bronx admitted.
“How so?”
“You helped me ace both interviews,” Bronx explained. “You took the time to plot out a decent plan and then helped me achieve success.”
“You’re painting what happened with very broad strokes,” Cavalari said.
“I don’t know what you mean by that but I am very appreciative of what you’re doing for me,” Bronx said. “There is no way in hell I would have pulled that off by myself, so thank you for going above and beyond for me.”
“You’re welcome,” Cavalari said.
They remained far too close for Cavalari’s comfort and sweat was beginning to pop out on his skin.
His common sense told him he needed to get off the bed but something deeper inside of him kept him stretched out beside Bronx and holding his heavy-lidded gaze.
The waters they were treading at this point were too dark and murky for him to avoid drowning.
There was far too much desire and need floating between them for him to be expected to keep his hands to himself.
What made things worse was the fact he knew Bronx didn’t want him to maintain control.
He’d much rather see Cavalari throw caution to the wind and jump his bones but Cavalari had long years of military and law enforcement training that taught him to hold his focus and know his surroundings.
It was difficult for him to ignore those protocols but ignoring his attraction to Bronx felt like an even bigger challenge.
It was already a well-known fact by now that Bronx wanted him—even though the words hadn’t been fully articulated in a serious way.
His intent today was as clear as a crisp autumn morning, leaving absolutely no doubts in Cavalari’s head.
And as much as he wanted the same things as Bronx seemed to, and as flattered as he was to know Bronx wanted him like that, there was still one huge pink, polka-dotted elephant stretched out in the bed with them.
Cavalari wasn’t much of a player who easily hooked up with randos on a regular basis and there was no fucking way he’d be able to pull off a one-and-done with Bronx.
Bronx already meant too much to him and there was no way he’d be able to settle for a one-time fling with the sexy bass player, either.
They had history together—history Cavalari was unlikely to ever forget, and that made a quick roll between the sheets even more unacceptable.
How the hell would they be able to submerse themselves in each other just one time and then casually slip back into a working relationship as if they didn’t know every single pleasure point on the other’s body and the fuck-faces and glorious sounds they made when they each got off?
The word impossible came to mind but with Bronx’s fingers stroking random patterns on his face and throat it was hard to think clearly. The touching was beautifully erotic and just what Cavalari craved, but they were stepping over that invisible line again and this time it was in a big, bold way.
“I know you said you’re straight and you made it very clear that you don’t enjoy a nip here or there, but I would give just about anything to feel a real kiss from you.
I’ve thought about nothing else for quite a while.
” Bronx almost whispered his confession like a prayer as his fingertips teased the smooth surface of Cavalari’s lips then fanned over his Adam’s apple.
Bronx seemed utterly hypnotized from touching him and then his eyes slowly lifted to snare his guard’s heated gaze.
The magnetic pull Cavalari felt once Bronx’s eyes settled on him was something NASA might want to research as a vital power source to fuel the universe.
The look was equal parts sweet and dirty, and so full of carnal promise, Cavalari was becoming desperate to hand himself over to Bronx to do as he pleased but he had no idea if he’d survive with his heart and job security intact.
This only served to push him further, of course, from what his job description actually was but the will of his cock was running the show now.
How to resist the lust you feel for your principal was a lesson no one covered in training and now Cavalari was suffering the consequences.
“I’m not all that straight,” Cavalari admitted softly, making sure to hold eye contact so Bronx could read his lips.
Bronx leaned back a bit to see more of Cavalari’s face. “What’d you just say?”
“I’m not straight,” Cavalari repeated.
“You’re gay?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”
“You’re pretty sure ?” Bronx questioned. “That’s not how this works. You either crave cock or you don’t. I’m not sure there is much of a gray area with that.”
Cavalari chuckled deep and low in his throat. “Here’s another fun fact you’ll enjoy,” he said. “You were partly responsible for me figuring out I liked dick.”
“What the ever-loving fuck? How could that be possible?” Bronx asked.
“It’s true,” Cavalari nodded. “Back when I was still in uniform for the NYPD I always felt something when I saw you. It gave me pause and forced me to take a harder look at myself and who I was. The day I groped you during your last arrest by me—which also happened to be the day I technically lost my job—I had my ah-ha moment and knew I liked guys.”
“Wow, you were a late bloomer,” Bronx said.
“Better late to the party than never showing up,” Cavalari replied.
“Did you date women?” Bronx asked.
“Of course, but it wasn’t all that frequent,” Cavalari explained. “I just wasn’t interested and struggled to figure out why until I met you.”
“That’s a nice stroke to my ego, Cavatelli Pasta.”
Cavalari rolled Bronx onto his back and climbed up on top of him. He pinned Bronx’s wrists above his head on the mattress and caged Bronx’s hips in place with his beefy thighs. “I want to hear you use my real name,” he hissed very close to Bronx’s lips but without touching.
“Only if you call me Rory—full-time.”
“You’re serious about that?” Cavalari asked.
Bronx nodded his head in agreement. “My name rolling from your mouth is sexy as fuck. It also makes me feel like I’m more to you than Bronx, the bass player for Black Ice, like we’re just two regular guys sharing a strong, mutual attraction for the other.”
“I’ve always seen you as more than your musical skills, Rory. Even when you were a fall-down drunk. I could see the parts of you beneath all the other bullshit that told me you were a good man—not defined by your actions while you were drunk. I saw you , the real you and I was in awe of him.”
“You were probably the only person who ever saw me as more than the booze and all the problems I had that came along with it,” he scoffed. “Even I had trouble seeing beyond what was at the bottom of a bottle.”
His flushed cheeks were such a turn on for Cavalari.
It was difficult to breathe or think, so he chose to ignore the crazy irrational thoughts swirling around inside his brain and just be in this beautifully intimate moment with Bronx.
The guard in him was about to let down his own guard and feel something he’d never fully allowed himself to do , and damn, there was so much to feel when he was with Bronx.
The raw emotion bubbling to the surface was making his heart hammer in his chest to a point he swore Bronx could hear the fast-paced thud echo behind his ribs.
Every hitch of Bronx’s hot breath and subtle moans that escaped past his lips was amping up Cavalari’s need to finally take what he wanted and not think about anything except for the pleasure.
Cavalari wanted to rejoice that he was finally able to share this perfect span of time with the man who had turned his world upside down a very long time ago.