Chapter 14 #2
“And the other part…” Cole exhaled, letting his shoulders sag. “I’m sorry. It—like I said, it was a cheap shot.”
Will’s features hardened as he glared at Cole. “I don’t get why you keep blaming me. I know it hurt. But I’m not the one who hurt you.” He paused. “And I got hurt, too, you know.”
It was Cole’s turn to break eye contact.
All the emotions from that awful night bubbled up.
The fury at seeing Marcus railing Will. The utter devastation as the reality had sunk in.
The horror, wondering how long this had been going on.
How much he’d hated every man in that room after that—Marcus, Will, himself.
In the present, Will asked, “What do I have to do to convince you I didn’t know about you?
” He waved a hand in a weak, resigned gesture.
When he spoke again, his voice was full of fatigue, frustration, and maybe even a note of hurt.
“We’re literally hiding in Bumfuck, Virginia, because Marcus has turned just about every art thief we know against each other.
We could’ve been killed multiple times since we went to Alders’s place.
All so he can thin the competition and steal the Puffin.
” He swallowed hard. “And you can’t believe for a second that he’d convince his sidepiece he was single? ”
Well… fuck.
Will had him dead to rights. Marcus was and always had been a liar. Hell, he was a counterfeiter, even if he was terrible at it. So… yeah… it was on-brand for him to convince someone he didn’t have a boyfriend. Cole had just been so angry, so hurt…
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was just so pissed about it, and—”
“So was I,” Will snapped.
Cole stared at him.
“What?” Will huffed a sarcastic laugh. “That never crossed your damn mind? That maybe you weren’t the only one who got cheated on” He threw up a hand.
“Come on. Think about it. This man is actively trying to screw over everyone we know. Is it really a stretch that he’d convince two guys he was exclusive to them?
” He laughed again, the sound caustic and dry. “We weren’t even the only ones!”
“We…” Cole blinked. “We weren’t?”
“No.” Will slouched back against the counter, folding his arms loosely as he shook his head. “A week before you busted us, I busted him with some other guy. That…” He deflated. “When you walked in on us? That was after he’d finally convinced me to forgive him for the other guy.”
Cole’s jaw went slack and his brain damn near short-circuited. “You… You two…” He shook himself. “Are you telling me I walked in on you two having makeup sex?”
Will’s nod was subtle but unmistakable.
“Holy shit.” Cole raked a hand through his hair. “God, I’m sorry. I’ve been so pissed at you all this time, and…”
“He fucked us both over,” Will said softly. “I didn’t know about you, Cole. I swear, I didn’t.”
Avoiding his gaze, Cole nodded. “Yeah. I… I believe you. Fuck, I’m…” He pinched the bridge of his nose, then let his hand fall with a slap to his thigh. “I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.”
Will studied him for a long moment. Cole had no idea what he was thinking. Whether he believed him or not. What he might say.
He wasn’t at all ready when Will said, “You kissed me back.”
Cole’s thoughts scattered. His ability to speak vanished.
Will pushed himself off the counter and closed some of the space between them. “Were you actually thinking about me and Marcus? Or did that just… come out?”
Cole gulped, and somehow he reclaimed his speech function. “It just, uh… It just came out.” He dropped his gaze and shook his head. “I don’t know why I said it. I think I just panicked, and I was so—”
Will kissed him.
Cole had been scrambling so hard to gather his thoughts and explain himself, he hadn’t even realized Will was moving in. And then they were just…
Will’s mouth was…
Cole was surprised by—but not ashamed of—the little whimper that escaped his throat as he slid his hand up into Will’s hair.
Will gave a soft groan that Cole felt more than heard, and then he was pressing Cole back against the counter, and there was nothing soft about either of them.
Not the way they kissed. Not the way they grabbed on to each other.
Not their clothed dicks pinned between their bodies.
Will grabbed Cole’s hair, pulled his head back, and attacked his neck. Soft lips, abrasive stubble, and all the while he was rutting against him as if the air hadn’t been miserably awkward between them just a moment ago.
“Jesus, Will…” Cole whispered, letting his eyes slide shut.
“Think we have an understanding,” Will drawled against Cole’s throat. “Fuck Marcus.”
“No,” Cole panted. “Fuck me.”
At that, Will raised his head, and he met Cole’s gaze with unmistakable lust in his dark eyes. “Yeah?”
Cole hadn’t really given it much thought. Much like the below-the-belt comment about Marcus, it had just come tumbling out. Unlike that remark, though, he wasn’t about to try to claw this one back. “Y-yeah.” He licked his lips as he slid his hands down into Will’s back pockets. “Please?”
Will’s grin made Cole’s knees shake. Then he scowled. “Fuck. Should’ve grabbed some lube when we stopped.”
“To be fair…” Cole kneaded Will’s ass through his jeans. “You probably didn’t want a piece of me while we were there.”
Will rocked his head and didn’t argue. “Eh.” He leaned in for another kiss. “We can improvise tonight.” He nipped Cole’s lower lip. “Just keep you hungry for my dick until we have some lube.”
Cole whimpered again, both aroused and frustrated. He hadn’t wanted to get laid this bad in a long time, and the thought of going even one more night without taking Will had him dizzy with need. “Might… Might have to stop at Walmart tomorrow.”
“Mmhmm. We might.” He paused to absolutely steal Cole’s breath. Then, in a low voice with that sexy drawl, he murmured, “Pretty sure we can still have a good time without it.”
“Jesus,” Cole whispered.
Will just laughed and kissed him again.
As hot as it was to make out against the kitchen counter, Cole had had enough of teasing and being dressed. He broke the kiss and growled, “Your bedroom or mine?”
Will laughed almost soundlessly. “Which one is closer?”
“Guess we’ll find out.”
Turned out the room Will had claimed was closer to the stairs, and that was where they ended up. The bed wasn’t even a queen size, but they didn’t need much space. Not when Cole was on top of Will, straddling his narrow hips and rutting against him as they made out and pawed at each other.
“I don’t think we thought this through,” Will mumbled between kisses.
“Thought what through? Not bringing lube?”
“No.” Will slid his hands up Cole’s thighs. “Not getting out of our damn clothes before we got into bed.”
Cole laughed, pushing himself up to meet Will’s gaze. “We can still fix that.”
“Mmm, we can.” Will squeezed Cole’s ass, then let go. “Get up.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” That earned Cole a slap on the ass, which he didn’t mind at all.
He got up, as did Will, and they both peeled off clothes like they were on fire. Cole’s mouth watered at the first sight of Will’s slim torso sans shirt.
When Will turned to put his shirt on top of the dresser, though, the magpie tattoo on the back of his shoulder came into view.
The sight of that huge, intricate piece gave Cole a rush of unpleasant and unwelcome feelings.
The first time he’d seen that tattoo flashed through his mind, and it was quickly followed by the guilt and shame over blaming Will for that for so long.
He tore his gaze away and focused on getting out of his own clothes. He’d been an asshole to Will, and he had every intention of making up for that tonight.
Will stripped off his jeans and underwear, and Cole didn’t even let him get to the bed. He grabbed Will’s hips and pulled him in close, and oh God, that little moan when they kissed was too hot for words. Cole nudged him back a step. Then another.
When Will’s calves met the bed, Cole murmured, “Sit.”
He fully expected playful resistance—everything about Will screamed “brat”—but what he got was instant compliance. Will dropped onto the edge of the bed, gazing up at Cole with wide, hungry eyes.
Cole pushed Will’s knees apart, then went to his own knees. Drawled curses tumbled off Will’s lips, but they shifted to a low, helpless moan as Cole ran his tongue along that thick hard-on.
Cole got to work, licking and teasing every inch of Will’s dick. Will’s fingers ran through Cole’s hair, twitching against his scalp and occasionally tugging just enough to sting. When he pulled a little harder, Cole shivered and moaned, and that earned him an even tighter grip on his hair.
Holy fuck. He was the one blowing Will, but much more of this and he’d blow his own load.
He gave himself a few pulls just to ease the need for friction; no more, or he’d go off too soon.
This was all about Will. Teasing Will. Turning him on.
Making his breath hitch just like that. Making him whimper like that again.
“Goddamn,” Will whined, gripping Cole’s hair even tighter. “Oh, fuck…”
Cole moaned around Will’s cock, then ran his tongue around the head just to make him tremble again. He pumped him, too, relishing the soft curses and sharp gasps.
“Please make me come,” Will begged. “God, yeah. I want—please, Cole.”
Once again, Cole nearly came himself, but he stayed in control and gave Will everything he had. He tightened his grip, worked every bit of magic he knew how to with his tongue, and groaned as Will’s dick got even thicker and harder.
“That’s it,” Will panted. “That’s—oh, God, yeah, please make me come. Please make me—” He gasped, his whole body tensing, and Cole couldn’t help moaning with anticipation a second before Will cried out and released on his tongue.
Cole let up, and Will pushed out a ragged breath. He leaned back on one hand, shaking all over as a few aftershocks rippled through him.
God, but that was a beautiful sight. There were very, very few things more satisfying than blowing a man into oblivion. Turned out blowing Will into oblivion was incredible.
“Come up…” Will paused, swept his tongue across his lips, and tried again. “Come up here.” He started to stand, gesturing for Cole to do the same.
Cole had barely gotten to his feet before Will grabbed him, threw him down on the bed, and climbed on top. He kissed him hard and deep, pulling the breath right out of Cole.
“Your mouth is amazing,” Will growled between kisses. “And now it’s my turn.”