Chapter 7
ANGEL
Raleigh was being secretive. What he hadn’t counted on—what he should’ve known—was that I knew him better than anyone, even himself. My powers certainly helped me understand his emotions, but I liked to think it would have happened anyway after living with him for nearly twenty years. From the moment his designer clothes disappeared, I knew exactly where he was and what he was up to, but that knowledge didn’t stop me from panicking. When I woke up the next morning and he still wasn’t home, I guilted him into a FaceTime call, where the airport bathroom in the background and the announcements overhead confirmed my suspicions. He assured me that he was fine and he would be home soon.
Needless to say, I hadn’t slept. Sleeping didn’t come easy to me anyway, but knowing Raleigh was hundreds of miles away made it worse.
Eli had been called in for another night shift too. As if he could hear my thoughts, my phone chimed and my heart warmed when I saw his name on the screen.
Come over? I’ve been thinking about you all night.
I checked the time—I had to open the bar in a couple of hours. It was no secret what Eli wanted, and if my erection tenting the sheets was any indication, I wanted to give it to him. But I didn’t have enough time or energy to fake it.
I loved Eli with my whole heart, but sex was… difficult. Eli didn’t have a dominant bone in his body, and neither did I. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I wanted to be dominated for once. Especially after seeing what submission did to him. Sure, he was the only person I’d ever been with, but I’d never seen someone look so free after sex.
I wish I could, sweetheart. I have to open the bar. But why don’t you get yourself nice and comfortable for me? I’ll help you relax so you can sleep.
When the FaceTime request popped up on the screen, I hit accept and set my phone on a pillow next to me. I stretched out on the bed exactly the way he liked, letting the sheet dip low on my hips. The sun streaming in through my sheer curtains gave the illusion that my skin was glowing.
All right, I might’ve hammed it up a bit with my powers.
The look on Eli’s face was worth it. He was sprawled on his bed, head on the pillow and phone propped against the lamp on his nightstand. God damn he was gorgeous. His hazel eyes looked back at me, sparkling— trusting . He had one arm curled behind his head, chestnut brown waves splayed over the skin. The other disappeared below the screen, the gentle, rhythmic movements making it clear what he was doing.
“Did I say you could touch yourself?” I signed. I didn’t need both hands to sign, but at times like this, it helped. I could keep my focus solely on him.
When my thoughts wanted nothing more than to stray toward my best friend, I needed all the help I could get.
Eli whimpered at my question, obediently bringing his other hand to rest behind his head. He said nothing but his eyes pleaded with me, begged for me to let him relieve the pressure between his thighs.
“Slowly,” I instructed. “And I want to see.”
With a shaky hand, Eli lifted the phone and the screen rotated, giving me full access to his body. Flawless golden skin stretched over his lithe frame. His hips jerked, pulling my attention downward. Dominance didn’t come naturally to me, so I tried to summon the swagger of someone like Ryder—or Raleigh—and smirked. Every time I did it, I expected Eli would laugh in my face. Instead, he trembled from head to toe and his hard cock leaked, making a sticky mess of his stomach. His left hand crept slowly down his body. Long fingers wrapped around his shaft and he sighed, grateful to give his engorged cock some attention.
“Good boy. I know you’re close, but take it slow for me.”
My own dick begged for attention, but I ignored it. It was Eli’s turn.
I watched intently as he gave himself slow, deliberate strokes. It wasn’t long before Eli brought himself to the edge, begging for release.
“Please,” he whined, “I can’t wait any longer.”
I didn’t give him permission immediately, instead watching for several long moments, amused at the way his body seemed to beg for him. His trembling increased, his dick leaking like a faucet. My mouth watered, and I licked my lips.
With one last plea from his lips, I nodded—and Eli erupted. Erotic moans gave way to sighs as he painted his chest with his release. I closed my eyes, my own cock throbbing beneath the blanket.
After cleaning up with the tissues he kept nearby, Eli turned onto his side and faced the phone with heavy-lidded, sated eyes. That was the reason I kept doing this: His look of bliss was worth a little dissatisfaction. “Are you going to finish?”
I shook my head. “No time,” I lied. “Get some sleep. Text me later?”
Eli smiled, already halfway gone. “When have I ever let you down?”
At that, something in my chest ached, but I didn’t have time to question it. We said our “I love yous” and ended the call. No longer distracted, my raging erection below the blanket made itself known again.
I flung the bedsheet away with one hand and fumbled around in the nightstand with the other. I located the bottle of lube first, then withdrew my favorite toy, tossing it on the bed beside me. Drizzling lube over my cock, I slowly pumped it through my grip, shuddering. I lifted my right leg and planted my foot flat on the bed. The slick fingers of my unoccupied hand found my eager hole and circled it, encouraging my muscles to relax. I sighed, dropping my head back onto the pillow. I didn’t indulge in this type of pleasure very often, mainly because Eli had no interest in taking me.
As I slowly jacked myself with one hand, two of my fingers pushed into my entrance. I gasped, waiting for my body to adjust before I continued. My eyes fluttered shut, and I was helpless against the image that formed behind closed lids.
Raleigh.
It was no secret what he looked like naked. It was all I could do not to picture what he looked like during sex. God knows I knew what he sounded like after so many years of living together. Despite his rugged appearance, he could be a teddy bear in the bedroom, making sure his partner was taken care of before himself. Countless nights I’d lie awake and fantasize that his sweet words were directed at me.
I pushed my fingers deeper, imagining they were his. His would be bigger, I knew, more confident, able to fill me completely. Crooking my fingers, I tried to imagine how the bulky rings he always wore would feel, creating a sensation that would send me crashing over the edge before I could think twice about it. My cock jerked in my hand, precome puddling on my stomach.
I withdrew my fingers and reached for the toy. Did I have the right person in mind when I’d bought it? No, but I didn’t want to think about that right now. Right now, I wanted to come—with the wrong name on my lips. The forbidden nature of it all made it even hotter.
I’d feel guilty about it later.
Over the years, I’d had countless daydreams about getting Raleigh’s cock inside me one way or the other. It just so happened that this option was purple, battery-operated, and had three different settings. Granted, it was missing a few things compared to Raleigh, but my imagination filled in the gaps.
The wide head of the dildo notched against my hole. My cock threatened to erupt before I got started so I squeezed the base of it, stemming my orgasm.
No, not yet.
I reminded myself to breathe as I pushed in, welcoming the burn that came from being stretched. I’d never stop wondering what the real thing would feel like, if the sting would be nearly as satisfying. I stroked my shaft faster, using the pleasure to distract myself from the discomfort. Inch by inch the toy filled me up. Only when it was buried as deep as it would go was I able to relax, somewhat. Feeling around for the button, I switched it on and in the privacy of the empty apartment, I moaned. Again when the toy shifted, bumping against my prostate. My hips jerked, pushing my cock through my fist. Blood rushed through my veins, my heartbeat pulsing in my ears.
The knot in my stomach tightened, and the base of my spine started to tingle. I picked up the pace. I thrust into my fist, then rocked back onto the toy. Pathetic whines and whimpers left my lips, but I didn’t care. I was so close! My hands could barely keep up with the demands of my body.
In my fantasies, Raleigh would usually tell me how good I was for him, would coach me through my climax and hold me through the aftershocks, often with his lips on various parts of my body.
Oh, fuck .
My cock swelled, spurting thick white ropes of come over my chest and stomach, coating my fingers. I cried out so loudly that the sound echoed off the walls. Despite knowing I was alone, a flush crept up my cheeks. I looked down my body at the evidence of what I’d done. Heat swept over my face, shame settling in. Wincing, I pulled the vibrator out of my ass and set it aside to be cleaned. I stowed the lube, then grabbed some tissues from my nightstand and wiped myself up. My heart still thudded in my ears. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten off to Raleigh instead of my boyfriend, but the guilt never failed to eat me up afterward.
The worst part of it all? I was already thinking about when I could do it again.
* * *
Raleigh didn’t get back from his super-secret mission in time to open the bar, so Ryder showed up in his place.
Ryder was so much more than a bartender to us—he was one of our closest friends. I was a man of very few words, but I hoped that he knew that.
When he showed up to help, I could immediately tell that he was hiding something.
Ryder and Raleigh were similar in many ways, but especially in the way they thought they could keep a secret until they were blue in the face. It had taken years to learn to read Raleigh, but once I knew his tells, it wasn’t hard to see them on Ryder. And there was definitely something he wasn’t saying.
Of course, he plastered on that classic Ryder Clark grin and charmed the pants off of damn near everything that moved, just as he always had. But I’d bet money that he didn’t know I’d catch him watching me. Or that he’d be lingering too close when I turned around. Nearby, but never close enough for it to look suspicious.
I let him do it. No doubt Raleigh had asked him to keep an eye on me. I don’t think Raleigh had ever been farther away from me than the other side of town since the day we met. We grew up on the same street and attended the same schools, even went to the same college when the time came. Haunted by memories of the accident, we decided we needed a change of pace and moved to Vegas together. After visiting for my twenty-first birthday, our minds were made up by the end of our very first night.
The bar was our baby. Which was why it was strange for Raleigh to be missing as much work as he was. This scandal with Kali was really eating him up.
I meant what I’d told him: I’d never seen him so devastated after a breakup. Then again, I’d never seen Raleigh in a serious relationship. He had assured me that Kali was nothing more than a regular fling, and I’d never had any reason to doubt him. Sure, I teased him about her, but I didn’t know her; I’d only met her briefly the couple of times she came into the bar. I remembered thinking that her pressed, polished appearance made her stand out against the alternative crowd that tended to frequent the Hopyard.
It was the end of the night, and Jack and I stayed behind to clean up, letting Ryder go home. I was working up the nerve to tell Jack his shorts were entirely too short when the lock clicked at the front door. Every hair on my body stood on end, but I let out a sigh of relief when Raleigh stepped through the door. Before I could sign anything, he gave me a soft smile and held up a bottle of tequila in his hand. He motioned toward the stairs and I nodded, agreeing that I’d meet him there as soon as we were finished. I watched Raleigh go, keeping an eye on him until he disappeared up the stairs to the apartment.
Jack was more observant than I gave him credit for. “Go,” he told me.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “It’s just the trash left. I can handle it.”
“Call if you need anything.”
I finished what I was doing and ascended the stairs, stripping off my jacket as I went. Between the rising temps during the day and the sweaty bodies that packed the bar at night, I was melting. But sometimes my jacket provided a sense of comfort, a way to keep myself hidden. After my acts that morning, it was one of those days.
My marks tickled my skin, itching to be relaxed for the night. Sorry guys, not now.
Raleigh needed me.
The door to our apartment opened into the kitchen, and that’s where I found Raleigh, on the floor, with one long leg extended in front of him. He had the other bent at the knee, resting his tattooed arm on it. He didn’t look up at first, and I considered taking a moment to admire him. Then my stomach flipped and I thought better of it. One fantasy a day was plenty for my unrequited crush.
I shut the door behind me, and that’s when he finally looked at me, his eyes glossy. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen him cry, and every time my powers stirred beneath my skin. The need to comfort him was like some primal urge I couldn’t tamp down. It didn’t matter how silly the situation was, I’d die before seeing my best friend—the one true love of my life—uncomfortable.
I shivered as my powers quivered beneath my skin, like being tickled from the wrong side, then they flushed into the room. An unnatural warmth passed through the apartment, the overhead light subtly shifting to a more translucent hue. Raleigh fanned himself with the collar of his shirt, frowning at the sudden heat, but when he wiped his tears away, no new ones replaced them. I kept my relieved smile from my face.
Raleigh extended his arm. “Come here.”
And like the good little pet I was, I obeyed. I could never deny Raleigh something he wanted. I kicked out of my shoes and sat on the floor next to him. The man had a good six inches of height on me, and I was the perfect size to tuck right under his arm and rest my head on his shoulder. Still shivering from the expenditure of my powers, I welcomed the warmth of his body against mine.
“Did you take care of it?” I signed.
“Mm-hmm.” He grabbed the Cuervo and expertly twisted the top off with one hand, taking a long swig straight from the bottle.
I didn’t drink often, but I took the bottle when he handed it to me. Alcohol didn’t affect me the same way it did for humans, but I was still wary of it after the accident.
Some people might be surprised that we were drinkers at all after what happened to us—that we decided to run a bar of all things—but we had a system: We didn’t tolerate driving while under the influence of anything , and once we’d had a drink, we didn’t leave our apartment or wherever we’d chosen to stay.
Drinking on the kitchen floor had become something of a tradition when one of us went through something tough. It began when we were sixteen, and Raleigh found out his parents were splitting up after an affair. Over the years there had been several breakups and break downs . Hell, even random Friday nights when we were in a funk we couldn’t shake. There were times when I mimed taking sips from the bottle, and times where it was coffee instead of alcohol.
But as I took a sip and let the alcohol burn its way through my system, I found myself grateful that we had something that was uniquely… us.