Chapter Six #2
“It’ll be our secret,” Rory said as he shifted out from between Ivan and the vanity.
Ivan said nothing as he stepped back to put more distance between them.
Rory had seen the size of the bathroom. Ivan couldn’t have been more than a foot away, but it might as well have been a country mile.
Rory pulled up his underwear, feeling cheap and stupid for the first time in his life.
Nearby rustling signaled Ivan was doing the same.
Rory was grateful the lights weren’t on to reveal the stupid tears filling his eyes.
He should go downstairs and let Ivan clean up first. Then he could do his own thing before heading over to the big house for breakfast. Yeah, that’s what he would do.
“I’ll just, um…” Rory fumbled for the door, his hands suddenly clumsy.
“Head out.” His fingers finally found the knob, and he twisted it harder than necessary.
He pulled the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge.
Rory gave it another yank but still nothing.
The knob had turned, so it wasn’t stuck, but something pressed against it toward the top.
“Not so fast,” Ivan said.
Rory released the knob and stepped back into a wall of muscle.
Ivan slid his hand down the length of the door, revealing the source of the blockage, then he placed it against Rory’s stomach.
The second hand, the sticky one, landed on Rory’s hip and held him flush against Ivan’s chest. If he didn’t get the hell out of there, he’d break down and sob in front of Ivan, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Rory wasn’t usually a crier, but the emotional highs and lows of the past week had taken their toll.
“I’m not sorry,” Ivan said huskily. “And I didn’t mean to make you feel ashamed of what happened.
” Rory hated that Ivan could read him so well even in the dark.
“I just like to keep my personal business away from the ranch. We’ve already drawn too much attention.
If Owen and Tyler are placing bets on how quickly I come running when I think you might be in trouble, I guarantee others have noticed I can’t keep my fucking eyes off you. ”
“I knew you were out there somewhere,” Rory said. “I felt you.”
“That’s a problem.”
Rory remembered the conversation they’d had about when Ivan would return from Denver. He’d gotten the distinct impression Ivan was going there for something more than business. “Did you plan to fuck out your frustrations with someone else last night?”
“Yes,” Ivan replied without hesitation. He kissed a spot behind Rory’s ear that made him shiver.
“And I just kept swiping because they weren’t who I wanted.
” A soft growl rumbled through Ivan’s chest. “You’ve been on my mind too much, and that was before I knew the breathy sounds you make when you orgasm and what your cum smells like. ”
“I’m not looking for commitment and romance,” Rory said, feeling a little hopeful that this wasn’t a one-off when Ivan didn’t seem to be in a hurry to release him. As if to prove his point, Ivan ran his nose along the side of his neck.
“You going to let me go?”
Ivan nipped his shoulder, then licked it. “I should want to…”
“But you don’t.” An idea, albeit a stupid one, popped into Rory’s mind and exited his mouth before he could stop it. “Neither of us are looking for a relationship. We both want me to ride your gorgeous cock. I think we could come to a mutually pleasing arrangement.”
Ivan bit the sensitive bend in Rory’s neck and chuckled when he trembled. “I’m listening.”
“I propose a no-strings fuck fest until the media moves on to a fresh scandal and I can go home.” Rory figured it would be another two weeks tops.
He could make and store tons of sexy memories with Ivan in fourteen days.
His hyperactive brain was already plotting day six’s sexy adventures before Ivan reacted on day one.
“It’s a terrible idea.” Ivan’s words expressed doubt, but his hands explored the plains and valleys of Rory’s abdomen, and he nuzzled his nose in Rory’s hair. “We’ve drawn too much attention already.”
“So we’ll just have to be smarter and stealthier. Interview practice will give us an excuse today.” Rory pushed his ass against Ivan’s bulge. “I’m heading to Last Chance Creek with Harry to do some grocery shopping and meet Hope for lunch. I can buy us the good lube.”
Ivan groaned and lowered his hand to cup Rory’s crotch. “You’re making it hard to say no.”
Rory’s dick twitched like it might have life left in it. “You’re just making me hard.”
Ivan sighed heavily, and Rory braced himself for rejection.
He expected the big man to release him and step back, and Rory fought the urge to turn in his embrace and hold him one last time.
That right there should’ve been the red flag needed to rescind his offer, but he couldn’t form the words to take it back.
“I have concerns,” Ivan said.
Rory nearly sagged with relief. “Name them.”
“I have a position of authority and respect to maintain. I don’t want to act in a way that jeopardizes that or to have my personal life become gossip fodder.
” Rory sensed there was more to Ivan’s attention phobia, but he didn’t press.
Ivan dipped his fingers under Rory’s waistband and caressed the bare skin at the base of his cock.
Was Ivan aware of the sexy little growl he made?
“You think you’re so irresistible that I won’t be able to keep my hands off you in front of the crew?” Rory asked. He’d meant the words to come out as a tease, but they hung in the space like a husky challenge.
Ivan nipped his neck again, then licked a long stripe up to Rory’s ear.
He sank his teeth into Rory’s tender earlobe and slowly pulled back until the flesh popped free.
“Not normally, but then you showed up on the ranch and eye-fucked me in front of everyone.” Ivan dropped his hand to cup Rory’s smooth balls.
He parted his legs to give him full access to the goods, and Ivan took advantage.
His middle finger circled his taint and inched backward, stopping just shy of his sticky hole.
“And my thoughts were just as carnal. I don’t have a lot of confidence we can pull this off. ”
Rory dropped his head back to rest on Ivan’s shoulder, exposing more of his neck to seeking lips. “I can be good.” The best you’ll ever have.
Ivan shifted his hands to turn Rory around and pinned him to the door.
Firm lips captured his in a hot, devastating kiss that felt more like sealing the deal than nixing it.
Ivan’s tongue was persistent and oh so talented.
Rory couldn’t wait to experience it in other places.
Ivan worked him up to a semihard state before breaking the kiss and leaning his forehead against Rory’s.
“Continue this tonight?” Rory asked. “We can practice your interview.”
“Yes,” Ivan replied. Then he groaned. “Oh, damn. It’s poker night again.”
“How long do they usually last?” The fun had already broken up by the time Rory had returned from the big ranch house the previous week.
“A few hours at most.” Ivan snorted.
Rory settled his hands on Ivan’s narrow hips, fingers aching to explore the expanse of flesh and muscle. “All we need to do is avoid giving them something to talk about. We practice our poker faces right away, and they’ll stop watching us like hawks and go home at a decent time.”
“You underestimate their nose for gossip. I’m pretty sure some of them are part bloodhound, but we’ll give it a shot.” Ivan stepped back, taking his heat with him. “Get out of here while you still can.”
“That line might work in a horror film, but it’s not motivating me to budge.”
“Go downstairs now, and I’ll go down on you later,” Ivan said gruffly.
Rory knew in his heart that it wouldn’t take much persuasion to change Ivan’s mind, but he might resent it—and Rory, once the post-orgasmic fog lifted. Rory rose on his tiptoes to kiss Ivan’s mouth, but the kiss landed on his cheek instead.
“I’m going, but we’re doing it with the lights on next time,” Rory said. “See you at breakfast.”
“Where you won’t eye-fuck me in front of the others.”
“Not even a figurative fondle. They won’t have a clue about what we got up to this morning nor will they know about our future plans.”
Ivan captured his mouth in one last sweet kiss before stepping back. “See you at breakfast.”
Rory forced his feet to move and exited the bathroom.
He crept quietly down the hallway, hoping like hell they hadn’t woken Dylan.
When he returned to his room and turned on the light, Rory found Scruffy stretched out on his bed.
Rory lay down beside the plus-sized purr machine while waiting for Ivan to finish showering.
He usually hated being sticky after sex, but he didn’t relish washing away the memories of what he’d shared with Ivan.
Scruffy crawled onto his chest and headbutted his chin, seeking attention.
“Just like your master,” Rory said as he complied.
The cat purred louder, easing tension Rory hadn’t realized he was carrying.
The shower continued overhead, triggering images of a wet, naked Ivan soaping up.
He’d talked a huge game upstairs, but keeping his eyes and hands to himself around Ivan would be hard. The reward would be more than worth it.
“I’ve got this under control.” I’ve totally got this under control.
Meow.
Rory’s eyes popped open. He wasn’t even aware he’d closed them until Scruffy meowed. Weak sunlight filtered in through the crack in the curtains, and Rory jackknifed into a sitting position, dislodging the cat.
“Fuck!” He’d overslept.
A quick glance at the clock told him he wasn’t that late to breakfast. He leapt off the bed and dressed in a hurry.
He made a quick pass in the bathroom to scrub his teeth before heading up to the big house.
His face felt dry, and he wished he’d taken a few minutes to wash his face or even check his reflection in the mirror.
But memories of what they’d done in the bathroom threatened to sabotage the promise he’d made to Ivan.
Rory hauled ass to the main house, lecturing himself the entire way.
Laughter and conversation drifted from the dining room, reminding him of how much these people cared for one another.
It made him suddenly shy about going in.
Rory stood just outside the dining room entrance, trying to breathe through his nervousness.
Toenails clicked on the hardwood, and Patsy appeared in the hallway.
She made a cute little growly noise and wiggled until he leaned over to pet her.
She raised her paw and placed it over his hand as if to assure him everything would be okay.
Rory straightened and followed her into the dining room with an apology for his tardiness on the tip of his tongue.
He forgot what he was going to say when everyone turned their attention to him.
Rory was confused about the various smirks and smiles on their faces.
Surely, someone had accidentally overslept on the ranch before him.
When his eyes connected with Ivan’s, his amber gaze dropped to Rory’s neck, making him suddenly aware of the tenderness there.
He recalled the brush of Ivan’s beard against his neck during their fevered make-out session. Oh shit.
Ivan averted his gaze, but Rory could tell the tops of his ears were red. He turned to grab a plate and caught his reflection in the mirror over the buffet, confirming his suspicions. He could practically hear “Taps” playing for their now dead arrangement.