Chapter Eleven
Brantley walked into the hotel room alone.
He’d left Reese downstairs with Tesha, the two of them taking a short walk to give her time to do her business.
Tomorrow morning, they’d toss the ball around after their run so she could get her daily dose of fun, but for tonight, Reese said a walk would be enough.
He probably should’ve remained with them, but he was having a difficult time harnessing his frustration. He was a live wire, flipping and flopping, ready to zap anything that he came into contact with.
Max fucking Adorite.
As was the case whenever he saw the man, or hell, whenever he so much as heard his name, he still wanted to wrap his hands around the bastard’s neck and squeeze until the life slowly drained out of him. And it would be a slow, agonizing death. Brantley would make sure of it.
He hated himself for letting the guy get to him, but he couldn’t help it.
Seeing him reminded Brantley of everything he’d nearly lost. Worse, it pissed him off that he wasn’t able to put it behind him, to stop dwelling on the past. He’d trained himself to do exactly that.
To move forward without looking back. It had worked up to this point in his life, and he liked that he didn’t hold grudges.
Yet for some reason, he couldn’t let go of this.
Brantley sat on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head in his hands.
He focused on breathing, trying to calm himself.
They needed to sleep so they could put a plan into motion in the morning.
He wanted to track down Martin Calloway and figure out what the bastard was doing.
Determine whether he was holding Kylie in some safe house somewhere or if it was all a figment of Holt’s overactive imagination.
The door lock beeped, signaling someone unlocking it. He sat up straight, watching as Tesha and Reese came in.
Without hesitation, Tesha trotted right to her bed on the floor and curled up in it, preparing for sleep. Exactly what Brantley should’ve done when he came into the room. The preparing for sleep part, at least.
Reese stood at the door, Tesha’s leash in his hands. He seemed hesitant to come all the way into the room. Brantley didn’t blame him. He felt like a caged animal about to chew through the bars.
Their eyes remained locked for several heartbeats, and Brantley had to assume Reese could detect the hunger flowing in his veins. And it damn sure wasn’t for food.
“I need you,” he told Reese, watching him, aching for him. “Can I have you, Reese?”
“Always.”
“Then strip,” he ordered.
One dark eyebrow cocked, but Reese didn’t question the command or the brunt force with which it was delivered. He set the leash on the open suitcase before reaching behind his head and grabbing a fistful of his shirt, tugging it over his head.
Fuck, yes. That was what he needed. That sinful body. That man.
Brantley watched as Reese slowly stripped, removing every stitch of clothing that covered the body that was built for Brantley’s pleasure.
From the first time he saw Reese naked, he’d been mesmerized.
Long and lean, Reese was utter perfection.
All toned muscle and sinew, he was strength and grace personified.
From the planes and angles of his impressive chest to the perfection of his tapered waist and those chiseled oblique abdominal muscles.
Damn, but he made Brantley’s mouth water.
And the fact that Reese belonged to him was not something he would ever take for granted.
“Come here,” he instructed when Reese was naked.
His husband moved toward him, his powerful legs bringing him closer. When he was an arm’s length away, Brantley reached forward, curling his fingers around Reese’s erection, which was bobbing proudly, hard and thick. He pulled him by his dick, bringing him right where he wanted him.
“I’m hangin’ by a thread,” he warned.
Reese’s golden eyes glittered with heat as he caressed the top of Brantley’s head with one hand. “I know.”
“I’m gonna fuck you.”
The corner of Reese’s mouth lifted. “I know.”
“Hard. Deep.”
Their eyes remained locked as Brantley stroked Reese’s cock.
“I expect you to say my name when you come.”
Reese shivered as he nodded.
Because he sensed Reese was trying to anticipate Brantley’s next move, he decided to deviate from his original plan. Leaning forward, he took Reese’s cock between his lips.
Reese palmed the back of his head as he moaned softly, his hips jutting forward, pushing deeper into Brantley’s mouth.
Brantley sucked and licked, fondling Reese’s balls for long minutes, distracting his husband until the time was right for him to do what he really wanted to do.
In one swift move, Brantley surged to his feet, grabbed Reese around the waist, and threw him to the bed, face down.
A second later, he was on top of him, pinning him to the mattress with his full weight.
He straddled Reese’s thighs, pressing his aching cock against the hard muscles of Reese’s ass, his chest against Reese’s back.
He nipped his earlobe, attempting to harness some of his self-control.
It wasn’t easy. If it weren’t for the fact he was fully dressed, he would’ve been inside Reese by now.
“I hate that bastard,” Brantley said, his voice low and rough near Reese’s ear. “I see red whenever I so much as think about him.”
Reese tried to buck Brantley off, but it was clear he wasn’t trying too hard. It took minimal effort to maintain control of the situation.
He pressed a kiss to Reese’s shoulder, then clamped his teeth down.
“Oh, fuck,” Reese hissed, his hips jerking.
“Hurt?”
“Yes.” Reese gasped. “Do it again.”
He did, biting Reese, leaving his mark on the man. For whatever reason, it pleased him to do so, made him feel a bit more in control. Every hiss, every moan that spilled from Reese was a reminder that the man was alive.
“Mine,” Brantley groaned, licking the sting away.
“Yours.”
Pressing his forearm across Reese’s shoulder blades to keep him in place, Brantley reached down with his other hand, unbuttoning his pants, unzipping in order to free his cock. He shoved the cumbersome fabric down far enough so he could slide his dick between Reese’s cheeks.
He spit in his hand, lubed the head of his dick as best he could, then began prodding Reese’s hole, pushing in, retreating. Precum became a lubricant, allowing him to push in deeper.
“Fuck, you feel good,” he groaned as Reese’s body clasped him like a velvet fist. “So fucking good.”
He was aware of Reese reaching beneath him, jerking his trapped cock in time to Brantley’s thrusting hips.
It didn’t take long before his tenuous grip on his control snapped.
He got to his knees, shoving his pants down more, then jerked Reese back with him.
He dug his fingertips into Reese’s hips as he held him in place and drove them both to that razor-sharp edge.
He lingered there for long, blissful seconds as he chased that high that he only got when he was with this man.
When he reached the summit, he growled, “Come for me, Reese. Come.” Thrust. “Right.” Thrust. “Fucking.” Thrust. “Now!”
With a groan, Brantley slammed into him one final time, his cock erupting, filling the man he loved. Reese’s grunts and groans crescendoed at the same time, a signal that he’d launched headfirst into the abyss with him.
Reese lay on the bed, Brantley boneless on top of him. He was replete and content for the first time in hours.
Brantley kissed his shoulder. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” he said, because it was the truth.
“You sure?”
Rather than respond, he shifted his hand over Brantley’s, where it rested on the bed. He played with the band on Brantley’s ring finger, turning it slowly.
He’d known from the moment Simon had mentioned Southern Boy Mafia that this case was going to be difficult on all of them, but especially Brantley.
He hated Max with good reason. Reese probably should, too, but his guilt didn’t allow him to put all the blame on anyone else.
And yeah, he still felt guilty about what he’d done: texting back and forth with Madison, meeting her for dinner.
Looking back, he couldn’t understand why he would’ve risked everything for a woman he hadn’t loved.
Sure, he’d thought he had at one point, but that was before Brantley came into his life and showed him what love really was.
So, no, he couldn’t hate Max for sending Rock to Madison’s rescue or for leaving Reese in that restaurant with a bullet in his chest. He blamed himself. He was the one who’d gone there, and that was the way the cards had fallen that night.
But here, now … he had let go of some of the guilt. Some, but not all. It would never fully disappear, but he didn’t dwell on it anymore. He chose to appreciate what he did have and to be grateful he hadn’t lost the most important thing in his life.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, baby,” Brantley replied, his hand moving so he could twine their fingers. “And I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
Brantley pressed another kiss to his shoulder. “You’ve got my mark on you.”
“I’m sure I do.” He would wear it proudly.
“What do you say we take a shower, then get some sleep. Maybe you’ll wake me up for another round before we start the day.”
“I think I can manage that,” he said with a smile.
Six hours later, Reese was buried deep inside Brantley, staring down into his face as he fucked him. Slow, deep. It was the perfect start to any day.
“Good?” he asked, holding Brantley’s stare in the mostly dark room.
Brantley nodded, not looking away.
Reese continued to rock his hips, pushing in deep, sliding out slowly. The friction on his cock was incredible, the tight clasp of Brantley’s body perfection. He wouldn’t complain if he remained just like this for the rest of his days.
Except that wasn’t possible, so he continued driving them both higher until the plummet back down was inevitable.
“Come for me, Brantley,” he whispered, his eyes shifting to where Brantley was stroking his cock.
“So close,” he groaned.
Reese slammed his hips forward.
Brantley grunted. “Yes.”
He did it again.
“Fuck, yes.”
Again.
Brantley’s jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth, his head tipping back. Reese continued to impale him, driving him right to the edge. He fought to hold on until…
“Reese!”
Brantley’s orgasm triggered his, his hips slamming home one final time as he came with a rush that stole his breath.
He had no idea what the day had in store for them, but he knew for certain that nothing would be as good as that.