DanielsSurrender (4 page)

He slipped in closer behind the younger man.

“Hands stay on the couch, Matt.” He deliberately kept his
voice harsh, making it an order. He poised his cock at the tight entrance to
Matt’s ass. “They come off the couch and this is over.” Slowly he spread Matt’s
firm ass cheeks. With a steady hand, Daniel guided his cock slowly in, shifting
the plump head from side to side as he worked it past the tight ring of muscle.
He watched as Matt’s ass swallowed him up, inch by inch. Matt’s hands clenched
and unclenched against the leather.

“Fuck, you’re tight.” Daniel ground his teeth as he pushed
the last inch into Matt. He ran his hands over Matt’s ass and up his spine.
Pulling back slowly, he surged forward a little faster. With each thrust,
Daniel picked up speed and force, and low grunts of pleasure and effort
exploded from Matthew’s chest.

Daniel’s thrusts became short and shallow. He reached under
Matt’s body and grabbed his cock. His hand was slick with leftover lube and
glided easily up and down Matt’s hard shaft. Matthew’s grunts ramped up,
becoming low growls. Arching his back, Matthew pushed into Daniel’s thrusts,
tossing his head and sending his hair dancing in a slippery cloud over Daniel’s
face.

Daniel pummeled Matt harder and harder, lost in the
carnality only two men could share. His teeth scraped Matt’s neck, biting down
as he drove forward. At the tiny pain, Matt’s ass clutched around the cock
sheathed so tightly inside him.

He grabbed one of Matt’s hands, wrapping it around his own
straining dick. Daniel put his hand over Matthew’s, and together they pumped as
Daniel pounded his ass. Matt’s ass bit at Daniel’s cock, while Matt’s hand drew
Daniel’s ever faster on his own. The assault on Daniel’s senses was mind
blowing, and he couldn’t tell who was trembling more, Matt or himself.

Matt’s hand began to lose its rhythm even as Daniel’s balls
tightened against his body. He nipped Matt’s ear hard enough to make him yelp.

“Come for me, Matty,” he rasped in Matthew’s ear, and that
was all Matt needed to let go, shooting his scalding cum over their hands,
spattering the couch and even the floor. Daniel let go of Matt’s hand, grabbing
his hips as he shoved forward once, twice, before he let loose a loud groan of
his own. The orgasm seemed to last forever, and even after he’d filled the
condom he kept pumping for several long moments as little lightning bolts of
sensation rocked his body.

Breathing heavily, he collapsed against Matt’s back. He felt
as if he’d just run a marathon, panting and unable to move. He allowed himself
to enjoy the moment after just this once, because this was the only time it was
going to happen. Matt shocked his system, made things feel right, made
Daniel
feel right. Daniel knew from harsh experience, that kind of right didn’t last.

If he didn’t walk away now, he would destroy Matt. He could
never give the younger man the love and fidelity he craved, and that was
something Daniel couldn’t live with. Dan’s own mother and father had left him,
his mother physically, his father emotionally, and Daniel had sworn he’d never
do that to someone else.

But for now he would enjoy the feel of Matthew’s skin
against his.

In an uncharacteristic move, he wrapped his arms around
Matt’s body and, resting his head against his lover’s damp shoulder blades,
Daniel held him for a brief time. He knew reality would set in as soon as they
caught their breath. Until then he would steal these few moments to remember
that something special had touched him once.

Chapter Four

Meredith was sitting at Marcus’ desk when Matthew arrived at
the office Monday morning. There was a strange and very attractive man standing
behind her chair, and he was standing close, one large hand wrapped around the
back of her neck, stroking absently. Unbelievably, Meredith was allowing it.
Matt blinked a couple of times. It seemed his entire family was going crazy. Marcus
had disappeared, Meredith seemed to have dropped her ice queen routine, and he
was fucking his brother’s best friend. What was next? An asteroid hitting the
Fisher Building?

“Any luck finding our fearless leader?” Meredith’s question
drew Matthew from his reverie.

“Nope. Daniel said he’d seen him Friday night, and he seemed
fine. Better than fine.” Matthew grinned at Meredith’s eye-roll. “But he hasn’t
heard from him since. Hi, I’m Matthew Worthington.” Matt offered the stranger
his hand and was impressed with his firm handshake. He was also impressed when
the stranger immediately returned his hand to Meri’s neck.

“Tony Renatto.” He had a firm grip, a firm voice, and met
Matthew’s eyes squarely when he spoke.

“The contractor, right?” Renatto nodded. “Since Meri’s in
charge, I’ll assume we’re on schedule and good to go.”

The other man slid a slow smile in Meredith’s direction. “Oh
yeah, we’re good to go.” To Matthew’s amazement, Meredith flushed a glowing
pink. Damn. Who woulda thunk it?

Before they could continue the conversation, there was a
brief knock and Daniel entered the room. Matthew felt an instant current zap
between them, and noticed Daniel deliberately focused his attention on Meredith
and her companion. He took the time to admire the other man’s build. Daniel
spent hours a week at the gym, and still more at home working out and lifting
weights, and it showed in his hard, toned physique. He was a smidge shorter
than Matthew, but made up for it with sheer charisma.

Lost in his own thoughts, it took Matthew a minute to
realize the conversation had shifted to him.

“Sorry, zoned out for a minute there.” Daniel’s bland look
made it clear he knew exactly what zone Matthew had been in. “Can you rewind
about two minutes for me?”

Meredith gave him an impatient look. “I said, since I’m
already on the Convention Center construction, I’d like to see you take over
the property search.” She shot Daniel a distracted look. “Since Daniel’s
already here, Tony and I can move to my office, and the two of you can get to
work.”

Matt nodded, making note of Daniel’s reaction. Or his
complete
lack
of reaction. He smiled to himself. This just might be fun.

Matt plopped himself down in Marcus’ abandoned office chair.
Folding his arms casually behind his head, he flashed a beaming smile at
Daniel. When no smile was returned, he let out a long sigh and put his hands on
the desk.

“Lighten up, Danny-boy. We’ve got too much work to do to get
all jammed up about last night.”

Daniel gave a brief nod and flipped open his briefcase. It
seemed to Matthew he was almost hiding behind it. When he looked up again,
Matthew was still watching him, a secretive little smile curving his lips.
Daniel scowled, and Matt laughed.

“Do we need to talk about last night?” He already knew the
answer. He’d seen it in Daniel’s eyes when he left. Regret etched deeply on
Daniel’s face, making him appear suddenly older

Daniel slapped three thick files on top of the desk. “There
isn’t anything we need to discuss, Matt.” End of subject. It was beyond clear
that Daniel had shut down even as he opened the first file.

“This is a property in Traverse City. The owner is asking
two-point-five million but I think with our present economy we can talk him
down. Its located half a mile from the water and within walking distance of
restaurants and other tourist haunts.” Daniel chanced a glance at Matt. His
chin rested in his hand, and he was wearing an amused grin. Okay, enough of
this. Daniel stood up and shoved the folders across the desk.

“Look these over, Matt. I’ll be back tomorrow around eleven.
I need a decision by then.”

“Running away?” Matt’s smooth voice froze Daniel in his
tracks. He turned and approached Matt. Spinning his chair around, Daniel
grabbed both arms, leaning in close enough to smell the minty gum Matt was
chewing.

“I don’t run, Matthew. This can’t go on. Your brother is my
best friend. I had fun, but you can’t handle how I need things to be, and you
know it.” He straightened up. “Do yourself a favor and find a nice vanilla
girlfriend who will adore you.”

Matthew’s laughter caught Daniel completely by surprise.

“You ass.” Matthew was almost snorting with humor. “When
will you quit trying to tell me what I want?” Matthew stood, stepping into
Daniel’s space, close enough that their bodies brushed. “For a bright,
perceptive man, you’re being awfully dense.” Matthew crowded him, and Daniel
stepped away before the younger man could feel his growing erection. “I’ve been
just fine with how you ‘need things to be’.” He mockingly lowered his voice to
mimic Daniel’s. “And buddy, I ain’t had vanilla sex since I was a teenager.”

Matthew returned to his chair and picked up the first
folder. “I’ll look these over, Danny.” Daniel could practically hear his teeth
grinding, and Matt probably did too, because he started to chuckle all over
again. “If you can’t handle being alone in a room with me while I do it.”
Daniel turned toward the door before he knocked the younger man on his ass. Or
kissed him. “Then I guess I’ll just have to give you an answer tomorrow.”

Matthew was still laughing when the door shut—very
firmly—behind Daniel’s retreating form.

Chapter Five

Shannon dug in with her sneakers and braced herself to heave
her ancient couch up against the one empty wall in Lisa’s apartment, only to
jerk back with a yelp of pain as her finger dragged over a loose nail.

“Dammit!” She blotted the bleeding wound on her ratty jeans
and stood surveying the mess that was her living room. Lisa had left almost all
of her furniture, which would have been a blessing if Shannon hadn’t had any of
her own. As it was, over the last two days Shannon had managed to fit in an
extra bed (propped up against the bedroom wall), an extra TV (living on the
bathroom counter) and an extra recliner (wedged behind the small table in the
dining nook). All she had to do was manage to man-handle the damn couch into
place and she would have a functional, if not feng shui, living space.

Taking a moment to kick the couch, which was completely
unproductive but extremely satisfying, Shannon grabbed a bottle of water from
the kitchen, climbed over the recliner and flopped down on the offending piece
of furniture. Deciding she needed a break, she took a little mental vacation
and returned to the pool in her imagination.

Matt. Matthew. What an utterly beautiful man. His eyes
reminded her of the sky before a storm; the swirling blue and green and gray
were a barometer for his emotions. She already knew when he was amused or happy
his eyes took on a blue that was as clear as the Caribbean Sea. She wondered
what color they’d be when he was aroused, and then gave a very unladylike
snort.

Shannon had no problems with her self-image, but she was the
first to admit she was a “real woman”. You’d be much more likely to find her in
a Dove commercial than in
Sports Illustrated
, and she was okay with
that. Unfortunately, men like Matthew Worthington didn’t dally with “real
women”. They dallied with size-negative-zero supermodels named Elga. Still, it
was a nice fantasy, and it cheered her up immensely.

The last words he’d spoken to her before they’d parted at
the pool had been an offer to help her move the heavy stuff around. She’d
listened attentively when he’d given her his unit number, and thanked him for
the offer, but she’d never actually intended to take him up on it.

Well, her stinging, bloody finger had her rethinking that.

She found herself standing outside Matt’s door unable, for
some reason, to actually knock.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She forced herself to knock
briskly, and proceeded to stand wearing her best “friendly neighbor” face while
she waited for him to open the door.

“Shannon!” Those mood-eyes flashed blue, and if the way he
reached out to immediately draw her into the living room was any indication, he
was truly happy to see her.

God. He was even more beautiful today than he’d been at the
pool. His long, dark hair was loose again, but held a slight kink where it had
obviously been tied back. He was barefoot and tie-less, but his pale-gray suit
pants clung lovingly to impressive thighs, and the open neck of his white dress
shirt exposed a triangle of golden skin just begging to be licked.

“Does the fact you’re here mean you’re ready to take me up
on my offer of dinner?” He took the keys from her hand and dropped them on the
small occasional table by the door, and then led her to the couch with a boyish
enthusiasm that was completely charming.

“I’m afraid I’ve come to take you up on your other offer.”
Shannon displayed her punctured finger. “It looks like I’m not man enough to
take on the damn couch.” She pouted prettily. “It bit me!” When Matthew laughed
at her dramatics she continued, “So does your offer to help me schlep furniture
still stand? I could really use some extra muscle.”

Taking her hand with a flourish, Matthew pressed a gentle
kiss to the damaged digit and then, meeting her eyes with a wicked smile, he
drew the finger into his mouth and sucked lightly. Shannon savored the shudder
that worked down her spine at the sensation, and watched as his eyes went
heavy-lidded and smoky.

* * * * *

Matthew felt like rubbing his hands together in glee. Not
only was his hot little mermaid here in his home, but she needed his help! He
imagined them, sweaty and out of breath from moving the couch, falling on it
together, wrapped in each other.

“Oh yeah.” She tasted amazing, like salt and spice. He was
suddenly famished for her, and he imagined all the other places on her body
he’d like to be sucking right now. He tried to keep the evil intent off his
face and out of his voice. “My offer still stands.”

“Thanks.” Her voice was breathy as she leaned back into the
soft cocoon of his sofa. “I really thought I could handle it myself, but once
the couch drew first blood, I knew it was time to call in reinforcements.”

Matt bent down and gathered her legs up, propping her feet
on his coffee table before heading to the kitchen.

“Well, before you go back into the fray, let me give you
some fortification.” He opened the refrigerator and took a moment to regret he
was indeed a bachelor, and his refrigerator reflected it. “I’ve got domestic
beer, some orange juice, German beer, a flat diet soda, and, oh, some beer from
a local microbrewery,” he called out with a grimace. “What can I get for you?”

“Gee.” Her laughter sounded like bells. “It’s really hard to
choose, but I think I’ll have to go with…um…beer.”

“An excellent choice,” he replied, carrying two bottles and
two glasses into the living room. “It’s the house specialty.”

Shannon rolled her eyes and accepted both bottle and glass
as he dropped onto the couch next to her. Setting the glass on the coffee
table, she took a long drink directly from the bottle and leaned back with a
sigh. A bit of quick maneuvering on his part and instead of leaning back into
the soft surface of the couch, she found herself leaning into the decidedly
hard surface of Matt’s arm. She shot him a glance.

“So, that move work much, slick?” In spite of her words,
Shannon made no effort to move.

“Not since high school.” He grinned. “I’m hoping my luck is
changing. Will you let me?” He didn’t say what he wanted her to let him do,
mostly because there were too many things swirling through his head to choose
just one. When she didn’t answer, he slid in even closer, discarding his bottle
and dragging his thumb over her damp lips. In a move that seemed unconscious,
she swept her tongue along behind it, capturing his flavor.

His groan was low, full of hunger and humor. “Oh yeah,
you’ll let me.”

Using the same thumb to tilt her chin, Matthew kissed her.
No, kiss was too bland a word for what he did to her. He began to devour her.
Gently he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, toying with it with tongue and
teeth before releasing it, only to repeat the small torture on her top lip. He
sipped at her lips, sucking and nipping at them as if they were honey coated
and his job was to lap away every drop.

Shannon sighed and slid her hand into his hair, pulling him
closer. Her softness and heat burned him, and when his tongue slid craftily in
and rubbed over hers, he felt the fire from the inside out. He hoped maybe she
felt the same, because when he started a short, light suction on her tongue,
Shannon gave a low moan and began to knead at his shoulder with one hand while
stroking through his hair with the other.

When his teasing got to be too much, and she was wriggling
and pressing her thighs together, she apparently decided to fight fire with
fire and sucked his tongue into her mouth. At his muffled grunt of pleasure,
she smiled into the kiss, sucking more intensely still.

Captivated, Matt slid an arm behind her and eased her onto the
couch, following her down to prop himself on his forearms, caging her with his
body. To his great satisfaction, Shannon automatically slid one foot to the
floor, making room for him in the cradle of her pelvis. When he deliberately
stroked his erection against the damp denim at the apex of her body, she sighed
and arched closer.

His hips began a rhythmic pulsing against hers, and Matthew
realized if he didn’t stop now, he’d end up taking her right there on his
couch. Ignoring his outraged cock, he lifted his lips from hers and sucked air
in through his teeth when she took the opportunity to lick at the soft skin
just below his ear and work one small hand between them to stroke the length of
his erection. Gritting his teeth so hard he almost expected his jaw to crack,
he choked out his one and only warning.

“We need to stop now, or I won’t be able to.”

“I don’t want to stop.” She licked a path of fire down his
neck.

“You didn’t come up here for this,” he reminded her, and his
dick howled in protest.

“No, I know.” She pushed into the soothing stroke of his
hand down her torso.

“Maybe you should think about it, be sure it’s what you want
before we do something that can’t be undone.” And what the fuck was he doing
talking her out of it? His body was raging, had been raging since Daniel had
buried himself balls deep in his ass on Sunday night. But then, maybe sex with
Daniel was precisely why he wanted Shannon to be very sure. He already had one
reluctant lover; Matthew didn’t know if he could handle a second.

Slowly, painfully, Matthew lifted himself from Shannon’s
welcoming body. He smiled at her regretful sigh and pressed a quick, soft kiss
to her swollen lips.

“Go on down. I’ll change and come down and help you do
battle with the dreaded couch.” She smiled back, though her eyes were still
dreamy and somewhat out of focus. When she just lay there watching his mouth,
Matt grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. It didn’t do either of them
any good when she landed against his body. It took a minute before he could
bring himself to stop kneading at her waist and release her.

* * * * *

Daniel bounded up the stairs to Matt’s place, too agitated
to wait for the elevator. His stomach was knotted with stress. He’d been
stressed out since he’d given in to Matthew’s seduction. A big part of him felt
guilty, while an even bigger part wanted to do it again. The sex was good—rough
and carnal, and Matt seemed to have no issues letting Daniel take the lead.

Lost in thought, he wasn’t looking where he was going as he
exited the stairwell on Matt’s floor. A soft thud and a small, feminine “Omph”
had him looking down.

Sprawled on the floor in front of him was the most delicious
female he’d encountered in a long while.

“You just going to stand there, or are you going to help a girl
up?”

Daniel crossed his arms. Her voice was mellow. It reminded
him of music. And there was something in her eyes. An openness. A calming
effect when she looked at him. It warmed his insides, relieving some of the
tension he’d felt just a moment before.

“Well, I don’t know.” He deliberately ran his eyes over her
curvy body. “What’s my incentive for helping a damsel in distress?”

“Listen, big guy, you can’t knock a girl on her ass and
expect her to help herself up. What kind of gentleman would you be?” She had
the most adorable way of wrinkling her nose when she smiled. He wanted to see
her smile again.

Daniel laughed, the first real one he’d had in a long time.
Reaching down, he grasped her forearm, helping her to stand. He deliberately
pulled too hard, causing her to stumble straight into his arms. He tightened
his grip around her back. Her smell was intoxicating, her nipples—hard little
nubs—brushed over his chest. Thoughts of her lying between him and Matt clouded
his brain.

“Angel, I’m not a gentleman of any sort.” He leaned in, and
for a brief moment Daniel thought she would let him kiss her. Then her hazy
expression cleared. She stiffened and Daniel immediately set her away from him.
As she disappeared into the stairwell, Daniel waved.

“Bye, angel.”