Decadent (24 page)

“Hey, I've got news,” Cormag began and then stalled. On one hand he thought Harper would want the news because he was feeling run down from the reality of a new baby, but on the other he didn't want to pile too much onto his shoulders either. Looking down at the top of Lachlan's head he realised that he didn't want to skirt around the issue. He had been brave asking him, even though he was nervous and unsure about what answer he would give. “La
chlan and I are getting married,” he explained bluntly.

Lachlan lifted his head and leaned in to kiss him. He met him halfway as silence descended on the other side of the phone.

“What?” Harper shouted at him. He wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, so he answered honestly, hoping he wasn't about to be yelled at.

“We're engaged. He just asked me.”

“He…? He asked you?” he asked, with a soft voice that spoke of surprise.

“Yeah. I never saw it coming.” He laughed, too happy for words as he realised that it was true. He had never even suspected that Lachlan was ready for marriage. It was a massive step, but he thought they were ready too. On the other end he could hear Harper laughing and whispering going on in the background.

“Nessa's having to sit down. Cormag…I know I don't sound it because I'm in shock right now, but…kiddo, I'm so happy for you. Like…really happy,” Harper promised, his voice louder and stronger than a moment ago. He could only guess he'd been taken off speaker phone in case he needed to say something privately, but he didn't know what to say. That was the problem.

“I
know. I'm still in shock myself,” he admitted.

“He's it. He's the one for you. He always puts you first and he's always making the next step first. I-I couldn't ask for anythi
ng better for my little brother,” his big brother said, only to sniff.

The fact that Harper was crying set him off too. He wasn't usually someone who cried a lot, but this was life changing. Literally.

“I know it hasn't always been good. And it's never been easy but…” He stopped and sighed as he contemplated what to say in response to that. Lachlan lifted his head with a concerned frown. Cormag couldn't even explain what was happening; he kissed his frown away and then brushed a kiss onto his lips. “I love him so much. We're going to have an incredible life together,” he said, believing every word.

Lachlan kissed him again softly, before refocusing all of his attention on their joined hands.

“Yes, you will. I can hardly believe it. It's…we have to celebrate. Tomorrow, once you guys have had a chance to have a private celebration. We'll do something…I don't know what. I'll have it all organised,” Harper promised, sounding excited and energised on the other end of the phone call.

Cormag nodded to himself before realising that he couldn't hear that.
“Okay. Text me the details,” he agreed because he had no other choice.

His heart was brimming over with joy and there was no way he was going to miss out on celebrating his engagement with his brothers because he had to go to work. His boss would understand, since he had taken to Lachlan since he started working at the museum. Surely he could have two days off; one to celebrate and the other to recover from whatever harebrained scheme Harper concocted.

As soon as Cormag hung up, he tilted Lachlan's head up with the tip of his finger until they locked gazes. “I love you more than anything or anyone else in the entire world,” he promised.

“You
better because I feel the same,” he replied sweetly.

Cormag kissed him, unable to hold back any longer. They were engaged, damn it and they deserved to celebrate.

Knowing that Cormag felt as seriously about their relationship as he did gave Lachlan the confidence to go after what he wanted. So when his new fiancé kissed him in celebration of their engagement he refused to be outdone or passed off.

Cormag kissed his neck in a teasing manner, while whispering things that made him giddy; how much he loved him, how he wanted to celebrate 'in bed' and all kinds of lovely things. It sounded so suspiciously like he was being seduced that he didn't think any more about it. As if of one mind they met in the middle for a scorching kiss as hands moved without thought to hold onto one another tightly.

Hands cupped his neck, holding him in place as he was worshipped with insistent kisses, but they were in the wrong place. Lachlan took his phone from Cormag's hand and threw it, haphazardly, away. Then he slid down the bed and pulled his fiancé with him. The instant they were horizontal he pushed at the joggers that kept him from the one thing he really wanted; Cormag naked.

“Don't…you…dare,” he warned him between kisses, as he felt a moment of resistance in those broad shoulders. Lachlan let him pull back from the kiss for a second, only to frown and open his mouth to start a real humdinger of a fight as he backed away.

“I haven't been to the loo yet. I have to go and when
I get back you better be naked,” he said, as if he felt guilty about it. He couldn't blame him; he'd been awake half an hour before Cormag finally opened his eyes and he'd done everything he needed to do to be ready for this moment.

“Hurry up.” He laughed as he realised that he was only going slow so he wouldn't get mad. As soon as he gave his permission, however stupid it felt, he shot into the bathroom and left him lying there, chuckling to himself. He completely understood the sudden urgent need, since nervous over-excitement always made him feel a bit antsy. But this was an important moment and he wouldn't be cruel and tell him to hold it. He wanted him in bed, skin on skin, for the rest of the day. No exceptions. Well, maybe for food…and bathroom breaks. But other than that, they weren't getting out of bed.

Cormag came back from the bathroom smiling, though it took Lachlan a moment to notice since he also came back completely naked. And that part grabbed his immediate attention, his smile came next. When he climbed onto the bed, throwing the duvet off he had a split second to feel the coolness of the room before their skin connected. Then a hot blaze erupted all over as their mouths met in a hungry, almost desperate kiss.

***

When Cormag took him in hand and Lachlan groaned into his mouth, he knew he thought the whole thing would be quick and breathless and incredible. He'd already told him that was all he'd ever had before; quick, urgent sex whenever his previous partners demanded it. But not this time. He promised himself that they would never have that.

“Make love to me,
” Lachlan breathed the words out against his lips. He was falling apart to the returned pressure on his cock, breathless as they stroked and tormented each other. As if they weren't already painfully hard and ready for the next move. As soon as he added a few kisses over his jaw and neck, he was on the verge of panting, never mind giving him what he wanted.

Part of Cormag was amused by the way his request sounded so adamant, as if he expected a refusal. As far as he was concerned though, he would never refuse him again. They were getting married now; Lachlan had made his ultimate choice. He would never back away from their relationship willingly or regret being with him.

Cormag gave in to his need, there and then. He captured Lachlan’s excited moan in his mouth as he loosened him with his touch, without difficulty. They had done this too many times for it to take too long, what they didn't do was have condoms on hand. He had a real need to make the moment special for him, but he didn't know how to do that since they were well beyond the stage where he could set up the whole candles and soft music gig.

“Baby,” Lachlan muttered the words against his lips between kisses.
“Stop thinking. I only want you,” he said, as if he could read his mind.

With that reassurance he went back to the kissing and caressing. He tried to tell him through his touch how much he loved him, how long he had waited for him, to be with someone who loved him as equally as he loved Lachlan. He used his free hand to grab the bottle of lube from the bedside table and then had to pull away to actually do anything with it.

That soft spot he had on his neck, that Lachlan always used to turn him inside out, was tackled yet again in a low blow. He was practically shaking with the rush of adrenaline and nearly missed his fingers as he poured the lubricant onto them because of the way teeth playfully scraped over the exact spot. It was like Lachlan had a map that told him exactly what areas on his body to target and he used it so skilfully that he couldn't even argue that it wasn't an even fight. He didn't have a map of Lachlan; all he had were his reactions and that didn't seem fair.

Cormag found himself pinned down by hazel eyes as he lowered his coated fingers between his legs. Lachlan spread them wide, letting them fall into whatever position came naturally to him as they locked gazes. He couldn't look away if he tried. Instead he slipped the first finger into his accepting body and took it slow. He had always made it clear that whenever they tried something new they went slow; this was no different. Lachlan always complained that their definitions of slow were different, but he didn't care. When it came to his comfort and safety there was no such thing as too slow.

He made all the right noises and vocalised his complaints as he was careful and gentle with him, but he would never give in. He kept a steady hold of his gaze and slowly twisted his finger until Lachlan was forced to look away. His head draped back a little as his chest rose and fell with every quick breath he took. It felt like at least an hour passed as he worked him loose with one then two and three fingers, taking his time and being careful. In reality he had to guess it was barely more than ten minutes.

“Cormag,” Lachlan gasped, digging his nails into his skin as he finally moved forward and nudged the head of his cock against him.

He froze, waiting to find out if he had changed his mind. His beautiful future husband smiled at him, with tearful eyes. Cormag frowned a little, about to ask what was wrong when he was pulled down into a deep, earth-shattering kiss.

“I need you, bab
y. Show me how much you love me,” he asked.

Cormag was a quivering wreck of passion and need by that point and he still didn't understand the tears. He could only hope they were the same as his had been; relief, joy, love. Not only for their engagement, but for the special moment they were having. Lachlan was about to lose his innocent virginity to the man he was going to marry. It was immense. It was exactly what he wanted for him.

“Please?” Lachlan begged him, bringing him back to the moment.

He ducked in for a quick kiss before carefully and slowly easing i
nto him. He stopped continually kissing away his tears, distracting him with promises and giving him all the time he needed to adjust to the intrusion.

“I love you so much. You are worth eve
ry sacrifice and a million more,” he said, as he seated himself fully inside him.

Of all the compliments he had ever had in his life, most of them from Lachlan, Cormag had never heard anything better than that one. He'd always been afraid that one day he would wake up and he would regret losing Konnor or fighting with his parents so he could be with him. Or that he would regret ever meeting him. But those words told him he was imagining it because Lachlan didn't regret one moment.

“Love, I win this one,” he teased him for always trying to insist that he came out with the most from their relationship.

Lachlan wiped at his cheeks looking so innocent and vulnerable that he wanted to scoop him up and protect him from the world. “You saved me. In mor
e ways than you could ever know,” he promised.

When his beautiful Lachlan was ready
, he made love to him the way he had never made love to anyone else before. He was tender and playful, and he let his lover know that he wasn't the only one who was having a first experience. It was the first time that he had ever known real love for himself; intimate, meaningful love making. It was a moment that neither of them would ever forget.

Konnor had completely lost touch with Lachlan. He had lost him, but he still loved him so much that it made him crazy. He continued to check his social media pages, in case the impossible happened and Lachlan ever broke up with the wonder boy Cormag. It never happened.

Instead he had to see photos of the two of them at events, out with friends,
his
friends, with Lachlan's parents who had once treated him like a son. With Lachlan's brother who had never liked him and Cormag's brothers too. It killed him every time. How could they all choose Cormag over him?

But through those two years he tried to knuckle down at college and do well in his course work. He wanted to graduate, get an important job and maybe show up to his high school reunion with a swanky life that he would show Lachlan he'd missed out on something special with him. In the meantime, he used the constant stream of lookalikes on campus to quench his desires.

Hayes had gone off to do some African relief program for a year after graduation. Coly and Wendy had recently married and had a little one on the way, while he worked at his dad's garage and built it into a successful business. Jax and Lucille were constantly on again and off again, while they both lived on different college campuses across the country from one another. He hadn't heard much about Justice, but from Lachlan's Facebook page he found out that his relationships always seemed to fizzle out around the six weeks mark.

Instead of checking up on Lachlan's page to see his friend in photographs he found that the one page was now for both of them, though Cormag kept up his other page for old friends. It hurt having to see their profile picture with Lachlan encased in someone else's arms, when he wanted to be the one holding him.

It had been nearly two years to the day since he had last seen Lachlan graduating from high school. He was yet again in a book store, looking for a book for class to help him study when he heard a voice that had been burned onto his brain as he searched the shelves. He couldn't help but eavesdrop.

“It's for my partner. His birthday's tomorrow and this is going to make his day.” Cormag laughed with the cashier as he stood at the desk to pay. He was handing over a book and Konnor knew better than to hope. Lachlan loved getting books as gifts, so he didn't even entertain the hope that they'd broken up. He kept listening. “He thought it wasn
't in the shops until next week,” he explained, sounding excited.

“A big fan is he?” t
he cashier asked.

“Sorry?”

“Of the author,” he explained.

Cormag smiled happily.

“He's not, but I am. My partner
is
the author,” he gloated proudly.

Konnor was surprised, but he peeked around the corner of the bookcase and watched the cashier turn the book to look at it more closely. The name on the front was Lachlan Brody.

“Isn't that the Meran boy?” the cashier asked, a little confused as he scratched his forehead.

“Yup. We got engaged a year ago now, so he had them change his 'official' author name.” Cormag laughed, unknowingly sending a bowling ball right through Konnor's gut.

He backed into the aisle and leaned against the bookcase, breathing heavily.

“He said he was going to be a Brody soon, once we were married, so he wanted to sta
rt using it as soon as possible,” he confessed, gazing down at what he guessed was his engagement ring.

Konnor was quick to realise that the awe in his voice and his gaze meant that Lachlan must have proposed to him. Lachlan was actually getting married.

“Good for you,” the cashier said.

Cormag nodded in thanks.

“I heard the kid was engaged. How long until the big day?” he wondered.

“We settled on
two years, so eleven months now,” he explained, unable to stop smiling.

The cashier congratulated him and asked that he pass it on to Lachlan too, as he handed over the book. Cormag gave him a nod and thanks, before leaving the shop.

Konnor slid down the bookcase, hunkered on the floor as he tried not to hyperventilate. There was no way to deny it now; he would never be with Lachlan. He had lost him forever.

***

Cormag snuck into the house as quietly as he could. He had left Lachlan reading in the library while he went out for groceries. He only stopped into the book store because of an interesting book in the window that he thought might be useful to the new museum inventory he was cataloguing. He made it into the library without being noticed, knelt down behind his fiancé and surprised him with a kiss on his bare shoulder. Lachlan turned a sexy smile on him and he stole a kiss in appreciation for it.

“Happy birthday, love.” Cormag sighed as he handed over the surprise paperback book that had been published three months before. Lachlan's eyes lit up as he saw it, moving to sit up. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he returned the sentiment before dropping the book to the side and catching his face in his hands. A slow, easy kiss of gratitude soon had him eager for more.

It seemed Lachlan agree
d because he was began undressing him and pulled him to the floor before he could even vocalise his intentions.

Because of the summer heat
, Lachlan had taken to lazing around the house in a pair of shorts and nothing else, so it took no effort at all to undress him. A quick tug had his shorts off, revealing his very naked fiancé underneath. Cormag wasn't even surprised. While hands hurriedly undid the knot at the top of his own shorts he took the opportunity to lift off his t-shirt. As soon as they were both completely naked, kissing hungrily, Lachlan took the dominant position he seemed to prefer. Cormag moaned in delight as their tongues played and a finger breached him.

“You're
so ready for me.” Lachlan smiled down at him breathlessly.

“Are you surprised? We spent half the morning in bed with foreplay. Be
sides, I'm always ready for you,” Cormag confessed that he could never get enough of his lover.

At twenty years old
, Lachlan had grown a lot over the last two years. But in some ways he was still the eager kid he'd gotten drunk with the first night they met. He groaned deeply when two fingers pushed into him. Lachlan was doing nothing but staring at him now as he loosened him up. He loved the way those dark hazel eyes focused on him so completely when they were like this.

“You know I love your gift…but your body is the best bir
thday present I could ever have,” he whispered in his ear.

Cormag groaned again in approval of those words, twisting his hips as he pulled Lachlan closer. He took that as a sign and pushed in, no longer the inexperienced boy who was afraid to take control for fear that he hurt him. Cormag had taught him everything he ever wanted to know and the trust between them had completely obliterated any risk of self-doubt or pain. He moaned long and loud as he rocked, over and over again, to a hard and fast rhythm just how they both liked it. They made love breathlessly as he cupped Lachlan's pert ass in his hands and held on, until they were so deeply connected in every way that it was hard to distinguish who came first.

When it was over for a second time and Lachlan reluctantly moved away to collapse onto the floor, he felt like laughing. He was so happy he could barely function.

“Best birthday ever,” h
is fiancé claimed cheekily, making him laugh.

“So it beats last year?” h
e asked, raising a curious eyebrow at him. Lachlan turned his head to grin at him, probably thinking back to that morning.

He'd woken him with hot lips wrapped around his cock and brought him to orgasm without so much as a by your leave. Then he'd
proceeded to tell him that his body was the only birthday present he was going to get, so he better enjoy it. He clearly remembered Lachlan begging to be sexed out of his senses while he was loosening him up and then giving him what he wanted. Then his fiancé had practically broken his body with the most incredible sex in a few different positions. Then they'd gone into the shower and tried a few more.

“The day is y
oung,” Lachlan warned him. Cormag could only laugh as he realised that he planned to beat last year's extraordinary day of sex. He had to say he was looking forward to it.

“I
can't wait to be married to you,” he confessed, bringing a shy but sweet smile to Lachlan's lips.

Once he could breathe freely, his fiancé pulled him in for a scorching kiss full of passion. He went willingly, thinking of nothing but that day and the many, many days they had ahead of them, married and living the life neither had ever expected to have.

The End