Hidden Passions (21 page)

"Let go of our cocks," he whispered in Tony's ear.

Tony stopped stroking but kept his grip where it was. "I want to come."

"Me too."

"I'm close."

"Me too," Chris said and grinned.

Tony unpeeled his fingers. Without their activity between them, Chris could drop his hips onto his. "Put your hands on my butt."

Tony was feeling sassy. He slapped them around Chris's cheeks. Though he appreciated the sting, Chris wasn't relinquishing control. He came down on one elbow. "Lick my finger. Nice and wet, if you know what's good for you."

Tony lifted his brows but gave Chris's middle finger the desired treatment. Chris wedged that hand under Tony, shooting the slickened finger up Tony's hole.

"Sh-sheesh," Tony stuttered but not with pain. He wriggled, driving the intrusion deeper. Chris couldn't doubt he liked anal play. Trapped between their bellies, Tony's shaft pulsed harder beside his.

That was enough prep, Chris thought. He lowered his upper body, dug his knees into the bed, and rubbed himself in quick short motions up and down Tony's groin.

Tony sucked in air, his cock going rigid, his hips pressing up to get more. His hands were iron clamping Chris's buttocks, but Chris still had strength to move. The friction on their erections drew repeated gasps from him. Tony's muscular body was heaven chafing his. Suddenly Tony shifted angles, apparently desperate to work the base of his cock against the base of Chris's. A new spot of heat had sprung to life down there.

Despite his own pleasure, Chris's hindbrain recognized what it was.

He grunted, pushing his finger far enough to manipulate Tony's prostate gland. Tony groaned with enjoyment. Knowing the wolf was too overwhelmed by good sensations to move effectively, Chris took charge of sliding their cocks even more vigorously together.

"Ah!" Tony cried half a second before Chris's climax broke.

They shot seed up each other's bellies, their strong bodies striving to get as close as possible. Undulating through the increase in slipperiness was messily pleasurable. Chris's cock shot one last salvo, after which the most luxurious warmth spread out from his center.

"Mm," he hummed. "That is so much better."

He didn't object when Tony rolled over him. Now above him, Tony's face was flushed and relaxed, his green eyes alight, his lips full and soft. He was truly lovely to Chris. A small gold medal dangled around his neck: Saint Michael, Chris presumed, the patron of policemen. Admiring Tony's post-coital glow didn't cause him to forget the extra heat that had kindled at the base of the wolf's penis.

"Your bulbus gland activated," he observed.

"Uh-huh," Tony said. He yawned and wriggled out a kink in his vertebrae. "You've made it do that before. It makes coming feel extra good."

"I thought it only swelled when male wolves had sex with women who were good genetic matches. I thought it was a fertility aid."

"What can I tell you?" Tony said. "I guess my glands are gay."

Chris laughed. He lifted a hand to stroke Tony's bangs from his sweaty brow. The locks fell again of course, but touching him was nice. "I wish we could do this every night."

"Mm." Tony shifted lower, laying his head on Chris's thumping heart. Coming that hard was good exercise. Tony's left hand covered Chris's pec, lightly petting the muscle. Chris sensed him making his mind up about something.

"If you trust me," Tony said cautiously, "we could do this now and then."

Chris gnawed his lip. He did trust Tony. "That's really tempting, but I'm not sure I trust myself."

Tony rubbed his chest with his cheek. "We love each other."

"Yes," Chris agreed. "You're out though. Doesn't sneaking around with me feel like a step backwards?"

When Tony lifted his head, his green eyes were serious. "I like you better than any man I've met. I feel more for you, in my heart, than I ever have before. I understand what your job means to you. The chance to be together sometimes instead of never seems like a compromise worth making."

"Wow," Chris said, moved to speechlessness.

Tony smiled at his inarticulate response. Chris knew he couldn't bear not to have that humorous, handsome face in his life.

"Okay," he said. "We'll give it a try. And . . . thank you, Tony. You-- I feel more for you in my heart than I have for anyone."

He meant this to a degree that shocked. How much he loved Tony actually seemed disloyal. No one except Evina had come close to equaling his brothers' importance in his life.

They're gone
, he thought, trying to assure himself this was natural. Tony was right here. Of course he would loom larger.

"I won't let you down," Tony promised. "I haven't forgotten how to be careful."

"I hope you don't end up minding."

"Never," Tony said and laid his head back down.

Doubt nudged unease through Chris. Never was a long time. Tony's fingers drew circles on his ribs.

"What about Nate?" Chris asked impulsively.

"What about him?"

Chris was sorry he'd brought it up, but he explained. "You said you'd never, you know, felt as much as this before."

"Oh my God," Tony said. "That is awesome. You're jealous!"

Chris squirmed on the bedcovers. "I'm not jealous. Exactly. You'd be abnormal if you'd never had a crush on someone."

Tony snickered into his chest.

"You're not denying you had a crush on him," Chris noticed.

"Am I supposed to?"

Chris frowned at the ceiling. Maybe Tony guessed he was miffed. Chris felt his grin broaden.

"I love you," he said, patting Chris's side gently. "Nate's a great guy, but you . . . call to me more than him. Even if he were gay, I expect that would be the case."

He
expected
that would be the case. "He's too fussy for you," Chris said.

Tony kissed his breastbone. "Go to sleep,
mon chat
."

Despite his lingering annoyance, Chris did precisely that.

~

They woke up starving a few hours later. Tony thought it was sweet that neither had been in the mood to eat without the other. Chris ordered burgers from room service. They ate, then showered, then made love nice and slow. Tony liked that more than he suspected he should let on.

Afterwards, they slept through the night. Tony forced himself to get up before the alarm, so he could sit and watch Chris sleeping. True to his animal's nature, the big cat was good at it. He slumbered through Tony's trip to the bathroom and him dressing.

His eyes only cracked open when Tony combed his wonderful gold-streaked hair behind his ear.

"What time is it?" Chris mumbled.

"Still early. I need to go home for fresh clothes."

Chris rolled onto his back and stretched, his massive chest a sight to see. "Last night was good."

"Yes, it was,
mon
--"

"If you keep up that
mon chat
crap, I'm gonna call you pup."

Chris was assuming Tony wouldn't like having a nickname. "You can do better than that," he said aloud. "When we were kids and I annoyed my brother, he used to call me Ant."

"'Ant' as in a bug?"

"That too, but short for Anthony."

"Ah." On his side again, Chris tucked his hands underneath his cheek. "I'll remember that."

His smile was Cheshire-like. Tony's heart welled up, but he kept the words he was thinking inside of him. A guy like Chris wouldn't want to hear
I love you
every five damn minutes.

"I better go," Tony said, pushing from the mattress onto his feet.

"Bye, Ant," Chris said teasingly.

Amused, Tony shook his head. His hand was on the door when Chris spoke again.

"Tony," he called softly. "I love you."

The grin that stretched Tony's mouth warmed his face all day.

SHORTLY after rescuing the dragons, Rick moved into Cass's place. She lived atop the downtown Maycees department store, in a lavish penthouse with a pool and a roof terrace. Not only did it have room for Cass's menagerie, but the building's security made it easier to keep the press and other curious folks out of their business.

Operating on the logic that creatures everyone knew about would be harder to move against, Cass and Rick had introduced the brood to the city on Jin and Bridie's
As Luck Would Have It
show. Two months after the program aired, the resulting dragon mania hadn't yet died down. Every other kid Tony saw was either skipping in dragon sneakers or carrying a dragon lunchbox or--most goofily--warming their little heads under crocheted dragon hats. The latest trend in reptilian wear was charming it to smoke. The day before, Tony had spotted an otherwise conservative businessman with a fire-breathing dragon-shaped tiepin.

Tony was seriously considering buying Rick one for his next birthday.

Given that Rick had all but abandoned the brownstone, Tony didn't expect to return from a run and find him on his couch.

"What's up?" he asked, toeing off his shoes and leaving them at the door. Using his shirt hem, he wiped the worst of the sweat from his face. "Cass come to her senses and toss you out?"

Rick was picking at the label of one of Tony's beers. The living room was marginally less cluttered than usual, and there was room to sit. Though Tony was glad to see him, Rick's at-homeness made him grateful he hadn't left anything to do with Chris lying out.

To Tony's surprise, Rick didn't roll his eyes at the joke. Instead, he looked very serious.

"Cass agreed to marry me," he said.

Tony's face split into a grin. "That's awesome! When is the wedding?"

"I don't know. March maybe? She and her girlfriends say there's stuff to plan." Clearly, the thought of that
stuff
inspired anxiety. "We're throwing an engagement party on Cass's roof this weekend."

"Great. You want my help with anything?"

"I don't think so." Rick hesitated. "You're really okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You know I think Cass is super."

Rick rubbed his knees awkwardly. "We haven't . . . talked about you in a while."

"Why do we need to talk about me? I'm good."

Tony was better than good. Despite needing sneak around, seeing Chris on a relatively frequent basis made him the happiest he'd ever been.

"You're cool with being my best man?"

"I'm honored," Tony said sincerely. He laughed. "I totally know what I'm getting you for a groom gift."

Rick cocked his head like he had trouble believing him.

"Seriously," Tony said. "I'm happy for you. Cass loves you, and I can't help loving her just for that."

Rick set down his beer and rose. "I want the same for you, Tony."

Tony smiled and gave him a quick hug. "You're a good brother. Maybe Cass is a little bit lucky too."

"
A little bit
," Rick repeated humorously.

"Maybe," Tony confirmed.

He was conscious of a tiny shadow on his spirit but refused to dwell on it. He was loved, and he loved in return. He had reason to know that was no small blessing.

~

Chris was shopping at Holy Foods. He didn't always buy his food here. Their specially blessed groceries were expensive, though you couldn't beat the quality. He'd come here on impulse. With the exception of Evina, who'd moved to Nate's, Chris and his crew lived near each other in the same suburban townhome complex. He'd been thinking he'd look for a cabin to rent some weekend, where he could cook for Tony without tripping over tigers every time he walked out the door. Chris was no chef like Vasur or Syd, but he could certainly grill steak and bake potatoes.

He wanted him and Tony to have a night like that.

Lost in his daydream and not paying enough attention to where he turned his cart, he nearly clipped a guy standing in the line at the bakery.

"Sorry, man," he said, jerking back the wheels just in time.

The man looked up. Chris blinked. Tony's brother Rick was right in front of him.

"Hey," Rick said with a good-natured laugh. "It's Chris, isn't it? Evina's second."

"Yes." Chris felt pleased and awkward to be recognized. He was very aware that Rick was his lover's sibling. In a different world, a whole host of hopes and worries would be tied up in them liking each other. Chris tried to respond like none of them were going through his head. "I don't usually shop here. I had a craving for good red meat."

"Cake," Rick said, nodding toward the bakery counter. "I'm trying to get a rush job for this weekend. You're coming, right?"

Chris knew his face was blank.

"I invited you," Rick said. "Or I think I did. I told Evina her crew was welcome."

"I haven't spoken to her yet today," Chris said.

"Oh. Well, come. We're, uh--" Rick colored like his brother did sometimes, red suffusing his naturally tanned skin. "Cass and I are celebrating our engagement."

"Cool," Chris said, privately thinking his blush was adorable. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. There'll be plenty of food. And the dragons. Your crew really ought to meet them, considering you helped the pack when we were hiding them."

"I'd like that," Chris said. "I've only seen them on TV."

He'd found them fascinating: beautiful, exotic, and something more. They were, literally, creatures out of a tale--a living, breathing embodiment of the fae's Old Country. Even on television, looking into their silver eyes was like meeting the gazes of wild tigers. One of the dragons' forebears had given her life to form Resurrection. Her essence suffused every atom around them, making the magical reptiles a kind of cousin to every soul who resided here.

Recognizing them as kindred was instinctive.

Maybe it was obsessive, but he'd watched their appearance on
As Luck Would Have It
a dozen times.

"So we'll see you," Rick said, his attention splitting as the man behind the baked goods counter gestured him forward. "Bring your swimsuit. There's a pool, and we'll have a warming spell."

A swimsuit
. Chris wasn't sure that was a good idea. Not if Tony was wearing one. Not unless his own were constructed of cast iron.