Walk among us (11 page)

A groan escaped before Mark’s mouth came crashing back down. This time, he didn’t bother with niceties such as nibbling. He pushed straight past Weston’s nonexistent defenses, his tongue hot and hungry as he reached between their bodies and fisted their cocks together.

WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

Love…or freedom?

If All the Sand Were Pearl

© 2008 Pepper Espinoza

A
Calling of Souls
story.

As a youngest son, Jag Martin has eagerly walked a life-long path toward the priesthood. Then his once-great family falters under a mountain of debt. Their only hope—marry Jag off to an appropriately wealthy suitor.

Brace Rivers desperately wants more than just a short fling. However, his economic and political reality makes finding an appropriate male partner next to impossible. When the Martin family offers Jag’s hand, it’s a dream come true. But his suspicions mount that the young man is being forced into an unwanted marriage.

Compassion wins out over loneliness, and Brace offers Jag a pearl ring valuable enough to both save his family’s fortunes and give him freedom. There’s just one thing Brace wants in return—twenty-four hours together.

Brace can only pray it’s long enough to convince Jag that a life together is worth more than all the pearls in the sea.

Warning: Explicit M/M content, use of toys, outdoor sex.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
If All the Sand Were Pearl: Jag shaved the last patch of hair away then reached for one of the warm towels. He dabbed the towel against Brace’s cheeks, wiping away the lather. Jag caught his breath as he pulled the towel away, and his cock jerked again. Without speaking, he cupped his betrothed’s face and tilted his head.

He didn’t seek out Brace’s mouth immediately. He skimmed his lips across his upper lip, his cheeks and jaw. Each caress was soft and thin, the barest brush of contact connecting them. Brace held still, his muscles tense, holding his breath. Even his thumb stilled. Jag kissed his brow, and his eyes fluttered shut, allowing Jag the chance to kiss each of his eyelids.

Jag didn’t quite understand why, but the longer he teased Brace with his mouth, the harder he got. His cock jutted between them, the tip brushing against Brace’s stomach. As soon as his mouth drifted closer to Brace’s again, Brace turned his head and caught Jag’s lips. Brace traced his bottom lip with his tongue, seeking the access that Jag wanted to grant. Jag parted his lips, welcoming Brace’s caress.

The first kiss they had shared had made Jag’s head spin. The kiss they had shared while Brace was inside of him had made him melt. This kiss was a curious combination. The back of his neck prickled, and so did WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

his palms, and lips, and the bottoms of his feet. In a way, it was like kissing an entirely new person.

Before, the bristly whiskers had scratched against his chin, providing a contrast to Brace’s soft, probing tongue. But now there was nothing but smooth skin and a demanding mouth, and Jag didn’t know how he was going to keep his feet.

Brace put a hand up to his face once the kiss ended, rubbing his cheek with a nod of satisfaction. “Better than my barber usually does it.”

“I think I bring a little something extra to the work.”

“You do. A certain passion that the barber lacks.”

Jag’s lips were still close to Brace’s, and each word was a warm puff of breath against his face. “Not everybody can be as passionate as I am.”

Brace teased his mouth with his tongue, licking his bottom lip before drawing it between his teeth. He nipped at the soft skin playfully before deepening the caress. If there was one thing Jag had learned about Brace, it was that the man liked to kiss. And he was good at it. Jag didn’t have anybody to compare him to, but he was still certain that Brace had to be an expert. Only a man of great learning and skill could reduce him to such an incoherent mess so quickly.

When Brace broke the kiss, Jag sank to his knees. Partly because he was weakened. Partly because he was eager to explore other parts of Brace’s body. He didn’t know if he could be so bold with anybody else, but Brace so obviously appreciated everything Jag did. Jag had never felt so confident about something so alien to him.

Brace rested one hand on top of Jag’s head, but he didn’t apply any pressure, or try to guide Jag towards anything. Jag trailed hard, sloppy kisses down Brace’s chest and over his stomach. His skin radiated warmth, and Jag thought he could catch a trace of the scent of green leaves and clover lingering on his body.

Jag looked up and blinked. “Your horses.”

“What?”

“That’s why you’re tan. That’s where you spend your time. In the stables, with your horses.”

Brace nodded. “It’s spring. I’ve been training them.”

Jag ran his fingers over Brace’s muscles with new appreciation. “Could you show me how to do that?”

“Train horses?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s what you’d like. I spend a lot of time in the spring and summer with the horses. I rarely even return home during those months. I would appreciate the company.”

Jag smiled, trying to imagine what his own skin would smell like if he were surrounded by horses and clover and sunshine. Resolving to ask more questions about it later, Jag returned to his exploration.

Brace’s stomach was hard and flat, and the line from his hip to his groin was well defined. Jag followed it WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

with his tongue until he reached Brace’s groin. His tight hair tickled Jag’s chin and nose, and here he didn’t smell like clover. It was a musky, darker smell, and it triggered something in the back of Jag’s mind. Something like hunger, only deeper.

He dragged his mouth over the top of Brace’s erection, surprised by how smooth and soft his skin was. He tasted salty, but otherwise Jag mostly tasted soap. Until he reached the crown. There the texture of the skin changed, and Jag ran the flat of his tongue over it again and again, caught up in the differences, until Brace’s hand tightened on the back of his head.

“Goddess, Jag…”

Jag looked up from beneath his lashes and smiled shyly. “Was that not okay?”

“No,” Brace said quickly. “No. It’s good. Just…I’m very sensitive.”

Jag ducked his eyes. He moved from the flat top of the crown to the tip. His betrothed’s slit was already leaking a little bit, and Jag swiped his tongue over the slick skin. Brace hissed, his fingers flexing against Jag’s skull. Jag didn’t know if Brace wanted him to move faster, or if he was pleased with the pace. And he didn’t understand how he could get so much satisfaction from this act. But his flesh was warm, his stomach tied in pleasant knots, and his groin was tight. He gripped Brace’s cock with one hand and wrapped the other around his own erection and began to stroke them both in an easy rhythm.

“Oh…don’t stop. Please. Just keep doing that.”

WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

Dreams don’t always come true. But sometimes nightmares do.

Closer

© 2008 Ally Blue

Book Four in the Bay City Paranormal Investigation series.

After nine months of tumult, Sam Raintree is ready for some peace and quiet. A beach vacation with his boss and lover, Dr. Bo Broussard, promises to provide the serenity and reconnection they both need. Bo’s business and his children command a good deal of his time, and Sam is looking forward to two weeks of his lover’s undivided attention.

Then a new case for the Bay City Paranormal Investigations team puts a crimp in Sam’s plans. Fort Medina, a seventeenth-century citadel guarding the mouth of Mobile Bay, is less than five miles from their vacation beach house. Bo invites the group to stay with them while investigating the place, promising Sam he won’t get involved. But Sam knows better. Sure enough, Bo can’t resist joining the investigation, and talks Sam into doing the same.

Events take an alarming turn as Bo’s behavior becomes more erratic each day. Puzzled and frightened, Sam scrambles for an explanation while the man he loves turns into a volatile and unpredictable stranger.

When the truth comes out, it may already be too late to save Bo from a force neither of them can control.

Warning: This book contains explicit male/male sex (including spanking and rimming), graphic language,
violence, ghosts and monsters.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Closer:

Sam jolted awake, his heart slamming against his ribs. The first dawn light leaked around the curtains to lend a dim illumination to the room. Sam sat up and looked around, trying to figure out what had woken him. The dream he’d been yanked out of was just as horrible as the one from the previous morning, but it wasn’t what had disturbed Sam’s sleep. It was something else, some sort of noise or movement in the bedroom.

A low, ragged moan drifted from the pile of covers bunched on the other side of the bed. Bo’s body jerked, throwing off the corner of the bedspread which had obscured his face. His brows were drawn together in fear or pain, or both. Little whimpers bled from his open mouth. When Sam laid a hand on Bo’s bare shoulder, he could feel Bo trembling.

Sam frowned. In the short time he’d shared Bo’s bed, the man had never suffered nightmares. The fact that he seemed to be having one now of all times made Sam feel cold all over.

“Bo, wake up.” He gave Bo’s shoulder a shake.

WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

With a sharp cry, Bo shot to a sitting position, panting like he’d just sprinted a mile. His wide-eyed gaze darted around the room. The fear melted from his eyes when they met Sam’s.

“Fuck.” He flopped onto his back. “God, I’m glad you woke me up.”

“You’ve never had nightmares before,” Sam pointed out, keeping his tone carefully neutral. He lay down beside Bo and propped himself up on one elbow. “What was it about?”

“Damned if I know.” Bo tugged at a lock of tangled black hair lying across his chest. “I don’t remember anything specific. Just…weird images. They were terrifying when I was dreaming them, but I couldn’t even tell you what they were now.”

“Strangely enough, I just woke up from another dream like I had yesterday morning. And now you’re having them too.” Sam licked his lips, hoping his next words didn’t touch off an angry tirade. “Was this nightmare anything like what you saw at the fort?”

“Not really, except for the general sense of fear, and not being able to breathe properly.” Bo darted a pointed look at him. “I know what you’re thinking, Sam, but I really don’t believe the two are related. I don’t usually have nightmares, that’s true, but I have had a few in my life. The hallucinations I had last night probably triggered one, that’s all.”

A hard chill raced up Sam’s spine. “I thought you said it only happened once.”

“It did.”

“Then why did you just say ‘hallucinations’, plural, like it happened more than once?”

A muscle twitched in Bo’s jaw. “I didn’t mean to say that. I meant to say ‘hallucination’, singular.”

“But—”

“For God’s sake, Sam, drop it!”

Anger and frustration boiled up inside Sam and bubbled over. He kept his voice calm with an effort. “I will not drop it. This is important. I’m sure of it.”

Sighing, Bo pressed both palms to his eyes. “Look. I know you’re worried, and I understand why. But
one
strange feeling during the investigation and one nightmare do not add up to anything dangerous, or even concerning.”

“Even though I had a very similar dream yesterday morning, and again just now?” Sam persisted. “Even after the dreams at Oleander House?”

“This is nothing like Oleander House.” Turning onto his side, Bo folded an arm beneath his head and gazed into Sam’s eyes with a pleading expression. “Don’t you think I’d tell you if I felt this was anything to worry about? Do you really think I’d put everyone in danger by keeping it to myself?”

“No, of course not.” Sam tucked Bo’s hair behind his ear, fingers brushing his neck. “But I don’t think you’re seeing this situation clearly.”

Bo’s fingers curled, bunching the sheet between them. He looked away. “What makes you think I’m not being clearheaded about this?”

WalkAmongUs:ACallingofSoulsstory

“I don’t know, exactly.” It was hard for Sam to say, but it was true. He couldn’t lie to Bo, no matter how difficult it might be to tell the truth. “All I know is, you’re not acting like yourself. And that worries me.”

With an impatient noise, Bo kicked the covers aside and started to get up. Sam wrapped both arms around his waist and rolled on top of him, pinning him to the bed.

“Let me up,” Bo growled, dark eyes flashing.

“No.”

“Sam…”

Fisting a hand in Bo’s hair, Sam leaned down and kissed him until the angry tension melted from his body and his mouth opened beneath Sam’s.

The kiss went on for endless, blissful minutes. Sam didn’t break it until Bo’s legs opened to cradle Sam in the space between his thighs. Drawing back, Sam stared down into Bo’s heavy-lidded eyes. Bo’s pupils were dilated, his breath coming short and quick. The sight made Sam’s chest ache.

“I love you,” Sam said, putting his whole heart into the simple sentiment. “Maybe these dreams and visions of yours mean something, and maybe they don’t. I think they do, but I don’t know for sure. All I know is, I’ll do anything to keep you safe. Even risk you hating me.”

The lingering anger in Bo’s eyes faded into a familiar affection. He reached up and laid both palms on Sam’s cheeks. “I could never hate you. I’m grateful every single day to have you in my life.”

Sam’s throat closed up. He couldn’t say what he felt right then, but he thought Bo understood.

Bo’s gaze dipped to Sam’s mouth. When he looked up again, lust had replaced the tenderness in his eyes.

Sam’s body responded with a predictable rush of desire. He tilted his hips, rubbing his naked prick against Bo’s equally bare crotch. Bo moaned, low and rough. His thighs slid against Sam’s ribs, one heel lodging in the small of Sam’s back. Sam could feel Bo’s cock filling, the hardness pressing against Sam’s own growing erection.

A tiny corner of Sam’s brain wanted to disentangle himself from Bo’s arms and legs and continue the conversation Sam was beginning to realize Bo had successfully distracted him from. But the clutch of Bo’s limbs around him, the increasingly frantic movement of Bo’s hips and the needy little sounds he made, silenced that part of Sam’s mind. One arm beneath Bo’s neck and the other braced on the bed, Sam took Bo’s mouth in a bruising kiss as they thrust against one another.