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  “Thanks. Cheers. This place really suits you.”

  “You think?”

  “Yes. What is this?” Beau nodded at the painting. “One of yours?”

  “Um, yeah. I did that when I first moved out here.”

  Like many non-artists before him, Beau hesitated before asking delicately, “What is it?”

  Laughing, Ethan said, “Ansel.”

  “The whole town?”

  Ethan nodded. “Yep. Well, sort of. It's an impression. I'm there, too - sort of. Me, Ansel, depression, anxiety, hope and everything else.”

  “Depression?”

  “Little D depression,” Ethan assured. “Not big D.”

  To Beau, the distinction didn't seem to matter. “Over anything in particular?” He sipped his drink, watching Ethan all the while, and Ethan studied his painting. He hadn't really looked at it in a while.

  It was big-green, leafy strokes of the brush with dark places, cool shadow, night, day, and even though it didn't look like a house at all, Ethan's cottage was there, a warm, safe place.

  But he couldn't exactly point all that out to Beau. Taking a breath, he said, “Well, coming here, for one. I was so set on getting here and when I finally did I just wondered, you know, did I make the right decision?” He wondered how much he should disclose. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he confided, “I'd also ended a relationship with a pretty great guy, so.” He shrugged and downed a healthy swallow of his drink.

  This last bit seemed to interest Beau a great deal. Turning toward Ethan, he asked, “Oh really? How come?”

  Unsure what to say, Ethan just looked at him.

  Luckily, Beau had the grace to apologize with a smile. “Sorry.”

  “No, don't be. I mean, I brought it up.” Silence filled the little house. After a moment Ethan realized he had finished his drink and stared at it dumbly. Then Beau took the glass from him and set it aside. He was standing very close.

  “Maybe we should stop talking,” Beau suggested. The scent and taste of him filled the air and Ethan's every breath.

  Ethan agreed. “Maybe.” He felt hands close over his arms and realized that his heart was thudding heavily in his chest. Tilting his head back, he felt Beau's mouth close over his own. It was strange. Partly familiar but also new. He slid his hands under Beau's jacket and up his chest. Solid warm heat tempted him through the thin shirt fabric. When their lips finally parted, he felt dizzy.

  “Whew,” he said.

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah. A little dizzy, maybe.”

  “You want to sit?”

  It was Ethan's house, so why was Beau showing him to the sofa? At the last minute, Ethan pulled back, shaking his head. “No. Come on. Bed's this way.”

  They undressed slowly. As eager as he was to feel Beau's body pressed against him, Ethan didn't want to rush and Beau seemed to agree. Naked and smiling on the bed, Ethan watched Beau fold his pants and carefully place his jacket over the back of a chair.

  “You want a couple of hangers?” Ethan asked dryly. “I might be able to scrounge up an ironing board in the morning.” Assuming Beau spent the night.

  Indulging him with a smile, Beau shook his head. “I think I'll live.” Finally, he came over. Ethan leaned toward him in anticipation. Beau stood over him, wonderfully, brazenly nude, and let Ethan look.

  His stare lingered at Beau's cock; it was thick, flushed and arching. He bit his lip.

  “What do you want?” Beau asked.

  Leaning back on his elbows, Ethan let his knees fall to either side. Voice rough with desire, he said, “Right now I just want to kiss you.”

  Beau was happy to oblige, crawling over him on the bed and settling his weight on top. His fingers rubbed Ethan's scalp and their cocks slid together. His mouth was a firm, sure heat and, without thinking, Ethan moaned into it.

  “Mm. There you are.” Beau pressed his face into Ethan's neck, breathing deeply and biting his shoulder. “Was thinking about this all night,” he murmured.

  The words lit a warm, happy flame in Ethan. “Yeah?” He smoothed his hands down Beau's back, enjoying the way firm muscle rippled and changed beneath his fingers. Finding Beau's ass with both hands, he squeezed and kneaded. Even his feet explored, sliding over strong, hairy legs. He hoped Beau fucked him that night.

  Nodding, Beau lifted his head to look at him. His hair was messy and his eyes dark and heavy with desire. Something in Ethan clenched tightly and he felt that sensation again of being in two places at once. It wasn't scary, though, like at the radio tower. It gave him a light, floating feeling.

  Beau's eyes narrowed. “Are you all right?”

  A lump filled Ethan's throat. He nodded. Miss a couple therapy sessions and this is what happened? He wished someone had warned him. In an effort to change the subject, he said, “You taste the same.”

  “Do I?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I hope that's a good thing. But I'm not sure if you do.” Rising up, Beau moved over beside him and scooted down. “Guess we'll find out.” Taking Ethan's cock in his hand, he squeezed and admired it for a moment. “Now, this I do remember.” Flashing a grin, he bent his head and closed his mouth over Ethan, licking and sucking and taking him deeper with every bob of his head.

  Ethan tried not to push into Beau's mouth, especially when a tongue swirled teasing circles around the head of his cock. Instead, he buried the fingers of one hand in Beau's hair and threw his other arm up over his eyes.

  Using his hands and his mouth, Beau created a sensation of never ending suction and heat. After a few moments, Ethan felt as if he were thrusting endlessly forward into the tightest, wettest hole in the world.

  Legs shaking, he reached for Beau's shoulder and squeezed. “Okay,” he said. “All right!”

  Looking extremely satisfied with himself, Beau crawled over him again and slid his hand under the back of Ethan's neck. He held him there and kissed him deeply. The taste of himself on Beau's lips was overwhelming.

  When Beau finally broke for air, Ethan asked dizzily, “Fuck me?” His voice sounded tight and strange to his ears.

  Gazing down at him, Beau nodded. He didn't move, though, stroking his thumb over Ethan's cheek. “You with me, Tiger?”

  Tiger. The old pet name stilled him. Breathing deeply, Ethan said, “I'm here.” He stared up at Beau and let him see it in his eyes. Finally, Beau's mouth quirked up at the corner.

  “Good.” Beau knelt between Ethan's legs, rubbing his thighs. Ethan played with himself, tugging and squeezing his balls and not-so-patiently waiting.

  Finally, Beau placed his hands under Ethan's knees and pushed his legs up, leaving Ethan's ass in the air. Anticipation gripped Ethan again and when he felt a quick swipe of tongue between his cheeks, he gave a startled laugh.

  The laughter soon dissolved into moans as Beau probed and tongued him. Before long, Ethan's hole was loose and wet. Beau seemed to judge him ready and straightened up again, tearing open the condom packet and rolling it on. Watching, Ethan rubbed his hand over Beau wherever he could reach. His arms, his stomach, his hard cock and thighs.

  He felt entirely spoiled, realizing he had just about laid there the entire time while Beau did all the work. It was hard to feel too bad about it. “Sorry,” he said anyway.

  Beau's gaze flickered to him. “For what?”

  Smiling, Ethan shrugged. “I feel like I'm just laying here. Lazy Bottom Syndrome.”

  Without missing a beat, Beau remarked, “Sounds serious. You see a doctor?”

  The cheer was plain in Ethan's voice. “Nope.”

  When Beau leaned over him, the damp tip of the condom brushed Ethan's belly. Knuckles denting the mattress, Beau kissed him again, friendly and brief. “Maybe this will help,” he murmured.

  Sitting up again, he returned his hands to the backs of Ethan's thighs and lifted them. Taking the hint, Ethan took over, holding them close to his chest. Beau squirted some lube into his hand and over Ethan's ass and Ethan j
umped at the cool temperature.

  “Sorry,” said Beau. Then he lined himself up and pushed slowly forward.

  Dropping his head back, Ethan stared at the ceiling, breathing deeply and trying to stay conscious of how tight he was. Beau had opened him up pretty well, but there was still an instinctive clench.

  “There we go,” Beau murmured. “Let me in.”

  “Hang on,” said Ethan. When Beau started to withdraw, Ethan slapped a hand on his thigh. “No, just wait.” Releasing a long, slow breath, Ethan forced himself to relax. “Okay,” he said. He pushed at the same time Beau did and breathed and soon they were locked tightly together.

  Neither of them moved for a long moment. Above him, Beau was tense with the effort of holding still. “You good?” he asked, a slight strain to his voice.

  “Yeah.”

  Shifting his hips, Beau slowly withdrew and pushed back in, then out, then deeper with every stroke. Ethan squeezed his thighs to Beau's hips and reached for him.

  Soon Beau was on top of and inside him, his cock filling Ethan as his tongue probed his mouth and his hands were everywhere, gripping and pinching and holding him.

  Wrapping his arms around Beau's shoulders, Ethan bit his earlobe and said, “God, yeah. Missed your cock so much.”

  Beau said nothing, only kissing him deeply and rocking into Ethan's body with short, easy thrusts. Sliding his hands up Ethan's sides and under his pits, he pushed Ethan's arms up over his head and pressed them onto the mattress. His voice was a hot breath in Ethan's ear.

  “Open up for me.”

  Some tight coil inside Ethan, something he hadn't even realized was there, slackened. Hiking his legs up higher, he clamped them tightly around Beau's hips. Immediately, Beau's cock hit him deeper and Ethan let out a low moan. “Fuck, yeah. That feels good.”

  Above him, Beau laughed breathlessly. Pulling back far enough to lock eyes with Ethan, he challenged, “Your ass is still mine.”

  Before Ethan could give an enthusiastic hell yeah, Beau angled himself differently and sudden pleasure exploded behind Ethan's eyelids. He hadn't even realized they were shut. Popping his them open again, he found Beau still watching, his face serious and tense, his jaw tight and hairline damp.

  “I - I'm close,” Ethan warned.

  Shoving Ethan's wrists together, Beau held them with one hand. With the other, he reached between their bodies for Ethan's cock and found it hard and leaking between their stomachs. Closing his hand around it, he pumped Ethan's shaft in time with his own thrusts, slow and inevitable.

  “Come for me, Tiger. Come on my cock.”

  Then Beau kissed him and hit that spot at the same time and Ethan's whole body seized up in pleasure, catching him on a long, delicious wave of release.

  “Oh, fuck,” he groaned, his cock pulsing between them. Thick stripes of come covered his chest and stomach. “Jesus.”

  The pressure on Ethan's wrists disappeared and hands gripped his ass, lifting him to meet every quickening thrust. Then Beau buried his face in Ethan's neck and in a daze Ethan wrapped his arms around strong shoulders. He whispered dirty, mindless things until Beau groaned deeply into his neck, burying himself deep inside Ethan's body as he filled the condom.

  After a moment, he rose up, managing to breathlessly say, “Oh, Tiger.” He turned his head to stare at Ethan, appearing as stunned as Ethan felt. They were still locked together. Beau kissed him, lingering before finally pulling away.

  Ethan winced as Beau slid out of him and let his legs fall gracelessly to the bed. His entire body burned, deliciously exhausted. Shoving his fingers through his hair, he sat up and watched Beau walk unsteadily into the bathroom.

  Wow. Well, it seemed their sexual chemistry was well intact. He heard the sound of the condom dropping into the trash.

  They hadn't used those when they'd been together before. Obviously, things were different now. But the way Beau had grabbed hold of him at the end, pumping in and out as he came - Ethan missed doing it the other way. Missed feeling Beau come inside him, the ultimate show of possession. He bit his lip.

  Beau returned then, slightly bowlegged, the pipes running behind him as the fan died. With a sudden burst of energy, Ethan hopped off the bed, passing Beau, who was nude, sweaty and smiling. Ethan felt shy suddenly, but Beau squeezed his arm and smacked his butt.

  The sting made Ethan hop a little. “Whoa!” he said. “Okay, buddy.” Beau laughed and Ethan turned his head as he continued toward the bathroom. Beau didn't get back in bed. Ethan got the feeling he was waiting for Ethan to shut the bathroom door.

  His heart sank a little, but as much as he wanted it to be, it was none of his business if Beau wanted to check his phone for messages at one in the morning.

  Firmly shutting the door, Ethan put those thoughts from his mind and washed up.

  Chapter 5

  In the morning, Ethan woke to the insistent buzz of his phone. Groping the side table for it, he peeled one eyelid back to read the display.

  It was Ryan.

  With a groan, he let the call go to voice mail.

  Sitting up, he spotted Beau in a chair across the room. He was just tightening the knot of his shoe. “There he is,” he said. “Good morning.”

  “It's early,” Ethan complained. A glance at the clock told him it was after seven. “Really early.”

  “Sorry.” Beau came over and dropped a warm kiss on Ethan's waiting mouth. “I just want to look into something before I head back to the hotel.”

  “Look into something, huh?” Rubbing his eyes, Ethan started to push the blankets back. “Can I at least make you some coffee?”

  Beau stopped him with a touch and regretful look. “Can I take a rain check?”

  Ethan studied him. He felt like he was missing something. “Of course.” The answer was obvious, but he asked lightly, “Back home after that?”

  Beau nodded, gazing at him. For all his rush to be gone, he seemed in no hurry now. “Can I call you tonight?”

  Ethan was very pleased with that response, but hid it with teasing. “You want to talk on a phone? That's so quaint.”

  “Well, you know me.”

  “The quaintest. Sure you can. Wait. I'm closing.”

  “So you call me.”

  “It'll be late,” Ethan warned. “After midnight, for sure.”

  “I'll be up. Hey, thanks for dinner.” Beau leaned closer and closer, slower and slower, until Ethan crossed the last inch with an impatient growl and kissed him. When Ethan realized he could still taste himself on Beau's tongue, a shiver passed through him and couldn't help heating things up a little.

  With a slow, measured breath, Beau forced himself to pull away. “Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to stay, but...”

  Reluctantly, Ethan removed his hands from Beau's hair and dropped them in his lap. “It's okay. Go. I'll walk you out.”

  A few moments later, Beau's blue Audi turned down the drive, effectively disappearing into the winding green hills. Ethan went inside, kicking his sneakers off at the door. He could still feel the tingle of Beau's unshaven cheek on his lips.

  He took a shower, somewhat regretfully rinsing any other traces of Beau from his body. For breakfast, he scrambled an egg and ate it inside a folded slice of sourdough toast. He ate on the go, deciding to take a short hike before starting his day.

  It wasn't quite eight yet but the woods were alive with animal chatter and movement. He went down to the creek, crossing it easily over a line of smooth, wet stones.

  Naturally his thoughts turned to the night before. He'd really enjoyed himself. When they'd gone to bed, Ethan was relieved to discover that things were as easy and natural between them as ever. Whatever else had changed, the intervening years had done nothing to their chemistry. It just felt right with Beau. It always had.

  The thought brought a pang to his chest. It had just been bad timing back then, that was all.

  The experience with Drop was one thing-one terrible thing-but as as horr
ible as that was, it had at least been quick, leaving Ethan stunned in a way. Looking back now, he didn't think for a second that he'd handled it in a healthy way. He'd only stuck a bandage over it, a smiling, kindhearted, Beau Baker bandage, and that hadn't been fair to either of them.

  Then came the trial. The eyes of strangers, detectives, lawyers, and Freddie Drop himself all focused on him as he relived the abduction for the courtroom.

  Not fun.

  But he'd done it and twelve of Ethan's peers had found the sick fuck guilty. Then the judge put him away.

  After, there was certainly relief that it was all over, for good this time, but also a degree of anxiety. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He thought about Drop and the warehouse and what he'd found there more than ever. As supportive as Beau was, there was only so much he could do. At the end of the day, it came down to Ethan to deal with his own shit.

  It was a tough decision, but he knew he needed space, a change of scenery, and probably professional help. So he'd packed things up, said goodbye to Beau the best he could, and moved to Ansel. He still saw the same therapist twice a month and was back on his feet. And here Beau was, back in his life. Maybe for a moment, but maybe not. He hadn't imagined the affection Beau had shown him last night and this morning. Maybe-just maybe-this was the beginning of a second chance.

  Now there was a happy thought.

  Ethan turned around and walked back to the house. He filled the rest of the morning painting and spent his afternoon filling invoices and writing emails. He'd forget about Beau for a little while and remember all over again. It was pretty bad. One night with the guy in almost three years and he was crushing all over again. When he finally strode in to the bar for his shift around four, he was grateful for the fresh distraction.

  He kept busy pulling beers, changing kegs, and wiping down tables. Before he knew it, Molly was shouting last call.

  By the time they finally got everyone out, it was after midnight and Ethan was stacking chairs on the last set of tables.

  “Crazy night,” Molly said. She was counting money at the till.