Mysudden inability todraw a breath had nothing to do with the orgasmKevinhad just drawn out of me.Mychest tightened, ramping up my panic even more.Spotsformed behind my eyes and my body froze, dick barely tucked back into my boxer briefs.
I’dlet my jealousy turn off logical thought, and we’d been caught.Notonly that, but there was truth to the words that would haunt me whenIclosed my eyes tonight.Wouldn’tdo you any favors to find yourself in some sort of sex scandal while you’re trying to run for mayor.
Thiswas exactly the sort of thingMayorThompsonwould use as proof a gay man—because it wouldn’t matter to him howIidentified ifIwas caught with my dick down another man’s throat—wasn’t fit for public office.Notonly that, butKevinhad risked everything for a momentary lapse in judgment.
Yethe didn’t seem nearly as affected asIwas by the warning.Hequickly rose from the hard ground. “Breathefor me, babe.Let’stake things one step at a time, okay?”
Inodded, needing him to anchor me before the worst-case scenarios overtook my mind.
Yes, because you were really using your brain for the past few minutes.
“Comeon.Anotherbreath.You’vegot this.”Heslipped his hand into mine once he haphazardly tucked in my shirt, steadying me as we exited the alcove.Myfeet felt encased in concrete, and every step was a struggle.Ifwe stayed here,Iwas safe.Ididn’t have to face anyone, didn’t have to deal with the disgust on the face of someoneIthought of as at least a good acquaintance, if not a casual friend.
Okay, so that might have been a stretch, butIwas trying to make sense of the fact my brother’s boss was here.Therewas no mistaking the gravelly timbre of disapproval in his voice, rough and unforgiving.Rodneyhad a reputation for being a judgmental prick, and he’d just turned every ounce of scorn on me.Buthiding here until the party cleared out wouldn’t change the situation.Betterto face this head-on.
Werounded the corner to findRodneyleaning against the wall, a glass of amber liquid held casually in one hand.Helooked especially menacing as the shadows played with his already nearly black eyes and sharp features.Hesimply shook his head, andIlowered my gaze, unable to look at him after he’d caught me in such a compromising position. “Man,Ireally thought you were the smart brother.Youknow better than this shit.”
Nextto me,Kevintensed.Heseemed to grow taller and broader as he readied to square off withRodney. “AndIthought you knew better than to judge people when you’re here.WhatwouldJeremyhave to say about you threatening to out one ofRowan’sguests?”
“Down, boy.”Ibristled at the condescension dripping off his words. “I’mnot gonna do shit or tell anyone whatIsaw.Butthat doesn’t mean no one else would.WhileI’llnever fully trust anyone who chooses to go into politics,Ansonhere could be good for the city, but not if he lets his dick take the lead.Whatif it hadn’t been me who’d come around the corner for a breather?It’sone thing to enjoy a bit of public sex on kink nights, but when it’s a vanilla crowd, you have to fucking think.Thetwo of you have no clue how longIwas over here just waiting for you to finish.Whatif it had been someone with a recorder?”
WhileIdidn’t want to thinkKevin’sfriend would have invited the type of peopleMayorThompsonran around with to the party,Rodneyhad a point.Andfuck did it pain me to say that.Allit would take was one slip, and everyone in town would know the sort of holdKevinhad over me.
No, that’s not the real problem, is it?Iwas tempted to take the drink out ofRodney’shand, needing something to quiet that fucking voice in my head.Becauseno, it wasn’t thatIwas with a man that was the crux of the issue.Itwas the factI’dforgotten we were in public the momentKevin’sfingers curled around my shaft.
“Contraryto what it looks like, this isn’t somethingIwould usually do,”Iexplained. “You’reright thatIshouldn’t have done it at all, butItrustKevincompletely, and if he’d thought there was a true risk, he never would have led me back here.”
Rodneyquirked one thick dark eyebrow. “Yousure about that?Word’salready getting around town that yet anotherLangsfordis sleeping with a man.How’sthat going to work out for you?”
ItookKevin’shand, needing the security only he could offer me.Talkingto his mom had been a catalyst for finally making up my mind about the election.IfIwas going to do this, it would be with him by my side. “Honestly?Ifthe people ofHarmonyGrovewant me to be the next mayor, they’ll have to get used to the idea of me being with a man becauseI’mnot going to hide our relationship.Itried that at first, and it was hell.There’snothing wrong with me being with someone who respects me and pushes me out of my comfort zone.”
“Andthe fact he’s a cop?”Atthat moment, it felt as ifRodneywas the detective.Thisinterrogation wasn’t somethingI’dplanned on whenI’dagreed to come tonight.Hell, ifI’dknown he would be here,Iprobably wouldn’t have come, simply because we were like oil and water.Hewas too crass, too rough around the edges.AndIwas certain that if you asked him, he wouldIhad a stick firmly up my butt and wouldn’t know fun if it bit me in the ass.Wetolerated one another, but only in small doses. “Won’tthat be a conflict of interest?”
I’dhad the same concern, so it had been one of the first thingsI’dresearched.Luckily, from whatI’dfound, only the police chief reported directly to the mayor, and the rest of the department responded to the chief.Whileit could still be a bit of a gray area, there were plenty of similar situations within city government, and no one had made an issue of any of them.WhileIwasn’t foolish enough to believe there wouldn’t be someone who cried impropriety, our bases were covered. “No, and if anyone brings that up,I’dbe more than happy to point them to the statutes that explain the hierarchy.”
“Youjust have an answer for everything, don’t you?”Rodneysmirked.Anyother time,Imight have shot back at him for being a dick, but there was a hint of amusement in the fine lines around his eyes.
“Itold you before,Rodney,I’mnot just some schmuck running for office.Iwant to take over becauseItruly believe we can be better than we are today.”ItuggedKevin’shand, and he curled against my side.I’ddone the tentative approach long enough.Itwas time to show everyone—especiallyKevin—thatIwas serious about being proud to have him by my side. “WhenIturn in my nomination papers,I’mhopingKevinwill be right there with the rest of my family.Nothinggood will come from trying to hide such an important facet of whoIam.”
Rodneytook a sip of his drink, holding the glass in front of his lips as his gaze flitted between us.Itwasn’t easy to stand still under his scrutiny, butI’dbe damned ifIwas going to show him any sign of weakness.Finally, he took a step forward, offering me an outstretched hand. “That’swhatIwanted to hear.Sorryto give you shit, but you do need to be careful.Eventhough everyone here should be friendly doesn’t mean they are.Itrust that you’re the best man for the job, so it’d be a shame if you were brought down by somethingIcan only assume was a fan-fucking-tastic orgasm.”
Mymouth gaped open as he turned and walked away.Itwasn’t long before he disappeared into the crowd, leavingKevinand me trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened.
Kevinrecovered first. “Well, that was fun.Howabout we go find a drink now?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a damn good plan.”AsIfollowedKevinto the bar at the far side of the room,Ipromised myselfI’dpush the confrontation withRodneyto the back of my mind.Therewould be time to process everything he’d said later.Tonight,Iwanted to let loose and unwind with my boyfriend.
Icouldn’t make eye contact with anyone.WheneverIcaught someone looking my way,Iwondered if they’d also heard what had gone on in the alcove.Ifthey flashed a hint of a smile or anything, my brain insisted they not only knew but were judging me for it.AndKevindidn’t miss my discomfort. “Relax.Ifyou look guilty of something, you’ll only draw more attention to yourself.”
Heshouldn’t have to talk me off the ledge.Ishould be self-aware enough to realize my life wasn’t that interesting.Andfrom whatRodneyandKevinhad said, our behavior wasn’t out of place during a party thrown by their friend.
Aman aboutKevin’sheight with broad shoulders and messy hair that could be either artfully styled or the result of a quick fuck stepped in front of us.Hewasn’t the largest man in the room, but something about him gave me pause.Atfirst,Iworried we were about to face another lecture about what we’d gotten up to, but the look he flashedKevinwas almost the opposite of how he looked at me.AndKevinseemed completely relaxed in the man’s presence.
“Iwas starting to think you’d gotten called into work or something,” the man said as he pulledKevininto a hug.Itwas going to be a long night if people kept putting their hands on my date.Especiallyif they looked at him with the affection this one did. “Gladyou made it out.”Hiseyes widened slightly as he realized they weren’t alone. “Oh, is this the mysterious boyfriend you’ve been telling me about?”
Kevinhad been talking about me?Thatsettled the spike of jealousy threatening to well up.Anylingering doubts were quelled asKevinpractically plastered his body to mine. “Itis.Anson, this isRowan.”
Despitehaving metRowan’sfather,I’dpictured the man who owned the property to be older, more…well, professional-looking wasn’t the right phrase, but definitely not someone who looked as though he rode through the fields from working the family’s farm to open this party venue.Ioffered a hand, hoping to make a positive first impression since this guy andKevinwere obviously close at one point in their lives. “It’sa pleasure to meet you.Thisis a gorgeous space.Notat all whatIexpected whenKevintold me we were going to a barn party.”
