“Next time you’re close, I’m not gonna stop,” Brantley warned.
Reese gripped the headboard to keep from reaching for Brantley, wanting the man to do whatever he wanted to him. His cock wept as the friction pushed him higher and higher. He wanted more … needed more, but he wasn’t going to say it. He was completely at Brantley’s mercy.
“Squeeze my cock,” Brantley growled.
Reese’s ass clamped down on the thick shaft invading him.
“Oh, fuck, yes.” Brantley held his stare. “So tight. So fucking hot. I’m gonna make you come; then I’m gonna fuck you. Hard.”
Reese cried out as his balls drew up tight. The words alone were going to send him into the stratosphere, and he was helpless to stop it.
Brantley’s hips bumped his ass when he pushed in deep. He maintained the brutally slow pace, but he somehow fucked him more insistently.
“Come for me, Reese. Come so I can drill this tight fucking hole and spill myself inside you.”
“Oh, fuck.” Reese tilted his head back, felt the cords in his neck stretch tight as his body coiled, sensation blooming into a fireball.
“Just like that,” Brantley whispered as he continued to torment him. “I want you to come.”
Reese gritted his teeth, sought the release that was just out of reach.
Brantley shifted his hips forward, sank in on a deep, bellowing growl, and that was enough to send him over. Reese shouted his name as he came, his cock jerking and spurting without so much as a graze.
“Fuck … that’s what I wanted,” Brantley snarled, pulling his hips back and driving in hard. “Oh, fuck, Reese. I’m gonna come.”
Reese groaned, loving how verbal Brantley was. “Come inside me, Brantley.”
“Aw, hell.” Brantley’s hips bucked as he drilled down into him again and again. “Fuck … Reese!”
Reese’s ass tightened around the cock lodged deep, milking Brantley as best he could. He released the headboard, shifted his legs down from Brantley’s shoulders, and welcomed Brantley’s weight as he fell over him. He held him, loving the feel of Brantley’s heart beating against him, the heavy gasps fanning his neck.
He felt tears form at the corners of his eyes, but he fought them back. He didn’t want Brantley to see him cry, but the emotional turmoil was proving to be too much. The relief was omnipotent, dragging a sob from his chest. Reese banded his arms around Brantley, held him tight so he wouldn’t see the way he was unraveling even as he felt as though he was being stitched back together.
“I’ve got you,” Brantley whispered against his ear. “No matter what, Reese, I’ve always got you.”
This time the sob tore free of its own volition, and Reese was powerless against it.
*
BRANTLEY WAITED UNTILREESE HAD STILLED BEFOREhe forced himself out of bed. He washed up in the bathroom, returned to find Reese lying there with his arm draped over his eyes. As he stared down at the man, he realized he’d never truly known what love was until he came along. Never understood the depth it could reach inside him. The way Reese had come undone had sealed Brantley’s fate. He’d felt his remorse, understood the pain he’d suffered. Brantley hadn’t been the only one in pain these last few months.
And something about that moment had settled everything inside him. He felt whole again despite the fact he hadn’t been the one to cry. Not this time, anyway. And yes, his earlier breakdown in the shower hadn’t been the only one he’d experienced in the past six months. He’d blamed the tears on fury and rage, but he knew better.
“I’m gonna grab some water,” he told Reese. “Need anything?”
Reese’s arm fell away, and he smiled. “I’m good. Thanks.”
Brantley pulled on his shorts, then went to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water. He glanced at the computer Reese had been looking at before he’d dragged him back to the bedroom. As he cracked the lid on the water, he walked around the island, tapped the mouse to bring the screen to life.
He realized he was looking at Reese’s notes, things he’d jotted down about the people he’d visited. He knew most of it already, but he figured another pass might help.
He was still skimming the data when he heard footsteps.
“You find something?” Reese asked, coming over and taking the water bottle from his hand.
“Not y— Wait a minute.” Brantley pulled the barstool out, dropped onto it. “This here.” He pointed to the screen. “Did Gloria Steiner actuallysaythat?”
Reese glanced over his shoulder. “That she hadn’t been out of the house in a month? Yeah. She offered it up. I didn’t ask.”
