Six Degrees of Lust (17 page)

soothing voice of his that Sam was positive would help bring

Nicky back to the happy place he’d been at before making his

request.

“Do you like Logan’s makeup?” Sam asked his nephew

casually.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

“What’s your favorite? Personally I like the smoky eye

shadow.” That got Nick to look up at him, but he just swallowed

hard and shrugged a little. “Aww, come on! You gotta have a

favorite.”

“The eyeliner?” he more asked than said.

“That’s my favorite too,” Logan said, and was rewarded with

a tentative smile. “You ever put eyeliner on before?” Nicky just

shrugged. “Tell you what. You eat whatever I serve you and I’ll

let you use my stuff. And if you feel up to it we can talk about the

times you’ve tried it before and why you like it. Deal?”

“It’s fine if you want to, kiddo.” Sam encouraged him.

“Thank you!” Nicky hugged Sam so tightly he almost sent

him to the floor. Sam hugged him back for as long as he allowed,

which was two seconds flat. “Let me go, Uncle Sam. You’re

embarrassing me again.”

“Jesus, you’re growing way too fast.” Sam kissed him on the

forehead and let him go, pleased that his nephew didn’t object to

114 Taylor V. Donovan

that as well. “See you tomorrow, and be good, okay?”

“I promise.” He ran towards the building, not waiting for

Logan.

Sam handed the overnight bag to his friend and took a deep

breath. “I haven’t noticed any tendencies in him before.”

“It could be nothing, you know. Maybe he just likes the

makeup.”

“I know that, but whether he’s going to be Goth or gay, I

want to know. I need to be there for him.”

“We will be.”

“Thanks for keeping him tonight. I know it was last minute,

but Sandy’s been in some kind of funk and I just don’t feel

comfortable leaving Nicky alone with her.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I don’t like how terrified he looked… Maybe I should stay

and talk to him.”

“I think he’ll be fine, but I guess you can stay with him tonight

and go get laid tomorrow if it’d make you feel better,” his friend

said in a not so casual tone.

“That wouldn’t work.”

“Why not? I don’t mind having Nicky over tomorrow as well.

Friday or Saturday, what difference does it make, really?”

“Stop fishing, Logan.”

“Then stop pretending this is random sex you’re getting

tonight. You’ve been waiting on pins and needles for whoever it

is you’re meeting with.”

“I have not!”

“‘Fess up already!”

“He’s from Texas and will only be here for a few hours, which

is why tomorrow night wouldn’t work. But I’m thinking I really

need to stay with Nicky and—”

“What? Are you going to bail out on Lover Boy?” Logan

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115

interrupted in a mocking tone. “And after he traveled all the way

here to be with you? Shame on you, Sam!”

“Nicky is more important to me than some piece of ass.”

“Oh, please.” Logan rolled his eyes at him in a rather dramatic

way.

“Oh please, what?”

“When and where did you meet him, anyway? Who is he? I

can’t believe you had sex so good it rated a repeat and didn’t tell

me about it!”

“I haven’t had sex with him.” Sam ignored his friend’s previous

questions. He wasn’t ready to discuss Mac with Logan just yet. If

ever. “And I never said I’ve met him before either.”

“Are you seriously trying to tell me you haven’t done

anything? Do I have to point out the fact you are staying with

him overnight?” his friend asked, skepticism ringing in his voice.

“I’m your best friend, Sam, I know you. And I certainly don’t

need for you to tell me you’ve been with this guy before and want

him again. Badly. I can tell.”

“No intercourse, so this isn’t a repeat,” he muttered.

“Semantics, dear.”

“It’s the truth.”

“You’re splitting hairs. Care to tell me why?”

Sam rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Sometimes it really

sucked to have an expert in human behavior as a best friend.

“Can we not talk about it now? Please?”

“We don’t have to talk about it at all.” Which of course was

nothing but code for we-are-so-talking-about-it-as-soon-as-

possible.

“It’s just that…” He shook his head. “You know me. I…” He

took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I understand.” And Logan really did. He knew Sam wouldn’t

talk about whatever was different about this guy until he was

good to do so, but that wasn’t going to stop the guy from asking.

116 Taylor V. Donovan

“Come on, Logan,” Nicky yelled, holding the glass door open.

“I want to start on those movies!”

“I’m going to go inside. Remember I’m taking the kiddo with

me to the LGBT center in the morning for some volunteer work,

okay?”

“That’s fine.” Grateful for the change in subject, he took a

few seconds to study his friend. “You think your special case will

show up tomorrow?”

“I’m hopeful, but not holding my breath. He hasn’t shown up

in the past two weeks, and when he does he never says a word.”

“Got a name out of him yet?”

“Not even that. He’s been studying me. A few times I thought

he was getting ready to come to me, but it never happened.”

A little over a month ago a young guy had shown up so

bruised up Logan could barely make out his features. He didn’t

seem to be an addict, but he was painfully skinny. Logan, of

course, approached him with a sandwich, a drink, and some good

intentioned questions. The guy had taken the snack but nothing

else.

After that he’d shown up several times, sat in the group

sessions and listened to everyone, but never said a word about

himself, driving Logan a little crazy.

Although he did as much as he could for the kids he counseled,

Logan always remained professional and somewhat detached.

He’d go out of his mind if he got personally invested in every

case he saw. But Sam knew his friend was worried out of his

mind about that particular teen. He had yet to talk to him, but

for some reason Logan was touched by his appearance or aura

or whatever it was Logan saw in him, and it was killing him not

being able to help.

“We can always track him down, you know,” Sam suggested.

“Nothing I say will work if he doesn’t come to me on his own

time and terms. But if he shows up beaten up one more time, I

might just do that. Anyway, you better go.” Logan hugged him

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117

and kissed him on the cheek. “Have a good time. I’ll see you

tomorrow.”

“Thank you again for doing this.”

“Get going, babe.” He winked at Sam and walked towards the

building. “You don’t want to be late!”

§ § § §

Mac stood under the ceiling mounted showerhead with the

taps on the hottest setting he could withstand and let the water

soothe his tired muscles. It had been a long week. Putting in time

behind the bar at The Five Alarm on top of his administrative

responsibilities and the rather stressful meetings with two

different lawyers had taken a toll on him. Financial decisions

were never easy, especially knowing the people involved wouldn’t

agree with them regardless of what he did.

As the water massaged his back he thought about the night

ahead. Providing things were at least a fraction of what they’d

been during their first encounter, it promised to be a scorching

hot and you-better-be-ready-for-the-blisters one. Mac had taken

precautions to ensure he’d be able to bask in the heat and then

get away from it before any permanent damage. Behaving as if

the whole scenario was normal and something he did on a regular

basis was part of it. But Sam was due any moment now and Mac

couldn’t be blasé anymore. Not when he was about to get what

his body had been so very inconveniently craving.

It only took a couple of seconds for him to react to memories

of the other man’s big hands all over his body, and the thought

of that long, thick prick stuffing his channel got him painfully

hard.

Again.

He grabbed the bar of soap and rubbed it between his hands,

gathering the lather while taking deep, slow breaths. Anxiety had

him wound up too tight. It had been such a long time since he

allowed another man into his body that he couldn’t help feeling

a little nervous. If he didn’t find a way to relax, his night with

Sam would be ruined before they even initiated anything. And

118 Taylor V. Donovan

wouldn’t that just suck big time?

He started to chant his favorite team’s roster for the 2009

football season.

§ § § §

Sam arrived at the hotel earlier than he had expected. For a

moment he considered waiting in his SUV until eight, but quickly

decided against it. The other man was already in his room and

knew he was coming, so why should he? He doubted Mac would

be pissed at him for showing up early.

After obtaining his key at the desk, he took the stairs to Mac’s

room and ran it across the lock without bothering to knock first.

Room 515; same number he’d had at that swanky Chelsea

hotel.

Was it a lucky number or something?

He heard the shower before the door was completely open

and, as soon as he walked into the room, saw the mist coming

under the bathroom door. His mouth suddenly went dry and his

heart beat a little faster as he walked towards it without making

a conscious decision to move. He pushed the bathroom door

slightly open.

Beyond the steam and clear shower curtain stood the body

of a god. His wet blond hair was plastered to his head, making

his strong facial features look sharper. Water ran down his lightly

tanned body, outlining muscles and angles that turned Sam on so

much he couldn’t move. With one arm braced against the tile and

the other one clearly self-pleasuring, the Texan reminded Sam of

a huge, sensual cat, and he wanted for it to pounce on him, the

rest be damned.

Then he heard the moan.

Sam’s blood rushed south so fast he felt dizzy. It sounded so

much like that mewling little noise Mac made the first time Sam

breached his body that his fingers twitched. He couldn’t wait to

do it again. He couldn’t wait to be the one to give Mac so much

pleasure he wouldn’t be able to remember his own name for days.

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119

He blinked several times until he was able to wake himself up

from the daze that had him paralyzed. He made out the bottle

of lube on the soap dish, followed the movement of Mac’s hand

for a few more seconds, then quickly stepped back out of the

bathroom.

His keys, cell phone, and wallet got dropped on one of the

nightstands along with his holstered weapon. His clothes were

discarded all over the place. Then he grabbed what he needed

from the small backpack he’d brought with him and the box

of condoms he spotted on the nightstand and returned to the

bathroom.

“Now, why’d you start without me?” he asked as he pulled the

curtain back.

Mac’s head whipped up in surprise, his bright green eyes

sliding over Sam’s naked, hard body before he completely turned

around. His hand never stopped stroking his prick.

“I know I haven’t been here too long, so you must be early.”

That accent… Jesus…

“Good thing I am too.”

“Then come here and make yourself useful.” Mac pulled him

into the shower and smacked their lips together.

Once again, there was no hesitation in another of those kisses

that totally short-circuited his brain and made him want so much

more. Sam wrapped one arm around Mac’s waist to get them as

close as possible and replaced the hand on his dick with his own.

Sam slowly began pumping it; the feel of Mac’s engorged

prick more satisfying than the best hand job anyone had ever

given him in his life.

Being so close to Mac, having him surround Sam with his

powerful arms and eat his mouth up with those sinful lips gave

Sam a thrill he felt in his stomach and all the way down to his

toes. It was the kind of thrill he hadn’t felt in years, awakening

parts of him that had remained inert since he’d so outstandingly

failed at making his one and only relationship work. Problem

120 Taylor V. Donovan

was, with thrills came uncertainty.

What was going to happen once they were done? Would one

time be enough for Sam, or would he become addicted to the

feel of Mac? To his taste? Would he find himself craving the

sensations Mac awakened in him? Seeking more of it and trying

to figure out how to get it?

He already knew walking away wouldn’t be as easy as he’d

thought, but he could do it, right? He could, because he didn’t

want any part of it, and Sam never did anything he didn’t want.

There was no reason to feel he was in way over his head. He was