Devil's Own (19 page)

“With the broom. Check.” Niall nodded, smiling. Gus appreciated the man’s interest in the Wiccan faith. Gus wasn’t going to try to convert Niall: not tonight, not ever. He was a firm believer that all men and women had to find their own spiritual path. But the warmth in his heart he felt when Niall wished to join Gus’s celebration simply made him happy.

“I sprinkled water and salt around, then called the quarters and asked the Goddess and the God to join us on this Beltane night.”

“Yup, noticed all that.”

Gus chuckled. “Thought you would.”

Niall let out a dramatic sigh that sounded an awful lot like a sniffle. “One of these days we’re gonna have to do the whole ritual bathing thing together. I’m disappointed you once again chose to get all wet and naked—
without
me.”

At that delicious pout, Gus laughed out loud so hard he had to wipe the tears out of his eyes. “Next time, I promise.” Then he winked wickedly. “In eight weeks it’ll be Litha, the summer solstice, the culmination of the sun’s potency—and a coupling of love.”

Niall’s gray eyes darkened. “Is that so? Better mark that on my calendar, then.”

Gus blushed and felt his cock stir in his pants, wanting to come out and join the fun. “Anyway, tonight’s Beltane, the festival of fertility and fire.”

“I’m fired up already,” Niall commented with a leer.

Ignoring his boyfriend’s words, Gus took the small cauldron he kept on the altar and smothered the kindling that had been burning there slowly all day. Closing his eyes and holding the new, long, lit match in his hand, he spoke, “On this Beltane night, we celebrate the union of the Lord and the Lady. The young God has found favor in the fair Maiden, and so begins the eternal dance of romance and the love hunt. In honor of this joining, I light the Beltane fires with my love, trust, and gratitude.” Then he opened his eyes and relit the kindling in the cauldron with the match. New flames roared to life. “Beltane fires are lit. Time to celebrate.”

Niall watched the burning flames, the flickering glow reflected in the dark pools of his eyes. To Gus he had never looked sexier. Then Niall looked up, waiting, his brows rising. “That it?”

Gus shook his head with a smile. From his side, he took a cake platter and a carafe of red liquid. “This is the Beltane cake. Traditionally, it’s made of oats or barley, milk, and eggs. Mine is oatmeal but with cinnamon and ginger too. It should be okay, even for a sweet-tooth.” Niall licked his lips, and Gus smiled back. “And this is raspberry juice, not red wine.”

“Mmm, yum…,” Niall mumbled, leaning forward and inhaling the scent of the cake almost fresh out of the oven.

“Traditionally, we should take a piece and leap over the new fire three times for good luck.”

Niall’s eyes widened. “You do that?”

“Yes, and dance around the fire too.” Gus took a piece of the cake in his fingers. “But with you we can go a different route.” He straightened his back, closed his eyes, and said, “I give this to thee, oh May Lady, so you may grant me your boon of love.” He tossed a few crumbs over his shoulder.

Niall chuckled. “Now I know why you need that broom so much.” Before Gus could retort, Niall had also closed his eyes and shifted to a more upright pose. “I give this to you, oh May Lord, so you may grant me… a kiss from my lover.” Then he threw a morsel or two behind him.

Quickly, before Niall opened his eyes, Gus crossed the gap between them and planted a hearty kiss on Niall’s lips. When he drew back, he saw the mirth and lust in Niall’s eyes, feeling his lover’s gaze all over his body like a true touch.

“Hmm, these rituals really
do
work,” Niall teased, swiping his tongue over his lips as if to savor Gus’s taste. “What’s next?”

“What do you see behind me?” Gus asked suggestively. It wasn’t like the new addition to the room could be missed by anyone with eyes.

Niall eyed the new object with lips twitching into a salacious grin. “A pole.”

“Very good.” Gus had put up the pole in the east to function as a maypole—though he was going to use it differently tonight. “I don’t know if you’re into dancing—”

“I can shake the old groove thang,” Niall said with a ridiculous country twang.

Gus laughed. “Good to know, because I will make it my mission to dance with you on Litha. Now…. You just enjoy the refreshments while I… do my thing.” Gus rose up on his knees, grasped an item behind his back, and then placed a crown—a wreath of oak leaves—upon Niall’s head. “For my mighty Oak King, and for the love chase yet to come.”

The hunger in Niall’s eyes grew, so Gus withdrew quickly out of reach.

With deliberate slowness, he gripped the metal pole he had fastened tight from floor to ceiling, the counterweights at the bottom keeping it steady and motionless. Gus had borrowed this portable bar from a friend who was into pole dancing, and for the sake of exercise and the exotic quality, Gus had tried the workout too, and liked it.

Now he would get to show his boyfriend some of the moves he had learned. After all, it was Beltane night, and Gus was going to do a love dance around the maypole.

Taking off his jeans and light green T-shirt but keeping his green boxer briefs on, Gus wrapped one leg around the pole and with ease whirled so his feet weren’t touching the ground. With just a touch of his toes fast on the floor, he gave himself speed and spun around the pole with his back arched, while still keeping a tight grip on the metal.

Holding a piece of cake in his hands, Niall stared, and then his breath caught, and to Gus he sounded like he was gurgling.
Success
.

Using his toes for traction and his thighs to keep him steady, Gus bent backward until he could look at Niall upside down. “You like?” he murmured seductively.

Niall cleared his throat. “Uh-huh.” He shifted on the floor, and his hand landed on his crotch, squeezing the rising erection. “Wish you’d dance around my maypole.”

Gus chuckled. “Good things come to those who wait.”

His thighs began to burn in a matter of seconds, reminding him he was still a beginner. He eased himself back down but didn’t wait to progress. Reaching the pole behind him high up, he made a quick but elegant dash, spun around the pole, and slowly slid down. Upon touching the floor, he immediately got back up, hooked his knee around the pole, twirled in a pose, and descended with the grace of an angel.

Niall’s breath hitched, and his cheeks and neck were red with arousal. His lips were parted as he panted, and his jeans tented. “Fuck, that’s hot. How long you’ve been doing this?”

Gus smiled, blushing. “About six months, off and on. I’m still a newbie.”

Niall scoffed, incredulous. “You’re pretty damn amazing from where I’m sitting.”

“Did you just call me pretty?” Gus flirted, flinging his bangs out of his eyes.

Niall laughed, his look dark and ravenous. “Do some more, beautiful.”

How could Gus resist such a request? So he used his all but naked body to climb the pole, pivot around it, shake his hips when he could, bend his body back and forth, and slide down in provocative poses. He began to work up a healthy sweat, the task arduous on the muscles, but his heart and imagination sparked by the presence of his lover.

Suddenly, Niall rose and stalked over to Gus. He was no longer smiling, his expression strained. In fact, he looked predatory. “Enough teasing. Time for the chase, Gus.”

Breathless and wanting, Gus twisted himself to stand upright, his back against the metal bar that no longer felt cool, not after the workout it had just gotten. His body shivered, and his muscles tensed and relaxed, repeating the cycle. Then Niall brushed his knuckles over Gus’s bare stomach, and Gus trembled with need.

“Niall…,” he whispered, leaning toward his lover.

But Niall grinned and shook his head. “Nuh-uh, babe. Not so fast. Not after the way you just teased the shit out of me. No. We’re gonna do the love chase. Now… how do we do this?”

Trying to will some blood back to his brain from his groin, Gus searched with his eyes at their surroundings, locating everything they needed. “Aww, you barely tasted the cake.”

Niall growled. “We can eat it later, when we need to reenergize.”

The promise in his words made Gus’s belly flutter and his groin grow to volcanic heat. He crouched down, took the dark green ribbons from the floor, and gave them to Niall. “First, the five-fold kiss.”

Niall licked his lips and narrowed his eyes. Then he yanked his gray shirt off, tossed it on the floor, and unsnapped the topmost button of his jeans. His muscled chest was ripped and hairy, and the
V
-shape tapering down under the denim made Gus’s mouth water. “I think I’m going to like this.”

Gus had a hard time breathing, wishing only for time to stand still so the two of them could share this moment for a while longer. “You start at my feet.”

Niall quirked an eyebrow, grinning. “Uh-huh…. Why do I have a feeling I know where this is going? And why the fuck would I object?” With that said, he knelt down on the floor in front of Gus, and he slid his palms slowly down from Gus’s hips and thighs to his knees, legs and ankles. “Now what?”

“You kiss my feet,” Gus said, his voice quivering. “As you do, you say a blessing, like, uh…. Blessed be thy feet for bringing thou to me.” He shrugged, slightly embarrassed for reasons he couldn’t define. “You don’t have to use antiquated speech or anything. Just… say what you want. What’s in your heart.”

Niall locked gazes with Gus. “I think my thoughts for the time being are coming from an altogether different organ.” Then he bent down and softly kissed the instep of Gus’s feet. A mere brush. The touch still made Gus’s skin tingle. “Blessed be your feet, Gus, for stepping my way
and
walking at my side during these perilous times.”

“Oh….” Gus sighed, feeling too many sensations and emotions to be balanced. By the Goddess, how badly he wanted this man. He struggled to speak. “T-then my k-knees.”

With a smile, Niall nodded, planting tender kisses on Gus’s knees. Were they knobby and unattractive, Gus asked himself, feeling rather self-conscious. But Niall’s words soothed Gus’s nerves. “Blessed be your knees, beautiful, for being strong and standing straight when I needed your courage and affection.”

At that point Gus had to close his eyes, unable to look at the wonderful man he was with and who was being so perfect. “T-then my, um….” His blood was on fire, and he couldn’t say it, certain if Niall so much as breathed on him
there
he’d blow.

But as usual, Niall seemed to be a few steps ahead of him. “Let me guess. Your sweet cock, eh, Gus?” But Gus didn’t get the chance to answer when Niall had already hooked his thumbs under the waistband of Gus’s boxer briefs and pulled them down midthigh, freeing Gus’s achingly hard erection. And then Niall blew Gus’s mind by gently kissing the red tip of Gus’s penis with a hot openmouthed kiss, partly enveloping the thickening cockhead with his mouth. Gus moaned. Niall chuckled, obviously pleased with himself. “Blessed be your delicious dick, Gus, because I foresee a future where we’re both gonna enjoy the heck out of it.”

“Oh sweet Goddess,” Gus mumbled, his voice hoarse, his knees turning to jelly, and his skin burning all over, inside and out.

“Breasts next, right?” Niall asked.

Gus’s eyes flew open, and he looked down, shocked. “Y-you already knew how…?”

Niall winked wickedly. “I have been studying.” Then he placed a kiss on Gus’s belly.

“You… you….” Gus tried to find an appropriate curse word or a proper scolding, but when Niall kept up his light pecks as he ascended Gus’s body toward his chest, Gus had nothing to offer.

“Mmm, me, me, me,” Niall said, chuckling smugly. Then he sucked Gus’s nipple in his mouth, using the flicking and lapping of his tongue and the suction of his mouth to harden the fleshy nub into an aching, smoldering-hot peak. “Mmm, yeah, lucky me.” And then he repeated the process over the other teat. “Blessed be your chest and your delectable nipples, my sweet Gus, so beautifully formed, so hard and firm and… yummy.”

Gus laughed, hiccupping because he was so turned on. “That’s not the right blessing.” But he wasn’t seriously rebuking his lover, whose spontaneity made this the best Beltane ritual of his life. As he rose, Niall pulled Gus’s underwear back up.

Niall kept kissing Gus all over, sliding long wet furrows until he reached Gus’s neck, jawline, cheek, and finally his mouth. That slick, nimble tongue swiped across Gus’s lower lip and then stole its way inside, claiming him. Gus yielded with passion, melting against Niall’s body, loving the powerful arms that wrapped around him.

When Niall pulled back, Gus actually whined. “No….”

Niall snickered. “And last but not least, blessed be your lips, Gus, for kissing me back when I can’t help myself.” He gazed into Gus’s eyes then, deeply and profoundly, with almost no color left because his pupils were so dilated. “I want you so fucking bad right now. So… you’d better run now, little rabbit, ’cause I’m hungry.”

Though his heart pounded and his dick throbbed painfully in his underwear, obscenely peeking past the waistband, Gus felt joy that Niall had seen his altar room and the decorations of colorful flowers, green candles, and altar cloths—and the statues of a rabbit and a goat, symbolizing fertility, the moon, and excessive sexuality. “If I’m the rabbit—”

“That makes me the big bad wolf, right?” Niall finished for Gus, grinning very much like the animal in question.

Gus laughed, keeping his arms wound around Niall’s shoulders. “I was going to say the randy goat, but all right.” Wiggling his way free of the embrace, Gus knelt again and picked up the long, deep green sash, corded into a rope. He held it in his hand between them, smiling at his lover with all the love and desire he felt in his heart. “For the love chase, Niall. You have to catch me with this rope, getting it around me. Only then will I yield for a kiss—and maybe more.”

Niall’s eyes flashed intently. “Understood.” His gaze raked all over Gus’s body with serious intent. “So, little bunny... You need a head start?”