Keys to Love (22 page)

Julian rolled his hips, grinding Morgan’s cock inside him, then lifted up and leaned back, bracing one hand behind him as he pumped up and down on Morgan’s cock. He took his own cock, stroking it as he rode him. His head fell back; pleasure consumed his expression.

Morgan gazed at him, Julian’s lean body stretched out, his hips working to bring them both to pleasure. Since the start of their relationship, he couldn’t count all the times he looked at Julian, thinking how breathtaking he was. This was another of those moments. No inhibitions, fully bared before him, his aggression, his passion, in full control of him, Morgan knew there would never be anyone who could equal Julian in his life.

Morgan’s thoughts broke as Julian pushed off the hand he braced himself with to sit forward. Both his hands slapped down on Morgan’s chest. Julian rocked hard and fast. Morgan found himself unable to move, his entire body under Julian’s control.

The most he could manage was sliding a hand from Julian’s hip to his cock enclosing it in a tight fist. He could hear himself moaning on each of Julian’s thrusts, felt his muscles tightening in preparation for letting everything go in just a few short seconds.

A loud moan left Morgan. Julian opened his eyes to see Keys to Love
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Morgan’s face lost in pleasure, his muscles constricted as his body heaved beneath him. His own orgasm hit the surface. Julian gasped and lowered his head, watching his cum leave him to splatter across Morgan’s abdomen.

Julian slowly lowered himself to lie on Morgan’s chest, their skin slick and wet with cum and sweat. “Well, you caught on to this lesson exceptionally well.”

Morgan chuckled softly. He placed one hand on Julian’s head, his fingers wrapping around a few silky strands. “That’s good, but also bad since if I’ve mastered it, I won’t get to try again.”

“Oh, I think you’ll get plenty of other chances.”

Morgan kissed the top of Julian’s head. “But I think I see now why Kurt doesn’t like people hooking up. He’s probably hunting all over the arena looking for me.”

Julian lifted his head. “Okay, we really need to get away if after I finish ravishing you, your first thought is Kurt.”

“He wasn’t my first thought, but yeah, I agree we need to get away.” Morgan caressed Julian’s cheek. “Just two more days.”

Julian touched his smiling lips to Morgan’s. “I can’t wait.”

With Julian sleeping soundly, Morgan eased out of bed. A faint strip of sunlight glowed through the closed curtains. He picked up his jeans from the floor and pulled out his cell phone.

He was a couple days late on payment for the lien to the store; he had to wait until his most recent paycheck hit his account, but luckily the bank had a grace period. He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, then scrolled through the address book until he found the bank’s number.

Normally making a payment on the store put him in a bad mood, but nothing could touch his good mood today. The first contributor to his good mood, Kurt had told him he wasn’t needed this morning to help load the trucks. Whether it was because Kurt had been so pissed at him for disappearing last night, or Kurt was actually being considerate, he couldn’t say.

Kurt had odd moods, sometimes manic, sometimes filled with an odd calm, though maybe it seemed odd because it was so opposite from his frequent yelling fits.

Either way, it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was he got to sleep in with Julian since the trip today would be short, just from Philadelphia to Baltimore, so they’d all be heading down the road in a convoy with the band. But the biggest contributor to his good mood, after tonight, he and Julian would have an entire week alone together. Since the band’s next concert after the break would be in Charlotte, he decided the best place for them to camp would be in the North Carolina mountains to make it easy to meet up with everyone after.

Morgan snapped to attention as a female voice said hello for what he assumed was at least the second time from her annoyed tone. “Hi, sorry about that. I’m calling to make a payment.”

“Your name and account number?” she asked, her voice still holding irritation.

Morgan gave the information and waited, deciding she
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probably wasn’t up to friendly chitchat.

“And what exactly are you making a payment on, Mr.

Chandler?”

“It’s for my business, a music store. I have the mortgage for the building through you, and also a lien on the business itself.”

“According to the system, everything was paid in full last week. Haven’t you received the deed for the building?”

“I’ve been out of town. What do you mean it’s paid off? Even the lien?”

“Our system shows you owe no debt to us, Mr. Chandler. All outstanding loans have been paid in full.”

Morgan slowly sank down on the closed toilet lid. “I don’t understand how that’s possible. Who paid the loans?”

“It looks like the money was transferred from the account of a Mr. Julian Forrester, but everything was kept in your name.”

Morgan sat in stunned silence. Julian? Julian paid his bills? He couldn’t have. The debts he had weren’t small. But then, debts that weren’t small to him were probably nothing for Julian.

Anger and hurt rose in him. He’d never felt so humiliated.

It wasn’t Julian’s responsibility to take on his debts. The woman’s voice sounded through his thoughts, though he barely comprehended her words.

“Congratulations on now owning your business and building, Mr. Chandler.”

“Yeah. Thanks. Bye.”

Morgan hung up. He sat in the bathroom for another moment before willing himself to stand and open the door. He walked into the bedroom and collected his scattered clothes. Once dressed, he stood a few feet from the bed, staring down at Julian.

Julian yawned and stretched. His arm slid across the bed, and at not finding Morgan, he opened his eyes. He turned his head and saw Morgan. He lifted one hand to him, smiling. “You finally get the chance to sleep in and look at you. Come back to bed.”

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Morgan remained in place. “Why did you do it?”

Julian’s smile faded. He slowly lowered his hand back to the bed. “Why did I do what?”

“You paid off my debts. Why?”

Julian sat up and tugged the pillows behind him to prop himself against the headboard. “Isn’t the answer obvious?”

Morgan’s final bit of patience drowned under anger. “How about you just answer the goddamn question instead of talking down to me?”

Julian’s mouth dropped slightly open. “I’m not talking down to you.”

“The hell you’re not! Why did you sneak around behind my back? And how the hell did you even find out what bank my loans were under?”

Anger filled Julian’s face. “I saw the bills in your office at the shop. And I wasn’t sneaking around. It was supposed to be a surprise. So, surprise!”

“I don’t need your goddamn surprises and I don’t need your goddamn help!”

Julian flung off the blankets and sprang out of bed. He snatched his robe off the foot and yanked it on. He advanced on Morgan to stand hardly a foot away. “You need to settle down and drop the egotistical pride!”

“Egotistical pride?” Morgan yelled in disbelief.

“Exactly! You look at me helping you out as a wound to your foolish pride! When what you need to do is get over it and realize all I was doing was trying to help you!”

“Bullshit! It was one more way for you to flaunt your money in my face! Just like wanting to pay for the Biltmore!”

“Are you serious? Is that what you really think?” Julian spun from him in frustration, stomped a few paces away, then whirled back around, pointing at Morgan. “Maybe I wouldn’t have to flaunt my money if you weren’t so damn frivolous with your
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own! And maybe it’s time you accepted that yes, I have more money than you and there’s nothing wrong with letting me pay for things!”

Morgan turned his back on him, storming toward the door.

“Now I’m frivolous with my money? Just because I wanted to do something nice for us?” He ripped open the door. “You know what? You want to pay for the Biltmore so damn bad? Go ahead because you’ll be staying there by yourself!”

Morgan slammed the door behind him and stomped down the hall toward the elevators. He was frivolous? He couldn’t believe Julian had said that. What he did with his money was his own damn business. Julian had no right to snoop around in his finances.

His pace slowed. But still, what Julian did for him was incredible. Without being asked, without question, he paid thousands of dollars. Morgan’s anger returned. It didn’t matter.

Julian shouldn’t have done it without talking to him. And if Julian knew him at all, he’d have realized he wouldn’t want his help.

Because of his egotistical pride.

Morgan shook his head against Julian’s words. That wasn’t why. He didn’t want Julian’s help because…his mind went blank.

Why didn’t he want Julian’s help? There really weren’t any good reasons to not accept it. Other than accepting it made him feel dependent, like less of a man to not be able to handle his bills…a wound to his egotistical pride. Maybe Julian knew him better than he thought.

He took a deep breath to sigh, and as he did, the gentle scent of Julian’s cologne came to him. It still lingered on his shirt from the night before when Julian’s body had been pressed so tightly against his own. He always loved how in the mornings when he was forced to leave Julian for the day, his scent would go with him.

Now, it caused his throat to tighten with emotion in wondering if he’d ever get to smell it directly on Julian’s skin again.

Morgan rounded the corner to the elevators and nearly stumbled to a halt. A low glass wall ran between two sets of Keys to Love
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elevators on either side and overlooked the lobby. Evan Arden leaned on the wall’s railing, one arm folded on top, the other propped up with his chin in hand. It struck Morgan how Julian mentioned the night before that Jesse and Evan’s room was next to his own, but he felt relief at seeing Evan since it meant he probably hadn’t heard their fight. He took a breath and walked to one elevator and hit the down button.

“Good morning,” Evan said.

Morgan nodded at him. “Morning.”

“I’m watching for Jesse. He took the dogs for a run this morning.”

Morgan glanced at him, confused by the odd statement.

“That’s nice of you.”

“Well, it’s what you do when you love someone, just like so many other things.”

Morgan’s heartbeat started to pick up. The elevator door opened. He ignored it and faced Evan.

Evan kept his gaze focused down on the lobby. “Sometimes you do things for the person you love that may not always be what they want, but you do it because you think it’s what’s best for them, because you want to take care of them. I did something like that a few months ago when I wanted to protect Jess, and I fought with some people who had hurt him. He was furious with me about it, but in the end, he forgave me because he knew my intentions had been good, even if my methods weren’t. That’s also what you do when you love someone, you forgive them.”

Morgan lowered his gaze.

“Jesse and I have been together for two and a half years, and let me tell you, we’ve had some good fights in that time.” Evan looked at Morgan for the first time, a grin on his lips. “Ninety-nine percent of them being my fault. Fortunately, I’ve learned to say I’m sorry.”

Morgan met Evan’s gaze. Evan knew. The look in his eyes, the words he spoke, Evan knew about him and Julian.

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Evan looked away. His features shone with a smile as he waved below.

Morgan followed Evan’s gaze and saw Jesse walking through the lobby holding the leashes of their dogs, flanked on both sides by two bodyguards. Jesse’s gaze was focused upward, smiling as he waved back at Evan.

Evan pushed off the rail and stepped up to Morgan’s side.

He hit the down button and the elevator Morgan hadn’t taken instantly opened for him. He walked inside and turned around.

“Talk to you later, Morgan.”

Morgan nodded as the door closed. He stood in place for several moments, Evan’s words replaying in his head. Exhaling a heavy sigh, he hit the down button for the second time and stepped into the elevator.

Julian lay in his bunk, where he’d stayed all morning since getting on the bus. He felt like everything he ever wanted had gotten swept away from him. Morgan was right. He shouldn’t have acted without asking him. But he wanted to surprise him, the same way Morgan had surprised him by winning the auction.

He didn’t see at it as flaunting his money at him, or looking down on him, though in hindsight he could understand how Morgan viewed his actions as an invasion of privacy. Somehow, that hurt even more. He didn’t want there to be “privacy” between them.

He wanted everything in their lives to be open and shared with each other.

Julian felt the bus slow, make a couple turns, and stop. The engine switched off, and he heard the curtain to the bunks sliding open.

“Jules, are you awake?”

Julian sighed at Jesse’s voice. He rolled over and pulled back the curtain closing off his little cubby from the rest of the world.

“Yeah.”

Jesse squatted down, peering into the darkness at him. “We’re stopping to get some lunch. Come with us.”

Julian shook his head. “I’m not really feeling up to it.”

“Are you sick? You’ve been lying in here all morning.” Jesse laid his hand on Julian’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm.”

“I’m not feeling well, but I don’t have a fever. I really think it’d be better if I just stayed here and rested.”

“But you have to eat. I’ll bring you back something. What do you want? We’re stopping at a steakhouse, so I’m sure they have a little bit of everything.”

“You know what I like. Anything is fine.”

Jesse patted Julian’s hand. “Then get some rest. At least if
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you’re coming down with something, you’ve only got to get through tonight’s show, then you can have a whole week to get better.”