Xane licked his lips, leaving a delicious smear of moisture over them.
God, it’d be so easy just to lean in and taste him. ‘Another time. Not tonight.’
‘Right now. Let’s break the ice.’
‘Don’t,’ he pleaded, in a way that made it sound like he wanted Luthor to do the exact opposite.
Still holding on to Xane’s belt, Luthor stuck his thumb out so that it made contact with the low-slung denim clinging to Xane’s narrow hips. It was such an incredibly small movement, yet it left Xane gasping for air. He shifted, obviously uncomfortable.
Luthor didn’t need to look down to know his teasing had produced the desired effect. He knew it from the lightning flashes of pain and desire forking across Xane’s pupils.
Here was a man whose unapologetic animal magnetism entranced crowds of thousands, whose acceptance of his own sexuality and needs was so overt that it was almost contagious, and yet he was locked into a stalemate of his own creation. Horny and erect and completely willing – if there wasn’t just a small matter of his genuine love for his girlfriend, which was slamming the brakes on him doing anything.
‘Just call and ask her, Xane.’
A tiny, almost imperceptible stroke of Luthor’s finger made a line of sweat rise across Xane’s brow.
‘No. I won’t hurt her, Luthor. She’s not ready for this.’
‘I’m not trying to hurt her. I’m perfectly happy for her to join us.’
Xane’s muscles shook with tension. Luthor adjusted his stance so that his loins rubbed against Xane’s trapped erection. Xane’s hand fisted in the front of Luthor’s shirt, so that they were nose to nose, almost lip to lip, and their heated breaths mingling in the inch of space between their open mouths.
‘I understand that she’s scared, but there’s no threat to her here. We both know that, because we both want the same things. The only way the three of us are ever going to achieve happiness together is if we push beyond our comfort zones.’
‘She needs time. She’s still dealing with the idea of the two of us being together.’
‘I think she’s trying to bury her head in the sand and is hoping the problem will just go away. I guess you didn’t notice how she acted on the boat ride over. She did her level best not to look at me. And for two people who are supposed to be friends, we exchanged a shockingly poor version of a hello.’
‘Nerves,’ Xane muttered in her defence. ‘This whole situation scares the shit out of her. You don’t understand what she’s come from. How all this plays on her deepest fears. If I … we push this thing too hard, then she’ll run. I won’t risk losing her, Luthor. She means too much and it’s come too close to that once already.’
Luthor let his gaze drop to an inch right of his thumb tip. ‘So what’s the plan – suffer in silence and hope for a miracle?’
‘I don’t see any other way.’
Luthor shook his head sadly. ‘Then this is going to get fucking painful.’ He squeezed the tip of Xane’s cock, then turned and took the same way out the rest of the guys had taken. There didn’t seem much point in staying.
He made it as far as the entrance before Xane caught up with him.
‘I’ll talk to her.’
‘You should. You should definitely do that.’
‘Luthor.’ Xane spun him so that they were facing again. ‘This isn’t easy. Please don’t be a bastard about it.’
‘I’m not trying to be. I just feel as if we’ve moved backwards in the time we’ve spent apart. We’re back to her making appalled faces at me because I openly admit I want a piece of you.’
‘That’s not how it is.’
Luthor pressed his open palm against the still prominent swell of Xane’s erection, making the other man hiss. His eyes briefly closed before snapping open again.
‘It’s exactly how it is. I want to fuck you, Xane. I want to bend you over the nearest goddamned piece of furniture and fuck you until we’re both exhausted and it hurts to move. I’ve waited so damned long that it makes me half-crazy just being this near to you. I don’t want to rip your world apart, so I’ll try and hold myself in check, but at some point down the line I’m not going to care whether Dani approves or not any more.’
‘I love her,’ Xane whispered, the statement so soft it caressed Luthor’s lips as evocatively as any kiss. Luthor swallowed the sensation, along with the choking feel of gathering tears. ‘What about me?’ he wanted to ask, but didn’t. ‘Don’t you care about me?’
The questions must have been written across his face, for Xane bent forward and captured him, sliding one hand behind his neck and another around his back. The kiss shook Luthor to the core. It was over too quick, but there was a promise interwoven with the clash of their tongues. A promise of better times to come, and feelings that sat beyond the range of even the most desperate declarations of affection.
‘Give it time, Luthor. You’ll get what you want. I promise you that.’
Another kiss, that’s what he wanted, and a body to slide into bed beside. He held Xane tight, stole several more illicit kisses and got higher and higher on every one.
‘No,’ Xane insisted, eventually shoving him away. ‘We have to do this without being dicks about it.’
They stared at one another, mouths open, both breathing hard. ‘Who’s going to know if I suck your dick right here and now?’
Xane swallowed so that his Adam’s apple bobbed. ‘I will, and then she will because I’ll tell her. A promise is a promise, Luthor. We’ll have our time soon, and when it comes, I definitely won’t be turning down the offer of a blowjob.’
If only promises came with a timescale attached.
For now, he guessed the prospect of planting lip prints all over Xane’s rock-hard cock would have to sustain him.
He gave Xane’s shaft another friendly squeeze, then backed up. ‘’Night, Xane. If you change your mind in the small hours, you know where to find me.’
‘Chickensville. Let’s hope I can tell the difference between your arse and Paul’s in the dark.’
‘Maybe aim for the tackle instead.’
A warm chuckle wormed its way out of Xane’s throat. ‘Good suggestion. There’s no mistaking donkey dick.’
‘Are you implying I’m not packing much?’
‘Your dick is fucking perfect. I don’t let just anyone slide into me, you know.’
‘Wish I believed that.’
‘Believe it.’ Xane held up several fingers, and regarded him soberly. ‘I can count the times on one … two hands.’
‘Then I’ll count myself privileged.’
‘You do that.’
‘I already do.’
Xane left the recording studio and wandered along the shore. The sun had finally set and he had to pick his way carefully along the unfamiliar path. It hurt like hell to walk away. Seriously, walking away from an offer of sex that he actually wanted ran counter to his natural programming. However, it was the only sensible option if he ever wanted things to work out between the three of them. And, if he was being honest, he