High Heat Read online

  “I’d rather give you a try,” Garrick grumbled, thinking again about the sex option. Rain was a lot less bossy when he was strung out and begging to come.

  “I told Grandma not to wait up.” Winking, Rain patted his arm. “Win the game and I’ll wear whatever you want for the knitting lesson. And then after...”

  “Yeah?” Suddenly Garrick was a lot more invested in the board game. “I... I’ve missed you this week. I mean, I know I see you every day, but...”

  “I know what you mean.” Rain leaned over and gave Garrick a lingering kiss. “Don’t tell Grandma but I sleep better over here.”

  “Well, I do tell better bedtime stories...”

  “I’m counting on it.” That got him another kiss, this one far sweeter than any cookies Rain could produce. With other people, kissing had usually functioned like an express train to the bedroom, but with Rain, kissing was more like...conversation. Nuanced. Hello kisses and goodbye kisses and give-this-a-try kisses and wait-till-I-get-you-naked kisses. Sometimes sex followed, but often via a more meandering route, and he could honestly say he was coming to appreciate the more scenic route. Even when it came with board game tokens.

  “Okay, so you’re going to have to help me here. I’m not really much of a gamer guy.”

  “You don’t say.” Rain gave him an exaggeratedly pointed look. “I’ve already figured out that you were one of those kids they couldn’t keep indoors. Roaming around your dad’s farm. Sports. Scouts and clubs, too, I bet.”

  “Guilty. We owned some video games, but they could never hold my attention. Even now, buddies have tried to get me into this first-person shooter game, and honestly it’s boring. And sports are great to play, but watching them can drag unless I’m at a bar and trying to... Anyway, how about you explain the rules to me?”

  “Nice change of subject. And you can go ahead and admit your sports bar patronage is in direct correlation to how good of a pickup joint it is. Even Grandma knows you’re a player. She was joking about it the other night.”

  Rain’s tone was offhand, but it hit Garrick like a well-aimed dart. How could he explain that he wasn’t really a player? He’d been that guy a lot of years, true, but now it felt like a discarded coat, something that no longer fit. He wasn’t ashamed of that past, but maybe he wasn’t that guy anymore. Hadn’t been even before the accident, if he was being honest. But now...all those years of fast living seemed so very far away. And it wasn’t precisely a lack of words that kept him from speaking up. More like it seemed Rain had already reached a conclusion and Garrick didn’t want to try to talk him out of it and end up looking stupid.

  “Right now, only one I’m playing with is you,” he said at last, tone light. “And I’ve been at the bar for trivia night. Tell me this is more engaging than that.”

  “Poor baby. Nerds invading your sacred space.” Rain laughed as he put the finishing touches on the game. “Now think of this like football. Or capture the flag as kids. It’s all about strategy and misdirection.”

  “Okay.” Garrick let him continue explaining the rules, liking how into it Rain got as he warmed up to his role as the teacher. As they got started playing, he had funny stories about his brothers and managed to distract Garrick into bad decisions with his side of the board more than once. He was deceptively competitive, and if Garrick had expected him to go easy on him since he was a newbie, he was quickly proven wrong.

  “You’re out for blood,” he complained as Rain mowed down another chunk of his defense.

  “My brothers were even more ruthless.” Grinning like a pirate, Rain was adorably animated, and despite his initial grumpiness, Garrick found himself sucked into the game.

  “Okay, so maybe this isn’t terrible,” he allowed. “No idea why this is more engaging than a phone app or video game.”

  “It’s the pieces. Holding them. The tangible aspect.” Rain licked his lips as he nodded, mischief in his eyes. “That and I’m good company.”

  “Yeah, you are.” Garrick wanted to kiss him but didn’t want to upset the arrangement of the board, so he settled for rubbing Rain’s arm. Eventually, the cookies came out, along with mugs of a tea that Garrick hadn’t been aware he had. Shifting from playful to intent on winning, Rain narrowed his eyes as he considered each move, a general surveying his surroundings.

  “You would have made a hell of a quarterback.”

  “Ugh. No.” Rain made a sour face. “High school sports were so not my thing. As much I can appreciate a tight ass in uniform pants, locker rooms are the worst. And I’m not a violent person. Smacking into other humans for fun isn’t my idea of a great Friday night.”

  “Ha. Not violent? You’re slaughtering all my pieces. Remind me to never cross you.” On the floor under the table, Cookie made a snorting noise in her sleep like she too didn’t believe Rain’s assertion of being all peace loving.

  “Me? Scary? This is me trying to hold back. I wouldn’t mind if you won. But I keep getting carried away.”

  “You’re cute.” Garrick didn’t think he was about to go out and join a tabletop gaming league or anything, but he had to admit it was a pleasant way to pass the evening, even when Rain ultimately won. “Damn. I mean, congrats. Good game. But I was looking forward to the naked knitting lesson possibility.”

  “Me too.” Rain wiggled his eyebrows at Garrick. “Let’s pretend you won. You get all cozy in your recliner and get the movie up, and I’ll slip into something suitably distracting for you.”

  “Okay.” Garrick wasn’t going to turn that offer down. But he also hadn’t been thinking it through because when Rain emerged from the bedroom in the little robe and black panties set they’d bought in Bend, all his remaining brain cells toppled over like pieces on the game board, surrendering to Rain’s superior firepower. “Damn. How am I supposed to concentrate on yarn with you looking like that?”

  “You like?” Rain gave a little turn before retrieving the bag with the yarn and needles. The outfit was a delicious contrast between silky, flimsy fabric and Rain’s increasingly buff muscles, black lace details making his creamy skin look that much more edible. But he seemed utterly determined to get Garrick a new hobby, perching on the arm of Garrick’s chair and talking him through the basics again.

  Cookie fell asleep again next to his chair and the movie droned on. The whole scene was almost unbearably cozy with just enough of a kinky vibe to be fun. Like with the board game, Rain in teacher mode was captivating, the way his whole body seemed to glow when he was excited about something. Garrick still wasn’t sold on knitting, but he could happily listen to Rain all evening. Still, though, he couldn’t resist slipping a hand under the edge of the robe, stroking Rain’s bare back.

  “Hey, now. Time for that later.” Stern look firmly in place, Rain made a clucking noise and undid Garrick’s last several stitches, which were lumpy, gnarly things compared to Rain’s neat work. “You need to pay attention.”

  “I am trying.” He had to admit there was a certain satisfaction when he did get it right, the moment when he seemed on the verge of some breakthrough to a smooth rhythm like Rain had. It wasn’t so much the yarn and sticks that held his focus as much as the promise of that rhythm—like hammering out exercises, the very monotony a good, mind-clearing thing.

  “I know. And you’ll get more comfortable with it, promise. Knitting in public is a great conversation starter—I’ve met several friends that way. And someday you may want to woo someone with something more than bad pickup lines at a sports bar.”

  Garrick had to laugh at that, both because Rain wasn’t wrong and because if he wasn’t mistaken, Rain’s voice had a jealous edge. Maybe he didn’t like thinking about a future where they weren’t together any more than Garrick did.

  “Maybe all I want to do is woo you.” He tugged Rain into his lap, letting him sprawl across Garrick in an inelegant but cuddly heap.

  “Okay, sweet
-talker.” Rain had that small, pleased smile Garrick liked so much. And he offered Garrick a slow, thorough kiss as a reward. “More lessons later?”

  “Sure.” He gently loosened Rain’s hair from its tight knot, letting it cascade down over Rain’s shoulders. “Later.”

  And then they were kissing again, more intentionally now. Finally free to do the touching he’d been craving all evening, he swept his hands all over Rain’s arms and torso. Rain stretched like a cat and arranged himself more comfortably, bodies pressing together in the tight confines of the big chair. His hair was still slightly damp and smelled like sweet wildflowers. Everything about him drove Garrick wild and not simply physically. Sure Rain was hot as fuck, but he was also funny and caring and smart and fierce and a whole pile of other things that Garrick liked so very much.

  As the kisses grew more heated, Garrick wished he had a way to freeze time. He wasn’t sure when he’d last been this happy, this content. Years, probably. He wanted to bottle all these feelings and sensations up, save them for later, save them for cold, wet nights that wouldn’t come with a lap full of warm, vital Rain. But he couldn’t think too much about that murky future, not with Rain moving increasingly urgently against him, little encouraging noises escaping his throat. They had tonight and that counted for an awful lot, and he was damned determined to make the most of every opportunity to savor Rain.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rain was quite possibly going to die of sweetness overload. Like for real, a person couldn’t be expected to endure such endlessly hot kisses. Not that he wanted to stop. Making out with Garrick in his recliner was the best thing that had happened to his week, and he happily wriggled against him, trying to soak up the most possible good feels. He wasn’t trying to get off, not yet, simply wallowing in how damn perfect this night had been. His favorite game. New sexy outfit. Chocolate cookies. Knitting. Garrick, who for all his reluctance had actually been a pretty good sport about all of it and was now kissing Rain like it was his sole purpose in life.

  “We should...find...the bed,” Rain suggested in between more kisses, not sure how much longer he could hold out and pretty confident that Garrick didn’t want spooge on his favorite chair. Also, Rain was in the mood for something more mutual if Garrick was interested in that.

  “Damn. I don’t want to move. But I guess we should. I did promise you help sleeping.” Garrick offered him a meaningful leer. “And sadly, I can’t carry you to bed from here if you pass out after you come.”

  “The risk is real.” Rain chuckled as he reluctantly moved off Garrick. “And I want to make you sleepy too.”

  “Watching you—”

  “Is not what I have in mind. Not that I don’t love showing off for you, but I love it when both of us have a good time.” He kept his voice light, not wanting to put pressure on Garrick but wanting him to know how much he enjoyed their time together too, enjoyed touching and tasting and watching Garrick just as much as he enjoyed showing off for him.

  “Every time with you is a good time. I mean that.” Garrick reached for his crutches then shook his head and transferred to the wheelchair instead. “And you already have me all jelly-legged simply from all that kissing. I don’t have to come to enjoy the hell out of being with you.”

  “I know. And I agree one hundred percent. I feel the same way. But I’m not going to lie, I’ve got a whole long list of things I’m still dying to try with you. If you’re game.”

  Garrick took on a thoughtful look, then finally nodded like he’d finished some equation in his head. “I’ve got a wish list too. Let me get some water, and you tell me what fantasy we can make come true before sleep.”

  Rain correctly assumed that Garrick’s request for water was him deciding to take a pill, and he hung back while Garrick did that, choosing instead to herd Cookie toward her princess bed. “Sorry, Cookie. I get the people bed tonight. Humans only.”

  He arranged himself in what he hoped was a seductive posture on the bed as Garrick came in and pulled off his shirt. Damn. Rain was never getting tired of that chiseled chest. Moving to sit on the side of the bed, Garrick used his grabber tool to remove his shoes. Not content to watch, Rain draped himself over his bare muscled back, dropping kisses on his neck and shoulders.

  “Mmm. You’re the best kind of distracting.” Garrick leaned into the contact.

  “I try.” Holding Garrick’s broad body close, he licked his neck, thrilling to the shudder that swept through Garrick. He kissed and licked his way up from Garrick’s collarbone to his ear, flicking the lobe with his tongue. “How would you feel about fucking me?”

  “In theory? Fuck, yes. Thanks to your show with the toy, I have dreams where I get to fuck you, get to feel you come apart for me.”

  “Well, then, let’s make your dreams come true.”

  “Not that simple. I’m not sure precisely how best to make it happen. My hip and knee strength still isn’t one hundred percent.”

  “Me on top.” Rain couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice. “And if that doesn’t work, we can try something else. But I’d like to try, see if we can make it good for you.”

  “And you.” Garrick captured his hand and kissed the knuckles. “I’m trying to not feel bummed that I can’t fuck you through the mattress—”

  “I love being on top. Seriously. It’s my favorite. You know me by now. I like being watched. I’m not crazy about being on all fours because I don’t get to see the other person, see their reactions, and I don’t get off as hard as I do on top.”

  “Seriously?” Garrick sounded uncharacteristically vulnerable, so Rain hugged him tighter.

  “Yup. And how. Let me show you? I promise you that your goal of me near passed out is still on the table.”

  “Good.” Garrick turned so that he could pull Rain half into his lap. Going happily, Rain settled with his arms looped around Garrick’s neck, happier still when Garrick claimed his mouth in a soft kiss.

  “I want you so much,” he confessed. And it was true. Nothing about their break in the action had dulled his earlier desire. If anything, the time spent talking always made him want Garrick that much more. Whenever they talked about sex, it was clear that this meant something to Garrick, that he cared about it being good for Rain, and his willingness to be brave and open up about his feelings and fears was an unexpected turn-on.

  “Show me.” Garrick gently set Rain aside so he could finish removing his pants and then arranged himself sitting back against the pillows. The head of the bed was slightly inclined which made for a fabulous angle for Rain to straddle Garrick and kiss him until they were both breathing hard, right back to where they’d left off in the living room. Holding Garrick’s scruffy jaw in his hands, he plundered his mouth until Garrick growled low and reclaimed control, nipping at Rain’s lips, the sort of aggressive licks and bites that made Rain’s cock throb.

  Testing to see how much weight Garrick could handle on his thighs, Rain undulated his hips, a gentle grind of his slippery underwear against Garrick’s hard cock. Delicious shivers raced up Rain’s spine as Garrick gripped his ass, encouraging him.

  “Fuck. Love this outfit on you. But want to feel your skin too.” Garrick plucked at the waistband of the panties. “Leave the robe on if you want, but lose these.”

  Slithering out of the underwear, Rain took the interruption as an excuse to dig the lube and a condom from the nightstand. He tossed them on the bed, then resumed straddling Garrick.

  “Now where were we?”

  “Right here.” Pulling him close, Garrick kissed him, tender at first, then more intense. It was all-consuming, the way Garrick took charge of his mouth and senses, like he had a cheat sheet for how to turn Rain on, one kiss at a time. He tasted sweet as his tongue fucked its way into Rain’s mouth in a way that left no doubts about how into this Garrick was. A soft, needy whimper escaped Rain’s throat as he resumed grinding against Garri
ck. He had to gasp each time their bare cocks bumped against each other.

  “God, I could almost come from kissing you like this.” Groaning, he rested his head against Garrick’s, focusing on how each movement of his hips made his cock pulse.

  “Better not.” Garrick reached for the lube bottle. “This okay? Wanna feel you.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Rain wasn’t turning down a reason to feel Garrick’s big hands on him. Hell, just watching Garrick slick up his fingers had his insides all flippy with anticipation. And then he pulled Rain close with one arm while his other hand reached around. “Oh, hello.”

  Garrick laughed, but Rain leaned into the contact as he traced soft circles around his rim. He claimed Garrick’s mouth for another kiss right as Garrick pressed in. Like with kissing, he seemed to instinctively know what Rain liked, going for two fingers and steady pressure, not so much teasing. The stretch was so fucking welcome, exactly what he’d been craving, even before Garrick connected with his gland. “Okay, you’re damn good at that. Too good.”

  “Damn. You feel amazing.” Garrick did this scissoring motion with his fingers that had Rain moaning hard against his mouth as he fucked back onto Garrick’s hand, trying to get more of that blunt pressure against his spot.

  “Fuck, yes, it does. So good.” His cock leaped against Garrick’s, the contact adding to the overall sexiness of the experience.

  “Can’t wait to be inside you.” Garrick stole another kiss as he continued to fuck Rain open with his fingers.

  “How about now?” Never exactly known for his patience, Rain was even more insistent than usual, voice rough and needy. Enough kisses and grinding and Garrick’s magical digits and this was all going to be over far too quickly. “Wanna try your cock before I come on your fingers.”

  “Now there’s an image.” Garrick smiled wickedly right as he rubbed against Rain’s gland a final time before withdrawing his fingers. Rain grabbed for the condom and lube, getting Garrick slicked up and ready in record time.