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  Brent forgot to sip, as he drowned in Graham’s eyes. Graham took Brent’s free hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed the knuckles one by one, then turned it over and pressed his mouth to Brent’s palm. Brent let out a shaky sigh, noticing Graham’s insanely long eyelashes, feeling his warm lips against his skin.

  Graham raised his eyes and glanced around as if he’d forgotten where he was. “How about we go somewhere a little more private?”

  “Yeah, okay.” Brent cleared his throat, then downed the rest of his drink in two gulps while Graham signaled for the check.

  After paying, Graham held out his hand to Brent, who scrambled off the sofa, and weaved his way between the tables and out into the soft spring evening. They walked down the block, Brent in a haze of joyful disbelief, until Graham looked to his right and suddenly pulled Brent a short way down an alley alongside the hotel. The smell of honeysuckle wafted in, mingling with soft breezes and sweet desire.

  “I’m sorry,” Graham whispered, easing Brent gently against the hotel wall. “I envisioned this being in a more romantic setting, but I’ve been wanting to do this for about two years now. May I kiss you?”

  “God, yes.”

  Graham bent, eyes so serious Brent had to close his, and pressed his mouth to Brent’s, one gentle push. Brent trembled, feeling Graham’s fingers on the back of his neck, Graham’s thumb caressing his throat, and then he tried not to die as Graham ran his tongue over Brent’s bottom lip and teased his mouth open. Graham’s lips were full and warm, his tongue moved sinuously in Brent’s mouth, and… holy fuck. It was already the best kiss Brent had ever had.

  When Graham pulled away with a gasp, Brent opened his eyes; Graham stared down at him, mouth wet, hair falling in his face. Brent had never seen anything sexier in his life. Adding to the electricity of the moment was the way Graham was gazing at him, like Brent was the Second Coming or something.

  “I want to take you home with me,” Graham whispered. “I want you to want this as much as I do. I can’t believe how you’re making me feel right now.”

  How Brent was making him feel? Jesus Christ, Brent could barely handle the feelings Graham had set off in him—lust, of course, but even more, gratitude at how open and emotional Graham was being. The only other time he’d seen him so unguarded was on the veranda at Darrell’s wedding, when Brent had told him how amazing he was—and then Cody had walked out and everything had changed. Brent was so happy he had another chance to show Graham what he meant to him. It made him want to cry or… or take Graham home and cherish him.

  “God, I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.” Brent put his hand to Graham’s cheek and ran his thumb over his lips. “Holy shit, you’re beautiful.” Brent couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, but for once he didn’t care. He felt reckless and alive.

  Graham shut his eyes and smiled against Brent’s thumb, then gave it a quick nip, before pulling away with a laugh. “We better get going before I ravish you against this wall.”

  They walked out of the alley. Graham paused, and when Brent turned to see why, he smiled and lifted his eyebrow.

  “I never thought I’d say this to a prized employee,” Graham said, a twinkle in his eye, “but thank you so goddamn much for quitting the magazine.”

  Brent laughed with pure joy. “You’re welcome, man. Any time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Graham unlocked the door and swung it open, flipping on a light, and Brent gaped at his spacious, elegant apartment. A huge bookshelf filled with books, small art objects, and framed photographs graced one of the walls. Oriental rugs ran along the hardwood floors to a set of steps that led down into a sunken living room, where a grand piano stood silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the twinkling lights of the city and the Capitol dome.

  “Come on in and make yourself at home while I get us a drink.” Graham moved over to a sleek black cabinet on which stood some liquor bottles and crystal glasses. “Brandy okay?”

  “Sure. Wow. This is really cool.” Brent walked to the bookshelf and checked out the books, then turned and surveyed the apartment. “Talk about interior decorating. This is beautiful, Graham. It looks like you.”

  Graham smiled as he switched on the stereo. “Thanks. Glad you like it. Let’s go sit in the living room.”

  Once they were settled on the leather sofa, Graham handed him a snifter of brandy. “Now, where were we? I think we were toasting each other when I got very distracted. Oh, right.” He lifted his glass. “Here’s to you, Brent Granger, for getting mad at Hunter when he broke up with me and saying anyone who’d leave me was crazy.”

  Brent groaned. “You remember that? Well, it’s true.” He sipped obediently. “Okay, let me think. Oh, yes.” He raised his glass. “Here’s to you, Graham Stoneford, for telling me that everyone deserves to have love in their life, and that I was going to find it.” Feeling a prickling in his eyes, Brent clamped his mouth shut against the sudden urge to cry.

  Graham’s expression changed from playful to serious. After putting his snifter on the table, he reached for Brent’s glass and did the same. Then he took a deep breath, cradled Brent’s face in his hands, and gazed at him.

  “You do deserve that,” he whispered. “And so do I.”

  Overwhelmed, Brent almost broke down and started bawling for real. Then Graham kissed him, really kissed him, and Jesus. If Brent had thought locking lips with him for the first time in that alley was hot, how Graham was kissing him right now was un-fucking-believable. Passionate, ardent, all in—Graham Stoneford did not hold back, and every nerve ending in Brent’s body came to life and started singing. Graham drove him into a happy insanity as he explored Brent’s mouth and then laid kisses all over his face, in between whispering endearments and telling Brent how beautiful he was.

  My God, Brent thought. I love him. Am I crazy?

  Graham pulled back to smile at him, eyes shining. “You gorgeous creature. All I want is to kiss you and love you and make you feel amazing. And then tuck you in and keep you here forever.” He laughed. “I should warn you, I’m a huge romantic and totally emotional. And I have even less of a filter in private.”

  Brent pulled Graham to him and kissed him back. “Thank God you have no filter, because I was just wondering if I’m crazy. Um, you said it better than me, so is it okay to say, ‘ditto’?”

  “Um, yes, as long as you keep kissing me like that.”

  Brent had no idea how much time they sat pressed together on the sofa, kissing, then breaking apart to gasp for breath, or laugh, or pick up their snifters for another silly toast, only to fall back into kissing. They took a rest when Brent’s stomach growled loudly and they realized they hadn’t eaten dinner. Graham brought out what he called “something Mediterranean”—olives, feta cheese, flatbread, figs, and dates—and insisted on feeding Brent, in between kisses. Brent fed Graham in turn, loving the sensual feel of Graham’s mouth closing over his fingers.

  They ended up sitting on the floor, giving each other the last few figs. Graham took one, pulled it apart, and stared at Brent with his eyebrow arched seductively while he ran his tongue from one end to the other. Brent met his gaze, struggling to keep a straight face, then laughed. That made Graham laugh too, and soon they were laughing so hard they fell flat on their backs. Graham rolled into Brent as they howled, their bodies shaking against each other.

  “Oh God,” wheezed Graham. “I don’t even know what’s so funny.” He stopped suddenly and hauled Brent closer, Brent gasping when he felt Graham’s cock, hard and huge, pressing against his.

  “Oh fuck,” Brent whispered. “You feel amazing.” He put a hand on Graham’s hip and pulled him in tight. “I want you so bad.”

  “Brent.” Graham ground against him. “I want to… is it okay?” he asked as he reached for Brent’s shirt.

  “Jesus, yes.” Brent sat up and tore off his shirt while Graham unbuckled his belt, and then it turned into a frantic scramble to get
out of their clothes.

  “Oh. Oh my fucking God. Look at you,” Graham breathed, once they were naked. He ran his hands over Brent’s shoulders and down his sides. “You are perfection.”

  Brent’s face warmed, but he was too busy ogling Graham’s body to get embarrassed. “Talk about beautiful.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Graham’s cock. “My God. That is, uh, impressive.”

  Graham smiled. “Come here, I want to feel you.” He gathered Brent into his arms and held him, stroking his hair, his back, his ass. Brent sighed at the pleasure of being encircled by Graham’s much larger, warm body. He could feel Graham’s cock pressing against his hip, his own trapped, hard and insistent, between their bodies. He breathed in Graham’s scent, masculine with a hint of figs, and pressed his face into the crook of Graham’s shoulder, running his tongue over his skin, tasting faintly of salt and alcohol.

  Graham sat up, bringing Brent with him. “This floor is too hard for what I want to do to you.” He kissed him, long and wet and dirty, then stood and tugged Brent to his feet. His lips formed a wicked curve as he ran his eyes up and down Brent’s naked body. “Come with me, beautiful.”

  They entered Graham’s large bedroom, laughing and groping each other, and fell on the bed in a heap of limbs and tongues and hands and hard cocks and soft skin.

  Brent caught sight of a bottle of lube and some condoms on the bedside table. Graham must have seen, because he said, “Just making sure we’re safe.”

  “For sure. Um, I got tested after Cody and I broke up. Everything’s cool.”

  “For me too. I get tested every six months.”

  “Okay, good.” Somehow, instead of killing the mood, the conversation made Brent feel closer to Graham.

  They turned on their sides and lay facing each other.

  Graham murmured, “Here’s to you, Brent Granger, for having the most perfect skin, the hottest body, and the prettiest hazel brown eyes I’ve ever seen. Oh yeah, and the most fucking sinful set of lips I’ve ever had the pleasure to kiss.”

  “How do I top that?” Brent began, and Graham interrupted with a sly grin.

  “Wrong position, babe.”

  “Very funny, and, um, don’t get me distracted. Okay. Here’s to you,

  Graham Stoneford, for having the most beautiful eyes in the world, and the longest legs, and the cutest freckles, and the biggest cock ever.”

  Graham fell on his back, laughing, and hugged Brent to him. Then he pulled away and gazed into Brent’s eyes.

  “This is even better than I imagined. I’ve wanted you for so long. Not just sexually. I thought you were adorable the moment I met you, but I think I’ve been a little in love with you ever since we ran into each other in Adams Morgan that day. It’s kind of a miracle you’re here with me.”

  Brent swallowed over the ache in his throat. “I can’t even believe we’re here. I’m just happy, and I… I wanna make you happy. I—I’m not as good as you are at expressing myself, but… you’re like my best friend and mentor and lover, and I don’t know how I got so lucky to find all of that in one person.” I love you, he wanted to add, but not yet. Maybe tomorrow.

  Graham’s eyes grew moist, and he reached out to stroke Brent’s cheek. “What did I do to deserve you?”

  They gazed moonily at each other until Brent became aware of a subtle shift in the energy, from romantic to sexual. Lust spiked through him when Graham gave him a predatory smile and eased him onto his back, pinning one of Brent’s arms above his head. He kissed along Brent’s jaw, stopped at the base of his neck, and sucked. Brent arched and sighed.

  “I used to sit in staff meetings,” Graham murmured against his neck, “and think about undressing you, and then, doing this.” He moved his mouth to Brent’s nipple and sucked, teasing it erect with his tongue. Breath quickening, Brent ran his fingers through Graham’s hair.

  “And then this,” Graham whispered, moving over to the other nipple, sucking and teasing as he held Brent down, and Brent squirmed, wanting him inside, wanting to suck him, wanting everything at once so badly he moaned.

  Graham raised his head. “God, you’re sexy. But mostly I thought—” He ran his tongue slowly down Brent’s stomach. “—about doing—” Licking his way around Brent’s bellybutton, he continued down. “—this.” He took Brent’s straining cock into his warm mouth.

  Brent uttered a low cry as Graham hummed around his cock, zapping it with excruciatingly delicious vibrations that spread to Brent’s balls. Graham pinned Brent’s hip with one large hand and took Brent’s dick in the other, holding it as he fed it into his mouth—slowly and sensually, inch by inch.

  “Jesus H. Christ.” Brent clutched the bedspread, trying to hold on.

  Graham was doing something amazing with his tongue, then sucking hard, and then…. Oh God. He opened up his throat and took Brent’s cock all the way in, anchoring him by the hips with his hands. Brent lost it, grabbing Graham’s head, plunging his fingers into his thick hair, and letting everything go. He was writhing, he was moaning, he was making noises he didn’t know he was capable of making, and finally… Jesus fucking holy God in heaven. He grabbed Graham’s hair in a death grip as his orgasm hit. It started in his toes and moved through him like a tsunami, wracking him with spasmodic waves as he came down Graham’s throat.

  Graham held him through it all, swallowing everything down. When Brent finally stilled, Graham relaxed his grip on his hips and let Brent’s cock slip out of his mouth. He drew his lips along its softening length before slinking back up Brent’s body, dropping kisses in random places, Brent unable to do anything but lie there like a rag doll.

  “My God, Graham. I… holy crap. Uhhh. You just blew my mind.”

  Graham smiled broadly and leaned up to kiss him, Brent tasting the faint trace of his come on his lips. “That was the intention,” he murmured. He lay down beside Brent, stroking his hair, his erection pressing up against Brent’s hip.

  “Okay,” Brent said, voice serious. “Now, in staff meetings, I was too intimidated to think much of anything, but in the last two weeks waiting for our date, all I could think about was this…,” and he put his hand firmly around Graham’s cock, savoring the heft. Graham gasped and shivered.

  “And, okay, I admit I was also thinking about—” Brent kissed his way down Graham’s side and across his hip, and gave his cock a slow stroke. “—this.” He brought his lips down to graze the head of Graham’s cock and felt Graham jump, then opened his mouth and stretched it over Graham’s thick length, as Graham moaned softly and put his hand on Brent’s hair.

  Brent settled in to suck him off, stroking the base with one hand as he moved his mouth up and down the shaft. He figured he was doing okay judging from Graham’s litany of curses, which kept turning into inarticulate groans. The whole thing was hot as hell to Brent; his mouth and tongue and hand all over Graham’s huge dick. He savored the taste of it and how velvety the skin was as it shifted over Graham’s hardness. And the noises he was making—damn. Brent felt his own cock trying to get hard again.

  He took hold of Graham’s balls with his other hand, squeezing gently, fondling them, and Graham’s broken cries became pleas. Brent slowed down, wanting to make it last, wanting to hear Graham fall apart, and felt a surge of satisfaction when Graham moaned and said, “God, Brent. Come on, baby, give it to me—”

  Drive him wild, he instructed himself as he pulled his mouth off Graham’s cock for a moment, whispering, “Patience.” Stroking the shaft ever so slowly, he moved his other hand to rub the spot between Graham’s balls and his entrance.

  “Oh my fucking God,” Graham moaned, opening his legs wider and squeezing his eyes shut. “You’re killing me.”

  “That’s the idea.” Brent took the head of Graham’s cock back in his mouth and sucked, and Graham’s head fell back against the pillow. Brent teased Graham’s entrance with his finger as he gripped Graham’s cock harder with the other hand. When Graham arched and cried out, Brent increased his suction, strok
ing fast and firm, and pushed the tip of his finger inside.

  “Oh fuck.” Graham came, clenching his ass around Brent’s finger, his voice rising to a musical wail before subsiding into a long, drawn-out “Ahhh.”

  Brent’s mouth filled with a warm, salty flood, and he swallowed, sputtering a bit, come dripping down his chin as Graham shook and gasped, his hand clutching Brent’s hair. He held Graham’s softening cock in his mouth as he gently withdrew his finger, then finally released him and ran his hand over Graham’s chest soothingly as he wiped off his chin.

  “Come here,” Graham whispered, loosening his grip on Brent’s hair. Brent moved up Graham’s body and laid his head on Graham’s shoulder, meeting his wide-eyed stare with a drowsy smirk.

  “Where the hell did you come from?” Graham asked. “You’re unreal. I’m definitely keeping you forever.”

  “Good,” said Brent, snuggling closer and yawning. “Because you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Late the next morning, Brent stood in front of the bookcase in Graham’s living room, considering the reading choices. He’d woken up with a start, not knowing where he was, until he saw Graham’s arm draped over his chest. He’d lain in bed for a while, gazing at Graham sleeping, loving the way his eyelashes curled long against his cheeks, the way his mouth parted slightly. Stopping himself from tracing his finger along those beautiful lips, he’d finally gotten out of bed, trying not to disturb Graham’s sleep.

  Brent spied a familiar-looking book and pulled it out to make sure. Mary Oliver. He grinned, leafed through until he got to the poem that had started it all, and read it to the end. Wild and precious life, indeed. Thanks, Mary.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Graham’s voice sounded in his ear, his arms encircling Brent’s waist from behind. He kissed Brent’s temple and asked, “What’re you reading? Mary Oliver?”