One day, p.5
One Day, page 5
Cam narrowed his eyes as he and Gabe closed the distance to where the group had gathered in the middle of the hotel lobby. “You guys were placing bets?”
Wade pocketed his winnings and linked his hand with Rhys’s, a grin splitting his face. “It was Ethan’s idea.”
Rhys arched an eyebrow at Cam. “He said, and I quote, ‘That man won’t be able to keep his filthy hands off my best friend for five minutes, let alone three hours.’” His gaze shifted to Gabe. “Judging by how satisfied Gabe looks right now, I’d say he has a point.”
Cam sniffed and placed a possessive hand on the small of Gabe’s back. “Damn straight, he does.”
Rhys chuckled when Gabe reddened beside Cam.
“Where are Ethan and the girls?” Gabe said, glancing around the crowded lobby.
“Ethan’s over there, checking on final arrangements,” Lincoln said, motioning toward the main entrance. “The ladies are—”
“Right here,” someone said from their left.
Eveline and Lana slowed to a stop a few feet from where they stood. The women’s faces filled with appreciation as they studied the men critically.
“Holy wow,” Eveline added, her blue eyes twinkling as brightly as the beautiful solitaire diamond engagement ring gracing her ring finger.
“You guys sure scrub up nice,” Lana said, inspecting their black tuxedos, crisp white shirts, bow ties, and gleaming dress shoes.
“You ladies don’t look so bad either,” Cam said wryly.
Eveline glanced at her gown and Lana’s. “Somehow, I doubt these fine people are ogling us right now,” she said tartly, indicating the avid stares they were drawing from the hotel guests milling about the lobby. “Not when you guys look like you just stepped out of some kind of glamor shoot.”
“Damn.” Lana sighed, placed her hands on her hips, and pursed her lips. “We’re gonna have our hands full keeping the women—and men—from groping you guys tonight.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Gabe mumbled, his ears flushed.
Eveline grinned, strolled up to Gabe, and ran a hand teasingly down his shirt. “Oh, sweetie. You have no idea how delectable you look right now, do you?”
“I—umm,” Gabe said in a flustered voice that made the rest of them laugh.
Cam took Gabe’s hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Eveline was right. As far as he was concerned, Gabe was the most gorgeous creature here tonight. It had taken all of Cam’s willpower to not strip his fiancé of his formal evening wear and carry him straight back to bed when he’d seen him dressed up to the hilt ten minutes ago, bachelor party be damned.
“Evie, will you quit manhandling the groom?” Ethan berated as he crossed the lobby toward them. He stopped next to Joe and narrowed his eyes at Cam. “It’s a good thing I built some extra time into our schedule because a certain somebody can’t keep it in his pants.” His expression warmed when he took in Gabe’s slicked-back hair and immaculate outfit. “Gabe, you look fucking hot. If it wasn’t for the fact that I know Joe would castrate me, I would so get it on with you right now.”
Joe sighed, hooked a hand behind Ethan’s neck, and swooped down to take Ethan’s mouth in a kiss that elicited catcalls from the rest of them. Ethan clutched Joe’s dinner jacket in a white-knuckled grip and fairly melted into his lover.
“You’ve had enough fun at our expense, you little tease,” Joe growled against Ethan’s lips. “So how about you finally tell us what you’ve cooked up tonight?”
Ethan blinked his eyes open dazedly and licked his lips. “Oh. Hmm. Sure.” He turned and motioned to a butler standing to attention close by.
The man came forward and gave Ethan a black velvet tote. Ethan opened it and handed out a smaller bag to each of the couples present.
Cam rolled his eyes when he saw the words emblazoned in shimmering, golden letters on the front. “’Cam and Gabe’s Weekend of Sin’? Seriously?”
“‘Cam and Gabe’s Sex-Filled Marathon’ was taken, so grin and bear it, big boy,” Ethan said.
Inside each bag was a polaroid camera, several rolls of gambling chips, and a simple, black key card.
Rhys raised his eyebrows when he saw the name engraved on the tokens. “You got us tables at The Venetian?”
“Yup,” Ethan said, motioning them toward the main entrance.
“What’s the key card for?” Lana said curiously as they headed across the hotel lobby.
“That’s for tomorrow night,” Ethan replied with a mysterious smile. “Make sure you keep it safe. You’re not gonna want to miss what comes with that key card.”
Two limos sat waiting at the curb when they stepped out into the humid Macau night.
Ethan rubbed his hands gleefully. “Let’s get this party started!”
Chapter 11
Wade sipped his champagne and smiled when Lana fist pumped the air and shouted a jubilant “Yes!” a few feet away.
The croupier pushed the gambling chips on the roulette table toward the growing pile in front of the grinning brunette under the faintly disgusted stares of Rhys, Lincoln, Ash, and Joe. At the next table, Ethan let out an excited “Woohoo!” as he won his own game against Luke, Tom, Cam, and Eveline. Like Wade, Gabe had abstained from joining this particular round and was busy taking pictures with everyone’s polaroid cameras.
Rhys left the table, climbed the steps of the private, cordoned off area of the casino Ethan had reserved for them, and joined Wade on the main floor.
“That woman has amazing luck for a supposed beginner.” Rhys lifted an olive from the tray of snacks on the high table next to Wade and munched on the fruit, a disgruntled scowl still marring his brow.
“I’m surprised you’re still hungry after that dinner,” Wade drawled as he watched his lover chew. “That Lobster Thermidor just about killed me.”
“Well, you know I have a high metabolism,” Rhys muttered, licking his fingers clean.
Heat flared inside Wade as he watched the pink flesh of Rhys’s tongue dart between his lips.
Why is it that everything this man does turns me on so much?
Although they had been best friends since their college days and business partners for seven years, their relationship only took a romantic turn twelve months ago, after Wade challenged Rhys to a trial period to see if the attraction they felt for one another could turn into something more. Finding out that Rhys had wanted and loved him for over a decade had shocked Wade to the core, and it had taken him a while to realize that he had fallen in love with Rhys a long time ago too. Their affair almost ended following a stupid misunderstanding and it was only thanks to Rhys’s friends that Wade had managed to track Rhys down to the mountain cabin where he had taken refuge last Christmas to nurse his broken heart. Convincing Rhys that he was serious about him still ranked as the most challenging thing Wade had ever done in his life. Every day with Rhys since then was a blessing Wade never took for granted.
He captured Rhys’s hand presently and squeezed his fingers lightly. “What say we go work out that metabolism of yours somewhere else and help me burn off that ridiculously rich dessert we shared?”
Rhys’s baby blue eyes darkened as he studied Wade. He stepped up to him until they stood toe to toe and bit down gently on Wade’s lower lip. He let go with a wet pop that sent Wade’s blood storming south.
“Why, Mr. Tucker,” Rhys murmured against Wade’s mouth, “are you proposing we escape from here and go engage in some—,” he ran a finger lightly across Wade’s crotch and his growing erection, “—risky business?”
Wade swallowed a groan and hooked an arm around Rhys’s waist before pulling him tightly against his body. “If by risky business you mean do I want to suck your dick before I fuck you, then yes, that’s exactly what I mean, Mr. Damon,” he whispered in Rhys’s right ear.
Rhys pulled his head back slightly and stared at Wade, his pupils dilated. Wade could tell from the hard bulge pressing against his groin and the way Rhys’s breathing had turned shallow and fast that he was as aroused as Wade was right now.
Wade grabbed Rhys’s hand and led him through the crowded casino, searching for a place where he could fulfill the filthy promise he’d just made to his lover. He was losing hope they would ever find such a spot when Rhys said, “Over there.” Wade followed Rhys’s gaze to a narrow, deserted corridor.
They headed down the passage, turned a corner, and found a service elevator at the end. Wade pulled Rhys inside and scanned the cabin for cameras. Satisfied there were none, he pressed the number for a random floor. A soft electronic whirr sounded as the cabin started its ascent.
“Ever had sex inside an elevator before, Rhys?” Wade said, his dick pressing up painfully behind the zipper of his pants as he studied the layout of the compartment and its mirrored walls.
Rhys’s eyes widened slightly when Wade turned to look at him. His lips curved in a sultry smile in the next instant. “I can’t say I have.”
Wade hit the stop button, bringing the cabin to a grinding halt between two floors. “Well, I think you’re gonna love it.”
He pressed a hand to Rhys’s chest, maneuvered him until he had his back pressed against the doors, and dropped to his knees in front of him.
Rhys’s cheekbones flushed a dusky pink as he looked down at Wade. Wade kept his gaze locked on Rhys’s while he slid his fingers under Rhys’s black cummerbund and undid the top button of his pants. He found Rhys’s zipper with his teeth and pulled it down carefully over his lover’s straining erection.
Rhys sucked air between his teeth when Wade pulled his briefs down and finally freed his cock. Wade’s own dick throbbed between his thighs as the musky scent of Rhys’s pre-cum hit his nostrils. He dropped a gentle kiss on the wet tip of Rhys’s swollen shaft. Rhys let out a shaky moan and grabbed Wade’s shoulders.
“Keep your eyes on the mirror, Rhys,” Wade purred.
Rhys’s head snapped up. Wade gripped Rhys’s hips firmly in his large hands and went down on his man while the latter watched their filthy reflection across the way.
Up and down and to and fro Wade bobbed, his tongue and lips working their magic while Rhys shuddered and moaned and grunted above him, fingers digging sharply into Wade’s shoulders with every spasm of pleasure Wade delivered.
By the time Rhys released a guttural shout and climaxed inside Wade’s greedy mouth, Wade was more than ready to sink his cock inside Rhys’s body. He yanked Rhys’s trousers and briefs off his legs while the latter still trembled from his orgasm, hooked Rhys’s right thigh over his left shoulder, and slicked two fingers with his own spit and Rhys’s cum. Rhys arched his back against the metal doors when Wade pressed the tips against his exposed hole.
He relaxed and opened up for Wade as the latter rubbed and teased his twitching rim. Fire licked Wade as he slipped past the inner rings of muscles guarding Rhys’s entrance. He pulled back and thrust his fingers inside Rhys’s hot, tight channel, mimicking what he very much intended to do with his dick in the moments that would follow.
Wade gritted his teeth and took his time stretching Rhys’s opening, knowing if he didn’t do so, it would make the act painful for Rhys.
“Wade,” Rhys breathed above him, a delicious shiver racing through his body.
“Yes, Rhys?” Wade grunted as he scissored and rotated his fingers in quick, deep jabs that caused the tips to bump against Rhys’s prostate.
“Now!” Rhys keened softly, rocking his hips against Wade’s hand. “I want you inside me!”
Blood pounded through every part of Wade’s body as he slipped his fingers out of Rhys. He moved Rhys’s thigh off his shoulder, rose to his feet, and palmed Rhys’s butt with both hands.
Wade twisted, pushed Rhys against the mirrored wall next to the doors, and lifted Rhys’s legs around his hips.
Rhys coiled his arms around Wade’s shoulders and locked his ankles across Wade’s buttocks, his breaths coming in heavy, rapid pants as he anchored himself securely.
“Eyes on the mirror, Rhys!” Wade growled. He unzipped his pants, freed his straining cock, and guided the tip to Rhys’s opening. He pushed in until he was balls deep inside Rhys’s body.
Then, with the two of them watching their multiplying reflections in opposing mirrors, Wade fucked Rhys long and hard until they both cried out and exploded in each other’s arms.
Chapter 12
“And where did you two disappear to last night?” Ethan said tartly where he stood bathed in the late morning sunlight.
Wade and Rhys strolled up to him and the group waiting outside the hotel.
“We had a private matter to attend to,” Rhys said enigmatically.
Wade smiled and hooked an arm around Rhys’s waist. “In an elevator.” He held up two fingers. “Twice.”
Rhys sighed and turned to his lover while the rest of them laughed and ribbed them mercilessly. “So crude, you brute,” he muttered admonishingly.
Wade grinned and dropped a kiss on Rhys’s lips. “And don’t you just love it, you charmer.”
They climbed into the town cars Ethan had arranged for their day trip and headed north over one of the iconic bridges that spanned the river estuary separating Taipa Island from the Macau Peninsula. Ethan had ordered everyone to bring their beach wear and they all wore light summer clothes, the men sporting shorts and T-shirts while the women donned dresses. They pulled into a marina some fifteen minutes later and stopped next to a luxurious sailing yacht.
“Whoa,” Ash murmured.
Joe glanced at Ethan as he stepped out of the town car and studied the sleek lines of the vessel and the crew waiting for them. “We’re going sailing?”
Ethan smiled. “Yup. We’re headed to the outer islands. The chef’s doing a beach barbecue for us in a sheltered cove off the beaten track.”
It took over an hour for them to sail to the private beach. They had champagne with their seafood barbecue and spent the afternoon swimming and sunning themselves in the cove. By the time they returned to the hotel, the sun was setting over Macau.
“I’m having a light dinner sent to everyone’s room in about two hours,” Ethan said when they entered the lobby. “We meet here at nine.”
Ash groaned and patted his washboard belly. “I don’t think I can eat anything else.”
Ethan flashed him a wicked smile. “I would have something if I were you.” He glanced at Luke. “You’re going to need all the energy you can muster by the time tonight is over.”
Luke narrowed his eyes, puzzled. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Ethan’s grin widened. “Don’t forget to bring your black key cards and cameras.” He turned to Cam and Gabe. “As for you two, you’ll get picked up from your room, so stay put.”
“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Cam murmured with a suspicious frown.
Eveline came up to Ethan while the rest of them disbanded. “So,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously as she cocked her head to the side, “I’ve been doing a bit of research about that key card. Is it what I think it is?”
Ethan stifled a chuckle and gave her his most haughty stare. “And what do you think it is?”
Eveline rose up on tip toes and whispered something in his ear. Ethan bit his lip to stop the laughter threatening to escape him.
Eveline’s eyes widened at his expression. She grinned. “You filthy fucker.”
“You think the rest of them are going to like it?” Ethan asked, a sliver of doubt flashing through him. He’d hesitated a lot before planning the events of the second night of Gabe and Cam’s bachelor party.
Eveline laughed. “They’re gonna love it! I predict Cam will put up a fight. But once he sees what the rest of the night has to offer, he’s going to be super thrilled.”
Relief flooded Ethan. “Good. I want everyone to have a good time.”
“Trust me, Linc and I will be having a very good time,” Eveline said with a saucy wink. She blew him a kiss over her shoulder as she strolled toward where Lincoln stood waiting for her.
Ethan was still smiling when his cell buzzed in his shorts pocket. He pulled it out and stiffened when he saw the text message lighting up the screen.
“You coming?” Joe said.
Ethan’s heart thudded inside his chest as he looked at his lover. “You go ahead,” he said in a light tone. “I just have to finalize a couple of things.” He waited until Joe had disappeared in the direction of their private villa before hitting dial on his cell. Someone picked up after a couple of rings. “Hi, this is Ethan.”
“Mr. Skye? I have some news for you and Mr. Anderson,” the man at the other end said.
Ethan swallowed, a sick feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach. He clenched the cell tightly. This is it. “Yes?”
“I found them.”
Chapter 13
Gabe fidgeted nervously with his cuff links as he waited for Cam to join him in the suite’s hallway. Ethan had texted him three hours ago. When Gabe read the message, his legs had almost given out under him.
He sat down shakily on the edge of the bed and read Ethan’s words over and over again while the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom where Cam was taking a shower.
Ethan: Hey, you still there?
Gabe realized Ethan was waiting for his response. He tapped out a quick reply.
Gabe: Yes.
Ethan: He told us not to get our hopes up, so I was kind of resigned to the fact that this would come to a big nothing.
Gabe: I know.
Ethan: I’m in shock. And a little bit scared. This is really going to happen.
Gabe worried his lower lip with his teeth as he read Ethan’s text.
Gabe: They might say no.
Ethan: I know. I hope they don’t. It’s four weeks until your wedding, so we have plenty of time to talk to them.
Gabe: Yes. And Ethan?
Ethan: Yeah?
Gabe: Thank you.
Ethan: Love you, Gabe. Have fun tonight!
Cam walked out of the bedroom presently, his hands at the base of his throat as he finished knotting his bow tie. Gabe stilled and looked at the man he was going to marry in a month’s time, his heart stuttering in his chest.
