A Cowboy in Ravenna (5 page)

“It’s hard not to break the rules here,” Chace said, pencil making soft shushing sounds across paper, abstracted smile tugging his lips.

Trin wanted Chace so much when he was so fully himself, so into what he was doing. Trin translated that into wondering if Chace would make love with the same kind of focus. He had to escape this small space, get some air, or he might do something he’d regret.

“What rules?” he asked.

“This one.” Chace’s warm lips brushed his.

Life shot through Trin, painful, full of yearning. His chest heaved as he stared at Chace.

Chace was breathing hard too. “I’m sorry! I needed to do that, just once.” He covered his face. “God, I’m sorry.”

Trin noticed that the only other couple touring the site were just leaving, so they’d probably missed Chace kissing him. He opened his mouth to tell Chace he was impulsive, but instead he took in Chace’s slumped posture.

He didn’t like it.

“If you’re going to kiss a man, kiss him right,” he said.

“Trin,” Chace whispered, peeking at him. “I don’t know how. I’ve never…”

“I know you haven’t.” And his dick loved the idea of Chace’s virgin state.

He cupped Chace’s cheeks in his big hands and leaned his forehead against the younger man’s, breathing in his scent, taking the time to appreciate how Chace’s skin felt smooth under work-worn finger tips.

“I can’t be your boyfriend,” Trin told Chace, told himself.

Chace’s gaze dropped. “I know.”

Trin swallowed. His hands were shaking. “But I can give you a few pointers, I guess. Lesson one is you don’t need to sneak a kiss from a man you like. If he’s got any backbone and he likes you back, he’ll want you to kiss him.”

Chace’s skin heated, and a blush spread down his neck and upper chest. Trin wanted to rip off Chace’s T-shirt and kiss that tell of his arousal.

“Start off slow. Take the time to appreciate who you’re holding in your arms.” Trin nuzzled Chace’s neck, whiskers rasping against Chace’s softer skin. Chace had always bemoaned the fact he barely had to shave, but Trin thought it was sexy. Hell, everything about Chace was sexy.

“Trin…” Trembling in Trin’s arms, Chace’s breath was a hot tattoo. However slow and gentle Trin wanted to take it, Chace was wild.

“Easy.” He kissed Chace’s forehead and the corner of his mouth. Chace made a soft sound of want.

Trin’s balls tightened with the need to spill on Chace’s skin, marking him. What would it be like to cover him while he lay in bed with Trin? He tried not to think of that as he took Chace’s jaw and applied firm pressure so Chace parted his lips. When he did, Trin slid his tongue confidently inside Chace’s mouth. Chace curled his fists in Trin’s T-shirt as he rubbed himself against him. He sucked Trin’s tongue as if desperate for penetration.

Trin made an approving sound, liking that Chace instinctively knew his natural place in their mating—as Trin’s submissive human. It probably wasn’t politically correct, something Sasha was always going on about, but Trin didn’t give a fuck. Chace had always belonged under him and everything alpha in Trin needed to protect Chace, to give him pleasure.

He stroked Chace with his tongue, exploring thoroughly, patiently, as Chace quivered. Chace’s lower body was plastered against his, the hot imprint of Chace’s cock rubbing against his leg.

He wanted to cover that cock with his palm, give Chace the release his body was begging for, but they couldn’t do that here. Jesus! What were they doing?

He fell back on his heels, drawing into a crouch as he breathed through the pain of separation from his mate.

“We can’t.”

He saw the flash of humiliation in Chace’s eyes. It pissed him off.

“Not here, Chace. It’s under a freakin’ church.” Trin shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? Chace was the inexperienced virgin, not him. Trin should have better control.

“We’re alone,” Chace said. “Good thing it’s a weekday, I guess.”

Trin nodded and after a moment, managed to get to his feet. “Do you want to do some more sketching?” he asked. He couldn’t ruin this for Chace, not when he was so happy to be here.

Chace shoved his hair out of his eyes. “I need… I can’t just switch it off!”

Trin edged to the corner of the little walkway, staring at a pavement with three men holding fruits and flowers, fall leaves, winter branches. He guessed they were the seasons. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter Four

I’m not going anywhere.

Trin had always been there for him, Chace mused as they left the
Domus dei Tappetti di Pietra
where Trin had patiently waited while Chace had sketched as many of the mosaic carpets as he’d wanted. Despite his swollen, unsatisfied cock, he’d soon lost himself in his art though he planned on a long, hot shower when they arrived at their hotel. It wouldn’t take much more than his soapy fist and the memory of Trin’s kiss to make him come.

“So you’re bisexual?” he demanded as soon as their waiter moved back behind a long counter filled with desserts. Trin had managed to order them espressos in the little café.

Trin’s eyes widened and he glared at Chace as Chace sat down under an umbrella dripping with rain, the bright colour looking a little depressed with the heavy weather. “Do you want everyone to hear you?” Trin whispered, colour touching the tops of his cheeks. “Folks aren’t exactly tolerant in White Deer, never mind Italy.”

Chace grinned. He should have guessed his rugged cowboy was shy. “I think it’s a fair question to ask. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve gone out a few times with women, you had a kid and yet you kissed me. What gives?” He raised his brows, thinking Sasha would be proud of him for being so assertive.

“Sage was the result of an arrangement.” Trin didn’t look at Chace, taking the small black coffee the waiter passed him from a tray into his working-man’s hands. It was almost as thick in consistency as the stuff he made over a campfire, so Chace figured Trin had to like espresso.

“An arrangement? Sounds like something from a Regency romance.”

Trin shot him a look.

“Thanks for giving such a clear explanation.”

Trin had fallen back into his habitual ‘say nothing personal’ macho cowboy default. Chace was going to damn well nudge Trin out of it.

These past weeks Chace had been making huge changes to his life. He had moved out of the big house on the ranch into a tiny apartment in White Deer. And he’d come to Italy to lose his virginity and grow as an artist.

Trin couldn’t kiss Chace like he was dessert and then clam up.

“In the village where I come from my, uh, bloodline was valued,” Trin finally said, hunched like an awkward bear at the table. “I made an arrangement with a woman so I could have children.”

“Your bloodline. Like your gift with horses?”

“Yeah.”

Sounded like a very odd village. “So why date women?”

Trin gave him a stony look.

“I mean, what you’ve told me implies you prefer men, and yet as long as I’ve known you, you’ve gone out with women.”

“Chace, leave it alone. I…” He shoved his hair out of his eyes. “I apologise for kissing you. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.”

“Something has to be wrong with you to kiss me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You just did.”

“Fuck, you are so—”

“I’m just asking for an explanation that makes some kind of sense.”

“I date women because I can’t have what I want!” Trin yelled. Then he coloured brightly, shoving his coffee aside. “Let’s go find our hotel.”

Chace caught up just outside the café, grabbing Trin’s arm. “Don’t you walk away from me.” Fighting with Trin was almost as exciting as kissing him. What made it even better was this wasn’t in character. Trin always shut off like a valve when Chace ran hot. The last time Trin had yelled at Chace had been when he’d swum in Larry’s Watering Hole and gotten knocked out by a log. He’d nearly drowned. Trin had been really pissed, shaking Chace and calling him a goddamned fool.

Trin’s nostrils flared and he took an intimidating step closer to Chace.

Chace opened his mouth, more than ready to continue their fight.

Trin slammed into him.

Chace grabbed his head. “Ow!”

“The fuck?” Trin growled.

Chace caught a glimpse of a woman’s luxurious auburn hair as she raced down an alley.

Trin’s eyes narrowed. “My wallet’s gone,” he said.

“Trin!”

Trin was running too fast for Chace to catch up.

Damn it!

Chace raced after the two figures, barely keeping track of them through the twisting, turning alleys. He nearly creamed a guy riding a bicycle, carrying an umbrella and talking on a phone.

“Trin…” he gasped as he caught up.

Trin had the red-haired woman by the throat.

“Trin, holy fuck!”

“Stay back!” Trin’s eyes glowed gold.

Huh? It must be the Italian light, throwing off his perceptions. “Trin, you can’t kill a woman for trying to rob you.”

“
He’s
not a woman.”

Chace took in the dark pinstriped suit, blue shirt and tie. The slender figure and long hair had reminded him of a woman, but up close Chase could see he was a very pretty young man, with full red lips curled into a snarl.

“Trin, knock it off.” Chace put his hand on Trin’s shoulder. From past experience, he knew this worked when all else failed. Trin’s rare temper always subsided when Chace touched him.

Trin’s shoulders relaxed and he took a step back. “You’re lucky,” he told the young man, who coughed, covering his throat and glaring at Trin.

“Lucky your mate isn’t such a bastard, yeah,” the boy choked in American-accented English.

Chace raised his brows. “Give him back his wallet.”

“All right, fuck!”

Trin took his worn leather billfold, stepping back and crossing his arms.

“Are you…hungry or something?” Chace asked.

Dark hazel eyes, as stormy as the skies over head, cut into him. Chace shrugged. “All right. Have a nice life stealing from tourists.”

He turned to leave, Trin at his side.

“Wait!” the young man huffed. “I didn’t lift it because I was hungry. Anyway, your asshole friend doesn’t carry much cash and no credit cards.”

“I’ll get on that right away,” Trin said sarcastically.

The kid flipped him the bird.

Chace fished out his wallet and handed the young man some money.

“Chace!” Trin was outraged.

“Trin, he’s pretty skinny. I think he could use something to eat.” Chace studied the stranger. “Got a name?”

“Sure, he’s going to tell us his real name,” Trin drawled.

The beautiful young man folded his arms, as if he was enjoying their byplay. “Sabin.”

“Sabin.” Chace considered it. “I like it. It’s kind of like Sting, that whole made my own identity thing.”

“Exactly.” Sabin stood beside Chace, now showing no sign of leaving. His long hair swayed down his back like a heavy silk curtain. It was the reddish-gold colour of prairie wheat in July. Chace itched to sketch it. “Where are you staying?” Sabin asked.

“We haven’t been there yet.” Despite Trin’s protest, Chace showed Sabin a map with their hotel.

Sabin pressed a kiss against Chace’s cheek, near his mouth. “I saw you with the cowboy hick in the House of Carpets. You’re hot. If you get tired of him, I’ll be around,” Sabin said.

Trin yanked Chace away from Sabin.

Sabin’s lips curled in a satisfied grin. “Easy, shifter,” he said. “He’s all yours unless he decides different.”

“Come on!” Trin dragged Chace back to the cobbled central street.

Chace looked over his shoulder into the shadows of the alley but Sabin had already faded away.

“Missing your first Italian conquest?” Trin’s voice was tight.

“I didn’t ask him to kiss me,” Chace said, tugging his arm free. “Besides…” He swallowed. “You don’t want to be my boyfriend, remember?”

The silence stretched and he swore. He was so fucking pathetic.

Hadn’t he just been thinking Trin was a man of his word? Never mind that the kiss had sparked something new between them, giving Chace hope. Trin didn’t want him, not really.

* * * *

“One room.” Trin used the large key, like something out of an old English movie, to open the wooden door to the room he was going to have to share with Chace.

The door creaked open. “One bed.” He started to sweat.

“At least it’s a nice room, a nice bed,” Chace said, still sounding a little subdued as he put his bag on the desk under a skylight. The top floor of the little hotel possessed no windows, but skylights. Through them, Trin caught the sounds of doves cooing to each other sleepily.

The bed had a fancy draped headboard. The tables and chairs were all gold and white, looking too delicate to hold his sturdy frame. The place made him feel rough and uncouth. Terrific.