Criminal Pleasures (4 page)

Marc turned to face him, mere inches of air between them. “And I think you’re very trusting,” he whispered. “To come to my home.”

Brendan’s breath caught. “Is there some reason I should regret that decision?”

Marc’s fingers brushed Brendan’s arm. “You just don’t strike me as the type.”

Brendan shivered under Marc’s gentle touch. “The type to go home with strangers.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not,” Brendan said. “Usually.”

Marc’s hand slid up his arm, then drifted over his chest. “I didn’t think so,” he said. “That’s why I was suspicious of you. There seemed no reason for you to be interested in me.”

Brendan’s dick throbbed, blood racing, and his hands glided to Marc’s waist, fingers trailing over his soft, cotton tee shirt, stroking his ribs and the hard muscle along his torso.
No reason
to be interested? He had to be playing coy. A blind nun would be interested in Marc. “Give me a break,” Brendan whispered. “You lured me.”

Marc’s teeth flashed neon white as he smiled. “I l
ured
you? Having a drink was your idea.”

They were so close now, the anticipation of kissing creating a forceful pressure in the air. Brendan let his hand move upward over Marc’s chest, coming to rest on the back of his head, threading fingers through his silky hair. “It was my idea, but you still lured me, whether you meant to or not.” He moved his face closer. He could feel Marc’s hot breath on his lips.

“And how did I do that, Brendan Burke?”

Tingles of arousal ran through Brendan’s gut, lengthening his cock. “I’m not sure. Maybe you have magical powers.”

“Are they working?” Marc’s arm wrapped around Brendan’s waist and their hips made contact. 

Brendan laughed nervously, a sudden shyness gripping him. As much as he wanted Marc, and had tossed his instincts and logic aside to pursue him tonight, he was emotionally unprepared for this. He’d been the one to initially come on to Marc, so it was only reasonable that Marc would expect him to know what the hell was doing in bed. But he’d never...
gone all the way
with a man before. And he hadn’t thought that far ahead tonight, had been driven by the simple, overwhelming
want
for the man. To be near him, to kiss him if he was lucky, but how far was he willing to go? Anxiety gripped him, wrestling with his growing arousal. 

He started to step back, but Marc’s arm locked around his waist, holding him there. Marc’s eyelashes fluttered as his gaze dropped to Brendan’s lips, then met his eyes once more.

This slow, controlled seduction was agony, and Brendan’s head was spinning, his body pulsing with need. Brendan chuckled softly. “Oh yes,” he said. “You definitely lured me.”

“Do you mind?”

Brendan struggled to control his breathing. “Not at the moment.”

“Did you know,” Marc said, his finger trailing Brendan’s lips, then sliding into his mouth, gliding over his tongue, making his breath quicken, “that garden spiders trap unsuspecting prey by sucking them in using electrostatic attraction?”

The finger slid out and Brendan let out a pant. His stomach trembled, and he could feel Marc’s arousal pressing against his hip. “You’re surprisingly knowledgeable for a busboy.”

“And you’re surprisingly fuckable for a lawyer,” Marc whispered, then his lips were there, devouring Brendan’s mouth, their hot tongues a tangle as their bodies slammed together.

Brendan’s senses exploded as the kiss deepened, Marc’s hard body grinding against his. His fingers weaved through Marc’s hair as Marc’s hands slid down his back, resting just above his ass. He opened his mouth and Marc’s tongue went deep as he tugged Brendan’s hips closer, their cocks making contact through their pants.

Marc suddenly broke the kiss, leaving Brendan gasping, dizzy in the rush of arousal and disoriented in the strange lighting. It was by far the best kiss he’d ever had, and he was hard pressed to recall that this man had been cruelly insulting him on the street less than an hour ago. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “You’re a great kisser.”

Marc grinned. “Only if properly motivated.”

Brendan slid his fingers up Marc’s cheek, thumb stroking along his chin, and there was no missing the desire in his pale brown eyes. Seeing that need in Marc’s expression—the reality that Marc wanted him too—sent Brendan’s excitement skyrocketing and made his cock throb. 

“Can I ask you something?” Brendan said, trying to remember how to speak, his senses swirling in chaos. “What made you change your mind tonight? Why did you decide to ask me over?”

Marc raised his eyebrows, his fingers trailing over Brendan’s Adam’s apple. “I wanted to apologize.”

Brendan laughed. “I hope you don’t apologize this way to everyone you insult.”

Marc laughed softly. “Okay, the truth. When you were scolding me on the street outside the restaurant. You remember?”

“Of course.” 

Marc’s fingers moved to Brendan’s face, cupping his chin. He looked into his eyes. “When you stepped in close to me, like this. The streetlight fell upon your face. I saw your eyes. After that, I didn’t hear a word you said.”

Damn. You poetic Italian bastard.

Brendan’s control left him and he captured Marc’s mouth with his, tugging him closer as he lost himself in the kiss. Marc’s tongue had the sweet tinge of Frangelico, a hint of smokiness from the cigarette he’d had earlier. His cologne was spicy and dizzying, a vague hint of sweat underneath, alluringly masculine. Marc’s hand slid between them and cupped Brendan’s groin, causing him to gasp and break the kiss. He was too excited, afraid he’d come in his pants like a teenager. 

“Do you want to come to my bedroom?” Marc asked, his hands sliding around to Brendan’s ass, giving it a squeeze.

He met Marc’s eyes, studying his face in the dimness. Though his cock was begging him to say yes, he hesitated. “I uh, I want to, but it’s been a while.”

Marc’s hands left Brendan’s ass and he took a step back.

Brendan’s heart sank and he wanted to kick himself for saying anything.
No! Don’t stop touching me!
But then Marc reached out, running fingers through Brendan’s fringe of blond hair. “A while since you’ve been with someone, or a while since you’ve been with a man?”

“Both,” Brendan said. “I mean, I’ve been with men, but never...” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m ruining the moment.”

“You’ve never fucked a man,” Marc said.

A whistle of breath left Brendan. Just hearing those words on Marc’s lips sent a shudder through his groin, tightening his cock. “No, I’ve never...I mean,
sort
of. But not really. Other stuff, hand jobs and blowjobs and getting off but I never...well, you know.” He winced. He was babbling. “I’m sorry. I guess I gave the wrong impression. Coming on to you the way I did.”

Marc’s fingers left Brendan’s hair and trailed down the side of his face. He moved close again, cupping his chin. “Do you like kissing me?”

Brendan breathed hard. “Yes.”

“Do you want to kiss me some more?”

His throat constricted, so Brendan simply nodded.

“Then come to my bedroom. We won’t do anything you don’t want to.”

Brendan’s cock throbbed at the thought of being in bed with the other man, kissing him, touching him...

He nodded again, grasping Marc’s hand. “Okay.”

Chapter Three

We won’t do anything you don’t want to.

Marc’s words repeated in Brendan’s mind as the two of them fell onto the bed. He hadn’t turned on a light so Brendan couldn’t see much of the room, but he didn’t mind the darkness. It was like a soft shield, enveloping them and hiding their sins. It made Brendan bold and more confident, overwhelmed with the urge to let go of his inhibitions and just
feel
.

They lay on their sides, facing each other, Marc kissing him ferociously, with lips and tongue and teeth, hard and deep like he couldn’t get close enough. Brendan felt helpless, swept up in a primal state of pure need. This was more than just kissing. Marc’s mouth, the way he tasted and teased and ate at Brendan was more like sex than some of the
actual
sex he’d had. He’d had great sex before, had enjoyed the climaxes mostly, but he’d never experience this desperate intensity, the feeling that he had to cling to this man so he wouldn’t get away.

You don’t know this man
, his mind tried to interject. But his body was indifferent to his mental protest. His body was an entity of its own in that moment, connected yet separate from his mind, and it felt it knew Marc just fine as they glided together, tongues and breath and limbs tangling like an old and familiar dance.

Marc hadn’t touched him anywhere dangerous yet, hadn’t reached for his cock or even squeezed his ass. But the way he kissed him...damn. His tongue did amazing things, gliding against Brendan’s, licking the roof of his mouth, diving in deep then retreating. He sucked Brendan’s lips, pressed his chest and hips hard against him, but his hands didn’t venture beyond his shoulders and back.

Brendan almost chuckled as he realized that Marc was luring him still. And Brendan was perfectly helpless, under his spell and drifting toward his web.
Electrostatic attraction
. He found that he wanted Marc to touch him, to undress him, to take him.

We won’t do anything you don’t want to.

Calculated words. Marc was going to drive Brendan so crazy with the kissing that
he
would be the one to want more, to make the next move, to step over the edge. It was working. Brendan was ready to start begging, desperately pressing his cock into Marc’s leg, urging him to do something about it.

Excitement mounting inside him, he rolled over and climbed on top of Marc, trapping his firm body beneath him on the bed. Brendan took control and kissed the other man passionately, letting him feel how much he wanted to be there, and how much closer he wanted them to get. He felt Marc’s cock harden beneath him and was rewarded with a soft groan as he grew breathless under the force of Brendan’s kiss.

A fresh bolt of lust blew in a current as he felt Marc’s fingers unbuttoning the top of his shirt.
Yes. Flesh to flesh. I need to feel it
.  He sat up, straddling Marc’s hips, and quickly unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, pulling it off his arms and casting it aside. His eyes had adjusted and he watched Marc’s lashes flutter as his gaze drifted over Brendan’s naked torso. Brendan allowed his hands to glide under Marc’s tee shirt, his skin warm velvet over hard muscle. He ventured upward until his palms slid over that firm chest, brushing small, hardened nipples. Marc lifted his arms up as Brendan pulled the tee shirt off of him, tossing it aside. Then he pressed down onto him again, chest to chest.

“Shit,” Marc whispered as their bare chests met, warm skin gliding. “You are fucking sexy.”

Marc’s hands trailed over Brendan’s shoulders, then glided along his back, finally reaching down to cup his buttocks. He pulled Brendan down onto him, their cocks pressing hard together.

“I want to fuck you,” Brendan said.

His own words stunned him. That crazed, primal thing inside of him seemed to have taken over, and was now speaking for him. But hell, he
did
want it, even though part of him was scared to death.
Need to get closer. Need to be inside.

Marc wriggled beneath him, his hips lurching upward in response. “No,” he said, but his voice was breathy, coming in short gasps. “You’re not certain. You will regret it later.”

“Maybe I will but...” He growled, biting gently at Marc’s bare shoulder. “I need it, I need...more.”

In a sudden, swift maneuver, Marc flipped them over so Brendan was pinned beneath him. Brendan gasped as his head hit the pillow. “Wow. You’re stronger than you look.”

Marc pushed himself up onto his elbows, his hair hanging down. He jerked his hips and Brendan gasped. “What do you want?” Brendan whispered. “Tell me.”

“Relax,” he said. “Let me take control. I’m not going to fuck you.”

“But—”

Marc covered Brendan’s mouth with a finger, stopping his words. “You’re not ready for that. Just let me get you off.”

Brendan could only nod. A pulse tapped at his neck as fear and arousal fought for dominance in his body. Ignoring the fear, he reached down between their bodies, unbuttoning Marc’s black slacks, sliding the zipper down. Marc gasped as Brendan found his cock, pleased with how hard he was. A slickening of pre-cum glossed the thick dome as Brendan brushed his thumb over it.

“If you want to do this,” Marc whispered, gasping as Brendan squeezed his shaft, gently gliding his fist up and down. “If you want to do this we should hurry up before I lose it.”

Brendan took in a hitched breath. “I want to do it.”
I have no idea what we’re going to do, but whatever it is, I want to.

Marc climbed off of him, out of bed. “Take your pants off,” he said as he dug through a drawer in the bedside table. Setting a jar of lube down on the table, Marc tugged his own pants down, along with his underwear, stepping out of them.

Brendan stared at Marc’s naked body while he shifted on the bed, shimmying out of his pants and boxers. Marc was golden and smooth all over, his chest and stomach tight and hard, his cock veined and engorged, jutting upward, balls smooth and hairless. The thick, muscular legs surprised Brendan. Marc had appeared leaner in his clothes, but his quads bulged with strength, rounded calves dented with definition.

Marc opened the jar of lube and Brendan all but drooled as he watched him rub it onto himself, his erection glistening. He set down the lube and climbed gingerly onto the bed, then leaned over and slid his still slickened fingers over Brendan’s cock. Brendan hissed, then groaned as Marc lubed him up, stroking with slow, gentle movements. His palm rounded the head, then tightened, gliding down Brendan’s aching shaft to the base.

Brendan was about to protest—he didn’t want to come yet, like some virgin blowing his load prematurely. Just in time, Marc released his dick and lay down on top of him, pinning him to the bed. He propped up on one elbow and his brown eyes glimmered as his fingers trailed down Brendan’s stomach, then lower, catching his balls in the cup of his hand. Then his fingers drifted upward and he caught both of their cocks in a fist and pressed them together.