Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) (25 page)

He
knew he was pushing just a little, but Ethan appeared to be warming to the
idea. Maybe getting away from this place would help him to let go of some of
the tension that had been eating at him lately. Likely the reason for the
nightmare, although Beau fully intended to find out more about that. Just not
now.

“You
want to go to Houston?” Ethan asked, sounding as though he needed Beau to
confirm the idea was his.

He
could certainly do that.

“Yeah.”

“All
right then.” Ethan glanced around the room. “But I have to be back by
Saturday.”

“That’s
right, you’ve got a babysitting gig,” Beau joked.

“You’re
damn right I do,” Ethan replied. “And I sure as hell won’t be missing it.”

♂♂

Ethan
was ready to close up shop within fifteen minutes. He’d never done that before,
never stopped working in the middle of the week, but he needed this. Beau’s
plan to get away from it all, even briefly, was the only option at this point.
Either that, or he was going to take out his misery on Beau, and even if they
weren’t permanent or long term, he didn’t want to hurt him. Admittedly, he was
developing feelings for Beau – strong ones – and the idea of hurting him didn’t
sit well.

And
worst case, at least he’d have these memories to fall back on later.

“I’m
gonna head home and get some stuff. I’ll pick you up at your house in an hour.
That work?” Beau asked as they stepped out of the shop before Ethan locked the
door behind them.

“All
right.”

With
that, Ethan watched Beau walk away. That’s when it dawned on him that he was
starting to treat this like a relationship. The problem was… he couldn’t figure
out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

On
Ethan’s way home, he had to pass by the main office and he noticed Jared’s
truck out front.
Shit.
He truly needed to stop in and give him a heads
up as to where he’d be. Not that he cared to explain his whereabouts with
anyone, but he knew Jared would fly off the handle if he wasn’t made aware.
Hell, he’d probably be in an uproar anyway, but that was out of Ethan’s control
at the moment.

The
least he could do was warn the guy.

Parking
next to the Walker Demo truck that Kaleb had passed on to Jared, Ethan took his
time getting out of the truck. The wind had died down somewhat, but the day
hadn’t warmed up much at all. Which was a little surprising considering
February in Texas was hit or miss, but it wasn’t usually this cold.

He
stepped into the Walker Demo office only to hear Jared arguing with someone.
Not wanting to walk right in the line of fire, he peeked in the door and
noticed Jared on the phone. At least he hadn’t walked into the middle of
something.

“Sable,
I don’t have time for this shit,” Jared snapped, leaning back in his chair.

Sable.
Ex-wife.

Ethan
knew from the stories he had heard that the two of them didn’t get along. Based
on the inflection in Jared’s voice, the rumor seemed to be true. Figuring Jared
would see him sooner or later, Ethan made his appearance known and nodded when
Jared glanced up at him.

“I’ve
got to go.” Clearly not waiting for a response, Jared slammed his finger on the
phone screen and then tossed his cell on his desk. “What do you want?”

“Well,
good fucking afternoon to you too.”

Seems
as though Jared was the lucky bastard who had found the irritation that Beau
had managed to fuck out of Ethan earlier.

Jared
grinned, a gesture Ethan hadn’t seen often. They were kinda like two peas in a
pod, neither of them known much for their bubbly personality.

“Sorry.”

“No
worries. I know exactly how you feel. It’s been one of those days.”

“Yeah,
it sure has.” Jared leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk and
staring at Ethan. The guy looked tired. And a little frazzled. Then again, he’d
been on the phone with his ex-wife so that could explain some of it. Ethan had
heard the story, but he’d never delved further because his cousin’s business
wasn’t his concern. Considering Jared had never pushed Ethan to talk, he
figured he’d return the favor.

“I’m
gonna be out of town for a couple of days,” Ethan blurted, unsure how to
deliver the news. He prepared for Jared’s response by shoring up his spine and
staring back at him, but nothing came.

“Where’re
you off to?”

“Houston,”
Ethan said promptly. He hadn’t planned on explaining himself, but he couldn’t
seem to shut up.

“Going
with someone?”

That
question would’ve normally pissed Ethan off, hating when people tried to stick
their nose in his business, but he found himself replying despite himself.
“Yeah. I’m heading down there with Beau.”

Watching
for Jared’s reaction, Ethan took a deep breath when his cousin simply nodded
his head.

“Anything
I can help with while you’re gone?”

“Nah.
Nothing pertinent. Brendon’s truck is almost done, but the boy can stand to
hitch a ride for a few days. He’s fucking hard on that truck.”

Jared
laughed and leaned back in his chair. “I noticed that. When will you be back?”

“Friday
or Saturday. I’ll check on things then, but I doubt there’ll be anything
pressing.” There never was. They had enough equipment and vehicles to handle
one or two being out of commission for a week or so. Ethan wasn’t worried that
his absence would hinder progress.

“Cool,”
Jared said, glancing down at his phone.

“All
right then,” Ethan mumbled, thrusting his hands in his pockets and turning for
the door.

“Hey,
E?”

“Yeah?”
he asked, not turning around.

“You
need something, give me a call.”

Ethan
swallowed hard, but managed to force out a “sure”.

Jared
had been at Moonshiners the night before, which meant he’d seen everything go
down. For those who were close to the family, he figured they could put two and
two together. He didn’t out and out talk about his sexual preferences, but he
knew it was common knowledge who he spent his time with. Considering he’d never
had a girlfriend in his life, Ethan wasn’t naïve enough to believe his family
didn’t know. He just felt as though the
less
they knew, the better off
they’d be.

Not
wanting to think about it anymore, Ethan rushed out the door and back to his
truck. Yeah, it was definitely time to get out of a town for a bit.

♂♂

After
a quick shower, Beau grabbed the bag he’d brought back from Ethan’s, dumped its
contents and replaced it with clean clothes. He kept his eye on the time,
already anxious to get back to Ethan. For some reason, he didn’t want to give
him time to change his mind.

The
tattoo had been an excuse, something Beau had really never given much thought
to, but also something he was excited about. He’d come up with the idea after
studying Ethan’s, wondering what had compelled him to put that quote on his
back. So, along with being curious for the story behind it, Beau figured this
was a way for them to get a little closer. He honestly hadn’t expected that
Ethan would’ve gone out of town to get the skin art though.

The
idea of going to a city where they could be completely anonymous, no risk of
being recognized, had thrilled Beau instantly. Obviously, Ethan hadn’t been
opposed to the idea either. Once he gave it some thought, Beau considered it to
be a stepping stone. A test of sorts. Just to see exactly how open to this
relationship Ethan really was.

Not
that there had been any mention of a relationship.

Yet.

Once
he was back in his truck, Beau grabbed his cell and called Zane. Figuring he
should let someone know where they were headed, he left a voicemail when Zane
didn’t pick up. He didn’t give too much information, but he offered just enough
so that Zane wouldn’t worry and the rest of the Walker clan wouldn’t end up in
a panic when they realized Ethan was gone. Knowing Ethan, he wouldn’t share his
whereabouts with his family if he didn’t have to.

Ten
short minutes later he was pulling up to Ethan’s house. His nerves shot to
astronomical levels as he stared out the front window. This was a monumental
step for the two of them. The significance of what they were doing hadn’t
affected him until now. They were going out of town. Together.

Alone.

Several
days, just the two of them. No interruptions. No assholes like Jimmy or Ricky.
Only them.

Forcing
his door open, he slid to the ground and headed up the front steps, smiling
when Ethan opened the door to greet him, a duffel bag in one hand, his keys in
the other.

“Took
you long enough,” Ethan teased and Beau’s heart did a somersault. Was the guy
actually joking with him?

After
Ethan’s outburst that morning, Beau wasn’t sure how hard it would be to get him
to smile. It hadn’t taken much apparently. Then again, throw in some intensely
satisfying sex, and he could see why Ethan was smiling. He sure as hell was.

“If
I’m not wrong, I’m the one waiting on you right now,” Beau said on a laugh.

Ethan
tossed his bag at Beau, and he caught it easily before turning back to the
truck while Ethan locked the front door.

Once
they were inside, Beau flipped the key and the powerful engine roared to life.

“This
piece of shit gonna make it to Houston?” Ethan asked, looking serious.

Beau’s
laugh rumbled through the truck, rivaling the sound of the engine. “Don’t doubt
the mechanic in me,” he answered when he caught his breath.

Glancing
over before backing out of the driveway, Beau noticed Ethan’s smile was bright
enough to rival the afternoon sun. Right then and there, he made a point to
make Ethan smile as many times as he possibly could over the next couple of
days. This laid-back version of Ethan was rare, and although he wasn’t willing
to question the personality overhaul, he knew not to take it for granted.

Neither
of them spoke much until they hit the highway that would lead to their
destination, but once they were on the open road, Beau glanced over at Ethan.
Should he risk it? Asking questions? At the moment, he couldn’t see what he had
to lose because Ethan didn’t have the choice of running. At least not until
they stopped somewhere.

“Is
there a meaning behind the tattoo?” he asked, using the steering wheel controls
to turn down the radio.

Beau
felt Ethan’s eyes on him momentarily, but there was no response. When he looked
over, he noticed Ethan had returned to staring out the window as the trees
passed by rapidly.

“Yeah,”
Ethan finally said but didn’t elaborate.

“When
did you get it?” Beau was going for the easy questions first.

“I
had just turned twenty-one.”

Beau
chuckled, frustrated by Ethan’s lack of answers, but fully expecting them. He
felt the full brunt of Ethan’s gaze on him a moment later, and Beau glanced
over, shifting his attention between Ethan and the road repeatedly, waiting to
see what he would say.

“Give
me some time, all right?” Ethan asked, his voice low and gravelly.

“Time?”
Beau was confused.

“I’ll
tell you the story, but not right now.”

Beau
nodded as he swallowed hard. He was strangely pleased by Ethan’s response. The
fact that he intended to open up to him was more than he expected. It was proof
that what was happening between them wasn’t just one-sided. Ethan was feeling
it too.

They
drove in silence for about twenty miles, the radio the only sound apart from
the road noise from the tires. Beau settled into his seat, propping his arm on
the console. He brushed Ethan’s fingers on accident and looked down to see
Ethan mirroring his posture, and he had the sudden urge to hold his hand.

He
refrained because he didn’t want to set Ethan off, but a minute later, the
warmth of Ethan’s fingers as they linked with his had his heart thumping triple
time in his chest.

“Surprised?”
Ethan asked as Beau white knuckled the steering wheel with one hand and focused
on not squeezing Ethan’s fingers too hard.

“A
little, yeah,” he admitted.

“I’m
not making any promises for the future,” Ethan went on to say. “But for now,
I’m good with this.”

Beau
was good with it too. More than good actually. It almost seemed too easy.
Getting Ethan to break out of that steel lined shell hadn’t seemed like an easy
task, but the more time they spent together, the easier it seemed to get.

Too
bad Beau knew that there wasn’t anything easy about Ethan. And this was
probably too good to last.

For
now though, he’d take what he could get.

♂♂

So
it would seem that Beau wasn’t the only one experiencing firsts these days.

Ethan
had never held a man’s hand like this when they weren’t intimately joined in
other ways. He’d never taken a road trip with a lover, never cared to spend
this much time alone with one guy in particular. There was just something about
Beau that felt… right. Like this was meant to be.

Was
he going crazy? Maybe. Was he being stupid with his decisions? Probably.

He
seemed to be led by his emotions, not his dick at the moment, and for Ethan,
that was a drastic change. No intimacy had always been his motto. He didn’t
invite lovers to stay over, he didn’t stay over anywhere else. It wasn’t that
he had many lovers because safety had always been his top priority, but the few
he’d had didn’t hold a candle to what he was feeling when he was with Beau.

As
he watched the scenery fly by at seventy miles an hour, Ethan tried to remember
the first time he noticed Beau. Had to have been shortly after Zane and V got
together.

Zane
and Beau had always been close, the two of them spending most of their time
together. For as long as he could remember, Beau had been a permanent fixture
at his parents’ house. Since they were young even. He remembered Beau played
football because they were always going to the football games to watch Zane,
and sure enough, the star quarterback of the football team was none other than
Beau Bennett.

Ethan
smiled at the memory. He was only a couple of years older than Beau, had
graduated two years before him. And he remembered like it was yesterday when
Beau had injured his throwing arm during his senior year. It had been headline
news in their small town.

It
had also been when Beau started spending even more time at their house.

“Tell
me about your parents,” Ethan said, glancing over at Beau.

“What?”

It
was clear he’d surprised Beau with his request, but he wondered whether Beau
needed him to repeat himself or if he was stalling.

“Tell
me about your parents,” he repeated more slowly.

“Nothing
to tell.” Beau’s usual easiness was buried beneath something that sounded a lot
like bitterness.

“Sure
there is.” He knew he was being pushy, but Ethan figured if he was gearing up
to spill his guts, it was only fair that he get some of the difficult answers
out of Beau. Clearly, talking about his family was a touchy subject.

“They’re
still in Coyote Ridge?”

“Yeah.”

“Do
you see them often?”

“No.”

Ok,
so Ethan was going to have to change his strategy if Beau was going to respond
with one word each time. He was getting nowhere. Figuring Beau would eventually
break, Ethan stopped questioning him, but he brushed his thumb over the back of
Beau’s hand softly. He originally started to offer Beau comfort, hoping he’d
open up, but Ethan soon found his body heating up as he enjoyed the rush that
filled him just from the touch.

Beau
squeezed his hand, hard. As though he could read Ethan’s mind. He hated that
the damned console was in the way. He was feeling a little reckless at the
moment, and the idea of leaning over and freeing Beau’s beautiful cock was
almost too tempting to resist.

“Don’t
even think about it,” Beau growled, his hand tightening even more.

“Don’t
think about what?” he asked, trying to sound innocent.

“Whatever
it is you’re thinking about.”

Ethan
laughed. “You don’t have a clue what I’m thinking.”

“You’re
right, I don’t. But I know exactly what I
hope
you’re thinking about.”

Ethan’s
head snapped as he stared at Beau, his breaths coming in short and clipped. Was
it warming up inside the truck? Yeah, it certainly was, and it had nothing to
do with the heater.

“What
were you hoping I’d do?”

Beau
was silent for a moment, and Ethan figured he wouldn’t respond so he turned
back to admire the scenery. He noticed they were on a long stretch of highway
with nothing in front of them or behind. Not a store, not a car. Nothing but
trees for what looked like miles.

“I
want you to touch me,” Beau said gruffly, pulling Ethan’s attention back to
him.

Ethan’s
stomach muscles tightened, and his cock swelled. He had to shift in his seat to
get comfortable, his zipper threatening to strangle his dick if he didn’t.

“Touch
you how?” Ethan asked, inserting a fair amount of authority in his request. He
wasn’t going to let Beau dominate him right now. He was all for a power play,
but he was going to push Beau this time.

Beau
pulled his hand to his lap, effectively relocating Ethan’s since their fingers
were still linked. “Touch me.”

“Here?”
he asked, rubbing the back of his knuckles over the hard ridge in Beau’s jeans.

“Fuck
yeah,” Beau moaned.

Ethan
released Beau’s hand, lifted the intruding console out of the way and then
leaned over a little more, giving him perfect access to the buckle on Beau’s
belt and the button on his jeans.

“Pay
attention to the road,” Ethan demanded when Beau’s gaze tilted down to his lap.

Beau
nodded and Ethan continued, unhooking the button and slowly lowering the zipper
before slipping his hand into Beau’s boxers and squeezing his cock.

“Fuck,”
Beau moaned.

“Is
that what you wanted? You wanted me to stroke you while you drive?”

“I
hadn’t thought that far,” Beau admitted, his breaths choppy and uneven.

“No?
Think you can drive while I jack you off?”

“Fuck
no,” Beau growled, both of his hands now on the steering wheel, his knuckles
white from how hard he was gripping it.

“Let’s
see how much you can take.”

Ethan
eased his hands lower, freeing Beau’s big, beautiful cock from his jeans as he
began to slowly stroke him. He was intensely focused on where his hand gripped
him, hoping like hell Beau was paying attention to the road because he was too
entranced by what he was doing to assist.

“Nice,”
he said as he used his thumb to caress the glistening drop that beaded on the
top. Beau swallowed hard, but he didn’t try to stop Ethan. “Have I mentioned
how much I like your cock?”

“No,
you haven’t,” Beau said, his words strangled as he kept his eyes on the road.

“Fucking
beautiful. And when you were fucking my ass…” Ethan let the statement hang,
allowing Beau the opportunity to fill in the blanks.

“Ethan.”
His name passed Beau’s lips as a warning, but Ethan didn’t care. He was
enjoying himself. This man, the one who always seemed in total control was
entirely at his mercy as he jacked his cock right there in the cab of his
truck.

“That
first night we were in here, I wanted you to fuck me,” Ethan admitted. “When
you dropped me off at my house, I ended up jacking off as I thought about you.
I imagined you sucking my dick into your mouth…”
Shit.
Ethan was getting
his own self worked up at this point.

“Continue,”
Beau said forcefully.

“But
what I imagined was nothing compared to when I had your mouth on me.” Ethan
glanced up to see Beau’s tongue darting out, sliding over his bottom lip.

Ethan’s
dick twitched.

“I
want you to suck my dick again, Beau,” Ethan told him as he gripped Beau’s cock
firmly, feeling the pulse just beneath the darkened skin. Beau was certainly
enjoying this.

Then
again, Ethan was too. Probably a little too much.

♂♂

 Beau
was seconds away from exploding and the only thing stopping him was his
attention to the road in front of him. They were doing seventy, and the last
thing he needed was to lose his shit right there in his truck.

He
knew Ethan was doing it on purpose, trying to drive him fucking crazy. And it
was working like a dream.

He
was trying to hold out, but his balls had drawn up and he feared that he’d go
off at any moment. The thought of sucking Ethan’s dick and feeling Ethan’s
mouth on him at the same time was almost too much.

“Stop,”
he groaned, reaching down and grabbing Ethan’s wrist to halt his movements.
“Twenty more minutes and we’ll be there. At that point, you’ll be lucky if I
get you to the hotel room before I have my dick down your throat.”

Ethan’s
sharp inhale was music to his ears. He loved that he could shock him. That he
could give back equally. And he wasn’t lying either. If Ethan wasn’t careful,
Beau would have him on his knees in the elevator before they even got to their
room.

When
Ethan released him, Beau got himself situated, refastening his jeans in a
hurry. They’d be encountering heavy traffic any minute now, and the last thing
he needed was for someone to call the cops because his dick was hanging out.
Not that anyone other than the eighteen wheelers could see in since his truck
had a six inch lift that put him higher than most other vehicles.

Still,
he wasn’t willing to risk it.

Half
an hour later, Beau was pulling into the parking garage of the hotel. He had
managed to get his dick under control, but he didn’t know how long that would
last. Especially considering Ethan had actually held his hand until they pulled
into the hotel. His fingers tingled from the warmth that still lingered, and he
immediately wished he could join their fingers again.

Rather
than dwell on what he couldn’t have, he climbed out of the truck and grabbed the
two bags that were in the backseat. When Ethan came around, he tossed his over,
and the two of them headed into the hotel together.

Beau
had made reservations earlier in his name, and he wasn’t surprised when Ethan
made himself scarce while he checked in. Once he had the room key in hand, he
headed to the elevator, and Ethan materialized beside him moments later.

Once
they were inside the elevator, Beau did as he had promised. He shoved Ethan up
against the wall, but instead of pushing his dick down his throat, Beau used
his tongue. He didn’t give a fuck if there were cameras watching their every
move, he couldn’t keep his hands off of the man.

Ethan’s
persistent grip on his waist spurred him on, and the only reason he stopped was
because they reached their floor.

The
hotel was nice, elegant, but not to uppity. The hallways were dark, the carpet
freshly vacuumed, and it smelled like flower scented air freshener. He found
their room and abruptly swiped the key card through the reader and pushed open
the door.

Once
inside, Beau dropped his bag and filled his hands with hot, delicious male. As
he backed Ethan up against the door, he resumed his position at his mouth,
devouring him and making up for the last three hours of lost time.

“In
a hurry?” Ethan asked, kissing him back and working his hands up underneath
Beau’s shirt.

“Yes,”
he answered, nipping Ethan’s bottom lip.

Ethan
pulled back slightly, lifting Beau’s shirt up and off. Beau returned the favor,
discarding Ethan’s shirt somewhere across the room before pressing against him,
skin to skin. He groaned, unable to help himself. He loved the feel of Ethan
beneath him, the heat of his skin warming him from head to toe.

Ethan
somehow managed to flip their positions until Beau was backed up against the door,
but their mouths remained fused together, tongues dueling, hands groping.

“E,”
Beau warned, unsure how much of this he could actually handle before his brain
blew out through the top of his head. He was that worked up, his dick like a
steel beam behind his zipper.

“I’ve
got you,” Ethan said softly, his sexy voice thundering beneath his skin.

Beau
wrapped his arms around Ethan, both of them holding one another as close as
they could get as they moved across the small room toward the bed. Ethan pulled
away and in a tangle of arms and legs, they managed to rid themselves of their
remaining clothes before landing in a heap on the spacious king-sized bed
together.

Soaking
Ethan’s warmth into his fingertips, Beau roamed his body with his hands,
feeling the well-defined muscles beneath his taut, smooth skin, wondering if
he’d ever get enough of this man. Their movements were hurried, like they’d
been apart for days and not just confined to a small space which had restricted
their movements for the last three hours.

Ethan
chuckled and then moved off of the bed, leaving Beau staring after him,
confusion taking over. That was until Ethan made his way around the bed to
where Beau’s head was resting on the edge of the mattress. Before Ethan could
do what he probably had in mind, Beau pushed himself so that his head hung over
the edge, and he grabbed Ethan’s cock and fed it directly into his mouth.

“Sonuvabitch,”
Ethan groaned, his hands clamping down on Beau’s chest, his fingers digging
into the muscle. “Oh, fuck yes. Suck me.”