Rhythm of Us: Book 2 Of The Fated Hearts Series (23 page)

“Chase came into my life when we were both three years old,” Xavier said to begin his toast to the happy couple. “I knew the moment that we met that he would become my best friend, but never could I have guessed that in a few short years he’d also become my brother and the greatest gift God ever gave to me.” Xavier’s voice wobbled a bit and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I met Grayson during one of the most difficult times in my life and he showed his amazing character right from the start. Once again, God blessed me with another of his gifts. Having known Chase my entire life, I saw the intense connection between him and Gray immediately and knew that these two men were fated to be together. They complement one another perfectly - each man bringing out the best in the other.” Xavier raised his glass of water and turned to address the grooms. “Chase and Gray, you give me hope for things I never knew I wanted. May all your days be filled with love, laughter, and happily-ever-after.”

We all took a drink in toast to the happy couple and then Preston stood up to give his toast, wiping moisture away from his eyes. “Well, I’m not sure how the hell I’m going to follow that up, but I’ll give it my best shot.” Preston waited for the laughter to fade before he continued. “Mom and dad brought home a squalling bundle of bratty joy when I was a little over three years old. I wanted to resent the interloper, but quickly fell in love with his smiles and giggles. Over the years, Gray became more than just a brother; he became my best friend and confidante. He stood by my side during all the good times and bad times, never wavering in his love and support. It took me a while to notice that my laughing, carefree brother had changed, though. There wasn’t as much smiling and laughing, and at times I worried I’d never see that brother and best friend again, but then Chase came along. Chase, you gave me back my happy brother and I can’t thank you enough.” Preston raised his glass high and said, “Here’s to a long life of smiles and laughter. Congratulations!”

I couldn’t be sure which one of my lady friends cried the most during the toasts given by the best men. It appeared to be a three way tie between Gram, Ava, and Ellie; however, my co-workers from Wright Creations, Kayla and Carman, weren’t too far behind. I even caught myself misting up a time or two during the heartfelt tributes.

Dinner was consumed, more toasts were given, and it was time for the grooms to take center stage on the dance floor. I watched as Xavier took off his tuxedo jacket and draped it over the back of his chair before he made his way to the stage. I was mesmerized by the confident way he picked up his guitar and approached the microphone.

“I asked Chase if he would let me choose the song to sing for their first dance and he graciously agreed. There is one song that so accurately tells the tale of two lovers traveling down a broken road until they find one another and that is ‘Bless the Broken Road’ by Rascal Flats.”

Xavier began to play the intro on his acoustic guitar so beautifully that I nearly forgot to watch Chase and Gray come together on the floor, but the oohs and ahhs pulled me away from Xavier. The love they felt for each other had never been more evident than when they danced closely together while Xavier sang to them. Their foreheads were pressed together, their eyes were locked on one another, and they wore matching smiles. It was a beautiful moment and I felt lucky to be a part of it.

Once their song ended, the DJ played an upbeat song to get everyone out there on the dance floor, including Gram and her boyfriend, Lennie. Xavier came down off the stage and crooked his finger at me.
Uh oh!
I thought he had wanted me to slow dance with him, not fast dance. I was clumsy at best during a slow dance, but was I total cluster fuck at fast dancing. I was a jerking and twisting hot mess who couldn’t keep rhythm, but that didn’t stop me from going to him.

“I can’t dance,” I warned him when we met on the floor.

“Only because you haven’t had the proper instruction.” Xavier turned so that his back was to my chest. I automatically wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him close so that we were perfectly aligned, his ass pressed snuggly against my package. “Relax and follow my lead.”

Xavier began to move his body fluidly with the beat, becoming one with the music. I did just what Xavier said and allowed myself to relax, letting him guide me. There were some awkward moments at first where it looked like my hips where chasing his ass. Once I got the hang of the movement, Xavier spun out of my arms and faced me so we could dance while looking at each other. He was so gorgeous that I lost my rhythm at first, but quickly caught on.

On and on we danced, one song right after the next until we stopped to get a cold drink. We headed to the bar where Xavier ordered a Sprite. I debated on what to order, because I wasn’t sure how Xavier felt about kissing a man with alcohol on his breath and tongue. I planned on doing a hell of a lot of kissing and I didn’t want it to be a problem or unwanted temptation he didn’t need.

“You can order a drink if you want.” Xavier clearly misread the hesitation in my eyes. “It honestly won’t bother me, Ben.”

“I’ll have what he’s having,” I told the bartender. Xavier looked skeptical so I leaned in close to his ear so that only he would hear my words. “I have a feeling that you’ll be a much better buzz than I can get from alcohol.” I could tell by his expression that he thought I was being corny, but I knew the words to be the absolute truth. I downed my drink and set the empty cup on the bar. Xavier sipped his at a slower pace until I took it from him and set it on the bar when a slow song came on. “I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you texted me.”

We hit the floor just as Ed Sheeran began to sing the first words to “Thinking Out Loud.” Slow dancing with Xavier was like making love with our clothes on. I couldn’t get close enough to him to suit me. My body literally twitched and tingled with the desire to feel his naked body against mine once more. My skin burned with awareness where his hands touched my body. I lost track of time and everything around me. My one and only focus was on the man in my arms and how he made me feel.

“You chose the perfect song for Chase and Gray’s first dance and performed it beautifully.” Xavier shivered when my lips touched his ear, telling me that he was feeling the same insane chemistry between us. “Your speech was beautiful also.” I didn’t tell him that I wanted to be the one to bring that kind of happiness to his life. It scared me when the thought crossed my mind during his speech and neither one of us were ready for that kind of declaration.

“Thank you, Ben.” His eyes told me he was ready to go, so when the song was over we tried to leave as discreetly as possible. We failed miserably.

No sex in my bed,
was the text I received from Chase when I climbed into my car.

Eww, as if,
was my reply to him.

Practice safe sex,
was the first text I received from Gray.
Oh, and shut the bedroom door unless you don’t mind a voyeuristic cat,
was the second.

Good to know,
I replied to Gray.

MY THOUGHTS WERE
all over the place as I followed Xavier to the Wright’s home.
Did he want me to stay the night with him or leave after we were finished? Did this change the dynamic between us or was I still willing to just follow his lead?
I felt like a fish out of water and it wasn’t a comfortable feeling, but any discomfort was worth the sacrifice when Xavier was the prize.

I pulled up beside him in the driveway and cut the engine to my car. I got out when he did and followed him up the landscaped pathway to the front door. I refrained from touching him like I craved to do as he unlocked the front door. Xavier tossed his keys on the table by the front door then turned to look at me.

“I’ve thought of nothing else but how you’d feel inside me since the night of the softball game. I don’t know what’s going on here, Ben, and I am making you zero promises, except that I want to be with you. I want to taste you, feel you, and learn every inch of you. That’s the only promise I can make you right this minute. Are you okay with that?” Xavier pressed his body to mine, which made it nearly impossible to think.

I forced my brain to absorb his words, mull them around, and really let them sink in. My body wanted him beyond anything I had ever felt before, but there was a part of me that screamed at me to walk away from him. Could I casually walk away from this man after being inside him or would it completely wreck me? I guessed that I would be finding out what my limits were, because saying no to Xavier wasn’t something I was willing to do.

“No promises.” I recited his words back to him and then lowered my head to capture his lips in a slow, seductive kiss. This was my night to have him and I wasn’t about to rush it.

I walked him backwards towards the staircase while I made love to his mouth; there was no part of his mouth that went untouched by my tongue. Xavier began to walk backwards up the stairs, seeming to be as unwilling to break our kiss as I was. We were almost to the top of the stairs when something crashed hard into the back of Xavier’s legs. Xavier was mid-step so the momentum took us backwards with his magnificent ass landing on the step and my bodyweight pressing down on him.

I leaned back to make sure he wasn’t hurt, but he pulled my head back down to resume our kiss. Xavier tangled his hands in my hair and wrapped his legs around my waist, bringing our erections in contact with each other. I could feel his intense heat through our layers of clothes and couldn’t wait to feel the heat of his skin again without any barriers.

I began to gently thrust my hips into the V-shape space between his legs. I urged my body to go slow, to savor the moment and not crush him beneath my considerable weight. I braced myself on my elbows above him to try and keep the majority of my weight off of him. Xavier’s hands slid from my hair to my shoulders where he tried pulling me down on top of him. I was reluctant to pull away from him, but I wasn’t willing to have sex with him on the steps.

“Bed.” My voice sounded as desperate as I felt. I pushed up off of him and held my hand out to help him up. “Lead the way,” I told him when he was standing upright in front of me.

Xavier hit the light switch on the wall in the guestroom and then dimmed the lights. I wanted to tear his clothes off, but instead chose to unwrap him slowly so I could relish the moment. I kissed the skin I uncovered and inhaled the smell of him. Xavier followed my lead for once and stripped me out of my clothes just as slowly. The gentle kisses he placed on my skin had me clenching my fists to prevent myself from going all caveman on him and throwing him to the bed. I hoped that I’d have the opportunity to go caveman on him, but that night wasn’t the right time.

Once we were completely nude, I laid him down on the bed and proceeded to introduce myself to his gorgeous body. I worshiped his soft skin with my mouth and tongue, lingering on his flat, dark nipples as I moved down his chest. He had removed the nipple piercings and I missed them. I let my tongue trace the line that bisected his abdominal muscles and then his treble clef tattoo. Xavier jumped a little when I swirled my tongue inside his navel making me chuckle. I nipped and sucked my way down to the trim patch of hair at the base of his erection. I remembered perfectly how it felt to have these hairs tickle my nose while his dick pulsed and released in my throat.