The Lonely Heart (17 page)

Isaiah ignored him. The attempt to escape was half-hearted, at best. If Grady really wanted loose, Isaiah would have let him go. But right now, Isaiah didn’t think Grady really knew what he wanted. Isaiah did, though, and he was going to give it to him.

Isaiah threaded his fingers through Grady’s thick hair and tugged his head to the side, deepening the angle of the kiss. After several endless, agonising seconds, Grady responded, tentatively at first, then with growing confidence. Isaiah pushed for entrance and Grady opened his mouth enough for Isaiah to gain entrance. With that little concession, Grady www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 108

yielded. His whole body sagged, leaning heavily into Isaiah’s. Grady wrapped his large hands around Isaiah, moving them up his back. Still, the touch was light, as if Grady expected to be pushed away any second.

Not going to happen. Isaiah fell into the most stirring kiss he’d ever been a part of. His cock was hard, arousal raging through his body, but it was a distant feeling. He was too busy savouring the feel of Grady in his arms, the connection between them as their lips moved and parted, hands teased and touched. Yeah, he wanted to throw Grady down and fuck him until they both passed out, but he would be just as content to sit there for the next week, losing himself in the kisses and caresses.

“Dillon,” he moaned.

His lover pulled back in surprise. “What?”

Isaiah smiled, hand reaching out. He traced the familiar features with his fingers, running his thumb over swollen lips. “My Dillon,” he said.

“You’ve never called me that before,” Grady said softly. Honest to God, his smile was shy. Isaiah had never seen quite that emotion on his Grady. But it fit, the slightly flushed cheeks and the soft eyes looking far more natural on the man than that harsh, remote expression ever had.

Isaiah shrugged, knowing his smile was a little sad now, a little regretful. “I should have. You use ‘Grady’ like a shield to keep people at a distance, keep them from getting too close. But I won’t let it work with me. Not anymore. You’re my Dillon and have been for a very long time.”

Grady tried to pull back. Isaiah tightened his grip and shook his head.

“Uh uh. Where do you think you’re going?”

“I don’t understand this. Any of it. What are we doing?”

“What we’ve both wanted for years.”

“I’ve never… I mean, you never showed any interest. This is all really sudden and I just don’t understand.”

Isaiah sighed. Okay, so Grady was going to be stubborn again. Best to get it all out now.

The man wouldn’t enjoy the kisses—or anything further—until they finished talking.

“You’re my boss,” Isaiah pointed out. “And you keep everybody at a distance. When you interviewed me all those years ago I thought, no way in hell can I work for this man. I’ll be walking around with a perpetual hard-on and I’ll never be able to resist taking him to bed.

www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 109

But I took the job anyway and in less than a week you’d earned my respect and admiration. I couldn’t treat you like all the other guys I took to bed and fucked. I respected you far too much for that. So I pushed any attraction aside, especially as you didn’t seem to reciprocate.”

“I’ve always wanted you,” Grady admitted. “But you never showed any interest, either.”

“Poor Dillon,” Isaiah teased gently, rubbing at the deep lines of confusion in Grady’s forehead. “You’ve gotten so good at hiding from everyone, even yourself. I owe Josh.”

“Josh?”

“You softened after he came. And watching you with Josh…you looked at me the same way, did you know? Like my presence makes your world a little brighter place.”

“That’s nonsense,” Grady protested. “My feelings for Josh aren’t remotely like what I…feel for you.”

“I know that.” Isaiah resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “But the depth of caring is there for both of us. And seeing that, it made all those feelings I’d buried—but had never forgotten—surface. I want more from you. A lot more. So stop fighting and let me take you to bed.”

Grady reared back. “What?”

“You’re over-thinking this,” Isaiah said. “Tommy can keep Josh occupied. Come inside with me. Let me show you that I’m not just fooling around. Let me show you what it can be like between us.”

Grady took a deep breath, uncertainty flickering in his hazel eyes. “All right.”

Isaiah had never heard two words that meant more in his life.

Grady followed Isaiah to the house, clinging tightly to his hand. This was a stupid idea, he berated himself. So stupid. They’d go upstairs and the sex would be the most fantastic in his life. Then Isaiah would come to his senses and leave and take Josh with him and where would Grady be?

But Isaiah had called him Dillon, another part of him argued. Isaiah had kissed him.

Was even now still holding his hand as they crossed the yard, in full view of everyone.

“Stop fretting,” Isaiah scolded gently. “And don’t you dare talk yourself out of this.”

www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 110

Grady’s grip on Isaiah tightened involuntarily. Talk himself out of it? No, no chance of that. He’d been waiting too long to have Isaiah. He wasn’t going to back out now, no matter what might happen later.

“And now you’re thinking too much.”

Grady could almost hear the eye-roll in Isaiah’s words as they went into the house.

“Sorry,” Grady replied. “I can’t help it.”

“Well, maybe you can’t, but I’m betting I can.” Isaiah stopped them in their journey, pushing Grady up against the wall of the hallway and leaning in close, so very close. “I bet I can make you stop thinking entirely.”

Grady moaned at the lean body pressing so tightly against his. “I know you can.”

“So, less talk, more do. I’ve been waiting a hell of a long time for this and I’m through being patient.”

Grady could get on board with that. They stepped into Grady’s bedroom and Grady practically tackled Isaiah, sending them both tumbling onto the mattress. Isaiah’s laugh rumbled through the room, the sensation sending a little thrill through Grady.

“Now who’s impatient?”

“That would be me.” Grady leaned over Isaiah, burying his nose in the crook of Isaiah’s neck and inhaling deeply. Damn, but the man smelt good.

“I have to smell like crap,” Isaiah grumbled. Grady thought it was damn cute, the slight tinge of red in the man’s cheeks. “I’ve been rolling around in an alley and dumped on my ass twice today.”

“You smell fantastic,” Grady assured him with complete honesty. “Like you.”

“And how does ‘me’ smell?” Isaiah teased.

“Familiar and arousing and…just amazing.”

“Mmm. Good answer.”

Isaiah rolled them until they lay side by side, pressed together from shoulder to ankle.

Isaiah buried his hands in Grady’s hair. He tilted Grady’s head to one side and moved in.

Grady melted under the kiss, muscles losing all their power under the touch he’d waited so long for. Isaiah’s lips moved skilfully, teasing and seductive. His tongue sought entrance and Grady granted it eagerly. He sucked Isaiah’s tongue into his mouth, a shiver racking his spine when Isaiah caressed the bumpy roof of his mouth.

www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 111

“We could go take a shower,” Isaiah murmured, lips lifting and pressing between words. “Together, of course.”

“Later.” Oh, yeah. Isaiah and water and soap, all slippery and gleaming. Hell yes, they would most definitely get to that later.

Grady slid his hands up under Isaiah’s shirt, hands clutching at thick, well-defined muscles as Isaiah moved in for another kiss, each one hotter and more urgent than the one before. Grady groaned, wrapping one leg around Isaiah’s thigh. His cock pressed against the zipper of his jeans, causing a sweet ache. Not enough to demand release, not quite yet, but more than enough to keep him strung out, on edge, and wanting more. Much more. Namely, everything Isaiah had to give him. And even that might not be enough in the end.

And he was trying to over think it again. Isaiah nipped him on the collarbone, the sting sharp even through fabric.

“Focus.” Isaiah rose up onto one forearm. He slid the other hand along Grady’s stomach and down to the bulge at his groin. Isaiah cupped him, squeezing with just enough force to wring a pleading moan from Grady.

“There it is,” Isaiah said with a satisfied smile.

Two could play at that game. Grady bucked up and their hips mashed together. His aim was true as his trapped dick bumped into a counterpart in Isaiah’s jeans.

“Oh, damn, babe,” Isaiah gasped. “I think I need skin. Thirty seconds ago.”

Their earlier exploration had been almost lazy, both of them savouring their long-delayed pairing. That feeling vanished in a swift blaze as urgency began to build in its place.

Grady shoved Isaiah back and sat, ripping off his own shirt, vaguely conscious of Isaiah stripping near him. Grady’s hands were on the button of his jeans when he looked up. His fingers forgot how to work as he stared at Isaiah with an open mouth. There was quite possibly some drool involved, as well. Damn. Just…damn.

Grady had seen Isaiah’s body before. You couldn’t work on a ranch and not end up catching at least a few glimpses of chest, if not more. But he didn’t remember Isaiah looking quite so edible. His body was lean, almost skinny next to Grady’s far more considerable bulk.

But what he lacked in size he more than made up for with the sculpted cut of his slender muscles. The fuzz on his chest and stomach was darker than his hair, and far more plentiful than Grady would have expected, particularly around his groin. Like the rest of Isaiah, his www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 112

cock was long and thin, hard and just begging to be touched. Grady took his hands away from the fastening of Isaiah’s jeans to tunnel them through the wiry curls.

“Damn, you’re something.” Grady had to swallow before his voice would work properly. Even then, it was hoarse and low.

“I’d like to be able to say the same thing about you, but you’re still wearing too many clothes.”

Oh. So he was. Unfortunately, Grady couldn’t seem to make himself stop touching his lover long enough to remedy the situation. Isaiah laughed and took care of the problem for him.

Grady’s jeans hit the floor with a thump. Isaiah landed against him a moment later with about the same sound. Grady hummed happily at the feeling of that coarse hair rubbing against his chest. Isaiah nipped and licked at Grady’s collarbone, the stubble from his five o’clock shadow scraping up the nerve endings in his skin, leaving a lovely tingle everywhere that Isaiah visited.

Grady reached around and cupped Isaiah’s tight ass, squeezing and kneading, even going so far as to run his fingers up and down the crease. Isaiah moaned and arched into the touch.

“More, babe. Damn, that feels good.”

It did. Very, very good.

They dropped back onto the bed, Grady on the bottom. Didn’t matter either way—he was an equal-opportunity switch. Top, bottom or—on one memorable occasion—middle, didn’t matter in the slightest. Grady just wanted something. The kisses and touches were marvellous, but they weren’t nearly enough anymore.

Grady pulled away from devouring Isaiah’s mouth again. “Lube,” he gasped. “In the drawer. I need you, now.”

“Good,” Isaiah panted back. “’Cause I need you, too.”

Grady suppressed an extremely unmanly whimper when Isaiah pulled away. Hell, even their skin tried to hold them together, gathering sweat making their flesh stick slightly Isaiah braced himself on his knees and leaned over to rummage through the drawer.

“Oh, shit!”

Isaiah overbalanced and crashed to one side, squashing Grady’s legs beneath him.

Grady cracked up, laughing so hard his eyes blurred.

www.total-e-bound.com

THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 113

“Careful,” he cautioned, sitting up. He grabbed Isaiah’s hip to steady the man from tumbling further. His hand went wandering, though, and somehow ended up wrapped around the base of Isaiah’s cock. “I’d hate for you to damage this before I get to use it,” he teased, giving Isaiah a squeeze.

“Cut it out.” Isaiah’s grumble wasn’t really meant, though. A minute later he sat up fully, brandishing a condom and a nearly unused tube of lube with pride. “Hah! Got it.”

All laughter drained away when Isaiah moved again, pinning Grady to the mattress.

“You sure about this?” Isaiah asked seriously. “Because once I start, I’m not going to stop, and I’m damn sure not going to want to give you up. So if this is just a one-time thing for you, tell me now.”

Grady’s mouth went dry. He licked his lips, panic beginning to rise in him. But in the end, there was really only one answer he could give Isaiah.

When words wouldn’t come, Grady just nodded his head against the pillow.

Isaiah muttered a low, “Thank God.” He settled himself more securely between Grady’s legs and dipped down for another kiss. Grady let his hands go wandering again, up over Isaiah’s chiselled abs to seek out the hard nipples. He stroked with his thumbs and was rewarded by a deep groan and another kiss.

“Lift up, babe,” Isaiah urged. Grady obeyed, shifting his weight and spreading his legs.

Isaiah groaned again.

“Look at that,” he murmured. He wrapped one hand around Grady’s thigh to hold him steady while tracing an exploratory circle around his ass hole with the other. Grady couldn’t prevent the involuntary squeeze when the tip of Isaiah’s finger penetrated the tight ring of muscle.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

“I can tell,” Isaiah replied distractedly. “I’ll go slow.”

“Not too slow.”

Isaiah’s smile was wicked and hinted at all kinds of spine-tingling delights. “No, not too slow,” he promised.