Fortune's Slings and Cupid's Arrows Read online

  He wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the man he loved.

  With Cal Monroe.

  Chapter Seven

  IF ANYONE who knew him could see him, Cal was certain they’d think he’d lost his mind.

  He sat in his darkened condo, staring out of the broad windows that provided a stunning panorama of the city lights, but he wasn’t admiring the view. All his attention was focused inward, on the tight knot of pain in his chest, a deep, empty ache he had the feeling was going to be with him for the rest of his life.

  It was well past six, but he’d started drinking hours before. It had seemed like the only way he could distract himself from thinking about Dane and the fact that he’d lost the only man he’d ever loved. No doubt by now Dane and Portia were dancing, accepting the congratulations of their guests while Randolph Coulter watched over the proceedings, smug in the knowledge that Dane was firmly under his thumb and likely to stay that way. But the alcohol wasn’t numbing him the way he’d hoped, and as the clock chimed eight times he tossed back the contents of his glass, then resisted the urge to throw it against a wall. Instead he placed it carefully on the coffee table.

  He felt like he ought to do something, but he couldn’t think of a single thing that would make anything better. He was a man of action, who dealt with his frustrations by throwing himself into his work or running for miles, but for the first time it all seemed completely pointless. Nothing he could do would help to fill the Dane-sized hole in his heart.

  There was a knock at his door, and Cal frowned. He wasn’t interested in seeing anyone, especially not a neighbor who wanted to borrow something or ask if Cal’s cable was out or report that there’d been a mugging in front of the building. He’d been ignoring his phone all day, something he never did, but he simply couldn’t summon up the ability to care about work. For this one day, the world could go to hell, while Cal mourned for what he could never have.

  After a few moments of silence, the knock came again, stronger and more urgent. Still Cal didn’t move. Whoever it was would go away eventually. Moments later, however, the door opened, and he heard something that sounded like wheels rolling on the floor of his foyer. A dark figure appeared in the entrance to the living room, and the lights flicked on—revealing Dane standing there. Cal had given him a key months ago in case he ever needed a safe place to hole up away from Randolph, so he must have let himself in.

  Cal stared, unable to process the sight of Dane in his condo. He rose to his feet, wondering if he was drunk after all, but Dane was real—solid and real and as heartbreakingly handsome as ever. He was dressed in a tuxedo that looked a bit worse for wear, and he looked as surprised as Cal felt.

  “Dane? What’s going on?”

  “You’re here!” Dane released the handle of the large suitcase he was pulling and practically bounded over to Cal. He flung his arms around Cal’s shoulders and clung to him tightly. “I did it, Cal. I really did it.”

  “What?” Cal wrapped his arms around Dane in return, but for a smart man, he was having a hard time processing what was happening. “What did you do?”

  Dane looked up, and a wide, genuine smile slowly bloomed, erasing the perpetual lines of tension on his face. “I called off the engagement,” he said. “I outed myself to the whole party.”

  Cal blinked in astonishment. “You did? My God, Dane. Are you serious?”

  “Yes!” Dane’s brown eyes were alight with happiness for the first time Cal could remember. “I’m serious! I really did it. I’m free.”

  Cal had always thought Dane was handsome, but now he was almost glowing, and Cal’s breath caught in his throat. He tightened his arms, feeling his eyes sting as he smiled back. “I’m glad,” he said, his voice husky. “I’m happy for you. You deserve to be free.”

  “It’s scary,” Dane admitted, his smile turning wry. “But it feels good too, especially since it means I can celebrate Valentine’s Day with the one I really want to celebrate with.”

  “Oh?” Cal tamped down a flare of hope; it wasn’t good to make assumptions, especially when it came to Dane. “And who is that?”

  “You. I want you to be my valentine because I love you.” Dane tightened his grip on Cal’s arms as a peal of joyous laughter escaped him. “Oh my God, I can say that now! I love you!”

  For a long moment Cal could only stare at Dane, almost afraid to believe that Dane was actually saying the words he had longed to hear. Then he smiled, feeling as though everything in the world had suddenly become good and right. “I love you too,” he said huskily, then bent his head and claimed Dane’s lips with his.

  Dane parted his lips eagerly as he slid his arms around Cal’s neck and pressed closer. Cal took the implied invitation, deepening the kiss, exploring Dane’s mouth as he’d always longed to do. Warmth spread through him, replacing the chill of despair. Dane clung to Cal as he surrendered to the kiss, a happy moan rising in his throat. He was warm, solid, and real in Cal’s arms—and so very willing.

  Cal drew back so he could press kisses to Dane’s cheeks and forehead. “I’m almost afraid this is a dream,” he said, drawing in a shuddering breath. “I was certain I’d lost you for good. You’re sure of this? You’re sure that I’m the one you want, and that I’m worth everything you’re giving up?”

  “A narcissist father who doesn’t see me as a real person but as an extension of himself? A job at a firm whose ethics I hate? An apartment that has never felt like home?” Dane drew back and fixed Cal with a sardonic look. “Is that the everything I’m giving up you’re referring to?”

  Smiling wryly, Cal shook his head. “Not really. I was thinking more of your mother. You were so worried about leaving her alone.”

  “I found out she’s still in touch with my sisters, and she promised she’d stay in touch with me.” Dane smiled, and it was the most open, relaxed expression Cal had ever seen on his face in the years they’d known each other. “I haven’t lost what really matters, and I’ll gain so much more. Yes, you’re the man I want, and yes, you’re worth it.” With that, he captured Cal’s face in his hands and drew Cal into another lingering kiss.

  Reassured, Cal pulled Dane closer as he returned the kiss, sliding his hands down Dane’s back to his hips. He gave a low growl, deepening the kiss, letting the desire he’d held in check for so long rise up. Dane was his, and now that he didn’t have to hold back any longer he wanted Dane to know just how much Cal loved and wanted him. A shiver rippled through Dane as he responded to the kiss, and he moaned again, a throaty sound of need this time. It was the sexiest sound Cal had ever heard in his life.

  He pressed his hips into Dane’s as he lifted his head. “I want you so much,” he said, moving his hands to Dane’s ass. “But we’ll go at your pace. I want you to decide what you want and need from me, Dane. You’ve had so many decisions taken out of your hands. I want whatever we do to be your choice.”

  “What I need is for you to be naked so I can touch you and taste you as much as I want,” Dane said, gazing at Cal with molten brown eyes. “What I need is for you to take me to bed so I can finally find out what I’ve been missing all these years.” He rocked his hips, letting Cal feel his growing arousal. “I’m not afraid. I’m not even nervous. I want you to fuck me, and I don’t want to wait a minute longer than I have to.”

  There was no mistaking Dane’s sincerity, and Cal wasn’t noble enough to ask Dane if he was certain. Instead he laughed, feeling a weight lifting from him. He’d gotten used to treating Dane with kid gloves, not wanting to add to the difficulties and demands Dane had coming at him from all sides. But apparently when Dane decided to go all in he really meant it, and Cal was more than happy to give Dane anything he wanted.

  “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get,” Cal replied with a wicked smile. “I’m really nothing but an uncivilized Scotsman deep inside, you know.” With that, he wrapped his arms around Dane’s waist, hoisting Dane up and over his shoulder before turning toward his bedroom.


  Dane let out a startled yelp, but he didn’t protest. Instead, he used his new position to grope Cal’s ass. “I’m ready to be a little uncivilized myself,” he said.

  “Good to know.” Cal crossed the living room, pushing open the door to his bedroom but not bothering with the overhead light. When he reached the bed, he lowered Dane to the floor and straightened before tugging at Dane’s tuxedo jacket. “Off.”

  Dane’s eyes glittered with desire, and he darted his tongue out to wet his parted lips as he shrugged out of the jacket. He tossed it aside and slanted a coy look at Cal. “What next?”

  Instead of answering, Cal tugged Dane’s expensive shirt from his tuxedo pants, then pulled at the front, sending the pearl studs flying. “Stupid formal clothes,” he said, grinning at Dane as he discarded the cuff links. He stripped the shirt down off Dane’s shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, and he made short work of Dane’s sleeveless undershirt.

  He gazed upon Dane’s lightly furred chest, then reached out to circle Dane’s nipples with his thumbs, teasing them into taut peaks. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes!” Dane sucked in a sharp breath at the teasing and arched against Cal’s hands. Cal continued the motion as he bent his head and pressed his lips to the side of Dane’s neck, kissing and nipping his way down to Dane’s shoulder. Dane tilted his head, offering better access, and he grasped Cal’s arms as if he needed to hold on to keep himself steady.

  Cal bit down at the junction of Dane’s neck and shoulder, then lifted his head and grinned at Dane. “I’ll be as rough as you want, but first I want you to give me a safeword, in case it gets to be too much.”

  “Seriously?” Dane’s eyebrows climbed at that. “Do you usually get that rough, Highlander, or are you worried about scaring me?”

  “This is new ground for you,” Cal replied, his expression turning serious. “If things get too intense, I want you to be able to tell me to stop and know that I’ll stop.”

  Dane’s expression softened, and he stroked Cal’s cheek gently. “If you want me to give you a safeword, I will, but I don’t feel like I need it. We aren’t using cuffs and blindfolds. It’s just you and me, and I trust you to stop if I ask you to.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” Cal said. He was touched that Dane trusted him so much. He moved his hands to the front of Dane’s trousers. “So why don’t we get the rest of these clothes off, so I can get to ravishing you?”

  “I like the sound of that.” Dane gave Cal a come-hither smile as he ran his hands up and down Cal’s arms, caressing Cal’s warm skin.

  “Good.” Cal slipped the fastening of Dane’s trousers, then slowly unzipped the fly, letting his fingers brush over the hard bulge of Dane’s cock beneath the fabric. He felt breathless with anticipation, his fingers trembling slightly as he held back the urge to rip the rest of Dane’s clothes off.

  The dark wool fell into a puddle at Dane’s feet, and Cal gave a soft moan as he realized Dane was wearing silk boxers. Black silk boxers, no less, the fabric warm against his palm as Cal cupped his hand over Dane’s erection.

  Dane hissed with pleasure and rocked his hips. “God, I feel like I’m fifteen again, ready to come at the slightest touch.”

  “Well, if you want me to suck you to take the edge off, I can,” Cal said, squeezing gently. “It’s going to take a little preparation before I can fuck you, so you’d have time to recover.”

  Dane’s cock twitched beneath Cal’s hand, and Dane moaned softly. “That might be a good idea. Right now I feel like I could come if you breathed on me the wrong way.”

  Cal chuckled as he pushed Dane back gently, urging him to sit on the edge of the bed. He lowered himself to kneel between Dane’s legs, smoothing his hands over Dane’s thighs and then along the silk still covering his hips. “I’ll take care of you,” he said as he freed Dane’s cock through the opening of the boxers. He wrapped his hand around Dane’s warm, hard length and leaned forward, taking the head between his lips and drawing him in deep.

  Dane cried out and buried his fingers in Cal’s hair, gripping tightly. A bright pink flush of arousal bloomed on his chest and crept up his neck, and he spread his knees wider. “Cal! Oh, God—feels so good!”

  Humming with satisfaction, Cal pulled back, then took Dane in again, the signs of Dane’s pleasure and the sound of his voice heightening Cal’s own arousal. Dane tasted wonderful, salty and musky, and Cal wanted to drive him wild. He drove Dane to the edge, then backed off, wanting to prolong the pleasure as long as he could until Dane was trembling with need. Dane whimpered and flexed his fingers in Cal’s hair.

  “Please, Cal… please….”

  The desperation in Dane’s voice was too much for Cal to resist, and he left off the torment. He could feel the tension in Dane’s body, could feel how close he was, so he relaxed his throat, taking Dane in even deeper. Moments later, Dane let out a wild cry as he came, his body shaking with the force of his release.

  Cal moaned, continuing to suck Dane through his release, not wanting to miss a drop. He slowly sat back, stroking Dane’s thighs and smiling up at him. “Did that help?”

  “Oh yes.” Dane sifted his fingers through Cal’s hair, his smile warm with affection. “It took the edge off and assured me that this was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

  “Good.” Cal leaned into the caress, then took a few moments to remove Dane’s shoes and socks. He rose to his feet, stripping his T-shirt off over his head. “Are you ready for more?”

  Dane flattened his palms against Cal’s stomach and stroked Cal’s bare skin with something akin to reverence. “I’m ready for everything.”

  The caress of Dane’s hands made Cal draw in a breath, his own arousal flaring higher. “You can have anything you want from me. Anything at all,” he murmured huskily. Turning to the bedside table, he opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom, then put them within easy reach. He straightened, smiling down at Dane. “So, do you want to help me with my sweatpants? I don’t have a Valentine’s Day present for you, but if you like my package, you can unwrap it.”

  Dane hooked his fingers in the waistband of Cal’s sweatpants, and he glanced up at Cal with a bashful little smile as he eased the sweatpants down Cal’s narrow hips. “These too?” he asked, tugging at the band of Cal’s black boxer briefs.

  “If you’d like,” Cal replied. He caressed Dane’s cheek, enchanted by Dane’s shyness. “I don’t mind you looking and touching at all, if that’s what you want to do.”

  “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” Dane said as he pushed the boxer briefs down as well. His eyes alight with a mix of fascination and desire, he curled his fingers around Cal’s cock and stroked it slowly.

  The touch of Dane’s hand on his cock made Cal moan. “I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time. I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you. I walked into the courtroom, and there you were, sitting at the plaintiff’s table. It was the first time in my life I couldn’t keep my mind on the case. All I wanted to do was get you alone so I could ask you out.”

  A blush rose on Dane’s cheeks, but he looked pleased by Cal’s admission. “I noticed you that day too,” he said, stroking Cal harder. “If I had any doubts about my sexuality, they were erased by how much I wanted you.” He gave an embarrassed little smile. “I’ve had so many fantasies about you fucking me in a courtroom, mostly involving you bending me over a table.”

  “Really?” Cal chuckled. “Thank God you never told me about that, because I don’t know that I would have been able to resist acting on it. But I could tell you weren’t ready, so I was going slow. Back then you needed me as a friend much more than as a lover.”

  “No, I wasn’t ready to accept you or any other man as a lover.” Dane released Cal’s cock in favor of caressing his narrow hips and firm thighs, and he leaned in to nuzzle his cheek against Cal’s abdomen. “But I’m ready now.”

  “So am I.” Cal stroked Dane’s hair, gently sifting the silken
strands between his fingers. He loved Dane so much, and had waited for so long to be able to do anything about it, that he wanted things to be perfect. This mattered, more than anything else ever had in his life. “I want you to be mine in every way.”

  “I want that too,” Dane said, gazing up at Cal with longing in his eyes. “Please, Cal, make me yours now.”

  There was no way Cal could resist Dane when Dane looked at him like that. Cal moved, pushing Dane back on the bed. “I will,” he said. “Lie back and get comfortable.”

  Dane quickly scooted back and leaned against the pillows, not showing any signs of awkwardness or shyness. Instead he watched Cal with avid interest. “I’m comfortable.”

  “Good.” Cal gave a predatory smile as he got into bed, moving over Dane and pressing him down into the mattress. He peppered kisses over Dane’s face, stroking Dane’s sides as he slowly trailed downward. He wanted to touch Dane everywhere, to learn every inch of Dane’s body and find the sensitive places that made Dane moan and writhe.

  Dane wound his arms around Cal and arched up, gasping and shivering with eager responsiveness at each new caress. Cal moved lower, working his way down Dane’s body, tasting and nibbling his way along Dane’s neck, nipping sharply at his collarbone. When he reached Dane’s nipples, he teased them with broad swipes of his tongue before pulling one between his lips, sucking it into a peak and then biting down gently to see how Dane liked the sensation. Dane tightened his fingers on Cal’s back and let out a soft cry.

  “Yes! You can bite if you want,” he said. “I like it.”

  Cal grinned. “That’s good, because I like to bite,” he replied. He tormented Dane’s nipple, biting down harder, then blowing on it. He moved to the other, giving it the same treatment, before continuing downward, tracing each rib and nuzzling the taut plane of Dane’s abdomen. He could feel Dane’s cock hardening, and it gave Cal a feeling of intense satisfaction.