Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

“You are?” Nico hadn’t known Ford all that long or well, but one thing he knew was that the man chose his words carefully.

Ford kissed Nico slowly as he tugged his shirt up and over his head. “I am. And I want to keep seeing you after I leave. We’ll figure it out, but right now I want to make love to you.” Ford kissed his throat, his shoulders, and sucked at his nipples until Nico thought they’d burst into flames. “With you.”

“Touch me,” Nico begged, his hands at his waistband, but Ford pushed them away.

“I plan to.” Ford popped the tab of his jeans and undid the zipper. With the pressure off his dick, Nico sighed with pleasure. “Let me show you how you deserve to be treated.” He mouthed the outline of his cock through the thin material, and Nico pushed his jeans and briefs past his knees to give him access. But Ford stood, taking his time getting naked as well. As he bent over to remove his clothes, Nico drank in the sight of his tight, round ass, muscled abs, and thick cock.

“Suck me,” Nico begged. “I’ve been thinkin’ of you on my dick all day.”

“Funny, I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Ford pulled Nico’s clothes off, and he lay naked, his dick thick and hard and aching. Those lion-like amber eyes narrowed like a predator’s, and Nico ached with want. Ford lowered his head and licked the precome gathered at the slit. Late-night stubble rubbed along his throbbing length, and Nico groaned.

“Oh, yeah. Please. Do it.” He watched Ford take him into his warm, wet mouth. The flat of his tongue passed over the head of his dick, and Ford tightened his lips around his shaft and sucked. Nico’s toes curled and spots danced in front of his eyes. When his vision cleared, the sight of Ford’s golden-brown head bobbing on his cock was the epitome of his nightly erotic fantasies. Ford’s tongue fluttered and swirled, and then he went deep, taking him to the back of his throat.

Thunder boomed in his head, and Nico panted and gasped for air. His legs twitched and he shivered from head to toe.

“Uhhhh, fuck,” Nico rasped and came, erupting down Ford’s throat. Ford swallowed it all and sat up with a broad smile and glistening lips.

“I hate to tell you, but you taste better than anything I’ve eaten tonight.”

“Yeah? Well, I think I’ll keep that to myself. I don’t think I’ll be lettin’ Joey know that.” Nico grinned and held out his arm. Ford lay in the crook of his shoulder, and Nico traced the bulge of his cock. “What should I do about this, hmm? Seven inches of heaven.”

“Anything you want,” Ford whispered into his neck. “You can have anything and everything you need from me.”

“I need to touch you and prove you’re real. That what’s happening here is real.” His fingers teased its solid length, and Ford panted, his fingers curling to a fist on Nico’s chest. Over his pounding heart.

“How you make me feel—like I’m flying to the sun—is real. I can’t get enough of you. The more I touch you, the more I want you. The time I’m here with you isn’t long enough. I want to know everything about you. That’s as real as it gets.”

Those words burned bright in Nico’s heart. No matter what happened between them, Nico would never think of himself as less than and undeserving of love.

He worked Ford’s heavy length, and from Ford’s whimpers and gasps, pinpointed the moment he’d hit his climax. Nico made sure to capture it in his memory—the pink flush over his face, full mouth open, the sheen of sweat gilding his body, and the harsh cries of his completion as he pulsed out streams of hot, sticky liquid through Nico’s fingers.

With Ford gazing at him through hazy eyes, Nico licked his fingers clean. “You taste pretty damn good yourself, in case you didn’t know.”

“Let me see.” Ford reached up and kissed him, plunging his tongue into Nico’s mouth. Their tongues played a leisurely game of tease tag, and he massaged the sweet curve of Ford’s ass. To him, there was nothing sexier than a man’s butt, and he fondled it, his desire rising.

Ford smiled against his lips. “Oh, to be young and able to get it up again quickly.”

Nico held out his hand. “Let’s shower. I’m not ready for what I have in mind.”

Ford raised a brow but followed him to the bathroom, where they washed and dried, then naked, slid under the covers. Nico liked that Ford cuddled up to him, throwing a leg over his and holding him close.

“You’re so warm.”

“That’s because you make me hot,” Ford rumbled in his ear.

“Corny too.”

“Mmm. Call me anything you want, I’m good right here.” He wiggled his ass.

“Yeah, you are. Let’s rest up. My first tour tomorrow is at ten, so we have a little extra time in the morning.”

Ford kissed his shoulder. “I already know what I want for breakfast. Spicy Italian sausage.”

Nico burst out laughing. “That was so bad.”

**

Nico awoke and stretched. He looked over at a still-sleeping Ford, and slowly reached out and touched his hair. He’d never meant it to go this far, but it hit him like a pickpocket, swift and silent, leaving him unaware he’d become a victim until it was too late. Only it wasn’t his wallet that had been stolen.

It was his heart.

What was it Anthony had said to him?

“Once I met him, I didn’t need no one else, ’cause he makes me feel good about myself.”

With Ford, he forgot he didn’t have a fat bank account and couldn’t afford to buy his own apartment. He didn’t wish for dinners in expensive restaurants when sharing a simple plate of pasta made even a glass of water taste delicious.

“What’s wrong?” Face grave and gaze intense, Ford sat up.

And because he didn’t trust his voice, Nico leaned in and kissed him, freeing all the love he’d kept locked away for years. It poured out of him, like the sweetest honey, and Ford sucked his tongue, a bee to the nectar he offered.

“I want you.” Nico rolled on top of Ford. “Wanna make sure you know how much.” The scent of Ford’s desire rose from him, and Nico watched as his body flushed pink and his dick grew full. “Wanna eat you out and hear you scream.” A stream of liquid flowed from the head of Ford’s dick, and Nico grinned. “You like that, baby? Want my tongue in you?”

He leaned down and lapped up the sticky precome, sliding his tongue up and over Ford’s rigid shaft. Ford opened his legs and begged.

“Please, Nico. Want you so bad.”

That pretty pink hole beckoned him, and Nico dived in, starving for a taste of Ford. He buried his face between Ford’s legs and stuck his tongue in, sucking.

“Ahh, oh fuck.” Ford nearly leaped off the bed, but Nico held him fast and continued to pump his tongue in and out. “Nico, Nico.” Ford’s head thrashed on the pillow and his hands scrabbled at the sheets. Loving how Ford was losing himself to his lust, Nico grabbed the lube and condom, sheathed his dick, and teased Ford’s rim.

“Ready for me?” he purred, and Ford groaned as he sank the wide head of his dick in. “So fucking tight and hot. So perfect.” He pushed in farther, and Ford gasped and reached out, grabbing his arm.

“Harder. All the way in me.”

“Baby, I’m gonna go so far into you, I’m never gonna be able to leave without taking a piece of you with me.” Nico thrust, and Ford hissed.

“Oh, fuck. Take it. Take everything.”

Nico dragged his cock out of Ford’s body, then hammered in again. Ford caught his rhythm, and soon they were moving together. The bed squeaked, the mattress shifted, and his blood roared in his ears. Ford’s mouth hung open as he gasped for air, and Nico drove in farther, the absolute raw need to give this man pleasure paramount.

“You’re mine, Ford. Even if you’re not here, you’re mine.” He bit Ford’s shoulder and sucked at the mark, then covered Ford’s neck with kisses, drowning in his scent. Christ, it wasn’t enough to make love to him. He wanted to be part of him. Wear him like a second skin.

“Yes,” Ford keened. “Only you.” His hand worked his shaft, and Nico watched as he came, hot ribbons of come spraying over his belly and chest.

Hearing Ford’s words, his emotions in a tangle, Nico soared and gave in to the force of nature possessing his body. As Ford lay beneath him, trembling from his own orgasm, Nico’s climax rushed over him like a tornado, tearing him apart. He must’ve blacked out, and he came to awareness, collapsed on top of Ford, still buried deep inside him.

He moved slightly, and Ford put his arms around him. “Don’t go. Not just yet. It’s so perfect.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

“I want to be able to remember our time together after I’m back home.”

Nico’s heart shriveled a bit. “I don’t wanna think about that.”

Ford kissed his hair. “I hate the thought of leaving you too.”

Nico sighed because there was nothing he could do to change things. This time when he moved, Ford didn’t stop him. Nico got rid of the condom, his insides doing a funny twist seeing Ford lying in bed, looking at him with a soft smile.

“I’d better take a shower and get ready.”

Ford, propped up on his elbows, cocked his head. “Is everything okay? You’re not still upset about last night, are you?”

He shrugged. “I can’t change what happened. I’m still pissed at Jack, but he’s always sayin’ stupid shit.”

“He should apologize. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.” Ford left the bed. “I meant what I said.” He leaned in and kissed Nico. “I’m crazy about you. And for you. Everything will be all right.”

Would it, though?

Nico shrugged. “Yeah. I know.”

Accepting his answer, Ford checked the room-service menu. “I’ll order breakfast while you shower.”

“Okay. Get me anything. I’m fine with eggs, bacon, fruit…whatever you want.”

He entered the bathroom and turned on the taps. Was it foolish to wish he didn’t have to wash away Ford’s smell from his body? He laughed. “Idiot. Don’t go actin’ like some lovesick jerk.” Ford had changed from the man he’d first met. He’d become more self-assured, and that was a fucking turn-on. Nico liked him a little bossy and tough. But if it made Ford more attractive to him, other guys would see it too and make a move. Older guys who didn’t have to work seventy hours a week. Men who didn’t live paycheck to paycheck.

Would Ford grow tired of their differences and slowly slip away?

“Fuck it. Just enjoy what you got goin’ on. You knew the score when you started this.”

After giving himself a pep talk, he stood under the spray, and after he finished and came out of the bathroom, Ford was in one of the hotel robes, looking at his phone. Their eyes met, and his face lit up.

“I’d better go shower too. You’re all clean and gorgeous, and I’m still a mess.”

Nico caught his arm as he passed by. “You look fucking perfect to me.” And he was, even with a face rubbed red from beard burn, bedhead, and his neck and chest littered with marks. His marks. Nico’s dick swelled at the thought of Ford belonging to him. And him being Ford’s man.

Ford’s eyes smoldered. “Don’t start, or room service is going to walk in on us and get an eyeful.”

Nico kissed him slowly, his bones melting at the push of Ford’s hot, slick tongue. “I wouldn’t care. They’d be jealous of me getting to have you.”

“You do have me. All of me. You know that, right?” Ford captured his face between both hands. “I’m not leaving you just because I’m going home.” Another kiss. “You’ve become very special to me.”

Joy burst through him, but he could only hold on to Ford and wish he never had to let him go.

With one last kiss, Ford retreated to the bathroom, and Nico heard the shower turn on. After getting dressed, he checked his phone and saw several messages from his friends.

First Anthony: Jack’s a dick. Don’t pay attention to him.

Then Joey: Fuck what Jack says. Ford isn’t Prickface. He’s into you, and it’s not fake. Tre says the same thing, and you know she’s always right. She loves Ford.

Nico bit his lip. “She’s not the only one,” he muttered to himself, safe in the knowledge that Ford was in the shower and couldn’t hear him. Love. He rolled the word around on his tongue. Foreign yet so right when connected to Ford.

He scrolled to the next message.

Finally, at four thirty in the morning, a text from Jack: Sorry.

Nico blinked. “Sorry? What the fuck kind of shit is that?” he fumed.

At the knock on the door, he answered it, and a young guy in a white shirt and black pants with the name tag Eduardo pushed in the cart.

“All good, sir?”

“Yeah, thanks.” He reached for his wallet.

“No need. Mr. St. Claire took care of it already.” Eduardo smiled. “Would you like me to clear out the cheese platter and glasses?”

Nico winced at the waste of food, but there was no eating it after it had been out all night. “Yeah, please.”

“You here visiting the city for the holiday weekend?”

“No, I live here.”

Was he mistaken, or did Eduardo give him a funny look? Nico caught Eduardo glancing at his bare feet.

Ford, fresh from the shower and only wearing his robe, walked into the living room. “Oh good, the food is here. I’m starving.”

There was no mistaking Eduardo’s wide eyes or his gaze darting from Nico to Ford. “Have a good day,” he said, hustling out with the leftovers from the night before.

“Guy probably thinks I’m a hookup,” Nico grumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee, then one for Ford. “Did you see the way he stared?”

Ford took his coffee. “No, and even so, why would you care what a stranger you’ll never see again thinks? We know the truth.”

Without answering, Nico sat and began to eat his eggs. What the hell did he know about the truth? He’d been lied to by his mother and grandparents, and now he was lying to himself. Who was he to be head over heels for someone like Ford? He’d done it again—fallen for an unattainable man.

With a face full of questions, Ford set his coffee on the table. “Nico, what’s wrong now? You’re back in that weird mood from last night. Is what Jack said still bothering you?”

“I dunno.” He crunched on his toast. “Will it always be like this, people thinking I’m a boy toy or that you’re paying my way? I hate that shit.”

“I know you do, but the reality is, who cares? Again, if this is about the waiter, you’ll never see him again. The people in your life who love you, your family and friends, they know who you are, and I think—at least, I hope—they like me and know I’m not the type of person who only cares about someone’s looks.”

“I guess I’d feel better if I was makin’ more money.”

“You applied for that job, right?”

“Yeah.”

Ford ate some eggs. “Let’s think about this. What’s stopping you from applying to other companies for management positions? Why only the one you’re working for?” His smile was kind, yet he seemed intent on making a point. “Sometimes we get set in our routine and don’t look outside our own four corners. See what other companies have to offer, and apply there too. You’re a great asset, and any company should be proud to have you.”

Nico thought about that as he ate. “Maybe you’re right. I don’t owe them nothin’.”

“Tonight after dinner, we could go through the job listings, and I can help you apply.”

Nico finished his breakfast and made a face. “That’s how you wanna spend our last night together?”

Ford’s eyes danced. “We have to come up for air sometimes.”

Nico snickered. “True that. I’d better get a move on. What’re you gonna do today?”

Ford grew somber. “I know it’s a holiday, but I plan to call Bruce Sandler—the dermatologist from the party at The Pierre.”

“What for?”

“I want to talk to him about Frank. He can’t let that spot go unchecked.”

Nico frowned. “He doesn’t have that kinda money. Not for what he considers a fancy doctor.” He picked up his wallet and phone from the nightstand and slipped them into his pockets.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll cover it for him.”

Shocked, Nico stood still, his mouth open. “What?”

Ford put his arms around Nico and kissed him. “I have more money than I know what to do with. Frank shouldn’t have to worry about medical expenses. Whatever he needs, I’ll pay for. I can tell Frank means a lot to you. And you mean a lot to me.”

“Frank’s not gonna accept charity.”

Ford kissed him again. “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure it’s handled properly.”

“That’s…I dunno. You’re…” Nico was at a loss for words, so he kissed Ford.

“Nico,” Ford breathed, his eyes blazing fire, and settled his lips over Nico’s, plunging his tongue in his mouth. They kissed as if starved for touch, even though they’d held each other all night. “If you don’t leave now, you’re going to be in trouble.” He patted Nico’s ass. “I’ll keep it for later. After dinner.”

Nico walked out, his head spinning.

Going to be in trouble? I already am.