Chapter Ten

ARI

They rolled into Los Angeles way after nine the next night. After the werewolf extravaganza in Hawthorne, Nevada, they’d gone back to their motel and crashed, sleeping until eight the next morning. The night before, they’d opted not to go to a restaurant once they’d crossed the state border into California. Instead they’d found a rotisserie chicken place with a parking lot filled with happy customers, and picked up the most delicious chicken, tortillas, beans, and salsa from the window. It had been incredibly good, and they’d gone to bed swearing off morning exercise and promising each other they’d sleep in. When Eoghan’s alarm woke Ari at eight, he’d groaned and rolled away from the heated body beside him to bury his head under the pillow.

They’d gotten a late check out and had picked up salads for an early-afternoon lunch they’d eaten at a park with a small lake in some roadside town Ari couldn’t remember. A fterward, they’d walked around the lake a couple of times, just to get in a little cardio. As they pulled into the drive of his and Eoghan’s places, Ari noticed that for once, Al and Ted’s front house had no lights on. Bear greeted them at Eoghan’s door in orange tabby form, jumping into his arms as soon as he dropped his duffel on the ground, and rubbed his head vigorously under Eoghan’s chin as he laughed.

“Who’s a good kitty?” Eoghan cooed into his fur as the cat purred so loudly, Ari could hear it from across the room.

“Since Al and Ted are out, I think that’s a ‘feed me, please’ purr,” Ari said, smirking as the cat narrowed his eyes at him.

Eoghan laid the side of his face on top of Bear’s head as he looked over at him. Ari wished he had a camera to capture the picture forever. It was so fucking cute he couldn’t stand it. “He is a shifter you know…as a man with opposable thumbs, he could open his own fucking cans.”

The cat immediately jumped out of Eoghan’s arms, raised his tail and ran across the room. He bounced off the couch and leapt to the top of his cat tree where he lifted his head and howled in that throaty, deep cat howl he did only when agitated or not getting his way. Ari and Eoghan both laughed.

“Brat!” Ari said.

“He’s just singing the song of his people,” Eoghan said, laughing as he picked up his duffel and headed down the hall to his room. Ari stood there, torn about whether he should stay or go. It wasn’t like he didn’t have his own unit right next door. He should probably check on whether the painters finished what they were starting when they’d left town. As he stood there trying to decide, Eoghan reappeared in stocking feet, shirtless, and sweats. He smiled at him.

“What’re you doing? Come to bed, Ari. I know you’re exhausted.” He walked up and slid both hands around Ari’s waist, moving in close, and pressing his body to his.

Ari wrapped him up in his arms and leaned down, accepting the temptation to kiss him as Eoghan batted his long eyelashes at him. Their kiss was soft at first, just a blending of lips, that soon turned more heated. He felt himself beginning to show interest a bit lower as well, but he didn’t give in and grind his erection against Eoghan. He realized that as much as it sounded amazing to be naked and pressed up against him, the man had just driven four hundred miles and had to be exhausted. When they finally broke their kiss, Eoghan looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

“What is it? Too tired? I would understand. I’m kind of dead on my feet myself,” he said.

“I’m not the least bit surprised, Eoghan. You just drove most of the length of the state. You’ve gotta be tired. Actually, I was trying to decide whether I should stay at my own place tonight…let you sleep in. You need your rest.”

Eoghan frowned. “I get plenty of rest in your arms just fine.” He stood close, not moving away, but Ari could tell he was stiffer than usual, not the relaxed Eoghan he was used to when they were on their off time and alone with each other.

“We’ll talk about this in the morning when we get up,” Ari insisted. “After all, we have the whole day off or did you forget?”

Eoghan smiled and sighed, backing up as he rubbed a hand over his face. It was clear to Ari that his lover really was tired.

“Come on. I’ll stay here if that’s what you’d like, baby.” Ari took him by the hand and led him down the hall toward Eoghan’s bedroom although it wasn’t like he had to force him to follow. He did so happily. They showered quickly, taking turns, and by the time Ari got out, hung up the towels, and shut out the light, Eoghan was already curled up on his side, surrounded in blankets, the way he always slept best. Ari smiled to himself and slid into bed behind him, pulling him back into a spooning position as he blanketed him with his back.

He woke to the smell of cinnamon and smiled to himself, stretching as he glanced over at the clock. It was nearly nine which was crazy. He never slept that long and clearly, Eoghan had gotten up even earlier if he was baking. He loved it when Eoghan baked. He was an excellent cook, but his baking was something on a whole other level. He stretched again and rolled out of bed, pulling on sweatpants before slipping quietly out of the room and into the bathroom.

After brushing his teeth and using the toilet, he checked his face. The tiny cut under his eye was slowly healing which was something to be happy about. At least he wasn’t sporting a black eye. His beard on the other hand, wasn’t looking too great. He decided it was time to visit a barber. Maybe that’s something they could do today since they had the time off. There was nothing like a good shave and a haircut to make a man feel confident. Looking his best for Eoghan was very important, especially now that they’d said those three little words to each other. He was headed out of the bathroom when he noticed a bottle of lube on the counter. He grinned, snatched it up, and headed down the hall to the kitchen.

He walked into the bright living area decorated in tropical colors, noting how the morning sun lit the room with all shades of blue, orange, and turquoise on a white backdrop. Eoghan was singing along with Journey which was playing quietly on the radio while he fussed over something in the kitchen. Bear was nowhere in sight, which meant he was outside, perhaps visiting the lions who lived in the front house. It was the perfect time for what he had planned, alone with his boyfriend who was totally unsuspecting. He waited until Eoghan’s voice faded, meaning he’d walked to the back of the kitchen and then snuck around the corner. Sure enough, his man was in front of the open refrigerator, bent over and digging through the vegetable keeper. His beautiful bubble butt was as round and lush as a peach, looking just like it’d been waiting for Ari.

He tiptoed into the kitchen and just as Eoghan straightened, he slipped his arms around his waist and pulled him into an embrace. Eoghan stiffened for just a second and then chuckled, leaning his head back on Ari’s chest and half twisting to look up into his face. Ari leaned down to kiss him, pushing his tongue inside as Eoghan turned in his arms and pressed his body against his. He felt something wet and cold on his back and broke the kiss, turning to look behind him where Eoghan was holding a quart of pistachio milk in one hand. He laughed.

“Put down the milk, Eoghan. Breakfast is gonna have to wait.”

“But I made your favorite…cinnamon and apple pancakes,” Eoghan said, pouting as he stepped away from Ari and set the milk on the kitchen counter.

“And I adore you for that,” he said, taking his hand and pulling him into the living room, “but I have plans for you first.” He snatched up the lube as he headed for the couch, scanning the room for Bear just in case. He didn’t like the idea of fucking in front of the cat especially now that he knew he was a shifter. It was bad enough that he probably knew the meaning of every moan and groan they made behind closed doors in their bedroom when he was around.

“Where’s the cat?” he asked, dropping the lube on the coffee table and pulling his pants down around his ankles. His erect cock sprang free as Eoghan just stared at him, open-mouthed.

“He went to the hardware store with Al and Ted, something about picking up more paint. They were over this morning and said the painter was coming to finish up your unit today. I think they’re going out to breakfast.” He pointed at Ari’s hard cock, palming his own through his sweats. “You sure woke up with plans.” He smirked as he looked up at him.

Ari chuckled and reached out, taking hold of his arm as he pulled him close, then began working Eoghan out of his clothes. Eoghan complied, soon as naked as Ari. Once he’d kicked off the last of his sweats, Ari grabbed his hand, snatched up the lube, and pulled him around the back of the couch.

“Bend over and spread your legs.”

“Here?” Eoghan asked, sounding something between surprised and highly amused.

“Yes, here. They won’t be home for a while so we’re going to take advantage of the time we have off and start the day with a hot fuck,” Ari said, pressing Eoghan’s shoulder until he bent over the back of the couch, presenting him with the most gorgeous ass he’d ever seen. He kept one hand on Eoghan’s shoulder, before sliding his free hand over his gorgeous ass cheek. It was smooth, covered with just a light dusting of black hair which stood out against Eoghan’s pale skin. He picked up the lube and popped the top, drizzling some over his fingers and some at the top of his crack. He dropped the bottle on the couch and then followed the lube with his fingers, sliding them between his soft cheeks and going right for his target.

Eoghan sighed deeply as Ari slid one long finger into his hole, lubing it up and twisting it inside. He rubbed along the inside of his channel for a minute or so as Eoghan squirmed and mumbled something into the couch cushion. Ari leaned over him as he slid his finger free.

“What was that? What did you say?”

Eoghan turned his head and looked up at him. “I said, if you’re going to fuck me, you’d better get on with it before the cats walk in on us…unless you want to give Bear and our landlords a free show that is.”

Ari chuckled and smacked Eoghan on the ass. Eoghan squawked but the way he moved his butt told Ari he was rubbing his erection on the sofa. He grinned and slapped the other ass cheek. This time, Eoghan let out a long, slow moan. He grabbed one of Eoghan’s ass cheeks in his hand, very much enjoying the way he squirmed when he touched the red handprint he’d made. With the other hand he guided his cock until it was pressed up against his slippery hole before letting go and taking hold of the other cheek. Ari waited for Eoghan to stop squirming and relax before pushing his cock into his gorgeous body. Watching it slide inside him was an indescribably erotic experience.

Once inside, he waited until Eoghan nodded. “Go ahead, Ari,” he said in a muffled voice.

That was all the permission he needed. He pulled out halfway and fucked back into him, bottoming out and making Eoghan moan. “You’re so fucking tight, baby.” Ari grunted as he pulled out and fucked in, this time even harder. Pretty soon, they were moving together, Eoghan pushing back on him every time he bottomed out, encouraging him. “You like that, Eoghan?”

“Yes,” he gasped.

“You like that, you slutty little bottom?”

Eoghan moaned loudly. “Oh, yes.”

Ari slapped him on the ass, reddening it even further. Eoghan’s body squeezed his cock as he fucked him harder. Within seconds, he was pounding into him. Eoghan was grunting with each thrust, each withdrawal, each time he slammed back into him. His heart was thumping wildly, his breath sawing in and out of his chest as he panted. Sweat trickled down both sides of his face as he kept on fucking his man, kept on using his body for what it was intended…his cock and only his cock. He watched Eoghan reach for himself, and he encouraged him.

“That’s right, baby. Jack yourself, Eoghan. Come all over the back of this couch. I want you to mark every piece of furniture in this house so your cat will know where I’ve been fucking you.”

He made some sort of snorting sound and then groaned again as Ari fucked him harder. He could feel himself getting close. The red marks on Eoghan’s ass were so fucking sexy he wondered why he’d never spanked him before. He wasn’t usually into the kinky stuff himself but with Eoghan, he felt free to try things. The way he couldn’t get enough of his lacy underthings was a testimony to that. His entire body tingled with his approaching orgasm. When Eoghan next moaned, that was it.

“Eoghan,” he gasped. “I’m gonna come!”

Eoghan turned his head and looked over his shoulder. “Come for me, Ari! Fill me up with your come. I’m coming too.” He jacked himself faster and when he let out a low almost animal growl, Ari knew he was coming. The way his ass clamped down on his dick confirmed Eoghan’s climax and triggered his own. He stiffened for a second as it rushed in on him so hard and so intensely, he felt his knees go weak. Eoghan’s entire body shook from his climax as Ari emptied his balls in his lover’s ass, shuddering through a second wave before collapsing over him.

He lay there only about ten seconds before Eoghan protested by trying to straighten. Ari let his softening cock slide out of his well-used hole and stepped back. The way his release seeped from Eoghan’s stretched hole was a sight to see and so damned sexy, he wished he could do it all again. Eoghan straightened and turned around.

“Would you please go get me a towel? I seem to have made a mess and so have you.” Eoghan smiled at him and Ari pulled him close, lowering his head and kissing his sweet lips for one last time before he had to leave the room. Just as he was pulling back, he heard voices coming up to the door and then a set of keys. He instantly reached over the back of the couch and snatched two pillows, dragging them over the edge just in time. One he slapped over his own groin and the other he handed to Eoghan who’d just gotten it into place when the door flew open, and the three cats entered.

“I really can’t believe I forgot my wallet. Let me just—” Bear stopped talking as he took in the scene. Ari and Eoghan’s clothes lay in heaps on the floor, they held pillows over their groins, and Eoghan’s come was slowly sliding down the back of the couch and dripping onto the floor. The fact that all three cats were grinning as they sniffed the air was embarrassing as hell but as hilarious as Ari had ever experienced.

“Well, ain’t this a sight to see,” Ted remarked.

Al snorted. “I don’t know. It’s like sexual escapade roulette. You never know where a ball is going to land.”

“I need eye bleach,” Bear grumbled. He burped and put a hand over his mouth. “Oh, God…I think I have a stress-induced hairball.” He turned to Al and Ted. “I need you to install a doggie door so I can escape when this kind of stuff happens.”

“All right!” Eoghan said, pointing at the door. “You guys are just hilarious! Now, get the fuck out of my house. I have jizz to clean up.”

Ari burst out laughing and so did the three cats. When everyone had composed themselves, Bear grabbed his wallet and the three left. Eoghan looked over at Ari and laughed softly. “That really was embarrassing.”

“I thought it was funny as hell,” Ari replied, pulling him close and kissing him soundly.

Eoghan pushed at his chest to get him to stop. “Babe, I need a shower.” He suddenly frowned. “Wait…why does Bear have a wallet? Come to think of it, where does he get money?”

“Maybe he’s been catting around behind our backs.”

Eoghan laughed. “You’re very funny today.”

“I’m always funny.”

He leaned in and pecked him on the lips again. “Okay, I really do need a shower.”

Ari laughed and smacked his butt. Eoghan groaned in the most sensual way and batted his eyelashes at him. Ari raised his eyebrows. “You like that, huh ?”

He flushed bright red, something that he did when he was really embarrassed. Ari absolutely loved it. Eoghan reached out and laid his palm on one of Ari’s pecs as he stared up into his eyes. “Yeah, a little,” he admitted. “As long as it’s not a regular thing. I do need to be able to sit sometimes.”

Ari chuckled and kissed him again. “I completely understand. Now, go jump in the shower while I clean up the mess you made on the couch.”

“No thanks to you,” Eoghan said over his shoulder as he began walking away.

Ari chuckled again and headed for the kitchen where he could gather cleaning supplies.

After they’d cleaned up and eaten Eoghan’s delicious breakfast, they headed out of the house. They had the whole day to themselves and planned on making the most of it. Their first stop was a barbershop which Eoghan liked. It was located in a seedy area of the Valley not that far from Studio City. The Valley was a vast area just north of downtown Los Angeles composed of numerous small cities. Some cities like Pacoima were not so great with a high crime rate and gang issues, and other areas only a few miles away, like Encino, Sherman Oaks, or Studio City, were the home of many of L.A.’s rich and famous, living in multimillion-dollar homes.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Ari looked around. He had no idea why Eoghan had chosen this barbershop. It was tucked into the corner of a shopping center and there was no signage out front, nor the typical revolving red, white, and blue striped barber pole. The business was located halfway between the poorer areas and the richer ones.

It was nothing to look at from the outside, set in between a pool hall and a Mexican meat market. Neither place smelled too good, and Ari was glad when he finally stepped into the busy shop, with the familiar smells he associated with one, clean soap, hair gel, and antiseptic to dip the combs in.

There were several workstations, at least six in front and Ari noticed the silhouette of more chairs out back obscured by a lattice screen. Facing the mirrored wall, was a row of seating filled with diverse clientele. Ari was surprised to see so many people in one place along with a bunch of barbers, happily cutting and shaving away. One man was doing corn rows in an intricate design and a striking woman with large breasts was chattering away at the end of the row.

“Eoghan! Eoghan Sapphire! How are you, my boy? It’s been ages. Look at that mop on your head!” A very round, black man came toward them. Ari watched the man grin widely as he came over and wrapped his arms around Eoghan, lifting him off the floor like a rag doll. He was missing two top teeth on either side of the front ones, giving him the smile of a rabbit. It was hilarious and Ari had to cover his mouth as he watched the display so that his laugh wouldn’t show. He cleared his throat, coughed, and forced himself to be sober.

Eoghan squirmed and laughed. “Ijumaa Reed!” he squawked. “How many times do I have to tell you not to pick me up.”

The man simply laughed and set him back down on the ground. He put both big paws on his shoulders, towering over Ari’s man, and looked down at him, his face growing serious. “How are you, really?”

“I’m good, Ij. I swear it.” Eoghan turned and beckoned Ari to come closer. “I have someone for you to meet. Ijumaa Reed, this is Aristotle Brown, my new partner at work, but everyone calls him Ari. We’ve been working together for almost six months.”

Ijumaa turned and gave Ari a cursory glance, seeming to size him up. “So, you work at the I.S.R. too?”

Ari was very surprised. He stuttered when he answered, “W-well, yeah.” He raised his eyebrows at Eoghan who just smiled before looking back at the man. “I do work at the I.S.R. It’s just unusual that someone knows that.”

The man laughed loudly. He patted Eoghan’s shoulders and then held out a hand to Ari. “It’s nice to meet you, Aristotle Brown.”

“Please, call me Ari.”

“Ari it is then.” He dropped his hand and glanced back at Eoghan. “So, are you here for the usual, Eoghan?” He reached up and ran long fingers through Eoghan’s hair. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been in. Way too long.”

“Yes, it is. Sorry about that. We’ve been working like crazy people. If you have the time and someone who can also do my partner, then we’ll both take the usual.”

“Good. I’m pretty sure Hausa is between clients. He can give your partner the usual,” Ijumaa said.

“Perfect,” Eoghan said with a smile. He began following the rotund man to the back of the shop, and Ari leaned close.

“What’s the usual?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Eoghan said, side-eyeing him and smirking.

“Why do I feel like I’m walking to the executioner?” It made him feel a little strange not knowing what to expect.

“You’re not. Just trust me…you’re going to love this, okay?”

Ari shrugged. He knew Eoghan would never do anything to hurt him in any way. “Okay, babe. If you say so. I trust you.”

“Good.” Eoghan nodded and smiled sweetly.

When they got to the very back of the shop, Ijumaa stopped and slid the screen back, making an opening only wide enough for him to get through. As they stepped inside, another black man sat in one of the barber chairs. He was reading a hair styling magazine and looked up as soon as they walked into the enclosed area. He gave Eoghan a smile and glanced at Ari, simply acknowledging him with a nod.

“Hausa, you know Eoghan Sapphire from the I.S.R. This is his new partner, Ari,” Ijumaa said. “Ari, this is Hausa Abdel. He’s an excellent barber.” He turned back to Hausa and said something in a tongue Ari had never heard before. He guessed that these guys must be African judging by their names, and they looked African to him. He’d spent some time in Somalia in the Horn of Africa, and also the Congo in Western Africa for separate missions. He knew a bit of the language spoken in both regions as well as being fluent in Arabic and even some Russian. He’d learned languages as part of his training in the Army Rangers and could pick out the general feeling…the cadence of the region a language came from. But this language—whatever it was—was odd with an almost melodic sound with some musical notes in there.

Hausa smiled at Ari and got up from his chair, reaching out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Ari.” He patted the chair back. “Please have a seat and tell me what it is you’d like me to do. You have nice hair. Do you want corn rows? I can do very nice designs.”

“Oh, no,” Ari said. “Just a trim.” He reached up and ruffled his hair, then tugged on his beard. “And you can shorten this a bit, clean up around it.”

“But don’t cut it too low,” Eoghan piped up. When Ari turned to him, he was smiling. “I like it longer.”

The two stylists said something to each other in that weird language and then laughed. Ari wished he knew where they were from.

“It’s too bushy on the sides,” Hausa said, pulling on the sides of his beard. “I’ll trim this and keep most of the length. How does that sound?”

Ari smiled up at him from where he sat in the chair. “Okay, that sounds good.” He glanced over at Eoghan. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, very okay. I know Hausa does a nice job.”

“Good. Now that it’s decided, please take off your shirt,” Hausa said to Ari.

“Excuse me?” Ari looked up at him and frowned. “Why?”

Hausa frowned right back. “Didn’t you say you wanted Eoghan’s usual?”

Ari looked over at Eoghan who was pulling his shirt over his head. When he’d finished, he returned his glance and shrugged. “Just do it, Ari. You’re going to like this.”

“What the hell—”

“I promise, I’ll be gentle,” Hausa said, picking up a bottle of what looked like massage oil. “Lavender okay with you? Or, I have sandalwood. That’s a nice one for males.”

Males? “Sandalwood please,” Ari replied almost robotically. “What the hell is going on?”

“Your shirt, please,” Hausa said.

Ari shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head. He’d never been to a barber like this before. Whatever this was, it was strange.

“Good,” Hausa said holding out a hand for Ari’s shirt. When he handed it to him, he folded it and placed it in a neat pile with Eoghan’s on a table between the two chairs. He watched in amazement as Hausa turned his back and also pulled his shirt off. When he turned back around, Ari almost screamed. The man had two normal arms and two more arms with comically huge hands coming out of the middle of his abdomen. One held a bottle of sandalwood scented oil and the other was unscrewing the cap. Meanwhile, Hausa’s normal hands held a pair of scissors and a comb. “Are you ready?”

“For what?” Ari practically shrieked, leaning as far back in the chair and away from this strange alien creature as he could. He automatically reached for his Glock which wasn’t there, knowing it was probably useless against this thing in front of him anyway.

“Ari, relax,” Eoghan said. “I always get a massage while I have my hair cut. The Frenlans are so good with both. I’ve been coming here ever since Gladys told me about the place.”

“A massage?” Ari dragged his gaze away from Eoghan and looked at the massive hands on the end of surprisingly long arms which this Frenlan creature had.

“I told you,” Hausa said. “I’ll be gentle, or I can go a little harder if you’d like. Your moans will tell me how hard you like it.”

Ari snorted and looked over at Eoghan who was laughing. “How hard do I like it, Eoghan?”

Eoghan pulled his hand away from his mouth and looked at Hausa. “Give it to him really hard, Hausa. Make him moan.”

Hausa nodded and smiled. When he smiled, Ari noticed he was missing the same two teeth Ijumaa was. Oh, man. What the hell. He let out a long sigh and looked up at his stylist.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this to my barber but go ahead and give it to me hard.”

Eoghan burst out laughing as Hausa nodded vigorously. “You’ve got it, Ari. Lay back and I’ll make you moan.”

Ari spent the next hour trying to figure out a way to make his partner pay.