Chapter Eight

RAUDEL SLID the key card in and out of the lock of their Deluxe King room at Harrah's. He'd insisted that should be where they spent their wedding night, as it was the place where he'd proposed. Chad couldn't agree more.

After the wedding, they celebrated. But first, they checked in at Harrah's to have a place to dump their rumpled street clothes, which they'd shoved into the tux bags. Then they headed back to Harvey's because there were other slot machines they'd meant to try before the whole let's-get-married thing.

Their next stop was an elegant steakhouse where Chad couldn't look at the menu prices. Raudel kept whipping out his credit card like he'd just made the top-ten list of the wealthiest men in America, and Chad hoped the jobs in LA paid better than the yogurt shop.

But Raudel had insisted they do it right. The white rosebud boutonniere at the chapel, the champagne while they played slots, the wedding dinner at the steakhouse, their first dance at the hotel's huge nightclub—Raudel made sure he had the full experience.

As Raudel pushed his way into the hotel room, Chad waited for him to clear the threshold. Chad held the package of six cupcakes they picked up when Raudel needed to hit the store for lube and condoms. Raudel sent him to get whatever he wanted from the bakery for their wedding cake while he grabbed the other stuff. Chad decided cupcakes were the best option since they didn't have a knife or plates. It also meant he didn't have to decide on vanilla or chocolate since he didn't know which kind was Raudel's favorite. The container had three of each.

"Don't move!"

Chad froze in panic. "What's wrong?" If a spider was on him, he'd scream like a little girl. He fucking hated spiders.

Raudel took the cupcake container then set it on the bed before scurrying back over. He moved the safety latch to prevent the door from closing the whole way and stepped into the hall. As soon as Raudel extended his arms, Chad realized what he was about to do.

He chuckled. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Raudel winked. "I'm strong."

Chad didn't doubt it.

The ground fell away as Raudel hoisted him into his arms. Chad laughed and grabbed hold of his neck out of instinct. "Whoa! Don't drop me."

Raudel tossed him onto the bed, and Chad narrowly missed smashing their mini wedding cakes. He shoved them off to the side to prevent any more potential pastry mishaps. Raudel launched himself into the air, landing on the other side of Chad. They rolled together, kissing, the mood light and happy.

He pulled away from Raudel just enough to see his face. "Hey, I need to take a shower."

Raudel pursed his lips and made a pouty face. "What? But I need you now, mijo. I'm so hard." He rubbed the evidence of said hardness against Chad's hip.

"Hold that boner. I'll be quick." Chad wriggled free of Raudel's grasp while they mock fought, pinching and tickling. "Stop! The sooner I get in there, the sooner I'll be out."

"I'm going with you. You're not the only one who gets to smell good."

Chad paused to take a sniff of Raudel, burying his nose in the crook of his neck. "You smell awesome to me."

"That's what I thought about you too."

"Come on, dude. Fastest rinse ever."

He remained true to his word, proud that he'd controlled himself as well as he had during his soapy exploration of Raudel's body. It was more of a challenge not to come when Raudel's questing hands slid over his own skin, but he'd bitten down on his lip hard enough to distract him from going off like a rocket.

They hadn't bothered with towels after drying each other. They'd set the thermostat earlier when they dropped off their clothes—the room had been rather icy. But while they were gone, it had warmed up nicely.

"Cake first." Raudel gave him a quick peck on the tip of his nose. "Then I'm going to make love to you, mijo."

Chad swallowed hard. His dick twitched in response to Raudel's words, Raudel's mouth curling into a smile as he glanced down at his erection. He grasped it, and Chad hissed.

"Bad idea. Won't last."

"I think it's a wonderful idea. The night is ours. I can make you come twice."

"Oh lord." Chad groaned. "Okay. Don't let me discourage you, then."

Raudel bit his ear, stroking him from base to right below his tip. "But we still have to have cake first."

"Huh?" Why is he talking about baked goods at a time like this?

"Stay right there."

Chad watched, transfixed, as Raudel ambled over to the almost-smashed cupcakes, stiff cock bobbing. Fuck yeah . It was a beautiful sight.

Raudel popped the lid on the loud, crinkly package, and then lifted a cake overloaded with giant swirls of white frosting out of the container.

"There's a choice of vanilla or chocolate for the cake part. I didn't know which one you liked better."

"Doesn't matter."

Raudel approached him with the frosted treat. Chad ran through the files in his mind in an effort to recall what the cake-sharing protocol was for the couple at the reception. It escaped him why there would only be one and not two pieces.

When Raudel reached him, he dropped to his knees. Chad cried out at the sensation of the soft frosting pressed to the head of his dick. His knees almost buckled from the teasing licks Raudel used as he removed the globs of icing then encased only his cockhead with the warm, wet cavern of his mouth. Raudel continued to torture Chad with gentle suction, pulling with his lips then pushing his tongue into Chad's slit.

Chad whimpered, unable to stop himself from clutching fistfuls of Raudel's thick hair or thrusting his hips. Raudel pulled off with a pop, and Chad gasped. He gazed down at Raudel, frantic in his desire.

"Fuck my mouth, mijo."

Raudel took every inch of his length until he'd buried his nose in Chad's blond curls. He sucked him hard, hollowing his cheeks before descending again.

Chad took over. He thrust into Raudel once, then twice more before picking up a swifter pace, pushing past Raudel's gag reflex, face-fucking him hard. Raudel swallowed around his cock, working it insistently with his throat as Chad's climax barreled through him. He yelled out his release as he emptied his balls into Raudel's mouth. His body sagged, all the strength gone from him.

Before he could collapse onto the carpet, Raudel gathered him in his arms and laid him on the bed as he settled across Chad's body. He stared into Chad's eyes briefly before descending on his mouth, pushing his tongue past the seam of Chad's lips, the kiss salty sweet. The exchange remained languid, even though the throb of Raudel's erection pressing against Chad's belly told him that Raudel was very much in need.

"I want to make you feel good, too."

Raudel's lips held a soft smile as he brushed Chad's sweaty bangs off his forehead. "Soon. But you still haven't had your cake yet."

Raudel reached across the short expanse of the duvet to pluck another cupcake from the package. He brought it to his mouth, then licked up a ridiculous amount of the icing. Before Chad could wonder what would happen next, Raudel had painted Chad's lips with the frosting then pushed the rest of it into his mouth.

Chad sucked Raudel's tongue greedily until Raudel took over, taking back the control as the kiss built in intensity. He sought out as much of Raudel's naked flesh as he could, questing with his hands, then grasping the gorgeous backside he'd admired ever since Raudel arrived.

Since he came back to be with me.

His husband was right; Chad had stiffened right back up, and he didn't see any reason why he couldn't come a second time with proper motivation.

Raudel's dick in my ass seems like an excellent option.

As if reading his mind, Raudel paused their love play. With one quick peck on his lips, he rolled off Chad. "Let me get you ready."

Chad nodded shakily, his body thrumming with excitement and nerves. "Should I…? Uh, what should I do?"

Raudel fetched the necessary items from the grocery bag. He glanced at Chad. "We'll start on your stomach with a pillow underneath you. I can peg you better that way."

"Oh. Okay." Chad moved to get in position, then paused. "Start?"

Raudel approached the bed. "I want you on your back when you come so I can see your eyes."

He's gonna kill me with adoration . Chad only hoped that he could somehow express his love to Raudel half as well as he did to him.

Once he'd turned onto his belly, Raudel helped Chad stuff a pillow beneath his body. His ass tilted higher, and he started when Raudel grabbed his cheeks, parting them. He curled his toes and fingers, biting his lip as Raudel swiped his tongue up his crease, teasing his hole with the tip. Embarrassing mewling sounds poured out of him from the overload of new sensations.

The first press of Raudel's finger to his entrance made him clench involuntarily.

"Let me in, mijo . I'll be very careful with you, I promise."

"I know. I trust you."

The sound of the condom package tearing made him jump, and he mentally chastised himself. Relax. His breath hitched at the cool sensation of lube as it drizzled onto his sensitive skin. Raudel rubbed the slick around his opening, gradually increasing the pressure until he'd popped past his rim.

Chad hadn't used the dildo in years, not entirely giving up on his quest to get laid but not seeing the point until there was a decent prospect. But he'd fingered himself on occasion to get off, so what Raudel had done so far was in keeping with what he was accustomed to.

Raudel pushed in farther, the touch deeper than Chad had achieved on his own. He gasped as Raudel skated over his gland, another thing that had been very awkward to accomplish for himself. He'd been somewhat successful with the dildo, but it wasn't the same as this. Not even close.

Raudel added a second finger, pegging him again. Chad whimpered and groaned, writhing on Raudel's fingers, the burn and stretch better, more pleasurable than he remembered. Raudel pulled his hand away, leaving him empty and achingly hard as he rutted against the soft pillow covering. The fabric gave him a zing with each pass, but he wanted the feel of Raudel's hand instead.

He tensed. The soft steel of Raudel's cock as it nudged his hole was both welcome and frightening. His rim stretched, spreading impossibly wide as Raudel slowly pushed his way in. One hand grasped Chad's shoulder as Raudel used the other to guide his long cock deeper inside him. He opened him up, speared him until their bodies touched.

Raudel stilled, resting on top of him. "Are you okay, my love?"

Raudel whispered it against the back of his neck, curling his body around Chad's torso, pressing his forehead to his skin.

"Totally okay." His heart raced. The sensation of being joined with another human being—joined with Raudel—was almost too much to bear. "I love you."

"Love you, mijo. So much."

Raudel reached up a hand to twine his fingers with Chad's. He clasped them tight, then moved his hips, slowly exiting Chad's body before pushing back in. With each stroke, he moved faster, fucked harder as he placed small bites and kisses across Chad's shoulders. Chad rocked with him, not only accepting the intrusion but encouraging it, meeting Raudel with each punishing thrust.

Chad yelped at the sudden loss of Raudel's cock inside of him. Raudel rolled him forcefully, the pillow snatched from beneath his body and tossed across the room. He quickly spread Chad's legs, then lifted them to his shoulders, shoving his cock back into Chad's hole almost simultaneously.

A deep scarlet flushed Raudel's face, his expression twisted in the struggle of pleasure and need as he plunged repeatedly into Chad's pliant body. No longer able to meet each of Raudel's thrusts, Chad lay on his back, impaled and helpless, desperate for release. Drops of sweat fell on him as Raudel reached between them, tugging harshly on Chad's dick. A pulsing in his ass, along with one final twist of Raudel's hand, was all it took for him to come hard.

Cum pooled between their already slickened bodies, and before Chad passed out, one more declaration of love from his husband reached his ears.

"I love you, mijo. With all my heart, I do."

CHAD FOUGHT the rising panic threatening to render him helpless as they drove back to the rental. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit."

"Love, I promise you, everything will be okay."

Chad clutched Raudel's hand for his very life. "I should've called. Why didn't I call?"

"I'm sorry. It's just as much my fault." Raudel squeezed his hand back as if in reassurance. "I was lost in you, lost in us. But I don't want you to worry. I'll do the explaining."

" Explaining ? How can we explain that we disappeared—with the precious tuxes, I might add—for almost twenty-four hours?"

They couldn't tell anyone the real reason. He didn't want to deal with the nuclear-sized fallout if Lindsey discovered that he'd not only stolen her thunder but her best friend. He couldn't even begin to imagine how everyone else would react.

"We'll tell them we had too much to drink while waiting for the tuxes to be ready, so we decided to stay in town."

"So we weren't able to sober up enough after six o'clock to make it back last night? We had the early-bird dinner special, then went to bed?"

Bed. Oh boy. No way to hide that.

Raudel's lips curled up in a sly grin. "I doubt they'll think we went to sleep."

Chad groaned. "Lindsey's going to be so pissed."

"You're right, she will. But we'll get there in time for the photos, and we can spend the rest of the week making it up to her."

"She'll torture me because of this for the rest of our lives. I'll be in the nursing home, and she'll hide my bedpan. Then she'll steal my tapioca pudding and make me eat the broccoli."

Raudel laughed. "Then I'll sneak in chocolate pudding for you."

Chad turned his head, observing Raudel. Light crinkles decorated the corner of his eyes, and he sported an easy smile. His body wasn't tense in the least, his shoulders relaxed as he drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other clasping Chad's. It was odd, but he could picture it. He could totally picture Raudel making sure he had chocolate pudding if he was a bedridden senior.

"Okay. I can do this."

He had to keep telling himself that. He also had to make sure he ignored the seventeen increasingly frantic texts and five phone calls that had popped up on his phone once he plugged it into Raudel's car charger. Raudel had shut off his own cell before the ceremony and then didn't turn it back on. As soon as Chad had seen the messages and finished having a meltdown, he'd texted that everything was fine, and they'd be back soon. Then he shut off his phone again.

No reason to get ripped to shreds via text when I still have the in-person shredding to look forward to.

"So, we were drunk and lost our phones. That's our story?"

Raudel shrugged. "Misplaced. But in general, yes."

"Right." Raudel really would have to do all the talking. Chad couldn't say that excuse out loud with both his mother and Lindsey staring him down. He glanced at the gold band on his finger. "Double shit. We need to hide our rings."

"The bag from the jewelry store is on the floor in the back."

Chad turned to locate it, and Raudel sighed.

"What's wrong?" Chad worried that Raudel had decided they were both screwed after all.

"I don't want to take it off."

Chad considered his ring again. He didn't either, but he also didn't see any way around it. They could tell everyone they'd gotten married after Lindsey's wedding day had passed, but not before. After all the trauma she'd been through to get to the finish line, it simply wasn't fair.

After popping open the little blue box, Chad accepted Raudel's ring, kissing it before he placed it in the tiny slot.

"I saw that."

Chad flushed hot, but he'd heard the pleased tone in Raudel's voice. He twisted the band on his own finger, but it barely moved, pulling harshly on his skin instead.

"Ow." He tried again with the same result. " Ow . Damn." It wouldn't budge.

"Is it giving you trouble?" Raudel kept flitting his gaze back and forth between Chad and the road.

"Fuck. This is beyond trouble. This is…" my final doom. "Remember how you wanted to get our rings engraved? Mine will have to be done on the outside of the band."

"Ah, mijo . A jeweler can get that off for you."

"Know any between here and—" Chad gulped. "Hell?"

Raudel turned right onto the dirt road leading to the rental. Raudel gathered up Chad's hand, the one with the wedding ring embedded in the flesh of his third finger. He kissed the band before setting Chad's hand down again, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"In that case, could I have my ring back, please? You can put it on my finger before we get out of the car."

Yup. Let the shredding commence.

CHAD'S FIRST act upon entering the rental to face the Wrath of Lindsey was to step on the bottom of the plastic bag that contained his still partially pressed tux. He face-planted as it ripped open, his balled-up blue wedding shirt spilling out at the feet of his family, who'd lined up in the entryway. They appeared united in their intent to interrogate him upon his arrival.

Raudel gasped loudly as he grabbed Chad's arm, helping him to his feet, then exploring his body as if checking for broken bones or spurting arteries. "Oh, my love. Are you hurt?"

Subtle. That whole wedding ring issue seems to be a moot point.

" Love ? Did you just call him ‘ love '?" The force of Lindsey's gasp put Raudel's to shame. "And what's that ?" She pointed at Chad's dress shirt as if it were a snake. She then lifted her gaze, her eyes widening as she stared at their hands.

Chad shoved his hand behind his back, but Raudel gently extricated it before lacing their fingers together. His stomach clenched as he took in everyone's slack-jawed, bug-eyed expressions.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God ." Lindsey threw her hands in the air before letting them drop to her side, tears glittering in her eyes. "Those… those rings. Did you…? Are you guys…? Did you…?"

Chad almost pissed himself as Lindsey's piercing scream filled the room. She'd undoubtedly cleared entire flocks of birds from the neighboring woods with the sheer force of her outcry. Chad reached for her, opening his mouth to beg her forgiveness, but she recoiled. Without another word, she whipped around, then ran from the room.

"Knock, knock." Everyone turned their heads to the source of the voice. "I believe I have an eleven o'clock appointment to shoot some wedding photographs?"

CHAD STOOD alone in the kitchen as he stared mindlessly at the digital display on the built-in microwave. He clutched an unopened can of Bud Light, knowing he didn't want to drink it, but somehow feeling that he should. Something Raudel had said the day before came filtering back to him. Something about having what he wanted.

He pushed himself off from the counter where he'd been leaning, then opened the refrigerator door.

"I'll take that."

His dad's voice made him jump right as he was about to set the beer on one of the glass shelves. Without looking his way, Chad handed it to him, then reached for the milk jug. After kicking the door closed, he sighed the sigh of the damned and retrieved a glass from the cupboard. He still couldn't make eye contact with his father.

As he poured his milk, his dad popped the tab of the beer then took a noisy sip. "Seen your mother?"

"No. But she's probably in the shed."

"There's a shed?"

"In the backyard."

"Oh." His dad took another noisy slug of the beer. "Haven't been out there since the first day."

Chad considered the remark. Other than the stealth-ninja fountain mission in the middle of the night, he hadn't been back there either. It was probably gorgeous. That thought sparked the memory of the day before when Raudel had proposed to him as they sat eighteen stories up with the beauty of the lake as a backdrop.

"So." His dad set the can on the tile of the counter with a clink . "You're really married, huh?"

Chad wondered if he could grab Raudel from where he sat in the living room entertaining Grandma by playing Go Fish, jump in the Honda, and disappear with him forever. All he wanted was his husband by his side and for his family not to hate him. If he couldn't have the family thing, he at least wanted Raudel.

With another agonized sigh, he faced his dad. "Yup. I really am."

"Are you happy?"

"That I married him?" Because he wasn't so happy with anything else. "Extremely."

His father nodded, then took another healthy swallow of beer. "Always thought he was a good kid. Smart, too."

"Yeah. I'm really lucky."

"You love him?"

"Yes, sir. Very much."

"And you guys had a wedding with a ceremony, wore your tuxes, got the rings, had cake…."

Chad's face heated. He didn't want to be reminded of frosting with his dad standing right there. "Yeah. We didn't want to go through anything like—" He swallowed. "—you know."

"Yeah. I know." His father finished off the beer, then almost crushed the can in his fist, wincing in pain before giving up. "What about the honeymoon?"

Chad snorted before he could stop himself. "Oh, we…. Well, no trips to Hawaii or Caribbean cruises. We might hang out here or maybe drive through Yosemite and take the long way home when we leave to get my stuff before I—" He paused. There hadn't been much talk about the future with his family. So far things had fallen more under the heading of damage control. "I'm moving to LA to be with Raudel."

"I figured. You married the kid." His dad reached into his pocket, then pulled out his checkbook. "Here. I have something for you."

"Dad, you don't have to. We sprung this on everyone, even though that wasn't our plan, but I don't want you guys to feel like—"

"Shut up, Chad. I'm not upset. I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy, and I'll be eternally grateful to you for not forcing me to relive this fucking nightmare." He waved a hand around in the air as an indicator of said nightmare, then ripped the check from the pad and handed it to Chad. "This is what your mother and I saved for your college education. You'll be needing it to start your new life with Raudel."

Chad sucked in a sharp breath as he gawped at the amount. Ten thousand dollars. How many beers has he had? "B-but… I'll never be able to pay you back."

His father had the fridge door open and was rooting around it. "It's not a loan. It's a gift."

"B-b-but…."

"You sound like a motorboat. Now where the hell is the beer?"

Chad couldn't stop staring at the check. "In the shed."

His father growled. "I knew it."