32

Our flight to Vienna is short, with just an hour and a half of flying. We barely have an opportunity to settle into our seats on the jet before we're rushing off again, scrambling to transfer equipment and make our way to a new hotel. This time, Connor doesn't even pretend to be staying with Bruce and Aaron, bringing his luggage straight into my room.

We celebrate with a bathroom blowjob, sans the cum-stained lips.

Yes, I checked.

Our limited free time here means we can only explore the city on the day we arrive, so we have to stay near the hotel. We make the best of it, enjoying the sunshine as we stroll through the bustling urban streets. The group splits in two, with Dante and Theo joining me and Connor. Since they're the more recognizable faces of the band, Eric and Dmitri agreed to having both Bruce and Aaron tag along with them.

Aaron still won't meet my eyes, and he's keeping an amusing distance from Connor when they speak.

I should feel bad.

I don't.

The following day is a mix of rest and concert preparations, leading up to another incredible show that leaves us ecstatic and energized as we prepare to move to our next stop.

Barely forty-eight hours in Vienna, and then it's nothing but a blur of buildings as we fly. Up here in the sky, the pointed gothic spikes of cathedrals reach for the clouds, and monolithic castle walls are reduced to mere twigs easily brushed aside or broken.

It's bittersweet, leaving behind such a trove of unexplored history.

Blue skies and unusually high temperatures await us in Hamburg, and the moment we step out into the sun, sweat forms on my back, tracking in tiny rivers until they're absorbed by my clothes. Eric grumbles and tugs his shirt away from his damp skin, while Theo is more concerned about his eyeliner running.

The frequent change of scenery and demanding schedule have put everyone on edge, but our complaining stops when the van's air conditioner kicks in.

Once we're settled at the hotel, I flop onto the bed, starfishing in the center as I stretch out my back. The mattress dips as Connor sits beside me. "Are you doing okay?"

"Exhausted, but yeah, I'm alright. When we scheduled the tour, we knew it would be intense, but the reality hits different when you're living it. The alternative was to spend more time at each stop, but then we're looking at months away from home."

"Do you prefer this to a bus tour?"

I grin, remembering the days of piling on a bus with the guys. "In most ways, yeah. Although those experiences are the reason we are all so close."

"You and Dmitri seem to butt heads more than the others."

I snort a laugh. "Dmitri is possessive as fuck and has this wild idea that Eric and I had unresolved romantic feelings for each other when he came back into Eric's life. There's some lingering jealousy that comes out to play every once in a while."

"Was there?" he asks, and I twist to glance at him in question, raising my brow. "Unresolved feelings between you and Eric?"

Another laugh huffs from my nose as I roll back to stare at the ceiling. "Fuck no. Eric was straight as a pair of carpenter jeans until Dmitri."

"So was I until I met you."

"Yeah, but…" I trail off, then shift onto my side, propping my head up on my hand. "Hang on, are you jealous ? And before you try to deny it, remember our rules."

Connor bites his lip, then sighs. "Maybe a little," he mumbles, and I grin as I wiggle closer to him. "It's not like me to be jealous. Everything changed with you… you know that, don't you? That my entire life was upturned the minute I laid eyes on you?" The open honesty in his words is so genuine that I refrain from teasing him.

"When you saw me for the first time, what came to your mind?"

The bed shifts as Connor swings his knee over my hips, palms on either side of my head, as he hovers above me. "I thought you were beautiful." He peppers gentle kisses across my face as I scrunch my nose, pretending to be annoyed by the attention. When he finally laughs, it's one of the loud ones that I love so much, from deep in his belly. "What about you? What did you think when you first saw me?"

I grin, a wide one that digs into my cheeks. "My exact thought was ‘Holy fucking himbo,' if you must know."

His forehead bunches. "What's a himbo?"

"You are." He scoffs and opens his mouth to argue when I start laughing. "A heart of gold wrapped up in a big, muscled package. That's you—my gentle, sweet giant of a man." He leans down and places an affectionate kiss on my lips, and I grab at his shoulders, wanting more. Rather than giving in, he rises and leaves me dangling from his neck like a sloth.

"Can I trust you to stay here for a few minutes?"

I scowl at him, tightening my grip and trying again to yank him down. "I am literally hanging off you right now and you're leaving me?"

He flashes me his dimples, which, frankly, is cheating. "I need to take care of something."

"Why don't you find something to take care of in this bed with me, big boy?" I move my hands to his hips and tug him down until his ass sits against my groin. My cock perks up at the contact, and his eyes flutter as he leans in and captures my mouth.

"You're trying to distract me from my mission," he says, giving a subtle rock that makes me shudder.

"This is distracting you?"

"Mmm," he hums, grabbing my chin for another kiss. "Being on top of you, feeling how hard you are when there's only a few layers of clothes between us? When I'm desperate to get you inside me again? Yeah, I'd say that qualifies as distracting."

Our kiss turns more intense, and I groan. Every time we've fooled around, I've used my fingers to prep him and build his comfort level, but we haven't had penetrative sex again. I've been careful… too careful for him, it would seem. "You want me inside you?"

"I want you to fuck me," he whispers, breath hot against my mouth as he nips at my lips. My hand slides between us, dragging my palm up the length of his erection behind his shorts. "The stretch of your cock filling me… that delicious sting as you take me." He groans as he claims me in an abrupt, messy kiss. "The warmth of your cum marking me from the inside."

"I can get on board with that," I breathe as my fingertips trace his waistband, curling around the elastic when he catches my wrist.

"But right now, you are distracting me." He stands, and I protest as I stare indignantly at the tent in my shorts.

"Seriously? You're going to walk away from me after that? Cock tease," I grumble, slapping my palms on the bed with a series of loud thumps.

"And you, my sweet, are pouting."

"No, I'm not," I say, jutting my lip out further.

"Stay here and catch up on some rest. I'll be back." With a huff, I prop myself up on my elbows and fix him with a firm, disapproving glare as he heads to leave. His gaze softens, and he returns to my side, pressing a kiss on my lips. "Trust me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," I mumble, flopping onto the bed. Exhaustion wins, and I close my eyes as the door clicks closed. My breath is steady as my limbs grow heavy, and next thing I know, Connor is kissing me awake.

I blink at his smiling face a few times, glancing from his white t-shirt to his familiar pink flamingo trunks. "Get dressed. I have a surprise for you."

"I am dressed," I say, as I sit up and clear my eyes, but he shakes his head and rummages through my bag, grabbing a pair of my swim shorts that were buried at the bottom.

"Put those on."

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

"Prepare to be abducted, because this is a kidnapping."

"I don't think you're supposed to announce when you kidnap someone," I point out, "or give them time to plan." I lower my voice to a gruff, exaggerated growl as I fight a smile. "Excuse me, kind sir, might I ask you to come with me so I may forcefully pillage your maidenhood?"

"Maidenhood," he snorts, chucking the swimming trunks at me. "Put those on, you brat." I scoff and roll my eyes as I change, but both of us know it's for show. After I pull on a shirt and slide my feet into my sandals, he leads me through the hallway and into the elevator.

When we get to the lobby, instead of walking towards the exit, he takes me through a different corridor, to a door blocked by a sign that reads Closed for Private Event.

Outside, the intense sunlight immediately scorches my skin, while the sharp punch of chlorine hits my nose. Water laps gently against the concrete edges of the pool, nudged by the slight breeze. "What did you do, bribe them to reserve the pool for us?"

"For everyone," he clarifies, not denying my bribery accusation. "I just thought we could all benefit from a relaxing afternoon."

God, this man.

So fucking sweet.

Once again, he gives a gentle tug on my hand and guides me to the other side of the pool, where two loungers are placed side by side. Between them is a table with a brown glass bottle on top.

A hint of red appears on his cheeks as he shifts between his feet. "It's supposed to be our spot at the resort… but I had limited resources. There isn't a beach, obviously, and they didn't have banana rum—"

I throw myself into his arms, silencing him as I smash my mouth to his. "I love it," I whisper, the words muffled against his lips, and his arms wrap around me, pulling me tight against him. There's a shift between us; a terrible, sweet ache in my chest as he deepens the kiss.

His tongue swipes into my mouth, rolling against mine, and in this moment, it hits me with a profound clarity. With him, I am happy and free and goddamned electric, but most of all, I am certain.

I am sure.

Never breaking our kiss, he leads me to the loungers and settles into one, pulling me onto his lap. The flood of emotions inside me finds release, and I pour it all into him. For a few blissful minutes, it's as if the world ceases to exist beyond the two of us.

A loud catcall shatters the moment.

"To be continued," I whisper against his lips as Eric and Dmitri walk over, Eric sporting a smug grin.

"Don't let us interrupt," he says, dropping into my lounger. "Nobody ever turned down the chance to watch a couple of hot guys going at it on a pool chair."

Dmitri raises his hand like we're in school. "Um, yes, actually, they have. It's me. I'm turning it down."

"Oh, come on, babe," Eric teases, taking Dmitri by surprise as he yanks him into his lap. "You act all high and mighty, pretending you haven't blown me behind their backs before."

"Eric!" Dmitri hisses, while my jaw drops.

"When exactly have these public blowjobs been happening?" I ask, glaring, while Connor shakes with laughter underneath me.

Eric's grin stretches all the way across his face, and Dmitri closes his eyes and tilts his head towards the sky like he's praying for patience. "The backseat of that van in Vienna."

I gawk. "I was talking to you."

"Yeah, I know," he says with a hearty chuckle. "It wasn't my mouth that was full."

"Jesus, give me fucking strength," Dmitri mutters, face flaming.

"Are you finally admitting to that backseat BJ?" Theo sashays over, Dante behind him with a hiked brow.

Dmitri lets out a squeak that's hilarious coming from such a large man. "And how do you know about that?"

Theo's eyebrows wiggle as he kicks off his flip-flops. "Let's just say the dark tinting came in handy." He snorts, nudging Dante. "Get it? Handy?"

"I'm going to go drown myself now," Dmitri announces, shucking his shirt and diving into the pool. Eric cackles, a villainous, gleeful sound, then strips his top and jumps in after him with far less grace.

Water splashes over me, the chilly droplets relief on my overheated skin. "Come, sweetheart," Connor says, kissing my shoulder. "Let's make sure you don't burn."

Amused, I watch as he squirts a generous dollop of sunscreen in his palm, then rubs it on my arms and shoulders. "I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself."

"Yeah, I know." He smiles as he spins me so he can coat my back, whispering in my ear. "But I love …" He pauses on the word as my heart skips an entire beat. "… taking care of you." My eyes flutter closed at the glide of his hands over my muscles. He rubs the lotion into my back before sneaking around to my chest and down to my stomach, fingers raking through my happy trail and slipping under the waistband of my trunks.

"What did I say earlier?" I whisper, twisting to glance at him over my shoulder. "Cock tease." Thankfully, nobody is paying attention to my half-chub as I reach for the bottle and return the favor, slathering him in sunscreen before we sit.

The whole team is outside now, looking more relaxed than they have in a long time. In one corner of the pool, Bruce and Aaron are keeping to themselves while watching the door, while Monica sunbathes with her hat shielding her face. Eric and Dmitri roughhouse in the deep end while Dante sits on the steps with Theo perched on his lap, wearing his huge cat-eye sunglasses. I smile as I glance around at everyone. "This was a good idea."

Plastic cracks as Connor twists the cap off the rum, and I grin at him as he takes a swig straight from the bottle. He squints and tightens his lips in a grimace as he shakes his head. "Still fucking horrid," he rasps as he hands it over.

We pass the rum back and forth, soaking in the sunlight as we both get a good buzz going. "Hey, Tai?"

"Hmm?" I ask, eyes still closed.

"I double dare you…" My eyes open and I grin, sitting up and facing him. "… to tell me what you thought about the last time you masturbated."

My laughter is choked as I shake my head. "You're just trying to give me a boner out here in front of everyone."

He shrugs, faking nonchalance as he takes another long sip. "I mean, we never discussed the consequences of not fulfilling the dare."

His grin is taunting as I snatch the rum from his hand. "You want to hear about my fantasies, chippoke?" Eyes hooded, he nods, and I hiss as I take a swig from the bottle.

"There are so many filthy fantasies that I have for you, but most recently? I was on stage playing while you hid underneath my piano on all fours. My cock was hanging out of my pants, and you were sucking me like the good boy you are. No one knew you were there, and I had to pretend nothing was happening as I came down your throat."

"Holy shit, that's hot," he groans, and his cock flexes under his swim shorts. Mine does the same as I shift, my breathing becoming rough as I raise my brows at him.

My voice is thick as I say, "Your turn."

"Mine wasn't a fantasy, just a memory… that night in the bathroom at the resort. The fullness of having you inside me… your cum dripping out of my ass and making a mess of my suit. The… the way it made me come in my pants." His cock flexes again, so hard that I can trace the outline through his shorts.

"Did you enjoy losing control?"

"Only because it was you who took it."

"Good boy," I whisper, and he groans. My back faces the pool from my position on the edge of my lounger, and slowly, I spread my knees. Connor's eyes drop to where the tip of my cock juts out from the leg of my shorts. Pre-cum sticks to my thighs as it throbs, visibly twitching, and I'm almost delirious with my need for him.

"My turn," I say, and his gaze flies to mine. "I double dare you…" I trail off, glancing behind me at the group, but everyone is sunbathing or in the water. Nobody pays us any attention. "… to do a body shot off me."

There's a momentary flare of his eyes before his knees drop to the concrete, positioning himself between my legs and pushing them wider. A flash of blue fabric flashes in the corner of my eye as he drapes a beach towel over my shoulders, further blocking us from view. His palm lands on my cock, pinning it against my thigh, and my blood turns to lava as he drags his hand back and forth.

"Fuck, Connor," I whimper, staring as he slowly jerks me. Every downward sweep pushes my trunks back, exposing the very tip of my erection.

He catches my lips, and to the unsuspecting eye, we look like we're just making out. "You're so hard," he murmurs into our kiss, and my cock aches in his grip. Heavy throbs roll through my lower half, the intensity causing my breath to catch in my lungs. "Now, what was the dare? A body shot?"

As I nod, he grabs the rum. "Lean back on your hands." Glancing over my shoulder, my hips lurch forward and a whimper escapes at the exhilaration of possibly being discovered.

He holds the bottle over me and pours. Amber liquid rolls down my chest and stomach, pooling in my belly button, and he licks leisurely up my body.

His eyes never leave mine as he slurps the alcohol from my belly, and then he pushes my trunks a few inches lower until the root of my cock is exposed, thick and pushing down into my shorts as I swallow a moan. My knuckles bleach around the edge of the chair, my balls drawing tight against my body. A second stream wets my torso, and he sucks it off my stomach in open-mouthed, tonguing kisses. His head drops, lower and lower, until his tongue drags over the base of my erection, and with no warning, he grips it with his lips and I explode.

Release slams into me in a rush, my cock jerking against his palm as streams of cum shoot out of my shorts, striping my thigh and trickling down my leg. My teeth sink into my lip, fighting to stay silent as the muscles at my core hammer. His deliberate strokes draw out my orgasm as he releases a rich, filthy chuckle and kisses me once more.

"Fuck, you came so fast." His fingers drag through the mess, rubbing it into my skin. "God, seeing you lose control is so damn sexy."

"How close are you?" I swipe the rum bottle from him again, taking in his blown pupils and heaving chest.

His eyes slide behind me, assessing, before he grabs my hand and places it on his cock. "So fucking close," he murmurs as I grip him through the thin fabric, teasing the thick swell of his length. "I could come just from that."

"You are trouble." I give him a slow stroke as he bites his lip.

"You've mentioned that before," he teases, breathless with his hazel eyes locked on mine.

"Then it must be twice as true. Now, lean back."

As he tilts his body backward, I pour the rum over him, mesmerized by the way it slides through the strands of his chest hair and trickles along his abdomen. When I lean forward and slurp the alcohol off his skin, he tenses. My tongue darts across his nipples, and his cock jumps in my grip. I meet his eyes and stroke him again, right as I dip my tongue into his navel. His lips part in a whimper as his hips thrust, a burst of white soaking through the fabric as he comes.

"Good boy," I whisper, stroking him through his trunks as his cock jerks and his thighs tremble. His whole body shudders as I collect the cum off his shorts and lift my fingers to his mouth. Obediently, he sucks them in, licking each one clean as I watch.

"That's my filthy boy," I murmur, catching his lips in a kiss that quickly turns heated. The taste of cum, sweat, and alcohol passes between us, and I tear myself away before I'm ready for another round of play. "Let's get in the water and cool off."

"Yes, sir," he mutters, grabbing my nape and tugging me into a deeper kiss. He pulls back, eyes slightly unfocused as they move around my face. "Tai, I…" He trails off, swallowing roughly before kissing me again.

We stand, still tangled up in each other, and I shout in surprise as he swings me into his arms and carries me to the pool. Cool water makes us groan as it washes over our sun-warmed skin, and once we're chest-deep, he puts me down.

Leaned against the edge, we are chatting when Eric comes up behind me. His lips are right beside my ear as he whispers, "I saw that," and my eyes are wide as I whirl to stare at him.

He only winks before he turns away, shoving Dmitri against the side of the pool with an aggressive kiss. "You're welcome," I call over, and his shoulders shake as he laughs, not bothering to spare me another glance.