Bailey Bradford - Southwestern Shifters 06 - Reverence (9 page)

Well, hell, now what? We can shout at each other, I can try to figure out if he’s a total creeper, or just accidentally ended up where I was. If he’s not a serial killer or whatever, what then? Drag him to another seedy club? When he’s already obviously hurting. I wonder what happened to him. That scar on his face…
Harley hadn’t noticed it at first, but it had a silvery shine to it when the light hit it. Were there more scars underneath those pants and shirt? Harley’s fingers twitched as he thought about stripping the guy and finding out. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to drop their drinks.

Harley made it to the table just as his…guest?…looked up at him. He set the whisky down first then his drink, and offered his hand for a shake. “Harley,” he yelled, rolling his eyes up to glare at a speaker on the wall by their table. His attention was yanked back to the man in front of him when his hand was encompassed in a much larger, rougher one.

The handshake only lasted a few seconds but Harley felt it all the way to his core like an erotic touch stimulating his libido. It reminded him of another touch, his to the hand of a comatose man. There was the same sexual current running from Val’s skin to his. He withdrew his hand but kept his eyes locked on Val’s despite an internal debate about whether to look at Val’s right eye only or not. He settled for looking at both, patch be damned, because Harley couldn’t imagine wanting to be treated like he had something wrong or different about himself were he in Val’s shoes.

Harley didn’t sit. He tossed his drink back, sputtered a bit because whatever tequila the bartender had poured him, it burned like a mother going down. His cheeks flamed as he hacked, choking more on embarrassment than anything else at that point. Val rose and one dark eyebrow arched perfectly as he looked at Harley and gestured like he was whacking something.

“No,” Harley rasped out. He wanted Val’s hands on him, but in a sensual way. He straightened up, realising then he’d slumped and slapped a hand on the table. He waved his other hand at Val, making sure he got the message. “I’m fine,” he mouthed, because shouting was out of the question when he was wheezing. Val started to sit back down but Harley shook his head. He pointed towards the entrance then tipped his chin at Val’s drink.

Val frowned at him, and something about that serious, bordering on disapproving look made Harley’s cock leak with proof of his eagerness for Val’s touch.
“Can’t hear ya,” Harley said, making what he hoped were corresponding hand gestures. Val’s frown deepened into a scowl and Harley about came in his jeans then and there.
What the fuck is wrong with me? He looks almost angry and it turns me on, after…after everything?
It shouldn’t have been true, but it was. Val’s expression didn’t frighten him at all, which was confusing. Was it because he didn’t think Val was angry? Harley didn’t know the guy, but he thought there was a bit of nervousness in his expression, too.
Slowly, Val pushed himself up. It was then that Harley noticed the bulge at his groin. The faded denim served to spotlight the darkening patch at the tip of that hard length, and Val seemed to suddenly become aware of it because he lowered a hand as if to cover himself there.
“No!” Harley darted forward and grabbed his wrist, gaze never leaving that tempting denim-covered dick. His mouth watered and he clenched his ass as he thought of feeling Val’s cock stretch him open. The fear he expected to feel didn’t come, or, if it did, the swarm of butterflies taking flight in his stomach quelled it. Harley started to reach for Val’s cock only to find himself literally cock-blocked by Val himself when he stepped back. Harley tore his gaze away from Val’s groin and looked up at him, not bothering to hide his disappointment, or his desire.
Val swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly and his entire body seemed to go taut. He shook his head and nodded towards the dance floor. Harley turned enough to see what he was trying to get across. Men and women danced in pairs on the floor, a few in groups, but yeah, Harley got the picture. They weren’t in a place where they could know they were safe. Hadn’t he thought that same thing himself not long ago? Harley had to take a couple of deep breaths before he could force himself to move. He did adjust himself first, because his dick freakin’ ached, then he pivoted and started for the exit, entrance, whichever—only to spin back around and all but slam into Val’s broad chest.
“Umph!” God, it was like walking into a brick wall! Harley took advantage, too, grabbing onto Val’s hips and rubbing just a little. He’d been worried about Val keeping up, but the rock-hard dick Val was packing told him at least one part of the other man was still up and doing just fine. Harley tipped his head back and looked through his lashes at Val. He wished they were in better lighting, because reading Val’s expression now was damn near impossible. “Sorry.”
Val didn’t speak, but he did step back and put some space between them. Harley didn’t like giving up that firm body but pouting would just be a waste of time. He resumed his trek for the door and could feel Val watching him. As soon as he stepped outside, he moved to the right of the door and Val was at his side a second later.
“Where to now?” Val asked, and oh, the deep, rich timbre of his voice was like a warm velvety stroke to Harley’s swollen cock. He whimpered a little before he could stop himself, then bit the hell out of his tongue. Val merely watched him, and Harley felt like a teenager bumbling in front of his crush.
He wasn’t sure where to go. His place was out of the question. “You said we’re neighbours. Did you just happen to run into me at Scoundrels?”
Val hitched a shoulder. “I believe you were chasing after me, weren’t you?”
Damn it, Harley was going to die from blushing at the rate he was going! In the past, he hadn’t had a problem with going after someone he wanted, although maybe not as blatantly as he had been stalking Val. There was just something about the man that drew Harley to him like a politician to sin. “I was,” he admitted. “Dunno why, exactly.”
Val blanched and Harley realised how what he’d said must have sounded. “Wait,” he yelped, because Val really looked like he was going to walk away. “I didn’t mean—I meant, it’s—I think you’re fine as fuck, dude, I do.”
“Right.” Val pulled that eyebrow down and put enough doubt into the word that it was impossible to miss. “I have looked in a mirror or two, you know.”
Harley narrowed his eyes as he swept them slowly over Val, lingering at the silvery scar running from his left eyebrow to his neck, then again at his lips, and for a third time at the still-firm cock pressing against Val’s jeans before returning to lock gazes with Val. “Then you know you’re one hot fucker, don’t ya? Mysterious, built, got a big cock, it looks like, and the scar there and the eye patch?” Harley licked his lips, thinking about the way Val’s skin might taste. “You gotta know guys are gonna find that all a turn-on. You look like a big, bad, good time, Val.”
Well, that sounded better in his head, but he thought, judging by the way Val’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared, that Val got the point. Harley moved closer to him and pressed lightly against him from knees to chest. “I haven’t wanted a guy to fuck me in a while, but tonight, before I even really saw you, I started thinking…” Harley let the sentence hang as he rubbed against Val. If anyone saw them and had a problem with it, they could fuck off.
Val shuddered and almost tentatively reached around Harley, letting his hands rest on the swell of his ass. Harley waited for fear to strike him, but it didn’t come. He didn’t know what had happened, but he was damned grateful. Things were changing inside him, and he hoped for the first time in weeks, that he might be normal again, not damaged inside.
“Why haven’t you wanted anyone inside you, Harley?”
The words were barely spoken, but they drove into Harley like an arrow from a compound bow, making him jerk in Val’s arms. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Now he wasn’t even sure he wanted to do it, either. His dick was still hard, but there were other things they could do.
Val ran his hands up Harley’s back, over his nape then he cupped Harley’s jaws. He tipped Harley’s head back until Harley had to look at him again. “I won’t fuck you. Not when it might hurt you somehow.”
Harley cursed and would have pulled back, but Val tightened his grip, then he was kissing Harley, the wet heat of his tongue, the press of his lips, making Harley gasp. Val didn’t show any hesitation at all, licking deeply into Harley’s mouth, mapping out every spot there that made Harley whimper and shiver. Harley clung to him, finding those broad shoulders with his eager hands and curling his fingers against the hard muscles beneath them. His eyelids slid shut and he tried to get closer as he opened wider for Val.
The rich, sweet and coffee taste of the man was an aphrodisiac when such a thing had never been so before. Harley had never paid attention to what a guy tasted like when they kissed, but Val was a flavour he could quickly grow addicted to.
Val tilted his head and tipped Harley’s slightly as well, and Harley moaned as his mouth was plundered even more perfectly. He couldn’t quite process the sucking, licking, nipping. It all registered, but as sharp beacons of pleasure swamping his senses.
“Gross,” he finally heard someone yell, and Val raised his head, a low, rumbling sound spilling from him. Harley opened his eyes and saw the swollen lips shiny and wet, and the dangerous glint in Val’s eye as he continued to growl.
Harley canted his head, trying to see who Val was glaring daggers at, but Val still held his face framed between his big hands. Only when the sound of footsteps retreating at a fast clip faded was Harley released. He didn’t, however, let go of Val, whose erection was still a hot spike against Harley’s belly.
“Harley,” Val began, then he sighed and rested his chin on the top of Harley’s head, looping his arms low behind Harley’s back.
“Can we go to your place?” Harley forced himself to ask. It wasn’t his place, but the idea still made him nervous. Not as nervous as Val leaving him alone tonight, though.
“I thought you wanted to know if I followed you,” Val said.
Harley suddenly didn’t want to know that. He didn’t want to hear anything that might force him to turn away from Val. “I was chasing you. You don’t seem like a serial killer or anything. If you promise you won’t hurt me, I might believe you.” He really, really might, which was terrifying and wonderful all at once. Of course, he used to never have to ask such things.
“I would never physically hurt you, Harley,” Val said in a voice stripped raw. “I’m not that sort of man, but if you mean—”
“I meant physically,” Harley cut him off, desperate to not hear the rest of that sentence. “Totally. It’s just a one-off, or however many offs we can get in a night, yeah?” He waited for Val to nod then continued. “Not like I’m gonna fall head over heels for you that quick no matter how well-hung you are. Never did with any other hook-up, and there’s been more than a few of them.”
Val did the growling thing again and Harley didn’t ask why, just enjoyed the way it made his balls and cock ache with a need he hadn’t felt in too long. “Your place?” he asked.
“You’d feel safe?” Val grabbed his chin, made Harley look at him again. “Alone with me, a guy you don’t know, in a locked apartment?”
Harley frowned, something about the question making him feel exposed, as if Val knew what had happened to him. That was impossible, though. Harley hadn’t told anyone what he’d really been through. Val must have taken the hesitation for a no, because he started backing up. Harley clung to him. “No, I mean yes—”
Val’s arms tightened around him again then the world spun crazily. Harley squealed as his feet left the ground. Val grunted, the sound carrying a note of pain, then they were moving into the dark alley beside the club. Harley was set on his feet and pressed against a wall. He barely had time to blink before Val dropped to his knees and rubbed his face against Harley’s groin.
“Oh my God,” Harley gasped, fisting his hands on top of Val’s shoulders. “Please, please, please,” he begged, struggling to keep his eyes open as his heart slammed in his chest. “Please suck me, please, I haven’t—except when I was asleep this morning and I don’t know why—I just—please!” That he’d become a babbling idiot might embarrass him later, but for now Harley would beg and beg for what he needed—Val’s lips around his cock.
“I have you,” Val murmured, his breath warm through the denim of Harley’s jeans. “Relax, I won’t leave you needing.”
Harley whimpered and sucked in his bottom lip. He couldn’t see so well in the dark alley, so he gave up and closed his eyes. His head seemed too heavy for his neck and he rested his chin on his chest as Val ran his hands up to pluck at Harley’s nipples.
“Ah,” Harley panted, then quickly bit his lip again. This wasn’t the place to be noisy, and if he was too loud Val would have to stop. Then Harley would cry.
“Good,” Val murmured, as if aware of Harley’s decision and determination to keep silent. “I’ll want to hear every sound you make, once you trust me.”
Harley didn’t know what to say to that, and since Val followed the statement with a hot, open-mouthed drag over his dick, he couldn’t speak anyway. Val rubbed and tugged at his nipples while repeating that move over his cock, and Harley began to quiver, from deep in his belly to his shoulders and knees. When Val used his apparently very talented mouth to unfasten and unzip Harley’s jeans, Harley wanted to write him an ode or something.
Then Val licked him, that wet tongue on his bare cock as Harley hadn’t bothered with underwear. Harley thunked the back of his head on the wall when he jerked, swallowing a shout. The stars that burst to light behind his lids weren’t all from the head-thumping, either, because Val, bless him, sucked Harley’s cock in to the root in one swift move. Harley’s balls drew snug in a heartbeat, his lungs seizing up as heat raced through his bloodstream and pleasure spread from his core—which happened to be his nuts, it seemed—and shot to his cock.
Val rumbled around his length, and slick, tight muscles contracted around his tip at the same time his nipples were tweaked. Harley’s lips parted on a soundless gasp as he jutted his hips, cum spurting from his slit into Val’s welcoming mouth.
It was, he thought a moment or two later once his head reattached itself to his body, the shortest blow job he’d ever had, because he went off like a God damned bottle rocket. That wasn’t all because of him not having come lately, the morning notwithstanding as he’d not been awake for that. Val had some mad dick-sucking skills—that was the main reason Harley had come so quickly. He dragged his lids up and groaned softly as he looked down at Val, who was still gently sucking his cock. Harley didn’t know what to think about the fact that he was still erect. He’d always had a quick recovery time, but not like this.
Harley realised Val was watching him as he laved a thick vein. Harley unfisted his hands and touched Val’s hair. The short dark strands were as soft as anything he’d ever felt. Harley could only think of comparisons like silk and butter and maybe even that whole baby skin thing but that was too weird considering his current position.
When Val smoothed his hands down and let his dick slip from his lips, Harley just about sobbed because he didn’t want to leave Val’s mouth, ever. Except he wanted to kiss Val again, and having Val’s mouth on his and around his dick at the same time was…a fucking intriguing fantasy Harley would be beating off to in the near future.
“We need to get out of here.”
Harley blinked. What was Val saying? “What?”
Val began tucking his dick back into his jeans. “I said, we need to get out of here. I feel like someone’s watching us.” Harley stiffened, not in a good way at all as he thought about Nathan’s warning that he’d be watched. Val began zipping him up. “I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid. It’s not the first time tonight I’ve felt it, though, and my instincts are generally pretty accurate.”
For some reason, those words set Harley on alert. He didn’t want to hear any more about Val’s instincts. “Fine. Let’s go. Have you got good locks on your door?”
Val finished zipping him up and he stood, a look Harley couldn’t decipher on his face. “Harley, if you can’t talk—” Val cut himself off with a sharp shake of his head. “No, we need to talk—”
“No,” Harley said firmly, “We don’t. We need to do this some more, except I want to suck you, too, and you can fuck me, maybe, or I can fuck you, or we can both—”
“Harley,” Val snapped. Then he sighed and glanced around the alley. “Never mind. Now isn’t the time. Let’s get away from here.”
Harley couldn’t agree more, although he suspected not for the same reasons as Val. He wasn’t going to ask. He didn’t want to know, and he feared, if Val said much more, things would come out that might force him to walk away from the man.