That stung. What hadn"t Jay had a chance to learn about Katie?
What did he have left to learn about Lincoln?
“I"m glad we have a chance to talk,” Stuart said. “Just the two of us. We don"t
get to much anymore.”
Jay tried for a smile. Who was Stuart kidding? There"d never been a time
when the two of them had sat alone with each other. Too bad the first time had to
be the night Jay broke into the man"s house and found out he and his wife had put
the life of a five-year-old girl in jeopardy. Or had Emily acted on her own? Was
Stuart involved? Was he clueless?
“Emily and I are leaving on a trip for three weeks. I"ve got recruiting to take
care of, and then we"re staying in Chicago for a vacation.”
“Sounds nice,” Jay said. Should he mention the paper? Ask about the photos,
the threats? If he waited, he could see if the notes stopped while the Shaws were
gone. Although they could"ve hired someone to deliver the threats. Hired the
investigator to take the photos. That"s how people like the Shaws did things, after
all. Never getting their hands dirty.
Perhaps whoever they"d hired had taken liberties. Perhaps the Shaws weren"t
specific in how they expected Lincoln McCaw dealt with. Perhaps they knew
nothing about the inhalers.
As much as Jay wanted them to pay for what they"d done, he also wanted to
keep Katie"s parents from getting into trouble.
Breathe
105
Stuart took another drink and then spoke again. “I think Emily doesn"t want
to drive because she"s afraid of hurting someone. She doesn"t want anyone else to go
through losing a child.”
Jay stared at the man. How far would Emily Shaw go to keep that from
happening?
106
Sloan Parker
Chapter Fifteen
“I don"t know, Jay.” Lincoln finished tightening the brake fittings, needing
something to do with his hands as he thought over Jay"s words. It was the same
thing Jay had suggested every day they"d gotten together. A week working on the
bike, and they were just about done. Nothing more to distract them. “It doesn"t sit
right with me.”
“I think it"ll be okay.” Jay squatted next to him.
He wanted to argue, demand Jay confront the Shaws before they left, but he
buried the words. Jay didn"t deserve the anger.
“It should stop now that they"re leaving,” Jay added. “And maybe they"ll let it
go when they get back.”
“We"ll see.” Lincoln stood and went for his smokes on the storage shelf.
Jay wrapped a hand around his wrist and whispered in his ear, “You should
quit those.”
Lincoln turned his head and eyed the man pressing in close behind him. Jay
had lubricant on his cheek and more lube in his hair—and not the good kind.
“Thought you smoked.”
“When I was sixteen.” Jay smiled and pulled Lincoln by the hips until ass met
groin. “And whenever I want to get into a guy"s pants.”
“How cliché of you.”
“Worked, didn"t it?” Jay rotated his groin and rubbed his dick along the seam
of Lincoln"s jeans.
The press of the firm erection against Lincoln"s ass got his attention. Jay
rotated his hips again, and that did a bit more than get Lincoln"s attention. It had
him ready to rip his damn pants off and get Jay"s dick inside him. “Are you always
hard?”
“Around you that seems to be a common affliction.” Jay spun them until they
faced the bike and shoved Lincoln forward.
Lincoln gripped the seat and stuck his ass out, loving Jay taking the lead,
loving the thrill of giving himself over to someone—to Jay.
Jay ran a hand down one jean-covered ass cheek, then into the space between.
Damn, stupid pants
. Lincoln went for the top button, but Jay slapped his hand
away.
When did the kid get so confident? And bossy?
Breathe
107
Hell, who was he kidding? From the first night they"d met, Jay was the perfect
blend of sensual innocence and erotic strength. It was a turn-on, and Lincoln
wanted more, wanted to do everything they hadn"t done yet. Wanted to sit on the
bike and let Jay ride him. But was Jay ready?
Better to let the other man lead. For now.
Jay bent over Lincoln"s back and spoke against his ear. “You need to quit the
smokes. Okay?”
Lincoln gasped with his words. “I will.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.” He loved Jay"s weight on his back. Loved the heat and pressure,
the feel of Jay"s hands as he unbuttoned Lincoln"s shirt. Then Jay was gone, taking
the shirt with him. Lincoln clasped the bike"s seat in both fists. He wanted to turn
around and grab Jay, pull the man to him, get his tongue in Jay"s mouth. He didn"t
have time for any of it.
Jay pressed a hand to his back and said, “Stay there. Don"t move.”
Fucking hell
. He loved the man"s commands, the way Jay leaned forward and
licked along the base of his neck. Jay"s shirt was off, and the bare chest to his back
gave Lincoln some of what he craved. He reached around with one hand and
grasped Jay"s jean-covered thigh.
He didn"t get to touch the man for long. Jay seized Lincoln"s hands and
stretched his arms out in front of them. “Lean forward against the bike. Grab the
edge of the workbench.”
Lincoln did as instructed, and the action shifted them so Jay"s body forced
Lincoln"s groin against the bike"s seat.
“I want you.” Jay rolled his hips, putting all the right pressure against
Lincoln"s ass. “Can"t stop wanting you.”
Yes. Can’t stop
. Even if they should?
It felt so damn good, though. Lincoln wanted Jay inside him, needed to feel the
man"s cock pushing in. He wanted Jay to take him—show him the desire was as
strong for Jay as it was for him.
Jay enveloped Lincoln, one arm around his shoulder, and with the other hand,
he lowered Lincoln"s zipper. “Kick off your pants.”
Lincoln breathed deep, trying to get his desire in check. He had every intention
of making this last.
But it couldn"t last. No matter how much he"d enjoyed the past week working
on the bike together. No matter how much fun he had hanging out with Jay, how
much he"d laughed and relaxed. No matter how much they deluded themselves. Sex
was all they"d ever have. His stomach churned. Like he"d just downed too much
whiskey. Why? Because he liked Jay. More than he should admit. A hard swallow,
and he forced away the unease. He"d enjoy this for what it was.
Jay stood, and Lincoln heard him undressing. “Linc, get your pants off.”
108
Sloan Parker
Why couldn"t he move?
Desire?
Fear?
Or something more?
Jay covered his back again, the man"s naked body warm and close and so right
against his. Jay swept a hand across his chest, plucking at his nipples, tilting his
world like the time his car had spun out on the last curve at the Tri-State Raceway.
“Need your pants off so I can fuck you, really give this bike a test run.”
Lincoln nodded, but he still couldn"t move.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just give me a sec.” He sucked in a long breath and reached for his
pants. He needed to snap out of it, get undressed, and let Jay screw him into
oblivion. Forget all the bullshit about what he wanted and what he could never
have. Too bad he couldn"t hide the shaking of his hands.
“Want you so much,” Jay said as he helped work Lincoln"s pants past his hips.
“Want you to know how much. Want to show you.”
Lincoln froze, his pants stuck around his thighs. Jay had to quit talking. He
was always talking too much. “Just fuck me. Now. Please, Jay.”
Apparently Jay didn"t need any more encouragement than that. He grabbed
Lincoln"s pants and yanked them the rest of the way off. Then he had on a condom,
applied lube, and was pushing inside Lincoln in no time. He loved that part—the
slow, sweet burn as Jay entered him. The way his own breath hitched when they
came together. The smell of Jay"s cologne overwhelming his senses. His own dick
rubbing against the leather of the bike seat with each shove as Jay thrust into him
over and over. The bike rocked with their movements, the kickstand scraping along
the concrete floor.
“You like it, don"t you?” Jay asked, his words punctuated by low grunts. “You
like getting fucked?”
“Yes! Like that it"s you. Just you.”
Everything stopped. Jay. Him. Time.
Lincoln needed to shut the hell up. If he didn"t, he"d say something he"d
regret—they"d both regret.
Too late for that?
Jay grasped Lincoln"s hips tighter, the pinch almost painful. They stood
immobile, body to body, the pounding of Lincoln"s heart the only sound he could
hear until Jay finally moved. They both groaned as he pulled back and they came
together, hips to ass, with the next slow thrust. Lincoln wanted Jay to stay buried
inside him, wanted the moment to last as long as they could stand it. Jay must have
felt the same. He stayed still for several deep breaths, then finally rocked his body
again, speeding up more with each movement. Lincoln eased his hand between the
bike and himself and wrapped it around his cock.
Breathe
109
It was unlike any sex he"d had with Jay yet.
And it wasn"t just the sex that had changed between them. Lincoln was falling
for Jay. Hard.
With that thought, he jerked forward, driving his cock into the grip of his
hand. He slammed his hips against the bike seat and came, his skin more alive and
on fire than the flames on the Harley.
Jay held Lincoln and drew him close until they touched along the length of
their bodies again. The angle had Jay"s thrusts shallow, but the contact of chest to
back was nothing Lincoln wanted to change. He"d never have all of Jay, but he"d
take all he could get.
Jay thrust one last time, his hips snug against Lincoln, his cock buried deep.
He pinned Lincoln to him and shivered through spasm after spasm. Lincoln gripped
the arm Jay still had pressed across his chest. He wasn"t ready to let go.
“Oh God,” Jay said between deep gulps for air.
They stayed like that, breathing heavy, sweat and cum drying in the air. They
should have withdrawn, gotten rid of the condom, but Lincoln didn"t care about
anything but touching Jay, feeling the man against his back.
Then he felt more: the two bands on the chain around Jay"s neck smashed
between them. Lincoln leaned forward against the bike.
Neither man spoke. What could they say? Lincoln didn"t need to ask any
questions. The experience had been as intense for Jay as it had been for him. There
was no way either of them could pretend differently—pretend they weren"t feeling
something for each other.
The bike rocked as he pushed off the seat. “She held up okay.”
Jay laughed. “She did.” He put his shirt on, covering the rings that had dug
into Lincoln"s back only moments before. “We"ll have to get her on the road to see
what else she"ll need.”
Nope
. Not going to happen. Lincoln reached for his pants and underwear.
Jay beat him to the pants and handed them over. “That was incredible.”
There Jay went again, talking too much.
“You like it a lot?” Jay asked, his gaze on the flames of the bike.
“What? Sex?” Lincoln never had a lover want to talk about it after. Should"ve
known Jay was the kind of guy who"d need that.
“Yeah. But…I mean, bottoming.” He blushed.
Another new one. None of Lincoln"s lover"s ever blushed.
“Getting fucked,” Jay added.
Lincoln chuckled as he tugged on his shirt. “Sure, I like it. Did you miss me
coming all over the bike seat?” Time to distract the man. Since testing the bike was
out of the question, he pulled him forward. “I liked it a lot.”
110
Sloan Parker
This kiss was as passionate as those before the sex, Jay grabbing and
clutching as much as Lincoln. Jay tilted his head back, and Lincoln licked down the
man"s neck, working up marks and earning little hums from Jay.
Before long, Jay shifted his hips. “Never in my life been ready for round two so
fast.” He glanced away and bit his lower lip. No avoiding the sadness in his eyes.
What could Lincoln say to the man? Maybe he would"ve had the right response
if he hadn"t been the one who had taken Jay"s wife from him.
“It"s okay.” He cupped Jay"s chin and forced his head up until the man looked
his way. “You need to let yourself feel. I"m sure she"d—” What the hell was he
doing? Putting words in her mouth. He had no right.
Jay nodded. “She"d understand. She"d never blame me for how I feel.”
Would she blame you for being with me
? Lincoln swallowed around the lump in
his throat.
Jay ran a hand along Lincoln"s cheek to his chin. Why was that one touch more
important to him than the ones Jay had given him when he was bent over the