Deliver Me (3 page)

Only
when Duke whined did Erik realize he hadn’t moved for several minutes. He was
still holding the money in his hand wondering where the hell someone got that
much cash, and who the hell walked around with it in their pocket. What kind of
musician earned enough to carry around a roll of hundreds? He said he misplaced
his insurance card. If he was in the music business, he probably didn’t have
insurance. And Delilah? That angel was living with this man. The same man who
had been checking out Erik earlier. He knew he was good looking, at least he’d
been told he was. In college he’d even been approached about modeling, but he
didn’t see someone like Lee Holloway going for a doctor even if he was gay. Duke
whined again, and Erik pocketed the money. It was then he realized Lee hadn’t
filled out the paperwork. Well, hell.

Erik
closed up his clinic and headed to the V.A. center. Even though Duke was
retired from being a personal service animal, he was still beneficial to
others. Every Friday afternoon, Erik took Duke to the center where Tor had
spent so much time. While his depression had finally overtaken him, Erik still
believed there were those who could be rehabilitated and return to a normal,
functioning life. As he parked the Range Rover, Duke barked. He was ready to
get out and run with the new recruits, the pups that were being trained to do
what he had done for several years.

Erik
opened the door, and Duke jumped down but didn’t run off. He waited until Erik
gave him the okay. When Sarah, the trainer, nodded at them, Erik rubbed his
head and commanded, “Go.” Duke took off to the training area where he stopped
and sat at his old master’s feet. Sarah squatted and gave him the love he was
accustomed to before turning him loose with the other dogs. She walked over to
the fence where Erik was standing with his arms propped on the top rail. The
pretty redhead had flirted with Erik incessantly when he first visited his
brother. Tor had been the one to inform her Erik was gay. He wasn’t in the
closet, but he didn’t shout his sexual preferences from the rooftops either.

After
she realized she had no chance at romance, they had become great friends. They
had a lot in common, both of them having siblings who’d committed suicide after
returning home from serving in the military. The two of them often went out to
eat together and sometimes hung out on the weekends, just watching television.
They had both gone through shitty relationships and were there for the other
when it ended. When she reached him, she placed a kiss on his cheek. “Hey,
babe. You okay? You look, I don’t know…”

Erik
stood up and scrubbed his hands down his face. “It was just a rough day, that’s
all. How is the new batch coming along?” His gaze was on the fur balls running
around the enclosure with Duke. If he looked her in the eyes, she’d definitely
know something specific was bothering him. Part of her job was to profile the
patients, and she was damn good at it.

“Most
of them are doing great. Samson, however, is still too playful. He’s like a kid
in a candy store around his brothers and sisters.” She turned and leaned her
back against the rail, watching the dogs as they got their exercise. Sarah
didn’t have to point out which puppy was Samson. He was the one biting at
Duke’s hindquarters while Duke tousled the puppy with his nose. “Do you want to
grab a bite later?” She turned her head and looked at him, searching his face.

Erik
started to decline, but he knew if he did he’d just sit at home driving himself
crazy with thoughts of Lee. “Sure. Pick you up at seven?”

Sarah
smiled up at him. “Sounds like a date,” she said with a wink. He watched her
walk back to her puppies. She really was a great woman. If he were straight, he
had no doubt they’d be married by now.

The
hours visiting the PTSD patients passed quickly, and Erik found himself home
with plenty of time to shower and change. Home to Erik was a moderate sized
house on several acres. Since he didn’t have a husband and two point three
kids, a neighborhood didn’t appeal to him. He lived close enough to downtown
Nashville without being in the big city. The park where he and Duke ran was
five minutes away. Thinking back to his first run-in with Lee, he wondered how
close he lived to the park. Were they possibly neighbors?

Trying
to keep his mind off the gorgeous man was near to impossible. Erik got Duke
settled, and he went to get ready for his date. How pathetic was he that for
the last year, every single date he had was with Sarah? He needed to let go of
the past and move on. He just didn’t know where to start.

Instead
of lingering in the shower, he turned the knob to where it was barely warm. He
didn’t want his dick to get any ideas. He kept his mind on the veterans he and
Duke visited with earlier. Less than an hour later, he had Sarah in his car,
and they were headed toward their favorite Italian restaurant. They had only
been seated long enough to order drinks when he heard a voice he recognized.
Walking through the restaurant was Lee Holloway. A man equally as gorgeous and
equally as inked walked behind him, his hand on the small of Lee’s back as he
whispered something in his ear, making him laugh. The sound had Erik’s dick
straining his pants. When Sarah gasped, he turned his attention back to his friend.
Her eyes were trained on the two men. Of course she would think they were hot.
He did.

“Holy
shit! That’s Taggart Lee,” Sarah said, using the heavy menu to fan her chest.

“You
know him?” he asked her, looking back and forth from her to Lee and his
boyfriend. Fuck, Lee Holloway had a boyfriend.

“You
don’t?” she asked, surprise obvious on her face.

“Well,
the one with dark hair came into my office today with his niece. He said his
name was Lee Holloway.” Erik couldn’t keep his eyes off Lee and his date. The
other man had no problem with PDA, but it appeared Lee didn’t appreciate it. He
pushed the other man’s chair away from his.

“Yes,
Taggart Lee Holloway, better known to the world as Taggart Lee, lead singer for
7’s Mistress.”

“What?”
Of course Erik had heard of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, but he
wasn’t one to fan boy over the members. Besides, their sound was a little heavy
for him. “He’s their lead singer? That explains a lot,” he muttered.

“What
are you talking about? What does that explain?” Sarah finally finished drooling
over the famous man.

Erik
couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and wiping her chin with his napkin.
She slapped his hand away, laughing. “I guess being a rock star he can show off
his boyfriend in public,” he grumbled.

“That’s
not his boyfriend. At least I don’t think they’re together. The other guy is
Cade Anderson, the drummer.” Sarah glanced back their way and blushed.

“I
didn’t realize you were such a fan.” Erik stuck his nose in his menu, even
though he was no longer hungry. The waiter returned and, hungry or not, Erik
placed his usual order and asked Sarah to excuse him. He needed to be alone for
a few minutes. He entered the men’s room and leaned both hands against the
sink. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get the image of Lee, or Tag, or
whatever the fuck his name was out of his mind. He was an adult, and he could
keep his hormones under control. He took a deep breath just as the door opened.
Lee stepped just far enough into the small restroom to allow the door to close.
Oh
Fuck.

 “Your
girlfriend’s pretty.” Lee’s voice sounded deeper, sexier than Erik remembered.

“Yeah?
So is yours.” Erik didn’t know why he said that, but it was too late to take it
back. He expected Lee to be pissed. Instead, he smirked.

“I’ve
heard Cade called a lot of things, but I don’t think pretty is one of them.” He
didn’t move, just continued to bar the doorway.

Erik
noticed he didn’t say he wasn’t his girlfriend. Technically, he would be his boyfriend,
but whatever. He came in to get away from the man, and here he was, way too
fucking close. He washed his hands and dried them. “How’s Delilah? Better yet,
where is Delilah?”

“She’s
at home with a friend, and so far, she’s better.”

When
Erik walked toward the door, he stopped in front of Lee and looked up into his
eyes. “I’m glad to hear it, now if you’ll excuse me.”

Lee
didn’t move out of the way. Instead he stared at Erik’s lips and licked his
own. Now he was just messing with Erik. “Look,
Tag
, I’d like to get back
to my dinner.”

Lee’s
eyes narrowed. “So you do know who I am.”

“I
didn’t until three minutes ago. Now, if you’ll get out of my way…”

Lee
smiled. It wasn’t a grin or a smirk. It was a full on, all white teeth,
sunshine blinding smile. Erik liked it. Too much. But this man was a rock star.
Of course he knew how to smile. It was probably something that was taught in Entertaining
the Masses 101. While he had the chance, Erik took in the way Lee was dressed. He
was no longer the stranger in a zip-up sweatshirt. He was wearing frayed jeans,
a tight t-shirt that showed most of the ink on his arms, motorcycle boots, his
long hair was flowing around his shoulders, and if Erik wasn’t mistaken, his
green eyes were framed by eyeliner.
Erik felt his cock
getting harder. He really needed to get away from the man. Instead of moving
out of the way, Lee stepped closer. He leaned his face down to Erik’s neck and
sniffed. The man fucking sniffed him.

“Are
you smelling me?” Erik took a step back and frowned.

“Yeah.
I like your cologne, or bodywash, whatever it is.” He took another step toward
Erik who took another step back. They continued this dance until Erik’s back
was against the wall.

“What
the hell is your game? You like my cologne? I’ll tell you where to buy a
bottle. I’m sure it would smell good on your boyfriend.”

Lee
gave him a good once-over, stopping at the bulge in his crotch. When his eyes
drifted the rest of the way up, they were hooded. Erik took a step to the left,
but Lee was there, in his way.

“Seriously?
You’re here with another man and playing fucking games with me in the bathroom.
Just move so I can get back to my date.” Sarah wasn’t his date, but he wasn’t
going to let Mr. Rock Star know that.

“Your
date, huh? Is she the reason your zipper’s about to bust?” Lee asked as he leaned
in and put his scruffy cheek against Erik’s smooth one. Cupping Erik’s erection
he asked, “Does she turn you on so much you have to hide out in the men’s
room?”

Erik
had had enough. Actually, he hadn’t had any in too damn long and was too horny
to concentrate. He gripped Lee by the shoulders and spun him around, pinning
him to the wall. His anger was rising as much as his cock was. “I’m sure you’re
used to getting everything you want, Tag, but unless it concerns Delilah, stay
away from me,” he seethed.

The
smirk was back on Lee’s face as he grabbed Erik’s belt loops, pulling their
bodies together. Erik couldn’t miss the erection nestled against his own. Lee
moved his hips so their hard cocks were rubbing together. Erik’s body betrayed
him as he closed his eyes and moaned. Lee laughed. “That’s what I thought.”

The
cockiness of his words brought Erik out of his rutting induced fog. He pushed
hard against Lee’s chest and made his escape. Before he reached the door, Lee
grabbed him by the bicep, turning him around. Erik found his back shoved
against the door as Lee slammed their mouths together. It was hot, frantic,
angry. He nudged Erik’s legs open with his knee and settled his cock against
Erik’s. The friction through their clothes was more erotic than anything Erik
had ever felt naked with Bradley. Only when they needed to breathe did Lee
break the kiss. He rubbed his thumb along Erik’s swollen bottom lip and
whispered, “Fuck me.”

Erik
took advantage of Lee being entranced by their kiss. He shoved him hard,
pushing him away. Erik walked out the bathroom door without looking back.

Tag
was losing his mind. The doctor’s hard cock made it apparent he had been as
turned on as Tag was. It was also apparent Erik wanted nothing to do with him.
Tag didn’t chase people. They pursued him. Maybe that was the appeal. He had
been bored for way too long, and the thrill of the chase had his body humming.
So did their tongues. Goddamn, the man knew how to kiss, even if he protested
before and after. During was a whole other matter. When Tag leaned back to take
a breath, Erik shoved him hard enough to exit the bathroom.

He
couldn’t go after him, or everyone would know something had happened. He took a
moment to compose himself, giving Erik time to get back to his date. His
female
date. Either the man was in the closet, or he was bisexual, because there’s no
way he could have such a glorious hard-on and be straight. Tag groaned thinking
of Erik’s cock rubbing against his. He had been three seconds away from
dropping to his knees and finding out first hand just how glorious Erik’s cock
truly was. Fuck!

The
bathroom door opened, and Tag’s heart kicked up a notch thinking Erik was
returning to finish what they started. Instead, Cade strode in, his impatience
clear when he asked, “What the fuck?”

Tag
turned the water on and washed his hands, praying his cock would deflate. He
didn’t need Cade getting any ideas. “Had to use the facilities. I told you
that,” he said without looking at his best friend.

“Yeah?
And the hot as fuck blond you followed in here didn’t have anything to do with
that?”

“Actually,
he did. He’s the doctor I took Delilah to this afternoon, and I wanted to give
him an update.” Tag tried to walk by Cade to get out the door, but his friend
wasn’t having it.

Blocking
the way much like Tag had done to Erik, Cade put his hands on his hips and
stared. “Really? That’s why you won’t look at me? Why your lips look like
they’ve been sucking my dick?” he snarled.

“Not
that it’s any of your fucking business, but we were just talking. And you know
what? If I want to blow the doctor in the men’s room, I will blow the goddamn
doctor in the men’s room,” Tag seethed back. Cade had been increasingly jealous
over the last few months, and Tag had avoided the issue as much as possible.
The band didn’t function well when any of them were at odds. They had another three
months on the road together before he could even think about getting time off.
Usually, he didn’t need to be away from Cade, but now that Tag had Delilah, he
felt his life was going to take a turn in a completely different direction.

He
knew Cade was still pissed from earlier. When he’d gotten home from the
doctor’s office, he had lain Delilah down and went to his room to nap while she
did. He had gotten very little sleep the past week, even with Echo there to
help out. Just when he had almost dozed off, he felt the bed dip as Cade
nestled in next to him.

At
first he didn’t mind. They’d slept in the same bed hundreds of times over the
years. It was comforting to have a warm body to cuddle up with. Yep, Taggart
fucking Lee was a cuddler. Cade had pulled Tag closer to him and stroked his
arm. When Cade’s hand traveled to Tag’s crotch, Tag pushed his hand away and
told him to get the fuck out of his room. “I just want to make you feel good,
babe,” Cade had moaned. They argued until he finally convinced Cade to leave
his room. Afterwards, Tag had been so riled up he couldn’t go to sleep. That
pissed him off to the point he was ready to tell Cade to go home to L.A. 

He
had stayed in bed, thinking about his situation. 7’s Mistress had fulfilled
their contractual obligations with their record label. Heaven’s Hell had
already hit platinum, and damn if Tag wasn’t ready to stop touring. The
lifestyle had been fun in the beginning. Now, he wanted more. After he left the
doctor’s office earlier, he thought long and hard about his responsibility to
Delilah. The look in Erik’s eyes when Tag mentioned adoption had him taking
stock of his life, his priorities. He couldn’t make a good life for her on the
road. If they retired after this tour, they would be going out on top.

 When
Delilah woke up crying, he dragged his ass out of bed to tend to her. He
changed her diaper before taking her to get a bottle. He ignored Cade when he walked
into the living room. Echo must have sensed the tension, because she took the
baby from him and told him to get out of the house for a while. Cade suggested
they go grab dinner so they could talk. Now, here they were… talking.

Tag
ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He dipped his chin down to his chest
and counted to ten. He didn’t want to fight. He just wanted to get some fucking
rest. Then he wanted to figure out the next chapter in his life. “Look, Cade,
nothing happened. Even if I wanted the doctor, I don’t have the time or energy
to start something. I’ve got to get my shit together so we can finish the tour.
I can’t do that with no sleep. You know I need my sleep to function. So cut me
some goddamn slack here, okay?”

Cade
held his hands up in surrender. “Yeah, man. I get it.” He didn’t sound sincere,
but at least he held open the door for Tag to exit. By the time he returned to
their table, the doctor and his date were gone.

Erik
returned to the table and a frustrated Sarah. “You want to tell me what that
was about?” she asked, one eyebrow cocked.

He
knew she’d see right through a lie, but there’s no way he would tell her what
happened in the men’s room. “Just a little disagreement on how he should raise
his niece. I apologize I kept you waiting. Listen, since we haven’t ordered, do
you mind if we go somewhere else? I’m not in the mood for Mr. Rock Star’s
attitude.”

Sarah
downed the rest of her wine before responding, “Not at all. I’m tired of
getting the evil eye from Cade Anderson.”

Erik
looked over at Lee’s table in time to see the drummer stalk his way to the restroom.
Erik pulled his wallet out and tossed a couple of twenties on the table. That
should cover two glasses of wine and a tip. He allowed Sarah to walk in front
of him. When he reached the door, he took a glance back seeing the still empty
table.

The
silence in the car was growing thicker with each mile Erik drove. Finally,
Sarah broke into his thoughts, “Look, just take me home. I can see you have
something on your mind, and quite frankly, I don’t have the energy to talk you
through it tonight.”

He
looked over at his friend and noticed the tightness in her demeanor. “Sarah,
I’m sorry. I really am. You want to talk about it?”

She
shook her head, keeping her focus out the side window. What a shitty friend he
was. She was obviously troubled, and he’d been so caught up in Lee he hadn’t
noticed. “Sarah…”

“No.
Erik, really, I’m okay. You want to come over, and we’ll order in Chinese?”

What
he wanted to do was go home, pull out the good scotch, and get wasted. It had
been a long time since he felt the need to drown himself in a bottle of liquor.
He knew it was a bad idea, so he said, “Sure.” Neither one of them would be
good company, but maybe they would at least give each other a couple hours of
forgetting their woes. He almost laughed out loud. His woes? Since when did
having the attention of a gorgeous man count as a woe? When that same man was
one of the biggest stars in the world. When that man could have anyone he
wanted and was just toying with Erik.

A
couple of hours and a silly chick flick later, empty food cartons littered the
coffee table. Erik and Sarah were sitting on the floor, leaning against the
sofa. Neither had said very much in the last couple of hours, but they had been
watching a movie. When Erik stood to clean up his mess, Sarah grabbed his arm
and said, “Leave it. I’ll clean it up in the morning.” She knew that would
drive Erik crazy, but it was her house. “Why don’t you stay the night?”

Since when did they spend the
night with each other? “Not tonight, dear. I have a headache,” he deadpanned.
He wanted to get home where he could just be. Alone. Erik eased his arm out of
her grasp.

“Erik…”
Sarah started, but he cut her off.

“Really,
I just want to pull an Al Bundy.” He didn’t have to explain what he meant.
She’d caught him asleep in his recliner with his hand down the front of his
pants more than once. It wasn’t sexual, just comfortable.

Erik
grabbed his container and empty glass and took them to the kitchen anyway. It
just wasn’t in him to leave a mess. When he stood by the back door, she pulled
his face down and placed a kiss on his lips. She didn’t pull back, so Erik
broke the kiss and said, “I’ll talk to you later.”

He
hurried to his car, wondering what the hell just happened. His house wasn’t far
from Sarah’s, so he would be home before he had time to really think. However,
he didn’t want to think. If anything, he wanted to forget. He wanted to forget
the way his body reacted to Lee. The way the man’s dick felt rubbing against
his. The way his tongue fought for control. The only way he could do that was
to replace Lee’s face with someone else’s. It had been too long since Erik had
been out, and he needed to get laid, or blown at least. He wasn’t a one night
stand kind of guy, but fuck it. Tonight he would be. Knowing Duke was fine at
home, Erik turned his car toward the interstate that led to downtown.

Primus
didn’t hold a lot of good memories for Erik, but it was the best place to go
for what he was looking for. He paid the cover charge and pushed his way
through the bodies to get to the bar. He ignored the looks and the offers until
he got some liquid courage in his system. The little bit of wine he’d had at
Sarah’s was already absorbed into his bloodstream. The bartender flashed a
smile at Erik. “What’ll it be?” He was hot. His muscles were on display, as was
the rest of his upper body. All of the wait staff dressed like Chippendale’s
dancers… black pants, black bowtie, nothing else.

“A
double shot of Glenfiddich, neat.” Erik wouldn’t ruin the top shelf scotch with
ice. The bartender had to go to the back to retrieve the expensive whiskey
since most of the patrons at Primus drank the cheap stuff.

“Here
you go. Do you want to start a tab?”

Erik
shook his head, “No. I’m not going to be here that long.” At least he hoped
not. He paid for his drink and turned to the crowded dance floor, sipping the
liquor and enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat. The bodies in front of
him moved to the music, teasing, taunting. He loved to dance. Loved the sensual
feeling of someone swaying to the same beat.

He
felt heat next to his side before he felt warm breath on his ear. A deep voice
asked, “Would you like to dance?”

Erik
tossed back the rest of his drink and turned to face the voice. The man
standing next to him was his height. He was handsome with dark hair and eyes.
Good, anything but green. Erik didn’t like the young, androgynous look. He
wanted his men to look like men. He didn’t respond, only grabbed the other
man’s hand and led him to the dance floor. Erik had been the dominant one in his
few previous relationships. He was ready to concede control to someone else;
however, this man obviously had no problem with being led around. They stepped
into the ocean of writhing bodies and began moving together.

One
song ended and another began. Neither man made a move to exit the floor. If
anything they pulled each other closer. His dance partner leaned in so Erik
could hear him say, “I’m Jeremy. What’s your name?”

Erik
didn’t want a connection. He wasn’t there for more than a one-off. “I’m not
here to talk. I just want to get blown. If you want to get on your knees for
me, let me know. If not, you can find someone else.”

Jeremy
pulled Erik’s hips tighter to his, rubbing an already hard cock against his
zipper. Erik grabbed Jeremy’s hand, pulling him to the back of the building.
There were plenty of dark alcoves built into the halls for just these moments.
Erik stopped at the first empty one and pushed Jeremy’s head down, his
intentions clear.

The
other man fell to his knees and made quick work of unzipping Erik’s pants and
pulling out his semi hard dick. He licked around the head and ran his tongue
through the slit, lapping up the pre-come. Erik leaned his head back and closed
his eyes, focusing on the hot mouth that was working him over like a pro. Jeremy
knew his way around and down a cock. He rolled Erik’s balls in one hand while
his other played at the seam of his ass. Erik moaned. God, how he would love to
have someone to fuck. His hole was probably as tight as a virgin’s; it’d been
so long since he’d had anything in it.