If The Seas Catch Fire (18 page)

Sergei broke the kiss with a gasp. His whole body quivered, and then his hips jerked forward, and hot semen jetted across Dom’s abs and chest. He exhaled, trembled, and he’d barely finished coming when he murmured, “
Please
fuck me.”

“Absolutely.” Dom ran his hands all over Sergei’s sweaty, trembling torso. “I want you just like this. On my lap.”

“I like the sound of that.” Sergei reached past him, toward the table where they’d tossed the lube and condoms. The motion stretched his long, lean torso and made Dom’s mouth water.

When he came back, though, he had lube in his hand, and a small towel, but no condoms.

“What about—”

“Bareback.” Sergei grinned, wiping the semen off Dom’s stomach. “I want you bareback.”

Dom blinked. “But I—”

“You said yourself you hadn’t been with anyone else in ages.”

“You sure you should trust me that much?”

Sergei’s lips pulled back across straight white teeth. “I think I have a good grasp on who the dangerous one is in this arrangement.”

If you only knew
.

Sergei covered Dom’s cock in lube, and then positioned himself above him. Dom steadied himself and, with a hand on Sergei’s hip, guided him down. He watched Sergei’s eyes, and goddamn, in the same instant Dom breached him, Sergei screwed his eyes shut and moaned.

“Like that?” Dom asked.

“Uh-huh.” Sergei lifted up, then came down a little more. “I fucking love the way you feel.”

“Likewise.” Especially like this. With no barrier. With Dom immobile, unable to do a thing except sit here and watch Sergei ease himself down. Dom’s head fell back. He groaned, overwhelmed as Sergei took him deeper.

And Sergei didn’t just ride him—he swiveled and wove like he did during the lap dance. He moved in ways Dom had never felt before. Not while he was this deep in someone.

Dom’s hands slid off him, and he gripped the armrests instead, digging in with his fingers as he held on for dear life. “Oh shit, Sergei… that is…” He tried to blink his eyes into focus, but they wouldn’t cooperate. Still, he tried—he had to see this, to drink in the way Sergei danced on him and rode his cock at the same time. He could barely see. Could barely breathe. His body didn’t know what to do with this much pleasure, this many insane electric sensations, and the climax to end all climaxes was closing in fast, and there was no stopping it even if he wanted to.

“Keep going,” Dom slurred. “Jus’… just like…” All the air rushed out of his lungs. He gasped. Tensed. He pulled Sergei all the way down and didn’t make a sound as he exploded deep inside him.

Sergei kissed beneath his jaw. “Please tell me we can fuck like this again.”

“Yes,
please
.”

“Good.” He lifted his head and pressed his lips to Dom’s. “Because that was hot.”

“Oh my God, yes.”

When they could finally move, they got up and moved into the bathroom for a shower.

“You really don’t mind going bareback?” Dom asked as the lukewarm water ran over both of them.

“No.” Sergei hesitated. “But, uh… probably only when you’re on top.”

Dom cocked his head. “Why’s that?”

“Well, it’s been fifteen years since you’ve been with other men.” He shrugged, the gesture almost apologetic. “I’ve… been around a bit more recently.”

“Still, I—”

“It’s safer.” Sergei wrapped his arms around Dom and stood up on his toes to kiss him lightly. “It’s better this way, I think.”

Dom ran his fingers through Sergei’s wet blond hair, a few cool droplets sliding down the back of his hand. “I can still use condoms when I’m on top. If you want.”

Sergei shook his head. “No. I…” He shifted his gaze away.

“What?”

Sergei hesitated for a moment. Then he looked up at him with those intense blue eyes. “This, what we’re doing, is the only chance you have to be with a man. I want you to feel it. Really feel it.”

A condom barely makes a difference in what I feel when I’m with you.

Really feel it? I do. I definitely do. Every fucking time.

But he just drew Sergei in for a soft kiss.

The water was starting to get cold, so they shut it off and dried themselves. Then they turned down the bed that they hadn’t even touched so far, and climbed under the covers.

For a while, they just lay there, enjoying the lingering buzz of amazing sex, until Sergei finally broke the silence.

“So.” He propped his head up on his hand. “I’m curious about something.”

“Hmm?”

“You were out on a date with a woman tonight, and then you texted me and wanted to hook up. And let’s face it—you were horny as fuck.” His eyebrow arched. “If she turned you on that much, why aren’t you in bed with her?”

Dom sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “It’s… not quite that simple.”

“Let me guess—she has to be a virgin when you marry her?”

“No, no. In fact, I’m pretty sure she isn’t.” He lowered his hand. “For a woman raised in this bullshit environment, she’s liberated as hell. I doubt she’s been a virgin for a long, long time.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course not. It’s fucking refreshing.” Dom shrugged. “Just seems like a shame that a woman like her would wind up with a man like me.”

“Except she does apparently turn you on?”

“No, she doesn’t.” Sighing again, Dom stared up at the ceiling. “She’s beautiful. She’s intelligent. She’s everything I would want in a woman if I were straight.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But I’m not.” He dropped his hand to his side, but still didn’t look at Sergei. “When I left the restaurant tonight, yeah, I was horny as hell, but not because I wanted to be with her. It was because being on a date with her, knowing how much pressure there is to marry her, it just made me realize how little time I have left to be who I really am.”

“Whoa.” Sergei touched his arm. “That’s… rough.”

“Yeah. And if Brigida and I don’t agree to get married soon, my uncle will find me another woman. And there will be even more pressure.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t know why he doesn’t just throw a goddamned ball and make me find the woman with the glass slipper.”

“Well, with as much as he has you meeting potential suitors—” Sergei flashed a toothy grin. “Does kind of sound like you’re a Disney princess or something.”

Dom laughed, but it took work. “Sometimes it really does feel like it, and not in a good way.”

Sobering, Sergei tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Because my life is run by people who don’t give a damn if I want to be a part of it.”

“So why are you part of that life?” Sergei was quiet for a moment. “I mean, you’re really going to marry a woman, for the sake of what people think?”

“I was born into this.” Dom stared up at the ceiling and exhaled. “I could live a million years and never understand why anyone would want to be involved in this shit. I didn’t have a choice, and I’ve spent my life being reminded of that at every turn, especially after my father fucked over the family. They’ve all been ready and willing, all this time, to take me out the second I give them a hint that my heart’s not in it, and that’s all the sign they need that I’m a turncoat like him.”

Sergei studied him for a moment. “Why don’t you leave? Why stay if—”

“If I could, I would.” Dom looked at him. “It’s complicated, but… this is the reality I live in. If I leave, my uncle will hunt me down, and he will kill me. In horrific ways you can’t begin to imagine.”

Sergei shuddered.

Dom swept his tongue across his lips. “The only thing I can do is keep my head down, and hope that when someone finally finds a reason to kill me, they do it quick.”

Sergei’s Adam’s apple jumped. “That’s…”

“I don’t like it, but it is what it is. And part of that means getting married. Being straight.” He sighed, touching Sergei’s face. “All I can do for the moment is stall as long as I can, and spend as much time…”

They held each other’s gazes.

Without a word, Sergei slid closer, tipped Dom’s chin up, and kissed him. As Dom wrapped his arms around him, something settled in his chest. No, this couldn’t last forever. No, this wasn’t something that fit into his pre-orchestrated world.

But for tonight—for as many nights as he could—this was where he needed to be.

This was the one person on earth he needed to be with.

This was who he needed to be.

*              *              *

Dom stumbled in through his front door around eight in the morning. He shuffled upstairs to his bedroom, stripped out of his clothes, and dropped into bed to grab a few hours of sleep before he went into the office. His receptionist already knew he’d be in later.

His head had barely hit the pillow, though, when his cell phone went off.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, and felt around for his phone. Except it wasn’t on the nightstand. Fuck, he hadn’t even bothered taking it out his pocket.

He jumped out of bed and pulled his trousers from the hamper, and managed to get the phone into his hand and answer the call before it went to voicemail.

“Yeah?”

“Your uncle wants to see you,” Biaggio said sharply. No specific time, which meant
now, Domenico
.

Rubbing his unshaven face, Dom mouthed a curse into the stillness. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” After he’d hung up, he eyed his pillow. No, he didn’t dare. Even sleeping for fifteen or twenty minutes was liable to backfire on him. He’d oversleep, or it would make him even more tired, or this would be one of those times when Corrado was tapping his watch and demanding to know why Dom hadn’t left his house the instant he’d gotten off the phone.

He’d go see Corrado,
then
come home and get some fucking sleep.

But first… coffee.

*              *              *

“You look like you had a long night.”

From anyone else, it would’ve been accompanied by some brotherly ribbing, maybe some crude comments about how Brigida was in the sack, but Biaggio’s tone was filled with gentle concern. Not surprisingly—the consigliere had been the only man besides Dr. Rojas who Dom could trust as a confidante over the years. Though his loyalty to Corrado was fierce, he seemed to have some sympathy for Dom. Enough that he frequently filled in as the father figure Dom didn’t have.

“I’m fine.” Dom sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “Just didn’t sleep very well.”

“I can see that.”

They continued into the house, and Biaggio was silent, walking beside him up Corrado’s grand staircase. Dom knew that silence well—the conversation wasn’t over, but Biaggio was waiting for him to go on.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Dom said, barely whispering. “Brigida’s great, but it’s tough to get to know someone when there’s already pressure to get married when you’re on your first date.”

Biaggio nodded. “I doubt anyone would disagree that you’re in a difficult position.”

“I’m just not sure what I can do about it.”

“Have you made arrangements to see her again?”

“We’ve been out already.”

“Good. Then you’re making a good faith effort to see this through, and that should be enough to satisfy her father and your uncle. At least for now.”

“One can hope, right?”

Biaggio grunted an affirmative.

As they followed the long hallway toward Corrado’s office, Felice came toward them.

“Oh, hey, Dom. I was just about to call you.” Felice halted, so Dom and Biaggio did too. “I’m taking the boat out on Saturday morning. One of my new cargo liaisons will be meeting us. Why don’t you come out with me and meet him?”

Guarded, Dom held his cousin’s gaze. “You really need me out there?”

“Dom, come on.” Felice laughed and clapped Dom’s shoulder. “It’s business. You gotta know all the players, and this boy’s a big player. He’s going to be bringing you some people soon.” He raised his eyebrows, letting that convey the unspoken meaning.

Dom’s stomach roiled. Another smuggler who moonlighted as an “immigrant transporter,” as Corrado and Felice liked to call them. More like human trafficker.

While he didn’t like the idea of being out on the water with his hothead cousin, he couldn’t let on. So, he shrugged. “Sure. Yeah. I’ll come meet him.”

“Great. I’ll text you with the time once I talk to the crew.”

“Perfect.” Felice clapped his shoulder and kept walking.

Dom watched him for a moment. Then he continued down the hall with Biaggio.

“Weird,” he muttered. “He’s being awfully friendly lately.”

“He’s probably heeding his father’s advice for once,” Biaggio said. “Realizing he’s a grown man and not a teenager anymore and needs to behave accordingly.”

“I don’t know.” Dom chuckled. “When it comes to Felice maturing, I think I’ll believe it when I see it last longer than a week or two.”