Appassionato (18 page)

“Duncan! Are you in there?”

Jake looked at Duncan who laughed and stood up. Why did this keep happening to them?

“The fucking paparazzi are all over the fucking venue. We need you to stop fucking around and get your ass out here!” their keyboardist yelled.

Jake snorted as he finally got his pants fastened. “Eric really gets himself worked up about stuff, doesn’t he?”

Duncan smiled, feeling too blissed-out from his orgasm to care very much about Eric’s impatience. The man needed to chill out anyway. He was always freaking out about something. “I’ll be right there Eric!” he called, then leaned into Jake, kissing the other man softly. He smiled as Jake closed his eyes, savoring the contact. “Man, I really love you.”

“Ditto,” Jake replied. He opened his eyes. “Now get out there and deal with Eric before I punch him again.” Duncan laughed, remembering the last time that happened. Eric had a tendency to say stupid things when he was drunk.

“Yeah. He had a fit when he found out I was bi. I bet he’s freaking out over the bonding thing now.” He felt Emma’s concern in the back of his head and sent a quick reassurance her way. “Whatever. If he can’t deal with it, he can leave. The only reason I kept him in the band after his last homophobic rant was because he had a contract,” Duncan said, smoothing his jacket down over his shirt.

Jake nodded. “If it comes to that, I can play the keys.”

Duncan stared at Jake, ignoring the pounding on the door.
You hate playing in front of an audience
, he thought.

“Yeah, well, I’m not going to let Eric fuck things up because he can’t handle us sleeping together. I like playing keyboards. I just wasn’t interested in the fame. I think it’s too late now for that.” Jake smiled and kissed Duncan, then turned and opened the door. Both men blinked in the light from the hall. Eric stood just outside, fist raised to pound on the door again.

Jake stepped back quickly. “Whoa, man, relax!”

Duncan frowned. Eric looked beyond pissed, his blond hair tousled and his face red. His eyes were bloodshot, like he’d been drinking. He watched Eric sway on his feet and wondered if the man was on drugs or something.

“What the hell? You’re fucking each other now? I didn’t sign on for this,” Eric said, venomously.

Duncan felt his temper finally rise. “If you have a problem with us, the door’s that way.” He pointed to the exit down the hall. He watched Eric glare at them, his face growing redder.

“I let it slide when you told Oprah you were bi last year because I thought you did it for the publicity, but now—” Eric broke off, struggling. “You too Jake?” He raised a fist and Jake pulled Duncan back.

“Get a grip, Eric!” Jake said angrily.
He’s lost it.

Duncan nodded, then shoved Jake to the side as Eric charged. “Jesus Christ, Eric! What the fuck?” He ducked as Eric threw a punch and then Dave and Charlie were there, grabbing Eric and shoving him up against the wall just inside the closet. Duncan looked down at the floor and winced, hoping none of them noticed the wet mark on the floor. Jake snorted at Duncan’s thought, then pulled him out into the hall. Both men sensed Emma watching the scene though their eyes. Her concern for them and disgust for Eric made Duncan feel a little better.

“What do you want us to do, boss?” Charlie asked.

Duncan sighed. “Let him get his stuff and leave.” He looked at Eric who fought against Charlie and Dave’s hold. “I’ll send your check to you. You’re done.”

“Fuck you, faggot! I wouldn’t work for you now if you begged me! And I’ve got a lead on another gig anyway, with more perks than playing for you ever got me!”

“Quiet, you,” Dave growled and yanked him out of the closet. He and Charlie frog-marched him down the hall as Duncan sagged against the wall.

“I didn’t expect that. I mean, I knew he was nuts, but I didn’t think he’d totally lose it,” Jake said, leaning into Duncan. He dropped his head into Duncan’s neck. “Like you’d beg that asshole for anything.”

Duncan laughed. “I’d beg
you
for a whole lotta things.”

Jake lifted his face and grinned. “Oh yeah? I’d like to see that.”

Duncan’s mouth went dry and they both felt Emma rolling her eyes at them.
You don’t have time for another go-round
, she sent, then faded into the back of their minds.

“She’s right. You need to do sound-check and I need to practice. It’s been a while since I played all the songs and since tonight’s show is acoustic, it’d really suck if I screwed up.” Jake pushed away from Duncan and started down the hall. “Come on.”

Duncan smiled and followed his lover’s gorgeous ass down to the stage.

Chapter 9

Jake woke with a start as the car slid to a stop. “We there?”

Duncan turned the ignition off and smiled as Jake rubbed his eyes and fought to wake up. “Yeah, we’re here. It’s late. Emma’s asleep.”

Jake yawned as Duncan opened the door and got out of the car, stretching in the cool night air. His jacket and shirt rode up, revealing a thin sliver of skin for Jake to admire.
Even exhausted, he’s a gorgeous bastard
, he thought.
No wonder I turned gay.

Hey! I heard that!
Duncan thought back at him, grinning. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. “And anyway, you didn’t just turn gay. I think you were leaning toward bisexual, but you were too lazy to ask any guys out. Too many women throwing themselves at you.”

Jake snorted. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I honestly didn’t think about it.” He grabbed Duncan’s hand. “You know, I don’t need you to haul me out like a damsel in distress,” Jake said, grumpy with exhaustion.

“Then get your ass out of the car. I want to get out of these clothes and crawl into bed with Emma,” Duncan replied, heartless.

Jake groaned, both at how tired his body felt and at the thought of them naked together in Emma’s bed. He felt her stir as their proximity and arousal seeped into her sleep, bringing her closer to consciousness. He stepped around the car to help Duncan with their bags.

“You were great tonight, by the way,” Duncan said as they closed the trunk and walked up the sidewalk.

Jake smiled. “Thanks. I’m not used to performing in front of such a large audience. I was a little nervous.”

“You were wonderful. I don’t know why you were nervous. You spend all your time organizing my life. You’re around crowds of people all the time, and you’re usually telling most of them what to do, too. You’re more than comfortable being in the spotlight.” Duncan smiled.

Jake paused outside of Emma’s screen door. “Yeah, but the crowds are there to see you, not me. I’m just your manager. I’m not the star.”

“Well, after tonight, I have a feeling things will be different. Between the bonding and this performance, the fans are going to go crazy.”

Jake sighed and opened the door. “I’m afraid you’re right. You didn’t look after the show, but I checked my laptop and the internet basically exploded. We made the top entertainment headline on most of the news sites. I was afraid to look at the blogs.” He stepped inside and held the door open for Duncan.

“Do you regret it?” Duncan paused, whispering in the dark.

Jake shook his head. “You know I’d do anything for you.” He was about to kiss Duncan when something flashed in the corner of his eye and turned to look. He thought he saw a man and a woman, ducking down behind one of the neighbor’s front hedges. He could swear the man was wearing the same ugly cap Eric liked to wear offstage, with the plastic beer bottle stuck to the front. He frowned and looked out into the darkness, waiting to see them again, but all was quiet.

“What is it?”

“I thought I saw something, a flash of light like a reflection off of a buckle or jewelry.” Jake peered down the street but saw nothing. The trees rustled in the late night breeze and he shivered, stepping back to let Duncan inside. “For a moment I thought I saw Eric with some woman. Wow, I must be really tired. I’m seeing things now.”

Duncan nodded and stepped in, letting the screen door swing shut behind him. Jake winced when it banged against the doorframe and he hoped it hadn’t woken Emma up.

“No such luck,” Emma said softly, stepping into the pool of light that fell into her living room from the street light outside. Jake smiled, taking in her long white nightgown. She looked innocent and young, her hair tousled from sleep. Duncan sighed and slipped past him to hug her close. Jake swung the oak inside door shut and threw the deadbolt before turning and dropping his bag. When he stepped forward, Duncan opened his arms and gathered Jake into their hug. Jake dropped his head down and inhaled Emma’s sweet scent, her hair tickling his nose with the fruity shampoo she’d used earlier that day.

“I love the way you smell,” he murmured into her skin, then opened his mouth and licked her neck. She trembled and he grinned against her cheek. He felt his cock fill again and thought to himself,
Seriously
? Like he hadn’t had enough sex in the past few days. Then Duncan angled his body and pressed his thick erection against Jake’s thigh.
Oh
. At least it wasn’t just him.

“No, it’s not just you,” Emma said, her voice throaty. Both men shivered.

“Let’s take this to bed.” Duncan stepped back, shrugging off his jacket. He let it fall onto the floor and Jake’s eyes caught on Duncan’s muscular torso, the tight T-shirt he wore hugging his pecs and clearly outlining Duncan’s pierced nipples. Jake wanted to go slow this time, run his fingers and mouth all over Duncan. He wanted to memorize what it felt like when Duncan slid into his body. He wanted Emma to suck him while he learned the texture of her hair. Duncan groaned and Emma stared, catching his thoughts.

“That’s it, let’s go,” Duncan said, yanking off his boots and grabbing Jake’s hand. He towed him into the bedroom and Emma followed, her eyes gleaming in the dark. Duncan pushed Jake onto the bed then dropped to his knees so he could pull off Jake’s shoes.

“I can undress myself,” Jake murmured, his voice cracking as Emma slipped out of her nightgown. He watched as she walked closer, full breasts swaying. He swallowed, loving the way her skin looked, smooth and luminous in the light of the small lamp she’d left on. She was curvy, not even close to skinny, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. She smiled and then Duncan ripped open the snaps on Jake’s shirt, startling him.

“I don’t care if you can undress yourself, you’re obviously too distracted to bother and I’m not going to fuck you with clothes on.” Duncan efficiently pulled Jake’s wife beater over his head then stepped back to finish undressing himself. Emma dropped down, unbuckling Jake’s belt and slipping it out of the loops. Jake couldn’t speak. He felt overwhelmed, his cock pushing against his jeans insistently. Emma unbuttoned him then slid her hand inside, stroking him. Jake trembled.

Duncan smiled as he shoved down his pants, then strode naked over to them. He leaned down and kissed Jake, licking along the other man’s lips until Jake opened up. Duncan swooped in, his tongue coaxing Jake’s mouth wider. He jerked as Emma slipped her mouth over his cock, his jeans were open but not off and the fabric pressed against his balls, making the softness of her mouth that much more sweet. He moaned and then Duncan sucked on his tongue and Jake felt himself falling back, unable to sit up any longer. Duncan broke the kiss, biting along Jake’s jaw.

How does he know that drives me crazy?
Jake thought as he lifted his hips. Emma yanked on his jeans until they came off and she tossed them on the floor.

I know because I can feel you in my heart
, he thought to Jake. Jake smiled as Emma suddenly hugged Duncan.

How did I get so lucky?
she thought at both of them and Jake smiled, completely understanding the sentiment. He felt it too. Then all thought left his head because Duncan slid down to suck his dick into his mouth. The heat of it and the rasp of Duncan’s tongue almost made Jake lose it, his climax suddenly
right there
until Emma’s slim fingers closed around the base of his erection, stopping his orgasm.

“Oh, God,” Jake groaned, thrashing his head then glaring when they didn’t move. His lovers smiled at him, Emma innocent and Duncan as wicked as can be with his lips stretched around Jake’s cock. Jake slid his hands into Duncan’s hair and hung on, wanting to thrust but unable to move because of the way Duncan held him down on the bed, fingers pressing into Jake’s hipbones.

“I don’t want you to come until I’m inside you,” Duncan said as he backed off. He tugged at Emma, pulling her fingers away from Jake and kissing them. “Can you grab the lube, sweetheart?”