No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,67
to bear.
“Oh, God!”
He came hard, his back arched, holding his breath until swirls of blackness filled his vision. Charlie’s growl in his ear became a ragged roar as Charlie slammed him against the headboard one last time. Jonas gasped, trying to catch his breath as the shivering aftershocks of his orgasm rippled through him.
“Jesus, Jonas,” Charlie whispered. “It’s a good thing we didn’t know back then how fucking perfect we’d be in bed together.”
Jonas laughed, his arms around Charlie’s neck. “I knew.” He’d suspected, at any rate.
Charlie kissed him, growing gentle the way he often did after they made love. “I don’t even have a word for how much I love you,” Charlie said. “I stopped letting myself dream about this years ago. I almost can’t believe it’s happening now.”
Jonas held him, smiling as tears filled his eyes. He was now married to the only man he’d ever really loved. Maybe they would have done things differently if it hadn’t been for the surgery, but it didn’t matter. Jonas couldn’t remember ever being as happy as he was right at that moment.
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Chapter 20
The snow arrived, wet and heavy enough to pull branches to the ground. Charlie’s lawn gnomes lay buried under six inches of it when his friends showed up for the poker party.
Jonas was nervous. Taylor and River seemed ready to accept him, but he didn’t want to be a wedge driven between them and Avery. He needed Avery to accept him as well.
He’d asked Charlie about Taylor’s comment at the reception about initiating him the way they’d done to Avery. Charlie had only laughed. “It means if Taylor has his way, we won’t actually be playing poker. At least, not the whole time.”
Jonas flashed back on the old group. Rory liked trying to play the Doms against each other. Stuart pouted anytime Warren touched anybody but him. Tad resented everybody. Gray and Jonas hadn’t fought about sex, but they’d fought about everything else, and they’d often brought that tension with them. The trouble caused by the four subs had never been enough to ruin the friendship between Charlie, Gray, Warren, and Phil, but it couldn’t have been easy either.
“Don’t worry,” Charlie told him. “You don’t have to take anybody’s orders, and you can always say no.”
“And can I always say yes too?” Jonas asked. “Is there anything you don’t want me doing?”
“As long as you’re having fun and not feeling pressured into anything, I’m happy.”
Of course, that didn’t mean the others would feel the same way.
They arrived in pairs, first River and Phil, who were friendly and welcoming. Then Gray and Avery, who greeted Charlie but avoided Jonas. Then Warren and Taylor. The former greeted Jonas, but Taylor hung back, glancing uncomfortably between Jonas and Avery, as if sensing the hostility between them.
Charlie laid out what was left of the cookies and banana bread he’d baked the week before. He offered drinks. Jonas found himself watching Gray and Avery—not out of jealousy, but out of curiosity. Charlie had said they settled each other, and now that Jonas had a chance to see them together, he saw what Charlie meant. It was as if Avery was a lightning rod, quietly absorbing all of Gray’s intense, manic energy, never realizing he kept it from flying wildly around the room.
Still, it was awkward as they all took their seats. It was obvious Jonas had thrown off the group dynamic. Nobody knew how to treat him, still torn between their loyalty to Gray and their loyalty to Charlie.
All but River and Taylor, who were oblivious. They seemed to be having a hard time keeping their hands off each other. They sat next to each other, although Taylor was halfway in River’s lap. Jonas was on the wrong side of the table, but he suspected Taylor had at least one hand down River’s pants as he kissed River’s neck. River wasn’t quite returning the favor, but he sure wasn’t objecting either.
Jonas looked around the table, wondering if this was normal. He’d seen River and Taylor together at the Tap House twice. Without their Doms present, they’d behaved as casual friends, no hint of sexual tension or flirtation between them. But now, it was clear Taylor was ready to rip River’s clothes off.
“Taylor’s a bad influence,” Phil said to Warren, but it didn’t sound like a complaint.
Warren chuckled. “He’s insatiable is what he is. Ever since Avery’s initiation, he’s been chomping at the bit for another chance to get