Starting From Here (Starting From #3) - Lane Hayes Page 0,81

Charlie get the word out. If the goal is to move away from Gypsy Coma bad blood, this should do it. So…kiss or tell?”

Great. I drained the contents of my glass, then set it on the table. “I’ll let you two work that out. Later.”

“Where are you going?” Dec called as I headed for the exit.

I stopped to zip my leather jacket and heard Petra ask, “Is he mad? I didn’t mean to make him angry, but your fans are gonna want…”

I turned left down Sixth Street, weaving around a couple of drunks and stepping over broken bottles as I passed bar after bar, contemplating her question. Was I mad?

Yeah, a little. Not at Petra, though. She was just doing her job. And she was honest about it, which was more than I could say for myself.

13

Declan

Twenty minutes later, I slid the hotel key card into the door and walked into the room. Tegan lay naked in bed, reading a book…or faking it. He set the paperback on the nightstand when I walked into the room and smiled.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” I peeled my jacket off and draped it on the desk chair before moving to the window to pull the curtains aside. “Nice view.”

“It’s not too shabby.”

I closed the curtains and yanked my T-shirt over my head. “So…are you mad? It bothers me that I can’t read you very well. I usually think I’m perceptive. I’m not so sure anymore.”

“No, I’m not mad. I just…didn’t know what to do. My choices were ‘kiss’ or ‘tell.’ I figured if I took away one option, you could tell her whatever you wanted.”

I sat on the edge of the mattress and combed my fingers through his hair. “Hmm. I bought her a drink and asked her about things to do in Austin.”

T captured my wrist and kissed my fingers. “That’s it?”

“Yeah. I know she was trying to trick me into outing Charlie and this stupid ‘build a mystery’ idea. Talking about places to buy cool cowboy boots seemed like a safe bet.” I kicked off my shoes, then unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned my jeans.

Tegan splayed his left hand over my pecs, tracing a lazy circle around my nipple with his thumb. “Did she flirt with you, McNamara?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you tell her you’re mine?”

“Yours,” I repeated.

Something shifted in his gaze—I could almost see a shield falling into place.

“For two more weeks,” he replied quickly.

Right.

He slinked his right hand under the sheet and made a small tent with his obvious erection. Yep. Conversation averted. Maybe it was for the best. I wasn’t in the right headspace to be reminded that we had an expiration date. Our agreement was about sex. We had four days to have a ton of it, so why fuck it up by asking uncomfortable questions?

Keep it light, I reminded myself.

“What d’ya got there, partner?” I drawled in my best Texas accent, tapping his cock.

Tegan barked a laugh. “You sound like we’re lawyers. Try that again.”

I licked his wide mushroom head through the white linen sheet. “Pard-ner.”

He folded the duvet back and pointed at his boner, gripping himself at the base. “No more talking, cowboy.”

I didn’t argue. I finished undressing in record time, then dove on top of him, covering his body like a blanket and sealing my mouth over his. T opened for me immediately, parting his lips and his legs as he pulled me into his arms.

We took our time, sliding skin on skin, twisting tongues, and swaying hips. Our cocks leaked precum between us as the fire steadily grew. He raked his fingers along my spine and cupped my ass cheeks, spreading his thighs to give me room to hump and grind. I reached down, gripping us both.

“Tell me what you want,” I whispered, bracing my weight on one hand.

He licked his lips and arched into my palm. “You.”

I was expecting something dirty, like “Dig your spurs in and ride me.” Something light and funny designed to keep us on track. Fuck, he was doing something to me. Messing with my head. And the slight tic at the corner of his mouth probably meant he’d freaked himself out too.

All about sex.

I smeared precum over my slit, then his, and set my thumb on his lower lip. “For you.”

He sucked the digit and shivered with desire. “Fuck, I want you.”

I growled my approval, stroking us feverishly. “We need lube too. Where is it?”

“It’s in the bathroom with my toiletries. Condoms too.”

“There goes your Boy Scout badge,” I teased, bending to lick