Pulling strings, p.16
Pulling Strings, page 16
“You feel good,” Devon whispered.
“Am I too heavy?” Powers asked, his lips hanging over Devon’s as he held his gaze. Powers could fall into those deep blue eyes and get completely lost. Part of him was a little worried that if he allowed that, he’d never find his way back. While at the same time, that almost sounded like a call he couldn’t resist. Getting lost in someone else, someone he could trust and who saw him to his core, was as enticing as ice cream on the hottest summer day.
“No,” Devon hummed as he reached for the hem of Powers’s shirt and tugged it upward. More than anything at the moment, Powers needed to feel Devon against him.
The shirt came off with some help from Powers, and then Devon got out of his. Devon’s hands shook as he shimmied and contorted to get the rest of Powers’s clothes off. They couldn’t do it fast enough, and they both ended up laughing. This probably wasn’t a good time to be giggling like an idiot because it broke the mood, but Powers went right along with him.
“Sorry.”
Powers smoothed his hand over Devon’s shoulder and then down his chest, his fingers plucking a pert little nipple. “Sex should be happy, joyful. You don’t need to be worried that you’ll do something wrong.” He leaned closer, his lips right against Devon’s ear. “I love the sound of your laugh, and I’d give almost anything to hear it more often. It’s really sexy, and you should definitely laugh more.” Powers slipped his fingers over Devon’s nipple, sending a zing of desire racing through Devon that reverberated right back to Powers, so intense that there was no mistaking it.
Devon quivered under Powers, holding him tightly as if to keep himself from exploding into a million pieces. “It hasn’t been that before.”
“Why not?” Powers sucked at the base of his neck, sending yet another quiver of passion racing through him. He had never received that kind of reaction before.
“God.”
Powers pulled back. “Didn’t you know?”
Devon shook his head.
“Then we need to find some more.”
The smile Devon received was radiant.
“I get to be an explorer.” Powers kissed him hard, washing him in passion and desire. Devon shivered when Powers slid down him, his tongue and lips running over his skin, leaving trails that left behind a line of heat that he hoped Devon could feel long after Powers had moved on, building chills upon warmth and quivering muscles on shaking that he couldn’t control.
“Powers,” Devon moaned as Powers flicked his tongue in his belly button.
It was delightful to hear that sound and the way his belly quivered when Powers did it again and again, the cry deepening to a slow moan. He slid his tongue to Devon’s side, worrying a spot just above his hip bone.
Devon quivered, trying to pull away and then press closer. “What are you doing?”
Powers increased the pressure and then backed away slightly. “Hopefully driving you out of your mind.” He inhaled deeply, taking in the warm musk of Devon’s skin, the scent deepening the more Powers explored. He found a spot at the back of Devon’s knee and the one at the base of his throat. Devon got to the point that wherever Powers touched, he quivered and shook.
“Just take me,” Devon groaned. “This is like torture. The best kind ever, but I can’t take any more.”
Powers was near his own limits as Devon’s flavor intensified on his tongue, and when he slid his lips down Devon’s cock, taking him deep, Powers closed his eyes, concentrating on prolonging his own gratification, because the last thing he wanted was for things to be over before they really got started. And, damn, it was more difficult than he imagined. It had been years since he’d nearly lost control this way, and yet Devon’s scent and the incredible bevy of sounds he made went right to Powers’s pleasure center, bouncing through his head.
Devon pressed his hands to Powers’s cheeks, tugging him upward. Powers took his lips as energy built by the second. “I want you, Powers. Do you have supplies?”
Powers nodded—trying to talk was impossible with his dry throat. He reached to the bedside table and managed to grab a condom and some slick. He dropped the bottle and, groaning, climbed off the bed, reluctantly leaving Devon’s warmth. The damned bottle had rolled under the bed, and he bent down to get it.
“Oooh, now that’s a view.” Devon grabbed his butt, and Powers hit his head on the underside of the mattress when he started. Swearing again, Powers snatched the bottle and backed out from under the bed, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m sorry,” Devon whispered, rubbing his head, checking to make sure he wasn’t bleeding, and then kissing his head to make it better. That, of course, led to more kissing, and Devon drawing him back onto the bed. “I know just how to make you feel better.”
“Oh yeah?”
Devon smirked, then pushed him back on the bed and climbed up his body, licking his way closer and closer to Powers’s dick before sliding his lips down his length. Now it was Powers’s turn to shake like a leaf in a hurricane as Devon’s heat engulfed him, testing the limits of his control.
“I’m going….”
Devon pulled away and sat back on his haunches, grabbed the condom, tore open the package, and rolled it down Powers’s length. Powers nearly came just from that and had to think unsexy thoughts, like mud and his mother. Yeah, that did the trick, until Devon straddled him, grabbed the lube, and reached behind himself. Oh man, Powers would have loved to be able to see what those fingers were doing, but then Devon pressed down onto him, and Powers held his breath as Devon’s body opened up to him.
It took all his control, which was already ragged at best, not to thrust deeply inside Devon immediately. His body pulled him in, and he stilled his hips, letting Devon set the pace and slide deeper and deeper, sending Powers’s head spinning. “Devon!”
“You like this?” he asked.
Powers hadn’t expected Devon to be so forward, so enthusiastic. Not that he was sure why. Maybe it was because his former lovers hadn’t been particularly generous. But he should have known that Devon would give of himself—it’s what he did outside the bedroom, so he’d do the same when making love. “Oh yeah… you’re….” He searched for words and gave up as Devon settled on his hips, undulating his pelvis slowly and driving Powers absolutely out of his mind.
Devon rocked harder, pushing him higher as he leaned back, arching his back, and pistoned his body up and down. Talk about a power bottom…. Devon had him completely under his spell, and all Powers could do was hold on and let Devon take him where he wanted to go.
Powers ran his hands up and down Devon’s thighs, completely enthralled in the way Devon stroked himself to the pace he set. Everything narrowed to just the two of them. Nothing else mattered as Devon took him all the way to heaven and held him there for an impossibly long time until Powers thought he could no longer hang on.
He lasted until Devon slammed down on him and stilled, groaning deeply as he came, painting over Powers’s chest. That sent Powers over the edge, and he came more loudly than he intended, his head floating until he came back down to earth, guiding Devon onto the bed, kissing him and gathering him into his arms.
“What you do to me…,” Powers whispered.
“I….”
“You were amazing, completely and totally amazing.” He held Devon tighter and closed his eyes. “I could fall in love with you so very easily.”
It was too late to take it back. Not that it wasn’t how he felt, but he hadn’t meant to blurt that out at a moment like this. Powers didn’t know what to say and hoped he hadn’t made Devon uncomfortable. Still, he needed some cover, and slipped off the bed to take care of the condom and get a cloth. They both cleaned up without saying anything to each other. And then Powers got back into bed. He didn’t want to make things worse, so he simply held Devon close, lightly stroked his arm, hoping Devon would break the silence.
“I know that was hard for you,” Devon whispered, “and I don’t know what to say in return. I mean, I could say that I think I could fall in love with you too, but then it sounds like I’m just saying it because of what you said, and then that would be kind of stupid.” The words tumbled out faster and faster, the same way they had when Powers had first met him. “I mean, you see that kind of thing in movies all the time, and I just want to… blah!” He blushed and snapped his lips closed. “I’ll shut up now so I don’t ruin everything.”
Powers chuckled as the joy and ease replaced a lot of his nervousness. “You haven’t ruined anything.” He kissed him. “I think we just need to try to say what we feel and not worry about how it sounds.” He hugged Devon close, needing to feel him and to have him know that this wasn’t just some sex thing. “If it’s truthful, then everything will work out well.”
Devon nodded and leaned close. “It seems so fast to be saying things like this to each other.” He sighed. “It scares me. You know the other guys I was with never said anything like that to me. I fell in love with them, and they….” Devon buried his face in Powers’s neck. “I don’t want to talk about them, not now. They’re gone and in the past, and that’s where they need to stay.”
That sounded beautifully elegant to Powers. Thinking about what those men had done to the gentle, kind, preciously strong man in his arms only made him angry, and at a time like this, when Devon had brought him so much joy, that was the last thing he wanted to think about.
“Why don’t we try to go to sleep?”
Devon nodded, and they both stilled, with Powers’s arms around Devon as he listened to his breathing. It eventually evened out, and Devon began snoring softly.
Powers, meanwhile, stared up at the ceiling, wondering what he was going to do to remove the threat to Devon and keep him safe at the same time. The thought of using him as bait scared him to the core. He wasn’t sure why things had worked out how they did, but he was sure of one thing—he had been given a gift with Devon, and he had no intention of letting go if he could help it. The idea of Devon being put in danger made his heart race faster and his mind churn alternatives well into the night. Unfortunately, all that mental energy came up with next to nothing, and he kept going back to the fact that it truly was Devon who needed to be the bait to try to catch this man. Lucy was right—it had to come from Devon. And as much as Powers loathed the idea, it was the only way to bring this to conclusion.
Chapter 9
DEVON WOKE in the middle of the night in an empty bed. He knew he was in a strange place and tensed immediately until the memory of the evening before returned, and his nervousness kicked in.
“Powers,” he said softly into the darkness, but he didn’t get an answer. He couldn’t see any light coming from under the door and wondered where Powers could be. Devon didn’t know the house at all, and in the near complete darkness, he didn’t feel comfortable enough to get out of bed and start searching for things. He remembered that there was a light on the side of the bed and reached for it just as the bedroom door opened.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Powers whispered, and sat next to him on the bed. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“Why?” Devon asked.
“Because I keep turning things over in my head.” Powers slid back under the covers. “I know that the longer this goes on, the more likely it is that the information we’re trying to protect is going to be stolen, and once it is….”
“The genie is impossible to put back in the bottle,” Devon supplied.
“Exactly.”
“Powers…,” Devon said gently. “I know it’s what we need to do. This has to end, and we need to figure this whole thing out. So we’ll set a trap and see what happens.” He waved his hands in excitement. “I got this idea as I was dreaming. I think we should see if Alexander will make a few phone calls on our behalf. We can give him a few people to call, looking for me because he needs to talk to me before my meeting with Mr. Mauer. I can easily make sure Judy knows, and he can talk to a few other managers in his blind attempt to find me.” Devon moved closer to Powers’s warmth.
“Okay. I’ll ask Mr. Mauer to arrange a meeting with you on Monday,” Powers agreed.
“At three—tell him it needs to be three. Judy’s supervisor, Craig, always has an all-team meeting at that time. That will give me an opportunity to be able to tell the managers that I can’t be there because Mr. Mauer wants to see me. The rest of the information Alexander can provide in a few phone calls, and then the office should be buzzing with speculation as to why I’m meeting with the big boss. A few additional details that Mark can provide should frighten the puppet master, if he’s with the firm.” Devon was afraid that it could be someone else, and if that was the case, then they were barking up the wrong tree and all this effort would be for nothing. Still, they had to try.
“Okay,” Powers agreed. “I hate this entire idea because it puts you in danger, but I can’t think of anything better. But you have to promise to message me every fifteen minutes as soon as we put this into motion. I have to know you’re okay. Also, if you go anywhere other than your desk or Mr. Mauer’s office, text me the location and then again when you return.” Powers tugged him even closer, and Devon sighed. “I can tell you’re nervous.”
“Of course I am.” He didn’t want to think about what that person was capable of. He didn’t want it to be Judy, but he knew that it was a possibility. As far as he was concerned, everyone was on the table. “And to make matters worse, it’s the weekend and I have two days to worry about this and wonder what could happen.”
“It’s okay. You can stay here, and tomorrow I’ll ask Lucy to go by your apartment and check on things.”
Devon nodded. “I hope I get my computer back. I really liked it and….” He sighed again and wished he hadn’t. “I really can’t afford to get another one.” He hated sounding pathetic about it. “I have insurance, but the deductible is high enough that I’m not going to get anything from them.” So he was just out, and there was nothing more he could do.
“We’ll take care of it, sweetheart. Just try to relax. Tomorrow Lucy will get you set up with another laptop, and you can download your things so you can have access to your files.”
Devon shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea right now. If they get into my computer, then they can probably get access through it to my cloud storage. They’ll know what I’m doing because it will go to that computer.” He shivered with vulnerability.
“I’m sorry,” Powers said, and Devon lifted his head.
“Don’t you dare be sorry. I can be upset about my computer, but you didn’t steal it.” Devon sat up in the darkness, the covers pooling in his lap. “Before you came in my life, I was so boring.” He shook again. “I never did anything, and lived the kind of life that made standing in line at the DMV seem exciting. You changed all that.” He leaned over him. “You brought excitement and interest. I can do other things besides be afraid of my own damned fucking shadow. For that you should never apologize.” He smiled even in the darkness, then pushed the covers down and climbed on top of Powers.
Devon shivered as Powers slid his hands down his back to cup his butt in his large, hot hands. “What do you want?” Powers whispered in his ear. “You can have anything at all….”
Devon closed his eyes. What did he want? He sat up, straddling Powers’s hips as heated palms and fingers slid up and down his thighs, then slipped under him, lifting him up, guiding him closer, until Powers bent Devon’s cock lower and slid it between his lips.
Devon threw his head back, trying to stay in control as Powers made him forget his own name. He held still as Powers took him deep and hard, driving him out of his mind. “Powers, I….”
“Just relax and go with it. I know you’re used to taking care of others, but let me do this.” Powers took him again, and Devon’s head throbbed and heat raced through him. This was what he’d always wanted. Powers seemed to care for him and was conscious and careful with his pleasure. It was such a change that Devon had to remind himself that he deserved this and not get edgy when Powers took control and made him the center of his erotic attention. Hell, Powers made him the center of his attention period when they were together.
“I… this… oh God….”
“Just let me take care of you,” Powers whispered, then proceeded to show Devon just how precious he was and how high Powers could send him sailing before driving him even higher, letting him soar on clouds so high that jets never reached them.
After coming down, Powers eased Devon back on the bed. They settled together, and sleep found him, deep and settling, for the first time since he met Powers.
THE WEEKEND went by too fast.
They talked about everything and made plans. Lucy reported that no one had been in his apartment and that she had contacted the landlord, who had changed his locks because, apparently, they were broken.
Devon and Powers watched movies curled together on the sofa, and when he got nervous, Powers had an amazing cure. It involved going to the bedroom and working things out until Devon was as limp and loose as a noodle.
“I brought you the things you asked me to from your place,” Lucy said when she came over Sunday night, hanging a garment bag in Powers’s hall closet. “Do you know what you’re going to do tomorrow?”
Devon nodded and smiled. “Yes. Powers has gone over everything, and Alexander is going to make a few calls to make sure we spread the word and try to up the intensity. He’s really good at that.” He was nervous again just talking about it, but the plan had been solidified as best as they could, and Powers had made him promise a million times that he would text him throughout the day and that he would keep his eyes open for anything unusual. Powers had said that he would be around and that if Devon saw him, he was to say nothing, which made Devon all the more curious about what he was planning, but then he had enough to do as it was.
