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  The question—basic as it was—seemed to throw Brett off his game and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as his gaze darted around the office. “This is a nice setup you’ve got here.”

  “Yeah, it is.” He watched Brett peruse the space and, as he crossed over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to stare out at the city, Cade couldn’t help but admire the tight curve of his ass. Ignoring the bolt of lust, he focused on getting an honest answer. “What are you doing here?” he repeated, watching Brett’s reflection in the glass.

  Brett’s shoulders seemed to droop forward as he expelled a long breath. “I don’t know,” he admitted, keeping his back to Cade. “I guess I—” He turned abruptly and the urgency in his expression caught Cade off-guard. “Jess came to see me,” he said, “did she tell you?”

  Cade blinked as the information sank in. “She went to Texas?” A sinking feeling weighted down his stomach. Was this why Brett had come? To tell him and Jess to back the hell off?

  “I didn’t know,” he said stiffly. “If that bugged you so much take it up with her. It ain’t got nothing to do with me.”

  Brett’s expression became confused and then angry. “You want me to leave then? Is that it?”

  No, he didn’t want him to leave. All he wanted to do was pull him close and feel those firm lips on his again, but his pride wouldn’t let him do that. And hell, Brett would punch him in the stomach if he even tried.

  “Just tell me why you’re here, Miller,” he said eventually, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his pants. Enough was enough. He’d left the ranch and moved back here just as Brett had requested. What else did the guy want?

  Brett didn’t answer immediately and a tense silence filled the room as they stared each other down. Then Brett tore his gaze away and started to pace along the windowed wall. He dragged one hand through his already ruffled hair, the other hand still stuffed in his pockets. Finally, he swiveled on his heel to face Cade, and for the first time Cade noticed the lines of exhaustion around his eyes. It bugged him that he cared.

  “I don’t know why I’m here,” Brett said quietly, standing with his feet apart in front of the window. “I don’t—I mean, I guess—” He blew out a frustrated breath. “She said that you were hurting,” he said, throwing his hands out. “She said that you…” his voice lowered, softened as he continued, “…she said you missed me.”

  Cade stared blankly at him, unable to breathe as he registered Brett’s words. He was going to throttle Jess when he got his hands on her and as for Brett…

  A sudden surge of anger shot through his veins and he strode forward until only inches separated them. “What of it?” he demanded, glaring at the other man. “You think it makes me feel better to have you here? What the hell do you want? You told me to leave and that’s what I did. Why can’t we just—”

  The rest of the sentence was silenced by Brett’s mouth on his. Cade’s whole body stiffened, his mind not daring to believe this was happening and for long seconds he forgot to breathe. As he struggled against Brett and tried to end the kiss that was ripping him to shreds from the inside out, the man clamped his hands around his face, holding him still as the tip of his tongue probed the seam of Cade’s mouth.

  Unable to help himself, Cade opened for him and—sweet mercy—he groaned into the back of Brett’s throat as their tongues tangled, the surfaces rubbing together as their bodies fused. Barely aware of anything except the firm pressure of Brett’s lips, Cade let himself be backed up until the edge of his desk bit into the backs of his thighs. Between his legs, his cock thrust upward, a reaction he hadn’t felt since leaving Steeplecrest.

  Too soon, Brett ended the kiss and his sharp breaths rasped against Cade’s skin. “I miss you,” he said, calloused hands still holding Cade’s face. “I don’t know how we can make it work but—I need you.”

  The shaky admission tore at Cade’s heart and he let out a low groan. He didn’t know how long he’d been waiting to hear those words and the reality of them sliced through his soul.

  “I know I fucked up,” Brett continued, his breath caressing Cade’s lips. “I wasn’t ready.”

  Leaning back, Cade searched the depths of Brett’s pained eyes. “You sure you’re ready now?”

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” The muscles of Brett’s throat worked as he swallowed and Cade’s cock leaped as he felt the man’s hands at the front of his slacks. Slowly, Brett unbuttoned the pants, his eyes staying on Cade’s as he said, “Let me show you.”

  Cade gripped the edge of his desk as Brett lowered to his knees in front of him. He pulled down Cade’s pants and cool air wrapped around his swollen shaft. Transfixed by the sight of Brett’s face so close to his cock, Cade stared, hardly believing what he was seeing. But as the wet tip of Brett’s tongue darted out and licked the broad head of Cade’s dick, the intense sensation drove home the fact that this was really happening.

  “Brett Miller is sucking my dick!” his teenage self screamed in his mind as the tentative strokes of Brett’s tongue gradually gained authority as he hit his groove. When his mouth wrapped around Cade’s breadth and swallowed him right to the back of his throat, Cade reached down and grabbed a fistful of silky black hair. Brett may have been a virgin at sucking cock, but like any other man, he knew what made a damn good blow-job. He moved his head up and down in a steady rhythm, his tongue gliding over Cade’s throbbing skin, and when Cade tugged on his hair, he gave a small groan that vibrated against Cade’s dick.

  Between the fact that he’d had no release for the past few weeks and that Brett was the one sucking his cock, Cade neared the brink quicker than he usually did during oral sex. As his balls tightened dangerously beneath his body, he tried to pull Brett’s head away, but the guy ignored him, increasing his suction until Cade spurted into his mouth. Shaking with the force of his release, Cade watched through blurry eyes as Brett sat back and licked his lips.

  “Was that good for you?” he asked throatily, lifting a brow.

  Cade held his breath, drinking in the sight of Brett’s swollen mouth, then started to grin. “Not bad for a first-timer.” He watched Brett get to his feet and said nothing as they stared at each other.

  “What?” Brett asked, his tone soft as he braced his hands on the desk behind Cade.

  “Just waiting for you to freak out.” Though he said the words lightly, he meant them and from the tightening in Brett’s face, he knew it.

  “I’m still here, right?”

  “Yeah. But for how long?”

  The challenge hung in the air between them and Cade wondered if Brett would snap and walk out the door. He didn’t want to push him away but he didn’t want to risk a repeat of what had happened a few weeks ago. He could still remember the way Brett had looked at him before he’d stormed away. Hell, the memory had haunted every one of his dreams since his return to New York. Much as he wanted Brett with him, he had to protect himself from that kind of pain.

  Cade’s heart froze when Brett took a step back and he was sure the man was about to walk out. But Brett simply glanced at the desk piled high with contracts and messages and then looked back at Cade. “Think you could leave early?” he asked. “Maybe we could go somewhere and talk.”

  Thank God for that. “Uh, sure,” Cade stammered as the dread melted away. “Give me a minute. I’ll just shut everything down.”

  Ten minutes later, after muttering excuses to Sandy, Cade and Brett sat in a cab headed for Cade’s Upper East Side apartment. Throughout the ride, Cade was achingly aware of Brett’s closeness and the urge to reach out and touch him nearly did him in. Fortunately, traffic wasn’t so bad and soon they pulled up outside Cade’s apartment block.

  Brett let out a low whistle as he stared up at the fifty-six-floor building. “Nice digs, Armstrong,” he said as they headed toward the entrance.

  Cade grinned and then thanked the doorman as he held the door open. “It does the job,” he admitted as he led the way to the elevator. “It’s nothing com
pared to the ranch, though.”

  An elderly couple joined them in the elevator for the ride up so they couldn’t say or do anything. The elevator halted at the fortieth floor and Cade and Brett stepped out. Sticking the key in his lock, Cade turned it and pushed the door open.

  “You want something to eat?” he asked, crossing the open-plan living space to the kitchen. “A drink maybe?”

  “I’ll take a beer if you’ve got any,” Brett replied as he ambled through the apartment, taking everything in.

  Cade watched him as he grabbed two beers from the refrigerator. What did he think of the modern, clean-edged apartment he’d furnished with only the bare essentials? Did Brett see what he did? A cold, impersonal apartment that could have belonged to anyone.

  “Here,” he said, handing Brett a beer. As they drank, he absorbed the sight of Brett standing in his home. He swallowed a mouthful of beer and then laughed.

  Brett’s eyebrows drew together. “What’s so funny?”

  Sitting on the armrest of one leather sofa, Cade shook his head. “Never thought I’d see you in here, that’s all.”

  Brett smiled. “Never thought I’d be here, to be honest.”

  “What do you think of the Big Apple?”

  “It’s loud.”

  “Yeah.” Cade set down his beer on the coffee table and clasped his hands between his knees. “So what made you come out here?”

  “Jess can be pretty darn persuasive,” Brett said wryly. “But even if she hadn’t paid me a visit, I would have come eventually.” His gaze dropped from Cade’s as he walked over to the window. “It’s not the same without you,” he admitted after a while. “Now it’s not just Mom and Dad who aren’t around. You’re gone too.”

  Cade felt something shift deep inside him as he stared at Brett’s squared shoulders. The guy came off tough as nails, but underneath it all he was in a lot of pain.

  “You want me to come home?” he asked, watching for Brett’s reaction.

  Brett turned and offered a small smile. “Yeah, I want you to come home.”

  Cade’s heart lurched but he forced himself to remain calm. “You’re sure this isn’t about the accident? Maybe you want me around because we’ve been through the same shit. When the grief is gone, you might—”

  “No. I thought after Dixie died that might be the case, but I was wrong.” Brett’s eyes were intent on his as he crossed the room and stood over Cade. “The grief made me more open to you, to what I was feeling, but even if the accident had never happened, even if Dixie was still alive, I would still want you. What I feel for you—” He broke off and shook his head. “I ain’t ever felt anything like this before.” He brought his hands down on Cade’s shoulders, holding him. “I’m sorry I hurt you that night,” he said huskily, pain clouding his eyes. “I wanted to push you away. I couldn’t figure out what I was feeling. It took me a while to get it together.” He swallowed thickly and brushed the pad of his thumb over Cade’s bottom lip. “I want to make this work.”

  Warm relief filtered through Cade as he stood and aligned his body with Brett’s. Their lips met again, moving urgently together as their tongues entwined. Through the double barrier of their pants, Cade felt the heat of Brett’s erection and a desperate need to feel the pulsing skin in his hand ripped through him. He tore open the guy’s belt and tugged on the zipper, growling into Brett’s mouth as the damn thing jammed. He pulled on it until it loosened and came all the way down. Then, pushing his hand inside the opening, he grasped Brett’s burning cock.

  Brett ripped his lips away and laughed breathlessly against Cade’s cheek. “Ever heard of a thing called patience, Armstrong?” he asked as his hands roamed over Cade’s ass.

  Squeezing Brett’s cock lightly, Cade grinned as the man shuddered. “Screw that,” he muttered, biting at Brett’s stubble-covered jaw. “Want to come to bed?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  Their mouths fused again as Cade backed up toward the bedroom. He stumbled through the door and moved away from Brett as he started to unbutton his shirt. For a second, Brett watched him undress, his plum-red cock jerking out of his jeans. Then he got to work on his own clothes, making Cade’s mouth water with each patch of skin he revealed. When they stood bare-ass naked in front of one another, drinking each other in, Cade’s throat dried at the effect he had on the other man’s body. If he hadn’t believed Brett before when he’d said that his feelings were all about Cade, he sure as hell believed him now. He’d never seen him so aroused, so obviously desperate for release.

  He was about to tell the man to get on the bed and turn around, but Brett got there first. His body heat surrounded Cade as he strode forward, cock jutting out from a cushion of black curls. The head of his cock pressed into Cade’s stomach as he walked him backwards, trapping him against the bed.

  “Lie down,” Brett ordered, his tone harsh as he pushed Cade’s shoulders back.

  Sliding up over the sheets until the pillows were right behind him, Cade rested back on his elbows and watched Brett climb between his legs. A tremble worked its way through his limbs as he absorbed this change of roles. When they’d been together before he’d always played the aggressor—he’d licked and sucked Brett’s skin, he’d been on top, he’d penetrated the man’s body. Locked beneath Brett’s muscled body was nothing short of intimidating…and extremely arousing. Brett’s cock brushed the inside of his thigh as the man settled over his body, bracing his hands either side of Cade’s head.

  “You look scared,” Brett noted, the corner of his mouth lifting in a devilish smile. “What are you afraid of?”

  Cade shook his head silently and then held his breath as Brett’s head descended to his chest. He breathed over Cade’s nipple and then licked the flat disc. Brett’s hot tongue on his skin sent little shocks down Cade’s spine, sensitizing his skin until he burned all over.

  “Remember when you did this to me?” Brett mumbled against his skin. Still bathing Cade’s skin with his tongue, he looked up to meet Cade’s gaze. “I swear to God, nothing’s ever felt so good.”

  Cade stroked a strand of dark hair out of his glassy eyes and then dug his hand into the man’s hair as Brett resumed his mission, licking and sucking a trail down to Cade’s dick. As his skilled mouth once again swallowed him whole, he let out a low groan. Brett’s rough hands splayed across his thighs and ran down to his knees. When he lifted his head, his lips were swollen as he said, “Turn around.”

  Cade swallowed, his dick lurching toward Brett. He turned over slowly, feeling more vulnerable than he ever had with any other man as he lifted his ass in the air.

  Brett’s hands roamed over his buttocks, kneading the fleshy cheeks as the tip of his cock grazed the seam. Lifting a hand, Cade pointed to the bedside table. “There’s lube in the top drawer,” he said and watched Brett lean over and retrieve the tube.

  “Hey,” Brett said, stroking his palm down Cade’s back soothingly. “Easy. It’s just me.”

  Heat unfurled in his stomach as he nodded. It was just Brett and he was about to feel what he’d been dreaming about since he was a teenager. As Brett pushed his lube-covered fingers between his buttocks and slicked up his entrance, Cade sucked in a breath. He waited, tension straining across his back as Brett positioned his cock at Cade’s hole. And then he was pushing forward slowly, stretching Cade open with the thickness of his cock.

  A sharp pain flared from where Brett entered him, but it soon melted into hot pleasure as Brett’s cock rubbed along the nerve endings of his passage. Cade didn’t think he’d ever had a cock this big inside him, throbbing so fiercely deep inside his body. He felt as if he were already coming apart. Dizziness swept through his head and a sweat broke out across his forehead. He’d imagined this so many times before, imagined being trapped beneath Brett’s large body and being filled with his dick. He’d never dreamed it could feel this good, this intense.

  As Brett withdrew and then propelled forward again, Cade’s fingers curled into the sheets. His c
ock felt as if it were about to explode from its skin as it reached up to his stomach. Brett’s hands gripped his hips and the heat of his touch spread outward, right up Cade’s back and down to his feet. A moan choked in his throat as Brett entered him again, harder this time. It was all Cade could do to focus on his breathing, to stay as Brett filled him in an aching rhythm.

  When his ass rippled around Brett’s cock a growl rumbled up out of the man’s chest and his hips snapped against Cade’s. “Fuck, you feel good,” he snarled, his chest rubbing along Cade’s back in a friction that awakened all the nerve endings along his spine. “You’re tight as hell.”

  Cade’s mouth curved in a brief grin and then faltered as Brett’s hand reached beneath him and grasped his cock. Damn, he caught on fast. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck as Brett’s grip worked his cock and the strength of the man’s thrusts increased. Fire broke out low in Cade’s belly and the flames flickered upward until his whole body was on fire. He groaned, barely hearing the sound through the thunder of blood in his ears. Turning his head to the side, he rubbed his face against Brett’s coarse jaw and let out a roar as the pressure that had been building inside him released suddenly, tearing the climax from his body. He bunched the sheets in his hand and squeezed his eyes shut as his orgasm crashed through him. Come spilled from his cock and onto Brett’s hand as his ass clenched around the man’s cock. Then Brett was coming too, his shout of release echoing in Cade’s ears as his hips jerked against Cade’s buttocks. He felt the spike of heat in his passage as Brett spurted inside him and then he fell forward and felt Brett’s shuddering weight collapse over him.

  Brett’s heart pounded so hard Cade could feel it against his back. With his head buried in the pillow, he stretched out his hand to where Brett’s palm lay beside him and knotted their fingers together. Gradually their breathing evened out and Cade savored every second of lying there with the man he loved.

  “You okay?” Brett asked, voice husky as he rolled off Cade’s body.