AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Emilia brought out his entrée, Ivan nearly leapt to his feet and hugged her. He was desperate for a distraction from his thoughts. She set the plate in front of him and smiled. “Honey truffle fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus.”
Ivan leaned closer and inhaled the sweet and earthy combination of truffles and honey. “Heaven on earth.”
“Enjoy,” she said.
Ivan was convinced he didn’t have room to clean his plate, but he enjoyed every bite. He’d have to rent a room to sleep off a food coma instead of finding a place to fuck. When Emilia strolled to him with dessert, he waved his white napkin in surrender. Val and Stephanie were a few steps behind and laughed at his antics.
“I can’t,” Ivan said when she set down the plate.
“Oh, come on,” Emilia teased. “Live a little.” She didn’t know how often he heard that phrase from the crew at the ranch.
He smiled at her when everyone else would’ve earned a glare. “I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Mind if we join you?” Val asked.
“Please do.”
“The dessert you have now is a crêpe. We used your honey to sweeten the Greek yogurt and fruit filling. We both plan to introduce cakes and other desserts with the honey as well, but this was something we could do quickly.”
Ivan took a picture of the final course and tucked his phone away. “I’m not sharing these images publicly. I just want to tease everyone back at the ranch.” The husband and wife laughed and gestured for him to dig in. Ivan took a bite and groaned a little. “So light and flavorful. It’s the perfect thing to end a heavy meal. Just the right mix of sweet and tangy.” He could only eat one of the crêpes on the plate and waved the other away. “Seriously, I won’t be able to walk to my truck. I can’t thank you enough for this experience.”
“It is our pleasure,” Steph said. “Let’s do it again, and next time you can bring a special guest.”
Rory’s face appeared unbidden in Ivan’s mind. “That would be wonderful.”
Val called for more coffee, and the trio got down to business before they were both needed in their respective kitchens. When Ivan exited the restaurant, the doors had just opened, and the hostess was seating people with five o’clock reservations. He practically floated out to his truck. He couldn’t wait to call Cash.
“Ivan?” Nine years had passed since he’d heard that voice, but Ivan recognized it immediately. It belonged to the first and only man he’d ever loved.
Ivan turned around and faced Curt Washington. It had been nine years since Ivan had found Curt unconscious on his dorm room floor after an intentional overdose. Nine fucking years since Curt had cut Ivan out of his life without even a goodbye or fuck off. Curt had changed very little. His black hair was shorter and showed a hint of gray at the temples. His dark brown eyes looked at Ivan with wariness instead of the adoration they’d once held. The men had both traveled a lot of miles since then, so it was understandable. But they’d never said their goodbyes or had any sort of closure. One minute they were riding high on their love, and the next, their lives were turned upside down.
Ivan recognized the man standing with Curt as his husband and business partner, though they’d never met. He purposely never searched out a single thing about Curt because he’d never wanted to resurrect the pain Ivan associated with him. But one day, when he’d been minding his own business, he’d come across an ad for their real estate business in Colorado Springs. The smiling husbands and their adoptive son were featured front and center in the promo that vowed to find forever homes for their potential clients.
“Curt,” Ivan said, aiming for an ambivalent tone.
Curt’s husband, Gavin Truman, looked at Curt and said, “Is thistheIvan?” At Curt’s nod, Gavin closed the small distance separating them and threw his arms around Ivan. “Thank you for saving his life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Ivan held Curt’s gaze the entire time and didn’t miss the tears filling his ex-boyfriend’s eyes. Curt’s lips trembled like he wanted to speak but couldn’t. And what more was there to say? Maybe Curt had never said goodbye when their relationship ended or expressed his gratitude, but Ivan saw both things in his dark gaze. Ivan patted Gavin’s back. “You’re welcome,” he said, addressing them both.
Gavin sniffled, pulled back, and returned to his husband’s side. “Have you already eaten? We’d love to treat you to dinner if not.”
Ivan smiled and politely refused the offer. “I’m just leaving. I had an earlier meeting with the chef.” He could tell they were curious, but he wasn’t interested in sharing the details of his personal or professional life with them. “You guys enjoy your dinner.”
There was no offer to keep in touch or to clear the air. They wouldn’t be friends or even acquaintances. Curt was just somebody Ivan used to love, and that was good enough for him. He gave them a small wave, told them again to enjoy their evening, and continued toward his truck.
Ivan drove on autopilot while his brain tried to process everything that had happened in the last few hours, hell the past week. All the euphoria he’d felt after signing the deal with both restaurants fizzled out as exhaustion moved in. Ivan was halfway home before he remembered to call Cash, but then decided against it when he remembered the marathon he’d planned with Harry and Rory. The morning would come soon enough. All Ivan wanted was a hot shower, his bed, and his cats. He rolled down the windows so the breeze could ruffle his hair and cranked up the radio.
Ivan rolled up to the ranch a little after eight o’clock. He parked his truck and headed into the old homestead, where the cats were the only ones around to greet him. Mindful of his suit, he only bent down to pet them instead of picking them up. They weren’t happy about it, but he promised cuddles after his shower.
Once upstairs, he was too damn tired and decided to just return his suit to the closet and get into bed. He’d planned to watch television for a bit but fell asleep before he’d even found the remote to switch the TV on. He crashed hard for a long time, but his slumber turned fitful around three in the morning when sexy dreams of Rory invaded. Ivan would wake up hard, sweaty, and yearning, his heart racing and dick throbbing. He’d ignore the urge to fuck his fist to find relief and eventually drift back to sleep for more of the same torture. Sometime around five, he gave up and threw back the covers. He’d take a shower and head to his office to double-check the preparations for his new queen.
He didn’t switch on any lights because he knew the way frontward and backward. Just outside the bathroom, Ivan collided with a warm, half-naked body. He wasn’t sure if he recognized the gasp or the scent, but he knew damn well who he’d collided with in the hallway. Loneliness and lust formed an electric synergy, and it must’ve fried his circuits because Ivan pulled Rory tighter against his body instead of pushing him away.
Warm, callused fingers ghosted over Rory’s bare back before settling on his hips. He didn’t need to turn a light on to know whose body was pressed so deliciously against his. If Ivan had taken liberty with wandering hands, Rory could do the same. He leaned forward and rubbed his face against Ivan’s chest, inhaling his masculine scent as crisp chest hair teased his nose and cheek. Rory expected the big man to come to his senses, but a guttural groan eased past his lips, and Ivan pressed his fingers deeper into Rory’s flesh.
This was real, right? Broad shoulders, brawny arms, a firm chest, thicker than thick thighs, and a mouthwatering hard-on pressed against his stomach. He had to be dreaming, and if so, he was going to live it up until reality invaded his nocturnal sandbox. Rory planted a kiss in the center of Ivan’s chest, his mouth slightly open to brush the tip of his tongue against flesh and fur. Ivan released his left hip to tangle that hand in Rory’s hair. Fingernails lightly grazed Rory’s scalp, making his dick jump in his briefs. He rocked his hips forward, but the difference in their heights meant their dicks didn’t align perfectly. He emitted a hungry growl and stood on his tiptoes to get his sensitive cockhead closer to the promised land.
Rory shifted open-mouth kisses to the right, loving the way Ivan’s heart pounded beneath flesh and bone. He let sensation and instinct guide him. When he reached Ivan’s nipple, Rory swiped his tongue upward to lave the hard bud with wet heat.
