Hunger (Chicken Ranch Gentlemen's Club Book 1) (9 page)

On his way back from the bathroom, Declan stopped in the doorway and stared at his lover. Killian lay on his back, his long legs stretched out and spread wide, his semihard shaft lying over to one side and his large balls hanging loose and heavy. His arms were folded behind his head, the muscles bulging.

Declan licked his lips. Killian was a damn fine-looking man. He could hardly believe Killian wanted to be with someone like him.

He approached the bed, wondering if Killian would mind. He'd never stayed the night with a lover before, and the idea appealed to him. He could go back to his apartment if he had to, but he'd much rather sleep with Killian.

Killian jerked upright, his gaze wild and startled. "Shit. You startled me. I'm not used to having people in the house."

"Oh, well, I should get going then. If you could just—"

"Sure." Killian cut him off. He stood, went to his pants, and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "How much do I owe you for tonight?"

Declan stared at Killian, his gut cramping. "What?"

Killian shrugged. "I thought—"

Declan held up his hand. "Save it. I know what you thought."

He bent and picked his clothes up off the floor. Although his shirt, pants, and shoes were right within sight, he couldn't figure out where the hell his socks had gone. Fuck 'em. He'd buy new ones. He needed to get out of there. Right the fuck now. Before he did something stupid, like cry or kill Killian. It was a toss-up.

Killian circled the foot of the bed. "You don't have to leave, Declan. I didn't mean to insult you."

Of course he hadn't. He just thought he was offering payment for services rendered. It was Declan's foolish pride that was bleeding. He'd actually believed they had some kind of mythical connection.

Well, the joke's on me. I'm a fucking idiot.

"I think it's best if I leave." Declan stomped into his shoes, not even taking the time to tie them properly. "Don't worry about paying me for the fuck. Just consider it on the house."

Killian was still sputtering as Declan left the room. Although he knew it was petty, he slammed the door on his way out of the house. The dull ache building inside him screamed for some kind of punishment to be meted out. He only wished he could make Killian feel half as cheap and tawdry as he himself did at that very moment.

The bad thing was, he wasn't even sure he had a right to be mad. After all, he
was
a whore.

* * * * *

Killian was forced to wait three days to apologize to Declan. It damn near killed him, but his lover wasn't answering his phone, and Killian still had no idea where Declan actually lived. He'd cursed himself more than once over the last seventy-two hours for letting the matter go whenever Declan not-so-subtly steered the conversation away from his place of residence.

Not wanting to rock the boat had left him between a rock and a hard place. Like so many other times he'd stuck his foot in his mouth, offering to pay Declan had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. He'd figured Declan would either laugh it off or take the money. It wasn't as if Killian didn't have the money to spare, while little tidbits Declan dropped into conversation here and there made it sound as if he could use the extra cash. What he hadn't expected was for the offer to piss Declan off and ruin what had been the perfect evening.

Lacking a better idea of how to contact Declan, Killian resolved to stop over at Chicken Ranch on his way home. Although he wasn't thrilled with the thought of visiting Declan at work, he didn't have many options. He even left work early—just short of four o'clock—in the hopes he could steal a minute of Declan's time.

It wasn't the greatest plan he'd ever come up with, but it was the best he could do with the hand he was dealt. Declan would either appreciate that he'd gone out of his way to apologize or just get more pissed off at his audacity. Either way, he didn't have anything to lose. As things stood, it appeared as if his lack of deportment had already cost him Declan.

Killian signaled, then turned onto the long, bumpy driveway leading up to the brothel. The Hummer breezed over the rutted dirt and gravel lane like he was driving on fluffy white clouds. Luck appeared to be with him as he noticed the nearly empty lot. Only two vehicles, a late-model sedan and a black F-150 with a monstrous lift kit, sat in the visitor parking area.

He pulled in beside the truck and hopped out of the vehicle. He hit the locking mechanism on his key fob and started toward the house, butterflies gnawing at his gut. The shame he'd glimpsed beneath Declan's anger on the night he left flashed through Killian's mind, reminding him why he was here, making himself vulnerable to a man who most likely didn't want anything to do with him.

Fighting down the urge to pace, Killian rang the doorbell and stood while he waited.

A tinny voice spoke, "State your business."

Killian glanced at the camera. "I'm here to see one of your men." That seemed suitably vague enough. He knew better than to demand to see the man he'd been dating up until three nights prior.

A loud bell rang inside as the door swung open.

The same man who'd greeted him the previous time he'd visited the brothel answered the door. "Welcome to Chicken Ranch. If you'd follow me, please…"

The other man didn't wait for a reply before he turned and disappeared inside. Killian stepped inside and called after him, "I'd like to see Declan, if he, um, isn't busy."

He needn't have wasted his breath. The same lineup that had greeted him before, plus a few faces he didn't recall, was once again in place. Declan stood in the center of the men, his gaze lowered to the floor.

The man who had answered the door stopped a few feet away from the men. "I'm sorry. I know you've visited us before, but your name escapes me."

A few steps brought Killian to the center of the room. "It's Killian."

Declan's head jerked up. His eyes widened and then went hard, all the light draining from behind the limpid pools of blue Killian found so beguiling.

Although it took considerable effort, Killian dragged his attention away from his lover and turned to the man beside him. In a voice barely loud enough to be heard, he said, "There's been a misunderstanding. I'm not here to make use of your services. I need to speak with Declan."

The gentleman's dark brown eyes narrowed. "If you aren't here on business, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. The men in our employ don't have time to socialize. If you'd like someone to
talk
to, perhaps you'd be better off consulting a chat line."

The condescending tone of the man's voice grated on Killian's nerves. How dare this little pissant talk down to him like he was some kind of freak? "Listen, asshole, I'm not going anywhere until I speak to Declan."

"What's going on here, Colt?"

The barking male voice forced Killian to quit glaring at the man by his side. He glanced around and saw a tall, dark-haired man striding toward them.

The insulting little jerk—whose name was apparently Colt—was quick to answer. "This
gentleman
refuses to leave until he
speaks
to Declan."

Declan stepped forward out of the lineup. "What do you think you're doing? I have to work here."

Killian took a deep breath and prayed for composure. "I'm s-sorry, but I didn't have any other w-w-way to get in touch with you."

Declan shot a nervous glance at the other men. "Would you just get the fuck out of here, Killian? Please. Just go."

Before Killian could say anything further, the man in charge intervened. "I'm sorry, sir, but you need to leave. Please don't make me call in the authorities. I don't think either of us would relish answering their questions."

Killian glanced at Declan, imploring him to say something, anything. Declan stepped back into the line and lowered his eyes.

An all-encompassing ball of lead built in Killian's chest, numbing him from the inside out. He tore his gaze away from Declan and met the tall dude's steely gaze. "Fine. It looks like I was wasting my time here anyway."

Alone in the dark, Killian lounged on the sofa and obsessed about everything that happened in the last few hours. All he'd wanted to do was apologize. How had things gone so wrong so quickly? With his head leaning against the back of the couch, he stared blindly up at the ceiling and wondered how he'd let everything go to hell.

If he hadn't opened his big mouth and screwed things up, he'd probably be able to sleep right now, instead of sitting in the dark and feeling sorry for himself. Or maybe he'd be in bed thinking about all the wicked things he could do to Declan's scrumptious body, as he'd done so very often since the night they'd spent together at the brothel.

Things he didn't have a slim chance in hell of doing now.

Killian slapped his hands down on the sofa and rose to his feet. He had to stop torturing himself. There was nothing he could do to change the day's outcome. No matter how much he cared about Declan, the other man was long gone. Killian just needed to get over it and move on. It wasn't the first relationship that had ended before he was ready, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Some people were lucky in love, but he wasn't one of them.

The shrill whine of the doorbell filled the house with the sound of bells and scared the hell out of Killian. He jumped and then cursed his stupidity.

A glance at the clock over the sink in the kitchen revealed it was closing in on eight o'clock. He wasn't sure who was at his door, but he had a pretty good idea. Cash was the only person he knew who was apt to show up on someone's doorstep without calling first. Killian figured he was due for an impromptu visit. After all, it'd been a while since he was on the receiving end of one of his friend's tall tales.

Killian pulled the door open without glancing through the peephole. Declan stood on the stoop, looking almost as lost as Killian felt. "Um…hi."

Declan stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Will you let me in, or am I going to have to stand out here in the cold?"

"Sorry." Killian stepped back and allowed Declan space to enter. His stomach churned with anxiety, while his thoughts hovered around why Declan would show up now. Was he there to read Killian the riot act about showing up at his place of employment? Maybe he'd been fired because of the scene Killian had caused in front of his boss.

Fuck
. Killian hoped he hadn't cost Declan his job. He closed the door and turned to find Declan standing beside the sofa. They stared at each other for a long moment, the air between them rife with tension. Body language didn't lend many clues, but the steel set of Declan's jaw and the tense line of his shoulders didn't bode well.

Killian stiffened his spine and stood up straight. No matter what Declan had come to say, he was going to take it like a man. What he did after Declan said his piece and left was his own business.

"So," he said. "Why are you here, Declan?"

Declan crossed his arms over his chest. "You have no idea how pissed I was when you left. Graves reamed me a new asshole for bringing my boyfriend issues to work. I swear, I was so angry I never wanted to see you again."

Killian breathed. It was all he could do. "I'm sorry about that. It wasn't my intention to cause you any problems at work."

"Why were you there?"

"I wanted to apologize for what I said the other night. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Declan snorted. "What did you expect to happen when you offered to pay me for something I thought was mutual and…?
Fuck
. How would you have liked it if the shoe were on the other foot?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah, well…" Declan shrugged. "It's over and done with, right?"

Killian sighed. "I suppose so, if that's what you want."

"I—What?"

"If you want to end things between us, there isn't really anything I can do to change your mind."

"Maybe coming here was a bad idea." Declan's gaze searched Killian's face. "I should go."

"I guess so." Hopelessness swelled within Killian, making it hard to breathe. The longing to ask Declan to stay was overwhelming in its intensity, but fruitless. He swallowed the words and tried to remain stoic, not wanting Declan to see how deeply he was affected.

Declan brushed by Killian on his way to the door. At the last minute, he turned back and shoved Killian against the wall. "You meant something to me, goddamn it. Am I so easy to let go that you aren't even willing to explain yourself?"

Killian recoiled at the fire in Declan's eyes. "No. I—" The rest of what he was going to say was lost in the hard press of Declan's lips against his own. He groaned, eagerly accepting every ounce of Declan's rage through the cushion of his lips and tongue. In return, he poured all his pent-up hurt and frustration into the kiss, crushing Declan's mouth beneath his own.

Declan pushed in closer, grinding the hard edge of his erection into Killian's upper thigh. Whether Declan's desire was born of anger or need, Killian was happy to take what he could get. He'd more than willingly lie down and sacrifice his body to sate Declan's lust.

Declan twisted his face to the side, broke free of their kiss, and dropped to his knees. In a matter of seconds, he had Killian's pants around his ankles.

Killian leaned back against the wall for support and carded his fingers through Declan's pale hair. "You don't have to—"

Declan ignored Killian and pressed on. He wrapped his fingers around the base of Killian's dick and pulled it down to his mouth. His tongue appeared, pink and slick as rain, and flicked over the fissure in Killian's crown. He leaned in closer and ran the tip of his tongue over the shallow groove beneath the head, setting Killian's nerve endings alight. The wide flare was treated to the same, licked and lapped like an ice-cream cone.

Killian rolled his hips, pushing his prick through the soft ring of Declan's lips. The inferno beyond was slick and moist. Declan's tongue wiggled, licking over every millimeter of the shaft as he swallowed Killian's prick.

Killian closed his eyes and then instantly reopened them, fighting his natural inclination to focus all his senses on the ecstasy rolling through his body. The way Declan looked on his knees, his sweet mouth spread swollen around Killian's meat, was too good to miss. He almost looked as good as it felt, but not quite. Declan was damn good with his mouth.

Killian shut down that line of thought before it could branch out into a reminder of just how Declan had come by his dick-sucking expertise. He didn't want to think about all the other men who paid for the pleasure he was being given. The important thing was that Declan was there with him now, being with him of his own free will and desire to do so, rather than because he was being paid to submit.

The reminder pushed back his ardor by brief measures, convincing him he could hold out just a little longer. Then his cock butted the soft tissue at the back of Declan's throat. Declan swallowed around Killian's tip, his throat palpitating in rhythmic waves.

With a groan, Killian fisted Declan's hair. "Stop. I'm too close."

Declan ignored his request and sucked harder. He gazed up at Killian through a veil of platinum lashes and hollowed his cheeks around Killian's cock. They stared at each other as Declan continued bobbing up and down his length, making Killian's shaft glisten with saliva.

Killian shuddered and tightened his grip on Declan's hair. "Quit. I don't want to come in your mouth."

Instead of waiting for Declan to comply, Killian bent, seized Declan by his arms, and lifted. His dick popped free of Declan's mouth with a lewd
squelch
, almost making him reconsider what he was doing. Letting Declan finish him off was too damn tempting. Despite the mutinous expression on Declan's face, Killian yanked his lover to his feet and forced Declan's back against the wall.

He ripped at Declan's jeans, shoving them down and over his hips. He crouched at Declan's feet and yanked the younger man's athletic shoes off. By the time Killian finished pulling Declan's pants the rest of the way off, Declan had discarded his shirt and was staring down at him with languid eyes darkened by desire. The normally pale pink of his lips was shades darker, the plump flesh swollen and flushed from sucking Killian's cock.

Killian sucked in a much-needed deep breath and pinched the base of his shaft, trying to compose himself. Unless he wanted to spew before he made it inside Declan, he needed to calm the fuck down. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done when Declan was naked, his long prick standing tall and proud, and he was staring down at Killian with come-fuck-me eyes.

Killian rose to his feet, towering over Declan by several inches. He buried his face in the curve of Declan's throat and kissed his lover's neck. He brushed his fingertips over one stiff nipple and then the other, relishing the way they puckered right up for him. "You are so fucking sexy."

Declan gripped Killian's shoulders. "I want you."

"I know." Killian kissed his way from Declan's neck to his ear. "I want you too."

"No." Declan tightened his grasp on Killian's shoulders. "I want you now."

"All right." The thought of fucking Declan bare popped into his mind. He swallowed a whine and forced away the thought of how hot and tight Declan would feel without the rubber separating them. "Just let me go get supplies."

Declan shook his head. "I have stuff in my pants."

Killian bent and snagged Declan's pants off the floor. The right pocket produced two condoms, but there was no lube to be found. "We still need slick. Just let me go and—"

"No. Fuck me now or forget it."

"Fine. Hug the wall." If Declan wanted his cock so desperately, who was he to say no?

While Killian tore open the wrapper and smoothed the prelubricated condom down his shaft, Declan turned and presented his ass. He positioned his legs just wide enough apart to showcase the shadowy cleft between his cheeks and plump, low-hanging balls. Killian hoped Declan knew what he was asking for, because the sight wasn't inspiring him to slow down or take it easy. Although the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Declan in any way, his lust overrode good sense and demanded he take what Declan so readily offered.

Killian spread Declan's cheeks wide and spit, letting his saliva run down Declan's crevice. Unable to resist, he ran his thumb over the tightly furled pucker, rubbing in the moisture, and watched it clench and wink at him in response.

Declan wiggled his ass. "What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing." Far be it from him to make his impatient lover wait another minute. Killian lined his dick up and thrust, pushing all the way in. He grunted as his balls swung forward and back, slapping his taint.

"Oh God." Declan groaned and spread his legs wider. "That's it. Take me."

Sweet pressure sucked at Killian's shaft like a hungry mouth, demanding he move. Instead of giving in, he pressed his chest against Declan's back and kissed the sensitive dip under his lover's right ear. "Love the way you feel around me. Can't get enough."

Declan squirmed, grinding his ass back against Killian. "
Please
…"

Once Killian got a good grip on Declan's narrow hips, he rolled his pelvis backward, retreating until just the head remained trapped inside Declan's body. He lunged back inside, hard and fast, and then did it again, setting a violent pace that made his dick ache and his balls bounce with the force behind each brutal shove forward and back.

Declan met each inward plunge, shoving back for more and calling out Killian's name with little breathless whimpers that had Killian ready to come long before he was ready. Killian gritted his teeth and pushed through the desire to spill, determined to make this encounter last as long as he possibly could. God knew, it could very well be the last time he got to feel Declan's ass holding him tight.

But he wasn't going to think about that. Not now, when all his concentration needed to be focused on the task at hand. He rocked his hips and propelled his dick in and out, over and again, and lost himself in the feel of Declan pressed against him.

"Oh yeah." Declan let go of the wall and reached for his dick. "Feels so good."

Killian leaned forward, plastering his sweaty chest against Declan's slick back, and batted Declan's hand away. He wrapped his fist around Declan's cock and pumped in time with his strokes. "Mine."

"God, Killian." Declan bowed his head. "Keep going…
ah
…just like that. Not going to last…"

Killian wanted to tell Declan it didn't matter. That he wasn't going to last much longer either. But he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs to form the words. Instead, he moaned his agreement and pushed on, fucking Declan with long, deep strokes guaranteed to bring them both off.

All too soon, a familiar tremor zigzagged down Killian's spine and shot between his legs. His balls migrated north and hugged the trunk of his cock. It wasn't going to be long now. As much as he wanted to keep going, keep fucking Declan long into the night and beyond, his body just wasn't willing to suffer the pleasurable torment for much longer.

Just when he began to fear he wasn't going to be able to hold out and make Declan come first—when his balls felt like they were trying to crawl back inside his groin and his dick was swollen passed the point of no return—Declan cried out. His ass clenched Killian's cock, each contraction squeezing down in time with the slick pulses of fluid spurting over Killian's fist.