IslandAffair (5 page)

“Let me take care of that for you.”

Their eyes met and held as he knelt between John’s knees and
grasped the waistband of John’s shorts. Waiting for him to lift his hips so Rob
could pull them down and off, freeing the stiff cock from its restriction.
Long, gloriously hard flesh with enough girth that he thanked God for lube. He
had seen it before of course, but this time Rob wanted to savor it. It bobbed
in time with John’s heartbeat, the crown flushed dark crimson, the slit weeping
pre-cum. Rob leaned forward, bracing himself on the other man’s thighs,
catching the salty fluid with his tongue. Brushing his cheek against the
velvety-smooth skin. Breathing the scent of John’s arousal deep into his lungs.

“You smell so good, love.”

John moaned and Rob felt the tremor as his lover fought to
stay still. He nuzzled the crisp hair at the base of the shaft and ran his
tongue over the soft sac, drawing each side into his mouth and tugging gently.

Robin’s own erection throbbed against his shorts and he
reached down to free it with one hand, firmly grasping John’s cock with the
other and drawing his tongue back up along the length of him. John was panting
now, his hands clenched in the soft cushions of the sofa. When Robin at last
took him in his mouth he cried out and thrust forward helplessly. Robin drew
back slightly, enough that he didn’t choke, waiting until John grasped control
again and subsided back onto the seat. Loving the fast throb of his lover’s
heartbeat against his tongue, he slowly worked John’s cock into his mouth,
swallowing when he felt it nudging the back of his throat and then sucking as
he pulled back. Stroking his own cock in rhythm until he could feel the tension
in both their bodies that heralded their approaching release. John’s hands
threaded into his hair and he could feel them shaking. Almost…almost…

“Stop,” John gasped. “Ah, sweet Jesus. Stop.” He pulled
weakly at Robin’s hair. “I want to be inside you. Right. Now.”

Robin heard the need in John’s voice and reluctantly
released him.

“Tell me you have a condom,” he growled as the other man
joined him on the floor.

“Aye.” John reached down and drew a condom and a small
package of lube out of the pocket of his discarded shorts.

Robin took the packet from him. “Thank God, I don’t think I
can make it to the bedroom.” He leaned forward, bracing his arms on the seat as
John positioned himself behind him.

“Dinnae you dare move fae that spot.” John growled, his
accent thickened by his arousal as he smoothed on the thin latex sheath.

“Yes sir.”

“Laugh if you like,
leannan
, but you’re seconds away
from me spankin’ your arse.”

“Is that so?” Robin glanced over his shoulder, eyes wicked.
“Well, I think you and my ‘arse’ are gonna be too busy in just a minute.” He
hissed as he felt John’s fingers spread cold lubricant over his opening, into
him, pushing deep with a burning pressure. Robin’s cock pulsed with the need
for release but when he moved to stroke it John grabbed his hands and held them
firmly above his head.

The scratch of John’s stubble and the softness of his lips
made him shiver as his lover kissed his way up the nape of his neck to nip at
his earlobe. “Are you ready, Robin?”

“Fuck yes, I’m ready, I am
beyond
ready. Do it now,
John.”

The pressure from those fingers disappeared and Robin almost
whimpered at the loss. But the broad head of John’s cock soon nudged against
him in their place. The burning ache returned as John pressed forward. Robin
grunted as he felt the tight muscles give way.

John groaned. “Bloody hell!”

He eased his cock into Rob’s ass by slow increments. When
the man began to move his hips Robin cried out again at the friction and his
muscles tightened in response. John cursed softly and grasped Rob’s cock,
urging him to meet the thrusts with his own. Flesh met flesh until they were
both breathless, neither one capable of more than inarticulate sounds of
pleasure. Hands now free, Robin reached around and dug his nails into John’s
back as he came. John’s hips jerked against him in a final thrust and he too roared,
following Rob into oblivion.

Chapter Five

Robin stepped out of the bathroom and pulled on a clean pair
of shorts. For a moment he debated whether or not to go naked, then smiled at
the fact that he was even considering it. Just a week ago the thought would
never have even entered his mind. A week ago he wouldn’t have had bruises on
his knees from being thoroughly fucked over the sofa either. John was obviously
a terrible influence. Before he could decide, he heard the rumble of male
voices from the kitchen and realized they had a visitor. Reluctantly he slipped
on one of John’s god-awful Hawaiian shirts, smiling as the scent of his lover
surrounded him. Rob left it unfastened and went to investigate. As he entered
the lounge the tension in the voices became evident and their words clear. He
frowned and stopped, unwilling to interrupt.

“No.” John’s voice was vehement.

“Don’t push me on this, John. You knew it was a possibility.
This is the whole reason I’m here with your parents’ men. It’s my job to make
sure you get back when you’re needed. Everything is packed, do what you need to
do here.” An angry slam of the kitchen door punctuated the other man’s words.
For a moment there was silence and then a soft curse. Robin walked into the
kitchen, an awful anticipation making his steps slow.

John was leaning against the counter, fists clenched. His
heart ached at the realization of what the argument had been about. John’s
bowed head came up as he entered and Robin saw anger and misery in his eyes.

“Robin…”

“You’re leaving.” He wrapped his arms around himself in an
unconsciously self-protective gesture. Silently, John pulled him into his
embrace. The heat of his body surrounded Rob and his heart pounded beneath his
ear. John was shaking. Tears stung Rob’s eyes and he willed them away. John’s
bodyguard was right, they had both known this would happen. It was just
happening a little sooner than they had expected, that’s all.

John turned him in his arms and tilted Robin’s chin ‘til
their gazes met. “Come with me. Come back to New York. I don’t want to leave
you like this, Robin. I just found you.”

Robin’s heart shouted an exultant “
Yes!
” but it died
before it made it to his lips. He had known this man for less than a week. An
extraordinary five days where real life had rarely intruded. John’s life was in
turmoil. How could anything either of them might be feeling be trusted?

“I can’t, John.” He pulled away from him, not wanting to see
the hurt in his eyes. “I’m due back home in three days. I have a life, a
job…responsibilities. I can’t just abandon all that for a vacation romance.”

The heat of John’s body reached out to him as he stepped
behind him, close, but not touching. His breath stirred the hair on the nape of
Rob’s neck, making him shiver. He longed to lean back against his lover but
knew that if he did he would never be able to let him leave.

John’s gravelly voice roughened more by his emotions, his
accent deepened. “All right…I’ll come to you. As soon as I’ve testified.”

Robin turned to face him, heart pounding in his chest. He
wanted that, more than he could ever say. Tears burned behind his eyelids.

“No. I told you, no one but Joanne knows I’m gay. I live in
a small town, John. How long do you think I’d keep my job if I brought a male
lover home? They’re not going to want a gay man teaching their kids! I can’t
risk that for a vacation romance.”

“This is more than just a holiday fling! I love you, Robin.”

Rob shook his head in denial, not trusting his voice.

“Are you going to let what everyone else thinks of you
dictate how you live your life, Robin?” John snapped, anger sharpening the
mellow tone of his voice. “How long are you going to hide?”

“I told you what happened to the English tutor.”

“You don’t know that would happen to you. Hell, it might
have had nothing to do with the fact he was gay. Maybe there just wasn’t a
demand for tutors. Maybe he was a crappy teacher!”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m… I’m just… I can’t, John.”

He watched John’s retreat, heard the defeat in his voice.

“You said you came here to step out of your cocoon, Robin,
but all you did was invite someone inside for a while. Ah’m glad I was that
person, but how long are you going to live your life for everyone else? Aren’t
you allowed to have some happiness too?” He paused and Rob heard the tremor in
his voice. “Goodbye,
leannan
.”

The door closed behind John with a final click and Robin let
go of his tears. He was right to set him free, he
had
to be. Goodbyes
were almost always painful. He had expected that. He just hadn’t thought it
would feel as if his heart was being torn from his chest. Desperate for a
distraction, he wiped his face and began cleaning the already tidy kitchen, but
his thoughts kept swirling around in his head. Could John be right? Had he been
living for everyone else’s happiness? Robin thought about his hometown and the
life he was about to return to. He had blamed the people around him for the
fact that he was still in the closet but perhaps he just hadn’t found anything
that was worth the risk. It was easier to go along with what they all wanted
him to be but it didn’t make him happy. No matter how much he loved his job.

John was right. And with that realization came the certainty
that he
had
found something that was worth risking everything. He loved
John. He gazed out at the ocean and pulled on his baseball cap absently. He
needed to go to him, tell him he had changed his mind. It wouldn’t be easy but
that shouldn’t stop him from following his heart. And if people couldn’t accept
him as he was…they would deal with that too.

Barefoot and uncaring, he flew out of the door and across
the sand to John’s cottage. Breath coming in hard gasps, he raced up the steps
and pounded on the door but there was no answering noise from inside.
Frantically he dashed around to the back door and knocked again, only to
receive no response. Rob looked around the beach in the vain hope that they
might merely be out walking but the silence from the cottage and the closed
shutters gave him no choice but to accept it.

He was gone.

Rob headed for the path back to the hotel complex in the
hope that he might be able to catch up with them. As he stepped into the shadow
of the trees, he almost walked into the bodyguard John had called Dan. His
casual outfit had been replaced by a sober suit and tie. Before he could say a
word, the man held up his hand to silence him.

“You’re too late, they’re already gone. They’ll be boarding
a flight as soon as they get to the airport. There’s no way you’ll get there on
time.”

There had to be another way. He could
not
let this be
the end. Desperately Robin grasped the dark sleeve of the other man’s jacket.
“Then can you tell me where he’ll be? How to get in touch with him?”

Dan shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. He’ll be taken to a safe
place until after the trial. If you want to give me a message though, I can
make sure he gets it.”

Robin closed his eyes against the sympathy on Dan’s face.

Too late.

“Tell him…” Robin hesitated. “Tell him I was wrong. Tell him
I love him too.”

Heartbroken, he turned and walked away. His feet barely touched
the sun-warmed sand of the beach when something thudded into him. The force of
the blow to his chest knocked him from his feet and stole his breath. He landed
hard and found himself gazing up at the lush green canopy above him. For a
moment he was numb but pain soon burned its way through the ice and he lifted a
hand to his chest to find its cause. His fingers came away wet with blood. He
heard feet pounding toward him and someone calling his name. Robin tried to
answer but he still couldn’t catch his breath enough to shout.
I’ve been
shot
, he realized in amazement.

As though waiting for his acknowledgement the pain turned
into agony and he groaned softly. He started to turn to the sound of the
footsteps and something crashed into his head and took it all away.

* * * * *

John stared out at the rain-washed streets, the thick
bulletproof glass silencing the sounds of the traffic below. It inched past,
bumper to bumper in the gray afternoon. Pedestrians stood at the curbside,
briefcases and newspapers standing in for umbrellas as they tried to flag down
yellow cabs. The distant activity only served to emphasize the feeling of
isolation that had worsened the moment he left the little cabin on the beach.
Funny how he had felt lonely before meeting Robin. It was much, much worse now.
The door opened behind him and one of his guardians stuck his head around the
door.

“They’re ready.”

John followed him out of the bedroom and back into the
sitting room of the hotel suite. A half a dozen men in smart suits clustered in
front of the TV. They looked like a bunch of stockbrokers waiting for the close
of the stock exchange, nervous anticipation in every line of their bodies. John
knew that there were guns and in most cases badges concealed under those sober
jackets. Someone turned up the volume as the juror read out the verdict and
John turned to look.

“Guilty, Your Honor.”

The guards launched into backslapping congratulations,
drowning out the judge’s closing remarks. He didn’t join in. The verdict was
almost unimportant now since Frank Armstrong had suffered a massive stroke in
prison. Not even fit enough to understand the verdict, never mind be in court
to hear it. The man was no threat to anyone anymore. His organization collapsed
and those who weren’t arrested had taken the opportunity to disappear. It all
felt like a massive anticlimax.