Put a Ring on It (18 page)

“You don’t need to.” The words scraped on his burned throat. “I’m fine. You got hurt.”

And really. It wasn’t a particularly endearing moment, hunched over the toilet with snot on his face from the burn of bile.

“So we’re both fine.”

That dry tone. God, Theo would have missed that.

“Think you’re a worse fine than I am, though,” Kieran added.

Theo rinsed and spat. “Not so. You could have hepatitis from that pillar.” It wasn’t completely far-fetched. But a concussion was even more likely. “You should go to the doctor tomorrow. Wait. Later today.”

“And you should go to bed.”

“In a bit.” Right now the floor looked like a damned fine option. Couldn’t beat it for location. Theo sank onto it. “You go.”

Back pressed to the wall, Kieran slid down, legs stretched out to poke at Theo’s huddle. “I’m good right here.”

Theo shoved back, socked foot to socked foot. “I must be pretty disgusting.”

Kieran looked at him steadily. “Yeah, you are.”

“Must be love, then.” Theo shut his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was drunk wishing, but before he was out, he thought he heard a very soft “Yeah, it is.”

THEO DID
not want to be awake. Things hurt. His back. His head. His mouth tasted like a back alley in August.

God.

Ouzo. Kieran had left. Then there was more ouzo. Then—

Theo forced his eyes open. He was in his bathroom. On the floor. Alone.

Kieran was—in the doorway, holding a bottle of water in one hand and a bottle of painkillers in the other.

Theo smiled despite his headache. He hadn’t made up that part. The part where Kieran came back. And gave Theo a ring.

“Saw you start to wake up.” Kieran squatted down, holding out the water. “It’s a good thing you’re not a big drinker, because you kind of suck at it.”

Theo wished he could argue with that, but his head hurt too much. Plus, Kieran had brought him water. Theo took a few sips and accepted the two capsules Kieran handed him. “I tried to be a smoker too. Couldn’t make it work. I kept forgetting why I had a cigarette.”

“Any other vices to confess?” Kieran took the water back and put a hand down to help Theo to his feet.

Theo staggered toward the bed. “I love to suck cock.”

“I might have noticed that one.”

Theo already had his eyes closed. He patted around the mattress to guide himself onto it. “Give me an hour and I’ll make sure you notice.”

Through slitted eyes, Theo watched Kieran put the water and the pill bottles on the nightstand.

“Okay. But if you puke again, you’re on your own.”

WHEN THEO
woke up again, Kieran sat beside him, dressed for work, back propped up on a pillow against the headboard, tapping on the laptop resting on his folded knees.

Ocean waves, birdsong, and ukulele music played through the speakers. Except for the light from the screen, the room was predawn dark.

“What time is it?”

“Six fifteen. We need to talk.”

Theo looked at Kieran carefully. Maybe it was the liquor still in Theo’s system, but he couldn’t read him. Kieran’s voice was firm, rather than flat or overly kind.

Theo went with cautious optimism. “Okay.”

“This doesn’t look bad.” Kieran turned the laptop so Theo could squint at the screen. Theo got a glimpse of tropical beach, brides in gowns, and tables set with glassware before he squeezed his eyes shut against the brightness.

Falling back against his pillow, Theo covered his eyes with his hands. “I told you he blindsided me with that. Fucking rat bastard.”

Kieran passed over his phone. Theo pried his eyes open.

The top of the screen said Bubbe.

“Your grandmother texts?”

“She knows I hate to talk on the phone.”

There were several unanswered messages.

Will that program fly me from Phoenix, or do I have to come to New York?

Your mother says you screwed something up again.

As Theo held it, another text buzzed in.

Even
goyim
use a chuppah on the beach.

“Jesus. It’s four in the morning in Arizona. Chuppah?” He passed back the phone.

Kieran took the easy question first. “Four posts and a tent roof where the ceremony is.” He tapped on his phone. “She’s excited, I guess.”

Theo rubbed at the scruff on his cheeks. “Are we having a rabbi?”

Kieran shrugged. “It’s one of the questions on my list.”

“You made a list?” Theo lurched up.

Kieran opened a different window on his computer and turned it again.

There was a list. With sections. And headings. Even some pro and con bullet points.

Theo braced himself against a wave of dizziness that couldn’t completely be blamed on fermented plant products, even at eighty proof. He was good at details. At planning. How had none of this stuff crossed his mind before? Because they were supposed to have time.

“No. I said I wasn’t going along with that self-aggrandizing twat’s plan, and I meant it.” Theo’s voice echoed in his aching head. He took a deep breath. Things had been bad last night, and he didn’t want to rock the boat now. “I can pay for my own damned—our wedding.”

“Why should you if someone else wants to? Most of the expense is because of my family, and I’d avoid it if there was any way I could, but if they’re not there, we’ll have to hear it for the rest of our lives.”

“Of course your family should be there. Brett too. We owe him.” Theo’s muscles froze midsmile as it occurred to Theo that most of this conversation was revolving around the
where
part of
there
. He probably looked demented. He felt demented. Either he was crazy or he had slipped into an alternate universe on a river of ouzo. He clasped his hands behind his head and dug his thumbs into the knot of tension forming in his neck. “Are you saying you want to get married in Hawaii? In two weeks?”

“Actually less than that as of today. The resort will take care of most of this stuff.” Kieran pointed at his list. “We make selections from their menu of options. If you really want to stick it to that guy, we can go for all the high-end options. Like massages. We get there on Sunday, and the ceremony is Tuesday—”

“I was there for the announcement. Remember?”

Kieran closed his laptop.

Theo managed to get his smile up to full. He lifted the computer from Kieran’s knees and put it on the floor. Rolling back to face him, Theo said, “I know you took a blow to the head last night.”

The stillness in Kieran’s face told Theo teasing wasn’t the way to go. At least now Theo knew this morning’s wakeup wasn’t Kieran’s idea of a joke, some weird setup to make Theo pay for last night.

Theo tried again. “I don’t get where this is coming from. Why the rush? Why let other people dictate how and when we do this?”

“Because of why I didn’t go to Brett’s. Because of what you said before I left. I know—I’ve always known—that how things look to other people matters to you. But I finally understand why.” He took Theo’s hand and tangled their fingers together.

“That doesn’t mean we have to let Casey McMann dictate to us.”

“If the only reason you don’t want to save a ton of money and get married someplace warm while we take a few days away from freezing our nuts off is because of some guy who you think is a twat, aren’t you letting the twat dictate to you anyway?”

Theo curled toward Kieran and rested his forehead on their knuckles. “Did I ever tell you you’re sexy when you go all logical?”

“Every time you want to get out of admitting I’m right.”

Even if Theo’s hungover brain was at full capacity, he couldn’t win. His objections were a knee-jerk reaction to how much McMann bugged him. Killing Dr. Harrison, fucking his way into the business, hell, it was
his
fault Kieran had almost left last night. Theo owed the bastard some payback. He’d squeeze it out of McMann’s nuts by going for every high-end option, like Kieran said.

“What about them filming things?” Slapping the bastard’s—and his closeted lover’s— production company with an over-budget expense account was one thing. But actually letting him be a part of the ceremony was another.

“He’s the one who promised, on live TV, to deliver our wedding. He’s the one on the hook for it. We make him do things our way or he’s screwed.”

Kieran’s quiet confidence was fucking hot. Theo’s headache retreated behind a pulse of lust.

“And I think I promised to make sure you noticed how much I love sucking your cock.”

Kieran’s eyes lit up, and he reached for his fly. As he peeled out of his pants, he said, “You’re not going to puke again, right?”

Theo pulled his sweater over his head. “Are you asking me to flatter you or about my hangover?”

“You think I need flattering?” Kieran stroked his hand down Theo’s chest, lingering in the thicker hair on his breastbone.

“I love your cock, and you know it.”

“I’m kind of fond of it too.” Kieran tugged Theo down so they were chest to chest.

“Okay. Flattery aside, you do know I can’t get my mouth on your dick from here.”

Kieran pulled Theo’s head down for a kiss, but Theo resisted.

“My breath has got to be enough to kill a wino at ten feet.”

“I’ll risk it.”

Kieran kissed him, but Theo still held back.

“Just let me go brush—”

“I want you. Right like this.”

Did Kieran mean he wanted them to get off like this? Because if Theo blew him, Kieran couldn’t notice if Theo had another malfunction. It would be a lot more obvious like this.

Theo knew this was precisely what Antonio had told him not to do. To overthink the sex. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop.

Kieran stopped trying to force Theo’s head down and stroked a hand over Theo’s jaw. It seemed like Kieran wanted to say something to change Theo’s mind, but he only sighed. “Go ahead.”

“Two seconds.”

Theo vaulted from the bed, regretted it when his head started throbbing, but made his way into the bathroom. He gulped up some water, then scrubbed at his teeth and tongue before swishing mouthwash. The tingling made his headache begin to fade.

Kieran was slowly jacking himself. Theo’s mouth watered. Perfect fat head between lean, muscled legs…. Theo couldn’t wait another second.

He crawled onto the bed and wrapped his lips around the crown.

Kieran jerked and yelped. “What the—”

Theo grinned. “Tingle a little?”

“A little. Jesus. You got a Taser in your mouth?”

Theo lowered his head and licked at Kieran’s groin, mouthed a path above his dick to the other side, and traced his tongue down the other crease.

“Oh shit. That’s… okay. I thought you were going to kiss me.”

“I am.” Theo let his morning beard scrape lightly across Kieran’s sac, breathing in the smell of him, still clean from the shower, the taste of his arousal building behind the soap and water.

Kieran shuddered. “But—”

Theo used his shoulders to pin Kieran’s legs open and, with his tongue pointed, traced the vein on the underside of Kieran’s dick.

“God, Theo.”

“Still too much?”

“Nooo.” It faded into a groan.

Theo cupped Kieran’s ass, opened him wide, and breathed on his hole. Licked.

“I don’t think—can’t.”

“Shhh.” Theo blew that out across the wet skin, and Kieran squirmed against Theo’s hold. Tongue and lips, Theo dove in, and based on Kieran’s reaction, he wasn’t going to notice whether Theo’s dick decided to sit this one out.

Kieran pushed at Theo’s shoulders, then pulled him closer, thighs squeezing, hips rocking.

“Oh fuck.” Kieran repeated the word like an echo chamber, trailing off into whispers, then went rigid as Theo worked his tongue in, nose buried in Kieran’s balls.

Kieran’s hands fell on Theo’s head, frantic pets and strokes, a convulsive tug now and then as Theo alternated a flutter of his tongue with a deeper kiss.

He could do this forever, drive Kieran crazy, feel his body respond to every tiny motion.

“Please, please.”

Theo lifted his head. “Please what?”

“Suck me or fuck me, I don’t care, just do—”

Theo sucked on Kieran’s balls one at a time, a long roll over his tongue.

“What do you want?”

“I don’t care. Please, Theo.”

Theo stretched his neck enough to see Kieran’s face, his teeth sunk into his lower lip, eyes glittering under the lashes, cheeks dark red. As Theo waited, Kieran dragged his eyes open to watch as Theo wrapped his lips around Kieran’s cock and slowly drew him in, right down to the root.

Kieran arched his back, and Theo swallowed around him, the pulse on his tongue all the warning he got before Kieran blasted Theo’s throat with a hot, thick jet, and then another and another, faster than he could swallow.

Kieran sounded like he was the one drowning in cock and come, choking and sputtering breaths. When he yanked hard on Theo’s hair, he eased back on the pressure, scattering soft kisses on Kieran’s balls and dick, then rested a cheek on his hip and looked up.

“Jesus. That was…. Jesus.”

“Thank you.” Theo smiled.

“Thank you,” Kieran returned, sounding more like himself. “God.” He blew out a deep sigh. “Do you want—?”

“It’s almost time for you to leave for work.” Theo’s dick was full, a nice steady pulse to it. Not anything to get all metaphoric about with diamond cutter or steely rod, just nice. He was calling that a win.

Kieran’s abs contracted as he lunged up. “That doesn’t seem very fair. I could be a little late if we showered together.”

And Theo wasn’t risking anything that would need explaining. Keeping his hips rooted to the mattress, he shifted out of Kieran’s way. “I can be patient. I’ve got a promise that we won’t run out of time.” Theo caught Kieran’s hand and twined their fingers together, rubbing on the rings.

Kieran squeezed back, then slid off the bed. “I’m sorry that my class ring was the best I could come up with. I can go get my taxes done, get the advance and—”

“How about we talk about that and the rest of your—our—list later. Dinner between shows?” Technically, Theo didn’t have to be at the theater.
Susan
ran smoothly every show, and anything that didn’t could be ironed out in a quick visit. But until he was deep in another production, he just liked being there. In case.