Their Reason (8 page)

That moment when Bull stepped from the truck had been a rebirth for him. Not that Red had been able to see it then, but he knew it now. With the door closing on his old life, and a new door opening to a future he only dreamed about, he was forever grateful he’d found the strength to walk through.

Chapter 10

You take my breath away

Bull sighed as he parked in the secured lot behind their hotel in Limerick. “I feel like we’ve been traveling for days.”

Red looked like he felt. Exhausted and excited. They capped off five days in Orlando with a big brunch and group pictures in front of the hotel, then hopped in a limousine for the airport. That was yesterday morning. Then they got to security at Orlando International and hit the motherload of all clusterfucks. Being the main airport for attractions like Disney, Universal and Sea World, Bull couldn’t believe how horrendously ill-prepared they were for the crowds trying to get through to their gates. He was glad they had the foresight to arrive early as it took just over an hour to get through the security line and onto the tram that would take them to their concourse. Thankfully, the flight to New York went off without a hitch, and they still had plenty of time in JFK International to stretch their legs and get something to eat before boarding the next flight. The flight to Shannon Airport was long and boring enough that even first class started to feel cramped, but totally uneventful.

“With as many hours as we’ve been in the air, plus the time change, I’m pretty sure we’ve literally been traveling for days.” Red climbed out and stretched his body side to side. “A part of me wants to hole up in the hotel for the next week to recover from that marathon.”

“I hear that,” Bull agreed as he came around the trunk to get their luggage. “We may have to reevaluate that to-do list of yours.”

“I may be willing to cross a few things off if you have a suitable alternative,” Red offered, treating him with a full body leer. “How creative are you willing to get?”

Bull grabbed the luggage handle with one hand and Red’s arm with the other, and started pulling him toward the hotel lobby. “Let’s go find out.”

Red laughed as they practically ran through the lobby doors, attracting more than one curious glance. The woman behind the counter was all smiles when they finally stopped in front of her. “Welcome to the Limerick Strand Hotel. Let me guess, Mr. and Mr. Connor?”

Bull chuckled and glanced back to see Red blushing all the way to his ears. “Were we that obvious?”

“Our newlyweds always have a certain look about them.” She chuckled and consulted her reservation system. “Your friends arranged for an early arrival, so your suite is ready. Do you need help with your luggage?”

Bull shook his head and listened as she rattled off information about the restaurant and bar, their room, and what was included in their package. Red wandered off to look at the paintings and Bull was glad he encouraged him to take his sketch pad. Bull had heard that Ireland had some of the best scenery in the world and, as much as Red insisted he wouldn’t need it on their honeymoon, Bull knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Bull glanced back and realized he stopped listening a while ago. Something in his expression must have given him away because she just smiled and pointed to the glass elevators. “You can get to the penthouse using either of those elevators. There’s a slot in the elevator for your key and also one just inside the door of your room. Nothing will work without it.”

Bull looked at the key envelope in his hand and nodded. He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he wasn’t going to waste time asking her to explain. Especially since he had a feeling she already explained it once and he just tuned her out. They were smart, they’d figure it out. With her knowing eyes following him, he walked over to where Red was reading one of the dedication plaques and bumped his shoulder. “Ready to go see how creative I can be?”

“I won’t be easy to convince.” Red laced their fingers together and gave him a serious look as they walked to the elevator. That was a challenge and he was definitely up for the task.

As the elevator doors closed, he crowded Red against the glass wall and tipped his head to the side. If he kissed him now, they’d wind up naked on the elevator floor and he really didn’t want to spend their honeymoon in an Irish jail. So he contented himself by tracing lazy circles over Red’s pulse point and grinding their cocks together. As the floors ticked by, he felt that pulse increase until Red was gripping the railing to hold himself up.

A computer generated voice announced their floor and Red grabbed his hand, pulling him blindly down the hall. Desperation overrode common sense, and it wasn’t until Red turned to him in frustration that Bull realized he was the one with the key. A key which he dropped twice when Red’s busy hands tried undressing him on the wrong side of the door.

“Thank fuck…” Bull grunted when the light on the door finally turned green. He pushed it open, threw the luggage inside, and turned to sweep Red off his feet. “I never carried you over the threshold.”

The lustful haze receded from those whiskey eyes and Red looked up at him in wonder. Both looks made him feel like the best man in the world, which was exactly the man he wanted to be for his husband. “Jon.”

That emotional whisper was the final straw. Two strides carried them into the room and he didn’t stop until he had Red standing at the foot of the bed. Under a gaze that grew more and more adoring, he slowly stripped Red’s clothes away, then stepped back to admire the man he would spend the rest of his life with. Maybe it was a sappy Hallmark thought, but Bull was sure Red was more gorgeous today than he was a year ago. “You take my breath away, Ian.”

“My turn.” Red’s sexy grin made his balls draw up painfully, but Bull forced himself to stand still. When his shirt hit the growing pile on the floor, those hands were back, mapping over muscle and tracing his artwork. It was sweetly reminiscent of the first time Red undressed him and it was all he could do not to throw his lover down on the bed. He toed off his sneakers as Red knelt to pull down his jeans and briefs, before taking his cock in hand. Those eyes lifted, snaring his, as Red licked up the length of his cock and lapped at his slit.

“I won’t last if you do that.” Bull grabbed him up and they fell on the bed together in a tangle of limbs. Red was everywhere, body writhing, hands stroking, even his legs and feet were moving over him. Bull rolled, pinning him to the bed, and dragged his hands over his head. “I wanted to do this slow…”

“We can do it slow the second time.” Red lifted his hips and rubbed their cocks together. “Or the third.” He lifted his head, taking the kiss Bull was denying him until they were both breathless. “Or the fourth.”

As usual, his boy was smarter than he was. They had a whole week to enjoy each other, a whole lifetime, and it wasn’t like they hadn’t spent the long weekend consummating their marriage over and over again. “Don’t move.”

“Where’re you going?” Red raised himself up on his elbows and glared.

“The lube’s still in the luggage.” Bull just laughed when Red flopped back on the bed with a frustrated huff. He almost tripped over their clothes as he went into the other room in search of their bag, and when he straightened, he was blown away by another view. “Holy shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Red was behind him in an instant. “Jon…oh.”

Oh was right. The penthouse suite boasted an enormous living / dining room that opened out onto a glass enclosed balcony. The view overlooking the River Shannon and King John’s Castle was incredible and he couldn’t believe they missed it when they entered the room. Okay, that was a lie. They’d only had eyes for each other and, if they hadn’t needed the lube, it could have been hours before they came up for air long enough to see it.

Red drifted toward the floor to ceiling windows and Bull amended his opinion of the view. With Red at the forefront and that scene as his backdrop, it was almost ethereal. It was an image that would be burned in his memory forever, and for half a second he considered digging the camera out of the bag to capture the moment. “I wish you could see yourself right now.”

Red glanced over, his soft smile a little self-deprecating. “I can’t compete with this view.”

“You have that backwards.” Bull didn’t expect Red to agree. He knew better than that. Instead he found the luggage, dug out the lube, and joined him at the window.

Red leaned back in his arms and sighed contentedly. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”

“That makes two of us,” Bull agreed, though he knew they weren’t talking about the same thing.
He took Red’s hands and placed them on the glass, then tugged his hips back and nudged his legs apart.  When a shudder of awareness went through that slender body, he leaned in close and promised, “You standing in front of this window is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and I’m going to make love to you right here.”

Without a word, Red nodded and widened his stance. Every measure of perfection he’d previously had was insufficient for the vision of Red spread and waiting like that. Bull knelt behind him, gripped the top of his thighs and nuzzled beneath his balls. Red whimpered and pushed back demandingly, and Bull was happy to give him what he needed. He lapped up, licking and probing that tight hole, using his tongue and fingers to drive Red out of his mind. “Jon…fuck…please, please…stop teasing and fuck me, damn it!”

Bull rose on shaky legs, barely remembering the lube, and then he was sliding deep. He leaned over Red’s body and nuzzled his ear. “Is this what you want, Ian?”

“Uh huh.” Red twisted his head enough for a sloppy kiss, then dropped his head between his arms and arched his back invitingly. Bull eased back, relishing the slow slide, the silky tightness, and the low moan Red treated him to. Having proved to himself that he could be slow, could be gentle, he gripped Red’s hips and gave them what they both wanted. A fast, hard, window-rattling ride toward a mind-altering orgasm.

Bull wrapped an arm around Red, urging him up until they were chest to back. Red dropped his head back on Bull’s shoulder and reached back to hold on. “Is this creative enough?”

Red’s surprised laugh vibrated through him and Bull nearly came from that alone. “I could definitely be persuaded to do this again.”

Bull grunted in agreement and slammed his mouth over Red’s, thrusting his tongue deep in time with his cock. Then he reached down, wrapped his hand around Red’s cock, and stroked once. Red’s whole body shuddered in his arms, his scream getting lost in their kiss, and Bull had no choice but to follow.

When the blood reached his brain again, Red was boneless against him. He cradled him close and carried him into the opulent bathroom. Red snuggled in his arms under the warm spray and sighed when Bull began to wash him. “Now it’s a honeymoon.”

Bull laughed and hugged him tight. If someone had told him he’d find the love of his life standing on the side of the road, he’d have laughed in their face. A year later and a ring on his finger, he still couldn’t believe that he’d found someone like Red. Someone who accepted him unconditionally, who loved him wholeheartedly, and who matched him on every level. Fate, mates, love at first sight, and all those other sappy tag lines described them perfectly and he would never take it for granted. Never take Red for granted.

“Thank you, Ian.” There were so many things he wanted to say, but that summed it up perfectly. He was so very grateful for Ian Jones Connor.

Red looked at him in confusion. “For what?”

“For loving me.” It was really that simple and that complicated.

“We were meant to be, Jon.” Red leaned in and took a gentle kiss. “Loving you is as natural as breathing. You are truly a part of me and everything I am today is because you saw me, loved me, and believed in me.”

No, he wouldn’t have believed it a year ago, and now he had to wonder how he survived so long without Ian in his life.

Chapter 11

It’s time to lighten the load

They finally left the hotel two days later. Yesterday afternoon Bull had gone down to the concierge, but he refused to divulge whatever plans he made. Then this morning, after hitting up the breakfast buffet in the hotel, Bull hustled him out to the car and made him close his eyes while he entered their destination in the GPS. Red tried to appear disgruntled and peppered Bull with questions, but he loved Bull’s surprises and his husband knew it.

Once they left Limerick behind, he was so blown away by the scenery that they had to pull over several times so he could take pictures. Bull just smiled, happily indulging his every request. He’d been so torn over the gift from their friends. The idea that they had spent so much money on them didn’t sit right. “When I realized what was in the envelope, I wanted to give it back, you know? Not that I would have insulted them that way, but it was too much.”

Bull nodded in understanding and squeezed his hand. “Now that we’re here, I’m just grateful. Yes, we could have done it ourselves, and probably would have, but I won’t pretend I’m not grateful to be here now.”

“Exactly,” Red agreed. “I’m really grateful that we got to spend our first full week as husbands in this beautiful, magical place, and that our friends knew us enough to send us here.”