The Sweetest Scent Part 23

Lacey grinned, blus.h.i.+ng. "I bet I could do a lot with those lips."

The immediate response was Bro's jeans growing snug and uncomfortable, and he was all set to go when.... "Oh, s.h.i.+t. Brad and Dree-"

"Left for home with Ricky when I came to find you. They knew we'd fight and then have make-up s.e.x. It's just us here."

Mmm, those were the words Bro had been praying to hear.

But first things first. "It's been a h.e.l.l of a day. How about a bubble bath?"

Lacey smirked. "A little hydrotherapy, eh?"

"Nah. Bubbles-and-Bro therapy."

"I like the way your mind works."

"Yeah, when it works and isn't blinded by jealousy, and-"

"Shut up. You know I hate it when you denigrate yourself-"

"Sorry, babe." Bro kissed Lacey before she could say anything more.

Chapter 20.

IT TOOK TOOK them twenty minutes to clean up after the party, and ten minutes after that, Bro was resting his back against the smooth surface of the bathtub while Lacey leaned against his chest with them twenty minutes to clean up after the party, and ten minutes after that, Bro was resting his back against the smooth surface of the bathtub while Lacey leaned against his chest with his his willowy yet masculine back. Bro swirled his left hand over Lacey's torso, caressing and relearning every line and curve, while he fondled Lacey's sac with his right. willowy yet masculine back. Bro swirled his left hand over Lacey's torso, caressing and relearning every line and curve, while he fondled Lacey's sac with his right.

Lacey moaned low, his head lolled back on Bro's shoulder. "G.o.d, I love it when you do that."

Bro kissed Lacey's wet cheek. "You love it when I play with your b.a.l.l.s, baby?"

Under the hot water and piles of bubbles, Lacey spread his legs more to give Bro greater access. "Yes. Love your hands. Love you."

"Well, as long as the intimate stuff we do never gets old, neither will our relations.h.i.+p. We'll get through anything, even distance."

Lacey turned his head and peered up at Bro. His eyes were a bit glazed over. "I always come back to sleep right next to you. I wouldn't want it any other way."

"I know. I just...." Bro sighed, but the warm water prevented him from getting chills down his spine. "I just worry."

"My warrior." Lacey snickered behind his hand but soon grew serious. "You think I don't worry about you? Don't think I've forgotten that hunk Eddy goes to the same school as you do, and he really liked you back at Shenandoah. Liked Liked liked you." liked you."

Bro chuckled and held on to Lacey tighter. "I don't want a jock. I want a pretty, dolled-up violinist who wears silk stockings and cute dresses, and who has brown eyes and blond hair, and the sweetest tasting c.o.c.k on the planet."

"Uh-oh." Lacey giggled. "That sure narrows down the field. Anyone I know?"

Bro wrestled Lacey into a tickling frenzy, and water sloshed over the edges of the tub.

"Okay, I give, I give," Lacey howled amid bursts of chortles. As they resettled, water dripping from their faces and hair, he made a deep satisfied sound in his throat. "This is what adults do, isn't it? They can't spend every waking minute with each other, but they get used to it."

"I don't think I want to get used to being apart from you," Bro admitted, glum. "Yeah, rationally I know we can't be together 24/7. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Lacey nodded, snuggling closer in Bro's embrace. "I know. Me too." Then he chuckled a bit. "But this is good, isn't it? I mean, that we had this separation anxiety crisis now, on our first day apart, instead of after a month. Then we would've really freaked out. You about me and Parker and Deacon, and me about you and Eddy."

Bro snorted. "I didn't even see the guy today. In fact, I can't even remember seeing him in orientation two weeks ago. Hmm. Of course, I didn't know him then."

"You think he's all right?" Lacey asked, concerned.

Bro bussed Lacey's cheek. "See? This is why I love you. You could've had a jealous fit about me wondering where he is, as if missing him. But instead you're worried about him. 'Cause that's the kind of person you are. Sweet, kind, loving. And you're all mine." Bro tightened his arms around his boy, and squeezed. "Mine."

Lacey giggled and squirmed, not actually intent on release. "That didn't really answer me, now did it?"

Bro maneuvered Lacey around until he was pressed against Bro, front to front. Their chests, bellies, and c.o.c.ks rubbing against each other only added to the delight of a long, lingering kiss. Bro held Lacey's waist with one hand and kneaded his firm, round backside with another. Lacey whimpered and ground against him, hard already.

Before moving off to lick Lacey's ear, Bro kissed his boyfriend with soft suction. Lacey let out a keen, high-pitched sound. "Love it when you whimper," Bro commented, buzzing with joy.

"I do not not whimper," Lacey countered, puckering his lips in mock annoyance. whimper," Lacey countered, puckering his lips in mock annoyance.

Bro kept Lacey close. "Sure you do, and you love it too." He smiled down at him. "I'm so lucky to have you." Then he paused. "Listen, baby. I know we're both gonna meet new people in college and make new friends. And... we're guys-healthy, young, h.o.r.n.y. We're gonna find some of them totally f.u.c.k-worthy. Doesn't mean we're gonna do anything about it, right? I want you you next to me when I go to sleep at night. I want to wake up to your face, your breath, your heartbeat." next to me when I go to sleep at night. I want to wake up to your face, your breath, your heartbeat."

Lacey stared at him for the longest time, and Bro started to get nervous. Then Lacey's lower lip trembled, and he bit down to stop it. "Just when I think I know all there is to know about you, you surprise me." Lacey straddled Bro's hips and cupped his face. He leaned closer until their lips were an inch apart. "I love you. Wanna get f.u.c.ked by you."

When Lacey kissed him, Bro felt like coming apart at the seams. It wasn't the warm water that made him so hot he felt like exploding was a real option. It was all Lacey.

And the thought of actually pus.h.i.+ng his c.o.c.k deep inside Lacey's sweet behind made him s.h.i.+ver even more. But... he knew he wasn't the only one having doubts.

Ghosting his lips over Lacey's jaw and cheek, Bro muttered, "It's f.u.c.king weird, isn't it? After all that gay p.o.r.n we've been watching, it's like we're expected to go for a.n.a.l right away. Like we can't be a real gay couple if there's been no, you know, no penetration."

Lacey pulled back to study him, but his hands kept up their wandering ways over Bro's chest, neck, and shoulders. "Yes, I suppose. I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about what a.n.a.l s.e.x would be like between us."

"Yeah, me too." Then he smiled, hoping to convey his calm to Lacey. "But that doesn't mean I want to rush it. We'll know when the right time-"

"How?"

"Huh?"

"How will we know when it's the right time to do that? We've been together for almost two years now. Well, we will have been by around Christmas anyway." Lacey shrugged. "We've had opportunities...." His voice faded. "So how come we haven't?"

Bro frowned. He was usually the impatient and rash one, but he'd never figured Lacey might feel the strain of steering clear of a.n.a.l s.e.x too. "I don't know," he hedged, uncertain how their talk had turned to this. Then a horrible thought occurred to him. "Would you... did you want to with Parker, or Deacon?" He swallowed hard at the last name, feeling dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

Lacey's anger showed in the way he sucked in his lips until they all but disappeared. Then he punched Bro's arm. Hard. "You can be such a d.i.c.k sometimes," he growled vehemently and started to get out of the bathtub.

Bro yanked him right back. "I'm sorry. You know me, Lace. I can be strong and brave about anything else but you. With you I'm always scared I'm gonna lose you to some gorgeous hunk who's gonna give you everything I can't."

Lacey's eyes spewed fire at him. "And what's that? What can't you give me?"

Heat rose palpably in Bro's cheeks. "Well, you know... s.e.x."

Harrumphing loudly, Lacey sat up, still straddling Bro, and crossed his arms over his chest. "And all that stuff we've been doing for over a year and a half was-what? Coloring with crayons? If you must know, I've been perfectly happy with our s.e.x life."

Bro stared down stubbornly, his gaze focused on the point where Lacey's caramel-colored skin vanished under the bubbles and swirling water. They had both gotten tan over their summer vacation, but Lacey's typically pale skin now glowed with the sun's kisses.

"Bro?"

Letting out a deep breath, Bro replied, "If you you must know, since I knew we were going to different colleges I've been thinking you might want to... play the field more. Date other guys." must know, since I knew we were going to different colleges I've been thinking you might want to... play the field more. Date other guys."

Lacey gasped, and his hands pressed against Bro's chest, his trimmed nails sc.r.a.ping on slippery skin. "You're asking me if we're having an open relations.h.i.+p, now that we're away in college and can do what we want? You don't want to be exclusive with me?"

Bro's eyes shot up, and his hold of Lacey's narrow waist tightened to a near painful grip. "f.u.c.k, of course I want that! Jesus, Lace! Of course I d.a.m.n well want to be the only guy for you, the only one who gets to touch you, kiss you, sleep with you, live with you, love you. f.u.c.k, that's all I want."

Lacey looked confused. "Then why-?"

"When you mentioned about us not, um, going all the way during s.e.x, I thought that meant you wanted a new, different, better lover. A lot of people who used to date during high school want to try something else once they leave home."

"And you just a.s.sumed I'm one of those people? That if everyone else jumped off the deep end, I'd just be a good little lemming and follow?" Lacey shook his head and then exhaled. "Okay, Bro. Let's be crystal clear about this. You are the one I love. At this point in time, I want us to be exclusive and not sleep around, no matter what kind of hot stuff we meet in college. I can't speak about the future, not with any real certainty. But I can tell you Parker may be s.e.xy and flirty, fun and smart, but it's you you who I'm in love with. As for the a.n.a.l part.... It's true. Maybe I've allowed myself to be influenced by all that p.o.r.n, as if we have to do that. Maybe I'm rus.h.i.+ng it. I know I may have tried to pressure you into it when we were camping at-" who I'm in love with. As for the a.n.a.l part.... It's true. Maybe I've allowed myself to be influenced by all that p.o.r.n, as if we have to do that. Maybe I'm rus.h.i.+ng it. I know I may have tried to pressure you into it when we were camping at-"

"What? No, Lace," Bro cut in, adamant. "No way did you try to force me! I just didn't want our first time to happen in a tent on b.u.mpy ground with park rangers and kids in every bush." Then he pulled Lacey down and kissed his lips tenderly. "I want us to be exclusive too. No one else but us. d.a.m.n, maybe we should've had this talk before orientation day, huh?"

Bro chuckled a little at the end, and Lacey smiled back. Crisis averted.

"I'm sorry if I made you jealous-" Lacey started.

Bro shook his head. "No. I should've trusted you. If you'd really liked a guy, I know you would've told me about it. You wouldn't cheat on me behind my back. It's not in you to betray anyone like that. You're a good person."

"So are you, love." Lacey kissed him softly, threading his long fingers through Bro's thick, wet dark hair. "I think Parker's gonna make a good friend. But a secret paramour, let alone a boyfriend? No." He scrunched his nose cutely, and a weight lifted off Bro's shoulders. "He's not my type. Too pretty. I like my men more muscular, dark-haired, and blue-eyed. You know, a jock type with a deaf brother and smart-mouthed soon-to-be brother-in-law, and a goofy blended family I adore with every ounce of my being."

"Hmm, well, thankfully that narrows it down," Bro joked, winking.

Lacey laughed, a happy effervescent sound Bro captured and locked away in his heart for future emergencies of loneliness and longing. "d.a.m.n straight." Oh, Lacey cussed Oh, Lacey cussed. Enamored, Bro watched as pink colored his boy's cheeks, and smiled.

"Okay then. Is there anything else that needs hammering out now? Or can we please get out of here before my sausage shrivels into a c.o.c.ktail wiener?"

That question made Lacey laugh harder, and he s.h.i.+fted on top of Bro so his half-hard c.o.c.k pressed against Bro's stomach. Under the camouflage of water it was easy for Bro to fist the delicious piece of meat stiffly and tug a few times with squeezing pressure. Lacey's giggles morphed into moans, and his hips jerked.

The question was hanging in the air, and Bro felt the tension sizzling between them.

He took a chance. "We've got the weekend before school officially starts. You wanna, maybe, try that... you know?"

Though Lacey let out a snicker, it was obvious he was serious too. "If you can't say it, you're not ready to do it. Isn't that how the saying goes?"

"Come on, Lace. I'm being serious here."

"Me too." Lacey dipped down to rest his slender form against Bro's st.u.r.dier frame and wrapped his arms around Bro. "Every time I think about it, when we're not in bed together, it seems so easy, like I can't figure out why we haven't done it already. But when we're naked? I get all worried and doubtful and wigged out about it. I mean, from my point of view, there's nothing wrong with our s.e.x life as it is. I don't feel like I'm left wanting more when I come."

"Me neither, babe." Bro placed a kiss on Lacey's forehead and kept him close with a hug as he let go of Lacey's p.e.n.i.s. "Usually just having you naked against me makes me so f.u.c.king hot I about come right then and there."

Lacey giggled a little. "Me too. I love your hands on me. When you're on top of me, just grinding and taking my c.o.c.k in hand, that about does it for me every time. In those moments I never think about what more we could do."

"In those moments I can't think at all!" Bro exclaimed, huffing out a chuckle that was almost a snort.

Lacey bussed his jaw and t.i.ttered. "You're the best. And I'm not just saying that 'cause you're the only guy I've ever been with."

"Right back at you, babe." Bro breathed a few times before asking, "So... not tonight, then?"

Lacey looked up, smiled, and caressed Bro's cheekbone and jawline. "It's Friday, and it's been one long-a.s.s day. Let's go to bed, make love, and sleep till noon. We'll think about the rest tomorrow, all right?"

Bro smiled and nodded back. "Sounds good to me."

Chapter 21.

"READY to start your lessons?" to start your lessons?"

Parker's singsong voice made Lacey roll her eyes, but she still smiled, for Parker had a knack for making Lacey do that. "Hold your horses, cowboy."

"Wow. No one's ever called me that before. Hmm, how would I look in chaps?" Parker's voice took on a dreamy tone, and he held his hands together, as if deep in prayer, and stared up at the ceiling as if seeing past it into heaven. "I'm so moved right now, so d.a.m.n touched. No, don't look at me." With an exaggerated sniffle, he buried his face in his arms, shuddering violently.

"Parker, knock it off," Lacey ordered, barely holding on to her laughing.

"Fine. Be a b.i.t.c.h about it." The way Parker whispered the ugly word loudly, with his melodious voice, Lacey knew full well it was all for show.

"You're being such a drama queen. Why you didn't just head to the first bus toward Broadway I'll never know."

"New York, New York. What a wonderful town," Parker sang, and he sounded more than halfway decent. "You think I could've made it big as a drama major?"

"Absolutely." Of that Lacey had zero doubts.

She dipped the paintbrush into the can of gray paint, pulled it out carefully, dripping wet, and continued to coat the flat. They were on stage at the conservatory, part of a team of volunteers working on the set. Apparently, a group of musicians at the school wanted to try something avant-garde, a musical composed by a third-year student, with full backdrops and everything, so here they were, painting away.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Lacey asked Parker, who stood in place, swaying to music only he heard. Lacey had learned a lot of people at the school seemed to be lost in their own musical works, and it was best not to interrupt them. Parker, however, was a special project, and Lacey got a certain sense of satisfaction every time she roused her friend from whatever ethereal plane he was lost in.

"What?" Parker blinked and then refocused on her. "Oh, right. Yes, of course." He played the innocent, wetted his brush, and resumed his painting, though his former work was already dry. "I notice you didn't answer me."

Lacey took a deep breath but didn't reply. Parker had been teasing her for a month now about this. Bennett Marchand was a world-famous violinist whose many successes included a nigh-on impossible medley of concertos by Shostakovich, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, performed for the Queen of England and the royal family, not to mention celebrities from all possible fields of entertainment. He was also one of Lacey's professors-and a personal idol of hers.

"I know you can hear me, Lacey. Pretend all you want, but I've got a big mouth, and an incessantly nagging voice, so I can go on for-"

"b.u.t.t out, Parker. I mean it." Lacey gritted her teeth, trying not to snap harder.

"Whatever do you mean? My b.u.t.t is always out." Parker waggled his bubble b.u.t.t, and even stroked it lovingly. "See? Perfectly perky. You could bounce a quarter off these buns."