Jose's Surrender Read online

  "Come home," Rajan said.

  "I love you," Xavier replied and ducked out the door.

  José saw Rajan's heart break a little as the door closed. Rajan didn't move from where he stood until long after the sound of the engine died in the distance. José respected the enormity of what was happening and remained quiet. Finally Rajan moved and smiled.

  "I can't imagine how hard it is for you to watch him leave for work like that." José took a sip from his bottle and eased forward. He rested his elbows against his knees. "I'm sorry."

  Rajan sat beside José and took José's beer from his hand to take a sip before handing it back. "It's hard. I've seen the work he does firsthand and I worry about him going through doors. But I've also met the CT and they are wonderful guys and gals who have his back."

  José patted Rajan's thigh affectionately. "Think positive, Rajie boy. Your man loves you too much to make some dumb-ass punk take him away from you."

  "Thanks, José."

  "Anytime."

  "So you and Ronin are getting serious?"

  "I hope so," José replied, eyeing his bottle. "The man does things to me—he makes me feel like in those movies where your man is just so damn perfect for you all you want to do is cry."

  "You? Cry? Am I being Punk'd?"

  "You always gotta be such a dick?" José asked.

  "Of course! That's part of my charm."

  José shook his head and smiled. He drained his beer and relaxed into the seat. It'd taken some doing but after spending most of the morning catching up on paperwork,

  he had to check in with his team. He wasn't about to go anywhere though—well maybe the bathroom.

  "I have to go to the john."

  Rajan pulled his legs in and José walked by him.

  * * * *

  Ronin peered at the swatches of material and eyed the wall. The color was a lovely bronze. He'd just bought some new paints that would be perfect for this assignment.

  Smiling, he folded the swatches of color and dropped them back into his bag. José had given them to him before coming out so he could start formulating the images but the truth was all he could think about was José. A day had passed since they made love. Three hours since he'd seen José. He wanted to touch him in the most intimate of ways but Leroy, José's godson, would be spending some time with him. The boy was bright, had manners, and was hilarious.

  He walked around to his laptop and sent a message to his supplier for parchment, frames, and a few other necessities before turning the computer off and shoving it into his bag. Outside the door he could hear José's team moving around. Off in the distance, a saw started rumbling, someone was hammering something, and laughter erupted

  from time to time.

  "Hey, Ronin."

  Ronin looked up to see a woman José had

  introduced as Marley, the painter. "Marley, what's up?"

  "Did you figure out what you needed yet?"

  Ronin nodded. "Yeah. Even sent out for supplies."

  "Perfect timing then! The team and I are heading over to Anatolis for lunch. Savaro feeds us for free whenever we drop in. You in?"

  "You're going to drive all the way to Eros to eat lunch?"

  Marley nodded, her eyes wide. "Are you kidding?

  Have you tasted that man's honey buns?"

  Ronin thought of the sexual innuendo in that and chuckled. "Can't say I have."

  "Pack up your things. You're in for a treat!"

  She grinned at him then bolted out the door screaming, "Hey guys! Ronin's in!"

  The group cheered and he shook his head with a laugh. José had said they'd welcome him but he never in a million years thought they would be this nice. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he grabbed his bag, unplugged his cell phone from the wall and walked out into the hall.

  "You going to meet us at Anatolis?" Keith the plumber asked.

  "Sure. I drove here and I really don't feel like leaving the rental car here," Ronin explained. "Anyone need a ride over?"

  "Presley! You need a ride?" Marley hollered.

  The ebony woman in the hard hat and tool belt rose from where she was and allowed the tape measure to slide in with a thwack. She pushed the brim of her hard hat up and smiled with a nod. "Who wants to give me a ride?"

  Ronin laughed. "All right, Presley. You're with me."

  "Score. Let me grab my stuff."

  * * * *

  The ride back to Eros was interesting to say the least. Presley found a hip-hop station broadcasting out of Mousa and cranked it. She was dancing in her seat like crazy.

  "Come on, smile, Ronin. It's not the end of the world," she encouraged.

  Ronin laughed. "I know."

  "José has changed," Presley explained.

  "Changed? How do you mean?"

  "I don't know." She shrugged and turned off the radio. "He's been a little quiet lately."

  "And that's new?"

  "Yes. The old José was funny; always making jokes. He was a bit of an airhead and we loved him that way. I mean, we still love him but lately he's been so… I don't know how to say it."

  "And you all think it's because of me." It was more of a statement than a question.

  "We know it's because of you. He really likes you, I think, and he's afraid if he shows the real José you'll leave and not give him a chance. I'm just being all nosy but I don't think you deserve him if you force him to change who he is."

  Ronin was stunned. After they'd made love and had spoken and stolen kisses he never thought José was being any different than the nervous man he'd met days before.

  He really liked José and the thought of being the cause of some unhappiness for this man was more than he could stand. "I didn't ask him to change who he was, Presley.

  Really."

  "Then something happened. I've known him since—I can't even remember. That's how long it's been.

  He's never like this around a man before and most of it isn't good."

  "I'll talk to him."

  At Anatolis, Ronin glanced at the clock. It was the time of day Leroy should be in school. When Presley

  climbed from the car, Ronin watched as she leaned forward to peer at him.

  "You coming?" she wanted to know. "The last person in has to buy the tequila shots on party night."

  Ronin managed a smile but shook his head. "No. I have something I need to do first. You guys have fun."

  "All right. Suit yourself."

  He watched her enter Anatolis then reversed from the parking spot. He turned the car east and didn't stop until he pulled up before José's house. He took a breath, jogged up the front steps, and rang the bell. When José opened the door, Ronin walked by him into the house, kicked off his shoes, and continued to the kitchen.

  "Ro?"

  He said nothing. José's footsteps came down the hall and soon José was leaning easily against the doorframe, watching him with worried brown eyes.

  "¿ Qué pasa?"

  "What does that mean?" Ronin wanted to know.

  "It means, 'what's wrong?'"

  "Did you change who you are because of me?"

  Ronin asked.

  "What?"

  "Did you change who you are because of me?"

  "Where's this coming from?"

  "Did you?"

  "Ronin, for God's sake."

  Ronin folded his arms over his chest, the same way his father used to when the boys were in trouble. "So that's a yes."

  "It wasn't that big of a change."

  "It's big enough. People have noticed."

  "Who cares what they think? Ronin, you're acting as if I cheated on you or something. Me making some changes in my life isn't that big a deal."

  "But do these changes make you happy, José?"

  Ronin watched José's shoulders rise and fall dramatically with a breath before he pushed off the doorframe and walked closer. He gripped Ronin's hips and looked up into his face. "I made the changes because I don't want to screw this up like I did my past
relationships. I'm thirty now and I've never had a serious relationship. I don't want my hang-ups to cost me this chance with you."

  "But José, the people who love you are worried."

  Ronin searched his eyes. "They see these changes as something negative. And what's the use of you making these changes when you're miserable?"

  "I'm not miserable."

  "But you will be. You're going to wake up one morning and realize these things are what make you, you.

  They are what make your friends love and cherish you.

  What changes have you made?"

  "I've been somewhat of a flake… I tend to be clumsy and most of all I say whatever pops into my mind—

  most of the time they aren't the smartest of things. I didn't want you waking up one day and asking yourself why you're with me. I just—I want this to work."

  Feeling particularly weak from the heat of José being so close, Ronin bowed his head and kissed José softly. "And so do I. It's been so long since I've been with someone, especially someone like you who keeps me young and has me laughing without even knowing it. Don't ever give up your happiness for mine."

  "What if I think you're worth it?"

  Ronin smiled, his eyes drifted closed, and he lowered his mouth to José's. "Then talk to me about it first.

  Promise?"

  "I promise."

  * * * *

  José inhaled deeply, feeling a mutual understanding had been reached between himself and Ronin. He loved the way they sealed their deal but he wanted more than just a kiss. Pulling his mouth back, he checked the time. It was

  barely after lunch and Leroy wouldn't be home for another four hours. Smiling, he reached up and began unbuttoning Ronin's shirt. Their gazes locked and José was so turned on by just the look in Ronin's eyes, he gripped the sides of Ronin's shirt and pulled. When he could press his palms against the warmth of the man's chest, he moaned and caressed every bit of skin he could reach. He then used his mouth to plot the same course his hands did, only he stopped to snake his tongue over each of Ronin's pierced nipples.

  "José…"

  He hooked his teeth into the piercing and pulled gently before releasing the bud with a soft pop to graze his teeth over the sensitive head. Ronin tangled his fingers into José's hair and moved José's head to the next nipple. José showed it the same attention, teasing, torturing, loving the nipple until he felt Ronin shake violently. José didn't let up, he sucked at the nipple, bit at it until Ronin growled loudly and using his hair for leverage, pulling José's mouth away.

  "That's the Ronin I remember," José whispered, closing the space between them. "Why are you holding back?"

  He reached in and pinched Ronin's nipple with a smirk. He loved the way Ronin closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall back exposing his beautiful neck. He licked

  his lips and pounced, using his teeth to drag over the exposed skin of Ronin's neck. He sucked at the pulse and pulled his tongue along the length.

  "I am in the mood, Ronin—for a little bad behavior," José whispered, easing a finger through the belt and pulling it away from the latch. "I want you to use my body in the most delicious ways. Can you do that for me?"

  Ronin purred softly.

  "Is that a yes?"

  "Oh, baby," Ronin said, gripping José's hair and pulling his head back. He sucked the base of José's neck before tracing the length with his tongue then plunging it into José's mouth. He demanded José's kiss and when he received it, Ronin pulled back to suck his chin. "That's a hell yes. On your knees."

  José slipped to the floor and finished undoing the belt holding Ronin's pants at his waist. Silently, with only the sounds outside the home and their heavy breathing as interruptions, José freed Ronin's dick, licking his lips at the perfectly rounded head before engulfing it with his mouth.

  He moaned as hot pre-cum slipped onto his tongue. He sucked hungrily for more, closed his eyes, and fondled Ronin. He used his tongue to slide over the head of the penis, searching for more juices to taste. He wasn't disappointed.

  Ronin's fingers found his hair and tangled there, trying to move his head faster. But José was in no hurry. He was going to take his time and enjoy every bit of Ronin's member that he could. When he pulled up for air, it was only to lick against the shaft and to dance Ronin's balls over his tongue before sucking them into his mouth. A low sound rumbled from Ronin's chest and José took that as a sign he was doing something right.

  "José…"

  José's reply was to turn Ronin around and press a hand against his lower back. When Ronin dipped forward, he spread Ronin's cheeks and plunged his tongue in. A growl escaped his chest at the taste that was familiar to him. He loved the heat of Ronin's body and the way it melted for only him. Sighing, José rubbed his palms up Ronin's hair-covered legs, up his thighs, and over the rounded half-moons of his ass cheeks.

  "Come here," Ronin whispered, pulling away.

  José accepted his hands and the help to rise to his feet. When they were face-to-face, Ronin cradled his cheeks and took his lips. José accepted the roughness of Ronin's tongue, the heaviness of his breathing, and the way Ronin's dick poked against José's.

  "You did say you wanted some bad behavior."

  Ronin's voice was husky.

  "Yes."

  "All right—bend over for daddy."

  Smiling, José walked closer to the counter. Resting his elbows on it, he bent over and was rewarded by a spank.

  He bit his lower lip and moaned. When another came, his eyes rolled into his head and a gasp escaped his throat just as Ronin's free hand snaked up his back and around to tweak his nipple. José fought to keep his hands where they were. He laced his fingers together tightly and shoved his ass out for more. Ronin gave him what he craved—a spanking he knew would leave his cheeks red but his cock standing at attention and dripping pre-cum to the floor below him.

  "Ronin—shit!"

  Ronin was caressing his cheeks, soothing the skin.

  He dropped kisses there, licking and sucking at the flesh before his tongue snaked between.

  * * * *

  Ronin had taken a chance. He didn't know if José liked to be spanked but the way José arched and writhed after each slap left Ronin salivating. He tilted his head to see the white stream leaving José's cock and knew the Spanish man before him was enjoying every sweet sting of

  his hand. Now as he knelt behind José and feasted from his tight hole, Ronin knew no matter what, he had to keep this sexy morsel with him. Closing his eyes against the force of the feeling, he sucked on a finger and inserted it. Pulling it back and forth over and over, he allowed his body to be taken over by the sounds José made, the way his body moved, pushing back onto the finger, taking it deeper.

  With his free hand, he pushed José's legs wider apart and reached underneath for José's cock. It was rigid and a sudden ache to get it between his lips was more overwhelming than he could even imagine. He gripped José's hips and turned him. Without warning, he impaled his mouth on the pole and sucked hard. Juices slid against his tongue and he swallowed.

  "More," he whispered, taking José as deeply as he could.

  "Oh fuck!" José shouted. "Damn!"

  José pushed at Ronin's forehead but Ronin didn't release him. Instead, he gripped the counter on either side of José's body and pulled José deeper.

  "Ronin! Please… oh shit I'm gonna…"

  Ronin didn't let him finish. He moved a hand around José, slipped it between his lover and the counter, and inserted just the tip of his finger into José's ass. José went stiff. His hands fell away from Ronin's forehead and

  before he knew what was happening, Ronin's mouth was completely flooded with José's juice. Ronin allowed the majority of the cum to spill down the sides of his mouth to the floor while he sucked at José.

  Chapter Eight

  The climb up the stairs made José really think of selling the house to buy a bungalow. With Ronin's help he made it into the bedroom and flopped
weakly onto his large bed with his chest still heaving. Ronin was over him, smiling down into his face.

  "I would love, very much, to fuck you right now.

  But I should go."

  "Why's that?"

  Ronin pushed some hair from José's face and took a moment before he answered. For a while José thought he'd asked or said something wrong. Then he thought there was something stuck to his face. But Ronin's eyes changed to a deeper shade of blue and José smiled. "Ronin?"

  "Mmm?"

  "Why do you think you have to go?"

  "Your godson will be home soon." Ronin kissed José's lips leaving a taste of José there. "I'm going to clean up the cum on the floor and grab the clothes. Take a shower."

  "I love it when you boss me around," José confessed, reaching for another kiss.

  "I promise to boss you around later when we can be alone, and I will do it happily."

  "You're such a tease."

  Ronin smiled and after another kiss, José allowed him to leave the bed. José watched Ronin's naked ass as it moved out the door. When Ronin was gone, José found himself smiling and sighing dreamily. He'd never done that before—not even back in the days when he would dream of who he would end up with. Would Ronin be that man?

  Damn I hope so.

  Pulling himself back from his dreams, he took a breath and moaned. Even though he didn't really want to get up, he knew he had to get things together before Leroy came home after school. He eased from the bed and entered the bathroom just as Ronin returned. Opening the door, he stuck his head out. "We have about twenty minutes before Leroy gets home. Wanna take a shower with me?"

  Ronin smirked. "Let me grab a condom."

  José laughed and left the door open to turn on the water in the shower so it would warm up some before they got in. Taking a moment, he brushed his teeth and when he heard Ronin's footsteps he got into the shower. With the water cascading over him, he simply turned his back to Ronin, braced against the wall, and waited for Ronin's very thick dick to invade him.