Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11)(162)
Author: J.R. Ward

Bye-bye, Elan. P.S., Next time you implicate someone falsely, try to pick a pacifist.

The prospect of a meeting made him think about Qhuinn’s integration into the Brotherhood – which had been seamless, as it turned out. The fighter’s behavior was no different, his attitude just the same. And that was one more reason to love the guy. Even with the elevated status he’d been given, he hadn’t let shit go to his head.

And that teardrop tattoo that had been changed to purple on his face? Totally hot. Just like that new star-shaped scar on his pectoral.

"We’re defo going to be doing that again," Qhuinn said as he slowly retracted himself and rolled over on his back. Putting his arms above his head, he smiled and stretched, the far-off light from the bathroom illuminating things just enough so that Blay could make out the lift to those incredible lips. "That was f**king hot. You are totally f**king hot."

"What can I say, it’s been a fantasy of mine for a long time." As Qhuinn got serious, Blay touched the male’s frown. "Hey. Stop that. Fresh slate, remember?"

After the night of the big reveal at the Mask, they’d had a number of long talks, and decided that they were going to take the relationship thing step by step, without making assumptions. They had been friends, then sort of enemies, then lovers of a kind…before they’d finally gotten their shit together. And just because they’d hung out for years, and they knew each other in a lot of ways, boyfriends was a different thing.

"Yeah. Fresh slate." As Qhuinn leaned in for a kiss, Blay’s phone went off with a text.

Naturally, Qhuinn wasn’t interested in communications from the outside world, and continued to lick his way into Blay’s mouth, even as Blay reached out for the cell.

Blay had to hold it over Qhuinn’s heavy shoulders as the guy maneuvered on top, rubbing his still-hard c**k on Blay’s –

"What the hell?" Blay said, breaking the lip contact.

"Have we been interrupted?"

"Yeah…Butch says he needs me in the Pit for a wardrobe consult?"

"Well, you do have perfect style."

For some reason, the comment made him think of Saxton. As soon as Qhuinn and he had decided to make things legit, Blay had told the lawyer what was going on – and the gentlemale had been gracious beyond measure…and not at all surprised. He’d even said it was a kind of relief in a strange way, a sign that all was right in the world, even though it had sucked for him.

At least Blay had gotten his true love, he’d said.

Now, if only Saxton could find his.

"I’d better head over there," he muttered. "Maybe it’s date night."

As he went to get out of bed, Qhuinn’s hands locked on his hips and pulled him in for another long, lingering kiss.

When Qhuinn eased back, his eyes were half-closed. "Date night’s a great idea. You wanna go dancing with me sometime?"

"Dancing?" Blay laughed. "You would go dancing. With me."

It was everything Qhuinn hated: kind of schmaltzy, lot of eyes on them, and, assuming they did it in public, they had to be fully clothed.

"If you wanted me to, I would in a heartbeat."

Blay put his hand on the male’s face. Qhuinn was trying really hard, and Blay was more than willing to wait for the day when the guy was ready to be into the PDA. The Brotherhood and the household knew that they were together – it was kind of obvious after Qhuinn had moved his stuff into this room. But you didn’t spend a lifetime in denial and automatically feel comfy sucking face with your boyfriend in front of God and everyone else.

But he was trying. And he was talking – a lot – about his family and his brother, who was slowly, painfully trying to recover down in the clinic.

Behind closed doors, though? It was magic, without any barriers at all.

Exactly what Blay had always wanted.

"Are you going down to First Meal?" Blay asked as the shutters began to rise from the windows.

"Maybe I’ll just stay here and wait to eat you when you come back."

Ah, yes, that naughty growl was in Qhuinn’s voice again, and didn’t that make Blay want to hop back in between the sheets.

"You are – " As a groan echoed up, Blay stopped in the process of heading into the bathroom. "Where is your hand?"

"Where do you think it is." Qhuinn arched, one fang biting down on his lower lip.

Blay thought of the text that he didn’t intend to ignore. "You suck."

"Yes, I do, don’t I." Qhuinn licked his lips. "And you like me to."

Blay cursed and marched into the bath. At this rate, he was never going to get out of their room….

And sure enough, one hot shower and a shave later, Qhuinn was still in bed, lounging like a lion, his black hair tousled from Blay’s hands, his half-lidded, mismatched eyes promising all kinds of pneumatics when Blay returned.

Horny motherfucker.

"You’re just going to lie there?" Blay chided from over at the exit.

"Oh, I don’t know…might get some exercise in while you’re gone." A hiss was followed by another one of those groans – and what do you know, under the sheets and duvet, the up-and-down motion of his arm made Blay remember all kinds of messy, sweaty, marvelous things. "Working out is so important, you know."

Blay gritted his molars and wrenched the door open. "I’ll be back."

"Take your time. Anticipation just makes me harder."

"Yeah, like you need help with that."

Shutting things firmly, he rearranged himself in his loose nylon track pants and cursed again. Butch had better have a good f**king reason for needing Blay’s opinion.

And a problem that could be solved quickly.

The second Blay was out of Dodge, Qhuinn threw back the covers and leaped out of bed. Grabbing his phone off his bedside table, he hit send on the text that he’d pretyped and then beelined for the shower. Fortunately, the water was already warm.

Soap at a dead run. Shampoo in a New York minute. Shave –

"Ow!" he barked as he cut himself on the chin.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to slow the f**k down before he sliced off his nose: razor on the cheek, moving carefully, going around the jawline, down the neck. Repeat. Repeat.

Why the hell did he insist on doing this in the shower? On a night like tonight, he should be in front of a mirror….

"Yo, beauty queen, you ready?" Rhage’s voice cut through into the bathroom. "Or do you want to wax your eyebrows."

Qhuinn did a quick whisker check with his hand. Clear. "Fuck off, Hollywood," he yelled over the spray.

Cutting the water, he stepped out, and dried off on his way into the bedroom.

Standing next to a smiling Tohr, Rhage had his arms behind his back. "That’s a helluva way to talk to your frickin’ stylist."