Ruffling The Peacocks Feathers(12)

For several seconds, Lamar looked surprised, then a genuine smile spread over his features. Rueben felt almost giddy at knowing he’d made the right choice.

Lamar carefully climbed up and settled next to him, near enough for Rueben to smell the man’s natural male scent, but far enough away to avoid the temptation to roll over on top of him and capture him in his arms. It was pure, exquisite torture.

“My buddies and I don’t really have a home, per se,” Lamar told him. “We like to travel, and during really cold months either head to the southern states or hole up for a few weeks at a rented lodge or hotel.” He shrugged. “We enjoy the freedom of not answering to anyone and going where the road takes us.”

“Wow, that’s…kinda cool, actually,” Rueben replied. To be able to go where he wanted when he wanted had always held an allure, but his love of hockey had trumped the feeling. Thinking of his source of income, he asked, “If it’s not too personal to ask, what do you do for money?”

Lamar snickered and gave him a wry smile. “More personal than planning some way to get your dick in my ass?”

Rueben barked out a laugh, dislodging the icepacks with the force. He also jerked his foot, which lashed pain up his leg. Rolling his eyes, still snickering despite the pain, he settled his head against the board and watched his soon-to-be lover reposition the icepack through half-mast lids.

“I guess you do have a point,” Rueben said once Lamar had resettled against the headboard. He swept his gaze slowly down the man’s lean body, pausing at the guy’s groin. He didn’t bother fighting the surge of arousal at seeing the man’s erection trapped behind the fly of Lamar’s jeans. “I do plan to fuck you through the mattress as soon as possible,” he growled.

Lamar flushed, clearing his throat. After a second, he whispered hoarsely, “I trade stocks. I taught my buddies. We look out for each other’s accounts. Make sure none of us make too bad of mistakes.”

“They’re your family,” Rueben stated, realizing he finally understood why Lamar’s voice softened when talking about them.

“Yes,” Lamar replied. “My own family disowned me. I have no contact with them.” He hesitated for a second, then looked at Rueben from the corner of his eye. “What about you? I know Ricky’s your brother, but do you have other family?”

Well, that explains the rejection. His own family. Before she’d passed, Rueben’s mother had accepted that he was gay, her love unwavering. Rueben knew her only wish was for him to find someone to settle down and be happy with. Could Lamar be that one? Too much too fast.

Remembering Lamar’s question, he refocused on his date.

“Yeah, Ricky’s my brother. We don’t always see eye to eye on things,” he added, grimacing. “But we’ve always had each other’s backs. Our mother died two years ago from cancer. Our dad ran out on us when I was three.” He shrugged. “Never heard from him again and don’t give a shit if I ever do.”

Pausing, Rueben frowned, thinking of the big guys in the room down the hall with his brother. He knew Draven wouldn’t harm his old partner, but the other men…well… “Hey, my brother is safe, right? Your friend, uh, Kontra, he’s not gonna do anything to him, right?”

Lamar shook his head, which worried Rueben until he said, “No, Kontra is a fair man. He’s been trying to get your brother to come to an agreement, but Ricky is really stubborn.”

Rueben grimaced. “He is that.” A thought suddenly occurred to him. “How the hell did you get him to stop giving you shit about being gay? I’ve decked him more than once because of snide comments. But he hasn’t really said anything about it to me, which, let me tell you, is a first.” He glanced meaningfully at Lamar’s mouth. “And after me kissing you in front of him, trust me, I expected some comment.”

His soon-to-be lover’s blue eyes lit up in amusement. “Everyone in our gang is gay, which was probably eye-opening for him, since most of the guys are pretty butch. Plus, we gave him something a little different to freak out about.”

“You mean this conspiracy about ya’ll not being human?” he teased, remembering his brother’s ridiculous claims. “Because you look plenty human to me.” He licked his lips, his gaze focused on Lamar’s mouth. “I really want to kiss you again.”

Lamar nodded. “After dinner. I, uh…” His voice dropped slightly, silky and smooth. “I don’t want to be interrupted once we get going.”