- 6 T here was Something Sexy about Strong, Rough Hands
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Gregory stared across the desk at Arnold who stood in the doorway of his office.
The man was impeccably dressed, every hair in place, and almost too handsome. Arnold’s perfection put him on edge. He’d spent five years of his life with the man and looking at him at that moment he didn’t understand what he had seen in him.
“This stupidity of yours needs to end. I’ve put up with it long enough. I’ll forgive your little fling. We all make mistakes.”
He stepped back to put another layer of protection between them. The desk and the chair weren't sufficient, but it’s all he had. Then what Arnold said registered.
“I’m not having a fling. I’m staying with a friend of Landon’s, nothing more.”
“You can’t be that stupid. You fucked him, no man is that possessive without getting a taste.”
Bull was nice, maybe a little too hardened by life, but Bull had treated him great since he’d moved in. The man didn’t treat him any different than he did Twitch or Landon.
“I didn’t sleep with Bull. He’s been very—”
Arnold’s fists clenched at his sides.
He flinched and walked backward until his back hit the wall. He hated himself for the reaction. Fear was an emotion he’d rarely experienced until the last few years. He knew just what the flat of Arnold’s hand felt like connecting with his cheek. Memorized the texture of Arnold’s closed fist to his midsection. The weight of Arnold’s slender, muscular body holding him down as Arnold punished him for one offense or another. Most of the time, he hadn’t even known what he’d done.
“Has he been nice, Gregory? Men aren’t nice without strings attached. You’re coming home.”
“I’m not. This hasn’t…” He cleared his throat to rid it of the knot of fear that threatened to choke him. “This hasn’t worked in a long time. I want a divorce. We’re not…” He closed his eyes but quickly opened them when he heard to soft fall of footsteps.
Arnold advanced, and he tried to make himself as small as possible. He anticipated the pain he would experience.
“Mr. Charles, you have a meeting.”
His secretary, Martha, announced loudly as she walked into his office. He’d give her a raise, a huge raise.
“Thank you, Martha.”
“This isn’t over, Gregory, you will come home. You don’t have a choice.”
Arnold whispered, but from the hardening of Martha’s features, he knew she had heard. The man angrily turned and stormed from the office. Martha barely made it out of Arnold’s way.
“Are you okay, sir?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Martha.”
He was grateful she hadn’t asked any more questions, and she turned from the office. This wasn’t going to end quickly. Arnold wasn’t going to let him go, and he couldn’t stay with Bull at the farm forever. As soon as he’d left, his protection would disappear, and he’d once again be at the mercy of his husband as he had been before.
He checked the time and decided to head home, no, not home, just the farm. It was easy enough to work from the kitchen table or the living room couch. He quickly gathered up the files he’d need for a few days.
# # #
Gregory was so tired by the time he reached the farm, he parked Bull’s truck beside the man’s motorcycle and cut the engine. A week away from the office and he was out of practice. He transitioned to a Brawlers’ schedule too easily, and now 6 a.m. was torture. The confrontation with Arnold hadn’t helped. It seemed to take all the energy he had left.
Gregory tiptoed out of the house that morning so as not to wake anyone. Two pots of coffee and he could’ve still taken an afternoon nap.
“Don’t you look all fancy,” Bull’s voice came from behind him, and he turned.
All thoughts of Arnold disappeared at the view in front of him.
His mouth almost fell open but gritted his teeth. Sweat made the thick hair on Bull’s chest shimmer under the early evening sun. Jeans hung low on slim hips showing off the top tight pubic curls. That deep V probably framed a beautiful package to perfection—oh shit, he was in trouble.
“Is thirty-six too old to find a new career?”
“And why is that?”
“Because 6 a.m. sucks.”
“We turning you into a night owl,” Bull asked.
Bull stepped farther away from the building he used as a workshop. His large hands were covered in black. He remembered Bull stroking his cheek, and there was something sexy about strong, rough hands. Gregory never thought about that much. He’d always dated men with soft hands, the corporate night-to-five type. Bull was the exact opposite.
“I got used to sleeping until the afternoon.”
“Didn’t take you long to get lazy.”
Bull stopped a few steps from him, and he inhaled the tang of sweat and a hint of Bull’s soap. He almost leaned forward to pull Bull’s scent into his lungs.
“I’m not lazy. You not working tonight?”
“No work this evening. I spent all afternoon in my shop. Got an appointment at Twirled in an hour, want to come along? Maybe we can corrupt you with some ink.”
“No, I’m quite happy without putting myself through the self-inflicted pain.”
“Sometimes pain is a good thing in the right situation.”
“I’ll take you word for it.”
“So, want to come along, and maybe you’ll change your mind about the virgin skin.”
“I just need to change.”
“I gotta jump in the shower first. We’ll take the bike. I have an old helmet you can use.”
“I’ve never ridden before.”
“All you have to remember is to move with me and enjoy the ride. Now, come on, get out of the suit. It looks weird on ya.”
“I’ll have you know this is a perfectly tailored suit. Functional yet classic style.”
“Whatever you say, baby, let’s go. Zerk gets cranky when I delay him going home to Landon’s ass.”
“Y’all are way too open about sex talk.”
“And you’re wound way too tight,” Bull said as he threw his arm over Gregory’s shoulders and steered him toward the house.
“I’ll have you know that I’m very fun.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, baby.”
Gregory nearly stumbled as Bull nudged him forward and grabbed his shoulders. Strong hands kneaded his tensed muscles, and Gregory groaned.
“Oh, that’s nice.”
Bull’s thumbs massaged the back of his neck, and Gregory let his head fall forward. The pads of Bull’s fingers were thick with callouses and teased his skin just right.
“You’re tense as fuck.”
Bull’s voice was rough as he spoke near Gregory’s ear. His cock twitched, and he squeezed his eyes closed, thinking unsexy thoughts. It wasn’t working especially when Bull stroked the front of his throat. There was a slight pressure, but it eased, and then Bull pulled back.
He almost begged Bull to continue. That would be an appalling idea. He was married—no he was separated. He took the four steps to the landing and reached for the screen door, but Bull reached around him and pulled it open.
“You got twenty minutes, pretty boy.”
“Asshole.”
“Now you’re cussing, wow, next step tattoo.”
“Not happening,” Gregory threw over his shoulder as he headed for his room to get ready.
He needed to find a place of his own and soon before he did something he’d regret. Gregory was more worried about not regretting something happening between him and Bull. Why was he even thinking about it? Bull was just being nice because of Gregory’s situation and him being friends with one of Bull’s best friends. He saw things that weren’t there. He closed himself in his room and hurried to get changed so he’d be ready when Bull finished.
Four hours later, he was curled up on one end of an over-stuffed couch and his face hurt from laughing. Gregory covered his mouth as he nearly spewed water all over the coffee table as Lucky danced out of Bull’s reach.
“Not my fault you’re old, shame a man your age with your significant endow—”
“I will let Crave kill you next time you mouth off if you don’t stop talking about my dick.”
“Dude, you’re hung like—”
Gregory couldn’t help it when he snorted. The conversation was entirely inappropriate and uncomfortable since it centered around Bull’s package, but Lucky’s impish expression as he took advantage of Bull being stuck in the chair.
“Don’t you start too, baby, I got enough shit dealing with them.”
“Come on, it’s a blind date, your left needs a break. Have you seen the size of your forearm lately?”
“I hate you.”
“No, you love me, but I’m already taken.”
“Priest is a fucking saint. I would’ve left your crazy ass by now.”
“He’s smarter than you.”
“Gregory wants ink, all virgin skin.”
Gregory’s eyes widened at Bull’s evil expression as the hyper Hippie turned on him. That lean, muscled body stalked across the room, and Gregory suddenly felt like prey.
“No, I said no.”
“But, but, Gregory,” Lucky whined as he leaped over the coffee table and landed on the couch beside him in a crouch.
“No, but, it’s not happening.”
“If not a tattoo, what about a piercing. Are your nipples sensitive?”
“What,” Gregory squeaked.
“If they are, imagine your man tugging on them with his teeth as he—”
Gregory slapped his hands over Lucky’s mouth. He didn’t want to think about sex. He didn’t want to think about Bull, but if sex entered his brain, that’s who would star in his fantasies. Gregory was already having enough of those.
Bull liked being shirtless way too much.
Lucky swatted his hands away, and his lips widened in a smile bordering on maniacal. “Maybe a Guiche, it’s a piercing through your perineum. Your partner plays with it during oral or sex, placed right, and it stimulates—”
“No, Lucky,” Gregory said as he put his hands on his hot cheeks.
“Your boy’s a prude, Bull.” Lucky pouted and stepped off the couch.
“I’m not his boy.”
Lucky mumbled something which sounded suspiciously like not yet and returned to his station just as the door opened. The chime drawing everyone’s attention. Gregory was off the couch and across the room before the door swung closed behind Arnold. The man looked completely out of place among the flash art on the walls and photos of the artist’s work. He moved as close to Bull as he could get. Zerk even shifted to the side as Bull reached out to wrap his hand around the back of Gregory’s thigh.
He knew Arnold leaving earlier was too easy.
“Dropping off those papers,” Bull asked in a quiet voice with a lethal edge.
He was thankful that Bull took over because he couldn’t speak if his life depended on it.
“No, I came to pick my husband up.”
Bull rubbed soothing circles on the back of his thigh, and Gregory leaned closer.
“Actually, you’re separated, and Gregory and I have plans. So, unless you signed the divorce papers, there’s no reason for you to be here.”
Even with the anger, he felt radiating off Bull, his touch remained gentle.
Gregory kept darting glances at Arnold and couldn’t get his tongue to work. He was frozen in fear. He hadn’t fully recognized that he was actually happy at Bull’s place. Nothing was expected of him, and he didn’t have to worry about a hit coming at any moment. Even when the guys fought, which was a lot, he never felt afraid.
“Gregory—”
“I think you forget what I told you, I own every inch of him. You don’t fuck with what’s mine.”
Gregory noticed the hum of the tattoo machine hadn’t ceased or slowed down. Although, Lucky and Zerk seemed to be on alert. It was in the way they held themselves, and Lucky watched Arnold. He didn’t doubt if the man made one move toward him, Arnold wouldn’t get near him.
“My husband knows where he belongs, his place.”
“Yeah, my bed, now—”
Bull stopped as Priest walked in with Juvie and Princess, with a baby sling strapped to his chest. Matty, his one-year-old son, secured to Priest.
Priest seemed to instinctively know something was up and ushered the girls quickly through the shop. “Gregory, come with me.” Priest grabbed his hand and dragged him toward a door marked Employees Only.
He thankfully left the battle building in the other room. Arnold’s pupils were blown, and if he wasn’t mistaken, Arnold was high on something. He wasn’t going back. Finally, he was happy and safe, and he wouldn’t give that up for anything.
“Juice box?” Princess skipped to the fridge and pulled out a box for each of them.
Juvie curled up in a huge moon chair and pulled out her sketchpad. She wore an expression very much like Scary’s. For not being blood-related the teenager was very much like the big man.
“Trouble’s picking them up in an hour. They had a day off for some teacher in-service day.”
A bright mop of ginger hair caught his attention, and he tamped down the urge to ask to hold him.
“Want to hold him?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.” Priest smiled sweetly and lifted the baby from the sling.
The cutest fat cheeks and two-toothed smile almost made him make the unmanliest squeal as he took the baby. He’d never wanted kids of his own, but he loved kids, they were all so nonjudgmental. He held Matty carefully against his chest. Lucky and Priest used a surrogate, he’d heard Lucky’s sister offered to carry for them.
“Matty is used to being handled all the time. Lucky barely lays him down, along with the rest of the Twirled and Brawlers Crews.”
“He’s gonna be spoiled.”
“I think he’s already there. The crews have spoiled Princess and Juvie rotten, so Matty’s getting the same treatment.”
“Matty being charming,” Bull’s voice had him turning to the door.
“I think he’s trying to lure your man away.”
“Don’t you start too. You’ve been married to Lucky way too long,” Bull said as he walked up to Priest and leaned down to kiss his cheek.
“A lifetime couldn’t be long enough.”
Gregory watched Priest’s face as the man said it and every word was true. It was one of the things he’d learned quickly about the Twirled Crew, Crave and Twitch and also with Psycho and Ben their devotion to their partners was unquestionable. It was there in every look and touch, existed in every smile a few whispered words caused. Again, he was envious. He was in his late thirties, and he’d never come close to anything like that.
“How’s my boy,” Bull asked as he leaned over Matty.
Bull’s thick finger stroked Matty’s cheek, and the man’s thick wavy hair tickled Gregory’s cheek.
“Am I still watching him when you and the crazy Trenton's go away for that festival,” Bull asked he straightened and turned toward Priest.
“You sure you still want to do it?”
“I already took the that Friday and Saturday off.”
“We really appreciate it.”
“Just because you’re parents now, you still need some time just the two of you.”
“I think Lucky’s going to be a bigger wreck than I am.”
“You two will be fine. Besides Gregory will be there to help do all the diapers.”
“I think not, I never agreed to that.”
“We’ll see, you ready to go get dinner or do you want to go home?”
“Can we just get take-out? I’m not particularly in the mood to be social.”
“Whatever you want.”
Bull gently took Matty and held him up as he blew raspberries on the fat tummy exposed by the tiny, scrunched t-shirt.
“Don’t get him worked up. It’s almost nap—”
Priest groaned as Matty giggled and fisted his little hands in Bull’s hair.
They were so cute together. The big grumpy man baby talking and tickling the chubby baby was a striking contrast.
“Give him to me, you’re as bad as Lucky,” Priest scolded as he plucked Matty from Bull’s hold.
“Hey, don’t be mean.” Bull turned toward him, “What do you want for dinner?”
He wasn’t really hungry, he wanted to know what happened after he left the room. They said goodbye to everyone and headed for the front door with Bull holding his hand the entire way. Gregory knew it was for show, but a big part of him wished the man would touch him for real.
Gregory had bigger problems though. What had Arnold done or said? His transition to a new life wasn’t going to be easy, but he sure hoped it didn’t turn out to be hell.