Chapter Five

Always

IT WAS like a dream. Jessie never thought he would be celebrating another win at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, much less find himself once again rubbing elbows with the well-to-do. Those days were long gone. After his fall from grace, no one had wanted anything to do with him. Now here he was, sipping champagne despite Prohibition, wearing a top hat, white tie, and tails while folks who had more money than sense patted him on the back like he was a long-lost pal. Jessie didn’t mind. He never wanted to be a Rockefeller, but tonight, he was the richest man on this roof, all because of the stunning fellow making his way through the crowd.

The world around him softened in focus, a blur of black, white, and sparkling sequins, leaving Eli looking like he walked out of a motion picture.

“Congratulations, Jessie.” Melvin, the fight’s promoter, snapped Jessie out of his trance, slapping him on the back and thankfully none the wiser. “That was really something. I gotta say, though, lots of folks thought you were all wet.”

“Yeah, well, so did I until my cornerman showed me I still had some fight left in me,” Jessie replied, motioning to Eli, who’d reached him. Melvin turned to Eli and held out his hand for a shake.

“So you’re the man I have to thank for all the bank I just made.”

Eli shook his head. “It was all Jessie, sir.” He met Jessie’s gaze, his plump lips spreading into a wicked smile and his eyes filling with mischief. “He simply needed the right motivation.”

Jessie almost choked on his champagne.

“You okay there, champ?” Melvin thumped on his back while Jessie coughed up a lung.

“Yeah,” Jessie wheezed. “Went down the wrong pipe.”

“Will you excuse us, Mr. Werner? There are some guests who’d like to meet Jessie.”

“Of course.” Melvin held his glass up in a toast. “Congratulations again, Jessie. We’ll talk soon.”

Jessie nodded, then followed Eli across the room, pausing long enough to shake hands or laugh at a joke about the fight. They headed downstairs, and when no one was looking, Eli stopped, pulled something out of his pocket, and shoved it into Jessie’s hand.

“Wait ten minutes.”

Before he had a chance to ask, Eli was gone, and Jessie opened his hand. He stared down at the hotel room key like a dope, until it struck him that Eli expected him to use it. The thought sent a shiver through him, and he quickly pocketed the key.

It was the longest ten minutes of his life, and as he stood outside the hotel door, he couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous. Not before any of his fights or during. When he removed the key from his pocket, his hands were shaking. Seeing the Do Not Disturb sign hanging from the doorknob didn’t help his nerves one bit. A door closed somewhere down the hall, and Jessie swiftly unlocked the door, then slipped inside and closed it behind him.

Jessie remembered the last time he’d stayed in one of the Ritz’s swanky rooms. He hadn’t been able to get Eli out of his head. His face flushed when he thought of how he’d touched himself that night to thoughts of Eli in bed with him. He’d faced many challenges during his boxing career, but he’d never faced a challenge greater than the moment he’d seen Eli for the first time. Really seen him. The breadth of his shoulders, his slender waist, and athletic physique. It had taken every ounce of self-preservation Jessie possessed to take Eli’s hand and pretend he wasn’t goofy for the kid.

“Hello, champ.”

Jessie didn’t reply, too afraid he’d swallow his tongue if he tried to speak. Eli leaned against the doorframe to the bedroom, dressed in a red-and-black silk robe that fell above his knees. He pushed away from the doorframe and sauntered over to Jessie, his gray eyes stormy and filled with heat as he reached up to remove Jessie’s top hat. He tossed it onto the chaise lounge before turning back to Jessie, eyes hooded as he ran his hands up Jessie’s chest and under his jacket, then pushed it off his shoulders.

“As handsome as you look in your tails, I’d prefer to see you out of them.”

“You won’t hear me complainin’.” Jessie breathed, feeling light-headed. Was this happening? After all this time? What the hell was he doing standing here like a pill? Jessie threw his arms around Eli and hauled him up against him, bringing their lips together in a searing kiss. Eli tasted of champagne, and his tongue moved in the most wicked way, as if he couldn’t get enough of Jessie. Their labored breath mingled as Eli wrapped his legs around Jessie. Jessie carried him over to the bed, then dropped Eli onto it with a bounce. He released a groan at the decadent sight.

Eli propped himself up on his elbows, his hair disheveled and one side of his robe falling open to reveal delicious smooth skin from his right knee up to his waist. Jessie climbed onto the bed, one knee to each side of Eli’s so he could easily reach down and pull at the silk sash, his eyes never leaving Eli’s as the slinky material fell away from his naked body.

“Damn, baby, you’re beautiful.” Jessie raked his gaze over all that flawless skin and sculpted muscle.

“Can I be?” Eli asked softly as he sat up. Jessie tilted his head in question, and Eli clarified, “Can I be your sweetheart?”

Jessie slipped his fingers beneath the robe at Eli’s shoulders, and the material cascaded down his arms. “You were mine the moment you walked back through that door.”

Eli’s smile was radiant, and he lay back, his arms stretched up over his head. “You’re overdressed for the occasion.”

Heat flared through Jessie, and he made quick work of undressing before crawling over Eli. Their lips met in a frenzy of need, and Jessie laced his fingers with Eli’s, holding his arms above his head as he kissed, nipped, and licked at Eli’s skin.

“Jessie,” Eli pleaded, arching his back and pressing his body against Jessie’s.

As desperate as Jessie was to feel Eli’s tight body wrapped around him, Eli was the kind of fella who deserved to be worshipped. He was nothing like the men Jessie had snuck around with in the past, both parties looking for nothing more than a quick pounding in the park or bathhouse. Eli wasn’t just offering his body, he was offering his heart, and Jessie was ready to show Eli how much that gift meant to him.

Jessie kissed his way down Eli’s jaw, neck, and chest. He lavished attention on each of Eli’s nipples until Eli was squirming beneath him, his panting breath and moans the sweetest music to Jessie’s ears, but he continued with his slow torture, trailing kisses across his body, caressing his soft skin until he reached the thick hard shaft leaking pearl drops of salty come.

“Jessie, please. I need to feel you inside me.” Eli slipped his fingers into Jessie’s hair, tugging in frustration. “Please.”

Unable to deny his sweetheart anything, Jessie wet his fingers to prepare Eli, but then Eli reached into the robe’s pocket, his cheeks flushed when he produced the small tin of lubricant.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Aren’t you full of surprises.” Jessie couldn’t help his stupid grin. Eli had come prepared. How long had he been thinking about this? Not wasting any more time, Jessie recaptured Eli’s lips, kissing him while he worked his fingers into Eli, stretching him. Care was a luxury not often afforded to men like them, but here with Eli, it was everything.

Jessie lined himself up, and Eli dug his fingers into Jessie’s biceps as Jessie slowly pushed inside him. Sweat beaded his brow, and Jessie clenched his jaw muscles tight as he sank into Eli inch by inch until Jessie was fully seated against him.

“Jesus, Eli. You’re so damned tight.” The pressure was heavenly, and when he moved, a low groan rose up out of him. Unable to get enough of Eli or the taste of him, Jessie brought their mouths together and wrapped his arms around Eli, then brought him up with Jessie as he sat back on his heels.

“Oh God,” Eli gasped, his arms tight around Jessie’s neck as they moved together.

Jessie took hold of Eli’s firm round globes, his fingers digging into the soft flesh as Eli began to ride him in earnest, the sound of skin slapping skin filling the air along with their pants and moans. Eli ravished Jessie’s mouth, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth before he sucked on Jessie’s tongue. Eli alternated between undulating his hips and bouncing on Jessie, and all Jessie could do was hold on to his lover as tight as he could, fearing Eli might disappear if he didn’t.

“It’s like a dream,” Jessie murmured, burying his face in Eli’s neck as his hips lost their rhythm. He slid his hands up Eli’s back, one going to cup his neck, the other Eli’s shoulder. “Always be by my side, Eli.”

Eli cupped Jessie’s face and kissed him softly. “Always.”

As pleasure rippled through Jessie, he clung tightly to Eli, knowing he would never let the man go. He would hold on to that one little word. Always. His Eli had returned to him, and as they kissed to muffle the shouts of their lovemaking, Jessie knew in that instant, that no matter what they faced in life, Eli would always be in his corner.