Whatever the Cost by Lynn Kelling Page B

sounded as filthy as it does then. A hard shiver races through Liam’s body. Jacen feels it. His thumb skims over Liam’s skin at his neck, making the spot tingle.
    “H-hi,” Liam echoes, not knowing what to do with his hands, or at least pretending he doesn’t.
    “I’ll let you two get acquainted. Don’t mind me,” she giggles, lounging on a chaise with a tall glass of champagne, watching with rapt attention.
    Jacen’s hand slides up under Liam’s green polo shirt, caressing over the skin above his hip at his waist. It tickles a little, causing Liam to reflexively suck in his stomach. Blood rushes to his head, making it swim, making him feel overheated. His heart is beating so hard and fast that it’s louder than everything else by far, knocking against his ribs.
    Jacen moves them to the edge of the bed, backing Liam up to it. Taking hold of the hem of his shirt, Jacen tugs at it and says, “Let’s take this off, okay?”
    “Okay,” Liam murmurs very softly, blushing a fierce red as Jacen tugs it up over his head for him, letting it fall to the ground at their feet. At first Liam can’t look at Jacen at all, staring out into a point in mid-space instead, because Jacen is staring right at Liam’s pierced nipples, a lot of Jacen’s ‘character’ falling away purely from shock.
    Jacen’s hand comes up. The pad of his thumb rolls over the titanium bar embedded in the small, dark, sensitive nub of flesh that hardens instantly at the touch. Brushing again over the impaled nipple, Jacen’s fingers close up around the bar, pulling gently. A surge of blood shoots down to Liam’s cock. Tensing, pressing ever so slightly into Jacen’s hand, Liam exhales an audible breath.
    “Mm, seems William’s a naughtier boy than we thought, Jacen,” Claudia observes from her seat. “I’ll bet you want to suck on those piercings....”
    “Yeah,” Jacen moans softly, honestly, twisting the nipple slightly, getting hard at the way it makes Liam react, his breath roughening.
    “Why don’t you take his pants off, then get onto the bed,” Claudia instructs, taking a deep sip and then chuckling, drawing one leg up onto the chaise, exposing the creamy skin of her thighs all the way up to her matching pink panties.
    “Just relax,” Jacen tells him as he pops open Liam’s fly and tugs down the zipper. Bringing the khakis down over Liam’s hips, easing them over the pert swell of his ass, Jacen pushes them down Liam’s legs, helping him step out and tossing them aside. He runs his fingers over the waxed-smooth skin of Liam’s legs, usually covered in golden blond hair, as he stands. It’s perfectly clear to Jacen how very much Liam is truly overwhelmed, that most of it is not for the sake of the character anymore, it’s all him. So Jacen takes control, deciding to do what he needs to in order to make this as quick and as good for Liam as he possibly can.
    Easing Liam down to the bed, getting him seated first, and then manhandling him back further up the bed, Jacen lays him out, bringing him down with a hand behind Liam’s neck, rubbing over Liam’s stomach. Jacen plants a knee between Liam’s legs to ease them apart and leans down over him, bracing a hand on the bed. Claudia stands and walks around for a better view, leaning against a wall at Jacen’s side. Caressing down Liam’s taut stomach, Jacen rubs over the stark white cotton of Liam’s briefs, rolling his palm and fingers over Liam’s genitals. Liam is barely half-hard. Glancing up, Jacen sees Liam squeeze his eyes closed, a small, delicate frown line appearing between his eyebrows at the intimate touch. The real anguish in the expression, not pleasurable, just heartbreaking, knots Jacen’s gut.
    Grabbing lightly at Liam’s flesh, manipulating him to get him hard, Jacen realizes he needs to distract and move this along faster when Liam lets out a broken half-whimper, half-sob that makes Jacen feel nauseous, like he’s molesting Liam against his