The Sweetest Scent Part 3

Swallowing hard, Bro looked ready to jump up and drag Lacey off with him. But the arrival of the waiter stopped him, and Lacey had to grin at the utterly displeased expression Bro was sporting. He even growled a bit. The waiter placed two huge platters of grilled meats before them, and Bro wasn't the only one drooling. They might have been hungry for each other, but they were practically starving too, so once the waiter had moved off, they dug into their delicious, savory meals as the scents of well-done meat, salsa, and lemon enraptured them.

They did not speak during their meal. Lacey knew all boys were like this, unable to converse properly while eating, and she was no different. The smells, the tastes, all the wonderful sensations made it impossible to focus on anything else.

Even if Bro did play footsie with Lacey under the table the whole time.

When their immediate hunger was satisfied, they pushed their empty plates away. A virtually simultaneous sigh of contentment escaped from both of them, and with one look at each other, they began to chuckle in unison. For a while they simply interlaced their fingers, holding onto the connection between them, unmoving. Unaware of the pa.s.sage of time, they both started when the waiter returned, took the empty dishes, and left.

"I'm beginning to see your point about them wearing bells around their necks," Lacey heard herself saying, dismayed, and Bro chuckled, nodding. "What do you want to do later?"

Bro wasn't one for planning their dates in detail, even though this night-a fine dinner in a fancy restaurant-proved to Lacey her boyfriend was capable of surprises.

Bro shrugged, but his look was pensive. "We could go see a movie."

Lacey crinkled her nose. "Not in the mood."

"Or we could go to the park for a walk."

"You mean camp out on the gra.s.s and make out while freezing our nuts off? No."

"We could go to a dance club and-"

"And not be able to hear a peep out of each other for the rest of the night? Pa.s.s."

"Okay, how about a coffee house? There we could talk and-"

"Coffee would keep me up all night."

Suddenly Bro grinned. "I don't see a problem with that." When Lacey gave him a reproachful yet playful glare, he asked, well on his way to being miffed, "Okay, so what do you you suggest? 'Cause after all these refusals, you'd better have a stellar idea." suggest? 'Cause after all these refusals, you'd better have a stellar idea."

Now it was Lacey's turn to be mischievous, and she smiled wickedly. "How about we go back to my place, make out on the couch like a couple of h.o.r.n.y bunnies, and then go up to my room for an exclusive slumber party-just big enough for two?"

Upon hearing that, Bro was practically out the door-without his dessert.

Chapter 4.

IN THE THE end, they did remain long enough at the restaurant to have their desserts. end, they did remain long enough at the restaurant to have their desserts.

As they drove away from the restaurant at long last, Bro was licking his lips. The taste of his dessert-chocolate mousse made with Italian chocolate, accompanied by hazelnut ice cream-mixed with Lacey's unique, delectable flavor. s.e.xual hunger rampaged through his self-control like a beast in heat, and he could vividly picture his d.i.c.k snarling inside the constrictions of his jeans.

Squirming on his seat, he asked quietly, "Will your dad be home?"

Lacey's face darkened, but not with anger or frustration so much as sadness. "Yes, probably. But he won't interrupt us. He's too worried he might see something... unseemly."

Bro's hold of the steering wheel tightened. "He's such a f.u.c.king-"

"Bro, don't." Lacey sounded miserable, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry," Bro rushed to say, touching Lacey's hand on her thigh, offering solace. "You know me, always a stinker of a foot in my rabid mouth. I'm so sorry."

"I know." Lacey smiled, and the impending rainstorm in her gaze receded. "I don't want him to ruin tonight. Let's just be together. Let's not think about anything else, okay?"

Bro grinned. "Sounds good to me."

For the rest of the drive, they held hands, fingers interlaced.

LACEY lived in the suburbs, though it was becoming clear her father could not maintain the house by himself. Soon they would have to move into an apartment building in town or away to another town. Bro swallowed hard at the mere thought, dread gripping his belly with ice-cold fingernails. He shrugged the notion off, determined to believe it would not happen, no matter how lost Lacey's father was when it came to Lacey and his whole life. lived in the suburbs, though it was becoming clear her father could not maintain the house by himself. Soon they would have to move into an apartment building in town or away to another town. Bro swallowed hard at the mere thought, dread gripping his belly with ice-cold fingernails. He shrugged the notion off, determined to believe it would not happen, no matter how lost Lacey's father was when it came to Lacey and his whole life.

After all, perhaps he was coping the best way he knew how, the angel on Bro's shoulder reminded him.

But being a drunk, belligerent h.o.m.ophobe and a general mess around a teenage child was wrong of any adult, the devil on his other shoulder said, growling.

And Bro had to agree with the imp on this one. Roger Purcell wasn't much of a father. He even had a different surname. Still, he hadn't chosen that out of hate, but out of respect for Lacey's mother, Lexie. She had asked for Lacey to be an Adair because it was Lexie's family name. Roger had acquiesced because he loved her so much.

All Bro could hope for was that the man would soon rediscover his humanity and take his parental role seriously, not with hate and prejudice, but with love and understanding. Lacey was more than worth it in Bro's opinion.

After parking at the curb, Bro turned off the ignition and studied the house warily. All the lights were off, and not a peep came from the inside as they approached hand in hand. Right now Bro wished they had gone back to the loft instead. At least there, they would have a semblance of privacy, but more importantly, they'd have a loving family around them, a safe coc.o.o.n from the harsh realities of the outside world.

Lacey squeezed his hand and smiled encouragingly. "It'll be all right, Bro."

Not sure whether he liked being consoled by the person he was supposed to be giving rea.s.surances to, Bro still nodded and returned the smile.

Lacey unlocked the door, and they went in. The house was as silent as a tomb, and no lights illuminated the darkness. Roger Purcell wasn't home, and Bro needed only to glance at Lacey to feel her sadness and disappointment and to realize if the man wasn't home, he was most likely in a bar, given his track record.

Bro pushed aside the depressing thoughts. He pulled Lacey into his arms. "Hey. Don't be sad, babe. We've still got each other. And besides-" He tried for levity by grinning and winking suggestively. "-it's not like we'd welcome his company anyway, not for what we're gonna be doing. Right?"

"Yes." Lacey sighed with visible relief, her whole body relaxing as she melted into the embrace.

Holding her close by her waist, Bro managed to steer them toward Lacey's room on the second floor at the back of the house, even though Lacey kept wiggling and giggling the whole way there. She was so cute Bro wasn't willing to let go even for an instant.

When they got to her room, Lacey pushed Bro off and let him close the door. He had always liked the look and feel of her boudoir, as she called it. The two pieces that made up the furnishings were a dressed-up vanity at one end of the room and a queen-size four-poster bed on the other. Lacey had told Bro that of all the pieces of furniture she had once had, these were the only two she had brought with her from Seattle, and only because she had picked them out with her mother. The bond she had with them was special, and she adored them.

Unlike a typical teenage girl's room, however, the colors were deep and rich, with dark gold, wood tones, and shades of gray. The underlying main theme was brown, various shades of it, from almost white to almost black. But all around the room there were little details and flashes of bright color, like the picture of a laughing girl in a bright-red dress next to the vanity, or the sunshine-yellow bookcase, or the olive-green pillows. Nothing was dirty or messy or out of place, and the scent of her perfumes wafted through the air from the vanity.

Lacey plopped down on the bed, bouncing a little and watching Bro. She bit her lower lip. "So...."

Exhaling and willing himself to relax, Bro leaned against the closed door, keeping his gaze locked with Lacey's. He wanted her so bad.

Only... it was the boy Bro wanted. The young male beneath the lovely outfit.

"So..." he murmured, waiting to see what she had planned. Technically, it was his date with her, but Bro wasn't against the idea of letting her call the shots. Yeah, there were plenty of things he wanted to do with Lacey, but he remained patient. In fact, he had been patient for nearly a year and a half, keeping the roaring beast at bay, for she was as fragile as a b.u.t.terfly sometimes, and he didn't want to damage her.

But... he did want her. Bro wondered if Lacey wanted him back with equal fervor.

Lacey licked her lips sensuously, and all the blood in Bro's body seemed to rush down to his swelling c.o.c.k until he felt light-headed. "Well? Take them off." She nodded at his clothing, and the teasing challenge in her eyes was evident.

Though they had been naked together plenty of times and done quite a few things, the idea of undressing in front of Lacey-while she remained fully clothed, enjoying the show-still unnerved him. His cheeks turned feverish as he blushed.

But there was no chance in h.e.l.l he was ever going to refuse her anything.

So, almost violently, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and began to yank it off.

"No." Lacey pouted, frowning. "Slowly."

"I'm not a stripper," Bro growled back, eyes narrowing. Lacey's expression showed her disappointment, so he cleared his throat and said, "I'll do it, I never said I wouldn't. But why am I the only one undressing?"

In a flash her smile returned and she wrinkled her nose. "So I can watch you take your clothes off, and afterward you can undress me. Silly." She shook her head, playfully mocking him, and he glared at her, though not with serious intent.

In truth, Bro wasn't nervous about nudity. After all, he and Lacey shared the same equipment. Whatever Bro would reveal while undressing, Lacey had the same man parts, and he would thoroughly enjoy removing all her clothing in turn. Slowly, just like now.

And it wasn't like Bro had anything to be ashamed of in the c.o.c.k department. Flaccid, his c.o.c.k was almost five inches, and erect he sported a very healthy seven and a half inches. Well, eight if he was bragging. And Lacey... she had nothing to be embarra.s.sed about either. Oh, just thinking about Lacey's c.o.c.k made Bro squirm as blood pooled at the tip of his p.e.n.i.s, making him feel like his d.i.c.k weighed a ton. He needed her now.

Yet he forced his motions to remain enticingly slow.

He received an immediate reward for this sensual play when Lacey bit her lower lip anxiously and shifted on the bed, her cheeks turning pink and her eyes darkening to chocolate brown. Yes, Bro might have been the one getting nude, but there was no mistaking the naked hunger in Lacey's eyes and demeanor.

Lifting the hem of his T-shirt, he exposed his tight, flat stomach, his firm, muscular abs, and his sculpted chest with p.r.o.nounced pecs. Lacey shifted again, tucking her legs beneath her and worrying her lower lip until it was all red and swollen. Bro wanted that effect to come from his kisses.

Shucking off his shirt, he lowered his hands to the top b.u.t.ton of his jeans. Lacey's gaze was riveted, and it looked like she was holding her breath. Bro grinned at the sight as he popped the top b.u.t.ton.

Lacey made a soft, strangled sound in the back of her throat, pushed off the bed, rushed to him, and dropped on her knees before him. Her meaning was clear, and Bro practically came in his pants, his c.o.c.k pushing painfully against the cold zipper.

Even though her gestures seemed timid as her fingers fumbled with the zipper, Lacey had a curious s.e.xual certainty about her, as though she had always known who and what she was. Bro had not been that lucky. Though his big brother Sebastian was gay, Bro had a.s.sumed this wasn't the case with him, and he had not really looked. That is to say, because he was h.o.r.n.y 99.9 percent of the time, he had noticed both girls and and boys, but discerned no preference. boys, but discerned no preference.

Not until he had laid his eyes on the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Only... he had known from the start she was a he.

And now this elusive, magical creature knelt in front of him, quiet and demure, peering up at him, eyes wide with a question. "Do you want me to...?"

Bro frowned, hesitating. "Do you you want to?" want to?"

Lacey nodded, relief painted on her face. "I do."

She pulled the zipper down, and the thin barrier of the cotton briefs between Bro's skin and Lacey's touch was no match for his d.i.c.k, which tried to push through the fabric, the red glistening tip peeking over the waistband. With an excited sigh, Lacey pushed her fingers beneath the fabric and gently pulled them down to midthigh, exposing Bro's cut c.o.c.k, now proudly jutting upward in a full erection.

Rapt, he watched as Lacey smiled happily, closed her eyes, and inhaled, pressing her lips against his warm, soft, almost hairless sac. Bro gulped, and his knees trembled. His hand sought her curls, raking through them until he got a tight hold. She did nothing more than slide her lips over the sensitive skin, back and forth, and he wondered if her lips tingled at the feel of it.

Pulling back, she palmed the sac with her right hand, jiggling it about, caressing and tugging. "You smell so good here. Strong. Love it."

Bro's mouth was dry, but his hands were sweating, and his c.o.c.k twitched, wanting and needing something, anything, from Lacey. "Come on, Lace. You gonna...?" He left the question hanging in the air between them, crackling like electricity before a storm, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Lacey snickered, glancing up at him with a wicked grin gracing her full lips. "Boys.... You need to learn patience."

Bro grinned. "Just you remember, babe. Payback's a b.i.t.c.h."

"I can't wait." And she licked her lips hungrily, her gaze locked with his the whole time. Bro heard himself growl, the sound primitive and instinctive, beyond his rational control.

Lacey wrapped her left palm around the base of Bro's c.o.c.k, pressing hard on his groin before inching up the cut shaft excruciatingly slowly, and then back down. With her eyes back on his face, she held Bro's c.o.c.k firmly in place, pointing upward.

Tentatively, she licked the flat of her tongue across his crown, over his slit. Bro's hips bucked, and he groaned.

Looking down, eyes undoubtedly hooded with l.u.s.t, he murmured, "You're a tease."

Giggling, she shook her head. "Untrue. I will give you what you want."

Another long, languid lick over his glans had him moaning. "Give it to me, then."

"Don't I always?" Lacey licked around the ridge before Bro had a smart retort ready, and then his brain fried, and he had nothing more intelligent, or even intelligible, to offer. She wrapped her lips around the mushroom-shaped head and sucked. Bro's whole body flushed with heat, and he almost doubled over. He wished they had been in bed, so he wouldn't tumble over her when she did that thing thing with her tongue and.... with her tongue and....

With precision and purpose, Lacey darted out her tongue and pushed the tip into his slit.

"G.o.d, oh sweet f.u.c.king G.o.d," Bro cried out, reaching out to one of the posters of her bed to keep himself standing. "Lacey...." He knew he was going to topple over, but he could barely get his voice to work.

She backed away, and she was a little breathless, not from exertion but from arousal. Her head tilted slightly, Lacey watched as a translucent bead of precome collected on the slit, growing in size. Before the pearl could slide off, however, she gathered it on her right index finger, staring at it mesmerized-and then she put her wet finger in her mouth.

That sight really was too much for Bro, who staggered to the bed awkwardly with his jeans and briefs around his knees. He practically fell on the bed, his knees jelly and his brain mush. "Jesus f.u.c.king Christ, Lace...," he panted, dropping down on his back, feeling too many things inside his head and in his body. This wasn't their first time, not by a long shot, but the way Lacey always made everything feel brand new, like the first time, made Bro nearly jump out of his skin.

Suppressing most of her lascivious giggle, Lacey came to lie on the bed next to him, watching him intently. "You okay?"

Dazed, Bro saw Lacey cover her mouth again as she smiled, the gesture shy but her eyes promising... not shy things. "What you do to me...." He ended the statement with a deep exhale.

Lacey's eyes darkened, and her lips trembled as she kissed him. A sugary taste with a hint of salty bitterness awakened Bro's taste buds, and he knew it was his own flavor. Still, her dessert zest of coconut, citrus, and ice cream mixed with it and with her own taste, too, until he parted his lips more to let her in. Since the beginning, Bro had loved the fact that Lacey was an eager kisser. She could spend hours making out, and her kisses started out lingering, but grew ferocious over time.

She tried to climb on top of him, but then seemed to change her mind, and she moved off, breaking the kiss. Bro made a loud disapproving noise, and Lacey snickered. "Patience."

With a quick pivot of her hips, she landed on her a.s.s next to him and extended her left leg above his chest and face. "Your turn."

Shaking his head, amused, Bro got up to a sitting position, struggled out of his jeans and briefs until he was naked, and then proceeded to hold Lacey's silk-stocking-clad leg in his arms.

"I love that you wore these for me."

Lacey looked mischievous. "What if I wore them for me me?"

Bro didn't look at her, but he did grin. "Then you wouldn't be making such a big deal of me taking them off." From the corner of his eye, Bro saw her purse her lips in a pout, but he knew she was pleased he had noticed.

While Lacey leaned back onto her elbows, Bro simply held her leg, one hand on her calf, the other on her ankle. She had such a slender figure. Had she really been a girl, Bro would have called her pet.i.te. But one didn't go around calling a boy pet.i.te, no matter what the circ.u.mstances. The silk of the stocking was smooth and soft, cooler than his feverish skin, and the golden hue of the fabric twinkled in the low light of the room. She had a dimmer, which he sort of envied.

Usually when they kissed, Bro felt the need, the overwhelming compulsion, to have her, to throw her down on the bed and take her, using his rough pa.s.sions to force the issue. But every time he actually held her in his arms, he could not just ravish her. He longed to draw out the sequence of events, to take his time and claim her slowly, entice and seduce her until she'd be writhing in agonizing pleasure and pleading to come.

Bro kissed the sole of her foot. "What if I told you I was gonna suck your toes?"