Belle stretched, a smile dancing across her features. “One needs some grease for starters. Even hair pomade would do. Otherwise, your wives will be too dry to be comfortably ridden.”
Oh, she knew. She knew exactly what this was about and wouldn’t shy away from poking fun at them, but Ned was grateful that she didn’t call them out on their deviancy, and instead chose to help.
Cole let out a hum and scratched his nose, but it seemed like yet another ploy to hide his face. “And would that… make it comfortable?”
Belle shrugged. “The back hole doesn’t get wet like the cooch, so yes, you’re always gonna fail without grease.”
Ned extinguished his cigarette on the wall and couldn’t help the sense of relief blooming inside him. This meant it wasn’t him who was broken, and that they had simply taken on more than they could chew. But what mattered most was that Cole was here, not with someone who could’ve given him whatever he wanted. That he cared enough to follow Ned, jealous over his man.
Their eyes went wide when Belle continued explaining the finer details and pulled out a box of what looked like… well, short cocks. Black and each wider than the other, she called them dilators and offered to sell a set. For their wives.
Of course.
Cole gave her the fee she demanded, and a tip for keeping things a secret, but the moment they stepped out of the room, with a little pot of thick salve and the box of tiny metal pricks, the shame of having to discuss their intimacy—even if by proxy—turned into tension strong enough to produce sparks between their bodies.
In the red glow of the lanterns hanging all around the brothel, Cole’s gaze was one of a predator’s, and Ned’s throat tingled with the desire to feel his man’s sharp teeth.
“I want you,” Ned whispered, his voice dull when they crossed the street to their hotel.
The hiss of Cole sucking in air seemed so loud Ned ignored the sound of two men arguing on The Hamburg’s porch.
“Me too. So much,” Cole whispered and rubbed his shoulder accidentally-on-purpose against Ned’s. Other patrons were like ghosts as they made their way upstairs, past two women who offered them a good time, past a poker table, a piano, and all the way to the quietest of rooms available.
With no one in the corridor, Ned couldn’t keep his hands still and stroked Cole’s back, clumsily fishing the key out of his pocket. They connected so well with touch, and he’d missed it even after parting for such a short time. Cole was his lifeline in a world where every man had to fend for himself, the one person he shared affection with. The gang tattoo connected him to others, but only Cole mattered. Only for Cole did he feel a sense of loyalty, and while he still intended to go against his wishes, he would keep him safe at all cost. Away from the hands of the law.
Cole looked over his shoulder at the distant railing where the mezzanine peeked into the main room of the saloon below, and his hand slid across Ned’s ass, making the process of opening the door that much harder.
Heat filled Ned’s skull, fizzing when Cole leaned in to whisper. “I want to use those implements on you.”
The scent Ned missed so much was there, and he couldn’t wait to be inside, away from prying eyes and free to indulge in Cole’s body. Finally, the damn lock opened.
“I want that too,” he whispered even though he couldn’t yet know how it would feel to be toyed with that way. “I’m sorry I panicked.”
“I feared you wanted to leave me, you damn fool,” Cole said, pushing him in. Only sheer willpower allowed him to stay by the door a few seconds longer to make sure it was locked, but once that was done, he tossed the two items on the mattress and clashed with Ned, scooping his rear into both hands.
Ned wrapped his arms around Cole’s neck as if they belonged there. “Leave? You? Never.” He kissed Cole’s lips with such relief his whole body relaxed into the touch.
Cole exhaled and pushed his hands under Ned’s coat, making a frustrated noise when it wouldn’t come off. “I need to see you naked, Neddie. We have time, and I’ll touch you everywhere.”
Ned’s body melted against Cole’s, because all he cared about was for Cole to kept watching him with the thirst of a man who’d spent a lifetime in the desert, and Ned wanted to be his oasis. For as long as they were in this room, they needn’t worry about consequences awaiting them back at the camp. Within the solid walls of the hotel, they were just two men who couldn’t stand being apart.
Ned kicked off his boots and slid off the jacket at the same time, desperate to give Cole what he asked for. He’d never thought of himself as much of a looker, but Cole’s eyes gave him a reflection more handsome than any mirror could provide.