Ghost from the Past Read online

  Ryan shook his head. “Your whole way of thinking is truly fucked up. You should’ve stepped up and just ended things with Rio instead of faking your death.”

  “I knew he wouldn’t just let things between us drop, and I couldn’t take that chance with his life,” Jack tried to argue.

  “Bullshit. You wanted him to always love you instead of learning to hate you, which is exactly what would’ve happened if you’d ended things.”

  Jack shrugged and held his glass up, signalling for a refill. “I love him. Why would I want him to hate me? You seem to forget that everything I did was to protect him.”

  “Everything?” Ryan’s brows rose. “Does that include getting into bed with Chet?”

  Although Jack appeared to be unfazed by the statement, Ryan noticed the man’s eye twitch slightly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Really? Because I distinctly remember seeing Chet coming out of your tent half-dressed one morning while Rio was on guard duty. From the looks of him, he’d been well fucked.”

  Jack toyed with his empty glass. “Wasn’t me. Maybe it was Rio who let Chet slip into his bed.”

  Ryan stood so abruptly that his chair crashed to the floor. “Take that back.” Although he spoke softly, Ryan was furious. “How dare you,” he spat.

  “Fine, it was me, but sometimes we have to do things we’re not proud of. Everything I did, I did for Rio.”

  Ryan picked his chair up and sat back down. “Do you think Rio would feel the same way if he knew?”

  Jack accepted his drink and handed the waiter some money. “You mean you haven’t told him?”

  “Fuck no, I haven’t told him, and I never will. You were dead. At least we thought you were. Why would I add to his pain by telling him you were an unfaithful bastard?”

  “That’s not fair, and you know it. The only reason I slept with Chet was to gain information. It was business. Besides, who are you to look down your nose at me?”

  “Who am I? For months, I’m the one who cleaned up his puke after he’d spent the nights drowning his grief in a bottle. I’m the one who made sure he was bathed and fed when all he could do was sit and stare at pictures of you. That was me.”

  “Yeah, and I’m sure you loved every minute of it. You would’ve done anything to get close to Rio.”

  “You’re damn straight. And I’ll do anything I have to to keep him, so don’t forget it.” Ryan stood and pushed in his chair. “You had your time with Rio. If you stay, you’ll tear him apart.” Ryan started to walk off, but stopped and turned around to face Jack once more. “I wish you had died in the Congo, because this, what you’re doing now, has the potential to destroy him. And if you don’t see that, then you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”

  * * * *

  Rio couldn’t wait for the clock to strike midnight. All he could think about was the fear he’d felt when Nate had challenged Jack. Sure, Nate was able to take care of himself, but hell, the man had more black belts than sense. There was no doubt Nate would’ve taken Jack on, but whereas Nate would fight to win, Jack would fight to the death. Jack never did anything halfway. Just the thought of it made Rio’s stomach turn over.

  Although Jack had obviously upset him, Nate pulled himself together and continued to host the party. Rio stood just behind Nate as his partner laughed and talked with their friends.

  “Ten minutes,” Ryan whispered in Rio’s ear.

  Rio turned his head and captured Ryan’s mouth in a deep kiss.

  “Mmm, what was that for?” Ryan asked.

  “Just wanted to make sure I got mine in. You know Nate’ll whine if he doesn’t get to make a show of kissing one of us when the balloons drop.”

  “We’re a family. It doesn’t count unless the three of us are together.” Ryan stepped around Rio and tapped Nate on the shoulder.

  “Hey, you, I was wondering where you’d run off to.”

  “Stepped out for some air. It’s gettin’ on midnight. You should probably take your position,” Ryan informed Nate.

  Nate glanced at his watch. “Shit. I had no idea it was so late.” He waved his arms at the people standing around him. “Grab your horns. It’s almost time for the countdown.”

  Rio wrapped an arm around Ryan and followed Nate as he wove through the crowd. “Do we have horns?” Rio asked.

  Ryan grinned. “Nate bought some special because he said the ones at parties were always crap.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Nate.” Rio chuckled and gave Ryan a kiss on the neck. The action drew his attention to the tattoos Jack had mentioned earlier. “What did Jack mean when he said that about your tattoos?”

  “Later,” Ryan said.

  Rio took the horn Nate gave him and cringed. “Really?”

  Ryan started to laugh as he was handed his own. “Man, you’re gay.”

  Nate brandished his own jewel-encrusted horn. “I only put my lips on the best,” he proclaimed.

  Standing in the middle of the dance floor, Nate began to lead the countdown. Rio scooted closer and shoved the horn in his pocket so he could have both hands free. At the stroke of midnight, Rio reached out and brought both his men into his arms. “No one’s first tonight.”

  Nate’s entire face lit up as the balloons began to tumble down around them. “Threeway?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Rio answered. The kiss was sloppy and uncoordinated and absolutely everything Rio could ever have asked for. It was the moment. The moment he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who he belonged to.

  Chapter Five

  “What a great way to start a new year,” Nate said. He ran his hand across Rio’s chest and stopped to play with his nipple rings.

  Rio couldn’t have agreed more. Since their return home hours earlier, it had been nothing but sex and naps. A loud snore sounded to his left, and Rio glanced over to see Ryan sawing logs. “I think we really wore him out on the last one.”

  “That was over an hour ago. Ryan’s just getting old.” Nate finished the sentence by taking one of the silver piercings into his mouth.

  Rio threaded his fingers through Nate’s hair. He loved the feel of the soft brown strands without the usual hair gel. “Don’t let him hear you say that or he’ll spend the next week proving otherwise.”

  Nate released Rio’s nipple and sat up. “You really think so?” With a wide grin, Nate climbed on top of Rio. He laid his head on Rio’s chest, inches away from Ryan’s head. “Ryan must be getting old if he’s out for the count already. I’m glad I have at least one man who has some staying power.”

  Ryan grumbled and reached down to clasp his flaccid cock. “Give me a second, and I’ll show you old.”

  Nate winked at Rio. “Take your time. I’m just gonna love all over Rio while you harden that old thing up.”

  Despite the fact that he’d come only an hour earlier, Rio’s cock was definitely taking notice of the wiggling ass of his partner. Nate began to rock back and forth as he plucked at Rio’s piercings.

  “Did you really mean what you said earlier?” Nate asked while opening the bottle of lube.

  Rio guided his cock to Nate’s hole and waited for his partner to impale himself. “I said a lot of things. If you’re asking if I meant it when I said you were sexy as fuck, then yeah, I meant it.”

  Nate released Rio’s nipple and slapped him on the chest. “I know that. I was talking about you not leaving us.”

  Rio knew what Nate wanted to hear, but watching his partner squirm was always fun. Besides, it was the perfect time to discuss a few changes that needed to be made. When Nate swivelled his hips and took Rio’s entire length inside him, Rio started to rethink discussing anything at the moment.

  With a groan, he directed Nate in the tempo he desired. “That’s it. Oh, hell, yeah.” He reached over and nudged Ryan. “Sure you don’t want in on this?”

  Ryan rolled onto his side and licked a path up Rio’s neck and over his chin before landing on Rio’s mouth. The kiss started sweet, with
a few teasing tongue flicks, but soon morphed into something much deeper. Rio closed his eyes and completely gave himself over to his men.

  When Ryan broke the kiss unexpectedly, Rio opened his eyes. The expression on Ryan’s face was priceless. With his mouth still open and his eyes rolled back, Ryan looked like he was in heaven.

  It only took a moment for Rio to understand why. Nate was playing finger-puppet with Ryan’s ass while continuing to ride Rio’s cock. Rio chuckled before pulling Ryan into another kiss. It wasn’t often Ryan bottomed but by the look on his face, perhaps that would need to change.

  Breaking the kiss, Rio whispered in Ryan’s ear. “You like that?”

  Ryan nodded.

  “You want Nate to fuck you?”

  Ryan nodded again.

  Rio stared up at Nate who was grinning like the cat who ate the canary. “You wanna drive for a change?”

  The laughter that erupted from Nate not only warmed Rio’s heart but helped push him closer to the edge. “You’re killin’ me, babe,” Rio said, trying to hold his climax at bay.

  With rounded eyes, Nate removed his fingers from Ryan’s ass. “We can’t have that.” After planting his feet on the mattress, Nate stood, dislodging Rio’s cock. He placed his hands on his hips. “On your knees, Sheriff.”

  Ryan leant up on his forearms. He looked over his shoulder at Nate before turning to stare at Rio. “You’ve created a monster.”

  “And that monster must be fed.” Rio slapped Ryan on the ass.

  With a few mumbled words of protest, Ryan planted his hands and knees on the mattress with his face inches away from Rio’s erection. His grumbles soon became moans as Nate applied a generous amount of lube to Ryan’s hole.

  Rio studied Ryan’s expression as Nate slowly filled him. Ryan was one of those men who took great pride in always being in control. It was nice to see him let go of that control on occasion. “Feel good?”

  Ryan’s eyes rolled back like they had earlier. “Burns.”

  “Bad burn or good burn?” Nate asked.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” Ryan told him.

  Nate laughed. “Then it’s good. There’s nothing like riding that ridge between pleasure and pain. Takes you outta your body like nothing else can.”

  Rio grabbed the edge of the sheet and used it to wipe the lube from his cock before directing it to Ryan’s lips. Ryan opened his mouth and sucked the head of Rio’s cock.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s good.” Rio gathered the silky black strands of Ryan’s hair and held it up so he could see his partner’s mouth. Ryan might not bottom often, but he sucked cock on a regular basis and was a pro.

  With every thrust, Nate let out a grunt, and Rio’s cock was forced farther down Ryan’s throat. Soon Nate’s grunts came one right after another, signalling the speed of his rhythm. Rio wished he had a better view, but Ryan was giving him such an expert blowjob, Rio doubted his legs would hold him enough to stand.

  Ryan held Rio’s cock by the base and delved his tongue deep into the slit. He gathered a good amount of pre cum before sticking his tongue out towards Rio. With slow precision, Ryan wiped the glistening fluid over his lips and let it stay there, all the while maintaining eye contact with Rio.

  “Fuck, that’s a pretty picture,” Rio said.

  “You gonna give me more?” Ryan asked.

  Ready to explode, Rio nodded. “Face or throat?”

  Ryan answered the question by slipping Rio’s cockhead back into his mouth. Decision made, Rio let himself go. His cock erupted in six bursts of seed as he called out, “Love you.”

  As soon as he could move, Rio repositioned himself, trying to ease his way under Ryan. The idea was to suck Ryan off, but Rio received a shot of cum to his cheek before he could wrap his lips around Ryan’s length. Knowing how much Ryan enjoyed seeing his men painted with his seed, Rio gave up trying to drink Ryan’s cum and let it splash over his face and neck.

  It didn’t take long after Ryan’s orgasm for Nate to cry out Ryan’s name. Afraid of being at the bottom of the dog pile, Rio squirmed his way out from under his partners. As soon as Rio was clear, Nate and Ryan collapsed to the mattress.

  Rio turned around, once again, to face his men. “Nap,” he mumbled.

  Nate and Ryan nodded their agreement and began lazily licking the cum from Rio’s face.

  As Rio began to drift off, he sighed with contentment. There would always be time tomorrow to discuss their relationship issues.

  * * * *

  Tuesday came too soon for Rio. He’d thoroughly enjoyed his vacation, but it was time to get back to work. Walking into The Gym, Rio noticed Smitty talking to a group of men and women. “Newbies?” he asked Mario.

  “Yep.” Mario held up a small stack of papers. “Six new memberships since we opened this morning.”

  Rio whistled. “You think we should hire some part-time help for a few months?”

  “Wouldn’t be a bad idea. We both know it’ll die down, but with Smitty juggling shifts here with shifts at O’Brien’s, he’s already stretched pretty thin.”

  “Got anyone in mind?” Rio walked behind the bar and poured himself a tall glass of apple juice.

  “Yeah, but I don’t know if you’ll agree with me.”

  Rio took a big gulp of his juice. “Shoot.”

  “Remember that kid who came in a couple of months ago looking for work?”

  An image of a skinny kid of no more than twenty-two came to mind. At first Rio had thought she was a woman, but the pronounced Adam’s apple gave her true gender away. “You’re not serious?”

  “Yep. She’s been in twice since then, both times begging me to put in a good word for her. I just figured if we had someone who could run the juice bar and do the cleaning and laundry then the rest of us would have more time for clients,” Mario explained. “Besides, if Kit can’t find a place to call home in CattleValley what hope does she have?”

  Mario was right and Rio knew it. “Do you still have her application?” Rio asked.

  “Yep. So does that mean I can give Kit a call?”

  “Yeah, go ahead. Ask her to come in after lunch when things slow down.” Rio rinsed his glass and put it in the rack with the other dirty glasses. “I’m gonna see if Smitty needs any help.”

  Rio put the hiring situation out of his mind. He had work to do and a phone call to make. He’d promised Ryan and Nate he’d take care of the situation with Jack and he still hadn’t come up with a way to tell his ex-partner reconciliation wasn’t possible.

  Rio threw himself into helping the new clients get acquainted with the equipment. It seemed most of them were not only new to The Gym but also to town. Nate’s push for expansion had brought at least one hundred new people to CattleValley.

  “Kit’s here,” Mario announced.

  “Show her to the office.” Rio finished wiping down the weight bench before moving on to the row of exercise bikes. Most clients were thoughtful enough to clean up after themselves, but Rio liked to spray and wipe down regularly just in case. Besides, he needed a few more minutes to gather his thoughts. He’d left a message at the lodge’s front desk for Jack to meet him at the Grizzly Bar at seven.

  Mario was standing outside Rio’s office when Rio approached. “Something wrong?” Rio asked.

  “She’s nervous. I just want you to cut her a break, you know?”

  Rio’s head tilted to the side. “Why do you like this kid so much?”

  Mario shrugged. “Because I see what she thinks is well hidden.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Fear. The need to belong somewhere. Isn’t that why we all moved to CattleValley in the first place?”

  Rio glanced towards the closed door. “I’ll give him…” Rio shook his head. “Her a chance.”

  “Thanks.” Mario slapped Rio on the back. “I knew that a big heart beat underneath all those muscles.”

  “Flattery?”

  Mario chuckled. “Whatever works.”

  Rio watched Mar
io head back towards the exercise room before opening the door. Kit sat in front of the desk with her legs crossed. Truly, if Rio hadn’t already known, he would never have guessed Kit had been born male.

  Kit stood and held out her hand. “Thank you for calling.”

  “You’re welcome.” Rio shook Kit’s hand. “Please, have a seat. Did Mario explain what the job entails?”

  “Yes.”

  Rio glanced through Kit’s application. “It says here that your last job was as a…performer over six months ago. What have you done since leaving Lady Devine?”

  “I want you to know I only took that job to make money. I needed it for these,” Kit said, gesturing to her breasts.

  “I’m not judging you,” Rio stated. “I was just wondering if you’ve worked since.”

  Kit took a deep breath. “Just a few day jobs here and there. Once I knew I couldn’t stay in Little Rock, I started making my way here, working as I needed to.”

  “And you’ve been here almost three months? Have you worked since you got here?”

  Kit bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “It seems like the only jobs in town are for construction or technically-skilled people, and I can’t do either of those.”

  Rio set the application aside. “Well if you want the job it’s yours. I can’t pay a lot though, and I can’t promise long-term employment. See, people make resolutions at the beginning of the year, but they’re usually back to pop, candy bars and TV by March or April.”

  “I understand. And I don’t need much money. Matt Jeffries is a cousin on my mother’s side. He and the doctors have been nice enough to let me stay in the apartment over their garage.”

  Rio didn’t remember reading that in Kit’s application. “Why didn’t you put Matt down as a reference?”

  Kit went back to biting her lip. “Because I didn’t know him very well when I first applied. I wouldn’t have even known about CattleValley if I hadn’t heard my mom and aunt whispering about it in the kitchen when I went home for a rare visit.”