Finding Us (The Music Within) Read online

  Pauly made fast work of sucking Sloane off. He wanted more with his man than a quick blowjob in the back of Rooster’s. He wanted to take Sloane home and show him exactly what he meant to Pauly. As soon as Sloane blew his load down Pauly’s throat, Pauly tucked Sloane back in his jeans. When he stood in front of Sloane, he said, “I hate to suck and run, be I need you in my bed.” Sloane’s current smile was one Pauly had seen plenty of times, the kind that said he was sated. Pauly vowed to see that smile every day for the rest of their lives. “Did you drive?” Pauly asked him.

  “No. I didn’t want to worry about my car getting dinged in the parking lot. Did you?”

  “No. Same reason. Why don’t you call for a ride, and I’ll find Jackson and get our guitars?” Pauly ran a finger down Sloane’s cheek. He couldn’t believe this man was really his. Sure, they’d been together for years, but not in such a permanent way. There had never been talk of a future together. No plans for a home for just the two of them. No mention of one day having a child together. Pauly knew that particular dream was a way off, but at least it was a dream they shared.

  Pauly returned from speaking with Jackson with both guitars in hand. After placing them in their respective cases, he noticed the suitcase at Sloane’s feet. “Going somewhere?”

  “I was hopeful this night would end with me at your house.” Sloane grinned and shrugged.

  The two men waited by the back door for their ride. Jackson had assured them he would run interference with the fans out front, giving them a story of how the two rock stars were possibly coming back out to sign autographs. Even though the back entrance to Rooster’s was fenced and gated, there were always those few fans who managed to slip through somehow. Lying to the masses was the least the owner could do to repay them for playing for free and drawing such a crowd. Before they’d parted ways, Pauly had promised to come back at a later date for another impromptu show.

  Once seated in the backseat of the SUV Sloane had called for, Pauly turned to his lover. “That was fun.”

  Sloane snuggled against him and whispered, “Blowjobs are always fun.”

  Pauly snorted out a laugh and kissed Sloane hard and quick on the lips. “I was referring to being on stage together. It’s been a long time since we’ve played such a small venue. I like the intimacy of it, even if we have to sneak out the back afterwards.”

  “Is that something you’d like to do more of?” Sloane asked.

  Pauly slid his arm over the back of Sloane’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “Yeah, it is. We make a damn good team.”

  Sloane was silent for a few minutes. When he looked up at Pauly, his eyes were dancing. “Want to take a road trip?”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “How about we make our way across country this week, playing smaller venues until we reach Nashville for New Years?”

  “I think that’s one of the best ideas I’ve heard since I suggested we head home to bed.” Pauly grinned, pressing his lips against Sloane’s.

  They were still kissing when the driver said, “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re here.”

  Pauly wasn’t embarrassed or sorry. He knew the driver had seen more salacious things in the back seat than two men kissing. “Thank you,” he responded before opening his door and holding out his hand for Sloane. After they closed the door behind them, they retrieved their guitars and Sloane’s suitcase from the luggage compartment at the back of the SUV. Pauly punched in the code to his gate. He might trust the drivers to keep their whereabouts secret, but he never trusted one of them with the code to get into the property. He could always change the code, but it was a pain in the ass to do so.

  Sloane bumped Pauly’s shoulder as they walked the short distance to the sidewalk which led to Pauly’s front door. “I would say I can’t believe you wrote the lyrics to ‘The Road Home’ at the airport, but you’re a musical genius.”

  Pauly keyed in a different code to unlock the front door, and when it swung open, he pulled Sloane in after him before locking up behind them. After placing the cases on the floor of the foyer, he pulled Sloane to him, wrapping his man in his arms. “I can’t believe you played Lenny Kravitz. You know what that song does to me.”

  “Makes you a sappy mess? Because that’s what it always does to me.”

  Sloane was right. Pauly almost teared up again thinking back to Sloane’s performance earlier. Instead of answering, he pulled away, tugging on Sloane’s hand, leading him to the bedroom. When they crossed the threshold into the massive room, Pauly stopped in front of Sloane and ran a hand through his lover’s long blond hair. “I love your hair loose. Especially when it’s hanging down around my face.”

  “Is that a hint?”

  Pauly shook his head. “No, it’s an order. You look sexy as fuck tonight, and as much as I love that shirt, I want you naked and riding my cock like you’ve missed it. Now.”

  Sloane shivered, and Pauly knew what was about to happen would be different than it had ever been. He made slow work of undressing himself while Sloane tore his own clothes off. When Sloane turned toward the nightstand for lube, Pauly admired Sloane’s naked body. Neither one of them were beefy, but Sloane was more toned, and his ass was tight and round. It was one of the reasons Pauly loved taking him from behind. He enjoyed watching his dick sliding in and out of the tight hole while he spanked Sloane’s globes until they were bright red.

  Not tonight, though. Tonight, he needed to see Sloane’s face. It was why he wanted to be ridden. With Sloane straddling Pauly’s body, Pauly’s hands would be free to touch all that glorious inked skin and have Sloane’s jizz covering his chest and stomach when he came.

  Sloane handed the lube to Pauly before crawling onto the bed, presenting his ass to Pauly for prep. Pauly popped the top off the bottle and poured a good bit of the liquid onto his palm. Most of the time, their fucks were quick and dirty with just enough slick so it wouldn’t be too painful. Tonight, Pauly wanted slow. He wanted them to make love for the first time since they’d shared their bodies.

  Pauly pulled one of Sloane’s cheeks back and blew across his pucker before licking a path from his balls up to his hole. He speared his tongue inside, and Sloane pushed back against his face. Normally when Sloane did that it earned him a nice, hard smack, but Pauly wasn’t going to make his lover work for it tonight. Replacing his tongue with his slick fingers, he took his time getting Sloane ready, making sure to rub over his prostate several time.

  Sloane’s moans echoed around the bedroom along with his soft pleas. “Pauly… I need… Please…”

  Pauly removed his fingers and placed a kiss on both Sloane’s cheeks before crawling onto the bed, settling onto his back. Pauly stroked his cock with his lube-covered fingers and said, “Come here.” Sloane didn’t hesitate to straddle Pauly’s hips, nor did he waste any time sinking down on Pauly’s erection. When he bottomed out, Sloane gasped, and Pauly cursed. “Fucking hell, babe. You’re so tight.” Pauly gripped Sloane’s hips when he began moving at a faster pace than Pauly wanted. “Slow down. We have all night to fuck, but right now, I want you to show me how much you love me.”

  Sloane leaned over, resting on his forearms so he could kiss Pauly. His blond hair cascaded around Pauly’s face, just like he’d asked. Sloane’s tongue danced with Pauly’s in the same slow rhythm he moved his hips back and forth. Pauly threaded one hand in Sloane’s locks while rubbing the other down his spine and back up. Sloane pulled his mouth away from Pauly’s and stared into his eyes. “I think I’ve loved you forever,” he whispered.

  Pauly’s heart skipped a beat. “I like the sound of forever.”

  “Yeah?” Sloane’s question came out with a grunt.

  “Yeah.” Pauly cupped both hands on Sloane’s face. “God, you’re amazing.” Pauly had never felt so close to anyone in his thirty-four years. Not even when he’d been with Corinne or Dana, and he’d produced kids with both women. Les Jr. and Juno were products of young hormones and too much alcohol. This was love in it
s purest form.

  Sloane placed his hands on Pauly’s chest and said, “I’m not gonna last long. Your dick feels too good.”

  “Then come for me. I want you to shoot your load all over my chest.” Instead of digging his heels into the bed and pumping hard into Sloane’s ass like he craved, Pauly continued to let Sloane do the work at the slower pace he needed. He would have his turn being rough later. Pauly slid his fingers over both Sloane’s pecs, twisting his nipples, and that was all his lover needed to find his release.

  “Pauly… Oh, God…” Sloane’s untouched cock pulsed and bobbed as his spunk coated Pauly’s stomach and chest. Some managed to reach his chin.

  When Sloane’s ass tightened around Pauly’s dick, he couldn’t hold back. Didn’t want to hold back. “Fuck. Oh, Slick, fuck.” Pauly followed Sloane over the edge, shooting his cum inside Sloane’s tight ass. Sloane squeezed his channel, milking Pauly for everything he had.

  Sloane reached out a finger and swiped at the cum on Pauly’s chin, offering it to Pauly. He sucked Sloane’s finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the tip. “Mmm, that’s better than Mint Chocolate Chip.”

  Sloane barked out a laugh. “Wow, that’s saying something.” Pauly was addicted to that particular flavor of ice cream. He’d been known to have Gus pull off the interstate just so Pauly could get his fix.

  “Sure is. Why don’t you feed me the rest of it?” Pauly propped one arm behind his head and stroked Sloane’s side, while Sloane scooped up every drop of jizz and let Pauly lick his fingers clean. When it was all gone, Sloane eased off Pauly’s flaccid cock and dropped down next to him on the bed. Pauly wrapped his arm around Sloane and pressed a kiss to his sweaty forehead. “I love you, Slick.”

  “I love you, too, Les.”

  Sloane reached for the door handle, but before he could open it, Pauly grabbed his arm and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

  They were parked in front of Sloane’s garage in Pauly’s new Porsche Cayenne. After a night of making love, fucking in the shower, mutual blow jobs, and talking until the early morning, Pauly had taken Sloane with him to the Porsche dealership, where he traded in his Ferrari for an SUV. One of the things they’d discussed while cuddling in bed was spending more time with their kids, and if that happened, they would need more room since they planned on doing so together, starting that morning. Besides that, the SUV was more practical for traveling cross-country with their guitars.

  “Sure about us or…?” Sloane held his breath as he waited on Pauly’s answer.

  “No, babe. Sure about me coming in there,” he said, pointing toward the house.

  “Of course. We talked about spending time with our kids together.”

  “Yes, but Tracy and… what’s her husband’s name?”

  “Derik.”

  “They’re in there, too. Isn’t that going to be weird?” Pauly was staring out the windshield.

  “It’s only going to be weird if we stay in the car all morning and don’t get out. Come on. There’s something I want you to hear.” Sloane hadn’t shared with Pauly how good Taryn was on the guitar.

  He rounded the hood and waited for Pauly so they could enter his home together. Sloane had already texted Tracy to let her know they were on their way. Before they reached the door, it swung open and Taryn was standing there grinning. “Hello, Uncle Pauly.”

  “And who might you be?” Pauly asked. Sloane knew he was joking, but the look on Taryn’s face was comical.

  “It’s me, Taryn,” she huffed, hands on her hips.

  “Can’t be. Taryn is just a little slip of a thing, not a half-grown woman.” Pauly held his arms open, and Taryn launched herself at him. Even though they’d only met a couple times when the girl was younger, Sloane’s daughter was a big fan of all the men in the band. She’d been calling them all ‘uncle’ since she was old enough to talk. Movement in the doorway had Pauly putting Taryn back on her feet. “Hello, Tracy.”

  “Pauly. Good to see you again. You’re not going to run away this time, I take it?”

  Pauly’s cheeks flushed, and he shook his head. “No. I’m sorry about yesterday. I had something I needed to take care of.”

  Tracy didn’t look like she believed him, but she didn’t call him out. Instead, she moved back and let the three of them come inside. “Pauly, I would like you to meet my husband, Derik. Derik, this is Les Paulson.”

  Derik stepped forward and shook Pauly’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Just like any normal star-struck fan, Derik pumped Pauly’s hand longer than necessary. When he realized what he was doing, he pulled away and ducked his head.

  “Likewise,” Pauly replied, chuckling.

  “Come on, Uncle Pauly. There’s something I want to show you.” Taryn grabbed Pauly’s hand and tried to drag him away from her mother. Sloane knew where his daughter was going. Pauly looked back over his shoulder at Sloane.

  “You’re gonna want to see this,” Sloane said, following them to the music room. This time, Tracy and Derik came with them. Sloane entered the room and took the same seat he’d used the day before. When he didn’t pick up his guitar, his daughter frowned. “Oh, no. This is all you, kiddo.”

  Taryn shrugged and placed the strap across her shoulders. Pauly looked at Sloane, raising his eyebrows. Sloane just grinned at his lover when Taryn wasted no time showing them what she’d learned.

  Chapter Seven

  An hour later, after an impromptu jam session with his daughter and his lover, Sloane placed his guitar on the stand and stood, stretching his arms toward the ceiling. He had never been prouder in his life, not even when the band had received their first gold record.

  “You keep that up, and you’ll be the next Lzzy Hale,” Pauly told Taryn.

  “Maybe with my playing, but she has a voice that puts everyone to shame. I can’t sing worth a crap,” Taryn admitted. Sloane wasn’t surprised that Taryn knew who the lead singer for Halestorm was.

  “Now that your dad and I are off the road, I’d love to spend more time with you, if it’s something you’re interested in,” Pauly offered.

  “Seriously?” Taryn looked like she’d just hit the lottery.

  “Seriously. He and I already talked about spending more time with our kids, and what better way to spend time with you than honing your craft?”

  Taryn stood and threw her arms around Pauly’s waist. “Thank you, Uncle Pauly. That would be awesome!”

  Holding Taryn in his arms, Pauly looked over her head to Sloane. The look on his face said his best friend felt like he might have won the lottery, too.

  Sloane smiled and joined them, pulling Taryn away from Pauly so he could get in on the hugs. “Just keep up your grades, and I promise we’ll work with you as much as we can.”

  “I promise I will, Dad.”

  Sloane and Pauly joined the others for lunch before he packed his bags for their trip. After promising to see them again soon, he and Pauly climbed into the Porsche and headed out. While Sloane was packing, Pauly had called Echo and told her what they had planned. He asked if she could map out the best small venues for them to play in the next few nights. Most places more than likely had already booked bands since it was the holidays, but being the stars they were, she assured him those bands would love to have the two of them jam with them if not step aside altogether.

  Echo hadn’t been wrong. All the clubs they stopped at were top notch like Rooster’s. They only called the owners or managers right as they were pulling into the town. That way there was less likelihood their appearance would be announced. They weren’t trying to be dicks about keeping the fans away; they just wanted to play for the smaller crowds and then get back on the road the next day. All the driving after the late nights was tiring, but it wasn’t anything they weren’t used to.

  They were on their fourth day into their trip, and Sloane was driving. Pauly was tapping away on his cell phone, and when he finally put it down, he said, “Take the next exit.”

  “What? Where
are we going?” Sloane checked the rearview mirror, flipped on the blinker, and maneuvered the Porsche over to the far lane so he could do as Pauly asked.

  “I want to ask you something and I don’t want you to wreck.”

  “Okay, now you’re scaring me.” Sloane took the exit and pulled into a gas station. They needed fuel anyway, so stopping wasn’t putting a chink in their drive time.

  When they were parked at the pump, Sloane got out and came around to where Pauly was already placing the nozzle in the fuel door. “Pauly, what’s going on?”

  “I know this isn’t the most romantic place to talk about this, but I was thinking.” Pauly bit his lip and looked at his shoes.

  Okay, now Sloane was really nervous. “About?”

  “Were you serious about forever with me?”

  “Of course. Pauly, we’ve been together over half our lives, and we already know everything there is to know about each other. I love you, and yeah, I’m serious.”

  “Then let’s get married.”

  “What?” Sloane hadn’t seen that coming.

  “Oklahoma doesn’t have a waiting period. We can go to the courthouse, get our marriage license, and be married today.”

  “You want to marry me?”

  “I do. If you’ll have me. You’re the best part of me, always have been. And I don’t want to spend another day without you. Ever.”

  Sloane grinned at his best friend. “Can you remember the last time we weren’t together? You and I have been spent every day with each other for a lot of years.”

  “And I want to keep that streak alive, only with you as my husband. Let’s find a jewelry store and get some rings, and then we’ll find the courthouse.”

  Sloane pulled Pauly to him and kissed him hard. “You’re crazy,” he said against Pauly’s lips when he came up for air. “And I’m crazy about you, so yes. Let’s get married.”