SAGE (Tales of the Merman Book 1) Read online

  "Yes." Gary reached down, angled Sage's cock to his ass and slowly sank down.

  "Shit." Sage raised his hips as his cock slid deeper into Gary. Wet heat surrounded him and his balls tightened. Holding his breath, he gave himself several moments to get control before he started to thrust up into Gary. His fingers dug into Gary's hips as he lifted him up and down his cock.

  Gary braced his hands on Sage's chest, pushing himself up, rotating his hips as he rode him.

  Sage moved one hand from Gary's hip and took his cock in his fist, working the already weeping length up and down.

  "I'm not going to be able to hold back if you do that," Gary warned.

  "Then don’t." Sage grinned as he thrust harder into him.

  The bed rocked beneath them as they worked their bodies together, finding new ways and angles to please each other. The sex was new to them, but they were quickly learning each other's bodies and what it took to bring the other off.

  Sage bit his tongue as he tried to force back the rising, tingling sensation at the base of his balls. Gary clamped down around him and then released as he continued to work himself over Sage's cock. Each thrust, each touch, each look only brought Sage that much closer to losing his mind.

  Never had sex been so good.

  Several more deep thrusts and Sage lost the fight as his cock pulsed, and hot come shot through him and out his cock. His body shook under Gary as he rode out his orgasm his body finally stilling as he gasped for air.

  Gary scraped his fingers down Sage's chest, smiling as he stared at him. "I like watching you come."

  Sage laughed. "I like coming, but now it's your turn." He gripped Gary's hips, pulling him off his cock and drawing his body up his own until he could take Gary's cock between his lips and suck him deep.

  "Sage!" Gary braced his hands on the wall behind the bed as his cock sank into Sage's mouth.

  Sage felt the tremble of Gary's body and knew he was close. He used his hands to move Gary's hips back and forth, trying to urge him to fuck his mouth.

  Gary stared down at him and started to move. His cock pressed against Sage's lips and sank deeper into his throat as Sage sucked and teased his tongue around the thick shaft. He wanted to taste Gary's release, feel his cock pulse in his mouth, and give Gary the pleasure he had just found himself.

  Gary's hips moved forward and back, his cock sliding in and out of Sage's mouth. Sage swallowed around him, licking the seeping fluid from the head as he worked to find a bigger prize.

  Sage watched Gary's face as he sucked and there was no doubt that Gary was close. Sage relaxed his throat, allowing Gary to sink deeper and that was when Gary gave a small cry and exploded inside his mouth. Sage took all that Gary gave him, swallowing and sucking some more, trying to get every last drop from his lover. The taste was strong against his tongue and he longed for more.

  When Gary finally pulled his cock from Sage's mouth and fell to the bed beside him, Sage grinned as he rolled to his side and encased Gary in his arms.

  "I like this."

  "Me, too." Gary still lay with his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling with effort as he recovered.

  Sage stared at the man beside him, wondering how he could make this work. He didn't want to leave him, but it was best to end things before they got any more serious. He bent down and brushed his lips over Gary's shoulder before resting his head on the pillow.

  He would worry about leaving tomorrow. Right now, he wanted the closeness. Gary brought him something he never found at home. Acceptance. Closing his eyes, he tightened his arms around Gary and forced thoughts of leaving back. He had several days before he needed to return home and there was no reason he couldn't spend them here before he said goodbye.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Gary woke to the sound of the alarm clock. He quickly reached for it, punching the button so that it wouldn't wake Sage who was asleep beside him. He smiled as he watched him sleep for several more minutes. He didn't want to think about Sage leaving to head back to work today, but the thought nagged at him anyway.

  Quietly he made his way from bed and into the bathroom. As he showered, he thought about how much he enjoyed having Sage around. The problem was, it wasn't just a physical attraction anymore, emotions were starting to get involved and Gary knew from experience that when that happened it was all downhill from there.

  Call it his own luck or something else, the moment he started to care about someone, everything seemed to fall apart. He rinsed the soap from his hair and sighed. Maybe it was best Sage was going back to work and things slowed down for a bit. But then why did he get this ache deep down inside when he thought of Sage not being around?

  He stepped from the shower and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist before going back into the bedroom. Sage was sitting on the edge of the bed, gloriously naked as he stretched and ran his fingers through his long black hair.

  "Morning." Gary went to him, bending to give him a kiss. "Sleep good?"

  "When we finally got to sleep." Sage smiled as he pulled Gary closer and rested his head against his stomach. "I don't want to go back to work."

  "Have you ever thought about leaving the business? Going out on your own?"

  Sage laughed. "More times than you know. It's just not that easy. There is a lot to consider." He pulled back and looked up at Gary. "This break has been good. It's given me a chance to think about everything. I'm going to have to make a choice soon."

  Gary ran his hand down Sage's cheek. "I wish I could help."

  Sage pressed his face against his palm. "You have. You help more than you know. You reinforce things I've thought for years, helped me see that maybe I was right all along." Sage pulled back, falling back on the bed. "I need a few weeks to work through some stuff. See if I can get through to my father. If he refuses to listen…" He gave a small shrug.

  Gary sat down beside him, tracing the lines of his hips with his finger. "You know you are always welcome here if you need to get away."

  "Thank you." Sage caught Gary's hand in his fist. "But I don't want to interfere in your life either. You have an art exhibit coming up soon and you haven't painted once since I showed up at the shop the other night."

  "Yes, I have. I finished the painting of you, didn't I?"

  "That doesn't count. It was almost finished and it's at the shop. You worked on it there. Besides, it's not part of the art show. You need to work on ones that will help your career, not the ones of me."

  Gary smiled down at him. "I'd rather paint you."

  "I'll let you paint me all you want if you promise to sell them. Use them to boost your career and show people how very talented you really are."

  "I don't like the thought of selling your image."

  "Then you best paint other things."

  But Sage was all he wanted to paint. Gary let the subject drop. "When are you leaving?"

  "In a rush to get rid of me?" Sage teased.

  "You know I'm not. I wish we had another week."

  Sage sat up. "Me, too. I will be away a few days at least, though. I thought I would see you to work and leave from there." He tugged on Gary's towel. "Get dressed while I shower. You're going to be late as it is."

  Gary let the towel drop and pool around his hips on the bed. "You sure you want to go?"

  Sage glanced down at Gary's growing hardness. "I want to stay, but I've already been away three days. I must get back, and you have a tour group scheduled to show in an hour." He stood and moved to the bathroom doorway. "I'll make it up to you next time we are together." Sage cast a longing glance at Gary's fully aroused cock and closed the door.

  With a pout, Gary turned to get dressed.

  *****

  Sage tied his hair back into a ponytail as Gary opened the shop. Once inside, he went into the back room and started a pot of coffee while Gary readied the store for the day. The two of them fell into a routine the last few days, one that Sage enjoyed.

  It was nice not to have his father scre
aming at him every hour. His days were peaceful and stress-free with Gary. The thought of returning to the cave caused an uneasy tightness in his chest. As the coffee started to drip, he debated on if he dare spend a couple more days away or if that was pushing his luck. He could only imagine his father's mood while he was gone. His brothers probably hated him for leaving the way he did.

  "Hey, you okay?" Gary touched his shoulder. "You looked deep in thought there."

  Sage turned, pulling Gary into his arms. "Was thinking about going back, what I will have to face when I get there."

  "Then stay."

  Sage smiled, wishing he could. "You don't know how tempting it is."

  "I'll hire you as my personal model. You can just lay around naked and let me paint you. Actually, I almost forgot I've been invited to go diving on Sunday and I hoped that you would join me."

  Sage closed his eyes, pressing his mouth to Gary's to give him a few seconds to think. He had never been diving with full gear. He didn't need it. He wasn't sure it was the wisest thing to have his first attempt to be with others who knew how the gear worked. He would be lost with a tank strapped to his back. "I'm not sure I can get away. With my being gone for so many days, I can't say what I will go back to."

  "It's okay. I just thought I would invite you. Diving is probably the last thing you want to do when you have time off, since you do it all the time."

  "True, but I would love to go with you, sometime." Sage liked the thought of swimming deep in the ocean with Gary by his side. "We will go another time. I know some amazing places to show you."

  "I'd like that. I bet you see all kinds of places that most of us never know about." Gary shifted his hips forward, brushing against Sage. "I'd like to rent a boat and have it just be the two of us together for a day."

  "I'm not sure we would ever make it into the water." Sage rocked his hips and tugged on Gary's ear with his teeth.

  "Gary?" A voice called from the front.

  "I should have left the door locked." Gary pulled back.

  "Go away, Everest. We're busy." Sage grinned as he pulled Gary back into his arms.

  Gary's eyes went wide. "Sage, what if it wasn't him."

  "I know my brother's voice. He can wait."

  "No I can't," Everest stood at the doorway, grinning.

  "Then you can watch." Sage caught Gary's mouth with his own and kissed him.

  "You go ahead and enjoy yourself, Sage. I can talk while you play."

  Gary tried to pull back, but Sage held him tight as he deepened the kiss. He knew why his brother was here and he willed him silently to go away.

  "Father has demanded you come home. He told all of us to warn you if we happened to know where you are that he will send Balick out to find you if you do not return on your own."

  Sage groaned and broke the kiss but didn't release Gary from his arms. He glanced at Everest. "Has anyone told him where I am?"

  Everest shook his head. "We wouldn't put a hu…" He cleared his throat. "We wouldn't put anyone at risk by alerting father. You know what Balick is like."

  Sage glared at Everest for almost using the word human. Everest was right though, his father would easily have Gary killed if he thought for a second that he was the reason Sage was staying away. He glanced back at Gary. He couldn't risk Gary's life.

  "Balick is my father's personal security guard. He tends to get a bit insistent when we refuse my father's orders. He tries to force his will on us." Sage kissed Gary again. "I will go calm him. No point in making my brothers suffer because of my absence." He stared at Gary. "You promise to paint while I'm away?"

  "Yes. I can't promise what, but I will paint." Gary glanced at the painting of Sage that still sat on the easel beside them.

  "You painted that of Sage?" Everest walked farther into the room.

  "Yeah." Gary blushed.

  "This is amazing. It looks just like him." Everest reached out as if he was going to touch it, but stopped just short of pressing his finger to it.

  "Thanks," Gary whispered.

  Sage laughed. "Gary doesn't think he is as good as I say he is. I'm trying to get him to put some of these up for sale."

  Everest turned to them. "I would love to sell some at the Coral shop. You captured not just Sage, but the ocean as well. It looks so alive."

  "That's a great idea. You should give some of the ones at your place to Everest to sell for you." Sage linked their hands together. He felt Gary tense.

  "I don't know." Gary shook his head doubtful. "They would just take up space."

  "Bring me a couple. I will set them up and we can see how they do." Everest smiled at Sage. "He captured your likeness perfectly. He's seen you in the water?"

  Sage knew what Everest was asking. He shook his head slightly, warning Everest not to think what he was. "He saw me swimming the day we met." He would have to explain later exactly what happened so Everest didn't think that Sage was being careless and risking his species by letting Gary see his true form.

  Everest seemed to be content to discuss it later. It wasn't like he had much choice anyway. They couldn't talk about things with Gary around. "I'm serious, Gary, bring some paintings down to the store and I will put them up. Just let me know what you want for them."

  "I'll see what I can find. I have to save several for the art show coming up." He looked at Sage nervously.

  Sage smiled as he hugged Gary. "You will do great. Don't worry. This is your big chance. It will help your confidence to sell a few." He rested his head against Gary's forehead. "I need to go. I promise to be back in a few days."

  "Can I call you?" Gary pulled back and looked up at him.

  Sage frowned. It was only natural that Gary would ask to call him. Sage wished there was a way to contact him back at the caves, but there wasn't. "I will be underwater most the time and dealing with my father the rest. It's best if I call you." He hated lying to Gary. This was one more reason for him to end this soon. Already the lies were building and their differences interfering with life.

  "Okay." Gary said, but he didn't look happy.

  There was nothing Sage could say to make it easier. He didn't have a phone. He'd always given Everest's shop number as a contact to anyone who needed it. He couldn't do that now. Gary knew Everest. Sage let out a long breath and pulled Gary back into his arms. "I promise to be back soon."

  "I'll be out front." Everest turned and left the room, giving them privacy.

  "If it's too bad, you are welcome at my place anytime, Sage. Don't hesitate to just drop by." Gary smiled. "I've kinda gotten used to having you around."

  Sage sucked Gary's bottom lip into his mouth and then released it. "I agree. I'm not looking forward to sleeping alone." He kissed him once more, leaving them both breathless. "I need to go."

  Gary stepped back and nodded. "Good luck."

  "Thanks. I'm going to need it." Sage turned for the door. "I'll see you soon. Bye."

  "Bye, Sage."

  Sage gave Gary one last smile and turned. Everest was waiting in the shop, he gave him a nod, and the two of them stepped from the store in silence. There would be time to talk once they were gone. What they had to say wasn't meant for any human ears. With a final glance back, he found Gary staring after them. He waved once before following Everest down the sidewalk, wishing things could be easier.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Sage waited until they were in the Coral shop before he spoke. "So what is Father doing now?"

  Everest frowned. "He has threatened to send Balick out to search for you. He thinks you are trying to turn all of us against him and become our leader. He went as far as to accuse you of being out searching for a new area to move all of us when you started your revolt."

  Sage's temper flared. "What the hell is he thinking? I've made it clear more than once I have no urge to be leader."

  "He is old, scared that he is losing his influence among the people." Everest tossed a bottle of water to Sage.

  "He is, but that's because he refuses t
o see that things must change. People are unhappy. They want mates. They want the comforts the humans have. Hell, you know as well as I do how many are already living here among them. Only returning to work and be seen so Father doesn't have them banished or killed."

  "I know, and you know I agree with you, but getting him to see this is impossible. He would rather imagine one of us revolting. Heath has done what damage control he can. He has convinced him to hold off sending Balick out for you until we have had a chance to find you." Everest took a seat behind the counter.

  "I told him I would be back. How he could think I was revolting is beyond me. I might refuse to be king, but I sure wouldn't turn the clan against him." Sage leaned against the counter. "I don't know what to do anymore. If he is the paranoid, nothing I say is going to help."

  Everest sighed. "Maybe it's time to call Barron in."

  Sage raised a brow. Barron was his youngest brother. He left shortly after coming to live with the clan, wanting to explore the oceans and see how other clans lived. He made a career of studying the species and recording their history. Hidden caves around the globe held the books and history of his people, and many of those books his brother authored. "What do you think Barron can do?"

  "He has seen how other clans live, seen what works for them. Father might be king, but you know as well as I do that the other clans don't always follow his laws. The clan off the Australian coast permits it's people to mate with humans. The secret is kept hidden, but they are allowed to live on the land with the human, only returning to the clan when it is needed. He might be able to convince Father that this works and show him that it won't mean the end to our people. It might just save them."

  Sage twisted the lid on his water bottle as he stared out the window as the tourists started for the beach. "Does anyone even know how to get hold of him? I haven't spoken to Barron in several years."

  "I think Randy and him stay in touch. Randy was talking about going to visit him not long ago, but father refused to let him leave."