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The Paint Store Boys 2

Popping His Cherry

Builder Max Hall and Detective Nicholas O’Hare have a wonderful
night together after the court case between The Paint Store and

serial pest Mitchall. But then they’re both very busy at work, and
Max doesn’t answer Nick’s calls. Is their romance over before it
really began? Max had admitted to Nick that this was his first gay

romance. Max was adamant that he’d gradually realized he wasn’t
attracted to women and craved the rougher, tougher love of

another man. Was he lying? Was all his talk about wanting to have
his male cherry popped just talk, and once he’d had the

experience he’d decided to revert to loving a woman? Had Max
just used Nick? Nick thought there was genuine love between

them, but if so, why isn’t Max answering his cell phone anymore?

But the problem is much deeper than that. Something has
happened to Max.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary
Length: 20,152 words

POPPING HIS CHERRY

The Paint Store Boys 2

Berengaria Brown

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

POPPING HIS CHERRY
Copyright © 2014 by Berengaria Brown
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-017-7

First E-book Publication: August 2014

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
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www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

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Brown from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

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POPPING HIS CHERRY

The Paint Store Boys 2

BERENGARIA BROWN

Chapter One

Max Hall sat on the end of the bench in the booth where the

crowd from The Paint Store was celebrating their court victory over
serial litigator Mitchall. The man had tried to persuade the judge that
when he made a legitimate complaint about a faulty paint roller one of
the staff had viciously broken his finger.

Since Ainsley was able to produce photographs of Mitchall’s

finger marks on her thigh, and he had no evidence his finger had been
damaged, his case was thrown out of court.

It had been Max’s job, as a builder as well as part owner of The

Paint Store, to give evidence that the paint roller was perfectly
marketable. Mitchall hadn’t wanted them to see the roller and when
Max had insisted, it was obvious why he’d hidden it. The so-called
ruined wall had only the tiniest evidence of any unevenness of the
paint application on it, and that could be blamed on the skill of the
painter rather than the quality of the roller. Max had taken pictures of
both the wall and the roller as well.

Fortunately the judge had agreed with them. But even better than

that, the entire incident had caused him to meet Detective Nicholas
O’Hare. Nick had seen the pictures of the opening of the store in the
local newspaper, and had wandered in to have a look for himself on

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his day off. He’d arrived at absolutely the right time for The Paint
Store staff. He’d seen Mitchall lean over Ainsley, grip her thigh, and
scream at her.

The judge had believed him absolutely when he’d said that

anything that might or might not have happened to Mitchall’s finger
was self-defense.

“Personally I wish she had broken it. That might have taught the

idiot a lesson,” Nick had said to him as they walked from the court to
the bar for their drink.

“Yeah, me, too. But mostly I’m just glad it’s all over,” Max said,

ensuring he was sitting next to Nick. The detective looked even sexier
today in his prim navy blue suit and pale blue shirt than he’d looked
in jeans and a faded blue T-shirt the first time they’d met. Watching
him loosen his navy necktie made Max wonder what it’d feel like to
kiss the man’s slightly stubbled cheek.

Max had always been attracted equally to men as to women, yet

he’d never had a relationship with a man before. It was rather
embarrassing to realize that he was thirty years old and his male
cherry remained unpopped. But that was something that he planned to
fix real soon. Maybe even tonight.

He’d known he needed to accept his sexual orientation after

spending an hour in Nick’s company on the day Mitchall had come to
the store. It was just that he hadn’t been able to think of an
appropriate way of going about it. The store had the detective’s cell
phone number, but what was he supposed to say? “I’ve decided I’m
gay. Will you pop my cherry?” was hardly a good enough pickup line.
Tonight was his only chance. There’d be no logical reason to speak to
the man ever again after tonight. So somehow he had to arrange for
them to leave together. But how?

* * * *

Popping His Cherry

Detective Nicholas O’Hare hadn’t spent two years at the Police

Academy without learning to read body language, and he’d known
from the very beginning that the attraction he felt toward the big
builder was reciprocated.

He sipped his craft beer and pretended to be looking down the

table at Roland, who was speaking, while he actually watched Max
out of the corner of his eye.

The builder was six foot four, and solid with it, muscles bulging

beneath his sports coat and business pants. Nick had never loved such
a big man before. Usually he preferred smaller, slender men like the
interior designer, Basil. But apart from the fact that Basil had eyes for
no one except the staff member, Edward, it was Max who Nick was
drawn to. Max was huge and assertive on the outside, but Nick had a
strong feeling that he’d be a great, big, soft, cuddly teddy bear in bed.

Well, time would tell. He planned to make a move on the man

tonight, and see what might happen.

It was fascinating watching the four owners and staff members

interacting like this, relaxing after the pressure and drama of the day
in court. Each owner was very different from all the others, but they
seemed to understand and make allowances for each other’s
personalities.

On the outside Max was very much a man’s man. A big, tough

person with definite ideas. He teased Basil by calling him Baz, which
the designer clearly disliked, and he and Basil both called Cuthbert,
the accountant, a bean counter in quite a derogatory way, which
Cuthbert waved off. Yet underneath the teasing Nick sensed their
bond was strong.

Roland, the business manager, was the final member of the group,

and he looked and sounded as staid as Cuthbert, yet had some quite
radical ideas at times.

The three full-time staff members were also a close-knit group—

Edward, Robyn, and Ainsley, who’d shown such courage against the
bullying Mitchall. Henry, the final staff member, was clearly in awe

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of everyone else, yet had staunchly supported them all. Nick was as
certain as a nonmathematical person could be, that The Paint Store
was on solid ground as a business.

What wasn’t on such solid ground was whether or not Max would

split off from the group and come somewhere with him so they could
get to know each other better.

Their attorney, who’d accompanied them all to the bar, left, but

the others decided to buy food, so he did the same, aware that now he
was the only noncompany person remaining in the group. But he
didn’t plan on leaving without Max. Or, at the very least, without a
date organized with Max.

Once the food was eaten, Ainsley and Robyn finished their drinks

and decided to leave. Cuthbert started saying his good-byes, and
Henry did, too. Nick decided this was the perfect opportunity. Under
cover of all the conversation he asked Max softly, “How about we
continue this event somewhere we can talk? Just you and me.”

Max flashed him a surprised look, and then grinned. He nodded,

stood up, and joined the chorus of farewells, and then headed out of
the bar, Nick right behind him. They walked side by side silently to
the parking lot where everyone had left their cars, and then stopped.

“I’ve had enough drama, beer, and bar snacks for one day. Your

place or mine?” asked Max.

Well, fuck. Nick hadn’t expected things to progress quite this far

this fast. But he was one hundred percent on board with the plan.

“Yours. I’ll follow you.”
Nick wasn’t at all surprised to see Max climb into the same white

truck he’d driven to Mitchall’s house that day. It was a typical
tradesman’s vehicle even to the locked toolbox in the back and the
pipes on the roof to hold tubing and so on, whereas he was in his
official car today, an unmarked government vehicle.

They drove out of town then bumped up a gravel road to a large

old homestead on what had once been a farm. Nick got out of his car
and stared at it. Dilapidated was too harsh a word. The shingles on the

Popping His Cherry

roof were new and the front windows appeared to have been recently
repaired and repainted. The clapboards could use some fresh paint
though, and the porch and decking had a sag to them that spoke of
years of use.

And then he remembered whose house it was. Max was a builder.

Of course. He must be doing it up as a hobby or to resell.

He followed Max up onto the porch, watching where he stepped,

and avoiding one board in particular that looked a bit loose.

The front door opened directly into the living room, a large,

friendly space with polished floorboards, and a big fireplace set in a
stone hearth. Max dropped into a huge leather armchair and waved at
the matching one on the other side of the fireplace.

“Oh, man, what a day. I’d much rather deal with dry rot in the

walls than bastards like Mitchall. So, tell me, did you really want to
talk?”

* * * *

Max still had no idea how to get from casual conversation to the

bedroom. If this had been a boy-girl thing he’d have kissed the chick,
swept her up in his arms, and carried her there. She then had the
choice of screeching and slapping his face, or fucking him. His face
hadn’t been slapped since he was sixteen, so he wasn’t used to being
turned down. But he’d also realized a couple of years ago that fucking
females no longer suited him. He needed something harsher, stronger,
tougher. He needed the comradeship of two men. He needed someone
big enough to take him on and fuck him for a change, instead of him
having to be endlessly careful and gentle, when what he wanted was a
feral, rough claiming. He needed a man. That was the simple truth.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Nick said, “It’s always

good when a bastard gets his comeuppance. Far too often some
bleeding-heart judge will give someone like Mitchall ‘just one more
chance.’ A man like that has had far too many chances already. This

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time, if he reoffends he’s been told he faces a jail sentence. Let’s hope
it really does deter him.”

“Hell yes. All I wanted to do was punch his face in for terrorizing

my staff, and I couldn’t do a damn thing. It was fucking torture. Even
Edward came out of his shell and bravely faced Mitchall down for
Ainsley. That kid has come a long way. Being with Basil has been
really good for him. Well, I think he’s with Basil. They seemed
mighty friendly in the corner of that booth.”

“You’re right. My detective instincts say that if they weren’t

together before, they definitely are now.”

That was all the opening Max needed. “And what about us? Are

you prepared to test out whether we could be together?”

“That’s the only reason I was still sitting in that bar drinking weak

beer and eating pretzels and peanuts.”

“Not to mention the steak sandwich and fries.” Max looked at

him, daring him to laugh.

Fortunately that’s exactly what Nick did. Then he jumped to his

feet. “Does that mean you’re ready to go exercise some of the fries
you ate off your waistline?”

“Why don’t we do that? I’ve got plenty of food here. We can eat

something more later if we work up an appetite.”

“We’ll certainly be working up an appetite, if that’s what you’d

like to do.”

Max’s dick grew and hardened inside his business pants. Finally

he’d get his cherry popped, and with a man who looked like he knew
what he was doing. A man’s whose company he’d enjoyed very much
already and hoped to enjoy so much more in the bedroom.

“This way,” he said, suddenly short of breath.
His bedroom was the very first room he’d renovated, ripping out

the back wall of the house and adding a huge floor-to-ceiling window
that opened onto a deck where he’d installed a hot tub.

“Now that’s what I call a bed,” said Nick, stopping in the

doorway.

Popping His Cherry

Max shrugged. “When you’re six four an ordinary bed just doesn’t

work.”

“I know. I’m only six two and half the beds in hotels are too short

for me. But this is amazing.”

“I built it myself. The hardest part was ordering in the mattress

and bedding. I didn’t want to spend the cash to get everything made
especially, but I found a place overseas that supplies bedding for—”

Max stopped. Telling a cop he suspected his supplier mainly

provided bedding for the porn industry likely wasn’t a good move.

But Nick only laughed. “Movie sets? Ladies who dance in store

windows in Amsterdam? I’ll just be happy not to have my feet
hanging off the end of the bed, likely the same as you are.”

Max stared across at Nick standing there in his bedroom laughing.

The man was delicious. His curly brown hair shone with gold and red
lights in the late afternoon sunlight pouring through the picture
window, and his big dark brown eyes sparkled with laughter and
intelligence. He was obviously well built and fit, his broad shoulders
tapering to a neat waist and narrow hips. Before he realized what he
was doing, Max had crossed the room and gripped Nick’s upper arms.
“I want you.”

“That’s just as well, because I sure as hell plan to have you

tonight.”

“I’ve never actually…” Ah, shit, this was so embarrassing.
Nick stared at him, his eyes still gleaming. “Never actually what?

Fucked a man? Or been fucked by a man?”

Max was pretty sure he was blushing. The last time he’d done that

was when he was about fifteen years old. “Either.”

“Well you’re in luck because I’m versatile. What would you like

to do first?”

Max stared at Nick. He didn’t seem to be teasing. It would have

served him right if the detective had laughed in his face, but although
he was smiling it seemed to be with genuine pleasure, not aimed at
Max.

Popping His Cherry

Chapter Two

This wasn’t quite how Nick had expected the evening to turn out,

but he had no complaints. They were both in Max’s bedroom and they
both wanted to fuck. It was time to move onto the next step. “In that
case, maybe we should both get naked.”

“That’s a good idea. I hate neckties at the best of times. I’m

surprised I didn’t rip it off in the truck on the way home.”

“I did.” Nick pulled his tie out of his jacket pocket and they both

laughed. There wasn’t a chair to put his clothing on, so he shrugged
and dumped his suit on the floor. Normally he would have hung his
jacket up, and possibly his pants as well, but now wasn’t the time to
be overly fussy.

He turned around so he could watch Max as he got undressed.

Max opened the closet door and hung his sports coat and dress pants
up, put his shoes on a shoe rack, his tie on a tie rack, and the rest of
his clothing in a laundry hamper tucked into the corner of the closet.
Well, that was why he didn’t have a chair. He was a tidy person who
put everything away as he took it off.

“Are you as fussy with your tools as with your clothes?” he asked.
“Fussy? I don’t think I’d call myself fussy. It’s just easier to

handle things once and then I always know where everything is.”

“In that case I hope you know where the lube and the condoms

are.”

The nightstands were built into each side of the bed, but it was

easy to see where Max slept as only one side had a light and an alarm
clock on the nightstand. Max opened that drawer and took out a jar of
lube and several small foil packets.

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Nick stood behind Max and gently tugged on his arm until he

turned around and then Nick moved right into Max’s body space and
stared into his face. “I’m attracted to you. I’ve been hot for you ever
since we met at The Paint Store that day. In a way, that asshole did us
a good turn because without him we might never have met. But I need
to know if this is just you wanting to find out how the other team bats,
or if you’re seriously looking for a gay partner. I’m on board with the
program either way. I’ve had one-night stands in the past and found
them an excellent answer to an itch that needs scratching. But I want
to know if there’s even a faint chance you’re looking for a
relationship. Because I think such a thing is possible between us.”

Max sighed, stepped back, and sat on the side of the bed. “I

always just assumed I was straight, you know? I kissed girls, I fucked
girls. Lots of girls. But I found it less and less fulfilling. I’m a big
man. Well, you can see that.” He made an embarrassed sort of sound
between a cough and a grunt. Nick stood still, watching him closely,
reading his body language, waiting for the punch line.

“I always felt I couldn’t be myself. I want to fuck hard and fast. I

want to grip my partner and give them my all. I want wild and rough.
I don’t know. Maybe I’ve gotten bigger, more muscular over the past
five years, but it seems to me women have gotten thinner and frailer.
Some of them, I’m almost scared to hold their hands these days. Their
arms and legs are like little sticks. They look as if they’d break if I so
much as kissed them.”

Max ran his hands through his hair and then shook himself like a

dog trying to get dry after a bath.

“I need someone who is my match. Someone who can fuck as

hard as I can. Someone who won’t care if we bump noses or if I dig
my fingers into his shoulders or hips. Someone who won’t bruise if
we fuck on the floor, or get a concussion if I slam them against a wall
to fuck. I know I shouldn’t look at the outer body. I know a real man
looks at personality. But hell, can’t I have personality and someone
tough as well?”

Popping His Cherry

“That’s a fair enough request. I reckon I can fuck you with power

and yet not hurt you. And then a little later we’ll try it the other way.
You can fuck me. I won’t break and I don’t mind a few bruises, so
you can do whatever you want. And then, after that, we’ll talk about
how it made you feel. All right?”

Nick stared at Max, hoping the brawny builder was up for the

entire program. If he wanted to know whether or not he was gay he
should have all the information he needed to take a decision by the
end of the night if they followed this plan. But would he do it? Or
would he wimp out? Was he genuinely confused and enquiring, or
just wishing for a fitter, stronger female partner?

“Talk about my feelings? Real men don’t talk about their

feelings.” Max’s eyes sparkled with good humor.

Nick relaxed. Max really did want to follow the program he’d laid

out. “If you’re with me, you do. So, are you ready to get started?”

Nick’s throat almost closed over. He wanted this man with his

uncertainties and his fussy habits. He had a hot body that made Nick’s
dick stand up straight and tall, and a wicked sense of humor that Nick
really liked. Besides, judging by the size of his cock, sex was going to
be great as well.

Max rolled over onto his front, spread his legs wide apart, and

stuck his ass up in the air. “I’m ready when you are.”

* * * *

Max knew what he was doing here and now was the right thing to

do. Nicholas was the first man he’d been truly attracted to. With some
other men he’d admired their muscles, or their build, or their ass. But
with Nick, the moment he’d met him he’d had the hots for him, even
though it’d been in the midst of the drama at The Paint Store.

He hadn’t had a girlfriend for several years now. He hadn’t even

found a female who he was interested in for years. If he was honest
with himself, likely he should have taken this step over to the gay side

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three or four years ago. But it wasn’t until he’d met Nick that he’d
known he couldn’t wait any longer to acknowledge his needs. More
than that, he trusted Nick to teach him what he needed to know. It was
fucking ridiculous in the twenty-first century to be thirty years old, to
know he was gay, and never to have been fucked. Well, if they
followed the system Nick had outlined, his cherry would be well and
truly popped tonight.

Nick’s fingers on his ass felt strong and thick, much more

masculine than anyone who’d ever touched him there before. Max
relaxed. It really did feel good. He loved the more definite hand on his
ass. Nick’s power was controlled, but Max could feel it simmering
under the surface and that was as sexy as hell to him—that and the
knowledge that he could roll over and pull his lover into his arms for
a hug and a kiss, without having to move slowly and carefully in case
he bounced Nick off the bed.

That’d almost happened once. He’d flipped himself from lying on

his front to his back in a hotel room, and the woman he was with,
whose name he couldn’t even remember anymore, had almost been
thrown off the bed. He’d had to grab her arm so she didn’t fall.

He thrust his ass up onto Nick’s fingers, impatient to get moving.

Nick slapped his butt with a harsh hand. “Chill, Max. This is your
first time and you need to be prepared properly or it’ll hurt and that
would spoil the fun.”

“So when I get my hand on your ass, it’ll be quicker?” he asked.
“Yeah. I told you I’m versatile. I’m happy to give or to get. Or,

like tonight, do both, which is even better.”

“Have you always known you were gay?” Max hadn’t even

stopped to think about that before. Something had told him when they
met that Nick was gay. Maybe it was after spending time with Basil,
who was so outrageously gay, and Edward who was so quiet and
unobtrusive yet still clearly gay, that his senses had been alerted to
noticing such things.

Popping His Cherry

“When I first started working as a policeman I wasn’t in the closet

exactly, but I also didn’t tell people about my sexual orientation. But
after a while I knew the police force here was genuinely accepting of
difference so I no longer tried to be careful. It’s what I am and what
I’ve been for many years now. People can take it or leave it. I don’t
really mind. I’m just me.”

Max rolled over onto one elbow. “I’m glad it worked out for you

like that.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Nick slapped his ass again, another heavy-

handed thwacking blow, and Max felt his dick grow even longer.
Well, that was good to know as well. He’d never thought about
spanking before, but he’d certainly be thinking about it in the future.

Nick reached over his body and Max heard the sound of foil

tearing. He rolled onto his back and planted his feet flat on the bed,
legs wide apart. His gaze was focused on Nick’s cock as he rolled the
condom over his long, thick shaft. He liked that Nick didn’t wax his
chest hair. He wanted to feel Nick’s rough manliness against his own
skin. He wanted Nick, all of Nick, right now.

Nick leaned over Max and kissed him on the lips. It was exactly

how he’d imagined it would be, rougher, harsher, more demanding
than kissing a woman, and unbelievably erotic. His cock stretched and
waved, brushing against Nick’s belly as well as his own. The light
touch sent a frisson of delight rippling up his spine. He grabbed
Nick’s neck, holding his head in place, and deepened the kiss,
thrusting his tongue into Nick’s mouth at the same time as Nick tasted
him.

Nick used both his hands to hold Max in place as they kissed each

other deeper and harder than he’d ever been kissed before, only
pulling apart when his lungs had been completely emptied of air.
Before he was fully recovered, Nick’s cock was at his entry, Nick’s
hands were on his hips, and then his head almost exploded as Nick
drove into him, leaving a trail of burning fire.

“Shit!”

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“I’m in,” said Nick unnecessarily, and with a huge, cheeky grin.
“I worked that out by myself.”
Nick wiggled his body a little closer, and stared into his eyes.

“Are you ready?”

“Hell, yes.”
Max hadn’t really thought about what he expected. Sex was sex

after all. But Nick pumping into his ass was like nothing he’d ever
known before. He was stretched wide and his channel burned, yet it
was carnal as hell and felt damn good despite the small amount of
pain. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the slight
edginess the burn gave him, just as he’d enjoyed being slapped on the
ass. Not that he was ready to sign up for BDSM just yet, but some
rough sex was looking damn attractive.

Being fucked was not so very different from fucking. Max’s hips

snapped up and down in the familiar rhythm and his orgasm tingled at
the base of his spine. His cock was cradled between their bodies
instead of in a warm mouth or a hot cunt, but it still felt pretty good to
be rubbed back and forth in time with their movements.

Max gripped Nick’s hips and slammed up into every stroke Nick

made. His engorged, aching dick was jammed between their bodies,
but the slippery friction of their sweaty bellies sliding up and down on
his hot flesh was erotic so he made no attempt to pull back from Nick.
Instead he pressed in closer, biting across Nick’s chest and worrying
his nipple with his front teeth.

“Go ahead, bite me if you want to,” urged Nick.
The words resonated with some deeply buried primeval part of

him, and Max bit down on Nick’s abs as his cock spurted cum
between them. Nick groaned and Max could feel the extra blast of
heat in his ass signifying that Nick had come. He dropped back flat on
the bed, pulling Nick down with him.

Nick kissed him thoroughly then sat up and removed his condom.

“Bathroom?”

Popping His Cherry

“Next door.” Max pointed back down the hallway and Nick

disappeared briefly.

That was different. With a woman he’d have felt obliged to lie

still and cuddle her and even talk for a little while. Not that he didn’t
enjoy cuddling and talking, but Max had always been very intent on
not getting some chick pregnant, so there was always business to be
taken care of. It seemed Nick was much more practical about such
things, and Max liked that.

Max padded down the hallway to the shower. Nick had promised

him a turn at fucking, and he was looking forward to that, but he
needed a shower right now, and then likely he should offer his guest
some coffee or something as well.

* * * *

Nick stepped out of the shower and rubbed his head on the towel

he’d laid ready on the sink. “I hope you don’t mind about this. I saw
you put your clothes in the closet and guessed you’d have fresh
towels under the sink.”

“I’m glad you found them yourself. I guess that makes me a pretty

useless kind of host.”

“Maybe I’m just a pushy sort of guest.”
Nick turned and watched as Max rubbed soap over his body.

Damn, the man was built. He was all solid muscle from head to toe.
There wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on the builder’s body. Oh yes,
he was a fine-looking specimen of a man.

Nick finished drying himself and hung his towel back on the rail.

They were going to fuck again later and he’d need it again. However,
right now was his chance to learn some more about the delicious hunk
he’d just held in his arms, and who he hoped would soon fuck him.

“If I wasn’t here, what would you be doing right now?”
Max shook his head. “You’ve seen my house and you can’t

guess? Every spare minute I get I spend working on it. It was moving

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along really well until I got involved in The Paint Store and then that
took a lot of time. Now the store’s all running smoothly—well, I hope
it is—I should be able to get back to the renovations here.”

“Which section are you doing right now?” Nick hadn’t seen

anything partly finished, but then he’d only seen the living room, the
bedroom, and the bathroom so far.

“Follow me.” Max wrapped a towel around his waist, so Nick

pulled his own towel back off the rail and copied him. Then he
followed Max back to the living room, through a kitchen and meals
area, and out to two identical smaller rooms. Likely spare bedrooms
originally but he had no idea what they were supposed to be now. One
of them had the floor ripped up and the other had a pile of lumber
stacked in it.

Nick sniffed. “Is that scent the wood? It smells really nice. Oh

wait. I know what it is. Um…cedar.”

“Excellent detective work, detective. So, if the wood is cedar,

what am I building?”

Nick just looked at him. “How the fuck would I know?”
“What do people make from cedar? Well, sometimes they use

spruce, but cedar is pretty common.”

“I have no idea. I took shop at school but that was a very long

time ago.”

“It’s a sauna. This room is right by the back door. Come winter,

when I blow the snow off my deck I’m going to pile it up right there.
I’ll come out of my sauna, roll in the snow, and head right back into
the sauna again.”

“You’re crazy. Is there a whole lot of Scandinavian in your

ancestry? They do mad things like that, but I thought people here
were too smart to expose their delicate bits out in the snow in winter.”

“No one gets a frostbitten dick rolling in the snow after a sauna. A

person’s body can take the contrast. That sudden change of
temperature is what makes it all so very good.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh. Riiiiight. I believe you.”

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Max laughed but Nick was serious. He might, only might, get in

the sauna one day, but rolling in the snow naked was something he’d
never ever do. He liked his fingers and toes attached to his body and
he’d really hate anything to happen to his cock.

“What about the other room?” he asked, wondering if Max had

some other insane plans going on.

“It’s going to be a half bathroom so I can shower when I’ve been

working outside without tracking mud through the house, and it’ll be
handy beside the sauna as well.”

“Now that makes sense. I like that plan.”
“Come and have some coffee and we can talk,” said Max.
“I’m happy to talk and have coffee, but don’t you want to work on

your sauna project?”

“There’s not really enough time. I really do want us to go to bed

again today.”

Suddenly that’s what Nick wanted as well. “Fuck the coffee. Let’s

just fuck,” he said. Pulling Max closer to himself, he ripped the towel
away and fisted Max’s dick.

His own cock was tenting his towel so he used his other hand to

get rid of the fabric separating them and held Max’s body hard against
his, rubbing their groins together so their cocks would touch and tease
each other.

“Bedroom.” Max led the way back through the house and then

pushed Nick onto the bed, almost jumping onto him in his haste. Nick
thought he must have had sincere faith in the way he’d constructed
the bed, to treat it like that. Both of them were big and solid, and the
kind of force Max was using would have been enough to make any
normal bed shake, if not collapse.

Then he couldn’t think because Max was gripping his chin and

kissing him hard. Their teeth ground together as they both opened
their mouths simultaneously to take the kiss deeper, faster, harder.

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Nick almost laughed when Mr. Neat rummaged in the nightstand

and couldn’t find the lube. That was because he, Nick, had used it last
and it was still lying on the bed near the pillows.

Max just grunted when he handed him the jar and held his legs up

over his forearms. Max’s fingers in his ass were incredibly sexy. He
seemed to stroke the walls of Nick’s channel in a manner absolutely
designed to set all his nerve endings on fire. In no time at all his dick
was begging for action.

“Let’s go,” he murmured, tugging on Max’s arms to attract his

attention.

Max moved a little hesitantly to place his cock at Nick’s entry and

Nick had to remind himself it was Max’s first time for gay sex.
Fucking Max had been amazing and he had no doubt Max fucking
him would be just as good. If he’d just get a move on!

But finally Max was rocking his way inside Nick’s dark channel

and Nick was able to pull his lover into his arms and hold him tightly.
He rubbed his hand over Max’s forehead, seeing the sweat shining
there, and knew this was a whole new beginning for Max. Hopefully a
beginning that would continue to include him for a long time to come.

“You’re doing great. Now get fucking,” he whispered.
Max grinned. “Topping from the bottom are you?”
“Only because you’re moving too slowly.”
Max took the hint, pulled out, and slammed back inside Nick,

filling him to the brim, lighting up all his nerve endings until they
howled for release. But not yet. He didn’t want them to come so fast
this time. Fast was good, but a more moderate speed would be even
better for their second encounter.

Nick lifted his legs higher and settled them on Max’s shoulders.

Instead of just thrusting back into Max’s strokes, he used his toes to
pet Max’s neck and the side of his face. He watched Max’s gaze haze
over with lust and then rested. His thigh muscles were pretty strong
but he needed to focus on the pounding strokes in and out of his ass or
else he’d spill his seed way too soon.

Popping His Cherry

He filled his mind with Max who was gritting his teeth to keep

control of his dick. Nick liked that he was taking his time to make it
good. Sex wasn’t just a sprint to the finish, it was a journey that could
bring all sorts of pleasures along the way. He let go of Max’s hip and
trailed a palm up the man’s sturdy back, and then scraped his fingers
back down again. Next he used his knuckles to pet Max’s side before
teasing the underside of his arm. His arms were tanned, presumably
from working outside in all weathers, but the undersides were always
more sensitive than the tops.

Max retaliated by gripping Nick’s hips and tilting them higher,

then twisting his dick inside Nick until he hit that magic spot, his
gland. “Shit!” Nick didn’t even have time to grip his dick before it
spurted seed everywhere like a volcano. Max pumped into him once
more then filled his ass with heat.

Hastily Nick grabbed his lover and pulled him closer for a kiss. “If

that was your first time, once you get experienced you’re likely to kill
me,” he whispered, pressing kisses to Max’s face.

“Ah, but what a way to go,” teased Max.
Nick laughed. Max might have some crazy ideas about snow, but

he was a wonderful companion and lover the rest of the time. Already
Nick wanted to spend a lot more time getting to know him so much
better.

* * * *

After their second shower, Max waved to Nick. “Come through

here.” He walked back into the bedroom, opened the sliding door in
the floor-to-ceiling window, and stepped out onto the back deck. They
were both wearing their towels around their waists again, but Max’s
towel was quite damp. It was going to be basically useless to dry him
after the hot tub. He really needed to buy those heated towel racks
he’d been planning on getting.

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Nick stood on the deck and looked all around. “This is amazing.

You could be ten miles from anywhere instead of only a half mile
from the road.”

“It’s a damn long half mile in the middle of winter.”
Nick laughed. “But I thought you liked snow.”
“Snow yes. Shoveling it, not so much. Fortunately my snow

blower does a reasonable job and I have an attachment I made for the
front of the truck which really helps get rid of the loose stuff.”

Max waited for Nick to comment on the hot tub. It was quiet out

here away from the town, and he had a solar cover over the tub to
help hold in the heat, but as soon as the pump turned on which it did
automatically at regular intervals, he’d have to notice. It didn’t take
that long. Nick looked all around and eventually turned and sighted
along the deck. “A hot tub?”

“Yes. I thought we could sit in it and talk.”
“Won’t it take forever to fill up?”
“It’s full and switched on. The solar cover keeps the temperature

right.”

“Seriously?”
Nick strode over to the tub and helped Max roll back the cover.

As soon as it was off the pump restarted and the heat switched on
again. Max climbed straight in, leaving his towel on the deck, but
Nick was a lot more cautious, putting a hand in the water first, and
then one leg, before committing himself.

“There are no alligators or sharks in a hot tub,” Max told him,

laughing.

“I was more concerned about what you considered a suitable

temperature. I was hoping for a nice bit of middle ground between the
sauna and the snow.”

Max laughed. “You’re fixated on the snow. What’s your problem

with it?” Already he was thinking in terms of Nick in his bed very
often, and him and Nick making love all night. But on a first date, it

Popping His Cherry

seemed much too soon to say Nick didn’t have to help shovel snow
come winter if he didn’t want to.

“I don’t have any problem with snow when I’m dressed for it. It

was the whole concept of naked in the snow that frightened me.”

Anything less frightened-looking than the big detective seemed

hard to imagine.

“Uh-huh. So what do you do on your time off?”
“Time off? You’re talking to a cop remember. There’s no such

thing as time off. As soon as everyone else takes a vacation crime
rises and suddenly we’re all recalled from leave. Even a snowstorm
that shuts down the city doesn’t get us any vacation time as there are
always some idiots somewhere who need to be rescued. You know,
and I know, that it snows every winter for several months. But as soon
as there’s a storm everyone forgets how to drive in sleet or slush. Or
they head down some road that hasn’t been plowed and crash. The
best I can hope for is a few days snatched here and there when things
are quiet. And then usually I sleep.”

Max thought likely that was still an exaggeration but it seemed

Nick either didn’t have very many hobbies or didn’t plan to talk about
them if he did. That was fine. He was entitled to his privacy. “Since it
obviously wasn’t for the vacations, what made you decide to work in
law enforcement?” Max leaned back in the hot tub, sitting in his
favorite position with his back against the side, his legs spread wide
apart, and facing out over the rolling green land behind his property.
Only this time there was an added bonus to the view. Nick’s smiling
countenance was in the center front of the scene.

“Maybe I watched too many cop shows on TV when I was a kid,

but I always saw myself out there righting wrongs. Not like
Superman, but by locking up the bad dudes. Of course, these days I’m
older and wiser and the best I can hope for is locking up the worst of
the bad dudes, and the bad dudes who are just plain stupid. Still, I
figure every little bit helps.”

Berengaria Brown

Max laughed. He really enjoyed the humor Nick added to every

part of life. “So the really smart bad dudes have better attorneys than
the police force?”

“Hell, yes. We’re on a budget. They aren’t.”
Max laughed and flicked a few drops of water at Nick’s face.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish.”
“What do you mean? Of course I can finish it.”
Nick lunged across the hot tub at Max, dragging him underwater.

Max had only a split second to grab a mouthful of air, before he was
underwater, flat on the bottom of the tub. He kicked his legs up,
dislodging Nick, and rolled. Now Nick was underwater and he was on
top, shaking water from his hair.

Nick pinched his ass, something he hadn’t expected, and then

gripped his cock. Max’s brains fled at Nick’s erotic touch, and Nick
sat up out of the water pulling Max to him. Now, instead of wrestling
they were kissing. Kissing hard, rough, furiously, Nick’s hand fisting
his cock faster and faster.

Max finally collected his wits enough to realize that this was a

game two people could play. He settled his ass on the bottom of the
tub and took hold of Nick’s dick, which was standing thick and tall
between their bodies. He looked into Nick’s gaze and one glance at
the lust in his eyes sent Max’s hormones into overdrive. He pulled
Nick even tighter against his body and hooked his legs around Nick’s
back, digging his heels into the man’s ass, locking them together.

Their hands moved together now, gripping and twisting up and

down on each other’s cock. Tight, fast, frantic, feral. He wanted to
come so bad but he wanted Nick to come even more than that.

His eyes gleaming with mischief, Nick bent forward and bit

Max’s lower lip. The tiny shard of shock and pain had his dick
erupting and then his hands were coated with Nick’s cum as well.

Nick kissed him and they hugged. Nick pulled back and leaned

against the side of the tub again. Max was still straightening his legs
when Nick said, “Well that disproved that theory. One of the men at

Popping His Cherry

work said it was impossible to fuck under water because the water
ruins the friction. I guess he was wrong.”

Max leaned back against the tub and laughed. Of all the things he

might have thought a lover would say when they were both coated
with each other’s seed, that wasn’t on the list. It wasn’t on any list
anywhere.

I think I’m in love.

Berengaria Brown

Chapter Three

Nick couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such fun with a

lover. He wasn’t used to being in a tub with a boyfriend. Hell, if he
was brutally honest, he wasn’t used to being anywhere with a
boyfriend except in a gay bar or a bed. Relationships didn’t really
work well for a career cop. The police force had a staggering rate of
divorce simply due to the demands of the job. A lover might be
prepared to wait for their partner to get home late from work, and to
go to parties unaccompanied, but that was a dangerous game. Once
they turned up alone too many times other people, also alone, tended
to move in on them. That’s what had happened with both his only real
relationships since he’d made detective.

A couple of times he’d picked up a date just for a night at Pinky’s,

the local gay bar, but that wasn’t very fulfilling. Oh, sure it was better
than using his own hand, but he liked holding onto a lover as he
fucked, talking to a live person, and hearing about their day as well as
talking about himself. The problem was, Max had as busy a life as he
did. Today they’d been in the same place at the same time. But being
realistic, how often was that likely to happen? The chances of them
being able to sustain a relationship weren’t going to be too high.

However, this was today and the day wasn’t over yet by any

means. He stretched his arms out along the top of the hot tub and
rested back comfortably. “Tell me about yourself, Max. You own
your own business, yes? So how did you get today off? Don’t your
men need to be supervised?”

Max grinned at him. “Yes, I’m the boss, and sort of.”

Popping His Cherry

“What? Oh, okay, you’re just being a smart ass. Yes, you own the

business, so you could take the day off because you’re the boss. I’m
with you that far. But how do you ‘sort of’ supervise your team?”

Max was still smiling but he must have guessed that Nick was

genuinely interested because he answered seriously. “I handpick
every one of my team. My company isn’t all that big, but it will grow,
and the way it’ll grow is because we’ll become known for doing
quality work. My men know how to prepare a wall thoroughly. When
we paint something the paint doesn’t bubble or peel off when the
weather changes. The floor tiles we lay are set perfectly so they won’t
crack, and so on. You get the picture. In the building trade word of
mouth is very important. Five minutes after someone else’s paint has
started to lift, it’s trending on Twitter. I can relax knowing my work is
good quality.”

“You’re happy to leave your team to get on with the work without

you?”

“Not as a regular thing. They need to know I work just as hard as

they do. But for something like today, sure. They’ve all heard the
story about The Paint Store. A whole bunch of them came along to
the store’s opening. Tomorrow it’ll be back to work as usual and if
we’re falling a little behind on the schedule I’ll be the one working on
Sunday to catch us up to where we should be.”

Nick shuddered. “Don’t talk to me about working Sundays. As

soon as we get a heavy case load the boss comes around and reminds
us there’s no budget for overtime. Then he tells us when the deadlines
are. And everyone knows we’ll all be working through the weekend
without extra pay. Although, to be fair, I got the whole of today off on
full pay instead of just the actual court appearance time.”

“How much do you know about the building trade?” asked Max.
Nick shook his head and rearranged himself more comfortably in

the warm water. “I told you I took shop in school. That was a hell of a
long time ago. I can hammer a nail in straight, hang a picture, change
the oil in my car, but likely not a whole lot more than that. If you

Berengaria Brown

want me to help you build that sauna you’ll have to stay close and
show me what to do.”

“Stay close, eh? That’s doable.”
Nick was watching Max’s face. His expressions were mobile and

his face was open and happy, alive, and alert. Nick decided he was
genuinely curious and didn’t have any ulterior motives for asking.
Nick understood that. He wanted to get to know Max better as well.
Then Max surprised him.

“If I sent you to The Paint Store to get me a can of striped paint,

would you know what to do?”

“Huh? A can of striped paint? How the hell? Wait a minute.

You’re teasing me.”

Nick was astonished. He hadn’t expected Max to try to trip him up

like that. Splash him, sure. But tease him? That showed a completely
different side of the big man. A lighthearted playful side he’d
glimpsed earlier, and one that matched his own weird sense of humor
perfectly. Nick dived across the hot tub, grabbing Max and kissing
him, then rolling him under the water. Their lips were still locked
together so they had to come up for air after a while, but by that time,
jokes were completely forgotten. Their cocks were between their
bodies, huge and hard, ready for action.

“You owe me your ass for that. Let’s get back to somewhere there

are lube and condoms.”

They stepped out of the tub, snatching up their towels. Nick

rubbed his hair but the towel was already damp and it didn’t help him
much. Well, too bad. He had a man to fuck right now. He could fuss
with getting dry again later.

Max led the way to his bedroom, dropped both their towels in the

clothing hamper, and then went to the bathroom and returned with
fresh towels. Nick grinned at the sight of Mr. Neatfreak in action but
rubbed his body dry quickly and riffled through the nightstand,
collecting more condoms and opening the jar of lube.

Popping His Cherry

“You’re just wasting your time putting the lid on the jar,” he

teased Max.

“Sorry. It’s just habit. I don’t need open cans of solvents and

suchlike all over a building site.”

That was a good point. Cleaning up spills could be a nightmare.

He patted the bed beside him. “Why don’t you bring your luscious ass
over here and we can get down to business.”

Max lay down on the bed. “I don’t think I’ve fucked this many

times in a day since I was a teenager.”

Nick stroked his hand over Max’s ass, loving the taut muscles

rippling beneath his palm. “Oh, I think we can coax one more orgasm
out of you tonight.”

Max wiggled. “I agree. But it’s still amazing, that I want you

again and again. We haven’t known each other very long, but being
here with you now feels so right.”

“It feels right to me, too.” And it did. It felt better than right. They

fit each other perfectly.

* * * *

This time the sex lasted a long time. To Max, it seemed to take

forever for Nick to ready his ass for a cock. Max wasn’t sure if Nick
was just playing with him, or if he was being extra careful since it was
the second time today he’d been ass fucked, but that didn’t matter.
Max wiggled and thrust back onto Nick’s fingers, and finally Nick lay
over his back and wiggled his cock into Max’s ass.

Nick was not quite as big as Max, but still a large, heavy man.

However he took most of his weight on his forearms and shins, so
Max was able to push back into every stroke, making sure Nick’s dick
slammed fully inside him as deep as he could go. His channel was
still a bit tender, but it didn’t matter. He loved the feeling of Nick
leaning over his back, licking and biting the tendon where his neck
and shoulder joined.

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Time seemed to stand still as they moved in and out, back and

forth endlessly, the climax inside him gradually growing larger and
more demanding until he was slamming his ass back against Nick’s
body on every stroke.

The slide of Nick’s chest against his back was incredibly erotic,

their sweaty bodies joined, their scents mingling with the aroma of
man and sex. Max knew this was what he wanted. He’d come to
realize he needed harshness and strength, not the gentle sweetness of
a woman. But now he was also discovering he relished the rasp of
chest hair on his back, the roughness of a five o’clock shadow on his
neck, the calloused palms of a man touching his skin. This was what
he wanted and needed. This was so much more fulfilling than he’d
found male-female sex to be for a long time now. But more than just a
man, he wanted this man. Nick. He was falling in love with Nick.

When they were lying wrapped in each other’s arms, Max lifted

his mouth from Nick’s chest, where he was brushing his skin against
his lover’s toned abs, and asked, “Stay with me tonight, please. Sleep
here.”

“I’d like to. But you need to know I have to be at work early

tomorrow morning. We start at eight and I need to change my clothes
first.”

“My crew starts at seven thirty so that’ll fit in perfectly.”
“Only if we actually find some time to sleep instead of just

playing.”

Max heard the lilt of laughter in Nick’s tone and licked his lover’s

nipple. Sleep was overrated. Playing would be much better.

* * * *

Once back at work, everything that Nick had ever heard his fellow

law enforcement officers say about the work ruining their
relationships came home and slammed into him. He walked back into
a mass of stupid little cases. Some politician had been mouthing off

Popping His Cherry

about being “Tough Against Crime” and was leaning on the
department to “show results.” It didn’t take a politician to work out
the easiest way to show results was to clear up a bunch of easy cases,
so everyone’s desk was littered with all the cases that were usually set
aside so they could pursue the real criminals out there.

Inside five minutes Nick found himself dealing with shoplifting,

petty theft, unpaid fines, and so many misdemeanors he was ready to
bang his head on his desk. Instead, he got on the telephone and began
doing what all his colleagues were doing, sending out a raft of official
paperwork in the hope that some of the cases solved themselves.

By Friday it looked like he’d have most of the weekend free, so he

texted Max to make a date.

Back came the answer.
Restumping. Hired the jacks. Sorry, have to work through.
Damn. That ruined his pleasure. He filled in his time with chores

around his apartment. He didn’t get that many weekends free so there
were plenty of things he needed to do like shopping and laundry.
Nevertheless by midafternoon Sunday he was all finished and would
have liked to just go watch Max at work, unless that wasn’t permitted.
It would be interesting to see the heavy-lifting equipment holding up a
house while the men worked to put in the new stumps. But he had no
idea where Max was working and no intention of driving all around
the county to find out so that plan was a no go. Disgruntled, he
slouched on his couch and watched TV, missing Max.

He could picture Max so clearly in his mind, his shoulders so

broad, his thick black hair, his dark brown eyes. Well, it was just too
bad. Maybe next week would be better.

But next week wasn’t better. A criminal who should never have

been granted bail skipped town on Friday, and everyone was flat-out
trying to ensure he didn’t leave the country. By the time all the
borders were alerted and his passport canceled, it was late Sunday
night and Nick was exhausted.

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He checked his cell phone and his e-mail, but there were no

messages from Max. He wondered whether Max had still been
working or if he’d expected Nick to call him. Surely not. But why
hadn’t Max attempted to make contact? Sure, he was stuck at work,
but it would have been nice to say hi, even if it was just a text
message.

Nick sighed. He and Max had something really good going on

together, he was sure of that. Their personalities had clicked. They
meshed together really well and seemed to understand each other
without effort. Except he didn’t understand why Max hadn’t tried to
reach him over the weekend.

It was late now, but not too late. Maybe they could line something

up for one day next week. He was due a little free time after working
all weekend. Of course, many of the people he worked with were due
time off as well, but he was flexible. Any time Max was free for a
couple of hours they could share a meal or something.

Had to work all weekend but can expect some time off this week in

lieu. Let me know when you’ll be free for a few hours and I’ll book
time to be with you.

No answer came back to him so Nick tried to forget about it.

Maybe Max was in the shower or in his hot tub. Or maybe he was
working on that sauna, sawing lumber and not able to hear his cell
phone beep.

Or maybe he’d decided he was going back to relationships with

women. Maybe he’d tasted male-male sex and decided he preferred it
the other way. Maybe he was just experimenting with Nick and now
that he’d checked the box for that experience he’d go back to being
straight.

Nick told himself he was being stupid. He’d felt a genuine bond

with Max. They’d had a closeness and a friendship that had been
genuine and true. He hadn’t thought to contact Max all day Saturday
so why was he stressing when Max hadn’t answered him he moment
he’d messaged him? “Lighten up,” he told himself.

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Nick left his cell phone on the nightstand all night and there was

no message waiting for him when his alarm went off the next
morning. On and off all day he kept checking his cell phone until
several of his work colleagues commented on it. Reluctantly he
switched it off and left it in his pocket after that, but he was hurt and
worried about Max. Surely their relationship hadn’t ended already?

Finally, after work Tuesday he drove out to Max’s house. He felt

embarrassed about just turning up. He was going to look like an
absolute idiot if Max told him to go away. It’d be even worse if he
had a woman with him. Or another man. But Nick couldn’t bring
himself to think that his intuition abut Max was wrong. Hell, he was a
detective for fuck’s sake. Watching people’s body language and
looking for unspoken clues was what he did for a living. And
everything about Max had told him they were bonding really well.

Max’s truck was parked beside the house, and there was no other

vehicle beside it. That was his first two worries taken care of. That
Max wouldn’t be there, or that he wouldn’t be alone.

Watching out for the sagging boards on the stoop, Nick ran up the

stairs and banged on the front door before he could lose his courage to
do so. Max might still tell him to go away. He really was asking for
trouble turning up uninvited like this after only one date. But he
couldn’t believe his instincts were so wrong. He had to believe that
what had happened between him and Max was as special to Max as it
had been to him.

Berengaria Brown

Chapter Four

Max was standing in the kitchen leaning against the wall, holding

a bag of semifrozen peas to his mouth, wishing they’d magically stop
his face from aching. When someone banged on his front door he
ignored it, certain it was just added pounding in his head. But when he
shifted the fast-defrosting peas from his mouth to his head, the
banging just got louder. Realizing someone was at the door he slung
the peas back inside the freezer and headed for the door.

“I’m coming—” he started to yell. But the moment he opened his

mouth the tooth he’d broken sent such a jab of pain through his head
that he almost fell over.

Fucking hell. Those peas must have been helping. I hope I’ve got

another packet in the freezer because this pain isn’t funny anymore.

Max opened the door, keeping his mouth shut tight against the

pain. There stood Nick, looking unbearably delicious, and also
worried.

“Nick,” he muttered, trying not to open his mouth too wide.
“Hell. What does the other guy look like?”
“Huh. What?” he mumbled, intent on keeping his lips together

and not able to think through the all-consuming throbbing of his face.

“Your lips, your cheek, they’re all swollen and your eye is

partially closed. Did someone hit you? Did you have a car crash? Are
you okay?”

“No.” Max felt himself beginning to sway and leaned against the

wall by the door.

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Nick pushed his way into the house, shut the door, and wrapped a

sturdy arm around Max’s waist. “Where do you want to go?
Bathroom? Bed?”

“Kitchen. Peas.”
“Peas? Or were you trying to say please?” Nick helped Max into

the kitchen and Max had to acknowledge that Nick’s arm around him
felt mighty good. Nick half pushed him into a chair and then asked,
“You want peas right?”

“Frozen.”
“Oh, I get it. An ice pack. Just a minute.”
Gingerly Max rested his head on the table closing his eyes and

trying to breathe slowly and deeply. But nothing would dull the
horrendous ache in his mouth, and his head. Hell even his shoulders
were aching now, likely because he was tense from the other pain.
Damn, life was a bitch at times.

Nick handed him something wrapped in a towel. It didn’t feel like

peas but it was very cold so surely it would help. Gratefully he rested
it on the side of his mouth where the broken tooth was, and then Nick
was back with a glass of water and a couple of Tylenol. He shook his
head. “I’ve already had six today.”

“You’re allowed eight in twenty-four hours and the water is room

temperature so it shouldn’t sting too badly. Suck them down and tell
me what happened.”

“Hurts to talk.”
“Okay. Hold up one finger when I’m right. Were you in a fight?

Work accident? Any kind of accident?”

Max knew this would take hours. Speaking slowly and carefully

he said, “Broke tooth yesterday.”

“And the dentist hasn’t seen you yet? Hell, you need a new

dentist. When is your appointment?”

Max shook his head, only to have the pounding double in

intensity. He closed his lips tightly, partly to stop himself

Berengaria Brown

whimpering, but mainly so he didn’t upchuck the Tylenol. He needed
their help right now.

Nick tapped his hand. “Look at me, Max. Have I got this straight?

You broke a tooth yesterday and you haven’t been to the dentist yet?”

Max sighed and help up a finger.
“You don’t even have an appointment to go to the dentist?”
Again Max raised a finger.
“Why the fuck not? You clearly aren’t a happy camper right

now.”

“It’ll be fine in a few days,” muttered Max, hoping like hell he

could last that long.

Nick stood up, placed his hands on his hips, and stared at Max.

“Are you insane? Has the pain driven you out of your tree? Teeth
don’t heal themselves. They aren’t like skin. If you leave a broken
tooth it’ll rot and likely infect the teeth either side of it. Instead of
getting one tooth fixed you’ll have to fix two or three of them.”

Max went to shake his head and then remembered just in time that

was a really bad idea right now. “Broke one once before. Hurt for a
while then stopped. Use special toothpaste.”

“That toothpaste just puts a thin coating on the tooth. It can’t put

the broken bit back again. Was the previous break as bad as this?
How long did it hurt for?”

Max groaned. He wished Nick would shut up and go away. The

new lot of Tylenol had helped a little bit. Maybe with the ice pack he
could sleep for a few hours. Ignoring Nick he staggered out of the
room and into his bedroom kicking his shoes off and crawling under
the covers fully dressed. He’d never gone to bed in his clothing
before, but he had to lie down right now.

He heard Nick following him but he couldn’t talk to him. It hurt

far too much.

* * * *

Popping His Cherry

Nick stood in the bedroom doorway staring at Max. He could feel

the waves of misery flowing off his lover but he had no idea what to
do. To him, they were in a relationship, but likely no one else would
see it that way. They’d spent one day together, and one night, that was
all. Right now Max needed help but he had no idea how to go about
giving it. The man was in serious pain. He was a big tough builder
and likely was used to bashing his thumb with a hammer and things
like that which would make an ordinary person yell. For his face to be
so swollen that broken tooth had to be more than nasty. Nick wouldn’t
be surprised if there was already infection in his gums spreading
poison into his system. He longed to touch Max’s skin to feel if he
was feverish, but that would be an imposition right now. However, he
could make a new ice pack for him.

The peas in the freezer had been soft indicating they’d already had

a turn as an ice pack. He’d used a bag of chopped vegetables, but
likely they were getting warm already. Nick returned to the kitchen,
and looked in the pantry for Ziploc bags, making up a couple of real
ice packs, before wrapping a nice piece of steak in plastic, and then a
towel, and taking it back to the bedroom. Max was asleep, so he
swapped over the ice packs, and checked his skin temperature. Max
felt warmer than normal but not fiery. So likely that was just from the
pain, not from infection. Although, his knowledge of first aid was
limited and it could be the start of infection he supposed.

Nick went and got a chair from the kitchen and placed it near the

door where he could watch over Max. What was he to do? The man
clearly didn’t want to go to the dentist, but was he even in his right
mind and capable of making a sensible decision right now? The pain
must be intense and he’d been suffering for a while.

Nick stood up again and walked out into the living room standing

on the rug in front of the fireplace to think. He didn’t even know if
Max had insurance, although surely as a builder he’d have to. His
men must have minor accidents from time to time no matter how
careful they were. It could be financial suicide for a contractor not to

Berengaria Brown

have insurance. And Max had shown himself to be financially astute,
as witness to his part ownership of The Paint Store.

That was an idea. Would the other partners know what he wanted?

Maybe Cuthbert the accountant would know who his dentist was and
the details of his insurance. But then again Max had made it plain he
didn’t want to go to the dentist. He wanted to tough it out. Nick was
certain that was a bad idea. He hadn’t thought Max would be so very
machismo as to refuse to see a dentist, but it had to be a side of him
he hadn’t met yet. Maybe again from his trade. But treating a broken
tooth like a splinter or a bruise was not a good solution. It really could
get infected and then Max would be in worse trouble. This much pain
was not normal, nor was it appropriate.

Nick sighed. It was up to him. He had to do something. But what?

And would it be the killer to their budding romance? Would Max feel
he’d imposed, taken over, treated him like a child instead of like a
partner?

Damn. Where was the line between sensible and interfering?
Nick spent far more time pacing the floor than he did sleeping. It

was nothing like what he’d planned to do that night. Well, not that
he’d exactly planned to do anything. He’d been too worried that Max
was avoiding him deliberately. Now he was worried that Max was in
so much pain. Nick had actually dozed off to sleep on the chair when
he woke to Max’s muttering and groaning. Knowing the Tylenol
would have worn off, he hurried back to the bathroom collected the
box of tablets, and then stopped at the kitchen for some lukewarm
water. He also took one of the ice packs he’d made out of the freezer.
With his hands full he returned to the bedroom and put everything on
the nightstand. He tapped Max on the shoulder.

“Here, have some more pain pills.”
Obediently Max leaned up on one elbow and swallowed them

down.

“So cold,” he muttered pulling the bedding over himself.

Popping His Cherry

Cold? It wasn’t cold at all. Suddenly suspicious, Nick laid a hand

on Max’s forehead. He was burning hot. Well that put an end to his
doubts. Without trying to explain anything he said, “Sit up, Max. It’s
time to go. Get your shoes on.”

He kneeled at the side of the bed and dragged Max’s legs over the

edge of the bed, shoving his feet into his soft house shoes. He pulled
on Max’s arm. “Come on,” he urged him.

Max grumbled but seemed almost unaware of what he was doing,

which only made Nick worry all the more. He picked up the fresh ice
pack, and pulled the quilt off the bed. Only after he’d slammed the
front door and pushed Max into the backseat of his car did he realize
he had no way to get back into Max’s house. He’d just have to hope
the man had his ID and his house keys with him. This wasn’t the time
to be patting down his pockets.

Max drove as fast as he felt was safe down the long, bumpy

driveway and back to the road. As soon as he hit the highway he
headed for the emergency room wishing he’d tried harder to get Max
to see the dentist as soon as he’d arrived.

At the emergency room he left his car in a five-minute parking

space and ran for a wheelchair. Max was much too heavy for him to
carry and he wasn’t sure he should be walking. The less he jarred his
mouth, and maybe sent the infection racing through his bloodstream,
the better. Inside the ER he didn’t mess around. He showed his police
ID to the triage nurse and had Max escalated to the head of the line,
but he still had to fill out the damn paperwork.

“Where’s your wallet, Max. I need to fill out the paperwork for

you.”

Max’s eyes were closed and he was holding the ice pack to his

face, but he reached feebly for the back pocket of his jeans. Hoping
like hell Max really did have his wallet still in his pants, Nick slid his
hand into the pocket and pulled it out with a sigh. At least he’d be
able to fill in some of the details now.

Berengaria Brown

* * * *

Nick sighed with relief as he helped Max climb up onto a bed and

two nurses attended to him.

“I have to move my car but I’ll be right back,” he said, aware that

his five minutes were long gone.

“Sure, detective. Take a seat in the waiting room and finish filling

in the paperwork when you’re done. We’ll look after Mr. Hall now.”

Nick hurried out front of the emergency room, pleased to see his

car hadn’t been ticketed or, worse, towed. He drove around to the
parking lot noticing several other people shifting their vehicles as
well. He checked his watch. Four a.m. Way too early to contact
anyone about Max. He didn’t even know who was his next of kin, far
less any previous medical history. He was lucky the basic information
he needed for the man to be accepted at the hospital had been in his
wallet, but as for the rest, he’d have to wait until it was at least six
before phoning someone.

But who to contact? His first thought had been Cuthbert Lewis,

one of the partners in The Paint Store. As the accountant likely he’d
be aware of the paperwork details. Then he wondered if Roland
Clarke, the business manager, would be a better choice. But he didn’t
know either man’s phone number. He could get it by speaking to the
staff at the store, but that meant waiting until it opened at eight. Four
hours from now. What if that was too long?

And then there was his own situation. He’d scarcely slept and was

really tired, yet he needed to shower, get dressed, and get to work
himself. Working all day on very little sleep was nothing new for him,
but the older he got the less he liked doing it. Besides, he wanted to be
with Max. The man was really ill. It was frightening how fast he’d
gone downhill from being in genuine pain, to being seriously unwell.
Nick wanted to stay with him until he was better. To go home with
him when he was released. And to take Mr. Machismo to a dentist to
get his tooth fixed immediately. Likely that was one thing he could do

Popping His Cherry

while he waited. Check out emergency dentists who would take
patients at once.

Nick walked back to the waiting room and read through the

emergency’s room’s sheaf of questions again, but there were no more
he could answer from the cards in Max’s wallet or his own personal
knowledge. He scrolled through his cell phone contacts to see if he
had a number for any of the other partners in The Paint Store. Basil
King, the interior decorator, was the final one of the four. And then
Nick realized he was more tired than he’d thought he was. He had
Max’s cell phone as well and of course they’d be in it. He stood up
and dug in his jeans pockets unloading everything in them onto the
empty chair beside him. Then, trying to be as neat as Max, he put his
own wallet, cell phone, and keys into his left pocket, and Max’s keys
and wallet into his right pocket. Then he scrolled through Max’s cell
phone and found Roland’s number.

It’s Nick here. Max in emergency room with infected broken tooth.

Need to complete paperwork. Who is his next of kin please?

Nick sent the message and put that cell phone back in his right

pocket and pulled his own cell phone out of the left pocket. There was
no problem calling his office at this hour. Law enforcement never
sleeps. No, the problem here was more whether he could ask for the
day off to be with Max. In his mind he was determined to stay. Max
needed him. Even if his mother, or brother—if he had one—or ten
best friends all arrived, Nick needed to be here with Max while he
was so ill. Explaining it to his boss was going to be a little tricky
though. Were he and Max partners? They’d had one day together.
That didn’t really qualify as a relationship. Yet he was special and
important to Nick. He wanted to be with Max. No, it was stronger
than that. He had to be here for him. So, it was time to bite the bullet.

Partner ill in hospital. Request day off tomorrow. Nick.
Almost immediately his cell phone beeped.
Leave granted. Didn’t know you had a partner. Bring him along

to pizza night next time.

Berengaria Brown

Nick grinned. Maybe the boss was just checking to see whether or

not he really did have a partner, but that was okay. He could stay here
with Max. And then he’d drag him along to the fucking dentist,
handcuffed if necessary.

* * * *

Max felt guilty for not being nicer to Nick. It was really good of

him to come and visit him. But he was alternately hot and cold,
sweating and shivering, and his face was never-endingly throbbing
like a bitch. Maybe he would have to go to the dentist after all, but
last time he’d damaged a tooth it’d hurt for a day or two and then
been fine. Although it hadn’t hurt this bad. This was nasty.

Max never went to the dentist if he could help it. The man he’d

seen as a child was a sadistic brute who enjoyed terrorizing kids when
their parents weren’t watching. And the only time he’d been as an
adult, to a different dentist, the man had dislocated his jaw while
putting a filling into a back tooth. Max hadn’t even realized his jaw
was dislocated. He’d thought it was just sore from having to be held
wide open as the dentist fixed his tooth. But when it was still sore a
couple of days later he’d gone to a doctor who’d manipulated it back
into place for him. Then it had ached some more. No, dentists and
him didn’t get on together at all.

Max opened his eyes, aware of noises and movement all around

him. Oh, yeah, that was right. Nick had brought him to the emergency
room. He went to sit up only to feel a heavy tugging on his arm. He
looked down at his left hand. There was a bandage around it and tubes
up to an IV pole with two bags of liquid. Carefully he touched his
cheek with his right hand and then slid his tongue toward the broken
tooth, although he didn’t touch it. It’d been much too sore to touch for
several days now. The broken tooth was still there, and his gum felt
stretched and hot, but it wasn’t throbbing nearly as badly as it had
been, and touching his cheek didn’t make him want to scream. Okay,

Popping His Cherry

there must be some heavy duty painkillers being put into his body
through the drip. Likely that’s why he could think clearly for the first
time in a day or so.

His men had sent him home from the worksite before lunchtime,

telling him to get his tooth fixed and stop being such a baby. But back
then he’d still been confident it would fix itself. Now he had to accept
that wasn’t going to happen and he needed to man up and visit a
dentist. Preferably one who didn’t hate people or dislocate their jaws.
Maybe Nick would know a good dentist.

“Ah, Mr. Hall. Are you feeling a bit better now that the antibiotics

are working?”

He turned to look at the doorway. The young nurse was smiling at

him but he was still processing her words. “Antibiotics?”

“You had a severe infection in your mouth, Mr. Hall. You really

shouldn’t wait so long before getting that tooth repaired. You’ll be on
antibiotics for at least a week.”

“Infection? The tooth was infected?”
“That’s correct. Now lie still while I check your blood pressure.”
Max laid his head back on the pillow. When Nick had first arrived

he’d said something about infection. Oh yes, that infection could hurt
the teeth next to the broken one. Hell, was he going to have three
teeth to deal with instead of just one? Maybe his men were right. He’d
been a stupid baby not wanting to go to the dentist and now he was
about to pay the price. He wasn’t a little kid to be bullied anymore,
and there were certain to be plenty of kind, and careful, dentists
around. He just hadn’t wanted to go looking for them.

And, to be fair, the tooth he’d chipped once before had just

stopped hurting and been fine ever since. But yeah. It was definitely
time to man up and get this one dealt with. He also needed to thank
Nick, who’d rescued him from his own stupidity. How had Nick even
known to visit him? Had he not answered a text message perhaps?

“Where’s my cell phone? I need to call Nick,” he asked the nurse.

Berengaria Brown

“Detective O’Hare is holding your personal property and is

outside. He stayed here all night waiting to ensure you improved. I’ll
go tell him you’re ready to see him in a little while, when I finish
here.” The nurse wrote things on his chart, flipped over the pages, and
read graphs on the computer screen beside his bed. It all looked like
gobbledygook to Max, but he was feeling so much better, almost like
his old self, that he wasn’t going to complain. Evidently these people
knew their stuff. Whereas he’d just made a major stuff up.

“Nick stayed here all night? I’ve been there that long?”
“I guess you could say the night was mostly gone by the time you

arrived. Detective O’Hare brought you in at three thirty-two and it’s
now nine fifteen.”

Six hours and he could remember almost none of them. He

couldn’t really remember much about Nick arriving at his house
either, only the pain killers he gave him and putting him to bed.
Damn, he must have been out of it.

“So when do I get to go home?” he asked the nurse.
“It’ll be another hour until you’ve received the full course of

antibiotics and then it’ll be the doctor’s decision whether or not to
release you.” Her cheery smile disappeared. “You do realize you’ll be
back here inside forty-eight hours unless you get that tooth seen to?
You men always seem to think work is the most important thing in
your life, but sometimes you need to prioritize your health.” She
snapped the chart shut and left his cubicle.

Max grinned. He’d been told to stand in the naughty corner in the

gentlest way imaginable, but firmly nonetheless. And yeah. He wasn’t
stupid. Hit him over the head with a big enough piece of lumber and
he’d come to his senses. He needed to locate a dentist and get the
remains of his broken tooth extracted as soon as he could get an
appointment.

He kept his gaze on the doorway. Nick was here. Nick had been

here all the time. That meant so much to him. Surely it meant Nick
cared for him? Not just that he was worried about his tooth, but that

Popping His Cherry

he had genuine feelings for Max, the way Max was falling in love
with Nick? Or maybe it was just that he felt responsible for him since
Nick had been the one to bring Max here. Agh, it was all too hard. He
knew he loved Nick. Nick was here now. Nick cared for him even if
he didn’t love him yet.

And there Nick was, stepping into his room, a worried frown

creasing his forehead. He came right across to the bed and Max went
to lift his arms up for a hug, except that his fucking left hand was tied
up with the tubes of saline and medication. Nick patted his shoulder
and sat down. “You look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw
you.”

“I feel it, too. My face doesn’t feel as if it’s about to explode

anymore.”

“You still have to get that tooth fixed. You—”
“Yeah, yeah, I actually worked that out all by myself. And if I

hadn’t, that itty-bitty nurse already told me to stand in the naughty
corner until I got my act together.”

“The nurse said that? Good for her.”
“Not those exact words, but her meaning was clear. I guess I’m

going to have to find a dentist. There’s bound to be someone
reasonable somewhere around.”

Nick stared at him. “What’s your problem with dentists? Real men

do get their teeth checked you know.”

“My work crew seemed to think it was all machismo as well, but

it’s not really. The other tooth I damaged was fine after a few days
using that special sensitive toothpaste. There was no reason why it
wouldn’t have worked this time as well.” Max could hear the
defensive tone in his voice and stopped to take a breath. But Nick
spoke gently.

“And when it clearly wasn’t working? When did you break that

tooth anyway?”

“It broke Sunday evening and it hurt like a bitch straightaway. I

went to bed hoping it would be better when I woke up. I guess I was a

Berengaria Brown

little slow to face the facts. I’ve never liked dentists. The man I went
to as a child liked to taunt children. He’d say things like…” Max had
to swallow hard. He could still see the man’s supercilious sneer and
hear the evil delight in his tone as he said it. “Little boys who don’t
brush their teeth properly need to make six appointments at the front
desk. I’ll be doing a lot of drilling and filling to fix up the mess
you’ve made of your mouth.”

“And did you need a lot of fillings as a child? Your teeth look

pretty good to me.”

“No. I worked out later the sadistic bastard was just padding the

accounts. He’d give me a couple of injections, take a couple of X-
rays, and then maybe scrape or clean something and that would be it.
But as a child I was always waiting and agonizing over what he’d do
next. After I finished that series of visits, which stretched out over an
entire summer, I never went back. By then my mom was working as
well as my dad, and I was the one who brought in the mail. As soon
as I saw an envelope from the dentist I’d tear it into confetti and
throw the bits into the trash. My parents were so busy I don’t think
they ever noticed, the dentist stopped sending letters, and my teeth
never ached so it worked for me.”

Nick laughed. “But—”
“Have you got a good reliable person you go to?” he asked Nick.
“I haven’t been very good about getting regular checkups, but

there’s a clinic quite near the police headquarters and a lot of the staff
go there. I’ve never heard any complaints.”

“Okay. I’ll make an appointment then.”
Nick stood up and pulled a handful of things out of his pocket. He

handed Max his cell phone, his keys, and his wallet.

“Wait a minute and I’ll get the phone number for you.”
“Not going to let me slide away without doing this are you?”
“Nope. I’ll be driving you there, waiting with you to make sure

they don’t frighten you, and then taking you home again.”

“Wait up. Today’s Tuesday. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Popping His Cherry

“No, Max. Today’s Wednesday and I have the day off as

compassionate leave. I…um, had to say you were my partner. I hope
you don’t mind. The boss has insisted I bring you to the next pizza
night as well.”

Max thought Nick looked a little embarrassed but he didn’t care.

Being called Nick’s partner made him happy.

“No problems. I like pizza. But where did Tuesday go? I’m sure it

was Monday the men sent me home early.”

“I expect you lost it with all the pain of your tooth. Here’s the

number for the dental clinic.”

Max sighed and typed the number into his cell phone, explained to

the receptionist he had a broken tooth and was in the emergency room
getting antibiotics, and was given an appointment for that afternoon.

“All done. Happy?”
Nick gave him the most beautiful smile. “Of course.”
And suddenly the day was looking wonderful. Even if he did have

to go to the dentist.

Berengaria Brown

Chapter Five

Nick was far more worried about Max than he’d ever been about

himself. Once he was released from the hospital, he insisted on going
and checking on his work crew. Since the only car they had was
Nick’s, Nick drove, insisting Max lie on the backseat and rest,
wrapped in the quilt that was still there. Max argued but did as he was
told. However, at the worksite, he walked around checking everything
very much his usual self even if his house shoes were most unsuited
to a building site.

“Couldn’t you have given me my boots?” he complained.
Nick laughed. “How was I supposed to know where they were?

The house shoes were right there beside the bed where you’d kicked
them off.”

“I kicked them off? Hell, I must have been feeling bad not to have

put them in the closet.”

Nick laughed even harder as Max whined about having to clean

the shoes when they got home. Anyway, it appeared the construction
was going well, because he seemed happy with the progress even
when Nick reminded him it was Wednesday, not Tuesday. Max must
have been really ill to lose an entire day in his pain.

By the time they arrived at the dentist Nick was starving hungry

but hadn’t said anything about eating, not sure that Max should put
anything in his mouth right now. Maybe food would lead to more
infection. Although Max must be hungry since he hadn’t eaten for
several days. Hell, Max had to be hungry. Nick would have killed for
a burger right now and he’d only missed a couple of meals.

Popping His Cherry

While Max was in with the dentist, Nick raced into the mall and

filled Max’s prescription for antibiotics. He also picked up two large
cans of soup and a couple of soft hamburger buns. Even if Max
couldn’t eat much, something soft and easy to digest might be okay
and he really ought to have something.

He’d worried that Max might come out before he returned but he

was back quite quickly and able to listen to the dentist’s instructions
and what to do after an extraction. The dentist grinned at Nick. “Don’t
put up with his bullshit next time, detective. Handcuff him and bring
him in so we can save the tooth and save him from getting an
infection as well.”

“I will.”
“It’s okay. You never know. I might even come in for a checkup.”
“We both will.” Nick meant it. No way did he ever want Max to

go through something like this again.

Back in the parking lot Max insisted on sitting in the passenger

seat this time. “I’m fine. The injection didn’t hurt much at all and the
hole where he pulled the tooth out doesn’t hurt as much as the tooth
itself did.”

“It might hurt more when the anesthetic wears off,” Nick warned

him.

“That’s true. Let’s go home. Worst case scenario I can always go

back to bed until it settles down.”

“Maybe we should both go to bed anyway. I didn’t get much sleep

last night and likely rest would be the best thing to help your body to
recover. I could even give you a backrub.”

“Only a backrub? Not something a little more front and center.”
Nick laughed. It was wonderful to hear Max acting so much more

like himself again.

“While I drive likely you ought to text Roland and tell him you’re

okay. I had to get some details from him for the paperwork at the
emergency room.”

Berengaria Brown

Nick wasn’t surprised when Roland rang back, apparently wanting

to know how Max was feeling. He was very grateful for the business
manager’s help. Between his status as a cop and the information
Roland provided, they’d been able to get Max treated immediately.
Without Roland’s help Nick might not have been able to wrangle
things properly.

And then they were back at Max’s property and something else

he’d neglected to think about occurred to Nick. “Is this a farm? I
mean, are there animals that ought to have been fed and watered or
whatever while you were ill?”

“There aren’t any animals yet. When the house is finished I’ll get

a proper fence built out back enclosing a good big chunk of land
where a couple of dogs can run and play, but there’s nowhere safe to
keep them yet, and the house has to be done first. But one day a
couple of dogs, and then after that, maybe chickens or ducks. I only
have a bit over an acre of land, and don’t plan on growing crops
although who knows, I might even plant vegetables. This is the place
I want to be my permanent home. Somewhere I can be myself.”

Nick found himself nodding along while Max was talking. “All of

that resonates with me, too. A place that is home with space to try out
new ideas, to make new hobbies. I like the idea of growing some
vegetables, maybe digging a small fishpond for your ducks, all those
things. And a garage or barn for the vehicles to keep them warm and
snow-free in winter.”

“You and snow. You have a real hang-up about it. It’s just snow.

It’s no big deal.”

Nick checked the time. “Your half hour is up and I’m starving. I

bought a couple of cans of soup and some soft hamburger buns. How
about I warm us up some soup to eat and you can soak the bread in
the soup to make it easy to swallow.”

“Food? Actually, yes, I am hungry. Let’s do that.”

* * * *

Popping His Cherry

An hour later they were in bed, naked and spooned together. Up

close to Nick, Max could see how tired he was. There were shadows
under his eyes and fine lines on his forehead. Despite having slept,
Max was feeling really tired, too, and lying there, their arms around
each other, was perfect. Max could imagine a future with them often
sleeping like this, relaxed and together after a busy day. Of course,
sex would be good, too, but right now he felt warm and peaceful,
ready for a nap.

Nick’s cock was resting in the crack of his ass, and Nick’s strong

arms held him tight against Nick’s hard chest. Max reveled in the
sense of being held by a man. Of all that hard strength around him. He
could rest now, safe in the arms of his lover.

A few hours later he woke to the sure knowledge that he was

feeling much better and ready to play. The gap in his mouth where his
tooth had been was still sore but it was a feeling of being bruised and
tender, not the throbbing, nagging pain it had been. The anesthetic
had worn off his mouth and his lips and palate weren’t all fat and
rubbery now either, which was a great bonus although he wouldn’t be
kissing anyone just yet. His breath probably stank like a burst sewer
pipe. But his ass and Nick’s cock were already up close and personal
with each other so a little action there might be acceptable.

Max rubbed his ass over Nick’s cock and Nick groaned. That was

a positive sign, so he did it again. Nick’s hand came over his hip and
grabbed his dick. Damn that felt good. But still, Max said, “Shouldn’t
you be lubing my ass about now?”

“Are you sure you’re up for it? I don’t want to exhaust you.”
Max pushed his cock up farther into Nick’s grip. “I think you can

tell I’m up for anything.”

Nick pulled away from him and opened the nightstand drawer. For

a minute Max mourned the loss of Nick’s hot hard body pressing
against his spine, but it’d be worth it to have his hands on his ass very
soon. Max rolled onto his front burying his face in the pillow, hoping

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his breath wouldn’t be a turn-off at this distance. Then he arched his
back and wiggled his butt, as a gentle hint to Nick to start preparing
him.

“There’s no need to rush. We have all night and I don’t want you

to exhaust yourself. You were pretty damn sick this time yesterday.
Give yourself enough time to recover properly.”

Max watched over his shoulder as Nick slathered lube over his

fingers and then crawled between the legs he’d stretched wide apart
ready and waiting for Nick. His dick was hot and hard and he had a
juvenile urge to rub it on the sheet to ease it some. But rubbing it
between their bellies would be so much better, so he lay still and
waited patiently.

Nick eased a slippery finger inside him and then worked the

muscle rim, stretching and softening it. Max sighed happily, moving
his hips with the pleasure of Nick’s touch on his sensitive flesh.
Nick’s fingers were thick and strong. His touch was firm and decisive.
But he wasn’t rough. It was more as if his hands were making the
statement that he knew what he was doing and how to do it, so he was
simply getting on with the job.

However “the job” itself was doing a mighty fine imitation of

driving Max crazy with lust. Nick seemed to know exactly where all
Max’s most sensitive nerve endings were, and within a second of
Nick starting to open his ass, every one of those little nerves was
sitting up straight and tall and paying attention. Max was ready and
willing to be fucked right now. But he’d loved doing the fucking as
well. One day soon he’d be the one on top, stretching Nick’s ass.

Meanwhile he tried to wait patiently, knowing that Nick was

paying special attention to him tonight because of the scare he’d
gotten seeing Max so ill. For the first time Max understood that by not
facing his fears in a mature way and admitting sooner he ought to get
himself to the dentist, he’d imposed stresses and strains on his friends
who worried about him, as well as on his work crew who’d been left
to carry on without him for longer than any of them had expected. He

Popping His Cherry

was still amazed at how he’d lost an entire day. He had no idea what
had happened between when the crew had sent him home midday
Monday, and when Nick had arrived late Tuesday. More than twenty-
four hours had merged into a few minutes’ recollection of pain and
discomfort.

“I’m sorry I didn’t face up to my fears like a man and get the tooth

seen to sooner,” he said.

Nick’s fingers stilled. “Because you ended up in the emergency

room and had to have the tooth pulled out, you mean?”

“Well yes, of course. But also because it made life harder for you

and my team. I was out of action a whole lot longer than I should
have been.”

Nick’s hand slapped his ass, and then three slippery fingers slid

deep into his dark channel. “That’s okay. Your crew understands and
so do I. It can be a bitch having to act like a grown up at times.”

“I’m ready,” said Max, suddenly desperate to be fucked. It wasn’t

anything Nick had especially said or done, it was everything all
together. He wanted Nick, needed him, wanted to be back in his arms
again. They belonged together. There was no doubt at all in his mind
about that. The question was, did Nick feel the same? He obviously
cared. He’d come looking for Max and then taken him to hospital and
the dentist, and stayed all this time looking after him. But that was
care, concern, obligation perhaps. Was there love inside Nick for Max
as well?

* * * *

Taking the time to prepare Max properly had almost killed Nick.

His dick was hot and hard, as huge as it had ever been, and aching to
be inside the big builder once again. For a virgin, Max had been an
amazing fuck, seeming to know instinctively when to push and when
to hold back, when to pump his hips, and when to rest. The night

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they’d spent together was engraved in Nick’s mind as a shining
example of how awesome two men could be together.

Right now it was time to move on and make more memories.

Good ones to paper over the disaster that Max’s tooth almost was.
Nick had been just about convinced Max was avoiding him. He’d
seriously considered not checking up on the builder, and now he was
just so glad he had.

He was saved from worrying Max might have died, because both

Cuthbert and the head of Max’s crew had said they’d planned to visit
the following day if there’d been no word from him. But even so, that
would have meant a few more hours of the poison tracking its way
through Max’s body, which wouldn’t have been good. It wouldn’t
have killed him, but he’d have been just that much worse than he
already was.

Nick bent over Max’s butt and lightly licked a line across the tops

of his ass cheeks then nipped the rounded parts of his butt. He was all
muscle. It wasn’t easy to find even the small amount of flesh he
needed to tease his lover.

Max grinned back over his shoulder at him. “I hope you aren’t

part vampire. You seem to like biting.”

“I’m sure your blood would taste very good,” he teased in an

exaggerated Dracula-style accent. And then he stopped and thought.
“Actually, with all the antibiotics and fluids they poured into you in
the emergency room, likely it would taste disgusting right now. I
think you’ll be safe from vampires for a week or two.”

“What, do you think they put a couple of shakes of garlic salt in

the IV bag?” asked Max with a perfectly straight face.

Nick snorted. “I’m glad you’ve got your sense of humor back. I

really love the way you turn life into fun.” He blushed a bit as he said
love. He was almost certain he loved Max, but only a raw teenager
would mention such a thing so soon. But Nick was no teenager. He
was a man with a life and experience behind him and he knew what
he liked. And right now, what he liked was Max.

Popping His Cherry

He flipped Max over onto his back and tugged him closer.

Cooperatively Max held his legs up out of the way while Nick rolled
on the latex, and pressed his dick at Max’s entry. He held Max’s hips
firmly and pushed at the muscle ring. He knew he’d put quite some
effort into ensuring that Max was ready for him, and that was proven
to be correct when his dick slid past the sphincter and deep inside
Max. It was so hot in there, his ass so welcoming, that Nick’s dick
twitched and shook with need. But no way was Nick going to permit
himself to come fast right now. He’d waited a long time for tonight. It
seemed like months instead of a couple of weeks. The important point
was, he wanted right now to be perfect. To be worth the wait. To tie
them together in love as well as lust and a successful fucking.

Nick slid his legs under Max, crossing them under his lower back,

which forced Max’s ass up higher, closer to his own body. It was a
bitch they couldn’t kiss. Their kisses were so damn carnal and intense.
But that really might hurt Max and set his recovery back, so they’d
just have to manage without any kisses tonight.

Nick gripped Max’s hips and slid out until only the head of his

cock was still inside his lover. Then, as slowly as he could make
himself move, he pressed back inside. Again and again he repeated
his strokes, trying to make his actions faster by such tiny increments
that the tension in Max’s body would stay incredibly high. Judging by
the state of Max’s dick, which bounced between their bodies thick
and hard with the head already a needy reddish-purple, he was
successful.

Until Max derailed the entire process by wiggling his hips

frantically and leaning forward to grab Nick’s arms, which slammed
his dick deep inside so hard Nick was left gasping for breath.

“Haven’t you ever heard the word subtle?” he asked.
“Says the man with a nice line in torture.”
“I want this to be good for you.”
“It is good for me, but an orgasm would be even better. That

would be excellent for both of us.”

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Since his rhythm was totally lost anyway, Nick started pounding

in and out of Max faster now, then reached forward to fist his lover’s
dick. As soon as he gripped the erection he knew what Max’s problem
was. He wasn’t going to last more than another few strokes, so Nick
determined to make them really good ones. He pumped in steadily,
ramming his cock on Max’s prostrate with each move. Max groaned
and came spurting his seed high in the air. It was so erotic a sight that
Nick let go as well, filling the condom in Max’s ass with his own
cum.

* * * *

Even though they were both very tired, they lay wrapped in each

other’s arms for a long time before drifting off to sleep.

“I’ll give you a copy of my schedule so you’ll know where I’ll be

for the next few weeks. Then if you magically get some time off you
can find me. Maybe we could eat lunch together sometimes.” Max
rested his back against Nick’s chest. He hadn’t wanted to be face-to-
face because of his mouth, but he loved that Nick could still cuddle
him.

“Calling me at work likely isn’t a good thing, but you can always

text me. I check my cell phone regularly even though there are times I
have to have it switched to silent. But a lunchtime together would be
good, especially when we aren’t far apart. And there’s the pizza night
as well, the boss has invited you to.”

“I like pizza.” Max was getting sleepy but he vaguely remembered

promising to go to that. He’d put the date in his phone calendar right
away. Well tomorrow for sure.

“Tell me about your home. You haven’t mentioned anything

about your apartment or where you live. Even if you have
roommates.” Suddenly Max was jealous. Did Nick share an apartment
with other people?

Popping His Cherry

Nick hugged him. “There’s no need to be jealous. I live alone and

have always done so. Law enforcement is a lonely trade. Because of
the work we do, and our unusual hours, and the secret nature of a lot
of our assignments, the law isn’t really an occupation suited to
sharing an apartment. Even if I don’t bring files home that a partner
might see, just talking in my sleep could give away some secrets.”

“It’s just as well I’m a heavy sleeper then. I wouldn’t hear you

even if you were talking in your sleep,” said Max.

“I have a two-bedroom apartment right near police headquarters. I

actually walk to work almost always and leave my own car at the
police compound because it’s much safer there than parked out front
of the building. About the only other thing you need to know is that I
don’t keep my bedroom as tidy as you do, Mr. Neatfreak.”

Max rolled onto his back. “I’m not a neatfreak. It’s just so much

easier to find things when I always put them away in exactly the same
place.”

“Yes, sure, uh-huh,” Nick soothed him unconvincingly.
“Neatfreak. Hmmph.” Max caught himself pouting and

straightened his lips. But not before Nick’s brown eyes sparkled at
him in fun.

Max had to be very careful about how he phrased his next

question. “Would you ever consider moving out here? I know the
commute would not be walking distance…” He let his thought trail
off. It’d be closer to a half-hour drive. Maybe too long for a busy
detective.

Nick leaned up on one elbow and kissed the side of his neck. “Yes

I would, but I’m not shoveling a half mile of driveway. I’m happy to
learn how to use your snowplow and I’m already good with a
snowblower, but I only shovel a few steps out to the car, no more.”

Max sighed happily. “That’s okay. I’ll make sure I’ve begun the

barn for the vehicles before it snows. As long as the roof is on and a
couple of sides it’ll be enough that you won’t need to do more than
maybe de-ice the windshield.”

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“Thank you.” Nick nuzzled his neck and Max opened his arms to

him, keeping his head turned to the side so he wouldn’t breathe on
Nick. But Nick wasn’t paying attention to his face. He concentrated
on licking and sucking along his neck, and then teasing his nipples.

Max knew some women found breast stimulation highly erotic,

but for others, it really didn’t do much for them. He was discovering
that Nick’s hands on his nipples did arouse him, Oh, he wasn’t about
to come or anything like that, but his dick was paying attention and
his nerve endings were alert for more action. Perhaps it was more a
sign that things were about to get interesting, rather than a sign of
actual arousal. But whatever it was, he liked Nick’s fingers on his tiny
nubs.

Nick sank lower, working his way down Max’s body as Max

sighed happily. His body was waking up again, ready for more kissing
and touching, instead of being ready to go to sleep. When Nick
sucked his dick into his mouth Max groaned loudly.

“I wish I could do that to you. I’d love to suck you while you suck

me.”

“I doubt very much that the bossy nurse in the ER would approve,

though,” said Nick.

He snorted. “Hell no.”
“So let me play here for a little while.”
Max spread his legs wider and thrust his dick up into Nick’s hands

or his mouth. Or whatever he used at the time. He closed his eyes and
reveled in all the sensations. The gentle touch of Nick’s hands on his
balls as he rolled them in his palm. The firm grip on his dick with the
wicked twist at the top as he fisted him. The long wet licks up the side
of his shaft and the deep warm cavern of Nick’s mouth as he sucked
him deep. Everything Nick did was amazing and arousing. No dick
could refuse to obey the summons Nick was giving it.

Nick sucked him harder, deeper, faster. His hands were stroking,

pinching, nipping, fisting. Max’s hips were pumping in time to Nick’s
hands and mouth, moving faster, the urgency increasing with every

Popping His Cherry

second. When the seed finally spurted out of him he sighed with a
mixture of completion, happiness, and regrets.

“That was wonderful, thank you. But it would have been better if I

could have sucked you as well.”

“I enjoyed pleasuring you. One day soon you’ll be able to

pleasure me.”

That was right, he could do that soon. And he would. In the

meantime he needed to keep encouraging Nick to come out here to his
house. Maybe they could meet at Nick’s apartment sometimes, but
this place was home and he wanted Nick to feel that as deeply in his
bones and in his heart as Max did. Max had known ever since he saw
this old farmhouse that it was the perfect place to settle, to put down
roots. Now he needed to be sure Nick saw that, too. Because he
wanted Nick. He loved Nick. If he had to, he’d move into the
apartment during the working week to be with his lover. But it would
never be home. This house was home for them both.

* * * *

Nick and Max had developed the habit of sending several text

messages to each other during the day. When Max’s cell phone
beeped just before lunchtime, he was hoping it’d be Nick saying he
could meet for a brief lunch break together. Instead it was Roland
Clarke.

We need to talk business. Have you got half an hour over lunch?
Max stared at the screen of his cell phone. He wasn’t sure whether

that was bad news or what. The Paint Store seemed to be progressing
really well. Basil had been one hundred percent correct in all his
predictions about Edward, and the man had proven himself to be a
smart and useful worker, full of energy and good ideas. Both Robyn
and Ashleigh were also a brilliant team, managing staff, paperwork,
and the checkouts with style and panache. In fact, all the staff was
wonderful. Basil might look like a fairy queen, and didn’t even mind

Popping His Cherry

Chapter Six

Max kept a jacket and clean boots in the back of his truck along

with a stack of other things. He could basically live out of the truck if
he really needed to. And wouldn’t Nick make a lot of jokes about the
snow if he realized just how much stuff Max had bolted securely
inside those tool boxes on the back.

The big toolbox was just what it appeared to be. It was full of the

tools of a builder’s trade. But the smaller one had a couple of
photograph albums from his childhood, several changes of clothes for
both summer and winter, as well as bottles of water, and the much
maligned Meals Ready to Eat. No matter what anyone said, Max
knew if he was stuck anywhere in his truck, he’d be able to face pretty
much anything. Except possibly an infected tooth.

With his face and hands washed, his hair combed, and wearing his

jacket, clean jeans, and clean boots, Max walked into the prim and
proper office of prim and proper business manager Roland.

Roland scrutinized his face carefully. “You look well, Max. No

one would know you gave us such a scare a week ago.”

“I’m fine now thanks, Roland. I’ve just about gotten used to the

gap between my teeth now, and I don’t think there have been any ill
effects. Thanks for helping out Nick with some of the missing data to
get me into the emergency room.”

“My pleasure. Come in and shut the door.”
Shut the door. Right. So this really was going to be a private

business-only meeting. “What’s the problem?”

“There’s not a problem as such, Max, but if no one had found you

in time there could have been one. You were very fortunate Nick

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pursued you out to the farm. Cuthbert had planned to contact you the
next day, and had even decided to do it first thing in the morning
before he went to work, but you were in a bad way when they
admitted you to the emergency room, and another four hours or more
before he found you might have been too late.”

Max sighed and leaned forward. “Seriously, Roland, I’ve learned

my lesson. I had a childish fear of dentists and once before a chipped
tooth had mended itself so I believed this one would do the same.
Obviously this tooth was broken a whole lot worse, and in my
stubborn blindness I didn’t act until it was too late, and I couldn’t act
because I was too ill, but that won’t happen again. I’m not that slow a
learner. I know now not to wait so long.”

“I understand all that. But you need to think further than that. The

Paint Store would have been okay because we have the paperwork all
tied up correctly for that. But what about the rest of your life?”

“What do you mean?”
“Have you written a will? No one knew who your next of kin is. It

took a mess of running around to find out. What arrangements have
you made about the farm and about your business? Most men our age
don’t think about the future. I do because I’m an organized person.
You need to get organized as well.”

Max was just about to argue that he was a very organized person,

but putting his shoes on the shoe rack in his closet wasn’t what
Roland meant.

“My business will be fine. Like with The Paint Store the

paperwork is tied up neatly. But you’re right about the other things.
It’s time to get my personal life sorted out. It’s just, I don’t know if
Nick loves me.”

Max hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but Roland didn’t even

blink.

“Well ask him then, you goose. If necessary go all romantic and

propose to him. Then do the paperwork.”

Max laughed. “Right. The paperwork. Thank you, Roland, I will.”

Popping His Cherry

He really wanted to ask Roland if his private life was coming

along okay, but decided not to push the envelope. He stood up, shook
Roland’s hand, and repeated. “Thank you. I’ll do it now.”

Max walked slowly out of Roland’s office and back to the parking

lot. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and texted, Can you
take a ten minute break?

Fifteen if you bring me a burger.
Max laughed and hurried to his truck. Ten minutes later he was in

the law enforcement parking lot, in a visitor’s space.

I’m in the parking lot.
On my way.
Max was bubbling inside. He loved Nick. He wasn’t sure that

Nick loved him. Nick had cared for him so carefully, but was it love?
Well hell. As Roland had said, there was only one way to find out.

Nick came bounding down the front steps of the building and

across to the truck. Without any hesitation he opened the passenger
door, slid along the seat, and kissed Max, leaving Max laughing and
breathless. “Aren’t there CCTV cameras all around here?”

“Probably.”
Max turned to face Nick and grabbed his hand. “Nick, I love you.

Come and live with me please. Or, if you can’t stand the farm, let me
live with you. But I need us to be together. We belong together. We
belong on the farm together. I know we can be happy there.”

Nick fisted Max’s hair, holding his head still. “Shut up and kiss

me. Of course we can live together.”

“We can?”
Nick’s tongue drove deep into Max’s mouth, thrusting, and

pumping, and claiming every inch of him while his hands in Max’s
hair turned their heads slightly for maximum contact. Max wrapped
his arms around Nick’s shoulders and pulled him closer, kissing back
as enthusiastically as Nick was kissing him.

As always when they kissed, it went on until they were both

completely breathless and pulled apart gasping for air.

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“What brought that on?” asked Nick, staring at Max.
Max could feel himself blushing. “I’ve loved you for a while and

it seemed that maybe you loved me back. But it was Roland who
kicked my ass today.”

“Well good for Roland. I’m glad he did.”
“Hey, half of this is your fault. Why didn’t you say you loved

me?”

“Say? I thought you knew. Why else would I go out to your farm,

drag you to the emergency room, and sit up all night with you when
you’re ill?”

Max snorted. “That is such a male answer. Nick, real men say ‘I

love you.’”

Nick grabbed his hair again. “I love you, Max. I’ve loved you for

ages. I’ll live in your house and help you renovate it. But I will not
shovel snow. Now, where’s my burger?”

Laughing, Max pulled the bag of burgers off the backseat and

handed one to Nick. His lover. His partner. His happily ever after.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Berengaria is an award-winning, best-selling, multipublished

author of erotic romance with over one hundred published digital,
print, and audio books. She writes contemporary, paranormal (magic,
ghosts, vampires, fairies, dragons, and werewolves), futuristic,
medieval, and Regency-set historical. She loves to read all different
kinds of romance, so that is what she writes: MMF, MFM, FMMM,
FFM, MM, FF, and MF. Whatever the characters need for their very
hot happily-ever-after, Berengaria makes sure they get it.

For all titles by Berengaria Brown, please visit