Tying the Knot

Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna

TATE eyed the lightning flashing across the horizon warily. As long as the storm stayed on the horizon and the wind stayed relatively calm, they wouldn’t be in any danger, but if it picked up, he’d have to find a safe place to pull off the road. He’d make up the hours later if he got too far behind schedule, but he wouldn’t risk himself, his truck, or most especially Mason by driving in high winds. His current load was light enough to make the trailer susceptible to the force of the gusts. The distant roll of thunder sent a shiver of excitement down Mason’s spine. He loved storms, but he wondered how safe it would be to actually drive through one in a semi. Not that he doubted Tate’s skill, but since riding along with his lover on several trips, he’d learned you could never assume the same for the other drivers on the road around them. “Will we be able to keep going?” he asked, his mind already dreaming up ways they could pass the time if they were forced to pull off the road. His gaze traveled over Tate’s lean form behind the wheel, silhouetted by another snap of lightning. “Or do you think we should stop for the night?” Tate glanced at the clock, then back out at the strengthening storm. “I was really looking forward to sleeping in our bed tonight rather than in the truck,” he

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna admitted, “but I don’t like the way this weather looks. At the very least, we’re going to have to pull over and sit it out. We can see what time it is when it blows over and decide if we want to try to get home or wait until tomorrow.” “You know it doesn’t matter to me where we sleep, as long as I’m with you.” Mason slid a hand to Tate’s knee with a light squeeze. He hadn’t been riding with Tate long enough for the excitement of spending nights with him on the road to wear off yet, and every time they curled together in the small sleeping space in the back of the cab, it reminded him of their first night together, when Tate had rescued him from running off the road in a blizzard. The lightning’s aftermath rumbled through the charged atmosphere, and Mason suspected tonight could be nearly as intense. “If it doesn’t matter that you don’t drop off your cargo until tomorrow, that might be best. We don’t have to be at Whippoorwill Lake at any particular time; I just told Anne I’d call her when we were on our way.” “As long as we’re in Atlanta by noon tomorrow, the company won’t care,” Tate replied, beginning to look for a likely exit where they could pull off. “And I have to admit, I don’t like the looks of that storm. The trailer’s already pulling at me, and we’re barely on the edge of the bad weather. If it comes this way, we’ll have to stop anyway. Better to do it now when we can choose rather than later when we don’t have another option.” His stomach fluttered a little at the thought of meeting the director of the retreat and conference center where Mason had suggested they get

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna married. His lover had assured him the director was completely comfortable with alternative lifestyles and wouldn’t mind at all that they were a nontraditional couple. All the reassurance in the world couldn’t erase the memory of his mother’s reaction when he told her. If it hadn’t been for Sarah, he didn’t know what he’d have done, where he’d have gone. It made him leery even now, fifteen years later, of talking about his sexuality. Mason didn’t miss the sudden tension in Tate’s leg beneath his palm, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the storm or his mentioning their appointment to tour Whippoorwill Lake. He’d fallen in love with the center, a collection of cabins surrounding a central lodge nestled in the North Georgia mountains, when his publisher held a regional meeting there several years earlier. When he and Tate began talking about a commitment ceremony to solemnize their union, Mason knew Whippoorwill was the perfect place to make their vows. He just hoped Tate wasn’t having second thoughts. He started to pull back his hand, but reminded himself that withdrawing into himself wouldn’t solve anything. He wouldn’t know what Tate was feeling unless he asked. “Is something beside the storm worrying you, babe?” he said softly, rubbing Tate’s leg in a soothing caress. Spying an exit, Tate eased the truck off the road and pulled into the parking lot of a travel plaza. Putting the rig in park and setting the engine to idle, he turned to face his lover. “Just nervous,” he admitted. “I haven’t had many

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna people in my life take it well when they’ve learned I’m gay. It makes me leery of admitting it to strangers, even when I know they’re predisposed to be sympathetic.” “I’ve already talked to Anne and she’s perfectly fine with the fact that we’re both men. In fact, she said they’ve had several nontraditional ceremonies at the center—she’s got photos from some to show us tomorrow, along with more traditional wedding parties.” Now that the truck was stopped, Mason unfastened his seat belt and leaned forward, cradling Tate’s face between his hands. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, does it? There will always be some people who won’t accept what we feel for each other. We just don’t need to have anything to do with them. And Anne isn’t like that, and neither are my family or friends.” Tate summoned a smile. “I know that. Your family couldn’t have been more welcoming, and I know you wouldn’t have suggested Whippoorwill Lake if Anne wasn’t open-minded. It’s not a logical reaction. It’s just an ingrained one.” Beneath the ache in his heart, Mason felt an undercurrent of anger at the way Tate had been rejected by his family when he’d admitted he was gay. He couldn’t change the past, but he could be sure his lover had no doubt how much he was cherished now. Leaning forward, he claimed Tate’s lips in a slow, sensual kiss. A steady rain was beginning to beat against the cab’s windows, but Mason didn’t care whether anyone could see them. Tate was the other half of his heart, and he didn’t care who knew it; but if

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna they were going to move beyond kissing—which he had every intention of doing!—they’d be more comfortable in the back. “Let’s see if I can’t coax a different kind of reaction out of you, hmmmm?” He dropped a hand to the fly of Tate’s jeans, humming at the heavy shaft he could feel swelling beneath the worn denim. “Yeah, that’s the kind of reaction I was hoping for. Let’s take this upstairs, shall we?” Tate grinned, hips lifting into the provocative touch. “Oh, yeah.” He pushed out of his seat. “I don’t imagine you fancy a steering wheel digging into your back while I’m inside you.” Grinning back, Mason wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I’d make you ride the steering wheel for a change—give you something to remember when you’re driving without me.” “All I have to do is close my eyes and I remember,” Tate promised. “Every moment we’re together is burned like a brand into my heart and it just takes a whiff of your cologne, the sound of your voice, to bring them all rushing back. But if you’re going to give me something to remember, I’d rather do it on the bunk. It’s been… a long time.” Mason had meant the comment to be teasing, but Tate’s response set his cock throbbing. He’d topped more often than bottomed before meeting Tate, and though he’d certainly had no complaints about their lovemaking since, the thought of sinking into Tate, of coming inside his lover, set a coil of heat spiraling in his groin. Even more, knowing Tate trusted him, loved him enough to offer him something

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Mason suspected he’d shared with few other lovers set his heart racing. “Then I’ll have to take a long time getting you ready for me,” he murmured, his voice husky with desire. Tate’s eyes closed on the thought, body swaying into Mason’s in the tight space, the thought enough to have him aching. “A very long time,” he agreed, reaching for his lover’s hand and leading him back into the sleeper section of the cab. Slowly, knowing he had his partner’s full attention, he worked his T-shirt up, revealing the tawny skin beneath, inch by provocative inch. Finally pulling it over his head, he started on his jeans next, unbuttoning the four buttons one at a time, peeling the plackets open so they highlighted his boxer-clad erection, a wet spot already staining the cotton. Turning to give Mason a better view of his ass, he bent to remove his heavy work boots and to pull his jeans down and off. Mason withstood the provocative striptease until Tate bent over, flagrantly flaunting his trim ass practically in Mason’s face. No man who spent most of his time sitting in a truck should have an ass that fine! With a low growl of arousal, Mason grabbed Tate’s hips, pulling the boxers down and using his weight to carry them forward onto the bed. Pinning Tate by the shoulders, he bent until he could nip at the rounded globes of Tate’s cheeks. “God, I could eat you up,” he groaned, soothing the red marks with long swipes of his tongue.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Be my guest.” Tate wriggled his ass invitingly, hoping to entice Mason to give him a thorough rimming as part of getting him ready. Knowing how much Tate enjoyed this particular form of foreplay, Mason took things slowly, letting Tate’s anticipation build by gradually moving closer to the crease separating his lover’s cheeks with nips and kisses, raising a few marks he was sure would linger a day or two in the process. That was fine with him—he’d enjoy the reminder of this every time he saw the marks on Tate’s ass. Not until Tate was shifting beneath him, calling him a tease, did he relent and spread the reddened cheeks. He dropped a trail of soft, open kisses up and down the dark cleft before letting his tongue come out to play. After retracing the same path several times, enjoying the musky scent and taste of this most intimate area, he sucked at the puckered ring, the tip of his tongue exploring every crease and fold of muscle. Tate bit at the pillow to stop an unmanly whimper from escaping as Mason lavished attention on his body, licking and sucking at the sensitive flesh for what felt like hours before finally penetrating. Tate didn’t know if it was planned or not, but it had the desired effect. He was so desperate for more contact that he didn’t even flinch when the tip of Mason’s tongue penetrated him. Instead, he simply pushed back, asking for more contact, more loving. The muffled sounds escaping from Tate’s mouth spurred Mason on. He wished he could see Tate’s face, look into his eloquent dark eyes to read his reaction, but those sounds

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna were enough to convince him that Tate was enjoying this. Using his thumbs to spread Tate open, he burrowed his tongue deeper into the dark channel, the velvet-soft flesh squeezing around him. He could only imagine what it would feel like around his cock. Moaning at the image, he pulled his tongue back and then drove in deeper, the out-and-in movements a foretaste of how he meant to claim Tate when his lover was ready to take him. Each taste probed a little deeper, his thumbs pressing past the slick muscle to bracket his tongue and stretch the tight entrance to accept him. Tate felt his guardian muscle protest, then give in as Mason’s thumbs joined his tongue. He panted harshly through the initial burn of the unfamiliar stretch, the sensation of Mason’s tongue fucking him so enthusiastically enough to override the instinctive desire to pull away. His body relaxed into the delicious licking and sucking, opening to Mason as sweetly as the other man could have desired. Mason could tell the moment Tate’s body stopped resisting him, and the flare of heat that flooded his veins at the realization shocked him with its intensity. He wanted to make Tate come this way, but even more, he wanted them to come together, to feel Tate’s spasms of ecstasy squeezing him as he rode out his own climax. “That’s it, babe,” he murmured, wiping his chin on the back of his hand before sliding in two saliva-coated fingers in place of his tongue. “Open up for me, so I can show you how much I love you, the way you always show me.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Tate choked back a sob at the feeling of fullness that accompanied Mason’s probing fingers, lust spiking in him as much from the dark, husky words as from the deep, penetrating touch. Suddenly, not being able to kiss Mason, to see his handsome face, was unacceptable. “Let me turn over,” he begged. Surprised at the empty feeling inside his own body when he slid his fingers out of Tate to let him roll over, Mason realized he was still fully dressed. Begrudging any second not spent touching Tate, he pulled his clothes off as fast as he could, letting them fall to the floor. Turning back to Tate, Mason stopped and just stared, the sight of his lover with his knees drawn up, supporting himself on his elbows while one hand coasted in lazy strokes over his reddened cock, stopping his breath. “God, you’re beautiful,” Mason whispered, kneeling between Tate’s legs. His fingers traced the outline of the phoenix tattoo adorning one hip, his eyes meeting Tate’s overflowing with love. “How did I ever get lucky enough to find you?” “It was fate,” Tate assured his lover, the thought that someone else could have passed along the snowbound route where he’d first met Mason before he did enough to chill his blood. Reaching for his lover, he pulled the bigger man down on top of him, needing the proof that he’d been the one to rescue Mason, the one to capture and hold his heart. “Make love to me, Mason.” Mason had meant to take more time to be sure Tate was prepared for him, but he wasn’t about to say no to a request

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna like that. Reaching for the lube they kept under the pillow, he squeezed some onto his fingers before pressing the bottle into Tate’s hand. “Get me ready while I get you ready,” he rasped, the slicked digits gliding back to stretch and twist and open Tate as thoroughly as he could. Tate cried out at the feeling of the cool gel, coating his palm quickly and reaching for Mason’s erection. He ran his hand up and down the hard length, covering it completely, then settling in to play as his lover finished preparing him. If the speed of Mason’s finger-fucking suddenly increased, Tate was hardly about to complain. “Easy,” Mason cautioned, his breath hitching when Tate’s fingers started seeking out the most sensitive spots on his already throbbing cock. He couldn’t let that continue or he’d come before he ever got inside Tate. Stilling Tate’s movements with his free hand, he rubbed over the bump of his lover’s prostate until Tate’s hands rose up to clutch at his shoulders. “Now?” he gasped, leaning in to cover Tate’s lips in a hard, wet kiss. “God, babe, tell me you’re ready for me now!” “Yes,” Tate replied, his breath sawing in and out of his lungs. “I want to feel you.” His fingers clutched tightly at Mason’s shoulders as the tip of his lover’s cock replaced the plunging digits inside him. He tensed for a moment, but Mason teased him perfectly, shunting just the tip of his cock in and out of Tate’s hole until he finally relaxed, letting the head slip deeper, and then deeper still. He was sure he was

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna leaving bruises on Mason’s shoulders, but his lover did not protest. “Oh God, babe,” Mason panted, biting his lip to keep from giving in to his body’s urge to bury himself inside Tate’s seductive heat. “You feel… so good….” Bracing an arm on the mattress next to Tate’s head, he slid the other under Tate’s back, cupping his ass in his palm and lifting just enough to let the head of his cock hit Tate’s sweet spot. Rolling his hips, he massaged it with steady pressure, leaning down to catch Tate’s groans in his mouth. “So good… Tate… so good,” he chanted between kisses, his voice breaking as Tate squeezed around him. Tate couldn’t find the breath to reply, between Mason’s kisses and the incredible pressure on his prostate, but he felt like he ought to be the one telling Mason how good it felt. Robbed of speech, though, he settled for clenching around Mason’s cock, trying to make it even better for his lover. Tate might not have answered in words, but the fervor of their kisses and the eager way he tightened around Mason’s cock with each rock of his hips convinced Mason that Tate was loving this too. Not sure how much longer he’d be able to hold back, Mason pulled his hand from beneath Tate to circle his lover’s cock, already leaking a string of pearly pre-come from the tip to pool around the phoenix tattoo. Tate’s hoarse cry when his fist closed around him shattered Mason’s control, his movements growing erratic as curls of heat flared along his nerves like lightning. His balls tightening, Mason drove into Tate with

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna short, choppy thrusts, trying to hit his lover’s prostate with every stroke. “Tate!” he groaned, thunder pounding in his ears as his orgasm crashed over him. The hot rush of fluid inside him combined with the prodding thrusts against his sweet spot triggered Tate’s release as well, his cock disgorging load after load onto his stomach and chest. He cried out wordlessly, unable even to form Mason’s name in the moment of ecstasy. Instead, he pulled his lover’s face to his, capturing the sensual lips in a mind-numbing kiss as aftershocks continued to shake him. Finally, his mind cleared a little, leaving him gloriously aware of the cooling fluid on his chest, the softening cock still inside him, and the weight of Mason’s body atop him. “Each time I think I couldn’t possibly love you more, you find a way to change my mind,” he murmured, nuzzling Mason’s neck. He stretched a little, easing muscles tight from driving and even tighter from making love, listening to the sound of the rain on the truck’s roof. He suspected the storm had passed enough that they could continue, but that would mean getting up, and he really, really didn’t want to move. “Now you know how I feel every time we make love.” Mason tried to roll to one side, but Tate’s arms tightened around him, holding him in place. Not anxious to move himself, so long as he was sure he wasn’t crushing his lover, Mason settled his head on Tate’s shoulder. “Can we just stay here until morning?” he asked, the soft patter of rain around them making it easy to forget they were sleeping in a truck a few hundred yards from the interstate.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Nowhere I’d rather be,” Tate replied sleepily, fingers stroking lazily through Mason’s dark hair. He was asleep almost before they’d finished their first circuit over Mason’s scalp.

TATE’S leg jiggled restlessly as Mason drove them deeper into the mountains north of Atlanta, the road getting narrower and steeper as they went. He’d offered to drive, but Mason had insisted they take his car. Now he was glad he’d given in, despite being mildly uncomfortable in the passenger seat. He wasn’t used to riding while someone else drove. To distract himself, he looked out the window at the lush scenery, the leaves still the bright green of early summer instead of the darker green they’d turn as the season went on. They turned off the main state highway—such as it was—onto a narrow road that was barely wide enough for Mason’s car, much less for two cars to pass. “I think I’m glad we didn’t bring my truck,” he joked. “I’m not sure it would clear some of these trees,” Mason agreed, negotiating a sharp curve. “Besides, you deserve not to have to drive all the time.” He smiled at the reminder of their previous night’s lovemaking, reaching over to rest a hand on Tate’s bouncing knee. “Relax, babe. I may not have

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna a CDL, but I promise I can get us up the mountain in one piece.” “I trust you,” Tate said immediately. “I’m just not used to being driven anymore, not after fifteen years in the driver’s seat. So how far are we from Whippoorwill Lake?” “We’ve actually just reached the beginning of their property.” Mason turned at a weathered wooden sign announcing Whippoorwill Lake Lodge and Conference Center onto a narrow gravel lane. “Though we’re still a few miles from the main buildings. One of the things I love about this place is how secluded and peaceful it is. You don’t hear anything at night but the crickets and frogs. No city noise, no traffic.” “I spend a lot of nights in the middle of nowhere,” Tate replied, “but there’s always the truck idling in the background and the lights from the rest stop where I’ve pulled over. I think I might enjoy a few nights truly away from civilization.” “Wait until you see the view from the top of the mountain.” Mason eased the car through another curve, passing the first of the cabins that dotted the property. “We can reserve one of the cottages for as long as you want to stay. I thought since my family would be coming down from Chicago, they might want to stay here too, at least for a day or two. Actually, anyone who doesn’t want to drive back to Atlanta after the ceremony could spend the night, at least if they make a reservation early enough.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “How many people can stay here?” Tate asked curiously, seeing a scattering of cabins, some closer to the road, some farther back in the woods. All of them were rustic in design, no two exactly alike. Some looked small enough to only have one room, while others looked like they could probably sleep eight or ten. “Your family alone is huge.” “There are twelve or fifteen cottages of different sizes, and some of them can accommodate up to twenty people. If we’re lucky and can reserve them all, that should be plenty of room. My family won’t mind sharing—hell, they’d be in and out of each other’s rooms all night anyway at a regular hotel. This just makes it easier for them to all congregate together.” Tate chuckled, though his heart clenched at the loss of that closeness with his own family. Not that he had a big family even before his mother disowned him, but now it was just him. “Then I guess we’d better see what Anne has available so there’s space for everyone.” Mason pulled the car to a stop in front of the building marked Office and they climbed out. The door opened and an elegant black woman, her hair tightly braided and styled into a chic twist, walked out onto the porch. “Welcome back to Whippoorwill Lake, Mason,” she said warmly, the slow, rolling lilt of her voice bringing back to mind magnolias and jasmine and the roots of the deep, deep South. “And you must be Tate. Bring yourselves inside. I have some iced tea if you’d like some, or some fresh lemonade.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Iced tea would be wonderful, Anne,” Mason answered, holding the door for her and Tate to step inside. The porch opened into an airy reception area, with doors to the kitchen and dining room on one side and a large meeting room on the other. Anne led them across the polished wooden floor, the tap of her heels making a dog who’d been dozing on a hand-braided rug perk up his head to regard them with interest. When Tate paused, the Shetland sheepdog uncurled and pranced up to them, her head nudging his hand until he began to pet her. “That’s Molly, the one-dog welcoming committee for Whippoorwill Lake,” Anne commented when Mason knelt to scratch behind Molly’s ears. Tate plopped down on the floor next to Molly, grinning like a loon when he got a lapful of warm, furry dog. “Hi, there, girl,” he crooned, ruffling her fur enthusiastically. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dog to say hi to.” He smiled up at Anne. “It would hardly be fair to keep a pet when I’m gone as much as I am.” “You can stay right there the entire time you’re here and Molly won’t complain,” Anne assured him. “Shall I bring your tea in here so you don’t have to get up?” Tate shook his head wistfully and rose. “That’s hardly to fair to everyone else. I can wait and play with her later.” “You’ve just made a friend for life,” Anne remarked as she escorted them to the suite of offices opening off the back of the reception area. “I promise I’ll keep her from trying to

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna take part in your ceremony,” she added with a warm smile. “Have a seat and tell me about what you have in mind.” “Nothing big or overly formal,” Tate said immediately. “Just a gathering of family and friends to celebrate our commitment to each other. Mason can give you a better idea of numbers. I don’t imagine anyone from my family will come, so it’ll just be Sarah on my side.” Once again, Mason’s heart ached for Tate. “We should send an invitation to your mother,” he said softly. “She might be regretting the distance between you and just not know how to approach you.” Tate snorted in disbelief, but Anne’s presence kept him from expressing his true opinion of the likelihood of that ever happening. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said simply. “What about catering for the reception? Do you have staff or can you recommend a company?” The property manager met Mason’s troubled gaze and was wise enough to allow the change in subject. “We have a wonderful cook on staff, Ruth Ann Montgomery. She refuses to let us call her anything as formal as Executive Chef, but she makes the best food you’ve ever tasted. You’re welcome to look through our catering suggestions, or let us know if you have something special you’d like prepared. I’d invite you to lunch so you could taste her cooking for yourself, but she went back to Selma this weekend to visit her mamma. You’re welcome to stop back any time you’re in the area, though.” Anne handed the two men a printed brochure with

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna sample menus and pictures of delicious-looking table displays. Tate’s eyes widened as he looked at the menu. Seeing the bacon-wrapped scallops, he glanced up at Mason, eyes darkening a little with lust. “We could definitely do the scallops,” he proposed. “Does anything else catch your fancy, Mason? You’re the cook in the family.” “If the weather is warm enough for us to have the ceremony and reception outside, maybe an assortment of warm and cold hors d’oeuvres,” Mason mused. “Little things that will let people move around and mingle with each other.” “When were you thinking about having it?” Anne asked. “The weather stays clement usually into late October.” “October sounds beautiful,” Tate admitted, thinking about all the trees they’d passed on the way in. “All the fall colors!” “Early October then, rather than late,” Anne declared, flipping her calendar open. “We have a vacancy for the second weekend of October. At the moment, none of the cabins are rented out then.” “Can we put a hold on all of them?” Mason asked, still hoping some of Tate’s family would be there for him by then. “We don’t have an exact idea of the numbers just yet, but we might well need them all.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “That’s fine,” Anne agreed. “We’ll need a deposit, of course, but as the date gets closer, if you find you won’t need them all, we won’t hold you responsible for any we’re able to rent outside your event.” Penciling in a note on her calendar, she closed it and turned back to Mason and Tate. “If you’re planning to hold the ceremony outside, we can put up an arch or columns or other backdrop, or you can just pick a spot on the grounds and make your vows against whatever view you like best.” “I’ll walk Tate around the grounds later so he can see what he thinks, but I like the idea of keeping it as simple as possible,” Mason said. “As beautiful as the trees will be with the leaves changing colors, I don’t think we’ll need any other backdrop.” Tate flipped to the back of the book Anne had given him, grimacing a little when he saw all the wedding cakes. “Can we come up with something other than these for a cake, though?” he asked. “We’re not exactly the traditional bride and groom.” “We could do something like this,” Anne suggested, flipping back a couple of pages to a tower cake made up of petit choux pastries, coated in a caramel glaze to keep them in place. “Or we do a lovely, tiered chocolate fountain.” Mason’s eyes lit up and he met Tate’s gaze with a devilish grin. “Could you do one in dark chocolate?” he asked. “My mother and sisters will want to put together a

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna sweet table, and one of those fountains with fruit would be a terrific centerpiece.” “Of course,” Anne assured them. “Dark, milk, or white chocolate, it all works the same.” She jotted down a note. “Any particular fruit you want? Or pieces of pound cake?” “Pineapple,” Tate replied immediately. “Lots and lots of pineapple.” Mason felt himself blushing at the memory of the Valentine’s Day dessert he’d prepared for Tate—and the multiple ways they’d enjoyed it. “Maybe we should save the pineapple for later—in our cabin,” he murmured, low enough for only Tate to hear. “We’ll set aside a plate before the reception starts,” Tate agreed, head tilting close to Mason’s. He almost pulled back rather than kiss his lover, but the approving smile on Anne’s face gave him the permission he needed to drop a quick peck on Mason’s lips. “What else do we need to think about?” “Do you have someone in mind to perform the service?” Anne asked. “If not, there are several local ministers we can recommend.” “Would they be willing to perform a ceremony for two men?” Mason asked, knowing his own church would not formally sanction their union. “Do we need a minister?” Tate asked Mason seriously. “Nothing anyone else could say will make my vows to you

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna any more binding than they already will be. If it really matters to you to have someone there, I won’t say no, but your promise and mine is all I need.” “I don’t need anything more than that either,” Mason assured him. “Will that be all right?” “That’s perfectly fine,” Anne agreed. “We had a lovely ceremony just last month where the two partners wrote their own vows. I can even recommend some books and websites to give you ideas if you have trouble deciding what to say.” She added another paper to the pile of brochures in front of them on the desk. “Now, I’ve given you plenty to think about, but none of it has to be decided today. Why don’t the two of you explore the grounds for a bit? You can come back and let me know if you have any other questions.” “Thank you,” Tate said sincerely, standing and reaching across the desk to shake Anne’s hand. “I have to admit, I was a little nervous about all this, but you’ve made it remarkably painless.” Anne smiled. “My nephew is gay, and he and his partner are two of the loveliest people I know, so I’m hardly likely to be offended by your choices. Go on, enjoy the woods today. There are only a few cabins occupied, and most of them are people here for meetings so you shouldn’t be disturbed. And all but one group is leaving this evening.” She paused, leaning forward to add conspiratorially, “I highly recommend the hot tub.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna

“TATE!” Sarah’s voice echoed through the baggage claim area. Tate broke into a smile as the young woman came running up to him, throwing her arms around him. He caught a couple of envious stares as she kissed him fully on the mouth. He knew what people saw when he and Sarah were together. She was the embodiment of a straight man’s wet dream, long ashy-blond hair, naturally streaked with lighter and darker strands so it defied characterization. She was slender without being skinny, curved in all the places a heterosexual would find attractive. The fact that her kiss warmed his heart but did nothing to his body was one of the ways he’d realized he was gay. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing behind her to see if his mother had come with her. “I’m sorry, Tate,” Sarah said softly, knowing what it had cost her friend to reach out to his mother after the way she’d treated him. “I tried to convince her, but she refused to listen.” Lips tightening, Tate shrugged. “It’s probably better this way. Her prejudices would have ruined the weekend.” He’d told Mason repeatedly that this would be the outcome, but he’d given in to his lover’s insistence that he at least send an invitation. He almost wished he hadn’t. Though he’d said he knew she wouldn’t come, a part of him had hoped for a reconciliation, a part of him that was now disappointed because his mother had not changed her mind.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “She isn’t worth a moment’s thought,” Sarah scolded. “You’ve known that since your father died. Come on, I want to meet the man who’s finally going to put an end to your wandering ways.” “I don’t know about that,” Tate grinned. wanders with me.”

“He just

“That may be, but your heart isn’t wandering anymore.” Mason had circled the airport twice when he spotted Tate leaning against a bus shelter in the passenger pickup zone, his arm around a beautiful blond woman. Even though Tate had told him that he and Sarah had grown up like brother and sister, seeing his lover with an arm around someone else sent a momentary pang of jealousy spiking through him, followed by a darker emotion as he realized Tate’s mother wasn’t with them. He cursed the absent woman, not for the first time, for the pain her intolerance had caused the man he loved. Mason had prodded Tate to send her an invitation, even though Tate had been sure she wouldn’t respond. Secure in his family’s acceptance, Mason couldn’t believe a mother could be heartless enough to turn her back on her own son. His heart ached for Tate, but dwelling on her rejection would only increase his lover’s pain. Forcing a smile onto his face, he pulled up along the curb, pressing a button to roll down the passenger window. “I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and you’re already picking up women?” he called out. “Yep,” Tate replied with a grin.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “He needs somebody to take care of him,” Sarah interrupted, taking her cue from the easy camaraderie between the two men and replying in kind. “Haven’t you figured out already that it’s dangerous to let him run around loose?” “That’s why I’m tying him down tight to me,” Mason answered, putting the car in park and climbing out. “You must be Sarah. I’m Mason.” He pulled her into a tight hug that was just as readily returned. “And if it isn’t obvious from the way we met, I need him to take care of me just as much.” She laughed easily. “And you want me to let the two of you loose on the unsuspecting public with no warnings? Maybe I should reconsider.” She pulled back to look at Tate’s face. “Then again, maybe not. I can’t remember when I last saw that look in his eyes. He’s happy, and I know who I have to thank for that.” “Your being here makes him happy,” Mason replied quietly, taking Sarah’s suitcase to load into the trunk. Not sure what her relationship was with Tate’s mother, Mason was hesitant to criticize the woman openly, so he settled for adding, “It’s important for us both to have the people we care about take part in the commitment we’re making.” Glancing over to make sure Tate wasn’t within earshot, Sarah whispered, “I tried to get his bitch of a mother to reconsider her position, but all I got was an earful of vitriol

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna for still being friends with him. As if I’d abandon him after all these years.” Mason shook his head sadly. “I’d hoped after all this time she’d realize what a wonderful man she’s cutting herself off from. But if she still feels that way, it’s just as well she didn’t show up. I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep from telling her what I think of her.” He hugged Sarah again before opening the door to let her climb into the car. “Between the two of us, we’ll just have to keep him smiling.” Sarah smiled. “I think we can handle that.” “Handle what?” Tate asked from the back seat. “Handle you, of course,” Sarah replied tartly. always been a handful.”

“You’ve

“More than just a handful,” Mason grinned at Tate through the rear-view mirror before putting the car in gear and pulling into traffic. “TMI!” Sarah protested jokingly. “I haven’t seen him naked since we were too young to know the difference, and I plan on keeping it that way!” “Double that for me!” Tate joked. “At least I’ve got the right equipment for you. You’re shaped all wrong to catch my interest, doll.” Mason chuckled as Sarah turned in her seat to swat playfully at Tate. “If it’s any consolation, Sarah, I can

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna practically guarantee Tate and I will be the only men at the ceremony to think that way!” Sarah grinned. “It’s okay, Mason. I knew he was gay when I found him sneaking peeks at my Playgirl magazines when he’d come over to study for Chemistry. Once he got over his embarrassment, we discovered we shared pretty much the same taste in men.” “Well, I certainly wasn’t going to keep them at my house, and we didn’t have the Internet at that point, so I had to get my guy fix somewhere!” Tate protested. Falling in love with Sarah in that instant for giving Tate the acceptance that had been so lacking from his home life, Mason had to swallow down a lump in his throat before he could speak. “I’m so glad you’re here to share embarrassing stories about Tate growing up. Knowing my brothers, they’ll dredge up every humiliating episode from my childhood and puberty now that they have someone new to tell them to. And there’s no telling what my sisters may come up with.” Tate buried his face in his hands. “Don’t encourage her,” he begged. “She doesn’t need an excuse to tell tales on me.” Sarah grinned and turned in her seat to ruffle his hair. “But it’s so much fun! Besides, if I ever get married, you’ll have plenty of chance to get your revenge.” The anger still simmering in Mason’s heart toward Tate’s mother eased as they made their way up the

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna mountains to Whippoorwill Lake. It was obvious how much Sarah’s presence meant to Tate; Mason didn’t think he’d ever heard his lover laugh so much. Still, he hoped Tate wouldn’t feel overwhelmed as he pulled into the parking area near the reception building and found it already half full of his family’s cars.

SIX hours later, Tate didn’t think he’d ever been so glad for silence as he was now, settling into the hot tub, surrounded by the night sounds and the gentle hum of the hot tub generator. He’d met most of Mason’s family before, but this was the first time they’d all been together in one place, and he had to admit, he was a little overwhelmed. They couldn’t have been nicer to him, welcoming him with open arms and—as Mason had predicted—enough blackmail ammunition for the rest of their lives. Still, he needed a break, and some make-out time with his lover seemed like the perfect solution. He rested his head on the edge of the hot tub while he waited for Mason to join him, letting the warm water relax him and wash away the lingering disappointment from his mother’s rejection. He’d known she wouldn’t come, so he didn’t know why it was bothering him so much now. Mason stepped out of the cabin Anne had assigned them, the evening breeze cool against his bare chest. For a

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna moment he just stood looking up at the stars, so much brighter here than in the city, and the rising crescent moon. When his eyes grew accustomed to the pale light, he turned toward the hot tub, glad to see Tate already relaxing in the bubbling water. Dropping his towel on a lounger, he slid into the water, moving to Tate’s side and leaning in for a gentle kiss. “I love my family, but I thought they’d never go to bed! I’ve been waiting all day for some time alone with you.” Tate returned the kiss, his arms circling Mason’s waist, urging him closer. “You won’t hear me complaining about time alone with you.” His hands stroked up and down his lover’s back, and he frowned over the necessity of the swim trunks they encountered. This had been far more enjoyable the last time they were here, knowing they were alone on the property and didn’t need to worry about propriety. Clothes or no clothes, though, he needed Mason closer, his hands directing the other man to straddle him so their hips bumped together intimately. Molding against his lover’s lean frame, Mason slid a hand around Tate’s side and down his hip, teasing at the band of his low-slung suit. “Have I told you how much I love you in these Speedos?” he murmured, cupping Tate’s ass to pull them closer together. Mason groaned when their cocks touched, straining against the restrictive fabric. “Every time I wear them,” Tate gasped. Not that he wore them all that often, but he and Mason had taken to occasionally sleeping in a hotel when they were on the road

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna and if it had a pool or hot tub, they’d take advantage of it to loosen muscles left stiff by hours of sitting. He slipped his hand beneath the loose hem of Mason’s trunks, sliding up until he could find bare skin. “Personally, I like the easy access your suit provides.” The caress sent goose bumps pebbling Mason’s flesh despite the water’s heat. Half afraid he’d lose control if Tate kept touching him that intimately, he grasped his lover’s hips and lifted him out of the water to sit on the tub’s tiled rim, a position that put the thick cock straining against the tight black fabric exactly where he wanted it. Spreading Tate’s legs, he stepped between them and dropped his head, closing his mouth around the tempting length. Tate lifted his hips into the provocative caress, the fabric muting the sensation. “Take them off,” he requested huskily. “Please don’t,” said a voice it took Tate a moment to place as Mason’s next older brother Trent. “There are some things I really don’t need to see. Walking in on Mason making out with his first boyfriend was bad enough.” Glancing over his shoulder, Mason saw not only Trent but also his wife Lisa standing at the side of the tub, grinning. Dropping his head into Tate’s lap, he groaned, his cheeks flaming while Tate slipped backed into the water. “Your timing still sucks, Trent.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Hey, you’re not the only one to want some time away from the rest of the family,” Trent laughed as he and Lisa lowered themselves into the water. “Don’t blame us, the woman who checked us in told us about the hot tub.” “Anne tells everyone about the hot tub,” Tate mumbled from his place hidden behind Mason’s body. Looking up finally, he saw his soon-to-be sister-in-law watching them with a mixture of amusement and prurient interest. “So then you should know not to expect any privacy out here,” Trent retorted. “Besides, you’ve got a private cabin. The rest of us have to share!” The humor of the situation getting the better of Tate’s embarrassment, he grinned up at Trent. “So did you really walk in on him once before?” “Yeah, Mom and Dad were going somewhere to celebrate their anniversary and left us alone for the weekend. Mason must have been sixteen or seventeen by then and Mike—the youngest of us,” he added for Tate’s benefit, “was around thirteen, so I guess they figured we were old enough to trust by ourselves. The two rules were no parties and no members of the opposite sex at the house while they were gone.” He grinned at the memory. “It was a hot night and I came down to the pool to cool off, and found Mason and—what was his name, Mase?—anyway, I found my little brother kissing another guy in the hot tub.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Pete Simpson,” Mason answered. “He was on the swim team and I couldn’t believe he was interested in me. I think he avoided me for the rest of the year after that.” “So that’s where your fascination with Speedos comes from,” Tate teased. “And shame on you, having your boyfriend over when your parents were gone.” He looked up at Trent. “You must have been almost as shocked as they were.” Trent shrugged. “It was a surprise, but we were family. Nothing else mattered. Although I think we all had bruised knuckles at one time or another convincing some of the guys in the neighborhood that ‘fag’ wasn’t a word we’d tolerate hearing where our brother was concerned.” “The only reason Trent wasn’t doing the same thing with his girlfriend was that she lived down the street and her parents knew better than to let her come over,” Mason retorted, grinning at the mock-glare Lisa leveled at her husband before snuggling into his arms. Leaning back against the tub wall, he draped an arm over Tate’s shoulder, “We were teenaged boys. Gay or straight, all we thought about was sex,” Trent protested. “Believe it or not, teenage girls thought about it too,” a voice commented from the shadows. Mason rolled his eyes when his sister Kathy walked up, holding hands with her husband Mark. “Move over, Mase—I’m sure you won’t mind snuggling with Tate to make room for us.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Mason pulled Tate onto his lap with a grin. “Now you know what my childhood was like, always being bossed around by my older siblings.” He nudged Kathy’s shoulder when she settled into the water beside him. “Keep it down or we’ll have Mom and Dad sticking their heads out the window to see what all the noise is about.” Tate grinned, resting his head against Mason’s shoulder. “I wish I’d grown up in a big family like this. Sarah’s the closest thing I have to a sister.” “You say that now,” Kathy countered, “but you wouldn’t feel the same way if you’d had to put up with his thieving ways. He was always stealing my Duran Duran posters.” “I liked their music,” Mason protested. “You liked the way their asses looked in their tight leather pants,” Kathy retorted. “I should’ve known you were gay long before Trent found you and what’s-his-name in the hot tub. Other guys had posters of Farrah Fawcett and Brooke Shields on their walls. Mason had Michael J. Fox and Patrick Swayze, along with the ones he stole from me.” Tate grinned. “Nick and John looked really hot in their leather,” he agreed. “And I totally had a thing for Patrick Swayze. I learned to dance from watching that movie.” Mason’s eyes lit up and he snaked an arm around Tate’s waist. “Does that mean I can look forward to some dirty dancing at the reception?” he murmured into his lover’s ear.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “As much as you want,” Tate replied, “although I’ve only ever danced that way with Sarah.” “Good,” Mason answered, nuzzling Tate’s neck possessively, his cock hardening at the image of Tate’s lithe body swaying through the suggestive moves. “Get a room,” Trent joked. “There are some things I just don’t need to know about my siblings!” Tate pushed off Mason’s lap onto the side of the tub. “Let’s go, babe,” he said, offering Mason a hand. “The horizontal mambo’s more fun anyway.”

“TATE, are you decent? I need help.” Tate smiled. “Come in, Sarah,” he said, opening the door to the room where he was getting dressed for the wedding ceremony. He grinned at his best friend when she walked in, mostly dressed, in a woman’s tuxedo. The bow tie, though, seemed to have defeated her. “I can’t get this thing to look right.” “So you can only run with the big boys some of the time?” Tate teased. “Watch it,” Sarah warned, “or I’ll make Mason smear cake all over your face instead of feeding it to you nicely.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “No cake,” Tate replied as he adjusted her tie. “Just a chocolate fountain and the sweets Mason’s mother and sisters made.” “So I’ll tell him to smear chocolate all over your face.” When Tate released her tie, she shrugged into the jacket and sat down on a nearby chair. “She seems like a lovely woman.” Tate smiled. “She is. She’s been very kind and welcoming.” His face fell a little as the conversation reminded him of his own mother’s conspicuous absence. Sarah hadn’t been Tate’s best friend for most of thirty years without learning to read his expressions. The fact that they saw each other less frequently these days didn’t seem to matter at all. “Your mother is a bitter, dried-up husk of a woman who doesn’t deserve a son like you,” she informed him hotly. “Don’t let her spoil a moment of your happiness today because she’s so blind she can’t see the gift you are to everyone who knows you.” Resolutely, Tate pushed away the negative thoughts and summoned a smile. “I know you’re right. It’s just….” He hesitated to even put the thought into words. “My side of the aisle will be empty because you’ll be standing up with me during the ceremony.” “Surely you could have invited other people besides your mother and me,” Sarah said, surprised at the admission.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Tate shrugged. “Acquaintances, people I know in passing from repeated stops at the same cargo depots, but I left home at eighteen, and you’re the only person from high school I’ve kept in touch with. Everyone else since then has been, well, ships in the dark. Until I met Mason. And those aren’t people I want to celebrate my wedding with. They don’t know me and I don’t know them. Not really.” Just outside the doorway of the dressing room, Mason’s mother paused, an expression of sorrow creasing her still youthful face. She’d come looking for Sarah to see if the younger woman needed any help getting ready for the ceremony, but had hesitated to enter when she heard her comment about Tate’s mother. Mason had explained that Tate’s family didn’t accept his sexual orientation, but she’d had no idea that Sarah would be the only one present to share the day with Tate. Shaking her head sadly, she turned away before either Sarah or Tate noticed her presence. This was something she needed to talk over with her husband. “Well, that won’t be a problem after today,” Sarah decided after a moment. “There isn’t a person here who isn’t ready to adopt you immediately. You won’t ever lack for family or friends again.” “I know that,” Tate assured her. “I thank my lucky stars every day that I stopped when I saw Mason’s car stuck in the snow bank. I got everything I’d never let myself want all in one evening of Christmas magic, and things have only gotten better since then.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “And now you have the rest of your lives to spend together,” Sarah agreed, dabbing at the tears Tate’s words evoked. “Now, enough of this or you’ll make me cry and I just spent half an hour on my makeup.” “You’ve never spent half an hour on makeup in your life,” Tate retorted. “You’ve never gotten married before either,” Sarah reminded him. “Damn it, now you’re going to make me cry!” “Hey babe, have you seen my cufflinks?” Mason walked in, looking up from adjusting his shirtsleeves, and crossed the room in concern at the expression on Tate’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, lifting Tate’s chin to meet his eyes. “Nothing,” Tate promised as Sarah shrieked Mason’s name. “Mason, you know it’s bad luck to see each other before the ceremony!” Tate grinned up at his lover, his expression clearing and returning to the mischievous look he usually wore when Sarah was around. Leaning closer to Mason, he murmured loud enough to be heard, “So what do you think she’d say about fucking before the wedding?” “Tate Matthew Rowland!” Sarah sputtered. “And you, Mason, get out of here! I’ll find your cufflinks and bring

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna them to you, but you’re not allowed back in here until after the ceremony’s over. Scoot!” Mason dropped a quick kiss on Tate’s lips, avoiding the swat Sarah aimed at his backside and winking at his lover. “Nice tux, Sarah,” he added, smiling at them both as he left the room. Sarah pursed her lips. “He’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’m going to fall for his sweet talk just because he makes you happy.” Tate snorted. “Go get him, tiger,” he teased, digging around in his shaving kit until he found Mason’s cufflinks. “Be useful for a change and take these to Mason since you won’t let me give them to him myself.”

SARAH wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a more perfect setting for a wedding as she waited with Mason’s oldest brother for Tate and Mason to appear. The trees had donned their most brilliant fall colors, reds and oranges blending with golden yellows, the ancient giants seeming to give their own blessing in their magnificent display. The weather hadn’t turned enough for the grass to have started to lose its summer sheen, the meadow still a deep, lush green, the creek to one side babbling softly as if to assure them all of its presence— and agreement—as well. The sun shone down warmly, not a cloud in the crystal blue sky. Sarah smiled. There might

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna not be a minister here to bless this union, but Mother Nature had made her opinion perfectly clear in her bounty. Mason’s parents, Steven and Marjorie Cooper, walked toward the semicircle of white chairs set in the clearing, facing a breathtaking view of the rolling Georgia hills. Mason’s father was a taller, slimmer version of his son, his grey-flecked dark hair set off by his black suit. A burgundy rosebud adorned his lapel, matching those worn by all of Mason’s brothers. His mother wore a wine-colored dress with a handkerchief hemline that fluttered in the gentle breeze. Smiling proudly, when they reached the front row of seats Marjorie withdrew her arm from her husband’s and moved to the side of the clearing where Sarah waited, taking the seat that should have been occupied by Tate’s mother. Steven seated himself near where his eldest son Dylan stood, turning to look over his shoulder in the direction from which they had come. Knowing everyone else would soon be in place, Tate waited to one side of the clearing, watching for Anne’s signal so that he and Mason could walk in together. When the gesture came, he started into the meadow, his eyes searching for Mason, sure nothing could distract him from the sight of his lover. He had taken only a few steps, though, when he realized how wrong he was. The front row, the one reserved for family, wasn’t empty on his side as he’d predicted. Instead, he saw the most beautiful sight he thought he would ever see. Mason’s mother—he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to calling her Marjorie, although perhaps

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna calling her Mom might work—sat in the front row, her eyes gleaming with pride and delight as she smiled at him. He kept walking, his feet propelling him forward with no conscious thought until he reached the place where she sat, his eyes asking the question he didn’t know how to put into words. “Any mother worth her salt would be proud to claim you as her son,” Marjorie said softly, smile widening even as tears clumped her lashes. “Mom” it was. Tate bent and kissed her cheek gently. “Any son worth his salt would be proud to have you as his mother, Mom,” he replied shyly. Mason stepped forward at Anne’s signal, deliberately refusing to look across the clearing for Tate. He wasn’t completely sure he wouldn’t break down and do something embarrassing like stumble or worse, start crying before he reached the spot where they would make their vows. Instead, he let his gaze sweep over the ring of chairs occupied by family and friends, smiling when he realized Anne had arranged them without a center aisle to avoid drawing attention to the disparity of his and Tate’s guests. There in the front row sat his family: his oldest brother and best man Dylan’s wife Amy, Reese and his wife Susan, Kathy and Mark, Trent and Lisa, his younger sister Alene with her fiancé Paul, and their youngest brother Michael, the only one

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna of them still unattached. The second row was filled with his nieces and nephews, the rows behind that with relatives and friends. Mason met his father’s proud gaze, concerned for a moment when he didn’t see his mother sitting beside him. Then Mason spotted her at the opposite end of the row, Tate leaning down to kiss her cheek, and his vision swam for a moment with tears at her thoughtfulness. Blinking them away, he continued forward until he stood at his oldest brother’s side. Dylan pulled him into a warm hug, and then straightened his white rosebud boutonniere before nudging him to turn to face Tate. Mason swallowed hard when he got his first good look. Tate was so handsome it took his breath away. The dark tuxedo emphasized Tate’s slim, muscular build, the crisp white shirt accenting his olive skin, his dark hair pulled into a neat tail at the back of his neck that Mason was already anticipating freeing from its confines later that night. Closing his eyes, he offered silent thanks for the grace that had brought this wonderful man into his life. Straightening, Tate walked the rest of the way to Sarah’s side, squeezing her hand tightly as he took his assigned place, facing the man he was about to pledge his life to. The butterflies that had been haunting his stomach all day stilled suddenly, the love welling in his heart, the support of Mason’s family, enough to settle any remaining nerves with the overwhelming sense of the rightness of his choice. Taking another step forward, he extended his hand to Mason, seeing in the joining of their hands a symbol for the

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna joining of their lives. He took a deep breath and looked into Mason’s eyes, losing himself in the hazel gaze. “I made a decision a long time ago to live out my life alone,” Tate began slowly, holding tightly to Mason’s hands and to his smile, drawing courage from that connection to say the words that were in his heart, words he too often had trouble expressing. “Nothing made me question that, not even fifteen years of almost solitude. And then I met you, stranded in a snowbank with a trunk full of cookies, and everything changed. Light entered my life again. Love entered my life again. Joy entered my life again. Here, on this day, in the presence of our family and friends, I pledge my life to that light, that joy, that love, so that my life will no longer be mine alone, but ours, from this day forward. My life, my love, are yours.” Mason cleared his throat, his voice thick as he spoke. “From this day on, neither of us will be alone again. Whatever life brings us, we’ll share it together—sunlight and storms, summer warmth and winter snows, autumn’s fading and spring’s rebirth. I promise to cherish you through hard times and celebrate with you in good times, and above all I promise to love you for the unique and wonderful man you are, now and for the rest of our lives.” To either side, Dylan and Sarah stepped forward, offering the rings the two men had chosen for the ceremony. Taking the one on Sarah’s palm, Tate slid it onto Mason’s finger. “Take this ring and wear it always as a sign of my love and fidelity, as proof of our promise.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Even though Mason had been wearing the ring that had been Tate’s father’s since Valentine’s Day, it took on a new significance now. He ran a reverent finger over the gleaming metal before accepting its counterpart from Dylan. “Take this ring and wear it always as a sign of my love and fidelity,” he repeated, sliding the simple platinum band Tate had selected onto his lover’s finger, “as proof of our promises.” Dylan and Sarah stepped closer, Dylan taking Mason’s free hand and Sarah taking Tate’s, then joining their own to complete the circle of lovers, family and friends. “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other,” Dylan declaimed solemnly, his deep voice resonant with emotion. “Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other.” “Now you are two persons, but there is only one life inside you,” Sarah continued, her much lighter voice a powerful contrast to Dylan’s. “Go now to your dwelling to enter the days of your life together. And may your days be good, and long upon the earth.” She moved to the side, leaving Mason’s and Tate’s hands entwined. Just for a moment, she thought she’d have to prompt them to kiss, but after a few seconds, their heads drifted together, their lips touching in an almost chaste kiss to seal their promise. Then Tate pulled one hand free, his fingers going to Mason’s neck, pulling his lover—his partner—against him and kissing him with all the pent-up emotion from the day.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Dylan clapping his back and Sarah smiling through her tears at their side, their family and friends applauding happily, all disappeared as Mason lost himself in Tate’s kiss. He raised a hand to Tate’s cheek, responding to his lover’s— his spouse’s—kiss with all the love and passion filling him, until a discreet cough from his brother recalled him to their surroundings. Tate flushed slightly, but left his forehead resting against Mason’s. “So I guess they want us to lead the way to the reception,” he postulated in a stage whisper, his eyes never leaving the hazel depths. Mason smiled, rubbing his thumb against Tate’s cheek, just as captivated by the warmth shining from Tate’s brown eyes. “Think they’d notice if we just went back to our cabin instead?” “Yeah, they might miss us when it came time to start the dancing.” His eyes darkening at the reminder of Tate’s admission at the hot tub, Mason tilted his head for another kiss. Their lips clung together until a second muffled cough prompted them to take a reluctant step apart. “Guess we’d better head back. Maybe once the reception starts we can find someplace with a little privacy,” Mason suggested. Hands still joined, the two turned when a hail of small pellets bombarded them both. Unrepentant in the face of Tate’s glare, Sarah grinned and showered them with a

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna second handful from the small bag she’d pulled from the trouser pocket of her tuxedo. “What are you doing?” Tate protested. “Birdseed,” Sarah replied, holding up the bag. “I couldn’t very well throw rice out here since it can kill the birds, so I settled for this instead.” “Sarah!” “Tate!” Sarah mimicked, her tone of voice so close to his that it was clear they’d had this exchange more than once. “Go on! Everyone else wants a chance to throw their birdseed too!” Shaking his head, Mason tugged at Tate’s arm and they ran the gauntlet of well-wishers tossing birdseed, clapping them on the shoulder and pulling them into hugs. Finally, a smiling Anne stepped from the shadow of the trees. “If you’ll please follow me, we have a lovely reception waiting for you all back at the main lodge.” Mason had to admit that Anne and her staff had done an outstanding job. An elegant pavilion covered in ruffled white satin had been set up on the lawn to one side of the center’s main building. Several bars stood at various points around the perimeter; round tables with arrangements of autumn flowers dotted one half of the open space, while the other was cleared as a dance floor. The disk jockey hired for the evening was already playing a bluesy jazz instrumental. Tuxedo-clad waiters circled among the arriving guests,

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna offering a variety of the hors d’oeuvres they’d selected. The centerpiece of the reception was the long table flanking one side of the tent. Framed at each end with trays of fancy cookies, cream puffs and petit fours, a graceful dark chocolate fountain held the place of honor at the center, surrounded by a wreath of fresh fruits, cake, and marshmallows for dipping. “Wow,” Tate said under his breath as he looked around. He and Mason had made all the plans with Anne, discussing various options until they found something they could agree on, but he hadn’t imagined it would look this good. “It’s like something out of a dream.” “The dream’s come true,” Mason answered, squeezing Tate’s hand and leaning in for a kiss. “Or maybe it’s just beginning. We have the rest of our lives to spend together.” “That’s the dream come true,” Tate decided, leading Mason toward the sweets table where two glasses of bubbling champagne waited for them. They stood together, arms around each other’s waists as everyone else sought drinks from the bars. As the guests were milling around, tasting hors d’oeuvres and getting drinks, Mason’s father joined the two men. “I didn’t mean to steal your wife during the ceremony,” Tate said. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Steven replied immediately. “I’d have sat with her if that wouldn’t have left Mason’s side

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna empty. After Mike was born, Marjorie’s health wouldn’t permit us to have any more children,” he went on, “but a part of me always felt like we’d stopped one son too soon. I don’t feel like that anymore. Welcome to the family, son.” Tate tried to stutter out a reply as Steven pulled him into a hearty embrace, but he could not find the words. He hadn’t fallen out with his father like he had with his mother, but his father had died when he was in his early teens, leaving Tate to do much of his growing up alone. Deciding he’d never be able to express his emotions adequately, he simply returned the embrace strongly, clinging to the warmth of family again after so long alone. As soon as it appeared everyone had gotten something to drink, Dylan tapped a coffee spoon against his wine glass to silence the chatter of conversation. “First of all, thank you all for being here to share this very special day with Mason and Tate,” he said. Glancing toward his younger brother with a smile, Dylan continued, “One of the best parts of coming from a big family is getting to share these moments of perfect happiness. I was always a little sad that Mason would never get to experience the love and companionship that his sisters and brothers—well, most of his brothers,” he added with a grin toward Mike—“have found in our marriages. I’m very, very happy to be proved wrong, and proud to welcome Tate into the family. May your lives together be long and happy.” Raising his glass, he drank to the two men.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna When everyone had sipped and shouted well wishes to the newlyweds, Sarah stepped forward. “I shared Dylan’s same fears for Tate,” she began, “especially since neither of us grew up with the advantages of a large family, so you can imagine my surprise last year when he called me to cancel our annual New Year’s Eve ‘date’. I teased him about having hot plans for the night, expecting him to make up some wild tale to excuse the fact that his company had him on the opposite side of the country. Well, let me tell you, folks, truth is stranger than fiction. What made me realize he wasn’t putting me on was the way he said Mason’s name. Like he wanted to keep saying it over and over until it was much a part of him as his own name.” Turning a little so she could look at the two men, she addressed Mason directly. “You’ve made him happier in the last ten months than I’ve known him to be since his father died. I look forward to hearing your name in that same mystified tone for the rest of your lives.” Handing one of the flutes of champagne to Tate, Mason took the other. “To the rest of our lives together,” he murmured, clinking his glass against Tate’s. “To forever,” Tate agreed, lifting the champagne to his lips and sipping it slowly. “Not quite as good as the champagne we drank on Valentine’s Day, but then, nothing yet has compared to that night.” “Tonight isn’t over yet,” Mason reminded him, nudging Tate’s shoulder to turn him toward the sweets table. “And we have chocolate. And pineapple,” he added, spearing a

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna chunk of the ripe fruit and holding it under the dark cascade. When it was fully coated, he raised it to Tate’s lips, licking his own when his lover’s closed around the juicy morsel. Tate’s tongue sneaking out to catch a dribble of the rich chocolate was too much for Mason, and he dropped the frilled toothpick on the table and pulled Tate to him in a deep kiss, chasing the mingled flavors as if he could never get enough. The mixture of pineapple and chocolate was just as perfect as Tate remembered it being, but nothing compared to Mason kissing him. Nothing. A part of him wanted to say forget the reception, forget the guests, forget everything but going back to their cabin and making love all night long, but he couldn’t do that to Mason’s family after they’d made the long trip to get here. Pulling away slightly, he grabbed another toothpick and used it prepare a piece of pineapple, which he offered to Mason. “Much better than dry, papery wedding cake,” he said with a grin as a dribble of juice escaped the corner of Mason’s mouth. Leaning forward, he licked it off. Pulling Tate against him, Mason followed that teasing tongue back into his partner’s mouth, stepping even closer until the back of Tate’s legs bumped into the sweets table. Mason was giving serious consideration to laying Tate down on the pristine white tablecloth when a hand gripped his shoulder. “Mason Randall Cooper! Don’t even think it, buster,” Kathy poked her finger in his chest. “Mom and Amy and

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Alene and I spent all week baking those cookies. Anyway, we’re waiting for you and Tate to start the dancing.” Head still spinning from Mason’s attention, Tate couldn’t decide if he welcomed the interruption or wished them all somewhere else. If Mason had kept up that kiss, Tate wouldn’t have cared that they had an audience, and he wasn’t quite ready to embarrass himself in front of Mason’s family that way. On the other hand, he was going to have a hard time walking, much less dancing with the hard-on currently raging in his tuxedo trousers. Flushing a little at how close he had come to losing control over just a kiss, Mason took a step back, though he kept his arm wrapped around Tate’s waist. He was pretty sure that being pressed against Tate’s body on the dance floor would be its own challenge to his self control, but it was a trial he was willing to endure. “C’mon, babe, he murmured, “let’s not keep them waiting.” As they turned toward the dance floor, the DJ ended the soft instrumental that had been playing in the background. “Ladies and gentlemen, here for their first dance together are Tate and Mason,” she announced, switching to the opening strains of the Rod Stewart classic “You’re in My Heart.” Mason opened his arms and Tate stepped into them. They stood together for an awkward moment, never having danced together before, though the flare of heat between them was unmistakeable. “You lead,” Mason murmured, resting his arms around Tate’s hips.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Tate smiled, slipping his fingers into Mason’s hand, lifting their clasped hands to his chest as his other arm settled on his lover’s hips, pulling him close. As he led Mason through some simple steps and turns, letting him get used to following rather than leading, he mouthed the words to the song. “I really must confess right here; the attraction was purely physical.” He bumped his hips again Mason’s teasingly to underline the truth of the words. While the attraction had certainly grown beyond that now, there was no denying his desire for his lover. Just for an instant, Mason let his free hand drift lower, cupping Tate’s ass and rubbing against him; but as the singer’s gravelled voice began the chorus, he raised his hand to weave into Tate’s dark hair. Resting his forehead against Tate’s, he sang along softly. “You’re in my heart, you’re in my soul; you’ll be my breath should I grow old; you are my lover, you’re my best friend, you’re in my soul….” Tate felt tears spring to his eyes and blinked them away as the song went on. “My love for you is immeasurable, my respect for you immense. You’re ageless, timeless, lace and fineness; you’re beauty and elegance. You’re a rhapsody, a comedy; you’re a symphony and a play; you’re every love song ever written, but honey what do you see in me?” he asked, mostly in jest, but a part of him still wondered what an educated, classy guy like Mason wanted with a trucker like him. He didn’t doubt Mason’s feelings; he was just at a loss to explain them.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “I could ask you the same question,” Mason answered, covering Tate’s lips with his own before his partner could respond. He’d spend as much time as Tate needed later expounding on all the things he loved about his spouse—his honesty, generosity, determination, and a thousand other reasons—but right now, he let the song speak for him. “You are my lover, you’re my best friend, you’re in my soul,” he repeated, punctuating each phrase with a soft kiss. Giving up on talking, mostly even on dancing, Tate swayed against Mason, more or less to the rhythm of the song, simply content to hold and be held, kiss and be kissed, love and be loved. Eventually the song ended and the two men broke apart, faces wreathed in smiles. “Go dance with your mother,” Tate urged, though he did not immediately release Mason’s hand. “I’ll steal you back in a few minutes.” By the time the next song started, Mason’s parents were already dancing together, and before he could work his way across the dance floor to them, he felt a tap on his arm. “May I have this dance?” Sarah asked, holding her arms out to Mason with a broad smile. Mason looked back over his shoulder at Tate, concerned at leaving him without a dance partner, and nearly broke into laughter when his brother Dylan stepped in to take Mason’s place. The laughter turned into a warmth that tightened his throat as Tate and Dylan began a formal boxstep in time to the music. Shaking his head with a smile, he offered his arm to Sarah, who twirled gracefully into his embrace.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Tate wasn’t sure his eyes could get any bigger when Dylan asked him to dance, but everyone was smiling so he accepted, letting Dylan lead this time since he was relatively sure the other man had never followed in a dance. It was very different than dancing with Mason, but it cemented in Tate’s mind his complete acceptance into this amazing family. “Can I cut in?” Mason’s brother Trent tugged Sarah from his arms, leaving Mason to dance with an already slightly tipsy Lisa. “You and Tate look so cute together,” she told him with the air of someone imparting an important discovery. Before she could say any more, Mason found himself changing partners again, this time winding up in his brother Reece’s arms while Tate danced with Susan. Over the course of the next several dances Mason and Tate were passed from partner to partner, until Mason thought he’d probably danced with everyone at the reception, male or female. His favorite moment was standing with his father while Tate whirled his mother around the floor, the hemline of her dress swirling around her knees. When the song ended, Mason picked up two fresh glasses of wine from one of the bars and met Tate when he handed a beaming Marjorie back to Steven. Sarah and Mike came off the dance floor just behind them, Sarah impulsively hugging Tate. Catching a glint of something sparkling in Mike’s ear, Mason caught the lobe between his thumb and forefinger to examine the diamond stud piercing it.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “I thought I was the gay brother in the family,” he chuckled. “Nah, you’re just another old married one now,” Mike replied with a grin for Tate. “Besides, women really go for this kind of thing, don’t they, Sarah?” Sarah rolled her eyes at Tate and Mason, eliciting smothered chuckles from both of them. “It’s all a matter of taste,” she replied diplomatically. “And we all know Sarah has exquisite taste,” Tate joked. “That’s why she brought the best bottle of whisky to the party last night.” “I can’t believe you crashed the bachelor party,” Mike told Sarah in admiration. “What?” Sarah protested. “If anyone belongs at the bachelor party for two gay men, it’s me. After all, they like the same things I do in a man. Although, I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I expected something a little more wild and crazy. It was a bachelor party, after all.” “A bachelor party where half the guys are married—and my brothers,” Mason offered with a grin. “On their own, they might have hired a dancer or something, but they knew one would be wasted on Tate and me.” “Oh, I don’t know,” Sarah drawled. “I can think of a few dancers I’ve seen who you’d enjoy.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “I can do wild and crazy,” Mike said hopefully, eliciting another muffled chuckle from Mason and Tate. “Not if you don’t get some better pickup lines,” Tate said with a grin as he watched Sarah roll her eyes. “She’s been brushing guys off since she was twelve.” “That’s because I only had eyes for you,” Sarah joked, batting her eyelashes at him. Before the banter could disintegrate further, the DJ switched gears in the music, replacing the Big Band classics with a merengue track that brought a huge grin to Sarah’s face. “Tate’s the one who can really show you wild and crazy, or at least down and dirty,” she added. “My dance, I believe?” Tate grinned, kissed her outstretched hand, and shook his head. “Not any more. I have a new partner now.” Mason smiled at the sentiment but shook his head in turn. “I’d be falling over my feet trying to dance to this. Go ahead and dance with Sarah. I’ll sit this one out.” Tate hesitated a moment longer, but the sultry beat called to him as it had since the first time he heard it. Giving in to its lure, he took Sarah’s hand, spinning her into his arms as they moved onto the dance floor, bodies pressed so tightly together they seemed to move as one. Letting the music take over, Tate dipped Sarah backwards, showing off the long lines of her elegant body before leading her in smooth, sultry series of moves worthy of Dirty Dancing.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Sarah knew, as she followed Tate through the provocative steps, that every eye—at least every man’s eye— in the room was fixed firmly on her. At various times in the past, she’d used that to catch the interest of one man or another, to tempt him to cut in and take Tate’s place. This time, too, she was fixated on one man, but with a very different purpose in mind. She wanted him to take her place. Glancing back at Mason for a moment, she draped her arms over Tate’s shoulders as he spun her around, lifting her completely off the ground so they were flush from chest down, her body pressed against his like a lover’s. Mike stood next to his brother like a lost puppy, but she was more interested in Mason’s reaction, letting her head fall back, her hair swinging back and forth across her bottom as she ground against Tate. His eyes riveted to the seductive display, Mason shifted against the small table he’d set their drinks on, his cock rigidly erect. Thanks to the tuxedo-style suit she was wearing, it was easy for Mason to imagine himself in Sarah’s place. Maybe Tate wouldn’t be able to support him the way he was cradling Sarah’s slighter frame, but Mason would give anything to be able to mold himself against Tate’s torso that way, to glide and turn as if they were one body. Sarah seemed to know instinctively how to move the way Tate wanted her to, responsive to his slightest touch. Mason knew that connection in a far more intimate setting, and he suddenly wanted it, needed it, with desperate hunger. He

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna took in a deep breath, trying to slow his racing pulse. A quick glance to his side told him Mike was watching Sarah with nearly the same longing. Glancing over at Mason, Tate caught sight of the look on his lover’s face and desire spiked in him suddenly. Fortunately, the song drew to a close, allowing Tate to release Sarah with a soft kiss on her cheek. As soon as she was steady, he left her on the dance floor, drawn to Mason like a lodestone. Mason didn’t hear the spontaneous applause that broke out among the guests, and to judge by his partner’s expression, Tate didn’t either. Mason watched Tate stalk toward him—there was really no other word to describe that graceful, purposeful stride—and stepped into his arms as soon as he reached the table. “You’re going to have to teach me to dance like that,” he growled into Tate’s ear, nipping at the lobe. “Tell me when and where,” Tate promised, body arching against Mason’s in flagrant invitation, “although you probably ought to lead.” “How about right now?” Mason worked a leg between Tate’s, rocking their engorged cocks together. “In our cabin, preferably with a lot less clothes between us….” “Go,” Sarah said softly. “I’ll make your excuses.” His arm still wrapped around Tate’s waist, Mason started out of the tent, blind to Mike moving to Sarah’s side

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna behind them and the indulgent smiles of the guests who noticed them leaving. Tomorrow he’d surely have to deal with the consequences of their early departure, in the form of pointed ribbing from his siblings, but at the moment that was the furthest concern from his mind. All he wanted was to get Tate alone, and naked, and show his lover, his partner, his spouse, how very much Mason loved him. For one brief moment, Tate thought about mentioning the guests who’d come to celebrate with them, but then Mason’s hand slid lower, squeezing his ass, and all thought of anything but consummating their vows disappeared. Not caring that they were practically running already, he grabbed Mason’s hand, urging him to move faster. The moment they were through the door to the cabin, he reached for Mason’s tie, pulling it free and starting on the buttons of the shirt. Dancing with Sarah had always been fun, sometimes even funny as he watched her use it to draw the attention of a guy who’d caught her interest, but it had never been so incredibly arousing. Not until he’d seen the effect it had on Mason. “The first thing about dancing,” he husked, “is being willing to be close to your partner.” He slid his thigh between Mason’s. “Incredibly, intimately close to your partner.” “That won’t be a problem,” Mason assured him, his fingers tugging at the ends of Tate’s bow tie. Instead of pulling it free, he popped open the first few studs from Tate’s shirt, then used the black satin to pull his lover closer,

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna joining their lips in a heated kiss while his fingers worked blindly to continue to bare Tate’s chest. As soon as his shirt was unbuttoned, Tate caught Mason’s hands, draping them over his shoulders as he started to move his hips, much as he had with Sarah. “You also have to be willing to follow your partner’s lead,” he continued. “If you’re both trying to lead, you’ll never make it as a dancer. On the other hand, once you learn each other’s cues, you can move together like you share the same mind.” He backed Mason slowly into the cabin’s bedroom, his feet moving in an abbreviated merengue step, urging his husband to follow his lead, to put himself completely in Tate’s hands. Mason worked his hands under the collar of Tate’s shirt, pushing it down his shoulders and discovering he could anticipate his partner’s next step by the flex of muscles beneath his skin. Following Tate’s lead, he moved backward slowly, aligning himself to Tate so that every step slid their erections together. “Too many clothes,” Mason breathed against Tate’s temple, working a hand between them again to begin pulling at the studs of his own shirt. “Want to feel this… with nothing between us.” Judging that they were near enough to the bed for Mason to land on it if Tate dropped him, he wrapped one arm tightly around the other man’s hips, dipping him back as he’d done with Sarah so he could get to the studs more easily, helping Mason get the garment open and then off. His hips never stopped their slow, steady grind, the change

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna in angle letting him push against Mason’s engorged balls. Spinning them away from the bed, he urged Mason to straighten as he continued the sexy dance, hands on his lover’s hips to guide him. “Eventually, though,” he whispered, “it becomes like second nature to move together, and then you can just relax and enjoy how good it feels.” “Feels damn good,” Mason agreed. With Tate’s shirt out of the way, he slipped a palm under the waistband of his partner’s trousers, caressing as much as he could reach of the smooth skin of Tate’s ass before using his spread fingers to urge Tate even closer. His free hand slid from Tate’s shoulder down his chest, rubbing over a tightened nipple, then dropping lower still to the fastening of Tate’s tuxedo pants. “I take it you’re done dancing?” Tate gasped when Mason’s hands worked their way inside his pants. A part of him wanted to draw it out, to savor the anticipation a little bit longer, but his cock throbbed like a sore tooth and it wasn’t as if they’d stop. He fully expected they’d make love all night long. “I thought maybe we could switch to—” Mason grinned when his questing hand closed around Tate’s cock, winning a hiss of pleasure—“What did you call it? Oh yeah, the horizontal mambo.” Tate danced them back toward the bed, his knees getting weak now that Mason’s hand had captured his cock

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna and his attention. “Let’s dance, baby,” he teased, tipping Mason backward and crawling up on top of him. Tate’s weight pressing him into the mattress sent Mason’s own shaft leaping to attention, but there were still too many layers between them. Pushing Tate’s now open slacks down his legs, he meant to do away with his own next, but the firm curve of his husband’s ass distracted him. Mason’s palms closed around the resilient globes, hitching Tate upward until his mouth could reach the tawny disks of his nipples. Tate groaned when he felt the hot suction of Mason’s mouth on his chest. He humped Mason’s stomach in time to the sweet sucking, leaving a sticky trail on his lover’s belly. He’d just have to lick Mason clean later, because it felt too good to stop now. Bracing himself on one elbow, he ran his other hand through Mason’s hair, stroking, caressing, urging him on. Humming the seductive melody Tate had been dancing to, Mason swayed as his mouth slid over the skin of Tate’s chest, his fingers clenching the muscles of Tate’s ass. “Like this dancing,” he murmured, his own hips rocking up to increase the friction between them. “Like any dancing with you,” Tate replied, rolling to his back and pulling Mason on top of him so he could reach his husband’s trousers. He unbuttoned them and pushed them down, gasping in delight when hot, hard skin met hot, hard skin. “You feel so good,” he groaned.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna “Always,” Mason moaned when the final barriers between them were out of the way. It still wasn’t close enough, though. He wanted to melt into Tate, crawl inside him so they really were one body, one soul. Kicking free of the restrictive slacks, he spread his legs and wrapped his thighs around Tate’s, shifting until their cocks rubbed and clung to each other. “Like this even more.” “Love this,” Tate agreed. “Need it like I need to breathe.” He stretched toward the bedside table, snagging the lube and offering it to Mason, who shook his head. “Unless you want a free show.” Squeezing lube onto his fingers, Tate grinned. “As much fun as that might be, I’m not about to pass up the opportunity to get my hands on you.” He slid his fingers between Mason’s cheeks, searching blindly for the welcoming portal. Finding it, he started preparing the tight sheath. Supporting himself on his palms, Mason pushed back into the probing fingers, his cock bobbing against his stomach. “Don’t need much,” he rasped, his head dropping back to his shoulders when one long finger found his prostate. He undulated on the invading digits, squeezing around them, but they weren’t what he wanted, needed, to feel inside him. Tilting his head until he could meet Tate’s smoldering gaze, he curled a hand around his partner’s

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna leaking shaft. “Need you,” he demanded, spreading the precome over the blunt head. “Ache for you.” Tate contemplated rolling Mason beneath him, but the sight his husband presented sitting astride him, legs spread wide, cock jutting forward, eyes wide, cheeks blushed, chest heaving, was just too seductive to resist. He bumped the tip of his shaft against the now-slick hole. “Take me then.” His eyes never leaving Tate’s, Mason raised up on his knees, his thigh muscles quivering as he reached back to guide Tate’s cock. The thick head nudged at his entrance and he welcomed the burn as it stretched to accept Tate, to join their bodies in the most primal of unions. Letting his knees slide outward, he contracted around the thick shaft opening him, filling him, completing him. “Love you,” he gasped as he came to rest against Tate’s hipbones, the hand that had been guiding Tate’s entry reaching forward to caress his husband’s cheek. “So much… can’t remember how I lived without you.” “I didn’t live without you,” Tate husked, resisting with great difficulty the urge to thrust up into Mason’s body. He’d be able to eventually, but for now, he needed to let his husband set the pace. “Not really. You’re the other half of my soul.” Mason bit his lip, the words sending such a wash of warmth flooding his veins that his cock twitched, his balls tightening in anticipation. Coming this soon was not at all what Mason had planned, so he stilled, leaning back on his

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna heels and clenching around the heavy rod filling him until he’d regained some measure of control. “Don’t say things like that unless you want this to be over way too soon,” he warned, shifting just enough to set Tate’s cock stirring in its sheath. “I plan to make this last for a long, long time.” “The rest of our lives,” Tate vowed, clenching his teeth to keep from rushing Mason. “You set the pace tonight.” “Still letting me lead?” Mason exhaled, relaxing back onto his heels, one hand stabilizing himself on Tate’s chest, the other tracing the line of his lover’s jaw. The rasp of tiny bristles under his fingertips brought a smile to his face. Tate’s beard wasn’t as heavy as his own, but the intimacy of waking up to the brush of a stubbled cheek was one of his favorite parts of the morning. Morning was a long way off, though, and until then Mason was going to give Tate all the pleasure both of them could stand. Slowly he tightened his muscles, raising until he could feel the fat head of Tate’s cock close to slipping out, then just as slowly lowering himself, glorying in the slick glide of Tate’s skin caressing him inside and out. Tate didn’t answer the question in words, letting his body speak for him, letting Mason set the pace, rocking his hips to elongate the movement without speeding it up, so that they danced together in perfect coordination. His hands wandered as they moved, over smooth, soft flesh gilding hard, flexing muscles, tweaking Mason’s nipples, caressing his chest and then lower to encircle the bobbing cock.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Moving in perfect concert with his lover’s body, Mason realized Tate’s comment that “once you learn each other’s cues, you can move together like you share the same mind” applied to more than just dancing. He and Tate were connected in a way that went beyond any of their previous lovemaking, as if in this instant they truly shared a single body, a single mind, a single soul. He could feel Tate’s heart throbbing below his fingers, his own pulse echoing the quickening beat as the heat grew between them. Tate’s body moved to meet his with every thrust, slowing when Mason did, shifting when he did, as if a single set of nerves and muscles controlled them both. “Dancing,” Mason whispered, gripping Tate’s shoulder as shudders of pleasure rippled through him. “Love dancing with you.” “Love everything with you,” Tate agreed, hands settling on Mason’s hips as he struggled to leave control of their dance with Mason. He itched to roll his spouse beneath him and pound into him with all his strength, but this was not about some quick, casual fuck. They were making love, sealing the promises of their lives with the joining of their bodies, and he’d offered the lead to his partner. “Not gonna last much longer,” he warned. Mason didn’t want this feeling ever to end, but he told himself they had the rest of their lives together, that they could recreate this intimacy every time they made love. “Neither am I,” he rasped, his heavy balls rubbing against the dark hair of Tate’s groin. “Ah, fuck,” he moaned, sinking

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna as deep onto Tate’s cock as he could to increase the delicious pressure. “Touch me, please!” That was a request Tate would never refuse. He stroked Mason’s erection, smearing the steadily leaking fluid up and down the hard shaft until Mason was groaning and riding him hard. “Now,” he begged. “Come with me now.” Tate’s touch set sparks dancing in Mason’s vision, blurring his view of his partner’s face. “Can’t kiss you,” he moaned, missing that final connection between them. Then Tate’s palm brushed over the hypersensitive head of Mason’s cock and he froze, the shock of ecstasy expanding out from his core to overwhelm his senses. He could feel Tate pulsing inside him, filling him with warmth as his own release poured from him in a moment of perfect communion he wished he could freeze in time. Nothing, Tate realized as he collapsed onto the bed and Mason collapsed on top of him, nothing compared to the vision of Mason above him, face a mask of ecstasy as he found his release. Cradling his lover against him, unwilling to move yet—or ever—Tate stroked Mason’s hair gently. “I’m looking forward to a lifetime of dancing with you.” “As long as we take turns taking the lead.”

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Read how Tate and Mason met in: Weathering the Storm by Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna A wrong turn and a snowstorm leave Mason stranded a long way from anywhere. Luckily, trucker Tate happens along and invites Mason to weather the storm in his truck. While he's got warmth, he's not sure about snacks, but Mason has it— and Tate—covered.

And more in the Reflections of Love anthology: Coming Home by Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna Since handsome truck driver Tate rescued him from a holiday snowstorm, Mason has been falling deeper in love every day. He only wishes he could be sure Tate feels the same. Mason sets his heart on a romantic Valentine's Day celebration, but Tate's been on the road almost non-stop since they met. Will love be enough to tempt his traveling man into coming home? Available at Dreamspinner Press http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna

Growing up in Chicago, NICKI BENNETT spent every Saturday at the central library, losing herself in the world of books. A voracious reader, she eventually found it difficult to find enough of the kind of stories she liked to read and decided to start writing them herself.

ARIEL TACHNA lives in southwestern Ohio with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat. A native of the region, she has nonetheless lived all over the world, having fallen in love with both France, where she found her career and her husband, and India, where she dreams of retiring some day. She started writing when she was twelve and hasn’t looked back since. A connoisseur of wine and horses, she’s as comfortable on a farm as she is in the big cities of the world. Visit Ariel’s web site at http://www.arieltachna.com/ and her blog at http://arieltachna.livejournal.com/.

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna

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Tying the Knot ♥ Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna

Tying the Knot ©Copyright Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna, 2009 Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Design by Catt Ford This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America June, 2009 eBook Edition eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-004-8

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