Chapter 20
Arlo
“I’m stir-crazy,” I say, watching Jasper as he pulls on his pants to go to the firehouse.
I don’t want him to go, but he needs to, and I know it. He wants to keep his promise about taking time off work to help me heal and to help me with the kids, but until he goes in and requests more leave, he can’t do that. I know it’s necessary, but it still sucks.
He huffs, glancing at me. “I can tell.”
I stretch out on the bed on my stomach, wincing a little at my ribs. It’s been almost two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital, and my pain gets a little better every day. It’s not like a miracle healing or anything, but it has been steady.
I’ve been working in some capacity since I was sixteen, and this sucks. I’m tired of being stuck in the house all the time.
“Are you tired of me yet? Ready to take back your promise of marriage? Regretting moving me in?”
Shooting me a glare, Jasper shakes his head. “No.”
I stick my lip out in a pout. “This is the worst. I want to do something.”
“Like what?” Jasper sits down next to me on the bed with his shoes and a pair of socks.
“I don’t know,” I say, watching as he puts his socks on and then steps into his shoes. “I want out of this house, though.”
“Are you regretting moving in?” He quirks an eyebrow at me.
“Never. But I am tired of seeing the same shit every day. I’m not used to being cooped up all the time.”
Studying me, he sighs. “Why don’t you go to the diner today and have lunch? It might be good for you to get out and see Luca and Theo.”
The jeans Jasper has on today are obscene. The denim stretches tight across his thick thighs. And if I’m being honest? His ass looks really fucking good too.
I tiptoe my fingers up his thigh, and the muscles flex under my touch. My mouth goes dry and my cock twitches. Dragging my fingers higher, I watch his face. His eyes drop to my hand, and when I brush over the bulge of his cock, they snap back to mine.
“What are you doing, baby boy?”
I shrug, batting my eyelashes. “Nothing.”
“I know better. You’re a bit of a menace when you want to be, you know that, right?”
“You keep handling me with kid gloves.” I lower my gaze to where Jasper’s cock is swelling at my touch.
“Yes.” He grabs my hand and carefully moves it. “Because you’re hurt.”
Pouting at him, I scoot a little closer. “I’m not too hurt to make you feel good.”
He shakes his head. “No.”
Ugh. “Why not?”
He looks at me like that’s the most obvious answer in the world. “Your ribs.”
“Let me suck you off at least. My ribs aren’t involved in that.”
“I have to go to the station, baby boy.”
As if that’s ever stopped us before. “Not so soon that I can’t.”
“We have the home visit tomorrow. You don’t need to be reinjuring yourself.”
“Don’t you miss it?” I ask, trying to give him my best puppy dog eyes.
Jasper presses his thumb to my lip. “Of course, but not so much that I want to put you in a position to get hurt.”
On the one hand, feeling like all I’m good for is sex sucks. On the other hand, I also really miss sex. I haven’t gone this long without sex since the second time Jasper and I had sex.
Jasper stands, making my hand fall from his lap.
Fuck. Okay, then.
Kneeling on the floor next to the bed, he makes eye contact with me. “I love you.”
“And I love you too, which is why I want to suck your dick.”
His eyes go wide. “You’re too much for your own good, baby boy.”
I groan. “Please?” He’s tempted, I can tell. Maybe tempted isn’t the right word. He’s into it. Of course he is. I know he’s attracted to me. I just… “I want to feel connected to you.”
“Arlo.” He smiles at me, his eyes softening.
“We are connected. You sleep tangled up in my arms every night. We’re always together.
” I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.
“And I love you very much, but you don’t need to use sex to keep me.
I’m here, baby boy. I want you. And I’ll want you until the end of time. Sex or no sex.”
My heart slams against my chest. “And I’ll want you until the end of time.” His grin grows. “But I’m stir-crazy and I’m pent-up and horny, and going to the diner can only take care of one of those things.”
There. That’s the reality of the situation.
“Then how about I suck you off?” Jasper counters. “If you’re so pent-up and horny, I’m not sure what blowing me is gonna do for you.”
That’s because he’s never had his dick at the back of his throat before. He’s never seen his expression when he comes just from my mouth. He’s never watched through watery eyes as his jaw goes slack and his chest heaves when I swallow him down just a little bit deeper.
Getting Jasper Tate off is almost better than any orgasm I’ve ever had. Almost.
“Because I like it.” I roll onto my back, careful to not make any facial expressions in case he thinks it hurts me, and shimmy a little until my head is leaning off the bed. “I could lie here just like this, y’know? I wouldn’t even need to do anything.”
Jasper’s lips land on mine, but the kiss is short and fleeting.
“How about this, baby boy?” His voice has dropped, but his tone is sweet and almost a little teasing.
“How about I swallow your cock? Take care of my poor, desperate baby boy’s pent-up need.
” I shake my head, but he cuts me off. “And then I’ll come across that pretty face of yours. ”
My cock jerks. Yeah, I could be down for that. I nod. “Okay.”
Jasper chuckles, then stands, unbuttoning his freshly buttoned jeans, tugging them down just enough that I can see the tip of his cock.
My mouth waters when he leans over me, bracing himself with one hand while he frees my already aching cock from my underwear.
He hums. “Ready for me already?”
Duh. As if there was ever a question. My body is attuned to him; to his touch, his scent, his taste. Everything about him calls to me.
He dips his head, lapping at the head of my cock. I gasp, heat rushing through me.
His position is almost more of a tease than the wet stripe he just licked down my cock.
He’s hovering over me, his cock close to my face, but not close enough that I can reach it.
Not that I would anyway. I really want to, but I also really want what he suggested.
Plus, I’m not sure I could lift high enough to get him in my mouth without hurting myself, and that would shut this down fast.
“We’ve gotta be quick, okay?” Jasper says. Won’t be a problem at all for me. “I’ve really got to go in.”
“Okay,” I whisper, my body thrumming already. His scent is all around me, the heat of his body radiating toward mine, and I can feel each gust of his breath over the head of my cock.
Wet heat engulfs my cock, and I nearly bow off the bed. It’s only my very limited self-control and Jasper’s other hand, gripping and holding my hip down, that keep me from it.
Jasper swallows me to the back of his throat, dragging his tongue along the length of my cock as he holds me there.
I want to thrust into his mouth. I want to take what I need. But his grip has me pinned, and I can’t move. He pulls off my cock with a hum. “You have to be still, or I’ll quit. You’ll hurt yourself by thrashing around.”
He’s not wrong. Besides, I don’t want him to stop if I move too much.
I blow out a deep breath, forcing myself to go slack.
“Good boy,” Jasper murmurs, and a shiver races down my spine.
His mouth closes over the head of my cock, and he takes me deep, deep enough that his throat tightens with a fought-back gag. My eyes roll back as I try to stay still. Looking up, I catch sight of Jasper’s cock, still barely peeking out from behind the waistband of his jeans.
It’s glistening, the tip red and flushed, pre-cum leaking out as he fucks his throat with my cock.
Heat rushes through me. It’s been so long. Too long, even though it’s only been a couple of weeks, and I find myself closer to the edge far sooner than I’d like. To be fair, Jasper did say this needed to be quick.
“I’m gonna come,” I choke out, wishing I could tangle my fingers in his hair to help ground me.
He hums around me, swirling his tongue as he bobs up and down. It’s unreal. The heat. The wet slide. The suction. It’s everything. My body quakes, the first trembles of my orgasm taking me over as my cock pulses against his tongue.
“I—” I inhale, my ribs twinging a bit under the force. “Almost there,” I gasp out, digging my nails into my palms.
Jasper lifts his hand from my hip and gently grips my balls, rolling them in his hand as I choke on a moan, my body going taut and hot as I explode in his mouth.
He swallows over and over, spit and cum leaking past his lips and down to my balls.
I’m moaning incoherently, babbling words that don’t make sense.
When the last pulses of my orgasm wash through me, Jasper pulls off, standing up quickly and tugging his pants down to fully free his cock.
His big hand grips the base, and he gives himself a slow stroke, his eyes not leaving mine.
I tilt my head back until the head of his cock is dangerously close to my mouth, and I stick my tongue out. The head glances off my tongue with each of his strokes, and I can’t help but moan each time it does.
“You’re gonna look so pretty wearing my cum, baby boy,” Jasper rasps, his hand picking up speed.
I whimper, sticking my tongue out further.
Jasper’s chest heaves, a loud moan ripping from him as he strokes himself hard and fast.
One, two, three strokes, and a burst of cum shoots out, painting my tongue, lips, and chin.
I moan, licking it off as the second ribbon covers my cheek, and my eyes fall shut just in time for cum to land across my eyelid and my upper cheek.
Jasper’s moans fade, and his ragged breathing takes their place.
“You look gorgeous like this, baby boy. I think you should always be covered in my cum.”
I smile. “Feeling possessive?”
I startle when Jasper licks at my lips and chin. For a second, I’m confused, but then his tongue is pushing past my lips, and he’s feeding his cum to me through a sloppy, upside-down kiss.
When he pulls away, he kisses my forehead. “Sit tight. I’m gonna get something to clean you up.”
I think I’d be content to be covered in him all day, but it’s probably not the best idea to be lying around like this. I need to be focusing on healing, and putting this much strain on my neck isn’t gonna get me anywhere.
A few seconds later, Jasper comes back into the bedroom, and I smile when he carefully wipes his cum off my face.
He chuckles. “Got some in your hair, baby boy. You’ll probably want to shower before you go to the diner.”
My smile grows wider. “No problem.”
I’m just thankful I can shower on my own now.
“I’ve gotta go,” he says with a sigh. “I’ll text you.”
I open my eyes, then grin at him. “Okay. Thank you.”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “My pleasure, baby boy. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
I wouldn’t trade the smile he gives me at those words for anything. Leaning over, he gives me one more soft kiss before he leaves the room.
Blinking at the ceiling with a stupid smile on my face, my heart nearly explodes. I can’t believe I get to have this—have Jasper. It’s like all my dreams are coming true. Well, almost.
All we need to do is pass the home visit, and everything will be perfect.
I push open the door to the diner, smiling to myself when Theo calls out, telling me to find a seat and he’ll be right with me.
We’ve only texted a little bit since I’ve been home. I think he’s wanted to come visit but isn’t really sure if he’s allowed to.
If I’m gonna be stuck at home all the time, I’m gonna need him to get a lot more comfortable with it. I’ll be damned if I sit around for weeks by myself. I don’t know Hunter all that well, but I’ll get to know him. I need to.
Apparently, this is really happening. I’m really putting down roots here. I’m building my family. A home. Terrifying.
Slipping into the booth that Jasper always sits at, I wait for Theo. He’s not long, and when he rounds the corner, a genuine smile lights up his face.
“Arlo.”
Theo seems like the kind of person who doesn’t have enough people who are nice to him, so I grin back at him. “Hey, Theo.”
“You look a lot better,” he says when he gets to the booth.
“Yeah, I feel a lot better. Still some soreness and shit, but a lot better than I was.”
There are only a few people in the diner right now. No surprise, since it’s always pretty dead at this time of day. I picked this time for a reason. After taking a quick look around to make sure everyone is good, Theo slides into the booth. “I’m glad you’re doing better. I told you so.”
I scrunch my eyebrows together. “You… told me so?”
He nods, eyes lighting up. “Yeah. I told you to talk to Jasper and that he would surprise you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You did.”
“I also told you that I’d tell you again face-to-face when you woke up.”
My throat goes tight, and I lean forward in my seat, lowering my voice. “Thank you. I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to talk to him without you.”
Theo’s lips curve into a smile. “I don’t believe that.”
A chill races down my spine. The idea of not having Jasper is… awful. I could have lost my life and lost him too. “At any rate, I owe you a lot.”
Shaking his head, he sits back in his seat. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re friends, right? Friends are there for each other. How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay, I think. Stressing about the kids again. Our home visit is tomorrow, but Jasper passed his background check, so that’s a win. Not that I thought he wouldn’t.”
“Is he excited about getting the kids?”
That makes me pause. “I, um… I’m not sure, actually.”
Fuck, I hope so. Although I guess acceptance is about all I can hope for, given how willing he was to take us in. Even if it’s something he has to learn to love, it’s better than the alternative.
“I bet he is,” Theo says, not aware of my miniature freakout. “Did you come to eat… or?”
I shake myself out of it. “I actually came to get out of the house and see you and Luca.”
The smile that overtakes his face makes my own lips tilt up. He’s come so far since the first time I met him. “Did you ever find out what caused the fire?”
“Oh shit, have I not told you?” He shakes his head. “Faulty fucking stove.” I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t even cooking anything.”
“Jesus,” he says, folding his hands on the table.
Jasper was right. This is exactly what I needed.