Chapter 28 #2
I chuckle and sit so I can pull off his socks. He whines when I roll him over and start to unbutton his jeans, eyeing me sleepily. “Are you about to take advantage of me?” he asks in a husky voice, and I note the half chub in his boxers.
I shake my head. “Absolutely not.” He pouts as I straddle his thighs and start to unbutton his shirt. “You’re exhausted, Jer. You need to sleep.”
“I’d sleep better if I had an orgasm, just saying.” He gives his hips a little thrust, and his cock rubs mine.
Dammit.
I give him a dark look and grab his hips when he tries to thrust again. “You’re incorrigible.” I toss his shirt aside and stand to strip out of my own clothing until I’m in just my underwear.
I lie down next to him and reach for his half-hard cock, and he gives a contented sigh, purring like a kitten. I rub it through the fabric before I spit into my hand and push into his boxers, taking a hold of his hot length.
Jeremy closes his eyes and thrusts into my fist with a needy whine. I stroke him quickly and marvel at the way his body squirms beneath me. So responsive. Fucking perfect. Within minutes, he’s coming with a quiet groan, spilling cum all over my fingers and his stomach.
He reaches for me lazily, but I stop his hand. “No, baby, I’m good. Just relax.”
I crawl off the bed and walk to the bathroom, wetting a warm washcloth. When I return, Jeremy is already asleep, snoring quietly, his lips parted. I wipe his skin clean and pull the comforter over him. But just as I’m about to crawl into bed, my phone buzzes.
I look at the screen, seeing Sebastian’s name. I glance at Jeremy, still resting soundly. I pad out of the bedroom and sit on the couch. T jumps into my lap, purring loudly as I answer the FaceTime call.
“Hey, Seb. What’s going on?”
“Hey!” His face appears on the screen. As usual, he’s in the office even though it’s late. He frowns. “Where are you? Is that a cat?” His frown deepens. “And are you naked?”
Shit. I realize that I shouldn’t have answered a FaceTime while in Jeremy’s apartment.
“Oh, uh, I’m house-sitting for a friend.”
“You have friends?” he asks, looking mock shocked.
“Funny,” I deadpan. Toothless pushes his head against my hand vigorously, and I scratch him absently. “Why are you calling me?”
“I, uhm, wanted to tell you something.”
I glance up at Seb’s tone. “What did you do, Seb?”
He looks guilty. “Well, you remember Charlie’s friend Fiona, right?”
“Yes,” I say slowly.
“Well, I sort of gave her a job and told her she could stay in your room for a while.”
I give him a confused look. “Are you trying to torture yourself?”
He rubs the back of his head. “What do you mean?”
“Give me a break. You’ve had a crush on her for years.”
“No, I—”
“Save it, little brother.” I run a hand along T’s spine and give Seb a steady look. “I guess I won’t be staying up north for a while, eh?”
“You weren’t going to come back anytime soon anyway,” Sebastian scoffs. “I figured you’d be in Seattle for a while longer to make sure the opening months go smoothly.”
“Whatever.” I yawn. “Enjoy your misery. Does Charlie know?”
“Well, Charlie asked me to give Fi a job. The living part, though . . .”
I chuckle. “I’m not going to be the one who tells her.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll tell her.” He looks down, picking at his fingernails. “I wouldn’t do anything with my sister’s friend, anyway. It’s some sort of brother code violation.” He gives me a tired smile. “But I am looking forward to the extra help at the pub.”
I nod. “Tristan hired some pretty good chefs. It would be nice to have some menu items for them to test out. You think we can get going on that?”
He grins. “You bet.”
“How’re the bar repairs going?”
“We’re getting there. I think Brett is actually enjoying it because he’s been able to reorganize the bar a bit.”
I chuckle. “That sounds like him.” Our head bartender up there is very particular about how his bar is kept, and he likes to remind us often that we made poor choices in our initial design. I yawn again. “Okay, I need to go to bed. I’ll catch you later.”
“Later, bro.”
I hit the End button and sigh. I stand and walk to Jeremy’s bedroom, sliding into bed next to him. He immediately burrows into my back, making me the little spoon and snuggling his nose into my hair.
Within minutes, I’m asleep.
I wake with a start, Jeremy’s foot catching me painfully in the calf. He whimpers and then starts thrashing and screaming.
I roll over, pinning him to the mattress. “Jeremy!”
He fights me violently, and I’m impressed by how strong he is.
“Wake up, baby,” I say urgently, trying to rouse him with my voice since my hands are occupied with holding him down. When that doesn’t work, I straddle him with my thighs and grab one hand, stroking his face with the other.
“C’mon, wake up, Jeremy.”
Something wet touches my leg, and I look down. Whatever it is, it’s dark.
Blood?
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I mutter, and then I give him a light slap across the face.
Jeremy’s whole body shakes, and a sob rips from his throat as his eyes pop open. I reach over and turn on the bedside light, scanning his body for injury, and I spot the bloody smear on his hip immediately. My eyes fall to his hand, where his nails are caked with blood.
“Marcus?” he gasps, and another sob wracks his body.
I look back up at his face, which is red and splotchy, his cheeks wet with tears. “Shit, hey, you’re okay.” I pull him against me, and he cries into my bare chest, his hands clutching my biceps like a lifeline.
I want to take away Jeremy’s pain so fucking badly. The way he’s crying reminds me of when Charlie used to have nightmares when she was little, right after our parents were married.
“Shhh, I got you.” I stroke his back like I used to hers, and whisper in his ear. “You’re okay.”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” he croaks, his voice muffled.
I shake my head. “You never need to be sorry, Starlight.”
After a minute or two, Jeremy’s body stops shaking, and he peers up at me. Without thinking, I lean forward and drop kisses on his cheeks, tasting salt on my tongue.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now,” he whispers, still sniffing.
I stand and pull him up with me. “C’mon.”
He looks confused as I interlace our fingers and pull him to the bathroom. I nod at the closed toilet seat, and he sits, his knee bouncing anxiously. His eyes drop to the bloody spot on his hip, and he flinches.
“Where’re the Band-Aids?” I ask gently.
“Under the sink.”
I grab them and turn on the sink water, allowing it to warm before soaking a washcloth. Then I kneel in front of him. “Give me your hand.”
His brow furrows, so I take his right hand, which is still tipped in dried blood, and do my best to wipe it away. He watches me like he’s hypnotized and tries to fight a smile when I finish and kiss the tip of each finger before releasing him.
“Take off your boxers,” I tell him. He raises an eyebrow, like my motives might be suspect. “This isn’t the time to be a brat, Jeremy,” I admonish, and he concedes, lifting his ass so I can pull them off his legs.
I study the cut on his hip. It doesn’t look deep, and the scratch is still welling with blood, but it’s starting to clot. I dab it with the cloth and then blow on it gently. Jeremy makes a sound in the back of his throat, and his hips give a little jump.
“Sorry,” he murmurs. “I know I’m not supposed to be turned on, but that feels good.”
“I noticed.”
How could I not? His dick is right next to my face.
I drop a light kiss to his scar, and Jeremy’s breath catches.
Despite his disheveled hair and the dark smudges under his eyes, it’s still unreal how beautiful he is.
Desire swims in his eyes, but also confusion.
Honestly, I’m a little confused too. This softness he brings out in me is strange, but I can’t help it with him, and it’s starting to scare the shit out of me.
I’m not an emotional person. I was always so good at shutting it down, but everything about this man just bleeds me raw.
And yet, with him, I feel safe. Safe to just be.
And I realize I’ve never felt that with anyone.
Does he feel that with me too?
“Can I ask you something?” I run my thumb gently on the inside of his thigh. “It’s personal, so you don’t have to answer.”
He nods hesitantly. “Sure.”
“Why do you cut yourself?”
Something akin to fear flickers in his eyes, but he seems to steel himself with a breath.
“It’s this fucked-up way to deal with my emotions,” he says hesitantly.
“When they overwhelm me, it just feels like there’s this pressure building in my body, and I need a release.
” He runs his hands through my hair absently, sending tingles through my whole body.
“I started doing it after my parents died, and I let it become an outlet.” His voice drops to a soft whisper.
“I’ve tried to stop over the years, but sometimes, it’s like if I don’t do it, I’ll die. ”
My heart hurts for him. I apply the Band-Aid over his cut and stand. I lift Jeremy with me, gripping him under his thighs. His legs wrap around my waist, his bare chest to mine, our hearts beating in tandem, and he rests his head on my shoulder, his hair tickling my skin.
“Promise that you’ll talk to me before you do it again,” I say, my tone thick with emotion. “I’ll do whatever you need. But don’t hurt yourself.”
He’s quiet for a beat while I hold him against me. Finally, his arms tighten around my neck. “Okay,” he replies quietly. “I promise.”
I carry him from the bathroom, set him on the bed, and crawl up his body, holding my weight on my forearms so I can kiss him without crushing him.
His lips are soft and pliant against mine as we melt together.
Sweat gathers where our skin touches, but I don’t want to move.
He tastes like ecstasy. He tastes like mine.
Jeremy pushes my boxers down and then grinds our cocks together, the sensitive tips grazing each other. Our kiss becomes less sweet and more rushed as I crush my mouth to his. His hands tangle in my hair, and with a whimper, he pulls back.
“Marcus, I want—” He licks his lips like he’s nervous.
I brush hair from his damp forehead. “What do you want, Jer?”
“I want you to trust me.”
My stomach does a little flip. “I do.”
He pushes me onto my back on the bed and crawls between my legs. He runs a finger over the tip of my cock and down my length all the way to my balls, and I let out a sigh. His touch is soft, but it feels like an electric current of pleasure against my skin.
Then, he spreads my legs wider and pushes them up until my knees are practically touching my chest. I flush because I feel exposed in this position.
“Jeremy, what—” I let out a gasp of surprise as he runs the pad of his finger across my taint and circles my hole. He leans forward, and I feel his hot breath before he swipes my opening with his tongue.
“Holy shit!” I bark, my hips thrusting as I squeeze my eyes shut.
It’s a warm, wickedly decadent feeling as Jeremy starts to eat me out like I’m the best thing he’s ever tasted. He thrusts his tongue into my body, and my cock pulses and aches. I reach down, frantically sliding my hand along my length as Jeremy continues to eat me.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I chant, and I can’t stop the orgasm that barrels into me, cum shooting across my abs and onto my chest as my balls empty.
Jeremy continues to lap at me until I’m spent.
Then he leans over me and grabs his own flushed, leaking cock, jerking for several strokes before he comes on my stomach with a groan, our releases mixing together.
He drops to my side and pushes his body against mine. His finger trails through our mess, and he brings it to his lips, sucking the digit into his mouth. It’s so fucking hot.
After our hearts and breaths return to a normal rhythm, Jeremy grabs a shirt from the floor, cleans me up, and tosses it in the hamper. He rolls to face me, and I follow suit.
“I have that nightmare sometimes when I’m feeling anxious.
It started after I got out of foster care.
” His voice is lower than normal, like he’s pulling the words from a secret place.
“I wake up back in that basement. The door is padlocked, and I can hear people on the other side. People doing normal things. Happy things. But no matter how hard I pound on the door, it never opens. I’m stuck down there. Alone. Because no one wants me.”
Jeremy’s lip wobbles, and I reach across our bodies, placing my hand on his hip. He takes a stabilizing breath.
“Jer, how did your parents die?” His eyes snap up to mine, and I give him a squeeze, worried that I’ll upset him more. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It was a car wreck,” he says softly. “But I think they were murdered.”
“What?” I give him a horrified look, my brain short-circuiting.
“They were going to Seattle for a night out, but when the wreck happened, they were in the complete opposite direction on some county road closer to Brighton than Seattle. I still don’t know why they were out there or why they lied to me about where they were going.
But the person who hit them was never found. ”
Awareness tickles the back of my neck. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It still hurts, but it was a long time ago.”
I lick my lips. “What were their names?”
Jeremy cocks his head, giving me a quizzical look. “Jason and Athena. Why?”
“Just curious,” I hedge as I make a mental note to tell John their names.
Those board board members died in a car accident.
There’s no way they were Jeremy’s parents, right?
I take a breath and change gears. “My mom died when I was little too. Also a car wreck.” Even after all this time, the ache is still nestled inside my heart like a shard of broken glass, and I hate that Jeremy must feel that way too.
“I have vague memories of her. She used to sing to me and bake cookies, but I was barely five, so the recollections are fuzzy. The feelings are real, though.”
Jeremy frowns. “You lost your mom and your stepmom.”
“Yeah.” I give him a sad smile. “Pretty sure it’s why my dad is so fucked up. He lost the love of his life. Twice.”
Jeremy yawns, and I roll him over and pull him against me. “Enough heavy talk. Let’s go to sleep.”
He nods, the top of his head tickling my chin. I press my face to Jeremy’s hair, breathing him in.