Chapter Ten
Jasper
“Did I just see someone push you out of that car?” I’d been surprised to find the garage empty with no sign of Cameron.
Then it occurred to me he might be at Kade and Tanner’s.
And then I panicked because I worried he might be driving here. I’d been about to pull out my phone when a car approached. I’d watched with a weird fascination as Cameron had sort of been shoved out of the car.
By Tanner, if I remembered the coloring correctly.
Cameron winced in the crappy light of the garage. “Yeah. He loves Kade and Kade loves me and Kade wants me to do this and I want to do this because I love Kade... and dammit Jasper, I think I love you.”
I eyed him. “I thought you said you weren't drunk.” I gestured. “Why don’t we go inside where it’s warm and where, you know, all your neighbors won’t witness their dentist inebriated.”
“They’re not all my patients.”
“Perhaps not.” Once we made it to the back wall, I hit the button to close the door. “But they are your neighbors, and you want to be able to look them in the eye the next time you see them.”
“Well…yeah…I suppose.”
I unlocked the back door, entered the alarm code, and guided Cameron into his townhouse. “Here, let’s get you out of your boots and jacket. Then we’ll get you upstairs to bed.”
He frowned. “I just told you I love you.”
Despite myself, I smiled. “Tell me when you're sober and I'll believe you.”
“I’m…” He winced. “Not sober. But I’m super sorry. I shouldn’t have abandoned you at Christmastime. That was so mean of me. And you…alone for the first time. And me, not being a good boyfriend. We’re boyfriends, right? Except you’ve been my secret boyfriend up until now. But, uh, I kind of told Tanner and Kade. And if I know Kade—which, given it’s been almost thirty years, I really do—he’s, like, already told Nita. Who has told her husband Rohit. And someone will have told Nita and Kade’s parents because they won’t want them to be surprised when I show up with you tomorrow.” He squinted. “Did I invite you to come with me tomorrow? Like…I’m sorry I was a dick. I was scared. And then I told Kade and nothing bad happened. And then he told Tanner…and nothing bad happened.”
I stared. Because that was more words than Cameron had said during our entire coffee date. I patted his arm. “I understand, baby. I really do. We can take it slow. And I love you too. Now…bed.” I considered trying to sober him up, but coffee at this hour didn’t make sense. I’d sleep next to him and, in the morning, if he still felt the same way…then we’d talk. And, apparently, I might be joining his family for Christmas.
We did make it up the two flights of stairs. I sent him to the bathroom, then made him drink a large glass of water. Might stave off a bit of the hangover.
I chuckled to myself as I remembered him the morning after the blow job.
We’d won that badminton game.
And, apparently, never looked back.
I managed to get him undressed and into bed.
Naked.
Because pajamas were truly beyond him.
He shivered.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll get in with you and make you warm.” I’d shed my jacket and boots downstairs. Now I removed my jeans, henley, socks and—because I was a total masochist—my underwear.
“Am I?” He burrowed into his pillows.
“Are you what?” I switched off the overhead light and then crawled into the bed behind him. I pulled him into my arms.
“Am I your baby?” Then he yawned and, before I could answer, was asleep.
“Yeah, you are.” I’d have never considered using a pet name with my ex, but with Cameron? It just…fit.
Several hours later, while I was still mostly asleep, Cameron sat bolt upright.
“Jasper! Jasper! Wake up!”
I sat up, turned on the light, and rubbed my eyes. “What? Are you okay?”
“Wake up.”
I blinked. “Cameron, I’m awake. What's wrong? Is the house on fire?” I figured I’d hear the fire alarm if it were. Or the carbon monoxide detector.
Instead, I was met with silence.
Cameron met my gaze. “No. It's three am, and I woke up to pee, and that means it's morning, so I just wanted to tell you that I still love you, and now you can go back to sleep.” He rolled out of bed and sauntered to the bathroom.
Right. And after looking at your ass and springing a boner, you think I’m just…going to go back to sleep? I sipped water from the glass I’d put next to my side. The townhouse was super dry, so I kept a glass for myself as well.
I continued to sip as he came back into the room.
He stopped when our gazes met. “I thought I told you to go back to sleep.”
“Uh, sure. And when have I ever done what you’ve told me to do?”
He frowned. “Uh…”
“Because you never tell me, Cameron. You always ask. Even when you think you know better, you’re egalitarian.”
“I usually am right.”
I laughed softly. “Well, that’s up for debate. Pineapple juice should not be a thing.”
“It’s high in vitamin…” He trailed off. “Yeah, I get it.”
“I thought you might. How’s your head? Need a painkiller?”
He shook his head. “Nah. And I’m sober. Enough to realize both that I made an ass of myself and that I owe Tanner a huge debt of gratitude.”
“Yes, I worried you might try to drive.”
“No matter how much I love you, I would never drive after drinking.”
I believed him. So I patted the mattress next to me. “Come back to bed.”
“To have sex?”
“Uh, Cameron, it’s three in the morning.”
He pouted.
Actually, honest to God, stuck his lower lip out.
“I mean, I guess…”
He dove for his nightstand drawer. He tossed me the bottle of lube and fingered a condom wrapper. “I got tested.”
“As did I. I saw Dr. MacCauley yesterday. All negative. He says I’m good because I’ve had three negative tests.”
“Me, too.” He dragged his lower lip through his teeth.
“I’m happy to ditch condoms.” I offered a smile. “I don’t figure you’re going to cheat. I mean, if we’re exclu—”
“Oh, we are so fucking exclusive. Like forever kind of exclusive.”
He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s likely still drunk. Or hungover. Or something.
“I’m good, then, bareback.” I’d done it with my ex—so thanks to whomever was watching over me that he hadn’t brought some nasty thing home with him.
Cameron dropped the condom back into the drawer and made a bit show of closing it. “Now…can I fuck you? I swear I’m sober. And if you say no—”
“The answer’s yes.” We’d discussed this just a couple of days ago. He’d expressed interest, but had still been concerned. I believed him when he said he was sober. His eyes were clear.
I took another sip of water. “All right, big guy. How do you want me?” Because my cock perked right up at the idea of him inside me. I’d been there more than a dozen times over the last week and a half. Once I’d gotten the last of the snow cleared, and he’d gone back to work, we’d found time every night—and most mornings—to fuck like rabbits.
“On your back.” He grinned. “I want to see your eyes when you come.”
“My favorite position.” We’d tried others, though. Now I’d introduced him to anal penetration, he wanted to do all the things all at once.
And so we had.
I scooted over to the middle of the bed, put the pillows behind my head, and spread my thighs.
He hopped on and crawled between my legs. “My turn, right?”
I laughed. “Yes, your turn.”
A couple of times he’d been so eager that he’d prepped himself. Otherwise, he preferred I do it.
I trusted him, so had no concerns.
He lubed his fingers and then eased one inside me. His look of wonderment stole my breath. “This is so cool.” He grinned. Then he added a second finger.
Although I’d done this often—and had it done to me by my lyin’-ass ex—this felt…like the first time. I wanted him. Needed him. This connection…it defied simple language. Took me to a plane of existence where only we were. Alone, together, and dependent on each other.
He angled his wrist, clearly searching. He frowned in frustration.
Just as I was about to offer guidance, his finger brushed my prostate.
He grinned as I moaned.
“I want to play.” He gazed at his protruding cock. “I also want to, uh, fuck you.”
I laughed. “Another time, then. Fuck me, baby. I can’t wait.”
He withdrew his fingers, slathered his cock with lube, and then lined himself up.
And hesitated.
I scratched his stubbled cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know how.”
He wasn’t speaking of mechanics.
“You’re not going to hurt me, Cameron. I know that. I know you. I’ll tell you if you can go harder or if you need to back off. I haven’t done this for a while myself, but I’m not worried. Okay?”
For the longest moment, he held my gaze. “Yes. That.”
I smiled. “Okay. I’m ready.”
From there, everything worked as it should.
The sting of pain when he breached me.
The burn followed by the intense pressure.
Him working his way inside me until we were completely connected.
One person, basically.
He moved.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, digging my heels into his ass. Coaxing him, without words, to fuck me as hard as he dared.
Which, in the end, turned out to be pretty hard.
I jacked myself to the stuttering rhythm he set.
Sweat broke out across his brow.
He thrust particularly hard—which had my prostate singing in thanks—and he held himself still. His face contorted as the orgasm ripped through him.
As he filled me, I managed to maintain enough focus to get myself off. That was secondary, though. What mattered was him. His look of wonderment.
The love.
It had been there for days—but I hadn’t trusted it.
Too soon.
Too new.
Too raw.
I hadn’t been in a place to accept it, and he hadn’t been in a place to appreciate it. To understand it.
Now, though, in this moment suspended in time, we saw the truth.
Covered in cum and sweat, we clung to each other long into the morning light.