Epilogue
jude
At some point I would stop waking up with a grin on my face but today was not that day.
“How are you this awake already?” I grumbled feigning annoyance.
It was still dark out, which meant it was probably before five a.m., but Nesto seemed to be fully up.
He was busy running his hands up my chest and neck while he licked my shoulders.
“Because I can’t keep my hands to myself when you’re in bed all warm and soft next to me.”
I shivered, letting the last bit of sleep melt away as my brain caught up with the effect Nesto’s touch was having on my body. I turned my head to the side, giving him more access and put my hands over his.
“Buenos Dias, mi cielo. How did you sleep?” I would never stop getting a small thrill when I heard the many endearments Nesto constantly used. “My sky” in Spanish was a new one.
I shook my head and answered, “Buenos Dias,” lifting his hand to my mouth.
I put his fingers in my mouth and sucked, getting them wet. I wasn’t sure if I was up for much more than kissing, but his nearness had me hot and bothered. His erection was grinding up against my ass, making things a lot more interesting than any Saturday morning at five a.m. had any right to be.
“You make me so hot. Turn around, baby, I want to jerk off together. Come all over you and then lick it off.” His voice was rough from sleep and arousal, and it made my entire body shudder.
I turned around so we were lying on our sides, face to face, and immediately he grabbed the back of my head, kissing me hard.
Sucking my bottom lip as he grabbed both our cocks and started jerking us off together.
I lifted my leg over his and started grinding against him.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to get closer while he ran his thumb over the heads of our cocks, using the drops of pre-come as lubrication.
Nesto, put his head down on my shoulder and let out a long moan as he stroked us faster.
“Fuuuuck that feels so good.”
I ran my hands down his back to the swell of his ass.
He was moving his hips so fast I could barely hold on, the muscles going hard as he flexed them.
I lightly swept my fingers over his cleft and felt him stop and then push his ass out.
I took that as a cue and quickly brought my fingers up to my mouth and got them wet.
Nesto sucked in his breath then gasped. “Yeah, finger me, that’ll make me blow in a second.”
I nodded and quickly ran the pad of my finger over his hole. Nesto was mumbling, so I could only make out a string of curse words, and I smiled. I was doing this to him. I was driving him senseless with pleasure. After a moment I slid my finger inside and went looking for his gland.
Nesto was jacking us off fast and hard, and I felt my orgasm starting to build, too. I found the spot and pressed down right as Nesto bit my shoulder. We came a few seconds apart from each other, making a mess of sweat, saliva, and semen. As my breathing slowed I heard Nesto flop back on the bed.
“Goddamn, Jude Fuller,” he said with a chuckle. “I will never ever get enough of you.”
“It’s a good thing you live here now, then. No delayed gratification.”
His smile got so big his eyes crinkled. I loved this man so much.
We’d finally had the big talk a few weeks ago and Nesto had moved in with me just a couple days before.
We’d been practically living together for months, but now it was official, and I couldn’t be happier.
My life was so full; Nesto had brought so much to it.
That lonely existence I’d fought to protect, replaced with so much joy and laughter… and family.
I leaned in, so my mouth was against his ear. “Welcome home, baby.”
He moved his face until our mouths touched, his smile wide as we kissed.
“I’ve been home since I met you, Jude. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now let’s try and get another few minutes of sleep before someone calls and starts yelling at us in Spanish.”
“I’d take your comment a lot more seriously if my mom didn’t call you more than she calls me these days.”
I wrapped his arms tight around my chest.
“Go back to sleep, Nesto. We have a big day ahead.” I could feel his grin against the back of my neck.
“We do, babe. We do.”
Nesto
“It’s not even 6:30 yet, why is she calling?” I grumbled while I tried to cover my head with a pillow.
Jude just chuckled and handed me the phone, which was blaring with the old-school ambulance ringtone I had set for my mom.
I grabbed it and moaned into the phone, “Mamí, it’s way too early.”
“Don’t even act like you were still asleep, Nesto. You were probably all over poor Jude. You don’t let that muchacho breathe. Yo no se come te aguanta. Jude, how do you put up with him?” She was literally yelling into the phone.
Jude was laughing his ass off into the pillow, of course. He thought she was hilarious.
“Mamí, please.”
“Are you coming over for breakfast? Milo, Patrice, and Juanpa asked for the Tres Golpes. They brought the salami from the city. So tell Jude we’re having Dominican breakfast. I know how much he loves it.”
I groaned again. “Mamí, I don’t know if I’m up for plantains, fried cheese, and salami at seven in the morning. We have a long day, and all I want to do is sleep after I eat all that.”
Jude perked up at the mention of fried salami and plantains. The boy might be gringo, but damn, he loved his plátano. I ground into him, pressing my hard-on against his ass, just to get his attention back to the more pressing issues at hand.
“Exactly. Today is going to be really busy. So you’ll need your strength.
M’ijo, today is a big day. You’re opening your restaurant.
” The pride in her voice made my face break into a huge grin.
Today was the day, almost a year exactly since I’d driven the truck up from New York City.
OuNYe Afro-Caribbean Food was opening as a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but most importantly I had woken up with the love of my life in my arms.
“I know, Mamí. We did it.”
“No, m’ijo, you did it. I’m so proud of you. I told you, you’d have your restaurant within a year.”
I grinned into the phone, “You sure did. You also bullied me into asking Jude out, so I guess you were two for two last season.” I shifted again, tightening my arm around Jude. “Okay, mujer, let me get my man out of bed. We’ll be there in an hour.”
“See you soon, m’ijo.”
I ended the call and pressed my lips to the back of Jude’s neck, thinking about the last twelve months. Jude and I would hit our one-year mark soon, too, and things couldn’t be better.
The anticipation for the opening of OuNYe in town had gotten so out of control we were booked solid for the next month.
Jude’s mobile library was also a huge success, so big in fact, he’d been asked by the state to consult with them, because they wanted to replicate his model all over the Southern Tier.
The year did have its challenges, however.
Jude’s sister passed away a few weeks after that last visit, and he was never able to properly say goodbye.
But his brother-in-law Jesse requested we attend the funeral and we went together.
Even though it was a tense and sad affair, it was uneventful, and in the end it helped Jude find some closure.
Since then, Jesse had made an effort to bring the kids for visits, and it meant the world to Jude to have his niece and nephew in his life.
So, despite the setbacks, life was good up here in Ithaca. My six-month plan turned out to be the best decision I ever made. No, it wasn’t New York City, it never would be, but this Dominican kid had found a way to live his dream.
I nuzzled Jude’s neck, licking a bit of the sweat left from our earlier lovemaking.
“You up for plantains for breakfast, Mr. Fuller? Nurys is requesting our presence at her home for Dominican breakfast.”
His husky chuckle made my whole body light up. He turned around and ran his leg over my hip, bringing our mouths together.
“Sure. I love Dominican breakfast.”
I shook my head before I spoke. Sometimes what I felt for Jude seemed so big, it overwhelmed me. I moved so our foreheads were touching.
“Are you happy, baby?”
At my question I felt a ghost of a smile brush against my lips.
“More than I ever dreamed I could be.”
The End