Julian #2
He is so insanely different from Atlas, and I can’t wrap my mind around being attracted to both of them. Or why I’ve found myself so desperate for Atlas when I’ve never felt this… need with Landon.
My best friend stares me in the eyes and subtly nods his head to the right, signaling the small bathroom around the corner in the hallway. When he found it, I’m unsure.
“Hey,” I say to Cassie, turning my attention back to her. “I have to take a leak. I’ll be back, okay?”
Cassie nods. “Sure, I’ll go make another drink. Be quick, yeah?”
I make an affirmative sound that’s lost to the music and head quickly in the direction Landon had gone. The bathroom door is cracked, but the light is on. When I peek inside, he’s leaning against the sink, his ankles crossed casually as he taps away at the marble ledge.
“What’s up?” I ask him.
Landon raises his head, and when those green eyes land on me, all the air in my lungs rushes from my body. Straight fire dances in his irises; he looks ready to devour or be devoured.
“Is that your girlfriend?” he asks, his voice strained.
“No. I already said she’s a local.”
“Didn’t look like just a local to me,” he counters.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I lean back against the door. “What do you want me to say, Lan? Sometimes we flirt; I might fuck her. I’m not sure yet.”
Something dark passes over Landon’s features, and he stands up straight, angling his body toward me.
“So, you invited me here so I could watch you get ready to fuck some girl?”
“What?” I hiss. “No! What the fuck, Landon? I invited you here because I missed you. You and Susie.”
Landon is on me a second later, the scene eerily similar to how I had Atlas just hours ago, as he pins me beneath his body. One of his large hands wraps around my throat, the other slipping underneath my shirt and splaying over the muscles of my stomach.
“You missed me?” he murmurs.
“Yes,” I say, but it comes out as more of a breath than an actual word.
“You miss my voice? My touch?” he pushes.
All I can do is nod, because he’s shoving his knee between my thighs to press into my crotch, and I’m hardening against the pressure.
“Mhm. You react so nicely, Julie,” Landon coos. “You’ve always been such a good boy for me. That’s why it pisses me off so badly when you fuck around on me.”
A switch flips. Suddenly, an unrestrained anger courses through me, and in the span of one blink to another, I have Landon flipped, his back slamming into the door. His hand is still wrapped around my throat, but now my forearm is pressed into his, keeping him firmly in place.
He grins.
“I’m not fucking around on you, because I’m not your boyfriend,” I seethe. “I’m so fucking tired of hearing that, Landon.”
“It makes no difference to me, baby. Call yourself whatever you want. Boyfriend, best friend—fuck, I’ll call you Daddy if that’ll get you hard. As long as you’re not putting your cock in someone else, I don’t care what label we use.” He’s panting, bucking his hips up into mine.
We’ve had this fight before, and it seems neither of us is surprised that we’re both hard. He continues to rock into me, his face darkening as I press harder and harder against his throat.
“I’ll fuck whoever I please, whenever I please. Whether that’s Cassie, you, or all of the Port Orford population.” I’m glaring, chest heaving.
Pleasure is mixing with rage and creating an addictive concoction that’s clouding my senses. I can barely see past my desire to rip him to shreds and my desire to fuck into him—or maybe to let him fuck into me.
Landon drops a hand and snakes it around my hip, where he grips my ass roughly. A low, harsh sound is ripped from my throat as his fingers dig into me through the fabric of my slacks.
“God, I missed the way you sound. Do it again,” Landon demands.
He presses his neck into my forearm, cutting off more of his own breath, his brown hair falling loosely onto his forehead. Licking his full lips, Landon slides his hand up, dipping his fingers into the back of my jeans.
One long, thick finger pushes between my cheeks, further and further, until a soft mewling sound leaves me, and Landon is rubbing right over my hole.
“That’s right,” he whispers.
And from outside, as he rubs me gently, we hear the countdown start.
“10!”
Landon licks his lips again, his green eyes finding mine.
“8!”
He rolls his hips against me endlessly, feeding me delicious friction.
“6!”
I rest my forehead against his, breathing in his air, letting my anger simmer as I take in the familiar comfort of his body, his smell, his touch.
“3… 2… 1. Happy New Year!”
Landon takes my lips in a bruising kiss. One that tells me just how much he’s missed me, how much he really does love me, and how much he despises me for not loving him in the same way.
His tongue runs along the seam of my lips, and instinctively, I open my mouth for him, feeling the wet heat plunge against my own.
He groans, loud and long, as he tastes me thoroughly.
Landon is acting as if he’s been starving, like he hasn’t had a single drop of nutrition since I up and left California.
I rub against him and then back against his finger as it prods but does not enter me.
“Lan,” I moan, jolting as he nips at my ear.
“Mhm, I hear you, Julie. You want me?”
I nod frantically. “Yes.”
“You want me to fuck you? Just like the old days? Or do you want to fuck me? Should we fight about who gets to top like we did in high school?”
I damn near growl in frustration, my head falling back to give him more of me to suck and lick. “I don’t care who tops; just do something!”
Landon chuckles, dragging his nose over the length of my throat.
“Okay, I’ll make you come. But first—” he grabs my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. His pupils are blown, his lips swollen. “Tell me you aren’t going to fuck that girl.”
“Huh?” I mutter, still heavily distracted by the sheen of spit on his bottom lip and how I can see his pulse through the skin of his throat.
“Say it, Julian. Tell me you won’t fuck her.”
Reality comes crashing down around me at a startling speed. Shit. I didn’t even drink tonight, and I almost made a huge mistake.
Fucking Landon is a horrible idea. I value our friendship, and I’ll always love him in that way, but I’m pretty sure the guy is in love with me; doing this to him is unfair.
I rip myself free from his grasp, panting heavily as we stare at each other. His eyes are wide, and he slowly takes a step forward, as if he’s approaching a feral animal.
“Julie? Forget it, okay? You don’t have to say anything. Just come here.” His tone is placating, as if he’ll say or do anything just to get me back in his arms.
And that breaks my heart.
“Lan,” I start, swallowing harshly. “I’m so sorry. This isn’t fair to you; you want more than I can give you, and I shouldn’t take advantage of that. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”
“W-what?” He lets loose a startled, panicked laugh. “No! I won’t forget anything. Not with you. I love you, Julian. I know you think that you only love me as a friend, but after all of these years, there has to—”
“I’m sorry, Landon. I really am. I wish I could be that person for you. I really do.” I shove past him, and as I yank the door open, he wraps his hand around my bicep. I feel the last bit of my heart fragment and shatter.
“Please,” he whispers, his eyes searching mine endlessly. I can see the anger and the pain in them as they shift to desperation. “I could make you, you know. I could make you fall in love with me. I won’t do it—I wouldn’t be able to stomach it. But I could. So just…please.”
I am unsure exactly what he’s saying; he can’t force me into anything. But I know I cannot give him what he wants.
“I can’t,” I answer, just as softly as his plea, then I’m booking it into the kitchen to find Susie.
Instead, I find Cameron and Cassie in the middle of a heated argument. I only pick up the tail end, but they sound pissed.
“Are you aware of how your actions affect others?” Cameron seethes.
“Fuck you, Cam. It’s the only way, and you know it. I know you want to fix this, too,” Cassie responds.
“Yeah, but how do you know he’ll even—” Cameron’s words die off as he notices me, his bent head lifting from where they were huddled together.
Cassie turns, spotting me and covering her angry expression with a flirty smile in an instant. “Hi, handsome! You sure took your time.”
Praying that I don’t look like a guy who just got roughed up in the bathroom sexually, I give her a nod and my most convincing smile.
“Yeah, I’m not feeling too hot. I think I’ll head home. Have you seen Susie? I need to tell her I’m heading out.”