Chapter 16 #2
Kaden stroked Joe’s hair as his mouth sank lower and lower.
Joe paused over Kaden’s navel and felt a flutter against his tongue.
Kaden had his fingers entwined in Joe’s hair but he wasn’t pushing him down, just holding him in place.
Joe licked over the head of Kaden’s cock and was rewarded by a loud groan.
He tasted salty-sweet. Joe swirled his tongue over the tip and encircled his fingers around the base.
He might not have done this before, but he’d watched it done, read about it being done, wanted it done to him, but doing it to Kaden was just as exciting.
Up and down, round and round, over the crest, into the slit, saliva and precome lubricating his way, his tongue caressed every part of Kaden’s cock while Joe played squeeze and release with his other hand.
It fascinated him how excited it made his own cock.
How was he supposed to hold back from coming?
He told himself not to. That didn’t appear to be working. He clenched his muscles. Nor that.
“Oh God, that feels so good,” Kaden whispered. “So good. Jalis!”
Joe wished it was the name he liked best coming from Kaden’s mouth.
When Kaden called him Joe that would mean he remembered.
He sucked along the line of Kaden’s shaft, then took his balls in his mouth.
Oh this is fun. Slippery and fragile. Everything Joe did that made Kaden moan, he did again.
And when Kaden’s hips bucked and Joe took more of him into his mouth than he’d intended, he opened his throat and let Kaden push deeper.
“I’m gonna come.”
Joe moved his mouth up and down on Kaden’s cock in a steady rhythm.
He felt the tightening in Kaden’s balls, the slight change in his cock and understood that Kaden was close.
So was he. There was a sharp prickle at the back of his head, a buzz running down his spine.
With his mouth full of cock, he looked up to see Kaden staring down at him, wide-eyed and breathing heavily.
“If you don’t…want to swallow…”
Of course I do.
Kaden’s cock brushed the back of Joe’s throat and as he pulled back slightly, warm liquid gushed into his mouth.
A moment later, Joe came too. Oh wow, oh wow!
He looked back up at Kaden who was staring at him through half-open eyes, and finally let his cock fall from his lips.
Kaden wiped a fleck of come from the edge of Joe’s mouth and brought it to his lips.
“You are definitely dangerous,” Kaden said.
~~~
The first thing Kaden learned about axe throwing was that the axes were heavier than he thought they’d be.
“If I lose a toe, tell my dad I died doing something brave,” he whispered.
The second thing he learned was that it looked much easier on Insta.
He’d listened to the instructions but his axe only flew forwards about a metre. And using the word flew was generous. It flopped onto the ground well short of the target.
Kaden put more effort into the next throw and hit the target.
Not in the area to score, but it was a hit.
As Jalis cheered, the axe slumped backwards and fell to the ground as if it had reconsidered its life choices and decided embedding itself in anything was not happening today.
The third axe missed entirely and Kaden could only hope there was nothing fragile five feet to the left of the large wooden stand. How could I miss hitting that?
The third thing Kaden learned was that nothing bonded people faster than realizing they could absolutely not survive an apocalypse unless they had a Jalis on their side.
Of the three groups of two signed up for the experience, only Jalis had hit the target every time.
In the middle. He was so fast, Kaden barely had time to blink before he’d thrown the second and third axe.
Kaden almost expected to see each axe embedded in its predecessor.
And no, he was not going to volunteer for Jalis to chop an apple in half from his head, though he could probably do it.
“Wow,” one of the instructors said. “You’ve clearly done this before.”
He’d told Kaden he hadn’t.
Jalis just smiled. For a guy who looked as if a slight wind would knock him over, he was strong.
Somewhere between terrible throws and wildly undeserved high-fives, on Kaden’s part at least, things shifted.
The six of them were cheering for each other like it mattered.
When one of them other than Jalis finally landed a solid hit, they celebrated as if the guy had just won an Olympic medal instead of mildly inconveniencing a huge wooden target.
And somehow, Jalis was the glue that held the group together.
By the end of the session, Kaden’s arm was sore and his aim still questionable, but he had lots of material for an article.
It was a good thing he didn’t feel threatened by someone who was better than him at apparently everything.
Why did he think that Jalis could probably swim like a fish?
Harris would have been furious if Kaden had been better than him at anything.
It wasn’t unknown for Kaden to deliberately lose to avoid Harris’ bad temper.
“That was fun,” Jalis said. “Thank you for taking me.”
They walked out, their fingers brushing.
The last thing that Kaden had learnt was the most important.
There was no way he’d have had fun doing this with anyone other than the guy at his side.
Someone who cheered and had something positive to say even when Kaden missed the target entirely was someone to be cherished.
It was early evening when they got back. Kaden had taken the post from the box downstairs and handed two letters to Jalis. As he rushed to open them, Kaden chuckled. “You’re like a child opening birthday cards.”
“What are they?”
Kaden gaped at him. “How do you not know what birthday cards are?”
Jalis paused as he pulled out the contents of one of the envelopes. “I never had any.”
Oh my God. Where the hell is he from?
“Look!” Jalis held up his ID and gulped. “I’m real now.”
Kaden smiled. “You’ve always been real.”
“Not always.”
Kaden had no idea what he was talking about.
His benefit card was in the other envelope. “I want to go and buy something for you.”
“Don’t waste your money on me.”
“It’s not a big thing. Just a little thing. But I want to go now.” Jalis was so excited, he was practically bouncing.
“Okay. Fine. Tomorrow, we’ll get you a phone. I want to know that you can call me if you need help.”
Jalis pulled him into his arms and kissed him. “You are the kindest person I will ever meet.”
“I’ve sucked you into my evil lair. You’ll see the real me soon.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Jalis gave him a puzzled look. “But I’ve seen all of you.” He slipped his card and ID into his jacket pocket and hurried out.
Jalis needed a wallet too. He was funny sometimes, as though he didn’t quite get what Kaden was saying. Why couldn’t he tell him where he was from? What reason could there be not to?
He was working on the article about fossil hunting, when there was a knock at the door.
That hadn’t taken him long. Someone must have let him in downstairs.
Tomorrow, he’d get a key cut for him and remind him to avoid being seen by the landlord.
Kaden hoped they’d get away with the single occupancy rule.
He didn’t want to have to find somewhere else to live.
He pulled open the door and Harris pushed his way in, knocking Kaden back.
“What do you think you’re doing!” Kaden snapped.
“Me? What the hell do you think you’re doing writing rubbish, making fun of me? I’ve been a laughing stock at work.”
Shit. I wouldn’t have done that. “I was—”
Harris backhanded him and Kaden stumbled, hitting his head on the chair as he fell to the floor. Fear trickled down his spine. “That hurt.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Harris snapped.
Kaden pushed to his feet, a rigid mass of fury. “Get out.”
“You’re not going to get away with it.”
“It’s published. It’s done. It was a fair article.” Kaden might have forgotten what he wrote, but he was sure it was fine.
“You were supposed to show it to me first.” Harris grabbed him by the neck and squeezed hard.
Kaden clawed at his hands. Harris’ hold tightened and Kaden felt his vision waver.
“Get the fuck off him!”
Kaden staggered back as Harris released him. Jalis stepped between him and Harris.
“Who the hell are you?” Harris demanded.
“Kaden’s boyfriend.”
Harris narrowed his eyes. “I saw you in the hospital.”
“Get out, Harris,” Kaden said. “I never want to see you again.”
“Likewise.” Harris turned as if he was going to leave, then pushed Jalis aside and slammed his fist into the side of Kaden’s head. Kaden dropped like a stone.
Kaden didn’t think he was unconscious for long. But he felt as if he was surfacing after a very deep dive. Not that he’d ever made a really deep dive, but it was what he imagined it would feel like. The world slowly came back into focus and he exhaled.
Jalis was at his side. “Oh fuck, fuck! Are you okay? Do you need me to call for help?”
“Has Harris gone?”
“Yes, I pushed him out and locked the door.”
“Did you hit him?”
“Yes. His body isn’t very happy. That isn’t my fault.”
What does that mean? Kaden sat up, helped by Jalis. “I remember…you told me you hit him before, but I thought I did.” Kaden rubbed his head. “Ouch.”
“We both sort of hit him. I did it on my own this time.”
Jalis looked at him as if he was waiting for something more to spring into Kaden’s mind. For a moment, it felt as if Kaden was on the brink of remembering. Something flickered at the edge of his mind, like a word on the tip of his tongue.
But it slipped away.
Kaden pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room, lowering himself onto the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped beneath his weight. Jalis followed quietly and knelt on the floor beside him.
“I bought you this.” Jalis held out a Mars bar. “Your favourite.”