Chapter Three #4
“It’s not like you’re taking advantage of me or anything.
” Henry laughed, causing Jackson to as well.
Then he adopted a disappointed, pouty tone.
“But, if it’s what you want, I can finish your project without any of the extras.
” He took off the final piece of tape then turned all his attention on Jackson. “So, what do you want to do?”
“This.” Jackson pulled him closer, claiming his lips.
Henry moaned. Jackson pulled him along to the recliner that sat in the center of the room then tugged him down onto his lap, mouth never leaving his.
Needing more, Henry twisted to face Jackson, straddling him.
Jackson grabbed his hips, pulling him flush against him.
Henry rocked, causing Jackson to moan into his mouth.
One of Jackson’s hands cupped the back of Henry’s head, initiating a kiss that went on and on.
With the other hand, he worked the buttons on Henry’s shirt open.
Henry copied, hands going from the back of Jackson’s neck to his buttons.
Damn, he loved the feeling of Jackson’s soft black chest hair and warm skin against his.
Jackson bucked his hips, and a shiver rolled through Henry.
He was so incredibly turned on. Thankfully Jackson’s next move was to unbutton his jeans.
“Fuck yes, I need this so bad.”
“Me too, baby.” Jackson moaned when Henry quickly unfastened his jeans then snaked his hand inside to caress his heavy cock. “Pants off, now.”
Henry stood so fast that it made him a little dizzy.
He kicked his shoes off then shed his bottoms. He watched as Jackson did the same.
He pulled a naked Henry back into his lap, licking up his neck and causing him to shiver, before again claiming his mouth.
Kissing Jackson was somehow an unparalleled event that transcended every similar experience he’d ever had.
The man tugged him flush against him, rocking his hips so that their cocks rubbed together.
Jackson ran a hand down Henry’s chest. “Fuck, your body is amazing.” While looking directly into his eyes, Jackson sped his hips up, causing Henry to gasp. His pulse raced when Jackson’s hand closed around their cocks.
“Fuck,” Henry moaned. After a few minutes, Jackson quickened his pace.
Henry’s breath came in heavy pants. He kissed Jackson’s neck up to his ear, where he gently sucked the lobe.
Jackson made a pleased sound, tightening his grip slightly.
“Make me come, Jackson,” he panted out. Jackson adjusted his hand, and Henry cried out in pleasure.
“Faster, faster, please.” Jackson fulfilled his request, and it didn’t take long for him to find release.
Jackson continued to stroke, extending and intensifying his orgasm.
Henry looked up at Jackson. His head was tipped back, his eyes were closed, and he was biting his bottom lip.
Another shiver rolled through Henry when Jackson came.
He couldn’t resist gently kissing him, not stopping until they were both calm.
Then Henry carefully got off Jackson’s lap.
Jackson blew out a breath, shaking his head and smiling. “Damn, Henry.”
“Yeah, you definitely make work way more fun.” Henry winked.
Jackson chuckled. “I’ll get you a towel.” He got up, went into the bathroom, and was back in a flash, handing Henry the cloth.
When he was clean, he put his clothes back on. Jackson did the same. He looked over at the man with a grin. “So, am I too young for you to hook up with, or not?”
“This definitely proves that you’re not.”
“Good.” Henry yawned. “I hate to leave, but I’m a little wiped out all of the sudden.”
“Leave all your stuff here. Go home and crawl into bed. We’ll take care of this tomorrow. Your car too.” Jackson took Henry’s hand, then out the door they went.
“You’re walking me home?” Damn, he got that fluttery feeling in his chest again.
Jackson just shrugged. They walked next door, and Henry unlocked the front door. “Good night, Jackson.”
“Good night, Henry.” Jackson kissed his cheek then was gone.
William was already waiting for him when he pulled into the gym parking lot next to the tennis courts. “You’re late.” The man laughed as he got out of his car.
Henry shrugged one shoulder. “You’re still here, so I must be worth waiting for.”
“You’re an idiot,” William joked. “Let’s go.”
Henry opened his trunk, taking out his tennis bag. He slung it over his shoulder then followed William to the courts. On the bench off to the side, they took out their rackets and a ball. “You serve.” He tossed the ball to William, then they took their places.
Things were progressing as they usually did. William was as good a player as he was, so all his attention had to be on the other man. One false move and William would score. Even though he knew that he still couldn’t stop his mind from drifting to Jackson.
William had scored three points before he realized he was paying almost no attention to the game, simply playing on autopilot. He wasn’t surprised when the man won. He jogged over to Henry after his win. “How about we blow off practice and grab brunch instead?”
“Why?” Henry asked, confused. “We only played one game.”
“Which you barely paid attention to.” William chuckled, walking to the sideline to grab his bag and sling it over his shoulder. “Where are you taking me?”
“Winner picks, loser pays,” Henry reminded his friend. “Come on.”
“Waldens.”
Henry nodded. “Meet you there.” As he drove, he realized that he really did need to talk to someone. It struck him as amazing that, despite their rocky start, William was one of those people for him. They really did have a great friendship. They arrived at the same time, got out, and went inside.
“Welcome to Waldens,” a cheery hostess greeted them.
“Good morning,” William said to her. “Can we get a table for two please?”
“Of course.” The girl smiled brightly. “Right this way, gentlemen.” They followed her to their table then sat. “Your server will be right with you.” Then she was gone.
“Okay, so you’re distracted and tired, but you’ve got this secret little smile and a glow.”
“Do I?” He should have known everything he was feeling was written all over his face and his friend would definitely pick up on it.
William nodded. “My best guess is that you had a long night.”
“And?” He could freely admit that part. A waiter appeared to take their order, and then he left. William picked up where he’d left off.
“And.” He narrowed his eyes, as if scrutinizing his features.
“He wasn’t some random one-off.” William was right about that.
Jackson definitely was not some kind of one-night stand.
But did he want to tell his friends about him?
He knew they would probably blow things way out of proportion.
His hesitation caused a smug smile to spread across William’s face.
A waitress arrived at their table and they both ordered omelets. “Spill,” he demanded.
“Okay, okay.” Henry held up his hands. “My next-door neighbor is a major in the Marines. He’s been away until recently, so we just met, and I offered to help him redecorate his house.”
“You’re fucking your neighbor?” William laughed.
“Something like that.”
William looked at him quizzically, then a smile spread across his face. “I think you want it to be more though.” Henry shrugged because damn if William wasn’t right. The thought, however, caught him off guard. When had that become true? “When do we get to meet him?”
“Probably never,” Henry told him. “This is a friends with benefits situation at best. He doesn’t do boyfriends, and he could leave at any time.”
“It’s very interesting that you mentioned he doesn’t do boyfriends, instead of that you don’t.”
Henry shook his head, blowing out a breath. “Let’s say, hypothetically, I do want more, what do I do?”
“Hypothetically, if he’s not going to be around permanently, you should finish this job then walk away.”
***
“Hi, Jackson.” Henry smiled brightly at the man when he opened the door. “Are you ready to shop?”
“I’ve been looking forward to it all day.” Jackson softly kissed his cheek.
“You like shopping?” Henry giggled.
“Can’t stand it actually.” Jackson laughed. Henry’s heart pounded as Jackson took his hand. Did that mean that Jackson wanted to spend time with him? “Do you want to take your car or mine?”
“Let’s take my SUV. We’ll have the big stuff delivered, but it has room for anything we may come across.”
Jackson put his hand on Henry’s thigh as they drove over to Farris Furnishings, causing Henry’s heart to continue to pound. “Did you have a good day?” he asked him.
“It wasn’t bad.” Henry glanced over at the man. “But it’s definitely getting better.” That caused Jackson to chuckle. “How about you?”
“I’ve kind of been going crazy sitting at home. I’m not used to this much downtime.”
“If you’re bored, I have a few easy jobs next week that I could really use some help on. I haven’t found a new assistant yet. I was going to ask one of my friends, but…”
“Yeah, I’d love to help you.”
“Can I take you to dinner after?” Henry asked.
“I’d really like that too.”
Henry pulled into the parking lot and they both got out, going into the furniture store. “What’s my budget?”
“I’ll let you know when you hit it.”
“Hey, Henry.” An employee came over to them, shaking the man’s hand.
“Good to see you, Marco.” Henry smiled. “This is my friend, Jackson.”
“Hello, Jackson.” Marco shook his hand as well. “What are you guys looking for tonight?”
“We’re redoing Jackson’s living room.”
“You’re in great hands,” Marco assured Jackson with a hand on his shoulder. “Henry is one of the best.” He turned back to Henry. “You know where I am if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Marco.”
“So, you’re one of the best, huh?” Jackson asked with a chuckle when Marco was out of earshot.