Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
James
The shrill ringing of his phone interrupted James’ thinking – or brooding, if he was being perfectly honest with himself – and he glanced at the readout before answering, gritting his teeth together. "Dad."
For a moment, it was silence on the other end of the line.
The quiet moment dragged on so long that James looked at the screen to make sure that it hadn't been accidentally disconnected, but then his father's low voice said, "Son," sharply enough that James could hear the click of teeth even across continents.
Drake was silent for another long moment, long enough that James huffed out an impatient sigh, and then he said, "How are things?"
The question was so unexpected that James almost laughed.
He reigned in the inappropriately timed response just time not to embarrass himself – or to piss his father off – and he frowned as he stared a speck on the wall that needed to be cleaned.
"Things are fine. Did you seriously call me to see how I am? "
Drake made a soft sound that immediately raised James' hackles. "Can't a father want to speak to his son without there being an ulterior motive?"
James pressed his lips together before he bit out the words that would put him in a world of trouble. Instead he said, through gritted teeth, "Sure, I guess."
"So how is school going? I noticed that you had several assignments in your programming class that got less than adequate marks." Drake's voice was casual, so fucking casual, and James winced even as irritation swelled in his stomach.
"Most people would consider 9/10 perfectly adequate marks, Dad," he said, suddenly so exhausted. "And I'm only taking that class because you insisted on it."
"Programming is an important skill, son," Drake said, his voice bored. "We don't know where your skills will be needed once you graduate. Best for you to be as well rounded as possible so that you can be the best asset possible, yes?"
James barely stopped himself from growling. I'm not a fucking asset. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say."
Drake hummed. For most people, it would be a sign that they were appeased by what had been said. On James' father, it was a sign of more trouble to come. "And Evan? How is he doing?"
"He's fine. I'll send him your regards." James' shoulders hunched up a little near his ears, and he couldn't help the defensiveness that growled in his chest, the same as it always did every time his dad asked about Evan.
He didn't like the sound of Evan's name in his father's mouth, let alone discussing him.
"Anything else of note that you want to tell me?" Drake's voice sharpened a little, and James' throat dried at the sudden shift in tone. "Any girls you've been dating, or professors that I need to speak to? Anything at all?"
James tamped down on the sudden anxiety that rose in his stomach. Why is he asking about girls? You've never mentioned a woman to him before, he has no reason to suspect...
"Nope, nothing else," James finally managed after a few seconds.
"Hmm." Drake gave nothing away with the soft hum, and James' anxiety spiked again as he waited.
His mind flashed through every interaction that he'd had with anyone over the last few weeks, anyone who he might have talked to.
He wasn't close to anyone other than Evan, so he wasn't concerned about his father knowing anything too personal, but that didn't mean that a random passerby hadn't seen something that they weren't supposed to, that someone hadn't implied something that they didn't understand. ..
"Well, that's fine, then. Keep your grades up, and we won't have a problem." Drake hung up before James could say anything else, could ask him what he meant by his line of questioning, and James let out a slow breath as he dropped his phone to the floor.
That was...too fucking close.
A gentle knock on his bedroom door made James' head snap up again, and he forced himself to relax when he barked out, "Come in."
Evan pushed his way in, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the door frame. His entire body was tense, and his eyes were mildly troubled as he looked at James.
James squirmed a little, running his hand through his hair. "You heard."
Evan nodded. "Your dad is an asshole."
James sighed, and Evan took the cue to come into the room. He sat on the edge of James' bed, their knees bumping together gently as James leaned his head back. "You didn't even hear half the conversation."
Evan chuckled. "I could hear it in your voice. What was he asking about? Other than your grades."
James didn't respond for a moment, the words sticking in his throat. He swallowed, and when he met Evan's gaze again, his stomach flipped a little. "I...I might have made a mistake, Ev." He blew out a breath. "Okay, that's a lie. I definitely made a mistake."
Evan didn't respond, instead sinking to his knees in front of James and gently nudging him until his legs were spread wide around Evan's shoulders.
Evan made quick work of James' pants, making a soft sound that had James lifting his hips so that Evan could drag his pants down and off his legs.
His cock was already half hard, and when Evan looked up at him from underneath half-lidded eyes, it rapidly swelled to full hardness.
"What did you do, James?" Evan's voice was a low murmur before he opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around James' cock, and James couldn't stop himself from groaning softly at the hot, wet suction.
"I..." James swallowed, his hand dropping to the top of Evan's head and winding through the soft, dark strands. "The other night. I was walking by the library, and I saw Camelia..."
Evan made a soft sound, and James' grip in his hair tightened as Evan's tongue stroked along the bottom of his shaft.
His head sank further and further down until his nose touched James' pelvis, and James let out a ragged gasp before he continued.
"I know...I was going to keep walking, to leave her alone.
I know I should have. But I...I saw her earlier that day, and she was talking to some guy. Flirting. It pissed me off."
Even as he was repeating the events, the possessive anger flared low in his stomach again. That deep, instinctual call of mine.
The one that made absolutely no sense.
Evan pulled off James' cock enough to suck in a breath, his lips brushing against the head of James' cock as he murmured, "What did you do, James?"
James moaned again and Evan's hand snuck up, cupping his balls gently as he took James back into his mouth. "I pinned her against the wall," James whispered. "I told her...I told her that nobody could give her what she needed except for us."
Evan gently squeezed James' balls, his tongue dipping into the slit of his cock, and James whimpered.
His hips jerked, and he tugged on Evan's hair gently as if that would get the man to stop teasing.
"I...I know that I shouldn't have. God, we've talked about it enough!
She just...I was so fucking mad, and I wanted her to know. ..fuck, I don't, I need, Ev..."
Evan popped off James' cock again, releasing his balls only to wrap his hand around the base of James' shaft.
"No wonder she was so flustered," he murmured, his expression thoughtful as he looked up at James.
His hand stroked languidly, and James bit his lower hip even as his grip on Evan's hair released a little.
"You...you saw her...?"
Evan nodded. "I was in the stacks on the top floor, and she needed help reaching for a book on the top shelf. She seemed...out of sorts." His eyes glimmered with amusement. "Now I know why. You got under her skin."
James swallowed, his hips jerking again against Evan's touch as his thumb swiped gently over the sensitive head of James' cock. "I...I don't..."
"You wanted her, didn't you?" Evan's eyes darkened, and a sadistic smile played at the corner of his mouth as he continued to stroke James.
"You wanted to pull her pants down and fuck her right there against that wall.
You wanted to know what it would feel like to release some of that fucking tension and anger that you carry around like a shield. You wanted her."
His grip tightened on James' cock again, turning punishing, and James' head fell back as he let out another pathetic sound.
He nodded, groaning loudly when the wet heat of Evan's mouth sealed around his cock again.
"I know that I shouldn't have," he rasped.
"My dad...he was asking about any girls.
I haven't said anything and...fuck, I should have been more careful, Ev. .."
Evan didn't respond, not verbally. Instead, he sucked James' cock harder, his tongue stroking up and down the underside until James' eyes practically rolled into the back of his head.
His grip on Evan's hair tightened again, and the soft groan that Evan made pulled James' balls tight up around his pelvis, far sooner than he wanted to.
God, he needed this. Needed to be out of his head, needed to not be in control, needed to not fucking think...
Evan popped off James' cock again before he could get too close to coming, looking up at him with blazing blue eyes as he cupped James' balls again.
"You have no reason to suspect that anyone saw anything.
Doing anything in public like that...it was risky, I'm not going to say that it wasn't. But your dad didn't say anything too specific, so for now, let's go on like he doesn't know anything.
For all you know, he was fishing and hoping that you would give something away. Right?"
James squirmed a little. "I...I don't...maybe.
.." he whispered. The voice in his head that was constantly on edge, constantly looking out for the next danger around the corner, it screamed that it would be the height of foolishness to underestimate his father.
Being overcautious is what had kept him alive so far, and out of harm's way. ..
The bigger part of him was so fucking tired, so exhausted from constantly holding onto anger and tension and anxiety every time he left the house. And he wanted to give it all away, at least for a little while.
So he nodded, biting his lip as he looked down at Evan. "You're probably right," he said softly. "It just scared me."
The uncomfortable, open sensation of vulnerability was one that James hated.
He had spent years avoiding it like the plague, pushing away anyone or anything that might have let him feel safe enough to let down his emotional walls.
It made him feel like the inside of his skin was exposed to the elements, just waiting for someone or something to take advantage of his moment of weakness and use it against him.
Evan never did, though. He never took what James gave him and made him regret it. Evan was his safe space, in a way that James could hardly bear to think, let alone express in words.
Evan nodded, his expression steady as he looked at James. "I know," he said quietly. "It's okay. I'm here for you."
James swallowed hard, nodding. Through the intense conversation, his erection hadn't flagged even a little, and he couldn't stop himself from whining softly at the sadistic gleam that lit in Evan's blue eyes as his attention shifted.
He bit his lower lip, his grip on James' balls tightening until it was almost painful, and James' cock throbbed at the attention as Evan leaned down again, his lips brushing against the swollen head.
"Now, I'm going to suck your cock, and you're going to be a good boy and not come until I tell you to, aren't you? "
James groaned softly, his fingers flexing in Evan's hair. "And if I do?"
Evan looked up at him, smirking slightly. "I can get the cock ring if you need a little help."
James whimpered, and his cock jerked. He shook his head vigorously, his voice already a desperate pant as he whispered, "I'll be good."
Evan nodded, as if his answer was obvious. "Of course you will. Now sit there and let me take care of you."