Chapter 24
Jamie was so adorable, all blissed-out like this.
After coming home from the game, the two of them had been quick to undress and suck each other off. In such a hurry, in fact, that Jamie hadn’t taken off his glasses and carefully set them on the nightstand as he normally did.
So now, Caleb held Jamie tight to his chest, eyes heavy-lidded behind his glasses, as they came down from their orgasms.
“Nice match tonight.” Jamie blinked sleepily. “I watched it with Ellie.”
With gentle fingers, Caleb pulled Jamie’s glasses off his nose and set them on the side table. Those hazy green eyes looked up at Caleb like he was the sun, and it made his heart swell like a beach ball.
“Yeah, the girls did great. I’m proud of them.” Caleb kissed Jamie’s temple. He smelled like books and sex.
“I’m proud of you,” Jamie said sincerely. “You’re part of the team’s success.”
“Mmm, thank you, sweetheart. I’m proud of you, too.” They were lying on their sides, legs tangled together. Jamie’s rumpled hair tickled Caleb’s chin.
“Are you tired?” Jamie’s voice was sex-drunk and thready. It made Caleb’s cock twitch.
“Not really.” Sliding his hands down Jamie’s back, he cupped his ass, earning an adorable little gasp. Feeling bold, he reached further and swiped Jamie’s asshole with the tip of his finger. “Are you?”
“Not at all,” he breathed.
He mouthed at the skin of Jamie’s neck, focusing on all the little spots he knew made him squirm. He smelled amazing—like coffee and books. His finger continued its exploration of Jamie’s tight hole. “You really like when I touch you here, don’t you?”
“Erm, yeah,” Jamie stammered. He couldn’t see, but he knew Jamie was blushing. “I really do. Your fingers feel amazing. It’s, uh, nice… that you already seem to know what I like.”
“Oh, I know a few other things you enjoy.”
A stuttered breath. “Yeah? What else?”
Pulling Jamie even closer, he said, “When you’re really horny, you like to bounce on my cock. It’s fucking awesome.”
“Shit,” Jamie breathed, tilting his head to give Caleb better access to his throat. Caleb took the opportunity and sucked his earlobe into his mouth. With another teasing stroke to his rim, Caleb spoke low in his ear. “You like when I use toys on you, too, you know.”
Jamie shivered and let out a small whimper—the single most erotic noise Caleb had ever heard. Caleb didn’t miss the flush creeping up the side of his neck. Talking about toys always made him blush, the sweetie.
“What k-kind of toys?”
Nuzzling into his hair, he said, “I have a vibrating plug I use on you sometimes. You love it.” He teased Jamie’s hole some more, earning a nice little squirm. “Once, you wore it all through dinner, and I had the pleasure of taking it out when we got home.”
“Christ, Caleb.” The words came out as more of a breathy sigh than a sentence. Their cocks were grinding shamelessly against each other now, both ready for round two.
“What do you think, J?”
“Wh-what do I think?”
“Well…” Caleb pressed the tip of his finger in, rewarded with a sweet rock of Jamie’s hips and an arched back. “Want my cock tonight?”
“Oh, God.” Jamie’s dick twitched against Caleb’s stomach. Reaching between them, Caleb wrapped a palm around Jamie’s shaft, the other hand setting a gentle rhythm as he fingered him.
“Right there,” Jamie squeaked as Caleb worked up a steady pace. The man loved to be fingered.
The night turned into a slow exploration of how many noises Caleb could pull from Jamie’s lips. How long he could keep him on the edge before he came.
It was his favorite game, one they both enjoyed, and it felt so fucking good that Jamie was eagerly asking Caleb to try new things.
By the time they had both finished a second time, Jamie was completely wrung out. He lay face down on the bed, two red marks on his ass cheeks where Caleb had been squeezing while fucking him. Satisfied from his own orgasm, Caleb leaned down and softly kissed his cheek.
“Gortaclenumph,” Jamie mumbled into the pillow.
Caleb chuckled and kissed his shoulder. “What was that, love?”
Jamie turned his head to the side. “Gotta clean off.”
“Mmm,” Caleb hummed. He reached his thumb forward and gently caressed his hole, earning a soft whine from Jamie and an attempt to swat his hand away. “I’ll clean you up, baby.”
Jamie still had basically no clue what he was doing in bed. To the best of his ability, he was just sort of guessing at what Caleb liked. Christ, he hoped it had been good and that he hadn’t acted like a complete novice…
“I leave you alone for two seconds, and you’re already overthinking.”
Jamie hadn’t even noticed Caleb return with a wet cloth until he was leaning over him with a grin. “Stop that,” Caleb said, kissing his temple.
“How could you tell I was overthinking?” Jamie propped his head up with both hands behind it.
Caleb’s eyes traced the backs of his arms, twinkling, before returning to the task at hand.
The wet cloth dragged along Jamie’s abdomen and down his leg.
Extremely gently, Caleb wiped the lube and come from Jamie’s crease.
“Because when you overthink, you look like this.” He scrunched his forehead dramatically and stared down at his nose, only managing it for a moment before cackling and sliding back into bed, wrapping his arms around Jamie again.
“I do not!” Jamie gave a playful slap to Caleb’s arm before realizing it was his injured one. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” He turned in Caleb’s grip and kissed the scars on his shoulder. “Is your arm alright?”
Swiping one of Jamie’s curls out of his face, Caleb smiled. His hands splayed over Jamie’s bare back, sliding up and down soothingly. “Every single part of me is amazing now that I’m holding you.”
Heat rushed to Jamie’s cheeks, and he bit his lip. It felt like cheating at life, getting to have sex with Caleb and already having his affections. In so many ways, he felt like he still hadn’t earned them.
A buzz sounded from the nightstand, and Caleb’s face fell. “Sorry, I really need to turn that off.” Without moving, he let it buzz and nuzzled into Jamie’s neck.
“You really do love my neck, don’t you?”
“It’s perfect and soft and smells like you,” Caleb said, voice muffled. Kissing the side of it, Jamie could feel his smile. “It is my second favorite part of your body.”
Jamie frowned. “Is the first my penis?”
A snort vibrated against his skin. “No. Your smile, you idiot. But, come to think of it, I do like your dick a whole lot. It’s perfect and looks amazing in my mouth—”
“Caleb!” Jamie squirmed until Caleb finally lifted his head, grinning down at his lips. “See, there’s that smile.” His finger traced Jamie’s dimples.
The buzzing started again.
A flash of something crossed Caleb’s face, but when another buzz sounded, it was quickly replaced by annoyance. “Fucking hell.”
“Are you sure you don’t need to get that?”
With a heavy sigh, Caleb let his head fall back. “It’s my dad.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. He’s been trying to get a hold of me all week. And then, today, he set Bri on me.”
Jamie’s heart clenched. He didn’t know much beyond the fact that his father was a prejudiced wanker and Bri wasn’t much better. “What does he want?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t really care,” Caleb said on another sigh, palming his face. “I wish he’d stop ruining our night.”
“It’s okay.” Jamie gently traced the edge of Caleb’s ear with his finger, hoping the touch might soothe him. “If you need to take it, you can. I know you’re not super close to him…” He trailed off, hoping Caleb would see the opening and share.
“No. Not super close.”
“Because he isn’t accepting of Tay, right?”
“Yeah, that’s part of it.” Caleb rolled onto his back, pulling Jamie with him. After a bit of maneuvering, Jamie settled against his side, resting his head on Caleb’s chest
Lifting his head slightly, Jamie tried to read Caleb’s expression. He was staring at the ceiling, jaw tight.
“Hey.” He stroked Caleb’s cheek. “What are you thinking about?”
“Just my dad.”
“Do you… wanna talk about it?”
Caleb ran his palm down his face and sighed. “I’ve told you what happened to my shoulder.”
“Uh, you said you got tackled in football. Right?”
“Yes.” His jaw clenched, eyes still fixed on the ceiling.
“My football team back home was rough. When I came out as gay, they took it about as well as you’d expect.
And Dad sort of… fueled it by letting them use homophobic slurs and stuff.
It got bad…” He turned to Jamie. “I tried to ignore it as best I could. I guess I assumed it would stop, but one day, they ganged up on me. Took me down and pinned my arms and…”
Jamie’s heart hammered so hard it hurt. A sick, furious heat crawled up his throat.
“What did they do, Caleb?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“They dislocated my shoulder.”
“But…” Jamie’s eyes studied Caleb’s face, hoping to God this was some horrible joke. “But your father—”
“He wasn’t there.” His eyes went distant. “And he believed them when they said it was an accident. You know, once I got to the hospital…”
Blood rushed to Jamie’s ears, making him dizzy.
“He… he—” Jamie rolled away, trying to sit up. His pulse roared as the room tilted into blurred shapes. “Your… your father?!”
He managed to sit, swaying. Images of a younger, more vulnerable Caleb flashed in his mind. How was this real? How could a father let his own son be hurt—?
Warm hands gripped his shoulders to steady him as Caleb spoke urgently in his ear, but the words didn’t register. All Jamie could feel was rage and nausea churning in his stomach. Caleb slid his hands down to Jamie’s shaking ones and squeezed.
“J, hey, I’m fine.”
Warm hands cupped his cheeks, forcing his gaze upward into worried eyes. Hot tears spilled down Jamie’s face. “See? I’m right here. Breathe.”
Jamie dragged in a shaky breath, forcing his vision to clear. Before he could feel guilty that Caleb was comforting him again, he threw his arms around Caleb’s shoulders and buried his face in his neck.
“Caleb,” he sobbed. “Fuck. Caleb.”
Fingers slid into his curls, rubbing the back of his head in slow, grounding circles. “It’s okay, J. I’m right here. I’m okay. Everything’s alright now.”
“It’s not okay! Your shoulder is permanently d-damaged.”
A sad sigh as Caleb pulled him closer. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
“I p-promise,” Jamie stammered through tears, his body trembling. “I promise nothing will happen to you again, okay? I know I’m not… like, big, but I wouldn’t let anything happen. Nothing bad is going to happen anymore. Okay? Nothing.”
The words were as much for himself as for Caleb. The image of Caleb—young and brave and bold—getting pinned down, swam behind his eyes.
“I swear, Caleb. As long as I’m here… I swear nothing bad will ever happen again.”
One arm wrapped tight around Jamie’s back while the other cradled his head. A tear slipped from Caleb’s eye, warm where it landed on Jamie’s forehead.
“I know, J,” he whispered. “I know.”
After what felt like hours, Jamie was finally able to get his breathing under control. Turning away, he wiped at his eyes with his palms.
“So what does your dad want, then?” Jamie couldn’t help the venom in his voice. “Why is he bothering you?”
When he turned back to Caleb, there was a frown between his brows. “I guess he’s sick or something. Said he needs me to come home and help out.” His eyes flicked down to the bed, deep in thought.
“Don’t you have a sister who lives with him?”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “He says it’s my duty as his son…”
The joyful, playful Caleb who had just rolled around in bed with Jamie was gone, replaced by a stressed, conflicted one.
“I’ll go with you.”
Caleb’s eyes snapped up to his. “Absolutely not.” His expression hardened. “I’m not bringing you to Youngstown. Absolutely not.”
Jamie puffed up his chest with confidence he didn’t quite feel. “I am your…” He stalled, flushing. “Boyfriend. Partner. I don’t know, one of those. I’m yours, and I’m going.”
Pushing thoughts of passports—and the fact that his was expired—out of his head, Jamie crossed his arms.
“If you go, I go. That’s the deal.”
Mouth still turned down, Caleb’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “You British people are stubborn, you know that?”
“I do.”
Cracking a smile, Caleb pulled Jamie to him and crashed their lips together, the two of them tumbling back onto the bed in a heap of limbs. As they devoured each other for the third time that night, Jamie could’ve sworn he heard Caleb whisper, “God, I fucking love you.”