absolute favorite treat.”
Ben seemed amused, eyes shining as he considered Jace. “So explain
to me how it is that you’re still single.”
Definitely a brave mouth. Jace just hoped Ben wasn’t all talk. “I
could ask you the same question.”
“Well, I wasn’t until a week ago.” Ben washed down the bitterness
with some champagne.
“Right, right. The burgling boyfriend.” The word ‘rebound’ sprang
to mind. “Have you heard from him since?”
“Nope, and don’t change the subject. Are you the kind of guy who
can’t settle down?”
Jace winced. “Quite the opposite. I’ve had my share of boyfriends.
It’s just the job that gets in the way.”
“What do you mean?”
Might as well tell him the truth. “The hours suck. I’m gone for days
at a time, and until I have more seniority, my schedule is constantly
shifting. So I can’t promise anyone when I’ll be home, or if I’ll even be
there at all. Something about sleeping in a hotel every night gives people
ideas, so if it isn’t the hours, it’s the jealousy.”
Ben nibbled his bottom lip, mulling this over. “I don’t know. It
doesn’t sound all that bad to me. Being apart and not seeing each other
every day would keep things fresh. I think I could deal with that.”
“That’s what they all say at the beginning. Not that I’m trying to
discourage you. I’d love for you to prove me wrong. Speaking of which,
I fly to Chicago all the time.”
Ben smiled. “What are you suggesting?”
Jace took a deep breath. He might as well lay all his cards out on the
table. “That I like you and that I want more than to just sleep with you. I
know we’re moving fast, that we don’t know each other very well, but
what I’ve seen so far is a charming, considerate, and surprisingly mature
college student who is on his way to becoming someone great.”
Ben appeared appropriately flattered. “Thanks. I think you’re the
bee’s knees too.”
Jace laughed in relief. So far so good. Just one little concern left.
“What I’d like to know is how serious you and your prince of thieves
were. Are you coming out of a relationship of years? How long before
things turned sour?”
“Just a few weeks. He was nothing. Really.” Ben held his gaze long
enough that Jace believed him. “What about you? Any emotional
baggage I need to know about?”
Loads, and all of it overweight. “There was, but the airline lost it all.
Typical really.”
Ben didn’t laugh, but Jace was feeling pretty serious himself. There
was nothing standing in their way now. That they both liked each other
was obvious, and that they wanted more than just casual sex was good.
Jace had to admit, though, that he wouldn’t mind some committed sex
right about now, but pushing it seemed—
Ben glanced up at the loft bed longingly, and Jace couldn’t help but
chuckle. He stood, Samson leaping off his lap just before with eerie cat
instinct. Jace slid an arm under Ben’s legs, another behind his back, and
picked him up off the couch. Ben didn’t resist in the slightest. Instead he
threw an arm around Jace’s neck and giggled like a kid as Jace carried
him toward the bed. He paused when reaching the ladder, Ben’s
expression of amusement turning to concern when he saw Jace was still
determined. With a heave, he tossed Ben over his shoulders, gripping one
of his arms to make sure he didn’t slip loose. Then he stepped onto the
first rung.
“Put me down!” Ben cried in protest.
“This is like a hot, gay version of King Kong,” Jace grunted, pulling
himself up rung by rung with his free hand. When they reached the top,
he bent over, Ben rolling into bed before Jace clambered in after him.
Ben was still laughing, his hair messed up as he looked around.
“Airline pillows!” he said in mock disgust. He grabbed a couple and
tossed them at Jace.
“You won’t be sleeping much tonight,” Jace said, crawling over to
where Ben was.
Ben lay back so Jace could get on top of him. Greg would probably
be smug as hell if he could see them now, because it was obvious that
Ben was very comfortable with Jace taking the lead. Not that he was
passive. Ben was already fumbling at Jace’s shirt buttons.
Moving his hands gently away, Jace kissed him. This is where he
wanted to start. He’d promised himself to take things slow, and while
he’d done a miserable job so far, now he meant to do just that. They had
the whole night to explore each other.
Running a hand through Ben’s hair, Jace lifted his head to bring it
closer, his tongue slipping inside Ben’s mouth. Last night their cold
noses had bumped together, lips a little dry from the winter weather, but
now they were both warm, mouths increasingly wet as they caressed
each other.
Ben’s hands kept going for his shirt, or the waist of his jeans, but
Jace kept moving those hands away, eventually pinning them. He
laughed at Ben’s frustration, and admired his stubbornness when Ben
wrapped his legs around Jace’s waist, drawing him close and rubbing the
hardness in their pants together.
That motivated him to take it further. Rolling over so Ben was sitting
on top of him, Jace stripped off Ben’s shirt, admiring the thin frame, the
gentle lines of ribs—little rolling hills made of pale skin instead of grass.
He allowed his fingers to brush against these, summoning goose bumps.
Ben’s back arched when Jace toyed with his nipples. A moan escaped
from his throat as Jace slid the tips of his fingers into the waistline of
Ben’s jeans before pulling them out again.
Ben gave him a look that was both pleading and half-mad with
pleasure. Jace sat up for a kiss, stroking Ben’s back as their tongues
reunited. Again Ben’s hands began to wander, but Jace caught them just
before they could reach anything particularly interesting. Finally Ben had
enough and pushed Jace down on the bed, hands flat on his chest.
“I’m about to suffocate you with one of these airline pillows,” he
threatened.
“Is that a fetish?” Jace asked.
“No,” Ben growled, “but at least then I could do what I want to
you!”
Jace laughed. “In that case, I surrender.”
He let his arms flop to the sides, amused by the kid-in-a-candy-store
expression that came over Ben’s face. He allowed his shirt to be
unbuttoned first, enjoying the way Ben’s eyes travelled over him before
his hands traced the same path. Then Ben carefully unbuttoned and
unzipped Jace’s jeans, grinning victoriously as he yanked them off his
hips.
“Seriously?” he said. “Speedos?”
Jace responded by flexing one muscle in particular. That shut him
up. Well, almost. Ben squeezed Jace’s cock through his underwear. “Size
doesn’t matter,” he said, “but it sure is nice when you’ve got it.”
Jace grinned his agreement, then moaned as Ben began to pump. He
closed his eyes and bit his lip, nearly drawing blood when Ben pulled his
underwear down and enveloped him in wet warmth. That mouth was
brave, that mouth could sing and—holy shit!—that mouth had other
talents as well. Jace’s mind produced a list of the guys he’d slept with
and swiftly crossed their names out one by one. None of them were as
skilled as Ben. What the hell did they teach people at that college of his?
Eventually he recovered from this bliss enough to pull Ben up by the
arm pits. Ben held himself above Jace as they kissed so that Jace could
get at his jeans. As soon as the top button was undone, Jace thrust in a
hand, feeling a drop of excitement on Ben’s dick as he took hold of it.
Ben had nothing to be ashamed of either, but Jace took satisfaction in
being bigger. Ben toppled over on his side, eager to remove his jeans.
Jace did the same, also shrugging his shirt the rest of the way off.
Finally, they were both completely naked together. After eyeing each
other like hungry sharks, they came out of the situation enough to laugh.
Jace didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that sound. He planned on sticking
around a dozen decades or more just to have his fill. Lying next to Ben,
Jace kissed him gently, stroking his skin again, but this time he didn’t
hold back. He brushed his fingers down Ben’s arms, up his thighs, across
his chest, down the center of his cock to his balls. Everywhere he could
reach, he wanted to caress. Jace watched Ben’s face the whole time he
did this, seeing a need that was much more than physical. Had anyone
ever given Ben what he needed emotionally? Ever?
Jace’s lips took over for his hands as he kissed and licked, bit and
nibbled. Sometimes Ben laughed, sometimes he moaned. When Jace
finally went down on him, he sighed, as if in relief. Ben’s hands clutched
at his hair, and when Jace felt him getting close, he pulled away, sitting
up on his knees and offering himself. They took turns in this way until
Jace almost couldn’t hold back any longer, but he did, just long enough
to bring Ben to the brink once more. He had Ben’s cock in his mouth, his
hips thrusting against the grip Ben had on him, and in a series of groans
and hisses, they came together in a way that Jace could only describe as
spiritual.
Outside, fireworks exploded as drunk voices called out to each other.
Not wanting to miss the moment, he placed his forehead against Ben’s.
“Happy New Year,” he said before kissing him.
Afterwards, he pulled the covers over them both, cradling Ben to
him. If kissing could reveal the potential they had together, what they’d
done just now promised unlimited possibility. He remembered the oath
he’d made as a teenager, the night Bernard had dragged him from the
river. Jace had sworn then that he’d find the person he was meant to be
with, no matter how long it took. This person sharing his bed with him
now… Maybe.
Chapter Twenty-four
Jace watched Ben sleep, thinking about how he’d first done so at
forty thousand feet above Texas. Now Ben had dropped from the
heavens and landed in his bed. Blond hair a disaster and a steady stream
of drool leaking from his mouth, Ben couldn’t have looked more
adorable if he tried. Of course most guys didn’t mess up their hair and
drool when they wanted to impress, but perhaps it would become trendy
one day.
The intensity of Jace’s stare stirred Ben from his sleep. He wiped his
mouth on his arm and furrowed his brow, perhaps not yet remembering
where he was.
“I want to get to know you better.” The words had been on Jace’s
lips for the last ten minutes. It felt good to finally speak them.
Ben smiled. “You didn’t get to know me last night?”
“That was very educational,” Jace said, “but I want more. Tell me
about your life. Better yet, show me. Is it too early to meet the parents?”
“Yes,” Ben replied. “I want you to be madly in love with me before
you realize how nuts they are.”
“That bad?”
Ben shook his head. “Not really. Well, my sister isn’t easy to get
along with.” After rubbing his eyes he peered at the clock. “You could
meet Allison.”
“Your best friend?” Jace asked, feeling proud for remembering this
detail.
“Yeah. I could show you around The Woodlands too, since that’s
where I grew up.”
They’d slept in long enough that they agreed to skip breakfast.
Instead they hit the shower together, which was fun and allowed Jace to
check out Ben’s body in daylight. Ben wasn’t shy about looking him
over either, which led to a prolonged shower. When the hot water ran
out, they shut it off, ending up on the bathroom floor together.
Eventually they managed to keep their clothes on long enough to
rejoin civilization. Sadly, this meant getting in their separate cars again.
Now that they were serious, in the future Jace would rather make the
half-hour drive to pick Ben up. Not that things would stay this way for
long. Ben would return to Chicago in a couple weeks, making the
opportunity to see where he grew up more vital.
Jace wasn’t completely unfamiliar with The Woodlands. The area
had a reputation for being a wealthy community, which had caught
Adrien’s attention. They’d visited together on one of their “splurge
nights” they used to save up for. After putting on their best clothes, he
and Adrien would go off to a fancy restaurant, pretending to be anything
but broke college boys. One such night had them visiting The
Woodlands. Jace enjoyed the way that trees hid the suburban landscape,
but he hadn’t been terribly impressed otherwise. Despite its reputation,
the city seemed much like any other, which was fine. Money had a way
of making Jace uncomfortable, especially in extremes. Too much money
felt decadent, while too little had its own discomforts.
The neighborhood Ben led them to was somewhere in the middle.
After some signaling, Jace parked in a driveway next to a beat-up Ford
Escort that had seen better days but probably couldn’t remember them
anymore. Ben parked behind him, the engine still running when he got
out.
“I need to bring the car back to my parents,” he explained. “They
live a few blocks over.”
“Oh,” Jace said, not hiding his puzzlement. Couldn’t they have done
that first?
Ben grinned. “Have fun with Allison. I’ll catch up with you guys
soon.”
Jace put on his best poker face, waving at Ben as he drove away,
when really he felt apprehensive. Should he knock on the door and
introduce himself? He supposed it would be weirder to stand out front
and wait for Ben to return. Besides, he was pretty sure this was a test.
Standing there like an idiot was a surefire way of failing it. Jace strolled
up to the door and rang the bell.
A pretty black woman answered. This had to be Allison. Not only
did she seem to be the same age as Ben, but she had a shadow hanging
over her, the kind that stuck around long after someone close had passed
away.
Allison looked him over. “Can I help you?”
“There’s an old proverb that goes ‘the enemy of my enemy is my
friend,’” Jace said. “That always struck me as a huge assumption, since
my enemy’s enemy could be the kind of person who kicks puppies.”
“And you’re selling…” Allison asked.
“Now then,” Jace continued, “the friend of my friend is also my
