By the time he got his pants unbuttoned and pushed down his thighs and then looked up, Ruben was bent over the sink, his own jeans down around his ankles and a bottle of lube and a condom in his outstretched hand. He was quickly trying to step out of his jeans, but they had become tangled on his feet.
Elijah dropped to his knees behind Ruben and calmed the man’s movements with a hand on his thigh. He carefully helped Ruben step the rest of the way out of his jeans then shoved them away. His eyes almost crossed when Ruben spread his legs, giving Elijah a complete view of everything that lay between them.
“Damn, baby,” Elijah said as he ran his hand over Ruben’s smooth, curved bottom. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Yeah?”
Elijah could hear the nervousness in Ruben’s voice. It was a far cry from the confident, assertive man that had fucked him earlier.
Maybe Ruben wasn’t as dominant as he thought he was. And maybe he was but didn’t mind playing a more submissive roll on occasion.
Either way was fine with Elijah.
“Oh yeah.”
Elijah stood up and pushed his jeans the rest of the way down his legs then kicked them aside. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor on top of his jeans then reached for Ruben’s shirt.
Once the man was naked, Elijah pressed his front against Ruben’s back and settled his hands on Ruben’s shoulders.
“Watch us, baby.”
Ruben’s hazel eyes snapped up to meet Elijah’s in the bathroom mirror. Once Elijah knew Ruben was watching his every move, he started slowly moving his hands down the man’s body, caressing his skin. The heat that started to flame in Ruben’s eyes darkened them to a deep brown. It was an erotic sight, one that Elijah wanted to see more of.
“Do you like that, baby?” he whispered as he stroked his fingers over Ruben’s nipples. It was just a light touch, barely there, but it was enough to make them pebble into hard little nubs. Ruben panted heavily as he nodded. “Yeah?”
Ruben nodded again. Elijah grinned. He couldn’t have torn his eyes away from Ruben’s body if the bathroom had been on fire. The way the man responded to the simplest touch astounded him.
“You’re very tactile, aren’t you?”
Ruben’s eyes moved up from watching Elijah’s hands on his body to meet Elijah’s eyes. “Tactile?” He sounded like he had never heard the word or had any idea what it meant.
“You are very responsive to touch, Ru.” Elijah stroked his finger over the tip of Ruben’s nipple and watched it pebble. The sight made him shiver in delight. “You crave it.” Ruben shrugged. “I guess.”
Elijah started stroking his fingers further down Ruben’s body, watching each shudder, each inhale of breath. “You do, baby. Your body needs to feel my hands on you.” And Elijah had every intention of fulfilling that need.
He grabbed the lube out of Ruben’s hand and squirted some out on his fingers before setting the bottle on the counter. Keeping one hand on Ruben’s chest, he moved the other one between Ruben’s ass cheeks and brushed his fingers over the man’s tight entrance. He was captured by the sight of Ruben moaning and dropping his head back as one of his fingers breached the man.
Was there ever a more beautiful sight?
“Do you like that, Ru?” Elijah asked. “Does that feel good?”
“Gods, yes!” Ruben cried out.
Elijah watched ecstasy manifest on Ruben’s face as he finger fucked him, adding one finger after another until the man was stretched enough to take him. If this was going to be Ruben’s first time, he wanted it to be a memory that brought Ruben joy.
“Okay, babe,” Elijah said when Ruben was stretched enough to take him, “bend over the counter and spread your legs, but keep watching in the mirror. I want to see your face as I take you.” Elijah lined his cock up with Ruben’s ass then looked up. Once he had captured Ruben’s eyes, he started slowly pushing into the man’s tight entrance. Ruben’s eyes widened. He started panting softly.
“Oh hell, baby,” Elijah groaned when he bottomed out and his balls brushed up against Ruben’s ass. He stayed there for a moment, not moving, just savoring the feeling of being balls-deep inside of the man he had been dreaming about for so very long. Ruben’s tight ass was wrapped so snugly around Elijah’s cock that he swore he felt the man’s very pulse.
Elijah pulled out slowly until just the head of his cock remained inside the first ring of muscles then slammed home until not an inch of his cock remained outside of Ruben’s ass. The long, needful cry that fell from Ruben’s lips was a balm to his soul.
Elijah loved watching Ruben in the mirror. The more he moved, the more dazed Ruben’s eyes became. The deep hazel color darkened with each thrust, becoming almost dark chocolate brown.
“You feel so good, Ru.” Elijah panted softly between words.
“Gonna fuck you till you scream.”
Ruben’s face flushed. Elijah grabbed Ruben’s shoulders and used them for leverage as he thrust into the man’s tight ass. The pressure surrounding his cock was mind blowing. Elijah didn’t think he had ever felt anything like it. Ruben’s ass was made for him. It cradled his cock with just the right amount of tension so that Elijah felt every movement.
“Eli.”
Elijah grinned and reached around Ruben and wrapped his fingers around the man’s cock. A small cry of need fell from Ruben’s lips as he started rocking his hips, thrusting forward into Elijah’s hand then back to impale himself on Elijah’s cock.
“That’s it, baby,” Elijah groaned. “Take what you need.” Ruben’s eyes glazed. The small moans coming from him grew louder. Elijah felt each one of them like a soft caress against his soul.
He was the one giving this pleasure to Ruben, making him come apart at the seams. Him. Elijah James. No one else. Just him.
Elijah could feel his balls drawing up close to his body. He squeezed his hand tighter around Ruben’s hard cock then started thrusting harder, faster. He needed Ruben to come before he did. It was more imperative than breathing.
“Come for me, baby,” Elijah whispered into Ruben’s ear. “I want to feel you come on my cock, feel you squeeze me until I come in your ass.”
Ruben sobbed once then came all over Elijah’s hand and the edge of the counter. Elijah groaned when Ruben’s muscles tightened down around his cock. His legs started to tremble as if holding him up was more than they could handle. Elijah bent his knees and drove his cock up into Ruben’s ass as a wave of intense pleasure swept over him.
“Ruben!” he shouted as he came, filling Ruben with his release.
Elijah shuddered for several moments as he continued to spurt into Ruben. When there was nothing left in his balls, Elijah dropped his head down onto Ruben’s shoulder and wrapped his hands around the man’s waist, holding Ruben tight up against his body.
“Are you okay, Ru?”
“I’ll let you know when my legs start working again.” Elijah chuckled and raised his eyes to look at Ruben in the mirror.
Ruben’s face was still flushed, his eyes just now returning to their normal hazel brown. He had the look about him of a man that had just been thoroughly fucked and was amazed by the experience. It was a good look on him.
Ruben winced when Elijah’s softening cock slid from his ass.
Elijah felt bad when he realized that his lover was a little sore. He probably shouldn’t have fucked him quite so hard for his first time.
He just couldn’t seem to help himself.
However, he could care for Ruben now. Elijah reached over and grabbed a clean washcloth off the shelf and got it wet with warm water. He smiled into the mirror at Ruben. “Spread your legs, babe.” Ruben looked slightly confused but did as Elijah ordered. Elijah squatted down behind Ruben and began wiping him clean, smiling at the soft inhale he heard from the man. “Part of having a lover is making sure you take care of them afterward.”
“Yeah.” Ruben whimpered. “But is it supposed to turn you on?” Elijah chuckled. “Definitely.”
“Then it worked.”
Elijah couldn’t keep the smile of satisfaction off his face. He pulled one side of Ruben’s ass aside and gently rubbed the washcloth down the crease of Ruben’s ass. Elijah’s eyes widened and a sudden dread filled him when more cum dripped out of Ruben’s ass.
Oh shit!
“Uh, Ruben…” Elijah swallowed hard and stood up. He needed to look Ruben in the face when he admitted the horrible mistake he had made. It was his responsibility to make sure his lover was taken care of, and he had done a piss-poor job at it. “Baby, I—” Ruben’s eyebrows drew together as he stared back at Elijah in the mirror. “What?”
“I forgot to use the condom.” Elijah’s eyes dropped away as shame filled him. He realized he was rambling, but he couldn’t seem to stop the words once they started to spill from his mouth. “I’m so sorry. I should have been prepared but I—I just got caught up in the moment. I swear to god that I’m clean, Ruben. I haven’t been with anyone in years, and I’ve been tested several times since then. I can show you my test results. They’re back at my place. I would never put you in danger. I swear I just forgot. I—”
“Hey.” Ruben turned and grabbed his face, turning Elijah to face him. It took all of Elijah’s courage to raise his eyes and meet Ruben’s gaze.
“I am so sorry, Ruben,” he whispered.
“It’s okay. I trust you, Elijah.” Ruben smiled. “If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have let you anywhere near me.”
“Yeah, but, Ruben—”
“Ssshh.” Ruben’s finger pressed against Elijah’s lips. “You’ve been tested, and I’ve never been with anyone except you and Mahra.
We’re both clean as far as we know. If it will make you feel better, we can get tested together.” Elijah started to open his mouth when Ruben pressed another finger across his lips. “We can go to the city and get tested. No one has to know.”
Elijah felt relieved and regretful all at the same time. He didn’t want anyone else to know their business. He’d prefer to be an anonymous person in a big city rather than going to the only doctor in Cade Creek. But he also felt bad that he was forcing Ruben to hide their relationship.
Elijah dropped his forehead against Ruben’s. “It’s getting easier, Ruben. I swear. I just need a little more time.” Ruben’s eyes were mischievous. “I’m not going anywhere.”
It had been two weeks, and there had been no word from Janice.
Ruben was starting to get worried. He knew when she left that it wouldn’t be the end of things. Janice wanted Alani, and she was just evil enough to try and take her away from Ruben.
The waiting for her to act on her threats was driving Ruben bonkers. He was afraid to leave Alani in case Janice came for her.
Despite what Elijah said, there was a part of Ruben that was afraid some judge would give Janice rights to Alani. Ruben couldn’t allow that, but he didn’t know how to stop it either.
Elijah kept trying to reassure Ruben that the woman had no basis for a case, but knowing Janice, she wouldn’t need a judge’s order to take Alani. If the courts didn’t give permission, Janice would hire someone. Ruben just knew it. He felt it deep down in his soul. Janice wanted Alani, and she wouldn’t stop until she got her.
Which was why Ruben currently stood outside of Elijah’s office, trying to get up the courage to go inside. Elijah had been out to the ranch several times in the last two weeks. And Ruben had been to his house once. They had yet to spend the entire night together though, and that bothered Ruben more than he wanted to admit.
He wanted to spend the entire night wrapped in Elijah’s arms, to wake up next to the man in the morning. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops that Elijah was his. But he also wanted to give Elijah the time he needed to come to terms with their relationship. He had promised he would, but it was getting harder and harder each time he had to say
good-bye
to Elijah instead of
good morning
.
Ruben sighed and opened the door. There was nothing he could do about it until Elijah was ready. He would just have to wait the man out. He plastered a smile on his face and walked into the lawyer’s office, stopping in front of the receptionist’s desk.
“Hi, Sandy, does Mr. James have a moment to meet with me?”
“Good morning, Mr. Blaecleah,” Sandy, the receptionist, said as she reached for the phone on her desk. “He’s in a meeting at the moment, but I’ll let him know you are here. Why don’t you have a seat?”
Ruben could hear the receptionist talking on the phone as he walked over to one of the chairs near the door and sat down. He pulled the edge of the blanket back and checked on Alani, smiling when he saw that she was sound asleep, and then covered her back up.
She had been asleep since Ruben buckled her into her car seat and driven to town. She hadn’t even woken up when he put her in the chest carrier. Alani could sleep through anything except really loud or sudden noises.
“How old is your daughter?”
Ruben glanced up and then smiled at Sandy. She had worked for Elijah ever since he met the man. Ruben knew Elijah relied on the woman as his right hand in the office. “She’s almost seven months.”
“Can I see?” Sandy asked as she walked out from behind the desk.
Ruben pulled the blanket back to reveal Alani’s slumbering face.
“Oh, she’s so cute,” the receptionist whispered, lowering her voice.
“Yeah, she looks just like her mother except for my eyes.” Sandy’s face fell. “I’m so sorry, Ruben. I heard what happened to your wife.”
Ruben nodded. It was getting easier to remember Mahra without feeling like crap. He hoped in time he would be able to remember her with fondness instead of loss. He hadn’t realized until she was gone how much he would miss the woman that had become such a good friend to him.
“Are you going to the Christmas program at the church on Christmas Eve?” Sandy asked as she walked back over to sit down at her desk.
“The Christmas program?” Ruben shuddered.
“Oh yes, Brody and Neason have been planning it for weeks. The children are all so excited about it.” Ruben nearly groaned. If Brody and Neason had been planning it, he was pretty sure he would be required to attend. He so didn’t want to. Christmas programs at church gave him the hives. He had nightmares about being forced to participate and getting his ass whupped by his father when his performance wasn’t perfect.