Authors: Penny Brandon
They lay like that for a while, Jared happy enough to stay exactly where he was until Kyle sighed and rolled onto his back. Jared turned onto his side to face him. "Okay?"
Dark blue eyes stared up at the ceiling before flicking over to him. Kyle looked solemn and nervous. He shook his head. "No."
A sudden sick feeling swept through Jared, and in that moment, he felt completely overwhelmed with panic. There must have been something in his eyes, because Kyle quickly clasped his hand, holding him in place.
"It's okay, just..." Kyle sighed again, his fingers squeezing hard. "Remember I told you about my first time with a guy?"
Jared nodded, his stomach cramping a little, still feeling sick, still feeling panicked despite the reassuring squeeze of Kyle's fingers. "Yes. You told me he hurt you." Jared suddenly sat up and stared down at Kyle. "Fuck, Kyle. Please don't tell me I hurt you." Shit, he didn't want to think about hurting Kyle, not like that. Not in any way.
"God no!"
"Then what's the problem?"
"My parents." Kyle closed his eyes a moment, then pulled on Jared's hand, urging him to lie back down beside him. Jared did, a little confused.
"You said your parents died in a car crash two years ago."
"Yes, they did." Kyle was struggling. Jared waited, staring at Kyle's profile, wanting to reassure him but not sure how. Then Kyle turned into his arms, wrapping himself around Jared's body and resting his head on Jared's shoulder. "I told them about him, about being gay." Kyle's arms tightened around him, his muscles tensing, becoming rigid. "They freaked, both of them, then threw me out of the house, out of my home."
"God, Kyle, I'm sorry."
"They hated me, told me never to contact them again. They cut me loose, abandoned me. I was seventeen. How could someone do that, Jared? How could they have turned their backs on their only son?" Kyle's voice was tight, and Jared could feel the hurt, the anger he was going through.
"Not all families can accept."
"I know that, but fuck, Jared, they wouldn't even let me come to their funeral. Did you know that? I didn't even know they'd died until months later because they made sure I wasn't told."
Jared didn't know what to say. He curled his hand around the back of Kyle's head and stroked him, held him, comforted him. Kyle moaned, the sound one of distress. Jared pulled Kyle up to him, held his face, and kissed him. Kyle's mouth was soft, wet, but the way he clung to Jared was hard and filled with such need it worried Jared.
"Hey," he said, pulling free and gazing into eyes that were glittering with anger so fierce that it hurt to look at. "It's all right." But Kyle shook his head.
"No, it's not all right. I fucking hate what they did to me. I thought I was over it, thought I could get through it, but being here--" Kyle sat up abruptly. "How can you do it, Jared? How can you live here?"
"Here?"
"In this fucking town!"
Jared slowly sat up, laying a hand on Kyle's arm. Kyle shrugged it away but quickly turned to grab it back. "Fuck, I'm sorry." He threaded their fingers together. "I'm not doing this very well, am I?"
"Doing what?" Christ, please don't let Kyle tell him he was leaving, that he didn't want to stay with him.
Kyle closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. He looked a little agitated, a little resigned, a lot like he was going to regret what he was about to say. "You want to know why I left that hotel room, don't you?"
Oh God. Jared almost said no, almost didn't care, but he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't want to know. Instead he said nothing and waited for Kyle to say more.
Kyle glanced at him, then bit his lip. "You kept telling me you didn't know what to do with me. For a while I thought it was because meeting me was new, different, something special--"
"It was something special," Jared interrupted, fearing what Kyle was going to say next.
"But that wasn't the reason you were afraid." There was a defiant glare in Kyle's eyes now, one that dared him to refute what he'd said. Jared couldn't because Kyle was right.
"It wasn't you," he said quietly.
"I know that." Some of the tension in Kyle's body drained away. "It's here. It's this town. You were worried about what people would say if you brought me home with you, worried you would be rejected, shunned."
Shock had Jared staring at Kyle. How could he have known, how could he have guessed the reason Jared had been so reluctant to offer Kyle something more? "So you just left? But you didn't even know where I lived," he stammered, searching Kyle's face and finding both resignation and dread.
"I checked your driver's license."
A sinking pit of fear coiled in Jared's stomach, especially when Kyle guiltily dropped his gaze. "Fuck, Kyle, why didn't you say something?"
"What was the point? This is a small-minded town with small-minded people. They aren't going to let us live together. You know that; I know that."
Jared knew exactly that, but it hadn't given Kyle the right to walk off and not discuss it with him. "So you decided where I live meant the end of anything between us? That's bullshit, Kyle!" Suddenly angry, Jared pulled his hand free and stood up, pacing the foot of the bed. He glared at Kyle, not wanting to believe his own fears were also part of Kyle's but also not wanting to believe they couldn't do something about it. "What I choose to do with my life, how I live it and who I live it with has got nothing to do with anyone else but me." Jared almost laughed; he was trying to convince Kyle of something he wasn't even convinced of himself.
"Now who's talking bull? It doesn't work like that. And what about me? Did I not have a say in it?"
"Yeah, you could have had your say, but you gave up that right the second you walked out of that hotel room."
Kyle's jaw clenched, and a pulse beat erratically at his temple. "I thought it would be easier," he said, averting his gaze.
"Easier on who, you or me?" Jared spat back, infuriated at Kyle for his lack of faith and at himself for not having spoken up earlier. How much grief could he have saved them both?
"Come on, Jared, you can't tell me you didn't feel relieved that you didn't have to face me in the morning. That you didn't have to come up with an excuse. That you didn't have to look me in the eye and say it was over."
Jared didn't have to think about that; he knew damn well the only thing he'd felt was hurt and anguish--and anger. But a lot of that anger had been directed at himself for not having the guts to stand up for what he wanted and tell Kyle when he'd had the chance. If he had, Kyle might never have been hurt. "You're wrong, Kyle. For me it wasn't over. Not then."
The light in Kyle's eyes suddenly died, and his face paled to the point where he looked about ready to pass out. His hands dangled loosely between his knees, and he seemed to crumble in on himself. "Is it over now?" Kyle asked, his voice barely above a whisper as if the effort to talk was just too much.
Jared felt his heart constrict at the defeat Kyle couldn't seem to hide. He grimaced and took a step toward him, reaching to gently stroke a thumb across Kyle's bottom lip. Touching Kyle seemed to settle him, settle them both. Kyle watched him, and Jared watched him back, very carefully. Bringing Kyle home with him had forced Jared into a decision he hadn't been ready to make, but he wasn't going to back down on it now. The choice was his and Kyle's, and everyone else could get fucked. His sister was right, but could he convince Kyle of that?
Stepping closer, Jared felt his whole body go tight with tension. "Do you want it to be?"
Chapter Seven
Kyle saw the glare of anger in Jared's hazel eyes. He also saw a reflective fear that matched his own. Christ, what a fuckup! "Will you sit down? You're making me nervous."
"Are you going to answer me?"
Kyle sighed. "You'd better hear the rest of what I have to say first."
"I don't need to hear anything else, Kyle. Just answer me, yes or no?"
"No, I don't want it to be over, but the problem still stands." Fuck, he didn't want to say this, didn't want to have Jared looking at him with contempt, with resentment, but if they were going to get through this, Jared had a right to know. Hell, he'd find out anyway.
"You don't want to be here, do you?" Jared was standing right in front of him, accusation fueling the flecks of color in his eyes.
"I know what this town is like. It's not going to be tolerant or understanding. It's going to reject us, Jared."
"You don't know that." Jared's face softened as he spoke, and to Kyle's relief, he sat down beside him.
"My parents' intolerance came from this town. I grew up here, Jared. I've lived here; I do know that."
Right then Kyle didn't think he'd seen Jared look any more devastated. "You grew up here? Are you fucking serious?"
The deep breath Kyle took didn't seem to help, he felt his hands start to shake, and part of him thought he was going to be sick. "In this house." It wasn't the house, though, that had Kyle feeling nauseated; it was Jared's reaction.
"Oh my God." Jared looked shocked and Kyle didn't blame him, but thankfully Jared didn't look angry. Not yet. Kyle reached out, tentatively touching Jared's thigh, needing the contact, needing to feel some warmth. Jared instantly put his hand over Kyle's and pressed down, curling his fingers into Kyle's palm.
"You didn't want to come here, did you?"
Embarrassed at having to confess how much of a coward he'd been, Kyle shook his head. "No."
"And now you don't want to stay."
With Jared? Yes, he wanted to stay with Jared. But here? "I won't hide who I am, Jared."
"You don't have to."
"And are you prepared to put up with the controversy me being here will incite?"
"I told you I did. I want you here. I want you to stay with me." There was a glimmer in Jared's eyes, a determination Kyle was surprised to see.
Could he do this? Could he give living here a try? Kyle looked down at where he'd joined their hands on Jared's thigh and wondered if Jared really knew what he was letting himself in for. He wasn't going to live behind fear and rejection, not in this town. His parents might have lived with it, and though Kyle sincerely regretted putting them through that, he wouldn't allow himself to be bullied by bigotry or prejudice, not anymore. "Want to try and persuade me?" he said half-jokingly, half in earnest. Jared tightened his grip on their fingers and leaned toward him. Kyle turned and met him halfway, accepting Jared's kiss.
"How much persuading do you need?" Jared murmured against his lips, the cup of his palm now sliding against the back of Kyle's head. Kyle tried to move closer, but Jared pulled back, waiting for an answer.
"Not much," Kyle acknowledged, because if Jared honestly meant what he said, then Kyle was more than happy to make a go of this, of them. Jared smiled at him again and pulled him back into his arms. Kyle pushed Jared to the bed and climbed partway onto him, cursing his bloody ankle for not allowing him to straddle Jared's hips. But Jared didn't seem to mind; in fact he shifted to the side to take Kyle's thigh between his legs.
Soft flesh met hard muscle, and Kyle moaned, pushing himself closer to rub against Jared's slick skin. Jared moved with him, dragging his mouth up Kyle's neck, sucking on the spot below his ear that Kyle was beginning to realize was more sensitive than he'd given it credit for. He shivered, and Jared grinned, his wet tongue now snaking a trail down Kyle's throat and over his collarbone, where he continued to suck until Kyle felt a slight sting.
"Are you marking me?"
"Just a little."
"That's going to show."
"Do you plan on going anywhere and showing it off?" Jared asked, the tone of his voice almost sounding like he was laughing.
"Not right now, but we will be going out sometime, won't we?"
Jared moved back to look at him. "We won't hide away, I promised you that, but let's give ourselves some time together first. Is that okay?"
Kyle caught the look in Jared's eyes. He was trying hard to give Kyle what he wanted, and Kyle knew he had to give Jared the same in return. He nodded, and Jared acknowledged his acquiescence with a smile before he abruptly slid out from beneath Kyle's body.
"I think we need to have a shower," Jared said, holding out his hand to help Kyle up.
"A shower? Why, do I stink?"
Jared laughed, and it was so good to see him do so that Kyle just let himself be pulled along to the adjoining bathroom. While Jared set the temperature, Kyle cautiously removed the Aircast from around his ankle, ignoring the throbbing ache and seriously careful about not putting any weight on it.
"Okay?"
Kyle nodded, and Jared pulled Kyle toward him. Their naked bodies met, Jared's hot and hard, Kyle's already willing. He opened his mouth as Jared moved in to kiss him. He loved the way Jared kissed, a unique combination of soft and demanding. Holding Jared's hips, he let his lover guide him into the shower. Hot water cascaded onto them, heavy and invigorating and absolutely perfect. Jared released Kyle enough to grab a bottle of shampoo and squirt some into his hand, and then he started to slowly massage the liquid into Kyle's hair. Kyle closed his eyes as Jared's fingers worked into his scalp.
"Mmm, that's good," he murmured, then gasped as Jared reached down and grabbed his cock. Jared's fingers curled and lightly stroked, his actions intended to titillate. "Oh yeah, that's good too." He heard Jared chuckle and felt the length of Jared's cock press against his hip. Kyle reached for him, but Jared pulled away.
"Not yet," Jared said, tilting Kyle's head back to rinse his hair.
He'd never had anyone wash his hair or look after him the way Jared was doing. It was nice, but a little disconcerting. He'd never had to rely on anyone before, and he wasn't sure he was able to completely let go. He opened his eyes enough to see Jared grab a sponge and squirt a generous amount of body wash on it. The slightly rough texture was pressed against his chest, then dragged across his flesh. Already sensitized, Kyle's skin tightened, and his nipples pebbled into hard nubs. The slow drag of the sponge quickly escalated Kyle's arousal, and as it skimmed down his belly and replaced Jared's hand on his cock, he couldn't help the shudder that passed through his body or the low groan that rumbled up his throat.
Firm lips touched the back of his neck as Jared turned him around and brought the soapy sponge to the base of his spine. It moved in slow circles, edging lower until it slipped between the crease of his ass. Relaxed, Kyle didn't mind when Jared rubbed it around and around his puckered hole, or when he gently eased the tip of a finger inside him.
"Jesus, Kyle, you are so tight." Jared's voice was strained.
"I shouldn't be after the way you just fucked me."
"Still tight, and hot."
Wanting more, Kyle placed both his palms on the tiled wall and managed to wriggle his hips. Jared slipped his finger in deeper, and they both moaned.
"I'm beginning to think you like your ass being breached," Jared commented, starting a slow, steady rhythm that had Kyle wondering the same thing. Had he missed out over the years, or was it just Jared that did this to him? He let his head fall back on Jared's shoulder and turned his face toward Jared's neck, seeking and finding the rapid pulse that beat there and kissing it in satisfaction that Jared was as turned on by touching Kyle as he was having Jared touch him.
"Yeah," he moaned, not sure if he was agreeing to what Jared had said or whether he was just voicing how good it was.
The pressure increased a little before Jared slid his finger free, turned Kyle around again, and moved in for a kiss. Kyle instinctively wrapped his arms around Jared's waist and pressed forward so their hard lengths slid sensuously together. The kiss, once again, was slow and experimental. Yeah, he really liked the way Jared kissed.
When Jared broke away, he was grinning. "Now you're not so stinky," he said. After rinsing them both he turned the water off, and dried them with soft, fluffy towels. Then Kyle was skillfully maneuvered back into the bedroom and into the middle of the bed. The bed dipped as Jared climbed on with him.
"I like you like that."
Kyle watched as Jared's hazel gaze flicked up and down his body.
"Like what?" he asked.
"On my bed looking like you're waiting to be fucked."
"I've already been fucked."
Jared seemed to contemplate that for a moment. "Turn over for me."
Not sure what Jared wanted, Kyle carefully rolled over, Jared helping him while shoving a couple of pillows beneath his hips. Pulling him back a little so his ankle wasn't trapped against the bed, Jared slid an arm around him, capturing his cock against his stomach. Jared's other hand pulled on one of his ass cheeks, opening him up.
"Ready?"
"For what?" He didn't think Jared was going to fuck him again, not in this position, but he tensed nonetheless because he didn't know what the hell Jared had in mind.
His answer was a warm, soft tongue pressing and sliding against him. He cried out at the unexpected contact and at the sudden bright flash of pleasure. He shook, his body convulsing as Jared's tongue started to lap at his entrance, the soft, velvet strokes sending shock waves to his balls and his cock.
"Oh fuck! Jared!"
He felt Jared's grin against the cheeks of his ass, and then the flick of Jared's tongue changed, becoming harder, persistent. It stiffened and jabbed through the tight ring of muscle that guarded his channel and swept inside.
Kyle started to come. He couldn't help it. His balls drew up, and a red-hot current sizzled up his spine to his skull, forcing his back to arch and his head to jerk back as he grimaced in an agony of incredible pleasure. The groan that tore through his chest matched the pulse that tore through his cock. He cried out again and again as fast jets of cum splattered against his belly and dripped onto the pillow beneath him.
Kyle hung his head, his thighs and arms like jelly. The only thing holding him up was Jared's strong arm.
"Nice?" Jared asked, humor lacing his tone.
Kyle turned to look over his shoulder. Jared was smiling, a look of contentment and desire in his eyes. "Are you kidding me?"
"So it
was
nice. Good. Now, on your back," he instructed as their gazes met.
Kyle did as he was told, pulling a face as his left buttock met with the mess he'd made. Jared hung over him, the hard state of his arousal evident between his thighs. Kyle looked at it and licked his lips. Jared grinned and shook his head.
"Not this time." Then he bent his head and took Kyle's soft cock into his mouth and lazily started to suck on it.
Wet heat met the cooler skin of his crown, and Kyle reacted instinctively; he thrust his hips up, and Jared took all of him into his mouth. The sensation was patently exquisite. Jared's lips captured the full bulk of his cock, his tongue swirling over and around the flaccid flesh, starting a stir of excitement. Blood rushed to join the sweet commotion, and he started to harden, which forced Jared to withdraw as Kyle's cock pressed against the back of his throat. Jared pulled his mouth away with a loud
pop.
Kyle looked down his body, watching Jared as he nuzzled the softer flesh of his balls, his tongue now rasping along the sensitive skin beneath. "Fuck!" Kyle cried as Jared's teeth took a light grip and bit down. The pain was fleeting and was quickly replaced by Jared's soothing kiss. Kyle groaned, then took in a deep, shuddering breath as Jared licked a line up the joint of his thigh. Jared laid the flat of his tongue and lips against the soft flesh and then sucked hard. Once again he soothed with a kiss, and then he moved to Kyle's stomach and did the same.
"Oh shit!" Jared was marking him again, branding him, declaring Kyle as his. Kyle trembled, watching his lover progressively blemish his skin. The hard and relentless love bites continued up his chest, adding more marks to his already bruised torso until Jared finally took a swipe at Kyle's beaded nipple.
Kyle groaned, more turned on than he'd thought possible. His ass clenched at the remembered feel of Jared's tongue pressing inside him, and he almost begged Jared to do it again, but it seemed like Jared had other ideas. He moved to kneel between Kyle's thighs; then as Kyle watched, he bent and once more took Kyle's cock in his mouth.
Firm lips tightened around him while a wicked tongue tortured and probed his slit, coaxing out precum, which Jared then smeared over his cockhead and down his shaft. Pleasure once again pricked his skin, tightened his muscles, pulsed through his bones, and Kyle could do nothing more than let it all sweep him into oblivion. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the pull of Jared's mouth, of the heat and wetness that surrounded him, lost to everything but the inexorable need to come, until he heard Jared grunt and felt the unmistakable movement of a man jerking off. Snapping his eyes open, he was met with a sight that took the breath out of his lungs. Jared, cock in hand, slowly bringing himself to climax.