Don't... 04 Backlash (11 page)

There was a
moment’s pause by the door when he caught just what the glass
partition had let Jack watch as he’d played snooker. Jan came home
roughly the same time each night, around six, a good hour or two
before Gray, and Jan had taken to having a swim. From the look of
how his arms cut through the water, it was one hell of a
workout.

Gray glanced
back, to the snooker table, then back to the door and the view it
allowed of Jan.

How long had
Jack stood there pretending to play, watching Jan just burn
away?

Frowning, he
pushed open the door to see Jan had come to a stop by the steps.
Breathing heavy, his head was buried in the arms crossed on the
edge of the pool. The soft lights set within the pool gave an eerie
blue glow to the white columns standing watch alongside the pool,
matched by the same colours over on the bar and calming life down a
touch. Music played from the stereo, some slow-placed love song
that seemed to keep Jan’s head down just as much, and keeping his
footfalls away from the white water splash, Gray headed over to the
bar and turned it off.

After pouring a
whiskey for himself and slipping the cap off a bottle of beer for
Jan, he went over and crouched down at the pool’s edge. “Here.”

Jan wiped the
water off his face and looked up. “Thanks,” he said, taking the
beer and downing a sip. Gray watched a drop of missed water run
down his throat as Jan took a drink. Giving a smile, he took a sip
of whiskey as he looked away.

“You eaten
yet?” he said to Jan eventually.

Jan took
another drink of his beer and nearly choked on it, causing Gray to
frown at him. “I get back from each of Halliday’s visits and your
grandfather’s taken to acting like warlock instead of witch from
Hansel and Gretel, fattening me up with all sorts, including Jack’s
share of the Danish Pastries.”

Gray snorted a
soft laugh. “And Jack’s not gone into storm mode yet over it?” Gray
eased up and took a large bath towel, seeing Jan shiver a touch.
Jan didn’t move for a minute, just drank his beer, then looked away
as Gray put his whiskey down and shook the towel out. Gray could
see he’d been in the pool a while, fingers already going into
grandfather mode on their own, but that look away from him had Gray
holding the towel up and giving him his privacy as Jan finally
heaved his slim form out of the pool. He took the towel, quickly
turning away and slipping it around his waist. Then, taking his
beer, he went over and grabbed a white housecoat. Gray took his
whiskey off the floor and had a drink as Jan dried himself.

“Your session
go okay?”

Jan looked up.
“You know....” He shrugged. “Halliday noticed life had settled a
little more.”

That sounded
positive at least. Gray took another sip of whiskey.

“
Why
don’t you call Ed
Grandfather
?”

“Hmm?” He
frowned at Jan. “Just a habit,” said Gray, and it won a curious
glance over Jan’s shoulder.

“The dangers of
using titles in public, and all that?”

It wasn’t, not
really, but Jan had enough on his plate. With his whiskey finished
and leaving a low heat in his stomach that took away the chill,
Gray went over and placed the glass on the bar, close to where Jan
was standing. He still hadn’t turned back yet, and as Jan’s cheeks
and neck reddened now that Gray was close, Gray saw why.

“You know,” he
said quietly as Jan looked down at the bar, “it’s okay to be scared
that your body is starting to react.” Gray stroked a gentle touch
down Jan’s arm as he shaped him a little closer from behind. Jan
hadn’t hidden in the pool because he didn’t want to be seen; he’d
hidden because he didn’t want heat to be seen. Gray could feel it
in the way Jan chased his hand and brought it around his stomach,
letting it rest just where the housecoat was open. Gray brushed at
the bare skin and Jan sucked in a breath.

“Jan.” Gray
brushed a kiss over the curve of his ear. “I can feel this...” He
let his touch inch down farther, stopping every so often to see if
Jan stopped him. When he didn’t, Gray finally came to rest with the
flat of his palm on Jan’s lower stomach, just below the navel. It
left Jan’s hard cock trying to strain through wet swimming shorts,
up against the back of Gray’s hand; heat, hotness, and a different
wetness needed to find some peace in the confines of his swimming
shorts. “Talk to him.”

“We talk,” said
Jan, looking sideways at Gray. “We talk about touching, about being
comfortable, about taking it easy, saying time out, about Jack
maybe getting back into BDSM... but...” A little anger set in. “I
just can’t reach across the fucking table and tell him to shut the
fuck up and look at me when he’s talking.”

Stroking at the
toned skin on Jan’s lower stomach, his cock shifting with Gray’s
touch, Gray kissed gently at Jan’s cheek. The fear in those soft
brown eyes was to the core.

“What are you
scared of?”

Jan’s head
rested against his. “That he’s just talk. That he’ll run. I’ll
touch; he’ll fall and hurt—”

“You?” Gray
wiped at Jan’s cheek.

It was almost
there; he almost admitted it, that fear that Jack would slip
and—

“Martin,” said
Jan. “It’s just, I’m....”

Gray shifted
his hand away from Jan’s cock and brought his touch up to rest just
under Jan’s jaw. “You don’t think he knows?” he said. “That he’ll
fall and he’ll take you down with him?”

Jan glanced
back sharply. “What’s he said?”

Gray gave a
heavy sigh, then pulled away. “Okay,” he said as Jan turned around,
looking a little confused.

“Come with me.”
Gray flicked his head slightly towards the stairs.

“Why?” Jan
didn’t join him for a moment. But when Gray carried on, he tidied
himself up and came over. “Where are we going?”

“Kitchen,” said
Gray, with a wink, as he opened the door for him.

The sound of
voices from the kitchen nearly had Gray losing his step. Ed’s low
tones came through, interspersed by Jack’s rougher London accent,
and there seemed an ease to it that had him narrowing his eyes back
at Jan. Jan seemed just as puzzled as they pushed on through to the
huge kitchen, and grossly oversized space, in his opinion.

Ed was over by
the coffee percolator, looking down at his hand. Jack was there,
telling him to keep still as he tried to put a damp cloth against
it. He still couldn’t quite meet Ed’s eyes, but there was a look to
his touch that was tentative and serious as he nursed Ed’s
hand.

There was a
little jerk from behind off Jan, maybe the worry that something
other than just an accidental burn had taken place, but Gray eased
a hand to his back, calming him down. The handle to Ed’s favourite
mug was on the floor, the mug itself sleeping on the unit and
having lost some of its coffee.

“I’ll need a
new one,” said Ed, and Jack snapped his glance over, catching sight
of them for the first time. He eased away, hands going in his
pockets.

“Nothing to do
with me,” he said, then something seemed to switch inside him and
he suddenly threw an arm around Ed’s shoulders, startling the life
out of Ed. “Right, Gramps? Tell him I did nothin’.” Jack gave him a
sideways glance as he patted his chest too. “I can call you Gramps
now that we’re, y’know, family?”

Gray raised a
brow as he went and picked up the handle off the floor. “Good...
chat?” he said to Ed, only to have Ed twitch his eye in response.
“What did he do?” Gray looked at Jack. “What did you do?”

“Washed up,”
said Jack.

“Washed up?”
said Gray.

“He”—Jack
pointed at Ed—“left his mug around, so I tidied it up.”

“You said you’d
washed up.”

“Service and a
wash, yeah.”

Jan choked a
laugh, and Ed groaned. “I turned around to get the evening paper.
The mug was still full; I left nothing hanging around—”

“And I tidied
it up for you.” Jack folded his arms, giving a very stern school
teacher look as Jan sniggered a chuckle. “I try and look after
you,” added Jack, “and all I get is bitched—”

“Jack,” warned
Jan.

“Bollocked at,”
said Jack, then he grinned and hugged Ed a little closer. “You want
to make coffee again, you just let me know, okay, Grumps?”

“You said
Gramps before,” said Ed.

“Yeah? Fuck
that, we’re not that close.” Jack let him go, wiping his hands down
his clothes as if he’d touched a pot of grease. But as he finished
wiping his hands, he took hold of Ed’s and opened it to run his
thumb down the length. “Keep it dry, and for god’s sake don’t go
with Mrs Booth’s advice over using butter on it. You’ll bake the
skin.”

“Aw, you’re all
heart, Jack,” said Ed, a wry smile creeping up. Jack gave a snort
and pulled away.

“They’ve got
some nice mugs over in Wales,” added Ed, making sure he looked at
Gray. “I’ll get the private jet ready, shall I?”

“Yeah,”
murmured Jack. “A few assholes there too. Or ones trying to thumb
their way back. You know you only have to ask and I’ll give you a
lift, free of charge—brass band playing all the fucking way.” Jack
started to hum the English National Anthem.

“Oh, not as
dumb as you act, then,” said Ed.

“Not as dead as
you look,” Jack mimicked in the same tone.

“Yeah, pack it
in, you two,” said Gray, and he waved Jack over. “You. You’re with
me.”

Jack looked
behind him as if hoping someone else was there. “What? Me? What the
fuck did I do?”

“Now,” said
Gray, leaving Jack scowling.

“In there.”
Gray pointed into the main hall. Darkness had set in and it left
Jan switching on the side lights as he went in. Jack lingered,
eyeing Gray up and down. Gray waited, waited a little more, then
even added a shift of head to make his point. Jack waited just a
moment longer, dropped his look, then started mumbling something as
he padded on in after Jan.

Seeing them
both head for one of the tables away from the main wood floor, Jan
taking a seat and Jack slipping his ass onto the table, then
deliberately inching over to Jan every few seconds, causing a smile
off Jan, Gray left them there for a minute. He kept a supply
cupboard just down the hall, and Gray headed on in, eyeing up a few
things. Three items in particular took his attention, and he picked
them up, slipping two into his trouser pockets, then carrying the
other one.

By the time he
made it back to the hall, Jack had pulled Jan to his feet, leaving
Jan to face the door as Jack cuddled in from behind. Jan had lost
his smile as he glanced down at the arm circling his waist.

Face
him, stunner. Stop hiding behind him.
“Okay,” said Gray, stopping in the middle
of the hall floor. He crooked a finger at them both.
“Here.”

Jack’s ears
pricked, his lift of head from kissing lightly at Jan’s throat
stopping as he looked over. He eased away from the table, gently
pushing Jan aside, then taking hold of Jan’s hand and tugging him
onto the floor after him.

They stopped by
Gray and Gray shifted behind Jan, a gentle touch on his shoulders
making sure he faced Jack, making sure they faced each other with
only an arm’s reach between them.

Coming around
to Jack’s side and letting his light touch trace from Jack’s back
to his side, Gray leant in close to his ear. “Strip for me,” he
said quietly.

Jack’s hand
shifted to cover his hip.

“Boxers stay
on.”

“Gray,”
breathed Jan, reaching instinctively over to cover Jack’s hip, only
to have Jack pull away slightly.

Gray stopped
Jack backing up any farther with a brush at his jaw. “Will you
trust me, please, stunner?”

There was a
moment of questioning, a slight flare of something deeper,
hopefully a wander back to first touches here, lost in Gray’s
bedroom... Jack moved his hand, grabbed the hem of his V-shirt,
then tugged it over his head. There wasn’t even any folding of it,
just a tossing it aside as calmness set in, which eased everything
inside Gray. Even Jan seemed to pick up on a shift of something as
he watched Jack kick off his trainers, his socks, then ease the
loose jogging trousers down. It left him wearing very snugly
fitting Calvin Klein boxers, and Gray couldn’t help but let a dirty
smile creep up at everything Jack unconsciously offered.

“Thank you,” he
whispered, leaning into Jack’s ear. “Fucking stunning.” Jack turned
to him a touch, his cheek brushing Gray’s. Permission so easily
given, unconsciously, instinctively—then almost pulled back in the
same instant as memories took over instinct, and Jack shivered.
“Easy,” Gray said in a soft tone.

After brushing
a kiss at Jack’s jaw, Gray stepped over to Jan. He stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and with just a shift of head, he
let his touch find Jan’s jaw. Jan’s look had stayed with Jack, but
it shifted to him in that moment and a sad smile was given.