Rough [02] - Roughhousing (7 page)

Bram captured James’ hand as it reflexively moved toward James’ own neglected cock.

"Jesus, Bram!” James’ voice was a whimper of need, his eyes pleading.

Bram kissed James’ lips, laving his tongue over the bruised, swollen bite mark on the lower one.

"Not yet, but soon,” he soothed. “First I want to spend some time just loving you, slow and gentle and long, like I promised. Always keep my promises to you, baby. Always keep you."

Setting a steady pace, Bram drove into James again and again while he lavished kisses over every inch of skin and lips he could reach, sometimes deep and passionate, sometimes gentle, but always powerful in their intensity. His own need boiled up around him, but he forced it back, concentrating on James’ reactions, James’ needs, pushing him almost to his limits and then pulling him back for more.

By the time Bram knew he couldn't hold himself back much longer, James was writhing under him.

Hands now clenching Bram's shoulders instead of the sheets, James began to chant in time to Bram's long, deep thrusts. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Have to. Bram! Have to!"

Bram pulled back far enough to watch James’ face twist, entranced by the way James’ small, pink tongue kept darting out to moisten the purple-mottled corner of his mouth as he panted.

Gazes suddenly locked together, Bram gave a shudder of his own when James declared, “Love you, love you so much. You always know what I need. Always know. Love you. Just you."

James closed the short distance between them and took Bram's mouth in an all-consuming kiss that sent shocks of sizzling heat and energy through every limb of Bram's body.

Engulfed by an internal fire, Bram plunged deeper, nudging James’ prostate and forcing the rim of muscle in his ass to stretch wide, knowing James liked the tiny burn. He fumbled for the dripping cock sliding between their plastered abdomens and jerked it twice. James cried out and arched up, momentarily frozen in place as his climax ripped loose and sprayed their chests.

"Ah, Christ, fuck! Love you, Jamie! Fuuuck!"

He pushed his cock through the viselike hold James’ ass had on his shaft and threw his head back, face contorted in a grimace of blinding pleasure. His cock pulsed and blew, orgasm explosive and draining.

Falling carefully to one side, Bram encircled James in his arms as he settled on his side, effortlessly tucking his lover's limp and pliant body into the protective curl of his own.

Raising his head from the cool surface of the pillow, Bram studied James’ face, pleased with the look of exhausted peace that had soothed the frown from James’ forehead and the tension from around those eyes and mouth. Bram kissed James, hard and fast.

"You okay, baby?"

Barely able to raise his eyelids, James whispered, “More than okay.” He grabbed sluggishly at Bram's wrist and Bram automatically pulled him closer. James closed his eyes, turned his face into Bram's chest and murmured, “I'm yours."

Giving James a squeeze that would have produced a protest from him if he had been awake, Bram pulled the comforter over them and turned off the bedside lamp. Once his hearing adjusted to the familiar sounds of the night outside his bedroom window, Bram barked out a chuckle and worked on blocking out the sudden sound of a very loud television set as it was turned on.

Chapter Five

Morning brought a fresh gust of autumn chill to the air. The first time James woke, the bedroom was still dark. The crisp tingle to the air in the old brick house sent a chill up his spine. He curled against the blazing furnace made of flesh at his side. Huddling closer, he practically crawled under Bram's skin, pressing the cool expanse of his bare back to the big man's unprotected and equally naked side.

His movement stirred the sleeping giant behind him. After a graceful shift and dip in the mattress that made James’ ass slide over a half-hard cock, a thick tree limb of an arm fell across his chest and moved down to wrap around his waist. A light snore ruffled his hair and the hot breath warmed the nape of his neck. Still mostly asleep, James sighed and burrowed closer. Warm and secure, he was back asleep in under twenty seconds.

The next time he woke, the room was filled with sunshine and most of the chill had been chased away. He rolled back, searching for his own personal heater, but found an empty, wrinkled bed where Bram should have been. He cast a bleary look at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table. 8:34 a.m. Bram would likely have been up for hours, fresh and energized, bearing no signs of the late night, moderate drinking, and heavy sex from the night before. The man actually
was
made of steel.

James groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, muscles sore and tired. His ass ached and his bottom lip felt swollen and bruised, probably more from his biting it than from Bram's. His arms and legs felt like they belonged to someone else, heavy and unresponsive to his mental commands to move him to the bathroom to relieve his full bladder.

A sudden change in the air warned him he wasn't alone only a millisecond before a large hand lightly swatted his ass and then kneaded the stinging flesh through the protection of the comforter.

"About time you woke up, sleepyhead.” Bram's deep voice and soothing drawl took the sting out of the swat.

"Christ! Bram!” James jerked and squirmed, but didn't actually move from under the fondling grip, enjoying the warmth and tingle it sent to his morning erection.

"I let you sleep in, Jamie. Figured you needed a little extra after last night."

James felt Bram cup and squeeze his left cheek, running a thumb over the crease of his ass through the comforter The sensation made his hips curl and he gasped when his cock rubbed over the coarse wrinkles in the sheets. The thoughts of a little morning action surged and his cock swelled.

A swift, overly enthusiastic smack landed on the underside of his ass and then the touch was gone leaving him startled and disappointed. James rolled over to look at his lover. A sudden flash of burning ache flared between his cheeks. He hissed and slowly sat up.

Okay, maybe he wasn't ready to entice Bram back to bed just yet. His gaze landed on his lover's handsome face and the endearing, lopsided smile on Bram's lips reminded James that the lingering ache had been worth it all. Okay, maybe not the amused part, but the affectionate, lustful glint in Bram's pale blue eyes made up for it.

James held his lover's hungry stare until Bram's moved down his body and landed on his unflagging erection.

Taking a step closer, Bram dragged James to his feet and loosely wrapped both arms around him, letting James’ jutting cock bob and brush against the soft, worn denim of his jeans. James hissed again, this time in pleasure, and swayed his hips, increasing the pressure on his shaft.

Bram lightly kissed his lips and murmured, “Looks like you're all rested. What do you say we should put that energy to good use, hmm?” He kissed James’ mouth, gently tugging on the still tender bottom lip with perfect, white teeth.

James moaned and nodded. “Yeah, I'd like to put my
energy
some place.” He rubbed his cock against Bram's thigh and ran his hands up the big man's solid arms to steady himself. Just as he tilted back his head to better reach his lover's mouth, a hot palm landed on his ass hard enough he was sure fingerprints had been left behind this time.

"Fuck!” James jumped out of Bram's embrace, one hand nursing his stinging cheek. He threw a pissed off scowl at Bram, but only got a wide smile in return for his efforts. “What the hell was that for?"

Smirking, Bram turned on his heel and strode to the bedroom door before answering. “We've got things to do and I don't want you taking forever in the shower.” His gaze dropped to look significantly at James’ groin before he added, “Works almost as good as a pinch.” He winked at James. “Hurry up, okay? Breakfast is waiting."

The door closed with a solid thud while James gazed down at himself. He ran one hand over his dwindling hard-on and stalked off to the shower, his gait a little more cautious then he had hoped it would be.

* * * *

After a huge breakfast of pancakes, sausage, toast, juice, and coffee that Bram seemed to consume by the pound instead of by the serving, James helped Bram clean up the nearly spotless kitchen. By the time he put the last cup back on the cabinet shelf, James realized how much he enjoyed doing the little domestic chores with Bram at his side. He liked the huge, old house with its drafty floors and too-high ceilings. He didn't even mind the charming, if inquisitive, neighbors.

Even something as simple as sitting down for a meal, an unappealing task on his own, had become a focal point to their mornings together. It was a time spent talking, teasing, planning and negotiating the events of the day. Bram seemed to have a master plan for the weekends, but he seemed willing and eager to adjust things to include James’ needs or desires. In fact, today he insisted James plan at least one item on their schedule. It forced James to share the mundane tasks of his life like picking up his dry cleaning and finding a new security lock to add to his apartment door until he moved out.

Just after ten o'clock they set out for a large nursery near the city limits. Finding ‘something special’ for the courtyard outside the French doors in the beautiful, empty library in the old house had suddenly become a priority for Bram. Seeing what his lover thought was suitable for the style of the house intrigued James. Besides, any time spent in Bram's company was time well spent for James. He was beginning to feel more comfortable at the man's side than any place else he had ever been. James found it a little scary the way they fit so naturally together.

With fall setting in, the store's current stock of plants consisted of dozens of varieties of evergreen trees, rainbow-hued mums, and hardy species of bright ground cover too numerous to name. A light mist drifted in the air and the rhythmic thumping of oversized fans worked as a backup band to the irregular conversations between salespeople and customers. The smell of dirt, loam, and fertilizer was peppered with the heavy scent of fresh pine and shrubbery.

James knew a little about plants from summers spent helping his mother plant and weed the tiny but colorful flowerbeds around their house, but most of the exotic foliage this nursery carried was foreign to him. Occasionally, a whiff of something heady tickled at his nose.

Bram grabbed James by the hand and began dragging him through the rows and rows of potted and flowering specimens. Bram wove around tables and down aisles under the frosted glass canopy of the greenhouse's massive roof like an experienced, familiar shopper. Just when James thought they were going to run out of pebbled, Japanese-inspired walkway to navigate, Bram took a hard right and entered a hidden concrete courtyard.

The noise from the greenhouse suddenly dropped away, replaced by the gentle sound of fluttering leaves and the trickle of running water. Everywhere James looked in the wide, circular space was a working fountain of every size, shape, and style imaginable. There were even a few James couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams.

Leading the way over to a huge marble fountain topped with an ornate dome of scrolled wrought iron, Bram gave the structure a critical look then glanced at James. “What do you think of this?"

"Of this?” James raised his eyebrows and walked around the massive base, eyeing the four-tiered, clamshell-shaped basins and the regal likeness of Poseidon perched at the top of the towering design. The ironwork was so far above his head he couldn't touch it to feel the grain of the textured surface. “It's beautiful, but what's it for? This can't just go anywhere. It's a formal piece meant for an estate or a three acre garden."

"I thought so.” Bram stuck his hands in his pockets and frowned at the fountain. “I've been looking to replace the one in the courtyard. It's not original to the house and it's too small for it.” He began slowly walking around the fountain, examining it, until he ended up at James’ side. He gave James an exasperated sigh. “The people here keep reassuring me it fits the period of the house, but I just couldn't see this one in my backyard."

"That's because it doesn't belong there. The period is right, but the design and size are all wrong for your place. This is for the courtyard off the library, right? That great room with all the glass doors and the bookshelves?"

"Mmmhmm."

James eyed Bram, catching the slight nod of his head as the big man continued to frown at the fountain. The mid-morning sunlight glinted off the sun-lightened strands of blond in Bram's hair each time he moved. The rich dark tan of his skin turned a golden copper and his pale blue eyes were bright with interest while the corner of his mouth that James loved to watch curved into a lopsided smile with an unhappy twist to it.

"The house needs something less formal and smaller.” James touched one of the six smooth, polished marble pillars that supported the heavy wrought iron dome, enjoying the cool slick surface under his hand. Except for the temperature, it felt firm and satiny smooth like Bram's stiff cock did against his palm. James felt a tingle of desire stir in his groin and he removed his hand and pushed away any similar thoughts before the bulge in his jeans became more than just the curve of his zipper. “This is gorgeous, but it's too overbearing for the courtyard at home."

Bram's gaze flicked away from the fountain and locked on his. James watched the unhappy twist at the corner of his lover's lips draw up into that crooked smile that made his heart thump and his cock ache. The affectionate, appreciative glint in Bram's eyes brought the tingle back to his groin and James wondered what had suddenly put it there. Then he decided it didn't matter as long as it was directed at him and only him. A quick wink had James licking his lips.

His lover turned away from the fountain and began surveying the other display pieces in the courtyard. “See something here that fits the bill better for us?"

"Well, not right here. But it looks like the smaller ones are over there.” James pointed to the left. “We need one about half this size. One without a tall dome, either. It's too formal for us."