“I heard you’re a model now,” Joey remarked to Ainsley. “None of us would have seen that coming.”
“Can’t say we did,” James said on a laugh. “Although he went from one extreme to the other.” He looked over Ainsley. “Need more meat on your bones, young man.”
“I’m perfectly fine for what I do,” Ainsley answered, stabbing his fork into the collard greens on his plate.
His sister piped in and shifted the conversation by giving a remark about her job as a dental assistant. The conversation followed that line for a while before Joey returned his attention to Ainsley. “How exactly did you guys meet?”
“At the airport,” I answered at the same time Ainsley replied.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Ainsley, that’s rude,” his mother scolded. “Joey is our dinner guest.”
“Why?” Ainsley asked her. “I’m sorry, but did something change while I wasn’t here? Because I don’t remember Joey being friendly with our family before.”
“Joey works for me,” James answered. “His folks are visiting his sister in Virginia for Christmas, so I invited him to have dinner with us.”
“You shouldn’t have done that, Dad,” Ainsley stated. “You know what happened between us. He was the one responsible.”
James shrugged. “Come on. That was years ago. You were both in high school. It was a prank, and you can’t really blame him for you being so easy, Ainsley. Stuff happens, but we get over them. Joey has grown past that and so have we.”
Except, the way their dinner guest was openly staring at Ainsley, he was clearly not over what had happened. Neither was Ainsley, telling by how rigid he was. Dinner continued as a very strained affair. Ainsley barely ate which made it next to impossible for me to eat. I had to reach across to place a hand onto his thigh and knead some of the tension away while we listened to his Dad and Joey take over the conversation.
When everyone was finished eating, Ainsley volunteered to clear the table.
“I’ll help you,” Joey volunteered, getting to his feet.
“So will I.” There was no way I was going to leave him alone to torment Ainsley.
Ainsley placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright.” I would have still gone ahead with him if I didn’t note the fiery gleam in his eyes. Sometime during dinner, the fierce Ainsley I knew was back. He kissed me, not a brief one either, but a defiant, deep kiss with lots of tongue that left me with a boner when he whisked the first set of dishes from the table.
I worried when Ainsley and Joey took forever in the kitchen. I wasn’t the only one who noticed either.
“I’ll help clear the dishes,” Nicky announced, concern in her tone as she rose to her feet and reached for a set of plates. To everybody’s surprise, we heard what seemed to be the front door opening and closing. Ainsley strutted back into the dining room, a new pep in his step. He had a smug expression on his face which left me dying to know what had just happened. Where the hell was Joey?
“Joey isn’t feeling well,” he stated, reaching for the last set of plates that Nicky didn’t get. “He’s left to go home and lie down. May take him a while to recover from the looks of things.”
“What do you mean he isn’t feeling well?” his father asked. “He was fine just now.”
Ainsley squared his shoulders. “I meant he shouldn’t have been here tonight. You know how he humiliated me before the entire school. Why would you even hire him?”
“Aren’t we over that? Joey is no longer that kid. He’s not perfect, but he’s over that experimental stage in his life. It’s best if everyone moves on from that unfortunate incident.”
A look of rage crossed Ainsley’s face. “If we were over it, why was he trying to feel up my ass in the kitchen? Face it, Dad. Joey’s as gay as I am, and he apparently wants to be gay with me.” My body coiled in tension at that revelation. I knew I should have gone after them. As if he sensed my wrath, he turned toward me, his expression softening. “Don’t worry, babe. I kicked him in the nards and told him to get the fuck out or I’d let you pummel him like I should have done that day back in high school.”
With that said, Ainsley turned and headed back to the kitchen. Everyone around the table went silent but inside I was cheering Ainsley for sticking up for himself.
Chapter Twenty
Will
“I’ve probably said this a dozen times since we met,” I told Ainsley as I stepped out of my pants later that night. “But I found what you did tonight so incredibly hot. I love you standing up for yourself, sweet cheeks.”
Ainsley was already undressed down to his boxers and dove under the covers. “I was trying to be polite all the time I was here,” he answered. “But they crossed the line when they invited Joey for dinner. Although I got some satisfaction knowing karma has certainly visited him. My parents should have known better.”
“Yes, they should have. I don’t care for the way they treat you, Ainsley, but I understand they are your parents, and I’ve tried not to butt in. Still, you should know I’ve had to bite my tongue a couple times.”
“My battles aren’t yours to fight.”
Frowning, I draped my clothes over the back of the chair where his were and climbed into the bed with him. He immediately shifted toward me, rolling over as I pulled him into my arms.
“Your battles are mine to fight,” I told him. “I’m not going to let people treat you like crap and look the other way. Not on my watch. You just needed to say the word tonight, and I would have whisked you away.”
“Like a fairy godmother?”
“No, like your fucking Prince Charming.”
I gently pushed him to his back and half lay on him so I didn’t crush him. He immediately wrapped his arms around my neck in an invite.
“I’d rather you be my fairy godmother so you could get me out of here now.”
I peered down into his beautiful face. “You want to leave?”
He nodded. “I’d rather spend Christmas where I’m wanted. I don’t regret coming, and I’ll more than likely be back, but I think short day trips are best for everyone, so I’d like to leave in the morning. We can get back to your parents in time for Christmas dinner. I’m sure they’d like that.”
“Yes, they would. My mother worries about you. Every time she calls, she asks how you’re doing.”
“Your family’s too sweet.”
“Well, now they’re yours too.” His eyes filled up with tears, and I kissed him. “If you cry, you’re going to make my boner go away.”
That made him laugh instead. “Then can it and kiss me, Fairy Godmother.”
“Prince Charming,” I growled at him again before I ground my mouth against his. He accepted my kisses eagerly as my hand wandered his slender body, caressing him. We tried to be quiet so we didn’t wake anyone with our sex sounds. His sister had left about five minutes before we had headed for the stairs, and his parents had been right behind us.
I released his mouth and kissed down his gorgeous body. A couple licks and his nipples were hard and pointy. I continued beneath the warmth of the covers, kissing his belly button and hip. I grasped his underwear, divesting him of the last of his clothing. His legs parted without me having to coax them apart. I settled between them, his legs over my shoulder as I sucked the tip of his cock into my mouth.
“Oh fuck!”
“Shh.” I hissed, releasing his cock.
“I'm sorry. I'll be quiet. Just don't stop sucking. Please. Feels so good, Willy.”
It was a game of me sucking him only to release pressure on his cock when he became too loud. I licked over his balls, raising his legs to kiss and lick my way down his taint. His moan of relief filled the room when I got to my goal. He became a gasping, moaning mess I couldn't control as I worked him to the brink of crazy with my tongue and fingers.
When he was squirming beneath me, begging for more, I took pity on us and reached for the condom and lube he had placed on the nightstand. I kept his l
egs over my shoulders as I lubed up and prepped him.
“On your stomach,” I instructed him.
He rolled over onto his stomach, and I spread his supple cheeks, hissing at the sight of his body ready and eager. I climbed up the back of his thighs to sit and took in the sight of my cock piercing his flesh, sinking, swallowed. I couldn't move, so entranced was I by the sight of him stretched around the thick girth of my cock.
The old bed was a dead giveaway of what we were doing, but I had no control over it as it groaned, dipped and screamed beneath our rocking bodies. I had every intention of slow-fucking us both to our climax, but it was difficult when Ainsley kept pushing back his ass for more. I ran my hands up his slender back, gripped his slim shoulders and surged into his body as hard as I could. The headboard slammed into the wall, and we both froze.
“Way to go, Hulk,” he muttered. “If you stop, I'll -” His threat turned into a moan when I retreated and entered him again, this time more carefully.
I leaned over him to kiss his back. “This bed is making too much noise. Come here.”
I rolled off the bed and reached for his legs, pulling him off and into my arms. Arms wrapped around his thighs, I kissed him as I walked him to one wall. I lowered him to the floor and turned him to face the wall. He braced against it, chest in and ass out. I kissed the nape of his neck.
“Tell me what you want.”
“You,” he moaned, his hands going back to cup and spread his cheeks. “Please. Don't tease me, Willy. Fuck me.”
I didn't take pity on him. I took pity on me for the way my cock throbbed at the sight of him opening himself up for me that way. I guided my cock inside his body and hands braced on either side of him, I picked up a rhythm I knew would satisfy him.
I cupped a hand over his mouth when his moans grew louder, muffling the sound. It was already bad enough that the crack of his ass hitting my pelvis filled the room each time I thrust inside him.
I paused to take a breath, and Ainsley took the opportunity to fuck himself on my dick. I had no intention of stopping him but watched in amusement as his ass slid back and forward. He did that thing with his hips, undulating and grinding it into my pelvis, and I almost shot my load. I gripped his hips, his butt nestled into my groin as I kept us fastened together. I waited until my impending climax receded, and the pressure in my balls gentled. I didn’t want to get off without him tonight.
“You’re so hungry for my cock,” I whispered against his ears. “Are you close?”
He nodded. “Yes. So close.”
“Good. Turn around and wrap your legs around my waist.”
We changed positions so this time he was in my arms, his legs around my waist. I backed him into the wall and with one deft movement of my hips was cocooned into his heat. Ainsley clung to my shoulders, tackling my lips with his. I plundered his mouth with the same intensity of my thrusts, swallowing his moans. He grasped his cock, his heart beating so hard against his chest that I couldn't decide which beat was mine and which was his.
When he came, it was explosive. He bit into my shoulder as his cum shot onto my stomach in one steady stream. He trembled in my arms, his body stiffening then twitching. His eyes rolled over, and if the same intense feeling hadn't gripped me in the wake of my climax, I would have worried he was having a seizure. I clung to him as I became lost in my climax. Emotions thickened my throat, making it difficult for me to utter a sound.
Legs trembling, I walked him back to the bed to sit with him in my arms. He leaned into me as speechless as I was. Although I hadn't dated after Luke's death, a part of me always hoped one day I would find another man to fill my lonely nights and give haste to long days, but never did I ever imagine it would be like this.
“Tomorrow we go home?” he asked on a sigh.
I combed my fingers through the damp strands of his hair. “If that's what you want.”
“It is.”
He yawned, his body slack against me. I nudged him sensing he was about to fall asleep. “Let's go take a quick shower.”
“You have to carry me,” he mumbled. “I may never walk again.”
“Crap. Let's hope your parents are asleep so I can dash us across the hall to the bathroom.”
I didn't want us to risk giving his parents a heart attack so I got us both into T-shirts before lifting Ainsley and bringing him across the hall to the bathroom. We didn't run into anyone, but I wasn't pushing our luck. I got him in the shower and scrubbed him. Not even the spray of the shower could revive him. He was good as tuckered out. I dried us off and returned him to the bedroom to tuck him into bed. I turned out the lights and joined him. I could hear his light snore, but he turned into my body, cuddling as close to me as he could. Head on my chest, leg wedged between mine, his sigh was one of comfort. I pressed a kiss to his forehead, feeling the steady reassurance of his heartbeat.
I couldn’t sleep. I felt restless, a part of me thinking about Luke and what he would have thought of Ainsley. There was a comforting thought that both men were as different as night and day, so I knew my feelings for Ainsley were genuine. I had been drawn to Brody online because he had reminded me so much of Luke, and I thought I could have recreated that relationship. Thank god that had fudged up because I would have missed knowing Ainsley. My heart clenched at the thought of life without knowing him.
I slipped out of bed and pulled on the clothes I had on earlier. Pulling back the covers up to Ainsley’s chin to keep him warm, I shrugged on the jacket I had brought with me and left the room with my phone in hand. I moved silently down the stairs, using the light on my phone as a guide. I slipped out the front door of the silent house and took to the porch.
Not wanting my phone battery to die before I made my call, I punched in the speed dial and waited for the phone to be picked up. I was probably the biggest loser in the world for calling my mother when I was unsettled, but Dad was right. She always knew what to say, and as old as I was, sometimes I didn’t have the answers.
Although it was late, Christmas Eve was a big thing for my parents. They would have helped out at the homeless shelter and hosted army vets for dinner so I knew the possibility was great that Mama was still up. Plus, she always baked fresh treats on Christmas Eve when everyone was in bed. Dad always hounded her about coming to bed. I smiled at the fond memories, then winced at the thought of Ainsley’s not-so-fond ones.
“Will, honey, is everything okay?” she answered the call.
“Hey, Mama, how is everything there?”
“Just fine,” she answered. “You avoided my question. How are you? How’s Ainsley doing?”
“We’re fine,” I replied. “But there’s been a change of plans. We’re coming home tomorrow instead so save us seats for Christmas dinner.”
“Why? What happened?”
“We’ll talk about it in person.”
“Hmm. That’s not the only reason you called, is it? I sense something is bothering you?”
I sighed. She was too good for me to try to pull one over on her. “I’m in love with him, Mama.”
“Oh son, you needn’t make it sound so terrifying.”
“It’s just that it feels different. I’ve been in love before. I loved Luke, but what I feel for Ainsley is different. How can that be?”
“The men you love are so different,” she answered. “Luke was quiet, more morose. He was safe to love. You two knew each other almost all your lives. There was no challenge in it. Ainsley’s different. He’s exciting, adventurous, and lives life to the fullest. Your love isn’t any different. The people make the difference. Ainsley makes the difference.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“It does. Your father and I adore that young man of yours, Will. We wish you two all the best.”
“Thank you. I better let you get back to baking before dad comes down for you.”
She chuckled. “He’s already been down once to try and lure me upstairs.”
“Have a little pity on him, Mama.”
“Your father’s not going anywhere,” she answered. “He’ll wait. Drive safely back home tomorrow.”
“I will. Thanks for the talk, Mama.”
“Anytime, son. You tell that Ainsley of yours he can call me anytime too when you’re being insufferable. And we'll wait until you boys get here to do the gift-giving.”
“Thank you. Good night, Mama.”
“Good night.”
I had no need to hang up because my phone chose that time to die. I felt much better now that I had spoken to her. How I wished Ainsley had a mother like mine who loved him unconditionally.
“So, you love my son?”
Startled at the question, I spun around to watch Ainsley’s mother walk through the opened front door. I wondered how long she had stood there. From her question, I gathered long enough.
“Yes, I do,” I answered. “The truth is that we’ve not been together for a long time, but it’s hard not falling for someone like Ainsley.”
She plunged her hands into the pocket of the smock she wore. “I love my son, you know.”
“I never said you didn’t.”
“You didn’t have to. I could sense that’s the impression we left on you. It’s probably the impression even Ainsley has.”
“Can you blame him?” I asked, no longer able to bite my tongue and pretend everything was fine. “That was the most pitiful reception I have ever witnessed of a son whose parents haven’t seen him for a while.”
“He chose to leave,” she answered. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand. Just know that I love my son. I won’t pretend that I understand him and some of the choices he has made. I’m not trying to make excuses either, but I’m glad he has someone like you who obviously cares about him in a way he never experienced with us.”
“A lover’s touch cannot replace the touch of a mother,” I told her softly. “Ainsley and I will be leaving tomorrow. I suggest you let your son know you love him, instead of telling me.” I moved toward the door and stepped around her. “I don’t think you’re necessarily a bad person, but you’ve all been misguided in how you treat him. He made a step by showing up here, and now someone else needs to make the next move.”
Unwrapping Ainsley Page 14