Learning Curve

by Jaxon, Andi

  “Do you want to break, or shall I?” he asks, heading for the head of the table.

  “Go ahead. I’ve never been very good at it anyway.” A hum is the only response I get as he leans over the table to set up his shot. The snug fit of his shirt shows the movement of his muscles when he stretches to brace his hand on the felt. Blood roars in my ears and gathers in my jeans, suddenly making them much tighter than I remember them being. I’m standing at the opposite end of the table, watching his every move. His hand pulls the cue back to strike, and his eyes flick up to meet mine when he shoots.

  My body is about to explode. I can’t move while he walks around the table toward me, that smirk still on his lips. My eyes are locked on his. “It’s your turn, I’m solids.” His voice rumbles in his chest.

  Pulling my eyes away from the temptation in front of me, I look at the table. Balls are scattered everywhere, and nothing looks like an easy shot. Moving around to get a better angle, I lean over and shoot my cue at the white ball. The ball hops and jumps off the table, rolling under a nearby chair—son of a bitch.

  My face is hot with embarrassment. This was a terrible idea. I need to get my stuff and go home to lick my wounds. Hopefully, he won’t ever bring this up again.

  Chapter Twenty

  ALISTER -

  Grabbing the ball, I walk back to the table to stand directly in front of Ben. He looks mortified, but he won’t look past my collarbone. I place the ball back on the felt and face him with only a few inches separating us.

  “You don’t have to put on a show for me, I want to get to know the real you.” His eyes are glued to the exposed skin at my neck, he licks his lips, and a moan passes my lips involuntarily. “You can’t look at me like that.” My voice is low and rough, like sandpaper against delicate skin.

  With one hip against the table, I place my hand on his hip and lift his chin with my fingers. I need to see his eyes, see if he’s as affected by me as I am by him.

  “Like what?” His voice is a whisper against my lips. I lean in, inhaling his scent and stroking his cheek with mine, my hand running along his jaw and into his hair.

  “Like you can already feel me,” I say against his ear. I’m painfully hard, ready to explode when he shutters against me. Before I realize what I’m doing, I have him sitting on the pool table with me standing between his thighs. I cover his lips with mine, using my hand in his hair to angle him just the way I want. My lips steal his moan when he opens for me.

  Pressing my body against him, my tongue runs along his lower lip, sucking on the plump flesh. He moans again, wrapping his arms around my neck and leaning into me. His dick is hard against mine, and it takes every ounce of self-restraint I possess not to strip him naked and fuck him over this table.

  I pull my lips off his, panting harshly as I take a look around the room. My eyes collide with a woman behind the counter, her knowing smile lighting up her face. Shit.

  Ben doesn’t loosen his grip around my neck and uses the advantage to drag his teeth down my jawline to my ear, which he sucks between his teeth. It’s my turn for a shudder to course through me, my cock is hard as stone and ready to blow. Turning my head back to him, I lay my forehead against his with my hand still in his hair, praying he stops kissing me before I lose control.

  “Ben,” my voice cracks, “come home with me.”

  Shocked, he pulls back to look me in the eye. Emotions shoot across his eyes, surprise, want, fear. “Please.” I’m so close to begging, I want him in my house, in my bed. I can tell he isn’t experienced, I would never push him to do anything more than he is comfortable with, but I want my sheets to smell like him. I want to be wrapped around him, cocooned in warmth and comfort.

  “Why?”

  His question surprises me. Every reason is so fucking obvious to me. Is he questioning my morals, wondering if I’m just in it for a quick fuck, or does he not see what is happening here?

  “Because…” I struggle to find the right words. “Because I want to get to know you better, the real you, not just as a student. Because I can’t seem to keep my hands or my lips off you and this isn’t the place for it. Because…because no matter how hard I try, I can’t get you out of my head.” I let out a deep breath, hoping my words have comforted him instead of scaring him. His eyes are roaming my face, I let the heat and need I feel for him show on my face, not hiding behind the teacher mask I’m so damn good at wearing.

  It feels like an eternity, but he finally nods his head. A smile breaks out on my face, and I can feel it to the tips of my toes. I lean in and place a soft kiss on his lips before backing away, giving him room to get down.

  “Do you want to play first?” I ask, since we had just started the game.

  “Uh, not really. I think you’ve seen the extent of my abilities.” His sarcasm makes me chuckle, he’s never shown me this side of him—the side with humor and sass. Gathering his things, he shoves it all into his backpack and swings it over his shoulder.

  “I just have to say goodbye, and then we can go.” He’s self-conscious again, looking at the ground instead of me. I don’t know what happened all of a sudden, but I’m intrigued.

  “No problem. Take your time.” I follow his lead to the counter and stay a few steps behind to give him some privacy. The woman that saw us kissing comes out from behind and gives him a long tight hug, like a mother who hasn’t seen her child in ages. They speak quietly for a moment before she cups his cheeks and kisses his forehead.

  Turning to the kitchen, she hollers, “Jason! Ben is leaving!” The large man with greying, brown hair that I saw at the counter earlier comes from the back, wiping his hands on a towel. He’s taller than me with a pot belly and an easy smile. The elevated floor of the check-in counter distorting his size and appearance. Even though he’s large, he doesn’t feel intimidating at all. Jason wraps his arm around Ben’s neck and pulls him in for a hug, including a slap on the back. “Take care, don’t be a stranger.”

  I can’t see or hear Ben’s reply, but he steps back toward me and motions to the door. He’s embarrassed about knowing these people, but I don’t understand why. Are they relatives? Does he think I would look down on people who work at a pool hall? Making our way to my car, our silence isn’t exactly comforting, but I let it go until we’re driving.

  “They seemed to know you pretty well,” I comment, breaking the silence.

  “Yeah, I’ve known them a long time.” He’s turned away from me, watching out his window.

  “Are they relatives? Aunt and Uncle?”

  “No, just friends.” He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it, so I stop pushing him for answers. “I’ve been going there since I was a kid. I lived not too far from here.” His voice surprises me.

  “They’ve been working there that long?”

  “They own it, Trish and Jason. They’re really good people.” He goes quiet again. I have a lot of questions, but I don’t want to sound like I’m interrogating him. “They sometimes take in the unwanted youth off the streets, give him a warm place to sleep, food, and all they ask for is some help cleaning up.”

  Unwanted youth?

  “Mmm,” is my only response. I don’t want to break the spell of him opening up to me, but my heart breaks for him. I can’t begin to understand what his life has been like. Unwanted youth on the street? I know all too well some of the horror’s kids go through since my mother works with kids, but I’ve never come face to face with it.

  “I don’t know what I would have done in the winter without them.” His voice sounds far away, like he’s no longer here with me. Moving slowly as not to startle him, I place my hand on his leg and give it a light squeeze. He shakes his head and looks down at my hand for a moment before resting his hand on top. “Sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”

  Giving his leg a little shake to get his attention, I pull into my parking spot and turn to face him. “Knowing y
our past was hard doesn’t change the fact that I want to know it. And I started it. I asked about Trish and Jason.” With a half-smile and a nod, we get out of the car and walk side by side to the elevator. The doors slide open and close softly, Ben is fidgeting, picking at his fingers, so I take one in my hand, interlacing our fingers.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  He nods and clears his throat.

  “Nothing has to happen. We can just talk, watch a movie, whatever you want. No pressure.” His head turns to look at me as the doors open. Pulling him along with me, I unlock my door and don’t give him time to think about the carpet before closing the door behind him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  BEN -

  The door closes behind me. My stomach is in knots, I’m so damn nervous, but I’m also excited. I want to be here. I want to be with Alister. He makes me feel good, normal. I’m once again in his apartment, but the reasoning is so different this time. We’re standing in the entryway, staring at each other. Suddenly, he seems unsure. Does he regret asking me to come here?

  “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asks, still holding my hand.

  “Sure.” Maybe he just needs something to do?

  He leads us into the kitchen and grabs a beer to offer to me. “No thanks, I’m not much of a drinker. Water would be good.” He hands me a water bottle and grabs one for himself. I watch as he twists the cap off and chugs half the bottle, the muscles in his throat working, my feet glued to the floor. He catches me staring and lowers the bottle, setting it on the counter.

  “Why don’t we have a seat in the living room? We can talk or watch a movie or something.”

  “Okay.” My voice is soft. I hate being so unsure of myself all the fucking time. I really am a waste of space.

  Alister leads the way to the living room, with me following along behind him like a lost puppy—the analogy not far from reality. He sits on one side of the couch and looks up at me. Sliding my backpack off, I sit in the recliner next to the couch.

  He smiles like he can read my thoughts as easily as he reads a book. “Why don’t you come sit next to me?” My cheeks heat from embarrassment yet again.

  The lights are low in here, just the entryway and kitchen lights are on. This feels serious, intimate, and though I’m trembling, I move to sit next to him. I’m rewarded with a smile that relaxes some of my nerves.

  “You don’t need to be nervous around me.” Alister has turned sideways in his seat to face me and I mirror his position.

  “Am I that obvious?”

  He chuckles and lays his hand over mine. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious, but I have a theory about it.”

  “A theory about me being a scared little girl?”

  He laughs again, I’m really starting to like that sound. “Not a scared little girl, but perhaps, inexperienced?”

  “That bad of a kisser, am I?”

  “Not at all, in fact, I would say you’re one of the best kissers I’ve locked lips with.”

  Embarrassed again, I don’t know what to say. I’ve already made an ass out of myself, so I might as well keep going. “Who knew straight girls were good kissing teachers?”

  “Wait, what?” He’s chuckling again.

  “I’m sure you’ve discovered my childhood wasn’t lived in Disneyland. My best friend helped keep me from being bullied. Not only at school, but at home and we had to make it look real.” I shrug my shoulders, trying to play it off as not a big deal.

  “That’s some friend.”

  “She is my best friend to this day. She’s going to lose her mind when I tell her about this.” I instantly regret my words. Now he knows I’m going to talk about him, that he’s a big deal to me. Shit.

  “Hey, don’t clam up on me now. I was just getting you to relax.”

  Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I let out a sigh. “I don’t know how to do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “This. Talk to people. Have friends or relationships.”

  “Have you ever had a relationship? One that didn’t involve kissing a straight girl?” I appreciate his attempt to lighten the mood.

  “No.”

  “Ben. Look at me, please?” Both of his hands are on my knees, the heat of his palms pressing into my cold skin through my ripped jeans. I lift my head to look at him, not sure what I’m going to find but hoping it’s not soul-crushing.

  “I’m not sure why, but I like it. I’m the only man to know what your lips feel like, to know the sounds you make when you’re turned on.” I cover his hands with mine and move his hands up my thighs, forcing him to lean in closer. He shifts to come into my space, a smirk on his face. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

  “Yes.” The word barely leaves my lips when I press them against his. He shifts again, and I lay down, Alister coming over the top of me. I’ve always wondered what this would feel like, having a man pressing into me, his weight against me. It’s fucking magic.

  I move my legs, and his hips rest against mine, his cock rubbing against me. I’m already on edge and ready to cum. He rips his lips from mine and buries his face into my neck, still moving against me.

  “Fuck. Tell me to stop.”

  “No, don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

  A guttural moan emanates from his chest and it pushes me over the edge. My feet hook over his ass and pull him down harder on me as I moan, cum filling my underwear. My hands are fisted in his shirt, painfully tight, but it isn’t until my orgasm is over and all my bones turn to liquid that I notice it.

  He drops on me, completely relaxed but breathing hard, he came hard too. The knowledge that I made him cum is exhilarating—giving me just a little self-confidence boost.

  “We should clean up.” His voice is muffled by the couch cushion, which makes me laugh. This is not the best time to laugh, I know it's not, but I can’t stop it. Alister lifts his head and looks at me with amusement. “Something funny, Mr. Wallace?”

  “Nope. Not at all, Professor Bennet.”

  “Touché.”

  Sitting back on his knees, he helps me up and kisses me softly.

  “You can use the hall bathroom. I have a master. Washcloths are under the sink.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ALISTER -

  In the master bathroom, I strip off my pants and boxer briefs before wetting a washcloth in the sink. I have cum drying on my leg, sticking to the hair, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m the first man to kiss Ben. I’ve never felt possessive over a man, but I know I will fight tooth and nail for him.

  It takes a minute, but I get cleaned up, and as I’m pulling on clean underwear, I hear my front door open and close. What the fuck? Quickly getting to my bedroom door, I rip it open and see the back of my brother opening the guest bathroom.

  “Alexander! Get the fuck out!” I holler, stomping down the hallway.

  Spinning around, he looks like he’s seen a ghost. “I didn’t know! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to see your boyfriend’s dick!” His hands are up in surrender, but since he’s in his Seattle PD uniform, it’s not very believable.

  Grabbing the bathroom doorknob, I slam it closed and push Alex out of the hallway. “I swear to god Alex, you gotta start knocking. I’m going to start deadbolting the door. What the hell are you doing here anyway? I thought you had a date?”

  “I did have a date, and then these jackasses decided to call me in. I need to pee!” he yells, sprinting for my bedroom.

  Leaving my brother to take a piss, I go to the bathroom door in the hallway. I don’t know what to say. This isn’t exactly a normal situation. “Ben?”

  I sigh and lean my forehead against the door. “I’m sorry. My brother and I need to set up some new rules.” I’m met with silence. I don’t know if he’s embarrassed beyond words, terrified and huddled in a ball on the floor, but I need him to answer me.

  Alex appears at the end of the hallway, looking guilty for the first time in his life. “I’m sorry man. I was on patrol in the neighborhood a
nd needed to take a leak.”

  I nod, accepting the apology without a second thought. There’s no way Alex could have known Ben was here, but that’s exactly why I’m going to need to start locking the door when he is. I have a feeling Ben will need the extra second of warning to prepare himself mentally.

  Alex leaves, shutting the front door behind him. I’m still stuck in the damn hallway, not knowing what to do about Ben. My knuckles tap against the door. “Please talk to me.” I’m leaning against the doorjamb, one hand on either side when it cracks open. A haunted, black iris peers at me. I know I need to step carefully here, he’s skittish and needs reassurance.

  “Hey, you okay?” I keep my voice soft, non-threatening.

  The door opens farther, and I can see most of him, his clothes are straightened. His eyes travel down my body and stop at my hip, and dropping my gaze to see what has his attention, I realize I’m standing here with no pants on.

  I let out a little chuckle. “Oops. Why don’t you come sit on the couch while I grab some pants? I’ll be there in just a second. Okay?”

  “Okay.” His words are soft as I lean in to kiss his forehead, before heading back to my room for some lounge pants. When I get back to the living room, Ben is zipping up his backpack and I assume he was putting his underwear inside. He’s sitting on one side of the couch, so I sit on the other side and turn to face him.

  “I’m sorry.” His words catch me off guard.

  “What do you have to be sorry for?”

  “Your brother knows what we were doing. I should have been faster or locked the door. It’s my fault.” The words rush from his mouth, he really is afraid I’m angry, that I blame him.

  I scoot closer to him, laying my hand over his. “My family knows I’m gay.”