James (Gates of Heaven Book 3)

by M. Tasia

  Their eyes locked for a split second, but that was all James needed to see the hunger in Ross’s eyes. Acting on instinct, James stood abruptly and backed Ross into the bedroom wall before taking his soft lips in a needy kiss. Ross responded in kind, running his hands over James’s back and arms. He tasted of mint and coffee driving James on for a deeper exploration. He could feel Ross’s body responding to his as James rubbed his hard cock against Ross’s.

  “Oh, crap. I’m so sorry.” Jac’s voice stopped them and they jumped apart like teenagers caught necking on their parents’ couch. “The door was open.”

  “Uncle James, are you Uncle Ross’s boyfriend?” Becca asked as only a child could.

  James reached back, grabbed the comforter off the bed, and held it up in front of Ross and himself.

  “Um… boyfriend… well…” James had no idea where he was going with this.

  Jac took Becca’s hand and said, “Honey, we need to leave these two alone so they can continue talking.”

  Though that smirk on her face meant something else entirely.

  Once the girls had left, James looked at Ross and then wrapped his hand around Ross’s thick neck. James could see the longing in Ross’s eyes even as he moved away.

  “Not a good idea.”

  “You want it as much as I do. Great way to blow off steam after all that’s happened.”

  “No. I do not want to confuse Becca. When you leave, she’ll be sad enough. Best to leave it,” Ross muttered. He picked up his bag from the chair and walked out of the bedroom without ever looking back.

  What the hell just happened?

  James threw the comforter back on the bed and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a shower would help, but he doubted it.

  Now that he’d had a taste of the sexy detective, he wanted more.

  CHAPTER 9

  His muscles were aching and his jeans were covered in dirt, but Ross didn’t care as long as it got him out of the house and away from James. When Jack suggested building a rock partition around one of the wells, Ross had jumped all over it. He was out the front door before James had even got out of his shower.

  It was hard to miss his sister’s stare, but he was only thinking of Becca and protecting her. Emotional pain was still pain, no matter how you framed it.

  “So, James got you all twisted?” Jack asked as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

  So far, they’d been working in silence, which Ross preferred. Looked like that was over.

  “Not twisted. Facing reality,” Ross huffed as he lifted another block into place. “How do you know, anyway?”

  “Your sister told me.” Jack smiled wide as if that were some kind of victory.

  “Of course she did.”

  Ross should’ve expected that. Once she got something in her head, she was unstoppable.

  “What’s the problem?” Jack asked. “Winky having a hard time standing at attention? I hear older men—”

  “No problems in that area, and I’m only forty-five.”

  Jack raised his hands in mock surrender before lifting another cinder block onto the wall. Ross was glad the conversation was over. He had enough problems on his radar already. He didn’t need a chorus of why not do James, coming at him.

  “Well, I see it a bit differently. You’re afraid,” Jack said. His expression of dawning knowledge was comical, as if he’d figured out some great secret. Apparently, Jack wasn’t good at hiding his emotions.

  “I’m not afraid of James.” At least, not physically.

  “No, not him. Yourself,” Jack explained. “You’re afraid to let go of your control over the situation. You need to take the bull in there by the horns and have yourselves a little bedroom rodeo. You know, dancing in the sheets, get your bone honed, and launch the meat missile.”

  “Ya know, I’ve been a cop for a long time, and gotta admit, I’ve never heard it put so colorfully before.”

  “Maybe. But that’s beside the point. When was the last time you got laid?”

  “Oh, hell no. Can’t we build these damn walls in silence?” How had his sex life become the morning’s topic of conversation?

  “Okay, okay. If that’s what you want.” Jack nodded as if he understood.

  “It is.” Ross wanted to make sure he was clear on the subject.

  Without saying a word, Jack returned to the blocks, and peace ensued. Ross would have to have a long chat with his sister. His private life wasn’t open to visitors.

  “I’m just sayin’, you need to take chances. Life is short. Take what you want and to hell with the repercussions.” Jack chopped his arms through the air as he spoke.

  Ross dropped the block he was holding and walked away. There was no way he was going to get into a conversation about what he should do with his sex life. He would rather face his sister, who true to form, was waiting on the front porch for him.

  Slowly, he climbed the stairs, his aching body refusing to move faster. Ross had been at it since first thing this morning, and it was now after lunch. Sure, he’d went to the gym regularly and kept himself in shape, but hauling cinder blocks around for hours was nowhere near what he did at the gym or on the job.

  “Don’t,” he said, as Jac opened her mouth. “The other Jack has already driven me away with his questions. I need a hot shower and maybe an hour or two of sleep.”

  Ross knew Jac and Becca were safe here. No one was getting within fifty miles of the place without the community knowing about it. He could take a few hours to regroup and rest. When he walked through the door he was greeted by the sight of James lying on his stomach on the living room floor as Becca set out tea for the three of them. Puppy being the third member of the party.

  “Uncle Ross, do you want to have tea with us?” Becca asked. It took everything in him to shake his head. He loved playing with his niece. It had always been a highlight of his day.

  “I’m sorry honey, but I’m all dirty. I need to take a shower,” Ross explained.

  “Why are you walking funny?” Becca asked.

  “Because Uncle James’s friend is insane.”

  Becca laughed. “You’re funny, Uncle Ross.”

  Ross reached for his bag, which he’d left on the couch, and headed back to his bedroom. His body ached and he needed some peace. He dumped his bag back on the same chair he had last night, and pulled out a pair of old shorts. Some of the seams were fraying, but you didn’t throw things away because they were older.

  By the time he made it into the shower, all he could manage to do was stand under the hot stream of water. After about ten minutes, he reached for the bar of soap to wash away the remnants of the day. Too bad he couldn’t do the same with this morning. He felt like a jerk. James had done exactly what Ross had wanted. Then he’d pushed James away. Talk about mixed signals. Ross wasn’t a game-player. He believed in being up front and honest, even when it was difficult.

  Exhausted, he turned the knobs and stepped out of the shower.

  He had to admit, when he had first heard the word “prepper,” he’d imagined outhouses and cooking over a campfire. What did he know? He had never run into a survivalist before. Or at least, not that he knew of.

  While the bathroom may not have been fancy, it was tiled and spacious. They had a fully functioning kitchen, and a washer and dryer.

  Ross wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out into the bedroom to find James sitting on the bed waiting for him.

  “Look, James, I don’t—”

  “Hey, we’re cool. I came in to save you from yourself,” James said. “How did you ever get talked into helping Jack? The man is a machine. He could go on all day and never get tired.”

  “Information I wished I’d had earlier.”

  Would it have changed his decision? Probably not, he’d needed space and the physical exertion. Well, not to that extent, but at the time he’d needed to burn off his frustration.

  James waved a tube of something in Ross’s direction. He must’ve looke
d wary ’cause James laughed.

  “Don’t worry, man, it’s muscle cream to help you relax, or you’re going to be in traction for days. You’re no use to us if that happens.”

  Ross hated to admit it, but he felt foolish. Like James would brandish a tube of lube after being cool about Ross bugging out. He reached for the creme only to have it pulled out of his reach.

  “I thought you said it was for me.”

  “It is, but the shape you’re in, there’s no way you’d be able to do it properly. Lay down on your stomach, I’ll take care of it.”

  Fuck. This was asking for trouble. Did that stop him from lying down? Hell no.

  Ross held his towel in place and crawled onto the bed, which took more effort than usual. Once comfortable, he settled onto the soft mattress with a loud groan. What had he done to himself in an attempt to avoid James?

  “Yep, trying to keep up with Jack is a mistake,” James muttered as Ross heard the cap come off the tube and tensed.

  “Easy. Going to work these knots out so you can sleep.”

  “Why are you being so nice?” Ross had to ask because this was above and beyond.

  “Is it so hard to believe I want you to feel better?” James asked sounding a bit insulted.

  “When you put it that way, no,” Ross acknowledged. James had been helping his family from day one. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Hell, at times I don’t even believe myself.” James laughed, making Ross smile.

  The first touch to Ross’s shoulders sent ripples of awareness through his body. When James knelt on the bed to get closer, Ross let out a soft moan.

  “Does it hurt here?” James asked as he worked on Ross’s shoulder blade.

  “Yeah.” He couldn’t come up with any other reason for the moan, so he went with that.

  Ross was having doubts that he’d be able to make it through his massage without doing that again.

  “Okay, try to relax. The worst is yet to come.”

  Ross could hear the smirk in James’s voice even though he couldn’t see him, and growled in reply but was soon back to groaning as James worked his way around his body. Those calloused hands were working miracles. Of course, every squeeze was painful, but soon enough his muscles began to loosen.

  Every time James ran his hands over Ross’s skin, a rush of desire flooded his body. He could feel his cock growing harder, and Ross was powerless to stop it.

  He’d wanted James for a while. Now, even though his first priority was his sister and niece, James was quickly carving out his own spot in Ross’s life. How long could he hold out from going after what he really wanted?

  His thoughts were interrupted when James said, “All right, turn over.”

  Shit. “Um… that’s not such a good idea at the moment.” There would be no way to hide his raging erection.

  “Why?” James asked, but Ross had a suspicion that James already knew. “Come on, roll over. I promise not to move the towel, unless it’s an emergency.”

  Ross knew James was joking, but couldn’t bring himself to laugh. If he turned over, the hard-on he was sporting would make his towel into a tent. Talk about mixed messages. First, he pushes James away, and now he was in a towel, lying in bed, with a sexy, hot man hovering over him.

  “Gotcha,” James said. “Don’t worry about it. That kind of thing happens all the time, especially while getting a rubdown. Some need no more than a stiff breeze. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I’m not ashamed of my dick being hard.”

  “Then roll over.” It sounded so simple when he said it. “If it makes you feel any better, I have one, too.”

  “Yeah?” Did that make it better?

  “Yeah. I’ve got my hands all over you. What’d you expect?” James asked as if that was a given.

  “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. What I said this morning still stands.”

  “Yep. I understand you’re concerned about Becca’s feelings. I would never intentionally hurt her,” James assured.

  “I know you wouldn’t.” Ross sighed. “Fine.”

  He flipped over, and sure enough, his towel was tented.

  James carried on massaging Ross’s arms as if rubbing down a man with a dick as hard as steel was an everyday occurrence. Ross had no choice but to close his eyes and relax his head back onto the pillow. James’s hands felt so good, and he was skilled. Eventually, even with what was going on under the towel, Ross’s muscles relaxed.

  By the time James had finished with the massage, Ross felt like his body had sunk an inch deeper into the mattress. His arms and legs seemed so heavy he couldn’t move them. His body felt like heaven, except for his throbbing cock begging for release. He’d have to take care of that after James left, or he would never fall asleep.

  “Thanks, man. I feel better already.”

  “Good. Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” James touched Ross’s hip. “You’re never going to fall asleep until that’s taken care of.”

  Ross’s eyes flew open.

  “Calm down. I know the score. No one needs to know.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Seriously, was James horny and Ross was the only other gay man around?

  “Simple. I’m attracted to you. Is that so hard to believe?”

  “Going years without even a hook-up tends to alter one’s view of himself.” Shit. Did I say that out loud? What’s wrong with me?

  “You didn’t want to bring anyone home because of Jac and Becca. I understand that. Though, I don’t know why you didn’t get a hotel room. Whatever. I respect your choice, but it’s time for you to take care of you.” James pulled off Ross’s towel and wrapped his big hand around Ross’s straining cock.

  Ross couldn’t help but moan. It had been too long and he wanted James badly.

  “I thought you promised not to remove the towel.”

  “Only if it wasn’t an emergency. This, right here,” James said while squeezing the base of Ross’s cock, “is an emergency. Lay back and enjoy yourself for once, Detective.”

  Then without warning, his cock was engulfed inside a warm, wet mouth. James’s talented tongue circled the head of Ross’s cock before dipping into the slit. He reached for the second pillow to cover his mouth, hoping to drown out his groans of pleasure.

  “Damn, Detective, you taste good,” James growled as he rolled Ross’s balls in one hand while pumping his shaft with the other. “That’s it, babe, let go of that control you wrap around you like a wall.”

  “Oh god, yes.”

  Ross gave up the pretense that he didn’t want this as badly as James did. He spread his legs wide and cocked his knees to give James more room to explore. But Ross didn’t fool himself into believing this would be much more than a hook-up while they were here at the compound.

  “That’s it, open for me,” James said, his voice rough and low.

  While sucking him down his throat, James slid his hand further down until his finger was circling Ross’s hole. Damn, he was so close. He gripped the bedding like a lifeline as he thrust his hips upward and his cock deeper into James’s mouth.

  James slowed his movements, allowing Ross to take back a bit of control. It was a heady feeling having his sexy soldier control what Ross was giving him and coming back for more. His head was buzzing and he began to feel tingling at the base of his spine.

  “I’m going to come,” he warned, not wanting to catch James off guard if he wanted to pull away.

  Instead, James began pumping his head up and down even faster before he stuck the end of his finger into Ross’s hole. That was it. Fire raced up his spine and through his body seconds before he came down James’s throat. His body began to spasm as he hollered his release into the pillow.

  His ears were ringing as he tried to catch his breath, then it hit him and he began to explain, “Shit, I’m clean. Really. I have to go get checked regularly for work and insurance. I can show you when we get back home.”
<
br />   James wiped his mouth on the corner of the towel before gently cleaning Ross with it. “I didn’t doubt you were. It had been years, and I know you would’ve stopped me if there was a concern.”

  “Yeah, man. I would have.”

  James pulled the covers over him, then placed his hands on either side of Ross’s head before kissing him. Ross was on overload as their tongues dueled for control. He felt like he was going under until James pulled away with a satisfied smile on his face.

  “Don’t worry. I have condoms for the even more pleasurable pursuits to come.” James kissed him once again before bringing the covers even higher and saying, “Now go to sleep.”

  Long after James had left, Ross laid there playing all possible scenarios through his head. From ending this whole thing right now before anyone got hurt, to finding reasons that this arrangement could work out. By the time he was drifting off to sleep, he had decided to take things as they come.

  Who knew what tomorrow held.

  CHAPTER 10

  James zeroed in on his target and squeezed the trigger. The feel of the recoil was as familiar as breathing. The pungent smell of after burn wafted through the air.

  Binoculars stuck to his face, Jack hollered from behind James, “Nice shot. Dead center. You’ have always had hell of an aim. Made me jealous as hell.”

  James secured his gun and stepped away from the firing range Jack had built. “This is nice. When’ did you set it up?”

  “About two years ago,” Jack answered. “Thought it would be important for the community to have a place to practice safely.”

  “Smart idea.”

  The last thing they needed was to have guns going off in different trajectories when someone decided to shoot off a round or two. Or when they needed to confront the enemy.

  James stretched his knuckles, pulling on the stitches that should be coming out in a couple days. The incident with the pimp seemed so long ago. Almost as if it never happened.

  “Thank you,” Jack answered with a bow. “Now, let’s talk.”

  “What?”

  He should’ve known something was on Jack’s mind. He was a great friend and a combat brother, but he also thought of himself as a bit of a therapist.