CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Joel is Wanted
Joel slowly blinked himself back into a state of awareness and found himself the object of Gabriel’s intense stare. Joel grinned at him and Gabriel’s expression softened with a slight smile.
Joel's orgasm had been fierce and unexpected, ripping through him like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He had been optimistic about reading Gabriel’s signals clearly, but as he’d prepared dinner earlier in the evening Joel had started to second-guess himself, as was his norm. But here now, as he lay beneath the solid weight of Gabriel’s body, Joel relaxed into the cushions of the couch, feeling sated and content. No, more than content. Joel felt cherished. It made him wish he could spend the rest of his life in Gabriel’s arms, no matter how ridiculous an idea it was.
The silence between them stretched, not uncomfortably, and Joel flitted his eyes up from the cum streaked across his chest to Gabriel’s chocolate-brown eyes. Gabriel's gaze was in constant motion, scanning every crease and freckle on Joel’s face, his neck, and the lines of his chest. He told himself Gabriel was committing the scene to his memory and not searching for flaws Joel knew were there: his lack of height, his small muscles, his knobby knees.
Joel scrunched his brows together, fighting off another wave of self-doubt, and Gabriel brought his hand up, pressing a finger softly between Joel’s eyebrows until he relaxed. Gabriel smoothed the skin down with a repetitive swipe of his thumb then skated his thumb over the fine hairs of Joel's eyebrow before dragging it slowly around the crescent of Joel's eye. When Joel closed his eyes, Gabriel softly skirted the tips of Joel's eyelashes as they swept across his cheeks.
Hearing Gabriel suck in a slow breath, Joel opened his eyes and smiled, allowing himself to be present in the moment. Gabriel leaned down, moving his hand to Joel’s neck, and pressed their lips together in a kiss much slower and sweeter than the ones from earlier. Joel opened his mouth to Gabriel and explored the new territory, becoming familiar with the taste and texture of Gabriel's tongue. He tasted like crisp white wine and both of their orgasms, and Joel flicked his tongue against Gabriel’s so he could experience the flavors again. Catching the salty essence he already recognized to be Gabriel, Joel moaned into his mouth, arching up to connect more of his skin against the man above him.
Joel noticed Gabriel was still fully clothed, and had only loosened his pants enough to release his dick. Feeling brazen, Joel reached his hands up to Gabriel’s muscular sides and grazed his fingers along Gabriel’s skin, under the hem of his shirt. Gabriel pushed his back up, allowing Joel the liberty and encouraging him to pull it up and over his head. Once Gabriel’s shirt was off, Joel let his eyes wander, taking in the broad muscles and smattering of dark chest hair between Gabriel's pecs. Joel dragged his nails up Gabriel’s sides, over his chest and down to his abdomen, fingering the strip of hair leading to his cock. Joel wrapped his hands around Gabriel’s waist, pulling him back down for another kiss. Gabriel growled with approval and ground against Joel, his cock starting to plump and harden again.
Moving his hands to Gabriel's shoulders, Joel pushed him back until he was seated on the couch, and Joel followed him up, straddling one leg on either side of Gabriel's strong thighs, so they sat face to face. In a move that even surprised himself, he initiated eye contact with Gabriel and brought his fingers up to his face, softly pressing the blunt tips of his fingers into Gabriel’s cheeks, right below his eyes. He dragged his fingers down, feeling the shape of Gabriel’s cheekbones, to his chin and his ears, and then traced the lines of his lips.
Gabriel opened his mouth, letting Joel’s thumb skirt the inside of his lower lip, wet from their kisses. Joel’s eyes tracked his finger and dragged it across the clean white line made by Gabriel’s lower teeth, then he pulled free as Gabriel snapped his teeth together, trying to nip at Joel's exploratory digits. Joel traced his way up to Gabriel's forehead, assessing the age lines creasing his flesh, down to the crow’s feet that crinkled when Gabriel smiled.
Gabriel closed his eyes, letting Joel press lightly against his eyelids until, apparently unable to stop himself, Gabriel pulled Joel's hands away and kissed him. It was a chaste, closed-mouth kiss, considering what they had done together, and Joel pushed Gabriel's lips apart with his tongue. Gabriel's fingers wrapped around Joel’s wrists and lowered both his arms to his sides. In reply, Joel ground himself into Gabriel, rubbing his cock, which was still jutting out of the fly of his jeans, against Gabriel’s semi-hard erection. Joel moaned, testing the hold Gabriel had on his wrists, and when he found it was strong, he let out a curse and starting gyrating his hips to get any sort of friction he could against his cock.
Gabriel held Joel’s hands behind his back with one strong hand and tapped Joel's thigh with his other hand. Joel took the signal for what it was and he wrapped his legs securely around Gabriel's waist as Gabriel easily stood from the couch, supporting both of their weights. Gabriel released his hands, holding Joel under both thighs as Joel continued to use his body to push their dicks together. Gabriel kissed Joel with a quick urgency and made the trek down the hallway to his bedroom. He pressed Joel’s body against the closed door, nipped at the bruise on Joel’s neck, and then opened the door with one hand, kneading Joel’s ass with the other. Once they were in the room, Joel was tossed onto the fluffy down comforter on Gabriel’s bed, and he smiled bashfully as Gabriel remained standing.
Joel was consumed with lust. Whereas Joel normally hated when people looked at him, he relished the way he felt when Gabriel did. Gabriel's eyes were crystal clear with unmistakable intent that Joel could see even through the haze of intense longing clouding his rational thoughts.
Joel struggled to find a word to describe how Gabriel’s gaze made him feel, but didn’t want to lose the actual feeling by overthinking it. When Gabriel’s fingers started to pull his jeans down his thighs with a ravenous urgency, his lust-addled brain supplied the word.
Wanted.
It was as simple, and as complicated, as that. Gabriel made Joel feel wanted.
The thought of it made him feel silly and weak and he squeezed his eyes closed, willing himself not to cry at the overwhelming simplicity of his own need.
He needed Gabriel to want him. He didn’t know why, and in this moment, he didn’t want to know why it was so important to him for Gabriel to want him, but that was the truth of it. Gabriel’s desire for him meant far more to Joel than the other man could possibly ever understand.
Joel lifted his butt, helping Gabriel pull the tight jeans down. As Gabriel crawled forward, aligning his body on top of Joel’s, Joel brought his feet up, using his toes to grab onto Gabriel's pajama pants and slide them down his legs. Gabriel kicked them the rest of the way off, lowering his weight farther. He hadn’t even realized Gabriel's eyes were still locked on his, and he had a fleeting moment of discomfort before his face heated under the lust of Gabriel's stare. Feeling empowered by the new feelings Gabriel stirred inside him, Joel reached his hand between them, firmly grasping Gabriel's cock between his fingers and giving it a long, slow stroke from base to tip. A drop of pre-cum leaked from Gabriel’s slit, and he used his thumb to swirl it around the plump head. Gabriel dropped his head onto Joel’s shoulder, fucking into Joel’s hand before stopping himself and leaning back to sit on his knees. The movement pulled his cock free from Joel’s hand and Joel brought his thumb to his mouth, eager to taste the salty tang of Gabriel’s previous orgasm mixed in with his current arousal.
Joel pushed himself up into an almost sitting position, searching Gabriel's face for a signal or cue. Unbridled lust resonated from Gabriel’s eyes and etched itself across his entire face. Joel raised himself right up so he mirrored Gabriel, and then used his body to push Gabriel down onto his back. Joel mounted him, running his hands over Gabriel’s heated skin again before sliding his body down to settle between Gabriel's thighs. Joel reached behind him to grab a pillow and handed it to Gabriel, who situated himself to see Joel clearly.
When Gabriel was settled, Joel leaned his face down between Gabriel’s thighs, and pressed his warm tongue flat against the base of Gabriel’s cock and then dragged it in one solid motion up to the tip. Gabriel sucked in a breath as his cock bobbed, and Joel repeated the action, once, twice, three times, before he finally wrapped his lips securely around the head and started to suck. Joel's tongue flirted with Gabriel's leaking slit, and he lapped up the pre-cum, then lowered his mouth farther down along Gabriel's length.
Joel pressed his hands against Gabriel's thighs, using the motion to leverage his mouth farther down Gabriel's cock, until he started to choke from the fullness of it. Joel was determined, though, opening his mouth and taking a deep breath without pulling off, slowly easing himself farther down, past his gag reflex, taking maybe another inch into his mouth. The feeling and motion of Gabriel’s cock bouncing against the back of this throat made Joel convulse, and he ripped his mouth from Gabriel, taking deep gasping breaths as Gabriel's cock bobbed in front of him, red and covered in pre-cum and spit.
Gabriel stroked his shaft once, collecting what lubrication he could, and then reached up to Joel and wiped his wet hand across Joel's swollen and parted lips. He grasped Joel by the neck, pulling him back down to his cock, and he fucked into Joel's mouth with quick and short thrusts. Joel noticed Gabriel never once pushed himself farther in than he’d been when Joel choked, and Joel realized he wanted that moment where he was physically overwhelmed by everything that was Gabriel. He tried to lower himself to take in another few inches, but Gabriel immediately stopped him with a firm squeeze on the side of his neck. Joel glanced up at Gabriel, ready to beg and plead for him to allow the intrusion into Joel’s throat, but the look in Gabriel's eyes stopped him in his tracks.
Gabriel's entire body was taut and tense. He was practically vibrating with tension and lust, and Joel thought Gabriel looked like everything he’d ever dared to hope for in his life. Joel had never been lucky enough to get things like this before. He had never wanted somebody this way before, and he’d never had somebody want him this way.
Joel pulled himself off Gabriel's dick with a wet pop before lowering his face to the junction between Gabriel's shaft and his heavy balls. He sucked the skin into his mouth, nipping at it gently with his teeth. Gabriel's hand tightened in Joel’s hair as he sucked one of Gabriel's balls into his mouth. Joel brought his hand up, and wrapped his fingers around Gabriel's straining shaft, pulling up once, then twice. Gabriel moaned out a curse and fucked himself into Joel's eager hand as Joel sucked both of Gabriel's balls into the warmth of his mouth. He watched Gabriel come unglued with the sensations Joel was causing with his mouth, and it empowered him in a way he had never experienced before. He raised one eye, searching out Gabriel's face, and as their line of sight connected, Gabriel came, exploding with a roar.
Gabriel's orgasm leaked down Joel's hand, falling in streams and drops across his face. Joel pulled himself free from Gabriel and sat back, panting with a combination of completion and need. Gabriel reached forward so that he was sitting, and he collected the cum from Joel's face on his fingers before rubbing it slowly across Joel's lips. Joel's tongue flicked out to taste it, and with an eager groan, he threw himself forward, slanting his lips over Gabriel's. Gabriel wrapped his arms around Joel, pulling him closer without breaking the kiss. He slid one of his arms between their bodies, firmly grasping Joel's cock and starting to stroke his needy erection. Joel's lips fell slack, and he moaned deeply into Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel continued stroking Joel's cock, which was now impossibly hard and in desperate need of release.
Joel couldn't think straight. He was emotionally overwhelmed with the feelings that stirred inside of him because of Gabriel's want. It was as if all of the blood in his body was centralized in his cock, aching for, and reaching toward the release that would solidify whatever this thing between them was. Joel's breath caught in his throat as Gabriel sucked another bruise into the side of his neck, and his entire body arched into Gabriel's embrace as he came.
And came.
And came.
What had to have only been seconds, felt like hours. It felt life changing. Joel's entire body collapsed, limp and stated from his release. He squeezed his eyes closed, but was unable to stop a single tear from falling and sliding down his cheek. Joel was refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated, as though he could conquer the world if only he could remain forever in Gabriel's arms. Joel buried his face into Gabriel's chest, trying to wipe the tear away unseen. Gabriel rubbed his cheek across the top of Joel's tousled hair, and lowered both of their bodies to the bed. Joel twined a leg between Gabriel’s strong thighs, and wrapped his arms around Gabriel's waist, trying to push himself as close to Gabriel as he could. His cum smeared between their torsos, as Gabriel’s fingers softly ran lines up and down his spine. Gabriel held him that way as their breathing slowly returned to normal. As they basked in the afterglow of their orgasms, Joel was certain something monumental had shifted between them.
Gabriel took a steadying breath. “Joel, there's something I need to tell you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gabriel Doesn’t Want to Spill the Beans
Gabriel pressed his head back into the pillow and Joel’s entire body stiffened against him.
“Okay,” Joel said, making an effort to untangle himself from Gabriel's long limbs. Once Joel was sitting, Gabriel reached a hand out and grasped Joel's. He traced his fingers down the back of Joel’s hand before twining their fingers together and resting his hand palm up against his thigh. Gabriel’s face tightened in response to the tense mask that had taken residence across Joel’s normally smooth and youthful face. Gabriel tugged Joel’s hand in an attempt to bring his body closer. Joel resisted him.
“What is it, Gabriel?” Joel's voice was sharp, and Gabriel winced. This was definitely one time he didn’t like the sound of his name on Joel’s lips.
Gabriel paused. What the fuck had he been thinking, blurting that shit out after they had both come? Gabriel didn’t have anything to tell him. Well… that was a lie. Not quite a lie, maybe only an omission. Yes, let’s go with that one. It was an omission. Joel didn’t need to know Gabriel had a hand in orchestrating some of the recent problems in Joel’s life, and Joel most definitely didn’t need to know Gabriel had been watching him so closely for the past year. And most importantly, he didn’t need to know that Gabriel's younger brother was the man who’d raised him. Gabriel figured he could explain the other parts of it away, somehow, but the omission of relation by marriage? It might be the sticking point in this tentative new development between the two of them.
Gabriel wanted to tell Joel, “Oh, nothing, never mind,” but he understood Joel wouldn’t let it go. As it was, Gabriel already watched the beautiful calm of Joel’s face hardening back into that of a scared and abandoned little boy.
“I just,” Gabriel started, “I want you to know I’m truly happy you decided to stay with me.” He hoped it would be enough to make up for opening his big mouth in the first place.
“That’s not really something that warrants the kind of ‘I need to tell you something’ bombshell you dropped, you know, when we’re both covered in my fucking cum,” Joel snapped at him, trying to tug his hand free, but Gabriel resisted. Here was the Joel he wanted. The tenacious and vibrant red-haired boy in front of him had so much fire inside, and he bottled it up like he was going to sell it for a premium one day. Gabriel wanted this Joel to be the normal Joel, the Joel who was confident of what he could offer, and sure of where he was going. Gabriel wanted to get him there. If he had to fuck Joel three times a day to keep him in this mood, he would do it. Gabriel would bear that cross, gladly.
“What I mean is, I like having you here. I want you to know that. All of this aside.” Gabriel gestured to their nakedness. Again he made an effort to tug Joel back down to his chest. “It’s important to me that you know that. And that you believe it.” Gabriel smiled up at Joel and watched a piece of the mask fall away. Joel shrug
ged his shoulders.
“Why do you care?” Joel asked him, trying to pull his hand free to push his hair back from his face, but when Gabriel didn’t let go, Joel made a half-hearted attempt with his other hand before dropping it back into his lap.
“You remind me of me.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” Joel countered, and Gabriel gave their hands another tug, but Joel still resisted.
“I don’t need you to tell me things about you to know you.” Gabriel kissed the top of Joel's hand. “I can see it in your face. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you’d had the same struggles as me. That you had to deal with the same types of people.”
Another piece of Joel’s mask slipped, and Gabriel gave their hands another tug, this time being rewarded with Joel lowering his body back onto the bed. Gabriel situated Joel’s head in the nook of his armpit and pressed a delicate kiss to his hair.
“I don’t need you to tell me things about you,” he repeated, “but I want you to. So tell me, Joel Reading. Who are you?”
Joel's chest heaved against Gabriel with a breath, and then a laugh.
“That's a loaded question, Mr. Hunter.”
Gabriel let loose a groan. “Don’t call me that, it makes me feel...” He closed his mouth.
“Feel what, Mr. Hunter?” Joel goaded him, and Gabriel flipped them, using his weight to press Joel down into the mattress.
“Don’t provoke me right now. I want to have a conversation with you.” Gabriel rutted his groin against Joel's belly before sliding down to lie on his side so he could see Joel's face. “Who are you, Joel? Tell me something about you.”
Joel's eyes stared up at the ceiling as if he expected to find his life story etched into the plaster. He closed his eyes.
His Kind of Love Page 8