Mac pulled out slowly and pushed back in again, the pleasure laced with the pain. “Fuck.” Mac’s rough voice whispered. Mac’s lips on his was the final connection that Bennett needed. He wanted to crawl under his skin. He wanted Mac to want him as much as he wanted Mac.
Mac shivered as he withdrew from Bennett before quickly pushing back in. Bennett wanted to see them together. Wanted to see how they moved together, thrusting in rhythm. Wanted to see Mac’s flexing muscles and sweat glistened skin.
Bennett had his hands everywhere he could reach. Their movements sped up, and Mac’s cock seemed to reach deeper.
Bennett was begging with his body. Needing more, but unable to process thought enough to get his body to do anything other than be fucked. Mac fisted his cock gently making Bennett’s already foggy brain short circuit.
“Mac.”
Mac replied with a groan and fucked him harder, jacking his cock faster. Bennett met his thrusts, trying to get closer, to give as much as he was getting. Mac lowered his head and captured Bennett’s mouth with his in a hungry, erotic kiss that left them both breathless when it ended.
Then Mac spoke, “Get yourself off.” There was a command in his tone that only spurred Bennett on. He reached down taking over where Mac had left off. Bennett whimpered. It was the only way to describe the sounds that were leaving his mouth. His body had taken over.
The slick sounds of Mac’s cock fucking him, the smell of sex and man, only heightened each second of his pleasure. Mac was everywhere. Making Bennett wonder if, after it was over, he’d ever not feel Mac inside him.
Mac was looming over him. His eyes locked onto Bennett’s. Intense and…something Bennett couldn’t identify. Mac played him, fine-tuned him with every touch like he did to his motorcycle. Mac pounded into him with a fierce rhythm.
Bennett squeezed the ring of muscle that surrounded Mac’s cock causing Mac to growl and drop his forehead to Bennett’s. “Do it again,” Mac demanded. So, he did, again and again. By the fourth squeeze, Mac was losing his rhythm. His thrusts faltered, and Bennett knew that Mac was going to come. Quickening his pace, Bennett chased his own orgasm.
“I’m—” was all that Bennett got out before Mac pushed harder once, twice, and shivered forcefully. He could feel Mac’s cock throbbing as he emptied himself into the condom. Bennett groaned as his orgasm surged through him. Bennett could’ve sworn he stopped breathing. Stopped thinking. Rope after rope of come splashed up his chest.
Everything felt alive, overwhelming, and overly sensitive. Mac’s forehead fell to his. Resting for a few shared minutes of breathing, the thick air between them. Bennett felt everything. It was bliss. He only hoped Mac felt even half of what he felt. Pulling back just a little, Mac looked down at him. Those beautiful gray eyes locking onto his right before he leaned down for such a gentle kiss it was almost like a whisper. Mac moved then, gently pulling out and flopping next to Bennett.
They lay there in a haze, trying to catch their breath, and Mac reached out a hand, grasping and pulling on Bennett as though he was too far away. Bennett was happy to get close, cuddle even, with their overheated bodies. They both seemed to need some connection.
After they cleaned up, they lay on the bed, not covered by the soft blankets. Mac, the man that just rocked his world, seemed content on his back with his eyes closed and his hand resting on the leg that Bennett had cocked up as he lay on his left side facing him. Mac was gorgeous. Even more so as an adult than he ever had been as a teenager. Bennett wasn’t one that loved tattoos, but he had to admit that Mac made them sexy.
The sun had just started to peek through the window. Dawn coming fast. But the light had allowed Bennett to finally see all of Mac.
His skin, tanned from working outside, was covered in tattoos. His right thigh had a huge tiger head that was a brightly colored orange with shading that made it look so alive. His right arm was also covered in numerous tattoos. Roses and birds, but it was the words that caught Bennett. In what looked like handwritten letters, it stated, ‘I’m No Hero’ on the back side of his arm.
“Hey. Mac?” Bennett said quietly.
Without opening his eyes. Mac replied just as quietly. “Yeah, Princess.”
And for the first time ever, Bennett smiled at the use of the nickname. The name no longer bothered him. No one could’ve been more surprised by that than Bennett. In that moment, after sex and cuddled on the bed together, Bennett could hear the affection in Mac’s voice.
“Can you tell me about the ‘I’m No Hero’ tattoo on your arm?”
Bennett felt the arm under his hand tense, and Bennett knew whatever contented, warm feelings Mac had been feeling, Bennett ruined it with one question.
A question he’d really wanted an answer to, if that was his reaction.
He paused, taking a deep breath. Trying to gather his thoughts about how to answer Bennett’s question. He shouldn’t have been surprised by the question. Bennett was extremely observant, but Mac had almost forgotten about his tattoo. They were all so much a part of him that he didn't really think of them that often.
But Bennett saw the tattoo, and Mac refused to lie about what it was for.
Besides, his question gave Mac the perfect opening to ask a question that had been burning in his mind. But first things first.
“When we were kids, I lived to tease you, to see you flush with anger, for your hackles to rise when I called you Princess. Flustering and angering you gave me joy, for many reasons, one being the emotions I heaped on you because of my parents and the other was the crush I had on you. I cared, but I struggled with how to show you that I did. And the other part of me hated you for just being you, for being what my parents wanted, so I never tried very hard to find a better way to show you that I cared.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Mac could see the confusion on Bennett’s face, wondering what these words had to do with the ones permanently etched into his skin. “So, I picked and poked at you. The words I would say to you about being naïve and those guys, that was all true, but I made myself believe that I was helping, I was doing my part to protect you from getting hurt. But that’s all they were. Words.”
Bennett was about to interrupt, but Mac looked at him and said, “No, please just let me finish.” Bennett nodded, and Mac continued, “After that night, your parents, and a few others that knew I was the one that led them to you, kept calling me a hero. Telling me how proud they were of me and how I saved you.” Mac rolled on his side to face Bennett, to look into his eyes. He paused taking a deep breath, he had to tell Bennett he wasn’t his hero. He was just him, Mac, because if this hero shit was why Bennett wanted more with him then he didn’t want it.
“I got those words tattooed on me to remind myself that I wasn’t the hero in that story. I should’ve done more that night to stop what happened to you. I’m just as guilty in not stopping what happened as Derek and Keith.”
Bennett didn’t look angry as the words spilled out of Mac. Mac knew his words were purely selfish. He wanted Bennett to be mad at him, to know Mac’s part in allowing Bennett to get hurt so badly, it would make him feel justified in feeling the way he always had about his part in Bennett’s assault. No, he didn’t know it would happen that night, but he knew those guys were bad news, everyone had.
Mac couldn’t see what he was thinking on Bennett’s usually open face.
“What else could’ve you have done, Mac? I mean, come on, I was as stubborn then as I am now,” Bennett asked quietly.
Mac should’ve expected the question. For Bennett, questions gave answers that led to making a decision. Why he hoped Bennett would just react with emotion and not logic, he had no idea. Again, probably his own guilt.
“I could’ve gone to your parents right after you left and told them what kind of party you were going to or even told them about those guys, what type of people they really were. I didn’t do anything to stop you or really try to have a serious conversation with you about who they were. I couldn’t see
beyond my own wants enough to do more. Because of that, you got hurt, nearly killed, then you tell me I saved you, and I just couldn’t let you think that and not know my part in the whole thing.”
“I get it. You think you don’t deserve the place you now hold in my memories of that night, the one of hero, but—”
“I’m no hero, B. I’m just a guy who screwed up and someone ended up getting hurt because of it.” He was just a small town construction worker who did the best he could to survive. To survive the ever present disappointment he was to his parents, to survive their small town’s constant disgust at his tattoos, his sexual orientation, and his single life.
“Yeah, you are a small town guy but you are the one that saved me. You may not like that people call you a hero or feel like you deserve it, but to me, you do. I explained what you holding my hand that night did for me then, and all the moments I felt even a little lost afterward, so I won’t wax on about it. But Mac, you are my hero. You saved me over and over without either one of us knowing it.” Bennett sat up straighter, shoulders back. Totally his Princess pose. Mac smiled. “I’m stubborn, so you’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this subject.”
“So, basically, suck it up, buttercup?”
“Yes, exactly.” Bennett smiled. Small and sweet and it warmed Mac to see.
“For now, Princess, you get your way.”
“Yeah, for now, because I’m going to do my damnedest to prove you are the hero I believe you to be,” Bennett replied vehemently.
Mac paused thinking about whether he should voice his concern to Bennett, but he wasn’t generally known to hold things back so in for a penny and all that. “B, is that the reason you even want me? Because you think you need to pay me back or because you see me—”
“Stop, right there. I am not that kind of person. Whether you saved me that night or not has nothing to do with what does and doesn’t go on between us. It just happens to be the thing that let me see you in a different light than I had before, not the you I thought you were. That and you yelling at me, of course.”
Mac nodded, relief hitting him square in the chest. “Well, watch yourself. I’m known to yell.” Mac winked.
They lay there for a little while as the sun rose in the sky, chatting about everything and nothing, sharing sweet kisses that lead to a down right dirty make out, knowing that soon they’d have to get up and get to work. Mac enjoyed the light and easy way they could talk to each other after what seemed like a lifetime of struggle and friction. Bennett told him about Jaden, his best friend, and about his mentor who didn’t have a life and no family from the sound of how he spoke about the man.
Mac couldn’t ever understand someone not wanting a family. Although he’d told Bennett that, he’d kept the rest of his feelings about kids to himself. Maybe too soon or maybe just fear that Bennett would laugh at him. Mac came to the conclusion long ago that he wanted a family of his own someday. He loved his job, but he wanted to give a child or three the life and love he never had as a kid. The thought of being able to teach a kid of his own to proudly live outside the box warmed his heart.
Bennett talking about all his geeky friends from school was the most fun he had in a long time. Nerds and their pick up lines were an…interesting conversation.
I wonder if it’s wrong to get turned on by his geek speak?
“What are you talking about? Nerdy pickup lines?” What the hell?
Bennett laughed, “I’m sure people don’t actually use them!” He paused then said, “Actually, there was this one guy in my lab that I’m sure tried them all the time.”
“Alright, now you gotta tell me some.”
“Oh, come on, really? They’re terribly corny.” Bennett was smiling, and naked and Mac wanted him. Maybe he could suck his cock as he told him about the nerdy pickup lines.
“Yes, really. Or I’ll torture it out of you.” Mac waggled his eyebrows at him.
“Ok, you asked for it. Let’s see.” Bennett paused, seeming to be thinking. “Here’s a few…”
“Baby, you make my floppy disk turn into a hard drive.”
“If I were a drum, I'd let you bang me all night long.”
“I'd like to calculate the slope of those curves.”
“According to the second law of thermodynamics, you're supposed to share your hotness with me.”
“You're sweeter than 3.14.”
“Wait! That one was terrible. I mean they are all pretty bad, but really? 3.14?”
“Hey, I don’t make them up,” Bennett laughed.
“I think you used them on some poor unsuspecting guy, trying to lure him back to your lab to perform experiments on him,” Mac replied.
“I’ll have you know, I don’t need corny pickup lines to get guys.” Mac was not jealous. Nope not at all.
“Yeah, says the guy that says the number 3.14 instead of just saying “You're sweeter than Pi.” I swear you geeks use the numbers just to further your geekiness"
Bennett laughed again, "Basically, yes."
“Okay, tell me more. Princess.”
After placing the cooler in the bed of his truck, Mac walked back into the house to make sure he grabbed everything he needed. The afternoon sun was high, making each trip in and out of the house nearly unbearable. But it was the middle of July—a little over a week since July fourth—and it wasn’t unheard of for the humidity and heat to be at record highs in White Acre.
Walking into the house through the garage, he saw that he forgot the lanterns and quickly added those to the huge pile of stuff in the bed of the truck.
Camping was one of his favorite things to do. Add bringing Bennett on his first ever camping trip, and he was sure it was going to be one for the memory books. Convincing Bennett to go a few days ago, like most things, wasn’t easy. But it sure had been fun. Mac smiled at the memory.
“I wanna go camping.”
“Good for you. Have fun and be careful of bugs and bears,” Bennett replied dryly as he continued to paint the wall of the bedroom. He was making huge progress and was already on the third of four bedrooms.
Chuckling at his response, Mac replied, “No, Princess, I meant I want you to go with me.”
Mac could hear the sigh that gusted out of him. Really, Bennett shouldn’t have been surprised by his request. They spent nearly every night together since the fourth and that hot as fuck night—morning?—they had. Doing everything from eating out in Albany to movie nights on Mac’s couch. Most of what they did had them ending up back in bed together in what Mac thought of as their attempt to outdo themselves.
“Is this a ‘Bennett is a bore’ intervention? Because, I gotta tell you, the motorcycle lessons were a fail, and this will be too.”
“Oh, come on, B. Camping is so much fun. It’s not at a campground, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Bennett laughed but it was more a you’re crazy laugh. “Believe me, I am not worried about it being on a campground, that actually sounds more civilized than what I’m sure you have planned.”
“Civilized? Really, Princess? Camping is perfectly civilized,” Mac replied.
“Camping is the definition of barbaric. You sleep on the ground, you can’t shower, and there’s all these tiny bugs that crawl all over you when you sleep.” Bennett’s voice was what Mac liked to call his Princess voice. Mac imagined it was how royalty spoke to people.
“You don’t sleep on the ground. You sleep on a sleeping bag.”
“And where is that sleeping bag? On. The. Ground. No, thank you.” Bennett shivered, and Mac laughed. He was starting to think the conversation about going was as much fun as going would be.
Mac decided to employ some of his other talents to convince his Princess to get a little dirty.
Bennett was still painting away, paying no attention to Mac as he babbled on and on about bugs and wild animals and peeing in the woods. He quietly walked across the bare floor. Just as he was within touching distance, he stopped behind Bennett and looked
at him appreciatively. For now, all that lean muscle and pale skin was his.
Mac placed his hands on Bennett’s hips at the same time as he placed his lips next to his ear. Bennett squeaked in surprise, nearly dropping the paint roller in his hand, and Mac soaked in the sound.
His voice was not exactly a whisper, but low, with seduction laced in every word. “Please, B? Let me take you on an adventure. Let me show you how hot and romantic fucking under the stars can be.” Bennett moaned. Mac was sure it was a combination of his words, the breath that ghosted over his ear as Mac spoke, and his hands that inch by inch were getting closer to Bennett’s cock. “We’ll be completely alone. No one around for miles, so you can scream as loud as you want.”
“Oh, Jesus.” Bennett swallowed hard enough that Mac heard it in the quiet room. “You aren’t playing nice, Mac. You do realize I hate bugs and nature and—” Bennett’s words cut off as Mac grabbed his dick over his pants, squeezing and rubbing its length.
“Please, B. It’s only two nights. We’ll leave Friday afternoon and come home Sunday. I’ll even get you an air mattress to sleep on.” Even as he spoke, he continued teasing Bennett’s cock.
“But—” Bennett moaned and pushed his ass back into Mac’s own hard cock. “But, bugs and dirty—”
“Are you going to make me beg, B? Cause I will. Come have fun with me.” Mac said.
“Oh, god. Okay. I’ll go, but you better protect me from bears.”
Mac chuckled and bit at Bennett’s ear, eliciting a moan from the man before stepping back. “Okay, you get back to work. I’m going to go plan our trip.” He heard Bennett call him an asshole as he strode down the stairs.
Now, he just had to live up to the promise of a good time for the stubborn man.
Their camp would be set up on Danny’s property up on “the hill,” as people in town liked to call it. Really, it was a fucking mountain that had dirt roads and tall trees. Plus, no bears. Mac and some friends often camped in that same spot over the years, so even though it was surrounded by trees and off the beaten path, it had been cleared for tents and campfires.
A Different Light Page 17