Spring Fling

by Sean Ashcroft

  Jesse was still getting used to the idea that Spencer would risk his career for him. To be with him. He was the one with everything to lose, after all. Jesse was only here for the spring. Anything after that was uncertain—and though he didn’t have anything else lined up and was hoping to have his contract renewed, the stakes were practically non-existent for him.

  He just wanted to be with Spencer.

  “Uh, no.” Jesse wet his lips. He tried to laugh it off, but he wasn’t sure how sincere it sounded. “I know there’s a rumor or two going around, but we’re just good friends. He’s been a real help to me since I came here.”

  Alexa considered that for a moment, then nodded. Jesse hoped that meant she was accepting the lie.

  “That’s a shame. You’d be cute together.”

  Jesse snorted. That, at least, was genuine. He knew that on the surface, he and Spencer didn’t match. That was why Spencer was so special. Spencer saw past Jesse’s outward appearance and understood him as he was: an excitable nerd who just happened to be covered in tattoos and naturally muscular.

  Not that Jesse was in any way unhappy with his appearance, just that he knew some people got the wrong impression from it. Spencer never had. Or if he had, he’d never let it bother him.

  “I don’t do cute, but I’ll pass that on to Professor Harris.” Jesse grinned. Spencer did do cute, as much as he might have liked not to. He was the definition of cute.

  Alexa stood, which was a relief. Jesse wasn’t sure he would have held up to further interrogation.

  “Well, thanks for the help, Professor.”

  “Anytime. My door is always open,” Jesse said. He meant it, too, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to face any more questions about his and Spencer’s relationship status.

  He knew for a fact that he was a terrible liar when confronted, and he didn’t want all of this to end in tears.

  * * *

  Jesse wasn’t sure how to break the news to Spencer that they hadn’t quite been discreet enough yet, so he figured the best thing to do was come out and say it.

  “So uh. Funny story.” Jesse rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “One of my students asked if we had a thing today.”

  Spencer’s face fell. “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them no, obviously.” Jesse shrugged. “I’m not an idiot. They did say we’d be cute together, though.”

  “Jesse, this isn’t funny,” Spencer snapped.

  Jesse’s stomach twisted. Spencer was obviously upset, and he had every reason to be. His job was a big deal for him, and it had to be hard to be in a position where the two things he wanted in life were so incompatible.

  It meant the world to Jesse that Spencer was giving him a chance, and he didn’t want to make it seem as though he didn’t appreciate it.

  “I know.” Jesse would have given anything to reach out and hug Spencer, but it didn’t seem like the right moment. Even if it was something they both needed right now.

  Spencer looked down at his feet. “I don’t mean to shout at you. I know you know. I’m just… this is a shock. I thought we’d toned it down enough.”

  “I think we have,” Jesse said. “Honestly, I think it was kind of… I dunno, wishful thinking? Like the kids would like to see two cool professors together, because that’s what they think life is like.”

  “I’m cool?” Spencer asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “For a nerd,” Jesse teased.

  Spencer huffed, but he seemed to appreciate the joke this time. “It is what life is like. For us, at least.”

  “Yeah.” Jesse couldn’t stop himself from smiling at that. “Yeah, it is. And I don’t want that to change. I promise to be more discreet. I-”

  Jesse swallowed. He wasn’t ready to say I love you just yet, but he wanted to. He settled for, “I don’t wanna lose you,” instead.

  “I don’t want to lose you, either,” Spencer said.

  That was good enough for Jesse. All he wanted was to know he wasn’t the only one interested in making this work.

  They’d just have to hide it a little better.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Spencer knew that avoiding Jesse and telling him it was because he was sick was completely the wrong thing to do, but he couldn’t see any other option. He’d asked so much of Jesse already just so they could be together, he couldn’t keep asking for more and more.

  Maybe it would be better if Spencer just… let the relationship die. The thought made his stomach knot up, but he couldn’t deny that it might well be the best thing for both of them. All of the worrying and sneaking around would be over.

  He hated the idea of giving Jesse up, though, and he was definitely not ready to give him a breakup speech.

  Faking illness had been the only option left to him. Or at least, the only option he was willing to go with.

  A sensible person probably would have communicated his doubts and fears clearly to his partner. Spencer had never claimed to be sensible, though.

  “Hey, are you still not feeling well?” Jesse asked from the other side of the office.

  Spencer wasn’t sure why, but he figured he’d been frowning and that had caught Jesse’s attention. He was about to claim that he had a persistent, unshakeable headache for the fourth day in a row. All because he didn’t have the guts to just talk to Jesse.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry.” Spencer sighed for dramatic effect. “I guess it’s a bug or something.”

  To Spencer’s surprise, Jesse stood up. That wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting. He stared at Jesse as the other man approached his desk.

  “We’re going down to the medical center. If you’re sick enough not to want to hang out for four days, two of them a weekend, then there’s something seriously wrong and you need to get checked out.”

  Spencer’s stomach sank. Lying wasn’t his strongest skill, and he’d known it would all collapse eventually. He just hadn’t expected it to be right now.

  Swallowing, he braced himself to lose Jesse for good. “I’m not sick, I’m avoiding you,” he said.

  Jesse’s whole body slumped, as if the need to help Spencer had been the only thing holding it up in the first place. “Why?” he asked.

  Someone else might have seemed demanding or whiny, but Jesse didn’t. Jesse sounded devastated.

  “Because I’m scared,” Spencer said. “I don’t want to lose you, and I know that if I keep sweeping you further and further under the rug that you’re going to resent me for it one day. I took you out in public one time, and I’m still freaking out that someone will have seen. That someone knows and it’s going to ruin our lives when it comes out.”

  Jesse’s face changed completely. He rounded the corner of Spencer’s desk to stand beside him, reaching out to touch his arm. Silence stretched out for a few moments, neither man sure of what to say next.

  With a surge bravery, Spencer stood and wrapped his arms around Jesse, squeezing tightly. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to let go for anything, ever.

  Jesse was what he wanted. It was all so clear to him now that he’d been truly afraid of losing him for the first time.

  “I love you,” he whispered into Jesse’s shoulder. “And I’m not just saying that to get myself out of trouble. I know I shouldn’t have lied,” he added a little louder.

  He loved Jesse. The feeling welled up in his chest and made him feel as though he was going to burst. This was what love felt like. It was warm and huge and terrifying, but Spencer wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

  Spencer hoped that Jesse could love someone like him. Especially under the circumstances they were stuck with.

  “I love you, too,” Jesse said, squeezing Spencer just a bit tighter. “I’ve wanted to say it so many times.”

  Spencer bit his lip, unable to contain his excitement. This was everything he wanted. “So you're not mad at me?” he asked, not above begging for forgiveness.

  “Oh, I'm mad at you,” Jesse said. “But I'm way too e
xcited to hold a grudge. Consider yourself forgiven.”

  Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. All he wanted was for Jesse to love him. And for them to work things out.

  What he really wanted was a departmental memo saying that the stupid fraternization rules were being thrown out. That was a little too much to ask for, but it would have been nice.

  “And you’re not getting tired of all the sneaking around?” Spencer asked. That was what he was really afraid of. Secret relationships, traditionally, didn’t end well. Romeo and Juliet didn’t walk off into the sunset together, hand-in-hand.

  “Well…” Jesse began.

  Spencer’s stomach dropped. This was the part where Jesse dumped him because despite their feelings for each other, it was too hard for them to be together.

  “I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t want to do it forever. But it’s not forever. And in the meantime, it’s kinda hot.”

  “It is, right?” Spencer blushed at the thought of all the times they couldn’t keep their hands off each other because they were so worked up from not being allowed to touch most of the time, despite seeing each other practically all day during the week.

  That, he supposed, was like most relationships between people who worked. Except most people didn’t have temptation sitting across the room all day, every day.

  Spencer broke off from the hug, his paranoia getting the better of him. Someone would only have to burst through the door without knocking to screw them both up.

  “I really want to kiss you right now,” Spencer said. “But I’ll save it for later.”

  “You should come over tonight,” Jesse said, wetting his lips. Spencer grinned at his obvious eagerness.

  “On a school night, Professor?” Spencer batted his eyelashes innocently, pretending to be shocked. Jesse was clearly not fooled, judging by his pursed lips. He was only pretending not to find it funny, though. Spencer was positive of that.

  “Yes. And, uh. You should maybe bring a couple of shirts over, to leave there. You know. So you can come over more often and you won’t have to leave in the middle of the night so you’re not wearing the same one two days in a row.”

  Spencer opened his mouth to reply, but found himself speechless. Jesse wanted him to move some stuff into his apartment. That was… huge. He’d never had that before. He’d never thought he’d have that.

  “I… yes,” Spencer finally managed to say. “I would absolutely love for you to metaphorically clear out a drawer for me.”

  Jesse blushed darkly. “Good, ‘cause that was terrifying to ask.”

  “I’d like to do the same for you,” Spencer said. It wasn’t fair to put the burden of hosting on Jesse every time, even if his bed was a little bigger than Spencer’s. He wanted this relationship to be fair, so that it would last. He couldn’t imagine being without Jesse now.

  “I’d like that.” Jesse grinned. “So, are we all good?”

  “We’re all good,” Spencer said, relieved that everything had worked out in the end. “I have to go give a lecture now.”

  “Go.” Jesse smiled fondly at him, nodding to the door. “I’ll see you later.”

  “You definitely will,” Spencer said as he gathered up his laptop and the rest of his things. Despite his fears, Jesse had proven once again to be kind, and understanding, and perfect.

  Spencer was really, really looking forward to the evening ahead.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jesse moaned happily as Spencer leapt on him the moment they were behind closed doors, ready and eager to take him apart—or let himself be taken apart, which he was beginning to think was Spencer’s intention.

  “I’ve been thinking about this all day,” Spencer murmured between kisses. He nipped at Jesse’s lips and pushed him up against the wall, leaning his full weight against Jesse to keep him in place. Not that he needed to. Jesse had no intention of moving.

  “Me too,” Jesse said, settling his hands on Spencer’s hips to pull them closer. He was already hard, eager to be touched. He wanted Spencer’s hands, his mouth, anything. Anything to be close to him.

  As though Spencer had read Jesse’s mind, his hands went to Jesse’s pants, tugging his belt open without even pausing to ask. Jesse loved it when he got forceful, loved the feeling of being so wanted that it was all Spencer could think about.

  With a rough shove, Spencer pushed Jesse’s pants and underwear down his thighs, and then opened his own pants as well. Anticipation coiled in Jesse’s gut, the knowledge of what was coming next leaving him desperate. He bit his lip as a bead of precome rolled down the length of his cock and gathered on his balls.

  Spencer watched him the whole time, staring at his cock, which didn’t hurt Jesse’s arousal levels at all.

  “You just gonna look at it, or are you gonna do something about it?” Jesse asked, his voice wavering. He needed Spencer to touch him so badly that he could hardly string a sentence together.

  Spencer wet his lips, then reached out and ran a finger up the underside. Jesse gasped, letting his eyes fall closed as Spencer circled the sensitive head and then wrapped his fingers firmly around the shaft. A shiver ran down Jesse’s spine, his body waiting for more.

  A moment later, he felt Spencer lean into him again, the soft skin of his cock brushing against Jesse’s exposed belly. It seemed intensely intimate, just the two of them pressed up against each other, hard and needy and strangely vulnerable, with their pants caught around their thighs.

  Spencer shifted his grip to hold both of them, squeezing his own hot cock against Jesse’s, rocking his hips slightly. A deep groan rumbled through Jesse’s chest as he took everything in; the way Spencer’s cock felt against his own, the way Spencer smelled, heat of his breath on Jesse’s neck. It was exactly what Jesse wanted, exactly what he needed.

  He moved his hands to Spencer’s hips again, squeezing them tightly, hard enough that he was at risk of leaving bruises. Spencer didn’t complain, though, and Jesse wasn’t inclined to stop. He wanted to leave a mark.

  Spencer was his, dammit, and he was going to keep him for as long as he could.

  Jesse had been in love before, but this felt so much more intense. Everything about Spencer was exactly what Jesse wanted in a partner—his intelligence, his dry sense of humor, his eagerness about sex. Every moment with him was so incredibly good that Jesse kept expecting to wake up and discover it was all a dream.

  If this was a dream, he wasn’t sure he wanted to wake up again.

  Jesse caught Spencer’s lips, needing more contact than he already had. Spencer moaned into his mouth, happy and pliant, letting Jesse take control of the kiss even as Spencer took control of what was the hottest handjob of Jesse’s life so far. Spencer’s hand wrapped around his cock, Spencer’s cock pressed up against his, rubbing firmly against him. It felt amazing.

  He could feel precome flowing down Spencer’s cock, mixing with his own as it dripped down, slicking the way between them. Jesse could tell from the soft little gasps and moans that Spencer was enjoying himself, too. Adjusting his grip on Spencer’s hips to squeeze his ass instead, Jesse started rocking his hips, working to increase the friction, speed up Spencer’s strokes.

  To his surprise, Spencer let go and stepped back. “This isn’t enough,” he said. “I need more.”

  He looked down at Jesse’s cock, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. Jesse shivered, knowing exactly what Spencer was hinting at.

  “Get on the bed,” Jesse said, his voice low with arousal. He could barely think straight, but he wanted to give Spencer what he was asking for.

  Spencer stripped his pants off, kicking his shoes into the corner, and climbed eagerly onto the bed, grabbing lube and condoms without a moment’s pause. Jesse watched him for a second, transfixed by the sight, but then kicked off his own shoes, dropped his own pants, and pulled his shirt off. At least one button went flying, pinging against the wall before disappearing, probably forever.

  Jesse didn’t care. Spencer was ready and waiting for
him, which was way more important than a shirt button.

  He climbed onto the bed after him, plucking Spencer’s shirt open button-by-button, more carefully than he had his own. He pushed the shirt off Spencer’s shoulders, kissing his way down Spencer’s neck as he went.

  “You are so hot,” Jesse murmured. Maybe Spencer wasn’t traditionally hot, but to Jesse, he was perfect. Confident, uninhibited about his body, and soft enough that Jesse could pound into him as hard as he wanted without ending up bruised by sharp hip bones sticking out.

  People would probably have thought he was an idiot if he described Spencer’s body as made for sex, but to him, it was. He liked a lot of other things about Spencer—his brains, his way of looking at the world, his smile—but he couldn’t deny that the sex was hot, too.

  Spencer laughed, arching his back as Jesse kept kissing his way down, pausing to lap at one nipple, and then the other, just enough to tease, to leave him wanting.

  “You wanna turn over, or…?” Jesse asked.

  Spencer shook his head. “I want you like this.” He reached out, letting his fingers trail down Jesse’s cheek, then his neck, changing directions at his collarbone to trace the line of a tattoo there.

  “I love you,” he added, soft and reverent.

  Sometimes, when Spencer talked about Jesse, he used the same tone as he did when he talked about the stars. This was one of those times.

  That was how Jesse knew Spencer meant it when he said he was in love with him. He’d never felt more honored in his life.

  “Love you, too,” Jesse murmured.

  Spencer pressed the tube of lubricant into his hand, silently urging him to get on with it. Jesse smiled to himself. Spencer was definitely not afraid to ask for what he wanted, even if he didn’t always ask verbally.

  That was one of the things Jesse loved most about their relationship. They didn’t need to say everything out loud in order to communicate.

  He kept kissing his way down to Spencer’s stomach, and then pulled himself up to his knees to kneel between Spencer’s legs. Spencer lifted one knee to give Jesse easier access, but otherwise made himself comfortable on the bed, lying back.