And Julian didn’t have all the scars on that flat stomach. He went to Zachary and placed his palm carefully over the worst of them. “They must have hurt,” he whispered.
“Yes, at the time. It’s fine now. My leg and arm ache in the cold but I'm told that’s normal. The ribs…sometimes too.”
“Too close.” He bent and kissed the puckered, imperfect surface—shivers rippled under the skin, under his lips. “Don’t do that again.”
“I hadn’t planned on doing it the first time. Still, I don’t think that driver will run over another lawyer in a hurry.”
“She damn well better not.” The woman had been drunk and unlicensed and was looking at jail time. Zachary’s insurers were handling the civil suit against various parties. Zachary professed a complete lack of interest in the outcome, since he was now well and the woman was no longer a danger to any other pedestrians, but Julian wanted maximum retribution for what had been done to Zachary. “Come to bed.”
It was a huge bed, about the only luxurious thing in an otherwise ordinary room, so if Zachary’s fear of physical closeness overwhelmed him, he had plenty of room to escape. But right now, he didn’t seem to want to, and when Julian took him into his arms, he cuddled close as if he’d done it for years.
Julian kissed him, still besotted with the feel and shape of those perfect, kissable lips. Zachary was still rather passive, but willing just the same. There’d be time for him to take the upper hand later, if he wanted.
An indignant squeak came from the foot of the bed. Pyon sat there next to Linis—one of them was bitching, but Julian didn’t know which. “Uh uh—you arranged it, you don’t get to complain now.”
“Linis? Come here.”
Julian groaned to himself as Zachary’s kem strolled over and Zachary cuddled him close, nuzzling and petting him. Romance was finished for the evening…
But then Zachary sat up and firmly set Linis down at the end of the bed, giving Pyon a pet as he did so. “You two, go enjoy yourselves over there, and quietly, please. Yes, Pyon, you’re a good fellow. Thank you.” To Julian’s amazement, the two kems leapt off the bed together and onto the armchair where they proceeded to curl around each other and look for all the world like they were kissing. Zachary turned around to face Julian, who was still gaping. “You only have to ask nicely.”
“Would it have worked with you?”
Zachary smiled. “You’ll never know, will you.”
Julian held out his hand and tugged Zachary back to his side. “I do now.”
He kissed Zachary again, because kissing was good and they both liked it, while Zachary’s hands roved over his back, hesitantly gentle.
“Your skin…so soft.”
“Uh, that’s not usually something you say to a guy, Zachary.”
“I don’t care, it’s true. And not as flabby as it was when I met you. Ow.” Julian had tugged his earlobe. “It’s true.”
“It’s rude. It’s also stopping me kissing you, so decide if you want to talk about my former flab or be kissed.”
Zachary went very still and quiet.
“Well?” Julian demanded.
“I don’t want to talk. I spend all day doing that. I’ve spent all day…thinking about you kissing me. Please?”
Grinning, Julian turned off the light and obliged. Zachary tasted…clean and sweet and his clumsy style just felt so right, though it might have had something to do with the way he ground himself against Julian, almost unconsciously. Julian endured it as long as he could, but finally he pushed away, a little breathless. “Hey. If you keep that up, I'm going to need to change my underwear.”
“Oh, sorry.” Zachary sounded out of breath too. “We should stop.”
But he was hard, and Julian was horny, and no bloody way could he just go to sleep right now. “I’ve got an idea. Lie on your back and put your hands above your head.”
“Why?”
“Because then you won’t rip my hair out.” He threw back the covers, and put his hand over Zachary’s erection, trapped behind crisp cotton. “I'm going to take care of you, then I'm going to jerk off and then we’re going to sleep. Okay?”
“No.”
The light snapped on again, and Julian blinked against the glare. “What’s wrong? It doesn’t hurt.”
“I can’t see. And…uh…I could just masturbate. If you let me up…”
Julian put his hand firmly on Zachary’s stomach. “Stay,” he growled, but then laughed as one of the kems whined. “Shut up.”
“Julian, you don’t need to—”
“Look, Zachary, it’s not about need, it’s about me liking to.”
“Oh. Can I try it, then?”
Zachary giving him a blowjob. Julian nearly came on the spot at the thought. “Uh…better idea.” He put his hands at the waistband of Zachary’s underpants. “Coming off, okay?”
Zachary nodded, though he looked less than enthusiastic. Julian tugged the underwear down, and the trapped cock sprang to attention. Zachary, face flame red, went to cover it with his hands, but Julian pushed them aside. “No, let me look. Wow. I mean…wow.”
“You’re making fun of me.” Zachary tried to cover again, but Julian blocked his hands.
“No, I'm not.” He pulled the underpants all the way off so he could really appreciate the view. “Hello, gay person here. I like penises. And yours is…wow. Gorgeous.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Julian couldn’t stop staring. It was thick and long and man, those legs…he couldn’t see Zachary’s arse but he could imagine it…
Zachary was doing his best to hide, lifting his knee and turning, although all it did was show off his legs and set up a peekaboo show that turned Julian on even more. “Julian, this is incredibly embarrassing.”
Julian came back to himself and realised he’d been staring for well over a minute. “Oh. Oh, right.” He sat up, stripped off his own underwear and tossed both pairs onto the side table. “Now you can look.”
He even spread his legs, stroked himself a couple of times to give the man a show. “Well?”
Zachary sat up on his elbows, frowning at Julian’s erection in a way he didn’t find all that flattering. “I don’t have anything to compare it with. Sorry.”
“Oh right. Uh…okay.” Now he felt like an idiot. He reached for the light switch, realising he’d just moved far too soon, but Zachary forestalled him.
“Wait. I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”
“No?”
“No. I just…don’t know if it’s magnificent. Objectively, I mean. There might be others which are nicer. I don’t know.”
“Want me to find you some pictures so you can draw up a scale and a little bar graph?”
“If you like.”
Julian opened his mouth to yell but then saw the grin. “You’re a prick, Mr Ledbetter.”
“No, I have a prick. So do you. Uh…it’s very pretty.”
Julian rolled his eyes as he lay down next to his irritating companion. “I need to give you a lesson on the top ten things never to say to a man you want to have sex with, Zachary. ‘You have soft skin’ and ‘your penis is pretty’ are numbers one and two, okay? Followed up by ‘you look like your sister’ and ‘the doctor says it should clear up in no time if I keep using the cream.’”
“I’ll make a note. I’ve never met your sisters and I don’t have any diseases, so I think I'm safe.”
“Only if I don’t murder you before morning,” Julian muttered. And this had seemed such a good idea a few minutes ago.
“I'm sorry,” Zachary said, putting his arm over him and kissing him on the corner of his pouting mouth. “What was your idea?”
“Idea? Oh…um, well, masturbation. Only you do me and I’ll do you.”
“Put my hand on it?”
Julian couldn't tell if he was revolted or surprised. “Obviously we didn’t show you the right romantic films, did we? Yes, Zachary, you put your hand on my cock, and I put mine on yours and…well,
if you tell me you don’t know what to do then, this isn’t going anywhere.”
“I…hadn’t really thought about the mechanics. Just the…holding and kissing bit. I should have looked it up,” he said, mouth turned down sorrowfully.
Great. I'm in bed with a gorgeous man who thinks gay sex is icky. Sex full stop is icky. Julian did his best to smile. “Hey, it’s not a big deal. We could just go to…oh, oh…”
Zachary had wrapped his big hand around Julian’s cock and given it an experimental stroke. After months and months of celibacy, it was almost too damn much.
“Oh…don’t…d-don’t stop!” Julian gasped out, arching his back against the too wonderful sensation.
Either Zachary was a natural or Julian was just damn desperate, but it hardly seemed any time at all before the firm, capable strokes from that warm, dry-skinned hand had him coming so hard he could do little but grab at Zachary’s arm and hold on as he rode it.
He came back to himself as Zachary reached for the complimentary tissues on the side table to wipe his hand. He blinked as Zachary cleaned up, dropped the tissues into the bin and then turned to look at Julian with an anxious expression. “Was that okay?”
“You’ve really not done that before?”
“Well, not to someone else, no. I didn’t…uh…think people did that. It felt good?”
“No, dreadful. You need to practice lots and lots. On me, because I’d hate anyone else to suffer like that.” Zachary looked worried. “Joking, sheesh.” He tugged him down to kiss him and stroke his arm. “It was really, really nice. How did it feel for you?”
“Uh…odd? But…right, too. Like…yes, this is how it should be. Is that…what it’s normally like?”
“No. Because there’s no ‘normal’, and you’re nothing like any guy I’ve ever slept with. That’s not a bad thing. Lie back.”
“Why?”
“Because people can say what they like about me but they can’t say I leave anyone hanging. Lie back, and if you pull my hair I'm going to bite you.”
“People pull your hair?”
“Right out at the root. Hurts like hell.”
“Then I won’t do that, but why would I pull your…Julian!”
Julian grinned but didn’t stop what he was doing. Zachary’s thick, gorgeous cock was a hell of a mouthful, but worth every single inch. He got his hand between the long, muscled thighs and urged them apart so he could hold Zachary’s heavy, perfect balls. Oh man, he was sweet.
He was so into it, tasting and feeling and just having, that the babbles and pleas and groans were just background music, though he did jump when Zachary’s hands landed on his shoulder and clenched into desperate fists. Not my hair, mate. I warned you. But the hair was safe and he could be as greedy as he liked, swallowing every inch and every drop and every surprised cry, knowing he was the very first to have any of this, and that Zachary would always remember this, no matter what came after.
He sat up, flushed with pleasure and some pride. He was good at blowjobs, and that one…was one of his better efforts.
Zachary looked like he’d been whacked on the head with a wooden plank, blinking, wide-eyed, and mouth open.
“Hey,” Julian said, sliding up alongside him. “You okay?”
Zachary threw his arms around him and kissed him artlessly, desperately. “That was so…I had no idea…we'll do that again?”
Julian laughed. “Yes, we can. But not tonight.” He stroked Zachary’s smooth cheek. “I can’t believe no one snapped you up before. You’re just…so…”
“Pretty?” Zachary said dryly.
“Gorgeous.”
“My looks are nothing to be proud of.”
“Not your looks, dummy. You. In here.” He poked Zachary’s chest, then kissed the spot. “You’re…amazingly likeable.”
“No, I'm not.”
Julian grinned at the glare. “Yes, you are. And gorgeous. And you have a beautiful, big cock.”
Zachary frowned. “No one’s ever complimented me for any of those things before.”
Julian kissed him on the frown lines and then on the lips. “Because people are stupid and you’re good at hiding. But now I’ve discovered your secret, Mr Ledbetter. Be prepared to be invaded.”
“I suspect I’ll be a lot more worried about that in the morning.”
“Maybe. Goodnight.” He switched the light off, and then nearly jumped out of bed with fright as a large furry mass leapt on him from a great height. The mewling, squeaking bodies turned out to be their kems, of course. He grabbed Pyon and cuddled him, and then found Linis and petted him as well, his hands brushing over Zachary’s. “And good night to you little meddlers too.”
Two identical squeaks greeted his words and Zachary laughed. “I think they’re pointing out that one of the meddlers is missing.”
“Yes. I plan to have words with him when we get back.” He found Zachary’s face in the darkness and kissed it. “Sleep well.”
“Julian…you’re very handsome too.”
“And my cock?”
“Is also amazingly likeable.”
Julian grinned. “Good answer.”
Pyon and Linis set up a nest between them, Zachary slinging a loose arm over Julian and the kems. “I could get used to this so easily,” Zachary whispered. “But…then if I lost it…”
“You’d survive, and you wouldn’t be alone. Be brave, Zachary. It’s not as hard as it looks from the outside.”
“I…can’t do this alone.” A long pause. “I’ve never been in that position before.”
“It’s okay to lean on other people. I like being leant on. Trust me.”
“I’d rather trust Linis. He approves so it must be all right.”
Julian grinned into the dark. “Whatever works. ‘Night.”
Chapter 11
He woke in a tight little nest of kems and Zachary and the smile lasted all day. They spent most of it in a group with other people, exploring and birdwatching, but there was still time to be alone together, to exchange looks, or brush hands as they passed each other. After lunch, Linis and Pyon preferred a more direct approach, swapping between Zachary and Julian, so Linis rode on Julian’s shoulders, and Pyon in Zachary’s arms. Zachary gave Julian a little smile each time he stroked Pyon’s fur, knowing perfectly well what he was doing.
I’ve created a monster, Julian thought, though he wasn’t actually sorry.
They barely made it through the admittedly delicious dinner, before returning to the luxurious suite Leo had arranged for them and making good use of the bed. Zachary turned out to be a fast learner when it came to blow jobs, and a lot less fastidious than Julian expected. He didn’t know much about this gay sex thing, but he was more than happy to let Julian teach him. Also eager and sweet and shy which worried Julian because getting this wrong would be awful. He wanted this to be a good thing for Zachary, wherever it went. He was romantic enough to hope it would last forever, realistic enough to know the odds were that it might not. Whatever happened, he needed them to be friends. That meant patience, humour and kindness. The surprise was in finding that it didn’t all go one way.
They held hands on the marine tour, Zachary not giving a damn who saw them, to Julian’s delight. When they arrived back in the city, and walked into the apartment, Leo knew something had changed the second he saw them. He clasped his hands together and grinned. “Oh, my dear, dear boys.”
Julian walked over and poked a finger at him. “You knew.”
“I hoped.”
Zachary raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Leo.”
“Yes, nephew? You have a complaint?”
“Perhaps not.” And then he delighted Julian by coming to his side and putting his hand on his shoulder. “We had a wonderful time. Thank you.”
“Well worth it.” Julian had to smile at Leo’s obvious glee. “Now, supper?”
There was a brief and highly embarrassing conversation where Leo debated the pros and cons of whether Julian and Zachary should sleep in
Zachary’s apartment or Leo’s. This was before Julian and Zachary had even decided if they would be sleeping together more than occasionally, and before Julian had really thought about whether he wanted Leo to know all about his sex life with his nephew.
“Uncle Leo,” Zachary finally said, firmly but not unkindly. “This is private. Julian can do as he wishes. He’s welcome downstairs, I know I'm welcome here. You can’t plan everything in my life.”
“I just want you two to feel you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Well, we do,” Julian said. “Zachary, we’ll take turns. Tonight, here. Tomorrow, there.”
“Making a rather large assumption, aren’t you? I do have to work tomorrow.”
Julian flushed, but before he could stammer out an apology, Leo smacked Zachary’s hand. “Don’t tease, you horrible man. You know you want him tonight and tomorrow and the rest of it. If you don’t, you’re insane. Julian’s a catch, and if you don’t appreciate him, I’ll find someone who does.”
Julian thought his face would catch fire, he was so embarrassed. “Leo!”
Zachary only smiled. “That won’t be necessary, Uncle Leo. I assure you, he’s very much appreciated, and was before this development. As are you,” he said, bowing his head a little. “Though you’re an incorrigible meddler.”
“Always, and always will be. Now…dessert?”
Later, in his room, with the door firmly closed against curious ears, Julian sat astride Zachary’s narrow hips and pressed his arms back beside his head, trapping him. “Appreciated, huh?”
“Very much. Why else would I put up with you?”
“You’re a—”
“Prick, yes. That won’t change, I suspect.”
Julian bent down and kissed him long and tenderly. “No” he murmured. “It already has.”
Chapter 12
“Thank God that’s over,” Julian muttered, yanking his necktie off and stuffing it into his pocket. Pyon immediately fetched it out and managed to wrap it around his head—Julian didn’t care, he hated the damn thing. “You are sooo lucky not to have siblings,” he said to Zachary who’d been watching the photographs with his usual cool superiority. “Where’s Leo?” The marquee was crammed with people, and stuffy and far too hot, even though outside it was freezing cold with fresh snow on the ground. Why the hell had his brother wanted to get married in midwinter? Crazy.
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