by Ariel Tachna
“Love you too,” Seth said when they paused for a breath.
“Ready to go to sleep?” Jason asked.
Seth could have said no. He could have insisted they take the arousal shimmering between them to its logical conclusion, but saying yes came so naturally.
“Then turn off the light,” Jason said.
Seth rolled away to reach for the lamp, but he stopped for a moment before he clicked it off to look at Jason in all his naked glory and to marvel that he was here with Seth.
“Turn off the light,” Jason repeated. “You can ogle me in the morning.”
Seth laughed and switched off the light. Jason pulled the covers over them and snuggled back against Seth, his arse pressed firmly against Seth’s groin. He reached back and popped the waistband on Seth’s boxers. “You could take those off too.”
Seth almost said no out of habit, but he didn’t want to say no. He finished undressing and spooned back up behind Jason. His cock fit perfectly against the crease of Jason’s arse. Jason let out a breathy sigh and pulled Seth’s arm around him.
“Sleep well.”
Seth squeezed Jason’s hand. “You too.”
Nineteen
“THANKS AGAIN, Chris,” Seth called as he escaped his brother’s clutches with two bottles of Tooheys. He and Jason really needed to make a trip to Boorowa. They couldn’t keep drinking Chris’s beer forever. He had a day off coming up, if his trip to Taylor Peak hadn’t forfeited it, so maybe he could go then. He’d have to talk to Caine. For now, though, he needed to get these in the fridge at home before the February sun sucked all the cold out of them. Jason would be home soon, and Seth hoped he’d enjoy the cold beer.
He heard the water running as soon as he crossed the threshold. An image of Jason naked and dripping wet flashed through his mind. He stashed the beer and headed toward the bedroom. He didn’t have to just imagine anymore. He had every right to walk into the bathroom and join Jason in the shower if he wanted. They were lovers. They’d moved in together and everything. He didn’t have to torture himself with the thought of Jason with someone else now. Jason was with him.
The sound of the water stopped. Seth grinned. That meant Jason was done and would be coming out of the bathroom soon. If he got lucky, maybe Jason wouldn’t have taken clothes into the bathroom with him. Seconds later, the bathroom door opened and Jason stepped out in only a towel, short dark hair still dripping water onto his shoulders—his completely bare, broad shoulders. Seth stopped and just drank in the sight of him, all toned muscle hewn by years of work on the station. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d dreamed of seeing Jason this way. He’d seen Jason shirtless before, as many times as they’d slept over at each other’s houses as kids, but it had never been like this. Even curling up naked to sleep last night hadn’t been like this. This was…. Seth didn’t have the words for it, but words didn’t matter. Jason was here, warm and clean and wet, and Seth could act on all the fantasies he’d never allowed to come to full fruition. He could pick any one of them or any of the scenarios Jason had woven on the phone while Seth was at Taylor Peak or he could invent something new all on his own.
“Like what you see?” Jason teased.
“Fuck yeah,” Seth replied roughly.
“Then what are you waiting for?” Jason’s voice rubbed along Seth’s skin like velvet, making every hair on his body stand up on end. He took a step forward without realizing he’d moved, but once he was in motion, nothing could stop him. He crowded into Jason’s space and grabbed his hips, pulling their bodies together. Jason grinned at him, that same shit-eating grin that had tortured Seth in his dreams for ten years. Nothing would do now but to kiss that grin away until Jason was too breathless to look at him like that.
Jason kissed him back desperately, all teeth and tongue and burning passion. Seth tugged on the towel until it fell away, leaving Jason completely naked in his arms. Jason took a step toward the bedroom, causing Seth to stumble. They fell against the wall with Jason pinned between it and Seth’s body. Seth ran his hands over Jason’s flanks. “Didn’t you tell me a story that started out like this?”
“Do you remember how it ended?” Jason said in reply.
Fuck, did he ever. He’d never come so hard from his own hand as he had that night, imagining Jason riding his cock. He reached around to cup Jason’s arse in his hand. “You’ll have to show me what to do.”
Jason wriggled out from between Seth and the wall and grabbed Seth’s hand. “Gladly.” He tugged Seth toward the bedroom. Seth followed eagerly, although not without taking the time to ogle Jason as they went. He didn’t know what he’d done to get this lucky, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to complain.
When they reached the bedroom, Jason turned back to Seth and tugged his shirt over his head. Seth lifted his arms to help, then popped the button on his jeans and shrugged them off. He was still acutely aware of the healing cut on his leg, but it hadn’t interfered the night before. He wouldn’t let it interfere now. He couldn’t very well make love to Jason the way he wanted to with his trousers still on.
Seth had seen Jason toss condoms and some lube on the table by their bed that morning when he unpacked some of his belongings, looking for clean socks, but as tempted as he was to reach for them, Jason’s body was a feast of epic proportions that Seth could finally explore without restriction. Rushing straight to the main course would be a waste of the perfect opportunity.
Jason grinned at him like he knew what Seth was thinking and stretched out on the bed. He patted the space beside him encouragingly. “Join me?”
Seth threw himself on the bed next to Jason. Jason turned to meet him with a torrid kiss. Seth ran his hands frantically over as much of Jason’s body as he could reach. He needed to touch, to prove to himself that this was real, not just another dream that would disappear with the first hint of morning. It couldn’t be a dream. His dreams had never taken place in any recognizable location. Jason was just as eager, if the way he touched Seth in return was any indication. Seth arched and turned into Jason’s hands. It felt so fucking good to be touched. Jason kept his mouth as busy as his hands, licking and kissing along Seth’s neck and shoulder as Seth writhed beneath the touch. He had a flash of Jason listing all the places he’d like to put his mouth. His whole body throbbed in anticipation. Which ones would Jason act on tonight? How soon could Seth talk him into the ones he didn’t act on tonight?
It would be so easy to lie back and let Jason take charge. He had the experience to blow Seth’s mind, but Seth wasn’t a selfish lover. He knew what it felt like to be the one doing all the work with little to no reciprocation before the final act. He wouldn’t do that to Jason.
He focused on Jason’s reactions through the haze of need disrupting his concentration and ran his hands over Jason’s torso, seeking his sensitive spots and how he liked to be touched. The brush of his fingers over Jason’s nipple elicited a soft hiss, the rush of air tickling Seth’s neck. A firmer touch made Jason groan and squirm against Seth. Firmer touch it was.
He pinched and tweaked and rubbed over Jason’s nipple until he was gasping more than he was kissing Seth’s neck. Seth propped himself up on one elbow so he could see Jason’s face. He didn’t doubt the sincerity of his reaction, but he wanted to see. He was the one who was making Jason feel this way. He was the one Jason wanted.
“See?” Jason said between groans. “I told you you’d figure it out. It’s not all that different than sex with a woman.”
Seth huffed out a laugh and moved his hand down Jason’s body to encircle his cock. “This is.”
Jason’s eyes rolled back in his head as Seth stroked him, much to Seth’s delight. “That’s—” Jason swallowed hard and focused back on Seth. “That’s no different than taking care of yourself.”
That’s where Jason was wrong, though. Touching Jason was nothing like touching himself. When he jerked off, he had one goal in mind: getting off as fast as possible. With Jason, he didn’t want to rush
the pleasure. He wanted to watch the expressions cross Jason’s face as things built between them to more than just physical release. They’d climax at the end of it, sure, but it wasn’t just about the rush to get there. This was so much more than sex. Last night had taught him that. It was about all the little gestures that went into getting to that point.
Jason retaliated by twisting on the bed so he could suck Seth’s nipple into his mouth. Seth groaned at the sensation, sparks dancing along his nerves. Fuck, it felt good to be touched. It felt even better knowing it was Jason touching him.
“You don’t have to stop,” Jason murmured against his skin. “Or you can get the lube and get me ready.”
Seth’s hands trembled as he reached for the little bottle on the table. He knew what to do in theory and from Jason’s descriptions on the phone, but that didn’t settle his nerves. He wanted this. He only hoped he didn’t fuck things up like he always did.
“Hey,” Jason said, drawing Seth’s attention back to his face. “We don’t have to do this tonight. We don’t ever have to do this if you don’t want to. Not all gay men like anal sex.”
“But you do,” Seth said.
“Well, yeah, but that’s not the point. There are plenty of other ways to make each other feel good. I give a mean blow job.”
Seth fell a little more in love at the thought that Jason wouldn’t pressure him. “I’ll take you up on that another night. I want to try. If I don’t like it, we can do other things instead.”
“Want me to talk you through it?”
Tempting as that was, Seth had his pride. “I’ll let you know if I have any questions.” He slicked his fingers and slipped his hand between Jason’s legs, spread wide to give him access. Jason went back to sucking at Seth’s skin, freeing Seth from the weight of his gaze. Seth worked his finger into the crease of Jason’s arse and found his target. He fumbled a little, not sure how much pressure to apply, but the muscles ceded easily to his touch, surrounding his finger in smooth heat. He pumped in and out a few times, trying to see what would feel best to Jason. Jason hummed his pleasure against Seth’s skin and arched into the caress. “A little deeper.”
Seth did as instructed and probed a little deeper until he felt a spongy bump. He started to ask Jason if that was the right spot, but Jason’s moan answered the question before the words could leave Seth’s mouth. He rubbed back and forth across it for the sheer joy of watching Jason react to his touch. Every pass elicited another moan and a jerk of Jason’s hips. His cock rested against his belly, hard as nails and shiny at the tip. Seth wondered what Jason would taste like. He’d find out another night. One thing at a time and all that.
Remembering Jason’s descriptions, he added a second finger.
“Fuck, you feel good,” Jason gasped. “You sure you haven’t done this before?”
“It’s like you said. Not so different, at least not from this end. My dick isn’t going in your arse without some foreplay.”
“Smartarse,” Jason teased, but he pulled Seth down for a kiss. Seth kissed him hungrily, not stopping the movement of his fingers, even if the angle made it awkward now. Jason didn’t expect him to be a suave, experienced lover. He loved Seth despite his inexperience.
“You could turn around a bit so I could suck you while you finish stretching me,” Jason said, so hopefully Seth almost said yes despite his better judgment.
“I’ll go off the second you put your mouth on me. It’d be amazing, but it wouldn’t end with me fucking you tonight. I really want to fuck you tonight.”
Jason reached for a condom. “Then get this on and get busy. I’ve been waiting ten years for this.”
“No way you were thinking about me like this ten years ago,” Seth said as he did as Jason directed.
“I started having wet dreams about you a week after you arrived,” Jason replied. “I never said anything because you never gave the slightest hint of being gay or bi. How many times did I hear you tell Chris and Jesse that not everyone in the house was gay? I knew you wouldn’t care that I was gay—and you didn’t when I finally told you—but I didn’t figure you’d want to know I was dreaming about you.”
They’d wasted so much time. Seth didn’t want to wait anymore. He rolled between Jason’s legs and lined up with his target. “This okay?”
Jason laughed and lifted his hips to rub his arse against Seth’s cock. “It will be as soon as you move. I want you inside me. Now.”
Seth pressed forward, fighting the lingering resistance, and then his cock popped through and he was inside Jason. He couldn’t breathe. It was so much more than he’d imagined. He thought he might shake apart from the import, the overpowering intimacy of the moment. Ten years he’d waited for this, and now he had it. He had the whole fucking shebang—house, dog, lover, love of his life. He was home.
“I’m not going to last long,” he warned Jason.
Jason grunted and clenched around him. “Then you’d better make the most of it.”
Seth tried to summon a glare, but he was sure he only managed to look like a besotted fool. He didn’t care. Jason knew Seth was totally gone over him. He thrust experimentally, trying to find a rhythm and range of motion that would make Jason feel as good as Seth already felt. Jason grabbed his shoulders and tilted his head up for a kiss. Seth didn’t know if he could do both at once, but he wouldn’t deny Jason a kiss. He lost himself in Jason’s mouth, lingering over the caress until Jason smacked his arse.
“Move.”
Seth buried his face in the crook of Jason’s neck as he began to thrust again. Jason clenched around him again, his chest heaving beneath Seth’s. A couple more thrusts were enough to push him over the edge. His whole body spasmed as he climaxed.
Jason’s cock pressed against his abdomen. Feeling guilty, Seth rolled to the side and wrapped his hand around Jason’s erection. “I’ll do better next time,” he promised as he stroked the thick shaft.
“You’re fine,” Jason said hoarsely. “Just keep doing that and loving me.” Seth obliged. It only took a few strokes for Jason to come as well, spattering Seth’s hand with hot fluid. Seth dealt with the condom and grabbed his discarded boxers to clean them up a little. Jason watched him with thinly disguised impatience. As soon as Seth dropped the soiled cloth on the ground again, Jason pulled him down and cuddled against him. “Better than any fantasy,” he murmured sleepily.
Seth held on tight and stared at the ceiling as Jason fell asleep next to him. He only hoped Jason didn’t change his mind about that down the road.
Twenty
“EVERYTHING LOOKS in order,” Caine said as he picked up a pen to sign the paperwork Sam had drawn up to codify the investment partnership they had proposed the week before. He set the pen to paper and then glanced up at Macklin. “Do you want to read over it first?”
Macklin shook his head, much to Jeremy’s amusement. “You’re the businessman, not me,” Macklin said. “Sign it so I can.”
Caine chuckled and signed at the end of the document. He handed it to Macklin to do the same.
“Walker already signed his copy,” Sam said. “His terms were a little different since the investment wasn’t the same amount.”
Caine looked across the room at Walker. “The amount of money isn’t important. You still have equal say in any decisions we have to make.”
“Sam and Jeremy already made that quite clear,” Walker replied. “I haven’t seen anything on Lang Downs or in any of the decisions Sam and Jeremy have made on Taylor Peak that I would question, so I don’t see it being a problem. We seem to share the same opinions on running a station and dealing with the men.”
“Good. That’s the formalities taken care of. Shall we celebrate?” Caine asked.
“I asked Neil to gather up the year-rounders,” Macklin said. “They should be on their way over. We’ll tell them first and then tell the seasonal jackaroos at dinner. It won’t have nearly as much effect on them as it will on the year-rounders.”
Jeremy pr
eferred it that way anyway. They’d get to tell their friends the way they would share any good news with friends, instead of a more businesslike announcement in the canteen.
“We won’t all fit in here,” Caine said. “Let’s go into the living room.”
Macklin led them into the living room. Jeremy turned to look for Caine, but he had disappeared deeper into the house. Jeremy had been in the office and living room countless times, but he had always considered the rest of the house private. Caine and Macklin didn’t come into his house uninvited. He wouldn’t take an invitation into the living room as permission to go elsewhere in the house.
Moments after they settled, the front door opened and Thorne and Ian came in.
“Hi, Nick,” Ian said immediately. “Neil didn’t say you were here.”
“Hi, Ian, Lachlan. I’ll let Caine and Sam explain,” Walker replied. Jeremy didn’t know how Ian had graduated into the very elite—two as far as he knew—group who called Walker by his first name, but it reminded him again that Walker was already part of this funny little family even before he invested in Taylor Peak.
“Settling in at Taylor Peak?” Thorne asked Walker.
“Yeah,” Walker said. “Getting to know the place and the people who work there.”
“Getting to know Phil, you mean,” Sam teased.
To Jeremy’s surprise, Walker flushed.
“Phil?” Thorne repeated.
“Philippa, the station cook,” Walker said, “but your life’s in your own hands if you call her by her full name.”
“Walker has taken to spending his time off haunting the kitchen,” Jeremy added.
“I’ll be damned,” Thorne said. “All these years and finally snared by a station cook.”
“I’m not snared,” Walker grumbled. “I enjoy her company and her cooking. I can’t very well socialize in the bunkhouse, and the year-rounders aren’t ready to count me as one of them either. Phil doesn’t care if I sit with her as long as I stay out of her way.”