by Ariel Tachna
That thought got an amused snort. As if lying back and letting Jaime finger fuck him was something to be endured. Something to be treasured, to be enjoyed, to be coveted, perhaps, but not something to be endured. It felt far too good for that.
“What?” Jaime asked, not sure what to make of the sound.
“Nothing,” Srikkanth rasped. “Just thinking how good it feels.”
Jaime was skeptical, but he accepted the explanation because he had far more important things to occupy his mind, like making Srikkanth scream in ecstasy. Adding a second finger next to the first, he began shunting them with more force in and out of the tight passage. Srikkanth’s muscles were relaxing slowly around him, but not fast enough for him to move on. He scissored his fingers, stretching the guardian ring more deliberately, his eyes fixed on Srikkanth’s face as he watched for any sign of pain. He’d rather postpone their lovemaking than do anything that would hurt his lover. Srikkanth gave no indication of discomfort, much to Jaime’s relief, his body moving in time with the fingering, lifting to meet the inward thrusts, increasing the rhythm of Jaime’s ingress.
Wanting to wind Srikkanth even more tightly, Jaime bent and licked a long stripe up the length of Srikkanth’s cock from root to leaking tip, lingering at the head to suck it clean.
“Oh, fuck,” Srikkanth moaned. “Jaime!”
“Yes, amante?”
“Please,” Srikkanth begged. “Fuck me already.”
Jaime smiled and lifted his head, adding a third finger into Srikkanth’s passage as he reached for the condom with his unoccupied hand. He tore the wrapping open with his teeth and rolled it onto his aching cock one-handed. Even prepared, though, he didn’t remove his fingers immediately, focusing deliberately on Srikkanth’s prostate, massaging it repeatedly until Srikkanth was thrashing on the bed, a constant stream of moans coming from his lips. For a moment, Jaime considered bringing him off that way, just to make sure he was fully relaxed, but he didn’t have the patience to wait until Srikkanth was ready a second time. Not tonight, when he’d already waited so long and his emotions were already running so high. He’d just have to be careful and go slow.
Carefully withdrawing his fingers, he moved between Srikkanth’s legs, lifting one ankle to his shoulder and draping the other around his hip so he would have uninhibited access to his lover’s body. Srikkanth moved eagerly into the configuration he proposed, reaching toward Jaime’s cock, clearly intending to urge him on. Jaime caught his lover’s hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it gently, then setting it aside. “Lie back and let me take care of you,” he insisted.
Srikkanth groaned, but that was the extent of his protest. Instead, he used the leg around Jaime’s waist to tug him closer. Jaime leaned over him, balancing on one hand as he lined up and pressed inside Srikkanth’s hot body, his gaze glued on the sight of his cock disappearing into Srikkanth’s tight hole. Even after all the time he’d spent preparing his lover, he still felt like he would barely fit inside, so forcefully did the guardian muscle squeeze around him. “Are you all right?” he gasped, not wanting to hurt Srikkanth.
“I’m fine,” Srikkanth grunted. “Better than fine. Move, damn it!”
That was all the encouragement Jaime needed, letting his control ease a little as he slid the rest of the way home, the feeling of being sheathed in Srikkanth’s body nearly overwhelming. He took a deep breath as their groins met, trying to steady his nerves, but the combined scents of incense, Srikkanth’s cologne and their arousal hit him hard, leaving him even more precariously on edge than before. He began to move, trying to keep his thrusts steady. He doubted seriously he succeeded, but Srikkanth didn’t seem to mind if the way he was writhing and moaning was any indication.
“Please,” Srikkanth begged, lost in the haze of desire that Jaime had inspired.
Jaime leaned forward to kiss Srikkanth, the movement lifting Srikkanth’s hips off the bed and changing the angle of his penetration. “Oh, God, Jaime!”
Srikkanth’s ankle slipped from Jaime’s shoulder as their lips met and clung, Jaime’s hips moving faster and faster until they were both grunting hard in rhythm with the pummeling. Jaime wanted the moment to go on forever, but his body betrayed him, the premonitory quivers beginning at the base of his spine. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to stave off his climax much longer, he slipped a hand between their bodies to find Srikkanth’s leaking erection, circling it with his fist and pumping it in time to his thrusts. Srikkanth threw his head back with a hoarse shout, his cock twitching as it spilled all over Jaime’s hand and his own stomach. The spasms of his orgasm massaged Jaime’s cock, triggering his own release. He collapsed forward onto Srikkanth, unmindful of the sticky mess between them or the full condom he’d have to deal with soon. He wanted to simply lie there and wallow in the wonderful stickiness, the heady smell of their semen blending with the incense, the tickle of Srikkanth’s heavy breathing against his temple. Reality would interfere soon enough. He’d hold it at bay for as long as he could.
Eventually, Srikkanth shifted beneath him, a slight moan escaping his lips. Jaime pulled back immediately, afraid he’d hurt his lover. The last thing he wanted was to end an otherwise amazing evening by causing Srikkanth pain of any kind. “You all right?” he verified.
“Never better,” Srikkanth promised, “but you were getting a little heavy.” He reached for Jaime, pulling him back down next to him and snuggling into his embrace again.
“Let me get rid of the condom and we can do this all night,” Jaime proposed.
Srikkanth chuckled. “Do you think Sophie will let us?”
“Probably not,” Jaime agreed, tying off the condom and throwing it in the trash can, “but we can lie here together until she makes us get up.”
Srikkanth smiled and ran his finger down Jaime’s back as he turned away to switch off the light. He could feel the shiver that went down his lover’s spine at even that innocent touch and wondered how soon Jaime would be interested in another round. Maybe when he got up to feed Sophie, he’d see if he could find the stash of condoms Jaime had referred to. Just in case.
“Do much of that and I’m going to make you go downstairs now instead of in the morning,” Jaime warned, turning back into Srikkanth’s arms and pulling the sheet over them.
Srikkanth laughed with the joy of it all. “I was just thinking about getting them when I get up with Sophie,” he admitted.
Jaime leaned over and kissed Srikkanth tenderly. “Sounds perfect to me.”
Chapter 19
“How did it go?” Jaime asked when Srikkanth got home.
“Really well,” Srikkanth replied, his bemusement clear in his voice and on his face. “The kids were really interested and asked serious questions about the process and the profession.”
“Then what’s with the look on your face?” Jaime inquired.
Srikkanth shook his head. “Since when is it cool to have a gay brother? And for that gay brother’s boyfriend to come to talk to your class?”
Jaime’s brow wrinkled. “What?”
“Diana came running up to me the minute I walked into her class, giving me a big hug and introducing me to all her friends as her brother’s boyfriend,” Srikkanth recounted. “Not a single one of them so much as blinked. If anything, they seemed even more excited about what I had to say after she said that. And I heard them in the hall after class talking about how cool it was that I’d come in and asking her if her brother was as hot as his boyfriend.”
“They were raised on Queer as Folk and Brokeback Mountain and Torchwood and the like,” Jaime reminded Srikkanth. “Being gay isn’t as stigmatized as it was even a few years ago. I’m not saying it’s perfectly accepted, and I’m sure Diana introduced you that way to people she knew would react positively. She never let Mamá see it, but she started wearing a rainbow bracelet after I came out. I’d pick her up at school sometimes and she’d have it on. Even before we started dating, I doubt she was friends with many people who would scorn us.”
/> That made sense to Srikkanth, in a backwards sort of way. Even so…. “I would’ve had a far easier time of it if things had been like that when I was in high school.”
“Me too,” Jaime agreed with a laugh. “Thank you again for doing this for her. Popularity aside, it means a lot to me that you’d make the effort to rearrange your schedule so you could go and talk to her class.”
“My boss was cool with it,” Srikkanth assured him. “He said it was great publicity for the company both in terms of future recruiting and in terms of community-mindedness. He was even talking about setting up a work study. I could probably go once a month and he’d willingly give me the time.”
Jaime laughed. “Diana wouldn’t know what to do with herself with all the attention. I’m glad your boss understood, but you’re still the one who made the effort.”
“Family is important,” Srikkanth said simply.
Jaime’s breath caught. Srikkanth had made more and more comments to that effect in the month since they’d first had Sunday dinner with his family. They’d gone back every week, as much at Srikkanth’s insistence as because Jaime wanted to visit. His mother and Paula had kept Sophie at least once each week and had hinted they’d love to see her even more often. Srikkanth hadn’t said yes or no yet, but with Sophie beginning to scoot around, although she hadn’t quite managed to crawl yet, Jaime suspected it wouldn’t be long until Srikkanth gave in and let them keep her at least part of every day. Each time they were over, Alvaro would repeat his warning about Sophie not staying where they put her much longer, to Jaime’s increasing amusement. He wasn’t sure his brother could be any more smitten with the little girl. It wouldn’t be long, Jaime was sure, before Sophie started crawling, and when that happened, Srikkanth would have a much more difficult time taking care of her while he worked. And that wouldn’t be the last challenge they’d have to face.
“I’ve been thinking,” Jaime said slowly. “What would you think about making us a family legally?”
“What?” Srikkanth asked, not sure how to interpret Jaime’s question.
“I know a piece of paper won’t make us more of a couple than we are now, won’t make us love each other more or make me more important to Sophie, but it will matter when she gets older and starts school and—”
“Wait,” Srikkanth interrupted. “Slow down. What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I love you and I want us to get married. I want to spend the rest of my life as your husband,” Jaime clarified. “I want to adopt Sophie and make us a family in the eyes of the law too. I want to know that if you weren’t available, I’d be able to make decisions about Sophie’s welfare. I want to be the one they call if something ever happens to you.”
“As long as it isn’t just about Sophie,” Srikkanth said slowly.
“Of course it’s not just about Sophie,” Jaime protested. “I didn’t think I needed to tell you how much I love you, but if you need the extra reassurance, I’d be happy to—”
Srikkanth cut off the rush of words by the simple expedient of closing his lips over Jaime’s, kissing him tenderly until the flow of words ended. “Yes,” he said when he lifted his head, “I’ll marry you. I’ll make a family with you, you and me and Sophie. We’ll start the adoption process as soon as we figure out what that entails.”
Jaime pulled Srikkanth into his arms, kissing him hungrily, all hesitation gone now that he had the commitment from Srikkanth he’d wanted for so long. Laughing joyfully, he spun Srikkanth around. “We have to call Mamá. She’ll want a big wedding. She was an absolute demon when Lourdes got married, and with your mother not around to be involved, she’ll end up planning everything instead of just half of it.”
“I should call my parents,” Srikkanth said seriously. “I haven’t told them anything about Sophie or about you. It’s not like we talk very often, with the time difference and all, and I didn’t know how to explain, and it was just easier not to mention it, but it’s bad enough they don’t know about their granddaughter yet. I can’t get married and not tell them.”
Jaime nodded. “Do you want me to stay with you while you call?”
Srikkanth paused for a moment, calculating the time difference with India. “They’re eleven and a half hours ahead of us. It’ll be early morning there, but I think I can go ahead and call. I can catch them before they leave for work.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Jaime repeated, Srikkanth’s answer no answer at all.
“If you don’t mind,” Srikkanth said, his voice bordering on desperate.
“Of course,” Jaime said. “That’s why I asked. Let’s go. The sooner we call, the sooner it’ll be done, and then we can go have dinner with Mamá.”
“Is she expecting us for dinner?” Srikkanth asked.
“No, but since when has that mattered? If we don’t stay, she’ll send us home with enough food for a week anyway, so we may as well eat it with her. And if you think she’ll let us get away after we tell her we’re getting married, you don’t know my mother.” Jaime didn’t say that he hoped his family’s excitement would offset any negative reaction from Srikkanth’s parents. Maybe he was worrying for nothing. Maybe there wouldn’t be a negative reaction, especially if Srikkanth told them about Sophie at the same time.
Jaime followed Srikkanth upstairs to their room, sitting on the bed and pulling Srikkanth between his legs and back against his chest so his lover was surrounded by him before he even picked up the phone. “Here goes nothing,” Srikkanth muttered as he started dialing.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Pit,” Srikkanth said quietly. “Do you and M have time to talk for a bit? I have some news.”
“Hold on a minute, betta,” his father said. He could hear his father’s voice calling his mother to come to the phone.
“Hello, betta,” his mother said as soon as she picked up the phone. “Your father says you have news.”
“A lot of news,” Srikkanth agreed. “Do you remember my friend Jill?”
His parents both made sounds of agreement.
“She died about eight months ago,” Srikkanth said slowly. “She developed eclampsia when she was giving birth. The baby, Sophie, survived, but she didn’t.”
“Oh, Srikkanth, I’m so sorry,” his mother began. “I know how close you were, but why are you only calling to tell us about her now?”
“Because things have been a little busy since then,” Srikkanth replied honestly. There was no easy way to reveal the rest of the story to his parents, the very reason he hadn’t called sooner. “Sophie is my daughter too, and it’s been a huge adjustment having her here at the house.”
He held the phone away from his ear and waited for the inevitable explosion. It came in a torrent of garbled Hindi, his parents speaking over one another so fast he couldn’t even make out what they were saying.
When they finally slowed down enough for him to speak again, he tried to address the questions he’d managed to understand. “No, we didn’t get married, and no, we weren’t a couple. She wanted a baby and asked me to go to the fertility clinic with her. I did, and that was supposed to be the end of it, but when she died, I couldn’t let Sophie go to strangers, so I kept her. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to start in on me coming home or marrying some nice Indian girl. I’m not interested in marrying any girl. I am, however, getting married, which is the rest of what I called to tell you.”
Complete silence met that declaration.
Srikkanth’s eyes closed at the lack of reaction. “I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll let you go.”
“No, wait, betta,” his mother said. “You call us out of the blue and you tell us all these things. You have to give us time to get used to the changes. Who are you marrying?”
“Jaime,” Srikkanth replied. “I couldn’t have taken care of Sophie without him, and we fell in love. He wants to adopt Sophie. I think his family has already adopted her and me both.”
“Your housemate Jaime?” Srikkanth’s father ve
rified.
“Yes,” Srikkanth replied.
Another long pause followed.
“When will this happen?”
“We haven’t set a date,” Srikkanth said. “We just decided to get married today.”
“We will need a date if we’re to apply for visas to come,” Srikkanth’s mother said. “As soon as you have one, tell us.”
“You don’t have to do that. I know how much it costs,” Srikkanth protested.
“We may not be able to anyway,” Srikkanth’s father warned. “Several of our friends have been turned down for visas recently because they used to live in the States or because they’d visited too many times in the past few years, but we will apply once you give us a date. The rest is up to the bureaucrats.”