Finding Home

by Meg Harding

  “Come here,” said Chase, and his voice was husky and raw. He hooked a finger in Jaden’s shirt collar and tugged for emphasis. At some point during his orgasm, Jaden had pushed himself up so he was straddling Chase once more, probably so he could watch. But Chase wanted him close again, wanted to be covered by his slimmer body, wanted to kiss all the angles of his face and his sweet, bitten lips.

  Growing up, Chase always pictured his life as something out of a movie. He’d have the big fancy house, and the sports car that cost a fortune, and he’d go to parties for the rich and famous. He’d be living a life most could only dream of, could only see when they turned on the TV—or, nowadays, got on Instagram. He never once thought he’d find his movie moment while lying on a beach, spent from one hell of an orgasm, with a man on top of him, kissing like his life depended on never stopping.

  He never thought he could have this, and now that he did? He didn't think he’d be able to give it up.

  He poured that desperation, the sudden flux of feeling, into his movements. He had his hands all over the place, moving from Jaden’s hair to his lower back to his butt to his shoulders. He wanted to touch everything, wanted to explore Jaden. He was restless, shifting beneath Jaden’s lesser weight, but he wasn't even considering rolling Jaden under him.

  Chase liked Jaden right where he was.

  He worked a hand between them, his fingers fumbling at the button of Jaden’s shorts trying to get it undone. Jaden groaned and he hadn’t even touched him yet. Their mouths were open, lips parted and glued together, but they were more sharing air than doing anything else. It was making Chase a little dizzy, or maybe that was all the blood rushing to his cock in the hopes it’d get a round two.

  If his hands weren’t otherwise occupied, when he finally got Jaden’s pants open, he’d have fist pumped his joy. As it was, he went for the best course of action and the one that didn't make him look like he was in a college frat. He shoved Jaden’s briefs down and wrapped his fingers around his thick, dripping length. Jaden was average length, but his cock head was nice and fat, moisture beading at the tip to roll over the mushroom and down his length. Chase smoothed his thumb through the mess, rolling his palm over the slit, getting his hand as slick as possible for what he wanted to do next.

  Which was stroke Jaden till he came all over Chase’s abs.

  He was working from an awkward angle, and if he asked Jaden to sit up this would be way easier, but then their mouths wouldn’t be touching. He really didn't want Jaden to move. So he ignored the pinch in his wrist and got the best grip he could, trying to move in a steady rhythm. Jaden’s hands were on his hips, his sides, tracing his ribcage. He pushed up Chase’s shirt without having to be asked, baring Chase’s torso.

  When Jaden rolled his hips, the head of his cock bumped over Chase’s abdominal muscles, leaving behind sticky trails and quivering muscles.

  “What do you want?” asked Chase against Jaden’s mouth. He thought he’d do anything to please Jaden right now.

  “Can you…. Can you….” He shook his head, and then he reached for the hand Chase had on his ass, and he repositioned him, bringing Chase’s hand under his pants, cupping his balls.

  Chase took the hint.

  Jaden’s noises grew more frequent, higher in pitch, as Chase lightly squeezed his sac, rolling it around in the palm of his hand. He didn't have much movement in this position, but it was clearly enough for Jaden.

  Jaden stiffened only a minute later, and his release spilled hot and copious from the middle of Chase’s chest to the now wet hair of his happy trail. He went silent during climax, but his entire body shook with it, and he tightened his hands on Chase, his blunt nails digging in. Chase hoped there were crescent marks left so he could see them later and know where Jaden had held him.

  After, he was completely limp. A dead weight over Chase.

  They were sweaty and overheated, and Chase thought all his clothes might be ruined, but it was okay cause they weren’t his favorite anyway.

  “Holy shit,” he said, lacking eloquence and a better way to word what he felt.

  Jaden flopped to the side, missing the beach towel and landing in the sand. “I’ve never done that before,” he said. There was a satisfied smile on his face, and he reached for Chase’s hand, twining their fingers. “I think I like being a little bossy. I don’t know where that came from.”

  Chase wasn't about to ruin the mood by telling Jaden he’d been repressed. Instead he grinned and brought their joined hands up so he could kiss Jaden’s knuckles. “I like it,” he admitted, wondering if this was a thing he’d just never noticed he liked before or if it was a Jaden exclusively thing. “Feel free to be as bossy as you like.”

  Jaden tilted his face to the moonlight and radiated contentedness. “I think I might fall asleep. But first, clean. I’m all gross.” He motioned at his stomach and the mess they’d made.

  Sleep sounded like heaven, but there was something they needed to do other than clean up. Chase just needed to remember it. Whatever it was, was right there on the tip of his tongue. “I’m forgetting something.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I feel like it’s important.”

  Jaden abruptly sat up, sand showering everywhere. “Where’s Magneto?”

  After fastidiously cleaning themselves—Chase’s shirt and Jaden’s sanitizer coming in handy—they ended up spending the next hour and a half walking hand in hand, barefoot on the beach, as they searched for Magneto. They didn’t find him until they returned to the car, where he was waiting patiently by the passenger door.

  Chapter 11

  “There’s a chance I didn’t think this through as thoroughly as I could have.” Chase smiled at Jaden sheepishly. They were sitting on I-75, and they hadn’t moved in the last twenty or so minutes. The highway might as well be a parking lot. “We’re hitting peak traffic ‘cause it’s eight on a Wednesday and everyone’s going to work. You can’t really win, though. If we went on the weekend, we wouldn’t hit traffic, but the park would reach capacity and we’d never get in.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I packed us lunch and snacks, so if you get hungry before we get there, help yourself.”

  Jaden glanced out the window, trying to hide his own small smile. He didn't think he was supposed to feel good—more comfortable and sure of the situation—knowing he was making Chase nervous, but he couldn't help it. It was nice to know he wasn't alone in this. The date meant enough to Chase for him to have jitters, even after they'd kissed and touched. Chase had planned an entire day around this date. He was taking Jaden to a state park where they could ride the two beautiful—and terrifying, but Jaden could totally do this—horses he’d borrowed from Phoenix. They would picnic in the middle of nowhere, and then make the return journey.

  If traffic ever moved.

  Acting on instinct and, for him, pure courage, he reached out and covered Chase’s hand where it rested on the gearshift. “I’m happy with whatever we do,” he said, and he was being completely honest. He wouldn’t care if they did nothing more than sit in the car all day. Well, he would because his ass would start to go numb and he’d need to pee at some point, but if those weren’t factors he would totally do it. He just liked being around Chase.

  Chase turned his hand over and interlaced their fingers. “I don’t do this often. Or, like, ever really. So I want to do it right.” He nodded at the trailer hooked to the truck he was driving (also borrowed from Phoenix). “Plus I think the girls are gonna be pissed if we don’t let them run after this.”

  “I can’t imagine you’d have a hard time finding dates,” blurted Jaden. He immediately wished he could suck the words back in. Hilary had said something similar, and so had Zane. Jaden had, perhaps unrealistically, chalked it down to them being protective.

  Chase laughed. “Thanks, but small town remember? And before that I wasn’t really out.” He grazed his thumb over Jaden’s knuckles.

  The radio played the latest Taylor Swift song, and J
aden could hear the faint sounds of sirens in the distance. He bit his lip. He wanted to be nosy and ask Chase what brought him to Serenity specifically. At the same time, he didn't want to touch on a sensitive topic for Chase. Not when they were supposed to be having fun. His left leg was jumping, and no matter how much he willed it to stop, it wouldn’t.

  Two police cars and an ambulance went roaring by, lights flashing and sirens blaring as they cruised down the shoulder of the road.

  Chase let go of Jaden’s hand and shifted the car into park. He rested his hand on Jaden’s knee and squeezed. Jaden’s leg stopped its spastic movement.

  Huh.

  “What was your favorite movie as a kid?”

  Jaden blinked at the question. “Um, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.” He hadn’t seen it since he was maybe eight, but he could remember it without needing to sneak a glance at Wikipedia. “Why?”

  “Just curious. Mine was The Land Before Time. My room for a while, when I was like three I think, was dino themed. I graduated from that to Jurassic Park. Still in the dino family, but a little more grown up.”

  “I never really got into the whole dinosaur craze,” admitted Jaden. “I was really into Batman, though. So I didn’t completely miss the stereotypical interest phase.”

  “Ah, man,” said Chase. “You’re a DC fan? I don’t know about that.”

  There was a brief second between Jaden processing Chase’s words and realizing he was being playfully teased. “The comics are good. Sure maybe some of the recent movies have been questionable, but they’re starting to turn things around.”

  “You think DC will give Marvel a run for its money?”

  Jaden didn't at all, but for the sake of banter he firmed his jaw and he said, “Yes. I think they’ll blow Marvel out of the water. It doesn't get cooler than the Justice League.”

  He'd never argued for fun before, but as Chase devolved into a heated monologue about the sheer awesomeness that was Iron Man and how the entire concept of Superman not being recognizable as Clark Kent was bullshit, Jaden found himself grinning till his cheeks hurt and saying things just to rile Chase.

  “They’re just glasses,” Chase exclaimed. “Glasses. If you wore glasses and then took them off, I’d know it was you.”

  “Maybe you’re a more observant person than most.”

  “She’s dating him, Jaden. She can’t recognize her own boyfriend when he takes off his glasses. What do they do when they have sex? Does she think she’s sleeping with someone else if he takes them off?”

  “That’s… that’s actually a really good question,” said Jaden, his rebuttal slipping from his mind as he tried to wrap his head around Chase’s point. “How does that work? Does he keep his glasses on while they do it?”

  Chase snorted at his wording. “And while he’s sleeping. Otherwise she’d wake up and be like ‘who the hell is this guy in my bed?’”

  Jaden wiped tears of laughter from his cheeks. “All right, so maybe they’re not perfect and there are some things you have to overlook, but they’re good. Timeless.” Around them brake lights came on. “Holy shit, I think we might actually start moving.”

  Chase squeezed his knee, and then returned his hand to the gearshift. His face was red from his mirth, and Jaden had the strongest desire to touch his dimple. “Only took an hour and a half. Not too shabby,” said Chase. “I’ve sat on this road for three hours before ‘cause of a fire. I missed the openers for the Chili Peppers ‘cause of it. I maybe cried a little when I thought I was going to miss the entire show.”

  “I can’t imagine that,” said Jaden. “Was it dramatic crying or like one sad tear?”

  Chase inched the truck forward. “Let me paint you a picture….”

  They stopped for lunch several miles into their trek of the state park. Despite the horses doing all the work and the hundreds upon hundreds of trees providing shade, Jaden somehow still managed to be doused in sweat. His clothes were clinging to him, and his hair was wet. The air around them felt like a steam room and anytime the sun blazed through the foliage, the temperature went up at least ten degrees.

  Chase called a halt to their meandering by the side of a river and smoothly slid from the back of his mare, Gwen. He made the motion look natural, not like he was stiff at all from the surprisingly jolting ride. He was just as sweaty as Jaden, with his hair hanging limp around his face and moisture beading on his upper lip. As Jaden watched, Chase lifted the bottom of his shirt and wiped his face.

  The movement bared his abs, and Jaden felt a little dizzy from how quickly his blood flowed south. Chase was glistening. That was the only word for it. He was shiny and hot, and Jaden wondered if he’d wandered into the middle of a porno because real dudes didn’t look like this. His fingers tightened around the reins he held, the desire to touch and map the lines of muscle and trail of dark hair overwhelming.

  Chase quirked an eyebrow when he caught Jaden staring. “Like what you see?” he asked, tone teasing.

  Heat blossomed in Jaden’s cheeks. He shrugged, aiming for casual. “Maybe.” Chase was grinning now. “All right, yes.”

  Chase’s responding laugh set loose the butterflies in Jaden’s stomach. He was becoming well acquainted with them of late. “You need help getting down?” asked Chase, tying Gwen’s reins to a low tree limb.

  Jaden glanced at the ground. He knew it wasn’t that far below him, but sitting atop Fern’s back somehow made it seem so. That and his ass had gone numb. He wasn't sure he wouldn’t fall over and make a fool of himself if he tried to dismount without aid. “Yeah,” he admitted, swallowing his pride. “But don’t pick me up. Just help me.”

  Chase walked around to Fern’s left side. “You’ve got it.” He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. “One foot in the stirrup and swing the other one over, like you’re sitting sidesaddle.”

  Jaden took his hand. “That the official term for it?” He very slowly swung his leg around. It was awkward. His grip on Chase was firm. It was much easier climbing onto the horse than off.

  “I don’t know,” said Chase, reaching to steady Jaden with a touch to his elbow. “I’m not an expert. I just ride for fun, and I didn’t learn through lessons.” He helped ease Jaden down, and he caught Jaden when he stumbled a little upon landing.

  Jaden dropped his forehead to Chase’s chest and breathed through the sharp prickles in his one foot. “Fuck, it fell asleep,” he hissed. “How did people travel like this back in the day?”

  Chase chuckled softly. “I guess you wouldn’t have been a cowboy in the wild, wild west.” He had one arm around Jaden’s waist, waiting for Jaden’s foot to get with the program, and the other was extended, petting Fern over Jaden’s shoulder.

  “Can’t say that cowboy was ever a career consideration,” joked Jaden, carefully taking a step away. His leg held. “I think I’d have been like an innkeeper or something.” Fern nudged the middle of his back with her snout, snorting on his shirt. He turned to pet her before she tried to nip him. He'd learned she was a playful biter over the last couple of hours.

  “Tie her near Gwen, and I’ll get the picnic all set up,” instructed Chase, already moving toward Gwen to retrieve their supplies from the saddlebags. “Make sure it’s loose. They’re good and won’t run unless they’re spooked, and they’ll enjoy being able to get in the water.”

  Jaden peered suspiciously into the slowly flowing river. “There’s no gators in it?” If he squinted he could see tiny, nearly invisible fish and the myriad of pebbles on the shallow sides of the bank.

  “They’ll be fine.” Chase clapped him on the back as he passed. “There’s portions of this river people can swim in. The tales of gators in Florida are greatly exaggerated.” Probably because he thought he was funny, he muttered low but clearly audible, “Mostly.”

  “You just hear about it a lot,” said Jaden, finishing a half-assed knot on Fern’s lead. He wandered over to where Chase was crouched, smoothing out a large sheet on the mossy ground. “Gator
s and sharks.” He paused. “And zombies.”

  Chase threw his hands up dramatically. “That was one time. One guy eats someone’s face and the rest of the world never lets us forget it.” He pointed sternly at Jaden. “And that was Miami. What happens in Miami doesn’t count.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.” His tone was light, and his dark eyes were sparkling when he looked at Jaden. Jaden thought he could get lost in them, in the affection that so easily radiated from him. “But for real, we do get a particular rap from tourists coming in about shit like that, but it’s mostly freak accident things. It’s how the media works now. They don’t report the good stuff, just the things that scare the bejesus out of people. Which, to be fair in the case of gators, people seem to need. This is Florida, don’t swim in lakes. It’s pretty simple. We’ve got oceans and springs for that kind of thing.”

  Jaden tilted his head toward the river. “Is this a spring?”

  Chase pulled out a bag of sour cream and onion Lays. Jaden’s stomach gurgled. “Nah, it’s the Caloosahatchee River. It flows to the coast and comes out around Fort Myers, I think.” A package of Oreos was the next thing he revealed from his bags. “Florida’s a lot of things, but the wildlife is amazing. It’s definitely one of those things, if you’re here you need to take advantage of it.”

  Jaden folded to sit beside him, and Chase dropped the Oreos in his lap without him even asking for them. “Do you take advantage of it?”

  “Oh definitely.” Chase produced two Ziploc bags with sandwiches in them. “I’ve been all over the state since I moved here. Sometimes your brothers and I take a week off from real life and go camping out in the middle of nowhere. And there’s a wolf preserve in the panhandle, which has to be one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. I went with Phoenix when he picked up two wolf pups they couldn’t take in.” He glanced at Jaden. “You can start eating without me, Jaden. No need to restrain yourself.”

  “How’d you know?” Jaden held up the Oreos.