by J. K. Hogan
Nic was sure he must be boring Justice to tears, but when he glanced over, the kid’s eyes were riveted to his face. “Wow. So how did you get it?”
“Basically the same way. I had a trust fund set up by my grandparents and I had some left over after college. So I bought into the business with Dad. And when he…when we lost him, he left the boat to me, along with his little ketch.”
“Ketch?”
“Sorry, sailboat.”
“I’m sorry about your dad. Was it recent?”
Nic cleared his throat and waited until he felt like he could speak without breaking down. He so didn’t want to talk about his dad. “Yeah, it was. That’s why I was on that plane. I’d gone to the funeral.”
“Christ,” Justice hissed. “And here I am, dredging up all the memories. I’m so sorry.”
Nic reached out and captured Justice’s hand, twining their fingers together. Something about the contact just felt right. “It’s really all right. All of the memories are good ones. But I want to know more about you.”
Justice yawned so wide that his jaw cracked audibly, and then he stretched his arms above his head, arching his back. Nic’s mouth watered. There had to be some law against lusting after a man afflicted with a panic attack, but he couldn’t help it, any more than he could help the rising hardness behind his zipper.
“Sorry,” Justice said, his voice slurring slightly. “The attacks plus the medication usually wipe me out. What do you want to know?”
“Are you really not out?”
“Yeah, I’m really not. I tried to come out once. It didn’t go well.” Justice’s voice was flat, emotionless.
“So no one knows?”
White hot anger flashed in Justice’s eyes for a brief moment before his face cleared. “No one who matters anymore. Except you.”
“So I take it you’re not close to your family.”
Something akin to revulsion crossed his face. Justice leaned forward and grabbed the back of Nic’s neck. “Enough talk.” He yanked hard, pulling Nic toward him until they were flush. He took Nic’s mouth in a heated, almost frantic kiss. It was a kiss designed to distract, to deflect. To hide.
Nic wasn’t having it. He gripped Justice’s jaw in his hand, easing him back until their lips were barely connected. He licked Justice’s silky lips before nipping first the upper then the lower lip.
He smiled to himself when he felt a shudder ripple through Justice. Kisses were for passion, for lust, not manipulation. Finally he felt Justice acquiesce, opening to him, letting him in. Nic lazily explored Justice’s mouth for what could have been hours, stroking his hands up and down his back, mapping his musculature and committing it to memory.
Abruptly, Justice broke the kiss and turned his head to yawn. “Sorry,” he said with a sheepish blush.
Nic traced Justice’s eyebrows with his thumb, and those incredible green eyes fluttered closed.
“Why don’t you get some sleep? We got all the time in the world. You’re on vacation, and I’m the boss, so it’s not like we have anywhere to be.”
“If you don’t mind…”
“I don’t. Not at all,” Nic said gently.
He started to get up when Justice grabbed his wrist. “Stay. Please.”
“I’m not going anywhere, darlin.’ Just going to get the light.” Nic crossed the room and flipped the lights off. Coming back to the bed, he pulled his shirt off over his head, but left his jeans on. He didn’t want Justice to feel pressured.
Nic lay down beside Justice, unsure of what was expected of him. He was surprised when he felt hands close around his waist, pulling him closer. He took the hint and snuggled up, tucking Justice’s head under his chin. He hadn’t known he was so tired, but as soon as he heard Justice’s breath even out, Nic let sleep take him under.
Chapter Eleven
Darkness. Justice awoke to a pitch black, swaying world and for a moment, he had no idea where he was. And then he felt the warmth radiating beside him. He reached out a hand and it came in contact with a smooth, solid wall of man.
Nic. In bed. Or rather, he was in Nic’s bed. Justice rolled over onto his back with a soft groan. He’d had a complete and total meltdown, in front of the hottest guy he’d ever been with…one with whom he was supposed to have been on a date. How fucking embarrassing. The worst part was that he felt fine now —now that it was too late. He always did. After the attack, after the meds, after the nap, he felt good as new.
As he listened to Nic’s deep breathing beside him, Justice had an idea. Maybe their date could be salvaged. He could think of an interesting way to wake Nic and they could pick up where they left off. Wherever that was.
Sometime during the night, Nic had stripped down to his boxers, but had covered himself with the comforter while Justice remained on top of it. Wiggling off the cover, Justice peeled it back away from Nic and kicked it down to the end of the bed.
Justice swallowed as he took in the other man in all his almost naked glory. He was more perfect than Justice had imagined, and he couldn’t keep his hands to himself a minute longer.
With a whisper of a touch, he ran his hands up Nic’s muscular legs, enjoying the tickle of the crinkling hair on his palms. Justice promised himself he’d play later, but he didn’t want Nic to wake up before he got started on the main event.
Justice hooked his fingers into the waistband of Nic’s boxer-briefs and gently pulled them down, revealing a heavy erection. Nic’s cock was gorgeous, long and thick, with a wide flared head. Justice couldn’t wait to taste him.
The throbbing flesh was hot and hard in his hand when he gave it a couple of slow pumps. Watching Nic’s face closely for signs of waking, Justice lowered his face and swiped his tongue along Nic’s cock from root to tip. Nic took a shuddering breath and a muscle in his cheek twitched, but he stayed asleep.
Justice swirled his tongue around the head of Nic’s cock, teasing the slit. Nic’s hips canted up of the bed and he groaned in his sleep. The rise and fall of his chest had begun to speed up as his breath increased.
A smirk tugged at Justice’s lips. He loved the idea of having this beautiful man at his mercy, even for only a moment. Nic’s dick filled even more, sticking straight up, flat against his abdomen. When Justice teased the underside of the head with his tongue, it gave a little twitch.
As he engulfed Nic’s length with his mouth, he chuckled on the way down, allowing the vibrations to add to the sensation. He used one hand to work the root as he slid his mouth up and down, moaning quietly at the taste, and his other hand tugged on Nic’s balls.
Nic’s body bowed up off the bed and he flung his head back into the pillow. Justice’s eyes had adjusted to the low light, so he enjoyed the view as he sucked with enthusiasm. Corded muscle stood out as Nic’s neck stretched into a curve, and his strong jaw was clenched. Cast in shadow from the dim moonlight that shone through the window, his cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut glass. His full lips parted on a breathy moan.
Justice smiled around his mouthful as Nic’s eyelids fluttered open. Sliding his lips all the way down to the root of Nic’s cock, Justice swallowed, his throat massaging the plump head. He saw a brief flash of that Caribbean blue gaze before Nic’s eyes rolled back.
Humming, Justice swallowed hard again, pulling an agonized grunt from Nic. He threaded a hand through Justice’s hair and tugged gently. “Jesus…fuck! Justice, you know you don’t have to do that,” he ground out, shaking with the effort not to thrust.
Justice pulled off Nic’s cock with a popping sound and gave Nic a mock glare. “Shut up,” he said, getting back to his task.
“Mmmm,” was Nic’s only answer. He dropped his head back again with a full body shudder.
Justice rotated his body so that he was facing Nic’s feet, the toes of which were currently curling, and he draped himself over Nic’s torso. While it wasn’t quite a traditional sixty-nine, it gave Nic easy access to his denim-clad ass.
Nic took the hint and began to g
rope blindly, growling when he encountered the offending material. He tugged hard at the waistband. “Off. Get. Them. Off.” He punctuated each word with a roll of his hips, pushing his cock further into Justice’s mouth.
A tangy drop of precum coated his tongue, and the jeans were suddenly entirely too tight to accommodate Justice’s growing erection. He pulled off momentarily to yank off his shirt and wiggle out of his jeans. It wasn’t graceful but it was fucking fast, and that was all either of them cared about.
Justice went on the attack, leaning over Nic until his chest was pressed against Nic’s abdomen. He hooked his arms underneath Nic’s legs to spread them, and swallowed down the cock that was teasing his lips. He sucked voraciously, using his tongue to swirl around the head on the upswing.
Nic let out ragged cry and arched his back, every muscle in his body taught as a bowstring. “Jus…” He sighed, groping blindly for Justice’s erection. When he couldn’t reach, he gave up and settled for playing with Justice’s ass.
Justice moaned around his mouthful as a thick finger circled his hole. He redoubled his efforts, reaching under to grab Nic’s balls. He rolled them around with his fingers as he paid special attention to the bundle of nerves on the underside of the cock head. Nic abandoned Justice’s ass and grabbed a handful of his hair, holding him steady as Nic thrust into his mouth.
He felt Nic’s balls draw up in his hand so he slid all the way down on Nic’s cock and swallowed, massaging the head with his throat and at the same time, giving his balls a good tug. Nic grunted and used his handful of Justice’s hair to hold him down while Nic pumped spurt after spurt of cum down his throat. It was forceful, but in a way that felt so good. Justice didn’t play around with BDSM, but he did enjoy a man who wasn’t afraid to get a little rough with him. He wasn’t a chick, he wouldn’t break.
Justice swallowed every drop of Nic’s cum and then licked his softening cock clean until it was too sensitive to touch. Nic gave a gentle tug on Justice’s hair, his entire body shaking from the force of his release.
Justice reluctantly released the delicious cock, and climbed back up Nic’s body until he was draped on top of him from head to foot. He liked that they were matched in height and muscle. While Nic’s build was a bit bulkier and Justice’s was on the rangy side, they were both strong. He liked being with a man who was strong enough to push him around, and man enough to let Justice push him around a little too.
Nic pulled Justice in for a lazy, post-orgasmic kiss, licking around Justice’s lips and teasing his tongue. Justice was still incredibly hard, but there wasn’t much urgency there. He was enjoying prolonging his pleasure and spending this time with Nic. He languidly thrust against Nic, his hard cock sliding alongside Nic’s softer one, although Nic apparently was still sporting a semi.
Breaking the kiss, Nic clasped Justice’s face and pulled back to look at him. Justice could only imagine what a horrible case of blowjob lips he had, but from the look on Nic’s face, he certainly didn’t mind.
“That was so fucking hot. I may never let you off this boat.”
“Well, I may not even complain about that.”
Nic chuckled, and it rolled over Justice like the warmth from the sun. “Now, my little airplane boy…what am I going to do with you?”
“Whatever you want, hot stuff,” he said, goosing Nic’s ass and drawing out another delicious laugh. Justice was a little surprised how much he meant it though. The way he felt in that moment, he might just do anything Nic asked of him.
Flipping them so that he was on top, Nic insinuated a thick, heavy thigh in between Justice’s legs. They kissed, slow and sloppy, as he rolled his hips, giving Justice just enough friction to be frustrating. Justice could feel the pulse in his neck skittering, and the fluttering in his stomach was joined by a delicious tingling.
Nic moved down to nuzzle his hair, nibble his earlobe, and scrape his teeth along his neck. Justice shivered and bucked underneath Nic’s hefty weight. Nic slid his hands underneath Justice, wrapping his arms around his waist. He squeezed him tight, and began stroking Justice’s cock with his thigh. Justice matched him thrust for thrust, eyes rolling back in his head as he shamelessly fucked himself against that hard body.
Nic reached down to massage Justice’s balls, while at the same time sucking hard on his collarbone. Justice threw his head back and clenched his hands in Nic’s hair.
“Fuck me,” he whispered, almost inaudibly.
He surprised himself because while he enjoyed ass play as much as the next gay, he’d never let anyone top him before. Not because he thought he wouldn’t enjoy it…he just felt like he couldn’t let his guard down that way with someone he didn’t trust implicitly. He’d only had a couple of relationships —both being unmitigated disasters, and he certainly wasn’t going to let some random trick have his ass. Yet here he was with Nic, having known the guy for all of three days, and secretly hoping Nic had good recovery time.
When Nic didn’t respond, Justice assumed he hadn’t heard, which was probably for the best. Instead, Nic shifted so that he was draped full body on top of Justice, nestling their cocks together. He worked his hips with unrelenting vigor, giving Justice the perfect amount of friction.
His orgasm came out of nowhere. His balls pulled up tight, and he barely felt the white-hot tingling in his belly before he shot. Nic kept thrusting, his way eased by Justice’s cum spreading between him. He kept massaging Justice’s dick with his own until the last of the spasms had died down.
Nic relaxed, letting Justice take his weight, which was sexy in and of itself, and Justice wrapped his arms around Nic’s waist. He wasn’t one for sleeping with another person. It was too much stress on his OCD, not having control of what the other person did. But that didn’t stop him from drifting off to sleep, cocooned in the warmth of Nic’s arms.
* * * *
Nic lay awake long after Justice’s breathing had evened off into sleep. He’d heard the whispered request, and had been sorely tempted. When he had been awakened by Justice trying to suck his brain out through his cock, Nic’s thoughts had gone haywire.
For a moment, he forgot that they barely knew each other. He forgot that he wasn’t a casual fuck kind of guy. And, most alarmingly, he forgot that he did not fuck around with closet cases. Though, the way he continued to pursue Justice threatened to make a liar out of him.
Nic couldn’t help himself. Justice just had a way about him that pulled you in. He was what the hipsters would call ‘adorkable.’ And damn him to hell, Samara was right…he was smitten. So it was probably a good thing that he’d restrained himself from drilling Justice into the mattress. He really did want to get to know the guy first. Unfortunately, he had quite a large hurdle in front of him, in the shape of the proverbial closet…and only two weeks to figure out what to do about it.
Chapter Twelve
Justice had left Nic on the San Valentino with a rather lascivious kiss and a promise to get together the next day. He couldn’t help humming to himself as he hopped out of the cab and headed up the walk to the rental house.
Unlocking the door, he let himself inside and froze when he noticed Rich lounging in the la-z-boy. He was dolled up in another perfectly tailored suit, and his expression was slightly more sinister than usual. His sharp gaze traveled the length of Justice’s body and back again, and he raised a brow.
“Well, well, Mr. Crawford, are you enjoying your walk of shame?”
Jesus, who did this guy think he was, Mr. Moriarty? “Okay…I was walking, but there wasn’t a whole lot of shame involved. I just went out. Now I’m back.”
“And yet, those love bites on your neck say otherwise.”
Justice reflexively covered his neck with a hand, and swallowed hard. He could already feel the churning in his gut that was often a portent to bad things happening. Then he narrowed his eyes at Rich. “How did you even get in here?”
Rich shrugged delicately. “Lara let me in. She had to go out, said I could hang around and wait
for you.”
“What do you want, Rich? Just spit it out.”
The guy’s sharp eyes practically sparkled with wickedness. “I saw you, last night. At Neighbors. I know who you left with.”
Justice’s breath caught in his throat and his blood ran cold. This couldn’t be happening. “What the hell were you doing at Neighbors?” Of all the things he could have asked, that was the least productive, but curiosity got the best of him.
Rich’s face turned beet red as he stuttered. “It’s not…like…an exclusively gay club. I was there with…friends. That’s not the point!”
No, it wasn’t, was it? “What is your point then?”
“My point. My point is that I know you’re a fucking cocksucker and that you’re screwing that guy from the boat. Does Rory know?”
Justice said nothing, because he refused to fuel that fire, but he supposed that was an answer in itself. This was his worst nightmare, happening all over again. He had no family to lose this time, but he would lose his best friend.
Rich laughed. To Justice, it sounded more like a cackle.
“Of course he doesn’t know. Because you’re a fucking little bitch, and you know that Rory would toss you out for the disgusting fag that you are if he knew. And to think, all those nights you roomed together…” Rich gave a mock shudder.
Justice’s head whipped back like he’d been punched. He knew Rich had a bug up his ass where he was concerned, but Justice never expected this kind of venom from an almost complete stranger. Justice clenched his fists behind his back to keep from punching the bastard.
“What are you after? What do you get out of threatening my friendship with Rory?”
“You guys never see each other. You were roommates in college, but you don’t even talk much. I’m his roommate. I’ve been there for him day to day, and throughout his relationship with Maia. And then he up and picks you for his best man?”
Rich looked at Justice with such anger, that Justice took an instinctive step back. “I’ll tell you what I’m after. Bow out gracefully. Tell Rory you can’t be his best man. I’ll step in and do it like I should have been all along. You do that, and I won’t tell everyone your dirty, perverted little secret.”