Moored Heart (Catalina Dreams Book 1)

by I. M. Flippy

  Jason’s leg felt a lot better after a day of resting it. In fact, it had benefited from the exercise and Jason felt a dim sense of triumph that he would be limber in the bedroom should they end up there. His own presumption shocked him.

  “You must work out constantly,” Jason blurted out as they sped across the water, headed for Morty.

  Charlie blinked at him, his eyes too large. His lashes were dark and wet. His mouth was shiny. “Oh! Not really. I mean sometimes, I guess. I work out listening to audiobooks, maybe more than I realize. There’s not that much to do around here. Which I don’t mind, honestly. Things move just slow enough. And I swim a lot and bike so…”

  “Right,” Jason said. “You look good.”

  His voice was too deep to his own ears, but that seemed to perk up Charlie. “Thanks.” He bit his lip, containing a grin. “Andy says I’m an otter.”

  “Otter?” Jason thought he had heard wrong. “I’m lost.”

  “Something between a twink and a bear is basically an otter,” Charlie said. “Tall, kinda built, with some body hair…”

  “Ooh…” Jason nodded dumbly. They reached the yacht and climbed aboard. Charlie went first so that his ass, clad in those still wet trunks, was right in Jason’s face. He was losing IQ points by the second as Charlie took his hand and helped him onto the deck and up the short stairs to the upper stateroom. Charlie had left his towel in the dinghy and something about that seemed familiar and significant and Jason thought he might be losing his mind.

  Charlie stood, looking uncertain and also like the sexiest thing Jason had seen in years. His tanned skin glistened, droplets sliding down his sculpted torso as he raised a hand to push his wet hair back and look up at Jason. “Um...did you want to… I mean I’m not assuming…”

  Jason’s head was buzzing as if just tuned into some frequency he hadn’t known existed before. He took two steps forward and Charlie did not back away, the two of them toe to toe. Charlie was tall but Jason still had a couple inches on him, and he liked looking down at that handsome face, watching the tiny shadows cast by his thick lashes. Charlie looked up at Jason with wide and glimmering dark eyes and said, “Jason…”

  “Fuck,” Jason whispered, and he grabbed those curving biceps and yanked Charlie forward, kissing him soundly.

  They knocked noses at first and Charlie chuckled, his smile just as quickly disappearing as they found their way and their lips met properly. Jason pressed him up against the narrow doorway and Charlie’s eyes slipped shut, his arms wrapping around Jason, fingers digging into his back.

  There was something so different and so arousing about Charlie’s body. Yet it was familiar. He’d had a similar build to Charlie’s once himself, before time and his injury had thickened him, making him powerful in a different way than the lithe bundle of muscle pressing up against him. And that mouth… Jason should have known Charlie would be a fantastic kisser considering how talented his lips had proved the night before. Now they parted and made Jason chase kisses, gasping a little at the sensation of a hot tongue against this. Charlie’s lips slid against Jason’s and he just as quickly pulled away and came back to leave a gentle brush of a kiss at Jason’s mouth. Somehow that tender and promising touch alone made Jason’s legs tremble.

  “Bed,” Charlie murmured.

  Jason nodded and mumbled his assent. The two of them stumbled down the narrow stairs to the lower deck. Jason kissed Charlie once more and dragged him across the stateroom to the bedroom where Charlie fell back onto Jason’s navy coverlet. His bed was impeccably made, the pillows fluffed, a habit drilled into him courtesy of his ex. He was grateful for it now as he stood in the doorway and stared at Charlie who lay on his back, propped on his elbows, wearing only that tiny pair of trunks, already beginning to tent.

  “I want to fuck you,” Jason said. Except this didn’t sound like it was coming from someone else at all. It was him, and he meant it and wanted to say it. “Jesus, do I want to fuck you…”

  Charlie gazed at him steadily and said, “Do you have lube? Condoms?”

  Holy shit, this is happening.

  No one knows me here, he reminded himself. No one knows me.

  Jason didn’t stop to think what it meant. There were more important things to consider. Like the location of lube and condoms. He nodded, his head jerking comically. “Yeah, yeah…”

  Jason lunged for the nightstand and pulled the bottom drawer out so far and so quickly it fell to the floor, all its junk scattering on the thin carpet. He heard Charlie’s little laugh at his antics and flushed, but then a hand slid up his back as he found the bottle of lube and several packets of condoms.

  “No rush,” Charlie said, as Jason knelt next to the bed. “I’m not going anywhere unless you want me too.”

  This was it, Jason thought. Yes or no. He couldn’t pretend it was all just the heat of the moment when Charlie was looking at him like that. Jason had to slow down and when he did, he took a deep breath and said, “I want you to stay right here.”

  “Good.” Charlie leaned over and kissed the crook of his neck.

  “Yeah.” Jason found the lube and the condoms, and he knelt on the bed.

  Charlie sat up and took the supplies from him, setting them aside before he sat up and took Jason’s face between his palms, kissing him slowly and deeply. Jason heard himself moan into the kiss as he pushed Charlie down again.

  “Come here,” Charlie whispered. “Just come here…”

  Jason nodded and let Charlie guide him. He lay on top of Charlie and just that was like discovering a new world.

  Charlie is the new world, he thought dimly.

  They moved slowly because Charlie was moving slowly, and Jason followed his lead. There was no music to distract them, but the echo of boat horns. But there was also their hurried breathing, the smack of lips, and rustle of clothes. Charlie helped him get his shirt off and then they were chest to chest.

  It was hard not to compare bodies. Jason’s body was powerful, yes, but he didn’t look like the walking cologne ad that was Charlie.

  But Charlie looked awed as he pulled away from Jason and, as if on cue, said, “I love your body. Jesus…”

  Jason managed a shy smile at that as Charlie smoothed his hands over Jason’s chest, raking his nails through the bristle of chest hair. “I love the way you feel,” Charlie said. He seemed to like to talk and Jason let him, his cock growing ever thicker in his shorts where it pressed against Charlie’s thigh. “Let me…” Charlie laid tongue kisses along Jason’s bristly throat and the friction of their bread bristle together was yet another epiphany.

  Jason had an urgent desire to see what Charlie’s skin was like on his lips and he turned his head, experimentally kissing Charlie’s jaw and his neck. He licked a stripe along that delectable throat and found he liked the way it felt against his tongue; prickly and tasting of sweat and the sea.

  “Yeah, that’s good... that’s good…” Charlie sighed, and he spread his legs under Jason, hooking his ankles around him, urging him on. Their hard cocks met between the layers of fabric between them and Jason gasped, going a little cross-eyed. He had imagined what that might feel like before; cock to cock. But it was better, and he pulled away to stare at Charlie, astonished, before grinding down into him again.

  “Oh!” Charlie laughed softly, arching. “Fuck yeah... Jason… Lemme...can I…?” He shoved at Jason’s shorts and he nodded wildly. The two of them scrambled to rid themselves of all clothing, and then they were naked against each other.

  “Oh my God,” Jason said.

  “Does it feel good?” Charlie whispered, and for the first time Jason saw a smidge of insecurity since they’d tumbled into the bedroom.

  “I can’t believe how good it feels,” Jason breathed. Charlie grinned, clearly pleased, but Jason kissed him first and for a few minutes they just writhed together, mutually enchanted by how their bodies felt entwined. But Jason’s cock throbbed, and he trembled when it pressed against Charlie’s erection, t
he two of them hard and aching.

  “Jason,” Charlie whispered. “I’ll turn us over…”

  Jason blinked, and let Charlie roll them over in the bed so he was on top and he sat up, straddling Jason and looking down at him with wide eyes. He swallowed and struggled to compose himself, pushing his hair back. “Okay,” he said, panting. “Okay…”

  Charlie’s hands were shaking and something about that jerked Jason out of his euphoria of want and moved him. Charlie definitely had plenty of experience with guys. It seemed crazy that he would be so affected by being with him. He lay back and watched Charlie, his cock still throbbing even as he let the moment slow, observing Charlie’s face and the way he licked his bottom lip as he grabbed the lube and condoms. Jason hissed when Charlie stroked his cock and then gently rolled a condom on. He gripped Charlie’s hip, still caught up in watching him and his every expression. His lashes were still wet, and they looked like dark little fans when he closed his eyes. He had tiny freckles dusting his cheeks, only visible this close up.

  Charlie stroked Jason’s cock, spreading lube and then he murmured, “Okay...okay… Are you sure you want to—”

  “Yes.”

  For a couple minutes, it was sort of a blur. There was so much to feel, and all the while random thoughts intruded on his pleasure:

  I like him.

  How am I only figuring this out?

  What does this mean?

  I like him…

  And then Charlie seated himself on top of Jason. All at once, Jason was inside him and he gasped, clutching Charlie’s hips, astonished.

  Charlie kept trembling. Jason wanted to ask him if he was okay, but he couldn’t get a word out. He couldn’t speak at all, and he could hardly breathe either, because he was inside Charlie who was tight and hot and everywhere, all around him, and staring down at him.

  “It... it aches,” Charlie mumbled, his voice cracking badly. He sat very still on top of Jason, who felt a stubborn tear slide down his cheek.

  “Does it hurt?” Jason said. “Sh… should I—”

  “N… no,” Charlie said. “No, it’s okay, it’s good… Wait, is your leg okay?”

  “Yes, yes," Jason said.

  Charlie looked down and found the scar; a mottled lump of flesh on Jason’s left leg. Charlie pressed his palm to it. Jason watched him, and embarrassment burned. It wasn’t an awful scar, but it was just another way his body was less perfect than Charlie’s and it was the source of an awkward limp that he pretended didn’t bother him. It was a product of both his greatest triumph and the thing that held him back just a little. Charlie looked at it matter-of-factly and then he kissed the tips of his fingers and pressed them to the gunshot wound. Something about the simplicity of the act made Jason gasp. He arched a little, growing inside Charlie, who sighed.

  “It’s... ah... there,” Charlie whispered.

  Jason felt Charlie stretch slightly around him. He braced his hands on Jason’s chest and rocked ever so slightly. Jason hissed and squeezed Charlie’s hips tighter just as he realized he was shaking too and coupled with the tear, it was all just so embarrassing.

  Charlie rocked more determinedly, and Jason heard both of them groaning and gasping as they looked in each other’s eyes with wonder. He was close already, and that didn’t seem fair. He had always held out more than a respectable amount of time, even in his youth. But none of the old rules seemed to apply to Charlie in the least.

  Jason’s cock pulsed, and he felt his balls tighten. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold off, but then Charlie began to ride him, and at some point, found exactly the right spot. He threw his head back, his mouth hanging open as he bounced and rocked.

  Jason slid his hand up Charlie’s belly, feeling those quivering little muscles under his fingertips.

  “Jason, yes…”

  That was it, Jason came with a sudden jerk and seized up, thrusting up into Charlie who clenched around him and held on through Jason’s orgasm that seemed to last ages as he filled the condom inside Charlie. Finally, he was still, and he was catching his breath as Charlie licked his lips and reached down to stroke himself, his fist moving fast enough to blur until milky white spilled over his fist and onto Jason’s belly.

  “Don’t leave,” Jason said, panting. “You don’t have to leave.”

  10

  Charlie

  Charlie had spent much of the previous night, staying up later than usual and unable to focus on anything but the thought of Jason’s cock in his mouth. He’d fingered himself while watching unsatisfying porn, jacked off, and fallen asleep frustrated. The next day his mother practically forced him to take a day off. He’d worked the previous day, too quietly upset about how things ended with Jason to even think about spending a day relaxing and no doubt brooding. He worked in the shop and refused to answer his mother and Andy’s questions, doing his best to act like he’d done nothing more than go on a casual bike ride with the handsome retired cop who was probably straight. He’d gone right up to the brink of lying.

  The next day Charlie had gone to the beach, and it was a confidence booster to see a couple appreciative looks from both male and female beachgoers.

  But none of them were Jason.

  Charlie swam against the waves and waded in the shallows and tried to wash off the memory, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

  So, when he came walking up the shore and saw Mr. Wrong sprawled on a towel and looking ripe for climbing up onto, Charlie threw caution to the wind.

  Fuck it. Life was short. If Jason was about to rough up his heart, Charlie might as well get some good sex out of it. Granted, he’d done most of the work in bed. But Jason was so bumbling and so cute and so goddamn hard for him. To watch the guy come undone in bed was an amazing turn-on.

  “All right,” Charlie said. He paused, still on top of Jason, catching his breath. A drop of his own cum slid down Jason’s chest. He felt like his arms were about to give out and finally climbed off of Jason whose cock came sliding out with a gentle smack.

  Charlie plopped down on the bed, absolutely spent. Jason sat up and dispensed with the condom, staring at it for a moment before he tied it off neatly and tossed it in a waste bin. He lay back next to Jason and Charlie tensed, not wanting to do the wrong thing.

  But Jason had just said he didn’t want Charlie to leave. That had to mean something.

  “Come here?” Jason tugged on Charlie’s hand, his thumb softly stroking Charlie’s fingers.

  Jason liked to cuddle. He gave Charlie a long look until he caught on and turned over, laying on his side and bracing on one arm, his other hand resting on Jason’s chest. He scooted up closer and kissed Jason’s shoulder.

  “You know,” Jason said, “I don’t know what this is. But I’m not pretending it’s nothing. I’m sorry for how it went last night. I didn’t know. I thought you wanted it that way.”

  Charlie ducked his head, butting Jason’s shoulder, snorting a laugh. “I was trying to be cool,” he mumbled, his words muffled by Jason’s sweaty skin.

  “What was that?” Jason said, chuckling. He raked his fingers through Charlie’s hair and tugged gently.

  “Mmm…” Charlie sighed and cuddled closer. “I was trying to be cool,” he said again. “That feels good.”

  “This?” Jason finger-combed his hair, slowly and not like somebody who didn’t care.

  “Yeah…” Charlie said. “Um... this can be… We don’t have to know what it is. It’s whatever, I guess.” He felt sleepy and stupid and hardly knew what he was saying. He melted into the bed as Jason slowly massaged his scalp. “I like it, you like it. That’s all… I’m not assuming anything. It can be um…”

  “Casual?” Jason said.

  None of this felt at all casual to Charlie. Casual was one of Andy’s friends from the mainland ending up in his bed after a party and letting himself out in the morning while Charlie was still asleep.

  This was nothing like one of those hook-ups.

  I wonder if he wants kids
, Charlie thought. Oh boy, this isn’t casual.

  “Yeah,” Charlie said. He hugged Jason like a teddy bear and kissed his chest. “Casual is totally fine.”

  Jason kissed his forehead and kept up his hair fondling. “I just haven’t been divorced that long. Well... a year. Doesn’t feel that long. But it feels like ages too. “

  “Do you still love her?” He shut his eyes, bracing himself.

  “No, we fell out of love a long time ago.”

  Jason couldn’t see Charlie smile at that, which was all for the better.

  Good.

  “I just mean, I haven’t... I haven’t been dating since then.” Jason’s foot moved to slide up and down Charlie’s leg. The two of them were naked and tangled together. Charlie never wanted to move. “I dunno what I’m doing really… So casual is good.”

  “Casual is fine.” Charlie closed his eyes and mentally shut off the alarm bells ringing in his head. “I’m casual.”

  For a while they just lay there, enjoying the bed, and Charlie fought off sleep. He didn’t want to miss a second of this. He didn’t know how much more of this he would get a hold of. Jason seemed like a guy who could change his mind about all of this at any time.

  “You want something to drink?” Jason rumbled. “I have some wine.”

  “Mm... yeah.” Charlie pulled away and stretched, smiling when he felt Jason’s eyes on his body. He sat up and kissed Jason’s back, watching the skin twitch. “Wine would be great.” He watched Jason pull on boxer briefs and enjoyed the view as he yawned and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Charlie took the opportunity to inspect the tiny bedroom, squinting at the sunlight shining through the windows. It was mainly a bed, a nightstand, and a closet. But there were cabinets built into the walls and Charlie poked one open and saw books and magazines and boxes with items that looked like trophies poking out of them, and a stack of drawing pads and papers bound together; the random and mysterious objects of a person’s life. It made Charlie curious to know more. He shut the cabinet, feeling vaguely guilty for being nosy and folded his legs up, playing with his toes.