Moored Heart (Catalina Dreams Book 1)

by I. M. Flippy

  “I hope you mean that,” Charlie said, and sounded far too serious.

  I do, Jason thought, but didn’t say so. Saying it felt too much like a promise. I would never want to…

  I hope I don’t...

  By one, they found a pleasant spot next to an outcropping of rocks miles out from the island. There were other boats parked not too far away, just close enough so they didn’t feel lost, but they also had privacy.

  Jason had gone grocery shopping for the trip. In fact, he went a little crazy stocking up and it had not been easy loading up the dinghy, especially when his leg decided to act up again out of nowhere. He bought them fresh steaks, shrimp, and vegetables to grill, ingredients for an easy-to-make rice dish, and a bunch of fruit and muffins for breakfast in the morning. He had ice cream, syrup, and whipped cream.

  He’d bought champagne and pictured licking it off Charlie’s body. He wondered who he had become with a smile on his face.

  He went about making dinner and Charlie disappeared below deck.

  Charlie had been suspiciously quiet.

  Jason couldn’t decide if he’d made a mistake in the course of conversation or if Charlie just got quiet sometimes. Either scenario seemed as likely to him. It wasn’t as if they’d spent more than a few hours together. But he chewed his lip as he skewered shrimp and chunks of pineapple and pepper, worried that he’d fucked up once again in a way that they would then acknowledge, but not talk about.

  There was something wrong about that, but he hoped to put it off for now.

  Now was for fun. Now was about food and fucking and Charlie making him laugh so hard he cried. Now was about a shocking sense of rightness he’d never expected.

  Dinner was almost ready when Charlie finally reappeared looking... ridiculous.

  Charlie was wearing the kind of get-up that reminded Jason of club kids he used to arrest at three in the morning on Saturdays. He had visceral memories of young men, drunk and high, and not looking their best as they tried to come on to him. No wonder it had taken a while for him to realize he liked men too.

  Charlie was wearing a black mesh crop top that looked fashioned from a fishing net. He wore red shorts so high they cut into his ass. He preened and winked and put on a little show.

  “What do you think?” he said. He bit his lip and, all right, it was still hot. The abs peeking out from under the crop made Jason’s mouth water, but that had more to do with Charlie’s body despite the dumb outfit.

  “Whose clothes are those?” Jason blurted, carefully turning the shrimp skewers.

  “They’re mine,” Charlie said. He did not sound convincing. “I wear this stuff all the time. Not in the store, but…”

  “No, you don’t,” Jason said with a snort. He felt sure about this. He looked at Charlie and could see him mildly panicking.

  It was confusing. Why should he put on this silly outfit that didn’t seem like him at all? It didn’t make sense.

  “Hey, you don’t know everything,” Charlie said, his tone deceptively light. He sidled up to Jason at the grill and reached over to cup his dick through his boxer-briefs, making him yelp. “This is what I always wear to seduce older men with yachts.”

  “Oh?” Jason cackled. “You’ve been through us like Kleenex, have you?”

  “Not yet,” Charlie said, palming his dick and making him groan. “Maybe after you, I will though.”

  The approach of an erection swiftly faded, and Jason shoved Charlie’s hand away, but tried not to look overly bothered.

  “I mean this is casual,” Charlie said. He plopped down on the loveseat. He had a wine spritzer in hand, and he took a long drink. “Which is good, you know. I’ve got a long line of conquests ahead of me. I’m gonna seduce men, get off the island, and travel the whole world. Can’t fence me in. I’m casual.” He tossed Jason a saucy wink.

  It was all wrong.

  Jason would have thought he was joking except that he didn’t look like he was joking at all. He turned away and rubbed his chin, staring out at the ocean and sipping his spritzer. Jason fumbled for something to say that might ease the sudden tension. He glared out at the water, shifting from foot to foot. This was supposed to be a fun and sexy weekend, but now Charlie was pouting for some goddamn reason…

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” he said stiffly. He turned the shrimp over and the fire crackled loudly in his ears.

  “Smells good,” Charlie said behind him.

  Things were all too quiet as Jason served up the dinner, and they ate and drank. The shrimp was just right, and the pineapple made it taste even better. Jason drained three beers and thought about taking a shot of whiskey to loosen things up, wondering what he’d done wrong as they sat in total silence, chewing and listening to tinny easy listening playing from his phone.

  When Alyssa was upset, she’d tell him. She’d also tell him when he was upset, because somehow, he was always the last to know how he himself felt.

  The pain in his leg was suddenly sharper.

  Charlie didn’t seem to want to acknowledge the awkwardness either. When dinner was over, he smiled tightly and helped Jason clean up, and then he shoved him against the kitchen cabinets and palmed his crotch.

  “Will you fuck me on the roof?” Charlie whispered.

  “No,” Jason whispered. “Because we’d definitely slide off into the water.”

  Charlie laughed into his neck, and Jason took his hand, leading him into the bedroom.

  They stood toe to toe, leaning against the bed and making out for a while. They reveled in the tastes of each other's mouths. Jason and Alyssa had not so much as kissed in a long time, not that he would ever forget what Alyssa tasted like or exactly how the soft press of her lips felt. But Charlie was entirely different, and Jason could not stop being fascinated with the slide of his mouth and the way he took charge of kisses so that the two of them briefly fought for dominance every time they locked lips.

  Charlie made soft noises of contentment as Jason slid his hands up under the crop top to that lean and muscled back. “Will you take this stupid thing off?” Jason mumbled.

  Charlie leaned back, eyeing him warily. “You really hate this outfit, huh? Why? Too gay?”

  “Charlie, I don’t give a shit about that,” Jason said. “It doesn’t feel like you. Feels like a costume. Which is fine. I mean… If you like it, I’m sorry I’m being an asshole about it. I just thought—”

  “I hate it!” Charlie said. He peeled the crop top off and threw it over his head and Jason’s cock swelled at the sight of all that newly bare skin. Charlie shimmied out of the red shorts next and was wearing nothing underneath. Jason sucked in a breath, his boxer briefs uncomfortably tight. “I hate it actually. And... I like that you can tell.” He kissed Jason again and the two of them quickly entwined, their breath hot and fevered as they groped and kissed and finally fell onto the hastily made bed.

  Jason knew Charlie was accustomed to climbing on top of a man and riding him into the sunset, but this time Jason had other plans. He pushed Charlie back on the bed until he stopped groping, chuckling to himself at his lover’s enthusiasm.

  “I want to take care of you this time,” Jason whispered. Charlie raised a wary eyebrow, and Jason kissed it. “I’ll be careful and slow. I know the difference. Just let me know how I’m doing.”

  “I trust you,” Charlie said. He raised his leg, running a toe along Jason’s calf. “How do you want me?”

  “Every way possible probably,” Jason said. He was in a daze of desire. He reached down to shove his boxer briefs down to his feet, kicking them off the bed as his cock sprang out and bounced, prodding Charlie’s stomach. “Will you turn over for now? I want to look at your back.”

  He blushed when he said it. It seemed like an odd thing to say. But Charlie only winked at him. “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

  Dutifully, Charlie turned over on his stomach and stuck a pillow underneath him, so his round ass was in the air. Jason breathed in and absently stroked his quickly filling
cock. Charlie was fit and muscled, and Jason had taken some time to appreciate him from the front, but he was equally enchanted by the back of him. He was tan and well defined. Jason was still unused to delighting in a masculine body. He reached out and softly drew a line along Charlie’s bicep up to his deltoid and down into a shadowed crevice along his back to his spine. Charlie watched him carefully, and that made him feel shy.

  “You’re just so beautiful,” he muttered. “I can’t get over it.”

  Charlie blinked and said, “Thanks.”

  Jason moved carefully. He straddled Charlie’s legs, crouching over him. He began at the small of his back, leaving one soft kiss just above his ass before ever so slowly licking a stripe along Charlie’s spine. He heard Charlie gasp, and he liked that he could surprise him. “Beautiful,” he whispered again. He saw the way Charlie gripped the pillow, his head turned to the side as he craned his neck, attempting to watch Jason who went about licking and kissing his way back down, taking his own sweet time to worship every inch of Charlie’s lovely back, watching the muscles quiver. His ears perked up every time he heard a sharp breath.

  His leg was killing him in this position, but he ignored it. Finally, he grasped Charlie’s ass and kneaded it in his hands like dough, watching his hard cock gently press at it. Charlie arched and pushed his ass back at Jason, and he liked that wantonness. Charlie wasn’t shy about his desire. Jason bit his lip and took his cock in hand, teasing Charlie with it again and again, prodding those round cheeks open before pulling away.

  “Jason,” Charlie whispered. “Please…”

  The lube and condom were under the pillows and Jason chuckled, lunging forward to grab them. His hands shook as he rolled the condom on. He’d truly loved Alyssa, but he’d never had nerves like this while making love to her. He wasn’t sure what that meant. But everything felt so thrillingly important. His thick fingers fumbled and took too long, ages it felt, before the condom finally encased his cock. He squirted lube into his hand and stroked himself as he stared down at Charlie, who smirked and put on a show for him, squirming and moaning and shoving his ass in Jason’s face.

  “Was there Spanish fly in your drink?” Jason said. His voice cracked at the comment, and he blushed. He cleared his throat.

  “No,” Charlie murmured, batting his eyes. “I just want you to fuck me into the mattress is all... officer.”

  “Jesus…”

  Jason licked his lips and reached down to trace two fingers along the spine, still shiny from his tongue bath. When he reached the crack of Charlie’s ass, he didn’t stop. Instead, he watched his fingers slick with lube disappear into that darkness and ever so slowly he slid one digit into the hole he found there. Charlie made no sound at first, and only pressed into it, as if hungry for more.

  “I’m open for you, baby,” Charlie said. “Don’t be shy.”

  Jason nodded. His cock had twitched when Charlie called him “baby” and he almost resented how sensitive he was to something that seemed so small and silly. “Call me that again,” he said roughly, adding a second finger and pushing more firmly into Charlie, exploring the inside of him and watching the way he writhed in response.

  “Baby,” Charlie whispered, staring up at him. “Do you like that?”

  “Yeah.” He couldn’t explain why exactly, just that a man in particular and one he was so unaccountably into calling him that while pleasuring him was new and endlessly arousing.

  He liked it a lot better than “daddy.” That was for sure.

  If Jason’s cock could have spoken, it would have whined and pleaded for attention. Jason put all his weight on his good leg, wincing at the ache in his injury. He knew Charlie would work around it if he said anything, but he kept his trap shut.

  “I’m so hard I think I’m gonna pass out,” Charlie said, but there was a smile in his voice. “I want you inside me now.”

  “So demanding,” Jason said. He knelt over Jason and his cock pushed gently at his ass, teasing again, just as he reached up and tugged on Charlie’s hair just enough.

  “Oh.” Charlie’s eyes rolled back into his head. “Fuck... Well, I guess that’ll show me.”

  Jason slid inside him, engulfed in that tight heat all at once, and the two of them groaned. His hand shook when he yanked a little harder on Charlie’s hair. “Will it?” he growled.

  Charlie only cried out in response, pushing back against him and he thrust in deeper and the two of them were going at it, the push and pull of it a euphoric rhythm as they melded together. Jason was better able to hold out this time, determined to wring every drop of pleasure from Charlie possible. He gripped his shoulders and found just the right angle to thrust and watched the way Charlie responded, quickly realizing that tugging on his hair rather sharply just as he pulled out made Charlie shake and moan and squirm. But Jason couldn’t maintain the position, and he finally collapsed on top of Charlie and lost some control, rutting into him. Charlie grunted and seemed to welcome it as Jason fought to brace himself on his elbows.

  “Turn over,” he whispered finally. He groaned as he slid out of Charlie, who moaned at the sudden loss. “Please. Turn over. I… I need to see you. I need... I… need to look at you.” He swallowed, embarrassed by his own nerves.

  But Charlie turned over, and Jason was grateful when he didn’t laugh. He sat up and kissed Charlie softly. “Me too.” And somehow no more needed to be said.

  Charlie folded his legs up and Jason crawled forward and hovered over him. Charlie pulled him down into another kiss and Jason pulled away and stared down at him, their eyes locking as he guided himself inside again. Jason grasped Charlie’s knees as he slid into him and felt that heat encompassing him. For a moment, the position had seemed awkward and too strange to be sexy. But as he looked down at Charlie, increasingly pulled in closer by their intense connection, he found he liked it. Charlie was laying himself bare, open and vulnerable before him.

  “Yes, yes...” Charlie whispered. He nodded shakily. Jason leaned forward, sliding into him up to the hilt, and licked a drop of sweat from his brow and kissed the tip of his nose. They were both riding the cliff’s edge of bliss and Jason reached down to take Charlie’s cock in his hand, thumbing the head, fascinated by the sensation of giving another man a hand job and watching what it did to Charlie as he thrust inside him again and again, his balls high and tight as he bottomed out once more. “Baby, come in me,” Charlie said, as Jason stroked him furiously.

  Charlie’s direction was all it took, and Jason gasped, spilling into the condom and into Charlie as another one of those stubborn tears slid down his cheek. He felt fused to Charlie, as if the two of them were tethered together by feeling and desire, and by the sense that he’d had when he’d first seen Charlie at Big Boba. He’d recognized Charlie in that moment, and it didn’t matter that they’d never met.

  He leaned his forehead against Charlie’s, slowing as his orgasm racked through him, overwhelming him, until Jason—still shaking from the excess of sensation—slid out of Charlie and took him in hand. He crouched over him, ignoring his pained leg, and watched Charlie watching him. They must have looked stupid with love, their mouths hanging open as they panted and stared at each other.

  “Charlie,” Jason whispered. Charlie squeezed Jason’s hand and with the other, he fisted the sheets. He was trembling, his face red. Jason nodded, his hand wrapped around that bright pink cock, weeping and throbbing “Come for me,” Jason said, and Charlie immediately complied.

  16

  Charlie

  They eventually crawled under the sheets and, as if they did it every night, Jason turned over and spooned Charlie from behind and kissed the back of his neck.

  Charlie closed his eyes, still warm and euphoric and pleasantly aching from sex.

  It should always be like this.

  Jason had turned out the lights. All Charlie could hear was their coupled breathing and the gentle lap of the current against the boat’s hull.

  “I don’t want to sedu
ce other old yacht guys.” His own voice sounded foreign to him. It was hoarse, as if he’d been screaming at a concert. It shook and creaked and Charlie shut his eyes. His words hung in the air and he felt Jason shift behind him.

  “What was that?” Jason said.

  “I don’t want to seduce other old yacht guys.” He spoke a little louder. Jason had one arm wrapped around him and Charlie took his hand in his and played with Jason’s fingers. Their hands were not so different in size, they were only different in shape.

  “Are you saying I’m an old yacht guy?” Jason said. His voice pitched up slightly.

  Charlie chuckled at that, though he did not feel very funny. He pinched Jason’s wrist. “You know what I mean. I don’t want any of that. I don’t want to leave the island and travel the world and all that shit and I’ve worn that mesh thing exactly once when I tried it on for Andy and he told me I looked hot which was obviously a lie.” It was easier at least to speak in the dark with Jason behind him where he couldn’t see Charlie’s eyes.

  “Well... you did look hot,” Jason whispered against his neck. “You just didn’t look like you. And I like you.”

  Just that put a lump in his throat, and he feared it. His eyes teared up, and he blinked, willing the tears away.

  He’ll get bored and move on. He’ll leave Catalina. He’ll leave me…

  “You like me?” he said to the dark. “Because you know me so well.”

  “I liked you the first time you talked to me,” Jason said, kissing his neck. “You were funny and charming. You were gorgeous. I don’t think I knew what to think of it, but I liked you. It was a zing. It was like the first time I met Alyssa. That’s the only other time I’ve felt that. Except it was a guy… I didn’t recognize it. But I do now. Zing. So, tell me if you don’t want to seduce old yacht guys and travel the world, what do you want? Do you want casual?”

  “I want this,” Charlie said. “I want this. Forever. I don’t mean like... I…I want how this feels, I don’t mean—”