by Kit Fortier
"Yours is thicker, I'm absolutely fine with that," Fox said, feeling the slickness of Jake's chest.
Jake focused on Fox's mouth. The slow burn was at an end, and all he wanted to do was attack. Fox saw the hungry, almost feral look on Jake's face. His eyes went wide with surprise as Jake attacked, probing, tasting. Fox submitted at first, the hot water pouring off the two, the heat and taste of Jake's tongue against his own. But it wasn't enough. It became a duel, one man trying to claim territory in the other man's soft, wet mouth.
Fox gasped at the feel of a hand around his dick. The rough pad of Jake's thumb teased the sensitive skin just beneath the crown, over the slit. Jake wasn't playing fair, as he used the moment of surprise to dominate Fox's mouth. Fox held on, the pleasurable assault of two points rapidly becoming a losing war.
"Want…" Fox gasped. "Want you to fuck me," he said.
"Yeah?" Jake replied, pulling Fox closer. His kisses turned into an attack on his neck. One hand snaked around the base of Fox's warm, hard dick. The other hand…
The other hand slipped between Fox's cheeks. It probed the puckered flesh that barred the way to yet another spot to torture and pleasure. Jake played Fox like a fiddle, and his moans and little cries were exquisite music to Jake's ears. A twist of a finger as it plumbed deeper, pressing into Fox's sensitive flesh, won Jake a gasp followed by a drawn-out expletive. The moans were loud as Jake planted his mouth over Fox's, but Jake drank them down.
"You know what I want?" Jake asked. Fox's pupils were blown out. His lips were red and swollen. His gasping continued with each tug on his hardness. The press of Jake's blunt digit against the bundle of nerves deep inside him left Fox speechless. He shook his head, breathless.
"I want to taste you. Every inch. You want that?"
Fox nodded eagerly. He caught his lower lip between his tee and tried to stifle the sounds of pleasure being wrung from him. Jake kissed his way down Fox's chin, to the center of his chest. He branched off in one direction, kissing and licking, until he came to a nipple. He took it between his teeth, worrying it gently, licking at the little nub until it was stiff in his mouth. He sucked on it more, which made Fox claw at his back, cries of pleasure spilling uncontrolled from his mouth. Jake popped up and robbed more whimpers from Fox's mouth, only to attack his other nipple with the same zeal. Again, his reward was the hot sounds of a man lost to pleasure.
"Gonna make me… come," Fox gasped.
"Baby, it's what we're working for," Jake grinned. The endgame was near. Jake kissed his way down golden skin. He playfully zigzagged down Fox's russet treasure trail. The feel of hard flesh against his cheek thrilled him as he kissed the base of Fox's cock. He worshipped it, kissing and sucking from base to tip to base. After a minute of tasting the underside of Fox's sack, Jake went in for the kill, and took Fox to the hilt.
There were tears. But Jake was willing to endure them to see Fox come apart. The man's large, strong hands were in Jake's hair, gripping, but not forcing. Jake pushed his invading finger deeper, probing. He brushed against the innermost part of Fox that would easily submit to sweet torture. Jake added another finger and his ears drank in the noises that poured out of Fox's mouth.
"Oh shit, fuck-coming, come--" was all Fox could cry. His chest and face flushed a deep red. Jake tasted precious, delicious heat splashing against the back of his throat. Jake slid up to the tip, unwilling to lose a single drop in the shower. Soon, Fox's shudders subsided. Jake slid upward, meeting Fox face to face, and kissed him deeply, sharing the taste of him. Fox wrapped his arms tightly around Jake. He crushed as if he could squeeze every bit of the mind-blowing taste Jake pulled out of him. He could have sworn the lights flickered as Fox hit his climax, but stranger things have happened.
"Fuck," Fox sighed, as he relaxed his grip, his hands still holding Jake close.
"Yeah. I'm gonna get around to that. But, unless you have a condom in your wallet, I haven't packed any." Jake kissed the base of Fox's dick as he gently removed his probing finger from Fox's warm, inner depths.
Fox laughed. "They'd be in my pocket. Wallets ruin condoms."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Guess I'll be pocketing a bunch of 'em while I'm here, then, huh?" Jake asked, standing up and meeting Fox's gaze.
Fox's smile faltered, and Jake didn't miss it.
"I almost forgot you're not here that long."
Jake pressed his forehead against Fox's. "You're right."
A melancholic chuckle bubbled out of Fox. "I'm off for the quarter, so I've got nothing better to do."
"Oh yeah? You wanna bum around with some hot drifter?" Jake asked as he lathered himself up. Fox followed suit.
"I guess. But I don't think porn scenarios last more than twenty minutes, maybe a half hour at most." Fox seemed unsure, as if he wanted more than he couldn't ask for.
"We could always do variations of a theme." There was a wink in Jake's voice that was hard to ignore.
"Sure. I'm not on the clock again for a few days. Plenty of ways to play around." Fox rinsed off first, then he turned the showerhead onto Jake.
"Damn right. You up for lunch?"
Fox smiled and nodded. Then his eyes went wide.
"We didn't get you-you to--"
Jake put a clean finger over Fox's lips. "It doesn't have to be that way, beautiful. It's been a while since I've kept any company. If you're happy, and I think you are, I'm happy." Jake ran his palm over Fox's chin. As he pulled away, Fox kissed his palm, when something on the inside of Jake's forearm caught his eye. A series of ten scars, all horizontal, evenly spaced, like some sort of crude barcode. A quick glance showed Fox the same kind of scars on the other arm. He barely noticed when Jake gently took his face in his hands, his silvery eyes in a soft yet intense focus on his own.
"It's part of a long story."
"I figured, but are you… Are you okay?"
Jake gave Fox a sad smile. "I am. It's not a suicide thing. It's not a control thing."
Fox took a shaky breath. "Alright."
As he held Fox's face in his hands, Jake kissed the man with quiet reverence.
"I like you, Fox. Let's enjoy this time, yeah?"
Fox blinked. "Yeah." The smile he gave was the one he'd given his mother. The smile that said everything was okay, even when it wasn't.
Fox stepped out of the shower. In a little act of chivalry, he held out his hand for Jake to hold as he crossed from wet to dry tile. In return, he passed Fox a thick towel, drying his own hair roughly before walking out into the room proper.
Fox followed. "You know, you've got great…" Words seemed to escape Fox as he watched Jake tug clothes from his pack.
"Hey." Jake said as he stepped into a pair of jeans, tucking his dick away as he buttoned them up.
"Lunch!"
Jake froze, blinking. "I've got great… Lunch?"
Fox turned beet red as Jake struggled to stifle a laugh.
He failed. Instead, a fit overtook Jake, and he laughed loudly for a minute. Fox's hue hadn't changed a bit the whole time, even though he joined in with snickering.
Eventually, Jake's breathing evened out. He pulled on a long sleeve Henley and wiped his eyes with his shirt. Fox stepped into the bathroom and turned on the sink.
"Okay," Jake said, patting his back pocket. He slid a belt on, and in a practiced move, slipped four sheathed knives under his shirt and clipped to his pants. Better prepared than not. He clasped his silver bracelet on. Jake then pulled socks on his feet, and then stepped into a lighter pair of trail-running shoes. Fox came back into the main room dabbing his face with a towel.
"Needed to cool off a bit," Fox said with a shy grin.
"I get that. Let's grab some grub."
*** Fox
Fox excused himself briefly as he pulled his shorts on. He gathered up his other clothes and shoes, jaunting to his apartment and quickly throwing on clean clothes. He made it back to his door to find Jake on the other side, leaning against the railing,
waiting for him.
"I can drive us," Fox said, indicating his truck. "This way we can go somewhere other than that diner."
"I thought you wanted the chicken fried steak?" Jake said as he rounded the passenger side.
"That's only when Jerry's there. He doesn't work on weekends." Fox turned the key as Jake hopped in. The truck rumbled to life, and Fox pulled away after Jake buckled himself in.
"So, where we off to?"
"Burger joint," Fox replied. With his eyes on the road, he gasped when a warm hand slid down the inside of his thigh.
Jake practically purred.
"Uh, Jake… I'm driving here," Fox breathed shakily. "Not that I don't appreciate the attention."
Jake gave him a gentle pat. "Sorry. I just liked watching you come apart in the shower."
Fox's blush took over. "I'm… That was…"
Words escaped Fox.
"That was pretty hot."
Fox chuckled nervously. "I know I asked this before, but are you always this direct?" He glanced at Jake, who gave him a solemn look, followed by a gentle smile.
"I've been on the road for a while now. Haven't had a lot of opportunity to be social. And after my days in the military, I can tell you, life can be too short, and it's easy to waste it."
Fox nodded. "Seems like there are a few questions there, if you don't mind me asking."
Jake's gaze turned out onto the road. An uncomfortable silence fell between them.
"If it's something I don't like, I get to veto, okay?"
"Sure."
"Alright. Fire away."
"Okay. I hope this is an easy one. How long were you in the Air Force?"
"Eight years."
"And you worked on electronics."
"Question?"
"Observation. I mean, you fixed… Pretty much everything. I checked all the problem areas outside the front office."
Jake simply nodded.
"How long have you been on the road?"
"Seven years now," Jake replied.
"Are you doing some sort of bucket list thing?"
Quiet. Too quiet. Fox glanced over at Jake, who was giving him an assessing gaze.
"Is this a veto?"
"That's not… No. I'm not sure I know how to answer it."
Fox worried at a fingernail as he drove. "That's fair," he said, though that didn't feel quite right. He only knew Jake just shy of three days. While he could chalk up his heated thoughts to his ending a dry spell, he didn't know why he wanted to know.
"I'm doing something for my son," Jake said.
Fox's ears perked. "Is his name Ben?"
Jake looked at Fox, his expression blank.
"You were calling out for Ben this morning, when you were sleeping."
Fox saw recognition pierce Jake's steady gaze. "Yes," he said. "My son's name is Ben."
"How old is he now?"
"Seventeen. Almost eighteen."
"Is he--"
"Are we almost there? I'm starving," Jake said with a tense chuckle. He took Fox's hand in his own and kissed it.
Fox gave a quaint smile. "Yeah. It's this place right here." Veto.
*** Jake
Jake wasn't lying about his hunger. And he wasn't terribly too proud about his clumsy segue. But it was what it was. No need to bring the poor guy into it.
But he couldn't help the feeling that Fox wouldn't let it go. For someone he'd known less than a week, it was the closest Jake had been to anyone since... Were he honest with himself, he hadn't been close to anyone at all. Kate was a bright flare in the middle of his military career, but she died before their lives could take any true shape.
The only one in his life who mattered since was Ben.
And here he was, thousands of miles away. His son had possibly written him off. He was an absentee in practically everything except financial support.
He had so many questions for his son. So many things he wanted to know, to make up for. But, seven years would very likely have changed his boy. His boy, who was rapidly approaching adulthood. He'd be a man by the time he came back.
If he came back. It wasn't fear of death that kept him away.
It was fear that Jake wouldn't be wanted at all.
Fox pulled into a parking spot near a burger joint that only served patrons outside. It was a small A-framed building. A large, worn but clean countertop separated the public outside from the cooks inside. Three picnic benches with a bright yellow parasol gave diners a place to sit and enjoy the day. A lanky teen with a paper cap on his head looked up from the register.
"It's nothing fancy," Fox said as he walked up beside Jake. "We're not as popular as Sundance."
"Fancy's okay. But great taste and filling is just as good."
The two ordered their meals and sat down at the table furthest from the building.
"So, you're big on baseball," Jake said.
"Is it my turn?" Fox asked, a small grin on his face.
"Let's call it a part of the introduction phase."
"Introductions? You were fingering my prostate and gagging on my dick earlier," Fox smirked. That won him a laugh.
"Very true. We are flipping the script a bit." Jake gave Fox a warm grin. The teen from the register brought their food out. He left after some pleasantries about the weather.
"To be fair, you aren't half bad with that stuff we did," Fox said, popping a couple of fries in his mouth.
Jake laughed again.
"I did play baseball, but it was for fun. I'm not sure what I want to do right now. Just helping my Dad take care of the hotel and getting my general stuff out of the way at college."
"Where's your Dad?"
"He's up in Pine Haven."
"That place is like, half as big as Moorcroft, isn't it?"
"Yep."
"You've mentioned your father a lot--is there a mom?"
Jake saw Fox's smile falter, and what glint there was in his eyes went out.
"We'll put that one back on the shelf. What's the biggest city you've ever been to?"
Jake saw the glint return as Fox grinned.
"San Diego. Loved it. Played some games out there for senior year," Fox said.
"College?"
"High school. It was fun, but I got lost in the big city."
Jake laughed. "Just a small-town boy."
Fox chuckled. "That doesn't exactly fit, does it? Small-town boy, living in a lonely…?" He gestured with his hands as if to encourage Jake to chime in.
"Small-town boy who also likes Journey."
"Naw. I just know the song."
"Alright--Where in the world would you want to visit if you could?"
Fox's face lit up. "It'd probably be easier to tell you where I don't want to go," he said, building up steam in his exuberance. "Backpacking through Europe. Jet-setting up and down Japan. Doing what you're doing-hiking all over the United States. And I do mean all over. I'd love to trek up to Alaska if I could and walk every Hawaiian island I would be allowed to.
"I guess the grass is on the other side of the fence, though. I'm going to be twenty-five in a few days. All I've seen so far is everything in a three-hour radius and a small part of San Diego."
Jake watched Fox poke half-heartedly at the burger before him.
"Hey, you," Jake said softly, his voice barely louder than the rustling breeze that swept through. Fox looked up at him, a forlorn look set in his face. Jake reached out and took Fox gently by the chin.
"You're right. People often want what they don't have, so the grass is always greener. But you can't compare your life to some imaginary standard that maybe wasn't meant for you. Take control of your goals. If you want it, make it happen one step at a time. You're going to be twenty-five in a few days, and the whole world is at your feet, baby."
Jake waited until Fox nodded in his hand before he pulled away, returning to his food. Fox gave Jake a sweet smile and did the same.
The two worked through their respective burgers and fries in companionab
le silence.
"Were you ever deployed? I'm sure you get asked that a lot."
"I was, twice. Two years the first time, and about nine months the second."
Jake could see the wheels turning in Fox's head, the unspoken hemming and hawing. He decided to give him a break. "I did help a friend who almost got killed by an improvised explosive," Jake offered.
Fox wiped his mouth on a napkin, and wrung his fingers through another as he asked, "I'm sure it's silly to ask, but was it scary?"
Jake gave Fox a rather somber half grin. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Taylor and I weren't trained in removing IEDs. Our specialty was electronics--we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Jake's gaze was lost in the light cardboard box that once held his food. A hand covered his own on his lap.
"You've heard this before, I know, but thank you." Jake was grateful Fox didn't say the other half of that statement--the half that talked about service. To him, he was torn. Without the Air Force, he probably wouldn't have learned about the Pale. He wouldn't be prepared for the nightmare that threatened to plunge the world into madness. With the Air Force, he got Ben, and learned of the means to defend himself and those he loved.
Jake intertwined his fingers with Fox's.
"Can I… Can I invite you to my room for dinner?"
Jake all but rolled his eyes. "We just ate a late lunch, and you're thinking about dinner?"
"I'm-I want to do this right. I don't get a lot of chances, and my ex-he wasn't interested in stuff like that."
The question about exes was on the tip of his tongue, but Jake held it. Instead, he unwittingly walked into a minefield. "Even if I'm only here for about three weeks?"
He regretted it as soon as he said it. Jake saw Fox's eyes shutter as he pulled his hand away.
"You're right. I guess I should just stop trying."
"Fox, wait," Jake got the words out, but not in time to stop Fox from bolting back to his truck. The younger guy sped off around the corner, beneath the glare of the late afternoon light.
*** Fox
Fox pulled over alongside the road. He hammered his hands against the steering wheel. The town was quiet all around him-a town he'd memorized from end to end. It didn't bring him any solace, though. In his heart, he wanted to hop in his truck and go.