by J. S. Finley
“So no sex yet?” Clay asked.
“Not yet.”
“Okay, but later, you owe me.”
Thomas chuckled and pinched Clay’s ass. “I’ll get you later, that’s for sure.”
They headed down, and Clay wondered how Lane and Mike would take he and Thomas being together. Jake and Brent were good with it because they were a couple.
It was a little odd being with Thomas. They all had been friends, though they’d lost touch for a while, but they’d known each other for a long time.
His heart swelled as he walked behind Thomas, heading out to meet Mike and Lane. He was proud of his relationship, though there wasn’t much to it other than a few days of them being together.
The sounds of Jake and Brent having sex had died down. Maybe he should say something to the pair, but he didn’t want to embarrass the guys.
Mike and Lane had rented a gray sedan, which wasn’t anywhere near as sexy as the car Brent and Jake were driving. Functional seemed to fit their styling.
“Hey, bitches, what up?” Lane yelled as he stepped out of the car. Thomas rushed forward and picked up Lane, hugging him close. Clay smiled and shook his head. Those two had gotten into so much shit together in the Marines. The rest of the gang had covered for them time and time again. He was glad Thomas had such a good friend in Lane.
“This place looks great,” Mike said. He hugged Thomas first before Clay. “Hey buddy, how you been?” Mike asked him.
“I’m good.”
Mike lowered his voice and leaned in. “How’s the job going?”
Panic raced through him. He didn’t want to think about how bad it was. “We can talk about it later.”
Mike narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Ah, and we will.”
“Mike, get over here,” Brent called out.
Clay looked over his shoulder and saw Brent and Jake stepping out of the house. They both looked satisfied, and he knew exactly what had put the look on their faces.
Mike gave him one last squeeze before moving to hug Brent and Jake. These men were his favorite people in the world. They had gotten him through so many tough times. Thomas hugged Mike before turning back to Lane, and worry spun through him. Lane and Thomas were such good friends; what if Lane wasn’t happy for them? Did Lane have any clue he and Thomas had hooked up?
Clay hadn’t told Jake until now, and Thomas probably hadn’t texted Lane about their relationship, though he could have. After a few more minutes of hugs and backslapping, they headed into the house. Thomas and Lane were walking together at the front of the group, and Lane said something, which made them both laugh.
Happiness filled Clay. They were all together again, and he felt good about being with Thomas. For a brief moment, it had slipped his mind this would end. He would have to leave and head north where the only thing waiting for him was problems mixed with more problems. Going back to work was the last thing he wanted to do or think about, so he pushed it from his mind. The guys were here for fun, not a counseling session for him.
Mike and Lane dropped their bags in the hallway and headed out to the pool. Their exclamations of delight made him feel good. He liked seeing his friends happy. It wasn’t every day he got to share so much fun with his buddies.
He stepped outside as Lane pulled off his shirt. “I’m going in,” Lane exclaimed.
“Not without me,” Mike yelled.
Jake looked at Brent, and his lips turned up in a huge smile before he tugged off his shirt. The four of them were pulling off their clothes and kicking off their shoes, shedding their shorts. Thomas met his gaze and shrugged. He lifted his shirt, and Clay’s heart sped up.
Getting hard would reveal his truth to Lane and Mike, but if he sat out, one of them would pull him in clothes and all. Clay kicked off his shoes and tugged his shirt over his head. He pushed his pants low, willing his dick to go down. He couldn’t look at Thomas, or he’d risk exposing it all.
He heard a splash and saw Mike breaking the surface of the water. Lane jumped in followed by Jake. Clay made the mistake of looking at Thomas and his body responded. He needed to get into the cold water of the pool STAT. He moved to the pool’s edge then turned before pushing his underwear low. His cock was half hard, but if he waited any longer he’d go full hard.
Naked, he turned and prayed the guys didn’t notice his wood before he jumped in. The cool water helped with his issue. Lane and Jake started a splash battle, and Lane was winning by pushing huge amounts of water at the guys. Mike swam over, the glint in his eyes warning of mischief before he pushed Clay under. Clay kicked away and came up laughing.
After a few minutes of splashing and dunking, the guys settled down. Clay was laughing at something Jake said when Thomas caught his gaze. The intensity from Thomas made Clay shiver. Thomas pushed off from the wall and swam over. When he got close, his eyes dipped, taking in all of Clay.
“I’m having a hard time not pulling you out of this water and pushing you down on a lounge chair,” Thomas whispered.
Clay’s body heated, and he was ever so glad for the cool pool. “You know I wouldn’t be too much against being with you in a lounger.”
“Hey, what are you two conspiring about over here?” Lane swam close and draped his arm over the back of Thomas’ shoulder.
There was no doubt in his mind; Thomas hadn’t told Lane about them. Behind them, Jake burst out laughing. Lane turned and splashed at Jake.
“What are you laughing about?”
They moved closer to Jake where they could all stand. Brent slung his arm over Jake’s shoulder and chuckled.
“Yes, my love, tell them why you’re laughing,” Brent said.
“Oh no, this is too rich,” Jake said.
“What?” Lane asked.
It wasn’t like they were really going to keep their relationship secret from anyone, but Clay didn’t know how to tell Thomas’ best friend they were sucking each other’s cock. It was weird having a secret relationship.
Thomas met his gaze; a twinkle shone in his eyes. He had no clue what Thomas was going to do, but he had a hint it would involve a practical joke. Lane was looking from Jake to Thomas and totally missed when Clay moved behind Thomas. When he reached around to rub Thomas’ chest, Lane’s eyes went wide.
“What’s going on? Why is Clay rubbing your chest? Oh wait, I get it. You two are making fun of Jake and Brent because they’re a couple, and you want to make me think you two are a couple.”
“Oh my God, he found us out,” Clay said.
Thomas reached back and tugged Clay off balance, pulling him around. He hadn’t regained his balance when Thomas laid a kiss on him, which rocked his socks…well, would have rocked his socks if he’d been wearing any.
“Whoa, okay, that’s enough,” Lane said. “Proving a point. Joke’s over.”
“Hey, getting some action,” Mike called out.
Jake let out a loud wolf whistle. “Get it on, baby.”
“Hey, this isn’t funny anymore. You’ve had your joke. Stop making fun of Brent and Jake,” Lane said.
“It isn’t a joke.” Jake’s voice cut through the haze threatening to make him do crazy stuff like wrap his legs around Thomas and open for him.
Thomas ended the kiss but didn’t pull away. His hands feathered over Clay’s body, then he cupped Clay’s face, and held his gaze. The love shining in his eyes was real. There was no mistaking it, no pushing it away as lust, this was more than the two of them playing around. He’d known it from the beginning, but now there was no doubt.
“Thomas, are you two really together?” Lane asked.
Thomas turned to Lane and put his arm around Clay, pulling him close. “Yeah, we are.”
“Are you shitting me?” Lane stood up tall, his eyes wide. “Are you joking?”
“No, this is real,” Clay said.
“Oh my God, this is the best news I’ve ever heard! You and Clay, it’s awesome.” Lane moved in close and hugged them both. “When did this happen?”
“You had sex on the boat?” Lane interrupted.
“No, we didn’t have sex out there on the boat,” Thomas said. “I took him out and realized I wanted more with him.”
“How could you tell?” Mike asked.
Thomas feathered his hands over Clay’s sides then kissed his neck. He was risking getting hard again.
“The way he looked at me when he didn’t think I was paying attention,” Thomas said.
“So you had sex that night?” Lane asked.
Thomas shook his head. “No, it’s not just the sex, Lane.”
“But you two have done the dirty deed, right?” Lane’s eyes were bright, his smile wide. “I need to know so I can get a mental image of you on all fours, asking for it to be harder.”
Thomas was quiet and Clay had the feeling Thomas was a little uncomfortable. Lane always joked about stuff, but this was Thomas’ best friend, which probably hit a little closer to home.
“Take it down a notch,” Brent said.
“What?” Lane asked.
“They’re new to being in a relationship. Give them a break.” Brent wrapped his arm around Lane’s neck and pulled him away from the group, giving him a quick warning before he dunked him under water. Lane came up laughing and tried to stand to wrestle with Brent to dunk him.
Clay glanced at Thomas and saw he was struggling to smile. “Hey, you okay?”
Thomas gave a quick nod. “Sure.”
“He was only joking.”
“I know, I thought he’d be happy for us.” Thomas looked sad, and Clay hated that his man was upset.
“He is. He’s probably working through what it means to be your friend and have you be with a guy. He’ll come around and be cool with it once it sinks in. And you have to remember: It’s Lane. He’s going to joke with you; it’s what he does.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Lane swam over and tugged Thomas away from him then prepared to dunk Thomas under the water. Thomas was laughing, which made Clay feel better. He wanted his man to be happy, to have friends who supported him. If Lane couldn’t come around and support their relationship, he wasn’t sure Thomas would stay with him.
9
Thomas gulped in a breath as Lane lifted him out of the water before dunking him again. Lane’s hold was loose around his neck, and he was confident he could escape easily, but he didn’t even try; instead, he allowed his friend to dunk him again.
“You should have told me.” Lane’s voice was low, and he squeezed his arms tighter.
“I didn’t know if he wanted me.” Thomas allowed Lane to hold on to him.
“How long has this been going on? Not the relationship, but your infatuation with him?”
“Since Tennessee.”
Lane’s arm tightened. “Tennessee?”
Thomas swallowed hard. “Yeah, since then.”
“I had no idea.” Lane sounded disappointed.
He was staring at Clay, his body heating. “I didn’t know either.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”
Some of the other guys were now out of the pool, sitting on the edge while they sipped beers. Jake crushed a can and grabbed another beer from the cooler. Clay hung onto the edge of the pool, his back to Thomas.
“You know I’m thrilled for you, right?” Lane asked.
Thomas’ throat tightened, his emotions riding high. It made him happy knowing Lane wasn’t angry. “You know you’re a brother to me.”
“I know. I’m glad you found someone. But he lives in Virginia; what are you going to do? I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Panic rose, and his heart squeezed. Though he didn’t want to admit defeat, or partial defeat, he couldn’t lie to Lane. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You’re going to get his ass to move here. He’s not happy in his job.”
Thomas nodded. “I know. What has he told you?”
“Nothing, but he talked to Mike and Mike said something to me on the trip down here.” Lane squeezed him again. “I’m going to dunk you one more time because you didn’t tell me when you got together with him.”
Thomas grunted. “It was only a few days ago.”
“You can text, can’t you? Now take a breath, you’re going under.”
Thomas drew in a deep breath and held it as Lane dunked him one last time. He came up, and his best friend squeezed him tight one more time.
“I’m really happy for you, Thomas. I like Clay.”
Thomas grunted before he swam away. His throat closed with emotions as he watched Lane move to Jake and grab his beer before taking a swig.
Jake rolled his eyes and grabbed another beer, which Lane took too. The guys were laughing and joking, having a good time. It was hard to keep up with all the conversations since Lane had been dunking him.
Thomas swam over to Clay and kissed him on the cheek. The warmth in Clay’s eyes made him feel even better. He noticed Brent was sitting behind Jake, rubbing his shoulders. No one was freaking out; no one threw a fit. Everyone seemed okay with them being a couple. It was hard to take it all in. They’d left the Marines as friends, and now Brent and Jake were a couple, and he and Clay were together.
Thomas’ stomach twisted at the thought of Clay leaving when this vacation was over. If they broke up, it would ruin their group. Ruining their friendship was the last thing he wanted to do. Jake wrapped a towel around his waist and moved to the chaise lounge in the shade. Brent followed, covering up with a towel. The rest of the guys followed suit, but none of them seemed uncomfortable being naked, not even Mike. There were gay guys in the group, yet Lane and Mike were acting like they usually did.
Clay pushed up out of the water, his ass on perfect display for Thomas to see. His cock would get hard with Clay walking around naked. He was about to get out of the water when Clay turned to face him, his dick looking delicious as it hung there. His gaze met Clay’s, and he swore the temperature rose ten degrees.
“I’m going to start getting food prep set up.”
Thomas moved to the edge and pushed up out of the pool, standing only inches from Clay. “We’ve got to watch swimming naked with other people around.”
Clay’s cheeks turned pink, and he turned his head, staring at the guys, who, at the moment, weren’t paying attention to them.
“Now I’m starting to get hard,” Thomas whispered.
Clay’s eyes went wider and he glanced down. “So am I.”
“Come on, let’s go up to our room,” Thomas whispered.
“You don’t think they’ll mind?”
“No, they won’t care.”
Clay looked at the guys again before nodding once. “They’re going to give us hell for this.” Clay pointed to their cocks now pointing up.
“We’ll give them hell back. All of us have heard each other masturbate before. Be proud and walk with your head held high.”
Clay rolled his eyes. “It won’t be hard; well, it’s all hard so I guess that’s a lie.”
Thomas laughed and slung his arm over Clay’s shoulder before leading him to the porch, passing by the guys. Jake whistled, and Brent started cheering.
“I want pictures,” Lane called out as they entered the house.
“They’re going to be brutal,” Thomas said.
“Lane will get used to it, and if Brent and Jake give us too much shit, we’ll tell them we heard them having sex.”
Clay’s words made him feel a little better. Their friends were good men, and he trusted them to be kind.
He’d only lost a little of his erection by the time they made it to their room. Clay’s hands helped him get it back, and he forgot about the rest of the guys as Clay stroked him. They were pressed up against the door, Clay working his cock expertly. He glanced down, seeing both of their cocks together. It was beautiful the way Clay was stroking him. His gaze met Clay’s, and emotions pulsed through him.
He pushed off the door and tugged Clay to the bed so they could suck each other to heaven. The sex was great, but the emotions were so powerful he felt almost out of control.
After they finished with their blowjobs, he repositioned and held Clay, knowing their time together was limited. His lover would be gone soon, and he’d be alone again. A long-distance affair would be hard, but being with Clay would be worth it.
Sadness clung to him, and he had to work to keep it at bay. The thought of Clay leaving wouldn’t go away as they spent the evening relaxing and catching up. The food was great and the company perfect. Lane didn’t say anything more about he and Clay being together, which made Thomas feel better. Close to three in the morning, after they’d drunk more than they should have, talked about everything from their jobs to people Mike and Lane had dated, and their crazy neighbors, he and Clay headed up to bed. Having Clay beside him was the perfect end to the perfect day. They snuggled close, making him even more determined to find some way to get Clay to move here.
The next morning, the sun was up when he rolled out of bed. Clay was downstairs, coffee sitting in front of him. He looked like he’d had a good night’s sleep. When Clay saw him, he hopped up, giving Thomas a kiss, which was more than a simple peck on the lips. Clay used his whole body to show Thomas how much he appreciated him. He heard someone clear their throat, and it took a few seconds for him to dig his way out of the lust-induced fog and end the kiss.
Thomas looked over Clay’s shoulder and saw Jake with a cocky grin on his face. Jake moved to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug.
“Good morning,” Clay said.
“Morning. You two look like you slept well,” Jake said.
“The bed was good,” Clay offered.
Jake laughed as he took a sip of coffee. “The person sharing the bed makes all the difference in the world.”
“True story,” Thomas said.
“Morning.” Lane wandered in and poured coffee. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Beach?” Thomas said.
“Awesome. First coffee, though.”
Thomas chuckled as he moved to the coffee pot. Lane poured him up a cup and turned to face the rest of the room. Thomas considered himself lucky. He had a great group of friends and a wonderful man whom he loved. Maybe it wasn’t the love married couples had, but he had been friends with Clay for so long, and the feelings of love were there already. Those feelings were morphing from the love of friendship, to something deeper.