On Fire

by Alicia Nordwell

  “Sure. I’ll unlock the car and then go ask. You feel like burgers, tacos, noodles?”

  Hmm. “Burgers. I’m in the mood for some juicy meat.” Jax didn’t put any extra emphasis on the words, but when he shot a glance at Scottie, he had to hide his grin. Scottie’s cheeks were pink.

  Scottie cleared his throat. “Burgers it is.”

  JAX ENJOYED his burger, and he really enjoyed the way Scottie squirmed as they ate. Jax was vocal about what he liked, and to be fair, the burger was one of the best he’d had in a long time. If he was going to splurge, he was going to do it right. He salted his ketchup and then dipped in a fry.

  “You don’t salt the fries?”

  “Nah, tastes better in the ketchup. Try it.” Jax picked a golden brown fry and dipped it, swirling the ketchup around the tip, then he held it out to Scottie. He didn’t try to feed him—he remembered Scottie’s feelings about public displays.

  “Huh.” Scottie took a bite. “It’s not as a gritty as when the salt is on the fry.”

  Jax turned his plate. “I have more than I need. Go ahead.”

  “Can I get you guys a refill?” their waitress asked.

  “Sure.” Jax nudged his glass to the end of the table. “Strawberry lemonade, please.”

  “How about you?” she asked Scottie. “Another soda?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  “All right.” She took Jax’s cup.

  “Pretty good service here.” They didn’t have to wait very long after being seated before their waitress came over with waters and menus. It took longer to get their food, but the diner was full, so he wasn’t too surprised.

  “Yeah. Reminds me of a few hole-in-the-wall places back home. I know you said you don’t like to do dinner and movie dates, but how about a really good skillet breakfast sometime?”

  “If we’re doing it together?” Jax winked. “I’d love it.” He was secretly delighted—maybe not so secretly by the way Scottie was giving him the look—that he’d forced another reaction when Scottie blushed.

  Scottie opened his mouth, probably to scold him, but right then their waitress came back with his full lemonade. “There you go.” She set it down in front of Jax’s plate and smiled, holding her pad. “You guys going to want any dessert?”

  “Thanks, but I think we have plans to have something to satisfy our sweet tooths later.”

  Oh ho, Scottie was getting into the action… and was that his foot against Jax’s ankle? Jax leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, knowing what that did for his muscles. “I’m in the mood for something creamy.”

  “We do have milkshakes,” she said.

  He didn’t even glance at her. “Oh, I was leaning more toward pastries. I love anything cream-filled, and then we can get extra for breakfast.”

  Scottie stepped on his foot, not hard, but he made his intent known. Jax turned his attention to their unsuspecting waitress, who was eyeing his biceps and chest without even trying to be subtle. He uncrossed his arms. “But thank you very much.”

  As soon as she left, Scottie raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were going to have breakfast at Pike’s Market?”

  “We are. We can get something cream-filled in the morning too.” Jax picked up two fries, swirled them in the ketchup, and then pushed them both in his mouth, whole. He chewed slowly, watching Scottie. “I have a healthy… appetite.”

  Scottie shook his head. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

  “I don’t know about that. When it comes down to it, I am very, very easy.” Time for the final blow. Jax swirled the straw around in his drink, found a good chunk of strawberry, and then sucked hard to lodge it into the end of the straw so he could take it out and make a production of putting the straw in his mouth and then slowly pulling it out, scraping the strawberry off with his teeth.

  “Oh God,” Scottie groaned. “Not fair.”

  “Haven’t you heard? All’s fair in love, war,” Jax leaned forward and whispered in a husky voice, “and especially lust.” He sat back, satisfied with phase one.

  ONCE THEY paid for their food and got back in the car, Jax considered the restriction about public displays of affection over, and he planted his hand on Scottie’s thigh. Not too high, at first, but when they were driving the few miles back to the hotel, Jax casually began rubbing his thigh through the slippery athletic shorts.

  He didn’t have to watch the road, so he kept his eyes on the bulge growing between Scottie’s thighs. Those shorts really did nothing to hide the way Scottie’s cock was lying against his left leg as it thickened. Too bad it was out of reach. Jax squeezed Scottie’s thigh.

  “I am trying to drive.” Scottie’s knuckles were white as he clutched the wheel. He hadn’t even asked if Jax really wanted to stop for pastries. Jax smirked.

  “Seems like you’re doing a good job. We haven’t crashed yet.” Jax ran his finger up and down the top of Scottie’s thigh.

  “Jesus,” Scottie hissed. “You do have a death wish.”

  Jax chuckled. “Not really.” He pulled his hand back. “There, is that better?”

  “Not really.” Scottie squirmed in his seat. “We’re nearly back.” He flicked on the turn signal.

  “Oh good.” Mentally, Jax rubbed his hands together gleefully. Phase two. He waited after they parked for Scottie to grab his crutches out of the back. There was no way he could strut while on those infernal devices, so he let Scottie walk in front of him so he could at least enjoy the view.

  Scottie held the door open for him and then flipped the lock and the bar latch. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  “Actually, I was thinking I need a shower. It’s been a long, hot day. I’m not sure if I can manage everything on my own, though.”

  A fatalistic look of acceptance crossed Scottie’s face, and Jax knew he had him on the edge of his control. “What do you need help with?”

  “I can stand long enough to shower on my own”—Jax didn’t miss the flicker of relief—“but I’m going to need help getting in and out since I can’t put much weight on my knee yet. I can probably sit on the edge of the tub, but I’ll need you to help me get my leg in and stand up since it’s a deep tub.”

  “Okay.” Scottie swallowed hard. “Let’s get you in there before you’ve been on your feet too long.”

  Jax swung right into the bathroom, keeping his back to the door. He rested the crutches against the wall and then pulled his shirt over his head. He stared in the mirror but Scottie’s gaze was locked on his body as Jax pushed his shorts and underwear down slowly over his ass to rest against his thighs, first one side, and then the other. He knew he had a few burns, the pink skin bright against the bronze tan he had—all over—but they weren’t what captured Scottie’s attention.

  Holding on to the towel rack, Jax turned slowly. He was more than half-hard, and his cock was jutting forward. Scottie’s stare was so intense it was nearly tangible, and then their gazes locked together. “I just have to get these off,” Jax said. He sat down on the edge of the tub, wincing at the cold plastic against his heated skin. He pushed his sandals off, unstrapped the knee brace and set it on the closed toilet seat before he wiggled the last bits of cloth covering his body down to the floor.

  Scottie’s gaze jumped around, like he wasn’t sure where he could look, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. A wet spot was forming on his shorts, just a small one, but Jax was aching to put them both out of their misery.

  “Time to get in.”

  “I’ve never done this before. What do you need me to do?”

  Suck my cock while I suck you… but Jax couldn’t say that. Yet. “Support my leg with your hands under my calf and ankle. I’m going to lean back, swing it up and over the edge of the tub, and then I’ll swing my other leg in, get my balance, and stand up.”

  “I can do that.”

  Being so close was torture. Jax could smell the spice of Scottie’s deodorant and the slight musk of warm skin. He was so h
ard he was aching, and his cock was rigid against his belly. Scottie somehow didn’t look above his knees or below his waist again, a feat Jax had to respect even if it wasn’t in the plan.

  As soon as he was up, Scottie stepped back. “Shut the curtain?”

  “Yeah. Don’t need to get the floor wet and slippery. Can you put down a towel for when I swing my legs out?” Jax turned on the water. He didn’t want to use the hotel soap, and he hadn’t brought any, but Scottie’s was still on the shelf so he grabbed that.

  “That’s why you asked for extra towels. I moved your brace, and I’ll put a couple of towels on the toilet so you can dry off. If I leave the door open, are you okay in there?”

  “I might wobble and get hurt. There’s no seat in here.”

  “Okay, I’ll stay.” Scottie’s sigh made Jax smile. He stuck his head under the water carefully, then washed his hair with the combo shampoo and bodywash. To stay balanced, he had to keep one hand on the wall at all times, which unfortunately meant his right hand was out of commission. He made do with the left, soaping up a washcloth and making quick work of his chest, underarms, and stomach.

  Jax got a small handful of soap and put it directly on his rigid cock. He hissed as he stroked up and down.

  “Do you need help?” Scottie asked.

  He was so close, just on the other side of the curtain. Jax closed his eyes for a brief second, wishing Scottie were in the shower with him, but it wasn’t a good idea for their first time.

  “Jax?”

  “I’m okay.” Jax stopped stroking his cock so he could wash his balls and behind them as well as he could. Rinsing without a detachable showerhead was tricky, but the water pressure was fairly good so he managed to get the soap off. “Almost done.”

  As soon as he shut off the water, a towel was thrust in behind the curtain. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” Jax took it, knowing what Scottie hoped he’d do with it. He dried his hair and rubbed the towel across his chest and abs, then spread his legs slightly to get between them. The rough fabric scratched against his sensitive areas, and he dropped it in the bottom of the tub. “Ready to get out.”

  He pushed the curtain open and held out his free hand. “I don’t want to slip.”

  Sweat was beaded up on Scottie’s forehead, but Jax had no mercy. He hid nothing as they maneuvered him out of the shower and over to his crutches by the sink.

  “I should’ve brought you some clothes,” Scottie said. He smacked his forehead. “Sorry. Do you want me to grab some underwear out of your bag?”

  Jax shook his head. “I don’t sleep in underwear.”

  “Oh.”

  Casually, Jax swung out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He stopped at the edge of the bed, propped his crutches against the wall, and then sat down. His knee twinged, but once he had it on the bed all the way, it was fine.

  “They dropped off the extra pillows you wanted too.” Scottie stood at the end of Jax’s bed, looking at him and then away, and then looking back.

  “Good, I need them to support my leg,” Jax said. Plus, the ones he had were kind of flat, and for what was about to happen, he wanted a good view. He quickly piled two up behind him and then stuck one between his legs, spreading them suggestively. “A little help?” He gestured toward his leg.

  “What?” Scottie’s eyes had gone unfocused, and he didn’t seem to notice he was shifting his weight side to side.

  “Can you help me lift my leg and slide this pillow underneath?”

  Scottie stepped up next to the bed and reached for the pillow and Jax’s calf. Jax helped as much as he could, and then he reached forward and snagged Scottie’s wrist when he stood up. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Uh.” Scottie shook his head. “Bed.”

  “My bed, right? Look, my leg is supported by this pillow on the edge of the bed. I’m not in any pain, at least not there,” he amended. “I’m so hard, I feel like my cock is going to split open. I can see how much you’re leaking, and you’re just as hard. Don’t try to tell me you’re not.”

  His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and Scottie cleared his throat. “Sex is a bad idea.”

  He didn’t think it would be that hard to work around his knee, but Jax didn’t want anything stopping him from showing Scottie just how good he could make him feel when he finally got inside him, so he didn’t argue that point. “Fine. Climb into bed with me, and I’ll suck you off, and then you can do me. You don’t even have to go near that leg if you’re worried about bumping it. You can lie beside me if you want.”

  “I don’t know….”

  Jax played his last card. He stroked the thin skin on the inside of Scottie’s wrist. “Please, Scottie. I want to taste you so bad.” It wasn’t really a game, and the truth must have shown in his gravelly voice or the way he couldn’t stop staring at the growing wet spot on Scottie’s shorts.

  “You are in so much trouble later,” Scottie promised. “Condoms? I know we were both tested in the hospital. For a blow job, I trust you.”

  “I’m okay with that. And you can lecture me for being pushy all you want… as long as it’s after we both come.” Scottie groaned, and Jax knew for sure he’d won. “You want that, don’t you?” He tugged on Scottie’s wrist. “Get in bed.”

  “Not this side.” Scottie pulled back, and Jax let him go. He went around the end of the bed to the side by the wall. Jax didn’t pretend not to stare when Scottie took off his clothes. When Scottie bent over to push his shorts off and then stood up, his cock flew up and slapped against his stomach. His balls were already tight to the base of his shaft. They’d been teasing each other for weeks, and Jax was beginning to feel a little desperate himself.

  Jax leaned back against the pillows. “Right here.” He patted the bed beside him.

  On his knees Scottie was the perfect height. All Jax had to do was turn sideways to slip the slick head in his mouth. Jax could smell the salty bitterness of the clear precome beading up on the tip. He licked at Scottie’s slit.

  “Oh God.” Scottie gripped the headboard. His cock bobbed. “More.”

  It was time for the teasing to come to an end. Jax could show off his tricks one day when he could take Scottie from soft to rigid need, but they were already past that point. Engulfing the flared head of Scottie’s cock, Jax wrapped his lips around the shaft and slid forward until he buried his nose in the trimmed bush surrounding Scottie’s cock.

  Sucking, he inched back toward the tip one slow inch at a time, tracing the pulsing tube on the underside of Scottie’s shaft with his tongue.

  “Ugh.” Scottie grunted, and his free hand landed in Jax’s hair. He didn’t tug on it, but he did use his grip to help push Jax down faster. He was breathing hard, his thigh muscles so tense Jax could sense he was already near the edge. His hips pumped gently, and Jax went with the rhythm, taking in Scottie’s shaft as far as it would go and increasing the suction every time he pulled back toward the tip.

  “So good.”

  He wasn’t going for good. Jax reached up and cupped Scottie’s balls, rolling the soft sac, and then pressed one knuckle to the smooth taint right behind them.

  “Fuck.” Scottie breathed the word out as he shuddered and came, visibly shaking. He held Jax’s head in place, not letting go, as he pumped salty globs of come in his mouth.

  Jax panted for air when Scottie’s grip gentled and he pulled away. “Too sensitive.” Scottie slumped onto his heels, still holding on to the headboard. His chest heaved up and down. “Damn. No one has ever given me a blow job like that.”

  He almost pointed out that Scottie must have been sleeping with the wrong men, but he didn’t really want to think about that. Instead he said, “You’re welcome, but that was nothing. Wait until next time.”

  Scottie snorted, opening his eyes. “You’re pretty damn confident.”

  Dropping one hand to his erection still tight to his lower stomach, Jax thumbed the sensitive spot just below the head. “Yes, y
es I am.”

  Sliding down on the bed, Scottie repositioned himself at Jax’s hips and pushed his hand away.

  “Maybe I should tease you, like you’ve been teasing me since we went to get dinner.”

  Jax barely avoided ordering Scottie to get those soft lips wrapped around his cock or else… considering he couldn’t follow through right then. Another time he’d nibble across those sharp collarbones and leave his mark. “I’ve been teasing both of us.”

  “And the shower?”

  “I wanted to be clean before you gave me a blow job.”

  Scottie traced a finger over his shaft from the base to the tip. “So sure of yourself?”

  “Well, I knew I was going to suck you off. Didn’t figure you’d be mean enough to leave me hard and go back to your own bed afterward.” Jax fisted the sheets when Scottie slid the edge of his nail up and down his frenulum, scratching it gently.

  “It would teach you a lesson about teasing me.”

  “I’d just jack off so you could watch, and then you’d be hard again. See, I really was thinking of you.” Jax managed to speak even with Scottie’s touch driving him crazy, but he wasn’t sure if what he meant to say came out nearly as clearly as it sounded in his head. He was never this passive in bed, but he knew if he made one sound or winced because he moved his knee wrong, Scottie would stop.

  If he ever started.

  “Oh, I see. So really, everything you did tonight was for me.” Scottie leaned over Jax’s hip and his breath puffed over his shaft.

  “Uh-huh.” Jax couldn’t say anything else. Words flew right out of his mind as Scottie opened those soft pink lips and finally, finally, gave Jax the warm, wet touch he’d been dying to feel. Scottie swirled his tongue over the head and then traced the rim before he took a deep breath through his mouth. The air was cold, so cold over Jax’s hot, wet skin.