Theresa closed the distance Jax had gained. “Maybe we could go together,” she suggested.
“I don’t think so. We’re just going to order in pizza. My knee hurts too much to go out, so we’re going to spend the night in our room.” The unspoken alone was perfectly clear to Scottie, but apparently Theresa didn’t hear more than hurt. She was eager to offer comfort.
She looked sympathetic, reaching out to wrap her hand around his arm. “Oh no! What happened to your knee?”
“Rescuing me from a wildfire. Jax is a firefighter.” Scottie had to hide his snickers as a cough when she nearly quivered right there. He was so not the only one with a thing for a man in uniform.
She was really latched on to Jax’s arm. “Really? Wow, that’s so amazing! You’re a hero.”
Jax stiffened. “No, I’m not.” He glared at Scottie. Uh-oh. Joke time was over. “Is the chlorine getting to you?”
“Yeah. We’ve been in here for a while anyway.” Scottie stood up and waded over to the stairs. “I’ll get your crutches.” By the time he padded around the hot tub and dried off his hands, Jax was sitting on the edge and wiping his hands on the towel Scottie had used for a headrest. Theresa had moved too and was standing in front of Jax, leaning forward so her boobs threatened to spill over the edge of her bikini top.
“Do you need help?”
“We got it.” Jax’s tone was clipped, and Scottie knew his asshole persona was seconds away from taking over.
“It was nice meeting you, Theresa. I hope you have fun on your bachelorette weekend.” Scottie flashed her a smile before he bent down to offer Jax a hand so he could balance on one leg and stand up. Jax wobbled as he stood.
Scottie had Jax’s crutches in his other hand, so he couldn’t grab him but he tried to move closer. Jax caught himself with one hand on Scottie’s side and the other around his back as their chests banged together. Fast enough that no one could possibly have seen it, Jax pinched Scottie’s ass.
Hard.
Scottie yelped.
“Whoops,” Jax said. He let go and grabbed the crutches. “Bye.”
The wall along the corridor had long windows looking into the pool room, so Scottie had the perfect view as Theresa frowned and then tugged on her swimsuit top, baring more of her cleavage. He started laughing as soon as the second door closed behind them. “She had no idea why you weren’t falling for her considerable… charms.”
“Maybe because I was trying to relax with my boyfriend,” Jax growled. “Which I would have mentioned, if you hadn’t been encouraging her. I hate that.”
Scottie stopped laughing. He reached up and put a hand on Jax’s shoulder and gently pulled back so he’d stop. “I’m getting the hint that you’re a lot more bothered about her than I thought. I mean, it was kind of funny.”
“I’m gay, Scottie. When I’m with someone, I don’t like getting hit on by anyone else, much less a woman.” Jax started walking back to their room.
“Well, unless you tattoo you’re gay on your forehead, I’m thinking it’s going to happen anyway.” Okay, so it didn’t really happen very often to him, but women thought Scottie was cute, not hot. He was the guy they tried to set up their friends with when they zeroed in on the hot guy.
“And it doesn’t bother you?” Jax asked.
“Why should it? They’re barking up the wrong tree but can’t figure out why. It’s funny. It was always going to be me and you heading back to our room to order a pizza.”
“So you don’t get jealous? At all?”
Ahh, that was the problem. Scottie pulled his key card out and unlocked the door, holding it for Jax, who headed right for the bathroom. Well, he wasn’t going to make this into a fight. Scottie locked the door and trailed behind Jax. He stopped just inside the bathroom so he didn’t drip on the carpet.
“Hell yes, I can get jealous. If that was some guy hitting on you? I’d have cleared things up real fast. I don’t share.”
“What about your no public displays of affection thing?”
Why did that always bite him in the ass? “I don’t like guys hanging all over me. I don’t like sloppy kisses or groping in front of people, but that doesn’t mean you can’t touch me or that I won’t touch you. Didn’t you feel me put my hand on your shoulder today? What about that picture we took at the Space Needle?”
“I don’t know. I thought those were accidents, like you missed the handle.”
Scottie snorted. “Okay. Well let’s get this straightened out—no pun intended—right now, because I expect my boyfriend to know that I won’t let someone poach him right in front of me.” Jax’s eyes widened. “Yes, I caught that before.”
“So I can touch you?”
“G-rated touching, sure.”
“Holding hands?” Jax sat on the wide edge of the tub.
“As long as it’s not in a place that’s going to get our asses kicked. I mean, uninjured you’re probably safe from homophobic assholes, but I don’t have your muscles or fighting skills. Getting bashed scares the crap out of me.”
Jax took a deep breath. “Okay. I can live with that.”
“And in the future, I’ll make sure anyone who thinks they can get close to you has to go through me. Man or woman. If that’s what you want.” Scottie didn’t want to assume too much, but Jax had been really upset. He didn’t want their first argument to be over something so stupid as a chick in a too-small swimsuit.
“Especially women. At least you got us away before she could rub those flotation devices against me.” Jax made a face.
“Seriously? You’ve had that happen to you before?” Scottie was shocked. “Just some random chick?”
“More than once. Women can be just as aggressive as men sometimes.”
“Well”—Scottie took a long, slow look from Jax’s long, lean calves all the way up to his wide shoulders—“I can’t say that I blame them.” His shorts were getting tight again, which would make them even harder to peel off. “Shower?”
“Sure. Gotta get the chlorine off since we didn’t at the pool.”
“It’s been such a long day. I should probably get in there with you this time.” Scottie reached for his waistband.
Chapter Fourteen
JAX KNEW exactly what would happen if they got in the shower together. His leg was bothering him, but before they went down to the hot tub, he’d taken a pain pill when Scottie was in the bathroom. The pain was locked behind the wall the pills provided, but it did nothing to stop his cock from starting to fill, not this time.
He squirmed to one side, then the other, pushing his swim trunks down. “A little help?” he asked huskily.
Scottie was already naked. He knelt in front of Jax and grabbed his shorts, pulling them off. He tossed them in the corner, then reached around Jax to turn on the water. “Let’s spin your legs inside first. Your job is to not fall, because I won’t be able to catch you.” The shower really wasn’t big enough for both of them.
This time Scottie took the lead. He turned the shower on and closed the curtain, enclosing them in the steamy space. Scottie stepped into the spray, then reached for Jax, pulling him forward. The water hit Jax in the chest and ran down his body when Scottie turned sideways. He grabbed a washcloth and rubbed bodywash on it until it became soapy.
It was a combination of a sensual rubdown and getting the chlorine off sensitive areas. Scottie’s sure touch sent shudders down Jax’s spine that made it hard for him to stay upright.
“Careful.” Scottie stopped teasing and steadied him against the back wall, quickly rinsing Jax and then washing himself. He slid his hands down Jax’s sides and gripped his hips. “Do we need to get you flat?”
“I’m solid.” He wasn’t, but he could fake it if it meant Scottie took that one step, just enough to obliterate the inches between their cocks. Scottie stared in his eyes for several heartbeats before he let go.
But he didn’t reach to turn off the water and pull back the shower curtain. No, he grabbed the bottle of s
hampoo off the shelf. He flipped the lid up, and then he finally came closer. Scottie turned that bottle of shampoo over and let it drizzle all over their lower bellies. Deliberately, he closed it and set it back on the shelf.
Jax wanted to suck that hard length again, but Scottie apparently had other ideas. He slid his hand between them, spreading that spicy slick shampoo around, and then grasped Jax’s cock. His free hand landed on the tiled wall just above Jax’s shoulder with a sharp slap.
“Shit.” Jax’s breathing sped up from just that touch. Jax stared down, entranced by the sight of Scottie holding their shafts in a loose grip. Just that was enough to send tingles of pleasure to his balls. Then Scottie flexed his hips, sliding his cock along Jax’s. He squeezed and released, erratic at first but then finding a rhythm.
“Feel good?” His question came out on a sharp exhale.
“Yes,” Jax hissed. Scottie leaned forward and licked a line up his throat. Jax swallowed hard. He wanted to slam Scottie against the wall and rut against him, but he couldn’t move. He locked the muscles in his leg. Using his chin, he nudged Scottie to turn his head. Jax snaked his tongue along the outer edge of Scottie’s ear and then drew the lobe into his mouth.
Scottie’s groan was loud, and Jax knew he’d hit a hot spot. He licked, sucked, and bit at Scottie’s ear and the sensitive skin right behind it. Scottie began thrusting faster. He swayed against Jax’s body, and it was all he could do to push back and hold steady, to be the rock Scottie needed to bring them both off.
Water slipped down Scottie’s shoulders sometimes, and the shampoo foamed up. It was slippery and the suds tickled as they slid over Jax’s balls and between his thighs. The mix of sensations made Jax crazy sensitive, intensifying the touch until he was close to blowing.
“Shit,” he swore. “Almost there.”
“Uh-huh.” Scottie was grunting and working his hips and hand. “Me too. Kiss me.”
Jax leaned down, and their lips met in a clash of flesh and teeth that left the tang of blood on Jax’s tongue. He didn’t care. Jax thrust his tongue in Scottie’s mouth possessively, then drew Scottie’s tongue into his mouth and sucked.
One last pump and squeeze from the base of their shafts to the flared heads, and Jax was shooting come over Scottie’s hands to coat their stomachs in viscous strands. “Yes!” Scottie moaned as his hips stuttered and he followed suit, several spurts of come mixing with the suds and mess Jax already made. The musk of male pleasure filled the shower as steam swirled around them.
Scottie leaned his forehead into Jax’s shoulder, his chest rising and falling sharply as he gasped for air. “Holy hell.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “My legs are like Jell-O.”
“So are mine.” Jax chuckled.
“Shit, are you going to fall?” Scottie looked up, blinking slowly.
“Maybe when I move. Right this second? I’m okay.”
“All right. Let’s see if we can prevent the embarrassment of calling down to the front desk for someone to come help me get you out of the bathtub.” Scottie cautiously turned and rinsed before he moved out of the way and let the water take care of the mess running down Jax’s body.
He shut off the water and leaned out, nabbing two towels of the metal rack. “Last two.”
Jax dried off as much as he could on his own, scrubbing his hair and face dry and then getting his arms and chest. He shuddered as he rubbed the rough cloth over his flaccid cock and drained balls. “Can you dry my legs?” He held out his towel to Scottie, who was just finishing up drying himself.
Scottie knelt in front of him and thoroughly dried Jax’s legs and even the bottom of his bad foot. “I’ll get this other one when you turn and sit. Ready?”
“Let’s give it a shot.” Jax held on to Scottie, who leaned back to balance him as he sank down on the side of the tub. He was wobbly but steady enough to put on a pair of shorts before he finally laid down in bed. Jax was drained in the way only good sex could tire a man out.
Scottie picked up the notebook on the desk. “Ready to order pizza? What do you want?”
“I’m fucking starving. We better get two. Do they have supreme and pepperoni?”
“Yeah. Two mediums?” Scottie pulled his phone out of the side pocket of his camera bag. “Do you want a salad? Breadsticks?”
“Salad with ranch dressing. No breadsticks for me unless you want some.”
Scottie punched in the number. “Nah, I’m good. It’s ringing.” He relayed their order and confirmed how much, then hung up. “They said it would be here in about forty minutes. Dinner’s on me tonight.” He dug out his wallet and grabbed two twenties, putting them on the desk.
“Thanks.”
He waffled after he grabbed the remote by the TV. “Your bed or mine?”
Jax patted the bed beside him. “Mine, of course.”
“I HAD a great time this weekend.” They were able to avoid morning commuters and the traffic from all the Seahawks fans coming for one of the first Monday night games of the season by heading out just after ten o’clock. There’d been a ton of cars on the freeway going north, blue-and-green number twelve flags flapping in the back windows.
“Me too.” Scottie glanced at him. “Makes me wish this drive had been longer.” They’d already driven past Ridgefield and were close to the first exit in Vancouver. Scottie was going to drop him off and then he had to head home. “But I bet you’re ready to get out of the car.”
His knee was throbbing after all the activity that weekend, but Jax was glad he’d listened to Simon and stopped being such an ass to Scottie. They had a lot of fun together, and fuck, they were hot together. Jax didn’t want to wait until they went to Long Beach to spend time with Scottie again.
“You want to come over and have dinner one night this week? We can have some Chinese delivered.”
Scottie nodded. “If you don’t mind eating later.”
“Nope. Not like I have a lot going on. You know… if you take a clean suit to work that day, you could even spend the night. You’d love my wake-up calls.”
Scottie glanced at him. “Guessing you don’t have a basic alarm clock.”
“Nope.” Jax drew it out and made a little pop at the end of the word. “So how about it? Have I tempted you into sleeping over?”
“I guess. I did promise to help you hook up your laptop to the TV so you could watch more Queer as Folk.” Scottie grinned. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the latest episodes.”
“Hey, I really do like that show.” Jax crossed his arms over his chest. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“No… you just never struck me as the type of guy who’d watch it.”
“Stereotyping me again. I’ll admit, I’m not likely to be marching in Portland’s Gay Pride parade, but I usually head across the river to the Waterfront over that weekend. Pretty sure I’ve seen gay men of all types down there.” He’d definitely looked at more than just a few guys.
“I know, I know. Sorry. I just never imagined that I’d be with a guy like you. All my past boyfriends have been more like me. Maybe I don’t come across as swishy just to look at, but people don’t seem all that surprised when I tell them I like guys. You’re a firefighter, you look like you live in the gym for hours a day, and absolutely nothing about you or your house seems gay.”
“Maybe I should get some rainbow-colored throw pillows? Tattoo a unicorn jerking off and spraying sparkle glitter across my chest?”
Scottie burst out laughing. “I’d pay to see that.”
Jax rolled his eyes. Scottie pulled into his driveway and used the code to open the gate. “Maybe I’ll start with just the pillows.” He reached into the backseat and dug into the side pocket on his bag. “Pull in front of the first garage door.” Jax hit the button to open the door. “I made a spot for you.”
“Really?” Scottie carefully pulled inside, inching to a stop. He pulled the keys out of the ignition, fiddling with them.
“Well, I might have a slightly selfish rea
son for not wanting to walk up the stairs, but yeah, I thought you could park here when you come over. You already know my gate code and how to get the spare key.” He reached over and clipped his extra garage door opener on Scottie’s visor.
He hadn’t really thought about how they’d only known each other a few weeks when he gave the codes to Scottie, but in essence, he’d already given him a key to come and go. Some might say they were moving fast, but Jax felt like things were right with Scottie. It was easy to be with him in a way Jax hadn’t felt before.
Scottie leaned over the console between them and gave Jax a kiss. Their lips met and parted, tongues barely touching. He increased the pressure, sliding a hand behind Jax’s neck to hold him close.
He pulled back until their lips just separated, his words a puff of air against Jax’s lips. “Thank you.”
JAX GRADUATED to a brace with a moveable joint once his therapist decided he could put weight on his leg. It hurt and his muscles kept cramping, but when Scottie came over they were able to sleep upstairs in Jax’s bed, which was a lot more comfortable than downstairs. Memory foam made all the difference.
Scottie was a very hard sleeper, and he did move a lot, but fortunately he was flat on his back when Jax woke up after their first sleepover at his house, his internal alarm letting him know morning was approaching. Jax checked the clock to make sure, but they had plenty of time before Scottie needed to leave for work.
Jax lifted up the covers and scooted down. He slid a pillow between his legs lengthwise to support his knee, and then pulled the blanket down and off, baring Scottie’s entire body. He took a minute just to enjoy looking at Scottie’s lean build. Then he got to work making sure Scottie woke up very, very happy.
Chapter Fifteen
“WHERE ARE you running off to?” Carter asked. He was leaning back in his chair to peer into Scottie’s cubicle. “Still seeing your firefighter?”
On Fire Page 13