by Riley Hart
“You don’t ask for much,” Shane replied and then got into the car.
When Van did as well he asked, “Are you okay? I know this wasn’t easy for you.”
“I’m fine. She’s fine. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
“I like that idea.” Van pressed a quick kiss to his lips before starting the car.
“Hey.” Shane reached over and touched his thigh.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. It really is so fucking good to see you.” For the first time in a little over six weeks, Shane didn’t feel alone.
*
They went back to Van’s apartment, which he knew was a lot different from what Shane was used to. There was noise from the street below and his things were modern instead of rustic.
There were neighbors on each side and above and below. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”
“That’s part of the point, Van. And,” he shrugged, “it fits you.”
“Last Chance fits me too,” he found himself saying, without giving it a thought. Before he’d gone back he never could have imagined himself saying that. But the quiet of Shane’s house, with nothing but nature around them, was a perfect place to be creative.
He’d enjoyed walking around, taking photos and spending a few evenings in the small bar where everyone knew each other.
“Oh, now I know you’re really sucking up to me. You already got me here and in your bed for three nights. You don’t have to kiss my ass.”
“I kind of want to kiss your ass. I’m hoping you’ll kiss mine too.” Van winked and Shane rolled his eyes. “I’m serious, Shane.”
He wasn’t sure if Shane believed him, but he didn’t want to get into it right now. “Tour later. Gawking later. I want you naked and in bed with me.”
“I want to be naked and in bed with you,” Shane replied, so they did just that. They stripped out of their clothes, wrapped around each other and passed the hell out. A few hours later they woke up, showered, and then Van took Shane around LA. He hit up some of the usual tourist spots—Hollywood and Highland, Rodeo Drive, and the Santa Monica Pier.
They ate dinner late that night in West Hollywood, on the patio at Hamburger Mary’s.
Shane took it all in—wide-eyed and amazed, almost like a child. It was beautiful to watch. Sure, he’d spent time in Portland, but even as incredible of a city as it was, there was really no place like Los Angeles.
After dinner, they went back to Van’s place, showered, and cleaned up before Van eagerly went ass up for him.
It didn’t take either of them long to spill their loads all over the bed and cling to each other, sweaty and sated.
“That felt good,” Shane said. “Needed you.”
“I needed you too. Haven’t had an orgasm with anyone other than myself since I left. Well, other than you watching over Skype, but it’s not the same.”
“You haven’t?” Shane asked, brows pulled together.
“You thought I would?”
“We never talked about being exclusive. I just didn’t know…you being back here. It’s not like you’re short of options.”
Jesus, he really didn’t get it. “You dumb fucker.” Van pinched his nipple.
“Ouch. What the hell?”
“Do you really not see that I’ve fallen in love with you?” Van asked. Shane gasped but Van ignored it and continued. “You’re not what I expected.”
“How could you expect anything about me? It’s not like you were ever planning to see me again.”
Which wasn’t true. Van hadn’t stopped thinking about Shane in twelve years, even though it was just in regards to his regrets, but he knew Shane didn’t want to hear that. “So? That doesn’t mean I couldn’t have expectations.”
Shane sighed, wrapped an arm around Van and pulled him close. Van let his head rest in the crook of Shane’s arm, nudging himself in as close as he could get. “Can I tell you something?” Shane asked.
“Since I just professed my undying love for you, I’d say we’re past asking that question.”
Shane chuckled. Van could hear it through his chest. “You didn’t mention the undying part. Now you’re just being dramatic,” he teased, paused, ran his fingers through Van’s hair. “One of my biggest fears about coming here was that I wouldn’t be able to walk away from you again. That it would kill me to go.”
Van’s heart beat so hard, he thought if he looked down he would see the outline of it in his chest. He sat up, leaned on his elbow and looked down at his man. “What are you saying here, Shane?”
“Don’t really know. You’re still here and I’m still there but…I’m crazy fucking in love with you and I don’t know what the means for me.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Van rubbed his cheek against Shane’s—stubble to stubble. “We’ll figure it out.”
He put his head on Shane’s chest again, and neither of them moved the rest of the night.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
On Friday Van took Shane to the LA Arts District. Shane had never seen anything like it. It was gritty and urban and full of creativity. Most of the buildings were old industrial buildings that had been revamped and modernized. There was gallery after gallery and street displays with more styles of art than Shane could imagine.
“It’s incredible,” Shane told him as they walked down a sidewalk with murals covering the walls.
“Isn’t it? I used to spend every day here when I first moved to LA. I’d come every day off I had and walk up and down the streets, hoping for the day someone would look at my art the way I was looking at this art.”
His words were almost electric. It was one of Shane’s favorite things about Van—his passion.
“And now you made it.”
“Eh. I do alright.” He shrugged.
“You do better than that. You should be proud of yourself.”
“What about you?” Van asked.
“I don’t know…” And the truth was, he didn’t. “I don’t know if I think it’s me—doing this for anything other than enjoyment.”
“So are you just going to continue to store it all in your studio?”
“Maybe,” he replied. It wasn’t as though he had to have all the answers right then. “Have you read the letter?” he asked, changing the subject.
Van shook his head. Shane had kept himself from asking Van when they spoke over the phone or Skype, but he couldn’t hold back now.
“Would you read it?” Van asked.
“I don’t know.” He really didn’t. He thought about his father, the man who’d promised to love them but who left when shit got hard. Who left Shane to take care of things, and he wasn’t sure he’d want to hear a damn thing the man had to say.
“Yeah, I don’t know either.”
They finished looking around, Shane keeping his phone in his hand the whole time. They ate dinner in a funky little diner filled with bright colors and laughter.
When they left they walked around a small crafts fair, where Shane bought some handmade earrings for his mom. There was a young boy with his mom who stopped them and held out his hand.
“Here you go,” he said.
Shane frowned, not sure what the boy was doing. He had a black beaded necklace and bracelet in his hand.
“You can have them. I made it.”
He looked up at who he assumed was the boy’s mom and she nodded. “He likes to do this. He makes jewelry and says he likes to give it to people who look nice. You should take that as a compliment.”
“Wow…this is…I don’t know what to say.” He took the beaded jewelry from the boy. “That’s very kind of you. I’m going to give one to my boyfriend and I’ll wear the other.” He hadn’t even thought before calling Van that.
The little boy just smiled and said, “Awesome!”
Shane put the black bracelet on Van’s wrist and the necklace around his own. “Thank you,” he said.
“The world could use more people like you,” Van added.
The
two smiled, waved and went on their way. “That was…pretty incredible.” Shane fingered the necklace.
“Yeah it was.”
Shane grabbed Van’s hand and the two of them went on their way. When they got back to Van’s place, he started a shower while Shane called his mom.
“How’s everything?” Van asked when he got out. He had a towel around his waist and wet curls plastered to his forehead. In other words, sexy as fuck.
“Good. She sounds fine. She had a knitter over.” She’d been excited to hear about everything Shane had done so far.
“She’s a good lady,” Van said.
“The best.” Shane pushed to his feet and stretched. His shirt rose high, showing Van tanned skin over tight muscles, and a happy trail he wanted to lick. “Mind if I take a quick shower too?”
“Sure don’t. Help yourself to anything you need in there.”
“Can you keep an ear out for my phone? It’s on the charger.”
Van nodded so Shane grabbed his bag and made his way into the bathroom. As he washed up, he thought about their day—the art and Van’s paintings and photographs.
What he wanted Van to do to him, with him. That newfound fantasy that got him so damn hard he couldn’t see straight.
He wanted it. Wanted it with Van and knew Van would want it with him too.
Shane turned the water off, got dry, and then wrapped a towel around his waist as well.
The bathroom door was open and Van was standing by the window looking out. Van turned when he stepped into the room.
Shane walked over, teased the edge of Van’s towel with his finger and asked, “Will you take pictures of me again?” His voice hoarse and needy.
“You know I will.”
“That’s not all I want.” Shane danced his fingers up Van’s chest before circling his nipple. “I want to see us together. Want to feel like there are eyes on us when you take me, and I want you to be the one doing the taking. I want to lose myself in my fantasy with you.” The fantasy that always made Shane feel like someone different. More worldly. Plus, it was just sexy as fuck.
Van gulped. Shane watched his Adam’s apple bob. He wanted to lick it, wanted his tongue all over Van’s body and Van’s all over him. “I think that can be arranged,” Van replied. He flicked the edge of Shane’s towel, making it drop to the floor. The fact that they were standing in front of a window, and he was wearing nothing except a beaded necklace, upped the intensity for Shane. Not that being with Van wasn’t intense enough. “Wait for me right here. Don’t move. Let me get my stuff.”
Shane nodded and Van disappeared from the room. He looked down at the lights from the city. The cars speeding down below. It was so fucking alive there and he liked that, he did, but seeing it, he knew it wasn’t what he would want consistently, even if he didn’t have his mom back home.
There was a rustling sound. He turned his head, and when he did, Van snapped a picture. “Perfect. Sexy ass and pretty face. Two of my favorite things.”
“What about my dick?”
“You know I love that too. I fucking worship it.”
When Shane smiled, Van took another picture.
Shane wrapped a hand around his aching erection and Van said, “Hold that thought.”
He set one of the cameras on the bed. He grabbed a tripod from his closet before setting the other one up so it faced the bed. Goose bumps traveled across Shane’s skin. His dick got harder, thicker, and a warmth raced through his gut. Christ, he wanted this. Wanted it so goddamn bad he could hardly breathe.
“Almost done,” Van said before disappearing in the closet again. He came back with another camera, this one he set up at the foot of the bed. “I want us at every angle I can have us.”
“I want that too,” Shane rushed out.
When he finished, Van picked up the camera he always used when he’d taken photographs of Shane. He flicked his own towel away too. “It was getting in my way.”
His cock was long, swollen, and so fucking hard. “Guess you’re happy to see me.”
“I could say the same about you.”
“Always,” Shane replied, because it was true.
“Put your hand on the wall, Shane. Look out the window.”
Shane nodded and did as Van said. Click, click, click, the camera snapped behind him, then to the left of him.
“Your body is so beautiful. Part of me thinks it’s a tragedy to not share it with the world, but the other part needs to keep you all to myself.”
Shane shuddered, fucking trembled from the inside out at Van’s words. “You make me feel like I’m someone else.” That he lived a different life. His dad had left him. Caleb had been taken away. He was just the man with the sick mom who fixed people’s cars, but with Van, he was someone else. Van saw him…when Van took his picture, Shane felt seen.
“Don’t. I just want you to be you.” He wrapped his arms around Shane from behind. “Let me see if I can make this work. It might not come out so well.” He put the camera in his right hand and cupped Shane’s balls with his left. Click he took a picture of his hand on Shane. Fisted Shane’s dick before doing the same.
“Get on your knees for me, Shane,” he instructed and Shane did, turned around and dropped right down for him.
He nuzzled Van’s sack. Heard the camera snap. Sucked one of Van’s balls into his mouth, before looking up. Click.
His body felt like it had too much electricity going through it. Too much power and hunger and need. Like he would burst from it.
“So fucking sexy. Take the tip in your mouth and look at me just like you are.”
Shane did it, sucked the swollen head of Van’s cock into his mouth and looked up. Click.
It was crazy how powerful he felt there, on his knees for Van, owning who he was and what he wanted and doing something that was for himself. Because those photos, the recording, they would be for him. This Shane that he could be when he was with Van.
“God, I’ll never get enough of you.” Van tangled his hand in the back of Shane’s hair, flexed his hips a little to push himself deeper into Shane’s mouth.
Shane gladly took him down, wanted more as Van continued to take pictures.
“My nuts want to spill already. We need to slow down.” He pulled Shane to his feet and kissed him. Tongues battled, moans were swallowed, teeth clanked and Shane just wanted more. “Get on the bed for me.”
Shane’s eyes darted to the camera. The one on the other side of the bed that likely got everything they just did.
Yes.
He took pictures of Shane as he walked, pictures of Shane as he lay down.
“Touch yourself and pretend it’s me. Whatever you want. It’ll all be fucking incredible.”
So Shane did. He stroked his dick and pinched his nipple. Click, click, click.
He played with his balls and rubbed the pre-come at the head of his cock. Click, click, click.
He sucked his finger into his mouth and spread his legs and pushed the digits deep inside his hole. Click, click, click.
And he felt invincible. Like the goddamn sun, so bright and strong.
“Oh fuck. You’re killing me, Shane. So beautiful.” The bed dipped and Van climbed on, got right between Shane’s legs so he could get a close-up of Shane fingering himself.
He kissed Shane’s balls and said, “I can’t wait until that’s my dick,” before there was another click, click, click.
Shane slipped his finger out, spread his legs more, lifted them, rubbed his balls as Van took a picture of his hole. “So pretty.” Van pet it with his finger, then leaned in. “I want to eat it.” He lashed Shane’s pucker with his tongue, licked it. Felt like he fucking feasted on it.
Pleasure detonated; mini explosions burst throughout Shane’s body. “Fuck, that tongue of yours.”
“Fuck, that hole of yours,” Van countered. “Roll onto your belly. Put a pillow under your hips and arch your back. I want that pretty ass of yours in the air.”
Van sat up an
d Shane did as he said. Click, click, click.
He rubbed the globes of Shane’s ass and took another photo. “I want you, Shane,” he said. His voice sounded ragged, hoarse.
“Then take me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Shane watched as Van set the camera on the bedside table. He opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom. “I got checked after you left.”
“Didn’t trust me?” Van winked.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. I did the same. I’m on PrEP too, but I still don’t typically fuck without a condom. Is this us saying we’re going raw?”
Shane wanted that. Wanted to be painted in Van’s come. Wanted to paint Van in his too. “I want to get messy with you.”
“We are in so much trouble.” Van tossed the condom back into the drawer and kissed Shane hard and hungrily. Shane wrapped his arms around him as they rutted against each other, tongues fucking mouths.
Van’s mouth trailed down Shane’s neck, nuzzled his throat, licked his collarbone, and then nuzzled his armpit. “Love being all up in every crevice of you.”
Shane grabbed the back of Van’s head, pulling him closer. “Fuck yes.” It was raw and primal and he fucking loved it. Loved getting down and dirty with this man. “Are the cameras on?” he confirmed his earlier thought.
“Yeah, they’ve been going the whole time. You’re a star,” Van said before trailing his tongue over to Shane’s left nipple and licking it. He made a path to his right one next and did the same thing.
They kissed and rubbed and thrust against each other until they were a sweaty mess. Shane’s dick leaked all over his stomach. Van’s did too. Their bodies slapped together, slick. He rolled over on top of Van, took his mouth again before saying, “My turn.”
He picked up the camera, straddled Van’s chest and said, “Just suck the tip and look up at me.”
Van grinned so fucking bright it burned him before taking the crown of Shane’s cock into his mouth. Click, click, click. Shane took a few photos before setting the camera down and fucking Van’s mouth. Van took it, groaned for it. In that moment, he thought Van lived for it.