Jamie reached below Aaron’s waist with his opposite hand and ground the heel gently over the denim stretched tight over Aaron’s stiff cock. He said, “Are you sure? I could take just as long with your jeans.”
Aaron shook his head and said, “No, no, shit, Jamie. I don’t think I could handle that. Let’s go to bed.”
Jamie grinned and chuckled softly. He climbed to his feet and offered a hand to Aaron. He whispered, “Come with me, my love.”
Nothing happened fast once they arrived in the bedroom, but Jamie did kick actions into a slightly higher gear. Within a few minutes both were naked in bed beneath the sheets and Jamie was very slowly rolling a condom down over Aaron’s throbbing hard cock. Just as the sheath hit the base of Aaron’s cock, Jamie bent his head down and slowly sucked Aaron’s balls into his mouth.
Aaron growled and grunted and exclaimed, “Please, Jamie, ride it, now, please.”
Lying back with his head pressed hard into a pillow, Aaron watched as Jamie climbed astride his cock and eased the head upward until it pushed tight against his hole. Jamie moaned, “You’re going deep…”
Aaron arched while Jamie let gravity push his body down. Both gasped when the head slipped past Jamie’s tight ring. “Oh, fuck…” moaned Aaron. “This is what makeup sex is all about.”
Jamie corrected him. “This is what sex is all about, period.”
Aaron stared at Jamie’s smooth, well-muscled body as he slowly rode up and down. His head was thrown back exposing his throat and deep, guttural moans erupted from his mouth.
Aaron grunted, “Fuck, Jamie. I’m getting close to the edge.”
That was just enough of a comment to make Jamie freeze in place. He said, “Not yet.”
Aaron moaned and wiggled against the bed. Then Jamie began to slowly rise up and down on Aaron’s cock again. He whispered, “I’m not rushing things. I’m taking it slow.”
Aaron howled, “Fuck it. I don’t know if I’m happy or upset that I said that. Right now I love it and hate it both at the same time.”
“Should I stop again?” asked Jamie.
“No…I mean, well…no,” said Aaron. Jamie could see that Aaron’s mind was flooded with sensations that he could no longer sort.
Jamie began to ride up and down again. This time he increased the speed and did his best to tighten the grip and increase the friction.
Aaron pounded his hands on the bed. He murmured, “Please…I’m so close.” Aaron reached out and gripped Jamie’s hip with one hand and Jamie’s cock with the other.
Jamie smiled and let out another long, low moan. With the pumping action of Aaron’s fist, he knew that he was going to cum soon as well.
Jamie stopped and started two more times until he was certain that Aaron’s mental state had come completely unmoored. He growled, “Cum with me Aaron.”
Aaron shouted, “Yesss!” and both surged over the edge into massive howling orgasms almost simultaneously.
Jamie was breathless as his cock shot wads of cum over Aaron’s chest and he could feel Aaron shuddering against him. They both fell exhausted in a heap on the bed. It was a very long day, and it came to an end with the most drawn out sexual episode either had yet experienced.
When both finally caught their breath again, Aaron asked, “Are you sure you were serious? This is what you want more than your job?”
Jamie stared at the ceiling and said, “It’s not this, Aaron. It’s you. I want you ten times more than I want that job. You’re the one.”
“I’m the one?” asked Aaron. “Can you say that one more time, Jamie?”
“You’re the one, Aaron. Head and shoulders above anyone I’ve ever met. You are the one.”
Aaron repeated it to himself. He whispered, “I’m the one. I really am the one.” Then, in a voice that sounded infinitely joyful, he said, “Jamie, I’m never going to let you go.”
Epilogue - Aaron
Jamie stayed true to his promises. He walked into Rupert Sheaves’ office on Wednesday morning at 8:15 a.m. and placed a resignation letter on the boss’s desk. Rupert Sheaves began to ask, “What letter is this?” but Jamie was already gone before the question was finished.
Jamie packed up all of the items that he wanted from his office in one big cardboard box. As he was carrying the box to the elevator, Rupert Sheaves intercepted him and asked, “Would you stay for a raise?”
Jamie said, “No,” and he kept walking.
He met Caleb for lunch at a small cafe near the office building. Caleb said, “You’ve got a serious set of balls on you, buddy. Maybe one of these days I’ll grow a pair, too.”
Jamie said, “It’s not that hard. Just stand up for yourself, and when they say no, then you leave. Your resume is just as impressive as mine, Caleb. You could easily find a different job.”
Caleb shook his head. “I’m not there yet. Standing up has always meant a fucking hard slap back down in my family, and then it was a route to the poor farm for a few. Maybe I exaggerate a little bit, but it was never pretty.”
When lunch came to an end, Jamie gave Caleb a huge hug and said, “You have to promise to come down and visit Catlett’s Cove. I’ll take you out in a boat on Summers Lake. It really is beautiful.”
“I can do that, Jamie. Just don’t insist that I move there. Small towns make me itch.”
* * *
For Jamie, the idea of moving into Aaron’s apartment sounded awkward. It had nothing to do with the idea of living with Aaron, but being only three doors down from his sister was uncomfortable. He didn’t know exactly why, but Aaron understood.
Jamie spent his first two months in Catlett’s Cove renting a small suite at an extended stay complex out on the highway between Catlett’s Cove and Mitchell. He said to Aaron, “I’m just going to stay there while we sort through our options. I’ve got the two months left on the lease up in the city so my furniture can sit there in comfort.”
Early one morning at 3:00 a.m. while Jamie and Aaron were sleeping together in the extended stay suite, Aaron sat upright in bed and said, “I know! Let’s buy a house!”
Jamie groaned and said, “3:00 a.m. Go back to sleep.”
Aaron reached over and shook Jamie’s shoulder. He said, “No, I’m serious.We should go in together and buy a house. I’ll stay in my current job for another year to just make sure we’re solid on income, and then I’ll build myself a studio office for game design in the future. There are plenty of cute little places in Catlett’s Cove, and they aren’t very expensive.”
Jamie rubbed at his eyes and sat up. He asked, “Isn’t that rushing things a little bit? I mean, that makes it sound like we’re really settling in.”
Aaron said, “We’re engaged, and we want to live together. We sleep every night together already. If something happens, we can just sell it or rent it out to a different family.”
Jamie laid back down and rolled over toward the side of the bed. He said, “Alright, Aaron. We’ll talk in the morning. Right now it’s 3:00 a.m. Goodnight.”
* * *
Aaron and Jamie decided to fund a downpayment for their house with Aaron’s first big royalty check for his app and a tidy little nest egg Jamie was given by his parents specifically for the purpose of funding his first house.
They set out with a realtor to look at all of the options. They both decided that it was important to find a place where they could showcase Jamie’s furniture collection. A string of bungalows didn’t seem like exactly the right options.
Finally, the realtor said, “This next one is a little out of your desired price range, but I’ll show it to you anyway. Jamie will figure out right away why I want you to see it.”
It was a mid-century modern house built in the late 1950s. It stood out from the 1930s frame houses in the neighborhood, and Aaron remembered his parents complaining when he was growing up that it looked like it belonged somewhere other than Catlett’s Cove. Now the small, slate grey house with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over woods on the back
and clean horizontal lines throughout the interior was considered one of the town’s historical gems.
Jamie whispered in Aaron’s ear, “We have to buy it. I’ll kick in extra if I need to.”
Aaron and Jamie invited the whole Purple Pack and Christy, Sylvia and Caleb over for a housewarming party once they shipped the furniture down and settled into the new house. Everyone filtered through the rooms expressing appropriate ooh’s and aah’s as they looked at both the house and Jamie’s furnishings that matched the design perfectly.
Thomas and Hadley brought their dog Lucky and her puppy Molly. Sylvia was overjoyed. She giggled every time Molly gave her a kiss with a big, wide doggy tongue.
Derek brought freshly printed copies of his latest novel to give out to all of his friends. Jane gushed saying, “I’ll keep this in my chest of keepsakes, because I know one day you’ll be more famous than you can imagine now, Derek.
Caleb talked about how pretty Catlett’s Cove was, but he insisted over and over that he could never leave the city for a small town. He said, “I’m too big for such a small town.”
Jamie eagerly talked about his new job. He was heading up the human resources department at the local community college. He said there was a possibility that he might even venture into teaching a few classes on the side. So far he really liked his colleagues and the employees he would be managing. He said, “It’s a slight pay cut, but there are so many things much more important than money.”
As everyone finished the dinner of burgers and hot dogs grilled on the back deck overlooking woods that bordered Summers Lake, Aaron said, “We have a very special announcement to make.”
He looked around as his friends clung to each other in anticipation of what might be said. He continued by saying, “Jamie and I have done a lot of consideration about our future since he moved to Catlett’s Cove. Now we have a concrete statement about how we are moving forward. We are proud to announce that we have set a wedding date.
Everyone was silent for a moment and then Thomas responded, “That’s really exciting, Aaron. We now know you two like to move fast, but I think it deserves a toast.”
Aaron held up his hands. He said, “Wait a moment. In the interest of moving forward without haste and with slow deliberation, we are proudly announcing that our wedding will take place two years from today.”
Derek smiled and then he laughed as he raised his glass and shouted, “Our two tortoises will win the race!”
* * *
Thank you for reading The Experiment. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.
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Also by Grant C. Holland
The Practice: A Catlett’s Cove Novel, 1
By My Side: A Catlett’s Cove Novel, 2
Silver Foxes
Pet Shop Charlie
The Flawless Mr. Faraday
Yukon Sam
The Practice - Catlett’s Cove, Book 1
Reviews
“Beautifully written. This story takes you through the lives of a proud gay man and a man who doesn't know what he is yet. Sweet and heartfelt story.”
“The Practice is a story that has all; it's sweet, quirky, sexy as hell.”
“This is a lovely book about finding love and trusting in who you are in enough to fight for what you want.”
* * *
“Do you think you deserve to have it all, everything that you need, right here in Catlett’s Cove?”
Thomas Randall has dreamed of taking over the veterinary practice of his mentor Dr. Benton from the day Dr. Benton saved his family’s golden retriever after it was hit by a car when Thomas was only eight years old. Now Dr. Benton is retiring and Thomas has just earned his veterinary degree. It seems like a perfect time to return home.
Thomas only has one major concern. Catlett’s Cove is a small town, and he is skeptical about whether he can find a man to love. Then he meets Hadley Rogers who brings in a pregnant dog injured on the road.
Hadley Rogers loves to work with his hands, on houses, cars, and landscapes. And he is supposed to be straight. Until he meets Thomas. He’s been attracted to men since age fifteen, but he’s never kissed one…until now.
Hadley cares for his great aunt Mae, the only close family he has left. His family was always a proud one where the men were men and the women were women. Now Hadley is worried that his attraction to Thomas will upset the careful balance of his life. Not to mention disruptions caused by a rescued dog and her puppies.
The Practice is a 50,000 word first time gay novel. It is the first book in the Catlett's Cove series, has no cliffhangers and has a happily ever after ending with steamy scenes.
* * *
Read The Practice
By My Side - Catlett’s Cove, Book 2
Reviews
“Derek and Yale are so cute together, and it was nice to see characters work through their insecurities without it feeling like over the top drama. Friends-to-lovers can be a hard trope for me to really love (I usually want to slap some sense into the characters), but the characters and story were so believable it really worked for me.”
“Derek and Yale's story is fantastic, warm, funny and the love you feel between the characters is overpowering!”
“The characters are all down to earth and face real life struggles. I get really engrossed in these books and feel like I'm right there with the characters.”
* * *
“You don’t need to carry everyone else all of the time. For once, you need to let yourself be carried.”
Derek Bradshaw has always been driven to succeed. He’s a published author on the edge of a breakthrough when he shoulders the responsibility of his family’s failing downtown Catlett’s Cove bookstore. He’s struggling to stay afloat and doesn’t realize his lifeline is by his side where he’s always been.
Yale Preston, Derek’s best friend, has always come up with great ideas for personal success, but he’s never achieved any of them. He spends nearly all of his time piecing together a series of part-time jobs and one-time gigs to manage rent money.
When Yale sees Derek, the man he’s always desired as more than a friend, start to flounder, he wants to dive in to save him, but he’s not sure exactly how. What he does know is it will require both men taking the risk of exposing the secrets held deep in their hearts.
By My Side is a 50,000 word friends to lovers romance set in the same world as The Practice, but is readable as a standalone. There are steamy scenes and a happily ever after ending.
* * *
Read By My Side
Silver Foxes
Reviews
“The author handles the realities of an aging body very well. The characters come across as strong and confident, if sometimes a bit bemused, with their age and place in life. Both characters are well thought out and developed and their thoughts and feelings are easily understood.”
“I loved these characters. They are meant to be together and the emotion in this story kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.”
“It is very refreshing to read about people that are older, wiser and more appreciative of a companion. Especially when you have a history with one. This book is a prime example of what is good in life.”
* * *
Thirty years ago Byron Finch believed his best chance at love was stolen by another man. As the years unfolded, he realized that Gage Barlow found true love instead. Byron's life unfolded successfully by almost anyone's standards. He was the successful owner and designer of BF, a top level fashion design firm, and he lived in a stunning condominium overlooking the city of San Francisco. He had everything but a man at his side.
Gage's life was much more modest, but he was happy and fulfilled until tragedy struck just one year ago. Hi
s husband Ross fell victim to cancer leaving Gage grief-stricken and alone with the couple's rescue dog Durango. When his thirty-year college class reunion arrived, he knew that Ross would want him to attend.
Decades have passed, but the attraction is still strong when Byron and Gage cross each other's paths again at Wilson Ridge State College. Can love strike twice for Gage, and can Byron be given a second chance?
Silver Foxes is a stand-alone second chance, friends to lovers gay romance novel with steamy scenes, no cliffhangers, and a happily ever after ending.
* * *
Read Silver Foxes
About the Author
Grant C. Holland is an author of gay romance. He lives in the upper Midwest enjoying friends, family, great food, and putting stories with happy endings into writing. This is Grant’s seventh book.
grantcholland
[email protected]
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