Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

“Yes, baby, yes,” Blake begged him. He rolled them over so Elion was on his back and Blake loomed over him. He felt like he was getting the hang of this now and his confidence made everything even more intense. Elion arched up into him, rubbing his cock desperately against Blake’s and his hand gripping them tightly.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he moaned. He leaned up and kissed Blake once before dropping his head back to the pillow and looking up at him wantonly. “Are you going to make me come?”

  “Yeah,” Blake grunted.

  “Do it, baby. I’m all yours. Fuck I’m all yours.”

  A possessive wave of lust rolled over Blake. Elion was his. And he was Elion’s. The rest of the world didn’t matter in that moment. It all came down to the phenomenal pleasure they were giving one another.

  “I’m going to come,” he panted.

  “Yes,” begged Elion. “Come all over me.”

  The idea of his spunk over Elion’s body woke up something primal in Blake. It tipped him over the brink, his orgasm exploding and robbing him of his sight as he rode it out. Elion came just a few thrusts later. But Blake didn’t let go of their cocks until they were fully soft again and exhaustion covered him like a blanket.

  He almost flopped on top of Elion but he managed to roll to one side before he hit the mattress. They were a sticky mess, but he didn’t care. Instead he took Elion’s face in his hand and kissed him softly. “That was incredible,” he whispered.

  Elion smiled sleepily back at him. “I want to say that we’re only just getting started. But, damn, yeah, that was awesome.”

  Conveniently, there were boxes of tissues on either side of the bed. So they didn’t have to move far in order to get something to mop up their mess with. Once they were dry enough, Blake leaned down to pull up the blankets again over their bodies.

  “Come here,” he said. “Turn around.”

  Elion allowed himself to be spooned. “I love it when you get bossy,” he said, wriggling against him so they were pressed together as much as possible.

  “Yeah?” Blake asked, his eyelids already drooping. He felt like he’d just done a serious work out.

  “Yeah,” Elion repeated. “Maybe next time we can try a little more of that.”

  Next time. Blake realized that wasn’t as scary as he thought it might be. He wanted more of this with Elion, no question. Sex didn’t feel like an obligation with him in the slightest. It felt like a gift. Something he yearned for.

  He wanted Elion in his bed and in his heart, as much as he could possibly manage.

  From his steady breathing, he figured Elion must have passed out already. Sleep wasn’t far off for Blake either. He had no need to fight it.

  He felt content to his bones with Elion snuggled tightly in his arms.

  It was too soon and he didn’t want to jinx anything. But as he drifted into unconsciousness his last thought was that maybe, perhaps, he was falling in love.

  And that it was wonderful.

  22

  Elion

  Elion was awoken suddenly by the obnoxious ring of the telephone. It took him a moment to orient himself and remember where he was…and what had happened.

  He had a split second to indulge in the dizzying joy at realizing it hadn’t been a dream. He and Blake really had had sex last night. Then his fumbling hand latched on to the receiver and he plucked the phone from its cradle, thankfully killing the ringer.

  “Hello?” he mumbled. What time was it? Where was his phone?

  “Mr. Jackson?”

  “This is his room, yes,” said Elion. He sat up and rubbed his face. Mr. Jackson himself was stirring beside him. Elion couldn’t help but reach over and stroke his lovely blond hair back. Fuck. How had he got so lucky? Did this mean things had changed between them; were they really dating now?

  The guy at the end of the line was still talking, saying something about calling from reception.

  “Sorry, what was that?”

  “I said this is a message to let Mr. Jackson know his car has arrived.”

  “Huh?” He looked around for his cell again, but neither his nor Blake’s were in sight. Presumably, they had got dropped along the way during their hasty striptease. “What time is it?”

  “Eleven o’clock, Sir.”

  “Fuck!” Elion yelped. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to the concierge. He just slammed the phone down and shook Blake’s shoulder. “Baby, we gotta go,” he cried, laughing. “We’re late, we have to get to the airport!”

  Blake blinked at him, all ruffled and cute like a baby owl. Elion couldn’t resist swooping down for a quick kiss. “Wha-?” he mumbled.

  “We overslept,” said Elion, throwing himself out of bed. There was no need to be shy at his nakedness now. Blake had already seen it all. He hauled his suitcase from the corner where he’d stashed it and yanked on the first pair of briefs and jeans he laid his hands on.

  “Oh shit,” Blake grumbled. He rolled off the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. “Give me a minute.”

  Blake was apparently one of those people who was slow to surface and grumpy while he did it. Elion loved that he knew that now. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though. Instead, he helped him out by packing while Blake managed to pull on sweatpants and a t-shirt.

  His body felt like it got more gorgeous every time Elion glimpsed it. He hoped beyond hope he was just at the start of seeing it a hell of a lot more.

  He wasn’t used to the desperate want that had settled in his chest. He was craving Blake now, like he imagined drug addicts did. He needed him. The feeling was new and completely terrifying.

  This is why he stuck to hookups. Far safer to just deal in sex and guard your heart. But there wasn’t much use fighting the way he felt for Blake now. Not after last night.

  As they flew around and packed up their toothbrushes and discarded suit pants, Elion reminded himself he still didn’t know where they stood. Sure, Blake may have come out quite spectacularly last night. But just because he’d accepted he was bisexual didn’t mean he wanted to seriously date Elion. For all he knew, he was still Blake’s guy experiment, his gateway into dating other guys. For real.

  There was no time to even contemplate discussing how he felt as they zipped their suitcase shut and headed out the door. Blake laughed at Elion as he suddenly dropped to his belly and checked the floor under the bed.

  “It’s always worth looking,” Elion said, grinning as Blake tried to tease him. Wherever they were at, at least it wasn’t awkward. They’d had sex twice now, and Blake still grabbed his hand as they hurried down the corridor towards the elevator. Blake limped slightly on his bad foot, but on the whole, he had made a great recovery so far.

  Doubt was circling Elion like water round a drain though. The way those people had cheered for Blake as he’d given his speech. They’d loved him. They were his peers and they’d been proud of him. Elion hoped nobody had seen him surreptitiously wiping his eyes at the end.

  But they wouldn’t want him dating some Hispanic coffee barista with pink hair, surely? They’d want to see him with an actor, or singer, or someone else in the public eye. They’d want to ship him with other all-American hunks and write Fan Fiction about them.

  “Hey?” said Blake quizzically as they stepped out into the lobby. “Are you okay?”

  “Uh, yeah,” said Elion hurriedly as they rushed to their car. “Just worried about the flight.”

  Blake stopped and pulled him in for a kiss. Elion was so stunned he just froze and let it happen. Several people stared.

  “Obviously we want to make it,” said Blake, tugging on his hand to get them moving again. “But if we miss it, we’ll just get the next one, okay?”

  Something clenched in Elion’s chest. He wasn’t used to anybody looking after him, not like that. His mom and him did things as a team usually, but lately, he’d been the one doing a lot more of the caregiving. It felt really nice to have Blake just assure him he’d fix a problem if it arose. It didn’t hurt he
was rich and didn’t have to think about wasting money like that.

  “Let’s still try and make it, yeah,” said Elion. He didn’t want to take Blake’s generosity for granted. He squeezed his hand to show his appreciation though.

  He didn’t feel comfortable talking about personal stuff in the cab, so he and Blake just sat listening to the radio. At least their hands were still entwined. They had to run through the airport check-in and security, only stopping for a couple of different fans who wanted photos.

  No matter how stressed they were, Blake always stopped for them. It made Elion’s heart swell.

  He tried to think about how many guys he’d been with in the past were actually kind. He wondered now if that was why he’d never really got anywhere far with anyone before.

  They never got a moment just to themselves. There was always other people in earshot, forcing the questions Elion had burning inside back down his throat. What does this mean? For us? That’s all he wanted to say.

  His hesitancy meant that before he knew it, the taxi from Cincinnati International was dropping him off outside his mom’s house. At least Blake gave him a kiss goodbye.

  “I have class,” he said as he escorted Elion out of the cab. He sounded genuinely sorry for leaving Elion alone. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

  “It’s okay,” he assured him. “I have to do some house stuff and probably sleep.” He laughed and was pleased to see Blake’s cheeks flush a little. “Text me later?”

  “Of course.”

  With another kiss, he was gone.

  The dance show was fast approaching, which meant extra lessons so the kids would be ready. Elion had also had to pick up extra shifts to cover the ones he swapped when he’d gone to L.A. Therefore, he and Blake didn’t see each other for three whole days after they’d parted ways on the curb by his house.

  There was a part of Elion that knew he could always text his questions. Or arrange a time to call. But this felt like something he wanted to discuss alone. Face to face, without any cameras.

  So when Blake asked if he would like to get together for dinner, Elion let his hopes get up for all of thirty seconds. Then Blake had messaged back to explain Seth wanted him to come over to Elion’s house and meet his mom for a family dinner. With the crew.

  Part of him wanted to say no way. He’d never agreed to getting his mom involved with this shit. But there was a little voice in the back of his head that pointed out that he’d love for his mom and Blake to meet. And, so what if the cameras were going to be there? Maybe afterwards he’d get a chance to talk to Blake and clear some things up.

  They set the date for the evening after next.

  Elion had been apprehensive asking his mom what she thought of inviting a TV crew into her home. So far, she had been pretty cool about him being on the show to a point. She’d always been one to grab opportunities with two hands and have some fun. But whenever Elion mentioned Blake her eyes narrowed.

  “You deserve a real boyfriend,” she had argued more times than he could count. The more she said it, the more it hurt. He wanted Blake to be his god-damned boyfriend. But now the prospect was dangling right in front of his nose, he was too chicken shit to ask.

  The opportunity of being allow to meet and – more importantly – feed Blake had perked his mom right up. Especially when Blake told him Seth had specifically asked for traditional Mexican food. Elion had a horrible feeling they might have an ulterior motive and were going to play some racism card. But Blake assured him it would be alright and that he was really excited about home-cooked enchiladas.

  He hadn’t brought up the sex in L.A., but then neither had Elion. He was pretty sure Blake had loved it as much as he had. It had been utterly thrilling going down on him like that. But at the moment it was feeling like the elephant in the room. He hoped again that at some point during this dinner, they would be able to sneak a moment to themselves.

  “Do you think it looks okay?” his mom asked for the sixth time, biting her thumbnail. The kitchen-dining area was gleaming. She’d spent the two-and-a-half-days since the date had been set cleaning like a woman possessed and cooking up enough food to feed an army.

  He slung his arm around her and squeezed. “It looks great,” he assured her. They had the best plates out and the fancy little dishes for appetizers that normally only served as decorations. The room had smelled of lemon and pine before scents of dinner overpowered it, and the windows and mirrors were sparkling. Elion had helped as best he could, but his mom had taken it as her own personal point of pride to make her home camera and boyfriend ready.

  Elion had washed his own bedsheets. Just in case.

  He stood with his mom a minute without speaking as they listened to the radio softly playing in the background. He wanted her to feel relaxed, but he was nervous himself.

  “Is he nice to you?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  Elion sighed. She was the only person aside from Joey who knew the whole thing was a total sham. Devon at work might have had her suspicions, but Elion couldn’t help confessing to his mom as soon as everything went down. She didn’t know the steps they’d made in taking their relationship closer to something real.

  She didn’t know Elion was falling in love for real.

  “He’s great, Mom,” he assured her. “It started out wanting to help him out after what the show did to us, but now…” He sighed. “We’re friends, I’m sure.”

  She bumped him with her hip. “Maybe more than friends?”

  “Mom,” he protested, rolling his eyes.

  “What!” she cried, swatting his arm. “I watch the show. I know you say they edit it a lot, but it looks like there’s something there.”

  He bit his lip. “How about a beer?” he asked, going to the fridge.

  “You’re not distracting me that easily,” she scoffed. She folded her arms and pursed her lips. “He’s handsome and rich.”

  “And sweet and talented,” Elion jumped in a little too quickly. But he didn’t want her thinking this was superficial. “Alright, yeah. I’d really like there to be something more between us. More than just the show. But this is all new to him. At the start he didn’t think he was actually bi.”

  “With you as his fake boyfriend?” His mom tutted and took her beer from him as he held it out. “So he’s stupid, but at least he’s pretty.”

  “Mom,” he growled as his ears went hot. “Please don’t say stuff like that to him, okay? His parents can be kind of dicks.”

  Her face softened. “You really do like him, don’t you?” Instead of answering, he took a swig of his beer. She sighed and reached up to rub his back. “Well, we’ll show him a great time tonight, okay? I’ll be the best mother-in-law he ever saw. He’ll have no choice but to fall head-over-heels in love with you.”

  He definitely blushed at that. “Oh God, why did I ever agree to put you in front of the cameras,” he wailed in mock anguish. “If you get out any baby photos I’ll never speak to you again.”

  She pinched his cheek then stood on her tiptoes to plant a noisy smacking kiss there. “Don’t be ashamed of your mother. I brought you into this world.”

  He felt a rush of strong emotions, all tangled up together. He was so thankful for his mom’s support and in knots about him and Blake. He didn’t really know how to articulate any of that though. So instead, he just pulled her over for a hug.

  She patted his back. “It’s okay, buba.”

  Before they could say anything more, the doorbell rang. Elion took a deep breath and stood up straight.

  “Okay,” he said. He and his mom looked at each other. “Here we go.”

  23

  Blake

  Blake stepped back from the doorbell and fiddled with Watson’s leash in his hands. Kala stood beside him with the half a dozen crew laden down with cameras, lights and sound equipment. She gave him a wink.

  “Excited to meet the in-laws?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “It would be much better
without you lot,” he said. She just grinned broader.

  Elion lived in a fairly typical neighborhood for Perryville. The one-story houses were all set back behind neat front yards that were all just one long continuous run of grass. Telephone poles and power lines ran the length of the street on both sides. Every other house had a great oak tree standing proud and tall by the sidewalk.

  Elion – or more likely, Elion’s mom – had pots of pretty pink flowers lining the exterior wall out front. They waved cheerily in the warm evening breeze.

  The door flew open and Blake’s heart jumped into his throat. Having not seen Elion for a few days he seemed extra beautiful today, even though he was just wearing a simple Henley and jeans.

  “Hey,” he breathed out. Watson strained on her leash and barked.

  Before they could even think about embracing, Kala and all the crew but one camera operator pushed their way inside. “Nope, you know the rules. Let us set up then you can do that again.”

  Blake blinked as the door was slammed in his face. Watson looked up at him with a quizzical expression. “Yeah, I know, it’s dumb,” he grumbled. She wagged her tail and head butted him in what was undoubtedly a show of support. He smiled and scratched between her soft, floppy ears.

  The camera operator angled himself in front of him and Blake zoned out while he waited for the all clear again. He was nervous, which was kind of stupid. But he and Elion hadn’t had any time together since L.A. and it was undeniable things had changed.

  His heart ached at them being apart. Like an actual strained muscle. Blake found himself absently rubbing his chest to try and make it go away. His ankle was all but healed, and in comparison didn’t hurt half as much.

  Now he had to stand there and wait for the stupid cameras and lights to get in place before he could give his damn boyfriend a hug.

  He loved referring to Elion as his boyfriend. Not like before, where the word scared him. Now it made him feel secure and wanted and…loved.