by AG Meiers
“No, I’m enjoying the view.”
Sven snorted and grabbed Jayden by the back of his neck. He pulled him into a rough kiss.
“Sex is good for you.” Sven breathed heavy against his ear. “Makes you happy. We need to keep this up.”
Warmth flooded Jayden. Yeah. Forever. Sven tried to turn him over and take control, but Jayden wasn’t ready to let him be in charge. He was flying high on his new-found sex superpowers. After pushing Sven back onto the sheets, he scooted down and let his tongue swirl around Sven’s head a few times before sucking him hard and deep. Sven let out a strangled moan.
Jayden felt positively wicked as he pulled off just as Sven’s body started to stiffen and Sven’s angry growl made him laugh.
“Edging is not your thing, huh?”
Jayden couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so comfortable, so at home with another man. Maybe that was because there’d never been anybody like Sven.
Unable to hold back anymore, he gave in to all the deep emotions that seemed to be hiding underneath. Yeah, he had it bad. Being alone with Sven in the tiny cabin, wrapped up in him, he could admit that. Eventually, he would have to deal with reality, but right now he didn’t care. He was laying some loving on his Viking. Jayden pressed Sven onto the bed and covered him with soft kisses and gentle touches.
Of course, Sven wouldn’t let him keep the lead for very long.
“Jay, please. I need more. You’re killing me.” Sven’s hands found Jayden’s head and pushed him back down toward his cock. Jayden closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide to give his lover what he needed. Sven moaned and started a simple slow rhythm, his thrusts shallow.
“Jay . . . oh God . . . Jay.” Sven’s words made Jayden look up. Their eyes met, and the intimacy of the moment seemed to push Sven straight into his release.
He shouted out Jayden’s name when he came. Jayden choked a little but continued sucking Sven through his orgasm.
After a minute, Sven pulled him back up and kissed him. Nobody kissed like Sven. The world slipped around Jayden again. All his senses narrowed in on the man close to him. Then, Sven’s hand found Jayden’s dick, and it didn’t take more than a few strokes before Jayden exploded over the edge.
Sven was still by his side when Jayden woke for the second time. Sluggishly, he wiggled out from under the covers. He looked for his clothes, but when he turned and saw Sven’s heated gaze, he gave Sven a cheeky grin, stood up, and stretched.
“Love your ass.” Sven smiled as he slid his hand under the quilt. “Come back and I’ll show you how much.”
Even though Jayden was tempted to go back, he instead walked around the bed, swaying his hips with his already recovering and half-erect dick wobbling in the air. He was a bit giddy at his own courage.
“No way. We have things to do today. Orla needs help to get the guest rooms ready for the instructor training next week. I want to try out a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and you volunteered to drive to Newbury to get supplies. We’re already late. Orla’s going to be worried.”
Sven let out a frustrated growl, but his eyes were warm and relaxed.
“Also,” Jayden added, “we need more wood. It’s cold in here.”
Sven grinned. “Give me a minute . . .” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. It took Jayden a second to catch up.
“No! No, you didn’t just make a . . . wood joke! You . . . lumberjack had to go there. Corny!” They both started laughing until Sven tried to launch himself at Jayden again, but Jayden evaded him with a swift jump backward.
“Stop prancing around, City Boy. You’re killing me here. If you want to get out of this cabin, you’d better put some clothes on, or I’ll tie you up in my bed to have my wicked way with you all day long.”
Jayden’s eyes widened, and he stopped his progress to the bathroom. A needy whimper escaped his lips. Sven growled, threw off the covers, and lunged for him, but Jayden recovered quickly enough to escape his grab with a joyful laugh.
As the water heated for the shower, Jayden pictured himself staying in Cold Creek. Living with Sven in the small cabin and waking up in his arms every morning. Forever. No matter what his brain told him, Jayden’s heart was on board.
But there were only a few days left of his time in Cold Creek. Still, right now he was going to enjoy every last second with Sven. They both deserved this. Deserved happiness. Even if it was just for a short while.
Perfect Match Commitment #16:
You will have the time of your life when you get together with your perfect match. Contacting us is only the first step.
“I still can’t believe they offered you a job. That’s so awesome.” Sven was walking next to Jayden up the main road from the lodge to the cabin. Rain had turned into mist, so they’d decided to walk instead of asking Elliot for a ride again.
“I know. Crazy. I didn’t expect that when I sent the email with my feedback for the messed-up recipes and the website. Not in a million years. I mean, seriously, I thought they’d delete it right away.”
There was solemnness to Jayden’s tone, and it left Sven puzzled, so he tried again, “I told you it was solid. Not that I know a lot about websites, but your design made a lot more sense. I’m not surprised that they picked up on it, but I’m really happy for you that it turned into a job offer.”
“It’s only a part-time contractor position.”
“But, heh, it’s a start.” He moved closer to Jayden. “I bet your mom would be very proud of you.” Jayden’s step faltered, and Sven wondered if he’d crossed a line. “Careful. Watch your step. You’re okay? Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”
Jayden stopped and leaned up to press a quick kiss on Sven’s cheek. “No, thank you for saying it, because you’re right. She would have been thrilled.” His hand slipped into Sven’s, and they continued their walk. Sven couldn’t help squeezing hard a few times. This was a first for him. He’d never held hands with a guy in public before.
After continuing for a minute in silence, Jayden said, “I . . . I just need to figure out if I can actually make it work.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you say you’re in between jobs? So, this could be the start of something new.”
Jayden only made a low hum in return. His whole attitude about the job offer was weird. When he first found out that morning, he had seemed ecstatic, but as the day had gone by his excitement had dimmed more and more.
Sven couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something important. Like he was looking at a puzzle with a few lost pieces, which distorted the whole picture. Maybe, if he wanted to decipher Jayden’s inconsistent behavior, he had to start searching for the missing pieces.
Sven took a deep breath. Might as well start with the most obvious puzzle piece: the boarding pass from Cody.
Risking an awkward subject change, he held on tight to Jayden’s hand and asked, “Are there reasons you can’t take the job? Does it have to do with . . . I mean, is it the same reason that made you leave Philadelphia?”
As expected, Jayden stopped abruptly and tried to pull his hand back, but Sven didn’t let go.
“How did you know?” Jayden’s voice was shaky. Sven wished it wasn’t so dark and he could see his face.
“Petrovic saw your boarding pass. He said you flew into Vancouver from Cody, Wyoming.”
Jayden started walking again. He stayed quiet for a few steps, and Sven was worried he wouldn’t answer. Finally though, he said, “I have to sort out a bunch of things in my life. Nothing bad. Just stuff, you know. Wyoming is a whole lot cheaper than Philly.”
“It’s okay. You could have told me.” Dropping Jayden’s hand, Sven gave him a quick shove, but then pulled him back and wrapped his arm around him. Jayden didn’t respond, instead he leaned into Sven. Walking close like this, Sven could hear Jayden’s phone buzzing.
“You need to get that?” Sven asked. “We’re almost out of range, and you’ll lose connection. I don’t mind. Maybe for your
next visit, we can look into getting you another carrier that works better up here.”
Jayden shook his head. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s late. I’ll deal with this tomorrow.” He pressed himself harder against Sven and put his arms around him. Sven was fine with leaving the outside world behind. It had been a long day.
Jayden interrupted his thoughts. “You know, I’ve been thinking about your job offer too.”
Sven let out a noncommittal grunt. He didn’t want to think about job offers anymore. His mind was on getting Jayden out of his clothes and into his bed.
“And don’t get all defensive again. I’m on your side.”
Sven turned and raised his eyebrows at Jayden. “Okay.” He drew out the one-word reply.
“No, sorry, that came out wrong. It’s just you haven’t talked about it, and I’d think it would be on your mind all the time.”
“No, getting you naked is on my mind all the time.”
“Stop. No distracting.” Jayden slapped his shoulder. White teeth flashed in the darkness. They had reached the cabin now and were standing on the small covered porch. Sven flipped the light to see Jayden’s face better.
“I had an idea and wanted to ask you.” Jayden looked at him with an earnest, concerned expression that told Sven that Jayden actually had thought a lot about Sven’s future. “Hear me out, okay? Your main job would still be writing, right? Exactly like the freelance writing you’re doing now. Couldn’t you work remotely every now and then instead of being in the office every day?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Well, then couldn’t you come up to Cold Creek for a few days and work from here, or maybe every now and then stay for a whole week? I know the drive is too long for just a weekend, but if you could work remotely, then it would be okay.”
“The offer didn’t say anything about remote work,” Sven said.
“But you could ask?”
When Sven had first received the offer, he’d thought about something similar. However, he’d never pursued it, because once he’d told his family about the job, they’d all started to voice their opinions, literally drowning out his own thoughts. And then, when Orla had tried to convince him to take the job immediately, he’d dug his heels in instead. Somehow her insistence that it would be the best thing for him to move to Vancouver had offended Sven, who’d been trying to do the right thing by staying to support her. She actually had realized her mistake pretty quickly, but then, a few days later, Greg had spilled the beans about Perfect Match, and Sven had been so upset with his family for invading his privacy and interfering with his life that he’d stopped thinking rationally about the job.
“Did you talk to Orla or Greg again?” Sven asked gruffly instead of answering the question. He started to reach for the door, but Jayden put his hands on his arms.
“No, I haven’t. You made it clear you don’t want everyone butting into your business and I can respect that. I just had this idea, and I was wondering if you had looked into it. Maybe you can have the best of both worlds. A cool job and your family at Cold Creek.”
Sven kissed him. For a second Jayden’s eyes widened, but then they fluttered shut and he let out a low moan. Sven pulled him closer and deepened their kiss. For a moment, he lost track of the world around him.
When they finally broke apart, they were both a little breathless, and he said the first thing that came to his mind, “Thanks. It feels good to have you on my side.”
Jayden gave him a sweet smile. “Anytime.”
Still locked in a loose embrace, they stood silently in the dark, the sounds of the night all around them. Eventually, Jayden tugged gently on Sven’s shirt. “Let’s go inside.”
Jayden’s raspy, winded voice sent goose bumps over Sven’s body. And the chill intensified at the sight of Jayden’s tongue licking over his kiss-abused lips as if he were trying to catch the lingering taste. A groan wrenched free from Sven’s throat. Suddenly, a kiss was not enough. His hands tightened on Jayden’s waist and he roughly dragged him against his body. Jayden gave a sharp intake of breath and whispered, “Inside.”
The second they crossed the doorstep, Sven pushed Jayden against the wall for another scorching make-out session. He let his hands roam over Jayden’s body. Nuzzling against Jayden’s ear, he murmured, “Can we get back to my original thought?”
Jayden cocked his head.
“Getting you naked.”
“Impatient much?” Jayden grinned, but shook his head. “Just give me a minute, okay? I really need a shower. I feel like I’m covered in flour and baking stuff. I’ll be quick.”
Sven let out a low, frustrated growl that made Jayden laugh out loud. “We have all night. Why don't we watch that movie again? Maverick?”
“Last time you fell asleep within the first ten minutes.”
Jayden blushed. “I know . . . I’m sorry. If you don’t want to—”
“Naw, just giving you a hard time. Go shower. I’ll set it up.”
Jayden grabbed a few things from his shelf and disappeared into the bathroom.
“Goddamn it,” Sven mumbled to himself. He knew full well Jayden wouldn’t waste any time, but it felt like he’d been waiting all day to be alone with him and life kept finding ways to delay them.
A short while later, however, Sven’s patience was rewarded by Jayden’s reappearance, wearing only low-hanging, gray pajama pants. No sexy outfit tonight; instead, the pants were old and faded like most of his clothes. Still, Sven’s heartbeat quickened at the sight. The fire gave Jayden’s pale skin a soft, warm glow. Clearly aware of Sven’s eyes on him, he brushed his wet hair out of his face and looked at Sven with a shy grin. There was desire in his eyes, but also trepidation. So typically Jayden. Despite getting more confident, Sven’s lover still expected rejection, but he would change that. Even if it took forever. He’d make sure that one day Jayden would feel welcome and secure in their relationship.
“I moved the laptop over to the bed. This way we’ll be more comfortable. Is that okay?” Jayden squinted in surprise, so Sven added, “For the movie? Your idea.”
“Oh right, yes.” Jayden gave Sven a sheepish smile; clearly during the shower his mind hadn’t been on the movie.
Sven quickly turned to hide his grin. Their interaction was a bit of an awkward dance and it required all of Sven’s willpower not to rush them along, but it would be worth it in the end.
“Would you like a beer?” Sven asked.
Instead of answering, Jayden jumped up. “I’ll get them.” On the way to the fridge though, he grabbed his cell phone and looked at it with a frown.
“Everything all right?” Sven inquired.
Jayden quickly dropped the phone on the table. “Yeah, just checking the messages from earlier.”
Finally, they crawled together into the big bed, and Sven tucked the quilt around them. He gently pulled Jayden closer to his side and wrapped one arm around him. Jayden melted against him, and a small sigh escaped as he nestled into Sven’s embrace. They watched the first few minutes of the movie in silence, but then Sven had to get back up to add wood to the fire and Jayden dropped a bombshell.
“Sven, how much would I have to pay for a taxi back to the airport?”
Sven dropped the log he was holding, and sent sparks and ash flying. He let out a muffled curse. “What? Why do you ask?”
“Perfect Match . . . the agency . . . they’re asking—”
Sven kicked the log into place and turned. “What? Why would they ask?”
“Travel arrangements . . .” Jayden’s voice was hesitant. He fidgeted with the DVD cover. “They want to know if I have enough or if they need to book a ride back for me. I definitely don’t want to ask you for additional money. I just need to know the amount.”
“So, you are planning to leave?” Sven winced at the severe tone of his voice. It was a stupid question anyway. Of course, he knew Jayden would have to leave after ten days, but saying it out loud still hit him like a ton of bricks. “I mean
, have you been planning your return trip with the agency . . . for a while? You could have said something. I . . . They only contacted me once at the beginning. I know you’re the one traveling; still, it seems like you’ve been talking to them a lot more.”
“They reached out to me. It’s not a big deal.”
It shouldn’t be a big deal, but somehow Sven couldn’t be so casual about Jayden’s reticence to discuss his contact with the agency. Too many pieces just didn’t fit together and suddenly he’d simply had enough. “So, they reached out to you tonight via text? And that phone call I overheard a few days ago. That call was also about travel arrangements?” He raised his hands to stop Jayden’s reply. “Wait, don’t even answer. Fuck, Jayden. I’m not stupid. I know you’ve been keeping shit from me.”
Jayden went deadly pale and clenched the DVD cover. Sven bit his lower lip to stop more harsh words from escaping. When Jayden finally answered, his words were barely audible. “I have to leave.”
The pain in Jayden’s reply managed to reach Sven despite his anger, and he softened his voice. “I know. I know you have to leave. Of course. I just wish you would talk to me about stuff. Like the calls from Perfect Match.” He’d been standing in front of the fireplace, but now he walked back to the bed. “No need to be so cagey. We need to talk more when you come again. Actually, maybe I can visit you in Philadelphia.” Shit, he didn’t even know how to reach Jayden once he left Cold Creek. “I mean in Wyoming. Do you live in Cody or close by?” An awkward laugh escaped. “I should get your email or phone number, you know, something so that I can find you.”
Silence. An impenetrable wall of silence between them.
Sven’s stomach dropped. He swallowed hard and balled his hands into fists, trying to control his impatience. “Jayden?”
Jayden still didn’t reply. There was a hitch in his breathing and then an ever so slight shake of his head.
“I fucking can’t believe this. What’s going on? You’re leaving and that’s it?”
Jayden shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture. Sven stumbled a few steps backward to lean against the wall. He pressed his hands flat against the rough wood.
