Jack

by A M Snead

  Jack moved to the door and gripped the handle. “Leave the tie loose,” he whispered and opened the door.

  73 The Scene: “Not His Heart to Take”

  The scent of cinnamon candles met Garrett at the bedroom doorway. He paused as his gaze drifted around the room. The bedside lamp was turned low and red pillar candles had been lit and placed on each of the nightstands. Soft music filtered out of the stereo speakers from the far side of the room, drawing Garrett’s eyes to the young man standing with his back to him as he lit another candle and set it on the oblong bureau in front of him.

  Sensing Garrett’s gaze, Jack turned slowly, still holding the long matchstick. Garrett caught his stare as Jack blew softly and extinguished the match, laying it aside. Jack’s shirt was open, revealing his chest and stomach, and Garrett’s fingertips tingled with the need to touch him, caress his warm skin. His suit suddenly felt too tight and confining, yet he resisted the urge to tug at the collar and betray his nervousness.

  “You asked me to come by?” he spoke low, hardly more than a whisper.

  Jack nodded and came forward a few steps but stopped at the foot of the bed. “You took something of mine when you left.” Jack’s quiet voice strained but he maintained control.

  “Took what?” Garrett frowned uncertainly. What had he taken that belonged to Jack?

  Jack stared at him. A flicker of candlelight glinted off the faint wetness in his eyes. “We made an exchange,” he murmured. “I gave you something…and you gave me something. But when you left…” Jack swallowed thickly, and the dampness of his gaze thickened. “…you took back what you’d given to me and left me with nothing. And…and I want it back.”

  “I don’t understand.” Garrett ventured deeper into the room, taking slow, uncertain steps. “If you wanted me to return something to you…why didn’t you tell me on the phone, so I could have brought it with me?”

  Jack watched him silently as he approached with hesitation. “You did.”

  “What is it?” Garrett stared at him.

  Moving closer, Jack touched his fingertips to Garrett’s chest. The light connection exploded through Garrett like electricity. Jack slowly flattened his palm. “Your heart,” he whispered, and tears formed thicker. “When you left me…you took both our hearts with you.” Dampness seeped into Jack’s dark lashes and he slowly drew Garrett’s tie from around his neck and let it fall to the floor. He dragged his fingertips down the front of Garrett’s shirt, raking lightly over the buttons, then began unfastening each one from bottom to top.

  Garrett swallowed hard, his heart racing, pounding. His eyes burned as Jack rubbed his hands over Garrett’s bare chest and pressed his lips to his warm skin.

  “I can’t live without a heart.” Jack trembled, and a tear slipped free, dripping onto Garrett’s chest. “I need you to give one back.” Jack rested his brow against the base of Garrett’s throat and softly raked his fingers on his chest above his heart.

  Tremors weakened Garrett’s legs and he tentatively gripped Jack’s waist beneath his shirt, the warmth of his body surging into Garrett’s hands. His lips brushed Jack’s soft hair. “Which one do you want back?” Garrett whispered unsteadily. He ached to pull Jack into his arms and beg him not to take his own heart back, but it was a decision Jack had to make for himself.

  Jack pressed his body closer, his face pushing against Garrett’s throat. A quiet hitch caught in his voice as his wet lashes swept Garrett’s skin. “Whichever one that…that hurts the least to give up.”

  “Jack…” Garrett shuddered and shoved his lips deeper into Jack’s hair. “I can’t breathe without yours.” He dipped his head and sought out Jack’s mouth, kissing him softly. “I can’t let that one go.”

  Tremors gripped Jack’s body and he slid his arms around Garrett beneath the warmth of his open shirt. “Why did you leave me?”

  “I left because you shut me out,” Garrett said thickly, his throat working.

  Jack shook his head, his breath breaking. “You left first.” His hands moved unsteadily as he withdrew his arms and peeled away Garrett’s shirt. Tears wet his cheeks.

  “What?” Garrett frowned. “No…” He gently removed Jack’s shirt and rubbed his hands up the sides of Jack’s neck and kissed his lips. “I didn’t.”

  Silence overtook Jack as he drew Garrett onto the bed with him and pulled Garrett down against him with quiet desperation. “What…what did I do wrong?” Jack choked quietly and kissed Garrett with trembling lips, warm tears flowing fresh down into his hair. “Why didn’t you want me?”

  “Not want…” Garrett’s throat closed, and he wrapped Jack in his arms. “Ah, baby, what the hell are you talking about?” He kissed Jack deeply. “You were everything I ever wanted.” His breath shuddered unevenly against Jack’s face. “You still are. Why would you think…?”

  A sob lodged in Jack’s throat and his hands shook as he worked at the snap of Garrett’s pants. Garrett grabbed his hands and held them. “Wait…” He stared down at Jack, the shoot forgotten along with everyone else. “Why did you think I didn’t want you?”

  Jack met his stare and tears brimmed his eyes. “I saw you…” His chin trembled, and the tears rose, spilling over. “I…I heard what you said.”

  “What?” Garrett was officially confused—what on earth was he talking about? “I don’t understand, Jack.”

  “I heard what you told him,” Jack choked on another sob. His hands flexed inside Garrett’s grip, his throat working. Pain and heartbreak welled in Jack’s eyes. “You said…” Jack shuddered, barely holding it together. “…that I meant nothing to you.”

  Garrett’s frown deepened. “What…who…” He shook his head. “Jack…who did I supposedly say that to?”

  Twisting his face away from Garrett and the cameras, Jack closed his eyes. His lips trembled as he whispered, “Scotty.”

  ♥

  Garrett tensed on top of him then slowly released Jack’s hands. The weight of his body lifted away but Jack didn’t open his eyes. Would he walk away again, now that Jack had exposed him? Garrett’s voice drifted back to him low and quiet as he spoke to someone else in the room. Jack didn’t move, could barely breathe.

  You’re everything I ever wanted. You still are.

  Jack squeezed his eyes tighter.

  I can’t breathe without your heart.

  Confusion clouded Jack’s mind. The sincerity was there, in Garrett’s words…but was it still just an act, for the sake of the shoot?

  Minutes later, the bed shifted as someone lay down beside him. “Jack.” Garrett spoke softly and traced his fingertips up Jack’s arm. “I need you to talk to me.” His lips touched Jack’s shoulder then the curve of his neck. “It’s just us now.”

  Jack opened his eyes slowly, restrained tears seeping out. He turned his head and looked past Garrett. Gideon, Rich, and the film crew were leaving the room. Jack sat forward and wiped his face. “What about the shoot?” he asked thickly.

  “We’ll re-shoot the scene in a couple days,” Garrett murmured and stroked his fingers through Jack’s hair. “Tell me what happened the night we came home from the club, because…I’m lost.”

  Jack started to lean into his touch but resisted as he sniffed and wiped his face again then stared at his hands. “I woke up and you were gone,” he whispered. “I thought maybe you had just gone downstairs or something, so I waited. But you didn’t come back.” He cleared his throat, the anguish of that night cutting through his heart. “I…I went looking for you, and…” His throat knotted, and his vision blurred. “I heard sounds coming from Scotty’s room and…and when I opened the door, I saw someone in bed with him, they were…” Jack released a shaky breath and crawled off the bed. He hugged himself and stared at Garrett. “They were having sex. And Scotty…”

  “What?” Garrett stood up. “Scotty what?”

  “He said your name,” Jack whispered, hugging himself tighter. He looked away. “He begged you to tell him that you loved him
and…and not me. And…” Jack met his stare, eyes shimmering. “…and you said it. You said I meant nothing.” He trembled and lowered his eyes, shaking beneath quiet sobs. “I-I swore I would never let someone hurt me the way Jill was hurt.” He bit his lower lip, his chin trembling. “But you did.” The sobs strengthened, and he ducked his head, squeezing his arms around himself. “I fell in love with you and you broke my heart.”

  Jack was suddenly engulfed in Garrett’s arms, crushed against his body. “No, Jack.” He shuddered and kissed his hair, his face. “I don’t know what you saw or…or who that was…but it wasn’t me.” He held Jack tighter, desperation in his voice as he insisted, “It wasn’t.”

  “Then why would Scotty…say your name?” Jack choked. He untangled his arms from around himself and slipped them around Garrett’s body.

  “I don’t know,” Garrett whispered thickly. “But it wasn’t me.” He lifted Jack’s face and stroked his thumbs across Jack’s cheeks, wiping away his tears. “Please, baby, you have to believe me. You’re the only one I wanted to be with that night.” He kissed him deeply. “And every night since.”

  ♥

  Fear squeezed Garrett’s heart, causing a painful pressure in his chest—what if Jack didn’t believe him? But Jack wasn’t pulling away…he was holding onto Garrett.

  You broke my heart.

  It was a misunderstanding, but just hearing those words fall from Jack’s lips with such hurt and anguish tore Garrett apart—that every second since that night…Jack believed Garrett had thrown him away, that none of what they’d shared that night had mattered; that Jack had meant nothing to him.

  “Jack.” Garrett hugged him closer and buried his face in his neck. “Please, baby, say you believe me. I would never hurt you.” He trembled, tears rising. “The instant I thought I lost you…I died. Nothing in my life has ever hurt so fucking bad.” His breath shuddered against Jack’s skin. “Why didn’t you call me out on it? Confront me?”

  Before Jack answered, Garrett knew what he would say. It was the same reason Garrett hadn’t approached Jack and demanded an explanation.

  Jack released a shaky breath. “I was scared,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to hear you say it…to me. That none of it meant anything to you. That…that I meant nothing. I couldn’t…” He sniffed and hugged Garrett tighter. “I couldn’t handle that. I wanted to be wrong about you, but…but I knew if you said it straight to me, there would be nothing left.”

  “God, Jack,” Garrett murmured. “If that’s what you thought you saw…I don’t blame you for doing what you did.”

  Jack pressed his lips to Garrett’s shoulder. “Where did you go?” he whispered.

  Exhaling slowly, Garrett kissed his head and smiled. “After the club, and the intense workout in your bedroom,” he murmured. “I was famished.”

  Garrett explained the events of that evening from his end, falling asleep at the table while waiting for his food to heat up, then returning upstairs to a locked door.

  “Why didn’t you ask me why I locked you out?”

  “I was going to,” Garrett said. “The next morning. But then I saw you…” He sighed. “I saw you coming out of the twins’ room, doing up your pants. And the look you gave me, it destroyed me.” He swallowed hard. “I was scared, too. I didn’t want to hear you tell me that I was just a one-night stand, a convenient fuck…and nothing more.”

  Jack brushed his lips over Garrett’s ear. “So, we went through all of this…” he asked thickly, unsteadily. “…because we’re both a couple of chicken shits?”

  Groaning low, Garrett shoved his face in Jack’s neck and nodded. “It would seem so.”

  Jack sighed. “Fuck.”

  Garrett smiled and drew back, tracing his thumb over Jack’s lips. “Yes…let’s.”

  74 “The Love Session”

  His eyes closed as his head touched the pillow, his back sinking softly into the bed. Garrett’s hands moved with tenderness, removing what was left of Jack’s clothes. The romantic love song played on a loop, weaving around them, drawing their bodies together.

  When Garrett came to him, he did so with a tender approach. Jack felt his caress in his warm gaze as well as his touch, melting through the surface of Jack’s skin and into his heart. Kisses dropped from Garrett’s lips, landing softly on Jack’s feet, then more touched down on his shins as Garrett laid a path up his legs.

  Jack moaned and reached for him, but Garrett pushed his hands away gently. “Just lie still and relax,” Garrett murmured. “And let me savor you.”

  It took effort not to touch him as Jack let his hands rest against the blankets. The hurt and anguish of their separation melted away beneath Garrett’s kisses and caresses…as if it were merely a bad dream he was now awaking from.

  He slowly squeezed the blankets into loose fists, his breath drawing in a fraction deeper, when Garrett brushed his lips against the thick, hard base of Jack’s member. His hips lifted, and Garrett slipped his hands under Jack’s butt, sensually rubbing his cheeks as his tongue played around Jack’s stiff shaft.

  “Uuuhhh…” Jack moaned unsteadily and gripped the blankets tighter.

  Garrett withdrew his hands and flattened his palms on the back of Jack’s thighs, slowly pushing his legs forward and open. Jack trembled, his eyes closed, waiting—then gasped and bit his lower lip at the feel of Garrett’s warm, slick tongue licking through the crease of his ass.

  “Fuck…” He shuddered and swallowed thickly. His balls tightened when Garrett wet them with tender licks and soft sucking, drawing them into his hot mouth. “Ohhh…God…”

  “Feel good, baby?” Garrett panted softly and kissed his tight entrance, rimming slowly.

  “Oh fuck…” Jack whimpered.

  Garrett dragged his full tongue through his crease again and up over his balls, causing shivers to race through Jack’s body and swell his erection. Another rush of shivers swept through him as Garrett blew softly on his damp hole.

  “Oh my God…” Jack choked, breath shaking, then pleaded with Garrett—“Do that again.”

  Garrett wet him once more with his tongue and a generous coating of saliva then slowly blew his breath onto Jack’s balls and down across his tight ring and on through the crease of his ass.

  “Uuuhh…” Jack arched, gasping hard. “God…that feels so good…”

  “And this?” Garrett whispered and nudged the tip of his tongue into Jack’s sensitive hole.

  “Fuck!” Jack flinched, hips jerking. “Yes!”

  Garrett smiled and continued to sensually torment him with his tongue and probing fingers, slipping digits inside, stroking, massaging his sweet spot. Jack moaned and squirmed, clawing the blankets as his hips lifted to his lover, begging for more.

  With two fingers buried deep inside Jack, working him with a perfect rhythm that had Jack’s hips rocking in sync, Garrett lathered Jack’s erect cock with saliva, blowing slowly up and down his rigid shaft.

  Whimpers piled in Jack’s throat and he thrust harder against Garrett’s fingers.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Jack,” Garrett moaned and licked up the underside of Jack’s member and over the tip, catching the bubbling droplets of clear juice seeping out.

  Jack whimpered loud and bit his lips between his teeth, breath puffing, silently pleading with Garrett to suck him.

  “Fuck, baby, you taste so good,” Garrett groaned as he slid his tongue around the crown of Jack’s cock head. He encased the shaft in his fist and stroked slowly up and down the full length.

  “Garrett…” Jack trembled and rocked on his thrusting fingers.

  “Don’t worry, baby,” Garrett murmured. “I know what you want.” He swiped his tongue once more around the head of Jack’s cock then wrapped it with his lips, sucking strongly as he squeezed the shaft firmly and stroked a little faster.

  “Fuu-uuuck…” Jack cried and arched his hips, drawing his ass up off the bed a fraction. Garrett worked his fingers with added intensity, assaultin
g Jack’s prostate and shoving him to the edge of insanity. “Garrett!” Jack grabbed his head, squeezing fists of hair. “Fuck, baby…oh God!” His head dug into the pillow as his body lifted and rocked, working in rhythm with Garrett’s mouth, hand, and fingers. “Yes…fuck!”

  Jack stifled the scream that threatened to burst out of him as his cock sank to the hilt in Garrett’s mouth. Garrett wrapped Jack’s legs over his shoulders and Jack hooked his ankles, his heels pressing into Garrett's damp, hot back muscles, hips pumping in time with Garrett’s mouth.

  Words escaped Jack and the only sound surging out of him was an erratic—“Uh-uh-uh!”

  The soft vibration of Garrett’s moans hardened his cock and he knew it wouldn’t take but a few more plunges into Garrett’s throat to make him unload. He barely grasped coherent words to tell Garrett he was going to cum—when he was suddenly released from Garrett’s heavenly tight mouth, the open air cooling his wet, throbbing member.

  Garrett was off the bed and back again in a flash, sheathing his stiff cock with a condom and slicking it with lube. “Turn over, babe.” He shuddered, and Jack complied, twisting onto his stomach. Garrett kissed his ass cheeks and followed the curve of his spine with his lips as he covered his body and guided his hard cock to Jack’s entrance. Garrett kissed the nape of his neck and nuzzled his hair. “I love you, Jack,” he whispered with emotion and kissed his shoulder. “I fell in love with you the first time I looked into your eyes.”

  Jack gasped softly as Garrett began to push inside him, the man’s confession bringing tears to his eyes. His throat constricted with emotion and the sensation of Garrett’s thick shaft shoving in, taking possession. Garrett’s heated chest touched his back and his body pressed down against him, his hips conforming to the curve of Jack’s ass. Then his arms went under Jack’s torso and hugged his body, his mouth on Jack’s ear, breath puffing.