To Love Again

by Andria Large

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the douchebag who stole my boyfriend,” Greg snarls, pushing off the front of my car to stand up straight and fold his arms over his chest.

  “He’s not your boyfriend anymore,” I reply dryly. I really don’t feel like dealing with this guy right now.

  “He is! And I want him back. He’s mine.”

  “He’s not a bloody dog that you own. He’s not your property,” I bark in annoyance. “He didn’t want to be with you anymore, so he left.”

  “And ran to you. Where is he?” he demands.

  “Like I’m going to tell you? Get real.”

  He snatches me up by my sports coat, each hand grabbing a lapel. “Tell me where he is now!” he shouts in my face.

  I keep my face passive but inside I’m fucking livid. “Take your hands off me, mate.”

  “Oh, don’t start with that ‘mate’ shit again.”

  “Take. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me.”

  “Ooooh, I’m so scared. What are you gonna do about it, faggot?”

  I crank my eyebrows down at what should have been an insult, but the guy slinging the word is also gay. “Did you really just call me a faggot when you’re gay too?”

  With an aggravated noise he shoves me up against the side of my car. “Shut up! Last chance to tell me where he is before I kick the shit out of you.”

  I bark out a laugh. I honestly couldn’t help it. It just came out. Even in the dark, I can tell Greg’s face is bright red. He’s also got a bunch of veins popping at his temples. Before he can do anything or say anything else, I bring my arms up between his, smash my elbows down on the crease of his so it forces him to let go of me. Then I shove the heel of my palm into his nose. It crunches, and he shouts in pain as his head whips back.

  His hands fly up to cover his now profusely bleeding nose. His wide eyes flick to mine. “You broke my nose!”

  With a sharp nod, I say, “Right. I warned you, and you didn’t want to listen. ER is right around the side there.” I point to the right side of the hospital. “They can set it and pack it for you.”

  “You fucker! This isn’t over!” he yells, his voice a hint nasally now.

  I fight back the laugh that wants out. “Yes, it is. Don’t let me see you around here again.”

  He stares at me for a moment longer before taking off toward the ER. Douchebag. I really hope he gets the hint. Greg is a lot of talk, and yeah, he’s strong, but he doesn’t know how to fight someone his own size. It’s easy for him to push Jack around—Jack is shorter and lighter. I might not weigh as much as he does, but we’re about the same height, and I do have muscle.

  I hop in my SUV and head home. I walk in my front door and find Diandra watching TV. She glances over her shoulder at me. “Hey.”

  “Hey. Wanna hear a funny story?” I grin.

  She smiles. “Uh, yeah, duh.”

  I take my sport coat off and drape it over the back of the couch, then lean my hands on either side of it. “Greg was waiting for me by my car when I left work tonight.”

  Her smile drops. “How is that funny?”

  “That’s not the funny part. He was demanding to know where Jack is, blah, blah, blah, and he got pissed when I wouldn’t tell him, so he gripped me up and slammed me against my car—”

  “What?”

  I hold out a hand for her to calm down. “No worries, love. I got out of his hold and smashed my palm into his nose, breaking it.”

  Her eyes widen, and she covers her mouth as she gasps. “Oh my God!”

  “I directed him to the ER so they could splint it and pack it.”

  Diandra barks out a laugh, then shuffles around so she can stand on the couch. She throws her arms around my neck and says, “My hero!”

  I laugh and hug her. “He said it’s not over. I told him it is. So we’ll see if he does anything else.”

  She lets me go and plops down on her butt. “Hopefully he got the hint that you’re not fucking around.”

  “Hopefully. He was shocked about his nose. I don’t think anyone has ever stood up to him before.”

  “That very well may be the case. He can look very intimidating. He stopped by the hospital a couple of times looking for you and Jack while you were away.”

  “Bloody sod.”

  She nods. “Yep.”

  “All right, love. I’m going to get a shower. Then I need to make a phone call.”

  “To Jack?” she asks, wagging her eyebrows at me.

  I roll my eyes. “Yes. I need to apologize to him for being a selfish jerk.”

  She gives me a sweet smile and a nod. “That sounds like a good reason to call him.”

  I drop a kiss on the top of her head, then head for the bathroom.

  JACK

  IT’S BEEN a rough three days since Warwick walked out. I just can’t help but think I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve been warring with myself over what to do. To stay here or go to Baltimore. It’s the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.

  I’m sitting in my room on the bed, playing on my phone, when it buzzes, then rings. Warwick’s name pops up on the screen, and I literally have to fight back tears of relief. I was so afraid I’d never talk to him again.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Hallo, love,” his wonderfully accented voice says softly.

  “Hi” is all I can come up with at the moment.

  “How are you?”

  “Horrible. How about you?” I swallow hard.

  “Missing you like crazy.”

  I close my eyes and press my fist to my mouth. He misses me. “I miss you too,” I whisper.

  “You do?” he asks, and I can hear the vulnerability in his tone.

  “Of course I do, Warwick.”

  “Good to know,” he murmurs. “So, I… uh… I had a little run-in with Greg this evening.”

  “What?” I gasp.

  “No worries, Jack. He wanted to know where you were. I basically told him to go fuck himself. He tried roughing me up, but I broke his nose.”

  “Oh my God, Warwick. I’m so sorry.” I sigh. What a mess.

  “It’s fine. I took care of it. Hopefully he got the hint.”

  “This is all my fault.”

  “Stop that. You can’t control what he does.”

  “I know, but I feel bad that he’s now coming after you.”

  “Ain’t nothing I can’t handle, love.”

  My heart swells every time he calls me “love.” I just hope he’s still in love with me.

  “So, the initial reason I was calling was to apologize—”

  “Apologize? For what?” I ask, bewildered.

  “For acting like a jerk when I left. Your safety is what’s most important, and I was only thinking of myself and my feelings. You have to do what’s best for you, and I’m sorry for how I acted.”

  “I… I don’t know what to say,” I reply quietly. I was not expecting to hear that at all.

  “Can you forgive me?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I love you, Jack. I want what’s best for you,” he croaks. After clearing his throat, he continues, “And if staying in England is what’s best, then that’s what I want you to do.”

  “Oh, Warwick.” I sniff. Damn him for making me tear up. “Thank you. That means so much to me.”

  “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t suck and I don’t miss you like crazy, but I want you to be safe and live your life and be happy.”

  “I don’t know how happy my life can be without you in it,” I admit.

  Warwick is silent for a moment, and I wonder what he’s thinking.

  “You still there?” I ask.

  “Uh… yeah… I mean, that’s your decision, Jack. You know I’m always going to be here for you with whatever you decide.”

  “I know.”

  “All right, love. I need to go. I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Right. Bye.”

  �
�Bye.”

  I hang up the phone and drop my head into my hands. What the fuck am I going to do? I don’t know if I can live like this. But if I go back to Baltimore, I run the risk of Greg coming after me. Maybe Warwick scared him off? Ha! In my wildest dreams. Either way, I need to make a decision and stick to it.

  Chapter SIXTEEN

  WARWICK

  A FEW days go by, and I can’t stop replaying that conversation I had with Jack. He sounded like he had doubts about staying in England. As much as I wanted to persuade him to leave, it’s not my place to do that. That’s a decision he has to make on his own. And if he does decide to come back to the States, I’ll be over the fucking moon.

  I’ve just finished getting a shower after work when there’s a knock on the front door. Diandra is still at work, so I quickly dry myself, then wrap the towel around my waist before exiting the bathroom.

  “Coming!” I call as I head for the door.

  I had an early shift today and got done at 4:00 p.m. I hurriedly unlock the deadbolt and pull open the door. To my utter shock and confusion, I come face-to-face with Jack.

  His hair is trimmed shorter than when I last saw him, as is his beard. His bright blue eyes scan down my mostly naked body before coming up to my face.

  “Hey,” he says breathily.

  “Jack,” I whisper.

  Jack launches himself at me, throwing his arms around my neck and crushing his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tight, not wanting to let him go ever again.

  “What… are you… doing here?” I murmur between kisses.

  He pulls away only enough to rest his forehead against mine. “I couldn’t go another minute without you.”

  I jerk my head back so I can search his eyes. “Does this mean…?”

  “I love you, Warwick. And yes, I’m staying here with you.”

  Pure unadulterated joy races through me as I whoop in excitement and swing Jack around in a circle, making him laugh. It’s music to my ears.

  “Oh my God, you have no idea how happy this makes me.” I grin from ear to ear.

  “Oh, I do,” he chuckles.

  “Let’s bring your bags in,” I chirp and let him go.

  I help Jack bring in his three bags before shutting and locking the door. I pull him into my arms and kiss him soundly.

  “Damn, I missed you,” I murmur against his lips.

  “I’ve missed you too,” he whispers.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “Maybe I need to show you,” he says, his voice lowering to a husky purr.

  I nod. “I think you do.”

  Jack walks us toward the couch. “Is Diandra here?”

  “No, and she won’t be home for another two hours.”

  “Good.”

  He pushes me down onto the couch when we reach it. He grabs hold of my towel and yanks it off me. Kneeling between my legs, he hums low in appreciation as his gaze drifts over my naked body. My cock responds to the blatant appraisal.

  Jack glides his hands up the tops of my thighs to my hips, where he lingers for a moment before moving up my stomach to my chest. His fingers dig into my pecs as he leans over me and gives me a soft, loving kiss on the lips.

  “I think it’s time we switch things up a bit,” he purrs.

  “Switch things up?” I cock an eyebrow at him. Does he mean what I think he means?

  “I want you to top this time,” he says, brushing his nose against mine.

  “Fucking hell,” I breathe, my eyes practically rolling back in my head.

  I’ve been patiently waiting for this, and he’s finally giving me the green light.

  “Can we stay in this position, though?” he asks, a bit of vulnerability in his tone.

  “Of course, love. Whatever you want.”

  He smiles. “Okay.”

  “I think you need to get naked first.” I chuckle.

  “Yeah, that would probably help,” he laughs.

  Jack shoves to his feet next to the couch and yanks off his shirt. I fist my cock and lazily jerk myself off while I watch him undress. His eyes are glued between my legs. He bites his bottom lip and makes a strangled noise deep in his throat.

  He hurriedly kicks his shoes and socks off so he can get rid of his pants. As soon as he’s completely naked, he climbs on top of me and crushes his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around him and revel in the feel of his skin against mine.

  I smooth my hands down his back to his round arsecheeks. I palm each one and give them a squeeze. Jack rolls his hips, effectively rubbing his cock against mine where they are trapped between us. We both moan as our tongues meet. I kiss him languidly, wanting to taste every inch of his mouth.

  “Lube?” Jack asks between kisses.

  “In the bedroom.” I sigh.

  “Should we just move in there, then?”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  We clumsily make our way to the bedroom. It’s hard to not bump into things when we’re trying to kiss and grope each other. When we finally make it to my room, we fall onto the bed on our sides, facing each other. Using a hand to my chest, Jack pushes me onto my back, then straddles my hips. He reaches over to the nightstand, opens the drawer, pulls out the lube and a condom, and shuts the drawer.

  Jack pops open the lube, but I stop him. “Wait. Let me prep you first. Come up here and ride my face.”

  His eyes widen, and his cheeks darken. “Wha… what?” he sputters.

  I grin. “Never mind, you stay right where you are.”

  I wiggle my way down the bed while staying between his legs.

  “What… what are you—oh fuck!” Jack shouts when my tongue finds his arse.

  JACK

  “OH GOD,” I pant as Warwick’s tongue swirls around my hole.

  I drop forward onto one hand, let the bottle of lube go, and take my aching cock in the other. Warwick continues to use that wicked tongue of his to bring me closer and closer to the edge.

  “Warwick, I need you. I’m not gonna be able to hold out much longer.”

  I chuckle as Warwick squirms his way back up the bed while staying between my legs. He reaches around until he finds the bottle of lube and the condom. I watch and wait as he puts on the condom and spreads some lube over his cock, then puts some on me too. Holding the base of his cock, he guides it to my tight ring of muscle.

  “Whenever you’re ready, love,” he murmurs.

  He’s letting me be in control. God, I love him. He knows how serious this moment is for me, how difficult it is. I honestly never thought I’d bottom again, but with Warwick, I know I’m safe, and I know he would never hurt me.

  Slowly, I lower myself down his length. His eyes flutter shut and his lips part. When I’m fully seated, he lets out a guttural moan. The pleasure of him filling me so completely is overwhelming, and I’m struggling not to come too soon.

  I lean down and press my forehead to his. “Make love to me,” I whisper.

  Warwick hums as his hands find my hips. He holds me still while he slowly pulls out and then just as slowly pushes back in. He forces me to feel every inch of him over and over as he moves.

  My mind is turned to complete mush as he loves me so fucking good. I can do nothing but moan and gasp with each move he makes.

  It doesn’t take long for me to be writhing on top of him as my orgasm rocks my entire body. It’s then that Warwick wraps his arms around me and holds me tight against him. He thrusts harder and faster as he searches for his own release. He finds it, slamming into me one last time and staying there as his dick pulses inside me.

  His arms leave me, noisily flopping to the bed at his sides. He lets out a contented sigh and kisses my cheek. “That was bloody amazing.”

  I nod where my face is tucked in his neck. “Mm-hmm.”

  His hands smooth up and down my back. “I love you, Jack.”

  “I love you too, Warwick.”

  He kisses my cheek again and hugs me.

  “Shall we get
cleaned up and order in some dinner?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  WARWICK

  WE ORDERED in and had a nice dinner with just the two of us. As we are finishing cleaning up our dishes, the front door opens and Diandra walks in. She spots Jack and her entire face lights up. She squeals, runs to him, and jumps into his arms. Jack laughs and hugs her tight.

  “Jack! What are you doing here?” Diandra asks.

  “I just couldn’t be without Warwick,” he murmurs.

  “Aw, I knew it!” she exclaims as she lets him go. She turns to look at me. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  I nod and smile. “Yes. Yes, you did.”

  “So this is it? You’re staying for good?” Diandra questions, turning back to Jack.

  Jack glances at me, love shining bright in his blue eyes. “Yeah, this is it.”

  “Yay!” she squeals again and jumps up and down. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate!”

  She races into the kitchen and grabs the bottle of champagne we saved for a special occasion. She pops it open and pours us each a glass. We’re standing around the kitchen island with our glasses raised.

  “To love and happiness,” Diandra toasts.

  “To love and happiness,” Jack and I repeat. We all clink our glasses together and take a sip.

  “So when’s the wedding?” Diandra chirps with a shit-eating grin on her beautiful face.

  Jack chokes on his drink, and I send her a death glare.

  “I’m joking. Geez you guys, loosen up.” She laughs.

  “We’ll get there eventually,” I say, looking at Jack’s handsome face.

  He nods in agreement, which makes me insanely happy.

  We spend the rest of the evening talking and laughing and finishing off the bottle of champagne. Jack’s a little tipsy by the time we call it a night. I close us into my bedroom and lock the door. Jack swiftly undresses and climbs onto the bed on all fours. He seductively looks over his shoulder at me.

  “I’m ready for round two,” he purrs.

  “Fuck yes,” I hiss and tear my clothes off.