by Jerry Cole
Luke rolled and maneuvered himself to be sitting in Jack’s lap. Jack groaned as Luke ground down, and Luke took the opportunity to slide his tongue into Jack’s mouth, feeling more aggressive than he usually did in these kinds of situations. The fact that Jack was letting him take control was nice. He had kind of expected the other man to be more dominant like he had been when they had kissed after the wedding, but instead, he seemed more than happy to let Luke do what he wanted.
It had been nearly a year since he’d been this close with another man, and he was already getting hard. Something about Jack was just… appealing. In every possible way. He slid a hand between them and undid Jack’s jeans, then his own slacks.
“Hmm… fuck,” Jack murmured softly as Luke slid a hand over him. “You’re going to kill me, you know that?”
“Oh?” Luke grinned wickedly, though with more confidence than he was honestly feeling. He pulled back slightly. “Am I moving too fast?”
“Nah.” Jack slid a hand down to cup Luke’s ass. “Just been a while, and damn if you’re not about to get me off like a teenager in the back seat of an old sedan.” He squeezed.
Luke laughed, relieved. “Makes two of us.”
“Let me suck you off?” Jack murmured, leaning down to suck at Luke’s neck. “I had a very, very dirty dream about you the night after we met. You annoyed me so much, and I just wanted to suck you off until you couldn’t think about logistics anymore. Suck your dick so well you’d never question me again.”
“Yes… fuck… yes.” Luke nodded, swallowing hard again. He moved back so he could push his jeans off, sighing thankfully as his dick sprang free. He was uncut and fairly thick, though not that long. He was about to get his shirt off when Jack attacked.
He wasn’t actually sure how Jack got him on his back on the couch a second later, but he wasn’t complaining as the other man dove down on his cock with enthusiasm. He regretted not trimming better, but that thought was shoved out of his head when Jack swallowed. “Oh my God, Jack…” He resisted the urge to tug Jack’s hair, but it took all his self-control. He settled for running fingers through it, enjoying the incredibly soft texture, trying not to shoot immediately.
Jack’s jeans were still on, and he was grinding against the couch cushions, moaning around Luke’s dick. His hands were on Luke’s thighs, and Luke could feel the callouses every time Jack squeezed.
“Fuck… Jack… your mouth is incredible,” Luke panted. The feeling of a beard down there was new, but he wasn’t complaining. Jack shoved his shirt up to his armpits and was flicking his nipple with a thumb, and it was more than Luke could take. “Gonna cum…” Luke shoved gently at Jack’s head, but the other man only swallowed him down to the root and sucked harder.
***
Luke’s face, as he came, was something Jack would remember for the rest of his life. It was unrestrained and open and absolutely stunning. His black hair was a mess, and with his shirt hiked up under his arms, he looked completely debauched.
As he finished swallowing and gently pulled off, he took the chance to admire just how fit Luke was. Not as much definition, but lean and waxed and exactly Jack’s type. He had been so engrossed in his target, he hadn’t had a chance to really appreciate it. His own cock twitched in his boxers.
Luke’s breathing finally settled, and he reached down to pull Jack up on top of him and leaned into a deep, lewd kiss that told Jack a lot about how much he’d enjoyed himself. He slid a hand between them and pushed Jack’s boxers down to get at his cock and began to stroke slowly. Jack’s breath stuttered, and he buried his face in Luke’s neck.
“Fuck, I’m so close…” He ground down against Luke’s stomach and his spent cock.
“Do you want me to return the favor?” Luke asked, breathless.
“Later… I don’t think I could last half a second with your mouth on me.” He nibbled at a spot that would be under Luke’s work-shirt collar. He slid a hand down to show Luke how he liked it, and the other man quickly took the hint and began to jack him off harder and with longer strokes. “God yeah… just like that…” He could feel his release coiling. It wasn’t perfect, and they definitely needed lube next time, but it was enough, and he came hard all over Luke… and the couch.
He collapsed, trying to roll enough that he wouldn’t smother the smaller man, but there wasn’t enough room on the couch to allow for a lot of movement.
Luke didn’t seem to care because he just pulled Jack closer and sighed.
“If you don’t kick me out, I’ll clean the couch tomorrow,” Jack muttered.
Luke laughed. “I was just going to ask if you wanted to stay. The couch probably needs to be trashed anyway.”
“I’m glad you can admit that cabbage flowers are not an appropriate pattern for an adult man born after 1950.”
“You are absolutely a snob, and probably a bit of a jerk.”
“Yes, but I think you like it.” Jack kissed him lazily.
“Yeah, I probably do.” Luke sighed.
They managed to get up and stumble into the bathroom to shower, then both of them collapsed in Luke’s queen size bed, asleep in minutes.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Luke woke up to the smell of bacon and baked goods and was disoriented for a few seconds. He sat straight up in bed, listening hard for the sound of his mom puttering in the kitchen. He could hear someone moving around, but there was no murmur of Chinese soap operas in the background, and the footsteps were distinctly masculine. He looked down and realized he was naked, and the night before came back to him in a rush.
He swallowed, trying not to cry at the realization that his parents were dead, because at least there was a hot guy cooking him breakfast, and he’d had a truly spectacular blow job the night before. His reality was still the same, but at least it was improving. He heard the beep of the coffee machine, and got up and dressed.
In the kitchen, he found Jack pulling muffins out of the oven, and Pao was sitting on the stool in the corner, supervising. Both of them looked at him as he entered.
“Morning!” Jack grinned. “You didn’t tell me you had such a large cat.”
“Pao doesn’t usually like strangers very much. Most people never see him.” He looked at the cat, assessing. Pao was usually a good judge of character, so maybe if Pao liked Jack…
Pao meowed in agreement, and Jack looked at the cat.
“He came right out when I got up, and he started meowing. I wasn’t sure if I should feed him, but I gave him a serving of kibble so he wouldn’t wake you up? That’s what the bag said to feed a cat his size.”
Luke snorted. “I’m amazed he shut up when you gave him that much. The vet has had him on a diet for years, and he hasn’t really accepted that he isn’t supposed to be eating less than an average human football player.” He moved to stand closer to Jack.
“Well, he did stare at me the entire time I was frying the bacon.” Jack leaned down and gave him a quick, close-mouthed peck on the lips. “I hope you don’t mind me making breakfast.”
“I will literally never complain about someone else cooking.” Luke grabbed a piece of bacon from the paper towel-covered plate next to the stove. “The muffins smell amazing.”
“I found some blueberries in the freezer. Looked like they’d been in there a while.”
“I don’t recall ever buying any, so probably.” Luke let Jack pull him to his side as he finished flipping the bacon and turning the heat on the stove down. “The bacon is fresh, at least.”
Jack hummed his agreement, and they stood like that for a few moments, just enjoying the quiet sizzle from the pan. It was nice, Luke decided, to have someone else in the house.
Pao meowed loudly, and Luke looked over. “You don’t get bacon. Mom feeding you everything you asked for off the table is why you got so fat, and I’m not going to be responsible for you getting diabetes.”
The cat was now full-on glaring at him, and Jack just laughed. “Do you always argue with him?�
�
“Yeah, just for someone to talk to sometimes. This house is honestly too large for just me and him, but it’s paid off. He has his own room now.”
Jack didn’t comment on the fact that they had clearly slept in a room that was not the master. It didn’t seem like his business, though if this was going to continue, he was going to need to sneak a king size bed into the house at some point.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Luke yawned, then reached over to grab a muffin.
“Eat breakfast and then coerce you back to bed for a while. Maybe a run later.” Jack smiled at him as he turned the stove off.
“I have that meeting with Leslie soon. If you want to come, I’d honestly be glad for the company.”
“You sure you’re okay with me being there?”
Luke nodded, staring at the muffin. “There isn’t really anything about this that I’m worried about you being present for.”
“Okay, in that case, I’m happy to come with you. I just need to stop by my house and grab a change of clothes.”
***
He sat on Luke’s bed and flipped through his phone for a bit before getting bored and wandering out into the rest of the house. Luke had told him to make himself at home, but that didn’t always mean the same thing to everyone. There were some coffee table books in the living room, but one was in Chinese and looked to be mainly orchids, and the other turned out to be a hardbound photo album of Pao.
Jack snorted. “Luke’s parents really did love you, didn’t they buddy?”
Pao, as if called by Jack’s disdain, appeared from the kitchen and leaped onto the couch to take a bath.
Jack sat down next to the cat and began to pet him, then noticed a book on the lower shelf of the table. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a hardbound sketchbook, and on the inside cover was Luke’s name and phone number.
Jack flipped through the sketchbook, curiosity getting the better of him. There were sketches of some of Luke’s employees, dozens of sketches of Pao, and at least two that were definitely him. There was a beautiful full-page drawing of Anya and Eve in their wedding dresses dancing. It had been inked and colored with marker, and Jack wondered if he could talk Luke into giving it to them. All of the drawings had a comic book cartoonish style, and a few looked like they were action shots for a superhero comic.
He heard the water shut off and quickly put the sketchbook back where he had found it, not wanting to explain why he was snooping through Luke’s things. Jack got up to walk around a bit more, and Pao followed him, seemingly deciding that Jack was going to be an easier target than Luke for treats. Jack meandered back into Luke’s room and noticed a framed print on the wall in the corner. It was drawn in the same style as the work in the sketchbook and depicted two people, who had to be Luke’s parents, in ink and marker. Luke’s mother was holding Pao.
“There aren’t a lot of photos of my parents, but my mom always liked that sketch of them. She had copies made and used it as their Christmas card one year.” Luke came into the room, a towel around his waist.
“I didn’t realize you were an artist.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t do much with it since I took over the business.” He began pulling clothes out of his dresser.
“You did before?”
“Yeah… for a while. I lived in LA and Vancouver and worked on a few cool projects. I scraped by, but I didn’t get very far into it. I was usually just a few freelance projects away from starvation, but I loved it.”
“You’re really talented.”
“Thanks.” Luke’s tone took on the flat affect that Jack had noticed earlier when talking about his parents. He may have been putting on a brave front for the world, but it was obvious it was still painful and difficult for him. Jack debated leaving a card for his therapist around somewhere but thought better of it. He was already meddling in the guy’s life way more than he had any right to, and Luke didn’t seem like the kind of guy you should push too far too fast.
He’d let Jack barge in pretty far already and was actively asking him to come to meet the attorney with him, and that needed to be enough for a while. He’d work the fact he saw a therapist into the conversation at some point, maybe. Make it seem ordinary and normal. There weren’t too many people he’d known in the military who didn’t see someone regularly. He paused for a second… Luke might not even have health insurance, or if he did, it might not cover much for mental health services. That would be unacceptable. Jack knew that he had a hero complex that probably wasn’t healthy, but for some reason, Luke just made it that much worse.
Luke was dressed a second later and turned around, obviously trying to look more cheerful. He was in jeans and a black, half-zip, pullover sweatshirt, both of which looked like they had seen better days, but at least Luke didn’t look exhausted for once.
Jack leaned in to kiss him, and Luke moved closer, sighing.
“You ready to go? It won’t take long for me to get ready at my place.”
“Yeah, I’m good. I gave Pao a little more food already.”
“So it isn’t just your parents who were weak to Pao’s pleas.”
“No, I’m just as bad about it. But he’s an old man, and I don’t want to upset him.”
Jack just snorted, and they headed out of the house. It wasn’t raining, at least, and there was the barest hint of sun behind the clouds for once. But the wind was blowing, and with the high humidity, it was far from warm.
“Do you want me to follow you, so you don’t need to drop me off? I know Renton isn’t exactly convenient.”
Jack shook his head. “I’ll drive, I don’t mind at all. Besides, I need to come back and clean your couch anyway.” He grinned, turning up the charm as much as he dared without spooking the other man.
Luke huffed out a laugh and got into the passenger side of Jack’s swoopy black sedan. It was a newer model import and looked fancy as hell. “You don’t need to worry about the couch.”
Jack got in and started the car, then slid a hand onto Luke’s knee with a significant look. “It’s as good an excuse as any to spend more time with you.”
Luke turned red and looked away. “You sure you’re not sick of me yet?”
“No, I’m definitely not sick of you.” Jack removed his hand and put the car in gear. “But I’ll back off if I’m coming on too strong. I’m not trying to act like a stalker or anything like that, I just… like being around you. A lot.”
Luke sighed. “I… I’m not averse to it. I just don’t know how to react to it. I haven’t really had a serious adult relationship, just a series of hookups that went on maybe a little too long. So I’m not sure what I’m doing.”
Again, Jack had the urge to hand him his therapist’s card but ignored it. “There isn’t some set of rules for this stuff. I just don’t want you to feel smothered. I can be a little clingy, and while that doesn’t bother some people, it is very annoying to others, and I’m trying to work on it.”
Luke looked over at him. “You’re just unnervingly perfect, you know that?”
Jack glanced over, but quickly got his eyes back on the road. Washington wasn’t a state with a lot of straight roads, and not paying attention was a good way to get yourself killed. “What does that mean?”
“It means even the stuff about you that isn’t perfect is something you’re working on. You’re amazingly hot, smart, a talented baker, rich, and self-aware. You seem too good to be real, is all I’m saying. Are you a serial killer on the weekends? Are there bodies buried in the woods or something?” Luke sounded flustered. “And if you’re not a serial killer, what in the hell are you interested in me for?”
“I’m not perfect, nowhere near it,” Jack said quietly, a little hurt. “I just like to fix problems, including the ones with myself.”
Luke sighed. “I… I know. I’m sorry that all came out wrong. You just… you could probably pick any gay man in this city if you wanted to. Hell, with your abs, a few straight guys would probably
give you a shot.” He sounded faintly desperate like he really didn’t understand, and Jack’s heart broke. He quickly pulled over into a gas station and put the car in park, and looked in Luke’s face.
“Listen to me. You’re in a rough patch right now, and you’re having a tough time, and I get that. But that doesn’t mean I’m somehow too good for you because what you see of my life doesn’t look messy. Yeah, right now, things are going really fucking well for me. If you’d known me a few years ago, none of that was the case. I had PTSD, I was angry at the world, and I did nothing but sleep and eat for weeks at a time. Anya dragged me out of my own ass and forced me to get help. I didn’t do it on my own. And now, on the other side of that, I have the opportunity to help other people. I want to help you because you look like you need it and justice wasn’t served. I want in your pants again because you’re very, very attractive, and clever, and I just generally like you. Just because you find yourself in crappy circumstances, doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of better things. That’s not a healthy way to think about the world. Bad things do happen to good people, no matter what anyone may say to the contrary.”
Luke blinked at him owlishly for a second, then closed his eyes hard and nodded. “I... yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know your history or anything. I just… sorry.”
Jack leaned over and squeezed his knee. “It’s okay. Just… do me a favor?”
Luke opened his eyes again. “Yeah?”
“Consider therapy? I’m not saying that in a ‘you’re damaged and need to be fixed’ kind of way. I just mean that I think you need to talk to someone who isn’t your cat, and while I’m happy to be that person, I think you probably also could use a professional ear after everything you’ve gone through.”
