Bonds of Love

by Snyder, J. M.

  The door opened into darkness; Vic locked it behind him, then threw the deadbolt. ::No, I’m fine. More tired than hungry at the moment.::

  He kicked off his boots by the door, then unbuckled his belt. As it slipped from his hands to the floor, Matt pouted in his mind. ::Rough day?::

  Vic admitted, ::Wore me out.::

  On his way to the bedroom, he stopped at the master bath to freshen up. The cold water on his heated face and neck felt so good, Vic stoppered the drain and filled the sink, then plunged his head into the bracing pool. As he toweled his bare scalp, Matt probed at his mind. ::You do know I’m waiting, right?::

  Vic chuckled, the sound loud to his own ears in the confines of the bathroom. ::Oh, excuse me, your Highness.::

  A surprised bark of laughter came from their bedroom.

  Vic tugged off his work shirt and the undershirt beneath it, then pulled down his pants and underwear in one swift motion. Leaving the clothes on the bathroom floor, he clicked off the light and headed into the bedroom they shared. His lamp was still on, casting faint light on the bed amid the shadows that hugged the walls. Matt was still curled on his side, but one eye was open and watching the doorway as Vic entered the room. When Vic stepped into the golden glow from the lamp, his bare skin pale around his numerous black tattoos, Matt let out a randy whistle. Aloud, he joked, “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Skirting the foot of the bed, Vic stopped long enough to remove his socks and click off his bedside lamp. Then he crawled beneath the covers and found Matt snuggling up against his side. “Hey there, sexy,” Matt murmured, his voice a whisper between them. One warm fingertip touched Vic’s chin, turning his face towards his lover’s. “Kiss me already, will you?”

  Vic complied, but he only got a quick peck before Matt sighed. “Why do I always have to ask?” he teased.

  “Because you’re too impatient.” Vic tried to get comfortable, scooting down a bit to get his head on the pillow just right, but it was hard to reposition himself with Matt leaning on his chest. He didn’t have the heart to ask his lover to sit up for a moment—as it was, his arm was already around Matt’s waist, his hand cupping one round buttock to keep Matt close. Still, he wanted more room…

  With a low growl in the back of his throat, Vic rolled onto Matt, pinning him to the center of the bed. His legs straddled Matt’s hips, catching their budding erections between them in a sweet press of flesh. “Right here,” Vic commanded, tenting his hands above Matt’s head as if in prayer. His fingers delved into the cottony black curls as Matt’s arms encircled his waist to keep him close. Leaning down, Vic turned Matt’s head to one side and kissed the soft skin behind his ear. Into the folds of his lover’s ear, Vic breathed, “This work for you?”

  Between them, Matt’s cock stiffened and he moaned with pleasure. He loved whispers and sighs and the lightest breath blowing on his ears. Once he had tried to explain it to Vic, how it made him feel, but couldn’t—instead he’d settled for opening their mental connection while Vic murmured into him, and the hot rush that had flooded Vic made him swoon. Since then, Vic made a point of playing with Matt’s ears, licking them, kissing them, breathing into them, paying as much attention to them as he did his lover’s feet. Nuzzling behind Matt’s ear again, Vic purred, “Matty?”

  The arms around his waist tightened, and Matt gave a small, contented sigh as he cuddled into Vic. “Perfect.”

  * * * *

  Chapter 6

  Before he even awoke, Matt was aware of Vic beside him. With muscled arms like steel girders, his lover held Matt tight, fisting the sheets at Matt’s stomach to pin him in place. One leg draped heavily over Matt’s hip, trapping him with a pleasant weight. Soft snores tickled the back of his neck, and every so often Vic would mutter and move against him, cuddling closer. A myriad of jumbled images tumbled through Matt’s mind, dreams that were only partially his. The connection they shared during waking hours widened when they slept, and Vic’s thoughts spilled easily into Matt’s head to mix with his own. The first time it had happened, Matt had been terrified—afraid he’d lose himself, he struggled in vain to cut himself off from Vic.

  Now after three love-filled years, he relished the link between them. Their dreaming minds blended together in a union worlds more intimate than sex; one of the hardest things Matt had to do was wake before Vic and intricately extract his mind from his lover’s, when every fiber of his being wanted to stay wrapped together, an island alone in the sea of the rest of the world.

  Matt’s morning began when the clock radio beside the bed clicked on a good twenty minutes before he had to get out of bed. He kept the radio turned down low, to not disturb Vic. All he needed was to hear it turn on and he’d begin to wake. With slow, languid movements, he stretched both mind and body—his arms rubbing over Vic’s bunched muscles and, mentally, his thoughts began the tedious process of extracting themselves from his lover’s as well.

  Gently, he gathered up his own thoughts—in his mind they were black stones shot through with bright malachite, a shade that matched his green eyes. They lay scattered among deep blue rocks, smooth to the touch and achingly beautiful. These, to Matt, were Vic’s dreams. The same color as his eyes, these stones radiated a calm, soothing strength that made Matt tingle when he pictured them because that was his lover in a nutshell. He calmed Matt’s world, made it safe, made him safe, and God, how could he not love a man for that?

  Each time he picked up one of Vic’s thoughts, Matt kissed it before setting it back down. It was an intricate process, separating the dark rocks from the blue stones, but Matt took his time and eventually had two neat little piles in his mind. Fully awake now, he could still hear Vic’s thoughts like distant highway traffic, but they no longer embraced his own.

  If only it were as easy to get out of bed.

  The toughest, and fortunately quickest, part was pulling back the sheets. The body heat trapped beneath them created a cushiony warmth Matt was loathe to leave, and Vic’s embrace tempted him to linger in bed. But he had to be at the gym by eight for his first swim class, and no one could enter the pool if he didn’t show, at least not until a replacement instructor or other lifeguard could be found. So Matt took a deep breath to steady himself and threw back the covers as he slipped from under Vic’s arm—a quick motion, like yanking off a Band-Aid fast to make the separation less painful.

  Despite the fact it was August and probably already sweltering outside, a cold rush from the air conditioner pimpled his naked skin. “Damn,” he muttered as he clicked off the clock radio. From the corner of his eye he saw the bed, Vic sleeping so soundly beneath the covers, and every ounce of him ached to be back in those arms, that warmth, those sheets.

  He forced himself to turn away. Inside the bathroom, he shrugged on Vic’s flannel bathrobe, much too large for Matt but it smelled of his lover and he snuggled into it, holding it around himself, as he tried to warm up. Vic’s work clothes rested on the bathroom floor, discarded like an afterthought. Maybe it was the fact they hadn’t made love last night, despite Matt’s urging—Vic had been too tired at the end of the day, and after some playful cuddling, had dropped off to sleep before Matt could suggest something more. Or maybe it was the heady scent of the man he loved, enveloping him in flannel warmth. Or, hell, maybe it was the sight of Vic’s bright white briefs, twisted into the crotch of his work pants where he’d left them the night before. Whatever it was, it got Matt’s blood pumping, and while he relieved himself, his dick jumped to life in his hand as if goosed.

  Yeah, it was early, and Vic was still asleep. But Matt couldn’t think of a better way to start the day.

  Flushing the toilet, he washed his hands and ran his damp fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to control his curls. Now he was up, in more ways than one; the front of Vic’s bathrobe parted at Matt’s crotch beneath a budding erection that refused to stay hidden in the folds of fabric. Back in the bedroom, Matt lingered in the doorway, one hand strumming over his hard length
as he debated waking his lover. Vic looked so peaceful, all curled up among the sheets. Maybe Matt should just jerk off in the shower, let Vic sleep—

  ::Don’t you dare.::

  The words grumbled through Matt’s mind, bringing a smile to his face. So Vic wasn’t quite as zonked out as he had thought. ::Don’t what?:: he teased, throwing the question at Vic mentally as he closed the distance between them. In his mind, he conjured up an image of himself in the shower, water cascading around him, running in rivulets down his body as it plastered his dark hair to his skin. With soapy hands, he stroked his hard cock, fondled his balls, slipped lower to rim along his ass…

  In bed Vic drew one leg up beneath him, restless in sleep, as if the thought of Matt masturbating was enough to turn him on. ::Like that?:: Matt asked. Vic moved again, one hand easing beneath his bulk to disappear into the dark depths of the bed sheets. Stepping up to the bed, Matt let the bathrobe fall from his shoulders to the floor. ::Want to watch?::

  An encouraging grunt from his lover made Matt laugh. Gingerly he climbed onto the bed, crawling over Vic’s sheet-covered legs until he straddled the larger man. His hard cock jutted from his groin like a spear, ready to pierce through the blankets to dive into the tight, hot center of his lover’s being. Propped up on his arms above Vic, Matt leaned down until his lips rested on Vic’s left ear. “Love you,” he whispered, his words mere breath.

  A sleepy smile spread across Vic’s face in response. Matt kissed his ear, then his cheek, then the hair that curved along his jaw in a short goatee. When he kissed the corner of Vic’s mouth, his lover turned slightly, offering more of himself to Matt’s willing lips. But when the rest of Vic’s body tried to turn beneath him, Matt lowered himself over his lover to keep him in place. “Uh-huh. This is right where I want you, big boy.”

  Vic relaxed, sinking to his pillow as Matt kissed his way to the back of his lover’s neck, where folds of smooth skin bunched into rolls. Despite the sheets that separated them, Matt thrust against Vic’s ample ass, his aroused cock rubbing along the cleft between Vic’s clenched buttocks. He moved against Vic eagerly, hands smoothing over his lover’s shoulders, mouth kissing its way along Vic’s back, and inch by inch the bed sheets were pushed aside. By the time Matt reached the small of Vic’s back, where a Celtic knot tattoo stained his skin in an intricate design, Vic no longer pretended to sleep. He arched into Matt’s kisses, fisting the pillow as he gasped at Matt’s touch. When Matt licked down between his buttocks, tasting the deep, musky skin hidden there, Vic raised his ass in the air and growled, “Matty, just fuck me already, will you?”

  “So impatient!” Matt chided. He sat back and slapped Vic’s ass—between his legs, Vic’s balls shuddered beneath the playful smack.

  Vic warned, “Matty.” He filled Matt’s mind with the image of a caged lion, roaring in frustration. Matt’s touches and kisses alone had him close to getting off; through their mental link, Matt could feel the orgasm building within his lover like a crescendo, rushing toward release.

  Bending down, Matt planted one quick kiss on Vic’s bottom, then crawled over his lover to reach his bedside table. As he fumbled for the well-used tube of lubricant he kept there, Vic pressed his face into Matt’s side. Softly, he murmured into Matt’s flesh, “Fuck me raw if you have to.”

  Lust surged through Matt at the request. “You sure know just what to say to turn a man on,” he joked as his fingers closed around the tube. Then, turning toward his lover, Matt covered Vic’s mouth with his own. “Tell me,” he whispered.

  Vic’s lips grinned against his. “Love you.” With another kiss, he added, “Now love me, will you? You started this.”

  With a laugh, Matt crawled back to his previous position, above and behind Vic. “Only because you didn’t want to do it last night.”

  “Only because I was exhausted,” Vic countered.

  Matt squirted a liberal amount of lube into his hand, then slicked his cock with the clear, warming lotion. It glided onto his skin easily, and he took a few moments to pleasure himself as he stared at Vic’s inviting ass, the balls squeezed between it and the bed, the thick length pinned down and pointing Matt’s way. The lube coated Matt’s shaft and tingled his swollen cockhead as he worked himself hard. But when he reached out for Vic to rub the lube into his lover’s hole, Vic raised off the bed and muttered, “I thought this was a two-man act. Am I missing the show?”

  With an open hand, Matt smacked Vic’s butt. “Oh, hush up. You’ll get it soon enough.”

  “When?” Vic wanted to know. Matt’s fingers rimmed his puckered flesh and he gasped, his whole body trembling at the faint touch. “God,” he sighed, pushing back against Matt to fuck his fingers. “Matty—”

  The rest disappeared as Matt shoved his cock into Vic’s ass. On his knees, he moved in slowly, damp hands on Vic’s hips to guide his lover to him, until Vic moaned with a guttural sound Matt felt resonate in the tip of his dick. As Matt eased out, Vic’s sounds became words, “Yes” and “God” and “Yes, Matty, God yes, yes.” Vic clenched the pillow in his arms, punched it with his fists, kneaded it as Matt moved in him again and again. The heat of Vic’s core warmed the lube, setting Matt’s cock on fire; pleasure burned through him, igniting his body, setting his blood aflame, until he thought he must surely combust from it. Still he worked in Vic, pulling his lover back to him as he drove in as far as he could go, then wriggled in a half inch farther, deeper, in. He would crawl inside Vic completely if he could, just curl up deep in his lover’s bowels, and feel the warm, tight body beat around him as his lover surrounded him. He would drown in this man if he could.

  Loosening his control on their psychic connection, Matt let his feelings and emotions and thoughts pour into Vic as they moved together in the throes of passion. Vic did the same, opening to Matt completely, so they both experienced all aspects of their lovemaking—he knew Vic felt each thrust as if it were his cock deep inside his own tight ass, and Matt felt a hard, thick length filling him inside. Their throaty moans mingled with wordless thoughts, and when they came, the orgasmic rush rocked them both simultaneously. Matt’s dick burst deep within Vic, shooting powerful seed into his lover’s body, the fiery spill causing Vic to spasm in release as well.

  For a long moment, neither moved. Then Vic sank to the bed and Matt lay down above him, loathe to extract himself from his lover just yet. He cradled Vic’s bald head in his arms, his lips pressed to the back of Vic’s neck. Vic kissed a tender spot on the inside of Matt’s bicep. Together their breath evened, their heart beats slowed, their bodies cooled in the early morning chill. Finally Matt shifted off Vic, and his lover rolled to one side to hug him close. In the warm space between Vic and the bed, Matt clung to him, arms tight around Vic’s waist, head tucked beneath Vic’s chin. A lusty sigh summed up Matt’s feelings perfectly.

  Vic buried his nose in Matt’s curls and, planting a rough kiss on his temple, drifted back to sleep.

  * * * *

  Later, Matt stood at the kitchen sink, washing off his breakfast dishes, when Vic finally stumbled in. Anyone else might have mistaken the scowl on his face for a mean streak, but Matt knew his lover intimately—this was Vic’s “morning face,” and would linger for a half hour or so, however long it took the man to fully wake up. Matt thought it cute, and loved to tease Vic when he first woke, if he could, because Vic was so unresponsive then. Just because he was standing upright and out of bed didn’t in any way indicate that he was awake, a fact Matt found amusing. Since his lover normally slept in long after Matt left for work, he didn’t get much opportunity to pick at him, and seized every chance he could. So as Vic poured himself a cup of coffee, Matt nudged him playfully and joked, “Was it good for you?”

  Vic’s reply was a grunt that might have been taken as either a yes or a no, depending. With a faint smile, Matt added, “I need more than that, babe. Or next time I won’t bother to wake you up and I’ll just do it myself in the shower.”

  Matt felt the fog lift a bit
in his lover’s mind. Vic’s brow furrowed in confusion. As if he couldn’t be bothered to figure out for himself what Matt was going on about, he snapped, “What?”

  “You did like it, right?” Matt pressed. He almost laughed out loud as he watched Vic struggle to recall what he might mean. “Vic!”

  “What?” his lover asked again. Then, before Matt could explain, he growled, “I just woke up, Matty. Stop fucking with me.”

  Matt’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “But I love fucking you.”

  A slow smile slipped through Vic’s scowl like the sun peeking through on a cloudy day. Vic hid it behind the coffee cup that he raised to his lips. Then the lines were back in his brow, flaring up like a summer storm. “Shit!”

  Concerned that he had pushed his lover too far, Matt started, “Hey sexy, I’m only kidding…”

  Viciously Vic dumped his mug into the sink. Matt shrunk back, expecting a splash of scalding coffee that never came. Instead, a thick chunk of brown ice inched its way out from the overturned mug. Matt let out a laugh that he bit off quickly. “What the hell?” When Vic shook the mug, trying to hurry the ice along, Matt asked, “Is that your coffee?”

  His lover’s answer was a cold hand on Matt’s bare arm. Vic’s skin felt like steel in winter, and ice crystals edged his fingernails. “At least it’s August,” Matt said, in an effort to lighten the mood. “You have your own built-in air conditioning.”

  The look on Vic’s face was hard to read, but his thoughts broadcasted into Matt’s mind loud and clear. ::Good thing it’s not February or I’d freeze to death.:: Aloud, he grumbled, “Aren’t you late for work?”

  “I’m going,” Matt promised. Extracting himself from Vic’s cold touch, he leaned close and pressed his mouth to his lover’s blue-tinged lips. He projected just one thought, pouring it into Vic through their mental connection and their kiss. ::Love you, snowman.::