2017 Top Ten Gay Romance

by J. M. Snyder

  “This is home until we find a place we like,” announced Jake after the tour. “Oh yeah, my mom wants me to tell you that she promises not to be one of those obnoxious mothers-in-law who thinks it’s okay to drop by unannounced whenever she feels like it.”

  That hadn’t occurred to David and he was glad to hear it.

  “There’s a reason I picked this neighborhood. It’s only a twelve-minute drive to the school and it’s close enough that I can visit my parents without us living in each other’s pockets.”

  “It took us thirty-five minutes to get here. Will you be looking for a house in this neighborhood?” asked Uncle Ed.

  “I wouldn’t mind, but we’ll see what’s available once David and I put together a list of what we want for our house. I figure that’s a good step one.”

  Excellent. David could request a larger kitchen. Also, even after hearing Jake say that his opinions would matter David was glad to see his alpha living it out.

  A natural hugger, Aunt Julie carefully embraced Jake around his crutches. “Take good care of him.”

  “Always,” replied Jake. “And like I said, we’ll visit. David will get to see you whenever he wants.”

  “You could come over for dinner Saturday,” suggested Uncle Ed. “I’ll pull out the grill, we’ll see if Lori can drive up. Lori’s our older daughter,” he added for Jake’s benefit. Roxanne had already been introduced when she brought meals into the hospital.

  Jake turned to David. “Dinner Saturday sound good?”

  “Yes.” Very good, because he wasn’t just becoming part of Jake’s family. Jake was also part of his now.

  Uncle Ed pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. “There’s something we never told you, David. At first you were young and then, well, you aren’t the best with money…”

  “What he means,” Aunt Julie said, “is that you have a bank account. We can go in together sometime to take our names off and add Jake.”

  “Bank account?”

  “Your mom and dad didn’t have great life insurance policies, but there was some left after we paid for their funeral and burial, plus what we got for selling their car. We put it all in your account and never touched it.”

  He knew that at times raising him had added a financial strain for his aunt and uncle. “You should’ve used it.”

  “No. It’s your money. We thought maybe someday it’d help you and your alpha buy a house or pay one off.”

  “My parents are buying our house,” said Jake. “So we’ll save this for something else. Something special that means a lot to you.”

  Nothing came to mind immediately, though David was rather overwhelmed when he saw the amount on the statement: $42,807.49. “Wow.”

  “I promised your mom before you were even born that we’d take care of you and love you if anything happened to her and your dad.” Aunt Julie dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “She said she could rest easy knowing her big sister would take care of her baby. I’ve spent the last eight years trying to live up to her faith in me.”

  “You have.” He found himself hugging her without consciously making any movement, and Uncle Ed joined them a moment later. “You really have. I love you both so much.”

  “We love you, too,” she said through sniffles.

  “We do,” echoed Uncle Ed. “We always will.”

  “We should leave before I start crying,” said Aunt Julie, blotting her eyes again. “Nothing personal, Jake, and I’m happy for David. You’re exactly what we hoped for as his alpha, I’m just an emotional wreck right now.”

  “No offense taken. You’re trusting me with someone very precious.”

  “Exactly.”

  David loved being called very precious. While he was savoring that, Uncle Ed hugged him tightly, then shook Jake’s hand. Aunt Julie gave him another hug and whispered, “Don’t wait too long to call.”

  “We’ll talk soon to confirm Saturday,” promised Jake.

  Uncle Ed moved Aunt Julie towards the door, saying, “Come on, honey. They need to connect without us.”

  “Right.” Fighting back tears, she followed him.

  David loved his aunt and uncle, and they’d always be part of his life. At the moment, though, he was too excited to be sad, which was as it should be.

  Jake locked the door and David was finally alone with his alpha. He decided this warranted immediate physical contact, though the crutches complicated things.

  “I can’t claim you until tomorrow afternoon. Doctor’s orders.”

  That was a serious disappointment and it must have reflected in his body language because Jake offered, “We can cuddle if you’d like.”

  “Yes.”

  Cuddling turned out to involve lying on the bed fully clothed. That wasn’t terribly exciting until Jake tentatively put his arm around him, and David pressed their bodies together. Then he decided that cuddling was fantastic.

  “I got birth control,” said Jake. “Oral contraceptives you need to start a week before your heat.”

  “How will I know when it’s a week before?”

  “I’ll be able to detect a change in your pheromones once I claim you.”

  David wondered how the heat would feel. The basic biology was familiar. His internal organs would rearrange themselves and he’d spend anywhere from a few hours to a day desperately needing sex with his alpha. Without birth control he was nearly guaranteed to conceive a child. Oral contraceptives were recommended over condoms for birth control because when both alpha and omega were lust-driven by heat hormones, it was all too easy to forget the condoms.

  This was the miracle of omega biology. Prior to bonding with an alpha, say in times when alphas or men in general were scarce such as after a war, an omega could father children with a woman. Once bonded, an omega went into heat annually and could bear children. In either way, the human race was certain to survive for another generation.

  “I’m really glad you’re okay with not having a baby my first heat.”

  “I’m more than okay with it, I think it’s best.”

  So did David for several reasons, not least of which being that he wasn’t inclined to share Jake right away.

  Chapter 5

  Jake knew he’d made the right decision in the hospital when David not only allowed himself to be scooped onto Jake’s lap but then proceeded to melt into the embrace with absolute trust. Their first time cuddling together went similarly: David snuggled right up and made a little noise of contentment which shot straight to all Jake’s protective instincts.

  They were by all measures a good match and he genuinely liked David. When debating claiming the omega, Jake’s deciding factor was something simpler, namely that he didn’t think he could live with himself if he rejected David based on nothing more than vague fears. It wasn’t merely from a sense of duty, either. He was reasonably certain if he didn’t claim David he’d be missing out on a wonderful man. The swell of affection he felt when David burrowed into his embrace reinforced that this was a good choice.

  “This is good timing,” he said. “I don’t need to start getting ready for the new school year for a few weeks. We have time to bond and start house hunting.”

  “I already bonded with you.”

  “In the pheromone sense, sure. That’s not the only way to bond.” They needed to deepen their emotional connection and figure out the business of sharing their lives.

  “I’m glad you won’t be going to work right away.”

  “Me, too. I’m not sure we’ll be able to move by the beginning of the school year, though.” Since his parents had the cash they could skip the whole mortgage process. That had to shave some time off the house-buying process, didn’t it?

  “When does the school year start?”

  “The last Wednesday in August, for some stupid reason. Why they don’t wait until after Labor Day is beyond me.”

  “They’d probably give some halfway sensible reason, but I suspect the truth is that the people who set the schedule are pow
er hungry.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me. Anyway, we’ll have to think about what we want in a house.”

  “What do you want?” asked David.

  “Single story for sure. If this is a place we’re going to raise a family we should look for three or four bedrooms, I think, and the master bedroom needs to be big enough for a king-sized bed.” They both fit on the queen, but it was tight and Jake thought extra space would be nice. “What about you?”

  “I’d like a bigger kitchen than this one.”

  “That’s an extremely low bar. I’m not sure kitchens come smaller than this one.”

  “More than just a little bit bigger, maybe?”

  “Okay, sounds good. What else?”

  “Either a lot of windows or large windows, so I don’t feel like I’m in a cave. Nothing else comes to mind right now.”

  “We don’t have to come up with a complete list right now. In fact we don’t have to do anything at all right now.”

  That was just as well because after a few minutes David fell asleep. He’d been through a lot. Not that Jake’s kidnapping had been sunshine and roses, as his throbbing knee attested, but David was held longer, denied water at the end, and subjected to the cruelty of McLaughlin’s attempt to force a bond. Small wonder he was tired.

  Jake used the time to plan out everything he needed to do: update his will; move David onto his cell phone plan and damn it, he forgot to ask Ed and Julie about releasing the number so David didn’t need to switch to a new one; add David to his insurance; register David’s change of address; file the paperwork with the state because bureaucrats these days insisted on keeping track of everyone’s claims; introduce David to his extended family and friends…he was sure there was something else that escaped him at the moment. A list was called for.

  “I fell asleep,” said David, startling Jake out of contemplation. “How long?”

  “Twenty minutes or so.”

  “I guess that’s why you can’t claim me until tomorrow.”

  “Probably.”

  “I’m so glad you want to claim me, Jake, and not just because I bonded with you. I couldn’t believe that I accidentally bonded with someone who’s the kind of alpha I wanted all along.”

  “I wasn’t looking for this, but I think we’re going to be really good together. At first I agreed to consider the claim because I felt I owed you at least consideration. Now I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So I’m not just an obligation?” asked David, voice barely audible.

  “No.” Jake did feel some sense of obligation. Even still he hadn’t lied because David wasn’t just a duty. He’d become a person with whom Jake truly believed he could share a happy life, and it was always a good sign when an alpha and omega were especially drawn by each other’s pheromones. Jake was certainly wild about David’s. He answered honestly, “Don’t ever think you’re just an obligation, sweetheart. You’re way more than that. I’m excited to build a life with you.”

  “Really?”

  It had been true before and was only more so when Jake saw the adoring way David looked at him. He thought of spending lazy weekend mornings together, of coming home to David and waking up beside him every morning. They were both interested in travel; he imagined them going on vacations and taking road trips. In the future he’d watch David’s belly grow round with his child. Jake wanted all of it.

  “Really,” he promised. “We’re starting an adventure together and it’s gonna be great.”

  David’s smile was brilliant.

  * * * *

  David didn’t care for cheesy sci-fi films of the B-movie variety. Jake attempted to explain that if you took them on their own merits they were great entertainment. Hell, sometimes they were so bad they ended up being good. This turned into a much longer conversation than it had any right to be, with both of them finding video clips online to serve as evidence.

  The debate was winding down when David looked at the time on his laptop. “Twelve-oh-six,” he said. “It’s afternoon.”

  “You’ve gotta help me out here. Does that mean you want me to claim you, or you’d rather wait but you think we have to do it now? Because we absolutely don’t have to.”

  “I want you to.”

  He’d suspected as much. Better safe than sorry, though. “Do you have any sexual experience?”

  “Only with myself.”

  “Okay, what’ve you done?”

  David blushed. “Just, you know…” he made the universal gesture for jerking off. “Is that bad?”

  “It’s incredibly hot that no one else has touched you the way I will. That’s not why I asked, though. I want to make this good for you.”

  “It’s going to hurt this first time, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” There was no avoiding it. “I’ll do everything I can to get you ready, and once you adjust it will feel amazing, but it will hurt at first.”

  David swallowed hard. “Okay.”

  “If you want me to stop or take a break, just say the word. Feel free to tell me what you like, too.” He led them into the bedroom, reminding himself that self-control had never been so important. Jake had never been with a virgin.

  “What do you like?” asked David.

  Jake shook his head. “This is all about you.”

  “But I want you to enjoy it, too.”

  “Trust me, I will.” He took lube and condoms, newly purchased the previous day, from his nightstand.

  David eyed the supplies. “I didn’t think we needed condoms if there’s no one else.”

  “We don’t. They tested me at the hospital and I’m clean.” He’d not had unprotected sex since his last serious girlfriend, some three years prior, so he wasn’t worried. All the same, it seemed like he ought to let David decide. “I wanted you to have the option.”

  “Thank you. No condom, though. I only want to feel you.” Once they were lying on the bed, he ventured, “This might be a dumb question, but how do we start?”

  “Kissing,” answered Jake. “Just do whatever feels good. Explore. And it’s not a dumb question at all.”

  He’d limited himself to the briefest of kisses the previous night because his last pheromone blocker wore off and he wasn’t entirely certain he could trust himself not to go too far. Now he went further, pressing lingering kisses and pulled David in so their chests were pressed together.

  It took a couple minutes for David to really get into making out, but once he did he took Jake’s advice to explore very literally. His tongue went everywhere it could conceivably reach and it was adorable. He was enjoying it, too, because his pheromones ramped up and that went right to Jake’s groin.

  He slipped his hand just under the hem of David’s shirt. “Can I take this off?” After receiving a nod, he tugged the shirt up over David’s head and, while he was at it, removed his own as well.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he said. David was lithe and lean and perfect.

  “Not like you. You’re so strong.” David squeezed his right pec. “It’s sexy.”

  As an alpha Jake ought to be more muscular. That didn’t mean it was ideal in an omega. “I like you just the way you are.”

  “Good to know my Pilates paid off.”

  He chuckled and resumed kissing, this time slowly roaming his hands over David’s chest and back while ignoring his own erection that wanted him to hurry up already. This was too important to rush and they had all the time in the world. Besides, it was nice to enjoy the simple pleasures, like the way David groaned when Jake teased his nipple.

  When David started arching his hips just a little it seemed a good time to suggest, “I don’t know about you but I’d like to get naked.”

  “Oh God yes.”

  He peeled off David’s shorts, taking the boxers down at the same time. “Gorgeous,” he repeated, taking in the long, slender cock and supple legs.

  His own shorts and underwear hadn’t hit the floor before David’s eyes widened. Looking fretfully at Jake’s erection
he said, “That’s not going to fit!”

  “It will,” he assured his nervous omega.

  “I knew alphas were bigger but I didn’t think you’d be so much bigger.”

  While this was incredibly good for Jake’s ego, he needed to calm David down. “I’ll fit, sweetheart. I’m going to take my time, stretch you out first, and go slowly. But we don’t have to do this today. There are other things we can do in bed.”

  David shook his head. “Other things aren’t claiming.”

  “No. Still a hell of a lot of fun, though.”

  “I want you to claim me. Just, maybe we could kiss some more first?”

  “Of course we can,” Jake agreed, making choices with the right head as opposed to the one which wanted to claim his beautiful omega immediately.

  After a few more minutes of making out and caressing, when David was rocking against him, he moved his hand down and started gently running his fingers along his omega’s cock. There was only so long Jake could manage not to touch with the insane amount of pheromones David was throwing out.

  “Ohhhhh,” moaned David. “That’s good. Um, am I supposed to do something to you?”

  “Just enjoy.”

  “I can do that.”

  He figured an orgasm would help David relax and set about giving one. Slowly at first, building up to a quicker pace, he stroked his omega’s erection. “You like this?”

  “Yes. I’m about to…don’t stop please…ahhhhh!” He shuddered and came all over Jake’s hand in three long spurts.

  Well, that happened quickly. Then again, Jake had no previous experience with omegas. And David was eighteen. When Jake was eighteen he hadn’t lasted very long either.

  “That was better than doing it myself.”

  “I’m glad.” This whole experience was really, really good for Jake’s ego.