Jon lifted the flask and moved to Toby’s side of the table. “Scoot over,” he directed.
When he was settled by Toby’s side, he filled a single cup and held it up. “Drink. Just a swallow.”
Toby did as requested, and when he was done, Jon took a small sip and placed the cup on the table. Then, he leaned in and touched his lips to Toby’s.
There was the taste of wine, and a hint of ginger. Toby closed his eyes as the soft, firm lips met his, and then parted his mouth slightly to explore and be explored. The kiss deepened, slow and languorous, and then grew more insistent, until Jon pulled away.
It took a few seconds for Toby to recover, and then all he could think to say was, “Wow.”
“Exactly,” Jon agreed. “That was…”
“Mind blowing.”
Jon leaned in again, but was stopped by Toby’s hand on his chest. “I hate to put a damper on things, but I…I need to know something, Jon. Where do you see this going?” Dr. Ed would be so proud.
Jon eased back a few inches to put some space between them. “I’m not sure…I know exactly where I hope it goes in the next few minutes, but I think you’re asking me something else entirely.”
“Yeah, I am. Part of me wants nothing more than to strip down and try that kiss again without any clothes. But, I need to know what you want.”
Jon closed his eyes, and Toby’s stomach gave a lurch, more than half-afraid of what he was going to say.
“I don’t know. I’m not ready for anything serious. It probably sounds callous, and I don’t mean it to, but I was hoping we could keep things light and kind of…”
“…remain good friends who find each other attractive and just want to fuck like bunnies and enjoy our time together?”
“I told you it was going to sound bad.”
Toby felt an incredible feeling of relief. “To some people, it may sound less than ideal, but for me, right now…it sounds perfect.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Absolutely. I’m not ready to jump back into the deep end of the relationship pool either. So…?”
Jon smiled and leaned in for another kiss. When they came up for air, he took another drink of plum wine. He handed the cup to Toby. “Finish this off, and then…I hope you’ll spend the night.”
“Yes!” Toby exclaimed and then downed what remained in the cup. “I’ll finally get to see what you’ve been hiding under all of those clothes. What’s the deal with that, anyway?” Jon’s face tightened, and Toby could see the effort it took him to relax again. “Hey, I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t have. I’m just curious.”
“That’s fair.” Jon sat back, lost in thought for a moment. “Let me tell you a story. It’s not too long, and I think it will explain things a little.”
“What kind of story?”
“One my grandfather told me when I was very young. Bear with me?”
Toby crossed his legs beneath him, and nodded. “Sure.”
“Okay. I’ll try and make this short.” Jon mirrored Toby’s pose, placing his hands on his knees. He took a deep breath and began. “This story begins, like many do, in ancient China. During those times, a new dragon was born, and there was much rejoicing among the dragon folk. The birth of a dragon is a rare and precious thing. This dragon grew slowly, like all dragons, and spent his time learning to do dragon things. He learned to speak a hundred languages. He learned to sing to the earth and the clouds. He learned—”
“What was the dragon’s name?” Toby interrupted.
“His name was Lulong, which means green.”
“Was he a green dragon?”
“Yes, and he was the only green dragon in the world. His wiser and older brothers were black, and azure, and yellow, and white, and vermillion. Each had different powers, and were responsible for different aspects of life.”
“Powers? What kind?”
“Dragons have many powers. They can disguise themselves as many things. They can fly among the clouds, hide in water, become water itself, and temporarily change their colors to blend in with their surroundings, although there’s always a clue as to their real nature. Dragons are well-versed in magic, and are immensely powerful, as long as they keep the source of their power nearby.”
“What’s that? The source of their power?”
Jon gave a sigh of impatience. “I was getting to that part. Are you going to let me tell the story or not?”
“Sorry.”
“Now, the source of a dragon’s power is the great pearl they carry with them at all times. When called upon, these pearls flame with the radiance of the sun, and when not in use, they glow with a soft, shimmering light. They’re filled with spiritual energy and confer wisdom, power, prosperity, and immortality. They enable control over rain, and thunder, and the moon itself.”
“Where do they keep the pearls?”
“Toby, will you please stop with the questions?”
“Well, I’m just wondering. You said they had to keep those pearls nearby, so I’m curious.”
“They carry them either in their mouths or claws, and sometimes wrapped in the coils of their tails. Satisfied?”
“Yep. Continue.”
“You are a real pain sometimes. You know that, right?”
“Sure do,” Toby grinned and waved one hand to move Jon along in his recitation.
“Lulong, being a young dragon, was sometimes foolishly distracted. One fine spring day, he became entranced with the beauty of the flowering trees and the glorious call of birds in the meadow. Distracted, he lost his pearl. Frantic with worry, he searched high and low to no avail, and soon, the powers granted to him by the gem began to fade. Spring gave way to summer, and by then, he was just a shadow of his former self. The other dragons thought it was great fun to see Lulong brought so low, since he was something of a brat who asked too many questions.”
Toby expertly ignored the look Jon sent his direction.
“They refused to come to his aid, because sometimes dragons are very selfish creatures. Finally, Lulong had no choice except to admit his terrible problem to Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, and ask for her aid.
She listened to his petition and set him a series of tasks. He was to enslave himself in turn to each of the four great dragon kings, and do their bidding for one season each. Each of the great dragons would give him two tasks before sending him on his way. Only after all those tasks were completed would his great pearl be restored to him. Heavy of heart and filled with trepidation, he nonetheless accepted her decree, and set out to begin his quest.
He started in the north, near Lake Bailkal, the home of the Dragon King of the North Sea. He was given his tasks, the nature of which are lost in the mists of time. Suffice it to say, he suffered terrible wounds of the heart, but toiled faithfully and completed the assigned tasks as summer turned to autumn. He traveled to the Court of the Dragon King of the East China Sea, and his labors wounded his mind. Ultimately successful, he made his way south, and as autumn gave way to winter, he did the bidding of the Great Dragon King of the South China Sea. While performing his labors there, he body was torn and broken. Weary and tired, he traveled west, and while at the labors given to him at Quighai Lake, the home of the Dragon King of the West Sea, his spirit was terribly hurt. He laid down by the shores of the lake, filled with despair and wishing for death, and saw the moon in the sky above him. ‘Help me,’ he prayed. He didn’t know what else to do and just wanted to meet his end with a clean, unburdened heart. The moon shimmered in the night sky, and he saw a staircase appear, carved from celestial rays. Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, descended and came to his side.
“’Lulong,’ she said gently. ‘Why do you court Death here on the shores of this lake? It is the season of renewal, not of ending.’ ‘Lady,’ he answered. ‘I have lost my great pearl. I have been sent to accomplish eight tasks given to me by the Dragon Kings. Seven I have completed, but the last is beyond me. I will never regain my power, now.�
� Guanyin narrow her eyes in thought. ‘Who set you on this path, Lulong?’ she asked. ‘The Queen Mother of the West,’ he answered. Guanyin was familiar with this lady, for they were distant cousins. She knew her cousin’s heart—although always just—was sometimes hard and cold, and she often delighted in arranging impossible tasks, even when there was no need. Guanyin gave him a smile filled with mercy and compassion. ‘Lulong, let me tell you a great truth. A dragon can never lose his pearl. It is always within you, if you but seek out where it has decided to hide. There was no need to go to such lengths to prove yourself, although it is commendable that you have undertaken these mighty tasks, and have done so well in your endeavors.’
Lulong was astonished, but heard the truth in the Lady’s words. Still, he asked, ‘Truly?’ ‘Yes. Now rise. Your wounds will heal in time, although they will never be forgotten. Their memory will make you stronger than before. When the time is right, you will find your pearl within.’ Lulong was overjoyed, but was worried about his final uncompleted task. ‘What of my last task, Lady? I would like to complete it and maintain my honor.’ ‘Since you feel that way, Lulong, I will help you. What is the last task the Dragon King of the West decreed?’ ‘I am to find the answer to a most mysterious question. The Great Dragon King asked me to answer this: when is the complete and final end?’
Guanyin softly stroked his head, and her lips curved in a gentle smile. ‘The answer, Lulong, is never.’ ‘Never?’ Lulong asked, confused by her answer. ‘I don’t understand.’ She nodded her head sagely. ‘Few do. It is one of the great mysteries of life, and one of last to be learned. We all walk the wheel, which turns and turns again, as do the seasons. In the lush life of summer, we forget to anticipate the falling of the leaves. In the bleak and barren winter, it seems impossible the trees will bud again. However, they do. It is easy to forget this truth, even for dragons and immortals.’ Lulong knew there were many layers of meaning in her answer, and it would require a great deal of work and many years to understand them fully. He ventured one final question. ‘How can I ensure that I remember?’ Guanyin smiled again, and it was a most beautiful thing. ‘Memorialize your lessons, Lulong. Celebrate your wounds, for they are signs of triumph and survival. Bear scars with dignity. If you do those things, you will never forget.’ With a last pat on his snout—sharp and stinging to remind him mercy is often informed by pain—she turned and walked up the glorious stairway. His eyes followed her until she was obscured by a drifting cloud. When it passed, she was gone and only the moon remained.”
Jon closed his eyes and bowed his head.
Toby waited patiently, until it finally dawned on him that the story was done. “That’s it? Did Lulong find his pearl?”
Jon lifted his head and shrugged. “I don’t know if he found it or not, although, I always hoped he did.”
That was a totally unsatisfactory answer. “I’m not sure I like this ending…”
Jon lifted his right shoulder in response. “Sorry. That’s the way it was told to me.”
Toby sat in silence, until a sudden suspicion popped into his mind. “You said your grandfather told you this story. Was he Madame Zhou’s father?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Because now it almost makes sense. That branch of your family tree is overly fond of incomprehensible, cryptic messages. It’s enough to drive a person crazy!”
Jon’s eyes widened at Toby’s outburst, and then he roared with delighted laughter. “You’re right! It is!”
“Of course, I’m right!” Toby indignantly responded. Realizing how ridiculously put-out he sounded, his own giggles bubbled to the surface, and soon, they were both laughing. Once they had themselves under control, Toby poured more wine into their cups. “Like I said, I’m not convinced about the ending, but I do want to know what the misadventures of Lulong have to do with you.”
Jon drank for a minute from his cup and then rose to his feet. “It’s easier to show you.” He reached out a hand to help Toby up. “Come with me.”
Toby climbed to his feet, and followed Jon into the bedroom. Jon motioned for him to sit on the bed, and then lit a few candles and dimmed the lights. He moved a few feet from the bed and slowly and deliberately loosened his hair from his braid. As he unplaited the dark, silky strands, Toby’s heart beat faster. Jon pulled off his shirt, and removed his jeans. He folded the clothes and placed them on the bed before moving back to his position.
Toby’s breath caught in his chest. He’d suspected Jon was built, so the powerful, sculpted muscles weren’t a total surprise. The rest of the package…well…that was a different story. Jon’s pale golden skin shone in the dim, softly lit room. Toby’s eyes roamed, taking in the smooth, hairless body. Magnificently rendered dragons coiled and wrapped their way over most of the exquisite frame. Each scale was executed perfectly; each claw exact. The dragons danced in the flickering candlelight.
Jon slowly turned, and when his back was completely visible to the man on the bed, he moved the inky waterfall of hair out of the way. After allowing Toby a second or two to take in the view, he completed his rotation, until he once again faced Toby.
Toby’s eyes focused on his face before once again moving down the smooth torso, lingering on the generously proportioned, uncut cock.
He stood and walked forward, reaching out to touch the dragon curving its neck and head around one pec, before undulating down the torso and wrapping around the ribs to the back. He traced the inked lines with gentle fingers, hands wandering down one firm thigh, exploring and trying to make sense of the living canvas. His hand moved upward, before resting on the outreached claw settled on the lower abdomen, less than an inch from the base of Jon’s shaft. “They’re beautiful,” he said reverently. “But why?”
“They represent my wounds and hurts, and celebrate them. Let me show you.” Jon guided Toby’s hand until it rested on a small mound of puckered flesh. “A souvenir from a bullet.” He allowed Toby’s fingers to explore the texture, then moved the hand up and across until it rested on a long ridge of raised tissue. “This is from a knife wound.” He moved the hand to the skin behind the shoulder. “And so is this one.”
Toby maintained his tactile contact, but stepped back to take in the view, trying to understand how the inked dragons had been incorporated into the map of combat wounds. His fingers roamed again, caressing the spine downward to the cheek of the right buttock. “I don’t feel a scar here.”
“No. Some scars…are only on the inside.”
Toby’s hand flattened across the dragon’s head. “I know,” he whispered, remembering his own hurts. His fingers resumed their journey. When he reached the inside of Jon’s left arm, he stopped, startled by the lines of raised flesh a few inches from the wrist. “Jon?”
Jon turned his head slightly so he could meet the pale, pale blue eyes. “Yes,” he answered, acknowledging the uncompleted question. “That was my darkest point. I tried to kill myself, Toby.”
Toby’s hand wrapped itself around the wrist and held it tightly for a moment. “And then?”
“And then, I decided to live.”
Toby lifted the arm and laid a gentle kiss on the dragon’s tail wrapped around the lower arm, enhancing the self-inflected injury, and celebrating survival.
Toby removed his hand and stepped back to consider the man in front of him. Locking his blue eyes to gray, he pulled off his shirt and dropped it on the floor. He unbuttoned and unzipped his worn and faded jeans and eased them down his hips and stepped out of them. Running a hand across the remnants of the flesh wound taken in the shoot-out with John Brown, he closed his eyes, thinking about his own ghosts. Guiding his hand across his chest and down his stomach, he found his own cock and worked it gently, maintaining eye contact with Jon until it began to swell. Reaching down, he gathered a drop of pre-cum already gathering on the head, and raised it to Jon’s mouth and touched it to the fleshy part of the lower lip.
After Jon’s tongue tasted it, he brought Jon’s head towar
d him and stepped forward to close the small gap and press skin tightly to skin. Lips met, and Jon’s strong hands moved to caress and cup Toby’s ass. As the kiss deepened, the hands flexed and tightened.
“Hell, yes,” Toby breathed into Jon’s mouth. His own hands moved between them, gathering Jon’s cock and easing back the foreskin. He felt it stretch as he stroked, slow and firm and steady. Jon groaned and trembled in response.
“Toby…it’s been awhile. I’m not sure I remember what to do.”
Toby tilted his head back and looked into Jon’s face. “It’s like riding a bike. Once you get going, it all comes back to you.” He grinned and circled one nipple with a finger. The bud instantly began to harden, so he leaned in and licked it, then took it into his mouth. Jon groaned and used his suddenly free hand to pull Toby’s head closer. “Guess he likes that,” Toby decided. He sucked, and when Jon moaned again, he formed a new theory that begged to be tested. Toby sucked and then gently, but firmly, bit down.
Jon’s hand tighten in his hair, and he arched himself into it, letting out a low keening sound. “Yes,” he hissed. Toby laved the slightly swollen flesh with his tongue before moving to the other side. He felt Jon’s knees give slightly and grabbed the firm ass in his hands as he worked. When he was temporarily satisfied with the results, he stood and stepped back.
“Time to move to the bed. Lay down on your back.”
Jon was more than happy to comply. Toby arranged the smooth, muscled limbs until they lay spread and outstretched, then crawled between the strong thighs. He leaned in and devoured Jon’s mouth, no longer searching, but demanding. He worked his way along the dragon trail, lingering to lick and taste until he reached the now arching and throbbing cock. He tasted the head, and then parted his lips and encased Jon with his mouth.
Skin Puppet: Reightman & Bailey Book Three Page 23
