Spark

by J. P. Scott

  My ire flared up like his cigarette. I hated being confused about him. Was he interested in me or not? And should I even care? A seemingly better option with Cody was in the works.

  Beau again saved me from my thoughts when he appeared with his ball asking to play. I tossed the ball out into the night and set thoughts of Josh or Cody aside. Beau eventually tired and I decided to open the second bottle of wine. The couch looked inviting and I propped myself up on some pillows, pulled the throw blanket over me, picked up the book I had left on the coffee table and found my place. It had been awhile since I had treated myself to a night immersed in a world someone else created. I tried to read genres that were far removed from what I usually wrote and found this science fiction writer through a friend.

  I came up for air around ten thirty. I placed my bookmark between the pages and closed the novel, tempted to open it back up and start the next chapter. “You can read more tomorrow.” I wondered if my readers had the same reactions to my books. My sales were consistent but modest and I always feared I would be dropped by my publisher if I did not start getting more traction in the industry. Everyone assured me that I was fine, but I wanted this next novel to be a breakthrough piece—so far, what I had was making me believe I had a shot.

  I refilled my wine glass after deciding I was not ready for bed. I went back out to the porch and into a world that was dark and still. All lights were off in George’s cabin and the rest of the cabins were quiet as well. When I heard the steady crunch of gravel, I knew something was going on. The crunch grew louder and approached my cabin. I peered into the night and saw the shadowy movement of a man approaching.

  “Alex?” a voice called.

  Maybe it was the wine playing tricks on me, but it sounded like my cute bartender. “Cody? What are you doing out here?”

  Cody reached the steps to the porch and caught the light from the open door. His hair was again over his eyes and he brushed it back. “I was done with work and thought you might be up.”

  “Come have a seat. I was just finishing a bottle of wine before bed.” I motioned to the second and rarely used rocker next to me. “Can I get you a glass?”

  “Sure,” Cody extended his hand out to present a bottle of wine, “I also brought some. I didn’t know what you had.”

  I grabbed the bottle and smiled, “Let me guess. Molly recommended this one.”

  “I don’t know much about wine. She said it was her favorite and that you would like it.”

  “It’s perfect. Thank you. Would you like something other than wine?”

  “Do you have any beer?” I did and gave him a few options to choose from. I came back with a full glass for an me and an open long neck for him.

  “Thanks,” he said and took a drink. He sat on the edge of the seat.

  “Make yourself comfortable. It’s a nice night, isn’t it?”

  Cody moved back in the chair but still sat stiffly. In the restaurant where he felt comfortable, he had confidence and swagger. Now here alone with me he was nervous. I was nervous. I had the benefit of an evening of wine to take the edge off.

  “It’s my favorite time of year. Perfect nights before the summer heat turns up.”

  “Are you from around here?”

  “Yeah. My parents have a place about five miles from here. But I live in my Airstream in the RV park across the highway for the summer. I wanted to be close to work. I used to hate camping as a kid. Now it’s how I live.”

  “Not a bad life. Simplified lifestyles seem to be the trend. How long do you think you’ll stay on with Jim and Molly?”

  “At least for the summer season. Tourists lessen once the Fall rolls around and there won’t be as much need for staff at the restaurant. If they need me to stay on, I would. I’ve thought about moving down to the Valley, but that is its own set of complications.”

  Now that he was talking, Cody seemed more like the man I met the other night. His shoulders lowered and he sat back in the chair and rocked.

  “What kind of work are you looking for? I’m happy to leverage my network down there to help you find something.”

  Cody laughed, “And that’s how I know you’re not from up here. I know what you mean about leveraging your network, but talk like that around anyone else up here and they’re going to look at you funny.”

  “They always look at me funny. I can’t help it, I guess.” I took a sip and thought about my years of being an outsider in this small community. “I like it up here, though.”

  “More than the big city?”

  I nodded, “Some days. There’s a lot of great things about Phoenix, too. But I guess as I get older, I need the bells and whistles of the city less and less. A quiet night out here on the porch can be just as fun as an evening out at the bars with friends.”

  We listened to the night and enjoyed our drinks. Cody got up to grab another beer and came back with the bottle of wine he had brought. My glass was empty. As he poured, he said, “Restaurant management. I never answered your question. That’s what I’d be looking for in Phoenix.”

  “Well, I do know some people in the industry. I’d be happy to help you make some connections.”

  Cody laughed gently as he took another drink of his beer. He looked at me and then looked away. “Alex, how much wine have you had tonight?”

  I shrugged and held up my fingers in a pinch to indicate only a little. I could barely keep my hand steady and I assumed my speech was also affected, “How drunk do I sound?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to serve you at the bar.” He winked and added more to my glass, “But you’re cute and this isn’t the bar.”

  Beau appeared at the screen door and I got up to let him out to do his business. I lost my balance as I opened the screen door and I tumbled to a seat on the porch. “Still cute?”

  “Adorable.” Cody stood and came over with an outstretched hand. He pulled me up and we stood face to face, inches apart. “Kissable, in fact.”

  Cody touched my cheek and then grabbed behind my neck to pulled me in for a kiss. I tasted the hops from his beer as his tongue met mine. I put my hands on his waist to both steady myself and pull him closer.

  We stopped long enough and parted an inch to allow for a smile and then met again for another kiss.

  Beau returned to the porch and Cody opened the screen to let him in. He reached for my hand and pulled me towards the opening. He kicked off his shoes and reached for me again, his mouth on mine and exploring with a hunger. He tugged my shirt up and over my head, tossing it to the side. He took his own and sent it to the same pile. His hands found my waist this time and pulled me roughly to him and we got lost in a kiss.

  I was giddy from the wine and the swell of emotions from the kiss. I moaned as the rapid play of our tongues slowed and we pulled away from each other. I admired Cody’s young and solid body as he stood in front of me. He was toned from a life of hard work in the country rather than hours at the gym. A light trail of hair started at his belly button and disappeared into his jeans. He looked from me to where my eyes were locked on his body. He slid a hand to unbutton the top of his jeans and unzipped them. He pushed them down and stepped out, kicking them to the side. He wore black cotton boxer briefs and bulged with excitement.

  He walked towards the bedroom and I watched his round butt cheeks bounce with youthful playfulness. I felt myself grow hard and started to undo the rest of my clothes as I followed him. When I stepped in to the darkness, I bumped into him. Our lips met again and I closed my eyes. His hands were on my back as he explored and grabbed. He had discarded his boxers in the room and was now fully naked and pressed into me, our cocks fighting for space between our bodies. I felt his hairy mass at the base of his shaft—he was young but all man. I loved the softness against me, glad he did not manscape close as most guys did.

  His fingers continued to explore. Each spot he touched felt afire with hunger. My hands remained on his hips. I wanted to explore him as well, but I thought if I let go, even for a
second, I might discover this moment was not real. Maybe this was a fantasy bought on by too much wine. Maybe I would walk up to find I had nodded off on the front porch and imagined all of this.

  “Now who is nervous?”

  I smiled at Cody, and realized I was being silly. He was here. He was naked. And he wanted me.

  Cody spun me around so that my back was to the bed and pushed me down to a seated position. He leaned down to kiss me again and forced me on my back. He moved to stand between my legs and pulled them up to his shoulders. I felt his hard cock pressing above my hole and below my balls—a tease of where I needed and wanted him to be. My body both wanted this tease to last and also for the moment when Cody would be inside me, consummating the passion we both felt. He leaned down and our tongues and lips danced again.

  After a couple minutes of kissing he stood up and I breathed in, my mind swirling with excitement and anticipation. I had been with many men and had felt passion and longing before—including recently with Josh. This felt different somehow. Those other times were play. Tonight, it felt like I was reuniting with a soul I had known for an eternity.

  Cody opened the nightstand drawer and fumbled for what he knew would be there—a bottle of lube. Gay men would always have some handy for either personal or group fun. I heard the pump and the splat of lube in his hand. With two wet fingers he began to play with my ass, applying the silicone to the outer area, massaging the muscles to relax, and then sliding them in. I moaned as my body opened up for him. He slid the fingers in and out a few more times before pumping more lube and wetting his shaft.

  I heard him feeling around in the drawer again: a nail scraping against wood and then the clink of a small bottle. He shook the bottle and then twisted the cap. He held it down to my nose and I inhaled through my right nostril, holding the left closed. The poppers were recently purchased and potent. My heart rate elevated and warmness spread across me. I wanted Cody before but now my body screamed for him to be inside me.

  He used his right hand to guide his cock towards my hole. He found the spot and added pressure with his hips. Again, I opened for him, but now for a shaft much bigger than the two fingers. “Oh, yes,” he said as he slid deeper.

  I gripped his arms that were now beside me as his hands pressed down on the mattress to support him. I locked eyes with him and tilted my head up to kiss him. He began to move his hips and stroke as his tongue entered my mouth. Then, he threw his head back and grunted, his thrust stopping at the deepest point. He pulled back again and thrust deeply.

  “Oh, fuck,” he yelled. His body shook all over. I knew he had cum inside me. I smiled knowing he was part of me now.

  His breath slowed and he wiped his forehead. “Sorry I came so quickly.”

  “It was the poppers,” I offered.

  “It was that great ass. Better than I imagined.” Cody leaned back and slowly pulled out. I swiveled on the bed to put my head on a pillow and stretch my legs.

  “Excuse me a second,” He left the room and I heard the faucet in the bathroom. I imagined him wetting a towel and cleaning himself off, struggling to remove the excess lube completely.

  I stood and pulled back the comforter and sheets and climbed in. Normally after a hookup I would redress, offer the guy a bottled water for the drive home, and see him out. I did not want Cody to go and hoped he would see this as an invitation to stay.

  Cody came back in to the room and walked over to the bed. He leaned down and kissed me again. This time it was gentle but still backed by desire. I moved over and he crawled in next to me.

  “My favorite part,” he said. He laid on his side and moved as close to my body as he could, his back to me. I snuck my left arm under his pillow and hugged him with my right arm, finding his hand with my right hand and covered it.

  My eyelids grew heavy. Cody snored lightly, already asleep. I forced myself to stay in the moment. Having him here felt good and right. I did not want to wake up tomorrow and find everything different—for Cody to be cold and distant or to run away. I wanted this to be more than whatever my experience with Josh had been—or even what had happened with a long list of men I had met.

  Chapter Nine

  Sometime in the night we changed positions and my back was nestled into Cody, his arm over me, and his semi-hard penis pressed against my ass. I opened my eyes to check the time and closed them to go back to sleep, grateful that Cody was still there and seemed to be dreaming peacefully.

  I pulled his arm closer to me into a gentle hug. Cody stirred but did not wake. He was a solid mass of warmth behind me.

  Images of last night surfaced and I smiled. My cock hardened as well. Intensity like that was always the dream but was often lacking. The sex could be good but not always great. Whether he was well-practiced or just a natural, Cody’s pounding had been good. It had been short but passionate. He had known what to do but just got a little excited. I wanted him again.

  I turned myself to face him and he rolled more towards his back. I adjusted the covers to untuck from under various points of our bodies and placed a hand on Cody’s leg, rubbing my fingers side to side and slowly inching upwards to Cody’s crotch.

  Cody groaned with pleasure and whispered, “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, handsome.” I reached his semi-hard cock and began to stroke it. It pulsed and hardened in my hand and my strokes got longer. The sheets and comforter puffed up with each motion.

  Cody repositioned the pillows beneath his head and turned his hips squarely down on the mattress. He looked up at me and smiled as if posing for a spread in a magazine. My first loves had been the handsome men in fashion and fitness magazines, chosen for their perfect bodies, smiles, and tans. Cody was good-looking enough to be a model—but here he was in the flesh and wanting me. If there were clothes to undress right now, he would be doing that with his eyes.

  He reached and handed me the lube for me to get him ready. I pulled back the sheets and exposed him to full view. I stroked his cock until he stood at full attention. I straddled him and guided the shaft to my waiting and hungry hole. I eased back to take him in down to the base. I moaned as I opened up for him and breathed deeply in and out to relax. My muscles resisted having him inside me because I was tender from last night. I added more lube to a finger and explored the area where our bodies met; the added wetness lessened the discomfort. I began to rock on my knees, gliding up and down. Cody grabbed my hips, his fingers playing with my ass and spreading me farther apart. Beneath me he moved his hips to angle up as I rocked back, ramming deeper into me.

  “You feel so good,” Cody said. He grabbed tighter and slapped the left butt cheek. I rocked harder in response.

  My own cock was dripping with precum. Cody had positioned himself to hit my spot and I could feel the climax rising. I rocked more, trying to take him as deeply as I could.

  Finally, I spasmed and sent cum onto Cody’s chest in a spurt. I struggled to catch my breath as my heard pounded and my hips slowed their gyrations.

  Cody continued to thrust up and in. I leaned back further, supporting myself with an arm pressed down on the mattress behind me and between Cody’s legs. Like the night before, he came with a deep thrust that caused me to cry out while he writhed beneath me, filling me with everything that he had.

  We both exhaled and looked at each other. I raised myself off him and rolled over next to him, his arms tucked under my head and holding my shoulder. I put a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

  “Feel free to wake me up like that anytime.” He kissed my forehead.

  As my fingers explored his chest, I felt my wetness. “Oh, let me get you a towel.”

  I flipped on the light and grabbed the second washcloth—the one Cody used last night was drying. I would need to run a load of laundry soon but did not mind the extra chore with good fucking with Cody as the cause.

  As I waited for the water to warm, I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair was pointing in all directions, my co
lor was flushed, and my skin was damp with sweat. But I looked happy. A good romp always lifted my spirits, but this seemed like something more. My soul was happy. Cody had shown up on his own, wanted to stay, and sincerely wanted me. I had not tricked him in to thinking I was something I was not. Alcohol may have lowered our inhibitions, but that had not played a role in our early morning session. There was desire beyond surface attraction.

  I returned to the room and wiped up my load that was drying on Cody’s chest. He laughed as I mocked the need to scrub hard, as if treating a stain on clothes before going into the wash. He watched me, his eyes moving up and down my body. In comparison, I was less toned than he was. Part of it was our different ages, the other part was drinking too much wine versus doing any form of exercise. I walked with Beau but that did not make up for the hours spent sitting and writing with a glass of red blend by my side. I usually shied away from showing off my body—quick to redress or crawl beneath the sheets. Now, I forced myself to allow Cody to view it all. I wanted him to know what he was getting and to like it—his gaze burned into me and I knew that he did. My face reddened, uncomfortable with the sole focus on me. I tossed the towel over my shoulder and into the corner before jumping over Cody to resume my place on the bed.

  Cody turned and rolled on top of me. He kissed me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and caressed his cheek. Eventually we separated enough to lay on our own pillows, but our arms and legs stayed loosely entangled as we fell asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  I heard Beau moving around and I slipped out of bed to feed him and take him outside. I found fresh boxers and a t-shirt and closed the bedroom door behind me.