by Rhys Ford
“Your parents,” Jae interrupted me, sneaking a scolding look at me under his long lashes. “They are your parents too. Even when you’re mad at them.”
“Our parents,” I corrected. “They’ll be here tomorrow. He wanted to remind me about having dinner there. Guess he thought I’d skip town or something.”
“You would,” Jae replied. “It’s a reasonable thing to assume.”
“Because you know me so well,” I snorted. We stepped around someone’s plants they’d set out by their porch to water, avoiding the puddles as much as we could. “You’d also know I don’t want to go.”
“But, your sisters will be there, yes?” He quirked a grin at my sigh. “You should go. When is it?”
“Monday night.” Sighing did not win me any sympathy, but it did get a chuckle out of him. “Do you want to come with me?”
That brought him to a standstill. His eyes narrowed, and another one of his noncommittal, semidisgusted noises escaped him.
“Why?” he finally asked.
“Why?” It seemed like an odd question. Why else would I want my lover to come with me? To share my pain and suffering. I was also more likely to keep my teeth gritted shut if Jae was there. I knew my limitations. “Why what?”
“Why do you want me to come with you? Do you want me there to support you?” Jae tugged on my hand when I tried to keep walking. “Or do you want me there to rub me in your father’s face? Will he be nicer to you if I’m there? Or will it not matter?”
“Oh, trust me, he won’t give a shit if the Queen of England was sitting down at the dinner table with us,” I quipped. “He’d ask her if I could borrow her tiara, so I could put it on my faggy head.”
“Then why go? Because of your sisters?” He’d begun chewing on his lower lip, a sure sign he was anxious. I wanted to kiss away the marks he was leaving, but we’d just graduated to holding hands in front of my house. If I kissed him, he’d run off screaming in terror.
“Because I promised Mike and Maddy I would go. Just like I promised Mike I’d see if you wanted to come too. I haven’t seen Tasha since I left, and I’ve only seen the other two in pictures. Pictures Barbara sent to Mike, by the way.” My eyes stung, and I blinked, biting the inside of my lip. Taking a breath, I continued. “I just wanted you there because… fuck, I need you there. Yeah, it’s kind of to rub my dad’s nose in shit. Mostly because I want to show him I’ve got this really great guy, and he can just fucking go to hell.”
“You’re asking me to sit there and listen to him hurt you then?” Jae asked quietly. “To sit at a dinner like that, and listen to him say things to you? I’m not family. I can’t speak against your father. It’s not… right, but it will be hard to just sit there. I don’t know if I can.”
“I’m also asking you to come to dinner to meet Maddy and my sisters,” I pointed out. “But mostly, it’s because I need you.”
He stared at me. Jae stood there and stared at me, weighing me and judging me until I thought I’d go crazy in the silence between us. A car passed by us, and the man driving rolled down his window, slowing down. Jae flinched, and I held onto his hand tighter, refusing to let go. His face flushed, either with shame or anger. I couldn’t tell which, but his fingers were still in mine when the car stopped by us. He was scared. The fear of being seen as a gay man rolled off him in waves.
I’d be damned if I was going to let go of him. If I had my way, I’d hold onto him until we starved to death.
“Hey, can you tell me how to get to the 10 from here?” The man frantically waved a piece of paper with a list of directions on it. “The damned directions say stay on Venice, but I got turned around.”
“No, you’re good.” I nodded down the street. “Keep going straight until you hit La Brea, then turn. That’s the easiest.”
Jae’s arm went slack while I finished giving the guy directions. He was quiet when I turned back to him, his teeth chewing on his lower lip again.
“Look,” I said, stepping in close. I kept his hand in mine, holding it against my chest. His pulse raced under my fingertips, his heart pounding a mile a minute. “I know… this… being who we are… being what we are isn’t easy for you. And I know I’m the first guy you’re trying to be like this with—”
“Not the first,” Jae murmured, shaking his head. “Hyun-Shik….”
His dead, somehow remotely related cousin. The same cousin who seduced him when he was fourteen, tossed him to the wolves to become a dancer at Dorthi Ki Seu, a private club that catered to closeted gay Korean men. The same cousin that entertained himself with male prostitutes working at the club, and was subsequently shot to death by his own sister for being one of those closeted gay men.
I was not standing in good company.
“Yeah, let’s not bring him up right now.” I sighed. “Jae—”
“Let me think about it, okay? About the dinner. About….” He clenched my hand tightly, then relaxed. “About this.”
It was a fair thing to ask. I was being selfish. I knew I was being selfish, but when I read Mike’s text all I could think about was Jae, and how much easier it would be to have him sitting next to me.
I didn’t think about how it would be for him.
“Okay,” I agreed. “We’re still good for the pizza, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to cook.” He smiled at me, the same shy, almost goofy smile that tugged at me the first time I met him. “Too much reading. Not enough lazy time. I need more lazy time today.”
“How about if we get the pizza to go, then?” I leaned over and lightly bit his neck, making him laugh. “I can give you a really good lazy time.”
“That’s never really lazy.” The smile turned erotic, and he pulled slightly away, tugging me along.
“Sure it will be,” I said, following. “You just lie there. I’ll do all the work.”
Chapter Nine
THE pizza ended up on the floor.
Or maybe the stairs. I had high hopes that it landed right side up on the side table in the foyer. With my luck, the box toppled over and hit the cat, who now was plotting her revenge while covered with stringy cheese and spicy tomato sauce.
We’d made it as far as the front hall before Jae slid his hands up the back of my shirt. They were cold against my warm skin, and I yelped, hunching my shoulders forward to get away. He retaliated by shoving his fingers down the front of my waistband and yanking me toward him.
Surprisingly, my open mouth made an easy target for his hot tongue.
Jae was a sleek, long pleasure under my hands. The buttons on his 501s popped free with a simple push and tug of my fingers, and we both lost our shirts someplace on the stairs. I didn’t have to worry about shoes anymore. Having a Korean lover meant falling into the habit of leaving them by the front door. I was determined to do some research to see if I could convince Jae his culture actually demanded all clothes be left at the door.
Then again, if that happened, I’d never leave the house.
Somehow we made it to the bedroom without falling down the stairs and breaking our necks. I shut the door, leaving the cat outside to either continue with her world domination or feast on upside down pizza until she puked.
Pushing Jae back onto the bed, I grabbed at the ankles of his jeans and tugged, yanking them off quickly. A few seconds later, I was staring down at one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen, sprawled out on my bed linens wearing nothing but a pair of black briefs and a wistful smile.
The briefs came off faster than the jeans did.
“Agi.” He reached for me, but I shook my head, pushing his hands away.
“No, let me look at you,” I murmured. “Let me… taste you.”
Jae’s pale skin shone under the soft light. He was a contrast of cream and pearl against the dark-green sheets, with splashes of darker rose on his chest, his nipples hardening as I watched. His slender cock glistened at its wet slit, already damp from need. I was torn between smearing his seed over the bulb and watching
him writhe, or licking him clean so I could have him in my mouth as I kissed his body.
I licked him.
And held an explosion of stars on my tongue.
I didn’t want to swallow. Ever. But I did, knowing there’d be more. If I had my way, I’d die with Jae’s taste in my mouth. It was scary, how fast I was falling… how quickly I’d fallen.
Fuck, it was going to hurt when I hit the ground. And fuck me if I didn’t care.
I started at his thighs, hooking my thumbs under his knees so I could pull his legs apart. He resisted briefly, then let me in, with his shyness turning his face nearly as pink as his lips. There were times when he couldn’t watch me love him; then there were moments when he was bold and needy. Tonight, he looked away, closing his eyes so his dark lashes shadowed his cheekbones.
I knew this side of Jae. Vulnerable, a little scared to trust, and trembling under my questing mouth and fingers. Stroking his thighs as they parted, I laid a gentle kiss on the tender skin above both his knees. He squirmed, and I nipped him, growling softly to keep him still.
Then he giggled.
It was definitely a giggle. Hardly a manly chuckle or a hearty guffaw. No, it was a bubbling pop of laughter he cut off by biting his lip and staring down at me with a barely repressed smirk. The honey gold in his eyes flashed, and Jae dropped his head back onto the pillows, his body shaking with mirth.
My tongue on his balls ended that quickly.
“Yeah, laugh while you can, monkey boy.” I played with them, rolling one to the side with the tip of my tongue. My hands remained on his thighs, stilling his quivering with a firm touch. I teased him, never touching his cock until I crawled up to his belly. Then I only brushed my fingertips along his shaft before grabbing at his hips. Biting at the skin around his belly button, I murmured, “Stay still, damn it.”
The rough and soft of a man’s body was an erotic thing. I loved the heady scent of Jae’s warm skin, and the rasp of his sparse body hair on my hands and mouth. Plum-colored nipples were a delectable treat, hardened to tight tips with a flick of my fingers. The muscles of his stomach jumped with every kiss I ghosted over his ribs, and the dark hollow of his navel was a thing of beauty, flat with a slight dip to it and a lip of skin begging to be gnawed on.
He was also slightly ticklish, so my mouth on his belly button made him squirm, even more so when I cupped him and squeezed lightly. I nibbled, taking my time with the taste of him, fondling him slowly. His hands drifted down to my shoulders, and I bit harder, loving the feel of his fingers digging into the meat of my arms.
“Agi….” he moaned, drawing out the word until it purred with a guttural growl. His teeth were making short work of his lower lip, and his knees were spread apart, his hips undulating to meet my fingers around his shaft. “Now.”
Some men enjoy teasing their lovers by drawing out foreplay and sensual torment. It was one way to go. Jae, however, was old enough to know when he wanted me deep inside of him. Since he also made most of my dinners and possessed sharp teeth he liked to bite with, I usually gave in.
Also, I’d be a fool not to want to be buried in my lover. The world tightened to a place where only he and I existed when I was inside of him, my arms wrapped around his body. There’s only so much stupid I’ll admit to, and teasing Jae when I could be loving him was a line I wasn’t going to cross.
“Turn over,” I said, rising up to kiss his nipples. “Hold onto the headboard.”
He slithered up the sheets, getting on his knees and reaching his arms out to wrap his fingers around the top of the wooden headboard. Jae’s movements were deliberate, graceful, and economical in motion. I’d reached for the handle on the nightstand drawer when the sight of him spread out and waiting for me made me pause. I was already hard enough that my cock was painfully aware when it brushed against the sheets. I didn’t need to see Jae’s head drop so his hair fell forward, or the slight pink tip of his tongue run over his chewed-on lower lip.
“Shut up,” I told my dick. “We’re getting there.”
Sliding up the back of Jae’s body, I reveled in the feel of his skin on my stomach and chest. The weight of him pressed back against my crotch made my blood sing. I bent forward when he tilted his head up, capturing his mouth with a fierce kiss. He tasted of citrus soda and cloves, a fragrant reminder of the Djarum Black he smoked while waiting for me to grab the pizza from the pickup window.
“I fucking love your mouth.” I couldn’t get enough of the taste of him. Even with Jae’s tongue lapping at mine, I needed more.
“You can love it more,” he teased, pulling at my lower lip with a playful nip. “Or you could love me more with yours.”
Kissing down his neck, I skimmed my teeth over his shoulder and bit down enough to have his skin on my tongue. I swallowed, enjoying the flavor of his skin, and worried at the flesh I had in my grip. It would bruise, a light plum mark he’d wear hidden under his shirt, but I liked knowing he walked around marbled from my teeth.
“You like that?” I asked when he moaned in pleasure. “I know I do. I like tasting you. I love having you in my mouth.”
I bit him again, harder, so he would feel it for days after we’d left our bed. Cupping my fingers, I pressed the furrow between his cheeks. The skin gave beneath my touch, and I teased him, circling his entrance with a slow, wide arc meant to drive him crazy.
I must have succeeded, because Jae gripped the headboard tight enough to turn his knuckles white, and swore at me in a mingle of English, Korean, and what I suspected was Filipino.
Arching his back, Jae rubbed his ass against my hand, then pushed until it was trapped between us. “Agi, now. Please.”
I blindly searched for the bottle of lube I’d lost somewhere in the sheets. Of course, I found the condom first. I put it to the side, not wanting to lose it, then thought better of it.
I was a quick study on how to open and roll protection on with my teeth, and one hand. The foil packet went one direction, and the latex sleeve slicked over my hard cock before I’d taken a few breaths. I’d left off searching for the lube as I sleeved up, running my free hand up over Jae’s shoulders and back to keep him hot and wanting. He twisted slightly when I touched him with my fingertips, his hips weaving away from me as I traced the bones of his spine.
“Taking too long.” His words were rounding with his arousal, hollowing out his vowels and slurring at the ends. I loved making him so hot his English suffered. “Aish….”
The bottle was nearly under Jae’s knee, sunk slightly into the soft mattress foam. I nudged him aside and pulled it free, kissing the small of his back to apologize for the delay. He made an impatient noise when I finally got the bottle open, the top loudly clicking when I pressed it down. The slick lubricant poured out onto my hand, and I spread it liberally over Jae to ease my way in. He shifted again, bending his knees slightly and angling his legs so he opened up wider to let me get him ready for me. I bit his right cheek when he growled at me again to hurry up.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said, licking the spot. I stared up the length of his stretched out body to his hands gripping the rail. “Well, not like that.”
It was the most exquisite torture to feel Jae’s body resist mine. His entrance pushed at me, like he pushed at me nearly every other minute of the day. Then suddenly the way was open, and I plunged into the hot depths of his core. I fought to go slowly, reveling in each pleasured hiss and strangled moan coming from Jae’s parted lips. He’d dropped his head again, so all I could see was his hair and the curve of his neck, his shoulders tense with taut muscles while I worked in deeper.
I covered him with my body, needing to feel all of him on me. Beneath me, his ass flexed, taking me further in with each slow thrust I gave. It was an agonizingly sweet minute before my thighs met the backs of his legs, his tightness drawing all the moisture from my mouth and bringing my balls up to rest in the curve under my cock.
The laughter in his murmurs was gone, burnt away from the fiery
need bubbling up inside of him. His shoulders hunched, and I met him when he thrust up, driving my length into his center. I fought to find purchase, first on his hips, digging my fingers into the sparse, lean muscles there, then edging up so my hands covered his, our fingers intertwined on the headboard.
“Want you,” Jae hissed. Leaning his head back, he turned his face slightly so his cheek was against mine. Damp with a faint sheen of sweat, his skin slid over mine, the friction warming the spot where we touched. His breath was hot on my neck, filling the hollow of my throat. Every pant felt like a butterfly kiss on my skin, licking between my collarbone and jaw. “More, agi. More.”
He said other things, but his English fell away under his rushing, guttural Korean. I didn’t need to understand the words. I knew what he wanted. He needed to feel me stretching him apart, his body straining to take my width. I drove in hard, reaching past his entrance and into the depths where I knew his pleasure lay. Lifting my head and squaring my shoulders, I thrust up, searching for that singular place inside of him that would set him on fire.
I found it, and with a long, sizzling stroke, found it again. The sound Jae made tickled every nerve in my body. It was a low, sensual plea, reaching into my belly with its thundering need. I liked that sound. I wanted him to make it some more.
Jae, very thoughtfully and wordlessly, agreed.
His pitch changed when my pace picked up, and his fingers tightened around mine. So did his hold on my cock. Jae felt like velvet around me, and we soon found our rhythm, rising and falling together. The sound of our bodies meeting filled the room, a driving beat underscored by Jae’s soft cries and the creak of the bed frame.
A bead of sweat dropped from my forehead and hit the stretch between Jae’s shoulder blades. Bending my head down, I licked at it, rolling the mingled salt of our bodies on the roof of my mouth. The tiny shudders rocking Jae’s body told me he was close, and the hot, mangled string of Korean he gasped out reassured me he was ready for my touch.
As I slid one hand free of the headboard, he hissed and grabbed a tighter hold of the other, keeping me stretched across the length of his spine. Undulating under me, he urged me to go faster… move in deeper… to do anything to ease the yearning tension building up in him. My captured fingers ached from his hold on them, but I refused to shake loose, wanting that simple touch when I drove him over the edge.
