Taking a Knee

by Sean Ashcroft

  Jace rolled his eyes. “You’re their new favorite son,” he said. “I’ve been replaced.”

  He wasn’t really worried about being replaced, and he was glad his parents seemed to like Noah. That was all he wanted, for his whole little family to get along. For Noah to feel like this really would last, like he could be a part of Jace’s life forever.

  It was still early days, but Jace had never been happier. Sure, they’d done everything backwards—most people didn’t get married before they started dating—but it was working for them. Some people juggled chickens. This was the way they were doing things, and that was okay.

  “I did always want another son,” Don pointed out. “How are you at fishing, Noah?”

  “I know my way around a rod and reel.”

  Jace squeezed Noah’s hand. He knew that was something Noah had done with his own father. It wasn’t quite the same thing, but maybe Jace could give him that sense of family back, too. He was definitely willing to share his dad.

  “You’re right, he is my new favorite. You’ll have to come down here sometime in the summer. We’ve got some great fishing spots. And you boys are only a couple of hours away. We can make a weekend of it.”

  “We’re expecting to see you for Thanksgiving,” Sandra interrupted. “I’m not waiting until next summer to hug my new son-in-law.”

  “Noah can cook, too,” Jace said, happy to show off what a good husband he’d managed to find. Noah was, as far as he was concerned, perfect. He wanted his parents to see that.

  “I know how the oven works and I can follow basic directions. I’m not Martha Stewart’s long lost son or anything.”

  “Don’t be modest,” Sandra said. “Jace grew up with high standards. If he says you can cook, you can cook.”

  Noah blushed, squirming in place. “Thank you. I doubt I’m on your level, but he is married to me, so he’s obliged to say nice things.”

  Jace celebrated internally as his mom sighed a soft, dreamy sigh. She really was happy for him. He wasn’t sure why he’d been worried about telling his parents, considering.

  “So I don’t want to ask a silly question, but are you gay now, Jace?” she asked.

  Jace could suddenly feel everyone looking to him for an answer. An answer he wasn’t sure he really had.

  “I don’t think so. I still like girls. I just also like Noah. I’ve decided that makes me bi, but I’m also not sure I care so much. I worried about it a lot when I first noticed him.” He rubbed the back of his neck. His parents didn’t need to know that had been more recent than they might think.

  “I guess what I’m saying is, I’m still me. I’m still me first, and bisexual second,” he finally said, happy with that answer. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to label himself, exactly. It was that he was afraid a label would overwhelm who he was. That he’d get caught up in it and lose sight of the fact that he was still the same person he’d always been.

  “I think I understand,” his dad said. “And even if I don’t, I still love you. And I like Noah.”

  “I like you too, Don. And Sandra. I can’t wait to meet you both in person,” Noah responded. Jace thought he sounded like he was being honest. That was a good sign.

  “Don’t keep us waiting too long!” Sandra enthused. “But we’ll let you go now, since it’s Jace’s day off and I’m sure you newlyweds have better things to do.” She winked.

  “Oh my god, mom,” Jace said, feeling himself blushing. His mom just waved at him and turned the video call off.

  He looked to Noah for an opinion, eager to know what he thought of them.

  “They seem nice. I would like to go meet them in person, if you’re comfortable with that. I’d love to see where you grew up.”

  Jace breathed a sigh of relief. Noah liked them. Noah wanted to meet them, which was amazing.

  “We can totally do that.” Jace grinned. “I haven’t been home since Christmas, so I’d love to go see them at Thanksgiving.”

  “That’s settled, then.” Noah leaned in closer, looking Jace up and down. “And I’ve definitely got some ideas for better things to do,” he said, climbing onto Jace’s lap and catching his lips, kissing him gently and sweetly, but with the promise of more to come.

  Jace settled his hands on Noah’s waist, content to sit and kiss him for as long as he’d allow it. All the other hurdles in their way suddenly seemed much more manageable.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The post-season party was normally too crowded for Noah’s taste, but he was in a good mood. His green card had finally come through today, and Jace was turning out to be the kind of boyfriend who didn’t shy away from hand-holding and soft kisses in public.

  Noah loved that. He loved the way Jace had come into himself, become more confident in who he was over the last month or so. He’d always been happy, but now he glowed. Better still, he did a lot of his glowing in Noah’s direction.

  Noah couldn’t have been happier. He had everything he wanted.

  “You wanna go home?” Jace murmured into Noah’s ear during a quieter moment. His tone was enough to tell Noah what they were going home for.

  If it was a choice between a few chaste kisses and sex, Noah was always going to choose sex. He liked the subtle affection, but he liked Jace’s increasing sexual confidence a whole lot more.

  “With you? Always.” Noah grinned at him.

  “Then let’s go.” Jace tugged on Noah’s hand, grabbing both of their coats and not handing Noah his until they were heading away from the bar. They’d agreed to take a taxi tonight, Noah feeling guilty that Jace always ended up driving and never got to have any fun.

  Now they were both going home practically sober, but it didn’t matter. Noah’s business was doing well. They could afford to travel by cab now and then, when they were having a night out.

  Noah wanted to give Jace a better life. Not necessarily a grand white picket fence better life—not yet, anyway—but in little ways, he wanted to be a force for good. He thought he was. Jace seemed to think so, too.

  The ride home saw both of them on their best behavior, nothing more than hand-holding in the back of the taxi while they waited to get home. It had been a few days since either of them had been awake, alert, and remotely interested in sex at the same time, so Noah knew that Jace would be as excited as he was.

  Noah managed to contain himself until they got through the apartment door, slamming it behind them and then pinning Jace against the wall. The short front hallway had seen a lot of this kind of thing from them, the frantic, excited need of two people who’d just discovered each other and were still exploring all the possibilities.

  He pressed his body against Jace’s shoulder-to-hips, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Jace’s hair as he kissed him breathless, only breaking off to gasp for air before darting in again. They’d been apart too long. It had probably been less than seventy-two hours, but that had seemed like a lifetime.

  “Fuck me,” Jace said between kisses. Noah paused, swallowing. He could see Jace blushing, feel the heat of his cheeks where his hands were resting against them.

  They hadn’t done that before, and Noah hadn’t pushed, but he desperately wanted to. He wanted Jace under him panting and moaning and getting off on Noah’s cock, his own cock leaking onto his belly as Noah hit every sensitive spot inside him. He wanted to show Jace all the wonders of his own body.

  “I would love to.” Noah grinned, pulling away from Jace’s body and grabbing his hand to tug him toward the bedroom. He missed Jace’s warmth the whole time, wanting to be close to him again and only getting as far as the foot of the bed before stopping to kiss him.

  Noah paused to push Jace’s jacket off his shoulders and yank his shirt off, tossing it aside, but then went straight back to kissing him, moving one hand to brush his thumb over Jace’s nipple. Jace gasped into his mouth, his breath hot and his nipple hardening under Noah’s fingers at the contact.

  “I’m gonna take care of you,” he promised. “Yo
u’ll love this.”

  “I know,” Jace reached out, toying with the hem of Noah’s t-shirt. Noah shrugged off his coat and held his arms out to let Jace pull it off over his head, raising his arms to help. His cock was already hardening in anticipation, the sight of Jace panting, flushed and half-naked making heat pool between Noah’s legs.

  “I trust you,” Jace added, and Noah lunged for him again. Jace’s trust in him was hot, the fact that Noah was about to be his first even hotter. He stripped them both down eagerly, jeans catching on shoes in his haste, until they were both naked and falling onto the bed. Noah hooked his legs under Jace’s and rolled them so he was on top, beaming down at him.

  “I love you, and I promise to be gentle.” Noah leaned over to grab the lube and condoms they now kept on top of the bedside table, having needed them so often after the last few weeks that it seemed like wasted effort to put them away.

  Wanting to be able to focus on Jace from this point on, Noah tore open a condom packet and rolled it down onto his cock. Now he only had to worry about when Jace was ready, which was the most important thing for his first time.

  Noah wanted him to have a good first time. That way, there’d be plenty more times.

  “I’m going to give you the option of doing this on your hands and knees,” Noah said. “It might be a little more comfortable.”

  Jace shook his head. “I’m a big boy. And I wanna watch.”

  Noah smirked. “You are a big boy. Don’t think for a second that I’m never going to want your dick again. But I want to do this for you, too.”

  Jace had listened to all of Noah’s lessons as far as prep work went, but he was more enlightened about the human body than the average person. All the same, he was about to learn a lot about his own.

  Noah poured a bead of lube onto his fingers, warming it up between them thoroughly. He didn’t personally mind so much—it was only cold for a moment—but he knew it would be less jarring if it was warm. Plus, Jace was particularly vulnerable to finding the medical exam feel unappealing.

  This was all about Jace, so Noah meant to get it right for him. “You ready for this?” he asked, holding up his fingers.

  Jace let his legs fall further apart, raising one knee to give Noah easier access. He was already hard, his cock dripping precome on his stomach. Noah had no doubt he was ready.

  Jace gasped, tensing up as Noah pressed a finger against him, but taking a deep breath and relaxing a moment later. Noah bent down to kiss his knee. “You’re doing great,” he said, pushing past the resistance and moving his finger in and out slowly, waiting until he felt Jace’s body give.

  He could see the moment Jace got used to it on his face, almost before he felt it. The line between his brows smoothed out, his body sinking into the mattress where he’d been holding it tight before. Noah gave him another few moments before lining up a second finger and pushing it in alongside the first.

  Jace’s breath hitched, but Noah could tell it wasn’t out of distress. His cock had spurted precome as Noah stretched him wider, so it was obvious he was enjoying this. Pleasure was written all over his face, his expression telling Noah that Jace was really on a journey of discovery.

  Noah took a moment to appreciate having Jace at his mercy, using his free hand to tickle the sensitive skin on the inside of his thigh and earning himself another gasp, followed by a soft moan as he pushed his fingers in as far as they’d go.

  If Jace liked the stretching this much, the main event was going to blow his mind.

  “Talk to me,” Noah said. “Let me know how you’re feeling.”

  “Good.” Jace blushed. “Better than when I tried it.”

  Noah chuckled. “I have magic fingers. How far did you get?”

  “The first knuckle of my index finger,” Jace confessed. “I chickened out. But then I figured you’d know what you were doing, and I’ve watched you getting off on it.”

  “That’s mostly because of this,” Noah said, punctuating the statement by deliberately brushing over Jace’s prostate. The effect was immediate, Jace’s hips jolting up, his back arching high off the mattress. Noah watched him sink his teeth into his lower lip, stifling a deep, heartfelt moan.

  Noah grinned. “Like that, huh?”

  Jace nodded helplessly, his cheeks flushed. Noah shuffled forward, reaching out to thumb Jace’s nipple again, paying attention to the other one, this time. He played with it until it stiffened under his touch, taking Jace’s mind off the third finger he was pressing against him. Jace didn’t seem to mind, though. He was adjusting better than Noah had expected.

  Noah brushed his fingers against Jace’s prostate again, grinning as Jace moaned freely this time, his hips rocking into the air. He didn’t want the novelty of it to fade before he got his cock inside him, though. Jace was nearly ready for that.

  “Want more?” Noah teased, pausing with his fingers as far inside Jace as they could go. He was beautiful like this, panting softly, his chest and cheeks flushed pink, his cock straining up against his belly, dark and heavy.

  “Yes,” Jace said, his voice breaking.

  Noah didn’t make him wait, easing his fingers out and wiping the remaining lube over his cock before lining himself up. He could feel the heat of Jace’s body, and his instinctive urge was to push forward, bury himself in the warmth hard and fast, but for Jace’s sake, he stilled his hips, waiting for another nod.

  Jace gave it seconds later, licking his lips and craning his neck to watch. Noah pulled Jace’s raised knee closer to his body, positioning himself for better leverage, and closed his eyes as he rolled his hips forward, pushing past the tight ring of muscle and sinking into Jace’s willing, eager body.

  It was so hot, so impossibly hot once he was inside that Noah hissed at the sensation, a jolt of pleasure running up his cock and settling in his balls, making them feel tight. Noah bit down on his lip to get himself under control, not wanting to take the risk of coming after a few strokes. He wanted this to last.

  “I’d almost forgotten how good this feels,” Noah breathed, making a small, cursory thrust to seat himself fully inside Jace. His two previous boyfriends had been strictly tops, and while Noah liked bottoming well enough, he liked a change, too. Especially with Jace.

  It took a few moments for Jace to relax again, and Noah could feel it when he did. The mattress creaked under him as he shifted into position, aiming to hit Jace’s prostate with every stroke. He’d come quickly, but then, so would Noah. This was too good to last, but they could do it again. They were married, after all.

  “Feels good,” Jace said after a moment, his breathing heavy. Noah knew better than to make him wait any longer, rocking his hips a few times to get him used to it before starting to speed up, working on hitting the spot every single time.

  Jace reacted immediately, a series of sharp breaths and cut-off moans telling Noah that he was getting it right. He leaned forward, feeling Jace’s cock against his own stomach and reaching between them to wrap his fingers around it, stroke it in time with his own thrusts.

  This was about Jace. He wanted Jace to come harder than he ever had in his life from this.

  Jace’s moans and grunts spurred him on, encouraging Noah to go harder, faster, until he was reaching his own upper limit. He watched Jace’s face, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as Noah’s pace became almost punishing, driving him toward the edge faster and faster.

  “N-noah,” he choked out.

  Noah couldn’t even manage an answer, too lost in the way Jace’s body felt under him and around him, too enthralled with how clearly Jace was enjoying himself. He’d never been anyone’s first like this before, and he suddenly understood the appeal.

  This would be the only time, though. He wanted Jace to be his last. His only from now on, until they were old and grey and couldn’t get it up anymore anyway.

  “Gonna come,” Noah warned, knowing he couldn’t hold back much longer. His balls were tight, tension coiled deep in his gut, he only ne
eded a few more good thrusts to get off.

  Thankfully, Jace beat him to it, his back arching off the mattress, thighs tensing around Noah’s hips. He made a choked sound, his face tightening and then going slack, mouth hanging open as he spilled all over his own stomach and Noah’s hand, hot fluid coating them both.

  His body tensed and relaxed around Noah, making his next few strokes all the more urgent, making him ready to come. He sped up just a little more, need taking him past what he could normally handle and up to a new level, too hard to sustain, but just enough to give him the sweet, sweet release he so badly needed.

  Noah cried out as he came, the sound breaking in his throat as he stilled for a long moment, pausing to appreciate the feeling of coming inside Jace for the first time. Noah rode out the wave of pleasure, wringing every second out of his orgasm before slowing to a stop with a final moan, sitting back to give himself time to recover.

  His vision swam for a moment, but when he came back to reality, it was to see Jace lying back, his face relaxed and content, his body boneless and covered in sweat.

  He was beautiful, and Noah was so glad he’d found him. Jace was the best thing he’d ever had in life.

  “I love you,” Noah said softly. He was in awe of Jace, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over it.

  “Love you, too,” Jace said, eyelids already heavy. Noah liked him like this, soft and pliant, ready for gentle kisses, snuggling, and a nice, long nap.

  He pulled out as gently as he could, rolling the condom off and tying the end.

  “I’ll be back,” he said, leaning over and kissing Jace before going to get a damp cloth to clean them both up with.

  “Don’t be long,” Jace called after him. Noah’s heart swelled in his chest, joy at what life had given him almost too much to contain. He wouldn’t be long. He’d never be away from Jace longer than he had to be again.

  Chapter Thirty

  “So, I’ve been thinking,” Noah said as Jace handed him his morning coffee.