Ashton slowly ran one finger up the length of Justice’s cock, this time earning a low moan. A pearl of pre-cum formed at the tip and the temptation was too much to resist. Ashton licked it clean, letting out a moan of his own at the brief, salty taste.
Part of him wanted to suck Justice until he came. His mouth watered for more than a drop. He wanted Justice to fill his mouth. Ashton forced himself back. He had many things he wanted to do before Justice found his release. Most of all Ashton wanted to drag the encounter out, so that every moment counted.
He only allowed himself a few more licks before he got to his feet. Moving in so their lips were only inches apart, he deliberately paused. Justice gave a soft whimper as he went in for a kiss, but Ashton put a hand in the center on his chest to stay him.
“Get the rest of your clothes off and get on the bed,” Ashton ordered.
Justice let out another frustrated sound, but he obeyed, awkwardly hopping around as he lost his shoes, socks, underwear and jeans. Ashton smiled at the adorable picture Justice presented before moving onto his own clothing.
“On your stomach,” Ashton commanded when Justice began to climb onto the bed.
Justice looked over his shoulder, his face flushed with passion. Their gazes connected and the sheer intensity of the emotions clashing between them almost had Ashton coming on the spot. Need, hunger, lust and maybe even a little bit of confusion flickered through Justice’s stormy eyes. Ashton suspected he had the same emotions playing in his.
Pausing to grab the bottle of lube and a condom, Ashton climbed on the bed, straddling Justice’s hips. A frown came over Ashton’s face as he noted a dark bruise marring the lower right side of Justice’s back.
“Let me guess. Your father did this, too.”
“No, that one came from Craig, although he did it to impress my dad. For the past couple years, they like to team up on me.” Justice glanced over his shoulder. “But I really don’t want to ruin this by talking about them right now.”
Justice craned his head back for a kiss and Ashton gladly complied, a long moan rumbling from his chest at the taste of the other man. While Ashton hadn’t exactly been a slut in the past, he’d still had his fair share of partners. None of them could begin to compare to the sweet flavor of Justice.
Ashton pressed up close, so his chest was against Justice’s back.
“Fuck, your skin feels so good pressed to mine,” Ashton breathed.
He fumbled with the bottle of lube, finally managing to open it and squeeze the thick liquid over his fingers. Giving the tip of Justice’s ear a kiss, Ashton said, “If any of this hurts make sure to let me know.”
Justice nodded, his breath hitching as Ashton’s fingers brushed against his opening. While the need inside Ashton grew to almost painful proportions, he forced himself to go slow. This marked the first of what he hoped would be many encounters, and he wanted to make it perfect for Justice.
When Ashton finally slid one finger inside, desire shot through him when he felt the tightness of Justice’s ass. It almost made him wonder if this were Justice’s first time. Given the bouts of shyness, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to think that maybe Justice had never been in any kind of relationship before, be it a casual hook up or long-term.
“Justice, are you a virgin?” Ashton asked gently, even as he continued to work his finger in.
That same cute blush covered Justice’s cheeks. “Kind of. I’ve never really had a chance to get out much. Craig and Dad have always kept me under a pretty tight rein.”
The fact Justice was finally willing to risk defying their order, mixed in with the fact that he was choosing Ashton as his first, was both humbling and a bit overwhelming.
Unable to voice the flurry of emotions swelling in his chest, Ashton leaned down and kissed Justice. At the same time, he slowly inched a second finger inside Justice, all the while paying close attention for any signs of discomfort from the other man.
The blush remained, so Ashton sought out some words to soothe away the embarrassment. “That’s okay, I like it that I’m going to be your first.”
I’ll be your last, too, if I have anything to say about it.
He left that last part unspoken, not wanting to spook Justice away. Instead he just licked a slow lazy path down Justice’s shoulder as he continued to saw his fingers in and out. When Justice began to let out low moans as he thrust back, Ashton took that as permission to up the action a bit. He curled his fingers so he could brush against Justice’s sweet spot.
“Holy cow on a cracker! What was that?” Justice exclaimed, his eyes growing wide.
“Did you like it?” Ashton asked, doing it again.
“Yeah!” Justice yelled, his back arching.
“Wait until it’s my cock inside you doing that.”
Justice let out a little whimper as one of his hands shot out to fist the pillow. “I want it now.”
“In a second. I want to make sure you’re stretched enough to take me.”
“Oh God,” Justice whimpered again.
Ashton added a third finger, once more curling them to deliver a teasing pleasure. Justice yelled out another cry of passion, this one tinged with an edge of desperation.
“I really think I’m ready now.”
When Ashton pulled his fingers out and moved away, Justice let out a noise of dismay. Looking over his shoulder, he demanded, “Where are you going?”
With a smile, Ashton held up the condom. “I’m just grabbing this.”
Justice gave a weak chuckle. “Oh, right. Gotta play it safe.”
Ashton ripped it open and slid the condom over his cock, making sure to add another layer of lube. Going behind Justice again, Ashton put one hand on the man’s hip. “I’ll go slow and easy.”
Justice nodded, his teeth working his battered bottom lip once more. A fine sheen of sweat built up on his flank, making for a slippery grip. Ashton tightened his hold while he used the other hand to guide his dick to Justice’s opening. Moving with slow, deliberate movements, he pressed past the tight ring of muscles.
Someone began chanting, “Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. It’s so good.”
It took Ashton a few moments to work it out in his lust hazed mind that it was him who was babbling. He still couldn’t stop himself. Justice felt so hot, so tight, so damn right, that Ashton’s mind shut down to everything but the pleasure ripping through his body.
The urge to thrust in fully became strong, but Ashton held himself in check by reminding himself yet again that he wanted this moment to be perfect for Justice. So he stilled, giving Justice’s body time to get adjusted to the intrusion.
It wasn’t until Justice let out a soft sight as his body relaxed that Ashton began to slowly fuck him. Justice let out a long groan, his head rolling back onto Ashton’s shoulder.
Ashton kept up the gentle pace, even after he sensed that Justice could take more. He wanted to savor every shiver of pleasure, every hitched breath, every moan. Even when Ashton reached around to begin stroking Justice’s cock, he kept the movements slow and measured.
That still didn’t keep things from ending too quickly. Justice let out a gasp as his cock jerked. His erection pulsated, warm streams of semen covering Ashton’s hand. Before the last ripple of pleasure had rolled over Justice, Ashton joined him, an intense orgasm hitting him harder than a blow from a MMA fighter.
An embarrassingly revealing shudder ripped through Ashton as he buried his nose in the top of Justice’s head. As Ashton filled the condom, he became lost in the slightly fruity scent of Justice’s hair.
Once they recovered, Justice pulled away. Doubt and a bit of shyness flickered over his face as he gazed down at the pillow. Ashton decided that just wouldn’t do. As long as Justice was in his presence the man would only feel happiness and acceptance. Reaching out, he trailed a finger up and down Justice’s shoulder.
“Stay with me tonight,” Ashton suggested.
“You mean here at the hotel?”
&n
bsp; “Yeah, we have the room until morning. Might as well put it to good use.”
Ashton could almost see the gears working in Justice’s head as he worked that offer over in his mind. Finally he gave a hesitant nod. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
“Good, why don’t we get a shower and then we can have some more fun?”
This time there was no hesitation before Justice nodded his agreement.
Chapter 6
*
Justice finished stocking the cat food, a smile on his face despite the mundane task. He knew he’d probably look goofy to anybody who entered the store. After all, who frigging grins over a few cans of Friskies? He couldn’t help himself, however. Ever since that first date with Ashton a week ago, Justice hadn’t been able to hold in his happiness.
It wasn’t as if anyone was around to see his display of goofiness. Besides Justice, the store was empty, the beautiful warm weather luring all would-be shoppers away. So when the bell on the front door dinged, it surprised him.
He rushed to the register to help, only to stop, a wider smile spreading out over his face when he found Ashton standing there, looking as hot as ever. He wore a pair of faded jeans that hugged his ass perfectly and short-sleeved, blue button up shirt. He leaned to the side, his hip pressed against the checkout counter, his hands in his front pockets.
As always, Justice’s breath hitched as he took in the pure awesomeness of the other man. No better yet, his man. Even though it’d only been a week, Justice now fully accepted that Ashton’s feelings ran just as intense.
“What brings you here today? Did you suddenly acquire a cat since I left you this morning?” Justice teased.
They spent almost every night at the hotel, always in the same room. During that short time, they’d learned nearly everything about each other. They’d also spent a good amount of time exploring each other’s bodies. As a result, Justice now had every one of Ashton’s erogenous zones burned into his memory. A new skill he hoped to put to use for a very long time.
Ashton’s lips kicked up into such a lazy grin that it made Justice glad he wore his ugly, green work smock. Otherwise, the feeder rats in the tank a few feet away would have known how happy Justice felt at the moment.
“No cat, I promise you. I’m allergic,” Ashton replied in the same teasing tone.
Justice nodded over to another tank, this one containing a gecko. “How about one of these little guys, then? You can snuggle up with it every night.”
Ashton reached out and grabbed the front of Justice’s shirt, pulling him in close. “You’re the only one I want to snuggle.”
Justice shot a glance through the large paned window, worry slicing through him. While various displays blocked most of the view, years of paranoia still left him leery. Ashton brushed the back of his knuckles against Justice’s jawline.
“Easy, babe, it’s just us, the rats, and the gecko,” Ashton soothed. “I even had my driver park a couple of blocks away, so nobody passing by will see my car out front.”
The term of endearment set Justice’s heart pounding. Before he could worry himself out of it, he leaned in and pressed their lips together. As soon as the intoxicating taste of Ashton invaded his sense, Justice’s fears flew out the front door. In fact, they became so caught up in the moment, that Justice almost missed the sound of tires crunching on the gravel of the parking lot.
Tearing himself away from the kiss, Justice peered through the display items to peek outside. His stomach seized in fear as he recognized his brother’s sports car.
“Shit, it’s Craig. What is he doing here? He’s never shown up at my work before,” Justice hissed, his chest tightening in panic.
Ashton cupped Justice’s cheek. “Calm down, it’ll be okay. I’ll just hang out in the back of the store until he leaves.”
A full-on body tremble set in as Justice barely repressed a whimper of fear. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said his brother had never visited the store before. In fact, Craig often made condescending remarks about the place, calling it dirty and disgusting. For him to show up now spelled all kinds of bad news. Justice took several deep breaths as he tried hard to calm his racing heart. Even though he tried hard to hide it, Justice knew his confusion and fear showed on his face, which is not how he wanted Ashton to see him. Ashton didn’t appear to think less of him, though. He just gave Justice a kiss, maybe to reassure him, before he ducked out of sight.
Just as Ashton disappeared from view, the front door opened. While earlier, the bell had sounded so light and cheery, it now seemed to have an ominous feel to it. Justice’s heart sank even farther when he spotted the angry glint in Craig’s eyes. Justice still forced himself to plaster a smile on his face.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Craig’s answering smirk immediately let Justice know he was in major trouble for something. His chest constricted even tighter as he fought to keep his breaths steady and even. The last time he’d hyperventilated in his brother’s presence, it’d only made things worse.
“Dad called your apartment phone the past two nights and you didn’t answer,” Craig announced.
It took every bit of Justice’s willpower to school his features so they remained innocent. Damn, he realized his dad would figure out that he’d been going out a lot, but he hadn’t imagined it’d be so soon.
“It’s the end of term. I’ve been putting in a ton of extra hours at the library.”
Craig leaned in closer, so his beer infused breath brushed against Justice’s cheek. Although every instinct in Justice’s body screamed for him to back away and retreat, he forced himself to stand still.
At the same moment, shame flooded him because he knew there was no way Ashton couldn’t be hearing every word of the exchange. It made Justice want to close his eyes and shrivel up into a tiny ball.
“Do you honestly think I believe you?” Craig asked, his voice so sharp Justice couldn’t help but jerk in reaction.
“Yes, I do,” Justice whispered, a cold sweat breaking out over his body.
“You’ve always been a piss-poor liar.”
Crap, the situation had gone south fast. First Craig showing up, when he’d obviously been drinking, then him airing their family issues in public. Both things he usually wouldn’t dare do for fear of infuriating their father. With each passing second it became clearer that his brother was getting out of control. Justice took in a steadying breath as he willed Ashton to stay hidden. Justice didn’t even want to think about how ugly things would get if his lover rushed to his aid.
“Please, don’t do this.” Justice didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until his brother backhanded him.
It was a quick strike, most likely because even with the booze lowering his inhibitions, Craig realized he was going too far. The blow still managed to connect hard. Pain exploded in Justice’s head as his newly healed lip broke open. As the blood trickled down his chin, a small part of Justice yearned to rebel. He’d become long weary of the same old game playing out, especially since Craig seemed so intent on upping the ante, and not in Justice’s favor.
He then realized it would never end. No matter how hard he tried, or how successful he became, it’d never be enough for Craig or his father. So why he continued to try so hard became a mystery to Justice. He almost finally struck back, his hand only being stayed because he didn’t want things to get that intense with Ashton so close.
Then Craig stepped forward. “It’s times like this I wish you’d been in that car with Mom the night she died. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with you as an embarrassment.”
Those hateful words made a wave of nausea roll over Justice, but even then a huge part of his thoughts remained focused on Ashton and the fact that he could be discovered at any minute. If he and Craig were to get into it, it wouldn’t end well for either side
Ashton curled his fingers around the edge of the shelf as he fought back a yell of anger. It proved to be a near impossible task. With each harshly spo
ken word directed at Justice, Ashton felt his control slipping a bit more.
It didn’t mark the first time Ashton had witnessed violence or verbal abuse. While his father tried to shield him from it, more than once he’d seen the darker side of the family business. No other incident had ever affected him this way, though. It felt almost as if every slur and insult was being delivered to him. No, worse, because it was the man he cared about who was being hurt.
He wanted to rush forward and intervene and deliver some pain of his own. He stayed back, knowing it would only make things worse for Justice. By the way the conversation had been going, Craig only suspected Justice of something. Craig didn’t know anything concrete. So, the last thing Justice needed at that moment was for Ashton to come to the rescue and announce their forbidden relationship.
He still knew he had to do something. He just couldn’t sit there with his thumb up his nose while his lover suffered. An idea sprang to his head and he pulled his cell from his phone. Even though the ramifications of his action would weigh heavily in his own household, Ashton still didn’t hesitate.
With shaking fingers he quickly typed out a text to his driver, Baker, one of his father’s newer “employees.” I need your help. Come into the store and just act like you need to buy something. Whatever you do, don’t mention my name.
After he hit send, a tiny measure of hope sparked in Justice. While Baker may be fresh, he still seemed to have a pretty good brain in his head. Hopefully he’d be able to pick up on the situation once he walked in and figure out what needed to be done.
The wait seemed to take forever. He became so tense he jerked when Craig spoke, “Good thing you’re wearing a mask at the law enforcement gala tonight. Otherwise, the papers would have a field day about all the marks on your face.”
A low growl worked its way up Ashton’s throat. Here Justice was humiliated and probably brokenhearted by some of the things that’d been said and all Craig cared about was whether or not a few journalists would see a bruise or two. It made Ashton want to deal out a few blows of his own to the bastard’s smug face.
Ashton and Justice Page 5
