The Temple of Heaven

by Z. Allora

  Jordon traced the top of the towel secured with only a tuck. One pull and Tian Di would be his. He’d never been with a naked man before, and the reality started to melt his mind.

  He cupped Tian Di through the towel and dispelled the myth Asian men were lacking in the size department. Capturing Tian Di’s mouth again, Jordon let the kiss give him courage to toy with Tian Di’s cock through the damp towel.

  Everything in him coiled.

  Tian Di’s hand had entered his pants and continued to tantalize him.

  Jordon wanted to do so many things. Though at the same time, he froze with indecision.

  Tian Di tormented the reason out of him with talented fingers gently caressing his asscheeks over his underwear. Once Tian Di slid Jordon’s pants down, Jordon wanted the offending barrier off to give Tian Di more access.

  “Mmmm, sexy” was Tian Di’s only comment on Jordon’s silky underwear. He skimmed his hands under the purple material, touching Jordon’s bare ass. If the silk had been sensuous against his skin, Tian Di’s hands on him were a ton better.

  Tian Di caressed Jordon’s ass as he worked the underwear down.

  Jordon stepped out of them. He might have been naked from the waist down, but there was no embarrassment that could get past his arousal.

  He ran his fingers around the hem of the towel and peeked at Tian Di.

  Licking his lips, Tian Di begged, “Please.”

  With a flick of Jordon’s wrist, Tian Di’s cock escaped the confines of the towel. The terrycloth dropped to the floor.

  A beautiful, unwrapped Tian Di stood in Jordon’s hotel room less than a foot from the bed.

  Tian Di took Jordon’s shaft in hand and gave him a slow stroke.

  “Fuck.” Jordon gasped for breath.

  Polishing his palm over the wet tip, Tian Di licked Jordon’s neck, making him whimper.

  God, all he wanted to do was come like crazy.

  Marc Chagall lived 1887 until 1985. Oh, fuck! Picasso, 1881 to 1973, not 1975. Oh, my God, I’m going to come. Stop! Van Gogh was born…. Focus on Tian Di.

  Jordon pushed back from the edge and closed his fist around Tian Di’s cock. Tian Di’s felt different from his own. Thicker?

  He lowered his eyes to see what he touched. Tian Di’s foreskin rolled over the top of his cock and back down. Mm….

  The foreskin glided with ease across the crown to cover the wet tip, then slid back down, bringing the slick along the shaft.

  Jordon glanced back up at Tian Di’s face.

  Grinning, Tian Di licked his hand and began matching Jordon’s strokes.

  A groan escaped because it was impossible to hold back. This was better than any fantasy Jordon had ever had. He was incredibly aroused, and his horny need began to overwhelm him.

  Miro…. Miro, when did he live? Tian Di. Fuck!

  “You close?” Tian Di panted and stroked Jordon at the exact speed he craved.

  Jordon groaned, “Yeah,” as his hand kept working Tian Di. His body tightened and started the climb.

  “I love how breathy you get. It’s extremely sexy.” Tian Di pushed his hair back and crowded in close, placing sweet kisses on Jordon’s throat. Soft, wet lips caressed the column of Jordon’s neck.

  That was fucking it. The tender affection tossed him beyond the edge. No amount of artist recall could pull him back.

  Jordon whispered, “Coming.”

  He warned as if it mattered. Nothing could have stopped the wave of pleasure as the orgasmic bliss rushed out from his middle down to his toes.

  Tian Di grunted in response and stroked him a little faster, making the ecstasy soar higher.

  Jordon felt each and every pulse his body released, and just as Jordon floated down from the heights of heaven, Tian Di thrust as if Jordon were the only one capable of satisfying him.

  The curtain of hair fell forward and brushed across Jordon’s shoulders. Tian Di trembled.

  Jordon stroked faster and gave him no mercy.

  Groaning in surrender, Tian Di came in Jordon’s hand. He crashed face-first into Jordon’s shoulder.

  Jordon slowed the strokes when Tian Di’s spasms ended, and hugged Tian Di as they tried to catch their breath.

  They remained entwined, held together by something more than their mutual need to get off.

  Tian Di nuzzled Jordon’s neck and stifled a yawn.

  A need to take care of his exhausted lover flooded Jordon. He wiped them off with the discarded towel, settled Tian Di under the bed covers and tucked them around him.

  “Where are you going?” Tian Di reached for Jordon.

  “I’ll be right there.” Jordon used the coffee maker to make Tian Di some chamomile tea.

  Tian Di accepted the warm cup with a sniff. “No one but my sister has ever made me tea.”

  Jordon kissed his fingers and traced the bruises Tian Di sported from his bites. “I’ll make you tea whenever you want.”

  The promise hung in the air. His expression screamed that he was not only aware of what was happening between them but could see their connection in vivid Technicolor.

  Just when Tian Di opened his mouth, Jordon spit out, “You have to protect your voice.”

  “Thank you.” Tian Di wiped a hand across his face and sipped the tea.

  The reality hit Jordon. Tian Di was in his bed… naked. Should Jordon go au naturel too? Fuck it! If he wanted to sleep nude next to Tian Di, he could. He tossed his shirt to the floor and slipped under the covers.

  Tian Di arched an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

  Jordon took the empty teacup and set it on the night table.

  They rolled into the middle of the bed, facing each other. Tian Di resettled the blanket over Jordon’s shoulder and combed his fingers through Jordon’s hair.

  Snuggling into Tian Di, Jordon felt relaxed, content, and jubilant.

  Tian Di cleared his throat. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  “Me too.” Jordon was relieved to hear him speak the words.

  “And I know it’s too soon, but I don’t care. I want you in my life… forever.”

  There was nothing else for Jordon to say except “Me too.”

  Chapter 9

  BANG! BANG! Bang!

  Ripped from an excellent dream, Tian Di snuggled into the warm body next to him. He didn’t want to move.

  “Hey, Jordie! Open up.”

  Jordon had remained cuddled in Tian Di’s embrace all night, but now he stiffened like a board. He shifted out of Tian Di’s arms and had the look of a truck driver with no brakes and a broken horn coming to a red light.

  “Er… that’s Zack,” Jordon whispered as he frantically searched the room for clues to make sense of how any of this was possible.

  The door pushed open a few inches, but the secondary lock caught and refused to allow entry.

  “Why’s your door latched?” Zack’s voice echoed into their private oasis.

  Jordon wrung his hands and muttered frantically, “I’m not ready to deal with my brothers yet.”

  Tian Di hated the fear of discovery in Jordon’s eyes. He pointed to the other side of the bed. A finger to his mouth told Jordon he’d hide.

  Knowing what needed to be done, Tian Di slipped over the side of the bed, slid under, and lay flat. Though if he were honest, some of his willingness to vanish was out of self-preservation. The one thing he’d learned from his father was that success depended on everything being handled in the right way. Finding his naked ass in Jordon’s bed wasn’t the way to accomplish the endgame. A dead Tian Di couldn’t figure out what was between them.

  Thump! Thump! Thump! “Jordon!”

  Jordon muttered, “Jesus, let me get pajama bottoms on.”

  He loved that Jordon had gone to bed naked. The access made their middle of the night release marathon easy.

  Tian Di had never met anyone so into touching. Jordon seemed to love stroking off together as much as Tian Di did. His gentle hands gave comple
te satisfaction. He appreciated that Jordon had cherished caressing him and hadn’t demanded more from him.

  Jordon stumbled across the room and unlatched the door. “What do you want, Zack?”

  Zack burst into the room. “Why did you put the security lock on your door?”

  “I guess I heard there were a lot of jackasses who would just use their key and barge in. Can you imagine that?”

  “Nope. You’ve never double latched it before.”

  Jordon growled. “Zack, I’m twenty. Isn’t it time you start treating me like an adult?”

  “Um… yeah, but what if… you needed help and I couldn’t get to you?”

  “Zack….”

  “Yeah… I mean, I know you’re twenty, but shit happens.”

  Tian Di didn’t think Zack sounded all that convincing.

  “Zack… your brother’s fine.” Another voice, probably Zack’s boyfriend, Andrew.

  “He’d be even better if you stopped barging in on him.” Tian Di could imagine Jordon with his arms folded across his chest and a look of determination in his eyes.

  Zack snorted. “Fine, I’ll try, Jordie. But come on, get dressed.”

  “No,” Jordon snapped.

  “What do you mean, no? You can’t sleep all day. You’ll never get rid of jet lag. You can come out with Andrew and me.”

  “No.” Jordon sounded like he had injected a bit of steel to his decline.

  “Are you sick?” Zack’s tone suggested he’d never been told no by Jordon.

  “No, I’m going somewhere with Tian Di….”

  Sometime in the middle of the night, Tian Di had suggested he could take Jordon to Zhouzhuang. Though at the time they’d both become interested in something other than ancient water towns, so no decision had been made other than they wanted to touch each other some more. He couldn’t wait to share the water town with Jordon.

  Silly excitement wound around Tian Di’s gut as he imagined showing Jordon the ancient place.

  “What? No.” Zack sounded confused.

  “Yeah, he mentioned a water town, and I want to go.”

  Zack sputtered, “We can take you, and—”

  “I want to see it with him.” Jordon wasn’t backing down, and defiance crept into his voice.

  Zack gave an exasperated huff. “But—”

  “Zack, let your brother spend time with Tian Di.”

  Jordon cleared his throat. “I had a lot of fun with him yesterday.”

  Tian Di grinned and wanted to add, “And early this morning.”

  Zack sighed loudly. “You know he’s a singer, right?”

  “And…?” Jordon seemed to be daring him to finish that thought.

  “What if he’s using you?”

  That was exactly what Tian Di feared people might assume.

  “Using me? For what? Made in China’s already got the opening act. It’s a done deal.”

  Tian Di wished he could ease Jordon’s sting from Zack’s words.

  “Jordie, you know not everyone is—”

  “Oh, I see. Is it that hard to imagine a beautiful man would want to spend time with me?”

  He thinks I’m beautiful. That made Tian Di’s world right. Although, he was hiding under a bed, so how right could it be? And even worse was that the concept hurt Jordon.

  “Tian Di seems nice,” Andrew said.

  “He’s great. I really had fun. He’s smart, funny, and—”

  “Doesn’t he need to practice or something?” Zack asked a fair question.

  “For the love of Buddha, stop being the human version of a headache. Made in China is off until Beijing.”

  Zack scoffed. “Well, I don’t like it.”

  Jordon chuckled. “I can tell. But I’m sure Andrew can keep you busy.”

  Andrew mumbled something that sounded like “and tied up for hours,” but Tian Di must have misheard.

  “Fine. Please text me so I know you’re okay.” Zack’s words were mumbled, so it suggested they were hugging.

  “Oh, um, Zack.” Jordon cleared his throat. “I want the extra key.”

  “What? But what if you get locked out?” Zack’s shock over the request appeared to be an overreaction.

  Jordon sighed. “Well, then, I’ll have to drag my ass to the front desk and get another.”

  “I don’t want you to have to do that. If you left your key, it means you’re probably exhausted and you shouldn’t have to go down to the front desk.”

  “It’s not really a big deal.” Jordon put a bit of steel in his voice.

  “Yeah, but you’d be tired and—”

  “Zack, listen to what Jordon is saying. He’s twenty and doesn’t need you holding an extra key anymore. That made sense once, but it no longer does.” Tian Di was glad Andrew reinforced the idea because Zack didn’t respond to what Jordon communicated.

  Zack tsked. “But—”

  “Give your brother the key.” Andrew appeared to be the voice of reason.

  “Fine. Though if you get locked out, remember you’ll need ID to get a new key, so if you forgot your wallet, text me… but what if you lost your phone?” Zack asked the question like there was no solution.

  “Zack, you can’t get to the floor without the key, so I wouldn’t get past the elevator. If I got mugged—”

  Zack gasped. “God forbid. Don’t talk like that, Jordie. Please….”

  Jordon huffed out a breath. “All I’m saying is the front desk can call you or Dusty, and I can be verified.”

  “Oh, right. I… just worry.” Zack muttered the last bit as if anyone could miss that fact.

  “Yes, I know.” Jordon sighed. “I’ll be fine.”

  Zack sighed. “I know. Look, have fun today and text me.”

  The duo left the room with only a minimum of mumblings from Jordon’s brother.

  Jordon locked the deadbolt and hit the latch on the door. Ten seconds later, he peered over the side of the bed, biting his lip. He was all kinds of adorable. “Sorry.”

  Tian Di kept the sheet swathed around his hips. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I—” Jordon’s cell phone danced across the nightstand. He stared at the screen and shook his head. “Text from my other brother. Dusty says I can go to the gardens with Justin; that’s his fiancé.”

  Tian Di didn’t want him to feel obligated. “If you want to—”

  “No! Um, no, I want to spend the day with you. I mean, if you still want to.” Jordon frowned and stared at the floor like the abstract pattern had done him wrong.

  Tian Di rose from the floor. Sitting next to Jordon on the bed, he threw an arm around him. “I definitely want to spend every moment with you.”

  Jordon turned to gape at him.

  Too much? Probably not, since last night he’d made his forever wishes known. He shook his head. “I hope that doesn’t scare you, but I don’t enjoy games. I really like you.”

  A cute pink rushed over Jordon’s face. He leaned into Tian Di’s shoulder and whispered, “I really like you too.”

  Tian Di’s heart soared.

  “Let me tell Dusty and Justin that I don’t need a babysitter.” Jordon typed on his cell.

  HE AND Jordon took separate showers. Tian Di squashed his disappointment, because he certainly didn’t want to push Jordon. If he had to guess, he’d say Jordon didn’t have much physical experience, though that only made everything they did more special.

  They slipped out of the hotel and got into a taxi. Jordon handed the driver a taxi card with the name and address of Zhouzhuang on it. The driver gave him a nod and sped along the highway to the water town.

  “Thanks again for letting me borrow some clothes.” Not only did Tian Di not want to put on the sweaty clothing he’d performed in, but there was a real thrill about wearing Jordon’s clothing. He wanted to see Jordon in his clothing too. It was what boyfriends did in the movies Indigo watched.

  “It’s great we’re about the same size. I’m glad I brought several different versions of the Made i
n China T-shirts. I might be obsessed. Their lead singer is hot.”

  “Yeah?” Taking pleasure in Jordon finding him hot—and beautiful—made him smile.

  “Definitely.” Jordon smirked and glanced down at his Made in China design. He’d drawn the band in a manga style.

  “We’re here.” Tian Di paid the driver and then helped Jordon out of the taxi. He bought entrance tickets.

  Jordon accepted the ticket. “Thanks. So how old is Zhouzhuang?”

  “Zhouzhuang is the oldest water town in China. The town was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.” Tian Di realized Jordon probably had no clue when that was, and clarified, “The Ming Dynasty was from 1368 to about 1644 and the Qing Dynasty started right after until 1912.”

  “Wow. But these buildings look new?” Jordon pointed to the tourism buildings lining the street leading to the ancient town’s entrance.

  “Yes. They’re not part of the original town, though built in the same style.” He handed in their tickets and hip-bumped the bar to get through the turnstile.

  Jordon stopped to read the sign denoting Zhouzhuang’s importance for the trade of food, silk, and arts and crafts in the south of China.

  They meandered down the first cobblestoned alley. A canal on their right was lined with weeping willows drooping into the still water, and on their left were all manner of shops and bustling crowds.

  “Amazing.” Jordon stumbled on the uneven steps leading to a kite shop, and Tian Di steadied him.

  After a quick smile and a squeeze to Tian Di’s arm, Jordon was lost to the colorful silk that raced around, covering the entire shop. Tails dripped from the mythical beasts hanging from the ceiling.

  In an odd way, it made Tian Di proud that Jordon could find the quality among the souvenirs. It was fascinating to watch the artist in Jordon come out as he admired the artistry that went into making the kites and went straight for the ones created by the master craftsmen.

  Jordon bounced out of the shop and on to the next. Tian Di joyfully followed, drinking in Jordon’s enthusiasm.

  A couple of shops later, a man pounded out sesame candy, and another worked a manual machine twirling taffy. Jordon appeared enamored with the process. Tian Di rushed into the shop and purchased a chunk of the sesame brittle and a small pouch of the taffy.