Page 11

It was a long while before Jake decided he was too sticky. A shower and some more groping later, he stood in front of the refrigerator staring at the meager offerings within. He held his pills in his hand, and his eyes strayed to the beer on the top shelf.

Brandon padded into the kitchen, dressed in more of Jake’s clothes. He stopped next to the other man, glancing into the fridge and raising an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you didn’t find anything.” It was certainly different from his own fridge. While he didn’t cook, Brandon ate a lot of fresh food, and he kept the larder stocked.

“I need to go to the store,” Jake grumbled as he reached in for a soda and popped the pills into his mouth while opening the can.

Brandon rolled his eyes and pushed the fridge door shut. “Ya think?” he asked sarcastically. “So are we ordering in or do you want to go to Publix?” He glanced to the clock; it was late, but not too much so for a Saturday night.

“Store, I think,” Jake answered after downing the pills. “What are you wanting? Anything specific?” he asked as he set the can down on the counter and reached for Brandon’s hips, pulling and turning him just a little to put Brandon between him and the refrigerator with a smirk.

Brandon smiled as he allowed Jake to maneuver him where he wanted him, and he settled his hands behind Jake’s elbows. “I mostly eat sandwiches, fruit, fresh vegetables, things that don’t require cooking.” He narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at the other man. “I’ve eaten more pizza in the last month than in my entire life, I think.” His face scrunched in distaste.

Jake pressed himself closer and bit his lip to stop his smile. “Well, we order it with vegetables on it,” he reasoned.

“Only after I threaten Jonathan within an inch of his life,” Brandon retorted.

“You were quite sexy doing it, though,” Jake purred teasingly, leaning in to brush his lips over Brandon’s. “I’ve got some pasta,” he offered. “I accidentally made this shrimp scampi with alfredo sauce once and it was really good,” he admitted with a small laugh.

Brandon shrugged slightly, still smiling, warmed by the continuing affectionate gestures. How so much had changed in a single day. “If you’re brave enough to cook, I’m brave enough to eat it,” he said. “But the store is fine, too.”

“I’d rather brave the cooking than the store,” Jake declared with another kiss. “Mainly because of the whole getting-dressed thing,” he growled before pushing away from the refrigerator. “But I bet you want like fruit and stuff, though, huh?” he laughed with a grin. “You want to come with me or stay here and snoop through my things while I’m gone?” he asked playfully, his hands drifting down Brandon’s sides before taking another step back.

Eyes bright, Brandon chuckled. “No preference. Unless there’s something really interesting I’ll find if I ‘snoop’,” he teased. “Besides, you don’t know what kind of ‘fruit and stuff’ I like,” he pointed out.

“Point,” Jake conceded with a grin. “Let me get my shoes,” he huffed as he turned away and headed for the hall closet. “You’ll have to drive!” he called over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs.

Brandon looked down at the running shorts and T-shirt he was wearing and figured they were fine for the store. He headed back upstairs to the bedroom where his shoes had been tossed two different ways. He sat on the edge of the mussed bed to pull them on, pausing after to look at the sheets where he’d laid in Jake’s arms.

Jake rummaged through the upstairs hall closet and found his flip flops, thwapping them down onto the floor noisily and sliding into them. He peered down the hall and saw Brandon sitting on the end of the bed, glancing over his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked lightly, not letting the sudden flash of worry show through.

Brandon turned to look at him, unaware of the soft, endearing smile on his face. He’d been thinking about how he couldn’t have asked for a better first time with Jake. Followed by hoping it wasn’t the last, although he was feeling pretty damn good about that. Jake was being amazingly affectionate and it made Brandon happier than he had expected. Just that simple affection meant more, although he certainly wouldn’t want to give up the incredibly passionate sex. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said softly.

Jake raised an eyebrow and closed the hallway door. “You’re not going all mushy on me are you?” he asked teasingly as he flip-flopped down the hallway toward the bedroom. He leaned against the doorway, and his lips twitched in amusement. “I don’t wanna talk about my feelings,” he told Brandon sternly with a wag of his finger.

Brandon again quashed a laugh. Despite his tough words, Jake’s actions didn’t back them up at all. “Oh, heaven forbid,” he said drolly as he stood up. “C’mon. Food so you can feed me after you used me so mercilessly.”

“You know you liked it,” Jake shot back with a cocky jerk of his head. The little rush of heat that shot through him at the thought said that he had liked it too. A lot.

Brandon stopped right up against Jake’s chest rather than continuing into the hall. “Yeah,” he rasped. “I did.”

The heat billowed, and Jake’s smile faded as he met Brandon’s eyes. “Me too,” he whispered in a low voice.

Brandon leaned forward to kiss him gently on the lips, then his cheekbone, then the very corner of his eyes. “Offsets the mush, then,” he murmured. Jake growled softly and enjoyed the kisses like a puppy being petted by his master, his eyes closed and a small smile on his face. Pulling back to look over Jake’s face, Brandon whispered, “You really are gorgeous.”

Jake opened his eyes and cocked his head. He had heard such things before. Coming from Brandon, though, he wondered why they sounded more sincere. He smiled softly and shook his head. “I thought I told you to stop talking to yourself,” he murmured teasingly as he pulled him closer and kissed his chin.

Brandon’s eyes fell mostly closed and he rubbed his cheek against Jake’s chin. “Would you rather hear that you really are addictive?” he asked, sliding his hands around Jake’s thighs to grope his ass. “Can’t keep my hands off you now.”

“That might be a problem come Monday,” Jake drawled with a little laugh.

Brandon pulled back, eyes wide. He cleared his throat. “Ah, well. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to rein myself in,” he said, wondering how in the world he had become the subtle aggressor between them.

“You do that,” Jake responded sternly. “I’ll just stay close to the showers myself.”

Narrowing his eyes, Brandon poked Jake in the ribs. “I’d hope I have the same effect on you that you have on me. Certainly seems like it anyway,” he said.

Jake grabbed Brandon in a lightning-quick movement as soon as his ribs were jabbed, and he slammed the man against the wall and kissed him brutally. Brandon barely had time to get in a breath before he was gasping into Jake’s mouth, going achingly hard as Jake manhandled him. He’d never have thought he’d be so turned on by being thrown around, but God help him ... He tried to kiss Jake back just as firmly, grinding against his thigh. At this rate they’d never get dinner, and Brandon just didn’t care.

Jake grinned as Brandon responded to him, and he nipped once more at his lip before pulling back. “Like that?” he asked innocently.

Sucking in breaths, color high on his cheeks, Brandon paused, then nodded quickly. “ Jesus ,” he hissed, eyes dilating with desire.

Jake’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?” he asked with a smirk as he slid his hands down Brandon’s ribs. Trying to get in enough air to calm down, Brandon gave Jake a helpless look. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” Jake laughed impulsively, taking Brandon’s face in both hands and kissing him.

Brandon’s “Cute?” came out muffled, but he really didn’t mind. He slid his arms around Jake’s neck and held close, distantly amused that they were standing in the doorway necking like kids. He smiled against the kiss. Yeah. Jake was very affectionate.

It was another moment of languid kisses before Jake pulled back and licked his lips, fingers trailing through Brandon’s hair. “Dinner?” he suggested a little breathlessly.

“Yeah,” Brandon agreed. “Store?”

Jake let his eyes rake over Brandon’s body as if he were considering getting dinner there instead, but then he smirked and looked up to meet Brandon’s eyes again with a mischievous little glint. “Yeah,” he answered. “You’re driving.” Brandon nodded and started down the hallway. Jake watched him go before following him, hopping a little as he walked to catch up to the other man.

Brandon snagged his keys off the hall table where he’d thrown them earlier. “We ought to pick up your truck while we’re out,” he said as they walked down the front steps.

“Good idea,” Jake answered and spun on his heel toward the kitchen and the hook where his keys lived. He’d put them there after picking them up off the living room floor just a while ago. “We’re going to have to be careful,” he warned seriously. “You know how rumors make it around a high school.” He practically groaned.

Brandon was composed and appropriately sober. “Yeah,” he said, stopping at the bottom of the porch stairs. Each time Jake said something like that, he felt like it meant Jake was going to be interested in something more than the occasional fuck. But he figured Jake’s tease about not talking about feelings was grounded in fact. Hell, he didn’t know how he felt himself, other than mushily swept off his feet.

“What?” Jake asked as he came back into the entryway. “You keep looking like I kicked your puppy,” he observed with a slightly worried smile. He took a step closer and looked Brandon over carefully. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked suddenly, horror creeping into his tone.

“No!” Brandon exclaimed, startling himself with the vehemence of his answer. “No,” he repeated in a modulated tone. He actually shuffled in place, wishing he could hide, even a little bit, and expressively he closed up. “I just don’t know what to expect,” he said, unable to look up at Jake in case he saw annoyance or amusement.

“Expect?” Jake echoed in confusion. “Out of what?” he asked a little tentatively. “Going out in public?” he asked with a little smile.

Sighing, Brandon shook his head. “No. In public, in school, I get it. I understand and appreciate discretion. I mean...” he fumbled for words. “I don’t know what you want out of this,” he admitted. “It’s disconcerting.”

Jake blinked at him and inclined his head a little, taken by surprise. “Oh,” he responded stupidly. “Well, I hadn’t really gotten further in the thought process than wanting to get you naked, so I guess I’m a little behind,” he told Brandon with a slight blush and a smile to ease the tension he felt creeping back in.

“Yeah, well,” Brandon tried a smile, hoping to defuse the sudden edginess between them. “I’m always overthinking things, brain in overdrive, that sort of thing,” he offered, hoping to play it off, starting to walk toward the car. While he appreciated Jake’s comment about wanting him, he hadn’t gotten a reply to his admission. How could he have said something like that, anyway? Wanting to know what was happening next when they’d only kissed for the first time about ten hours ago?

Jake watched him go down the walk with a frown, but smiled slightly as he had an idea. He reached down, took off his flip flop, and chucked it at Brandon as he walked away, hitting him right on the back of the head.

Brandon’s eyes bugged out, and he whipped around to look at Jake in amazement. “Did you just do what I think you did?” he exclaimed.

“Depends on what you think I did,” Jake shot back with a signature grin as he thumped down the front steps and strolled forward to retrieve his flip flop. “That’s what we do. You think and I throw things,” he explained. “So I’ll make you a deal. You stop thinking,” he drawled, bending to pick up the shoe and wave it around threateningly, “and I’ll stop throwing things.”

The laughter was unstoppable. Brandon bent over for balance he laughed so hard, and when he looked up at Jake’s fake angry face, he just pealed into near giggles until he got short of breath and had to brace himself against the car. “Oh God. Are we total opposites or what?” he asked, calming down enough to get in the driver’s seat.

“Hmph,” Jake offered good-naturedly as he flopped into the passenger side. “Since we’re opening up with our feelings and all, I feel the need to tell you that this is the gayest car I’ve ever been in,” he told Brandon.

Brandon looked at Jake in surprise. “It’s a green Jetta. Why is that gay?” Jake threw his head back and laughed merrily in response. Brandon looked even more confused as he started the engine.

“It’ll be okay,” Jake chuckled, reaching over to pat Brandon’s knee.

“What the hell are you on about? Or are those pills finally kicking in?” Brandon asked suspiciously as he started driving to the Publix he knew was a few miles away.

“Yeah, they are,” Jake admitted with a content nod. “Sorry,” he offered as he looked over at Brandon with a smile.

Brandon chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll have to make an allowance for that,” he said. Then he glared at Jake. “My car is not gay,” he asserted. “It’s practical.”

“It’s practically rainbow-colored!” Jake giggled.

Looking at the hunter green paint, Brandon shook his head in exasperation. “What kind of pills are those?”

“Good ones,” Jake practically purred as he slouched down in the seat. He glanced over at Brandon and laughed softly. “Your car’s not gay, Brandon,” he cooed, “I just like to see you get all ruffled.”

Brandon rolled his eyes, but inside he was grinning madly. “Great,” he said with a faked aggrieved sigh. “And I know I’m easy to tease. So I guess you’ll be seeing me ruffled a lot.”

“Hope so,” Jake growled mischievously as he slid further down in the seat and rested his foot on top of his knee. His foot bounced in the silence, and he idly watched the scenery pass by as the very brief high and relief from his aches hit him.

Slanting a glance to the side, Brandon looked over Jake, seeing the effect of the drugs. He tried to recall what the options could be in the way of prescriptions, but he really had no idea. It had been ten years and so much had advanced since then. He pulled the car into the grocery lot, not bothering to look for a closer spot. “You okay to walk?” he asked politely.

“Yep,” Jake huffed. “Unless you’d like to carry me?” he offered.

Brandon looked at him in disbelief. “Me? Schlep around a lug like you? You’d squash me!”

“Hmph!” Jake offered that with a bigger grin as he opened the door and groaned getting out of the car. “People my size don’t belong in small cars,” he complained as he shut the door.

“So you drive next time,” Brandon said absently, locking the doors before they walked toward the supermarket.

Jake muttered in response and shuffled along after Brandon, trying to get his flip flops on straight as he did so before jogging a few steps to catch up. “You’re a bit of a bastard after you get laid,” he murmured to the man with a smirk as they walked.

Brandon snorted. “Insults won’t get you a repeat.” He grabbed a basket as they walked in, entering the fresh produce section first.

“I suppose you want like juice and milk and stuff, too, huh?” Jake looked around the market in distaste.

“How do you keep your girlish figure if all you eat is pizza, Hostess cakes and Doritos?” Brandon asked, bagging an apple and an orange.

“I don’t eat Hostess cakes,” Jake argued sulkily before smiling again and winking at the man. “I’ll get the liquid stuff,” he offered as he headed off to the left.

“Liquid stuff,” Brandon agreed, tossing ready-to-eat carrots in the cart before pushing toward the deli.

Jake strolled toward the other end of the store in search of milk and orange juice. He turned the corner into the last aisle and practically skidded to a halt as he saw a woman slowly pushing a cart up the other end of the aisle. It was too late for Jake to bolt out of sight, and he stood there for a moment mentally whimpering as Misty looked up and caught sight of him.

Her eyes flared with pleasure and cunning, and she started prowling down the aisle toward him, her heels clacking on the floor. “Why, Jake, imagine catching you out so late,” she drawled, leaving the cart to approach him. “And all by your lonesome?”

“I got cut from the herd, apparently,” Jake answered as he looked over his shoulder and craned his neck as if looking for someone—anyone—to save him. “Misty,” he finally greeted with a barely concealed grimace.

Tossing her curly brown hair over her shoulder, Misty walked right up into Jake’s personal space. “What are you looking for this late on a Saturday night, hmm?” she said in a seductive tone.

Jake resisted the urge to back up and instead looked down at the woman he towered over. “Milk,” he answered helplessly, trying desperately to think of a way out of the innuendo she always threw at him, but unable to do it with his head floating merrily like it was.

Misty smiled and reached up to place her small hand on his chest. “You can’t tell me you’re just out grocery shopping when you could be out having a good time,” she purred.

Having gathered meat from the deli and some Kaiser rolls, Brandon pushed the cart along the back of the store, blinking when he looked down the length of the aisle to see Jake just standing there, a smaller woman in front of him practically crawling up his chest? Blinking again, Brandon wished he could see her clearly. His eyes were pretty good, really, they just fuzzed out some, up close and at a long distance. But he could make out the slightly panicked look on Jake’s face as he towered over her, and Brandon had to bite his lip not to laugh out loud.

Jake’s eyes caught movement at the end of the aisle, and he looked up to see Brandon watching them with amusement clearly written on his face. He had to repress the urge to growl, and instead he smiled politely and reached up to carefully pluck her hand from his chest. “You know, you’re right,” he responded as if the thought had just occurred to him. “I’m just going to go find a good time,” he said as he backed away from her. “See you Monday,” he added once he was far enough to get to the end of the aisle and turn to dart away.

Nearly collapsing against the cart as he tried to keep his laughter quiet, Brandon scooted away from that aisle and down the next two, looking to catch Jake. Who the hell was that woman? He’d not gotten a clear look at her.

Jake turned down the row two aisles over and practically jogged down it, sliding his feet to make sure his flip flops didn’t slap against the tile floor. It was pretty easy to lose someone in a grocery store, right? Right. He practically bowled Brandon over at the end of the aisle, and he grabbed the man, holding him in front of him like a shield.

Brandon broke into laughter as Jake wrapped an arm around him, using him like some kind of human wall. “Who was that?” he asked.

“Misty,” Jake hissed. “Spawn of Satan. I feel dirty,” he added with a grimace as he looked around furtively. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he pleaded.

“Misty?” Snickering, Brandon let Jake pull the basket and subsequently him to the front of the store so they could check out. “I’m guessing she wondered why you weren’t shacked up somewhere with someone since she didn’t have you?”

“Something like that,” Jake grumbled with a glance over his shoulder. He cleared his throat and looked at Brandon with wide eyes. “I’ll wait in the car,” he declared abruptly.

Stifling another laugh, Brandon dug the keys out of his pocket and held them out to him. Jake snatched the keys and gave Brandon’s arm a quick pat as he stepped around him. “Good luck out there, soldier,” he offered as he retreated to safety.

Shaking his head as he watched Jake practically flee from the store, Brandon pushed the basket forward and started pulling stuff out of it and putting it on the conveyer belt. He heard the heels clacking before he saw her, and he straightened to see Misty get into line. Brandon doubted she would speak to him. They certainly weren’t friends. And now that Brandon got to thinking about it, he didn’t like her trying to get at Jake. He swallowed down the boil of possessiveness. “Evening, Misty,” he said.

Her eyes barely registered Brandon as she scanned the front of the store and the windows that showed the parking lot out front. “Brandon,” she finally sighed in greeting, looking away and placing her items on the rolling belt. “Hey, did you happen to see Jake Campbell come through here?” she asked as she rounded on Brandon and put her hand on her hip petulantly.

Brandon’s lips twitched. “Yeah, actually, he went through the express line and took off,” he said, slowing to pull items out of the basket.

Misty huffed in exasperation. She looked away and shook her head, eyes narrowing as she thought about Jake and how fucking difficult he was being. Everyone could see how perfect they would be together. She glanced at Brandon and again and raised her eyebrow. “You’re coaching baseball, right?” she asked as she turned toward him and leaned against the counter, close enough to him that she knew it would make him nervous. Brandon had always been the jittery type.

“Yeah,” Brandon answered cautiously, edging away when the cashier started on his groceries.

Misty took another step closer and leaned toward him. “So you see a lot of Jake, right?” she inquired cagily. “Is he seeing anyone?”

“Ah, well,” Brandon drew back, already scared of the predatory look in her eyes. He suddenly felt a lot more sympathetic toward Jake. “Yeah, we’re with the team all the time. But I only see him after sometimes. For, you know, meetings.” Brandon swallowed, somehow proud of the fact that he hadn’t lied yet. But he thought he would, if he needed to.

Misty sighed and tilted her head impatiently. “Is that a no?” she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know how to answer your question, Misty,” Brandon said a little desperately, tapping his foot, trying to hurry the cashier.

Misty huffed and turned away, clicking her heel loudly as she did so. “Well, if he’s spending all his free time on baseball and meetings then he’s probably not got much time for a personal life,” she reasoned out loud, shooting Brandon a sideways glare. Something seemed to click in her mind as she looked at him, and she turned her body toward him again. “How rude of me, Brandon, how are you?” she asked sweetly. “We don’t talk nearly enough,” she said, placing a hand on his elbow.

Now Brandon got really nervous. “Well, we’re in different departments,” he said weakly, pulling his debit card out to pay. Now that he was pinned under those eyes, he really wished Jake was here to help. Brandon was never going to tease him about Misty again. He felt trapped.

Misty hummed in response and removed her hand slowly. “So, when’s your next game?”

“Away at North on Monday,” Brandon said, figuring she could find out herself anyway. He watched her apprehensively, wondering what she was up to. There was an odd glimmer in her eyes.

“Well,” Misty responded as if that were good news. The cashier handed Brandon a receipt to sign, and Misty stepped away from him again. “Maybe I’ll see you there,” she told him with a sparkling smile.

Brandon offered a really fake smile while he gathered his two bags. “Sure thing, Misty. Night!” And he escaped out the door, feeling like he had the hounds of hells at his heels. Getting to the car, he dropped the bags in the back seat and flopped behind the wheel, clutching it like a life preserver.

“Heh heh heh heh heh,” Jake offered from where he lay flat in the passenger seat.

Looking down at the other man, Brandon was going to say something snarky, but he thought better of it and started the car to get them out of there before Misty came out. When they reached the stoplight a few streets away, he finally said, “I feel for you, man.”

“Mm hmm,” Jake responded, rolling onto his side. He smiled in the darkness as the car began to move again. “I was thinking,” he murmured as he tried to get comfortable, “as I was hiding in the floorboard of your car,” he added with a wry smile, “that we have all day tomorrow.”

Brandon glanced down at Jake before he got them moving again, turning toward Jake’s neighborhood. “Yeah?” he said, trying to keep it light. “Did you have something in mind?”