Page 13

Driving into Mountain Park, Brandon turned onto one of the few roads and up through the woods to his house. He felt overfull after eating waffles, but not too badly. He looked over at his passenger, who was studying the scenery as it went by.

“Beautiful place,”

Jake mumbled. “You said you grew up here? How were you in Parkview’s district?”

“My mother worked at Central Office, so they paid for me to transfer districts,”

Brandon answered. “More challenge and opportunity at Parkview. More students, too. She was worried I wouldn’t adjust well to college if I wasn’t used to other kids. I was home schooled until then.”

“Oh,”

was all Jake could think to respond. He couldn’t imagine how horrible being home schooled would be. Never getting out, no friends, no sports, nothing but home and work all the time. He repressed a shiver and looked back out the window.

Catching the pinched look on Jake’s face, Brandon grinned. “It wasn’t that bad, Jake. I had friends. And I went to the middle school here about an hour a day for P.E. and music.”

“Ugh,”

Jake offered that bit of information. “I’m sorry, but that’s just cruel,”

he stated with a shake of his head.

“Cruel? Explain, please?”

Brandon asked as he turned onto a smaller lane that ran along the lake.

“It’s cruel,”

Jake shrugged. “Kids don’t understand that kind of thing, and we both know kids can be mean. And I’m sorry, but thinking you know enough to teach a kid everything he could learn from a variety of teachers and experiences and peers is just arrogant.”

“Oh, you mean the home schooling. I thought you meant the P.E.,”

Brandon said. “I can’t argue, really. While going to Parkview really threw me at first, I think it made me focus on what was important.

It was easy to be lackadaisical at home when it was just me. I could study when I wanted, take off to explore in the woods, fiddle around. There wasn’t much structure.”

Jake nodded and sniffed a little.

The topic was one of his major tender spots, and he couldn’t help but get a little ruffled by it.

Hell, if Brandon’s mother had sent him to real school when he was younger, his life could have been completely different.

He could have played sports—he certainly had the physique for it—or joined clubs.

He could have had friends who were loyal instead of just wanting help with their homework, and he could have been part of something instead of being on the outskirts.

Jake shook his head angrily and pressed his lips together, trying not to get worked up.

Brandon frowned. Jake seemed to be really upset. “Jake?”

he asked as he pulled into the driveway beside the white bungalow surrounded by wildflowers and trees. “What’s wrong?”

Jake shrugged and shook his head. “Sorry,”

he offered sheepishly. “I get pissy about that kind of thing. Nice house.”

Turning off the car, Brandon murmured a thanks. But the rest of what Jake said bothered him. “What do you mean, pissy? About the home schooling?”

He didn’t get why Jake would care about that.

“Yeah,”

Jake answered, leaving it at that. He had belatedly realized that bitching about it would imply bad things about Brandon’s dead parents, and he really didn’t want to go there. “Do I get a tour?”

he asked with a smile toward Brandon.

It was obvious Jake didn’t want to elaborate, so Brandon let it go. “Sure,”

he said, smiling a little as he climbed out of the car. “Inside or outside first?”

“Inside,”

Jake answered mischievously as he practically crawled out of the car. “Where’s the bedroom?”

he asked innocently, looking up at the house.

Brandon rolled his eyes. “One-track mind,”

he muttered as he jingled the keys, walking around the house to the back door. The front walk was overgrown with a colorful mesh of early spring flowers, blocking the walkway.

“Well, yeah,”

Jake responded with a huff as he followed obediently. “My brain is tuned continuously to ESPN, the Food Network, or porn. Sometimes two. Sometimes all three at the same time,”

he told Brandon studiously.

Brandon stopped in his track and looked over his shoulder, eyes dancing. “The Food Network?”

he asked, voice a bit strained.

“Yeah,”

Jake answered defensively, pursing his lips and frowning. “ Food , man.”

Biting his bottom lip, Brandon shook his head and turned around to walk to the back door. He unlocked it and pushed it open. “ Entre vous ,”

he said with a sweep of his hand. Jake grinned and let his hand glide across Brandon’s stomach as he passed him into the house. Brandon sucked in a breath at his body’s response, flooding him with heat. Jake’s every touch turned him on like crazy, and he really needed to get a handle on it before they went back to school and baseball practice. Not that they touched much then, but the temptation would be there. Brandon had discovered that Jake was a very tactile person. And Brandon had discovered he really, really liked it.

Jake inhaled deeply when he stepped into the house, smiling as he glanced back at Brandon. “Smells like you.”

Brandon laughed. “If you say so,”

he said. “So, here, obviously, we’re in the kitchen. Over there,”

he pointed to the left doorway, “is the laundry room and pantry.”

He walked around the small kitchen island to stand in the juncture of three rooms.

“That’s the TV room,” he said, waving at the room ahead of him, “And this way two bedrooms and a bathroom.” He shrugged.

“Not much, I guess. But I don’t need this much room, even.” He looked around wistfully, obviously seeing memories everywhere.

“Isn’t it hard, living here?”

Jake asked after a moment of watching Brandon.

Eyes clearing, Brandon looked over at Jake as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. “Sometimes,”

he said quietly. “I’ll look at something and just... “He looked hurt for a moment, but then the emotion was hidden away. “It’s all good memories. I just miss them.”

Jake was silent, watching him expectantly. Brandon’s eyes moved through the room, but he didn’t really see it. Brandon was seeing the past. “Yeah, it’s hard,”

he murmured. “But it’s all I have left.” His lips pressed together hard. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry,”

Jake offered quietly. “You’re stronger than I would be.”

Closing his arms around himself, Brandon gazed over at Jake. “You never know,”

he smiled a little, shrugging off some of the seriousness. He felt a little silly now, babbling about his parents like that. “I think you’re awfully tough. You could handle it. But I hope you won’t have to, not for a long, long time.”

“Tough?”

Jake echoed with a small smile, intending to veer away from an obviously painful topic.

“Tough,”

Brandon repeated with a nod. “And don’t try to deny it. I’ve got some idea of the hell you go through with your shoulder, knee, and ankle. And you still go out and coach year-round.”

“You’re talkin’ ‘bout two different things,”

Jake pointed out as he moved slowly closer to Brandon, stalking him.

Brandon’s brow furrowed. “I am?”

He watched Jake approach, anticipation curling in his gut. He had that look in his dark eyes, the look that Brandon knew meant the other man would soon have him begging. But in an oh-so-good way.

“Oh yeah,”

Jake murmured, moving closer. “Takes a lot to face your past,”

he said seriously as he cornered Brandon in the kitchen and stepped up to him. Jake sounded serious, so Brandon just waited as he felt the heat of the other man’s body come into contact with him. What did he want him to say? Jake took his face in his hands and kissed him gently.

Brandon’s chest tightened, the ache of memories brought into focus by the tender kiss, but Jake’s words and having him close were a great comfort.

He’d never talked to anyone about losing his parents.

He relaxed against Jake, their foreheads touching as he kissed him back.

To him, it was intensely emotional and painful.

He couldn’t admit to Jake how he felt about him.

It was just ludicrous. Although he’d known of him for almost fifteen years, they’d only become acquainted a month ago. They’d only found common ground a day ago. How was that possibly enough to fall in love? Brandon sighed.

“You wanna get your things together?”

Jake asked him softly, letting his fingers slide into his hair as they remained pressed together.

Brandon nodded, rubbing their cheeks together, breathing in Jake’s scent and finding it calming. But he wasn’t ready to move. Not until Jake did.

“We could just stand here,”

Jake murmured with a smile, sliding his hands down and around Brandon’s waist.

Closing his eyes, Brandon gave in, moving to wrap his arms around Jake’s neck and lay his head down on his shoulder. He didn’t know what Jake would make of it. He didn’t want to think about it. He just needed to be close.

Jake understood the urge. He lived in the house where he’d grown up, and even with his parents alive and just a state away, Jake sometimes found himself overwhelmed with melancholy. Memories of better times and crowded rooms that were now empty were just too much to bear sometimes. He held Brandon tighter and turned his head to rub his cheek against his.

Brandon drew several long, slow breaths, almost clinging, before he started loosening his hold on the other man. “Thanks,”

he murmured, kissing Jake’s neck.

“Mm hmm,”

Jake responded with a rumbling hum, his hands moving up and down Brandon’s back.

Brandon started smiling again as Jake didn’t release him. “So, gonna let go of me anytime soon?”

As soon as the words were out, Brandon wished he hadn’t said them. Too easily misinterpreted.

“No,”

Jake answered with a smirk, letting his hands drift under the loose waistband of Brandon’s borrowed pants. “Why, did you have something to do?”

he asked innocently as he kissed at Brandon’s neck.

“No,”

Brandon said, nuzzling Jake’s throat, his smile huge now. “Not besides you.”

“Now that sounds fun,”

Jake growled as he nipped at tender skin and gave Brandon a little tug away from the kitchen counter.

Brandon gasped when he felt the little bite. “I’m all for fun,”

he said, letting Jake move him as he liked.

Jake murmured back to him and continued to nibble as he dragged him further away from the counter. “Sure you’re not bored with me yet?”

he asked teasingly.

“I don’t know how you could ever think that would be possible,”

Brandon answered, breathless.

“Oh, you’ll get there soon enough,”

Jake assured him with a laugh, “after I pounce on you every time I see you for about a week.”

Brandon raised a brow, giving him a disbelieving look. “And you think I’m going to get tired of that ? Think again, Thundercat.”

Jake growled dangerously and picked Brandon up off the ground by the backs of his thighs, letting his toes drag. “What was that?”

Laughing aloud, Brandon taunted him some more by singing the chorus of the hated song. “Oh, you are asking for a beating,”

Jake laughed, dragging Brandon toward a bedroom.

“Oh baby, oh baby,”

Brandon exaggerated, “give it your best shot,”

he managed between chuckles as Jake pulled him down the hall. Jake slammed him against the wall as soon as they got to the hallway and kissed him roughly. Just like that and Brandon was hard as a rock. Moaning and whimpering against Jake’s lips, Brandon responded with the same fervor, curling his hands into his shirt and grinding against him.

“What did you do with that lube?”

Jake asked as he pressed him harder into the wall.

“In my ... my pocket,”

Brandon managed to get out, hand shifting to dig into the track pants he wore, fingers grasping the small tube and pulling it free. Jake took it from him and stepped back, tugging him forward and pushing him toward the bed. Brandon landed on the mattress on his side and rolled to his back, shoving the loose track pants off his hips and kicking them to the floor.

Jake followed him onto the bed and kissed him again, wondering if Brandon would take control over the encounter since he had expressed an interest in doing so. And apparently the other man was reading his mind, because as soon as Jake settled against him, Brandon rolled them over to land on Jake’s thighs and rub against him while capturing his mouth again. Jake groaned and arched his back, enjoying the pressure on top of him.

Brandon growled and bit down on Jake’s collarbone before kissing the same spot, all the while rocking their erections against each other. “Jake?”

he rasped.

“What?”

Jake panted.

“I want you,”

Brandon said intently. “Can I...”

He licked his lips nervously, voice hitching. “I want to fuck you till you lose it and scream.”

Jake gasped out a heavy breath and shivered under Brandon. “You better get started then,”

he breathed.

Brandon squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then climbed off Jake and urged him to move to the center of the bed as he popped the tube open. He settled between Jake’s thighs with slick fingers and leaned over to lick along his abs before shifting his mouth downward. As his tongue lapped at the head of Jake’s cock, he carefully dipped his fingers inside Jake until the other man shivered uncontrollably.

Jake dragged his short nails over Brandon’s shoulders and then scrambled for something else to hold onto when he realized that wasn’t going to cut it. He reached up and placed his hands flat against the headboard, body arching and whimpers sounding at Brandon’s touch.

Pushing one of Jake’s knees back, Brandon started pushing his cock in, groaning as he got the slightest bit inside. He dropped his head and grasped for his dwindling control. “Now I know why you said it would only take seconds the first time,”

he said through gritted teeth.

Jake hitched his hips up higher, fighting against the burn and yet trying to pull Brandon closer with his foot wrapped around the man’s hips. “Stop talking,”

he gasped with a smile, reaching for Brandon’s shoulders again.

Sucking in a deep breath, Brandon pushed harder, looking down to see his cock disappearing into Jake. “Fuck,”

he whispered before he started rocking his hips. Jake curled in on himself, gasping as his fingers dug into Brandon’s arms. Shuddering, Brandon kept moving slowly. “Okay?”

he breathed.

Jake’s back arched again, his body writhing against the intrusion while still begging for more. “Yes,”

he managed to groan in a strained voice. He pulled again at Brandon’s shoulder, urging him to go faster. Grunting quietly, Brandon drew back and thrust in with more force. Jake called out a wordless cry and reached up to press his hands against the headboard again, pushing back against the thrusts and curling his knees closer for a better angle.

Brandon closed his hands on Jake’s hips, sliding to cup his ass as he began thrusting in earnest, breaths getting harsh as he used more force. He knew he was repeating himself, but he couldn’t help it. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,”

he hissed.

Jake barely heard him, all his considerable concentration resting solely on the pressure inside him and the fucking fantastic feeling. He made a sound in response though, something between a whimper and a grunt, and he tightened the grip of his knees on Brandon’s waist.

Seeing the other man’s focus, Brandon settled into a fast, pounding rhythm. He wanted to knock Jake right out of that daze. He wanted to hear him scream, just once.

“Oh fuck,”

Jake gasped desperately, throwing his head back as the muscles of his arms flexed against the headboard in a pounding rhythm. “Fuck, Brandon!”

he cried out, pleading.

Squeezing his eyes shut to help cling to his control, Brandon kept up the punishing thrusting, pathetically grateful for the years of running that gave him endurance now, although the slick pressure around his cock was swiftly driving him to the edge.

Jake finally let go of the headboard, unable to resist the desperate need to wrap around the man inside him. He dragged his hands down Brandon’s back and pressed his face against his shoulder, yelling out uncontrollably and writhing as his orgasm hit him.

The wild sound ripped the last of Brandon’s control away, and after a few more hard thrusts, he threw his head back in a nearly silent sob and came in several pulses, each time sapping more of his strength until he leaned over and held Jake protectively.

Jake was gasping for breath by the time Brandon’s motions ceased, and he curled around Brandon like a large cat with a prized plaything and nuzzled him as he tried to regain some air.

Brandon shivered, panting and clutching at the man who held him so close, and he felt a sting in his eyes that he had to push away for his own sanity.

He turned his chin to press a soft kiss to the crown of Jake’s head, allowing himself that one outlet of tenderness until he knew Jake would welcome more.

Jake raised his head into the contact and practically purred as he nuzzled against Brandon’s mouth and chin.

It was all too easy to capture Jake’s lips in a soft, wet kiss, expressing with actions what he didn’t dare say in this vulnerable moment.

Brandon knew it would pass, and he’d find his composure again. For now, he needed to be careful, and it tore at him as being so, so unfair.

Sitting at his desk, ostensibly grading essays as his class worked in groups to plan their semester projects, Brandon stared at a paper, outwardly the picture of studious focus.

But inwardly he was thinking nothing about grading papers and everything about biology. It had been terrible dragging himself out of Jake’s bed and Jake’s arms at 5:30 this morning; it had been even worse to gently kiss the sleeping man’s forehead and leave the house to head to school.

It was easier to get back to work than he’d expected. He wasn’t too distracted; it was like his memories and thoughts about the weekend just receded. They were no less important, but they didn’t jockey for attention unless he deliberately focused on them. Like now.

The sex last night had been equal parts rough passion and tender touching, enough of a dichotomy that it would drive Brandon’s analytical mind over the edge if he let it.

He was trying hard to not give Jake reason to throw something at him. Now, away from Jake, he was fighting the urge to go out to the gym and find him.

He was undecided about eating lunch in the teachers’ lounge in about an hour. He wondered if he would see the man he was now thinking of as “My Jake” rather than “Coach Campbell.”

His lover really was two separate people.

His lover. What a thought. Did two days make that appellation true? Or did it have to last longer? Jake’s actions and even words indicated he was interested in keeping Brandon around, and Brandon wasn’t going to disagree.

How Jake held him when they drifted off to sleep convinced him that the other man had to feel something for him, even if it was just friendly affection colored by heated desire.

One of the girls trying to get his attention pulled the science teacher out of his thoughts. Brandon set aside the essays and got back to work. But Jake was right there, on the edge of his awareness.

The real Jake stalked through the crowded cafeteria, glaring at kids who got too loud and stealing fries off the plates of kids he knew. He was able to keep all thoughts of what had gone on the past weekend cleanly out of mind. It was the game-face advantage, honed over many years. He’d taken a brief moment to be disappointed when he woke alone, and a slightly longer time smiling uncontrollably as he remembered the night before. And he’d spared a few moments of thought to wonder how they would treat each other if they saw each other before practice. Jake honestly didn’t know how he would react. Would he be friendly and familiar with the man? Or would his other instincts kick in and make him hide behind his newspaper like he always did?

Jake prayed for the former and quietly dreaded the latter as the bell rang.

Brandon was still undecided about lunch. His normal plan was about 50/50, depending on what work he wanted to accomplish. Considering how little work he’d gotten done over the weekend, he should have been more behind, but his classes were in a lull between tests. He looked down at the essays, not at all interested in reading them. He was more interested in going to the lounge on the off chance that Jake might be there.

But what would he say? How would he act? What if other people were there and Brandon retreated into his turtle shell while Jake went back to brash and boisterous? What if there were no other people there besides Jake? Would he be the easygoing guy he’d been with Jake or would he turn back into his quiet, withdrawn self?

Finally he rolled his eyes at his fretting. Christ. He was acting like a high school kid with a crush. You do have a crush , he reminded himself with a wince. Time would tell how much of one, but right now it felt pretty damn serious. He decided to go to the lounge.

He didn’t want to hide. Brandon grabbed his planner, an apple and the sandwich he’d made at Jake’s the night before, and left his classroom for the trek to the commons area.