Page 41 of True North
He resisted, somehow. “We should probably cool this off.”
Misha pouted. “Why? It’s good, I feel—” He cupped his dick through his shorts and flexed his hips, pressing up into his own hand.
“God, you’re shameless,” JT said admiringly, and let Misha pull him back down for a few more minutes, until the noises Misha was making told him they really did need to stop or else their first time was going to happen right here on the couch with both of them still fully clothed.
That would actually be really hot, but. Maybe they should take things a little slower. He was feeling kind of—overwhelmed, to be honest. And he wanted to give Misha some time to have second thoughts, if he was going to.
“Okay, no, that’s it.” JT gently detached Misha’s clinging hands and sat up. “Yeah, I see the face you’re making at me. You’re adorable, but no.” He bent to press a kiss to Misha’s forehead. “Look, it’s been a long day, a lot’s happened, and I’m pretty wiped out. Let’s sleep on this and try again tomorrow.”
Misha’s look of exaggerated disgruntlement faded as JT spoke. He reached up and touched JT’s cheek. “You tired?”
“I want to take my time and enjoy you,” JT said, which made Misha’s expression change yet again, this time to cat-got-the-cream smugness. JT liked him so much, much more than he ought to.
“Okay, tomorrow,” Misha said, and lifted his head for one final kiss.
* * *
Misha woke up in the morning much as he usually did: somewhat sweaty, clutching a pillow, and squinting blearily into the sunlight streaming through the windows. As usual, JT was lying awake beside him, looking at his phone. He looked over when Misha stirred, and his smile wasn’t usual at all.
“Hi,” Misha said. He had to bury his face in his pillow to hide his answering smile, certain it was too foolishly besotted for public consumption.
“Finally decided to wake up, I see,” JT said, and laughed at Misha’s muffled squawk of protest. “I’m teasing. I’ve only been awake for a few minutes.”
Misha peeked out from his pillow. JT had set his phone on the nightstand and rolled onto his side to face Misha. He had a crease on one cheek from his pillowcase and his hair was a frizzy disaster. Misha’s fondness was so big and overpowering that he thought he might burst from it like an overfilled water balloon.
“Come over here,” JT said, and Misha gladly wiggled over to wedge himself against JT, nestled inside the circle of JT’s arm. He loved the way JT held him close. He felt so protected and cared for. But JT had been caring for him all along; this was just a different way of showing it.
He pressed his face against JT’s warm throat, breathing in his wonderful smell, and closed his eyes. He was hoping they could go back to sleep.
JT ran his hand down Misha’s back. “Don’t fall asleep. I need to go into town soon.”
Misha groaned. “Why? Stay here, sleep, it’s good.”
“I’m meeting my trainer. He’ll drive out here and yell at me if I blow him off. Sorry.”
Misha groaned again and rolled away to flop dramatically on his back. “Fine. You go. Leave me.”
JT laughed and leaned over him to kiss his cheek. “I’ll bring you coffee in bed. How’s that sound?”
“Good,” Misha said. He grabbed JT’s T-shirt and tugged him down for a proper kiss, and then another one, lingering, still having a hard time believing he got to do this, that he was allowed to touch JT like this. Nothing could be better.
He ended up following JT downstairs to the kitchen, unwilling to let JT out of his sight, as if JT might vanish into the mist without constant supervision. Although he’d rather have been asleep, it was nice to lean against the island and drink his coffee while he watched JT make omelets. He could ogle JT openly now, and there was a lot to look at. JT’s shirt was worn thin with age and draped lovingly over the muscles of his shoulders and upper back. He had a fantastic ass, high and round, and his loose basketball shorts did little to disguise it.
JT turned from the stove and caught Misha looking. His smirk was entirely too knowing. “See something you like?”
“When you get home?” Misha asked in lieu of answering, although that was an answer in itself.
JT’s smirk faded. He held Misha’s gaze for a long moment, then turned back to the stove to flip the omelet. “Before lunch.”
That wasn’t so long to wait. The couple of hours that JT was gone seemed to drag out endlessly, though. Misha cleaned up from breakfast as thoroughly as he could, including hand-washing all the dishes and wiping down both the counters and the table, then checked the clock on the wall to find that only fifteen minutes had passed. He put a load of laundry in the washing machine, picked up all the random clutter scattered across the lower level of the house, and watered the houseplants; that took another fifteen minutes. Exasperated, he undressed and went out into the woods. As a bear, he didn’t think about time passing.
The woods were quiet and damp with morning dew, and full of spiderwebs and sweetly singing birds. Misha strolled around for a while in the sunshine and ate a few mushrooms. By the time he went back to the house, JT’s truck was in the driveway.
Misha went inside without bothering to get dressed. JT was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water at the sink in his sweat-drenched workout clothes. He turned when Misha came into the room, and his eyebrows went up as he took in Misha’s nudity. “Fun morning?”
“I went to woods,” Misha explained. Obviously. His nostrils flared as he took in JT’s scent. “How your workout?”
JT grimaced. “Got a sore spot in my back. Not a big deal, just.” He rotated his head and turned it back and forth a few times. “It’s fine. I’ll soak it out.” Then he straightened and smirked at Misha. “Or you could massage it for me.”