In the Raw (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ethan

I watched an impatient Lassiter tug my belt buckle open.
I
could die now and I’d be a happy man.
He finally yanked off my jeans and boxers, and his hungry expression as he stared at my naked body would stay with me for a long time.

Who knew buried under the layers of khaki and loafers lurked a sexy man who’d shared my fantasies of us fucking in the supply room at school?

“Careful, I’m a little on edge after earlier,” I cautioned as he pulled me closer, moaning low in my throat when our bare chests pressed together. An impatient noise escaped me when my cock brushed his jeans. “Jesus, take these off,” I growled.

“Bossy. You want them off, you take them off.” He smirked, daring me to make a move.

I pushed up against him, rolling us until his body was trapped under mine. His surprise disappeared when I peppered kisses along his collarbone. He closed his eyes as I slid down his body and tugged open his jeans. Impatient, I climbed off the bed and yanked his jeans off by the ankles. His eyes opened, and he watched me as I tossed them to the side.

As I stared at the length of his bare body, I reached down to stroke my aching cock. “You are so goddamn beautiful.”

He smiled up at me, a soft moan leaving his lips when his eyes dropped to my hand. When I climbed onto the bed, he pulled me closer and leaned up to kiss my chest. My eyes slammed shut when his warm tongue traced a nipple ring.

“You’re driving me crazy,” I said. In my mind I pictured flipping him onto his stomach and fucking him bare and raw. Hard and fast, with nothing but the sound of our bodies slapping together. I shuddered as I forced myself to slow down. This wasn’t only about me. For once I wanted to focus on someone else. I wanted Jamie to feel better than he ever had before.

“Ethan?” He slid his hand up to cup my neck, pulling my mouth down to his. “I need you to let go.”

He bit my lip, shredding the last of my control. I pulled back and sat up on my knees, my hands rough as I rolled him onto his stomach. I stared at the expanse of pale freckled skin of his shoulders, back and ass as I stroked myself again. I dug my fingers into Jamie’s hips and yanked him back on his hands and knees and rubbed myself against him, my touch possessive. I loved the shuddering moan that ripped from his chest.

“God yes,” he groaned over his shoulder as I rubbed the length of my cock against him. My body shook as I watched his lean muscles ripple down his back when he rocked back against me.

He reached below to stroke himself, moaning softly as I pushed against him again, mindless with pleasure. Leaning down, I nipped his shoulder. “I have to be inside you.”

He pointed at his bedside table, gasping when I dug my fingers into his hip and covered his hand on his cock with mine, squeezing possessively.

I pressed my lips against the back of his neck. “Wait for me.”

He moaned when I released his hand and dragged my body along the length of his as I crawled up the bed. I yanked at the drawer, plunging my hand inside blindly. I froze when Jamie pressed a kiss to my spine and shivered as he kissed a wet line down my back between my shoulders. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of him pressed against me. I rocked back against him, completely forgetting everything except for the feel of his lips on my skin, my skin tingling when his lips traced above my ass. His warm breath heated the small of my back when he chuckled and reminded me of my mission. “Lube.”

I grabbed his bottle of lube, rifling around until my fingers touched the crinkly wrapper of a condom. Snagging the rest of the packets, I dumped them on the bed with the lube and sat up. I tugged Jamie flat onto his stomach, loving his low moan as he ground against the sheets.

“Ambitious, are we?” He looked over his shoulder and nodded at the pile of condoms. My smirk slowly spread until he closed his eyes. His laid his head down on the bed, a soft groan escaping his lips. “Jesus, Ethan.”

“I plan on fucking you until we can’t walk. Hours and hours until we’re both too exhausted to even move.” I’d bury myself so deep inside him he wouldn’t be able to think about leaving me. I kissed my way up the back of his thigh, nudging his legs apart as I rubbed my hands up and down his lower back and ass.

“Shut up and fuck me, Martin.”

I couldn’t hold back my low moan. Nothing had ever sounded sexier than Jamie Lassiter commanding me to fuck him. I had to make this good for him since I knew I’d lose it as soon as I was buried balls-deep. I popped open the lube bottle and drizzled some down the cleft of his ass. I grazed his hole with my fingers and turned my hand, slowly sliding the tip of my thumb past the tight ring of muscle. Taking his muffled groans as encouragement, I slipped my free hand down and cupped his balls, slowly rolling them in my palm.

He let out a strangled moan and shuddered, pushing back against my touch. I leaned my forehead against his back, kissing the dimples right above his ass.

“Oh, God.” He groaned as my fingers grazed the base of his cock. When he began to rock his hips, I slid my thumb free and replaced it with a finger. He rocked back against me as I worked in another finger. I pushed and twisted my fingers up, feeling for the small knot of muscle deep inside him. When Jamie moaned and clenched around my finger, I closed my eyes.
Found it.
I slowly massaged him as my cock hardened painfully. I felt his fingers brush mine as he reached down to stroke himself.

“Fuck,” I grunted, gently sliding my fingers free. I quickly ripped open a packet, rolled a condom down my cock and squeezed hard at the base to hold on to my control. I coated myself in lube and pulled Jamie’s hips up as he braced himself against the bed. I let out a deep breath as I nudged the tip of my cock against him, slowly rocking my hips as he pushed back against me.

He clenched hard around my crown, his tight heat pulling me deep as I rocked my hips forward. I stilled, buried deep inside him, my balls pressed hard against his ass. Nothing had ever felt as good as being buried inside Jamie Lassiter as he moaned my name.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jamie

I panted hard and closed my eyes. Feeling Ethan buried this deep was beyond intense. He kissed my shoulders, body shaking with the effort of not moving as he allowed me to adjust. The stinging fullness lasted for only a minute or two. I shuddered again as he murmured in a low voice, his words a jumble of sounds. Once he felt me relax under him, he began to slowly thrust.

He sat back on his haunches and wrapped an inked arm around my chest, pulling me up to lean against his body. I closed my eyes and moaned as he kissed my neck and shoulders. He rocked his hips, shallow thrusts that sent heat shooting through my body. My head lolled against his shoulder as my hips followed his rhythm.

“I’m not gonna last long,” he murmured, voice shaky. I gripped the back of his neck with my fingers as we slowly moved. Heat rippled over my skin and a knot of tension settled low in my stomach, tightening with every slow thrust.

“You feel so damn good. Don’t hold back, Ethan.” I panted as he rocked his hips, sliding deep as I arched with pleasure against him. Desperate with need, I pushed myself back on his body, moaning low in my throat when he thrust with more force. His ragged breath was hot against my ear. How had I never felt this before?

I slid my hand up into his hair, tugging hard. I turned my head and pulled his mouth to mine, desperate to taste him. Our teeth knocked together with the force of the kiss, and a low whine left my throat when his lips bruised mine. Nothing and no one had ever felt this good. No one but Ethan. Delirious with pleasure, I ran my other hand down my body to palm my straining dick. My hand stroked in time with our lazy thrusts and I rubbed my thumb over the tip, my grip tightening.

He broke the kiss, his eyes unfocused with pleasure and breathing ragged. Our mingled sweat mixed with the slip-slide of his body against mine and the rub of his piercings against my back only intensified the pleasure.

Overwhelmed by the indefinable emotion burning in his eyes, I tightened my hand and stroked faster. Pressure built low in my stomach, until another deep thrust hit a spot that sent pleasure arcing through my whole body. When I gasped, Ethan rolled his hips, nailing the spot again and again until I shook uncontrollably. Sticky heat covered my hand as I pulsed, my grip almost painful as my skin grew sensitive and I shivered.

Ethan’s breath grew even more ragged against my neck and he shoved my chest down against the bed. He slid his arm free and dug his fingers hard into my hips, yanking my ass back against him. My cry of pleasure only seemed to fuel his desire as he began to thrust deeper inside me.

I writhed underneath him, reveling in his loss of control, until he finally shuddered and shook behind me. He slammed into me one last time and tensed, pulsing inside me as he came. I shivered when he whispered my name, his voice cracking with emotion.

His body went loose and heavy on mine as we both fought for breath in a tangled mess of limbs. After a few moments, he raised his head slightly and kissed my neck.

The shiver running down my spine had nothing to do with the cooling sweat now coating my body and everything to do with the man I finally had in my bed. I turned my face to the side and lazily opened my eyes. Ethan’s face was still buried in my neck. I lifted my hand to rest it on the back of his head and dragged my fingers through his sweaty hair.

He mumbled, “I know we’re about to get very uncomfortable here, but I don’t want to move.”

I gently scored his scalp with my nails and he groaned when my body shifted under his. “Trust me. I’m in no hurry for you to move anytime soon.”

He kissed my neck again, then slowly pulled out of me. He rocked back on his knees as I turned onto my side to face him. “That was incredible.”

With very slow and deliberate movements, he leaned down and captured my lips with a gentle kiss. “More than incredible. Let me take care of this and I’ll be right back.”

As I rested my weight on my elbow to watch him as he walked to my bathroom I marveled at how I’d never felt anything close to what we’d just done.

“I know you’re looking at my ass right now,” he said, voice smug.

I laughed and threw a pillow. “It’s a nice ass. Definitely much nicer bare.”

With a sigh, I settled back against the bed as the sounds of the toilet flushing and water running drifted into the bedroom from the bathroom. A soft thump made me jump and turn in the direction of the bathroom. The pillow I’d thrown was lying at the foot of the bed. Ethan was leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What about my ass?”

I smirked as he pushed away from the doorjamb and sauntered to the foot of the bed. With one swift movement, he grabbed my ankles and pulled me flat on my back.

“What the hell...”

“Just getting you where I need you.” He grinned, slowly dragging his body along mine. Need shot through my blood as his lips trailed kisses along my chest until they stopped at my collarbone. I arched under him when his teeth grazed, leaving a red mark. “That’s it. Now you’re exactly where I need you.”

I ran my hands along his sides as he nipped his way along my neck to my jaw. “I’d say you’re exactly where I need you.”

He chuckled against my skin and rocked his half-hard length against mine. I dug my fingers into his hips, using his weight to roll him over onto the bed and pin him underneath me.

The surprise on his face was priceless. “Now this is exactly where I need you to be.” I grazed his earlobe with my teeth, earning an incoherent sound from him.

“Holy hell, that was hot.” His hands shot up and grabbed my hips, pulling me down to grind against him. Hunger drove me as I pulled back to grin down at him. I’d just had Ethan inside me and I already craved him again.

“What did you mention earlier about fucking me until I can’t walk?”

He growled and arched up under me, pulling my mouth down to his as my hands gripped his shoulders.

I didn’t care what happened tomorrow or next week. My parents and the stress about school and the scholarship could wait. For now, I had Ethan Martin in my bed. For once, what I wanted was all that mattered.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ethan

I blinked at the sunlight coming in through the window, my whole body stiffening when my gritty eyes finally focused. This wasn’t my room.

And I wasn’t alone.

When the long, blond-haired and very male body wrapped around me burrowed closer underneath the blankets, my confused brain finally kicked into gear. Jamie. The way he’d felt wrapped around my body, his eyes on mine as we’d moved together, shot heat straight to my groin. How he’d sounded when he’d cried out in pleasure was permanently burned into my brain.

But more than the physical was how we’d talked and laughed afterward. Really laughed. The crazy thing was finding out how much we actually had in common. I’d never mention to him that khakis would from now on cause instant boners. Some weaknesses were never meant to be revealed. I sighed. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And even though he felt good in my arms, I knew this would only complicate shit, not only for us at school, but for Jamie with his parents. We’d have to talk about it sooner or later, but with him so warm and inviting next to me, I’d opt for later.

He let out a low groan as he shifted against my body. Still totally naked and smelling of us and sex, I couldn’t restrain my body’s reaction as my cock hardened against his thigh. Morning wood plus a naked Lassiter was a recipe for awesomeness.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you serious?” Jamie mumbled as he shifted closer, wincing as he carefully nestled against my body.

I chuckled and lifted the blanket, peering underneath. “You’re naked. What did you expect?”

“I feel like I ran a marathon and you’re poking me?” he grumbled.

I pulled up the blanket and brushed my lips over his, loving the warmth of his body. “Not many things you could do where I wouldn’t be poking you.”

Jamie opened one eye to stare at me warily. “You’re a morning person, aren’t you? That’s it. I’m out of here. Perkiness is a total deal breaker.”

“Me? Nope. But you can’t be all naked and next to me and expect me to go back to sleep. Shit, Jamie. I don’t have as much self-control as you think I do,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and kissing his neck.

Jamie sighed, nudging my chin up for a soft, slow kiss. I pulled back, staring as my chest tightened with emotion. A tired, well-loved, scruffy Jamie Lassiter was a sight to behold.

His cheeks flushed under my scrutiny and he kissed me again. His deep groan echoed mine when he rocked his hardening cock against my stomach. He flinched when I dug my fingers into his ass and I froze. “The spirit is willing, but the body is tired and achy. It’s been forever since I had anything close to last night. Actually? I’ve never had a night like last night,” he admitted, shooting me a sheepish look.

I ran my eyes over his body again as he moaned and buried his face against my shoulder. “Go take a long, hot shower. It’ll help.” I smiled when his lips brushed against my skin, and I skimmed my hands along his sides.

“So. Not. Helping,” he grumbled.

“I’d scrub your back but you know I have a problem keeping my hands to myself.”

This time his groan was a frustrated growl. “You’re evil.”

My body shook with laughter at his glare as he crawled out of the covers. I let out a low, amazed whistle, admiring the red marks left by my teeth, greedy hands and body all over his pale skin. When he turned his head, his eyes met mine and narrowed. I smirked and tented my hands behind my head.
Hot damn
,
I’m good.

“You are an insufferably smug asshole sometimes.” He laughed softly.

“Yep. And you love it.”

Shaking his head, he disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I stared up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath. Last night had felt unbelievably good. More than good. I shook my head when I realized how much trouble I was in. We’d have to talk. Today. Maybe once we were away from his bed and I had food in my system I’d be able to think more clearly, but one thing was certain—we needed to talk about what happened last night.

I dug for my boxers in the pile of discarded clothes and tugged them on. I stretched my tired and aching muscles as I wandered into his small kitchen. Breakfast was always a good cure for a bangover, right?

When I walked into the living room, I let out a low, amazed whistle. Last night I hadn’t really gotten a good look at his place I’d been so intent on getting him naked. I bet Lassiter didn’t have a single piece of secondhand furniture or mismatched pots and pans from the thrift store like Claire and I did. He’d probably never had to scavenge a lamp from a Dumpster so he could have light to study. For a moment I wondered what he thought of our place the first time he’d come over and I was ashamed. Jamie didn’t care about that shit. Why should I?

When I peered inside the fully stocked fridge, I found it filled with enough food to man a station at work. I pulled out some eggs, milk and found some vegetables to throw into an omelet. You could never go wrong with an omelet.

His kitchen was almost as well stocked with appliances and gadgets as the classrooms at the Institute. I set to work making the most spectacular omelet Jamie had ever eaten. I wasn’t sure how hungry Jamie was, but if the rumbling in my stomach was any indication, I was going to have to make enough for third and fourth servings.

I had just preheated the pan to glaze it with butter when I heard a knock at the door. I turned off the burner and paused. He hadn’t mentioned having any plans today.

The knocking grew louder as Jamie appeared, running a towel over his wet hair. “Is someone at the door?”

I stared at him, swallowing hard. Standing in the kitchen, shirtless and in some well-worn jeans with the top button undone, he looked amazing.

“Ethan?”

I shook my head to clear it, trying to focus on something other than the thought of dragging Jamie back to bed to continue our activities from last night. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to answer it. You expecting someone?”

He checked the clock on his microwave and frowned. It was early and we didn’t have class until the afternoon. He scratched the back of his neck as he made his way to the door. “Maybe it’s Carla from down the hall. She’s always coming over to borrow stuff.”

I leaned against the kitchen counter, wondering briefly if I should grab a shirt when Jamie cracked the door open.

A deep voice boomed inside the apartment from the hallway. “James? What took you so long to answer the door? We’ve been standing in the hallway for ages.”

He hesitated, fear written all over his face. The confident man from last night was gone. In his place was the kid who’d been controlled by his overbearing parents his entire life.

Jamie shook his head as a woman I assumed was his mother pushed her way past him into the apartment.

“It’s about time, James. And why aren’t you dressed? It’s almost the afternoon. You can’t expect anyone to take you seriously if you sleep your days away. Anyway, we have some things to discuss with you—” She stopped midsentence, her eyes running over my disheveled appearance with the same perfunctory disdain her husband had used.

“Mom, this isn’t what you think it—”

Mrs. Lassiter’s cold glare rested on me as she questioned her son. “James, is this who I think it is?”

I pushed away from the counter and extended my hand with the biggest fake smile I could muster. “Mrs. Lassiter, right? Jamie’s told me a lot about you, but he didn’t tell me how beautiful you are. I’m Ethan Martin. We go to school together.”

Jamie’s asshole dad emerged from behind him, pushing him out of his way to face me. His face flushed as and he jabbed a finger in my direction, his words dripping with condescension. “You. I knew it. I didn’t want to believe, but it’s true.” He narrowed his eyes at Jamie.

I waited for the show, expecting Jamie to stand up for himself. After all, he had no problem telling me off and putting me in my place. But instead of holding his ground like he had at school in the restaurant kitchen, he visibly sagged under his father’s criticism. The effect was instantaneous as his shoulders drooped and his eyes shifted to the floor. “James. Explain yourself. I want to hear it from your own lips: What is
he
doing
here?
”

Jamie opened and closed his mouth a few times and swallowed hard before answering. “Mom. Dad. This is Ethan from school. We were working on a project late last night so he stayed over. You know how late-night study sessions go...”

My eyes snapped up to his face in shock as unexpected hurt ripped through me. He was the first person I’d felt any kind of connection to. The first person I’d put myself out there with the possibility of more at the back of my mind. But he’d fooled me. He’d had me convinced he was different than everyone else, that even with his background, he and I were similar. But I wouldn’t be with someone who looked at me like I was shit on the bottom of his expensive shoes. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was and I wasn’t going to pretend to be anything other than myself, not to Lassiter or his parents.

I schooled my expression into cocky indifference, pushing down the hurt so it settled in a low knot in my stomach. Whatever. If this was how he wanted to play it, fine. I had shit to do and it wasn’t getting done staring at Mr. and Mrs. Perfect Asswipe. “I was just leaving. I have shit to do. Like washing dishes and cleaning classrooms. Menial labor shit.” I pushed away from the counter and walked to the bedroom to get my things. I brushed past Jamie, my shoulder bumping against his as he drew in a breath.

I shut the door behind me and sat down heavily on the bed. I ran my shaking hands through my hair to distract myself when all I wanted to do was pick up the lamp on Lassiter’s bedside table and hurl it across the room. I needed to get the hell out of this apartment before I completely lost it and made an even bigger ass out of myself.

What had I thought would happen? One night of amazing sex and everything would be peachy and perfect the next morning? I was an idiot for actually thinking last night was the beginning of something. Me and my shitty karma. The universe was finally getting back at me for all the times I’d fucked and left over the years.

I clenched my hands as I searched the room for my things. The truth was, he was in the closet with a set of parents who were determined to run his life. And from what happened in his living room, he was going to let them. Well, fuck him and them. I didn’t need this shit or Lassiter. Sex was sex, and I didn’t need distractions from school or the scholarship, and I certainly didn’t need someone like Jamie Lassiter shoving me into his already overcrowded closet.

I grabbed the rest of my clothes off the floor and dressed in record time. When I walked back into the living room, Lassiter was seated on his couch as his dad loomed over him. The elder Lassiter waved his arms around wildly, face flushed an angry red as he ranted. “...and you’re wasting all your potential on what? Those so-called classes you love? They’re a waste and you know it. And don’t even get me started on the crowd you’ve suddenly begun hanging around.”

As pissed off as I was at Lassiter, his dad made me want to punch a hole through the wall. I stalked over to him and got in his face, smirking when he flinched. “You know what? I’m glad my dad is out of the picture. At least he isn’t around to treat me like shit the way you do your own son. He’s twenty-two years old. He’s not some little kid you can push around anymore.” I paused and glared at Golden Boy. “Unless he refuses to tell you what he wants. Then I guess it’s a crap shoot.”

As I glanced at Lassiter one last time, the longing tempered with disappointment. “No need for us to get together again. I’ll email you my part of the project. Later, Lassiter.”

I picked up my keys from the kitchen counter and stuffed them in my pocket.

“Ethan, wait!”

I didn’t look back as I yanked open the apartment door, leaving him with his parents. I was an idiot for thinking being with someone like him was even a possibility. We lived in two different worlds. I, for one, was happy being myself and I wouldn’t waste my time on someone who couldn’t see he was perfect the way he was. Maybe not perfect like his parents, but perfect for him. But that was his shit to work out. I had my own problems to deal with and none of them had anything to do with Jamie Lassiter. I needed to get my head on straight and start focusing on winning the scholarship.

I slammed the door to Lassiter’s apartment, leaving it all behind me once and for all.