November Rain (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Joe couldn't have reached for Elias if he wanted, and that was probably for the best.

Elias had one hand on Joe's good thigh, holding them both steady. He washed in slow circles around Joe's cock then pressed the cloth along the inside of Joe's leg before retreating back to the more easily reached pubic hair.

“Don't be shy.” Joe cupped Elias's head. With some guys, Joe might have felt presumptuous, petting them like a kid, but with Elias it felt right.

Elias leaned in and kissed the parts he'd washed, hiding his face while he pressed the washcloth under Joe's balls. The pressure lifted Joe's dick, making him shudder. Elias's cheek brushed Joe's erection. He was glad he didn't have full use of his hands, or he would have led Elias's mouth right where he wanted.

“Let me get around…” Joe shifted position, getting the sink behind him. It had been a long time since he'd come just from a guy teasing him, but it wasn't out of the question. The last thing he needed was another trip to the Emergency Room.

“Okay.” Elias took the opportunity to rinse the washcloth again.

With the sink at his back giving him enough support, Joe caressed Elias's jaw. Joe needed this, and he knew Elias wanted to give it. The only problem was Joe had no idea how much to push.

“That feels so good,” Joe said by way of encouragement.

Elias rubbed his nose into the crease of Joe's leg. He slipped the washcloth back, stroking warm wetness around Joe's ass and balls.

Joe gripped his cock, needing some pressure. He couldn't ask Elias to blow him. Making that request out loud would scare Elias off. Joe hardly knew this kid at his feet, but he'd learned one thing for certain—Elias's path would be slow and careful. Doing the wrong thing would send the kid running.

He stroked his length against Elias's face, then his hair since Elias had started kissing lower. That inquisitive tongue laved Joe's sac, sending shivers down his legs.

“Fuck, yeah.” Praise Joe could mutter out loud, and Elias responded by licking deeper, hungrily mouthing Joe's balls.

Elias's hands grew bolder too, one going to Joe's ass, washcloth wedged between Joe's cheeks, the other framing Joe's cock, thumb on that sweet, sensitive spot on the inside of his thigh.

All the while, Joe kept up a slow, steady pump. His shaft was wet from water, the tip slippery from precome. Joe missed this—jacking himself just how he liked it while a guy sucked and teased him everywhere else. So many guys he hooked up with went right for the kill, and Dan…well, he'd never been one to mess around with foreplay.

“So good. Yeah… God…” Joe sped up his hand. Close as he was, he didn't feel the need to ask Elias to suck it. Why bother when a second later they'd have that awkward decision about whether or not Elias would swallow?

“I'm gonna come for you.” Joe scrubbed his fingers through Elias's hair. Even if he wasn't in Elias's mouth, Joe felt like he should give warning. “You want that?”

Elias's furious nodding was all the agreement Joe needed. He leaned back and closed his eyes to finish himself off. Elias worked up the base of Joe's shaft…over his knuckles…until Elias licked the spot right under Joe's crown.

“Fuuuu…” Joe came harder than he could remember, gripping the sink behind him. Come wrenched out of his well-worked balls and from his tip, and he had no idea where it landed, except for the vague sense that Elias was lapping everywhere, like he could work out just one more shock.

“C'mere.” Joe urged Elias to stand. The head rush hit Joe like a ton of bricks, and he needed Elias to hold on to. Joe had to kiss away the doubts he knew must be swimming around in Elias's mind. “So good. Fuck. So fucking good.” Eyes still closed, he pressed his lips to Elias's, tasting musk and a little soap.

Elias's arms went around him, wiry and strong. His erection prodded Joe on the hip.

“What do you want?” Joe thought it best not to make any assumptions. He kissed his way down Elias's neck to his collarbone, giving the kid a chance to answer.

Elias shrugged, and that thin slice of bone rose into Joe's mouth. “I don't know.”

“Well, I showed you how I get off. How about you show me what you do?”

“I…” Elias tensed. The subtle pumping of his cock said that he was too close to stop.

“You want to go to the bed?” Joe knew some guys either couldn't or didn't like to orgasm while standing. If Elias's knees gave out, Joe didn't want to be in a position to have to catch him.

“Yes, that would be better.”

Smiling, Joe grabbed the washcloth out of Elias's hand and reached behind him to rinse it in the sink. Joe wiped off the come draped across Elias's chest.

The hassle of crutches dimmed the intensity somewhat as they made their way across the apartment, but Joe figured that was a good thing. By the time they sat on Joe's bed, Elias was still breathing fast, but he wasn't shaking like he'd been in the bathroom.

“So…” Joe got his legs up on the bed, barely feeling the pain with the float of post-orgasm tiredness. “Let's see what you got.” He was feeling cheeky and relaxed, and gave Elias's underwear a meaningful glance.

“Oh.” Elias cupped the bulge in his briefs. “Well, I normally don't take them off.”

Joe schooled his face to a neutral expression so he wouldn't look shocked. “You don't have to.” Now that Joe knew those briefs weren't coming off, he couldn't take his eyes from them. Elias's modesty certainly put a limit on what Joe could expect sexually, but it was a delicious torment, made all the better by the fact that Joe really wasn't up to fucking anytime soon. “Do you rub over your shorts?”

Elias clamored across the bed and flicked the light switch before lying on his stomach.

“I do this.”

In the faint glow of streetlights coming through his window, Joe noticed the sinewy way Elias rolled his body. He ground into the bed, his forehead creased but his eyes open, like he was asking Joe if it was okay.

“God, you are gorgeous.” Joe teased a fingertip down Elias's arm. When his eyelids fluttered closed, Joe took it as permission to do more. “Do you take your time? Go slow? Or usually just get to the end as fast as you can?”

Not knowing how Elias lived, Joe couldn't imagine. Maybe he roomed with family members or roommates. Grinding into the bed was the only way he could get off in secret.

“Slow. Usually.” Elias slithered closer, moving more of his body under Joe's roving fingers.

When Joe drew a path down Elias's spine, Elias tensed like maybe he was coming already. “You okay?” Joe stroked light passes across his lower back, right above the band of his underwear.

“Yeah.” The breathless way Elias answered sounded close, but not quite there yet.

Good thing, too, because Joe was just getting started. He'd never much seen the attraction in younger men before—other than the fact they were generally horny and easy to lay. But in Elias's steady stare, Joe understood what men liked about being with guys less experienced. There was an excitement, a giddy glee of discovery that Joe enjoyed as much as he envied.

He could never get back to that place. But good God, it was nice to take Elias there.

“How about this?” Joe eased his hand under Elias's waistband.

“Oh God.” Elias thrust at the bed and held it.

Joe suspected Elias was coming, and watched closely for that gasp. But slowly Elias pulled back, calming into a relaxed grind.

Funny, the kid was
edging
, though he might not have been aware there was a name for it.

“More?” Elias asked with his eyes closed. The way he arched his back, pushing his ass into Joe's hand, said as much as his words.

“Okay.” Taking a chance, Joe eased Elias's underwear lower. Luckily, the waistband was loose and worn enough to slip over his hips without hassle. Elias must have to shop in the teen department to find underwear that really fit.

“Shit, shit, shit…” Elias shivered, perfect little ass quivering as he gave tiny humps into the bed.

“You okay?” Joe smirked so he wouldn't laugh. Elias was holding on so hard. The kid's head would explode when he finally came.

“Yes,” Elias said breathlessly. He met Joe with a steady stare. “Touch me more.”

“You can come if you want.” Joe drew circles over Elias's tailbone, right where his rear end divided into halves.

Elias wanted that touch deeper, down between his legs to the dark places he'd searched out on Joe. But while Joe had been able to withstand even Elias's most determined exploration, Elias worried that a single slip of Joe's fingers along his crease would prove the end.

“Not yet.” Elias held as still as he could, though his bent and swollen dick begged for friction. He pressed into the mattress, eyes closing at the relief.

Then Joe did exactly what Elias had feared. He slid his fingertips into the furrow bared by Elias's underwear. The feel of that stole Elias's breath, made him dizzy. That sensation broke the tethers of propriety and morality. A sound came from him he didn't recognize. One of pure need, and a sound for Joe and Joe alone.

“So sexy.” Joe leaned in to kiss his ear. His touch worked deeper, to that spot at Elias's center, behind his balls. A bare fingertip rubbing there made Elias whine, but if he came now, he'd lose this feeling. The worries that waved around him like faint strings would harden back to iron chains, and he'd go back to being the person he was before, instead of the beautiful creature he was right now, full of sensation and worthy of every bit of Joe's attention.

So instead, Elias gripped tight on his control, and with what coordination he had left, he spread his legs.

Joe passed a hand inside Elias's underwear to cup his balls, and he could have floated away—no longer having to wonder what was right.

“So tight.” Joe squeezed, measuring and murmuring. With a hand on Elias's hip, Joe moved him just enough to get at his front. Joe pulled Elias's underpants out of the way, setting his cock free to rub against the bed unimpeded.

Before Elias could argue, Joe whispered in his ear. “Don't worry about it. We can change the sheets.”

“Oh, God.” Elias rutted into the fabric. The bed smelled like Joe.

Cool air…hot fingers… Elias felt so open he could have let Joe do anything.

“Look at how sexy you are…” Joe reached deep now, shamelessly groping Elias's backside, stroking along his crease and even teasing his opening. With kisses on Elias's cheek, Joe whispered encouragement, as if somehow he knew how hard it was for Elias to do this alone, much less with someone else watching.

“Can't wait to see you lose it. You'll fuck my bed so hard, shout 'cause it feels so good. Maybe I'll push my finger up that tight little hole of yours so I can feel it when you shoot.”

“Angh!” Elias bit the edge of a pillow, grinding his teeth so he wouldn't scream like a girl. The orgasm caught him in its grip, throwing him into spasms that centered on his dick and his buttocks but echoed down his legs and into his belly.

Joe hooked him behind his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

“Damn.” Joe was thick against Elias's leg. Hard again, though Joe's sated groan said he didn't need to orgasm a second time.

Elias wondered what to do about clean up. When Joe had finished, he'd been the one to take care of things, so Elias reciprocated. “Err… I'll go get a washcloth.”

“Okay, sweetie.” Joe smiled, rubbing his thumb along Elias's cheek.

“Are you thirsty?” Elias found his shirt on the floor and put it back on.

Joe's eyes were full of questions. Maybe he read correctly that Elias was at a loss as to how to behave. “Tea would be good. I'm sure I've got something without caffeine.”

Elias nodded, glad they were back to a topic he felt comfortable with. “I'll make something. Can I help with the sheets?” He hoped that after what they'd done together Joe would be more relaxed about letting Elias clean.

“Yeah. I suppose there's no way to avoid that. I've got another set in the closet.” Joe pushed himself to standing. He grumbled, rubbing his face the way he always seemed to when he didn't want to ask for things.

Elias was beginning to understand Joe's signals. “I don't mind.” Elias headed to the bathroom and washed off his front, then gathered the used washcloth together with some rags he spotted on the floor. If he was going to do laundry, he may as well get all of it.

“So, we're still on for the wedding this weekend, right?” Joe called from the main room.

Elias grinned as he started the shower. “Yes, of course.” He couldn't have been prouder for following Henri's advice. “I can't wait.”

Chapter Eight

“You're dressed up.” Solomon set down the paper he was reading. “Where are you going?”

“To see a friend.” Elias touched his tie, wondering if it had been too much. So few men in Seattle dressed for social occasions. Still, Elias hadn't been able to resist the new Rag & Bone woven silk.

“A friend from work?” Solomon's beard had grown out slightly. Maybe he was trying to create a rugged look, though mostly he seemed exhausted.

“Someone I met at work.” There was nothing wrong with Elias going to a party with a friend. Even a male friend.

“A girl?” Solomon raised an eyebrow.

Elias wasn't sure how to respond, so he opted for honesty. “No. A guy friend.”

Solomon's expression became calculating, making him look more like their father. Mentioning homosexuality growing up could earn any of them a firm swat across the mouth. Though Solomon had lived in the US since he was three, Elias never quite knew how his brother felt about the beliefs they'd been raised with.

“What are you talking about?” Sara came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishcloth.

Elias tried to remember to speak with his brother in Amharic when they were together at home, but he so often forgot. Growing up, they'd spoken English at least half the time.

“Elias is going to a party with a friend from work.” Solomon smirked at Elias's outfit. “A fancy party, it looks like.”

“Oh.” Sara clasped her hands in front of her. She put on a good show in front of her husband, but her smile was tight. “Anyone we know?”

She'd only met Dawit once, and that was the only Ethiopian person Elias knew from work. Perhaps what Sara meant was,
Is it someone from the neighborhood? One of us? A brother or cousin or uncle of our extended family?

Elias shook his head. “No. He's…” Part of him wanted to say
white
, though he knew if he did both Sara and Solomon would raise their voices like he was crazy and shallow for making that kind of distinction. “He's just someone who works in my department. A lot of us are going. It's something of a work party.”

Sara nodded, apparently appeased, but Solomon narrowed his eyes. “When do you think you'll be home?”

“I don't know if I'll come home after.” Elias refused to make excuses on that front. He'd slept at Joe's one night already and hadn't felt any need to tell his brother where he'd been. After all the times Elias had covered for Solomon's rule breaking when they were teens, Elias didn't think he owed his brother any explanations.

“Well, I'd rather know if you'd be coming in late.” Solomon glanced at his wife and switched back to English. “You could scare her. If you're planning to stay out again, text me so we know to lock the doors.”

Elias looked at the floor. His brother was right. He and Sara were kind enough to let Elias live in their house. The least Elias could do was not abuse their trust. “I suspect I'll stay out for the night.”

Solomon nodded. He didn't ask where Elias would sleep, and Elias was glad. “Well, text to let us know your plans in the morning.”

“Sure.” Elias had already grabbed his backpack. Perhaps bringing his sleep clothes was presumptuous, but Joe had said the wedding might go late. If that was the case, Elias wanted to go to Joe's after.

Elias gave Sara a smile on his way out. “See you tomorrow,” he told her in Amharic, adding a small wave.

Lightly, she touched his arm. “Enjoy your friends.”

As Elias hurried down the stairs, he wished he could have invited her. As strange as the wedding would be, and as much as the gay element would horrify her, she really needed to get out more. There would be food and music and people. More light than Solomon and Sara kept on in their apartment.

The rain on his face was fresh and cool, and the sky looked brighter outside.

Sara wanted to feel the sun on her cheeks, though, intense enough to warm her even with long sleeves and a headscarf. She'd never understood Elias's admonition to try short sleeves. Her modesty wouldn't allow it.

He turned up his stereo in his car, listening to a rap station Joe had programmed. The drive to Joe's apartment only took a few minutes. Joe stood in front, looking handsome in a sweater and dress shirt. He wore jeans underneath, making Elias feel overdressed. Elias was used to it, though. Working the sales floor, he usually dressed better than the customers.

“Took you long enough.” Joe smiled as he got into the car. “You need directions?”

“No. I looked it up on GPS.” Elias turned down the stereo so they could talk as they drove.

“So.” Joe rubbed Elias's hand. “I never asked where you live. Around here, I guess.”

“Yeah.” Elias didn't want to talk about his home life with Joe. Someone like him couldn't understand how taboo homosexuality was in African culture. “I'm over by Garfield High School.”

“Oh.” Joe pressed his lips together as if he got the sense Elias didn't want any more questions.

“Did you live with Dan in Capitol Hill?” Elias reciprocated.

“No.” Joe frowned. “Queen Anne.”

Elias was at a loss as to what to say next. The things he wanted to know, he wasn't sure he could get the answer to. Like whether Joe had loved Dan very much. “I'm sorry things didn't work out with you. You said you were together ten years? You must have been young when you met.”

“We were. Twenty-eight and twenty-six. Too young to be getting so serious.” He leaned back in his seat, his voice quiet and his expression flat. “But it was always an open thing with us. Even in the beginning. We figured that way no one would get hurt.”

Elias wasn't sure what that meant. “Open? How?”

“Oh, you know. At first just hand jobs or blowjobs with other guys.”

Elias's breath came quicker, and he hoped Joe didn't notice. As much as he liked Joe, Elias would never be able to share.

“Yeah, but after a while, we decided it was cool to have full-on sex with other people. Honestly, that's when we should have called it quits. But we'd already moved in together…”

The hotel appeared in front of them, at the bottom of the hill by the water, but Elias didn't want to end the conversation. He drove into the semicircle in front, glad there were cars ahead at the valet stand. “Why? If you loved each other, why would you want that?”

“I dunno.” Joe's eyes clouded over. “Sometimes a guy wants to get his nut off. A warm body, a wet mouth… It's just sex, kid.”

Elias hoped his judgment wasn't written all over his face. “I suppose.” He pulled to the spot where parking attendants took keys, and climbed out.

“We're looking for the Alcott-Schneider event?” Joe asked the valet directions and led the way through the door. It was only when they were inside the lush front entryway, with its modern fireplace and blown glass and elaborate rugs, that Joe touched Elias's hand.

“Listen.” His eyes were steady but calm. “We only hooked up the other night, and you don't know me well, but—”

“I can't do that.” Elias respected Joe. And Elias might not know much about gay sex or relationships, but he knew himself. He couldn't continue to be physical with Joe if they were going to be “open” the way Joe had been with his ex.

“Can't do what?” Joe laughed, but it was nervous.

“I can't share.” Elias didn't know if that was the right way to express it, but he figured Joe got the message clearly. “I like you. But that's not something I could do.”

Joe nodded, his eyes calculating. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

Elias couldn't tell if Joe was angry, but if there was more Joe wanted to say, he didn't have the opportunity. Some men Joe knew came down the hallway, waving.

“Steve, Chris, this is Elias.”

Elias wasn't sure what message these men would get. That Elias was Joe's lover? Boyfriend? Simply a warm and willing body? The last option was too painful to consider.

He shook the men's hands. Without having to think about it, Elias firmed his grip so Joe's friends knew he was strong enough to defend what was his.

Joe tried to keep up with Steve and Chris's conversation, though all his attention was on Elias. Guys didn't ask to be monogamous after a single hook-up, did they? At least not the guys Joe knew.

Steve and Chris quieted on the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, Chris spotted some other friends, and Steve followed him through to the reception area.

“So. You're serious?” Joe took Elias's hand and tugged him to a stop.

“Of course I'm serious.” Elias's gaze was perfectly steady.

Joe respected Elias for standing his ground. Even if Joe were able-bodied, he'd still be willing to give Elias his full attention for a while.

“Hey. Come over here.” He tugged Elias closer.

“Why?” Elias's gaze was teasing.

“You know why.” Joe pressed a kiss to Elias's cheek. “You're pretty cool, you know that?” Maybe that was an admission it was too early to make, but Joe didn't mind saying it. Elias might have been naïve, but he wasn't a doormat. Joe had known enough guys in their early twenties to tell the difference.

In Joe's ear, Elias whispered, “You're cool too.” The sound of it was husky and hot.

In the background, a quiet orchestral number pumped from a sound system.

“Should we go inside?” Elias tipped his head in the direction all the other men were walking.

“Yeah.” Joe looked around the room. Most of the guys at the wedding were coupled up, and Joe was glad he'd brought a guest. More than that, he was glad he'd brought Elias.

“Let's go inside, honey.” He tugged at Elias's hand then grabbed the handholds of his crutches to stride as best he could.