Rough [01] - A Bit of Rough (15 page)

The mattress dipped and James was carefully turned from his side to his back. He sluggishly opened his eyes to see Bram's concerned expression melt into a relieved, but self-satisfied smile. He watched as Bram struggled to keep the smug part to a minimum, a slight twist in the corner of his mouth giving him away. Curling into his lover's possessive embrace, James settled comfortably against the larger man and sighed contently.

"You're a bastard." He burrowed his head into the crook of Bram's neck to nip at the soft flesh under the big man's jaw. "I thought the caveman routine was just a joke."

"I told you to get used to it." Running both hands down the length of James' back, Bram lightly massaged James’ lean, wiry frame, mapping muscle and bone with his fingertips.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I didn't realize I would be carrying your sweet little butt so often." A large hand strayed lower and rubbed appreciatively over one of James' cheeks.

James jerked his head up to give the big man a narrowed-eyed glare. "And who, exactly, was responsible for my
needing
to be carried?"

With a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes and a wide, unrepentant grin on his lips, Bram smugly said, "Me. And don't you forget, baby." He pulled James up closer to his chest.

Snorting indignantly, James kissed the end of Bram's chin, locking gazes with his lover.

"I'm not likely to forget the first time I was fucked unconscious, caveman."

"Good." Bram pulled James completely up onto his chest and framed his lover's face with his large, work-rough hands. James paid more attention when Bram's voice turned husky and his tone serious. "I don't want you to forget who's the only one who can take you that far -- love you so hard, so much, so well, you see stars and blackout." His fingertips
A Bit of Rough - 83

gently caressed James' temples. "And I mean
love you
, not just make love to you." His gaze never wavered. "I love you, Jamie."

Bram's blue eyes were warm, filled with more longing and desire, more naked love than James had ever seen directed at him in his entire lifetime. Even his parents hadn't loved him this much. Not before they found out he was gay, and certainly not since.

"Bram, I think . . . I . . .." Something in the middle of his chest hitched and tore, the sudden ache and accompanying dizziness making James' gasp. He involuntarily clenched his hands, gripping the hard-muscled flesh of Bram's one shoulder and upper arm tightly enough to leave marks. He was amazed Bram's expression never changed, the man barely noticing the bruising pressure, his concentration locked on James' face and reactions.

James had started falling in love with the outgoing, straight shooting, mountain of a man in the alley behind the biker bar. He was completely taken with him by the time they had taken their walk around Bram's neighborhood. After what happened in the shower there was no point in fighting it. He was in love and there was no stopping it.

"I'm pretty sure I said it out loud in the shower, but I'll say it again, just in case you missed it." James forced his hands to relax, palms rubbing soothingly over the reddened flesh under their hold. "I love you, too, Bram."

Eyes slightly brighter, one corner of Bram's mouth twitched as he tried to hold back his usual lopsided grin of delight and failed. "Even the caveman?"

James nodded solemnly. "Especially the caveman." He tightened his hold on Bram. "I love every magnificent, muscled, macho inch of you. And that's a lot to love, caveman."

Basking in the mutual revelation, James dove down and plundered his demanding lover's mouth, matching bruising kiss for bruising kiss, and tongue stroke for tongue stroke, until they were both breathless and panting.

He wrapped his arms around Bram's neck while his lover caressed and kneaded James'

back, sides and ass with greedy hands, but exhaustion commanded the moment and neither man was prepared to take their caressing to another level so soon.

Tingling from head to toe with the overload of emotional and physical sensation, James settled himself comfortably beside Bram. They eventually worked themselves into a spoon position with Bram's bulkier frame draped around James, massive chest to slender backside. Silent, loving touches replaced words until they both drifted off to sleep.

***

"You don't have to come in. I'll be fine." James shifted in his seat beside Bram and looked at his apartment building out the passenger window of the man's truck.

A Bit of Rough - 84

"I don't mind." Bram parked the truck in front of the building and pocketed his keys, silently communicating his firm intent to accompany James.

"I can handle myself." Exasperated by the big man's attitude, James slipped from the truck. Bram followed, walking around the front of the vehicle to join James. "Williams would have to be nuts to try something again."

"That asshole is nuts." Bram slung an arm over his lover's slender shoulders and they began the short walk to the front entrance.

"Yeah, but--"

"For me, Jamie?" Bram stopped them in their tracks and looked down at James, a beseeching expression on his chiseled face and genuine worry in his eyes. "I need to know you got into your apartment and that everything is all right. Otherwise I'll end up spending the night out here in the truck watching for trouble."

It was the sincere worry in the man's gaze that swayed James. He huffed out a short, tense breath and conceded defeat. "Now who's nuts?"

Bram grinned. "My nuts are all for you, baby." He tapped James affectionately on the seat of his pants and winked suggestively at him.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, come on." James jabbed the big man in the ribs and began walking. "I'll never get up in time for work tomorrow if we waste what's left of the night arguing over that jerk." James opened the door and entered the building.

The ride up in the elevator was uneventful except for the searing kiss Bram dropped on James the moment the doors closed. Ruffled and flushed by the time the doors opened, James straightened his clothing and walked out into the hallway, giving Bram a heated glare that wavered between indignation and barely-checked lust.

Undaunted, Bram just grinned, hesitating a moment to give James a few paces to decide which way his feelings were headed, then gleefully following his lover out of the elevator.

Several feet ahead, James had just passed by Williams' apartment when the door flew open and the man barged out behind James. Williams grabbed James by the arm and swung him around so they were face to face.

The man's cheeks were swollen and bruised, the bridge of his nose bristling with the spiky ends of black sutures embedded in puffy flesh. Even more unpleasant to look at than his face were Williams' eyes. A cruel glare of bitterness was now mixed with a raw lust the man no longer took any pains to hide.

A Bit of Rough - 85

"Don't touch me." James instantly recoiled from the man, yanking his arm out of the man's grip. "You need to leave me alone, Williams."

Williams stepped closer and grunted. "Or what?"

James pushed a finger at the middle of Williams' chest but didn't make physical contact.

"Or I'll contact my lawyer, the police, and the building superintendent."

James pulled back when he felt Williams lean forward far enough to touch his chest to the pointed finger, but he continued talking. Words had always worked better for James than his fists. "It'll cost you money, time, embarrassment and maybe even your apartment. So back
OFF
!" James pushed at the air between them with both palms facing out and shook his head. "I'm not interested in
anything
from you. Understand?"

Williams flexed his hands at his sides, clenching and unclenching his fists, obviously wanting to touch James. He leaned against the wall by his door and made his voice sound calm and reasonable though the words weren't. "Maybe if I lose my apartment I can come bunk at your place. You're not home much lately." He smiled. To James it was nothing more than a leering, ugly grimace. "I'd love to sleep in your bed."

In one stride, Bram was at Williams' side, flipping the man back to slam his shoulder blades against the wall. "If you don't wise up and leave him alone," Bram braced one arm beside Williams' head and leaned down until he was inches from Williams' startled face,

"the next thing you'll be sleeping on could be a metal slab. You know, the kind they have at the city morgue." Bram tapped the end of the man's broken nose with one fingertip.

"Understand me?"

Flinching, color seeped from Williams' cheeks and his breathing turned shallow.

Swallowing hard, he jerked his head to one side in a stilted nod of silent agreement.

Bram waited a beat then straightened, removing his arm from blocking Williams' retreat into his apartment. The other man didn't even glance at James, only sparing a simmering glare of hatred at Bram before disappearing behind his door. The sound of several heavy locks falling into place broke the tension in the air.

Smiling Bram turned around to see an unhappy James waiting for him. "What?"

Silently turning on his heel, James stormed down to his apartment door and let himself in, leaving the door open for Bram as a reluctant afterthought. When he heard the door close, James spun around and confronted his lover.

"Why did you do that? I had it under control."

Genuinely surprised, Bram was clearly baffled by James' anger. "Do what? Talk to the guy?"

A Bit of Rough - 86

Putting his hands on both lean hips, James continued to fume. "I had it under control."

Pacing back and forth in front of his lover, James alternated his stare between Bram and the hallway behind the wall of his apartment. "Look, you can't be with me twenty-four hours a day, Bram."

Bram lowered his voice and solemnly said, "We're both glad I was here yesterday, Jamie." He reached out and stopped James from pacing, rubbing his hand gently over one of his lover's arms to calm him.

James took a deep steadying breath and nodded. "I know, and yes, you're right, I'm glad you were there, too, then." He looked up at Bram and let the man see the gratitude in his eyes then firmly said, "But I have to fight my own fights whenever I can. I may be smaller than a lot of other guys, but I'm still a grown man."

"Okay." Bram nodded. "I'm sorry." He heaved a sigh of frustration and shook his head. "I don't like the creep. Life has taught me to protect the things I cherish." He placed both hands on James' arms and coaxed him closer. "And that means you."

Leaning into the warmth the big man offered, James rested his hands on Bram's chest and lightly rapped his knuckles against the wall of firm muscle. "I understand that. I even like that." James smirked and lifted his eyebrows. "Actually, I love that about you." But then his voice became serious. "But promise me you won't step in again like that unless I really can't handle the situation on my own. Williams makes me feel helpless enough as it is." A frown marred the smooth skin between his eyebrows and clouded his deep blue, pleading eyes. "Don't you make me feel helpless, too. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll try." Bram breathed in a deep sigh. "But I don't think I'll be very good at it, Jamie. I'm hardwired to protect what's mine." Bram shrugged and looked apologetic. "It's a caveman thing."

"All the guys in the world and I have to fall for a possessive Neanderthal." James reached up to give Bram a forgiving kiss.

Rather than lean down into the kiss, the large man started to lift James off his feet, but paused in mid-lift. A concerned frown marred his handsome face as Bram asked, "Make you feel too helpless if I do this?"

James snickered and held on to the man. "No, caveman, it'll make me feel tall." He rubbed his tightening groin against Bram's muscular thigh. "And horny."

The frown disappeared and Bram finished lifting James up, bringing their mouths together for a deep, claiming kiss.

Feet dangling off the floor, James pulled back from the rapidly building passion.

Wrapping his arms around Bram's stout neck, James made a mental note to set his alarm
A Bit of Rough - 87

for an hour earlier than usual before diving back in for more of that demanding kiss, murmuring, "A caveman. Lucky me."

A Bit of Rough - 88

Chapter Eight

Bram had reluctantly left James' apartment after a hot and very pleasurable grope session on the couch Sunday night. James had managed to get six hours of sleep before his alarm shattered a stunningly realistic dream he was having about making it with Bram in the bed of the big man's truck.

James' work morning had been full of the usual Monday project status meetings, phone calls, and endless cups of coffee, mixed with memories from the weekend that brought a flush to his face and a stirring in his groin at the most inconvenient times.

One particularly lust-filled memory spurred by a sudden deep ache in his backside during a brainstorming session prompted a secretary to ask if he was running a fever. James has shifted uncomfortably onto one hip and blushed a deeper red while claiming the room was too warm for him. It gave him a convenient excuse to loosen his tie and drape his suit coat in his lap over the growing bulge in his pants.

Lunch was take-out James didn't even want. Just as he pushed away the remaining half of his sandwich, the phone rang. Tempted to ignore it, James let it ring six times before guilt surfaced and he broke down and answered.

Tired and distracted, James let his words out in a breathy sigh. "James Justin speaking."

"Now that's the voice I've been wanting to hear all day."

The gravelly, velvet tones of his lover shot straight to James' groin and his cock sat up and took notice, as did James. He straightened up in his chair and a smile broke out on his blushing face. "Bram! Hey. I was hoping you'd call. I thought maybe we could have met for lunch."

"Sorry, Jamie. I had something personal to take care of over lunch." Bram's response was distracted and curt, then he softened his tone to ask, "What about dinner tonight?"