The Wrong Man (22 page)

“Naked, Jake.” I whispered in his ear, tracing the outer shell with my tongue.

Jake went still and then gulped loudly. “Fuck. Yes.”

He tightened his hold around my ass as he backed away from the wall, carrying me down the short hallway to my bedroom. Laughter bubbled to the surface when he tossed me like a rag doll onto the fluffy comforter. He climbed over me quickly, sealing his mouth over mine and effectively shutting me up with a kiss so tender, my eyes flew open in surprise. The switch from blatant sexual frenzy to this sweet caress had me reeling. Jake pulled back enough to stare meaningfully into my eyes before bending to kiss my nose and chin.

“Bran, I want—”

I set a finger on his lips and smiled softly. “Me too.”

His nostrils flared slightly as he stood and pulled his T-shirt over his head before his hands went directly to his belt buckle. Through hooded eyes I watched him unzip his jeans and slide them over his slim hips. My mouth watered with anticipation, and I went straight for the bulge in my lightweight khaki trousers. I kneaded my flesh through the fabric but kept my focus on Jake. I was mesmerized by the sight of his muscled torso and toned arms. There was something about a hunky man standing over me wearing a pair of jeans low on his hips with the fly undone that made my blood pulse wildly. Never mind the sexy tattoo or the fact the half-naked man was also a fireman.

His lips curled on one side in a lascivious smile as he toed off his shoes and hooked his thumbs into his jeans, lowering them slightly. I swallowed hard and pushed the palm of my hand into my throbbing cock hard as my gaze traveled all over his body. I didn’t want to miss any piece of the action, though I kept going back to that tantalizing bit of skin on his pelvis, the V line pointing directly to his rigid, denim-encased cock.

“Jake, take your jeans off.” My voice sounded far away and strained.

“You’re the one wearing way too—” Jake stopped at the sound of Mack’s mewling cry coming from the corner of the room. He huffed impatiently before turning away from me. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

“What’s wrong? Is he hurt?” I propped myself on my elbows to see what was the matter.

Mack was biting furiously at the booties and crying in frustration when he couldn’t remove them. Jake crouched low to help him out, soothing him with softly spoken words as he worked. When Mack was free of the shoes, Jake turned and gave me a stern look he ruined by sliding his jeans lower still over his hips as he waltzed toward the bed.

“The sock things aren’t happening, Bran. Mack hates them, I hate them. We had a brief heart-to-heart just now, and we voted. It’s a no.” He took off my shoes and socks. I was enchanted by this sudden shift to mundane banter when we were both obviously keyed up and extremely horny. I cocked my head to the side and studied him as he began working on my belt.

“He might slip. Hardwood floors can be very dangerous for a dog his age, you know. I’ve been doing some research. Well, I googled it anyway, and—”

“You googled it?” He rested his hand on my zipper.

“Yeah, and I found this great site catering to senior pets who tend to—”

“Bran?”

“What?” I gulped as he lowered the zipper and moved his hands inside my briefs to cup my ass.

“That’s really fucking adorable. But honestly, I don’t give a shit about the damn socks right now.” He pitched his voice lower than normal and yanked my pants and briefs off.

When he was finally inside me, moving with forceful passion, I knew I’d never felt anything like it before. It was pointless to make comparisons to the old “us” inasmuch as it was impossible to compare him to other lovers. This was different. Unique.

The strangled cries of our joint release were replaced by heavy breathing and the old Lab’s snores nearby. For some reason, being surrounded by the comforting echoes of the house with Jake’s sated, heavy weight covering me made me feel safe. He pulled himself up on his elbow and smiled sweetly before pressing a soft kiss on my mouth and carefully disengaging. He flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. I studied his handsome profile, instantly intrigued as the corner of his mouth lifted in a mischievous grin.

“I like the mirror.”

I burst into laughter and sat up to gaze at myself in the narrow reflection.

“You may not believe this, but I moved it this morning to sweep a pile of dog fur out of the way. It’s usually farther down the wall. I’m not quite that vain, though I do have my mom—”

“Shh. You’re perfect. That was… perfect.” He sat up gingerly and brushed his hand across my head lovingly, then kissed my mouth. “No time to rest, though. The game starts in an hour. Let’s go—”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nice try. I’m talking about the soccer game your friends gave you tickets for. You said you’d go. You’re going. Come on. Let’s clean up. I’ll feed Mack and—”

“Hold up. I never said—”

“Yes, you did.”

“But Mack can’t—”

“He’s fine. I’ll feed him and give him his medicine. Get ready. Hurry up, and bring a sweatshirt in case in gets cold later.”

Jake slapped my bare ass hard after he’d pulled his jeans over his hips. My brow furrowed indignantly as I covered my warm cheek defensively. He chuckled and called Mack to follow him to the kitchen. It was difficult not to salivate at the sight of a bare-chested Jake with his jeans slung low on his hips, speaking soft, sweet words to the happy dog at his feet. When he came back in the room wearing his baseball cap backward a few minutes later, I felt like I was in some heavenly magazine ad where the pictures kept getting sexier. Real life was better.

“Bran-don….”

“What?”

“Let’s go. Hurry up.”

I threw my arms over my head, stretching my naked limbs. “I don’t want to.”

He scowled at me for a long moment before idly running his hand across his stubbled chin.

“If I have to drag your ass out of bed and dress you myself, I will. Chances are pretty good I’ll mix polyester with linen, and you’ll be sorry you didn’t just list—”

I burst into a round of giggles. “Honey, you’ll be in my closet all night if you’re looking for polyester. And as scary as that sounds, I’ll take my chances. I’m not going to a game.” I crossed my arms, wondering if my stern look was lost on him since I was still naked with dry cum on my chest while my sexy lover stood hovering above me now fully dressed and yeah, a little pissed off.

“You are. We talked about this, and I’m pretty sure I even mentioned I knew you’d try to weasel out of it. No such luck. Either move on your own steam or mine. What’s it gonna be?”

We stared at each other in a strange sort of standoff. Had I really said I’d go to a game? I think I had. This was Michael and Alex’s fault. Or Luke’s. Or maybe this was what happened when I let my dick start making decisions for me.

“Fine, but what do I get?”

“Great seats at a great game. At least that’s what you sa—”

I slowly sat up and gave him a dirty look. “Those words never came out of my mouth, and that is not even close to what I meant. I hate sports. If I go, then what are you going to do for me?”

“Hmm. Let’s get you cleaned up while I think about it.”

Jake pulled me to a standing position, kissed my forehead, and led my naked self toward the small bathroom. My entire house was small, but the bathroom was positively tiny. It was a challenge for two adults to stand in the diminutive space. There was room for a standalone shower, a toilet, and a pedestal sink. The tile and fixtures were original white subway with black accents. I loved the retro feel, but a little more space would have been nice, I thought as Jake opened the shower door.

He turned the shower on, testing the water temperature before glancing sideways at me. “Here, step in. The water’s fine.” He gave my elbow a gentle push, then reached for the soap.

I received directions in the form of “step this way” and “turn around” while he thoroughly washed me. While he worked he talked about the joys of going to live games. Or something to that effect. I tuned him out and let myself bask in his touch.

“Okay. I’ll go.”

“I know you will,” he said smugly as he bent forward to turn off the water. He grabbed a fluffy white towel from the hook behind the door and motioned for me to step onto the mat outside the shower door.

“And in return you have to go to a museum with me.”

“No problem. Turn around so I can dry your back.”

I obeyed and glanced over my shoulder. “Museum of my choice for the same duration of a soccer play. I mean game.”

I barely stifled a groan of pleasure when he dried my ass and slid his arms around my waist to absently fondle my cock and balls. Then he lightly bit my shoulder and kissed it before backing away.

“Deal. Now get dressed.”

T
HE
NIGHT
started off well enough. Traffic was minimal and conversation easy. We used the time on the road to catch up on what we’d missed while he was working. I regaled him with Mack stories, embellishing them a bit for his entertainment. Mack was so mellow, I didn’t worry about him getting into mischief. I worried about his growing lethargy and general old age issues.

“He scares me sometimes. He lies still for long stretches and only gets up for a meal or a treat. Is that normal? And his slipping trick on hardwood floors really freaks me out. I know you don’t like the doggie shoes but—”

Jake sighed heavily as he exited the freeway. “I don’t know what to say, other than it’s normal. We might not like it, but it won’t change. It’s part of—”

“Getting older. I get it, but it sucks.”

He followed the attendant’s instructions and finally parked his SUV in a sea of automobiles before turning off the engine and facing me. He cocked his head and smiled weakly.

“No more dark thoughts. Here….” He leaned toward the backseat and came up with another red baseball cap. “Put this on. Time for soccer, baby.”

I stared at the hat and then at him. I shook my head. “Not happening. It’s enough that I’m here. Don’t press your luck.”

Jake threw back his head and laughed merrily before planting a wet sloppy kiss on my cheek and reminding me to grab my sweater.

An hour later I was glad I had the sweater. I used it as a pillow when I fell asleep twenty minutes into the action, drooling on Jake’s shoulder. I didn’t budge until people started filing past us to leave at the end of the game.

“How could you possibly fall asleep?” Jake shook his head in exasperation as he jockeyed his SUV for position to get out of the congested parking lot. Poor guy. The home team lost, and his date had fallen asleep on him.

“Hmm. Sorry, honey. It was boring. Excruciatingly and mind-numbingly tedious. Nothing happened.” I shrugged, certain there wasn’t a gentler way to state the facts.

“The winning goal was scored in the final seconds! How can you say it was boring?”

“Because it was. They just kicked a ball around. That’s it. How many times did the ball even get in the net thingy?”

“The net thingy?” He shook his head again. “Once. We lost zero to one. In spite of the loss, it was a good game.”

“Whatever you say. I don’t see how one point makes it exciting. It would have been better if each team kicked it in the net ten times and then—”

“No, it wouldn’t be! If that many goals are being scored, chances are good you’re watching five year olds play. Not professionals. There’s strategy involved, Bran. The mental game is as crucial as the physical one.”

“Mental. Yes, it was mentally draining, and it physically knocked me out cold for a while. I didn’t mind. Although I wished the chair was a little comfier, you know?”

Jake growled. He was clearly irritated.

“I don’t know why you’re so cranky. It’s not my fault I fell asleep. Besides, I warned you not to take me.” I crossed my arms and stared out the window at the sea of red taillights in front of us.

“Next time I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

We drove back to my house that evening in heated silence. Not angry necessarily but certainly annoyed. I’d warned him I wasn’t a sports fan. I’d even assured him I was perfectly fine with him inviting a friend to use the prime seats Alex and Michael had offered. They were wasted on me. It was his fault he hadn’t listened to me. I shifted in my seat to tell him my exact thoughts, but something else entirely came out of my mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

He sighed. “Don’t be.”

“I am. I’m a brat. I should have made more of an effort to enjoy doing something I don’t normally—as in ever in a million years— do. I’ll be good next time.”

Jake stopped at a red light and looked across the darkened interior at me. His smile slowly morphed into a wide grin accompanied by the sound of his musical laughter. My heart felt suddenly too big for my chest. I couldn’t figure out what it was about him that made me so lightheaded. Sure, he was good-looking, easy company, and the sex was great. But there was something about Jake that made me want to be better, try harder. I couldn’t say why that was, but I liked how I felt in his company in a way that had nothing to do with physical attraction.

“Be careful what you promise. I have a long memory,” he teased.

“I know, I know.”

“Bran?”

“Hmm?”

“You are a brat, but I like it. And I didn’t mind you drooling on my shoulder. It was kinda cute. You can make it up to me next weekend.” His gaze was adoring, just as Mara had noted all those years ago. And yeah, I loved it.

I scowled but decided to let it be. “What’s next weekend?”

“My birthday. You’re coming, right?”

“Of course. Is it okay to ask if I’m walking into a pool of beer-guzzling, sports-loving heteros? I’m fine either way. I can try to curb my fabulosity if you need—”

“No way. Be yourself. They’ll love you the way you are because I do. So I was thinking we’d leave at….”

I listened with half an ear as he talked about the plans for the following weekend. I couldn’t help it. I was replaying his casually phrased “they’ll love you because I do.” Sure, a few extra words had been spoken, but that was the gist. Did he love me? Did I love him? I waited for a hum of panic. Revisiting the emotion in any form with the one guy to break my heart was all kinds of wrong. When the fear didn’t surface, I took a deep breath and refocused on the handsome man beside me. I was where I wanted to be.