Page 60 of Your Pace or Mine
When Jamie walked in, Darius felt the air in the room shift.
“Hey,” Jamie said, his voice warm and slightly breathless like he’d hurried to get here. His smile lit up the room more effectively than the candles ever could. “Sorry if I’m late. The class I was teaching ran over.”
“You’re perfect,” Darius said before he could stop himself, the words tumbling out unfiltered. He felt heat creep up his neck as Jamie’s smile softened into something more intimate.
“Smooth,” Jamie teased, but his cheeks tinted pink as he stepped closer.
They settled into easy conversation, the kind that felt more like picking up where they’d left off than starting anew. Jamie had a way of drawing Darius out. Whenever Darius felt silence start to descend, he drew them back to the topic where he was most comfortable—the marathon.
“So, despite the setback with your knee, are you feeling ok about the marathon now?” Darius asked.
Jamie’s expression became more serious. “I think so,” he said. “I’m feeling pretty good. Seeing Sebastien regularly has helped, and training with you has obviously been brilliant. Just, it’s quitedaunting. Like, what if I haven’t done enough? It’s probably silly.” Jamie flushed.
“That’s not silly at all,” Darius replied sincerely. “I don’t think there’s a runner on earth that doesn’t go through that before a race. You’re going to be fine, though, you’re doing so well.”
“Promise?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah, Jamie. I promise.”
“I’ll just have to stick really close to you,” Jamie said. “The miles go by so much faster when we run together.”
A warmth erupted in Darius’s chest. He pressed his knee against Jamie’s under the table. “I like running with you, too, you know. I’m sorry about Tuesday. I didn’t expect the reporters to show up there.”
“You didn’t? Darius, isn’t that kind of the point? Get them printing something positive about you for once? And it worked, right?”
“I suppose.” If that wasn’t a reminder that this was nothing, then what would be? Still, he had to try.
“Jamie, does this, pretending still feel okay to you?” There he’d said it.
Jamie was staring at him. “Of course it does.” Something flashed behind Jamie’s eyes. “Wait, is this? Are you fake breaking up with me?”
“No!” Darius practically shouted. “I was, I wanted to make sure you were still okay with everything, is all.”
Jamie smiled. “Of course I am. I get that we’d never work for real, but I think we’re pulling it off pretty well.”
Right, they’d never work for real. Though Darius was struggling to find the reasons for that.
“Besides, not all of it’s pretend, I think that helps.” Jamie licked his spoon lasciviously.
So that was all Jamie wanted from him. It hurt more than he allowed himself to show, but he’d be fine. Great even. Casual wasDarius’s go-to. He was excellent at being friends with benefits, and probably not great at anything more, so maybe it was for the best.
Jamie cocked his head to the side, fluttered his eyelashes and replied coquettishly. “You gonna invite me back to your place, Mr?”
“Are you having a stroke or is there something in your eye?” Darius snarked, trying to get them back on even footing.
Jamie laughed, the sparkle returning to his eyes. Now that the thought was voiced, Darius wanted to get Jamie somewhere private. If this was all they’d ever be, then he was going to make the most of it while he could. When the waiter returned with dessert menus, Jamie and Darius shared a single loaded glance before requesting the bill.
It was a short walk from the restaurant to Darius’s townhouse. Darius led Jamie up the steps, quickly unlocking and pushing open the heavy door. He toed off his shoes and turned to face Jamie. The air between them felt heavy with unspoken need. Jamie launched himself at him. Darius barely had time to react before Jamie’s lips were on his, his body pushing him up against the wall in the corridor as he kissed him aggressively, hands tugging at his clothes. Darius let out a low groan as Jamie made quick work of the buttons on his trousers.
Jamie kissed down his neck, one hand slowly stroking Darius’s length as he held him in place. After what could have been either three seconds or three hours of slow teasing strokes and kisses, Jamie lowered himself to the floor.
Trousers around his ankles, Darius lost any remaining coherence he had as Jamie nuzzled his cock then licked a strip from root to tip. Pleasure overtook his senses, and Darius moaned as his head hit the wall behind him.
Fuck.
Jamie licked and swirled his tongue around the head of Darius’s cock, tonguing the slit before slowly sucking him into his mouth. Darius tangled his hands in Jamie’s curls. He desperately tried to hold himself steady against the wall as Jamie’s head bobbed up and down, sucking him deep down his throat each time. Darius could have sworn he was seeing stars.
Then Jamie looked up at him with those shining blue eyes glassy with tears, and Darius lost control, bucking his hips roughly as he fucked Jamie’s throat. Jamie didn’t let him take over for long, swallowing around him as he gripped Darius’s arse tightly, holding him in place.
