Page 92 of Your Pace or Mine
The tent was quiet, and the distant hum of the marathon crowds had faded into the background. All of Darius’s focus had narrowed into the tiny space between him and Jamie.
He could feel the tension in his chest, the air between them thick and charged.
“You know,” Jamie said, his voice lower now. “This is feeling less like recovery and more like something else.”
“There are different types of recovery,” Darius replied.
Jamie swung himself to a seated position and looked Darius in the eyes. “Tell me we’re going to be okay?”
“Jamie, we’re going to be better than okay,” Darius replied as he wiped the remainingDeep Heatfrom his hands. They surged forward at the same time, lips connecting in a breathtaking kiss. Jamie wrapped his legs around Darius’s back, fusing their bodies together as they kissed hungrily. They slotted together like no time had passed at all, and Darius knew what he’d said was true.
“Touch me,” Jamie groaned.
Darius obliged.
Darius stroked Jamie slowly, enjoying every moment of being able to touch him again. The room smelled of menthol and perspiration, but all his senses were zeroed in on where their bodies met, his nerves buzzing with electricity.
Darius nipped at Jamie’s neck. It tasted of salt and sweat. “Want to taste you, can I?” he whispered in Jamie’s ear, eliciting a low rumble from his throat.
Darius took that as permission and lowered himself until he could engulf Jamie’s length in his mouth. The angle wasn’t ideal, but he could work with it.
Darius swirled his tongue around Jamie’s tip slowly before sucking him down to the hilt in one smooth motion.
“Fuuuck, OK, yes, I’ve missed you so much,” Jamie babbled.
Darius smirked, but he didn’t let up for a second, bracing his hands on Jamie’s thighs as he hummed around him. Jamie’s hands found purchase in his hair as his hips started to buck involuntarily, but Darius held him down, controlling the pace as he focused all of his being on pleasuring Jamie. It wasn’t long before Jamie was on the edge, and Darius wasn’t far behind. Taking his cock in hand, he needed just two quick strokes before he was spilling all over the floor as he swallowed Jamie’s release.
Everything seemed to still between them for a moment in the aftermath.
Before either of them could acknowledge the shift or give voice to their feelings, there were shouts from the other side of the tent.
“Oi, lovebirds, get out here and celebrate with us.”
It was Jackson.
Because,of course, it was Jackson.
Darius tugged his shorts back on quickly, letting out what he hoped was a supportive-sounding laugh as he watched Jamie struggle back into his tight, sweaty leggings.
From the glare he received, he assumed it hadn’t been received as such. But a soft kiss to his temple wiped the petulant look off Jamie’s face.
They walked out from behind the shelving, Jamie still leaning on Darius for support, to find not only Jackson, but Chi, Adam, Claire, Mark, and, much to Darius’s embarrassment, his father, and Selena.
“We did it, Jamie!” Claire exclaimed, breaking the slightly awkward silence that hung in the air and rushing forward to pull them into a hug that quickly became a group event.
Darius broke free, leaving them to discuss their first marathon together.
His father was at his side in a moment, Selena close behind. Jackson moved to flank him, a steady, supportive presence.
“You didn’t race,” his father stated.
Darius let a smile play on his face as he watched Jamie and their friends interact, because that’s who the group was now— their friends.
“Nah, some things are more important.”
“You did well, son,” his father replied.
Darius bit his lip. “There’ll have been photos at the finish. Press…”
