Page 31 of Finally
He leaned forward and Jack met him for another kiss. Lips pressed against his, Jack cried out his pleasure, Gray immediately following. He kept his hands moving as his body trembled and his balls emptied.
“God. Gray.” Jack dropped his forehead onto Gray’s shoulder. His hands gripped the sides of Gray’s neck. “I’ve never…” He drew in a shaky breath and kissed Gray’s chest. “I’ve never.”
Heart so full it ached, Gray wrapped his arms around Jack and held him tightly. “I haven’t either.”
***
Sitting in Kevin’s cozy living room, surrounded by his friends, Gray at his side, and a glass of scotch in his hand, was a familiar scene. Jack had been in this situation dozens of times. But that night, something felt different.
“I know what you mean!” Kevin was seemingly responding to something someone said, but Jack wasn’t sure who or what because he had lost track of the conversation. He hadn’t had that many drinks, but his body was drained from the long day. And the two orgasms. His cheeks hurt and he realized he was smiling.
Still talking, Kevin said, “It’s ruining my post nut glow because every time I jerk off, I have to check my phone to make sure I wasn’t on Facebook Live the whole time.”
Jack blinked, his attention back on his friends.
“How are you going to accidentally go live?” Kevin’s friend Jeffrey asked. “I don’t even know where that feature is on the app.”
Jeffrey had been quiet all night. It made sense because he was surrounded by people who had known each other for years so he likely felt like the odd man out. Normally, Jack was the person in the group who would have paid him extra attention, welcoming him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The guyseemed nice enough, but whenever Jack tried to make himself go talk to him, he remembered the story Jeffrey had shared about hooking up with Gray a few years earlier and giving him the nickname Mister Super. Thinking about Gray with Jeffrey made Jack nauseous so he had kept his distance. If it weren’t for Gray’s constant touches and nearly exclusive attention, Jack would have fallen into his normal spiral of self-doubt. He covered Gray’s hand with his own and held on.
“I don’t either!” Kevin’s voice was a little loud and a lot sloppy, but he was having a good time, and he was in his own house, so Jack stopped himself from being a mother hen and suggesting he slow down on the drinks.
“Why do either of you have Facebook?” Oliver asked.
“Why are either of us here?” Gray whispered into his ear.
Jack swallowed down his laugh and bumped his shoulder against Gray’s, silently telling him to stop. He was happy. That’s what was different. Not a surface feeling that was little more than a respite from the ache he normally carried, but genuine happiness. He felt light.
“Because we’re old,” Thom responded to Oliver. “Oldies like Facebook.”
“You’re not old.” Oliver’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not what I meant.”
At almost thirty-one, Oliver was over a decade younger than the rest of the men in the room and there was a sweetness to him, a naivete, that often made him seem even younger. Though Jack was struggling with Jeffrey’s attendance at the get-together, he’d never had any problem with his ex’s new husband. Oliver was shy and sweet and came across as fragile, despite his sturdy size. Seeing Jaime content with him made Jack relieved, not jealous. He had always wanted Jaime to find joy.
“Nobody’s offended.” Jack reached for Oliver, who was sitting in an armchair next to the couch and squeezed his shoulder. “Thom’s kidding around.”
“Speak for yourself,” Thom said. “Something new hurts every time I wake up. Unless I’ve taken up CrossFit in my sleep, I’m old.”
Looking up at his boyfriend from his perch on the floor, between Thom’s knees, Eric said, “Maybe it’s the wrestling you’re doing before bed? The way you give it your all at night has got to make your muscles sore in the morning.”
Thom bent down and kissed Eric’s head. “Worth it.” When he sat back up, both of them were smiling.
“I’m glad they made up,” Gray said, voice soft so only Jack could hear him.
He did that a lot, Jack realized. Even when they were with other people, Gray often limited his comments and conversations to Jack. There was an intimacy to it, a sense of being alone despite being surrounded. Turning to Gray, he said, “Me too. The universe seems off-kilter when Thom and Eric are bickering.”
“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” Gray whispered. He wove his fingers through Jack’s hair.
Heat moved up his neck and over his cheeks. “Did you hear what I said?” Jack asked and then, deciding that he didn’t care about the conversation they’d been having, he lowered his voice and asked a question that did matter to him. “Do you really mean that?”
“I really do.” Eyes warm, Gray leaned closer, their lips almost touching, breaths mingling. “I’ve meant every word I’ve ever said to you.” He cupped Jack’s cheek and kissed him gently. It was relatively chaste, but it seemingly got everyone’s attention because when Jack got his bearings, he realized silence had fallen over the room.
“It’s weird seeing you two like that. Feels like I’m watchingLady and the Trampin human form.”
Sighing, Gray turned to Kevin. “I’m a slut, not a romantic lead. Point made yet again. Feel free to go back to your fascinating story about not masturbating on camera.”
For a moment, Kevin pouted and then he crossed his arms over his chest, raised his chin, and narrowed his eyes. “It’s a joke not a dick, Gray, don’t take it so hard.”
Jack tensed, ready to step in and defend Gray while diffusing the situation, but Gray’s booming laugh stopped him. After a few seconds, his laughter leveled into a soft chuckle, and he smiled at Kevin. “Take it so hard.” He shook his head. “That first comment was annoying, but that one’s funny.”
