His Perfect Partner, page 5
Ethan licked his lips at images of a younger Ryan jacking off to a poster of Poison or Mötley Crüe. He still had a copy of Rolling Stone with Jon Bon Jovi on the cover stashed away in his closet.
“So Thanksgiving is next week. What are you doing?” Ryan asked
Ethan shook his head when Ryan’s question broke his fantasy apart. “Huh?”
Ryan snickered at Ethan’s distracted question. “Thanksgiving? Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Ringing any bells?”
“Oh yeah.” He grimaced. “Have to go home for the obligatory visit to the parental units.”
“Uh-oh. Not a good thing?”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. I just don’t have much in common with any of my family. Mostly, I sit there and listen to them expound on the perfection of my younger brother. His perfect job, perfect wife, perfect children.”
“You’re a lawyer for the United States Attorney’s Office. That’s not good enough for them?”
He looked away not wanting Ryan to see how much it hurt. Despite his best efforts, he was still considered a disappointment in his parents’ eyes. It didn’t matter that he graduated top of his class at Boston College on full scholarship. It didn’t matter that he’d played sports his entire childhood, adolescence and college years. He’d gone to law school and gotten a job with a prestigious law firm right out of school instead of going into the family business. His family had owned and operated a marina and boat rental business in the Ozarks for years. He loved the water but had wanted more for his life than giving vacationing families tours of the lakes in central Missouri.
The big kicker was that despite coming out to his parents at high school graduation, they refused to acknowledge his lifestyle. It could be worse. He knew some men whose family had cut all ties with them when they’d come out. His just ignored the entire episode as if it had never happened. His mom still asked him if he’d met any nice girls in the big city and invariably offered to set him up with some woman friend’s daughter from the church when he went home.
“Ethan?”
“Sorry, let’s just say they had other expectations.”
“There’s nothing you can talk to them about? I know you had fun at the football game the other night. Does you family not do sports? There’re always games on that day.”
“Oh my dad and brother love football. They spend hours in front of the tube, drinking beer while my mom and sister-in-law cook dinner. It just so happens they feel the need to explain each play to me like I’m a four year old because playing soccer all my life wasn’t considered a real sport. Real men don’t play soccer, don’t you know?”
“What a load of horseshit. The tactics and strategy involved in soccer are ten times more complicated then being told what plays to run and barrelling full speed into a two hundred and fifty pound defensemen. You have to think on the fly, calculate trajectory and avoid being kicked in the balls.”
Ethan laughed and was glad Ryan had pulled him out of the funk he always sunk to when thinking about going home. He looked into the smiling eyes next to him. “Thanks”
“Ditto.”
There was no need to expand. They both knew what was being said.
Chapter Six
Ethan was so glad to be home. Thanksgiving had been everything he’d expected and dreaded.
The moment he’d landed at Lambert International in St. Louis, things had gone from bad to worse. The rental agency had lost his reservation for the car, and the only thing available was a tiny compact his tall frame barely sardined into. Then he’d gotten a flat driving down to his parents. Changing a tire in a rain and sleet storm on the side of Highway Forty-four was nobody’s idea of a good time.
When he’d finally arrived, he’d been hungry, still damp and cold. His mom had told him there might be leftovers in the fridge, but they’d already eaten when his plane had been delayed due to the storm. He’d told her not to worry about it that he was going up to his old room to sleep. However, he’d been told his niece and nephew were staying there. He’d gotten relegated to the sofa-bed in the basement.
Unfortunately, the basement was also his dad’s man-cave so Ethan had to wait until the beer, chicken wing and Die Hard fest was over before he could crash. He even liked the most recent Die Hard movie, but at that point, he could care less how many terrorists one man could single-handedly defeat. Even if Bruce Willis still looked damn good.
The following morning had been business as usual. Beer, football lessons and attempted setups. He’d told his mom that he was seeing someone, and she’d gotten all excited, but when he mentioned Ryan’s name, a sour expression had crossed her face and she’d changed the subject.
The only redeeming aspect had been seeing his nephews. He loved those little boys, and they were always fun to play with. He’d taken them in the backyard and kicked the soccer ball around with them, teaching them tips for passing the ball with accuracy. They’d been wet, muddy, tired and had had a blast until his sister-in-law scowled them for bring dirt into grandma and grandpa’s house then gave him a dirty look for encouraging their reckless behaviour. He’d taken the boys upstairs and cleaned them up, and even had them laughing with imitations of their mom by the time they were done.
Now, as his plane touched down at Logan, he was home. The weather report said Boston would greet him with fresh blanket of snow and freezing winds, but he didn’t care. The entire four hour flight he’d anticipated seeing Ryan again. Ryan’s arms would surround him with heat, firm lips would breathe warmth into his body and a hot hard cock would—
Okay, time to stop thinking along those lines until he could safely exit the plane without embarrassment.
When he got to the security checkpoint, a smile lit his face at the sight of Ryan waiting for him. His tall muscled frame had a clear line of sight above the others waiting and passengers disembarking. When those grey-blue orbs locked on Ethan, he couldn’t help himself; he quickened his step to nearly a run and threw his arms around his man. When Ryan’s arms encircled him and squeezed in welcome, it truly felt as if he were home.
Ethan finally pulled back, wanting to kiss those perfect lips inches from his, but he knew they had to show some restraint. “God, I missed you.”
“Me too, E. But you survived, yeah? Now, you’re home.”
“That’s just what I was thinking.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
They exited the terminal, and Ethan was nearly blown backwards by the brutal north wind. Ryan caught him and turned with his back to the wind so Ethan was protected. The shield of Ryan’s larger body provided some defence against frigid air. He tucked his body closer seeking shelter as they crossed the parking area to Ryan’s SUV.
After Ethan was seated and closed into the cold interior of the vehicle, Ryan ran around to the other side and jumped in. He turned the ignition over and cranked up the heater that, fortunately, still had some warm air in reserve.
Ethan didn’t have any gloves and rubbed his hands together cupping them over his mouth. He blew the little heat still inside his body over the chafed skin. His hands were gathered between Ryan’s larger ones and rubbed, the friction helping the numbness that settled in despite the short distance from the door to the car. He glanced up and smiled at the tender way Ryan took care of him.
Their gazes held for a few seconds then, as a unit, they closed the distance between their bodies and met in a torrid kiss over the centre console. His now warm hand latched onto the back of Ryan’s neck, holding him prisoner as their lips clung to each other. Ryan tasted so good. Their tongues duelled and clung together in each other’s mouths. He couldn’t get enough and tried to extend the kiss, silently begging Ryan to continue the wonderful feelings coursing through him.
They’d only been separated for a few days, but it felt like forever. He needed this man more than he’d ever needed anyone before. Ryan was his anchor in the storm of craziness that was his life. He’d been adrift in the midst of his family, and he needed the security Ryan’s presence and touch provided.
“Stay with me tonight,” Ryan pleaded, his breathing harsh in the cab of the car. His fingers stroked the thick locks of Ethan’s hair back from his forehead where they’d fallen over the bright hazel eyes. “Let me hold you, let me touch you, let me—”
He’d been about to say ‘let me love you’ but stopped. He didn’t want to freak Ethan out. The man was becoming the centre of his universe. Ryan had thought the extended weekend away would give him focus, cool the raging emotions that kept consuming him when they were together. Instead, he’d found himself reaching for Ethan at night or wanting to pick up the phone to call and make sure he was okay. Ryan had gotten the impression that Ethan’s childhood home was anything but something to be thankful for and had wanted to be there for him.
His family was the opposite. Loving, generous, supportive. When his mom had asked if he was seeing anyone he’d told her about Ethan. He tried to play it cool, saying they’d only been together a few weeks, but she’d seen right through him. He never knew how, but she’d always been able to detect his bullshit, even as a kid when he would stupidly act out in effort to be cool.
She’d cornered him the day after Thanksgiving and asked if he loved Ethan. The question had floored him. He knew he cared for the man but loved? Now? So soon? It couldn’t possibly be. She’d just smiled and patted him on the cheek before walking away to serve more pie to the rest of the family. The thought had consumed him the rest of the weekend. He’d eventually realised that he was falling and fast.
“I packed a suit for tomorrow before I left.” Ethan looked down and drew little circles on the leather padded division between them.
Ryan lifted Ethan’s chin and kissed him. He let the touch linger, his fingers holding Ethan immobile. He didn’t know where the uncertainty and shyness was coming from. Ethan had always been so sure of himself, never hesitant about what was happening between them. If this is what a weekend with the man’s family did to him, Ryan would make sure that from now on he was there standing next to him in solidarity. If his family didn’t like it, they could just deal. If they couldn’t provide their son and brother with the love and support he deserved, Ryan would make sure Ethan could get it from him and his. He separated their lips and rubbed their noses together.
“Then let’s go home.”
He pulled out of the parking space and manoeuvred his way out of the area surrounding the airport. When they neared his loft, he realised this was the first time Ethan had been to his home. Until now, they’d always met at his apartment or at one of their offices for dinner after work. Every time they’d had sex, it’d always been at Ethan’s apartment or office. He remembered that night with a smile.
Ryan unlocked his door and ushered Ethan inside. Giving him the tour, he pointed out the basic kitchen, sitting area and home office. Taking Ethan’s hand, Ryan led him to the large windows at the base of the stairs to his loft bedroom and pulled him into the circle of his arms. They stood in silence for a minute soaking up each other’s presence and gazing out at his view of the city. By unspoken accession, they turned and walked up the stairs to Ryan’s bedroom hand in hand.
They stopped beside his bed and slowly undressed each other. Layers melted away. The soft, pale skin of Ethan’s body was revealed inch by inch. Ryan traced the ridges of the protruding collarbone then skimmed over the leanly muscled ribcage and stomach.
Ethan held on to Ryan’s hips as fingers explored the contours of his body. Ethan had begun to feel a little self conscious about his body. He tried to work out as often as his busy work schedule permitted, but knew his regime was nothing like the hours he’d spent daily running and lifting in college. His one indulgence he swore would never alter, unless the sky was falling, would be his weekly workouts rowing on the Charles River during the spring and summer seasons. The solitude he found on the water calmed his raging mind and the cardio workout ensured that he still maintained good muscle tone throughout his body. He was proud of the fact that with hard work he’d kept his six-pack, but he knew he was not as ripped as he had been in college. Preferring his lovers to have larger, harder bodies than himself had been slightly awkward on more than one occasion when he’d met up with the wrong guy, but he still believed there was nothing in the world like having the weight of his lover above him in bed, the weight pressing him into the mattress, his man’s body surrounding and consuming him while they fucked. He’d topped on occasion and even enjoyed it, but he was a guy and guys liked to have sex, any sex. Still, he generally preferred the bottom role to his lovers.
Ryan’s hands reached Ethan’s jeans and the buttons popped open one by one. Their lips met and clung together. Their similar heights made it easy to maintain contact as their clothes fell away. Ryan’s large hands slid inside Ethan’s jeans, and Ethan heard a groan when Ryan discovered he’d gone sans underwear in anticipation of their meeting tonight. Ryan’s palms slid around to Ethan’s ass and cupped, pulling him so close that no space separated their torsos and hips.
Ethan’s jeans fell to his ankles, and he kicked them away. His nude body pressed tight to Ryan’s. They worked together to get Ryan’s jeans and underwear off. He latched onto one of Ryan’s nipples and sucked. His head was held tight to Ryan’s hard, broad chest as he worked the pebbled protrusion. Ryan’s jeans were forgotten for the moment. When they did get the offending material removed, they pressed tight against one another. Their cocks rubbed and left wet kisses on each others stomachs.
Ethan licked and nibbled on Ryan’s neck and jaw. Ryan’s head tilted back, and Ethan felt him swallow hard as he licked across his Adam’s apple.
Ryan walked them backwards as they continued to kiss. Ethan’s knees hit the edge of the mattress and his weight shifted to his heels. He couldn’t maintain his balance and started to fall backwards, but Ryan wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him down slowly. Ryan’s body covered him so perfectly. They inched their way back onto the mattress. Their bodies constantly maintained contact, lips met in fiery, tender kisses, hands groped and caressed naked skin.
He cradled Ryan between his legs and arched his hips to rub their cocks together, seeking the contact and electric sensations that bolted through his body. He latched onto Ryan’s ass and pulled him in begging for the grind of their bodies together. He needed this touch, this closeness. He needed to feel surrounded. He opened his eyes and stared into those above him asking, pleading to be filled, stretched and loved until he could finally let go and leave his body behind in the transcendence of pleasure only Ryan could give him.
Ryan reached for the bedside table and dug around for a second until he found the lube and a condom. He needed to be inside Ethan, and he needed it now. He’d read the desire in the man’s eyes a moment ago. They needed this moment. It was just the two of them in this bed. No family, no work, nothing but what they shared.
He slicked up his fingers then pressed against Ethan’s opening. He groaned long and low as the tight ring gave way, and he entered the heat of Ethan’s body. His long finger worked deeper into the constricting depths. He worked his way in until his palm touched the cheeks Ethan bared by holding his legs back against his chest. Ryan quickly added a second and third finger when Ethan started gasping and pushing into his hand, silently begging for more. He twisted and separated his digits as the muscles loosened enough for him to fit in his cock without pain.
Ryan leant over and slashed his mouth across Ethan’s. His head twisted adjusting the fit of their mouths. He forced his tongue between Ethan’s succulent lips, licked across his teeth and thrust deep into the warm cavern of his mouth. He consumed Ethan’s taste.
Ethan gave no quarter and answered each thrust, lick and bite with one of his own. Sexy, savage growls traded between their fused mouths. Ryan’s fingers stroked deep penetrating Ethan as far as possible. He found and pushed against Ethan’s prostate, and a primal sound echoed in the space of his loft. The muscles in his arm were tight and delineated, and he pulled out slowly only to push back again pegging the glad that made Ethan yell and push into his touch.
Ryan’s cock was so hard the skin felt tight as blood pulsed through his veins. He ached to push his way inside and claim what was his. The need to be buried deeply inside Ethan burned through his bones.
He sat back, tore open the foil wrapper and sheathed his cock, hissing as the thin latex slid down the turgid skin. He used a little more lubrication to slick himself up. He braced his hands on either side of Ethan’s head and angled his hips so he was pressed against the stretched opening that fluttered and begged for his entry. He pushed, and the head of his cock popped through the first ring. His eyes locked on the glowing hazel ones beneath him. Slowly, he fed inch by inch of his cock deep. He didn’t stop until the entire length was held snugly inside the molten welcoming channel.
He paused and tried to keep his mind from fragmenting over the extreme pleasure of being held by Ethan’s body. The feeling was so amazing, so consuming that he was afraid he would lose it. When he was able to breathe without gasping, he slowly pulled back so only the head of his cock was still inside then slammed forward once again, completing the union of their bodies. Ethan’s shout of pleasure vibrated through him.
Ethan’s blood boiled as Ryan set his body on fire. Ryan’s thrusts overwhelming his entire being. Lean hips drove faster and faster. Whole body lunges speared him to the very depths of his soul. His legs gripped tight and high around Ryan’s back as he arched into each stroke of the wonderfully long, thick cock filling him over and over. His hands clenched the sheets on either side of him, holding on to keep them from going over the edge of the mattress. He couldn’t even reach for his cock for fear of losing the tenuous hold on their position.
