Chapter 40

Forty

After Coin’s dramatic reveal,Jake had retreated, saying he needed some space. I gave it to him; if I was reeling from this information, I could only imagine how he felt about it.

I focused on getting the dragonlings sorted. After hatching and consuming their weight in meat, they pretty much fell asleep on the spot. I helped carry them over to the nursery, with a nurse in attendance, a.k.a. Moone. Moone curled up with them in the nest of blankets, let out a huff, and promptly fell asleep. She’d alert me if anyone woke up.

It had been about an hour since Jake had retreated, and I felt like I needed to check on him now. He’d gone upstairs, so…in our room, perhaps?

I tried the closed door, peeking inside. Ah, there he was. Sitting on the window bench, curled up with a pillow in his lap that he hugged. He looked a little lost. I hated seeing that expression. Jake was so confident most of the time; seeing him like this, as if he didn’t know what to do next, felt like a punch to the gut.

“Jake?” I came in, shutting the door behind me, as this should be a private conversation.

He turned his head from the window and gave a wan smile. “Hey.”

My poor love, he really was disturbed for some reason. I lengthened my stride, spotting Coin sitting on the windowsill as I came closer. It was propped up against the glass, no doubt Jake’s doing so he could have a proper talk with it.

I sat so I faced him, my hip pressed against his ankles, hand on his shoulder. I didn’t like what I saw, and I wanted to change that if I could.

“I’m okay,” he volunteered, that wan smile still steady. “Overwhelmed, I think. I’m kind of torn on how to feel about all of this. On the one hand, I’ve spent my life trying to prove my worth to people, so for Coin to take one look at me and choose me for this? Well. I’m stoked, to be honest.”

I nodded, as I could understand. It would be a huge responsibility, and once completed, just as large of an achievement. I’d feel the same in his shoes.

“On the other hand, I just realized the quest is over. All the work and tasks set for me in my life are done, and I can now do whatever I want to. It’s liberating, but also confusing. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself next.”

“Whatever you want.” I stroked his shoulder, wishing I had the right words to give comfort. Feeling all the ones that I knew were wholly inadequate. “And it’s all right if it takes you a while to figure out what that is.”

“Thanks. I think I might need a little time. It’s not like I’ve had much downtime since Coin yanked me here.”

Coin muttered, “I’m never going to live that down.”

It was not. If Jake didn’t make sure of that, I would.

Coin was not done. “I did offer to send you back?—”

Alarm shot through me. WHAT?! Over my cold, rotting corpse! My head snapped back around, praying Jake hadn’t thought that a good idea.

It was his turn to put a hand on me, soothing me, and this time his smile looked more natural and less forced.

“It’s okay, it’s fine. Sacrificing you, and the life I’m building here, it’s not worth it. The trade is nowhere near even. The other realization I just had was that I don’t miss Earth. I mean, I miss TV and gaming, but I don’t miss Earth like I should. I wasn’t happy there. I’m fully happy here.”

Relief almost bowled me over. If he’d said otherwise, I wasn’t sure what I would have done. I’d do everything in my power to convince him to stay if needed, of course, but in the end it was Jake’s choice where he wanted to be. I couldn’t make him.

Still, I wanted to reinforce his choice. “Jake, I love you very much. The words feel wholly inadequate sometimes, like they don’t convey enough of how I feel for you. I do not want you to leave me, ever.”

He leaned in, his kiss slow and encompassing, reassuring in a way I couldn’t explain but felt deeply.

“I love you too.” Jake’s fingers lightly caressed my face, his eyes warm on mine. “And I know how much you love me. Everything you say and do, even just the way you look at me tells me how much you love me. I appreciate that more than I can convey.”

“I’m glad.” I certainly tried. I never wanted Jake to feel less than one hundred percent cherished.

The words still didn’t feel like enough between us. I wanted to indulge this man, I wanted to caress him until he forgot everything about Coin’s offer to leave. I kissed him again, seizing him by the waist and pulling him in closer. Jake smiled into the kiss, arms immediately wrapping around me.

“Annnd that’s my cue to leave. I’m going to hang out with the babies, byyyyyye.” Coin disappeared in a flash.

Oh good, I didn’t have to threaten it to go away this time.

Jake tugged on me, pulling me in, and I had a sense he wanted me right on top. He loved having my weight on him, encouraged it whenever possible, and I admit I indulged him. I liked the feeling of him hot and eager under me very much.

I felt his hand push off my jacket, and I eagerly assisted him in taking it off, throwing it to the floor. There was an urgency in his motions, and mine, but I wanted to take this slowly. To really spend this moment with him.

I couldn’t stop kissing him even as we helped each other out of bothersome clothes. I reveled in the sensation of my hand smoothing over soft skin. His hand stole into my hair, nails lightly scraping against my scalp, which he knew I loved. I groaned into the kiss, determined to do something he liked. To return the favor.

I got him firmly under me, lying right between his thighs. The sound of satisfaction he made echoed in my bones. I loved that sound. I did incredibly lewd things to evoke it, too.

Every time I touched Jake, I felt I learned something new about him. I could spend years, decades, learning every nook and cranny. I licked and kissed my way down his torso, indulging in the shivers of delight I felt through his skin.

The first taste of him against my tongue as I sucked his cock into my mouth was sinful.

“Theeeeon,” Jake groaned.

Whether it was complaint or plea, I couldn’t discern. I didn’t particularly care either way. Driving Jake to distraction was one of my many pleasures.

I sat up long enough to pull pants off him, throwing those aside and then leaned back in. Jake’s skin smelled of warm male and musk, the scent getting stronger as I nosed my way down past his cock, laving at his balls. Jake spread his legs wider, encouraging me. Not that I needed much encouragement.

Knowing how much he loved having his ass eaten, I trailed down farther, hooking both his legs over my shoulders. His smell was much stronger here, filling my head with it. I could feel anticipation coursing through me because I knew how he’d react next, and I was going to enjoy every second of it. Without any warning I swiped his tight hole with my tongue, feeling the ridges of it.

Truncated cries of pleasure, what could have been attempted words, escaped Jake’s mouth as I rimmed him. The way he opened up to my tongue sent a thrill right through me. I’d have to have him soon—my own impatience was mounting—but I could pleasure him a while longer.

I dropped one hand to my dick, working it, the friction a blessing against my heated skin. The harder I got, the more I wanted in him, becoming almost feverish under the growing need.

“Theon,” Jake groaned again, and this time it was definitely a plea. “In. In.”

I couldn’t summon any more patience. I lifted my head, lowering his legs, barely finding the coordination to race over to the nightstand and retrieve the bottle of oil there. Then I turned back to find Jake still sprawled out over the cushion, sunlight streaming over him, turning his pale skin and hair a warm golden color. My god, he was like a gift from the gods themselves. A painting in motion. I’d have to try painting him like this sometime. My artist fingers demanded it.

Right now was not the moment.

I strode right back to him, dumping half of the oil onto my cock, careless of where it spilled. I’d clean it up later. I didn’t have the patience to do it now.

Jake tilted his ass up. I knelt between his legs, positioned myself, and pushed in slowly. Teasing myself and him, but mostly because I wanted to examine every second of his expression as I filled him.

His mouth was open in a pant, eyes hooded, a soft ah coming from him as I bottomed out. The pure pleasure in his eyes sang a siren’s song to me and I was thrusting before I even realized what I was doing. Ahhh, bliss. Feeling that tight heat around me as I pushed in—nothing could beat it.

Jake’s hands scrambled for something to hold, catching under my shoulders to pull me in tighter. I obliged until our chests brushed together with every thrust in and out, heightening the pleasure zinging through my body.

Those strong legs wrapped around my hips, caging me in, and it tripped something primal in me. I thrust even harder, realized I was about to fuck him into the wall, and slapped a hand against the warm wood to keep our position better.

Jake abruptly seized my head with both hands, pulling me down into a rough kiss. I kissed back even as I kept thrusting. I felt hints of pre-cum against my stomach as I rubbed hard against his dick, knew he was close—knew I was close—and unwilling to stop or even pause to draw this out any longer.

Jake clamped down around me, legs squeezing, and he screamed into my mouth as he came hard. I came a second later, chasing after his climax, intense enough I almost blacked out for a moment.

I might actually have blacked out for a few seconds because the next thing I knew, I was pillowed on his chest with no memory of dropping. I was breathing hard, aftershocks from my climax slowly drifting into a pleasant afterglow. This man was dangerously addictive. Every time we came together like this, I craved him more.

Two hands stroked my back idly, a comforting feeling.

“Theon?”

“Mmm.” Words felt like too much effort just then.

“Love you.”

I smiled into his shoulder. He sounded so utterly replete, so fulfilled just then. Like he needed nothing else. “Love you too.”

“That said, we’re working on indoor plumbing next.”

I was wrong. He was apparently lying there plotting things. “Will indoor plumbing make you miss Earth’s conveniences less?”

“Absolutely.”

Then it would be worth the expense and hassle, whatever it took. “Fine. Now?”

“I wish we had time before winter hits, but we sadly don’t. First thing come spring. Trust me. Much more comfortable than the indoor shit chute with its nasty smell.”

“Anything would be an improvement over that.”

“I know, right?”

I lifted my head to look at him. He still looked beautifully mussed and sated, even though his mind was back in motion. “Does that busy mind of yours ever stop?”

“Uh. Frankly? No.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Well, there were worse things than an intelligent spouse.