12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Gary

I n the morning, Gary stood under the steady stream of hot water in the motel shower, the steam filling his lungs with each inhale, warming him up from the inside out, while Jeff slept peacefully in the other room. Gary’s whole body began to buzz with a mixture of nervousness and excitement as images from the previous evening flashed in his mind—the smattering of hair on Jeff’s stomach, the fire in Jeff’s eyes while they’d both touched themselves, the sound of Jeff’s moan when he’d climaxed. He could hardly believe it’d been real.

Before they’d left Niles for Norman, Gary hadn’t thought that Jeff would ever want to move beyond their mutual masturbation sessions over the phone. But then, Jeff had surprised him with middle-of-the-night snuggles. And then, Jeff had surprised Gary again by holding his hand while they’d watched that tornado funnel form. And those things, they’d been... spectacular . Incredible. Gary had been thunderstruck. But then, last night? Masturbating together? In person?! Climaxing onto Jeff’s bare stomach? Ho-ly heck. That had been... wow !

Gary’s cock started to stiffen. Sheesh, it had only been, what, seven hours since he’d last come? He hadn’t been this horny in years . Better take care of it before Jeff woke up.

Slicking his palms with some bar soap, Gary took hold of his cock and started to—

“Morning,” Jeff mumbled, entering the bathroom .

Gary immediately released his member, raising both hands up as though he was some sort of wanted criminal. Luckily, Jeff wasn’t able to see him through the shower curtain. He wasn’t sure what would have been more embarrassing—being caught masturbating with some cheap hotel soap as lubricant or reacting in such a silly way to being startled. Geez.

Gary needed a few seconds to find his voice.

Eventually, he managed to say, “Howdy, Jeffrey!”

Howdy?! Dang, that was probably his worst verbal blunder yet.

Chuckling, Jeff said, “Everything okay in there?”

Gary frowned at his still-hard cock as though he was very disappointed in it. Why was it still so hard? Jeff had scared the metaphorical pants off of him! Even as he rolled his eyes at himself, he couldn’t help but wonder whether his cock would stay hard in more threatening situations as well.

“ This is a stick up!” some frightening-looking man in a ski mask would say.

And then Gary’d point to his dick and say something like “Well, yeah, clearly.”

Jeff’s voice interrupted his bizarre fantasy. “Hello?”

Shoot .

“Yeah, sorry!”

The sound of Jeff’s urine splashing into the toilet water sent a second wave of embarrassed heat rushing to Gary’s cheeks. Wasn’t peeing in front of a romantic interest reserved for old married couples? Unbelievable! Jeff had whipped out his beautiful penis to urinate while Gary was naked two feet away behind a thin plastic curtain. Very normal for two people who hadn’t even kissed yet. Two people who liked each other but couldn’t be in a relationship.

“Wow, you’re like a racehorse,” Gary said for some stupid reason.

“Uh, yeah, thanks, radio man. ”

Shit.

After flushing the toilet, Jeff turned on the faucet. Gary listened to the squelchy sounds of Jeff lathering his hands with soap. Somehow, his cock was still slightly hard, though that embarrassing racehorse comment seemed to have taken some of the wind out of its sails.

“Come out soon,” Jeff said. “I think I might have a surprise for you.”

Gary’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, wow, okay.”

Once Jeff had left the bathroom, Gary finally recovered enough to finish showering. After he shut off the water, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. Then, as he was about to hang the towel back on the rack, he realized he’d forgotten his clothes back in the room. Shaking his head at his forgetfulness, he wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back out into the room.

Only, as soon as Gary exited the bathroom, he found Jeff relaxing—fully naked!—on Gary’s bed.

“Whoa!” Gary turned back around. “Were you not expecting me to come out yet?”

Jeff’s low, playful-sounding chuckle made Gary’s heart flutter.

“No, I was,” Jeff said. “Uhm, surprise?”

Gary continued to stare at the wall, and the butterflies in his stomach were beating their tiny, paper-thin wings wildly, somehow conjuring enough wind power that it felt as though there was an honest-to-God hurricane in there.

“Turn around,” Jeff said. “Or are you worried about seeing my nipples?”

“Uhm, yeah, kinda.”

“Radio man, you’ve ejaculated onto my stomach.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Sorry. You’re right.” He turned back to face Jeff, only to see him sitting there playing with himself , wearing the sexiest smile—one that was oh-so sultry and yet slightly teasing too. Gary felt heat bloom on his cheeks. “I won’t ever tire of seeing that.”

“Good. Come here, then.”

Jeff held out his hand, and Gary took a few tentative steps forward. With every step, some of his nervousness faded, and by the time he reached the bed, he was relaxed enough that he could feel himself becoming excited again, the head of his cock now pressing against the slightly rough fabric of the motel towel. Tentatively, Gary took Jeff’s hand and climbed up onto the mattress on his knees, letting Jeff coax him closer.

“Get rid of this,” Jeff said, yanking the towel away and tossing it to the floor, and that bit of playfulness made Gary smile like a lovesick weirdo, his heart swelling with hope. Jeff was becoming more comfortable with him. It was a miracle. “Okay, lie back.”

Gary’s body was buzzing with excited-yet-nervous energy again as he lay back.

“So... I found something interesting in your suitcase,” Jeff said.

Gary raised an eyebrow. “Why were you looking through my suitcase?”

“I wasn’t. It was open.”

Gary looked over at his suitcase. He had left it open. And he’d left the outfit he had picked out earlier right on the floor next to it too. When Gary turned his attention back to Jeff, his eyes flew wide. Because Jeff was holding up a half-empty tube of lubricant.

“Why’d you bring this?” Jeff asked.

“Geez, uhm, not for us . I swear I wasn’t expecting—”

“I’m not mad. I’m curious.”

“I-I wasn’t sure if we’d have separate rooms,” Gary stammered as his stomach twisted and turned and seemingly flipped inside out too. “I, uh, I...”

“Do you like to finger yourself, Gare? ”

Gary cringed, shrinking into himself a little. “Yes? Sorry if that’s weird.”

“Are you kidding? It’s perfect.” Jeff held up the tube. “Can I finger you?”

“Really?!” Gary spluttered, a fresh wave of want traveling straight to his cock. He was too stunned and excited to even try to rein in his enthusiasm this time, though there was still a small part of him—a little voice in the back of his mind—that whispered to be careful. “Um, yes, please, yes. Wow, really? Are you sure?”

Laughing softly, Jeff started unscrewing the cap.

“Yes, really. I’m very sure.”

Seeing Jeff squeeze a blob of lubricant onto one of his hands, worry twisted in Gary’s stomach. Was Jeff feeling pressured into this somehow?

“But won’t you feel too . . . won’t it be . . .”

“I’ll be okay,” Jeff said. “Especially because it’s you, Gare.”

“Are you—”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Jeff said, leveling a look. “I won’t break.”

Embarrassment crept up the back of Gary’s neck, turning his ears warm and making his cheeks flush. Why couldn’t he seem to support Jeff correctly? If only he could stop flubbing every single time he opened his mouth to broach the topic.

“Sorry,” Gary said.

“Don’t worry about it.”

At least Jeff wasn’t mad. Gary tried to push away his worries as Jeff sat up on his knees.

“Can I touch you now?” Jeff asked.

Staring at the colorless blob on Jeff’s fingers, Gary’s stomach continued to roil. Geez, wasn’t Jeff supposed to be the one worried about intimacy? And yet he seemed ready to move forward, while Gary was the one who couldn’t stop fretting.

But the thought of hurting Jeff somehow? It was terrifying .

“Gare,” Jeff said sternly. “Look at me.”

“I am.”

“You’re looking at the fucking lubricant. Look at me .”

Gary slowly lifted his chin to meet Jeff’s eyes.

“We’re okay. I’m fine ,” Jeff said.

Worry still sat heavy in Gary’s stomach.

“Okay,” Gary made himself say, though it wasn’t, really.

“I promise.”

“Okay.”

Every time Gary responded, his voice was becoming smaller. What the heck was wrong with him? Why was he so afraid?

And while he struggled to recover from nervousness—his stomach still turning and tumbling like it was caught in a whirlpool—Jeff reached out with his lubricant-free hand and began to stroke Gary’s cheek. It was like a life preserver.

“Trust me.” Jeff’s thumb traced a long line from Gary’s cheek to his chin. “You are sweetness incarnate, Gare. I feel safe with you. Okay?”

With Jeff’s next swipe of his thumb, Gary’s stomach settled. Jeff had pulled him ashore.

Gary smiled and said, “Okay.”

“So... can I touch you now?” Jeff asked, rubbing his hands together.

Fears abated (temporarily, at least), Gary nodded.

And then Jeff wrapped his hand around Gary’s cock. Gary immediately bucked his hips in response, the warmth of Jeff’s hand melting every last bit of that icy worry into fiery desire instead. Jeff started to move his fist. Only two pumps later, Gary’s eyes were rolling back as he lost himself in ecstasy, his insecurities over intimacy completely banished from his mind.

“God, Jeff, it’s incredible. ”

After a few more strokes, Gary reflexively fucked up into Jeff’s hand. “Slower, slower,” he sputtered. “Or I’ll finish.”

Slowing his hand, Jeff tapped Gary’s shin with his other. “Curl your legs for me.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Gary lifted his legs, and when Jeff pressed one finger to Gary’s hole, a shudder rolled through Gary’s body, causing him to tremble. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had wanted someone like this—with such incredible intensity it made his muscles shake. Slowly, Jeff began pushing his finger inside, and once the first knuckle was in, the pressure had Gary letting out a whimper, one that sounded so pleading, he couldn’t help but blush, embarrassed by his neediness.

But Jeff seemed to find it endearing. “So fucking cute, Gare.”

Gary screwed his eyes shut. Christ on a cracker, Jeff was touching him. Cool, sexy Jeff. Handsome, slightly-surly-yet-still-incredibly-sweet Jeff. Gary squirmed as Jeff continued to move his finger—in and out, in and out—while Jeff’s other hand slowly moved up the length of his shaft. When Jeff’s finger finally found the spot that nearly made Gary see stars, Gary’s mouth fell open, and he sucked in a breath.

With a low hum of approval, Jeff said, “I can’t wait to fuck this tight hole.”

Holy shit.

“Jeff . . .”

Gingerly, Jeff continued to pump his finger, picking up the pace only slightly. In and out.

“You’ll be so good for me, won’t you?” he purred.

Gary managed a nod, too lost in his pleasure to speak, and then started bucking his hips to fuck up into Jeff’s hand, his need to come overtaking his lingering shyness. Jeff added a second finger, and a hungry moan tumbled from Gary’s lips.

God, this was better than he’d ever dreamed.

“I love seeing you like this, falling apart from my touch,” Jeff said. He punctuated each of his next words with the slow pumping of his fingers, and all the while, Gary continued to moan. “So. Fucking. Cute.”

“I’m...” Gary paused and whimpered, his little noises setting his entire body ablaze from embarrassment. Never before had he reacted so strongly, so vocally, to someone fingering him. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jeff asked, moving his fist a little faster, the speed now perfectly matching the motions of his fingers, and Gary needed to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out.

Fighting hard to compose himself enough to respond, he said, “For... the sounds I’m... making. God, I... I needed you. I needed this.”

“I love it, Gare. I love hearing you so hungry for me.”

Jeff kept moving his fingers while his other hand worked Gary’s cock. Each soft thrust of Jeff’s fingers, each stroke of Jeff’s hand, was inching Gary toward release. Waves of pleasure rolled over his body, each larger than the last, rendering him a complete mess of moans and shuddered breaths.

“That’s it,” Jeff crooned. “Almost there.”

Gary squirmed against the mattress. His balls tightened, heat spreading throughout his body, his need to climax burning hotter than the lingering sense of shame for coming undone like this in front of Jeff—sweet, sexy Jeff whom he hadn’t even kissed. And yet, he couldn’t believe how right this felt, to have his pleasure completely in Jeff’s hands.

“You’re so perfect, radio man,” Jeff whispered. “Christ, the look of you right now. I wish you could see it. So hot.”

Gary’s muscles tensed, his mind reeling from Jeff’s words .

“Aaahhh—” Gary started to cry out, his hands clutching the sheets, but once again, embarrassment over his own neediness strangled the sound in his throat.

“That’s it, Gare. You can be loud. I want to hear you.”

So, Gary swallowed his fear, telling himself that Jeff liked him like this, that Jeff wanted to hear him fall to pieces from the overwhelming swells of pleasure, and then, with a moan—the loudest he could muster—he came, his body shaking slightly from the intensity of his orgasm as his cock continued to pulse.

Once it was over, he let out a sigh, momentarily lost in his post-orgasm high, and when he managed to open his eyes moments later, he saw Jeff on his knees working himself hard and fast.

“Watching you like that...” Jeff trailed off, a husky grunt escaping his lips. “Gare, I’m so close.”

Gary’s stomach fluttered. Holy heck, Jeff was so sexy, so beautiful. He could hardly believe he had a front-row seat to such a perfect show.

Jeff’s free hand found his. Just as their fingers intertwined, Jeff’s cock started to pulse and warm cum shot out onto Gary’s stomach. Letting out a soft moan, Jeff slowed his hand, and a few more spurts of white fell onto the sheets.

“Jesus,” Jeff blurted out, his breathing slightly labored.

Gary swallowed thickly. “Are you okay?”

“More than okay.” Jeff lifted Gary’s hand to kiss it, and the feel of Jeff’s soft lips on his knuckles had Gary’s stomach tumbling once more. “Thank you.”

Dazed and blissful, Gary smiled and said, “Uh, I’m pretty sure I should be the one thanking you . It has never been like that for me, Jeffrey. Ever.”

Jeff smiled in return, one so big those cute crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes.

“Guess I forgot how talented I am,” he teased .

With his free hand, Gary flicked Jeff’s knee. “Wow, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you sound so obviously full of yourself before.”

“I’m kidding. Kinda,” Jeff said, reaching over to the nightstand for a few tissues. He handed half of a handful to Gary before wiping his own hands with the rest.

Gary started cleaning off his stomach. “I’m not criticizing you, you know. It’s attractive.” He tossed the wad of tissues toward the trash can but missed. “When we met that first time at the mall, you had this aura of confidence that I found incredibly sexy. Boy, I can’t even put it into words how sexy, but I liked you for it. Instant crush.”

“I thought you were sexy before I even knew what you looked like,” Jeff said, settling beside him. “And then, the first time I saw your stupid face, fuck, I hated you.”

“Hated me?” Gary asked through a laugh.

“I mean, Gary Goddamn Graham, host of those cheesy local radio shows, was somehow the finest man in Niles.”

“Finest man in Niles? Me?”

“Finest man in existence,” Jeff said, rolling over and touching the side of Gary’s face. “Fucking perfect. I hated how much I liked you.”

While Jeff caressed his face, Gary’s stomach kept on somersaulting, rolling around in the most wonderful way, and he was struck by the sudden need to make Jeff feel this way too. Tentatively, Gary lifted his hand to Jeff’s face, pausing right before touching his cheek.

“Can I—”

“Yeah, of course, Gare.”

Gary traced Jeff’s cheek with his thumb. “It’s okay?”

Smiling faintly, Jeff said, “Yeah. I told you, I don’t need to be wrapped in—”

“—bubble wrap,” Gary finished for him, making both of them smile more.

For the next half hour, the two of them lay together like that, enjoying each other’s soft touches. Every moment of it was perfect. Jeff was perfect.

And Gary was so hopeful for the future.

***

Not too long after, Gary and Jeff headed out to Blaine County, where there were forecasts predicting more storms. It wasn’t a terribly long drive, only about an hour and a half northwest of Norman, and even though the prospect of witnessing another tornado was a tiny bit terrifying, Gary found that he was feeling a lot more confident than the day before. Jeff knew what he was doing; Gary was sure of that now. He knew the storms and knew what measures to take to keep them safe.

And the weather was indeed on their side again. Not too far into Blaine County, Jeff spotted what looked like some promising cloud formations, pointing them out and describing them to Gary. They drove as close as Jeff dared and then parked alongside the road just as the puffs of white clouds started to rise up into the sky like plumes of smoke. Gary forced himself to push away the last bit of lingering fear so he could enjoy the sight. It was... majestic.

After a few minutes, while the clouds were still swirling and rising, Gary took Jeff’s hand. And Jeff smiled at him. The clouds changed from milky white to pebble gray. And they watched. And they waited .

When the clouds started to swirl, the center slowly reaching toward the earth, Gary’s heart rate began to quicken, but then Jeff calmed him with a single squeeze of his hand.

“I’ve never seen two in a row,” Jeff said. “You’re my lucky penny, Gare.”

Gosh, that made him feel special. When the funnel kissed the earth, Jeff squeezed his hand once more. It was perfect.

Jeff released Gary’s hand and scrambled to find his camera in the back seat.

“Come on,” Jeff said, putting the strap over his head. “I want pictures.”

Gary followed Jeff out of the car. Wind whipped around them while Jeff snapped a few photos. Gary continued to stare, his eyes fixed on the funnel turning over the plains and then flitting up to the spinning swirl of clouds above. Never before had he seen something so frightening and yet so beautiful.

Seconds passed as they watched the storm, and then Gary glanced over at Jeff, who was no longer taking photographs, but simply facing the funnel, looking like he wanted to sprint to it, to fight it, to win. God, he was so magnificent, so confident and strong.

All of a sudden, Gary’s legs were taking him forward, like his body was moving of its own volition, his yearning for closeness pulling him toward the beautiful man he had come to adore.

Jeff turned to him and said, “What do you think, radio man? Doesn’t it make you feel alive?”

“Yeah,” Gary said, continuing to close the distance between them. “It’s incredible.” His hands shook as he reached out to touch Jeff’s face. “ You’re incredible.”

With a half-smile, one that looked the tiniest bit uncertain, Jeff cocked an eyebrow, but he let Gary keep touching him, and to Gary, every single second felt like confirmation of their strengthening bond and the trust they’d built between them. Gary took a step closer, thinking that Jeff would probably pull back, but Jeff stayed fixed to the spot. Gary’s breath caught, his stomach fluttering madly. Boy, he wanted to kiss Jeff.

Maybe . . . maybe he could.

Gary moved his thumb from Jeff’s cheek down to his lips, letting it linger there.

And Jeff’s small smile never faltered, not even for a second.

Gary moved his face closer, stopping when their noses were only a hair’s breadth apart, and waited for Jeff’s response, for Jeff to stop him. But Jeff stayed silent, his body still. Closing his eyes, Gary took a pause to relish the warmth of each of Jeff’s exhales and then moved his lips closer and closer.

Still, Jeff never pulled away.

Heart thudding wildly, Gary leaned forward to touch their lips together.

And they kissed.

Excitement zipped through Gary’s veins. He was kissing him. He, Gary Graham, was kissing the beautiful and perfect Jeff Russo. And Jeff was kissing him back. Hooking a hand behind Jeff’s head, Gary pulled him closer. Every fiber of his entire being caught fire with the need for the two of them to be together, really together. He wanted to hold Jeff close, to protect him, to never let go. He wanted Jeff to be his. Forever.

But then, before Gary could understand what was happening, Jeff’s hands were on his, prying them off of his face, and Jeff pulled back, breaking their kiss.

“Gare . . .” Eyes wide with what looked to be fear, Jeff shook his head. “I . . .”

Every ounce of elation rushed out of Gary in an instant, and he slunk back, crumpling in on himself like paper. “God, I’m so sorry, Jeff. I never meant to—”

“Let’s head back.” Jeff started toward the Cadillac. “Everyone’ll be at the bar soon.”

Self-loathing twisting inside him, Gary followed Jeff to the car. Neither of them spoke. For the entire ride that followed, Jeff stared straight ahead, looking lost in thought.

And he never once reached for Gary’s hand.