15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Jake

I t had been a long day. I was wrapping up reprimanding a subcontractor for ruining an entire box of flooring by placing it behind a truck, where someone backed over it entirely, and I'd spent most of the day spinning out in my mind about Max leaving. The sooner the job finished, the sooner he'd be gone, and I didn't want to think about it—which meant that was all my mind could think about. That was why, when someone grabbed me from behind, I didn't respond in the kindest way.

"Hey," Max said, touching my arm. When I sighed, Max frowned and tilted his head slightly. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Only Buddy literally destroying the last box of flooring we needed to install to finish the downstairs." I pressed my index finger to the center of my forehead and sighed before looking back at him. "Now I have to run back to the hardware store and hope they still have it in stock. Otherwise, we're going to be calling it a day early."

"Yikes." He grimaced.

"Yikes is right. But I'll figure it out. That's what I'm here for. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to tell you about my meeting with Doug, but it's fine. It sounds like you're busy."

I dropped my voice to a low murmur. "Why don't you come by later and you can tell me everything?"

He brightened. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good."

My day went mostly smoothly from there. I was relieved to find the hardware store did, in fact, have the same flooring in stock, so I was able to replace the ruined box and I grabbed another backup, just in case. Back on site, I lent a hand cutting and installing the last pieces of flooring before guiding the cabinet guys on where they would need to install each piece the next morning. Countertops were going in the following day, so I did a walk-through to make sure everything looked ready. Satisfied, I wrapped up for the day and headed home.

Once I'd pulled into my driveway, I grabbed my guitar from the back seat of the truck and took it with me. It had been too long since I'd taken the opportunity to just enjoy playing. Inside, I placed the guitar on the couch and made my way into the bathroom to shower. I was gross—covered in sweat and sawdust—and I needed to wash it all away and try to get myself into the right frame of mind to spend time with Max. I still felt guilty for barking at him earlier and I was ready to wash that away, too.

Stepping under the cool water, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Normally I preferred a hot shower, but after a sweltering day at work, cool water was welcome. I scrubbed quickly, watching sudsy water swirl down the drain, and dried off quickly when I was done. In the bedroom, I pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and a loose-fitting T-shirt before making my way back to the living room. Pulling the guitar out of the case, I grabbed a pick and began to play.

It was easy to get lost in the music when I played, no particular songs coming to mind as I strummed. I just made it up as I went along, much like the rest of my life—not following any real road map, not doing what was expected of me, just doing my own thing. Nothing else in the world mattered. Well, except Max. He mattered.

The thought drew a tight knot in my stomach, the slow but sudden indisputable realization that I wanted to keep Max around for as long as he wanted to stay, and that I wanted more from him—wanted to give more of myself to him—than the occasional make-out session or sleepover we'd been working with.

Max's knock on my door caused me to pause my strumming for just a beat, long enough to call out and let him know to come inside. "It's open."

My front door swung wide and Max stepped inside, brow furrowed, curiosity etched on his perfect face. "What's this about?"

I shrugged and kept playing. "Nothing serious. It's just been too long since I played. This thing's been in my truck most of the summer, since you arrived in town for sure, and I decided now was the time to shake some of the dust off."

He nodded and sat in a chair next to me, watching me play for a long time. "You're really talented."

I shrugged and moved my gaze from the strings to Max. "Not all that good. You should've heard my granddad. He was the real talent in the family." After a moment, I remembered our encounter from earlier. "Tell me about the meeting."

Max brightened. "Oh, right. I talked to Doug. He agreed not to use the letters. He said he trusts me to make the right call."

I weighed my words carefully. "And you're good with that?"

He smiled at me, nodding. "I think it's the best choice for everyone." For a long moment, Max's gaze stayed on me. "Jake?"

"Hmm?" I shifted from strumming to picking, trying to tease a tune out that had settled in the back of my mind.

Max moved from the chair to the couch, taking a seat next to me. "I just… I really want to kiss you right now." His voice was quiet and sincere and his gaze dropped to my lips and back to my eyes. "If you don't mind."

I gave him a soft smile. "I don't mind at all."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, inhaling deeply before he slid his tongue into my mouth. I stopped playing and dropped my pick somewhere on the floor before sliding my hand along his back and pulling him in close. After a moment, I released Max and used both hands to set my guitar aside before re-focusing on the man in front of me. For the first time in my life, I let myself feel what I wanted to feel, settled deep into the sensation of this man's mouth against mine, and pulled him onto my lap.

He came along quickly, compliant without protest, but he did make a muffled noise of surprise in the back of his throat, and once he was straddling me, he pulled away, pressing his forehead to mine, his arms bracketing my body, hands pressed to the back of the couch. Any lingering confusion I'd felt disappeared like fog in the sunshine. I wanted him. I knew it the way I knew anything true. I knew I wanted him in the same way I knew I wanted to get up every morning and work with my hands and feel satisfied that I'd done a good job. I knew it as if it were the most obvious thing in my world, and for that moment, it was.

Before he could speak or kiss me again or do anything else, I murmured his name. "Max?"

His response was whispered. "Yeah?"

"I think I'd like to…" I stopped, unsure of how to finish the sentence. What was I supposed to say? To have you fuck me? To have you make love to me? To have sex with you? It all felt wrong.

He frowned. "What?"

I placed my hands on his ass and pulled him in closer, until our chests were flush together. "I think I'm ready."

The slow smile that crossed Max's face was magical. He understood, of course he did, and he nodded. "Bedroom."

My stomach twisted and fluttered, nerves and excitement warring inside me. Max scrambled off my lap and stood, pulling me by the hand until I joined him. I kissed him again, slow and deep, and we began the process of stumbling toward my bedroom, kissing and laughing the whole time.

Finally we made it into the bedroom, the backs of my legs connecting with the mattress. As soon as I could, I lowered myself to sitting on the mattress and pulled Max back on top of me. My cock was hard in my shorts, and as he straddled me again, Max's own erection, trapped in his jeans, pressed against mine, sending an aching bolt of desire through me. We kissed like that for a long time, bodies roiling together as we chased the sensations and slowly undressed one another. Max's shirt went first, tossed aside, and I ran my hands along his pecs and abs reverently. He pulled my shirt over my head and dropped kisses along my collarbone and upper chest, leaving a damp trail where he scraped his teeth against my skin before soothing it with another kiss, over and over.

We made quick work of pants, shorts, and underwear, and soon we were lying in bed completely naked, kissing deeply, like there was nothing else in the world that mattered. Our cocks rubbed together, each leaking and hard, each aching to be touched. After a long while, I reached between us and began to stroke us together, drawing a soft moan from Max's throat.

"Jake, I—" His voice was tight as he put his hand on mine, stopping me. "I guess we should've discussed this before but… I'm a top. I don't… I mean, I've never…"

I quieted him with a quick kiss and a soft chuckle. "I've never either, but I know what I want."

"Yeah?"

"I want to feel you inside me."

The deep groan that tore from his throat let me know he was more than okay with the situation. "Yeah. Okay. Fuck yeah. But we probably shouldn't, you know, jump right to me fucking you if it's your first time. You need to be ready."

I chuckled again. "I'm ready."

"Not just ready, but ready ."

I pressed a finger to his lips. "Max, just because I've been single for most of my life doesn't mean I don't get myself off. I can take you. I promise." For emphasis, I reached between us and gripped his cock, stroking him a few times.

He groaned again and kissed me quickly. "Good, because I really don't want to have to wait." With that, Max pushed me onto my back and climbed on top, kissing his way down my body, dragging his tongue along my nipples and abs until he reached my leaking, aching cock, which he avoided entirely.

I huffed and whined as he pressed kisses to my thighs. "No fair."

Max just laughed and shook his head. "You've had my mouth on you there before. Tonight I'm saving it for somewhere special." With that, he pushed my legs up so my feet were flat against the mattress, slid a hand along the curve of my ass, and parted it open with his thumbs before dipping down to press his tongue to my hole. I groaned, my cock pulsing out precum as he did. He dragged the flat of it against me there, causing me to squirm and groan.

I reached for my cock and Max pulled away for a moment. "Not yet. I want to take my time with you and I can't have you getting off too soon."

A frustrated chuckle slipped from me and I dropped my head back on the pillow, letting my eyes drift shut. Max's tongue and fingers were a barrage of sensation as he teased me open, licking and sucking and pressing into me. He slid one finger inside and I moaned softly, loving the way he felt and craving more. I could hardly stand it, my cock aching and leaking all over my stomach, and we were just getting started.

A second finger joined the first, and his tongue flicked and teased between them, softening the muscle. When he added a third, I began to squirm, desperate for the real thing, so ready for his cock. Max continued to push fingers into me, but he pulled his head back and bit the inside of my thigh as I writhed in response to his efforts.

I let out a little yelp of surprise, and a breathy laugh followed. "What was that for?"

"Felt like it." That was all he said before going back to my hole with his tongue.

"God," I gasped out. "Come on. I'm ready."

Max looked up at me and smirked, his face covered in saliva, his hair a wreck. "You're ready when I say you are."

I moaned again. "Fuck."

After what felt like hours of Max eating me out, he pulled back and made his way up my body before pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "Lube and condoms?"

I had lube, but my stomach roiled at the other request. It had been so long since I'd been with someone else that I didn't have condoms, and if I did have one somewhere, it was certainly expired. "I… it's been a while since I've had condoms in the house."

He nodded and bit his lip. "I didn't bring any. But… if you're comfortable with it, I was negative at my last test and I'm on PrEP."

"When was your last test?" I didn't want to think about him fucking other guys, but I certainly couldn't be too careful.

He traced a finger along the line of my shoulder. "Just before I came to town. I haven't been with anyone since."

My brows dipped in a surprised frown. "No?"

Max shook his head and smiled softly. "No. It's just been you."

"In that case…" I took his hand and guided it to my cock. "I'm negative, too. It's been a while since I was tested, but I haven't been with anyone since then."

He took my cock in his hand and stroked slowly, dragging his thumb through the precum at the slit. "Would you look at that?" His tone was exaggeratedly casual. "It looks like you're ready."