Senses 03 - Love Comes Home (DA) (MM) (19 page)

Greg moaned and writhed beneath him. To hell with slow. Tom wriggled down Greg’s skin, licking and sucking his way over a heaving chest and rippling belly. Greg stilled, and Tom sucked him deep in one fluid movement, then bobbed his head and licked along Greg’s length, his cock throbbing along Tom’s tongue. Damn, Tom loved this sensation, and the rich and slightly bitter taste drove him on. Tom sucked faster and harder, and when Greg’s breathing caught, he stilled. Tom knew Greg was close, so he doubled his efforts, wanting more than anything to see Greg come apart.

He didn’t have to wait long. Greg tensed, moaned deeply, and shook slightly before starting to come. Greg gave Tom everything he had to give, his mouth hanging open and eyes slightly glazed.

Tom waited until Greg splayed on the bed. Then Tom let him slip from between his lips. The look of near complete wonder in Greg’s eyes told him all he needed to know. Tom brought their lips together in a deep kiss that fueled his own denied passion. Greg’s skin on his cock drove him wild. Tom clutched Greg to him, thrusting his hips with abandon, sliding his cock along Greg’s warm, sweat-slick skin. Within seconds, pressure built from deep inside and he came hard between their bodies.

Neither of them moved for a long while. They breathed and held each other in a soft afterglow that seemed to go on and on, to Tom’s delight. Eventually, Greg got up and hurried out of the room to the bathroom. He returned with a cloth and towel that they both used to clean up.

“Do you want me to go?” Tom asked. “I’ll understand if you don’t want me to be here when Davey gets up in the morning.”

Greg finished with the cloth and placed it on the hamper before joining him in bed. “I think Davey would approve, actually. He asked me why I wasn’t dating, and I think he would be thrilled to know we were serious about each other.” Greg paused. “We are serious, aren’t we? I mean, if this is just a sex thing, I can live with that, but I need you to tell me. Davey likes you, and I don’t want him to get hurt. I think I can deal with it, but he’s—”

Tom touched Greg’s lips lightly with a finger. He sort of liked the babbling thing Greg had going, but he needed to set him straight. “Yes, I think what we have is serious, and no, I have no intention of purposely hurting either you or Davey. But you have to realize that I’m in this relationship with you. I care for Davey a lot, but the person who’s stealing my heart is you.” That was a hard admission for him, but one he felt was necessary. “I don’t usually pour my heart out to anyone, but you’ve gotten around my defenses, and what surprises me is that I don’t mind in the least. You’re a good, kind man without an agenda, and I haven’t met many of those.” Tom pulled Greg to him, spooning to him, making slow circles on his belly. “I want to stay, Greg, very much.”

Greg was quiet for quite a while. “I’m glad you’re staying. And I….”

“You don’t have to say anything you aren’t ready for.”

“I know.” Greg rolled over. “I care for you too. These past few weeks have been hard for both of us, and you’ve been with us all the way.”

Tom smiled and closed his eyes, kissed Greg lightly and then held him in his arms.

This was their first night together, and Tom didn’t want it to end. He lay awake for a good hour, listening to Greg breathe and letting himself start to believe just how wonderful things could be.

“Are you still awake?” Greg asked in the darkness.

“Yes,” Tom answered.

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” Tom breathed. “I can’t sleep because I’m not used to having someone in bed with me like this. I’m excited and happy.”

“But that’s good,” Greg whispered.

“It is, but that’s also when my previous attempts at a relationship blew up.”

“Okay.” Greg chuckled slightly. “There will be no blowing up or any other military-style endings to this relationship. Okay? So just relax and go to sleep.” Greg pressed back against him, and Tom heard another chuckle. “I see why you can’t sleep,” Greg said and began moving his hips, sliding Tom’s now throbbing dick along his butt.

“I was trying not to be too obvious,” Tom whispered in Greg’s ear, holding him tighter as he thrust his hips. Tom let his hands wander down Greg’s belly and wrapped his fingers around Greg’s cock. He slowly began to stroke, and Greg thrust his hips against him. “That’s it, let yourself float on the sensation,” Tom whispered and then sucked on Greg’s ear. “I love the way you feel against me, but I love even more the way you shake with excitement when I touch you.”

“I feel so selfish,” Greg said.

“No. You’re letting me give, and that’s what I want. You need to be happy, and making you happy does the same for me.” Tom stroked harder and thrust faster, and Greg pressed back against him in a silent plea for more. The bed shook slightly as they slowly moved together in a horizontal dance that wrapped Tom in warmth unlike anything he’d felt before. He knew when Greg was close—he could tell by his little panting breaths and desperate movements. Tom wasn’t far off, his body tuning to Greg’s. “Your little groans drive me wild,” Tom whispered, playing Greg like an instrument, driving them both to a crescendo of desire that quickly burst around them in a flash of searing heat that tapered off into a warm, slow fade, and after a more involved cleanup than before, they settled back in bed, and this time, Tom did fall asleep.

F
IRST
THING
in the morning, he kissed Greg good-bye and left the house. Tom needed to get home, and of course once he got there, he found a number of beer bottles on the coffee table and Skip sound asleep in the guest room. Tom figured he should be pleased he hadn’t found Skip passed out on the sofa or asleep on the bathroom floor. Both were experiences he wasn’t really willing to relive. Tom decided to let him sleep and went to his room. He got fresh clothes and went to the bathroom, where he cleaned up, showered, and then got dressed. When he came out, he was graced with Skip coming toward him, bleary-eyed and blinky, clad only in a pair of old gym shorts.

“When did you get home?”

“A little while ago,” Tom answered, and Skip gave him a smile. “It was nice, thanks.”

“No problem,” Skip said and then yawned. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

“I thought I’d take you to the falls, if you’re up to it. It’s over an hour’s ride. I thought we could spend some time communing with nature before it’s time to get back and play beep ball with Davey.”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Davey’s a great kid,” Tom answered.

“I was talking about Greg,” Skip said with a soft laugh, followed by a yawn. He scratched his butt and stepped toward the bathroom. “I’ll get cleaned up and dressed, and then we can go.” He closed the door, and Tom went to his room to finish dressing. Then Tom headed to the kitchen. He made coffee, which inevitably drew Skip downstairs. After grabbing a quick bite, they got in the Ferrari and headed out for the day.

“You know,” Skip said as they drove, “I came here to try to convince you to give up this foolishness and come back to New York. Everyone misses you, including me, but you aren’t going to come back, I know that now. For some unfathomable reason, you’re actually happy here in the sticks.”

“I like it. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing. That’s what I’m coming to understand. When you left, I kept figuring you’d get bored and come back. I mean, New York has everything, and this place very little. But I’m starting to understand that Marquette has something that makes you happy. I wish to God I knew what it was, because the thought of living here out in the middle of nowhere would push me off the deep end.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Tom said. “It isn’t as bad as all that here. People are friendly, and there’s plenty to do. You just have to look harder and be willing to make your own fun. I’m part of the community and I can be productive here. I wasn’t in New York.” Tom paused. “Okay, honestly, I wish I could tell you why I like it here, but I do. And I think you might like it here if you gave it a chance.” Tom waited for the inevitable denial. When it didn’t come, he smiled and kept quiet.

They drove for a while, with Skip looking out the window at the passing scenery. He asked a few questions, and Tom did his best to supply the answers. Tom turned off the main road, then slowed as a large shape lumbered out of the trees. He pulled to a stop and heard Skip gasp, then say, “Is that a fucking bear?”

Tom grinned. “I don’t know about the fucking part, but yeah, that’s a black bear. We’re about to enter the state park, and it’s very wild. Most of Michigan was logged at one point or another, but large portions of the state park were preserved and set aside before that happened.” Tom stopped at the ranger station, where the ranger on duty checked the state park sticker on the windshield, asked about the car with a huge grin and a touch of jealousy, and let him pass through. “I wish Greg could have come with us,” Tom said.

Skip sighed. “You know, there was a time when I wished you had those kind of feelings for me.”

Tom nearly missed the turn he was looking for, he was so shocked at the admission. “We were friends, best friends….” He didn’t know what else to say.

“I know,” Skip said, and then, after a quiet moment, he added, “I didn’t want to mess that up.”

Tom pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine. “You could have said something.” Tom started running through their history together like a movie running on super-fast-forward. “I guess I never thought of you that way. I mean, you were my friend, and it’s pretty bad to jones on your friend.”

“Yeah, well. I knew it wasn’t meant to be when you left the city. While you were there I kept thinking I might have a chance, but you never looked at me that way, so I guess I….”

“Drowned your sorrows in a parade of men?” Tom teased.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Skip said and opened his door. Tom did the same, and they got out. “I’m not heartbroken or anything. I was…. Let’s talk about something else. I probably should have kept my big mouth shut instead of sounding like some tragic character from a romantic comedy.”

Tom shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go see some nature.” He led the way along the path from the parking lot to the visitor center. They stopped inside to get some basic information before walking down the path through the woods, the roar of falling water mixing with the wind through the thick canopy overhead. He really did wish he could be here with Greg. Greg had told him once that Tahquamenon Falls was one of his and Davey’s favorite places.

“The forest here is thousands of years old.” He gazed into the stands of large, thick trees, leaning on the wooden railing that ran along the path. “You know what gets to me?” Tom asked, almost under his breath.

Skip stood next to him. “That Davey will never get to see this again?”

Tom nodded slowly. “You know me so well.”

“Yeah, I do,” Skip agreed. “And I know that boy and his father have both gotten under your skin. But I want to ask you something, and I don’t want you to get mad.” Tom turned toward him. “Is it Davey who is pulling on your heartstrings, or is it Greg?” Tom opened his mouth to respond, anger rising to the surface. Skip put up his hands. “I’m just asking because I know you and your causes sometimes. You get wound up in things, and I love you, ya know that. But they aren’t a cause.”

Tom took a deep breath and pushed away from the rail. Skip did the same, and they continued down the path in silence. The path wound through the woods, and the roar of the falling water got louder. Then they made a turn, and there they were, the large upper falls. The falls were spectacular—a wide expanse of water tumbling over a hundred feet, natural and unspoiled. Tom stopped and simply watched the way he always did when he came here. People moved past him to get closer, but Tom simply stared, taking in the entire scene, the wilderness, the river and then the falls. There was something about this place that spoke to his soul.

“Are you ready to move on?”

“Give me a minute, Greg,” Tom said, “I mean, Skip,” he corrected hastily, shaking his head to pull him out of the fantasy he’d been allowing himself to weave.

“I think I just got my answer,” Skip muttered, and then he turned and started walking down the path.

Tom caught up, and they continued on until they got closer, walking right up to the top of the falls, where they watched the water as it approached the precipice and then tumbled over, shifting from clear dark to white frothing water in a split second.

“It’s incredible,” Skip said over the roar, with more animation that Tom had heard all day.

“Yeah,” Tom agreed, nodding.

“I can feel the energy all around. It’s like the air crackles with it.”

Tom knew exactly what he meant. After a while, they started back along the path, with people passing them as they answered the call of the wild river.

“You know, I never meant to hurt you,” Tom said as they approached the Ferrari, a group of kids gathered around it, eyes filled with longing and admiration. Tom opened his door and let the boys have a look inside. They wanted to know all the statistics, and he gladly provided the information. Then he and Skip got inside.

“You didn’t hurt me,” Skip said. “I hurt myself with my delusions, but honestly that was a while ago, and I’m over you. I think I needed to clear the air.”

Tom nodded and said nothing. He didn’t think Skip was telling the truth, but to call him on it would hurt his pride, so he kept silent as they drove to the lower falls.

They had lunch and then paid for a boat trip to the island, where they followed the path along the edge where the river ran over smaller falls right near the path. These weren’t as grand as the upper falls, but the cascades over smaller drop-offs were no less inspiring. By the time they’d walked the loop trail around the island, they were both ready to head back. Tom rowed their boat across the lagoon and back to the boat landing.

“That was amazing,” Skip told him as they climbed the path to the gift shop.

Skip looked through shelves of souvenirs while Tom tried to calculate how long it had been since the assortment of merchandise had changed. The entire place felt like something out of another age—coin purses and stuffed black bears—when everything was more innocent. Maybe that was the draw. Families came here on vacation to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Tom smiled as a young boy picked up one of the bears and turned to his dad, a smile breaking out when the father nodded.