Evan finished at the keypad and faced him. “You guys really are close.”
“He’s always been there for me. When I would get in trouble and our dad would go on one of his rampages, Brandon always stood up to him to get the heat off me. He’s my best friend, even more so than Kenny.” Jesse chuckled. “We might bicker a lot and call each other names, but it’s how we show our love.”
Evan lowered his gaze. It had been years since there’d been anyone in his life he could count as a best friend. The closest was his former guitarist, Jerry Jeffries, or JJ as everyone called him, and when he’d been making albums they were pretty close, but since he quit performing he had only seen JJ twice, called him a handful of times, and sent a few letters. The only person who he considered a true best friend had been his father.
“Ev?”
Evan raised his eyes to Jesse’s questioning face and summoned a smile for him. “The last thing I want is to come between you two. Is he seeing anyone right now?”
Jesse’s countenance deepened from questioning to concerned. “Not anyone serious. Is everything okay? Just now, you looked kinda sad.”
“Sad?” Evan said in a doubtful voice with a forced chuckle. “Well, I
am
out a brand new Escalade. Wouldn’t that make you sad?”
Jesse averted his gaze, his voice came soft. “But, you’ve gotten that look before, and it makes me feel like there are things you’re thinking or feeling you don’t want to talk about. I guess I can understand since we haven’t known each other that long, and everyone has things they’d rather keep to themselves, but,” he brought his eyes back to Evan’s, “I know I feel safe telling you everything about myself and I want you to feel the same way. I’d never betray anything you confided in me. I swear it on my life and music.”
Evan opened his mouth to speak, then closed it without a word. He dropped his gaze from Jesse’s, blinking rapidly a few times, and shifted his stance backward, then forward again, looking as though he wanted to flee but not knowing how.
Jesse mentally chastised himself for making him uncomfortable, and yet at the same time, felt a little bit of triumph at touching something in Evan that made it difficult for him to maintain his cool front. Evan took a deep breath, and Jesse saw he had managed to gather some of his controlled demeanor back, but still seemed shaken, and there was a soft desperation in his eyes that made Evan appear almost fragile.
Evan moved close to him and braced one hand on the door beside Jesse’s head. He placed his other under Jesse’s chin and brushed his thumb along his slender jaw. “I know I can trust you. If I didn’t believe that I could, I never would’ve brought you here. I would’ve screwed you in my hotel room the first night I saw you, then I would’ve been gone before you woke up. But I felt something when I saw you, and for the first time in a very long time, I wanted to be able to believe in someone. When I finally talked to you, I could sense your honesty, and you’ve shown me nothing but sincerity since that night. You don’t know how much it means to me to find someone who is truly genuine with me. Almost everyone who has ever been in my life has been nothing but greedy fools wearing fake smiles and showing kindness to me because they wanted a piece of my success.”
Evan’s words spiraled through Jesse’s mind. He couldn’t think of a response until he muttered without thinking, “What do I need your success for when I’m more than capable of gaining my own?”
Before he could close his eyes or tip his lips up to him, Evan’s mouth closed over his in an intense kiss. Evan pulled him away from the door, spun him toward the stairs, and pressed him back without taking his lips away. Jesse walked backward, his eyes closed. Something in his response had struck Evan. The thought passed through his mind that he should stop Evan’s abrupt passion, he should keep him talking, but he decided against it. If this was where Evan’s emotions wanted to be, then he would follow them. When Evan halted them both, he assumed they must be near the stairs, and broke the kiss to see he was right. He turned to climb them, and Evan walked behind him, his hands on Jesse’s hips.
Jesse looked over his shoulder, grinning with mischief. “I’ll race you to the bed. If you can catch me, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me for the rest of the day and night.”
Before Evan could respond, Jesse sprang up three steps in one leap. As he landed, he launched into a sprint up the rest of the flight. Evan dashed after him. Jesse reached the top of the stairs and raced toward the bedroom. With each stride, he heard Evan closing in on him. He veered into the bedroom, seeing the bed only a few strides away, then felt Evan’s hands on his waist.
Jesse laughed between quick breaths, “I guess it does. So what are you going to do with your victory?”
Evan released him and pushed him hard, knocking him forward onto the bed. Jesse flipped from his stomach to his back, sliding fully onto the bed as Evan brought his body over him. Evan pressed his mouth to his, diving his tongue deep inside, and worked his hips against him. A short, high groan sounded in Jesse’s throat. The friction of their clothes between them made it feel as if they were chaffing his sensitive cock. He realized the chase brought Evan’s passion to a fiercer level and stored the trick into his permanent memory.
Evan lifted himself up and grabbed the bottom of Jesse’s shirt. Jesse wiggled beneath him to aid in getting it off. Evan flung the shirt away and pulled his own over his head. He came back down on Jesse, bringing the bare skin of their chests together. Jesse exhaled a soft groan, his hands moved over the smooth skin of Evan’s back. Evan drifted lower on him, his lips devoting attention to every inch of Jesse’s skin, causing Jesse to lose himself in the feel of his explorative tongue. Evan tugged Jesse’s button and zipper loose, his hand dove into his boxers and pulled Jesse’s cock free as his lips reached his chest and he covered one nipple with his mouth.
Jesse moaned and writhed, weaving his fingers in Evan’s hair. The beautiful sounds Jesse made heightened Evan’s pleasure. He wanted to evoke more of those noises from him. He pressed Jesse’s cock to his own abdomen. Jesse gasped loud, and Evan grinned at his reaction. He pushed off the bed and dragged Jesse’s jeans and boxers off his legs. He removed Jesse’s socks, then shed his own clothes. Jesse held both arms up to him. Evan climbed onto the bed to lay in his embrace. Jesse’s mouth opened for Evan’s tongue before their lips touched.
After a few long moments, Evan withdrew from Jesse’s lips and crawled half off him to reach the lube on the nightstand. He picked it up, shook it, and sighed. “I forgot we killed this the other day, but I’ve got more in the bathroom.”
“I know. I saw your stash under the sink when I was looking for the toothbrush. You’ve got like a year’s supply down there.”
“More like a couple weeks with the way we’ve been going at it.” Evan stepped into the bathroom to get the lube. He headed back to the bedroom, halting in the doorway at the sight before him.
Jesse lay sprawled across the bed on his back, his eyes closed, his head turned to the side, his black hair framing the fair skin of his face. He had one leg cocked up, the other spread wide to the side. His left arm was tossed behind his head, his right hand worked in slow strokes up and down his erection.
Evan found himself unable to move or speak, capable of only taking in Jesse’s slender body. His heart tightened as the thought passed through his mind of how Jesse’s was the kind of exquisite beauty that inspired artists to create masterpieces.
Jesse opened his indigo eyes, a sensual smile graced his lips. He propped himself up on one elbow and beckoned Evan to him with his index finger. “I’m all yours. Do whatever you want to me.”
Evan didn’t think it was physically possible for him to get harder, but Jesse’s words made it painfully so. He marched across the bedroom and jumped onto the bed, forcing Jesse down to his back once again as he met him in a kiss, only to draw back so he could slather his fingers in lube. He lifted Jesse’s right leg to rest on his shoulder, and when he found his lips again, he pushed his middle finger inside him.
Jesse’s body temperature flared at Evan’s touch. He draped his other leg over Evan’s back. After only a few thrusts of Evan’s finger, he wanted more and let out a pleading moan. Evan responded by adding his index. Jesse sighed softly, amazed at how well Evan could read him. Steady and firm, Evan pushed into him, but he craved more force and more of Evan. He reached down, grabbed Evan’s wrist, and with a sharp yank and snap of his hips, he drove Evan’s fingers deep and hard, gasping and arching at the sensation.
Evan tried to pull his hand back, but Jesse tightened his fingers around his wrist, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You want more than just my fingers, don’t you?”
Jesse flipped over and moved up to his hands and knees, glancing over his shoulder at Evan with a teasing smirk. “You’re awfully demanding in what you want.”
“Yes, it’s a shame you’re not more assertive,” Evan said sarcastically. Kneeling behind him, he pulled one of Jesse’s arms out from under him and slapped Jesse’s hand down on the top of the headboard. “Remember when you asked if I liked to get rough?”
Jesse blinked down at the headboard, his heart drumming hard and fast. Evan’s fingertips drifted down his back in a caress firmer than usual. When his fingers reached his lower back, Evan hooked them and scratched his short, manicured nails over Jesse’s ass, creating streaks of pale red against the ivory skin.
Jesse fed his rapid heartbeat with shallow, quick breaths. He could tell from Evan’s methodical touch, from the intensity in the air surrounding them, that Evan was studying his reactions, gauging how much force he could use, and he found himself overflowing with the same emotions he had felt their first night, the desire to surrender to Evan’s dominance, to have Evan master him.
Evan’s nails dug in harder. Jesse moaned high and pushed into his touch. Evan grabbed Jesse’s hips and tugged his back end to him. With a hard thrust, he shoved his cock inside him. Jesse sucked in a sharp breath and flinched at the force, then exhaled hard and leaned back toward Evan for more. Evan pulled him back as he moved forward, sinking into him deeper and deeper until his body was flush with Jesse’s, and still he continued to press in and tug him back.
Jesse panted in short, hard breaths. Evan’s strong grip held him in place. It was the deepest he had ever been. It hurt a little, and Evan pressed against him so hard Jesse swore his ass was going to have bruises from Evan’s hips, but he didn’t want to stop him. As deep as Evan was, it still didn’t feel like enough.
Without pulling so much as a fraction out of him, Evan jerked his hips forward in small hammering thrusts. Jesse’s cock pulsed with every push. Evan drew his length out halfway, and he instantly missed the deep pressure. A choked whimper escaped him, followed by a high cry as Evan slammed into him, causing him to fall toward the headboard before he caught himself, his body throbbing from the impact.
Evan stopped and eased back, fearing it’d been too much for him, but as he did, Jesse moved with him, as though desperate to keep every inch of him inside him.
The need on Jesse’s face severed the last of Evan’s selfcontrol. He rammed forward. Jesse dropped his head between his stretched out arms, expelling a loud moan. Gripping Jesse’s hips, Evan pounded into him. Jesse’s arms trembled with the effort of keeping his elbows locked against the strength of Evan’s thrusts, each one driving gasps and high cries from him. His cock ached, but he couldn’t release the headboard to give it the attention it wanted. From the warmth circulating in his sac, he didn’t think he would have to in order to reach climax. At that thought, Evan’s right hand released his hip, his fingers clamped around his shaft.
A high groan came from between Jesse’s clenched teeth, not only at the overwhelming pleasure of finally having his organ touched, but also at the way Evan stroked him, hard and rough, tugging and pulling. Never in his life had someone taken possession of him like Evan was. It felt like his body belonged more to Evan than to himself.
Evan brought his torso over Jesse’s back, thrusting faster. With his other hand, he grabbed a fistful of Jesse’s hair and yanked his head back and to the side. A choked breath shook in Jesse’s throat, his muscles tightened as his ecstasy built. Evan nipped down his neck, then reaching the tender curve near the shoulder, sank his teeth into his skin in a solid bite.
The pain of the bite intertwined with Jesse’s pleasure. He bucked back hard against him, yelling Evan’s name as his climax burst free. A rumbling groan came from Evan’s throat. His teeth still gripped Jesse’s skin as he pushed every inch of his length inside him, releasing deeper in him than ever before.
Evan dropped his torso down on Jesse’s sweat slick back, which rose and fell under him as Jesse tried to catch his breath. Though his arms and legs felt weak, Jesse supported their combined weight.
Evan wrapped his arms around Jesse’s waist, pressing their bodies tighter together. He nuzzled into Jesse’s hair. “Why can’t I control myself with you?” he whispered. “I have no defenses against you.”
Jesse turned his head to look at him. Evan’s face remained buried in his hair. There was a vulnerability in Evan’s voice that made an ache rise in his chest. He didn’t know what Evan was referring to, but he was positive it wasn’t sex. He laid one hand over Evan’s, silently telling him his defenses were no longer needed.
Jesse sat beside Evan on the steps of the Field Museum of Natural History. He picked at the frozen lemonade cup in his hand. Even though he had a blast spending the morning meandering around the museum, he couldn’t shake his concern about Evan. He thought he made a breakthrough on Tuesday with the amazing afternoon and evening they spent together, but the next morning Evan had collected his composed character once again and took him along to purchase a Porsche Cayenne.