Conquest (29 page)
Evan laughed and hugged him. “I think that’s the fiftieth time you’ve said that today with the way you were calling me every hour.”
“Good,” Jesse said, deciding he wasn’t about to ruin Evan’s birthday with telling him about his confrontation with Tim. He followed Evan down the hall and saw him head toward the kitchen. He pounced on Evan’s back and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll get it. You come this way.” Covering Evan’s eyes with both hands, Jesse pressed his body against him to get him to walk forward.
Evan stepped forward, trusting Jesse to steer him through the house.
They reached the French doors in the music room, and Jesse stopped him. “Keep your eyes closed.”
Jesse stepped around him, squinted at him to make sure he wasn’t peeking, then opened the doors and took Evan’s hands to pull him through. “You can open them.”
Evan opened his eyes and stared. The candles flickered with soft yellow light against the dark, the scent of roses drifted with the breeze, the violins sounded through the night. Jesse led him to the table and pulled out a chair. Evan sat, blinking at him in shock.
Evan gazed around the backyard, emotion filling him that Jesse had gone through such effort. When he heard Jesse’s golden tenor singing “Happy Birthday,” his eyes widened at the sight of the cake glowing with twenty-seven candles. Jesse placed the cake before him as he finished and dragged a chair closer.
“Well that was the best sounding ‘Happy Birthday’ song ever sung to me.” Evan looked down at the patched cake, which dipped in the middle. “Did you make this?”
“Yeah,” Jesse said, wearing a tentative smile. “But it sort of fell apart and I had to put it back together again with frosting, but I think it should still be okay.”
Jesse’s lips curved upward with mischief. “This isn’t all I have planned for you, so don’t get too overwhelmed.” He flicked his head toward the cake. “Make a wish.”
“And that would be fifty-one times now,” Evan chuckled. He delivered a deeper kiss. “Thank you.”
Jesse gave Evan the knife. “I wouldn’t thank me until you’ve tasted it.”
“Good.” Evan slid a piece of cake onto a plate and handed it to him. “He was a little rattled because the plane went through some heavy turbulence, but I got him tipsy and sent him to bed, so he should be fine. He’ll need tomorrow to rebound from the flight, but after that, he’ll be in the studio.”
“So excited he started crying when he saw me. When I quit performing, so did he, even though he didn’t have to. He could’ve easily picked up a lead guitar gig with another artist or band, but he made himself believe he could settle down and do the family thing. Of all the people who’ve ever played for me, he’s the only one who’s been with me since the start of my career.” Evan took a bite of the cake and paused. “Damn,” he said with his mouth full. “I was expecting it to suck, but it’s actually good.”
“He’s thinking the first week of August for ‘Euphoria’ to come out as the first single, then release the album the last week of August, which should give us plenty of time to finish recording now that everyone’s clicking. Trish is having some issues with ‘Vanish’ because the beats have to be so hard and fast, she can’t keep up with it, but we’ve decided we’ll have Jeremy adjust it during editing, and we’ll slow it down a touch when we play live. I’m not thrilled about it, but there’s nothing else we can do.
“And Greg told me today that he’s got a photo shoot scheduled in July to get some promos and shots done for the liner, and we’re going to be making the video for ‘Euphoria’ then too, so July’s going to be a busy month, but I already told him I need the 30
th
free for Brandon’s birthday. Other than some small publicity stuff he’s planning on for August, he’s already talking up his contacts to have us go to New York in September for interviews and photo shoots. And it looks like we’ll be kicking off our tour on my birthday.”
Jesse poked at the cake, his voice softened. “You know, I always thought I would be torquered about doing stuff like this, traveling for publicity and interviews, going all over the country on a professional tour, but now I’m dreading the day when I get on the bus. I don’t want to leave you behind.”
Evan laid his hand over Jesse’s. “I know. But with what I’m projecting for recording, my album won’t be released until December, so I can catch up to you anywhere you’re at until I hit the road, which probably won’t be until mid-January or early February.”
“Then we’ll do the best we can.” Evan brushed Jesse’s hair back from his forehead. “I trust you. I know you’re not going to screw around on me, no matter how long we’re apart. And I know you’re headlining your own tour, but Greg will probably book you for about a four month run, so if you wanted, when your tour’s finished, you could join me on mine as my opening act. If you did, you’d get to play bigger venues and get more exposure since it’ll be a world tour, and most importantly, we’d get to be together.” He softly touched his lips to Jesse’s and grinned. “Just think of all the different countries we’d get to make love in.”
Jesse returned the kiss. “I was sold when you offered letting us open for you, now I would beg to tag along on your tour.” He saw that Evan had finished his cake. He stood up with Evan’s hand in his. “Dance with me.”
Evan rose and followed Jesse away from the table. He wrapped his arms around Jesse’s waist. Jesse tucked his head into the curve of Evan’s neck, his arms embracing Evan’s waist as well. As they slowly danced, Evan noticed every time Jesse’s right leg moved, something hard pressed against him, but it was too square and small to be what he was used to, and besides, Jesse hung to the left. “What do you have in your pocket?”
Evan freed the box from the paper and opened the gray velvet lid. Nestled in black velvet was a white gold ring holding a round cut, finely faceted, deep burgundy gemstone. Eight sparkling diamonds embraced the gem, four on each side.
“It’s your birthstone,” Jesse said. “Well, one of them. June has a couple, the pearl and this one, and I had to get this one because it’s called alexandrite. It changes color naturally when different light hits it. In the daylight it’ll be bluish-green, but in lighting like this, it’s that color.”
“It’s beautiful.” Evan lifted the ring free. His eyes fell on an inscription on the inside of the band,
Forever Yours-Jesse
. He stared at it, then slowly looked up at Jesse. “That’s the best present I’ve ever gotten, and the ring is nice, too.”
Jesse’s eyes shone as his smile reached them. He took the ring from him and lifted Evan’s left hand. “I had the band custom made to get it the right size. The only problem was, the finger I wanted it for you never wear rings on. I still stole one of your rings to get it sized close, and you have so many, you never noticed.” He glided the ring smoothly onto Evan’s left ring finger. He gazed at the perfect fit. His heart pounded. He raised his gaze to Evan’s. “If you don’t want to wear it on that finger, I can always get it resized for another.”
Jesse’s smile widened, the nervous beat in his chest slowed. He bent at the waist and kissed Evan’s knuckle above the ring. When he straightened, Evan embraced him, weaving his fingers through the back of Jesse’s hair, and welcomed Jesse’s lips with his tongue.
Jesse could feel it in Evan’s body, the way he thrust his tongue into his mouth deep and slow, massaging him, filling him. It would be exactly how Evan would take him, easy and gentle. At the last thought, Evan drove his tongue deeper. Jesse groaned and leaned against him, his muscles loose to silently tell Evan he was willing for anything he wanted.
Evan pressed him toward the blanket and broke the kiss long enough to pull both their shirts off. As they passed the table, he took a rose from the vase and brushed the silken petals down Jesse’s cheek, along his jaw, over his chest. Jesse closed his eyes at the flower’s sensual touch. Evan tickled the petals up to Jesse’s cheek again and gazed at him, enraptured by how Jesse’s exquisite features shamed the perfect blossom.
They reached the blanket, removing their clothes in the short moments between long kisses. Jesse took both of Evan’s hands in his and eased down to his back. Evan laid over him and stroked Jesse’s hair as he met his lips once again. Jesse accepted Evan’s tongue and sucked it gently, wishing he could keep it forever in his mouth. He rubbed his legs over Evan’s and slid them up his sides. Evan eased back from the kiss and grabbed the lube.
Jesse watched him slicking his fingers. “I should probably tell you I’m not going into the studio tomorrow.”
Evan looked at him. “Why not?”
“Because I want to spend the day with you and keep celebrating your birthday. You wouldn’t let me take today off, but you didn’t say anything about tomorrow.”
“Yeah well, I just want to make sure I take advantage of all the time I can get with you since you’re an official geezer now.”
“Is that so?” Evan drifted his right hand down between Jesse’s legs and brushed his fingertips across his opening. “You know what they say? You’re only as old as the person you’re sleeping with.”
Jesse held him around his neck, his heart drumming a cadence of passion in time to the stroking of Evan’s fingertips. Teasing and tormenting, Evan slipped just a tip in and circled around his rim, then pulled out to tickle again. Jesse writhed under him and passed a choked whimper into Evan’s mouth. His plea did nothing to increase Evan’s pace. Gradually, insistently, he entered and withdrew, entered and withdrew. For need of breath, Jesse broke their long kiss. He pressed his head back on the blanket, panting hushed, desperate moans on each exhale.
Evan watched him. After being together for over a month, it still amazed him how wanton Jesse could be for him. It emphasized what he already knew, Jesse was a man who only knew one form of loyalty, and it was complete and absolute devotion. The thought broke the last of Evan’s control, and he grabbed his own cock. Jesse spread wider for him. Seeing Jesse’s motions sent a dizzying rush of desire through Evan. The way Jesse always welcomed him was just one more of the countless things he loved about him.
Jesse sucked in a sharp breath at finally being stretched and filled. His cock reared up against Evan’s stomach, the friction sending a sweet shiver through him. Evan nuzzled into his hair, then found Jesse’s lips and graced them in a gentle kiss. He moved his hips in long, slow thrusts, and kept his lips on Jesse’s, pulling Jesse’s breath into his lungs, exhaling his own into him.
Jesse brushed his hand down Evan’s left arm to his hand and interlocked their fingers, the white gold of the alexandrite ring, warmed by Evan’s body, pressed against his skin. He moved his other hand down to rest on Evan’s lower back and lost himself in the feel of the muscles flexing as Evan glided in and out. The first spark of climax heated his stomach and groin, and he moaned and shifted.
Evan breathed a soft sigh over Jesse’s lips when he felt his muscles shudder around his sensitive organ. He increased the force of his thrusts, but kept his pace slow. Jesse breathed harder and faster, his orgasm building. He squeezed Evan’s hand with painful force, his short nails dug into his lower back.
Jesse’s words pushed Evan’s climax to the surface, but he battled it back to gain a few more moments. “I love you too, Jess. More than anything.”
Jesse arched under him, exhaling a loud, shaking gasp as he came. Evan pushed into him hard, and with a soft cry, his climax broke free.
Though their muscles loosened, they still clung to each other. Jesse’s chest expanded with deep breaths against Evan’s. Slowly, Jesse opened his eyes and looked up at him.
Jesse sat in the control room watching Evan play the red mahogany grand piano in Studio A. His fingers flicked and floated over the keys, his azure eyes set in concentration. He paused in playing to jot a few notes on a piece of sheet music, then started to sing
a cappella
the notes he had just played, raising and lowering his smooth baritone.