Jade Archer - Sandpipers 2 - Raven's Mark (15 page)

Raven’s mind launched into overdrive, bombarding him with possibilities. Had something happened? Maybe Mark had simply changed his mind about running today. But did it have anything to do with their conversation the other night at Sandpipers? Had Mark—?

Fortunately, before he managed to get too worked up, Raven spotted Mark—crouched down retying his shoelaces beneath the ‘Welcome to Riversands Preschool’ sign at the entrance. Raven’s heart rate instantly picked up as their eyes met—and he hadn’t even started his warm-up routine. The genuinely happy smile that lit Mark’s face, the tight, corded lines of his body—it was a breathtaking combination.

“Hey! You all ready?” Mark called as Raven approached.
“Yes.”
Yes, he was ready—ready to try again with Mark in every sense. The look in Mark’s

Mark cleared his throat, colour rising in his cheeks. “You…ah…you feel like taking it across the sand today?”
Raven nodded. He wasn’t sure he could get his voice to work again, and the heated look in Mark’s eye certainly didn’t help in that regard. He couldn’t deny it went a long way to making him feel better, however. And it sure did stroke his ego and calm a few of the nervous butterflies that had started swarming en masse in his belly.
They quickly worked their way through their warm up routine—the whole time eyeing one another with increasingly heated stares—then, sharing one last intense glance, they started their run. Normally, Raven was completely focused on the job at hand, but today he just couldn’t concentrate. He was all about the man running at his side. The quick in and out of Mark’s breath as they built up speed. The flashes of tanned skin he caught out of the corner of his eye as arms and legs pumped. The sharp, musky scent he’d come to crave as the exertion heated Mark’s skin. It was utterly distracting.
In no time at all, they’d made it to the boardwalk and after a few hundred yards, Mark led them onto the sand where they used the softer surface to really build up a sweat. It was hard going, and Raven finally found himself settling into the rhythm—effort succeeding where willpower had failed.
Then Mark reached across and snagged his wrist. With a gentle but determined grip, Mark steered them under the boardwalk.
The shade was a welcome respite from the sun. It was cool, quiet and secluded. But Raven wasn’t really aware of any of it as they stood staring at each other, panting for breath. Instead, all his attention was on the heat and need he saw in Mark’s eyes—a desire that mirrored his own.
Finally—perhaps as worried as Raven that words would simply get in the way—Mark stepped in and closed the distance between them with a kiss. Without a second’s hesitation, Raven kissed him right back. He thrilled to the freedom he found in giving every bit as good as he got, losing himself in the sensation of Mark’s lips against his own. The hot wet sweep of their tongues as they set to tasting and exploring each other was exquisite. A curious mix of exhilaration and relief rushed over Raven’s skin in waves of sensation that blocked out everything but Mark.
With a gasp, Raven felt the press of Mark’s cock against his belly. Caught up in the moment and feeling inexplicably bold, he ground his own stiffening shaft back against Mark.
“Raven,” Mark groaned as he pulled away—eyes closed, head thrown back in what could only be described as excruciating bliss.
Suddenly, Mark was kissing him again—harder and more demanding this time. It did nothing but inflame Raven’s own runaway desire.
“There’s no way I’m going to be able to run any farther,” Mark murmured between kisses. “Not like this.”
Raven moaned into Mark’s mouth as he sealed their lips together again. He felt his cock throb in his running shorts, now full and aching. He didn’t want to run either. Didn’t even want to think about it. All he wanted was the hot, hard man in front of him and a horizontal surface. Now!
“Mmm…you smell so good,” Mark mumbled as he trailed kisses up the angle of Raven’s jaw while they caught their breath.
“Sweaty,” Raven panted back.
“Yeah.”
Mark ground their cocks together again and Raven couldn’t take it anymore.
“M-Mark! I need… I n-need…”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Not here. We n-need to take this…somewhere…somewhere n-now!” Raven couldn’t have kept the desperate edge out of his voice if he’d tried.
“Raven, are you…” Mark groaned, but all the while he rained kisses down on Raven’s lips and jaw, working their cocks together. “Are you sure? Really sure?”
“Yeah! Yeah, d-definitely.” Raven gasped as Mark kissed the sensitive spot below his earlobe. “Oh! D-Definitely sure. M-Mark!”
“You taste so good.”
“Mark! P-Please!”
He couldn’t believe how much he wanted this. With a lightning like flash of realisation, he finally accepted he could trust Mark. It was more than just words and hoping for the best. He really did believe it. He knew, even if something happened and he did freak out, Mark would be okay with it. They would deal with it…together.
It was an amazing feeling—one that went straight to Raven’s already demanding cock. The ache was almost unbearable now.
Mark kissed him again. “Your place is too far. We’ll never make it.” Mark continued to kiss him between the words, making it hard to think, never mind reply. “Come back to mine. It’s closer.”
“Closer is g-good,” Raven managed breathlessly.
“Yeah.”
“Now. Need… Oh! Need to g-go.”
But it was another long, hot kiss later before they could actually force themselves to leave.

Mark was almost frantic with need by the time they reached his front door. Every second felt like a lifetime. Raven’s shy advance and subsequent heated responses had opened a floodgate on the desire that had been steadily building inside him for the gorgeous man currently crowding and rubbing against his side so wantonly. And yet, at the same time, somewhere in the back of his lust-clouded mind, he was very conscious of the need to calm down. To handle with care.

But even as he told himself to go slow, the keys jingled in his hand and he fumbled desperately with the lock. He just couldn’t help it. He was wound so tight something had to give.

Fortunately it was the door. He quickly stumbled inside, Raven hot on his heels, and slammed it shut behind them. Mark turned to take Raven into his arms, but instead found himself pushed back against the wall.

Mark had to admit he was a little surprised by Raven’s sudden, passionate onslaught but at the same time he was incredibly grateful for it. It was a relief to know Raven was every bit as eager and keyed-up as he right now.

A burning need sizzled and sang inside Mark as he returned Raven’s kisses, urging him on and demanding more. With desperate, jerky movements they pulled at each other’s clothes, exploring under soft cotton to fondle and tweak peaked nibbles, tugging up shirts to find hard, masculine planes and stroking over the hot, naked flesh.

Not wanting to lose contact for even a second, Mark continued to tangle his tongue with Raven’s as he backed his way down the hallway towards the bedroom, dragging his deliciously excited lover with him as he went.

Struggling to toe off their shoes along the way, they staggered like drunks on New Year’s Eve—lust being the ultimate intoxicant. Finally, after bouncing off walls and a near miss with the hall table, Mark threw open the door and drew Raven into his bedroom, kissing him all the way.

Calm and control were long gone now. In a flash, Mark whipped his shirt up over his head, pushed his running shorts from his hips and reached for Raven. But the sudden stiffening of his lover’s body halted him in his tracks.

Raven stared back at Mark—eyes wide, breath ragged and his fingers white-knuckle tight around the hem of his T-shirt. It took a moment for coherent thoughts to filter back into Mark’s lust-fogged brain, but finally he realised—or at least suspected—what might be wrong. The room wasn’t dark the way it had been the last time they found themselves here. Late morning sunlight poured in around the edges of the shades, illuminating everything in a clean, mellow glow.

As Raven’s gaze strayed around the room—as if seeing it for the first time and conveniently avoiding Mark’s eyes—Mark felt his suspicions were well founded.
“Don’t hide from me,” Mark said, stark and simple, praying he was reading the situation right.
For several long seconds he held his breath and waited, worried he might have made the wrong call and uncertain what would happen next.
Raven swallowed, then slowly lifted the hem of his T-shirt up over his head and let it fall to the floor, followed quickly by his shorts. His hands dropped to his sides and he stood silent and still in front of Mark, completely naked with a hesitant expression on his face as if waiting for judgement.
Slim and pale, Raven nevertheless looked absolutely magnificent to Mark in that moment of austere courage. Careful not to move too quickly, he leant forward and kissed one of the small circular scars on Raven’s chest. Raven tensed, and for a second he thought he’d gone too far. When Raven didn’t push him away or move to cover himself, Mark cautiously placed another kiss beside the first.
Scared he would be stopped at any second, Mark continued kissing his way over Raven’s chest. Moving steadily higher, he pressed his mouth to the column of Raven’s neck, then along his jaw and finally let their lips meet in a languid caress.
Gradually Raven relaxed against him. Mark wanted to crow in triumph. Instead, he concentrated on making the kiss all it could be. Slow and tender, building to deep and thorough and finally moving to a heated claiming filled with all the longing and illsuppressed passion Mark felt growing inside him. It was only then that Mark realised he might have a problem or two of his own to deal with.
Somewhere along the line, as they’d moved from intense and furious to gentler, more cautious lovemaking, his erection had faded. Mark tried not to panic. He didn’t regret having slowed things down when Raven had hesitated. He’d thoroughly enjoyed the soft kisses he scattered across Raven’s chest, neck and jaw. And continuing to kiss him now was wonderful. Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted Raven, how desperate he was to connect physically with his lover, or how sexy Raven looked—his lips all swollen from kissing, his eyes clouding with renewed desire—he couldn’t seem to get his cock to rise to the occasion…so to speak.
After coming so close to losing Raven the last time they’d made love, he’d been desperate to make everything perfect. He’d tidied and cleaned to within an inch of his life this morning, just in case. Fresh sheets. Clean towels. Furniture polish. The works. All the while telling himself not to let anything screw it all up again. If he got this right, things would all start to fall into place for them, he just knew it. Unfortunately, at the moment his cock just wasn’t playing the game. Right now—only half hard and growing limper by the second—it wasn’t likely to be pleasing anyone. And with his brain kicked into high gear, working furiously to try and overcome the problem, it seemed determined to stay that way.
Mark surreptitiously reached down and stroked along his semi-erect shaft. Fear crept in around the edges of excitement as the extra stimulation didn’t seem to change anything. If he didn’t get it together soon, he’d ruin everything.
Then he spotted it, the lube sitting out on the bedside table where he’d carefully placed it this morning—just in case—and inspiration struck. He reached out and snatched it up like a lifeline and pasted what he hoped was a seductive smile on his face.
“I think it’s my turn this time.”
“W-what?” Raven stammered, looking momentarily stunned by the suggestion.
Mark forged ahead. He crawled across the bed on his hands and knees to the middle of the mattress and lowered himself to his elbows. Lube still in hand, he took a deep, steadying breath. He felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable in that moment. The cool air caressed his perineum, making him hyperaware of his position—head down, ass up, his cock and balls hanging between his legs.
Determined to follow through with his plan now he’d started, Mark flipped open the cap of the lube and took a generous amount of the slippery gel onto his fingers. Adjusting his stance, he glanced over his shoulder as he reached back…and found Raven staring at his ass.
Heat filled his face, but at the same time he couldn’t deny Raven’s unwavering focus was completely hot. Suddenly, what had started out as a spontaneous ploy to cover his embarrassing performance anxiety was morphing into something very different. It had been quite a while since he’d been in this position, but seeing the look on Raven’s face, the idea of taking Raven inside him sent a thrill of excitement dancing along his nerve endings.
Mark shivered and closed his eyes as he ran a finger around his hole. He pushed in and exhaled on a low moan.
“M-Mark?”
Mark’s eyes snapped open. Even lost in the pleasure of fingering himself, he could hear the uncertainty in Raven’s voice. And concern had definitely edged its way into his lover’s expression, which was the very last thing Mark wanted.
He twisted around and settled his ass on the mattress to face Raven.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve n-never…that is…I’ve n-never done this before.”
“You’ve never topped?”
Raven shook his head.
Shit!
Apparently the ploy had been met by another unexpected hitch. Ironically enough, his cock had hardened up nicely as he’d relaxed and prepared himself for Raven. There was a distinct sense of disappointment knowing he might not get to take Raven’s cock in his ass after all.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Mark said, carefully watching Raven’s reactions.
Raven was looking at his feet now—not meeting Mark’s eyes and giving nothing away in his expression.
“Do you want to?” Mark asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.
“I’m n-not sure.”
Raven’s cock was still hard. Clear beads of pre-cum glistened at the head of his shaft. Acting on instinct, Mark leant back on his elbows and bent his knees up to expose his hole once again. He was rewarded with an intense, heated gaze from Raven. Pre-cum slowly trickled from the slit of Raven’s cock down the length of his shaft.
Mark decided to go with a simple truth. “I want you to fuck me, Raven.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Mark groaned and arched his neck as he pushed two fingers into his ass to the second knuckle. Yes, he was laying it on a little thick, but it wasn’t a lie—he ached to feel Raven moving inside him. “Please.”
“But…what if I h-hurt you?”
Mark glanced up at Raven and fell a little more deeply under the man’s spell as he suddenly realised what this was all about.
“You won’t. At least not in a bad way.” Raven still didn’t look convinced. Mark let his expression soften as he halted his preparations. “Trust me to tell you if you do, Raven. I want this. I really do.”
“Okay,” Raven finally whispered.
Mark held out his hand to Raven. “Come here.”
As Raven hesitantly crawled over him, Mark lay back, encouraging Raven closer. Slowly, Raven lowered himself so their bodies met chest to chest, groin to groin. With Raven cradled between his legs, Mark let out a soft moan of pleasure and pulled Raven in for a thorough kiss.
It was amazing and yet nowhere near enough all at the same time. He wanted more. His cock and balls ached for release. His hole—sensitised and stretched by his fingers—felt empty.
Pushing up against Raven’s body, Mark rubbed their cocks together, working them over each other until their pre-cum mixed and created a slick wetness between their bodies. But it wasn’t enough.
Between passionate kisses, the slide of heated flesh and questing hands, Mark murmured the word ‘condom’ as he groped for the packet he’d left out on the bedside table earlier. He wasn’t above begging at this point. Fortunately, Raven seemed just as eager and sat up to receive the little square packet Mark handed him.
Between the two of them they covered Raven’s long, slim cock with the thin layer of latex and smeared more lube up and down the straining length of his erection. Then everything stopped.
There was a suspended moment when they simply stared at one another, letting the realisation of what they were about to do sink in. No words were spoken or needed—the look they shared said everything.
Then Raven adjusted his position, his hand steadying his cock as he carefully manoeuvred between Mark’s legs.
“Ready?” Raven whispered.
Mark nodded. “Yeah.”
Seconds later, Raven’s cock nudged at Mark’s hole, slipping over and around its goal before finally pushing the very tip inside. With infinite care, Raven gradually filled him up using little thrusts and tiny forward movements until they were finally joined.
“You okay?” Raven panted.
“Yeah. Just…give me a moment.” More than allowing his body the chance to get used to the stretch and burn of having Raven’s cock buried in his ass, Mark wanted a chance to savour the sensation of being so perfectly filled.
But all too soon he needed more.
Mark rocked his hips, encouraging Raven to move inside him. “Okay.”
Together they built the speed and intensity of the thrusts and retreats until Raven was rolling his hips, rhythmically pounding into Mark’s ass and rubbing over the hard swell of Mark’s prostate.
Mark arched and gasped as pleasure shot through him.
“Raven! Oh…more…”
As if catalysed by the words, Raven lunged into Mark, nailing his prostate again and again, and Mark came—long jets of cum bursting out of his cock and splashing up between them.
For the first time in his adult life—hell, since he was sixteen and his family had come crashing down in a twisted mess of metal and sirens—Mark let go. He let Raven take over and do whatever he wanted. He trusted Raven. More than that, he needed Raven. He needed this. Everything just uncoiled itself inside him and he relaxed completely—lost in the moment of euphoria.
Finally, with one last thrust and a grunt of pleasure, Raven joined him in orgasm, and it was the most amazing moment Mark could ever remember. Head thrown back, eyes closed, neck muscles corded and chest heaving with effort, Raven was the very picture of bliss.
Slowly, Raven collapsed on top of him, still panting for breath. Eventually, after several minutes, Raven lifted his head and planted a soft kiss against Mark’s lips.
Mark’s eyes stung suspiciously and he was pretty sure, judging by the expression on Raven’s face, there were tears in them. Before Raven could panic, Mark reached up and stroked the rounded swell of Raven’s shoulder, carrying the caress further up his neck and ending by cupping Raven’s cheek.
“Thank you.” Mark felt raw and laid bare as he said it, but it was worth it for the look that appeared on Raven’s face.
“So beautiful,” Raven breathed.
As Mark gazed up at Raven—all glorious, flushed and mussed from their lovemaking— he knew. “You’re the beautiful one.”
Raven looked away. “As l-long as I keep my m-mouth shut.”
Mark blinked.
What the hell?
“Who told you that?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Raven murmured.
Mark took a moment to study his lover, a barrage of thoughts and emotions jostling for space inside his head, ranging from confusion to anger that someone would ever say something so hurtful to the sweet man above him. But the flush of embarrassment and tight way Raven held himself, possibly regretting his impulsive words, overrode all of it. Raven didn’t need him to overreact or probe for explanations right now.
“You’re right.” Mark reached up to gently push back the hair that had fallen into his lover’s downturned eyes. “An idiot like that doesn’t matter.”
Raven seemed lost for words. Instead, after a moment, he bent forward and took Mark’s mouth in a kiss. And Mark opened for him immediately, welcoming Raven’s tongue inside even as the cock in his ass softened and slipped away, leaving a sense of loss in its wake. “I want to do that again,” Mark said when Raven finally let him up for air. Raven’s smile was glorious.
“Yeah, me t-too,” he whispered, moving in for another quick kiss.
“What did you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“Nothing I c-can’t put off. I have to p-pick the boys up at three and wait for the g-guys to get home. But until then…”
“Mmm…until then you’re mine.”
“I like the s-sound of that.”
“Yeah.” Mark did too.