Keeping Sweets (14 page)

Riley freed Bran from his boxers and gently stroked against Bran’s hard shaft. Evan let his gaze travel up, taking in every twitch of muscle and every inch of skin until his gaze came to rest on Bran’s face. There was a hunger in Bran’s eyes, his pupils wide with need as his eyes locked with Evan’s. Bran never wavered.

Evan felt itchy in his own skin, like it was too tight for his body and he might burst at any moment. He stared as Bran’s breathing became more and more labored. The pleasure was plain on Bran’s face when Riley took him into his mouth and swallowed him down to the root, his nose buried against the thatch of curls at the base of Bran’s cock.

Through it all, Bran looked at Evan. Evan watched him, never breaking the connection between the two, wishing it were him on his knees instead.

It was difficult to think with the scene taking place in front of him. He wanted this man, more than anything else in the world, and denying it would not do any good. As long as no one found out, it wouldn’t be too humiliating, just hard to walk away. Evan had dealt with difficulty his whole life. He could do this too.

The world moved in slow motion, until Bran had reached his breaking point, pulling free from Riley’s mouth and stroking himself deliberately to completion. His eyes still locked with Evan’s, until the very last second when they closed, his head falling back as he groaned through his orgasm.

Evan had never seen anything hotter in his life than what Bran looked like as he came, and didn’t even notice that Riley had lain back in one of the recliners, working on his own orgasm. The whole room faded away and left only him and Bran, now looking sated and a little drowsy. Evan was energized, though. He felt like he could run to Texas and back on pure adrenaline.

The cameras cut and someone threw cloths to Bran and Riley to clean themselves up. Evan was back to feeling awkward, a bit embarrassed the man in front of him had gotten a blowjob. It was nothing he hadn’t seen on the website, but the reality of it was so much more visceral, more intimate. Doubt crept back in. He wasn’t sure if he should stick around. What was the protocol for something like this? Should he slap Bran on the back and say “nice scene”? Or just get the fuck out and mind his own business?

He chose the latter. Bran probably had a lot of other things to take care of that day anyway. There were other scenes to film with the other guys. Colt, Kellan, and Ryan were filming a threesome out by the hot tub later that afternoon and Riley had another scene with Cooper in one of the bedrooms.

Evan watched the start of the scene with Riley and Cooper before deciding that he was in the way and ducking out quietly. He decided to go for a walk. The sanctuary of the park back home was gone forever, but fresh air and tree-filtered sunlight could be found in abundance right outside his front door. It would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

He headed out with his headphones tucked snugly in his ears, reflecting on everything that had changed in the past week. The smell of pine and the crisp crackling of needles and twigs snapping beneath his feet helped to give his mind clarity. He needed to reevaluate his entire existence. All the assumptions he had made about how his life would turn out had been upended.

School was still a priority, his number one priority, but when he imagined what his life would look like five years from now, the picture that popped into his head was a very different image than he thought it would be.

He imagined a little house with a backyard, a garden, and a motorcycle in his driveway. Mentally walking through his house, he saw the lab coat hanging in the front hallway where he had left it after coming home from the research lab. He walked further into the house, greeted by a dog jumping excitedly at his feet, begging for attention. Bran’s deep voice called out to him from the kitchen, and the smell of food wafted around him.

He knew that picture would never become a reality, that Bran likely had no interest in him past this month, and even if he did, the man did not seem like the type to settle down with a picket fence and a dog. The only person he was hurting with his little fantasy was himself. As long as he didn’t get too carried away, there was no harm in it, right?

He was beginning to realize that his desire to be normal, to fit in with a loving family and friends who cared about him, had fueled a sort of denial about what would really make him happy. He had been searching for all these years for a magic trick to instantly make everything better, but there was no magic.

The forest opened to the cliffs that outlined the beach. A set of well-worn wooden steps carved a path through the low brush toward the water. He walked toward the ocean, listening to the sounds around him. He crossed the dry sand and sat down, then pulled off his shoes and socks before dipping his feet in the water. He wiggled his toes, burrowing into the loose sand, letting the waves splash against his shins.

The water was cold, and felt a bit like needles piercing his skin, but the calm that overcame him with being this connected to the sea overrode any discomfort from the temperature.

Slowly, his skin numbing slightly, he became accustomed to the cold. He stared out past the slowly rolling waves toward the calmer water at the horizon. He closed his eyes and thought of how peaceful it was here. He would be happy to stay like this forever. Quiet, serene, and tranquil, it was such a change from the quiet that had permeated his life until now. What had once been loneliness, separation, and isolation had become a quiet strength and acceptance of himself.

When he could no longer feel his feet at all, he trudged out of the water and collapsed on the dry sand closer to the cliff. He closed his eyes and dozed on and off, content to spend the afternoon by himself. He would just be in the way at the house and had seen more than enough to know what he needed to know for tomorrow.

He reflected on how he felt about losing his virginity in less than twenty-four hours. He searched for the feeling of anxiety he had assumed would come with it, but he felt surprisingly calm. He knew Bran would be gentle, that he would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. Although having an audience and camera crew present for his first time wasn’t the ideal situation, having Bran as his first seemed like the most natural thing in the world. He actually felt excited. He wanted to experience everything.

The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, signaling the closing of the day. He should probably get back for dinner and see if anyone needed anything from him before he crashed for the night. He was well rested from the night before, never having slept as well as he had in Bran’s arms. He wished he could climb back into Bran’s bed tonight, but he was not that daring. He would have to be content with the memories of the night and the excitement over the next day.

Evan propped himself up on his elbows, looking out at the water. The tide was just starting to come in, swallowing up the sand as the waves slid across it. Soon half the beach would be submerged. His gaze swept to the side and settled on a shiny object glinting in the last vestiges of daylight.

He clambered to his feet, his muscles stiff from lying in the cooling sand. He approached the object and bent to pick it up from the foam at the water’s edge. He held the glass sphere in his hand, brushing off the wet muck and turning it over. It was heavier than he thought it would be, the green-tinted glass thick and solid. It was beautiful.

T
HE
day was finally drawing to an end and Bran was glad for the reprieve. He was exhausted, and if he weren’t so hungry, he would have just headed straight upstairs to bed. The morning had been emotionally draining for him. It had been more difficult than he had anticipated to have Evan there watching him with another guy. It had been awkward and uncomfortable until he had looked up.

Seeing how turned on Evan was had sparked the lust in him and imagining it was Evan rather than Riley had him harder than ever.

After the scene, he had gone looking for Evan, but he was nowhere to be found. He tried to keep the feeling of dread from completely fraying his nerves for the rest of the day. Was the kid alright? Freaked out? Disgusted? Bran tried not to think about it. He had a job to do and there were others counting on him to get it together and get the job done.

He had plowed on, working with cameras and directing the guys on how to get the best angles and shots. He found that he was good at the organization, the leadership, and oddly enough, he enjoyed being on the other side of the camera more than being in front of it.

By the time supper rolled around, his stomach was quaking with hunger. He realized he had forgotten to eat anything all day and the pungent aroma of tomato sauce and melted cheese assaulted him, making his mouth water.

He pulled up a chair beside Colt, sitting patiently as a perfectly browned lasagna was pulled from the oven. Evan walked through the door, hair mussed and a big smile on his face. At that moment, Bran’s hunger for the cheesy pasta was completely eclipsed by his hunger for the man in front of him. He pulled out the chair on the other side of him and waited for Evan to sit next to him.

“You have a good day?” he asked as casually as he could. He didn’t want everyone knowing how affected he was by this boy.

“Yep. Went for a walk and had a nap by the water for a while. It was really nice to just escape for a few hours. I even found something on the beach.”

“Oh yeah?” Bran asked. “What was it?”

“I’m not sure, really. A glass ball of some kind. It’s kind of a green color, and about this big,” Evan said, demonstrating the dimensions with animated hands.

“Probably a glass fishing float,” Bran suggested. “The fishermen in Japan use them to hold up their nets. Sometimes they’ll drift in to the beach. There used to be quite a few, but now they’re pretty rare.”

“Japan?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah. Pretty amazing if you think about it. Something that seems so fragile travels thousands of miles across the ocean, going through violent storms and rough water, and comes up on the other side completely unscathed. Still perfect,” Bran said, his voice getting quiet.

W
ITH
dinner served and conversation traded among the men around the table, Bran didn’t have time to analyze what Evan had meant earlier when he said it had been nice to escape. It was probably for the best anyway. It had only been just over a week since they had met for the first time, and he was already so tied up in knots he didn’t know if he could ever feel normal again.

The meal passed without incident, all the guys laughing and joking comfortably with one another before they moved as a group into the living room to watch a movie on the big screen TV. It wasn’t one that Bran had ever heard of before, but it wasn’t bad actually. For the most part, it managed to hold his attention for almost the full two hours, when he wasn’t sneaking glances at Evan from across the room.

When they had moved to the sofas, Bran had made sure he chose a spot where there was room for Evan too if he wanted to sit next to him, but Evan had chosen to settle himself into one of the overstuffed recliner chairs on the other side of the coffee table.

Bran was disappointed he wouldn’t be close enough to touch him, but contented himself with watching Evan’s reactions to the gunfire and explosions. He had been right about not being like all the other guys. Among the shouts of “Fuck yeah!” and “Awesome!” Evan cringed at the blood spatter and flying limbs. Bran smiled inwardly, glad that Evan had not resorted to posturing at false masculinity to fit in.

The movie ended in a blast of fire and fury that killed everyone but the main character, who managed to escape at the last minute with some minor cuts and bruises. Typical action flick ending, and Bran wished real life endings were as predictable.

Everyone got up, saying goodnight and heading for their bedrooms. Evan went right along with them. Bran shrugged off the disappointment that he hadn’t asked to stay with him again. Evan had his own bed to sleep in and would probably be a lot more comfortable without Bran draped over him.

Bran climbed into the bed that seemed so big and empty without Evan’s little body curled in the middle. He punched his pillow a few times, trying to get comfortable. Though he tossed and turned, sleep evaded him. His body was completely done in with fatigue, but his mind wouldn’t shut down. Tomorrow was his scene with Evan.

If he was this affected by him now, how would he be able to walk away after he knew what it felt like to be buried deep inside him? His heart sped in anticipation. There was no way he was ever going to get to sleep. With a resigned sigh, he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and headed downstairs to watch TV until he passed out.

When he got downstairs, though, there was a familiar form reclined on the couch, snoring softly. Evan had opted to sleep on the couch again. Kellan and Riley must have been at it. Bran knelt down on the floor next to Evan, carefully brushing the hair back from his forehead.

Evan stirred, nuzzling sleepily into Bran’s hand. How could he ever let this man go? The thought hit him like a ton of very unwelcome bricks. It was going to hurt like a bitch when he said good-bye, but the way he felt now was just too good to give up.