The Geek and His Artist (10 page)

She’d gone on to recommend a couple of books—which their mom had gone right out and bought—and Jimmy had spent the evening and half of his classes the next day reading. He’d learned a lot about how to approach abuse victims, the psychology behind it, and how fear ruled them. It’d been eye-opening and disturbing, all at the same time. So he’d a good idea what to show and what to do his best to suppress—like his anger at Simon’s abuser.

“But you don’t feel like you have to be invisible with me?” Jimmy asked.

Simon shook his head, and the meaning behind that answer slammed into Jimmy. Simon felt
safe
with him. He didn’t know what he’d done in just a week’s time to give that to Simon, but he’d be damned sure he’d do everything in his power to keep it. He tugged Simon close and kissed cheek, then temple, then forehead. He didn’t know what to say to it—the books hadn’t covered this—so he let his hand rubbing Simon’s back and the kisses to Simon’s temple talk for him.

They sat like that for a few more minutes in silence before the previews started. Jimmy gave Simon a quick kiss on the lips, and then they turned their attention to the samurai.

“D
AMN
, I
feel so sorry for him,” Simon mused as they walked out of the theater.

Jimmy dropped the cup into the garbage can and took Simon’s hand. “Yeah, that sucked. But I guess it was really the best outcome he could have expected.”

Simon nodded. “Honor, after all.”

“Exactly.” Jimmy sighed. “Still, not a fan of endings like that.”

Simon smiled. “I know what you mean.” When they stepped out into the cool air, Simon looked up. “Starbucks is still open. How about that coffee?”

Jimmy nodded, squeezing Simon’s hand. “Sounds good.” They focused on crossing the small, heavily trafficked street without getting hit. When they were safely on the other sidewalk, Jimmy spoke again. “This reminds me of when I saw you on Christmas break.”

“Oh… yeah, at
The Hobbit
.”

“And the bookstore after. Ronnie tried to get me to go talk to you.”

“Really?” Simon asked, and Jimmy looked over at him, smiling at the surprise.

“Yeah. He couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to approach you when you were surrounded by your friends. Well… that and I wasn’t sure you weren’t straight.”

“Me either, at least back then. Kip was the one that convinced me that no straight guy would stare at me the way you did.”

Jimmy laughed. “That’s what Sean said, almost exactly.”

“They’re pretty smart, I guess.”

“I wish I’d said something to you earlier in the school year. I feel like we’ve wasted time.”

Simon shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know how I might have reacted in the beginning. I mean… that’s not to say I wouldn’t have wanted you. I just… I don’t know.”

“No, I know what you mean,” Jimmy agreed. He pulled the door to Starbucks open, and they got in line behind a straight couple. The girl looked over her shoulder at them, her eyes dropped to Jimmy’s and Simon’s clasped hands, and she scowled. Jimmy just stared at her and tightened his hand around Simon’s. When she wouldn’t look away, he lifted Simon’s hand and kissed it.

“I don’t want anything here,” she said to her boyfriend, sounding ridiculously petulant.

“Why?”

She pointed. “There’s a couple of fa—
gays
behind us.”

He looked at her funny and raised an eyebrow. “And?”

She blinked at him. “And, it’s gross.”

“Did it ever occur to you that
you
might be gross to them?”

Jimmy listened to the conversation in stunned silence. He exchanged a shocked look with Simon; then they turned back to the couple. The girl looked as shocked as Jimmy felt. Jimmy wasn’t going to tell the guy he didn’t find women
gross
, he just wasn’t attracted to them. But he figured the guy had his girlfriend’s attention.

“I… why?” She turned to look at Jimmy, apparently addressing him.

“He doesn’t need to justify his life to you,” the boyfriend said, and Jimmy watched him drop his arm from around her.

“It’s okay,” Simon said, surprising Jimmy. “I’m not grossed out by women. I wouldn’t date them, wouldn’t have sex with them, but they’re not gross.” He shrugged a shoulder. “But I also wouldn’t tell you that you couldn’t hold his hand in front of me, even if I
didn’t
want to see it.”

She blinked at him, her cheeks turning red. “Uh, sorry. Didn’t think of it like that.”

Jimmy smiled. “It’s okay, really. Uh… you’re up.” He pointed at the counter.

She looked grateful and hurried up to put in her order.

Jimmy turned to Simon. “You, uh, handled that really well. I was just getting kind of annoyed.”

“I don’t know why I said what I said.” He smiled up at Jimmy. “Maybe it’s the one holding my hand.”

It was Jimmy’s turn to blush. He wanted to kiss Simon, but he figured they’d won a round with the straight couple, so he didn’t want to push things. It was also, apparently, their turn to order. After both of them requested white chocolate mochas, Simon paid and they stepped aside to wait. Jimmy was surprised when the woman from the line waved at them as she and her date headed for the door. Both Jimmy and Simon returned the wave before looking at each other in surprise.

“Huh,” Simon said, taking his mocha.

“Yeah, that’s… about right.” Jimmy took his own cup, and they turned toward the door. “Do you want to maybe… uh… drive for a bit or something?”

Simon smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

They walked in silence back to the car, sipping their mochas and holding hands. Jimmy once more opened the door for Simon, then kissed him briefly before Simon climbed in. After starting the car, Jimmy had to give some real thought to where they could go. He
could
just drive around, but truthfully he wanted some time alone with Simon, away from public eyes. Then he remembered a spot he’d heard Amy talking about in Schenley Park that the cops didn’t check, and he backed out of the parking spot.

Jimmy tried not to be nervous as they made their way up onto the bridge. “So,” he started, trying to calm himself down. “Are you a big
Lord of the Rings
fan?”

“Oh yeah. I loved the first set Jackson did. Can’t wait for the last part of
The Hobbit
. I was
so
pissed at Jackson for the end of this last one!”

Jimmy relaxed, getting into the discussion, and before he knew it, they were pulling into a spot in the quiet corner of Schenley Park. They could see a part of the downtown skyline just past the trees, so the view was pretty. Not that Jimmy cared—he was a little too focused on the man next to him.

“Oh, this is pretty,” Simon breathed.

“Yeah, it is,” Jimmy said, though his gaze was glued to Simon.

Simon looked over at him and raised his eyebrows, smirk playing at his lips. “I’m pretty?”

Jimmy laughed, feeling the tension fade a little. “I’m not sure I’d call you ‘pretty.’ Gorgeous, maybe. Or handsome. Or hot. Or all three.” Jimmy grinned when Simon’s cheeks turned red.

“Uh….” Simon cleared his throat. “Uh, thank you?”

Jimmy’s grin widened. “I mean it. You are gorgeous.” Finally feeling calm enough, Jimmy plucked Simon’s coffee out of his hand and set it in the cup holder between them before cupping Simon’s cheek and kissing him.

That same jolt went through him again. Jimmy simply savored it, leaning into Simon more, working his lips over Simon’s, nibbling, then nipping, and finally opening his mouth and tracing Simon’s with his tongue. Jimmy heard a moan and thrilled in it when he realized it came from Simon. When Simon’s mouth opened to him, he pushed his tongue through, tasting the mocha, the burger from earlier, and finding something under it that Jimmy thought was all Simon. He loved it, loved the feel of Simon’s tongue learning his mouth and the soft moans they both let out.

Jimmy ran one hand down Simon’s chest, then slipped it under the coat and around to rest on Simon’s hip. He gripped it tightly, shifting a little and wishing he could get closer, but his height and the confines of the car did
not
make a good combination. He did his best, though, managing to lift his other hand and wrap it around the back of Simon’s neck as he deepened the kiss.

Simon’s hands were just as busy, slipping under Jimmy’s coat and running over his chest and back. He gripped Jimmy’s shirt hard, leaning in, and Jimmy wrapped his arms around Simon under the coat and pulled until Simon was sprawled over the parking brake and half in Jimmy’s lap.

They finally broke for air, and Jimmy stared at Simon, who looked…
beautiful
was the only word Jimmy could think, face flushed, lips kiss-swollen from
his
kisses, green eyes bright with need and want. His cock reacted to the image and filled the rest of the way. Jimmy dove in, kissing Simon again, wanting, needing more of the taste and feel of him.

When they broke apart again, Jimmy groaned. “This car is
so
not big enough for this,” he grumbled.

Simon chuckled. “Yeah, no doubt.”

Jimmy tried to think through the haze of lust clouding his head. “Hmm, come here.” Jimmy reached down and laid the seat back, then tugged on Simon, who climbed over the parking brake and straddled Jimmy’s lap. “That’s better,” he murmured before pulling Simon down to catch his lips again.

The heat exploded between them, and Simon struggled to take his coat off. Jimmy helped, then sat up enough to pull his off too. When they’d managed to get rid of them, Simon crashed back into him, and Jimmy’s hands slid down Simon’s back to cup Simon’s ass. Simon ground into him, both of them moaning loudly when their hard lengths met through the layers of denim and cotton.

When Simon’s hand slipped between them, cupping Jimmy through his jeans, Jimmy couldn’t have held in the loud groan for anything. Half of it was simply the fact that it was
Simon’s
hand on him. Simon gripped Jimmy’s length, rubbing through the jeans, and Jimmy nearly whimpered at just how good it felt.

But he wanted more, wanted to feel Simon touch him, skin to skin. He pulled back from the kiss, scrambling for the button on his jeans. “Oh God, Simon… touch me. Please?” He managed to open his jeans, but before he could pull his zipper down, Simon took over, then slipped a hand under Jimmy’s underwear and grasped his cock.

“Like this?” Simon whispered, fingers skimming tentatively over Jimmy’s length.

Jimmy thought he was going to come just from that light touch.
Simon—
his artist, the man he’d been dreaming, fantasizing about for months—was touching him, touching his
naked
cock. It made everything seem sharper and more intense. “Oh
God
, Simon!” he moaned loudly, fumbling with Simon’s jeans, wanting—needing—to return the pleasure.

Finally he had Simon’s cock in his hand, and despite how crazy he was, he actually stopped a moment. It was the first time he’d ever touched someone else’s, and he marveled at the feel of the soft skin stretched over the hardness. He’d felt it, of course, on his own cock, but it felt different on someone else.

The moan Simon let out in reaction to his touch brought Jimmy back to the moment. He wrapped his hand around Simon and looked up to catch Simon’s lips in another kiss. Simon’s hand started moving over Jimmy’s own length. It was too much, too new, too….
Simon
. They stroked each other, rocked into each other’s hands, locked in the deepest kiss yet, and the pleasure grew fast. Jimmy knew he wouldn’t last very long; it was all beyond anything he’d fantasized about.

Before he could worry about embarrassing himself, though, Simon broke the kiss, moaning, “
Jimmy
.” That was all the warning Jimmy got. He managed to yank his Garrus T-shirt out of the way before Simon came, shaking hard.

Just
seeing
Simon like that would have been enough—the look on Simon’s face, the visual evidence of what Jimmy had given him. But with the sound of
his
name in Simon’s voice at that particular point, the feel of it all was too much. He lost it too, adding his mess next to Simon’s on his chest, his own body shaking in reaction.

They lay like that for a long moment, Simon’s face buried in Jimmy’s neck, both panting hard. Jimmy let go of Simon’s cock and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, floored at what they’d done. He hadn’t gone into the date expecting to do anything like that, hadn’t really thought he’d get more than a few kisses. But as he held Simon, felt the slight shake in Simon’s body, showing how it had affected his boyfriend too, he knew it was right. He couldn’t imagine anyone else he’d want to have his first sexual experience with. He felt Simon kiss his neck, and he tightened his arms around Simon in reaction.

He stared at the ceiling of the car as his heart thudded in his chest. In that moment he wanted—more than anything in the world—to keep Simon with him, keep Simon safe, in his arms, forever.

His breath caught and a lump formed in his throat. Was that what he thought it was?

Did he… love Simon?

And as he thought about what it would be like to lose Simon, his throat closed and his chest tightened horribly, the truth sinking into him. He found himself wanting to say those words to Simon, wanting… well, he didn’t know what all he wanted, so long as it meant Simon was with him.

He wasn’t ready to say it, though. He didn’t know if Simon felt that way too. He seemed to want Jimmy a lot, wanted to be with Jimmy, but that didn’t guarantee Simon felt the same way. And Jimmy wasn’t sure he could say it and not get it in return. He was pretty sure it’d hurt like hell if that happened.

He wished with everything in him right then that he could say it and know it would come back. Instead, he wrapped the thought up carefully, tucked it back into his heart, and focused on the man in his arms, who was still shaking slightly.

“Hey, baby, are you okay?” He ran his hands over Simon’s back.