Your Forever: The Eight of Wands (7 page)

“And wanting forever,” Theo said. “Which you made quite clear you’re not.”

“Well,” Del said, “what if I was wrong? What if I’m so scared of not being your forever that I never take the chance to find out?”

Theo looked at him as if he had started speaking in tongues. “Dude, you are fucked up.”

“I know. I know.”

“Is that how you and Jeff got to be friends? You both have an enormous fear of commitment?”

“Basically. We had to talk about something during therapy sessions.” He stopped, swallowed again, and said, “So. How about giving me another chance?”

Theo exhaled, thoughtful. “I don’t know, Del. I’m not crazy about you running hot and cold.”

“Just tonight--”

«Oh, so you just want to get laid.”

“Just tonight,” Del repeated, “and tomorrow. And then whenever you want. If you want, I’ll come out and see you. I’ve never been to Texas,” he added, hope in his voice.

Theo started to smile. “I'd love to show it to you. But then what, Del?»

Del said, «I don't have a plan. For once in my life, I don't have a plan. I'm willing to hope.»

Theo pounced, kissing him with a mouth that was open and wet. Del melted into him, hands against the soft cotton of his shirt, and couldn't decide where to start, the tie, the buttons? He pulled at Theo's shirt and touched the smooth skin of his back, and Theo bent his head against Del's neck and shivered.

«We should go inside,» Del whispered and licked his dry lips.

«Um, actually,» said Theo and took out a small bottle of lubricant and a condom from his back pocket. Del raised his eyebrows. Theo confessed, «I was kind of hoping to get you alone during the reception.»

«Outdoor sex,» Del breathed. «You have the best ideas.» He kissed Theo and sucked on his lip as Theo pulled the bowtie from his collar and started unbuttoning his shirt with trembling hands.

Del pulled Theo down onto the grass. He got Theo out of his shirt and his pants undone as Theo pulled off Del's tuxedo and kissed his chest. «You have the sweetest freckles,» Theo whispered and licked Del's nipple. Del groaned and bumbled at the fly of his tuxedo trousers until Theo laughed and pushed his hand out of the way. His hand shook even so, and Del watched Theo's face and panted for breath as cool night air caressed his skin.

He rolled Theo under him and knelt over Theo's hips. Theo watched him through half-closed eyes as Del mapped his body from shoulders to hips, first with his hands and then with his tongue, and he moaned, «Del,» sometimes in a choked voice that made Del's belly tighten.

Theo pulled Del down by his shoulders and kissed him. His lips were soft, the only soft thing about his body, and they yielded to Del's mouth so willingly. His jaw was sandpapery with five o'clock shadow, and his fingers rough with calluses as he ran them over Del's shoulders and arms.

«Gonna fuck me, right?» Theo growled when Del moved his mouth to Theo's neck. «Tell me you're gonna fuck me.»

«I will do anything to you that you want,» Del said and nipped at his shoulder. «Take off your pants.»

Theo laughed and shucked them off, and when he was nude Del had to just stop and stare. Theo was so long and broad, so comfortable in his skin that he met Del's gaze frankly and grinned. «I think you kind of like me.»

«I think you're kind of right,» Del said and fell onto Theo. He kissed Theo desperately as their cocks rubbed together, and Theo's hands pushed and pulled and squeezed. Del slicked his fingers and worked them one by one into Theo, sucking on his neck as he buried his fingers in Theo's tight body.

He stroked Theo deep until Theo threw back his head and said, «Del, please,” in that gravelly choked voice. Del grabbed the condom from the grass and tore it open, rolled it onto his prick and lifted Theo’s leg over his shoulder. Theo made soft helpless sounds in his chest as Del pushed into him.

It took them a few minutes to find a mutual rhythm but then they did, Del pushing forward and Theo pushing right back. Del wrapped his hand around Theo’s cock and jerked him, tight and probably too rough, but Theo said, “Yes, uh-huh,” and shoved into his fist. He lifted his other leg over Del’s shoulder and Del bent over him, moving his hips fast and his hand faster, until Theo’s back arched and his feet curled against Del’s back and he came, hot and slick, over his belly and Del’s hand.

Del rested his hands on the grass and watched Theo’s face, watched him suck oxygen in between his teeth as Del fucked him, and when Del started to shudder and gasp Theo pulled him down and kissed him. He kept kissing Del until the shivering stopped and Del slumped against him. Theo’s big hands splayed over his back and held him in place, their gasping breaths no louder than the wind in the trees.

***

They dressed again only for decency’s sake, shirts on but unbuttoned, socks rolled into pockets, and scurried through the quiet lodge to Theo’s room. “Could I--” Del said, and Theo pulled him by the hand into his room before he could finish.

They tumbled onto the bed, kissing each other, and shed their clothes and crawled under the sheets. Del turned on the bedside lamp and touched Theo’s face, ran a hand over his chest and back up his neck.”You’re beautiful,” he said and Theo blinked at him with those springtime eyes. Del rubbed his thumb over Theo’s lips and traced his ears, his almond-shaped eyes, the wide set of his forehead and his square jaw. Theo smiled and Del traced his dimples as well. «You kind of wreck me.»

Theo gave him a puzzled look. «What? Why?»

«I feel like,» Del began, and then bit his lip. «Okay. This is going to sound weird.» Theo looked at him patiently. «You could have anybody you wanted, so what do you want with me?»

«Oh, Delany,» Theo said and pulled Del to him so that Del sprawled across his body. «That thing I said earlier about you being fucked up? I had no idea.»

«There you go,» Del said. «That's one more thing that's wrong with me.»

«There's nothing wrong with you,» Theo said, and repeated it, more seriously, «There's nothing wrong with you. You're amazing. You're gorgeous. You took care of everybody all weekend, even me, when you didn't know me at all. And you got my brother safely married, which I think we all know is nothing short of a miracle.»

«That was all Marianne,» Del said. «I had nothing to do with it.»

«You got him to the church on time, dude,» Theo said. «Miraculous.» He stroked his thumbs over Del's cheekbones. «I think I have to kiss you just for that.» Theo stooped and kissed him, gentle and slow, and then moved his mouth lightly over Del's face, pressing small kisses here and there as if he meant to kiss every freckle. Del cupped his head and held Theo close, exhaling.

After a few minutes of soft kisses, Theo said, “You know, when I get back, everybody’s going to ask how the wedding was and I’ll have to say it was the best wedding I’ve ever been to because I met this great guy. Then they’re going to want to also meet this great guy, and what will I tell them?” He looked at Del, the picture of innocence.

Del touched Theo’s nose. “I don’t know. Labor Day weekend, or is that too soon?”

“I think Labor Day weekend sounds perfect.” He stretched up to kiss Del. «Fly out Friday, fly home Monday. We will have such a good time.”

“I bet we will.” They rested their foreheads together and Del flicked out his tongue to touch Theo’s lips. “But I’m scared to death.”

“Well, stop it. There’s nothing to be afraid of when hope is involved.” Del nodded, and Theo moved onto his back and pulled Del gently to him, an arm around Del’s shoulders and a hand buried in Del’s hair. “You’d better come and see me. We’ll have a great time, and we’ll figure out if this is just wedding-induced madness or something a little more substantial.”

“Those are some big words, there,” Del murmured, smiling.

“It comes from hanging out around adults again.” He traced lazy figure eights and circles on Del’s back.

“Okay,” Del said. “No fear. I will be fearless. Brave, even.”

“That’s my Delany.” He kissed Del’s forehead.

“If you call me Delany, I get to call you Theodore.”

“No, no, no,” Theo protested. “It makes me feel like one of the Chipmunks and I don’t have the squeaky voice.”

“No, you don’t,” Del said and moved on top of him. “You have,” he kissed Theo’s chest, “a lovely,” he kissed Theo’s stomach, “very masculine,” he kissed Theo’s hip, “amazing baritone.” He sucked Theo’s cock into his mouth, but had to pull off and laugh when Theo squeaked.

***

Half the wedding party was at breakfast when they came to the dining room in the morning, and Del hoped everyone else was too tired and contented to notice that he and Theo practically glowed with satisfaction.

Carson winked at him, though. Del smiled self-consciously back and filled his plate from the breakfast buffet, and decided to blame the heat in his face on the warming dishes.

They joined Mrs. Bodie and Mrs. Whitacre at their table. «Delany,» Mrs. Whitacre said, «tell me what your plans are for today. I can't decide which of the lovely activities they offer here that I'd like to try.»

«I have no plans,» said Del. He glanced at Theo and Theo beamed at him. «Just a slow, lazy day until I take this one back to the airport.»

«No plans sounds lovely,» said Mrs. Bodie. «I think I may do that, myself.»

«I don't think I've ever seen you have an idle hour,» Mrs. Whitacre said. «Certainly not an entire day.»

«There's a first for everything.» He touched Theo's leg under the table and Theo laced their fingers together and held his hand all through breakfast.

***

Saying goodbye to Theo in the tiny Bakersfield airport was far harder than Del thought it would be. He held Theo’s face and kissed him, and Theo kissed him back every time he tried to stop. “They’re calling your flight,” he whispered finally.

“There’s only eight of us,” Theo said, still kissing him. “It’s a short line.”

Del kissed him a few more times, then put his hands on Theo’s shoulders and stepped firmly out of kissing distance. “You need to get on board.”

“All right,” Theo said grumpily. “Can I call you when I change planes in San Francisco?”

“You’d better.»

“Can I call you when I get home?”

“You’d better.” He stroked Theo’s shoulders.

“Can we have phone sex when I get home?”

“Absolutely,” Del said, laughing.

“Can we have phone sex when I get to San Francisco?”

“Probably not. We should wait until you've got some privacy.”

“Fine.” Theo looked at him, tenderness in his eyes. “And you’re coming in two weeks. No backing down.”

“I’ll be there.” He looked at Theo, knowing he had to say goodbye and unable to actually say the words. “Okay. Get on your plane. I’ll see you in two weeks.”

 “Yeah, yeah.” Theo started to the gates, which consisted of a security guard and a doorway, and then stopped and turned back. “Del!”

They looked at each other for a moment or two, and then Theo raised his hand in a small wave goodbye. Del returned it, and then Theo got into line to board the plane. Del waited until the plane was safely in the sky to go home.

***

Two weeks later, as the plane landed in Austin, Del couldn’t stop fidgeting. Even though he and Theo emailed several times a day, talked on the phone several times a week, IM-ed each other every day and Del had even gotten a webcam so they could see each other, he was nervous. What if Theo didn’t meet him at the airport? What if Theo had only been humoring him all this time? What if he just didn’t want Del anymore?

He reminded himself that Theo had said, “I can’t wait to see you,” just the night before, and that they’d confirmed the details of Del’s flight three times, and Theo had emailed him that morning just to say, “I can’t wait until I can kiss you all I want.”

Nothing to be afraid of, Del thought. The man you want wants you.

They had arranged to meet at the baggage carousel for his flight, and Del stood with his hand wrapped tight around the handle of his suitcase and remembered to breathe. All around him people reunited, hugging, kissing, greeting each other with cries of joy. “No fears,” Del whispered. “He’ll be here.”

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and Del whirled to see Theo smiling at him, delight in his hazel eyes. “Hey,” Del breathed. “Hey, forever.”

Theo’s smile grew even wider. “Hey, forever.»

End

Your Forever: The Eight of Wands

Copyright © 2010 by Jenna Jones

ISBN: 978-0-60370-945-3

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

Printed in the United States of America.

Torquere Press, Inc.: Single Shot electronic edition / March 2010

Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680