Page 27 of Caught Running
Brandon now had ankles on his multiple-choice tests, and he looked at them, bemused. Without thinking, he dropped his pen and pressed a finger to a whitened scar and slid it along the tendon.
Jake’s leg jumped, and he shivered violently, but he didn’t pull his feet away. “Careful there,” he warned seriously. “It’s tender. Prod too deep and I kick.”
“Dare I even ask how many scars like this you have?” Brandon asked sadly. “Tender, still, after how much time?”
“Years. And it’s just the two long ones like that,” Jake answered with a tap to his shoulder. “My knee was arthroscopic.”
Brandon turned serious eyes on him. “Like that makes it better. ‘Yeah, I went under the knife, but they did it by camera instead of looking with their own eyes.’” He shuddered, obviously not liking the concept despite where he’d been headed in med school. “I’m sorry you still feel it after all this time,” he said, unconsciously caressing the scar with one hand.
Skin prickled all over Jake’s body as he watched Brandon’s hand move with dark eyes. That was a decidedly tender gesture. Christ, could he be right about Brandon? Was it really more than just in his head and wishful thinking? He swallowed heavily and watched the man wordlessly.
Seeming to realize what he was doing, Brandon sat back and pulled his hand away with reluctance, fingers brushing along the skin before leaving it entirely. He glanced to the other man and murmured a weak apology. His touch had been beyond that of a doctor or therapist and well into something more intimate.
Jake pushed up onto his elbows and licked his lips as he watched Brandon intently. His stomach was churningafter that gentle caress, and he could see that Brandon was embarrassed by the touch. Perhaps thinking he’d overstepped his boundaries? What if Jake was right? What if Brandonwasattracted to him? The likelihood was slim, but Jake had reached the point where he just couldn’t tolerate not finding out somehow.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jake blurted before his better senses could stop him.
Brandon glanced at him. “Of course,” he answered, pulling off his glasses and setting them on the pile of papers he’d just slid to the couch’s arm.
Now that Jake had embarked on this road, he didn’t quite know how to proceed, and he certainly didn’t know how to turn back. He sat up and tucked his feet under him, peering at Brandon intently as the man turned on the couch to face him. Jake wasn’t a wordy person, and though he was quick with the insults, having a serious conversation about what he wanted to ask just wasn’t in his makeup. Actions spoke louder than words to Jake. So instead of asking the question he’d intended to, he reached out quickly, tugged Brandon closer to him—and kissed him.
It was the last thing Brandon expected.
He froze for the first few seconds as his heart tried to tear out of his chest. Then the heat swamped him and he practically melted against Jake’s strong chest and firm lips, a soft moan in his throat.
The best way to tell if the answer to Jake’s unasked question was a resounding ‘no’ would have been a swing of some sort. He half-expected Brandon to push him away and hit him. What he didn’t expect was the responsive sound. It sent a fire through him he hadn’t quite foreseen, and he nipped at Brandon’s lower lip experimentally as he crawled closer. Brandon shivered andopened his lips slightly, softening and molding to Jake’s as his head spun. God, was this really happening?
Jake leaned closer and kissed him harder, finding himself enjoying it even more than he’d thought he would. He kept his hands carefully off Brandon’s body, that last mental barrier still yet to be broken down. Finally he pulled back and pushed himself off the couch, standing quickly and breathing hard. “Ha!” he shouted as he pointed down at Brandon. “I knew it,” he announced with relish.
Brandon’s eyes were wide and surprised, and he flinched when Jake practically yelled. “Knew what?” he asked, raising a hand to touch his lips.
“You’re gay, right?” Jake asked in a slightly amused voice. “Or bi, anyway. I knew it,” he repeated as he took a step forward and bent over Brandon again, bracing his hands on the back of the couch and trapping the man below him. “Aren’t you,” he said softly as a smile pulled at his lips.
As Jake leaned close, Brandon first considered panic. Second, denial. Third, he thought flying off the fucking handle might fit well here. Instead he just nodded, studying the other man’s face for warning signs.Jakehad kissedhim.Surely it wasn’t a damn joke.
A happy flush spread through Jake’s body as Brandon nodded slowly. “Can I kiss you again?” he asked impulsively as he hovered. If possible, Brandon’s eyes got bigger. Unable to form words, he nodded again. Jake brushed his lips over Brandon’s as soon as the tentative permission was given. He growled softly and finally let his hands move until they were resting on Brandon’s shoulders, holding him down.
Clearing his throat, Brandon tilted his head up. “Why?” he asked softly before his mouth was taken again.
“Why what?” Jake asked a little breathlessly against Brandon’s lips, telling himself that if he didn’t get calm veryfast the cup he never wore to games would have to make an appearance this afternoon just to preserve the innocence of the children.
The moan escaped before Brandon could stop it. “Why this? How did you know?” Brandon’s voice was deepening to a rasp and his hands clenched on the couch cushions.
“Hope,” Jake answered immediately. “Sheer hope,” he murmured as he kissed Brandon again gently.
Jesus.Brandon leaned slightly into the kiss and raised his hands to touch Jake’s chest and shoulder lightly. “Christ,” he whispered. If he thought his head was spinning before ... he had no concept. “Jake,” he breathed. The other man hummed in response and slid one hand behind Brandon, pulling at him gently. He wallowed in the contact, kissing him languidly over and over. Already aching, Brandon leaned into Jake when he was pulled toward him. He didn’t mind at all letting the other man take the lead. There was certainly no denying the attraction any more, and the slow, warm kisses soaked through him until he whimpered from the pleasure of it.
Only when Jake’s thigh muscles began to complain about the odd position he had put himself in did he pull back reluctantly. He licked his lips as he met Brandon’s eyes, which had turned stormy dark green. The coach’s heart was pounding; his breath was coming in little panting gusts. It occurred to him that he needed to say something. Anything. “God,” he whispered finally.
Brandon blinked and bit his bottom lip against a nervous laugh. “Not last time I checked,” he tried, gripping his own thigh when he noticed his hand was shaking.
Jake reached down and grabbed the clutching hand, threading his fingers through Brandon’s and bending again to brush his lips against Brandon’s. “Wow, I wish I’d had the nerve to do this last night,” he laughed softly, not pulling back yet forfear of looking into Brandon’s eyes again. Remaining this close to him offered a bit of anonymity or something.
The soft words made Brandon’s insides clench, and the sentiment spurred him to clasp Jake’s face between both hands and kiss him with a hint of desperation, a tinge of hopefulness, and more than a little agreement. When he pulled back, he murmured, “Would have been more than kisses.”
For the first time since walking in on Brandon stretching in the locker room weeks ago, lust hit Jake like a physical force. He practically whimpered against Brandon’s mouth, his big hands sliding along Brandon’s body and taking liberties he wouldn’t have dreamed of an hour ago. “Christ, if you knew how little self-control I have you wouldn’t say things like that,” he growled.
Brandon arched up into Jake’s touch, the wanton actions moving him without conscious thought. “Hell, Jake, you blew my self-control all to hell with the first kiss,” he admitted hoarsely. “I never expected...” He touched Jake’s lips in wonder. “Tell me this isn’t just a momentary lapse of judgment.”