Page 33 of Caught Running

“I’d rather brave the cooking than the store,” Jake declared with another kiss. “Mainly because of the whole getting-dressed thing,” he growled before pushing away from the refrigerator. “But I bet you want like fruit and stuff, though, huh?” he laughed with a grin. “You want to come with me or stay here and snoop through my things while I’m gone?” he asked playfully, his hands drifting down Brandon’s sides before taking another step back.

Eyes bright, Brandon chuckled. “No preference. Unless there’s something really interesting I’ll find if I ‘snoop’,” he teased. “Besides, you don’t know what kind of ‘fruit and stuff’ I like,” he pointed out.

“Point,” Jake conceded with a grin. “Let me get my shoes,” he huffed as he turned away and headed for the hall closet. “You’ll have to drive!” he called over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs.

Brandon looked down at the running shorts and T-shirt he was wearing and figured they were fine for the store. He headed back upstairs to the bedroom where his shoes had been tossed two different ways. He sat on the edge of the mussed bed to pull them on, pausing after to look at the sheets where he’d laid in Jake’s arms.

Jake rummaged through the upstairs hall closet and found his flip flops, thwapping them down onto the floor noisily and sliding into them. He peered down the hall and saw Brandon sitting on the end of the bed, glancing over his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked lightly, not letting the sudden flash of worry show through.

Brandon turned to look at him, unaware of the soft, endearing smile on his face. He’d been thinking about how he couldn’t have asked for a better first time with Jake. Followed by hoping it wasn’t the last, although he was feeling pretty damn good about that. Jake was being amazingly affectionate and it made Brandon happier than he had expected. Just that simple affectionmeantmore, although he certainly wouldn’t want to give up the incredibly passionate sex. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said softly.

Jake raised an eyebrow and closed the hallway door. “You’re not going all mushy on me are you?” he asked teasingly as he flip-flopped down the hallway toward the bedroom. He leaned against the doorway, and his lips twitched in amusement. “Idon’t wanna talk about my feelings,” he told Brandon sternly with a wag of his finger.

Brandon again quashed a laugh. Despite his tough words, Jake’s actions didn’t back them up at all. “Oh, heaven forbid,” he said drolly as he stood up. “C’mon. Food so you can feed me after you used me so mercilessly.”

“You know you liked it,” Jake shot back with a cocky jerk of his head. The little rush of heat that shot through him at the thought said that he had liked it too. A lot.

Brandon stopped right up against Jake’s chest rather than continuing into the hall. “Yeah,” he rasped. “I did.”

The heat billowed, and Jake’s smile faded as he met Brandon’s eyes. “Me too,” he whispered in a low voice.

Brandon leaned forward to kiss him gently on the lips, then his cheekbone, then the very corner of his eyes. “Offsets the mush, then,” he murmured. Jake growled softly and enjoyed the kisses like a puppy being petted by his master, his eyes closed and a small smile on his face. Pulling back to look over Jake’s face, Brandon whispered, “You really are gorgeous.”

Jake opened his eyes and cocked his head. He had heard such things before. Coming from Brandon, though, he wondered why they sounded more sincere. He smiled softly and shook his head. “I thought I told you to stop talking to yourself,” he murmured teasingly as he pulled him closer and kissed his chin.

Brandon’s eyes fell mostly closed and he rubbed his cheek against Jake’s chin. “Would you rather hear that you really are addictive?” he asked, sliding his hands around Jake’s thighs to grope his ass. “Can’t keep my hands off you now.”

“That might be a problem come Monday,” Jake drawled with a little laugh.

Brandon pulled back, eyes wide. He cleared his throat. “Ah, well. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to rein myself in,” hesaid, wondering how in the world he had become the subtle aggressor between them.

“You do that,” Jake responded sternly. “I’ll just stay close to the showers myself.”

Narrowing his eyes, Brandon poked Jake in the ribs. “I’d hope I have the same effect on you that you have on me. Certainly seems like it anyway,” he said.

Jake grabbed Brandon in a lightning-quick movement as soon as his ribs were jabbed, and he slammed the man against the wall and kissed him brutally. Brandon barely had time to get in a breath before he was gasping into Jake’s mouth, going achingly hard as Jake manhandled him. He’d never have thought he’d be so turned on by being thrown around, but God help him ... He tried to kiss Jake back just as firmly, grinding against his thigh. At this rate they’d never get dinner, and Brandon just didn’t care.

Jake grinned as Brandon responded to him, and he nipped once more at his lip before pulling back. “Like that?” he asked innocently.

Sucking in breaths, color high on his cheeks, Brandon paused, then nodded quickly. “Jesus,” he hissed, eyes dilating with desire.

Jake’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?” he asked with a smirk as he slid his hands down Brandon’s ribs. Trying to get in enough air to calm down, Brandon gave Jake a helpless look. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” Jake laughed impulsively, taking Brandon’s face in both hands and kissing him.

Brandon’s “Cute?” came out muffled, but he really didn’t mind. He slid his arms around Jake’s neck and held close, distantly amused that they were standing in the doorway necking like kids. He smiled against the kiss. Yeah. Jake wasveryaffectionate.

It was another moment of languid kisses before Jake pulled back and licked his lips, fingers trailing through Brandon’s hair. “Dinner?” he suggested a little breathlessly.

“Yeah,” Brandon agreed. “Store?”

Jake let his eyes rake over Brandon’s body as if he were considering getting dinnerthereinstead, but then he smirked and looked up to meet Brandon’s eyes again with a mischievous little glint. “Yeah,” he answered. “You’re driving.” Brandon nodded and started down the hallway. Jake watched him go before following him, hopping a little as he walked to catch up to the other man.

Brandon snagged his keys off the hall table where he’d thrown them earlier. “We ought to pick up your truck while we’re out,” he said as they walked down the front steps.

“Good idea,” Jake answered and spun on his heel toward the kitchen and the hook where his keys lived. He’d put them there after picking them up off the living room floor just a while ago. “We’re going to have to be careful,” he warned seriously. “You know how rumors make it around a high school.” He practically groaned.

Brandon was composed and appropriately sober. “Yeah,” he said, stopping at the bottom of the porch stairs. Each time Jake said something like that, he felt like it meant Jake was going to be interested in something more than the occasional fuck. But he figured Jake’s tease about not talking about feelings was grounded in fact. Hell, he didn’t know how he felt himself, other than mushily swept off his feet.

“What?” Jake asked as he came back into the entryway. “You keep looking like I kicked your puppy,” he observed with a slightly worried smile. He took a step closer and looked Brandon over carefully. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked suddenly, horror creeping into his tone.