Jai just sat at his new dining room table and tried not to let hope bloom through him at Luke’s words. He still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened. Luke seemed to be saying he was out to the world, and he seemed to be saying he wanted to be in a relationship.
Luke was just sitting across from him in full uniform, familiar even in his handsome heft but looking more real, more engaged than Jai had ever seen him look.
Luke’s smile was gentle as some of his tension looked to be released. “Come on, Jai. You have to say something. All the busybodies in town will be devastated if their gay cop is celibate because he can’t get a boyfriend.”
“A boyfriend,” Jai repeated, dumb with the unexpectedness of it all.
“Fuck buddies would be kind of a weird title if I could convince the man I’m in love with to start sleeping with me again.”
Jai had definitely heard Luke say that. The world started to blur around them and tears filled his eyes. He felt his mouth stretch in a smile, felt the world feel whole for the first time. Still, he didn’t say anything.
“You’re smiling. Please tell me that’s a good sign.”
“The man I love is in love with me and isn’t planning on making me hide indoors for our entire relationship. Yeah, the smile is sort of mandatory,” Jai replied, enjoying the dawning joy on Luke’s face now.
There was a flurry of movement from Luke’s side of the table and Jai found himself out of his chair, wrapped in strong arms. He’d forgotten how easily Luke could manhandle him. He’d forgotten how good it felt to be held by this man. He could feel Luke’s chest heave against him as Luke dipped his head to his cheek and struggled to breathe evenly.
“Hey, this is good,” Jai said, his voice gentle in comfort. “We just told each other we loved each other, totally good news.”
“I was scared,” Luke admitted. “Scared that me walking away from you had just shown you all my faults and made you realize I wasn’t really worth your time in the first place.”
“You were a dickhead.” Jai tightened his arms when Luke would have pulled away. “But by then you had me hopelessly in love with you, so looks like we are stuck.”
Jai settled his body more fully against Luke, and felt both their tension ratchet up. It had been too long since they got to enjoy this. The heavy uniform didn’t stop Jai from wrapping his legs around Luke’s waist. He was glad though that gun, Taser, and baton were absent, probably in the car’s safe. The uniform might be hot, but usually it came with a few too many uncomfortable accessories to make this possible.
He moved his head, needing the slide of lips, and was surprised when Luke jerked away before their mouths could touch.
“We need to go to the bedroom,” Luke said, his voice gravelly with desire and suppressed emotion. “I start kissing you here and we’ll be fucking on the floor. This time we are going to be in a bed. We are in a real relationship and going to do this right.”
Jai’s cock had stiffened, jerked against Luke’s stomach at the idea of fucking on his new floor, but he appreciated the sentiment so he murmured directions into Luke’s ear so they could be his bed as fast as possible.
Before he knew it, he was tumbled down onto his back on his large bed. There was only time for one breath in, before they attacked each other’s clothes. Everything was pulled away. Somehow without speaking, they both knew they needed to be skin to skin to make this feel real. And as Luke settled his big body on Jai, Jai knew that instinct had been right. The weight of Luke’s body and the warmth of his hair roughened skin felt so right. The hard cock against his thigh, already sticky with excitement, was a rather large bonus. Then their lips met and all rational thought left. Need spiraled in that kiss. Need to feel the reality of the words spoken. Luke was obviously of the same mind, as he pushed against him, as if he wanted to imprint the memory of this in his skin.
“I’ve never had sex with anyone I knew I loved before,” said Luke, when he wrested his mouth clear before starting a trail down Jai’s body.
“First time for me too.” Jai savored those words. There might have been lots of time with other people, but this was something they both could share in the moment. This was something they could treasure and remember together.
From the direction that Luke arrowed his kisses down, Jai figured this all could be over quickly. Just the thought of Luke’s mouth on him had him pumping his hips. Luke must have decided that Jai was squirming a little bit too much because hard, heavy hands pushed at his hips bones and held him tight and still. Some couples might make love soft and slowly after those magical words, but they had obviously not been two guys horny with only their hands for release for three weeks. Jai was expecting to see Luke’s fingerprints on his wrists for the next week and the thought of that only made him push harder against Luke’s controlling hold.
“I’ll be coming shortly,” he warned Luke. “It’s up to you if you want to be in me when it happens.” Jai’s erection was now dripping with anticipation.
“Umm,” was Luke’s only response to his words. He’d sucked Jai down and was vigorously applying his mouth despite the warning.
Jai bucked under him and used all his upper body strength to reach his arm over to the bedside table.
“You might need these,” he said, throwing a condom and lube straight at Luke’s head after yanking them from inside the drawer.
Luke released his cock with a wet plop. “Maiming me isn’t super romantic.”
“Me coming down your throat in two seconds probably isn’t that romantic either.”
“I don’t know. Sounds like a good deal to me,” Luke said slyly, the rhythm of his actions broken, so his next threat was just a slow lick of Jai’s rock-hard dick.
“What I want is to feel you in me.” Jai made sure that Luke was looking him in the eye when he said those very honest words and got to see the moment Luke’s pupils dilated. Yeah, the man wanted him like that, in the very best way.
So Jai was surprised when Luke grabbed his hips and flipped him over. It was super hot, but Jai still felt the need to express a cursory protest. “When the New South Wales police force taught you wrestling, I’m pretty sure they didn’t intend for it to be used in the bedroom.”
Jai was proud he got that whole sentence out, because while he was saying it, Luke had started brushing his lube-covered fingertips across Jai’s hole. The way he was pushing his ass back toward Luke’s hands showed how desperate he was, for more prolonged contact, and his body welcomed the slide
“Now I’m a proud-and-out member of the force, you’d be surprised at what moves are on the table,” Luke said, in his ear, as he stretched out next to him, letting Jai feel the heaviness of his muscular weight down the side of his whole body.
Jai actually managed to simultaneously giggle; there was no other word to describe that breathy laugh and shiver in anticipation.
The pull between them was getting desperate again, the attraction notching up and for all Luke’s cocky words he was starting to hurry through prepping Jai, the need to have his dick inside Jai was becoming obvious.
“I’m good,” Jai said.
Hell, his body sang with the way it had been stretched and fondled. He turned his head so Luke could see he was serious. “Its been too long since I’ve felt you inside me.”
Luke’s response was a brush of lips against his cheeks. “Tell me about it. I think I dreamed about it each night I was alone.”
“You’re not alone now, so how do you want me?” Jai asked.
“I want to see your face. I want to know it is you, every single moment.” There was no hesitation in Luke’s reply.
It only took the work of a few seconds for Luke to be shown he wasn’t the only one with moves, as Jai turned around, with one sinuous movement, onto his back and pushed his knees up to Luke’s shoulder as leverage.
“Condom, lube, in me,” Jai reminded the man looking at him with very glazed eyes.
Luke covered his dick with both latex and slick without breaking eye contact with Jai. The anticipation of the sex, but also the intensity of the emotion between them, had Jai having to remind himself to breathe. The words they had spoken were not just words, there was a pledge there of something deeper and tonight love was obvious in each action and expression.
Luke kissed Jai, even as he breached his body. The slight sting of the intrusion turned to pleasure when Luke’s steady rhythm found his gland. Jai moaned through the joy of it. He wasn’t going to keep his appreciation of this level of sex quiet and, as a bonus, each of his groans only had Luke pushing in harder.
Luke’s arms were bracing him above Jai, so Jai was going to have to take matters into his own hands tonight. It was only the work of seconds to wrap his palm around his cock and squeeze. His body was so there, so pleasured up, that that was all it took before he was coming all over his stomach.
Watching and feeling his orgasm was all it seemed to take to push Luke over the edge and Jai loved watching that moment of complete openness as he succumbed to the joy of Jai’s body.
Luke’s arms buckled but he caught himself and slowly lowered himself onto Jai’s chest.
“That sex has to take us from pretty good to mind-blowingly great,” Luke said, amused, and looking not a little proud of himself.
All Jai managed was a “yeah” before kissing him languidly. If he had a better ability to speak in this moment, he’d let Luke know that the sex with him had always been the best sex of Jai’s life. Knowing tonight they were having sex after admitting their love had only made it more special.
The way that Luke was smiling at him though, kind of made those words redundant. They were here and they both knew exactly how much pleasure they had given each other, how much joy. The best thing for Jai was that this time he didn’t have to think about the endgame, didn’t have to think about the moment this was going to all go away.
Eventually, Luke left the circle of his arms to get a cloth to wipe off Jai. Three weeks of missing his lover had left an explosion of cum all over his chest, which was getting a little sticky. No matter the momentariness of Luke absence, Jai took him back into the circle of his arms as soon as he had been wiped down.
“I don’t ever want to leave this bed,” Jai said, wrapping his arms around Luke’s neck more tightly. “I think we could probably last at least a few days before we have to start foraging for food.”
Luke groaned. “Don’t tempt me. I don’t want you too far away and we could be very happy cocooned against the world here for forever, but me being out doesn’t mean much if we never leave the house.”
Something in Jai warmed at the words. He’d known Luke was serious about being in love with him but knowing that he wanted to be completely out in the town was another level of commitment entirely. Though, “If we leave the house, I’m going to have to put clothes on.”
Luke took a long slow look at Jai’s bare body beneath his. “No one is sadder than me about that.”
“Does it have to be tonight?” Jai asked, nuzzling Luke’s armpit, loving the shiver he elicited.
“So regretfully, yeah.” Luke pulled slightly away. “The gossip mill is already running, but us confirming we are an actual couple might put a few other rumors to rest.” Luke sat up straight, as if something had just occurred to him. “Fuck, I actually wasn’t thinking. Your name isn’t tied to mine at this point, so I shouldn’t have assumed that you actually want to be part of the town gossip. We could go slowly if that works better for you.”
Jai actually laughed at the look on Luke’s face, as if he had made some hideous faux pas. “Yeah, Luke, I’m going to get you to come out and then let you be the focus of the town because I’m worried about a little gossip.” He straddled the man, against the headboard. “I’m in love with you, and I’m proud to be seen with you. I think you mentioned boyfriend before; well, hot tip, that’s not a secret position.”
Jai could feel their cocks start to harden where they touched. “We better get in that shower,” he said, as he climbed off his man reluctantly. “This town goes to sleep at eight thirty, so our public debut could be a little underdone if we go a second round.”
He pulled the reluctant Luke into his new bathroom.
• • •
Climbing out of Luke’s car in the middle of the town, Jai had a moment to really worry about what they were getting into. He had seen Luke’s obvious nerves when they had stopped by the station house for him to get changed. Hell, the man hadn’t even let him get on his knees in his kitchen. However, Luke’s face now was a mask of calm happiness and Jai couldn’t stop an involuntary smile when, as they walked down the footpath, he felt the warmth of Luke’s hand on the small of his back. As far as public displays of affection went it was on the lower end of the scale, but it was an obvious sign of intimacy to anyone who saw them, a public statement that Luke certainly wasn’t backing away from.
“That is fucking hot is what it is,” Jai whispered to Luke, after checking no one was in hearing distance. “Just for that you get to choose exactly what I do to you tomorrow.”
“Don’t give me a hard-on,” Luke growled. “I’m going for respectable coupledom here, and me walking around with a tent in my pants takes the look closer to sex show.”
Jai actually stopped in the street and laughed for the sheer joy of it. “Did you ever think you’d be describing our relationship as respectable coupledom?”
Luke chuckled, though not with the same kind of uninhibited glee as Jai. “I didn’t think I would fall in love with a man.”
“I haven’t gotten sick of hearing that,” Jai reached out and lightly touched Luke’s hand.
The sound of men leaving the corner pub had them looking up. Luke put his hand back on Jai’s back. “I hope these guys won’t have anything to say that you’ll get sick of hearing pretty quickly.”
Jai had had enough insults thrown at him as he walked down some less well-heeled Sydney streets, that he was prepared for an onslaught of anything. The steading warmth on his back of Luke’s hand made him promise silently that there would be nothing that could be said, that he would let his partner see him be upset about. Luckily, it was a bit too early in the evening for anyone to be falling down drunk, and there weren’t many locals who couldn’t identify Luke on sight as the town copper. Apart from a few snickers as they walked passed, most of what was said was the traditional head nods and a few “Sergeants” that would occur when any two lots of Australian men passed each other in a country town.
• • •
Before they pushed open the door of the pub, Jai scanned the room for anyone he knew. As it was the town’s only pub, half of his workmates and almost all of Luke’s off-duty station were propping up tables around the large bar.
The good news was that even though the sight of Jai and Luke together got a few surprised looks and whispers in ears, there was also waves of welcome from the respective workmates.
“Divide and conquer?” Jai asked Luke quietly.
“Nah,” said Luke, surprising him even more by taking his hand. “This is one that we do together.”
“Are we going to be one of those couples?” Jai couldn’t resist a moment of teasing even with the tension he could feel in both their bodies.
The smile Luke cracked was genuine. “Maybe, but I also want to be around to kick anyone’s arse who might be rude to my boyfriend.”
“Hey, you’ve seen my kickboxing skills; maybe whoever is rude to you is the one who needs to watch their back,” Jai replied, liking the both the word boyfriend in Luke’s mouth and the flare of sex in Luke’s eyes.
He was so distracted by looking at that expression that Jai almost jumped out of his skin when he received a hearty pat to the back. He turned around to be greeted by a smug-looking Mitch. “Looks like the boss only gave us half the headline news today. We better get you a drink so you can tell us how long you guys have been together.”
Luke’s amused shrug let him know that he probably wouldn’t be getting any help from his quarter. Apparently his offer of full protection only extended to acts of rudeness against his partner, not an attacking locust of gossips.
“Small-town life, baby,” Luke whispered as he and Jai were borne off toward the table full of cops.
“Just for that I’m going to let the nurses get to you.” Maybe Luke would look less amused when the ER crew started asking him what male celebrity he’d most like to fuck.
That look of panic in his boyfriend’s eyes was worth any amount of police interrogation.