Chapter Twenty-Three
They woke early the next morning though Matt couldn’t say why. Maybe it was the quiet, the constant noise of the city missing from the background. Maybe it was the cold, though he couldn’t feel it with Jasper’s warm body pressed against him.
He pressed a kiss to Jasper’s cheek, and they lay there in silence. One of Jasper’s hands found his chest, fingers idly trailing across it.
“Do you think anyone would notice if we just stayed in bed for a week or two?” Jasper asked, cuddling closer as he spoke.
“We could post a note outside the door. ‘Do not disturb, hibernation season in progress’.”
“That’s a good idea, let’s do that.”
Matt moved, rolling Jasper onto his back and pushing himself up onto his arms above him.
“Oh, and what would we do in bed for a whole week, hmm?”
Jasper glanced down at their bodies then back up at Matt. “I have a few ideas.”
“I bet you do.”
Jasper reached for him, wrapping arms around his neck and tugging him down so they were chest to chest, his lips finding Matt’s. His kiss was full of need. Matt’s hand caught his cheek and tried to slow it down.
“It’s not a race,” he said, pulling back for a moment. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here and I’m all yours.”
Jasper stilled and waited for him to make the next move. He did, slowly capturing Jasper’s lips with his, soft, chaste kisses at first, before nudging Jasper’s lips apart with his tongue. Their tongues met and Matt didn’t care that they both had morning breath or that it wasn’t perfect. It was theirs and he loved it.
Jasper responded to the rhythm he’d set, matching Matt’s pace with eagerness. Matt pressed his hips against Jasper and Jasper bucked against him, moaning as his hands slipped slower and grasped Matt’s waist.
Matt slipped a hand down between Jasper’s legs and stroked him gently. He was already showing some interest, his cock hardening rapidly in Matt’s hand.
Matt broke the kiss long enough that he could speak.
“Is this okay?”
Jasper nodded rapidly. “More than okay.”
“Good.” He captured Jasper in another kiss, feeling one of Jasper’s hands leave his waist to wrap firmly around his shaft.
Jasper held his gaze and when they broke apart again, mirrored Matt. “Is this okay?”
“So okay.”
They couldn’t seem to keep their mouths, or their hands, off one another and Matt found himself bucking against the feel of Jasper’s hand on him, stroking him deftly, not too fast, not too slow, as he returned the favor. Their hands bumped as both of them thrust their hips, their rhythms at odds with each other. But not their kisses, now fast and deep as they each gave in to the other.
Matt could feel the pressure building, could feel his ball’s tightening. It had been so long since he’d had another man’s hand on him, since his pleasure wasn’t purely his own to give. He thrust against Jasper’s hand and came hard, a cry escaping him as his body was overcome. Jasper was only a moment behind, one last stroke of Matt’s hand carrying him over the edge. He ducked his head into the curve of Matt’s neck as he rode out the wave of his orgasm.
Matt rolled onto his side, carrying Jasper with him. The younger man clung to him, his face buried against Matt’s skin. He stroked his hand across Jasper’s back, giving him time to recover. It had been intense for both of them. Their first time being so close, so intimate.
Jasper sighed and turned his head so his cheek was resting against Matt’s shoulder. There was an unmistakable smile on his face.
“That was worth waiting for,” he murmured.
“And there’s plenty more to come,” Matt replied, brushing a thumb across Jasper’s jaw.
Jasper reached for the watch on Matt’s wrist and groaned. “But not right now. I think it might be time to get up.”
Matt glanced at his watch and lay his head back down with a sigh. “So it is. We’ll have to pick this up later.”
With one last kiss to Jasper’s flushed lips, he pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed.
The shower was an odd contraption that didn’t give a lot of water or a lot of warmth. They made do with as quick a wash as they could manage, then took turns shaving at the sink.
“I don’t know,” Jasper said as he watched Matt while he dried off. “I kind of like you with some stubble.”
“I don’t mind the look of it. It’s the itch that gets to me,” Matt said, shaving a smooth line up from his chin.
“What do you think we’ll do today?”
“Get acquainted with how the place runs. Get to know a few more people. Why, what would you like to do today? And let’s take it as a given that spending the day in bed is off-limits.”
“I don’t know. I guess do what you just said.”
“Are you nervous? New people, new place.”
“A little.”
“Me, too.”
“You are?”
“Sure. It’s normal.”
“But aren’t these your kind of people?”
“No more than they’re yours. I don’t know them from Adam, except Don. And Don I don’t know that well at all. We’re starting on a pretty even footing here. Except that maybe I know the environment a bit better.”
“Because I’m the city kid.” There was a taste of bitterness from the statement that Matt didn’t like.
“I’m just as much a city kid as you, except I had the opportunity to do some traveling and see some of the world. Most of the people in this country are city people. It’s the norm these days. Living like this, out in the wilderness, that’s different. Even the people here who lived outside of cities all their lives probably didn’t spend it in a place like this. I guarantee you’ll be in good company.”
“I’ll be in your company, and that’s always good,” Jasper said, managing a smile.
Matt wasn’t worried. He knew that once they’d been there a week or two, Jasper would do just fine.